Late last night, Mumrar kindly rang to advise that 57602 and sleeper stock was allocated to work the 09:01 Oxford-Paddington in the morning. I'd read the same on my blackberry, but was sceptical - surely traction knowledge would be an issue and it'd just get caped. Anyway, Mumrar persuaded me that I should stop being so silly and take the risk as I'd only regret it if it ran and I'd stayed at home! He claimed Cholsey Manor Farm would be the location of choice as he'd done his research, and agreed to meet me on the 07:03 in the morning. So, at 06:15 today, I dragged my carcass out of bed and headed to New St for the 07:03 Voyager to Oxford, changing for a Turbo to Cholsey. At 07:03, Mumrar was nowhere to be seen! Oh dear - we finally got a text mid-morning reporting an epic bedside equipment failure!
But that was not Mumrar's only fail for we discovered the sun looked to be very nose on at Cholsey Manor Farm! Oh dear - that's not gonna work then. I contemplated going back to Didcot but thought I'd never make it so Plan B was the road bridge outside Slough station. A tense train ride all the way to Slough praying that shadows would not be an issue resulted in monumental relief - the shot was on, though a GSM-R mast had appeared. Still, we were going to get a shot, in sun, and Mumrar was therefore spared a very brutal death at the hands of three Brummie fotters
HST first - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153104.html
57602 - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153109.html
A zoomed view of 57602 - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153105.html
A zoomed HST - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153106.html
59102 was working 7A09 so we waited for that - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153107.html
And then having noted aircraft taking off over Slough from Heathrow, I headed there to do some further photography. Kudos to Qatar for sending in a B777-200! Right - I'd better get the LHR fots edited
Hope you enjoy the shots!
But that was not Mumrar's only fail for we discovered the sun looked to be very nose on at Cholsey Manor Farm! Oh dear - that's not gonna work then. I contemplated going back to Didcot but thought I'd never make it so Plan B was the road bridge outside Slough station. A tense train ride all the way to Slough praying that shadows would not be an issue resulted in monumental relief - the shot was on, though a GSM-R mast had appeared. Still, we were going to get a shot, in sun, and Mumrar was therefore spared a very brutal death at the hands of three Brummie fotters
HST first - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153104.html
57602 - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153109.html
A zoomed view of 57602 - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153105.html
A zoomed HST - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153106.html
59102 was working 7A09 so we waited for that - http://www.ferret.fotopic.net/p63153107.html
And then having noted aircraft taking off over Slough from Heathrow, I headed there to do some further photography. Kudos to Qatar for sending in a B777-200! Right - I'd better get the LHR fots edited
Hope you enjoy the shots!
bad times!