The Gathurst - Arpley Speedlink can drop an interesting mix of traction, it depends on what SP has to hand, a lot of the time it drops a 25, even a 40 in their final years but can occasionally drop a single Chopper like in this case, 20193 passing the site of the long gone Bamfurlong Station. I was wandering back to my loco and decided to snap a shot of 47377 on the bridge coming out of Walton Old Sidings with an MGR bound for Yorkshire. Sometimes it's ok for a Top Link driver to slum it, I'd just stabled 47374 at Bamfurlong Sidings having coupled up to a rake of hoppers. We had a half hour fester before heading out for the possession down Newton Cut. I'd taken Petrolea off SP and was followed by 47366 running ten minutes behind. We'd both had the foresight to nip to the chippy on the corner of Taylors lane and grab some fish & chips for the wait, already got extra food with me for later and the long slog of sitting in the cab all night while P-way do their thing... 86420 Races through Acton Bridge with a Glasgow/Edinburgh - Poole service.
Sometimes there is beauty in the everyday, I was doing a bit of overtime and ended up getting sent down to Crewe to work one of the station pilots (talk about punishment) and had just stabled a rake of Mk2 coffins, walking back to my steed it just seemed to catch the evening light just right, even on the shadow side, so I grabbed the trusty Zenit and took a shot.
20071 is seen heading south past s#icide crossing with the 6P81 Deepdale to Warrington Arpley Speedlink job.
A pair of 40s power through the storm passed Teignmouth working a Pathfinder charter from I think Leeds? Taken circa 1981
Now here is something interesting. Last Saturday, LMS Stanier 8F No. 48151 was at the head of a Hertfordshire Railtours express from Worcester to Blackpool. Another driver has tooken it on the stretch from Preston but soon fell ill around Layton, seemed to be food poisoning. As yours truly was the only other known person that knows how to drive Stanier Steamers (due to my volunteering work up at Carnforth Steamtown), I was dispatched to Blackpool to take over on the legs to and from Lostock Hall (where the Eight-Freight would be serviced) and the Blackpool - Preston leg on the return. Brought my camera aswell, because why wouldn’t i? A bit blurry (and had to climb up a wall to get this) of a shot of the locomotive, awaiting its journey up to Lostock Hall at the hands of yours truly. A more clear shot of this simmering beauty. Took a shot of the controls so you can see how complicated it is! Believe this was us outside Poulton, don’t fully remember as I was more focused on keeping pressure than shots hence why there is a lack of them
I'm surprised that the Blackpool North Gestapo branch didn't escort you off property... For those not in the know with the joke, the legendarily arsey platform/gateline staff at BPN even refused access for people invited to a locomotive naming ceremony which took place at the station a few years back, they eventually relented to a degree but it just sums them up.
