2-6-2T 41304 Highbridge Winter 1963

Another winter scene for the VPTP November 'weather' theme - although it is also a railway station one as well!

Double the theme, double the fun! I've only seen steam engines in operation on tourist railroads, so it's hard to imagine how prevalent they were at one time.

I find heritage railway lines too clean and tidy. In the era I can remember, steam locomotives were at the end of their regular service lives and weren't cleaned much and some leaked steam, so the sparklingly clean, well-maintained engines on today's lines don't really reflect my memories. That said the restoration groups do a fantastic job and have rescued some real wrecks, especially among the carriages. They have even built new locos to old designs - usually of classes that didn't reach preservation.