44871 and 45407 blasts over Knucklas Viaduct on the Heart of Wales Line - The Great Britain XVI

The Great Britain Railtour enters its final two days as the two Ian Riley Black Fives as 44871 and 45407 haul the Great Britain XVI over rare territory as they head to Swansea from Liverpool via the Welsh Marches Line and the Heart of Wales line including the spectacular sight at Knucklas Viaduct. The weather was quite good with sunshine with a bit of a cold chill making the exhaust completely visible with a few thin layers of cloud. This was new territory for me as I hadn't visited the Heart of Wales Line before and given that it sees steam trains on the line every couple of years, means it was an opportunity I couldn't turn down.
My first shot took me to Leebotwood on the outskirts of Church Stretton to capture 44871 and 45407 'The Lancashire Fusilier storming away from Shrewsbury towards their pathing stop at Craven Arms to wait for clearance onto the Heart of Wales Line as well as detaching the diesel from the train. 44871 and 45407 were around 15 minutes late, however, they both sounded stunning and going like the clappers as they thundered through the delightful Welsh Marches countryside. Afterwards was a drive to Knucklas Viaduct where I expected to be very busy full of onlookers waiting for the two black fiives, and indeed it was. I got to my location, but there was already a gallery of photographers and videographers in prime position waiting for them. Whilst waiting for them. The clouds gathered some more, but it was all about the sight and sound of two LMS Black Fives over Knucklas Viaduct that I was more interested in. They left Knighton around 20 minutes late, but as expected they didn't disappoint. 44871 and 45407 can be seen climbing away from Knighton on a 1 in 60 climb towards their water stop at Llandrindod Wells. The sound was echoing through the valley which made it even more special and even though the clouds appeared at the wrong time, the sound from 44871 and 45407 was absolutely spectacular.
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[@geraldineaherne9763]

Excellent camera work. Thank you for sharing.

[@Linesider1]

Fantastic shots, a great sight and sound with great panning and zooming. Cheers, David.

[@pbsteamatspeed7683]

Great video thanks for posting!!

[@sharoncarter4086]

Wow so beautiful, never seen two engines running together. Really wonderful to see, well done !!! Just subscribed

[@willhemmings]

A great shot of the famous duo at the location where I find weather plays tricks on the observer

[@bobnweaver]

Superb video.

[@user-gk8gg1zt7l]

Great video. 🤩 Like me.