L572 (51054, 59413 & 51082) passes Lyneham with the 2B60 16:35 Reading to Moreton-in-Marsh local service on 30 May 1985. This was the only down train to call at all the smaller stations on the Cotswold Line, and is probably still accelerating away from Shipton station, which is less than a mile away, just out of sight around the corner. L572 was withdrawn in 1988 and all three vehicles cut up at Vic Berry's of Leicester, although for some reason the centre trailer beat the two power cars to the scrapyard by a year! For its final year in traffic the unit ran with a Class 101 centre car.

L575 (51060, 59419 & 51088) arrives at Moreton-in-Marsh on 5 April 1984 with the 16:33 Reading to Moreton-in-Marsh 'all stations' service. This view is no longer possible due to uncontrolled vegetation growth in the foreground. Even if it was possible to get around this, the wide open view with buildings and fields visible all the way across to the Evenlode road has been replaced by a virtual tunnel of trees along the line

After arriving with the 16:33 Reading to Moreton-in-Marsh service on 5 April 1984, L575 (51060, 59419 & 51088) has shunted across to the up platform at Moreton-in-Marsh to get out of the way of the following 17:07 Paddington to Hereford train. It will then later form the 19:25 service to Oxford. Note the two lines of ballast wagons in the sidings in preparations for the following weekend's track relaying work between Combe and Hanborough.

L575 (51088, 59419 & 51060) accelerates away from Kingham station on 28 April 1987 with the 2B60 16:40 Reading to Moreton-in-Marsh 'all stations' service. It is passing the abutments of the bridge that once carried the former Banbury to Cheltenham line over the Oxford to Worcester route. Although used by some freight, the bridge was little used by passenger trains, with all services with the exception of the daily 'Port to Ports Express' calling at Kingham station (seen here in the background), and accessing the Banbury to Cheltenham line by two chord lines.

Glinting in the strong backlighting, B577 (51063, 59422 & 51091) passes Cassington on 3 March 1984 with the 08:36 Reading to Hereford service. Unfortunately this wide open viewpoint has since been replaced by a virtual tunnel of trees and bushes and is now practically useless for photography.

On a perfectly clear autumnal morning, B577 (51063, 59422 & 51091) rounds the curve between Shipton and Ascott-under-Wychwood with the 09:32 Worcester Shrub Hill to Oxford service. The date is 10 November 1985, and being a Sunday, this is the first up train of the day over the Cotswold Line. This location is where the Oxfordshire Way long distance footpath crosses the line and was an excellent viewpoint for eastbound trains in the mid 1980s. However, a plantation of trees next to the line on the left now shades the line for a lot of the time, and certainly a November picture such as this would now be very difficult.

In a very lucky patch of sunshine, B577 (51091, 59422 & 51063) rounds the curve on the approach to Shipton station with the 09:32 Worcester Shrub Hill to Oxford service on 23 March 1986. This was the first up train of the day over the Cotswold Line on a Sunday at this time, but would not be stopping at Shipton. In fact even now there are still no Sunday services that call at any of the smaller stations on the Cotswold Line, including Shipton, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Combe and Hanborough. Note the patch painting of the unit prefix, having recently moved from Swansea to Bristol. Either of these were unusual for the class at the time, as they were mainly used in the London area. B577 was withdrawn in 1988 an cut up at Mayer Newman's at Snailwell.

L579 (51093, 59424, & 51065) passes under the road bridge at Charlbury on 8 May 1987 with the 08:08 Hereford to Oxford service. Note the white sighting patch painted on the bridge, to increase the visibility of the long since removed semaphore signals. In the foreground is the remains of the old end loading dock, which was swept away a few years later when the ridiculously short former up platform was lengthened.

B583 (51097, 59428 & 51069) passes Croome on 14 May 1984 with a Worcester Shrub Hill to Gloucester ECS. At this time it was often possible to spend most of the day at this location without meeting another photographer. However from the 1990s onwards it became an extremley well used photographic location.

B583 (51097, 59428 & 51069) emerges from Wickwar Tunnel on 10 August 1985 with the 15:24 Worcester Shrub Hill to Bristol Temple Meads service. I suppose you would call this a local stopping train, but in 1985 it only called at the large stations of Cheltenham, Gloucester and Bristol Parkway, as the truly local stations had been closed in the 1960s. Since then of course, Ashchurch as well as Cam and Dursley have both reopened.

L584 (51070, 59429 & 51098) pulls away from Combe station on the Cotswold Line with the 07:48 Moreton-in-Marsh to Oxford service on 21 August 1982. Originally opened by the Great Western Railway as Combe Halt in 1935, it initially had two platforms, but lost the former down platform when the line was singled in 1971. Despite the remote location the station survives to this day, albeit with a very minimal train service.

