On the rare occasions it manages to snow at a time whilst trains are running, I (Ben) always try to make the effort to get some shots on the Worth Valley. It helps living close to the line, though I admit the snowstorm which hit on the last weekend of November 2021 slightly caught me by surprise. Expecting only a light shower, I stopped off at Keighley on the way out of town to get some shots of the 4F pulling out of the station with an "Elf Express" service.
The snow coming down looked a little unreal.
I'll be honest, this was as much snow as I was expecting, and was a little disappointed this was as well as I expected to do for snow shots in 2021...
...however, in Bingley, the snow just kept coming. Me and Elder Child headed out to the station, as a Network Rail Test Train was due, and I thought it would make for a publishable picture, a yellow train with all that white.
However, the snow was getting sufficiently heavy that the services were getting progressively more delayed, and they canned the test train in Leeds rather than risk it up the Settle-Carlisle line. We did manage a few pics of the 333's crawling through, but decided with the snow getting heavier we probably ought to head for home just in case we got stuck.
After slithering back to the Worth Valley later in the day, the sky was clearing, so it was time to don boots and head out for some pics..
The sky was looking good and dramatic, at my usual spot in the woods, but there were Naughty Teenagers Up To No Good, and I didn't fancy getting mugged and thrown in the river, so headed back towards Ingrow.
Luckily I was just in time to see the 4F making another pass, as the sky clouded over again, producing a very monochrome shot...
...the Ivatt 41241 adding a splash of colour on the way back, though not the best angle for it. I considered waiting for it to come back, but it was getting miserably cold, and I decided I needed a brew instead.
Whilst walking Younger Child to school the next morning, the unmistakeable sound of a diesel locomotive came drifting up the valley, and indeed the visiting Railfreight 26 was sat in the yard at Ingrow, waiting for a lorry home to Derbyshire that evening.
I had business over at Vintage Carriages Trust, which gave me a nice chance to pop into the yard and get some snaps later in the morning.
The lighting was a tad strange, but good, and the loco looked great in the snow. I love this colour scheme anyway, and the snow really made it stand out.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, being snowy shots these pics did rather well for publications in the Christmas issues of the mags. Rail, above (which admittedly caught me a bit by surprise, they hadn't said they were picking up a shot for publishing).
Heritage Railways published four shots!
And the KWVR themselves used a shot online to publicise the Mulled Wine trains.
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