The Garside Fell Disaster, a Ghost Story by L.T.C. Rolt
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2024
- The Garside Fell Disaster, a classic ghost story from the pen of LTC Rolt, adapted here for your listening pleasure on those dark, quiet nights...
Alf Boothroyd has been a railwayman all his life, and has seen his fair share of rum affairs, but none so strange as what he witnessed in the winter of 1897. As a signalman assigned to the remote signalbox at Garside, way up in the Pennines, he very quickly realises something strange is afoot. Strange omens are making themselves known, suggesting some imminent disaster along this stretch of line, and all of focused upon the tunnel that carries the railway under the ancient and foreboding peak known as Garside Fell.
First published in 1948 in ‘Sleep No More: Twelve Tales of the Supernatural’, available in paperback and kindle at amazon.co.uk
Read and Recorded by Rhys Davies
MUSIC
IMMEDIATE MUSIC - “Suspense & Drama 1”
‘The Downfall’
‘Downfall, The 30’
JOHN FRIZZELL - “Ghost Ship”
‘Underwater’
‘The Deal’
‘The Antonia Graza’
‘Work to Do’
‘Murphy’s Body’
‘Falling Apart’
ROBERT ETOLL
‘Original Trailer Music - Ghost Ship’
DIRECTOR’S CUTS - “Chiller” and “Drones”
'The Boogeyman’
‘Hell Hole’
ALAN SILVESTRI - “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”
‘The Dip Truck’
AKIRA SENJU - “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”
‘The Awakening’
SOUND EFFECTS
(freesound.org)
qubodup - Ghostly Whispering
dbgrant - Forgive Me Father (Ghost)
geoneo0 - Four Voices Whispering
The Soundcatcher - Glas_Window_Drop_Slices_On_Floor
Heigh-hoo - steam_locomotive_distant
SteveManella - Running up:down stairs_1-2
GCEffex - Train destruction
cognito perceptu - train screech
FlippantMoniker - McRae - crowd -aghast
JohnsonBrandEditing - human male scream small crowd panic fear
skradz - Opening Door
RutgerMuller - Running Up The Stairs
Benboncan - Pub Ambience,
sagetyrtle - wind (0203)
Darius Kedros - rattle, shake, vibrate
7778 - Roaring House Fire Wall Fall In
Soojay - distant storm 4
adamlhumphrey - WalkingOutside01
Islabonita - Stove
amholma - Door Open Close
ElGeorgia - steps on wooden stairs
jamesrodavidson - Location Crows NR
inchadney - Scottish Highlands
hintringer - mystic wind howling
Kinoton - Howling Storm
LanDub - Gale Wind
klanbeeld - pineforest LONG and horror ambience 05
martats - fireplace
(youtube.com)
Yamsibj - Appleby bells. Signal box bell & levers sounds for Railworks
Wiladboutvideos - Fenny Compton Signal Box
PSOV-MAINLINE - The last Day at Round Oak Signal Box
TheMSsoundeffects - Crowd panic sound effect
grantham8 - Sir Nigel Gresley whistles through Grantham 27 nov08
Freeify Music - Run In Mud (SOUND EFFECT)
n Beats Sound Effects - Mud Run Sound Effect
(steamsounds.org)
D.Bailey - Gresley at Garsdale and 5972 leaving York
Original text copyright of Sonia Rolt.
Background image copyright of John Speller - spellerweb.net.
Original text, music cues, sound effects and images are used here for non-profit, non-corporate purposes. All copyright remains with respective sources
Open source sound effects used with thanks to the online sound effects community
![[Special Clip] ATEEZ(에이티즈) 홍중 'Why Do You Love'](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I6XYXQKN_pY/mqdefault.jpg)
This is my first time listening to this. I came across it via a post on Twitter and I'm glad I clicked on it. This story did give me chills and the clam slow narration gave it a very eerie feel to it. Very well done.
Thank you so much TankEngine97. I just learned of that wonderful bit of fanart on Twitter myself - it's an amazing tribute to the piece and to Rolt's abilities as a storyteller.
So glad you enjoyed this effort on my part. If you choose to listen to the other LTC Rolt stories I've adapted - 'Bosworth Summit Pound' and 'Hawley Bank Foundry', I'd very much like to hear your thoughts on them :)
LTC Rolt is a superb BRITISH writer. Why isn’t this taught at schools. Imaginative, historical, nostalgic, scary. Brilliant, and well done
Thanks Lynne, and really glad you enjoyed this piece. We're both in agreement that Tom Rolt was an under-rated writer. Are you planning on listening to my other adaptations of his ghost stories? :)
he is a really good writer
God this story gave me damned chills!
