Home»All Photographs»Year Albums»2024»December»2024_12_01 Battlefield Line

After hoping to see 6880 BETTON GRANGE running in at the Battlefield Line in mid-January 2024 and then at their steam Gala in late January I was not full of confidence that the locomotive would actually meet its Santa Special commitments. On Sunday 1st December 2024 the weather forecast for Market Bosworth was marginally better than that for Loughborough so, after early rain had stopped, I decided to go and see. I was late and very surprised, as I drove between Congerstone and Carlton, to see the locomotive crawling at walking pace near Lineage Farm. My thinking was to head to Far Coton as I might not manage to park at Market Bosworth if it picked up normal speed. With cameras set up at Far Coton, my eyes were continuously looking through the trees for steam approaching from Bosworth. About ten minutes after I had expected the train to pass, steam was seen; not after Market Bosworth but heading south near Carlton! Surely it would not be long to wait now. But it was. It must have been half an hour before I even heard a whistle. And then nothing else; no beat, no exhaust just silence. Had they managed to run round at Market Bosworth? Unlikely, but what other explanation might there be? I continued scanning the horizon for at least another ten minutes before I thought I detected just a puff of steam behind the trees. After a short interval there was another and then again another with a slight rumble. Sure enough, in a further two or three minutes I knew it was crawling towards the occupation bridge in the background to my photograph. I took eight pictures, all separate exposures with no motor drive. I could have walked from Shackerstone to Far Coton in less time than this train had taken! After this shoot I returned to my car, drove towards Market Bosworth to find somewhere to turn and headed towards Shenton Station. I had passed the train before I arrived and could take a relaxed series of photographs as it uncoupled and ran round the train. After a very nice bacon sandwich and a pot of tea I could to a little more photography before the light began to fail. I had achieved my aim; to photograph 6880 BETTON GRANGE on the Battlefield Line in 2024.