Again, stayed local today - since we had some celebrity visitors due at Temple Meads. Engineering works almost everywhere prevented much else. I planned to get to Didcot before heading back to Bristol at lunchtime, but the timings of replacement bus services made getting back very unlikely. Brief trip into Swindon, with the sky overhead alternating between bright sunshine and thunderous clouds.

Back at Bristol, passed the time in my usual spot, taking the opportunity to try out more complicated settings on the new camera. Chatted to a few fellow enthusiasts and waited for the main event - a pair of Cotswold Rail 47s on the 'Cotswold-Severn Caper' railtour from Wolverhampton. One of the locomotives, 47828 was freshly painted and would be named 'Joe Strummer' at Bristol Temple Meads. Lee and David also arrived, back from spotting 59s and chasing BBC chartered Class 50's at Westbury.

Watched the pair of 47s arrive, double-headed into platform 4, then dashed over to watch the naming ceremony where Joe's wife unveiled the plates and gave a brief speech. A good crowd of railway enthusiasts and Joe's fans alike made for a rousing round of applause for Joe's widow Lucinda. A bit of an open day atmosphere on the platform, with a photocall and cab visits being offered.


Back over to get pictures of 47316 running around and a hellfire start as the tour headed off to Newport, and to spot Lee meeting a new young ladyfriend just in time for St. Valentines day - who ever said the railway hobby was unromantic? Quick exit on the next Taunton stopper to get back to Weston before the shops closed.