7812 - THE VISITOR.

Our local heritage railway held its annual steam weekend this weekend. There were far too many wonderful treats for rail enthusiasts to mention them all, but the visiting locos probably attracted the most attention. As well as the 4 visiting locos, there were 9 locos overall in steam over the weekend, along with freight trains operational at certain times.
Today’s picture is of visitor no. 7812 Erlestoke Manor, taking part in the Steam Weekend courtesy of the Severn Valley Railway and Erlestoke Manor fund. Designed by C.B. Collett and built at Swindon works prior to the onset of WW11, this huge and powerful engine in her beautiful Brunswick Green livery was eagerly watched by an enthusiastic crowd of railway fans as it pulled six enormous carriages absolutely full of passengers up the slope from Keighley to Oxenhope. After so many weeks, nay months, of fair weather it seemed such a shame that this weekend’s weather was wet, dull, drizzly, cool and miserable. From a photographic point of view, the light was appalling, but the weather dampened neither rail nor photography enthusiasts’,spirits, and nearly every railway buff toted a camera.