L584 (51098, 59429, & 51070) approaches Oaksey on 2 April 1983 with the 14:24 Cheltenham to Swindon service. This uninterrupted view along the long straight section of track was not to last much longer, as the small ash tree in the foreground didn't stay small for very long! Note the impressive line of redundant telegraph poles on the left.

The Abingdon Branch Line closed to passengers on 9 September 1963 but was retaining for freight traffic, principally for the movement of cars from the MG works. Unfortunately the MG factory closed in 1980 and thereafter the branch saw very little traffic. It was finally closed in 1984 and to mark the occasion, the Oxford University Railway Society ran a shuttle service between Radley (the line's junction with the main line) and Abingdon on 30 June 1984. With an improvised 'Farewell Abingdon 1856 - 1984' headboard stuck to the centre windscreen with sticky tape, L585 (51075, 59434 & 51103) passes one of the foot crossings on the approach to Abingdon with another trip from Radley, all of which conspired to pass me in cloudy conditions. Ironically this is the only time that I saw this particular unit.

B591 (51059, 59433 & 51102) lays a smoke screen over Oxford as it departs with the 14:28 Oxford to Great Malvern service on 22 April 1986. Unbelievably, given today's frequency of trains on the Cotswold Line, the previous down working had been 3½ hours earlier! The residents of the newly built canal side houses just off Walton Well Road are constantly complaining about the fumes from Turbo units that stable in the sidings made invisible here by the smoke. They should consider themselves lucky that their houses weren't built in 1986, as there certainly would have been a few letters written to the papers if they had to put up with this lot!

Finstock Halt was opened by the Great Western Railway on 9 April 1934, one of a number of new halts on the Cotswold Line. Being the nearest Saturday to the 50th anniversary, 7 April 1984 was chosen as a day for local celebrations at the diminutive station. Unfortunately despite the best efforts of the Cotswold Line Promotion Group and others, it did not look its best due to the temporary scaffold built platform then in use! Bedecked with flags and 'Finstock Fifty' banners the station is seen here with more people than it normally sees for weeks at a time. L592 (51071, 59530 & 51101) has made a special stop whilst working the 2C68 08:36 Reading to Hereford service, and is now heading off towards Charlbury.

L593 (51085, 59431, & 51072) stands in the bay platform at Moreton-in-Marsh just after sunrise on 9 Aril 1983. After the passage of the 07:00 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington loco hauled train, this unit would move into the main platform ready to depart with the 07:50 Moreton-in-Marsh to Oxford all stations local service. The track on the right, which can be seen curving away towards the course of the former Shipston-on-Stour branch, has subsequently been lifted.

An historic scene at Shipton on 18 September 1982. C594 (51073, 59435 & 51104) rounds the curve through the station with the 15:37 Didcot to Hereford service, travelling on vintage 95lb per yard bullhead rail. Note how the unit has had its Cardiff prefix letter painted out, on it recent transfer to Reading. It would soon aquire the L for London prefix. On the left can be seen the remains of the goods loading dock with three ex Great Western Railway corrugated iron huts beyond. The two nearest of these last remnants of the steam age were swept away shortly afterwards, and now a small industrial estate occupies the site. Trees have now grown up all around the up platform in the background, and of course the Class 119 unit is no more. However, FWP Matthews flour mill on the right is still in business, and is virtually the only unaltered part of this view.

L594 was a little short on 6 May 1990, and required the help of a Class 121 'bubble car' to make it up to a three car set. DMBC 51073 is obviously under repair, leaving just 51104 & 59435 to show the versatility of the first generation DMU fleet by substituting the Class 121 for the missing driving car. It is pictured here at a very rural Didcot North Junction with the 2C21 09:33 Oxford to Didcot 'all stations' Network SouthEast service.

B595 (51074, 59430, & 51086) passes Stoke Orchard with the 15:21 Worcester Shrub Hill to Bristol Temple Meads service on 21 July 1984. Note the two red signs on the two leading vehicles indicating the extended luggage capacity of these cross country units. Although actually nearer to the village of Stoke Orchard than Bishops Cleeve, this is the site of Cleeve station (so called to avoid confusion with Bishops Cleeve station on the Cheltenham to Stratford line).

B596 (51099, 59416 & 51076) heads away from the camera at Aynho on 21 April 1984 with the 18:37 Banbury to Oxford service. This side view clearly shows the increased luggage capacity of the Class 119, with the red signs indicating not only the former guards area of the leading DMBC vehicle, but also the converted former buffet area in the centre TS vehicle. This viewpoint is a lot more grown up now, with various trackside bushes spoiling the view. Note the Marylebone line at a higher level in the background.

B596 (51099, 59416 & 51076) accelerates away from Charlbury station, and passes Cornbury Park with the 15:40 Great Malvern to Oxford service on 4 July 1985. Surprisingly, considering how much vegetation has grown at other locations on the Cotswold Line, this spot remains pretty much the same today.