Martin Thorne, anti-Guided Bus Technical Officer for CAST.IRON, writes: If anyone wants to make the trek to Ely tomorrow afternoon, there is a very rare visit by Great Western Railway "Hall" Class No.4965 "Rood Ashton Hall" on a charter train from Tyseley (near Birmingham) to Ely. It is due to arrive at 1423 and depart (after dark) at 1713 for the return journey to Tyseley. Unfortunately, today's "Cathedrals Express" from London (Kensington Olympia) to Lincoln via Ely was something of a disappointment. This was diesel-hauled from London to Ely by an FM Rail veteran Class 33 - a rare visitor to East Anglia - where LMS Class 5MT 4-6-0 No.45231 (a third change of loco for this train, which should have been hauled throughout originally by LMS No.6201 "Princess Elizabeth", which then changed to BR Class 8P No.71000 "Duke of Gloucester") was to have taken the train onto Lincoln via Peterborough & Spalding. Having photographed the diesel as it passed thorough Platforms 1/4 at Cambridge just after 9am, I caught the 0917 (to Norwich) as far as Ely. This should have allowed plenty of time to see the diesel uncoupled & the steam loco coupled at the sidings just to the south of the station, as it was not due to depart until just before 10am. Imagine my surprise when I saw the train standing at platform 1 at Ely with the diesel still in charge, and no sign of the steam loco. Just after the Norwich train - which had been rerouted to Platform 2 - had left the charter to Lincoln departed at least 20 minutes early (I just managed to get a couple of photos before it left). Some people who arrived slightly later hoping to photograph the train at its original departure time were left disappointed. Upon talking to some of the photographers, it turned out that the steam loco was stuck in the goods yard just north of Peterborough station on account of a lack of driver & fireman to get it to Ely (I was supposed to have stayed overnight at the Nene Valley Railway in Peterborough but didn't even make it there!). Whether it was coupled onto the train at Peterborough instead I do not know. Hopefully, tomorrow will make up for today's disappointment. Tel/Fax: +44-(0)1223-515828 Mobile: 07792-025850 (if you intend sending a fax, ring me first so I can activate the fax software on my PC!) The Cambridge & St.Ives Railway Organisation (CAST.IRON) says "no" to the mis-Guided Bus. Join the campaign to put trains back on the track at www.castiron.org.uk ******************************************** co-Director, Cherry Close Milton (Freehold) Ltd. Deputy co-ordinator for Transport 2000 Cambs.& W.Suffolk and Area Officer, Cambridge, for LRTA (Light Rail Transit Association) Member of Railfuture, BUUK (formerly NFBU), BRTA, FLUA, CCRDC Ltd., CamBUC, Cambridge Futures, Wisbech-March "Bramley Line", MNR & BRS Associate Member, ADAPT