The first location of the day is Woolaston level crossing a few miles west of Lydney. In lovely, short lived morning sunshine 170518 approaches with 1M58 0845 Cardiff to Nottingham Central trains service.
Bubblecar 153361 forms 2L49 0858 Gloucester to Maesteg and passes in front of the former Woolaston station which is now a boarding kennels. The station closed on 1/12/1954.
Next at Woolaston is a three car Central Trains turbostar 170110 forming 1V08 0710 Nottingham to Cardiff.
150256 is an exScotRail unit but has been in South Wales for a few years now. Today, like yesterday, it is employed on Maesteg to Gloucester services and here it forms 2G54 0800 Maesteg to Gloucester train.
The sun had gone by the time the first of the day's freight action appeared. 66124 passes the site of Woolaston station, which closed on 1/12/1954, with 6V35 0050 Lackenby to Llanwern loaded steel slabs.
Within an hour of arriving in sunshine, the rain has arrived. 60004 passes by with the daily 6B13 0533 Robeston to Westerleigh loaded bogie tanks.
Sedbury is on the outskirts of Chepstow and 170112 passes heading for Wales and Cardiff with 1V10 0800 from Nottingham.
150267 passes over Wye Valley Junction at Chepstow and is for the line to Monmouth Troy which closed to passengers on 5/1/1959. The track runs only as far as Tidenham Quarry and beyond that freight was withdrawn in 1964. The unit is running as 2G56 0917 Maesteg to Gloucester. The gradient change is from 1 in 268 up to 1 in 186 down. The junction has since been taken out.
Whilst the main line is dropping the former branch to Monmouth Troy has been climbing from the junction and is at the top of the bank above 150267.
Seen from Chepstow's Beachley Lane is 170110 crossing out of Wales and into England on the inverted box girder bridge BR built in 1962 to replace Brunel's original 1852 tubular suspension bridge over the River Wye. The train is 1M62 1045 Cardiff to Nottingham.
170102 forms 1V14 0900 Nottingham to Cardiff which is not booked to stop at Chepstow.
66018 wheels through Chepstow station with a mixed rake of BYA and JSA covered steel wagons on 6V05 0939 Round Oak to Margam empty steel.
Chepstow's goods shed has found a new use as a builders merchants. 170112 is seen again this time heading back to Nottingham, 1145 off Cardiff 1M64.
Only the class 2 local services between Maesteg and Gloucester are booked to call at Chepstow. 150267 forms one such working 2L55 1158 from Gloucester.
66223 comes through Severn Tunnel Junction (STJ) station with an empty steel flat train. Possibly 6C02 1406 Bristol East Depot to Newport ADJ, if so it is running about 100 minutes early, if not then I've no idea!
Arriva liveried bubblecar 153310 slows for its STJ station stop with 2G60 1217 Maesteg to Gloucester class 2 local.
Central Trains white liveried 170397 speeds through Severn Tunnel Junction station without stopping on 1V23 1100 Nottingham to Cardiff. This unit and a couple of others were built by AD Tranz with no particular customer in mind, hence the plain colour. Central has been using this unit since it was built.
158855 promotes the Exmoor area and is utilised on 1F19 1330 Cardiff to Portsmouth Harbour, nowhere near Exmoor.
43142 leads 1B31 1215 Paddington to Cardiff First Great Western service. It would have come through the Severn Tunnel.
A patch of sunlight breaks just at the right time for 66174 and its rake of 33 empty HGA hoppers heading for Newport's East Usk Yard. It started at Hayes at 1029 and runs as 6C23 TThO.
A more familiar livery for this Central Trains turbostar, 170107 passes through the station with 1M68 1345 Cardiff to Nottingham.
Services previously operated by Alphaline and Wessex Trains have been taken over by First Group and fallen under their fGW umbrella. Three car sprinter 158967 is made up by adding a vehicle from another unit and it forms 1F16 1122 from Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff.
