A quick trip out West, good wheeze , mixed weather but it was December!
An entertaining pre “down Midnight” bash saw much of the Travelcard area of South Eastern toured. Heres 69007 and 66061(dit) on 6Y48 Eastleigh – Hoo Jn at Hither Green on December 8th 2025
Looking superb in partial sun, retro NSE liveried 465908 at sleepy Bromley North with the 1212 to Grove Park on December 8th 2025
66710 stands silent at Paddington’s blocks with the 200 year celebration train, the stock was made up of Mk IIIs 10406, 11101, 11093, 11092 and 96371 albeit heavily modified
More Mk III’s with 10563 and 10596 visible in a rake also of 10534, 10594, 10616, 10217, 12142 and 17173. 57602 is at the head of the “down midnight” the 2345 Padd- Penzance heading West into Storm Bram on December 8th 2025
The Gunnislake branch is even more spectacular in winter as the bare trees dont obscure Tamar Valley views, in wet weather 150265 awaits departure with the 1320 Gunnislake – Plymouth on December 9th 2025
The previous night’s “Up Midnight” had run into issues resulting in a plastic substitution en route! Heres 57312 at the tail of the battered sleeper emcars en route to Reading on December 9th 2025
57301 with the sleeper emcars Reading, then Paddington bound at Exeter SD on December 9th 2025
A large crowd (50 plus) had gathered at Exeter SD to phot and bash 43004’s (with 43186) return West with the 1127 Exeter – Penzance on December 10th 2025. Few of them looked like old 70’s men who hated the “toys”, “zings” when introduced in Oct 76 as they pushed proper loco hauled trains away…
D2192 shunting light modified Mk I’s at Paignton Queens Rd on December 11th 2025
Archive view
By this time a restricted engineers loco, 50032 has been borrowed to work the scratch set forming the 1402 Barnstaple – Exeter SD on September 15th 1990.
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