Tyseley was not normally associated with Cravens units, but towards the end of their careers a few sets were allocated there. On 20 March 1982, Tyseley set TS405 with 50812 leading passes the site of Blackwell station and prepares to descend the 1 in 37 Lickey Incline with a Birmingham New Street to Hereford working. 50812 was the final Class 105 vehicle to be withdrawn, outlasting all its classmates by several months and finally being withdrawn on October 1988. It spent its last few months in traffic numbered 53812.

On 2 November 1985, 51276 passes the site of the Midland Railway station at Barton and Walton (Barton-under-Needwood and Walton-on-Trent), on the line between Derby and Birmingham. It is working the 08:23 Cleethorpes to Birmingham New Street service. The goods shed is clearly visible as the only tangible remnant of the station, but this is before the surrounding area became developed with a large motel.

51298 & 54458 approach Sleaford North Junction on 14 June 1986 with the 17:15 Sheffield to Sleaford service. A wonderful location for railway photography, standing on the busy A17 Sleaford bypass, next to the sewage works! At least the bracket semaphore signal party makes up for it. I hope prospective passengers had worked out that for some reason the unit is displaying its point of origin in the destination blind, rather than where it is going. It was no more accurate when it came back a little while later.

54458 & 51298 pass Sleaford North Junction signal box with the 19:34 Sleaford to Lincoln Central service on 14 June 1986 (not Sheffield as shown in the destination blind). It has just traversed the sharply curved single track line seen here coming in from the right. This links the Lincoln to Spalding line, which is basically freight only for a short stretch from here to Sleaford South Junction, with the Nottingham to Skegness line. This DMU only had another three months left in traffic when this picture was taken. Both vehicles were subsequently cut up at Mayer Newman at Snailwell.

The 15:32 Peterborough to Cambridge services approaches the level crossing at Eastrea on 1 September 1984, with 53377 leading. Class 105s were still very common in the Fens at the time, but it would be all change just a few years later, with the onset of Sprinterisation. 53377 was withdrawn two years after this picture was taken, and cut up at Vic Berry's, Leicester in 1987.

With smoke from straw burning (now of course banned) in a neighbouring field drifting across the line, 53381 leads the 15:34 Cambridge to Peterborough service past Eastrea (near Whittlesey) on 1 September 1984. 53381 was withdrawn in May 1987 and cut up during the same year at Mayer Newman, Snailwell. Right up until the class's demise in 1988 these units were regularly seen in the Fens, rattling along on local services such as this.

In connection with the Bedford River Festival a special train service was in operation on the Bletchley to Bedford line on Sunday 29 May 1988. This was something of a novelty as to save opening all the many signal boxes there was not normally a Sunday service on the line at the time. The highlight was the use of the green liveried Class 105 vehicles 54122 & 53359, which had been repainted into something approaching the original green livery a couple of years before. As a yellow warning panel had to be included, the original wasp stripe was added to this panel in black. With 54122 leading the unit is pictured arriving at Kempston Hardwick in a brief patch of sunshine with the 10:55 Bletchley to Bedford service.

54122 & 53359 pull away from Woburn Sands whilst working the 12:55 Bletchley to Bedford service on 29 May 1988. This was one of a number of special services on the line in connection with the Bedford River Festival. As can be seen from the amount of cloud in the background, this was one of those annoying days when getting the short sunny spells to correspond with the trains wasn't easy, and this was one of the few sunny shots of the day. Although a haven for heritage DMUs at the time, this green liveried Class 105 was certainly not the usual motive power on the line.

I do not often bother with going away shots, but this was too good to miss! After taking the picture of 54122 & 53359 leaving Woburn Sands with the 12:55 Bletchley to Bedford special service on 29 May 1988, I realised that the brief sunny spell combined with the dark clouds would make an even better picture as the train headed away from me. With 53359 nearest the camera, the vintage unit heads off towards Bedford and into the bad weather.

Surrounded by the London Brick Company's brickwork chimneys, 54122 & 53359 pass Forders Sidings signal box with the 16:55 Bletchley to Bedford service on 29 May 1988. Normally there were no trains on this line on a Sunday, but a series of specials were running in connection with the Bedford River Festival. Note the amount of rust on the lines in the foreground, giving the impression that they are disused. However, the line diverging off to the right was at the time definitely open for trains of London's rubbish to be dumped in the nearby disused brick pits.

53359 & 54122 approach Stewartby with the 17:42 Bedford to Bletchley service on 29 May 1988. This was one of a number of specials operating over the line in connection with the Bedford River Festival. The sun was almost on the point of coming out here after a heavy shower, giving rise to this odd lighting effect. Despite the fact that this green liveried Class 105 was operating some of the services and the line abounded in excellent photographic locations with semaphore signaling, there were only a few photographers out to record the event. Of course if the same thing happened nowadays the line would be inundated with photographers.

54446 leads a motley rake of stock past Asgarby on 1 September 1984 with the 10:07 Skegness to Nottingham service. Note the 1980s BR driver's uniform! This is probably one of the very last pictures taken of 54446, as it was withdrawn the following month, and at the time hardly anybody was interested in what we now refer to as heritage units. It did not hang around once withdrawn either, being quickly dispatched to Mayer Newman's at Snailwell for breaking up.

54447 leads what is presumably the very late running 10:42 New Mills Central to Sheffield service past New Mills South Junction on 27 April 1984. 54447 was withdrawn in September 1986 and cut up in the same month by Mayer Newman at Snailwell. The line to the left here skirts the south of Manchester, and at the time this photo was taken was still a freight only route prior to the opening of the Hazel Grove Chord.

I don't normally take going away shots, even of DMUs, but as this is the only picture I managed to get of the preserved Class 105 unit during its long sojourn on the West Somerset Railway, it will have to do! In the pouring rain on 11 March 1995, the 14:35 Bishops Lydeard to Minehead service leaves Blue Anchor with Class 115 51663 (since scrapped) leading. 56121 is nearest the camera, with the sole surviving Class 105 motor coach (51485) in the centre of the formation.