Things have gone a bit tractor crazy this weekend as again I bring you a shot of the tractors used on yesterdays meander around the Chilterns. The stock was due to run to Crewe today originally with 37422 but this was pinched last night for a spot of engineers work in the Totnes area, so 37425 and 411 were due to run the empty stock instead.
The departure time was missed and kept getting later and then for unknown reasons the move was caped and instead it was to run to Didcot yard which was slightly odd. Again the weather was rubbish but the sight of a tractor is pretty rare now so it was not an oppurtunity to be missed. I went for the shot at Grove which I only just made after a mad dash across a very muddy field!
Todays update was a very last minute affair as it wasn’t until I got home from work at lunchtime that I realised Pathfinder were running a railtour featuring Class 37 traction through my neck of the woods. A quick check of the timings and I decided to head out to Calvert which is a new location for me. I opted to try the shot of the train arriving in the Claydon loop near Calvert. I was alone at this location and when another photographer turned up and then opted to move on I began to wonder whether the train would come far enough down the loop for a photo.
I needn’t of worried as 37425 pulled the train all the way up to the signal next to the bridge presumably to please the track bashers. I grabbed a few shots and the dashed around to the bridge in Calvert village. After being the sole photter out at the loop I was rather surprised to find around 30-40 photographers all set up for action and I could hear the sound of 37411 approaching!
I didn’t have much time as I could hear 37411 thrashing away quite clearly so I had to shoot over the top of everyone else already gathered. One plus point to being 6′7″ tall makes things like that much easier! I grabbed a fairly decent shot and then it was another sprint off to Quainton Road for another shot.
I arrived at Quainton Road to find the railway centre amass with tour participants milling around all over the site. I opted for the shot from the newish footbridge which enables visitors to cross from one side of the site to the other as it is dissected by the freight only line to Calvert refuse terminal. I grabbed my shots and then waited to watch and listen as 37411 blasted off into the chilly evening.
At the start of the week the weather forecast began to predict snow for overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning so I crossed my fingers for snow as I have always wanted to take rail photos in some proper wintry conditions. My luck was in as I awoke this morning to 3-4 inches and everything was covered nicely and still snowing hard. I left for work 2 hours early to try and grab a few shots before I started work. I opted for the nearest station which was Radley as I didn’t want to be driving far in such treacherous road conditions.
I arrived to note a FGW Adelante running North and passengers waiting for the local Southbound so trains were running at least. I photographed a couple of units before 66533 headed South on a liner plastering me in snow caused by the draft of the train. Shortly afterwards 66540 appeared through the blizzard on 4M50 Southampton – Lawley Street kicking up the snow behind it, Brrrr!!
