The United Kingdom Cathedrals Express, in STEAM!

[daveklepper]

Isn’t snail-mail wonderful? Posted the Church Musician Railroad Engineer after getting my JULY copy of the Amterican Organist, and just now the APRIL issue has finally arrived.

Sarah Macdonald is another Organist-Choirmaster (Choirmistriss?), in charge of the choir at Kings Chapel (error, probably the Chapel at Selwyn College), Cambridge University, who loves trains. What a talented and wonderful person she is, as reflected in her writing, born and raised in the USA, and a woman, and to have such an important position that for years was a male-only job. Her first visit to Great Britain was at age 22, she fell in love with place, visited countless cathedrals and large churches (going from Heathrow by Tube directly to Westminster Abbey) on a Britrail Pass, and included a “steam train journey near Chester.”

Anyway, she reports there is a regular steam-powere Cathedral Express, “a steam train that takes visitors between cathedral cities.” She adds: “Perhaps I will take a trip on it soon, entirely for TAO ‘research’ purposes, of course.”

I’ll give one of you readers the task of pulling up the website and describing for use the equipment and accomodations and possibly the cost and itinerary. Thanks!

[schlimm]

Isn’t snail-mail wonderful? Posted the Church Musician Railroad Engineer after getting my JULY copy of the Amterican Organist, and just now the APRIL issue has finally arrived.

Sarah Macdonald is another Organist-Choirmaster (Choirmistriss?), in charge of the choir at Kings Chapel, Cambridge University, who loves trains. What a talented and wonderful person she is, as reflected in her writing, born and raised in the USA, and a woman, and to have such an important position that for years was a male-only job. Her first visit to Great Britain was at age 22, she fell in love with place, visited countless cathedrals and large churches (going from Heathrow by Tube directly to Westminster Abbey) on a Britrail Pass, and included a “steam train journey near Chester.”

Anyway, she reports there is a regular steam-powere Cathedral Express, “a steam train that takes visitors between cathedral cities.” She adds: “Perhaps I will take a trip on it soon, entirely for TAO ‘research’ purposes, of course.”

I’ll give one of you readers the task of pulling up the website and describing for use the equipment and accomodations and possibly the cost and itinerary. Thanks!

Cathedral Express This is the link to the organization that runs many steam excursion specials in the UK and some elsewhere. Many different engines and routings.

[RME]

Isn’t this the Sarah McDonald who was at Selwyn College, Cambridge? When did she go to Kings?

Here, for the Canadians among us in particular, is a taste of what makes her special:

[Miningman]

Very very nice RME…merci.

A real dichotomy vs. the longest day of the year. Maybe 1/2 hour of no sun here in Northern Saskatchewan. It never gets totally dark though and will remain that way for some time now.

2 more days of Field School left now. My grad students are done for good on Friday…big meetings x2 on Monday, all final marks submitted on Tuesday, Wednesday clean up desks, labs and classrooms and then it’s see you in September, for work anyway.

Steam locomotives, Cathedrals, Dinah Shore, Christmas hymns, longest day of the year…what a great thing this forum is.

[Deggesty]

Miningman, how much daylight will you have when the sun reaches the southern limit of its rays?

[Miningman]

Deggesty- It’s pitch dark when you get to work and again when you leave. Sunrise shortly after 9:30 am and starts getting dark at 3pm…its dark at 4pm. The sunshine can be quite brilliant at times especially with all the snow cover giving off a high albedo effect.

[Deggesty]

Robert Louis Stevenson’s lament–getting up and dressing by candlelight in winter–and going to bed by day in the summer.

[daveklepper]

Isn’t this the Sarah McDonald who was at Selwyn College, Cambridge? When did she go to Kings?

Quote above

My error, she probably still is there. I assumed Kings because it was mentioned in her TAO April article. But still it is an important position, and in many ways she was and is a true pioneer. Also, any sensitive North American, USA or Canada, can realize that so much of our own culture, so much of what is best in both countries, is a heritage from the British Isles. I feel fortunate that I visited when I could

Here in Israel, we are still suffering from the bad effects of Colonialism. But there were good effects as well; and we can appreciate them, including standard-gauging the railway, development of the Haifa Oil Refinary, and the Haifa Port. And I pass the British Military Cemetary on Mount Scopus near Hebrew University every day, and it is kept in perfect condition.

Return to Quote:

Here, for the Canadians among us in particular, is a taste of what makes her special:

The above is also a quote. But this wonderful British choral tradition is available in the USA. If you live near or in or visit New York Citiy it can be experienced every Sunday morning at the 11AM service and most Sundays at Choral Evensong preceded usually by an organ recital, not sure of the time in the late afternoon, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 5th Avenue and 53rd Streets, easily accessable by the M and E trains, E directly from Penn Station. They also have a full concert series, inlcuding a yearly Handel Messiah before Chrismas. One of the many things I miss about NY.