"Double Hallage Encounter" with 4965 Rood Ashton Hall

February 14th and March 7th saw Tyseley's 4965 Rood Ashton Hall run two separate railtours. This was something different for the Hall as it has rarely ventured into other Western mainline areas other than its usual Shakespeare Express runs. The first run on February 14th, aptly named The Valentines Express ran from Tyseley to Oxford via Worcester and the Cotswold Line. The Hall is first seen pounding through Hagley cutting reaching the summit. At Moreton In Marsh the classic array of Great Western lower quadrant semaphore signals still dominate the scene as 4965 clags past a near timeless scene. The return working was to originally work via Banbury and Solihull but due to a landslide at Harbury the Hall took the return route through the Cotswolds, seen in the dark of night at Ascot under Wychwood. Fast forwarding onto March 7th and the Hall returns to action with The Red Dragon from Tyseley to Cardiff (not running from Paddington to Cardiff where the original Red Dragon route runs!) The first scene sees the Hall brisks the dawn scene outside Droitwich Spa. At Norton Junction south of Worcester, more classic semaphore signalling miraculously still remain intact. 4965 is next seen running along the Severn Estuary at Purton, almost strikingly resembling the Teign Estuary in Devon with similar scenery features. For the return working perfect sunny afternoon conditions prevailed, but unfortunately the Hall running 8 mins late lost it's original plan to run on the fast line at Magor and was put onto the slower relief line. Never the less a very nice wave from the driver and one of the crews on the footplate helped bring a sense of good spirits.