2. Trip to Box-10.01.17

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2017 > 2. Trip to Box-10.01.17
I was receiving some treatment for a neck condition at a specialist in Box just outside Bath. I made a series of trips to the West Country over the spring of 2017. Some trips, as is the case with this one, were made with my friend in spotting, Andy. We always combined these trips with something to do with railways!
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Images 1-9 of 9 displayed.

172102 & 172103, CH 08.41 London Marylebone-Oxford (1T15), Islip station This was my first visit to to the recently re-opened Oxford to Bicester line. We pulled of the A34 and made a diversion to the brand new station at Islip. This replaced the meagre one platform affair that had sufficed for a number of years. Chiltern's 172102 and 172103 pass through Islip working the 08.41 London Marylebone to Oxford. The small car park is surprisingly empty given it's weekday morning. One vehicle about to leave is my Combo van, second one from the far end. Keywords: 172102 17210 1T15 Islip station
66569, 10.58 Bristol FLT-London Gateway (4L32), Box A4 bridge The position from where I am taking this picture does restrict the angle somewhat, hence the rather head-on shot. 66569 seen, leading the daily 10.58 Bristol FLT to London Gateway Freightliner (4L32), between Box Middle Hill Tunnel, in the distance, and Box Tunnel that is behind me. It is taken from the A4 road bridge in Box village. Keywords: 66569 10.58 Bristol FLT-London Gateway Freightliner 4L32 Box A4 bridge
43024, GW 10.30 London Paddington-Bristol Temple Meads (1C10), Box Tunnel 43024 'Great Western Society 1961-2011 Didcot Railway Centre' emerges from the confines of Box Tunnel leading the 10.30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads. I was pushing the ISO of the camera a little here as it was pretty dark down in the cutting and I needed a fairly fast shutter speed to capture the HST with no motion blur. 43024 was part of set 253012 when delivered new to the Western Region in 1976. It has thus spent all of its 41 years of service racing up and down this line (along with the West of England line). I think this represents good value for money in anybody's books! Keywords: 43024 1C10 Box Tunnel
Class 43, 11.30 Bristol Temple Meads-London Paddington (1A15), Box A4 bridge Two unidentified HST power cars work the 1A15 11.30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington working. The train is about to pass under the A4 road bridge in the village of Box and plunge into Brunel's masterpiece Tunnel of the same name. Box's Middle Hill Tunnel can be seen in the distance, just beyond that as the line curves to the left was the site of Box station that closed in 1965. Keywords: Class 43, 11.30 Bristol Temple Meads-London Paddington (1A15), Box A4 bridge
Ascott-under-Wychwood signal box (GWR, 1883) On our return journey from Box, we made a modest detour. We called at Ascott-under-Wychwood for Andy to 'cop' the station and so I could photograph the signal box. The only other picture that I had was taken from a passing train. This is a classic Great Western box dating from 1883 and is situated at the level crossing in the village. It used to be the fringe box at the start/end of a 14 mile single track section of the Cotswold Line to Wolvercote Junction. The line was redoubled as far as Charlbury in 2011. Keywords: Ascott-under-Wychwood signal box GWR, 1883
43037, GW 13.22 London Paddington-Worcester Foregate Street (1W27), Ascott-under-Wychwood station With the winter light beginning to fail, 43037 'Penydarren' passes at speed through Ascott-under-Wychwood station leading the 13.22 Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street . A bit of a head-on shot but after the crossing barriers went down on the nearby level crossing Andy and I had nowhere to go to get the shot but the platform end. Notice the reinstated platform on the up side following the line's re-doubling in 2011 Keywords: 43037 1W27 Ascott-under-Wychwood station
Frontage, Charlbury station The tastefully restored, grade II listed building at Charlbury is in the Italianate architectural style of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It is likely that the Cotswold Line would have shut sometimes in the 1970s or early 1980s but for one local resident of Charlbury, Sir Peter Parker (1924-2002). He became the Chairman of BR in 1976 an made his regular commute from this station to London. The fabled story is that it was his patronage of the line and his staunch rejection of the Serpell Report (1982) that kept it alive as it was identified for possible closure having already been severely rationalised. Interesting then, that it is now going through a renaissance, having been redoubled in large sections and about to have the class 800s running on it. Keywords: Frontage, Charlbury station
180104, GW 14.21 London Paddington-Worcester Foregate Street (1W29), Combe station This shot demonstrates the capabilities of modern and decent quality digital equipment. It was half light here at Coombe station at 15.35 on a dismal January afternoon and yet the camera has still managed a reasonable shot of a fast moving train at 1/1000th sec. In the days of silver halide film, even Ilford HP5 rated at 400ASA, it would not have managed this task, even if it was 'forced'; and, as for Kodachrome 64, forget it! Great Western 180104 powers the 14.21 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street through the diminutive station at Coombe. Keywords: 180104 1W29 Combe station
43040, GW 14.25 Great Malvern-London Paddington (1P57), Hanborough station It's nearly dark now at Hanborough station as the 14.25 Great malvern to London paddington rolls in. The camera is now set to 6400ISO with a shutter speed of 1/800th sec. I have taken care of some of the 'noise' using Neat Image (an excellent Photoshop plug in) but the picture is a little soft. The HST is the 14.25 Great malvern to London Paddington with power car 43040 'Bristol St Philips Marsh' leading. This power car was named in 2003. This was the second name it carried being previously 'The Granite City' from 1990 to 1996 when it was an Eastern Region power car.

Images 1-9 of 9 displayed.