The Flying Banana in the Golden Valley, Stroud

Sitting at my desk I noticed that there was an unusual patch of bright yellow at the bottom of the valley where the railway line runs very close to the river and canal. I stood up and looked more closely and knew that this was a stationary 'special' train.

I decided to go downstairs and get my camera with a telephoto lens already attached as I realised that train had stopped at a signal on the railway and there might be time to grab a picture. By the time I returned I was just able to open the window and focus before the train started to mov forward.

I have seen small ‘yellow painted’ trains standing there before and I’d found out that they were specialised trains used for checking the state of the track. This train was much longer and painted with more than just yellow so I thought it might have a different function. By the time I took this image it had moved a few hundred yards and was picking up speed as it moved along the twisting track leading across the railway viaduct over the river and canal to pass through Stroud station, a distance of less than half a mile.

In 2009 I made a short video recording of 'Tornado', a newly constructed steam engine coming up the valley in the opposite direction. It gives you a sense of the twisting nature of the railway ascending the valley. Another day long ago I filmed 60009 – Sir Nigel Gresley from near the same spot, but coming in the opposite direction down the valley towards Stroud.

A quick search revealed that this ‘yellow’ train is called the New Measurement Train, and is nicknamed ’The Flying Banana’. It is one of several that tour the length and breadth of Network Rail to analyse the state of the track and related equipment, so that repairs and maintenance can be managed better.