66081 Rousham 17 December 2008

Viewed from the hillside half a mile away, 66081 rounds the curve near Rousham (between Banbury and Oxford) in superb late afternoon light with the 6V59 10:32 Mountsorrel to Westbury ballast train on 17 December 2008. Just visible in the trees in the distance directly above the second wagon is the Rousham Eyecatcher, a sham ruin created by William Kent (1684 - 1748) as a folly to be viewed from nearby Rousham House. Some idea of the length of lens needed for this picture can be gauged from the fact that this local landmark is over two miles away from where I am standing.