57313 Kingham 23 November 2013

57313 races through Kingham station on 23 November 2013 with the 1Z68 07:11 Scarborough to Oxford charter. Luckily this Arriva blue loco was leading, rather than the drab WCR maroon 57314, which was thankfully out of sight at the rear. Note the leaves being thrown up all along the length of the train, hardly surprising, as I would estimate that it must have been traveling at around about its top speed of 95mph, In fact, I cannot recall seeing any other train pass this location at such a speed. All normal service trains stop here. I had originally gone to Shorthampton to photograph this train, but when the sun came out and my chosen spot was in shadow, I made a move. I first headed towards Charlbury, but it seemed cloudier in that direction, so went to Shipton. That wasn't ideal, so I chose Kingham. An inspired choice, as there was more autumn colour here than I expected, and the inclusion of the GWR nameboard certainly adds to the picture. The cloud approaching from the Charlbury direction got here a few minutes after the train passed!