The barriers on the level crossing in the background are just lifting again after the passage of 158701 with the 10:08 Glasgow Queen Street to Inverness ScotRail service on 12 April 2004. The location is Forteviot, in the wide valley of the River Earn, between Gleneagles and Perth. 158701 was the first unit of this large class to enter service, and the only one to do so in the 1980s, being delivered from the BREL works at Derby in October 1989.

158712 stands at Georgemas Junction on 7 August 2000 with the 12:10 Wick to Inverness ScotRail service. Although at first sight this may seem odd, as it is in fact facing Wick, all trains from Wick first visit Thurso before bactracking to Georgemas Junction and then continuing on their way to Inverness. 158712 has just arrived from Thurso (departure time 12:37) around the sharply curved line to the right in the background. The driver will shortly change ends and then head off across the remote Caithness countryside on its nearly four hour journey to Inverness.

158713 passes the site of Meikle Ferry station on 19 April 2003 with the 06:29 Wick to Aberdeen ScotRail service. This tiny bridge once carried the road to the Dornoch Ferry, the only means of crossing the Dornoch Firth before the building of the road bridge in 1991. Prior to that road traffic was forced to take the long inland detour via Bonar Bridge. The railway still has an even longer detour via Lairg. Meikle Ferry station was once the temporary terminus of the line, and closed as long ago as 1869! The station building can be seen in the background.

In typically gloomy Scottish weather conditions, 158722 arrives at Strathcarron with the 15:13 Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness ScotRail service on 27 August 2005. 40145 was waiting to cross this train in the station with the 1Z40 'Whistling Scotsman' railtour.

158726 crosses over the Loth Burn, near the site of Loth station (between Helmsdale and Brora) with the 11:56 Wick to Inverness First ScotRail service on 7 October 2007. Although a very photogenic spot, it is very difficult to hear trains approaching here due to the waterfalls in the burn below, and as you can't see any further than the start of the cutting visible in the background here, I was waiting anxiously for this train to appear, hoping that I would fire the shutter at just the right time to place the train centrally on the bridge. I certainly wasn't going to get it wrong, as this is the only southbound train on the line on a Sunday! Luckily I managed to get it just right, but I was certainly glad I had the wideangle lens with me!

158728 pulls into Achnasheen station to pick up a single passenger on 27 August 2005. It is working the 16:48 Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness ScotRail service, one of only four up services over the line, and even this service doesn't run for the full period of the summer timetable. Although seemingly very remote, Achnasheen is actually an important settlement on the Kyle of Lochalsh line, as it has a petrol station, and a hotel as well as a road junction. Not many houses though!

158737 passes Melton Ross on 26 July 2003 with the 14:29 Cleethorpes to Manchester Airport Trans Pennine Express service. The claret livery of these Trans Pennine Class 158s looked quite stylish, and is certainly preferable to some of the bizarre liveries that we have seen on the national network since privatisation. This unit was disbanded later the following year, with the individual vehicles finding their way into newly formed three car sets 158971 & 158972.

158745 passes Berkley on 9 April 2005 with a Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth Wessex Trains service. The unit is wearing the obsolete Alphaline livery, subtlety rebranded with the new owners name. It hardly seemed worth adopting a new livery, as the company , which took over from Wales & West in 2001, was superceded by First Great Western less than five years later.

In a small patch of autumnal sunshine on 25 September 2009, 158748 emerges from Wickwar Tunnel with the 10:51 Great Malvern to Brighton First Great Western service. The footbridge in the background is also an aqueduct, carrying a small stream across the railway in a cast iron trough underneath the footpath.

In golden evening light, 158762 passes Tredington on 13 February 2008 with the 14:51 Great Malvern to Weymouth First Great Western service. 4 hours 20 minutes is a bit of a marathon journey in a DMU, surely? This unit carries the latest version of First's livery, with strange lower bodyside graphics.

The morning of 28 October 2008 was clear and frosty, so despite the forecast of rapidly building cloud followed by showers, I decided a trip to the Gloucester to Swindon line was required in order to photograph the autumn colours in the so called 'Golden Valley'. Unfortunately due to the depth of the valley and the abundance of trees on both sides of the line, most locations are in deep shade at this time of year. However, near the approach to Sapperton Tunnel there is a gap, which despite one annoying shadow provides a clear view with a magnificently coloured background. 158763 climbs the bank with the 09:38 Cheltenham to Swindon First Great Western service. Just prior to this a fox had been sunning himself up against the fence by the sign in the background!

