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Dyke steam ahead

ONE of Britain’s most popular bands is now appearing before a new audience – tens of thousands of rail passengers along the East Coast Main Line.

East Coast train operator GNER has named one of its locomotives ‘The Black Dyke Band’ to mark the 150^th anniversary of the world-renowned Yorkshire brass band.

The train was unveiled in the band’s home city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, and will travel the length of the GNER route, calling at stations from London, through the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the North-East of England, to Inverness and Aberdeen in the north of Scotland.

The Black Dyke Band has performed with The Beatles, The Beautiful South, Lesley Garrett and Sir Elton John among others, plays the music on the BBC show Ground Force, and plays live to more than 50,000 people every year at venues nationwide.

The band has been British champions 20 times, a title it currently holds, is reigning European champion and ranked number one in the world.

Dr Nicholas Childs, Director of Music for the band, said: “In the 150 year history of the band, we have achieved many great things. During the 1970s, the band received the freedom of the City of Bradford and therefore it is fitting that we have been honoured in Bradford again with the naming of the GNER train.”

Jonathan Metcalfe, Chief Operating Officer of GNER, said: “GNER is delighted to name one of our trains to mark the band’s 150^th anniversary. Their music is known to millions of people across Britain and beyond, and now their name will be seen by passengers the length of the East Coast Main Line. We wish the band every success for the future.”

The band was formed in 1855 when John Foster, owner of Black Dyke Mills in Queensbury, near Bradford, brought together 18 musicians, ordered a new set of instruments and gave them the use of a room in which to practise.

The mill name was chosen because it was built on land that belonged to Black Dyke Farm. The Black Dyke refers to a waterfall on the farm that ran into a pool or ‘dyke’.

The band is made up of 29 amateur musicians from all walks of life, including schoolteachers, university lecturers and construction engineers, with an average age of 27.

In addition to touring Britain annually, the band also goes overseas at least once per year. In recent years it has played in the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, Australia, Asia and Europe.

The GNER locomotive bearing The Black Dyke Band name is number 43116. Other GNER locomotives are named after people, places or historic buildings on the GNER route, including Edinburgh Castle, York Minster, David Livingstone and Old Course St Andrews.