A wet end to a wet year!

Ex-works 60092 pauses at Clapham Junction with the
 Euston-Grove park section of the tour.

As we enter the final weeks of 2012 and begin to wind down towards Christmas there was one railtour which stood out as a 'must see' in December. Pathfinders 'The Thames Angerman' was due to bring a Colas rail 56 to London- a machine very rare in these parts. Partnering the train would be  a class 60- also thin on the ground these days.
The morning dawned wet and the weather was clearly set in for the day. Never the less, it would have been a shame not go head out for this Christmas excursion, especially since the allocated class 60 had been released in a fresh coat of DB Red just days before.

Enthusiasts look on as 56094 puts on a fine performance climbing towards Lee on the Sidcup loop.

60092 arrives into Waterloo with the final portion of the tour which it would lead, that from Angerstein Wharf.

May I wish a Merry Christmas to all who have read this blog over the past year. While I can't promise any trips across the world for 2013 I do have some interesting ideas on the horizon!

Picture of the week- 9th December

With a beautiful sunny winters day and a travelcard at my disposal (I needed to be in London for the evening) it would have been foolish not to put it to good use. A location I have not visited for a couple of years was the venue for this shot- close to Latchmere Junction where the West London Line dives under both the South West and Brighton Mainlines.
The train, photographed on 8th December was a Northern Belle excursion which has just deposited its passengers at in London for the day and is running empty from Kensington Olympia to Stewarts Lane.
47853 which leads the train is one of the two most recent additions to the DRS fleet and has been fitted with class 57 style cooler groups which can be seen on the roof behind the cab.
The scene was perfectly completed by a passing class 442 on the Brighton Main Line.

Tornado Blues!

On a chilly 1st December 2012, 60163 'Tornado' performed one of it's first duties in it's fresh coat of BR Blue. Tornado is seen here approaching West Drayton on the Steam Dreams charter from Ipswich to Bristol. This is probably the first location on the itinerary where a picture is possible away from the overhead wires, which finish just around the corner at Airport Junction where the electrified branch to Heathrow Airport diverges from the Great Western Mainline.