44871 & 45407 - The West Highlander - 26.10.13 

There is something magnetic about this footage. I gravitate to it almost every morning,and,never get tired of watching it.

well done for not kicking the tripod during the over 180 degrees pan, spectacular footage, wonderful sound, mainly from front loco, seemed two firemen shoveling front loco while second locomen were having tea....luvly jubly Austin, Cheers.

To film continuously for over seven minutes requires immense concentration. This is absolutely superb! Thank you Austin very much for posting.

What a magnificent piece of filming. It kept me transfixed from start to finish,and,then I watched it again,and,again. Absolutely brilliant.

Magnificent footage in a fantastic location. The pilot engine seems to be doing the lions share of the work!

Thanks very much Tim, it's true how tiny the train looks between those two giant mountains, it's a fabulous spot to film

An outstanding piece of filming Austin - you must have been smiling all the way home! A superb spectacle for the eyes and ears.

What a fantastic piece of film! It must rate as one of the best shots I have ever seen of Black 5's working hard - and what a fantastic location. Brilliant work. Thank you for sharing this magnificent video.

You've done it again Austin. What an amazing shot. The train looked so small against the grandeur of the mountains. Excellent camerawork too. All the best...Tim.

Thanks again Austin. What a magnificent spectacle!

So glad you managed to get some clear (if not great) weather for this again Austin. If I'd been there you'd have been lucky to see your hand in front of your face. Superb panning as ever (as you slowly screwed yourself into the ground). Words cant express how enjoyable this was to watch. Thanks for capturing and sharing it. Chris

Superb filming, superb subject and scenery, thanks.

An absolutely stunning sequence with the 5's at their best. Great stuff!!

Brilliant - one of your best. Thanks for posting it

Lovely footage, extremely jealous of this and the photography charter video! What an excellent week !

Austin, the same here, just magnificent, thanks for sharing

Beautiful movie, Austin. Your shots distant views are always impressive and beautiful. Thanks. Philippe

Thanks Ralph. With regard to the zooming I always rehearse the shot several times beforehand to see what works and then decide when and where to start zooming.

What can I say......." Bloody Well Done"....great location on your part and well done work with the tripod pans and zoom....

Absolutely remarkable shot and location.

Cheers Andy, a cracking week with plenty of great action

Awesome, epic and you have got the lot in this sequence. Thank you. John

Fantastic video Austin a great location.What a nice long shot superbly captured with brilliant panning.Enjoyed.(C&A)

A super shot Austin from a great location. Hope you had a great time. Thanks for uploading. Regards Andy

You've actually managed to outdo yourself with this brilliant sequence, so very, very well done.

Thanks very much for your kind comments, much appreciated

Thank you very much. You will certainly enjoy your journey on The Jacobite

Stunning footage Austin from the classic West Highland location. Riley's Black 5's certainly put on a great show wherever they are in the country...Graham

Thanks for posting this awesome video. It was just magic.

I've only just come across this, Austin, and it's right up there in the wow/x-factor/spellbinding class! Absolutely and utterly enjoyed, thank you so much. Things have moved on a great deal since 2013, so it's probably more than fair to say this video is way ahead of its time! Kind regards, Bob.

A simply stunning shot Austin, it's very nice to see fives paired together especially when they put on a performance like that. Very good choice of location and your camera skills are outstanding, such a smooth pan. Thanks for sharing - Regards, Sam

Many thanks for watching Sam and I'm glad you enjoyed the shot. Been quite lucky twice there now with the weather, the rain started about two minutes after the train had passed!

Thanks for your kind comments Noel, glad you enjoyed the clip

Great video very smooth job in panning!

Cracking footage Austin with some very smooth panning. Looking forward to your other footage from a week in the Highlands Mike

Many thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it

Amazing piece of cinematography showing one of the most impressively engineered sections of the West Highland line, the shoulder of Beinn Dorain. Loved every second.

Lovely shot Austin at a superb location. I bet your arm was aching a bit after that pan as it seemed to go on for ever. Good to see Fives paired together again and hope you enjoyed your trip. Thanks for sharing, Liam

Thanks Hugh, both occasions I've filmed here I have been very fortunate as there has been little or no wind which helps the sound enormously, you do lose it a little as they cross the viaducts but it wasn't too bad this time

Wow, what a fantastic video! Wonderful scenery, wonderful steam and well filmed. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for your comments, glad you enjoyed it

Thanks John, I do love this location and it's always a relief after such a long pan and zoom that it has gone reasonably well.

Thanks very much Alan, the rain was supposed to arrive around 2 pm, the Fives at 2.15 and it was a little late but fortunately we just got away with it. The journey home though was horrendous, all the way from Scotland to the Scouse Riviera in driving rain and winds

An iconic location Austin, and your camera skills shine through in capturing this sequence to perfection in such difficult conditions.....10/10...Bob

Many thanks Bob, the light was very poor but at least we got the shot completed before the rain started, only minutes after the train had passed.

Austin, that was superb! I'm sure I could never do a pan that smooth for nearly eight minutes, with close-ups thrown in. Well done, and I'm very glad the rain stayed away for you (us!).

Thanks Graham, they must be the most hardest working engines in the country, so well maintained that a failure is very rare.

