Great Western Coffee Shop

Last evening I stood on a footbridge in Lockleaze for 20 minutes, in the drizzling rain, waiting for 1Z54 to come up Ashley Bank. During my wait various 150s, 158s, HSTs and Voyagers went past, and that was pleasantly diverting, but by crikey the main attraction put them in their place... You could hear the loco's beats echoing off the sides of the valley soon after it passed Stapleton Road, and the exhaust was nothing short of vulcanic as the crew dealt with the greasy rails, a 715 ton trailing load and a stiff gradient. It was, in the traditional sense of the word, awesome.

I though it would be a good idea to stand directly over the tracks as the train passed under the bridge, failing to spot the fact that there were fairly large gaps between the wooden decking boards (and of course no smoke deflectors these days). I swear I lost some hairs off my legs, and later I found clinker in my underpants.

I like electric trains - they're fast, efficient, modern; everything a railway should be.

I like diesel trains - they're... well, some of them are quite fun. And they get you there, mostly.

But I see why it is that, 60 years after it became hopelessly outmoded, people still give up vast amounts of time and effort to keep steam traction running on the main line. Thanks!

I'll trump your 150s, 158s, ......   with 'several 143s'   :) 

I've just spent an hour on the new bridge taking the Exe cycleway over the railway at Powderham - along with three or four other hardy souls and it was all worth it to watch, hear and smell Britannia on the Torbay Express come past!

I find the smell of coal smoke, whether it comes from a steam engine or a house chimney, strangely attractive. Some people enjoy petrol fumes, maybe because they associate them with power, speed and the thrill of racing ^ or maybe for other reasons (sniffing petrol was a common legal[?] high when I was a teenager) ^ but it makes me feel a bit sick, although I can appreciate the associations; and diesel fumes have a disgusting wax and swimming pool smell to me (does anyone like the smell of diesel?). I'm sure all of them are unhealthy. Nevertheless, coal smoke smells quite nice to me. I wouldn't go as far as seeking it out, mind.

Have you 'squirreled' the clinker away for future use ? ???
Methinks your fur may be more ' sciurus carolinensis' than 'sciurus vulgaris' after that experience !

Coal smoke - particularly when mixed with steam from an engine - is good: wood smoke is even better, in my opinion.  ;)

Petrol and diesel fumes are generally disgusting.  :'(

Not sure about coal smoke, but the smell of unburnt petrol (eg. when putting fuel in the strimmer, not the exhast that is emmitted when running it) isn't too bad if encounted briefly.

The really nice smell however is the smell of steam from a steam engine, not the smoke coming out the chimmey but the white clouds which are sometimes emmitted from the cylinders (or that vacinity). Not sure what it is, perhaps some lubricant on the moving parts which smells when it gets hot?

Fruit-wood smoke and cow poo, on a clear bright frosty morning - there's a heady combination...

Castrol R Oil now that's a great smell also good old fashion Creosote on a fence in the sun as it warms up .

Cow poo, or cow-poo smoke? Probably depends on the exact location and sloppiness of the poo...

If anyone's interested, my brother's video of the event is on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLsvFe6ukHA

It did cross our minds that it might have been better if he'd pointed the cameraphone at me instead of the train - it would have been a shoe-in for You've been Framed.