How's this for a livery off the beaten track. Over 400 miles from its former haunts, 158786 is still sporting full South West Trains livery, complete with branding as it approaches Gleneagles with the 08:41 Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen First ScotRail service on 6 July 2008, in the company of more appropriately liveried 170418. ScotRail acquired two former South West Trains Class 158s in 2007, SWT having earlier acquired them from Central Trains. It is unusual for transferred units to retain their former operator's name, even if the livery remains unaltered, so perhaps residents of the Highlands think this refers to south west Scotland!

158791 just arrives at Old Denaby before the cloud on 17 April 2006, whilst working the 10:57 Manchester Airport to Cleethorpes TransPennine Express service. The unit is wearing the former Central Trains livery, with all signs of the former operator removed, to be replaced with First TransPennine Express branding.

158792 approaches Chinley on 10 March 1997 with the 11:43 Sheffield to Liverpool Lime Street. The unit is still in its original Provincial Railways livery, with 'Express' branding breaking up the two blue bodyside bands.

158793 arrives at Goole with the 07:41 Sheffield to Bridlington Northern Rail service on 26 June 2008. This unit carries additional advertising vinyls over the standard Northern Rail livery. Compare it with 158860 which worked the next hourly service. Note the Guardian float glass works in the background.

A pair of obsolete liveries at Rauceby on 25 July 2009. 158812 (in the old East Midlands Trains colour scheme) & 158862 (in rebranded former Central Trains livery) speed past with the 08:45 Nottingham to Skegness service. Frustratingly it is not possible to include the R of Rauceby's signal box nameboard in the picture without stepping off the platform edge!

158820 speeds through Bittern on the Southampton to Fareham line with the 12:00 Cardiff Central to Brighton Regional Railways service on  5 March 1994. 158820 was just over two years old when this photo was taken and still carried its original livery. Superb late afternoon lighting with some very threatening dark clouds in the background over Southampton.

Sunshine and shade at Portskewett on 20 September 2008. 158823 passes with the 09:17 Maesteg to Cheltenham Arriva Trains Wales service. On the face of it an unlikely through service, I wonder if any passengers ever travel the entire route? The field on the right was the site of Time Team's recent excavation of the site where Harold Godwinson, later to become King Harold, built a hunting lodge in 1065 after defeating the Welsh. Hence the local name of Harold's Field.

I wonder if there is a buffet trolley selling pasties on this train? Ginsters liveried 158825 leaves Wem station with the 08:41 Crewe to Shrewsbury service on 4 June 2005. Although the signal box survives by virtue of the adjacent level crossing, the station itself now only has very basic passenger facilities.

158829 climbs the 1 in 37 Lickey Incline on 26 July 2003 with the 07:05 Cardiff Central to Birmingham New Street Wales & Borders Trains service. Wales & Borders was a very short lived franchise, lasting barely two years. It replaced Wales & West and was succeeded by Arriva Trains Wales. 158829 is wearing the Alphaline livery, originally applied by Wales & West.

158830 passes Nant-y-Derry (between Abergavenny and Pontypool) with the 05:23 Holyhead to Cardiff Central Wales & Borders service on 23 August 2003. The unit is wearing the Alphaline livery, complete with large A graphics that were partially interrupted by the windows.

158853 accelerates away from Goole with the 16:32 Beverley to Sheffield Northern Rail service on 8 May 2007. This is one of the former Central Trains units, and still bears that company's livery, albeit with all branding painted out. In the background 66230 can be seen waiting to leave with the 6H93 17:04 Goole to Peterborough Yard sand empties.

A close up action shot of 158856 as it passes Manea with the 13:24 Peterborough to Stansted Central Trains service on 23 January 2005. After a ten year reign, Central lost its franchise in November 2007, with this service passing to Arriva Cross Country. Other parts of the network were split between East Midlands Trains and London Midland.

158860 arrives at Goole with the 08:41 Sheffield to Bridlington Northern Rail service on 26 June 2008. The Guardian float glass works dominates the background, and the line serving the plant can be seen, both on the right of the picture, and crossing the field just below the main buildings in the distance. Note that the former open space next to the railway is now home to industrial units, with stacks of chemical drums up against the railway fence on the left.

