By Geoff Bowers

THE GOTHAM CITY STRING BAND did their Edale Train trip on 11th August and had a great time too. The weather could not have been better on what was an idyllic summer evening. When we joined the train at Sheffield we were met by an enthusiastic group from the Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership who organise these trips on a fortnightly basis in conjunction with the folk scene. It really is extremely pleasant to play and sing to people who are there for a good time and appreciate everything that is on offer. We did the twenty minute trip to Edale in what seemed like only five! I can tell you that playing whilst standing on a swaying train is an hilarious experience and adds a dynamic all of its own to the music!

We arrived at Edale (oh the memories of Edale past!.... ) in it's very best splendour bathed in lovely evening sunshine. Naturally, we opted to do our first spot outside, looking straight down Hope Valley surrounded by a warm audience of enthusiastic listeners. We thought we'd died and gone to heaven! The new landlord had drinks for the band laid on as soon as we arrived - telephoned ahead of us. I tell you - it wastough out there! It would have been better of course had it been tippling down with rain as all good Bluegrassers will tell you, but we put up with it manfully for the sake of the audience.

Gotham City: Geoff, Mike, Mark and Pete Christian

By the end of the first spot our fine lead singer, Mike Wareham, was being victimised by midges who formed a fatal attraction for his magnetic personality and taught him how to simultaneously sing, play guitar and boogie wildly. This added to the act and drew great appreciation from the folks who the midges  (tiny mosquitos) bypassed in order to get to Mike.

It was decided that after a short break the last spot would be done inside the Ramblers Inn as usual, which was a great disappointment to the midges who all went off in a huff.

The second spot went down very well too with some fine fiddle and mandolin playing from Mark Tindle. Harmonising with Mike Warehams fine singing voice is an absolute pleasure I can tell you. I was naturally very pleased too that people showed a nice appreciation for my own efforts on banjo and mandolin - that doesn't hurt at all!

Dave Young of Old Red Eye fame, took a very generous collection for us which gave us a warm feeling in the wallet too! He had helped to host the event and look after us in general, on behalf of the lucky Steve Read - then in Canada. Dave even sat in on fiddle on the last half of the return trip which went down very well too.

These trips don't make a band a fortune of course, strictly an expenses- only deal, but I can recommend them to any band who "fancy a penn'orth" of making their own music to a good audience in pleasant surroundings. (That surely must include all of us?) They go from both ends of the trans-Pennine tunnel - Manchester and Sheffield. The Gotham City String Band will certainly be up for more of that.

I can remember a glowing report of the Rainy City Bluegrass Band trip (see NWBN, Sept. 1997). They had another one on the 18th August 1998.

The Steel City Pickers have done their second trip andwent “mob-handed” fielding seven band members. It went very well and they collected £30 in addition to their expenses.

The Edale trains started last year from both the Manchester and Sheffield directions. They are a concerted effort on the part of the Councils and local businesses to popularise the use of the line which, another source tells me, is the only remaining trans-pennine tunnel in operation? For sure, it needs maintenance and investment and that can only be justifiedby demonstrated use. After the first year of the trips’ inauguration, the Council organisers put the trips in the hands of the Folk Network who continue to book the bands.

Geoff Bowers, Nottingham.

Updated 23rd Jan 1999