14th July 2018

Currently running around half an hour late, thanks to a late northbound service previously delaying its progress, GBRF Class 73/9s nos. 73961 "Alison" and 73963 "Janice" are about to leave Maiden Newton at 12.59 on the 1Z40 07.30 Stevenage to Weymouth "The Sunny South Express" railtour, operated by UK railtours. I had already shot the train at Chetnole, and was not originally expecting to catch it again here, but due to the hold-up waiting for yet another northbound service to pass I got "two bites of the cherry"! The train it was waiting for can just be glimpsed to the left, 2M00 12.10 Weymouth to Yeovil Junction, a new summer-only service operated by South Western Railway, using a Class 159 DMU.

Maiden Newton is a lovely station, with its original flint station building and GWR signal box (not used) still standing, surrounded by delightful Dorset countryside, although the trees have hemmed it all in a bit since the 1980s, when I first visited here.