Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

  On fathers day 2025 my Dad said he would be interested in visiting the Stapleford Miniature Railway near Melton Mobray in Leicestershire. The event was listed as a day of Models and Miniatures with Mini Traction Engines and Steam Rollers alongside the usual miniature railway running. We begin the film as a green locomotive leaves the station taking various passengers on a near 2 mile trip around the site. The one fifth scale SMR Railway runs special events throughout the year, back to the film now and we meet the mini traction engines and steam rollers as they travel through the event passing Glynns Supper Whippy ice cream van and various other local craft and food stalls. Back to the miniature steam engines now and the small but mighty NYC Niagara is coaled up and made ready for another trip. We then see Niagara and a green engine waiting in steam at the station. Now it really gets exiting as we board a diesel locomotive for an onboard trip taking in tunnels, lakes and beauti...

  A poster designed by me for the Miniature Steam Weekend at the Great Central Railway featuring a traction engine and using a heavy serif-ed typeface as often used in traditional sign writing.  For more info on the event please visit http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/     

My short film follows a Traction engine in steam as it arrives at the Abbey Pumping Station for one of their regular events. We join the beautifully kept engine as it makes its way carefully along the nearby streets and through the front gates of the Victorian Pumping house before later taking a closer look at the workings from a unique drivers perspective. Images follow.

The festival started life at the Criterion Pub and tonight marks its first migration to Phoenix Square. My nerves rise as the lights go down, what will they think of my film ?, how will it look on such a big screen ?, I wonder if this is how the big Hollywood directors feel at the big Leicester square events !. A few minutes in and There's been an eclectic mix of films so far, A film about a ticket collector featuring a person dressed as a polar bear and a fantastic film by Ben Jacobson called Air Mail precede mine and then it begins, the screen s mine for 2:21, my fears of the picture quality quickly dissipate as the beat box soundtrack blasts out from the speakers "Interesting idea" I hear someone say from the row in front of me. My film ends and is followed by Summer Ice a film about a Lady down on her luck and a number of other shorts form various filmmakers all tied together by a comedic take on the history of cinema. The night ends with an inter...