Tag Archives: steam locomotive

Steam Train passing Aldermaston Station

After the (luckily short) heat wave this week it was pleasantly cool this Saturday morning, also a bit damp as it had rained most of the night and still hadn’t fully stopped by the time I decided to leave for the train station. For it was time to watch and photograph another steam train passing Aldermaston Station.

Since the electrification of the line watching steam trains passing through isn’t the same any more, but then again some progress is necessary and I certainly prefer the electric trains over the old stinking and noisy Diesels we had before.

I haven’t bothered looking up the details of the steam engine pulling the train today, I hope you’ll still enjoy the pictures without that information. If you do know more about the locomotive feel free to leave the information in the comments.

Electric Steam Train in Aldermaston Wharf

No, of course there is no such thing as an electric steam train. But the headline made you curious, I hope. The reason for it is that the local rail line is currently in the last stages of the line electrification and the overhead power lines we put up about a month ago. While more environmentally friendly than the old diesel trains we currently have it’s not so nice for taking pictures of the steam trains passing through here every once in a while. Today we saw the first steam train coming through since the cables went up.

The train was the ‘Quantock Intruder’, pulled by SR Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 no 35028 maintained by Clan Line. Here are the pictures I managed to take:

(click on the pictures for the larger versions and captions)

Steam train 60009 Union of South Africa passing Aldermaston

At varying intervals steam trains travel on the line past Aldermaston Wharf, passing through Aldermaston Station. Last weekend a steam train came through which I missed, luckily it returned this weekend for another pass. This time I was ready with my camera to take pictures of the 60009 Union of South Africa, here’s a selection of my favourite views:

Click on the pictures for the larger versions.

Steam Locomotive 46115 Scots Guardsman passing Aldermaston Station

A sunnier than expected July morning and a steam train passing Aldermaston Station, a nice combination. Here are a few pictures I managed to take, including a bonus picture of a trainspotting squirrel which entertained us while we were waiting for the train:

The locomotive is the LMS Royal Scot Class 6115 Scots Guardsman, passing at a fairly low speed after taking on water at Theale.

(click on the pictures for larger versions)

The Flying Scotsman steam locomotive returns to West Berkshire

Last weekend I posted a video of the Flying Scotsman as well as pictures of the Flying Scotsman. This weekend the famous steam locomotive returned to West Berkshire, allowing me to capture additional footage just down the track near Frouds Lane. This time I used both a stationary camera on the ground as well as my DJI Phantom 3 drone. I then combined the footage from both weekends into this video:

Hopefully there will be further visits in the future for more videos and pictures.