| To start off the August gallery of happenings on the ELR, I have this time included some of the locos photographed on Day One of the ELR 'Family Engines' Event on the 1st of August. Normally I would include them in their own separate gallery, but yet again my plans were thwarted by the appalling weather, which made it very difficult for me to visit as many locations as originally planned (a real problem when you are travelling by foot!). As a result most of the images taken on that day where done at Irwell Vale, Ewood Bridge and Rawtenstall Station, as I squelched my way between them on the soaking footpaths.
I have definitely come to the conclusion that a combination of me plus the ELR equals a rain making ceremony of some kind, since virtually every visit there seems to result in me getting a soaking and taking pictures with sideways rain and gloomy skies. Thankfully it did brighten a little for the last hour or so, but just to add insult to injury, Day Two, which I wasn't able to attend this time, was fine and sunny, which after getting a soaking on each of the three previous Sundays in July, was really taking the michael I think! 
Locos seen included the US S160 Steam loco 5197, who was playing as 'Frank', and 37109, which was Edgar, the 'Bubble Car' DMU 'Barry Bubble'and the mighty Deltic 55022 'Royal Scots Grey', who didn't have a name that I could see, but was I assume, 'Basil. Having silly faces on the front of the locos didn't seem to put off the bashers though, and both diesels seemed to have quite a few of them hanging out of the windows and enjoying the thrash. Visit number two was on a midweek day, and this was mainly because the ELR orperate an August mid-week 'Orange' Timetable, which is pretty much the same as the Winter weekend one, and that means six services rather than the usual four. I had to make a visit to Bury anyway, so it was the ideal opportunity for a few shots as well as a ride down there behind the S160, and back again on the 'Bubble Car'. Most unusually for me, I didn't get wet, and it was bright and sunny throughout much of the afternoon - obviously the curse that gets me soaked so often on this line is only in force at the weekends!
Sunday 9th of August came as a real shock, yes, you've guessed it, it wasn't raining, and I didn't get soaked for a change, wonders never cease! Running this day were the usual S160 and Jinty on steam duty, and 37901 doing the diesel runs. The latter had a nameboard on the front with 'Grannies cakes' on it, and I also noticed that the observation car was also on along with the other four coaches. I thought it must have been a works outing or something, but a search of the name on Google only produced a couple of obscure porn sites (well you never know), so if anyone knows who these folks were do please let me know and put me out of my misery!
The midweek service saw something of a change this week, and due to the S160 having a problem, steam power was provided by one of the small industrial locos, and this time it was the small brown 'austerity' saddle tank "Earl David". This was sharing midweek duty with the DMU on the 12th/13th and 14th of August. I took a ride behind this one, nice to see plenty of soot and sparks as it worked hard up through Burrs and towards Ewood Bridge. I hope it is running again next week, as I would like some shots of this one working hard as it approaches my location. Sunday 16th saw me at the ELR once again (I know, I'm a glutton for punishment), and in spite of assurances from the BBC weather forecaster that we would be having a fine and sunny day, I again found myself getting wet as soon as I arrived at Rawtenstall. Not only was it wet, but it wasn't that warm either, and trusting fool that I am I hadn't even brought a jacket with me! Well what else could I do, but take a ride down to Heywood on the first service of the day, the Class 20 - 20087, and then jump off and take a few shots at the various stations along the way there and back again. On the return trip I broke my journey at Irwell Vale (it had stopped raining by then, but was still quite breezy and cool), and spent the next couple of hours walking between there and Ewood Bridge (once via the Irwell Sculpture Trail, not a good idea, the weeds were so high it looked like scene from "Day of the Triffids". I also found the skeletons of a few lost cyclists and hikers in there, and I could swear I also saw a couple of Japanese snipers hanging around in there as well). The reason for this hike was to get a shot of the dining train, which was being pulled by the small tank engine 2183 (Earl David), with the venerable Jinty on the back to help with the extra rake of coaches, as it worked up the stretch towards Ewood Bridge. Quite a nice sight it was too, what a pity the Sun wasn't out at the time, still, the giant weeds with the funny pink flowers that had tried to strangle me on the way up looked very pretty. After that it was back to Irwell Vale, then a few shots of 40145 (which was standing in for the injured S160), and it was back to Rawtenstall to spend the rest of the afternoon taking pictures of the remaining services, and grumbling about the poor light and gloomy conditions, which would have been better served if they'd turned up at Headingly during the last test match. Just to end the day off as I've come to expect at the ELR, yes you guessed it, the heavens opened again, and yet again I arrived home wet - I never learn do I, I must be a masochist or something!
