My record shows this to be the morning Liverpool to Plymouth North to West working and Shrewsbury shed's 1016 County of Hants has brought the express down from Shrewsbury via the Severn Tunnel to here at Bristol Temple Meads. Working down from Liverpool via Crewe the Midland Region engine would have come off at Shrewsbury, that location being the hand over point to Western Region Motive Power . The driver is coming down from the footplate to change the lamp code whilst his fireman is doubtless uncoupling the engine in order to go over to Bath Road shed, and the spotters of various ages are out in force so it's probably a Saturday or school holiday. A fresh engine will now work this train down to Plymouth. I may be wrong in assuming that this engine is coming off this working here at Temple Meads, as further research shows me that Shrewsbury locomotives on these North to West rosters regularly worked through Bristol down to Newton Abbot, returning home from there on a reverse duty the following day, such rosters being shared by Shrewsbury and Newton Abbot locomotives and footplate crews . It could well be, therefore, that the driver is going to take water from the adjacent water tower on the platform as he's drawn up in the right position, and his fireman could be atop the tender ready to place the bag into the filler . Whilst Shrewsbury crews often had the choice between a County or a Castle from their home shed for these workings, Newton Abbot Depot invaraibly used one of their well kept Castles, but both Depots kept their locomotives in fine condition . 1016 was one of Shrewsbury's regulars for these North to West duties at this period in time .