44871 & 45407 Blast Up Llanvihangel & The Lickey Bank - Welsh Marches Express

Описание: For me this was one of the highlights of the year with lots of rare ground on offer and the big inclusion of the Lickey Bank on the return leg. With a week to go it was announced that a diesel would be needed on the back to complete turning moves at Cardiff, this was due to the triangle being unavailable to steam. Not the end of the world, but with the additional added weight this would guarantee some assistance on the big banks.

The day started off slowly with a late departure out of Birmingham International due to watering taking an eternity due to low pressure on the water tankers ! In turn the locos left 24 late and that would make chasing the the train very tight !

The first scene sees a very rare southbound climb out of New Street up to Five Ways, unfortunately there was a restriction through the tight platforms, regardless it was great to see steam heading this way. With the tour running late we made a dash in the car towards the Malvern Hills, the locos had now made up the majority of the time and I fortunately made it to my location with 30 seconds to spare, unfortunately, I had no time to set up, so I had to make do with a hand held shot, apologies for the wobbles !

Once again we was back on the chase, this time heading towards Llanvihangel and once again I just about made it with two minutes to spare ! Fortunately I was able to set up my equipment just in time. The pair are seen swiftly after at Llanvihangel summit making plenty of noise !

For the return leg we chose Abergavenny station, where we would see a rare night time northward passing as the pair thundered through as they hit the bottom of the Llanvihangel Bank. Usually steam only passes north through Abergavenny in daylight hours, so this was something I didn't want to miss !

The highlight of trip for passengers and enthusiasts would be the climb of the UK's steepest bank, which is the notorious Lickey Bank, the two mile climb of a grade of 1/37 3/4 would see the pair blast there way to the summit with the aided help of the diesel which was to be expected. Regardless of the rear end assistance this was a super show from the Black Fives with some stunning fire glow on show ! Three angles capture the action.

A challenging day in the end, though still plenty of positives to take from day, especially on the return leg ! I hope you enjoy the video.