The driver

45379 is a Black 5 built in Newcastle in 1937. It went for scrap in 1966 and was rescued for preservation in 1974. Today she's at the Mid Hants Railway which is where I took this. You very nearly got a shot of 60163 "Tornado" - an iconic engine as she was the first mainline steam engine built since "Evening Star" rolled out of Swindon works (where we were yesterday) in 1960. Tornado was completed in 2008. There is a small plaque on Tornado which states "This locomotive was built and paid for by people who shared a vision and were determined to turn it into reality" and that's what brought me to use this image.

The heritage railways we've visited this week are reliant on volunteers - this guy may be paid to drive the train but the guards, station staff, cleaners, catering staff, the folk who repair and renovate the engines and carriages and all the others are doing so for a range of reasons but fundamentally they have steam in their blood. And I thought it fitting to round up our holiday blips with a shot of a person who helps to keep these wonderful bits of kit in use.

Railways visited this week:

Yeovil Railway Centre
Swanage
West Somerset
Mid Hants (The Watercress Line)

Museums (other than those attached to the railways)

Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (Bit of a cheat as it's hosted at Washford on the WSR)
STEAM - The GWR museum
Haynes Motor Museum
Fleet Air Arm Museum

And of course Seaton Tramway

Now it's time for a beer. I'll be posting to Flickr some of the 500 + images I've taken so if you want to see some more engines that's the place to be but not tonight - I need some serious vegging