The Railway to Riccarton [ZTR 126] - Side One

This is Side One of the stereo LP 'The Railway to Riccarton' released by Argo Transacord in 1970. Recordings made by Peter Handford of steam trains at various locations on the Waverley route between Edinburgh and Carlisle in 1961. The locomotives are all ex LNER types.

[@frenchsteam7356]

I remember a trip during the last year of the Waverley route with D193 from Edinburgh [brilliant sunshine] Whitrope [snow] to Carlisle [torrential rain] Three seasons in one day!!

[@bobgellatly]

Great memories! Hopefully a trip on the Waverley Route will once again be possible in the future.

[@davidcrook5511]

I should imagine a journey on the "Waverley" behind a diesel would be almost as memorable as one behind steam. That whole area has an atmosphere of its own; seems to be miles from nowhere. The closure of that route must have been a disaster...And Class 46 locomotives have become classics in their own right. We only appreciate things when they're gone...

[@steamgent4592]

Ohh boy here we go!!😊😊 Thanks again Bob!!👍👍👍👍👍

[@nicholas4a]

Great sounds that we shall never hear again in real life, just the memories of these locos.

[@bobgellatly]

Glad you enjoyed 'The Railway to Riccarton'. Although we can hear steam engines on heritage railways and on railtours they don't compare with the 'real thing'.

[@stephenwilletts468]

I have a few Argo Transacord recordings but it's great to see so many on CZcams, Railway to Riccarton is superb the freight trains take a little while on the steep gradients and the incidental sounds also help to paint a story in sound. Thanks for taking the time and effort to post all of these Bob.

[@bobgellatly]

I'm glad that you appreciate Peter Handford's recordings. The sounds of steam on the Waverley route are memorable.

[@georginarucklidge9118]

This LP was the definitive collection of Waverley Route recordings ; when we bought the LP in the early 1970s , it had a slip of paper in it apologising for the fact that the cover photo from a celluloid transparency had been printed the wrong way round ; you had to look at it in a mirror. The best recording of all those at Steele Road in my opinion is track 1 on The Power Of Steam - over the full 7 minutes , it captures the ambience of the surroundings with the train gradually becoming audible ; to this day i still cannot determine exactly where Peter Handford's Ferrograph unit was placed ; he once told me that it had been tried further up beyond the platelayers hut ; the unit had a problem on that occasion in that the stereo mode malfunctioned.
As regards re opening the line : Galashiels to Hawick would be very useful ; further south , along the same track bed would be feasible but it is a case of former station buildings having been converted to private residences , at i imagine considerable cost. However there was a newbuild property over the track bed at Stow and this was demolished with generous compensation for the owners , and Stow to Edinburgh is now possible by train again ; beaurocracy is the main issue with re instating railway lines.
Thanks for posting these albums , Bob ; there was a time when they were available on compact disc
It was so fitting that Handford's ashes lie in the area near Steele Road !

[@bobgellatly]

Thanks for all that information. The location of Peter Handford's ashes presumably was a result of his wishes and showed the affection he had for the Waverley Route. His recordings in the Steele Road area were certainly some of his most atmospheric.

[@rossturnbull8047]

spot on! was just about to post same comment!

[@davidcrook5511]

That opening track on "The Power Of Steam" is tremendous! It reminds me of the first movement of Mozart's 39th Symphony. (??? What is that David Crook talking about?! Time he was banned from making comments on YT 😲)

[@davidcrook5511]

@@bobgellatly Hear hear! (🙄oh no david crook at it again...)

[@davidcrook5511]

Another absolute classic; thank you! Liked that B1 at the end; the straight foursquare rhythm is in complete contrast to the syncopated triple-time of the V2s. Another notable track recorded at Steele Road is the one on "Echoes Of Engines" (original edition 1968) of A3 60089 (I think) "Felstead" with a 6/8 rhythm (in plain English, "The Keel Row", or "Cat's Got The Measles" !!!)

[@bobgellatly]

'The Railway to Riccarton' is one of my Peter Handford favourites. The sound of a V2 labouring up to the summit with its syncopated Gresley beat is evocative of steam in an open landscape. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of 'Echoes of Steam'.

[@davidcrook5511]

@@bobgellatly Echoes of ENGINES
That's a pity; I once had a copy of the first edition (1968) but I gave it to a charity shop when I was clearing out my vinyl LPs in preparation for a move.

[@davidcrook5511]

@@bobgellatly Echoes of ENGINES
That's a pity; I once had a copy of the first edition (1968) but I gave it to a charity shop when I was clearing out my vinyl LPs in preparation for a move.