5th September - The Spitfire & The Hop Picker - t0905c

44932 in charge of this Spitfire. Timings available as a word doc from the bottom of this page http://www.shepherd-neame.co.uk/tour/SteamTrain.html

 

Times also available from UKSteam http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t10/t0905c.htm

 

May well pop out to see the return leg tonight

 

So will I. Is anyone sending text updates?

 

there are engineering works on the line today, no hi speed services are running beyond Ashford, is the return as per the agenda published, she is due to water at Folkestone west i believe

 

Dont see anything on the Network rail site - in any case steam doesn't run on high speed line

 

Made a lovely sound coming through Ashford this evening - and running with enthusiasm a couple of minutes down.

Light was very poor for pics

 

Light was gone by the time she rounded the corner and onto the Brighton line at Redhill. Took a short video which I will upload later. Made a nice sound climbing away towards Merstham. My Dad took a much better video and he might upload to Youtube later also.

 

I have a video of her at Faversham and making a fantastic attack on Martin Mill bank http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmd2yfCE_Vk

 

Nice video - shame about the idiots at Faversham kneeling on the very edge of the platform and then the other idiot in the white jacket at Martin Mill who just HAD to go down the platform ramp to get that special shot from a perspective that was at least ten feet different from what he would have got legally!

Enjoy the steam while you can - these people will ensure it is banned soon by their thoughtless behaviour.

 

It is a shame about the man in the white coat, before 44932 came I was talking to him and he was a nice bloke. But there were 2 'Rail Enforcement Officers' at Faversham, they were on Platform 2 where the train was so I'm not sure if they could see the people kneeling.

Edit. But the man in the white coat is nowhere near as bad as when I saw Tornado there last year where two old gents went off the platform ramp and ONTO THE BALLAST.

 

My video from Redhill last night...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n5uLmBuZ6U

 

My Dads video from Redhill...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75wMwoyAeto

 

I wish there would be an end to rants about people standing in places considered inadvisable. They serve no purpose. Rant over!

 

I think you'll find a large percentage of posts on internet forums serve little purpose.

 

As mine and yours!

 

Precisely (oops, that's another one. Shall we stop now ;-))