158861 slows down for the approach to Goole station on 11 March 2009 whilst working the 09:06 Bridlington to Sheffield Northern Rail service. The signal on the left protects the swing bridge over the River Ouse, which is a short distance around the corner to the right. Although very infrequently used nowadays, there are still occasions when rail services face an unexpected delay while a large ship passes through. It is just as well there isn't more river traffic, as there can be a significant wait, as the whole opening and closing process is rather protracted.

158864 glints in the low late evening sun as it passes Gonerby Moor with the 17:45 Nottingham to Skegness East Midlands Trains service on 25 July 2009. Yet another variation of livery on an EMT Class 158, this time a rebranded Alphaline example. This train has just traversed the recently constructed Allington curve, which allows Skegness trains to call at Grantham without interfering with traffic on the Eat Coast Mainline. Skegness bound trains now leave Grantham on the same line they arrived on, rather than heading up the ECML and diverging at Barkston South Junction. Note that despite the modern trackwork that has been constructed just beyond the bridge in the background, this section is still vintage bullhead track.

The First Great Western Westbury to Swindon service is poorly used due to the bizarre timing of the infrequent trains. There are just two trains in each direction Mondays to Saturdays, and inexplicably two trains from Westbury to Swindon on a Sunday, but none in the opposite direction! 158872 in the now defunct Alphaline livery passes Langley Burrell with the 09:07 Westbury to Swindon service on 8 September 2007.

In soft late afternoon spring sunshine 158880 passes Lee (between Romsey and Southampton) with the 14:48 Salisbury to Southampton South West Trains service on 21 March 2009. A large tree is inconveniently positioned just to the left of the bridge on which I am standing, which effectively precludes getting any further to the side for a wider angle view.

An interloper on the Cheltenham to Swindon 'Golden Valley' line! Hired in South West Trains 158880 approaches the site of Oaksey station on 14 November 2009 with the 12:01 Cheltenham to Swindon First Great Western service. For a long time this view was virtually impossible due to tree growth, but a recent Railtrack blitz has seen the entire cutting side cleared of vegetation.

South West Trains in Lincolnshire! Well away from its former territory, 158883 shows no signs of East Midlands Trains ownership as it calls at Ancaster to pick up a couple of passengers whilst working the 10:15 Skegness to Nottingham service on 25 July 2009. 153308 can just be seen on the rear of the train. Only a handful of trains stop at Ancaster each day.

A slightly different viewpoint at Kemble Wick on 5 March 2010. With the ivy covered bridge parapet in the foreground, 158887 heads south with the 13:40 Cheltenham to Swindon service. 158887 is on hire to First Great Western from South West Trains, and brings a welcome livery variation to the route. Just visible in the distance in the centre of this picture is the spire of Kemble church.

In superb evening lighting, with the low sun contrasting with the dark clouds to the north, 158907 heads south from Goole and approaches Creykes Crossing with the 16:27 Hull to Doncaster Northern Rail service on 13 March 2007. The dock cranes of Goole can just be seen in the background.

158950 speeds through Dean with the 11:22 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central First Great Western service on 21 March 2009. First Great Western trains do not call at the intermediate stations on this line, the local service being provided by South West Trains.

158950 passes Bapton with the 14:22 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central First Great Western service on 14 October 2009. A pleasant enough location, but it's a pity I never visited this location in the 1980s when Class 33s were the regular motive power on these trains!

158951 passes Abbotswood with the 2O94 14:51 Great Malvern to Weymouth First Great Western service on 20 March 2009. In this view the redundant cab end of the former two car 158764 can clearly be seen. The lead vehicle (52751 from disbanded set 158751) was added to the set to form a three car unit when it was originally operated by Wessex Trains.

On 4 October 2003 the Cotswold Line Promotion Group ran the 'Cotswold - Taff Express' special train from Oxford to Cardiff using the unusual unit combination for the Cotswold Line of 158956 & 156405. The special is pictured arriving at Moreton-in-Marsh. Although Class 156s were used on the line for a short period, Class 158s have never been regularly used and therefore this is certainly a unique pairing for the route.

On 21 March 2009, 158957 is pictured passing Awbridge (near Romsey) with the 11:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour First Great Western service. An ideal location for photographing southbound trains, but sadly useless for anything heading in the opposite direction due to the close proximity of another roadbridge and encroaching vegetation.