European Railroad Discussion > Green Machine - A Summer Scene in Rural England

In the UK you have to take your chances as a railway/railroad photographer... if there's a train coming and the chance of a good shot (a gap in the clouds) is at least evens... then you'd better get going!

On Sunday evening a train that runs every few weeks appeared on the schedule (Port Talbot in South Wales to Crewe) and due to the hilly nature of the terrain this shot is only really possible in good light for a few weeks of the year, i.e. when the days are long and the sun is still a couple of hours from the horizon. So a short drive followed by a little hike took me to this spot that I'd envisaged as a possible photo location some time ago but not had the opportunity for a train at the right time.

This is a Freightliner (G and W) northbound loaded aggregates train (24 hoppers), seen approaching Craven Arms in Shropshire behind 'heavy haul' (low geared/high tractive effort) class 66/6 no. 66610. As I stood up after taking the shot it was obvious the driver had seen me crouched in the barley field, as he gave me a quick blast on the horn - a nice touch as I started my way back down the slope and across the valley to my car.

 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/20 17:01 by exhaustED.

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Excellent action scene and interesting narrative.
Thanks for you posting.
ALLEN

 

class 66's are my favorite locomotives in the u.k.  feel free to post more images of them............

66



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/20 17:01 by goneon66.

Looking at the picture the anthem Jerusalem quickly come to mind. "In England's green and pleasant land."

PHall Wrote:
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> Looking at the picture the anthem Jerusalem
> quickly come to mind. "In England's green and
> pleasant land."

After an extremely dry two month period we've just had a few days of thunder storms which have really brought that typical English greenery back to life!

Lovely shot of the aggregate train. I had a walk out from home last week with the drone for the Scunthorpe Roxby to Collyhurst empties, although a few wagons didn't get unloaded. Seen here on the approach to Horbury Jnc. chris uk

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Very nice Chris, what's the load in those hoppers?

exhaustED Wrote:
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> On Sunday evening a train that runs every few
> weeks appeared on the schedule (Port Talbot in
> South Wales to Crewe)

It's actually run the last three Sundays so fingers crossed it'll become a regular working. I assume it's ground up blast furnace slag from the steelworks. I think it ends up at Radlett on Monday morning, strange round about routing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/20 10:24 by 86235.

86235 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> exhaustED Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > On Sunday evening a train that runs every few
> > weeks appeared on the schedule (Port Talbot in
> > South Wales to Crewe)
>
> It's actually run the last three Sundays so
> fingers crossed it'll become a regular working. I
> assume it's ground up blast furnace slag from the
> steelworks. I think it ends up at Radlett on
> Monday morning, strange round about routing.

Ok, makes sense regarding the blast furnace slag... I've not had the opportunity to look down into the hoppers yet. Interesting too about the final destination, I didn't know where it went after Crewe - thanks! 
One thing I have noticed is this train is about as close to looking like a US train as a UK train gets, what with all the graffiti!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/20 11:13 by exhaustED.

exhaustED Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 86235 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > exhaustED Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > On Sunday evening a train that runs every few
> > > weeks appeared on the schedule (Port Talbot
> in
> > > South Wales to Crewe)
> >
> > It's actually run the last three Sundays so
> > fingers crossed it'll become a regular working.
> I
> > assume it's ground up blast furnace slag from
> the
> > steelworks. I think it ends up at Radlett on
> > Monday morning, strange round about routing.
>
> Ok, makes sense regarding the blast furnace
> slag... I've not had the opportunity to look down
> into the hoppers yet. Interesting too about the
> final destination, I didn't know where it went
> after Crewe - thanks! 
> One thing I have noticed is this train is about as
> close to looking like a US train as a UK train
> gets, what with all the graffiti!

I was in Marlborough on Monday, doing some shopping for my father in law who is shielding, went over to Savernake to see a couple of stone trains on the Berks & Hants. Those hoppers are in an even worse condition than the HIAs on that Crewe train, quite appalling. Given our enclosed RoW I wonder where the 'artists' get access?