I’m here again with another early morning update, this time with some heritage traction on show. Recentley 50031 and 50049 had been repainted in Large Logo Blue and were to be debuted on Pathfinders Edenex tour on Saturday 24th July. The 50s were repainted at Crewe and the locos and stock both needed to get to Guilford for the weekend. The first leg was for the 50s to haul the coaching stock from Crewe – Old Oak Common on Friday morning. The ECS was due off Crewe at 06.36 and it was also routed via Didcot which meant I didn’t have to travel far for a photo.
I decided to go to Oxford North junction for the photo but I didn’t realise until I got there that the shadows were still all over the track at this time of the day. It was too late to go elsewhere for the shot so I had to stay put and take it here. The shot was not too bad in the end, the shadow on the coaches doesn’t bother me it’s just a shame about the shadow on the second 50 bodyside.
I’m back again with more shots for your perusal. There was a Kettle tour from from Reading – Carlisle due off Reading at 06.00 with a 67 booked traction for the first part. The forecast was for sun during the morning so I set my alarm for 05.30, I awoke to see plenty of clear sky so I set off for Radley to get the shot. I arrived early so I decided to get in postion straight away and it was a good job I did. I had barely been there five minutes when I head a dull roar to the south and a Freightliner 66 appeared around the corner.
At a guess I would say it was the late running 4M95 Southampton – Lawley Street service. A nice bonus I wasn’t expecting anyway. Well shortly after 66537 dissapeared around the corner than another 66 appeared in the distance. The sun was a lot stronger only a few minutes later as you can clearly see the difference in the two shots.
This was 66546 working 4M60 Bristol/Bath – Calvert Avon binliner, looking good with a nice clean loco up front. As the Ketlle tour was booked 06.00 off Reading my guess was for it to pass Radley around 06.30. Time ticked by 06.45 I was beginning to wonder if I had read the timings correctly and if it was going via London and the WCML. As the train only started at Reading surely it couldn’t get that late only travelling a handful of miles?
Well not to worry as five minutes later it came hammering around the corner probably trying to make up for lost time so early in it’s journey. Not a bad fourty five minutes at Radley early on a Saturday morning eh? I may have an update for you later on today as there is a Norwich – Okehampton excursion booked via Didcot today with top and tail Fragonset 47s.
