The driver of 43021 gave me a friendly thumbs up as he passed Waulkmill, west of Insch, with 1A14, the 10:56 from Inverness to Aberdeen, on 9 September 2023. 43149 was on the back.
It's good to see some HST workings on this lightly trafficked route, although most trains are still booked for DMUs of Classes 158 or 170. Jointed track and semaphore signals are the norm along much of the line and there's still bullhead rail in a number of locations, such as on the far track here.