Making another welcome appearance in the south west this year was 35028 'Clan Line', this time hauling UK Railtours' 'Atlantic Coast Express'. Coincidentally, the day also marked 50 years since Clan Line steamed for the first time under the ownership of the MNLPS. Starting from London Victoria, the tour would run down to Exeter along the old Southern route through Salisbury and Honiton. The return would take the Merchant Navy back to London via Taunton, Westbury and Swindon. For this run, Clan Line could be seen carrying a wreath upon her top headlamp bracket. This was in honour of David Shepherd, who sadly passed away earlier in the week. A true legend of the steam preservation movement and one who will never be forgotten.
We begin the video at Monxton, around two and half miles west of Andover, where Clan Line is seen at high speed, tearing under Abbotts Ann Road bridge. Now running along the single track section west of Salisbury, we capture Clan Line at Barford St Martin; her paintwork shimmering in the autumn sunshine. The highlight of this tour has to be the 5 mile climb up Honiton Bank, with gradients ranging from 1 in 100 to 1 in 80. Clan Line provides a superb spectacle, as we see her attacking the final half a mile of the climb before entering Honiton Tunnel. It's nice to see that the radio mast, which once plagued this location, has been removed. Our final shot sees Clan Line at speed once again, as she rips past the foot crossing at Sampford Peverell, ready to tackle the eastbound climb to Whiteball Tunnel. Another flawless performance from this truly magnificent machine!
Filmed on a Panasonic VXF990 with a Pro Sound L92AA microphone.
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23 сен 2017
