43005 leads the 13.28 Swansea to Paddington past the former

platforms of Shrivenham station in Wiltshire. Close examination of the image reveals that the driver is waving to me as I stand on the road bridge in the late afternoon with the sun having just set. 43005 is one of the earliest production power cars being part of Western Region set 253002, one that I first saw as a young spotter in 1976. Thirty-nine years later, it is still doing what it was designed to do but its time is limited as the electrification will bring an end to its use.