First Great Western HST service 1L65 1355 from Cardiff to Paddington is led by 43143. The train takes the Up Tunnel line and will pass through the station without stopping.
The single vehicle class 153 units were converted from some of the class 155 two car sets. 153361 powers up after its station stop with 2L59 1358 Gloucester to Maesteg.
158863 is employed on 2B78 1310 Taunton to Cardiff Alphaline working, quite a way for a class 2 service. The set powers up after its station stop where no one joined or left the train.
A late running freight approaches with 66158 in charge of 6C83 TO 1220 Machen Quarry to Westbury. The train has 18 loaded Hanson liveried JHA bogie hoppers and is about 2 hours down.
66096 approaches passing 170638 on 1V26 1202 Nottingham to Cardiff.
This departmental train is running about 20 minutes early. 66096 fronts 6C41 1510 Newport ADJ to Westbury Yard.
G-LINE is a Eurocopter France AS355N Ecureuil II helicopter built in 1994. It is powered by two Turbomecca Arrius 1A engines. The National Grid use the airframe to check their overhead power lines.
170397 has been running in this white livery since it was built on spec by ADTranz without a specific customer. Central Trains has been using the set since then. Here it forms 1M71 1445 Cardiff to Nottingham.
Powering through the station is 43171 leading 1B37 1315 Paddington to Cardiff. t has taken two hours to reach this point just under 124 miles from Paddington with about a further 20 miles to go.
158968 passes 43140 with 43025 on the rear. Their trains are 1F18 1222 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff and 1L68 1455 Cardiff to Paddington.
A pairing of class 150 and 153 sprinters slow for the STJ station stop enroute to Taunton from Cardiff 1500 off, 2C79. The units are 150248 and 153370.
This Margam to Round Oak working, 6M41 1222 off, is running about 20 minutes late. The loco, 66068, fronts a lengthy train of 21 vehicles of BYA and JSA covered wagons.
On the left is 153310 accelerating away from its station stop working 2L61 1438 Gloucester to Maesteg. On the right is 150267 slowing for its stop on a Maesteg to Gloucester working, 2G62 1417 off.
Heading from London from the far south west tip of Wales is lead powercar 43148 with 43149 on the back. The train is 1L66 1430 Swansea to Paddington. The set takes the Up Tunnel road.
158967 is seen again heading back to the south coast town of Portsmouth with 1F25 1530 off Cardiff.
Another break in the cloud brings out the warm afternoon sun. A down HST powered by 43174 and 43035 tears through STJ with 1B42 1415 Paddington to Cardiff.
The new Severn Crossing is caught by the afternoon sun which lights the structure brilliantly.
Turbostar 170633 wears the more usual colours of Central Trains and is working 1M73 1545 Cardiff to Nottingham. The set speeds through the station with its large island platform devoid of passengers.
A two hour trip for any passengers doing the journey from Cardiff to Taunton could be quite an ordeal. Pacers 143617 and 143618 undertake this trip running as 2C81 1600 off the Welsh capital.
66063 has brought its 19 loaded HTA coal hoppers through the Severn Tunnel and up the 3 mile 1 in 90 climb from the bottom. This is 6B85 1344 Avonmouth to Aberthaw Power Station conveying imported coal.
66063 and its rake rumble through the station.
60027 is routed along the Down Relief line at STJ due to 66063 being on the Down Main. The tug is working 6V07 1321 Round Oak to Margam empty steel.
The lower part of the train is almost lost in the undergrowth that really needs to dealt with.
Less than ten minutes after 60027, another tug working shakes the platforms of STJ. Tug 003 is in charge of a regular class 60 turn 6B33 TThFo 1330 Theale to Robeston empty bogie tanks.
There are two class 180 Adelante turns to South Wales a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. 180106 forms the evening turn, 1B48 1515 Paddington to Swansea.
6M17 is the daily 1639 Newport ADJ to Wembley enterprise working. 66125 fronts a lightly loaded working consisting of 14 FCA container flats and 4 foreign wagons at the rear.
