60163 Uffington 26 November 2011

Swathed in swirling exhaust, A1 4-6-2 60163 Tornado bursts out from underneath the road bridge that marks the site of Uffington Junction station, as it heads west on 26 November 2011 with the Steam Dreams 1Z31 08:06 Paddington to Shrewsbury 'Cathedrals Express' railtour. Instead of the promised sunny morning, there was thick cloud with atrocious light levels. So, instead of using my usual location in the field next to the line, I went for a normally impossible shot on the north side of the line from the footpath crossing. This would show off the autumn colours in the trees. These same trees would, I thought, create some shelter from the strong wind, and prevent the exhaust being blown down onto my side of the train. This only worked up to a point!