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Review of 2020
A selection of the still reasonable variety to be seen on todays railways. 2020 was a very difficult year with the advent of the Covid-19 Pandemic which meant very little travelling just for railway photography took place.I myself lost holidays in Spain,Turkey and Poland because of the restrictions. Sadly a year on things are not much better and currently in January 2021 the Country is again in a full Lock Down!
59102 rounds the bend at Great Cheverell on the B&H with '7C77' the 12:41 from Acton-TC going down to Merehead.Nominally a train of empties the first three boxes still have their load for some reason,
..29 january 2020..
Built as long ago now as 1998 66002 the second original 66/0-A prototype which was retained in the USA for some considerable time after mass production of this type had commenced for/endurance testing purposes and is easily identifiable by the lack of buckeye couplings hurries the Pongliner- '6C03' 09:33 from Northolt Sdg's to Severnside-SITA down the B&H at Bratton on a surprisingly sunny afternoon given the predicted weather forecast.
..27 february 2020..
Determined to avoid the certain crowds at the usual well known vantage points between Westbury and Warminster because currently I do not want to get a dose of Coronavirus I opted for this shot here at Heytesbury for '6Z91' the 15:15 from Westbury to Southampton Up yard carrying old ballast for recycling.Needless to say I was completely alone here at this little used location. So here are 56091 'Driver Wayne Gaskell' and 56103 with their rake of brand new JNA boxes running at a fair old lick.Sadly after Boris's total coronavirus lockdown no more shots of this working this week will be possible which is a huge pity as the weather is set to be sunny for the next few days--What can you do?
..23 march 2020..
Just over 40 minutes after 57604 had passed the other way going from Reading to Penzance this working was seen heading in exactly the opposite direction.It was running as 5Z60' the 07:20 from Penzance (Long Rock) T&RSMD to Reading TrainCare Depot.The loco being 57603 'Tintagel Castle',this train having 8 sleeper-stock carriages in tow.To see a daylight sleeper move in daylight is unusual,the see one in sunshine is rare but to have 2 workings in opposite directions within 45 minutes in full sun is in normal times an impossibility.However these are not normal times.I wish it was.
..14 april 2020..
Today Tester to Weymouth was a pair of 37's instead of the usual Colas-67's.Which was nice!.This is 37612 in plain blue partnered with 37610 in logo-less large logo livery passing Wyke Champflower at the bottom of Bruton bank with '1Z22' the 08:20 from Tyseley to Bristol via Weymouth.Due to it being diverted via the B&H from Didcot due to a Cow-Strike at Wootton Bassett which disabled a pair of Class-800's it was actually running about 30 minutes early at this point.Surprisingly I was the only person here at this percieved good location,which was nice given the isolationism currently required!
..20 may 2020..
'Lest We Forget' 66413 now wearing a rather faded shade of Genesee&Wyoming-Orange passes Wylye's Towns End Farm Crossing with '4O99' a vstp from Bristol West-FLT Depot (departed at 10:55} going to Southampton-MCT with just a pair of empty container flats,possible repaired cripples that have been parked there for some considerable time?
..8 june 2020..
66090 'Maritime Intermodal-Six one of DB's small band of dedicated 'Maritime-Blue' liveried GM's usually found on Intermodal workings today ended up powering '6C03' the 09:33 from Northolt Sdg's to Severnside-SITA transporting a trainload of household refuse. Here seen slowing to enter Woodborough Loops to allow a following Class-800 'thing' to overtake it.
..30 july 2020..
Having missed this loco due to its failure last week on '6B13' in scorching temperatures I was able to chalk up a sweet success today amazingly in 95% cloud conditions.Here is 'Luke' 60074 with '6B33' the 13:35 from Theale returning discharged fuel tanks to Robeston in West-Wales.I know it was a very cloudy and windy day today but see-ing nobody here at Great Cheverell for this working was quite a surprise!
..21 august 2020..
For me this is about as good as it gets with this loco! So here is GBRf's 'Evening Star' 66779 passing the 1863 rebuild of the original 12th century Church of St Nicholas of Mira at Little Langford in the Wylye Valley. The working is the regular '6O41' 10:14 from Westbury to Eastleigh's East yard.The load today being 5-JJA's and 10 HQA's. Well worth the 50 miles round trip for just this one photograph!
..22 september 2020..
This DCR Contract from Westbury Down TC to Southampton Up Yard was just a 3-day contract,this being the final day.Amazingly I got lucky as the sun was shining in a clear blue patch of sky at this prime spot to record its passing. So here is the newest DCR rescued loco from the Toton-Dump 60029 still with its original nameplates 'Ben Nevis' working 6Z91' the 16:28 from Westbury to Southamptom moving spent ballast.Wagons being the almost brand new set of VTG boxes.Viewed on the Upton Scudamore Incline on the reverse curve at Lower Old Dilton.
..9 october 2020..
Well what a disaster this working turned out to be...It arrived at Westbury RT and then due to a lack of onward traincrew moved into the Up-Yard there and didn't come out for 2 hours. By then the light had failed totally because of the now early sunset so the best I could manage was this 'record' shot of it passing Clink in Frome running over 2 hours later than booked.Iso-1600 was required to just be able to glean a barely acceptable result as seen here.Ex-MML/Colas 43050 was leading '1Z22' the 08:20 for Tyseley to Bristol via Weymouth with 43060 on the rear.In fact because of the late running it reversed at Castle Cary and has presumably gone back to Bristol much earlier than planned. All in all a complete mess!---- A pity.
..4 november 2020;;
This was a nice piece of luck! As this working '7O40' the 13:35 from Merehead to Eastleigh crept into view at about 10 mph (The loco was having quite a struggle climbing the Upton-Scud Incline) in the low late afternoon sun that had just popped out and also coinciding with an RAF Boeing-Chinook Helicoper carrying an underslung load. Bell-End leading 59201 is viewed at Arn Hill nr Warminster.