449 (50049) & 431 (50031) pass the site of Coates station on 21 April 2002 with the 5Z50 18:08 Swindon to Crewe ECS. The previous day the pair had worked a Swindon to Carlisle charter, and this is the empty stock working back north. Locations free of vegetation on the 'Golden Valley' route are at a premium, especially with low evening light. However, the large flat area on the right which was the site of the former GWR goods station (the nearby Kemble station having no freight facilities) means that not much shades the line here.