Hogwarts Train – Hest Bank 31/10/2015

It was a Saturday like any other, except that it was Halloween . For lunch we’d decided to pick up a drive thru MacDonald’s on the way home and stop off at Hest Bank shore to eat while enjoying the views and the fresh sea air. No sooner had we finished our lunhes and prepared to set off for home, I heard the distinct sound of steam engine clatter. It sounds a bit like a military helicopter at full clink and I didn’t want to miss a photo opportunity.

I grabbed my phone and leaped out of the car in time to see the train coming to halt right behind us.

It stopped, blocking the level crossing, and our only way out.

After a while it became obvious that the train wasn’t going anywhere, so we wandered down to the crossing gates to get a closer look.

The train was empty, but the tables were set for a meal. This is the train that is used in the Harry Potter movies, the coaches at least. They are based at Carnforth, just a mile or two up the track from here.

There was no sign of why the train had stopped here, there is no signal or station, unless this was a SPAD (Signal Passed At Danger) incident, but there was nothing in the news about it. I must admit to enjoying the sight and sound and smell of steam locomotives, and to see two of them together, on the mainline, was a rare treat, and well worth being trapped by the barrier for the thirty odd minutes.

Eventually though, the train did leave. Google composited my pictures in to a short movie. Thanks Google.

An unexpected treat on a grey autumn day. Lovely.