(...and also for those aficionados of transport in the Metropolis at
utl...)


As is the custom at this time of year I present a little offering - it
is the complete one hour Grand Opening show of St. Pancras station on
the 6th November of last year, as attended by HM The Queen. The Grand
Opening features the ghost of William Barlow, brought to life by the
actor Timothy West, and comes complete with a musical accompaniment
from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. There are appearances from the
former F1 driver David Coulthard and the Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine
Jenkins amongst others, though the real star is the restored Barlow
trainshed... and a surprise visitor along with an expected guest pay a
visit to the trainshed towards the end of the show.

The video presentation of the Grand Opening is courtesy of London &
Continental Railways, and is made available on the internet thanks to
BBC London hosting it on their site. It is in Real Video format, so
you will need Real Player or another compatible media player to watch
it.

This page provides some background to the Grand Opening, and has a
link to the video half-way down:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/..._webcast.shtml

Alternatively one of these two direct links should jump you straight
in to the streaming video:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/realmedi...st_16x9_bb.ram
or
rtsp://rm-acl.bbc.co.uk/london/news/bb/stpancras_broadcast_16x9_bb.rm


I had thought of posting this on the first anniversary of the opening
of St. Pancras back in November, but then I thought it a better idea
to post it now over the Christmas period whilst things are a little
more relaxed, and when some might enjoy the chance of a little
relaxing railway-related audio-visual escapism after (or indeed
during!) the hecticness of the festive celebrations. I thought the
whole thing was quite entertaining, if a little absurd, as these
things are generally wont to be. I should perhaps admit to only
watching it in its entirety over a year ago when it was streamed live
as the event actually happened, so maybe I missed all the clangers
(though I do recall Barlow missing a couple of cues amidst the slight
pandemonium of it all, and the poor driver having immense difficulty
hearing Betty's words in his ear above the music). I'm sure some of
the great minds here will be quick to find the factual faults that lie
therein, and will also be more than willing to add their critiques of
the artistic merit (or otherwise) of this spectacle. Me, well I just
quite enjoyed the RPO's rather cinematic aural contribution to the
proceedings...

"Mizter T" wrote ...
The video presentation of the Grand Opening is courtesy of London &
Continental Railways, and is made available on the internet thanks to
BBC London hosting it on their site. It is in Real Video format, so
you will need Real Player or another compatible media player to watch
it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/..._webcast.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/realmedi...st_16x9_bb.ram
rtsp://rm-acl.bbc.co.uk/london/news/bb/stpancras_broadcast_16x9_bb.rm

Thanks for that -
Fascinating show ... nice to see that Boris had his foot in the door!

Merry Christmas to you too ... And everyone else!
--

Andrew

"If A is success in life, then A = x + y + z.
Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut." ~ Albert Einstein

"Andrew Heenan" wrote in message
...
"Mizter T" wrote ...
The video presentation of the Grand Opening is courtesy of London &
Continental Railways, and is made available on the internet thanks to
BBC London hosting it on their site. It is in Real Video format, so
you will need Real Player or another compatible media player to watch
it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/..._webcast.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/realmedi...st_16x9_bb.ram
rtsp://rm-acl.bbc.co.uk/london/news/bb/stpancras_broadcast_16x9_bb.rm

Thanks for that -
Fascinating show ... nice to see that Boris had his foot in the door!

Instead of his mouth, more usually.
Merry Christmas to you too ... And everyone else!
--
U2