Great Western #60 shines in the evening light. When you plunk down your money and sign up for a steam charter, you hope for one thing that no charter operator can ever guarantee; beautiful light at sunrise or sunset. This is especially important when the charter features a back-dated or special paint scheme that may never been seen again. Fortunately, the day of our Great Western Charter on the Black River & Western featured nearly cloudless skies and cool dry air. When the time came for the charter finale in a wide-open field just north of Toad Lane in Ringoes, the sun was just a few degrees above the horizon and even the grass was casting long shadows. In those conditions, the BRW crew put on the best show of the day, including this nice, smokey run-by with the mixed consist. Even if we hadn't gotten another shot all day, this made the whole trip worthwhile. Kudos to Pete Lerro and his crew for dressing up the 60, and to the BRW crew for doing a great job showing her off.
Images of surviving Great Western Railway locomotives, painted in the liveries of their original owner, operating on photo charters on tourist railways today.
