5043 at Bristol Temple Meads

After a much needed break and other commitments that followed in April and May, it was time to return to the mainline steam scene. Great Western steam on the mainline has been running thin on the ground in recent months with the shortage of mainline Western motive power becoming the main issue.
5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe once again hauled the Whistling Ghost railtour from Tyseley to Minehead, the third time round. But rather than chase after it, I decided to go for a completely different method and that is film the train at Bristol Temple Meads, the historic hub of Brunel and the Great Western Railway.
As I had not previously filmed steam at Temple Meads I felt it would be a good opportunity to film 5043 at the impressive scene at two rarely accessible spots to film. First seen departing Temple Meads for Bishops Lydeard, shot from a unique classic angle at the A4 Bath Road overbridge and later at Bristol East Junction (filmed painfully with the sharp fencing right under my chest whilst reaching the tripod by hand!) It proved a challenge due to the off-peak commuter nature of Bristol as can be seen. With the weather not proving its best, the historical need to capture steam in a historical scene could not be put aside.
With the electrification now taking shape over the Western mainline, it is only a matter of time before these scenes will forever become a thing of the past.