Hello and welcome to 2009, I hope you all had a good Christmas break. The forecast today was cold but plenty of sunshine and as I had been getting a bit bored at home I thought it would be good to get out for some phots again. I did go to Moreton cutting first thing but I under estimated how high the sun would be and the whole cutting was in shadow which spoilt things so I switched locations and head out on the GWML at Grove.
I wasn’t sure if the Fastline coal was going to be running today as although it has now started running on a daily basis it is quite erratic on the timings with the return working along the GWML varying from early evening through to early morning. The Saturday train seems more reliable as indeed it was today running just 1 hour early on the normal schedule. It was looped at Wantage for an HST but was soon given the road and 66301 powered the 6M90 Avonmouth – Ratcliffe back out on to the mainline.
The main working I was there for was the 6B33 Theale – Robeston tanks which is reliable performer on Saturdays and also about my only chance to photograph Class 60s at the moment due to work constraints. 60085 ‘MINI Pride of Oxford’ did the honours today although the same can’t be said for the paintwork on the loco. It was so still and quiet at this location I could hear this loco tugging away over two miles away which is quite impressive! 