D1015 Houndwood 3 May 2008

D1015 Western Champion goes where no 'Western' has gone before! The first ever visit of a Class 52 to Scotland occurred on 3 May 2008, when D1015 worked the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 05:10 Tame Bridge to Edinburgh 'Western Scot' railtour. It is pictured rounding the curve at Houndwood with the A1 trunk road in the background. Unfortunately the earlier sunshine had given way to dull conditions with leaden skies. Despite the weather I naturally assumed that this location would be heaving with photographers, it being one of the few classic locations on the East Coast Mainline in Scotland. Therefore I could hardly believe it when I was the only photographer in the vicinity when the train passed! This just goes to prove that the majority of railway photographers will not walk more than a few yards from their cars to take a picture.