The Train Now Leaving.....

The local heritage line was having a National Coal Board weekend, with various engines from locally closed mines, including Littleton and Rugeley.  I used to inspect the Littleton Mine, before it closed in 1994.  I was so frustrated as I'd been offered the chance to go down the pit to the coal face and the closure scuppered those plans.  Mind you, by its closure the coal face was some 6 miles from the bottom of the shaft and travelling time was about 2 hours!

Still, that young boy's fascination with trains and the age of steam kicked in and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this engine pass and return along the line.

The afternoon was taken up with a major tree pruning operation for our winter flowering cherry.  I thought I'd overdone it at one stage.  Not so much how much I'd removed, but whether I'd fit it all in the garden bin! In the end it all went in, just.