Up freight at Frampton Crossing on July 25th in the austerity year of 1950, approaching Sapperton Tunnel, with assistance in rear.
View westward, towards Stroud and Gloucester; ex-GWR Swindon - Gloucester - South Wales/Cheltenham main line. The Up Class H freight from South Wales, is headed by a number of well loaded GWR loco coal wagons of 20T capacity and a substantial weight of further mineral traffic follows. The train loco is '38xx' 2-8-0 No. 3811 and has the assistance from the rear of a 31XX 2-6-2T for the 4½ miles of mainly 1-in-60 from Brimscombe to and through the tunnel. 3811 was released from Swindon two weeks into the war and had just been re-allocated on 15th July 1950 to Llanelly from its old home of 86E Severn Tunnel Junction, it is highly likely that they were reluctant to release the engine so is still working off STJ, which was the old GW code.