A summer catch up (part 2)
Traveling
For my wife and I the spring and summer has been an eclectic mix that seems to have involved much traveling for us to and from Yorkshire, our knowledge of motorway snarl-ups increased several times. The trips have been for both business and pleasure/family reasons, and to this we also fitted in a brief visit to London and a holiday in Norfolk! Stella even managed a trip with the Quangle Wangle choir to Brittany. Although railways, large and small, have been the subject of several visits our summer has included many other activities; a veritable smorgasbord of activities.
Seals at Blakeney Point, Norfolk (Taken from afloat). 6 Sep 2017 (C) John New.
A season of contrasting weather
On a day of torrential rain – 33 207 at Weymouth. 2 Aug 2017 (C) John New.
One of the drawbacks to event photography, in my case photographing rail tours, is that the event happens when it does; you get no choice in what the weather on the day brings. Rain or shine the event happens and you take what you get. This outdoor season has brought with it both extreme rains and days of sunshine so hot the tarmac was melting.
On the day the tar was melting unit 158 883 crosses the Harbour at Lymington, Hants. 5 July 2017 (C) John New
Add into that mix a day when the wind gusts at the Downs School Railway 90th anniversary gala were so strong and sudden we had to decamp the stand for safety reasons as the marquee in which our Stephenson Locomotive Society promotions stand was located took off and it has clearly been a memorable season weather wise . At least that was on the last day of the event creating the bonus of getting home about an hour and a half earlier than expected as we had to decamp the marquee for safety reasons!
A day of rain and gales. Downs School Rly Gala 1 May 2017. (C) John New
The 50th Anniversary celebration of Southern steam
35028 Clan Line at Bournemouth with the return 50th Anniversary Bournemouth Belle excursion. 5 July 2017 (C) John New
Back in July 1967 the Southern Region of British Railways, as it then was, finally called the day on steam traction in its’ operational area. The newly completed electrification of the Waterloo to Bournemouth route took over with diesel traction elsewhere. Although steam traction lasted elsewhere in pockets until 1968; the last fully steam worked mainline in Britain went cold. Back then I lived near Shawford and watching the Bournemouth Belle had been part of my childhood. The growth of the modern steam hauled rail tour industry was unforeseeable back then, watching the reincarnation of the Bournemouth Belle run to mark that 50th anniversary run had to be done by traveling back to Shawford. That was the day the tar melted, very glad I wasn’t the fireman on Clan Line!
More to come next month
This month’s post is a shorter than usual for several workload reasons. Hopefully I will soon have time to make further posts.
Images – Copyright
These images remain copyright the author and ARE NOT released into the public domain.