166211 & 166205 leave Oxford station on 13 May 1995 with the 08:45 non-stop service to Paddington. An average speed of 61 mph doesn't seen particularly impressive, especially as a decade earlier a Class 50 on a similar train was also booked to cover the distance in 58 minutes, but that included a stop at Reading! I suppose on the plus side, the Class 166s do have air conditioning, even if the seats aren't as comfortable as a good old Mk 1 coach. Incidentally, this is one of the last occasions that I visited this long term favourite Oxford viewpoint before the disused sidings on the right were ripped up and replaced with a car park, thereby virtually ruining the location for photography. |