Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

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...

Just take a ride upon the busses !, could it be a long lost episode of a 70`s sitcom about bus drivers ?, No its Statbus, at night. Thanks to the Transport Museum Wythall the Statfold Country Park and Railway played host to a wide selection of restored, vintage and modern buses and coaches from across the country. We start the fun with a line up of various buses as one departs proudly declaring "It`s Best By Omnibus" along it's side, the green and cream vintage bus is soon joined by a brown bus before both head off on a shuttle service to local towns. Next up is a brightly painted bus from the Isle Of Man its unique shape and design a regular sight for islanders once upon a time. The Manx bus in red and yellow sits beside a midland red single decker making for a complementary pairing. Over at the railway and bridging the gap between bus and railway is the `Goose' a strange hybrid of locomotive and bus on rails. As the Goose waits at the station a small steam engine...

With more locomotives working in one hour than anywhere else in the UK and a huge variety of rare, unique and historic engines on show the Statfold Barn Railway`s Spectacle Of Steam really is a Spectacle to see. My film begins at the sheds as we see the various engines "steaming up" for a day on the rails, before heading to the station to collect coaches full of passengers or freight. Next we see locomotives of all types at full steam along the tracks joined by a tram and the very unique "Goose" vehicle, How many can you spot ?. We end back at the station with the engines returning to collect more passengers. Stay tuned post-credits for some fun in the roundhouse. 

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.

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.