45407 on the 'Cathedrals Express'.

[45669]

Morning All,

 

Black 5 45407 took the 'Cathedrals Express' from Southend to Salisbury yesterday, deputising for the unavailable B1 61306 which was at the menders.

 

I took a series of pictures as the train approached Farnborough Main and, if anyone would like to have a look, this is the first one in the Photostream :

 

RD12706.  45407 approaching Farnborough. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

Clicking on the picture will enlarge it and take you to the others.  

 

Hope they're of interest.

[The Stationmaster]

Like the way you happened to catch the injector being put on and starting to pick-up - an amazing coincidence but captured by the camera for all that.

[Clearwater]

Great photos 45699

 

Took my son to see 45407 at the slightly less glamorous Leytonstone High Road station. There were about 15-20 adults, mostly with small children, to see the train pass. Small children heard to observe "I want to see another one now" and that child's father, friends of ours, observed that it was bigger and more impressive than they'd expected. Interestingly, the reason why so many small children were there was due to social media. My wife and our nanny both belong to a local mother and child group on Facebook who publicised it.

 

Unfortunately, the station announcer got the platform and direction of the train wrong. They'd said the train was at Blackhorse Road and about 5 mins away whereas the train was coming from Barking which is the opposite direction. I presume that's where their control room is and they'd misinterpreted what they'd been told. We were nearly blocked by a freight train running the other way but fortunately that passed a minute before the express.

 

Despite a green signal, 45407 came to a halt almost in front of us which gave the added advantage of a restart and a bit longer to admire the loco and stock.

 

David