A short visit to the UK produced my first steam of the year on 30th April when we drove off the Eurotunnel straight to Dungeness where we saw SAMSON departing for Romney.
Two days later we moved from Reading to Thame and called in at Lower Basildon to see 35028 CLAN LINE hauling the VSOE to Didcot en route to Oxford.
Back in Spain I got news that the Tren de la Fresa had commenced running on Saturdays and Sundays and would continue until early November, except for July and August, but I was not sure if it would be steam-hauled this year as the Garratt had returned to Lleida. Driving through the centre of Madrid just after 10 am on Sunday 17th May I was surprised to see the train cross a bridge in front of me and pass by a large yard, and it had a steam locomotive on the front. I drove on to Ciempozuelos as planned to take some photographs, then continued to Aranjuez to take more. The locomotive was a North British 4-8-2, 141F2111 GALICIA.
On 13th June I visited the Spanish Railway museum at Vilanova y la Geltru.
