'Flying Scotsman' – 60103 – climbing out of Stroud

At the market today there was a lot of talk about 'what time?' Flying Scotsman would be coming through Stroud. I'd managed to access the system giving real time information about train movements, as I thought the 'tour' from London Paddington to Worcester had been slightly adjusted into a circular tour. I confidently predicted that it would pass through the town at about 1725 heading back to London via the famous Golden Valley route and the somewhat challenging and steep Sapperton Bank, a few miles uphill from Stroud.

Having unpacked all Helena and my market clobber and had a swift cup of tea, I drove the three hundred yards across the bottom of the valley to the Bowbridge road bridge which takes it over the railway tracks. I managed to secure a place on the bridge to get a view down the valley towards the town centre. Within a few minutes all access was double-banked with onlookers. There must have been fifty people just on this one small road bridge.

I took a few test shots and then we heard the distant and very distinctive steam engine's whistle, as it approached Stroud station. It appeared in the distance passing the Brunel Mall whose modern brick walls can be seen in the distance.. The track then crosses Capel's Mill viaduct taking the train over the River Frome, the Thames and Severn canal and the main London road

Banking round towards Bowbridge, which was actually an ancient footbridge over the river at the bottom of our valley, the engine has to build up both steam and effort to conquer the five mile ascent. That was where I took this picture. The line then becomes increasingly steep as it heads up the twisting river Frome valley and finally through a long tunnel under the heights of the Cotswold hills before heading to Swindon and  on to London. It looked, sounded and smelt magnificent.