40195 Chilson 29 May 1983

40195 passes Chilson on 29 May 1983 with the R.E.S.L. 1Z38 17:08 Eastleigh to Nottingham 'Solent Explorer' railtour. This was returning from a visit to the Eastleigh Works Open Day. Apologies for the exceedingly poor quality of this image, but it was taken in the late evening on a very dull day, which is not an ideal combination when using Kodachrome 64! However, it is no worse than the other images of this train that I have seen, and it is a record of one of only two occasions that I saw a Class 40 hauled train on the Cotswold Line, prior to the preservation era. Quite why I didn't photograph the tour on the outward leg, when it ran via Cheltenham, I cannot now recall. Note the two little bushes by the fence, the predecessors of the forest that now occupies this area!