GWR 1366 Class no. 1369 pilots 8750 class no. 9681 at Upper Forge heading for Parkend, Dean Forest Railway
Date: 20th May, 2023
Photograph Reference: P89663
Camera: Sony A77
ISO: 800
Exposure Time: 1/800sec
Exposure Time: 1/800sec
Aperture: F7.1
Focal Length: 20mm
Modifications: RAW modified
Taken during the line's Spring Steam Gala of that year, the next working in this section from the previous photograph. 1369 was the guest locomotive for the event.
This was a memorable day for all the wrong reasons. I had effectively walked here from Lydney Junction, having lost the ticket I had been issued for the day somewhere between Lydney Junction and Lydney Town station, and after taking this photograph I decided to call it a day and go home. It was perhaps just as well I decided to finish early, as my car had developed a battery fault and wouldn't start, with the added complication that my mobile battery was flat as well (although mobile signal isn't very good in the Norchard area). I am extremely grateful to the Norchard shop staff who allowed me to use their phone to call for assistance, and the AA were able to replace the battery allowing me to get home under my own power. This ended up being the most expensive trip to the DFR I've ever made (the total of ticket, shop purchases, new car battery and a £50 donation to the DFR in gratitude for their assistance came to around £250). In some respects, losing the ticket perhaps mitigated the car trouble to a certain extent; had I not lost it, I would probably have not attempted to leave until much later in the day, and probably would have been even later home than I was.