Category Archives: Culham

Sunday 13th May 2012

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Welcome to Super Sunday! Some of you may be familiar with Sky Sports Super Sunday football coverage but today I have something completely different, this is Super Tug Sunday! Today’s working is something I had been planning on doing for some time but it involved getting up early on a Sunday plus I need some good weather to boot. Well the weather obliged so I thought I should make the effort.

The target was going to be the Colnbrook tanks which runs from Lindsey to Didcot on the Saturday where it recesses until early Sunday morning before continuing the short distance to Colnbrook. Early morning shots are limited in the Thames Valley but I was sure I could do something in the Cholsey area. I managed to find a nice lineside shot and waited in the pleasant morning sun and I didn’t have long to wait until 60007 eased the 6A70 Didcot Yard – Colnbrook loaded tanks along the GWML making a nice sight.

That would have been the end of the days excitement but despite the forecast the weather stayed good all day so I thought it would be rude not to head out and bag the return working. :-) I knew the shot at Culham would be even better than when I bagged 70019 a few weeks ago as the days had lengthened even more. Again running right on schedule 60007 worked the 6E38 Colnbrook – Lindsey empties through the Oxfordshire countryside making a fine sight.

Tuesday 27th March 2012

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Only a short update today as I decided to take advantage of the glorious weather and played a round of golf at Hinksey Heights Golf Course which gives some fantastic views overlooking the spires of Oxford. The round of Golf over I decided to head out and bag some late afternoon freight workings.

The first working I wanted to photograph was the car train out of Dagenham as it provides an interesting contrast to the normal staple of containers boxes flying up and down the Thames Valley line. I nearly bagged it yesterday with DBS liveried 66101 in charge but it passed as I was walking across the fields which I was a bit annoyed about but made up for it today as 66027 powered the 6X44 Dagenham – Didcot Ford cars through the fields at Cholsey.

Now that the clocks have changed this opens up the opportunity for more freight in the evening and I thought I might be able to bag a shot at Culham. It was just about on which was good news as I knew 70019 was heading my way on 4M99 Southampton – Trafford Park and bang on time it stormed around the curve in the final dregs of light.

Saturday 30th April 2011

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Welcome back for another update and today’s main focus was the boat train from Southampton Docks to Edinburgh. The revised timings had appeared earlier in the week and it wasn’t great for me in the Thames Valley if the sun was going to shine as it was going the wrong way at the wrong time of day really so I set about trying to find a location a bit further afield and after a bit of research decided that the shot at Worting Junction would be ideal and as I have never visited before another brand new shot for the website.

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As it was a new location I decided to set off early to ensure I could find the location alright and I’m glad I did. It was a nice easy run out from my place and wasn’t as far as I had always imagined it to be and easy parking which is a plus so will hopefully visit more in the future. Scanning the gen lists on my phone I noticed it had left the docks slightly early and I thought it might be held to wait for its path onto the mainline but I was wrong as just before 11:00 running 21 minutes early which is quite impressive for any charter 47832/501 powered the 1Z48 Southampton Eastern Docks – Edinburgh through Worting Junction.

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As it was another strange weekend due to the Royal Wedding bank holiday on the Friday it meant that we had some hotch potch workings again with some normal Saturday workings, some cancelled and some extra workings. There wasn’t a great deal about but as I new a afternoon Freightliner was on the way down and inspired by Martin Loaders shot at Culham earlier in the week I set off the short couple of miles to Culham. My quarry was 66955 working the 4O56 Birch Coppice – Southampton service amd running bang on time it passed me with a good load snaking nicely in the background.