Amazing video - thanks for sharing.

The Scottish charter video is if anything even better than the high quality stuff in this vid.

Thanks Phil, glad you enjoyed the videos. We had such a good time up there and thankfully the conditions were pretty good for filming.

Thanks Chris, been very fortunate twice now with the weather at the Horseshoe as it does need to be clear and relatively still. Must admit it did feel as though I was slowly screwing myself into the ground, how about renaming it the Corkscrew Curve!

I have been looking forward all week to watching your footage from Scotland Austin and to use the word stunning would actually be an understatement all three videos are up there with the best I have seen and you must be very proud of them. A big thank you for sharing them, All the best........Phil.

That was right up there with your best. It was a great idea to pan out for the last shot so we could experience some of the heroic scenery. Your film last year at the horse shoe was so successful I am surprised that you seem to have been the only person who posts on youtube who went back this year. Hopefully some more video will appear later in the week from others.

Thank David, I was pleased that the long pan had gone ok but not too many smiles driving home through some atrocious weather!

Thanks very much, only trouble with these long pans is one or other leg starts to go dead!

Thanks, yes, that was 45407, I wonder if they take it in turns to work a bit harder

Fantastic !

Great zoom shot from about 4:35 as they come round the curve. Very good sound too, considering how far away you must have been.

Many thanks for your kind comments John, it's a magnificent spot to film hard working locos as they climb to the summit

Thanks John, it must be one of the finest locations in Britain to film trains. I was surprised that so few photographers were out for this one.

Thanks Liam, its not so much the arm as my leg which goes dead sometimes on these long pans!

Thanks very much, cracking performance from the Fives as we have come to expect

Thanks very much for watching Geoff, I'm pleased you enjoyed it.

Thanks very much. Fortunately, what wind there was blew in the right direction to carry the sound. I tried to zoom in a bit more than last years shot at the same location

Thanks for sharing your clip. Top class as ever. MH

Thanks for your much appreciated comments, I'm pleased you enjoyed the video

How strange to encounter you video shortly after my recent visit to the famous Horseshoe Curve near Altoona. I visited or passed by this highland one many times over the years but was never fortunate enough to enjoy a steamer traversing it and crossing the Auch: only DMUs. So, your lovely video of the two 5s heading down south not only brought back good memories but convinced me this Horseshoe is more majestic and a superior experience and atmosphere to the Altoona one, as good as it is. Thanks.

Those lamb dinners don't half make a hasty getaway don't they? Thanks for your comments Steve, much appreciated

Thanks Mike it was a great week, some great skies and good action. Will be spending the day in the editing suite! (ok, the back bedroom)

Many thanks for your comments John, glad you enjoyed the clip

Thanks very much Dave, there are few places to beat Scotland for scenery

I was very surprised yesterday that there were so few at the Horseshoe, even the summit which was very busy last year was very quiet. Maybe the weather forecast which was very gloomy, put people off.

Merci beaucoup pour vos aimables commentaires. L'emplacement est en Ecosse, entre Bridge of Orchy et Upper Tyndrum sur la ligne West Highland.

Having another (regular) rewatch of this epic clip. Said it before I think....but it's unusual if only in the fact that The Fusilier is UP FRONT.....Usually tucked in behind 44871, but not this time!!!!

Many thanks for your kind comments

I'm sure that you didn't mind a bit! You must have been smiling all the way home after that fantastic bit of filming! If not - start smiling - at once! Also now you're home you can enjoy the spectacle which was probably difficult in situ . . ?

Yes, I thought that 45407 seemed to be doing the lions share of the work, maybe the crews take it in turns to have a slight breather!

Austin, Just watched trhis again for the umpteenth time and finally realised that, with The Fusilier up front, it is quite a rare bit of film!!!!

Thank you, much appreciated

Je vous remercie pour votre aimable commentaire Philippe. C'est un endroit merveilleux pour les trains de films

FORMIDABLE Un seul plan de 8 minutes! Il fallait bien choisir où placer la caméra et ne rien rater. bravo pour ces superbes images et encore une fois merci. Ou étiez vous?

It was a great week, and there's a bit more to come with footage of the last week of 'The Jacobite'. Thanks for your comments

Hi Austin, Fabulous Video ,Stay Safe...Dave

Merci beaucoup

very nice indeed

Austin... No way bored. Also regularly watch Lanesiders clip of 48151 "Blitzing Ais Gill". Both special

Thanks Leon, as Chris said I felt like I was slowly screwing myself into the ground as I panned round.

super video, location brilliant.

Austin that is stunning, one question though, do you plan beforehand when you are going to zoom in or out or do you just make the decision as you take the shot? Or maybe a bit of both..

How you never won an Oscar for that I'll never know !

ps: I use and wind device called "The Windcutter" its works great.

Congratulations !..... BRAZIL

Congratulations on this astonishing video! What was the gradient tackled with gusto by these two locomotives?

mmmmmm just lovely..... All it wanted was a B1 with a Black 5, and it would have been nirvana.....

Many thanks for your kind comments, much appreciated

Thanks Leon, as Chris said I felt like I was slowly screwing myself into the ground as I panned round.