5043 Challow 17 April 2010

Castle Class 4-6-0 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe heads along the down relief line at Challow on 17 April 2010 with the Vintage Trains 1Z21 11:33 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads 'Bristolian' railtour. This was the first steam hauled non-stop run between London and Bristol since the early 1960s, made possible by the extra water capacity resulting from installing tanks in the former GUV van directly behind the tender. As you can imagine, every bridge along the line was packed with sightseers (helped by the good weather).