Carnival night in Weston. After a long and trying, but ultimately pretty successful day at the office, headed directly to the station. Revenue protection preparations had already begun for the influx of passengers coming to view the parade. Having grown up in Burnham (which always had a slightly superior procession in those days) I've avoided the carnival in recent years. The way it divides Weston in two just makes life awkward. Not sorry then to be heading out of town tonight. Quick wander around Temple Meads, a rather lukewarm coffee, and over to Platform 4 amidst some familiar faces.
The plan was to run the remaining Wessex 31 set to Weston and back as a relief to cater for carnival crowds. I wasn't convinced there would be huge demand. How wrong I was. Started pretty heavily loaded due to delayed passengers resulting from an earlier bridge strike at Swindon. Nailsea, Yatton and Worle produced hundreds of passengers. On arriving at Weston, crowd control measures for exits, buffet and toilets in operation. Swift dash through the melee to change ends - passing my manager with her children struggling to escape the station on the way.
Back to Bristol behind 31601 in slightly less cosy conditions. Plan to have 31s on standby for later relief had been abandoned, and word was it would be an Adelante. Decided to head back on the 2006. A pleasant enough evening, and good to get haulage into my home station once again. Not the best run for the locos - short, with too many stops - but sadly, its a case of enjoying them while we still can.
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
