47813 Shrivenham 7 October 2006

In warm autumnal evening light on 7 October 2006, 47813 John Peel approaches Shrivenham with the 5Z47 14:00 Oxley to Gloucester empty stock working, conveying two Virgin liveried Mk 3 coaches. This train had to go the long way round via Oxford as there were engineering works between Cheltenham and Gloucester. Despite it being a largely sunny day, a large cloud was obscuring the sun when the train was due, and the sun only broke through as the 47 appeared under the footbridge in the background. Had it been a just few seconds earlier it would have been a very different picture! I had popped out specifically for this one train, after I had heard that it had passed Banbury.