Another short visit on the 19th saw 'Earl David' providing the steam, and the DMU sharing the duties on the midweek service. Sunday 23rd of August saw me at the ELR yet again, and this time the day started off fine, so I took the opportunity to walk from Rawtenstall down to Summerseat and take pictures at various locations along the way. The plan was to get a shot of the solitary steam loco, 'Earl David', the little brown tank, as it hauled its coaches up towards Brookbottom Tunnel, and all went to plan, expect for the weather that is, as the Sun had departed and it was quite murky by the time I got there. After getting my shots it was on the train and back to Rawtenstall again, this time behind 37418, which along with 37109 was filling two of the three spots normally occupied by steam locos on Sundays. With two growlers at work that day how could I not go along there, I just love Class 37s and the wonderful sounds they make! At Rawtenstall, well it was the ELR after all, and in spite of a good weather forecast for the area, yet again it chucked it down around 4pm, but unlike the previous week, I had taken my waterproofs with me, and with the waterproof hood fitted on to my camera I just carried on taking pictures. Hard to believe it could be that gloomy at that time of day in mid-August - shades of 2007 again, when it was like that for almost the whole summer. Saturday 29th saw what will likely be my final visit of the month to the ELR (I do seem to have spent a lot of time up there this month, that's for sure!). This time the weather was what could best be described as 'typical ELR weather', or four seasons in one day, as is often the norm for this part of the world. Unusually for a Saturday, especially in the summer high season, there were no steam engines to be seen at all, and due to technical problems, the brown Austerity, which had been doing most of the work for the previous couple of weeks, was also absent, leaving services to be hauled purely by diesel, and three of the ELR's biggest ones at that. On duty was the Deltic '55022 - Royal Scots Grey', Class 40 '40145 - East Lancashire Railway' and Class 37 '37418 Pectinidae', with the latter standing in for the absent steam loco. As I said earlier, the weather was typical ELR, and at times the heavens well and truly opened, only to be followed by sunshine and blue skies a few minutes later. As always, I continued to take pictures during the heavy rainfalls, as I like the interesting effects that watery surfaces and gloomy skies create, though when you do that sort of thing you not only need a good waterproof jacket (for both yourself and your camera), but also a thick skin, so that it doesn't bother you when all the folks who are nice and dry and under shelter, see you doing it and mouth the words "Look at that bloody idiot taking pictures in the rain!", in your direction!
For the record (and because several people have asked about this), the rain hood I use for my camera is an Optech type, and these are available from a UK company called 'Morris Photographic', and can be purchased direct from their website, and also from their eBay Seller Shop too. I have added a link to their website in the 'collection links' at the bottom of this page. This works very well, you just have to remember to use a decent sized lens hood to help keep the drops away from your glass, and turn your head away when you breathe out, or your eyepiece tends to get steamed up. In really heavy rainfalls I often switch to my telephoto lens, this has a very deep lens hood, which offers extra protction and rarely ever lets a drop get through. I wasn't the only person out in the rain that day though, the ELR's 'Pathways' group were changing sleepers and doing other maintenance work just south of Townsend Fold, and I took a few shots of these as I passed by on the Class 40, and also whilst I was at Townsend Fold later in the day. The S & T Department were also hard at work down at Bury Station, and also near to the Signal Box at Ramsbottom as well. Perhaps September will be a better month weather wise, and we will see some steam return to the line once again. I won't be betting any money on either of those things happening though, the only sure thing is that I will get another good soaking at least once during the month!
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