The Champ's Return: D1015 'Western Champion' on 'The One Way Wizzo'

BR Class 52 No.D1015 'Western Champion' has finally made its grand return to main line rail tour operations, hauling a train of passengers on the national network for the first time since around 2016. On Sunday 14th April 2024, it worked a special one way trip from London Paddington to Birmingham New Street, via Oxford and Banbury. Called the 'One Way Wizzo' this tour ran in collaboration with UK Railtours and Pathfinder Railtours and served as a second loaded test run for the loco, following its first successful test run, when it piloted an empty freight working earlier this year.

We begin in the fields just north of Kings Sutton station, where a mass gathering is seen set up on the Twyford Road bridge to await the Western's approach. With the sun taking an unfortunate time out behind the clouds, D1015 comes charging on past towards its booked layover in Banbury. Not a great panning job by me, I must admit. The reflections in the water logged field didnt show up nearly as well as they did with some previous trains, which partly threw me off a bit and I also neglected to zoom out a little, so it all got a bit tight at the end. With no real plan for a a second shot after the Banbury stop, it was basically a roll of the dice as to where I'd go. I ended up wandering down Mill Lane, between Little Bourton and Great Bourton, where we get another short distance panning shot, as the Champ accelerates away from Banbury. A bit more foreward thinking would have gotten me somewhere or something better/different, but it is what it is.

Great to see the Wezzie back in action, regardless!

Timestamps:

00:00 Kings Sutton
01:29 Great Bourton

Filmed on a Panasonic HC-X1500 with an Audio-Technica BP4025 microphone.

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