Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

Great Central Railway held their Autumn Steam Gala, Featuring four days of intensive timetabled engine movement along the line I took a trip to Rothley station to see the various arrivals and departures over the course of the Friday afternoon and early evening. From goods trains to double header express trains and even a cheeky diesel loco there was something for everyone. We begin at Leicester North but it's not long before we find ourselves arriving at the picturesque Rothley Station kept immaculately by a dedicated group of volunteers and station staff some of whom we see throughout the film. So take a step back in time (no TARDIS required) and witness the lost era of steam at one of Leicester and Leicestershire`s great attractions the ‪GCR‬ another great reason to ‪Visit Leicester.

The S tatfold Country Park  includes the Statfold Barn Railway which regularly holds events for both enthusiasts and the public alike,  Known as "spectacle of steam" these events see possibly the most engines from the statfold collection out on the rails at any one time creating the spectacle of steam in the events title. In this film I explore the event and try to show not just the engines but a few of the team of passionate drivers and operators etc who really make this event so special. We start the film and our day at the sheds where the engines are filled with coal and water ready for the days workings, then to the station where the engines are coupled to passenger carriages and freight trucks, some engines are turned on the turntable ready to pull or push their respective rolling stock. Heading out onto the railway itself we see the various engines travelling along the rails in various directions. Soon we see engines running in parallel and at pace steam billowing from...

Join us at the Abbey Pumping Station as it`s resident narrow gauge engine Leonard is called upon to pull a special service for the coronation of King Charles III. The little green engine, which runs around the perimeter of the pumping station site, was decked out in bunting and featured a specially created headboard proclaiming it to be the King Charles III Coronation Express. Filmed onboard and trackside we see Leonard make his way from the station and around the site with both the spectacular Abbey Pumping Station building (featured in previous films on this channel) and the modern space-age National Space Center rocket tower nearby visible to passengers. At the end of the line engine is decoupled and pulls the express back to its starting point bunting waving in the wind as it steam`s along. Look out for regular steam days at the museum on the Visit Leicester website.

Filmed safely from the footbridge at the station, this video sees GWR steam engine Earl Of Mount Edgcumbe race through Narborough Station in Leicestershire on a test run along the line.

On the weekend of Saturday 12th/13th June 2021 the Statfold Barn Railway held an Enthusiast Weekend featuring a locomotive that was originally exported to Java to work at the Trangkil Sugar Mill. The engine features alongside locomotives from around the world brought together and run along the length of the Statfold Barn Railway. Look for engines racing each other along the track and pulling all types of rolling stock from passenger to freight. At these special events there's always something interesting steaming along sounding its whistle and creating an atmosphere in which something is always moving. My film aims to capture the busy nature of the event, you`ll see various engines passing each other, hear the many different sounds of operation, from train and guard whistles to the clanking of the wheels and hissing of pistons as the engines speed past.

The annual Desford scarecrow festival (one of the biggest in the country) returned in 2019 with a theme of Best Of British, celebrating everything great about Great Britain from comedy to classic TV and everything in between. Look out for a host of Aardman Animations characters, The England 1966 world cup winners and a model Flying Scotsman steam train that actually smokes from its chimney !.

On Saturday the 15th of September as part of the Heritage Open Days event I took a trip deep below the streets of Leicester into the Robert Stevenson designed Glenfield railway tunnel with Bill Pemberton of the Leicestershire Industrial History Society. We donned our hi-viz jackets and after a safety briefing from our tour guide headed into the brick lined semi-darkness of the tunnel. as our eyes became accustomed to the darkness we where shown ventilation shafts transporting sunlight and air from above into the subterranean space which remained at a constant 10 degrees Celsius  throughout. Our guide then pointed out numbers on the wall written by the workers and marking distances from the tunnel mouth, moving further into the tunnel we where shown another ventilation shaft which like many of its duplicates along the tunnel length is situated in a private garden on the surface. As we ventured deeper into the tunnel we passed numerous refuges (small archways in the tunnel wall...

I took a visit to the privately owned Statfold Barn Railway a narrow gauge railway of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge near Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. For the 2017 season, a narrow gauge tram track was laid in concrete parallel to the level section of the Field Railway incorporating an 18 in (457 mm) mixed gauge rail line. Although the railway is not open to the public a number of “Enthusiasts’ Days” are held each year and those interested can apply for an invitation to one of these events. My film starts (and Ends) at the shed and follows various engines as they travel along the railway, look out for "The Goose" which is part Train part Bus and the newly installed Tramway.