3804 has paused on the down through road at the South Wales side of Gloucester Central to take water, the column just being visible above the mass of coal in the tender. It is heading down into South Wales, and it's likely that there has been a change of footplate crew, as was often the case on such workings. With the closure of Severn Tunnel Junction Depot to steam in late 1965 such workings as this finished, bringing to an end the varied classes of motive power rostered on such duties between South Wales and the Midlands, particularly those deployed on iron ore freights.
The wagons are well sheeted over, and the covered and lengthy overbridge linking Central with Gloucester Eastgate is visible in the background.