D9521 trundles the 11:40 Parkend - Lydney freight through the curves between Whitecroft and Norchard at 11:47 on Friday
13th September 2019. This is the view from the Queen Mary brakevan which you could ride for a small additional fee during
this diesel gala (£2 one-way or £3 for a round-trip). The van remained at the north end of the rake of seven Dogfish throughout.
I rode it north behind 33063, and was glad to be further from the very smoky Class 14 on this southbound run. Nonetheless
it was a very enjoyable ride on a glorious day, and also a
pretty faithful recreation of a Dean Forest freight.
A loco in green livery would have been more typical, and by co-incidence the loco in that 1967 shot (D9555) could be found at
Norchard on this day, albeit out-of-use.
