70000 Bletchingdon 23 April 2011

7MT 4-6-2 70000 Britannia passes the site of Bletchingdon station on 23 April 2011 with the Steam Dreams 1Z41 17:00 Stratford-upon-Avon to Paddington 'Cathedrals Express' railtour. This train was originally scheduled to run via the Chiltern Line, but engineering works saw it take the Oxford route instead. Of all the possible locations between Banbury and Oxford, this offers very nearly the best combination of 'sun on the nose' and freedom from shadows this late in the evening, but even here I was glad the train was on time, as the shadows were encroaching rapidly.