Having spent Monday to Friday at the Watercress Line, I would have been tempted to return this weekend to see Bittern and Cheltenham running on the line!  But I’ve had plenty to keep me occupied in the garden today on this warm if slightly cooler summer day.  It’s been a very sunny week in Hampshire, possibly too sunny in fact and the weather forecast for rain tomorrow morning is welcome.  This is not just because it has given me an excuse to not water the garden today, but also to help dampen the ground (dry conditions and steam engines are not a good combination.)

Bittern may be the star of this weekend, but during the week services and footplate experiences have seen 925 Cheltenham, Black 5 45379 and Bulleid West Country class 34007 Wadebridge holding the fort.  It is remarkable how much goes on during the week and it goes to show that a mid-week visit is definitely worth it, just check the timetable to see if service trains are running first.

It has been another great week for me and I’ve spent a lot of it getting stuck into paperwork and beginning the task of planning the project that will not only see 35005 Canadian Pacific in steam but also see outreach to many people to experience and get them involved with the excellent work that goes on at the railway.  As with last week, there is an update from Eastleigh of the overhaul of CanPac – please click here or the image below to read more.

I had the chance to see more of Ropley during the week, meeting many more people and trying to remember their names (something that’s always difficult for new employees!)

One of the places I stopped for a couple of snaps was under the Harry Potter bridge to see S15 class 499 and the novel shelter that has been created above its frames.  The ingenuity that comes with preserved lines never fails to amaze me!

I also had a good look in the carriage shed, but I’m holding fire with sharing images of the two Bulleid carriages so as not steal the thunder of the guys working hard on them.  Finally we leave with a look at the new waiting room on platform 1, which looks rather excellent in my opinion!

Thanks for reading folks and don’t forget, this weekend Gresley A4 Pacific 4464 Bittern is running – it’s well worth a visit to the Watercress Line for a ride behind this thoroughbred!