On the night of the 8th/9th December 2009, 97304 “John Tiley” continued to undertake ERTMS brake tests with 10 WCRC coaches as a dead weight from Shrewsbury to Newtown and return, in order to measure the brake performance for any forthcoming railtour work the 97/3s may have to perform. This involved repeatedly accelerating the train to speed and repeatedly bringing it to a halt with heavy braking, such that the brakes were so hot at the station that sparks were flying off the brake blocks. 97304 “John Tiley” prepares to leave Newtown back to Shrewsbury on ERTMS braking trials with 10 WCRC coaches. Fortunately for the two of us snappers, the driver left the train in an extremely fortunate position for us to photograph it.
