I don't know if this was intentional or not but the length of this song is about the time it takes to travel from Grantham to Peterborough on a train, or vice versa, (where Mallard set the world steam speed record). Fantastic song describing a fantastic piece of railway history!
Hi Richard ...fyi this is a fan-vid, no association with the band itself! I don't know their tour schedule now that they are down to just Greg, NDV, and Ricard.
Can't understand why anybody would give this the thumbs down? The instrumental bit from 9 mins on is my favourite piece of music. And the previous 9 mins really builds up steam!.
Hi from Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA. We have the sister, or brother, to Mallard, here at the National Railroad Museum, at 2285 South Broadway Street, with the A4 class named for the WW2 American Army General, "Dwight D. Eisenhower", Number 60008, that was donated here in 1964. Then in 2013 it was returned, temporarily, to be restored at your National Railway Museum, in York, where it was professionally restored, in time for the " Grand Gathering" ceremony, for the 75th Anniversary of the Mallard and the World speed record for steam locomotives of 126&1/5 M.P.H!!!!! Then the Eisenhower was returned to Green Bay, and the other Dominion of Canada was returned to Montreal. I was the Official employee and tour guide at the NRRM in GBW from 1984 to 1989. But their British train also; included 2 English dining cars named "Isle of Thanet", and " Lydia" that arrived in1970 when the Flying Scotsman number 4472 and Mr. Pegler and his staff, made their North American Tour. But after 30 years, these historic cars were so badly damaged by weather and vandalism, that in 2000 they were shipped back to Britain to be restored at York, and these are still there. But the reputation of our NRRM was shot full of holes, due to the careless managers of the 1980's who were definitely NOT railroad fans, and they were absolutely Horrible to the local Railfans. Then in 2007 they also evicted the model railroad club after we had been there for 19 years. Thus you have been warned!!!!! Doom and Gloom!!!!! But still, have a very happy Easter, and Resurrection Sunday on April 4, 2021 A.D. Take care. God Bless us all, Amen!!!!!
Man, this song is so good. I've been listening to it almost every day for the past 2 months. And Nick's drumming throughout this song is what made me a BBT fan.
Shaped for speed strong on the wing the sketches and designs were made, frames were laid by hand-picked men. Working every hour they had to build the fire to make the engine; looking to the road ahead blows are struck to forge the steel so she can fly. The road is clear and words remain unsaid. He walks the high wire with the engines and men of the line. He sees love, he sees hope, he sees everything that they are; the need to fly far. He sees love. Men as giants, hammers falling, the works’ own heartbeat. Furnace stacks with black smoke rising steal the clean air. (here she comes) Joe and Tommy on the plate their caps are worn in racing style, elbows jutting from the cab. Working every hour they had to build the fire to drive the engine; looking to the road ahead. There was a lonely voice and it spoke these words: ‘run hard as you like for the engines and men of the line’. He sees love. he sees hope, he sees everything that they are; the need to fly far. He sees love. Men as giants feed the engine build the fire from cold. Coal and water fire and steam to drive the pistons home. He sees love. They ran south working up the bank past the upturned faces of the platelayers. She starts to take her wing, she jumps to it like a living thing, made for speed and in full cry they gave her the road and she holds to the line. Church bells call a beat along the track she burns with the substance of the land. Racing through the circling lines a rocket in blue at two miles a minute, embers stream along her sides; from this far away now, she flies with them into sky into history into legend she flies…
Ditra Aditya that means you have a love for steamers that a lot of other people have. A love unmatched and a love unsurpassed. You and I both have the same love for steamers my friend. A love so powerful that we cry when music like this is mixed with steam locomotive footage. A love that is not learned, but a love that is given to you for these great machines from the moment you are born into this world. Embrace that love my friend. Because of the same love, I dare do things with my British model trains that no other person dare do. I even do daring stuff with my hornby live steam mallard model train that no other person dare do. Again, embrace that love my friend.
It is me that many years ago said that I almost cried watchin the video of steam trains. Well, the music was the thing that AMMC, but of course I can appreciate the people that worked with the trains. And when you are hung over, everything multiplies. I was. So if that makes you feel not at home, I am sorry for your loss of sensitivity... Merry christmas anyway.
SHE FLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
"A rocket in blue at two miles a minute." She was a little bit before my time, was the Mallard. Closest thing I got to seeing her running is watching her sister locomotive, Sir Nigel Gresley, pottering about on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, but this song gives me a pretty good mental picture of her thundering down the bank, regulator wide open and fireman shovelling like crazy, both watching the speedo needle creep ever so gradually upwards to that magic number. I volunteer on the NYMR now, and I look forward to 2019, when Gresley will be back on the Moors after restoration. A thoroughly beautiful song for a thoroughly beautiful locomotive
I saw Mallard in the National Railway Museum in the 80s&90s. I've great memories of working trains hauled by A4 Pacific 60009 Osprey & Union of South Africa in the 1990s.I met No.9s owner John Cameron. We pushed Perth Turntable to turn the loco.
the instrumental part reminds me of "The Cinema Show" even if totally different. Impossible to compare this to "Suppers Ready" or "Close to the edge", which for me are the magnus opus of progressive rock.
fan depuis toujours de genesis yes king crimson camel ....je decouvre ce groupe qui me fait vibrer , des mélodies sublimes ; une créativité exceptionelle;merci longdon ,le batteur de spock's beard au sommet de son art , des choeurs qui vous retournent les entrailles ...j adore .....merci.......
Wow that was an emotional journey of music and visuals, I'm quite overcome! Two of my passions combined - progressive rock and trains! Fantastic music and a wonderful tribute to the golden age of British steam. That Mallard sure is a Big Big Train.