Bristol_steam_South Africa: Britain is unique in that virtually every week in the year sees one or more high-speed, long-distance, steam-hauled trains running on its main lines. This is especially so in summer where at Bristol in particular, summer Sundays often sees one, sometimes two, trains depart within minutes of each other. Here are three typical Sundays in August 2015.
Some miles south of Bristol, the “Royal Duchy” train stops at Yatton to pick up and on the return, drop off passengers. Gresley A4 Pacific 60009 “Union of South Africa” pulls away from Yatton , on 16 August. In the right background can be seen a metal, flame-cut facsimile of a steam locomotive. This marks the start of “The Strawberry Line,” a footpath and cycleway that utilises 8 miles/13km of the trackbed of the closed branchline from Yatton, to Cheddar.
Digital photo by Roger Griffiths			roger.griffiths@hotmail.com