An Early Morning on Shed watching Engines being prepared at Statfold 

some very pretty shots there. Statfold really is is a special place.

Great images, lots of tea, talk, smoke & oil. Love it. Reminds me of a boiler inspector who came to our preservation group and asked what’s the first thing you do when you go near any steam boiler.? Lots of answers , but we were were wrong, !! It was of course to put the kettle on 😂😂

I take it these drivers and firemen run on steam oil, or they're brave in drinking tea from the same type of cups as they are using to pour oil (looking at the guys at 1:03). A genuinely pleasant way of spending 13 minutes, thanks for this video!

This is what happens when you take pride in what you do 😁👍

Always my favorite part of the day at the Chemin de Fer du Vivarais. Down at the depot at 0530. Lighting up at 0600, then cleaning and oiling around as they warmed through. The most engines we’d have being prepared would’ve been 3 on a busy summer Sunday. Eight O’clock it would be time for breakfast, either on the shed barbecue (converted oil drum) or I’d do a full English for my French friends. All washed down with a glass of red Côtes du Rhône. English breakfast + 🍷 is the perfect combination ! By 0930 it was time to shunt our train into the platform if we were to be first out on the 1000 train. Then time to leave. Once we got a green signal we’d carefully ease our way over the points and on to SNCF’s main line which we shared for a couple of km with a mètre gauge third rail laid on the main line track. The game was to charge the firebox full just before entering Tournon tunnel. We were officially limited to 25kmh on the SNCF line, but we frequently roared through that tunnel at about 50. There was another km to go before we left the SNCF main line at St Jean de Muzols and headed up the valley. The game was to fill the tunnel with smoke so that when you looked back from the junction at St Jean, the smoke was still pouring from the tunnel mouth 🤣. Very ecologically incorrect indeed, but it was 20 years ago. All that fun has gone now sadly, the depot with its shed, turntable, workshop and crew quarters and our platform at Tournon are abandoned and will no doubt soon be demolished. A new terminus and depot at St Jean has been constructed. So the Vivarais 0-6-6-0 Mallet tank engines will never again break the SNCF speed limit or fill Tournon’s tunnel with smoke…😢

It's charming that most of these reasonably minuscule locomotives received names and corresponding nameplates. This is pride of manufacture, followed by pride of operation and maintenance. We could learn from this.

Never fails to amaze me just how many locos they get in steam at once 🙂 Living about 5miles to the south east I can tell if they are steaming anything, particularly if there is a gentle north west breeze blowing.....

I just love how those locos shine When i have the chance, i really need to visit Statfold

I feel like storing the oil and drinking the tea out of the same style cups is just asking for trouble and swear words 🤣

What a great atmosphere the crew look like they are have a great time and it is funny how they are using their tea cups .

Truly great footage of the locomotive crews getting the narrow gauge engine's ready for the day ahead. You certainly don't see many of these types of scene nowadays. Thank you Lawrie for sharing this footage with us online. 🙂👍👍

Really enjoyable scene…….nice to have a cup of coffee with.

Seems so chill, it’s lovely

Lovely atmospheric video, I could almost smell the steam oil from here, plus it's always nice to see friends doing what they love.

Nice event and lovely meeting you there!

Love it there , will be back with traction engine for the gala

Awesome footage, a nice relaxing watch 👍🏻

Remember working on cloister at Kew bridge steam museum she was my little baby when I was crewing her

Great video. I knew the railway ran on tea but the shot at 02:30 takes it a bit far. I have fond memories of being on shed at the bluebell years ago on the morning of a busy event great atmosphere

Where I am, we just had two feet of Snow, this was perfect timing for this video! Thank You!

That was mesmorising to wathc sos adout the dislecsia , I think thet si the best 1 yet.

It really was an amazing event and I’m so glad I went (it was my first visit to Statfold). Shame I was on a tight schedule so I didn’t get time to say hi.

I do hope there's a full Lawrie goes Loco on Isaac, I did a lot of work on it and drove and fired it quite a bit when it was on the Lynton & Barnstaple, it'd be great to know what you think!

hang on .. Lawrie was silent for about 13 mins .. did someone forget to turn on his Mic ?? .. lol , but honestly this was a really relaxing video

So many Engines 😮

Ooh, Isaac. I wondered where he'd gone to. I've ridden on the footplate of him on the L&B.

about cleaning Lawrie? when are doing your train a spring clean up? she also need some love from you?

Excellent :) Now, I am curious about that red locomotive that says GP39 on the side. I remember you saying that it is your favorite, because it was the first one that you ever drove :) They are prepping it here, but I do not recall ever seeing it running in any of your previous videos at Statfold.

Just a shame there isn't smelly vision for complete authenticity. Go on, tell us, how many times has someone picked up a repurposed coffee cup and taken a swig of best steam oil instead of the Earl Grey they left on the running board a minute earlier?.🍵😨

Cegin? Do they cook all the fry ups on a shovel in her firebox? Any idea why she was called Cegin (Kitchen)?

Hello

Hey how's it going Lori I love your videos can you please do this favor for me can you tell me what gauge these Cory locomotives are running on is it a 2ft Narrow Gauge or what just curious thank you