'B1' 61306 Mayflower - 24 September 2015

A wet morning is just giving way to little sun as 61306 'Mayflower' makes a fine departure from Guildford.  This 'Cathedrals Express' trip was heading to Worcester having earlier departed fron West Brompton.

Some sound to listen to over on Soundcloud here.

'Black 5' no. 45231 - 28 July 2015

A trip to the wild uplands of The Pennines for ‘Black 5’ no. 45231 with 'The Dalesman'. It is a very wet day indeed, in torrential rain it’s a struggle keeping our equipment dry as we scramble across boggy ground to our location at Ais Gill Viaduct on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. The whole of Mallerstang Common is shrouded in low cloud but we have a good view of the line and only just manage to set up before we see the exhaust from 45231 on the 1/100 climb towards the summit a short distance behind us. Despite the rain it is a calm day with just a very light breeze as we pick up the sound of 45231 against the backdrop of rushing falls at Ais Gill. With 11 coaches attached and a damp road this is a good test for a ‘5’ but 45231 is on great form and there is only a hint of a slip as the loco approaches. 45231 makes a wonderful spectacle as it hammers across the viaduct and away towards the summit.  45231 was returning to Hellifield following a trip to Carlisle. The section between York and Hellifield was diesel hauled.  

 

Listen to 45231 on the climb on Soundcloud here.