Welcome back to another update from the recent bank holiday weekend. Todays picture was a bit of luck really as I turned on my computer to find an email about a Taunton – Old Oak ECS working hauled by a pair of Cromptons was heading my way. It has been a few years since I had seen cromptons at work and a quick check showed I should just be able to make it lineside in time.
As the time was so tight I opted for the nearest point on the GWML which is Moreton cutting. I only had to wait 5 minutes before it appeared on the main and the pair were merrily thrashing away as they passed me. The driver was obviously enjoying himself as while I was packing my camera away I could hear hime playing tunes on the horn as it disappeared into the distance.
I’m back again with another update, this time something a bit more unusual. You may have read my update from 9th April 2004 when Freightliner hired in 3 DRS 66s for the Easter Weekend and I photographed 66410 at Moreton Cutting on that occasion. Well here we are at Easter ‘06 and again Freightliner have hired in two DRS 66s although this time it is a six month hire to the heavy haul division so less chance of them turning up in the Thames Valley unless it gets put on the Avon bins.
66407 managed to visit the area earlier in the week when it worked the Hinksey – Meldon Quarry ballast trip and was then used on the Cornish stoneliner which sent it to Bow overnight. On the Saturday it was booked on 6Z24 Bow – Cardiff Pengam so I took the oppurtunity to phot my second Dred on the GWML. I opted for the shot at Shrivenham, although it was overcast I thought it was still worth a shot due to the rarity of a DRS 66 on the Western mainline.
Although I’m posting this midweek it was the day following the GWR diesel gala that I was out taking my next shot. Past-time railtours had run a tour from Kensington Olympia – Plymouth featuring a pair of Kettles along the seawall, however it was diesel hauled from Kensington to Taunton in top and tail formation by a pair of FM Rail 47s. The train also picked up and set down and Didcot so it was chance to grab a night phot on the return.
Not long after arriving on the platform there was announcemnet it was running 40 mins late so I had quite a wait and it was still quite chilly out. Eventually 47703 came rolling into the platform but pulled up slightly too far to use the tripod so I decided to have a go hand held! I cranked the ISO up to 1600 and a shutter speed of 1/15th second and I managed to prodcue the above! If you take a look at the larger image you can see a small amount of noise. I was very impressed with how little there was at such a high ISO!