Thanks so much Mr Joj, and sorry for not replying sooner. Were there any parts of this story that you particularly enjoyed, and would you like me to do more of these stories by Tom Rolt?
@@rhysdavies4615 ...would I like you to do more stories...
IS THE POPE CATHOLIC-
Of course I would be absolutely enthralled to hear more Tom Rolt Stories, bonus points if they're railway ones.
Just the build up and your acting as if you were actually in that time period. When the fire of the fell happens, the description of old fashioned iron furnaces really DOES make you feel just how far back it is, as you actually can't find pictures of that sight.
Again, acting, music absolutely sell when the mountaineer goes into the tunnel. As well as the sheer ambiance that comes with the pluming of smoke out of the tunnel shafts.
Overall this is still one of my all time favorite ghost stories. I'm pretty sure if you adapted more of Tom Rolts stories, into audio I reckon it'd get a lot more notice.
As I said, your adaptations are incredible and I can't wait to hear if you make more of them :)
This has recently been making the rounds in a few railroad history groups. I just wanted to say that this is an incredible, frightful ghost story. And your narration, combined with the intense soundscape, made this a creative, historical, nostalgic, and frightening experience. Very creative and well-executed.
Oh wow, thankyou - where has it been shared, may I ask? :)
@@rbdaviesTB3 Just a few Discord servers that focus on 19th century railroads and their fokelore/history. At least, that's where I ran upon it.
@@the101stdalmatian8 Thanks - I'd love to know what they thought of it :)
@@rbdaviesTB3 All good things! :D
@@the101stdalmatian8 Some of those Discords sound like interesting places - any you recommend? :)
My god, these are brilliant :D
Thanks man, I hope I'll be able to produce more of these soon :)
Brilliantly narrated & produced, well done!!
Thanks so much - I'm really glad you enjoyed this! Any parts stand out for better or worse? :)
Great narration loved every second of this video will you do more Railway ghost stories in the future I recommend doing a narration video of the Black Crow in the book supernatural steam by J.A. Brooks the black crow is another supernatural story about the Settle and Carlisle Line
I've not heard of the Black Crow, but it sounds like a story I'd like to do a narration of - I'd love to discuss this in further detail :)
@@rbdaviesTB3 hi sorry for the late reply, I got a new account you see, but the Black Crow is a really good story and it certainly gave me the chills, I think you can buy the book off Amazon and eBay for a good price.
@@DAlycidon Aye, I got hold of a copy not long after your previous post. The Black Crow made for a good read, but I'm not sure if it would work for an adaptation. Thanks so much for the suggestion though :)
@@rbdaviesTB3 ah no problem I’m glad you liked the story
@@DAlycidon I did - I think I've read some of the author's work before. It's just frustrating trying to find material en-par with Rolt's own work :D
Absolutely superb my mate, listened to all 3 of your readings of Rolt's stories, all more then once. You really do have a gift for bringing words to life, through your narration, editing and even your choice of thumbnail to really build up a story in someone's head, its absolutely brilliant. I have subscribed and eagerly await to hear what you have next for us all!
Awesome, thanks for this, really enjoyed it!
I'm glad to have entertained - this is a work I'm really proud of, so knowing you enjoyed it is really rewarding! :D
@@rhysdavies4615 can't wait for the next one! Love MR James and only recently come across Rolt. So loved these!
Late to the party but this is absolutely top notch in adapting this! Well done! Love stories like this! The score and images evoked give it an enigmatic and eerie "victorian gothic novel" feel.
Cheers Oli C - I was aiming for that moody and gothic tone, and I'm delighted to see you enjoyed it. I've tried to recreate the same effect with two more adaptations of Rolt's ghost stories (with a third on the way). Whether I succeeded or not, I leave up to the listeners :D
I'm also putting together a short graphic novel adaptation of this story (more for amusement than any serious intent) if you ever wanna take a look then let me know :)
@@olic9804 How did I miss this reply for a year?! Yes, I'd be delighted to see!
I don’t know if I’ll get a response to this, but this is an amazing, chilling ghost story. And your narration coupled with the intense sound design has given me no shortage of sleepless nights. Very well done to you, Mr Davies.
Out of curiousity, I have two questions for you. Number one is what music pieces did you use in this adaptation? I recognise some but not all.
And secondly, I would swear I recognise your voice. You haven’t previously voice acted under the guise of ‘Loey Machan’ in the past, perchance?
