Busy, busy, rain again

Over the last week or so I've been out and about with the trusty Sony. The weather has been pretty good if not gorgeous and so I've got some really nice pictures... for the most part.

Summer is definitely at it's end though and there is a real autumnal feel today. Yesterday I finally got to the summit of Snowdon and just in the nick of time as the cloud came down as we left the summit. The shots I got from the train and from the actual summit have edited nicely into all the footage that I've been building up this and last year, it will fill the gap in the middle of the 'Year in Snowdonia' program. All I need to get now is   a few nice autumn colour shots and the pictures will all be in the bag.

Hafod Eryri

Rhyd Ddu from the summit

A couple more bits of music and a final tidy up here and there, some caption checking and it will be ready for Christmas, should make a nice present.

I've also been getting to grips with the 'Fred Says' project which is due to be shot in the last week of September. The idea of this is to make a record of Fred Howes, Ex FR P way supremo and historical artifact, talking about his history on the FR which goes back to being trained by Will Jones the last old company track man. Also, news just in, we've had some excellent video and cine film found from the 1960s through to the mid 80's which will be handy to cut into the video of Fred talking. I'm quite excited about this and hope that I can do Fred justice and make a program which is interesting and entertaining to watch. I have so much to think about while shooting being a one man band. Not only does the picture have to be right but the sound is important so I will have 2 radio mics recording to the camera but I will also need to record a stereo background 'wildtrack' for each location, not to mention sound to cover the silent cine film.

Winifred and Eigiau

Preparations for Quarry Power are also in full swing and I was on hand to record Winifred and Eigiau being delivered to Minffordd yard on a lovely sunny evening. Already waiting in a siding were Lilla and Hugh Napier. Mike Hart's Simplex was also there and did sterling service helping with the unloading.

Along with all of this I've also been grabbing any chance I get to top up the shots of the WHR that I want for the postcard. We won't produce the cards themselves until next season but it will be good to get it all in the can so I can do the new music and have it ready to go.

143 at Plas Dinas bridge

Finally I should mention that the Dancing Gnomes have been sighted again, this time at Minffordd. See them dance.

Silly

Sunshine... at first

Back to work yesterday and a mountain of paperwork but today the sun was doing warm and blue things so I collected the camera from Harbour Station and set out to capture that bright yellow stuff on tape.

As the first train on the WHR was the 11:00 I had time to go to Beddgelert to get some shots of flowers in full bloom to add to the Year in Snowdonia package, I also went up to Rhyd Ddu to get some footage of the peak of Snowdon as it was without cloud... just. I hung around there for a while as cloud cover came and went. Then it was off to Bryn y Felin to catch the ex Port 11:00 train. The light was perfect, the sky blue and the happy holiday makers on the 'beach' waved on cue.

87 just round the corner, hard to work 2 cameras at once.

Back to the car and off to Pitt's Head. I wanted to replace a shot I did on a grey day of the train popping out underneath the bridge and then a long shot of the train going over summit. I got there in time to get the ex port train coming towards the camera and then the shot I went for of the ex Caernarfon train.

143 not making much exhaust

After this train disappeared from view I followed the Caernarfon bound train and overtook it at Salem. Got a shot at Cedric's straight and then shot off to Dinas. Beat the train by 5 mins and got a shot but the cloud had started to come in and so abandoned any further shooting in favour of other less outdoor work.

Back of the train and the Stuffed DeWinton

The FR in Yorkshire

I've been on a family holiday this last week, we went to Yorkshire which was very relaxing. The scenery was pretty and the food and beer were excellent, however you don't care about that.

Are these sheep following me?

While we were there I went to have a look round the NRM as I'd never been before, I was very impressed and enjoyed my trip. I just happened to have a video camera with me (but no tripod so it is shot in wobblyvision). Lots of big shiny engines which were nice but the highlight for me was re acquainting myself with Livingston Thompson the only remaining double Fairlie in original condition. I thought he looked rather forlorn sat in the corner all on his own.

Another narrow gauge highlight had to be seeing the Lynton and Barnstaple carriage in unrestorred condition. I don't know whether restoring it would be a good thing or not, do you loose more than you gain? Probably better to just build some replicas and keep the historical artifact where it can be looked after.

