56031 Hinksey 28 July 1983

Pictured a couple of months before it was named Merehead, the still anonymous 56031 passes Hinksey Yard on 28 July 1983 with the 6V38 11:52 Wolverton to Stoke Gifford ARC stone empties. Even without the train, there can be no doubt what this loco has been recently hauling, as there is a good coating of limestone on the roof! This was the first occasion that I saw the first British built Class 56, and the only time I saw it prior to it receiving its Merehead nameplates.