Hi there 84F
Really glad you enjoyed this ride - you might like another LTC ghost story I adapted that you can find on the channel. The idea that it gave you some sleepless nights really gives me a feeling of satisfaction :D
The music is mostly from John Frizzel's score for 'Ghost Ship', with a few other tracks from other sources. Frizzel's score is one of my all-time favourites, and had a sweeping, moody, somber tone that I felt was as evocative of the bleak fells of the Pennines as it was of sinister, shadowed seas. The full list of sourced tracks can be found in the description notes, but if there's a specific moment or cue you'd like me to identify for you, feel free to ask.
I do have plans for further LTC Rolt adaptations - really should get round to those someday.
And yes, I did dabble in some SiF audio adventures ;)
Thank you for responding!
I thought I recognised your voice from somewhere! It’s good to see you’re still around! I’d love to see you adapt some more LTC Rolt Ghost Stories! I have actually listened to the other ghost story on your channel, Bosworth Summit Pound. Much like this one, the atmosphere, music and sound design made it perfect. I take it that one also used music from Ghost Ship?
Looking forward to seeing whatever you do next! Seeing as we’re all stuck in lockdown, now’s probably the best time for it 😛
@@84fstudios6 No worries mate, I try my best to respond prompty to comments (though not always with 100% success) ;)
Glad you enjoyed Bosworth Summit Pound, and no, although it has a small amount of Ghost Ship in its audio mix, the music from that one was sampled from a much larger selection of sources. Check the description notes on that video for an idea of just how eclectic.
I really should try and get another story out in the coming months. I had actually recorded the dialogue for the next and started editing it, but the sound got partially corrupted due to a fault in the microphone. Since then though I've invested in a new headset, which might (hopefully) remedy things, though I will have to start over from scratch. We shall see...
I’m looking forward to seeing what you have in mind! If you need any help, I’d be more than willing to lend a hand wherever I can!
@@84fstudios6 84F, I just wanted to say thankyou - this little exchange got me motivated to finish the next story and upload it to RUclips - hope you enjoy :)
So the burning wreckage from the goods fouled the Mountaineer's path while in the tunnel?
That's what they thought at the enquiry, and it's easy to imagine that if the goods train was totally afire that some of her trucks would have quickly fallen apart, their wreckage and spilled loads subsequently fouling the 'down' line and laying a trap for the Mountaineer. As an explanation it feels credible enough to explain what happened in the tunnel, though Alf and his colleagues clearly feel it doesn't explain the whole truth of the disaster...
...here's something to consider. Assuming Job Micklewright was correct, and that the whole disaster was a sort of sacrifice to appease whatever dwelt inside Garside Fell, was the Mountaineer collateral damage or a concious target? Would the deaths of the goods train's driver, fireman and guard have been a sufficient sacrifice in of themselves, or was the malicous force behind the disaster of sufficient intelligence to have timed its actions just right to claim two trains (one of them a passenger service) at the same time?
It's interesting that Rolt does not specify how many people died in his fictional disaster, but given he seemed inspired by the Ais Gill and Hawes Junction disasters, we can use their statistics to make a guess.
Hawes Junction, 1910 (colision between train and light engines)
'Down' Scotch Express: 6 crew, 56 Passengers, 12 fatalities
Ais Gill, 1913 (collision between two trains)
1.35am 'Up' Express: 6 crew, 104 Passengers, 16 fatalities
1.45am 'Up' Express: 5 crew, 62 Passengers, 0 fatalities
Averaging these figures gives us 6 crew and 74 passengers aboard the Mountaineer that February nught. Assuming a three-man crew of driver, fireman and guard on the unfortunate goods trains, that gives us a total of 83 people who burned to death in a railway tunnel. The public feeling about such a catastrophe would be immense - the Garside Fell Disaster's death-toll would be greater than any rail crash in British history at the time of the story's 1897 setting, worse even than the Tay Bridge and Armagh wrecks!
@@rbdaviesTB3 I reckon the something in the mountain wanted as much sacrification as it could get its paws on. Didn't matter who it was or how it got it. You mention Hawes Junction and Ais Gill, but the track layout mentioned more resembled that of Quintinshill. And the fact it was more then one train, and there was a fire. I forget the exact figures, but it was an all round bad time, in a very remote spot. The damage the something caused didn't matter to it, I think it was all round malicious but with no intended target.
The Settle and Carlisle Railway at Gardale also nowen at horse Junction is the setting for this story I think
Yeah, Garside really feels like an analogue of various areas around Ribblehead, Blea Moor and Dentdale, which was why I ultimately chose to use a picture of Ribblehead Viaduct for the video :) - really cool that you noticed. Tom Rolt seems to have intended the 'Carlisle Line' and the 'Grand Trunk Railway' to be analogues of the S&C and Midland Railway respectively.