Nice shed

 

Renaissance man

Gordon Rushton was in Porthmadog yesterday to promote the launch of his new epic book on the rebuilding of the Welsh Highland. At 450 pages and 2.2 KG it is not to be sniffed at and is full of exciting stuff. He spent the day signing copies and having his picture taken with the great and the good and Merddin Emrys and 87. A special headboard had been made and later in the day it was carried by Merddin Emrys up the WHR as far as Rhyd Ddu.

Gordon Rushton on Garratt 87

I chased the train up the line and got a nice shot at Bryn y Felin and then as the train pulled into Rhyd Ddu. The sun shone on and off and the rain kept away so I was happy, Hypno sheep was waiting for the train too, it knew Andrew Thomas was aboard.

Who are you looking at?

Waiting for a train again.

Stereo recorder that I use to make back up audio recordings and a B wagon brake wheel.

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside

This week the sun shone as though it was the summer which was great. On Wednesday I set off to Llandudno to capture 'The Queen of resorts' for the Year in Snowdonia DVD. This I duly did including several locations on the GT Orme where I got some nice shots of the Tram in action. The segment on the DVD will feature a few choice moments of tram action but I thought there might be some interest in the rest of the shots put together in a package; this is what you see here.

The tram is 3ft 6in gauge and cable hauled. The route is divided into 2 sections, passengers having to walk between the two tram cars at the halfway station. The views from the tram and the summit can be superb as they were on Wednesday.

What else did I shoot in the lovely sunshine? Nothing. On Wednesday evening I came down with the mother of all colds and spent the next three days coughing my insides out and using more tissue paper than the rest of the UK put together. Much better now thanks... and the sun? Behind the grey skies again.

T for T2 for one

I decided that I would risk the forecast of sunshine and showers and set off for the Aberglaslyn Pass with the camera in the boot. I parked in the little lay by at Bryn y Felin and put the camera in its rucksack and the tripod in its carry bag, strapped them on and walked down the fisherman's path as far as T2. The sky had patches of blue alternating with stormy black and grey, the walk took about twenty minutes and along the way it was warm but there were a few drops of rain too.

After clambering up to track level I set up the tripod and camera so that I had a nice shot facing Port that the train would come into from behind, the river sloshed by far below and it all looked quite promising. The bit of sky in the frame was grey but there was a large blue bit working its way towards it and there was a chance that it would look great when the train arrived. I was set up with about 15 minutes to spare so I got a few cutaway shots and stood waiting enjoying the view.

Looks like rain.

I heard a distant whistle and so got the camera ready; just as I checked the lens was clear I felt a large drop of rain on the top of my head, I keep it bald just for this purpose. Then there was another and  so I grabbed a rain cover from the rucksack and covered the camera. Another whistle, closer this time. The rain started to fall in heavy, summer style drops. Just in time I whipped the cover off and the train strolled into my shot as planned.

I packed up and got into the rucksacks again and climbed down to the path, by now it was raining steadily and as I walked briskly back to the car I got soaked. How we suffer for our art.

Here is the shot, I may use a very short bit of it as the rain isn't too pronounced in the wide shot at the beginning.

Down the mine

A busy couple of days in Festyland. Wednesday saw a trip to Llechwedd slate caverns to video the underground trips for the Year in Snowdonia DVD. It was a miserable grey and wet day so Llechwedd was very busy with quite long cues for both rides, however all the staff I met were very helpful and friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. Because it was so busy I just went on the rides as an ordinary punter and got most of what I needed. They invited me to come back on a sunny day and then they would have more time to help out with some more unusual shots, having edited it I think I'll take them up on their offer.

I've captured the Miner's Tramway quite well so it's mostly some more shots of the Deep Mine that would be useful. It is so dark and it is a bit of a rush to get set up so I didn't really get a chance to do it justice. I'd like to get a couple of shots of people coming towards the camera rather than all from behind all the time.

It would also be good to get a couple of shots of a slate splitting demonstration which I didn't get a chance to shoot on this trip. A few nice sunny shots of the outside would be good too.