On Saturday Pathfinder had run a tour from Cardiff – Pwllheli with a Class 37, the stock was then due to return to Old Oak on the Sunday and it was booked to pass Didcot at 12:20. I was hoping they would use the 37 to return the stock to the capital.
Infact a pair of 37s were used to get the empty coaching stock back with 37410/406 being used but was rather surprised to see they had passed Bristol Parkway at 10:40 and were mega early. To make things worse I didnt get this message until 11:00 so they must have been nearing Swindon by this time! A fast car to Moreton cutting ensured I made it with about 5 minutes to spare and just about caught them in the sun!
Pathfinder had decided to run one of their usual Bank Holiday tours today this time featuring a pair of EPS 37s through the Thames Valley. The train was due to start from Southampton hauled by a Riveria Class 47 and run to Didcot where a loco change to the EPS 37s would take place. The pair of 37s would then take the train on to York. As is the usual Bank Holiday tradition the weather held up its end of the bargain by pouring down with rain! As it was wet I didn’t want to go far so opted for the nearest location at Radley.
I arrived with plenty of time and wished I hadn’t as I was soaked right through by the time the 37s arrived. The booked time came and went and then a local serviced was announced for the platform I was standing on just as I could hear the tractors thrashing in the distance. I was getting a little anxious as they were thrashing away for what seemed like ages before they appeared and I thought I was going to blocked by the local service. Thankfully they beat it and I grabbed a shot of 37603/604 working 1Z37 Southampton – York at a very murky Radley!
Part Two
The EPS Class 37s were due back in the Thames Valley late evening and they were due to set down at both Oxford and Didcot but neither would have a decent platform shot. The tour was due into Oxford at 20:55 and I had an idea for a shot at Oxford I had been wanting to try out and this was the perfect oppurtunity.
Just to the south of the station is a footbridge that crosses the carpark and railway lines, I popped on my 200mm plus the 1.4x teleconvertor which brought the station a lot closer. The 37s however were running late and as you can see the clock in by picture they were running 45 minutes late by the time they reached Oxford, I fired off a number of different exposures and managed to come up with the above.
A bit of an oddity today, I had seen a message earlier in the week regarding a charter from Oxford to Moreton-in-Marsh with an associated ECS movement from East Ham. The weather was glorious so I thought I would head out to Moreton cutting to try and bag the ECS.
It wasn’t until I had arrived on location and I checked my messages again that I could see it was running 60 minutes late due to problems furthur up the line! I had a plesant wait in the sunshine until 47813 top and tailing with 47818 passed me with 5Z87 East Ham – Oxford conveying a full set of Blue Pullman coaches.
Although it was running late I still had time to make it out to the Cotswold line for another shot, I only knew of one location on the line and that was at Charlbury. I made it with 15 minutes to spare and upon arrival figured out the reason for the charter. In a field the other side of the line was a marquee with very loud music pumping out of it as a band warmed up, there was security at the gate along with more on the station platform waiting for the charter to arrive. On time 47813 rolled into Charlbury station with the 1Z87 Oxford – Moreton-in-Marsh were everyone detrained and headed into the marquee for their gig!
