CathEx to Worcester, Wed 19th Dec

Another turn for Britannia today. The weather forecast is grim - It's grey here at the moment, and it will probably be raining by the time the train reaches Oxford.

 

Very grey in old Worcester today. I'm on duty later so looking forward to shunting 70000 when she turns on the triangle.

 

They'll get my highest priority! The first BR Standard takes preference over London Midland's Class 1s every day!

 

On time going into New Junction Reading.

 

There's an oxymoron if I ever saw one.

 

Making a rare stop at Chiswick station around 10:10 and greeted by some synchronised snapping. Dull and overcast but at least the rain held off...for now:

Chiswick Station 1

Chiswick Station 2

Chiswick Station 3

 

Manual box's sometimes have greater scope to work creatively and flexibly than big panels with complicated interlocking arrangements. A good crew on the footplate help as well.

 

A couple of video snaps of Brit speeding nicely through Cholsey earlier, will be back there for the return so here's hoping for a good performance.

 

70000 has been coaled and turned on the triangle. She's just settling back down on the stock now ready for departure time.

 

Here she is with a very fast station stop at Bracknell, then hurrying past Lower Basildon after stopping at Pangbourne.

[video=youtube;dn0bHUcCzUY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn0bHUcCzUY&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

That awful gen car again! Pity anyone who has to endure that all day, they must have a blinding headache at the end of the day. I would rather have a cold train than that thing. Doesn't it infringe some noise regs or something! What's wrong with good old fashioned steam heating?

 

Can see 70000 down on the stock. But the 1421 PAD-WOF came through, and has come back ECS from WOF just now through the platform so will be a few mins late away. 70000 now arriving into the platform at WOS.


**departed 1707

 

Departure from Worcester @ 1706

 

I stood at the box window and listened to her leave. Nice crisp exhaust beats and long trail of steam rising high of the station. Hope she has a good run back to London.

 

Full credit to the footplate crew getting into the spirit, all of them wearing typical hats of the season!

as to those complaining about the noise of *that* genny. Heat is not coming through much at all :/. It was earlier so much that they switched it off in our carriage, but now it's rather chilly!

 

Awesome thrash up honeybourne as seen from a wet and windy field, well worth the teip out

 

Nothing if the rake is steam/dual heated but a lot of charter stock is ETH only, hence the genny car.