© Geoff’s Rail Diaries 2012 I’d had a great time here last year - and the year before. The weather had been good on both occasions - three in a row? Very nearly! We left home in thick fog - there would be a sunny day above the fog, although for the first two or three trains away from Foxfield colliery, the fog had lifted to form low cloud. The sun did its best, and shone for much of the day. Today’s stars would be: • The Dübs crane tank (4101 of 1901) • Bagnall 0-4-0ST no 2842 of 1946 • Giesel-fitted Bagnall 0-6-0ST “Florence No. 2” (3059 of 1954) • Hunslet Austerity “Wimblebury” (3839 of 1956) • “Wolstanton No 3” Bagnall 0-6-0 diesel 3150 of 1959 The timetable for the day indicated that there would be ten steam-hauled trains up the bank; some double-headed, some steam-banked, some diesel banked. They made their way in the usual spectacular fashion (the sound effects from Wimblebury being especially good), and kept more-or- less to time... ...until the end of the day. Train number 8 should have taken Dübsy up to Dilhorne Park, to return with Wimblebury. In the event, he remained in the colliery yard, waving his crane around in circles and blowing off impatiently, in rather messy fashion. Wimblebury arrived on his own, and, around 25 minutes late, departed as scheduled with the crane tank. Finally, the little red Bagnall no.2848, whose livery is practically fluorescent in the late afternoon light, departed with the last train, banked by Wolstanton No. 3. The diesel had arrived with the day’s first train, and had shunted and banked in a most efficient (but totally unspectacular) fashion. This last departure, around half- an-hour late, caught the last of the sunshine (which by now was rather intermittent) - but only on the fine plume of white steam - too low to make the loco glow. Link: Foxfield Railway