© Geoff’s Rail Diaries 2012 Another one I almost didn’t bother with! The forecast seemed most insistent - rain! Last time I stood here, I’d gone out to see - and possibly photograph, in the gathering dusk, no. 70000 “Britannia” on a loaded test train. Some 35 minutes after the train should have passed, I gave up and headed for home. In the event, it left Shrewsbury perhaps 40 minutes late - I saw the trail of steam as I drove along the A5... It wasn’t raining when I left home to see 45407 and 44871 on the “Heart of Wales”, heading for Llandrindod Wells. The clouds were looking ominous, though the sun did peep out for the odd moment. At about the time the special should have left Shrewsbury, a bystander with a mobile phone announced “12 minutes late”. Would the train beat the rain? Yes, it did. Most impressive too - really hurrying along! I don’t recall seeing a steam-hauled special going so well, such a short distance from Shrewsbury. Great stuff!