I know “queer” means weird in this context, but it’s really funny thinking that everything is gay
"There's something queer going on, something that ain't right or natural..." ;) - Alf "No Homo" Boothroyd, 1897 :D - gotta love moments like this where changing language conventions make something sound hilarious when taken out of context
PS: I hope you're enjoying the piece :)
@@rbdaviesTB3 i am (:
A couple of bits really get me in this.
1) At 16:36 when his friend talks about shafts 2 and 3 being hot and stuffy and the bricks being hot to the touch, and noticing "queer things" moving about that he can't see properly (what the hell would that look like?)
2) The train in the tunnel with people presumably trapped in the burning carriages 😨. Begs the question about the goods train, presumably fire spread when it was between shaft 2 and 3 (though this is never stated outright) and if the train had been there for over fifteen minutes then the crew would've almost certainly have been dead through smoke inhalation long before the express even arrived, probably a small mercy compared to those on the express train 😢
Thanks for your detailed thoughts, and glad you got so much out of this. Here's my attempt at an answer.
What did Job see? I've walked through several abandoned railway tunnels, and noticed tricks of the light in those dark depths. Looking straight along the bore you might see nothing, but as you walk along, head swinging from side to side, you may spot a faint light in the corners of your eye, way up the tunnel. It's the light shining down the vent shafts, but the structure of the human eye means you won't see it in the centre of your vision until right on top of it. I imagine Job had a similar experience - shadows at the corner of his sight, shapes that seem almost human, but which weave in and out of the smoke in a decidedly inhuman manner, glimpsed in an instant then gone... nothing direct or in your face, but ever-present, strange and disquieting. Add in the flickering illumination of his oil lamp and you're left with a really unsettling visual.
If Garside Tunnel is anything like its prototype, Blea Moor, then it was dug with the aid of seven construction shafts, four of which were then infilled and retained for ventilation. Examining Blea Moor on Google Earth, shafts 2 and 3 are about half a mile apart, and the intervening stretch is the section of tunnel deepest underground, which certainly would align with whatever power dwelt within Garside Fell being strongest there. That said, the supernatural influence seems to spread throughout the length of the tunnel: beyond the smoke seen at the south portal, Alf sees shaft 1 smoking on at least one occasion. I wonder if Rolt imagined smoke at the northern portal too...
...I do wonder about the fate of the goods. Here it comes on that fierce night, slogging up the gradient from Highbeck, exhaust drowned out by the storm sweeping over the moors. Eventually, it approaches the tunnel, engine working hard on the 1-in-70, and slowly enters under the battlements of the tunnel-mouth, the final glimpse of it being the red tail lamp on the guard's van, slowly dwindling and vanishing into the gloom. Did the crew see anything strange around the northern portal, a touch of unexpected smoke that gave them pause, or did the driver simple sound his whistle on approach as usual and continue into the dark, glad for a respite from the wind and rain, unaware of the doom awaiting within?
Smoke inhalation seems the natural means of death... if this were not a supernatural fire. And given not a single person survived, whatever happened must have overtaken each train in a sudden manner, such that everyone from the footplate crew all the way back to the guards had no means of escape. I can imagine both trains bursting into sudden flame along their whole lengths, as if heated to combustion in an oven, surrounded by the 'things' Job glimpsed around the portals, in a more solid and horrific form. It really makes one shudder to think how nightmarish a scenario Rolt imagined when he penned the story...
@@rbdaviesTB3 That was beautifully described. Honestly it paints a fantastic - albeit very frightening - picture. You should do more readings, I really enjoyed the one about the foundry and the canal too 🙂
@@rbdaviesTB3 In fact, I found that the date of the accident in the story, February 15th, is the date of Lupercalia, the date of a ritual sacrifice to the Roman deity Februus - God of wealth, purification, and death and the underworld. And the sacrifice was traditionally performed in a cave underground.
@@invisibleman4827 That's a brilliant find, Invisible Man! Rolt seems to have known his mythology, so he may well have chosen that date specifically - the connections to underground caves, purification and the underworld also seem highly appropriate!
what was the name of the music at 20:09? Ghost Ship: Santos Dies?
Hi Vincent - sorry for not getting back sooner. The cue in question is Ghost Ship: Murphy's Body. John Frizzell's score for Ghost Ship is masterly, and really provided the moody and sorrowful backbone of this little project