Great Western Coffee Shop

[Western Pathfinder might just be interested in this ;D ]

Class 52 diesel hydraulic, D1015 'Western Champion' has been restricted to Severn Valley Railway duties for a fair while and a previous attempt to restore its main line certificate failed due to a blown engine. After much work, today (14/04/2024), saw it perform a load test with a difference. This time a passenger-carrying railtour - The One-Way Wizzo - was arranged between London Paddington and Bescot for its load test.

Seen here passing Oxford. I wish I'd done a video as it was in fine fettle.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/ww255/PhilWakely/D1015.jpg)
 

Great to see my favourite locomotive of all types back on the mainline. Looking splendid in Rail Blue.

It performed well on the day giving those on board a nice ride, punctual arrivals at all points. I enjoyed it. A good test as the load was 13 plus a (dead) class 57.

Always the masters of a big load

Motorails between Kensington Olympia could be 16 8s (MkI coaches and Carflats - which were basically MkIs with the bodies demolished)

Merehead to Acton stone trains were always exciting, a mega string of those 4-wheel ex-iron ore tippler wagons

Many many happy hours/ days spent chasing these wonderful locos up and down the region when I was a lot younger ,trips around Laira,and of course Swindon Works,though a trip down the lines of scrap locos was a somewhat difficult experience,might just have a souvenir or two somewhere in the atic all obtained with permission I might add
Even went as far a joining the less militant sector of the WLA .