Tangmere 34067, below Haresfield Beacon, Glos

It has been a beautifully sunny early autumn day here in the Cotswolds and we went to the Farmer's Market in town this morning.  Helena had heard of a proper old-fashioned jumble sale being held in support of refugees in the Old Town Hall at the Shambles market place, so she went there first.  I looked out for a friend, but we missed each other, so I  wandered slowly about town, chatting to other friends I bumped into.  

I drove home eventually, with a huge bag of clothes that Helena had bought, to finish some work on the presentation for our Preservation Trust AGM on Monday evening.  I also had a couple of other small jobs to do for the Neighbourhood Plan all of which didn't take too long.

By the time Helena returned and had eaten a late snack we headed off to the far side of Stroud to watch another steam train.  I'd hoped to be more original in recording the train but in the end settled for a new location out in the flatter Severn Vale.  The train was coming south from Worcester and would turn off to head up the Golden Valley line through Stroud and on to Swindon.  I chose a small bridge we'd found before on a back road to a village that lies at the base of the steep Cotswold escarpment under an Iron Age hill fort called Haresfield Beacon.

When we arrived at the bridge over the main west of England line from the south-west up through the Midlands and thence to the north  and Scotland.  The branch line via Stroud to London separates about a mile further south.  In some ways I would have liked to blip the motley collection of voyeurs of steam trains who gradually arrived to join us on the bridge, but it wouldn't have been very attractive.  There must have been about twenty people mostly of late middle age or later, who annoyed me by being rather uncommunicative.  I tried to lighten up proceedings and did connect with a couple of the men, but the realm of trainspotters does not appear convivial. Helena enjoyed a happy half an hour picking the abundant blackberries and rose hips by the roadside and then very kindly made me a cup of tea and even supplied chocolate biscuits.  

When the steam engine appeared in the far distance I think because I had a long lens I was the only one to be able to get good shots as it rounded the curve with a good plume of white steam over the much dirtier looking coal smoke. Disappointingly the train was travelling quite slowly, compared to Thursday's fine performance, probably caused by adverse signals.  By the time the engine reached the bridge the dark grey smoke was covering the pretty scene, so I have blipped its first appearance, and cropped it heavily.  But I have also added a closer view  of it to the 'Extra photos' taken just after it passed out of the shadows from the trees lining the track, and neared the bridge.  You can see the black-gloved hand of the fireman ticking out of the window and giving us all a thumbs-up sign!

The engine was one I remember seeing regularly as a kid when it took express trains from London's Waterloo station  to the west of England via Salisbury and Southampton.  I have showed the close up view as well because it has a very special streamlined casing around the boiler.  It was a 'Battle of Britain' class, named after a World War Two fighter airfield, and some of the other members of the class were rebuilt with their casing removed.  The un-rebuilt remainder were nicknamed as 'Spam Cans' and I think their rarity was what brought so many people to see it working again. The smell of the experience lingered long in the air so  evocative of times gone by.