My digital camera isn't a great movie
camera, so don't expect Hollywood-quality footage, but I thought this
might be fun--unless, of course, I use up my bandwidth allotment!
If this proves popular, I'll update this page from time to time with a
new movie clip.
03-06: I'm looking into several different
options that would allow me to digitize film clips shot on my camcorder
economically and presumably with greater image quality. Stay
tuned for further developments.
First are two clips of Slieve Callan with my rake of WCR stock.
The first captures the train running east out of Lahinch. The
second shows the train running north of Rineen and starting up the
grade towards Lahinch.
Then a 640 Kb move of C&L "Lady Edith" with
a goods train rolling through Lahinch station. After that, a 420
Kb, 11
second clip of Lough Swilly "Aberfoyle" approaching Moyasta Junction
with a mixed train. Lastly, a 4.2 Mb
movie of a trip around the railway
at the back of a train of open wagons hauled by "Clifden,' the Merlin
Mayflower. Starting from Kilkee, the train runs over the planks
up a slight grade to the raised beds, past Rineen, through the trees on
the climb to Lahinch, then through the garden beds, past the abandoned
halt, then diving behind the hedges to reappear on the approach to
Moyasta and back to Kilkee.
03-06: In the early spring when the
roadbed is still in less than ideal condition, I tend to run my smaller
generic engines because the Irish engines have trouble staying on the
rails. Below are two clips of my little IP Engineering JANE with
a short passenger train. IP no longer makes Jane, (basically a
Mamod built properly) though a similar engine is now sold by PPS Steam Models in the
UK. These little engines are the epitomy of "cheap and cheerful"
live steam. When it's late in the day and I only have time for a
quick steam fix, my Jane frequently gets the call. She'll go for
about twenty minutes on one fill of gas (with water topped off every
four or five minutes) and will happily haul a long rake of short four
wheeled wagons.
04-06: The permanent way has been graded
and smoothed out (more or less!) and my Irish engines have returned to
the rails. Below are new clips of Aberfoyle
running through the S-curves near Willbrook halt with a goods train and
Lady Edith approaching Rineen halt from
the direction of Lahinch.
The videos above were taken at a resolution of 320 x 160 at 15 frames
per second. The videos below wer taken at a resolution of 640 x
480 at 10 fps as an experiment. It's tradition on the WCGR to run
a fall foliage
special. It's also traditional to miss the peak color and run
amid piles of fallen leaves. This year is no exception. The
video captures none of the fall color; it primarily shows how smoothly
"Aberfoyle" runs. The other two videos are of my Roundhouse Jack
class "Percy" with a mixed train on an unusually warm November
afternoon--after the leaves had been cleaned up.
