Contrary to what the voice over said, A5 69838 was one of a batch of 12 locos built by Gresley for use in the North East. 69838 spent all of its working life in the North East. The footage was a great find.
Sorry, anarchic humour debuted on the BBC 10 years earlier with The Goon Show. John Cleese and other Python members were inspired by it when they were young.
The victorian architects were very good and the navvies were excellent builders. It's a damn shame that all there work was Totally destroyed by unscrupulous Council and government officials. This country could have had a fantastic rail service if common sense prevailed.
Thornaby depot had 3 or 4 A5 Tank Engines when it opened in 1958. Thornaby also had a similar number of A8's, as well as V2s 60806, 60915, 60884, 60885 - and there may have been one other, with memory failing to supply the number. I was born in 1952 and we travelled on the Staithes line 3/4 times a year until it closed. In 1956 (when I was 4) we had a week's holiday in Staithes - and my treat was to stand on the bridge over Staithes Beck to look up and wave to the steam engine on the mid - morning Whitby train.
I would so much have loved to have traveled on this line when it was open. I have walked along the disused sections many times in the past, and held those demolished viaducts in my imagination for what they must have been.
Hi I am looking for the rubber on which you turn the strings before you pull on the lever to give the strings tension. Unfortunately the one I have has worn out, Can anyone help me please?
The iron viaducts were the reason for the early demise of this line. These viaducts were designed in the style of Bouch, who had designed the imfamous Tay Bridge. After this disaster the viaduct at Staithes was fitted with a wind gauge, if the wind pressure got above 28lb/sq. ft the viaduct was closed to all trains. You needed plenty of sand if got a haar.
@@archerry6457 He means sand for the sand boxes - to be blown onto the track to help the engine to grip. A "haar" is a moisture - Laden sea mist which would make the rails slippy.
onthegoldenline :. Yes, in his career his work was accredited as "A.W. Camwell"and known to his friends as "Cam". The original footage would have been on 8mm or super 8.
It's interesting because John Cleese always says about himself that he's not musical and that he can't sing. He even appeared in a Broadway musical where he wasn't allowed to sing. Even in Monty Python songs where he does sing, he usually sings with a funny voice so he wouldn't have to sing seriously. This is probably the only time John Cleese actually sang something with his regular natural voice and it actually sounds very good. I don't know why he keeps saying that he can't sing.
thank you so much for sharing. i used to have these on tape recorded from the radio years ago but i played them so much the tapes wore out. please post more. thanks from australia
Written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman. Cleese sings a rare lead vocal, joined in a chorus by Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie, Jo Kendall and David Hatch aka the aforementioned "Lovin' Pruneful". :o)
I was lucky enough to be in the audience at the BBC Playhouse Theatre for a recording of ASIRTA. I feel very privileged ( sorry spelling ! ) to have been at the recording. It was great fun, the cast, band and audience all enjoyed it. It was only a few years later that I realised that I had been present at a moment of broadcasting history :) I was a youngster at the time and managed to get the autographs of tham all. Lovely times in the late 1960's and early 1970's
I was lucky enough to acquire a CD with about 60 of the shows - including the complete "Voyage Of The Flying Wombat" serial from Canada. It's a mixed bunch, mainly recorded from public service broadcasts in Canada and the States, but utterly brilliant.
CBC Northern Service used to broadcast it on shortwave in the late 70's, along with 'Just a Minute', which is how I came to know the programs. In New Jersey you could hear CBC shortwave when they broadcast it at 2:30 in the afternoon, but you couldn't hear it rebroadcast at 8 pm because of the propagation.
Thanks for posting this. It's not as indicative of the ISIRTA Cleese persona as the "Childhood remembered" sketch, but it's a wonderful reminder of just how surreal this program could be. If only I was old enough to have enjoyed these the first time. Just as well my Dad had a good enough sense of humour to introduce me. Now to see if there's any Hancock, Navy Lark, Goons, etc. on here or whether I'm stuck with one episode a week of whatever's on BBC7. Which includes ISIRTA atm, btw. Cheers.
