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Chance encounter

Explore #6 30/04/2020

 

Chance encounter - A snow covered Batty Moss illuminated by the setting sun sees 61306 LNER B1 'Mayflower' and 35018 Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class 'British India Line' double head the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express as they cross Ribblehead Viaduct on 2 February 2019.

 

This was no chance encounter - I'd been after this shot for over 5 years and it requires the perfect combination of factors to bring the scene together. With only a couple of occasions every winter when the timings place the return leg of the steam hauled train crossing Ribblehead at, or close to sunset, the chances of the scene falling into place are very slim.

 

Early last year, however, everything fell into place for once; with the added bonus of not only a double header, but a snow clad Batty Moss too. A unique scene as both locomotives gently steam their way southbound on the return trip to London from Carlisle with a subtle exhaust emanating from both engines, backlit by the setting sun.

 

Ribblehead Viaduct, Yorkshire Dales National Park

 

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Uploaded on April 30, 2020
Taken on February 2, 2019