60009 Union of South Africa passes the Goods Shed

I didn't have the time or energy to search for a novel vantage point for the passage of 60009 Union of South Africa through Stroud this lunchtime. Instead I went to the station, which was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, back in 1845 and stood at the end of the platform  looking eastwards towards Swindon and London. Brunel also designed and built the Brunel Goods shed, whose Cotswold stonework you can partly see just behind and to the left of the engine. The Goods Shed was the last building that Stroud Preservation Trust regenerated and with which I was very involved. I like to see steam trains passing such an iconic building.

60009 Union of South Africa is nearing the end of its active life on the mainline and is expected to be retired permanently in 2019. It was built in 1937 to a famous design by Sir Nigel Gresley.

When it arrived it seemed to be steaming really well, made all the right noises and was travelling at quite a high speed for such an old engine.

From Wiki:
The Class A4 are streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognisable, and one of the class, 4468 Mallard, holds the world record as the fastest steam locomotive. Thirty-five of the class were built to haul express passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line route from London Kings Cross via York to Newcastle, and later via Newcastle to Edinburgh, Scotland. They remained in service on the East Coast Main Line until the early 1960s when they were replaced by Deltic diesel locomotives. Several A4s saw out their remaining days until 1966 in Scotland, and there are six survivors of the class.