The Scot and the Brit

SVR Autumn Gala

Geoff’s Rail Diaries

19 September 2015

Hadn’t seen 46100 Royal Scot in action before - I’d better visit the SVR. It’s facing south, so I’ll go down to Foley Park and see what I can do there... Inevitably, an interesting-sounding train passed as I was getting out of the car, out of sight of the line. It had been a double-header (I discovered later), an unusual pairing of 2-6-2T 4566 and Ivatt 2-6-0

46521, a former resident. All they appeared to have in common (I would see them a couple of times later on) was their BR black liveries. As usual, everything before the Scot was wrong way round, and by the time it came, about 2.30pm, the air was too warm for much visible steam. It didn’t sound as though lifting the 8-coach LMS set (with “Royal Scot” boards - nice!) up the bank to the tunnel was very taxing. Now that’s dealt with, if I head back to Eardington, I should see two pacific-hauled trains up the bank there - 34027 Taw Valley followed an hour later by 70000 Britannia - another former resident. Very fine they looked too - the sunshine behaved itself. Still too warm though... Link: Severn Valley Railway