Cathedrals Express Valentine's Day Lunchtime Tour

61306 coasted passed Bridge Road, Hounslow on time. 47580 on the rear.

 

Bring back Mr Bunker. He would have told NR where to shove the diesel (pardon the pun) and I suspect he would have gotten is way!

 

Quite a show on the departure from Chiswick…all of 30 seconds late. The first of my pics:

Leaving Chiswick

 

Was through Worplesdon on time at speed with good effort up front and notch or two of help from the box but left behind the wonderful aroma of smoke' steam, soot and burned fuel oil

 

Here she is having just passed Virginia Water, accelerating away towards Chertsey, and the sun came out at just the right time to show her off at her best.

 

My full set of photos from this morning. Left arrow from the first takes you to the rest.

(Edited to remove a reference)

Mayflower Chiswick Outward

 

61306 passing Egham http://stephenleek.smugmug.com/Railwayphotos-1/Mainline-Steam-2015/i-RrDLWnS

 

My effort from Shalford Junction this morning as Mayflower accelerated away from Guildford.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davestubbings/16339324270/

 

Nice.

 

Fortuitous bit of exhaust hiding the box.

 

Currently at Basingstoke. Good outward run. Diesel shoving from Eastleigh up the grade with no sound from B1 and we are at the front.

 

What is noteworthy about that?

 

Potentially dangerous / flouting the rules / bad example to children watching / potentially giving someone in authority an excuse to move 'law-abiding' photographers on?

 

You obviously haven't seen the recent incident at Carlisle station where some idiot doing exactly the same thing fell between departing train and the platform-a very lucky man

 

Didn't realise it was illegal to sit on a platform.

 

First view of the day for me, just a breath of exhaust heading up the 1/100ish towards Buriton Tunnel:

 

Quite, my understanding of the Carlisle incident was the bloke tripped, surely your more likely to do that standing than sitting, and given how far someone can potentially stumble when falling over, you don't even need to be near the edge, so not sure the paranoia is needed.