159003 round the curve at Oborne (on the approach to Sherborne) with the 08:35 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids Network SouthEast service on 26 March 1994. Although the NSE livery now makes this picture historic, I certainly didn't travel down to the west country for a 159 unit, but was at this location for the '50 Terminator' railtour.

A location that unfortunately was not very good for photography in the early 1990s, during the last days of the Class 50s on the West of England line, was the deep cutting at Lower Wyke (near Andover). However, a massive tree clearance operation has opened up the view, but of course now the only thing to photograph is the procession of Class 159 units. So here is one (159003) passing the site with the 1L34 10:45 Salisbury to Waterloo South West Trains service on 22 May 2010.

159010 & 159019 speed past Potbridge on 2 January 2010 with the 13:20 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids South West Trains service. Nearly two decades before I was photographing Class 50s on these trains, but I don't ever remember seeing a woman train driver in those days!

Once the Class 50s were withdrawn from the West of England line in 1992, my once frequent visits to the route virtually stopped overnight. However, I did call in at Crewkerne on 8 October 1994 and saw 159015 arrive with the 12:35 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids Network SouthEast service. The signal box and goods shed in the background are no longer in railway use, but the impressive 1859 built London & South Western Railway station building is assured a secure future as it is grade 2 listed.

I arrived at Potbridge (between Woking and Basingstoke) on 5 December 2007 just as the rain was clearing, so quickly grabbed this picture from the north side of the line before the sun came out. The rain clouds are still visible in the background as 159016 & 159104 speed by with the 10:50 Waterloo to Salisbury South West Trains service.

159016 & 159018 pass Lower Wyke on 22 May 2010 with the 09:26 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo South West Trains service. The tree stumps visible in the foreground gives an idea of the amount of vegetation clearance at this location, which has opened up the view of this lengthy chalk cutting in both directions.

159018 passes Potbridge (near Hook) on 5 December 2007 with the 11:20 Waterloo to Yeovil Junction South West Trains service. The bridge in the background, which carries the minor road between Potbridge and Murrel Green, still has evidence of Second World War defences in the form of concrete 'dragon's teeth' beside the road.

Still in commendably clean condition, 159020 races through St James Park station, on the outskirts of Exeter with the on 10:12 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids Network SouthEast service on 10 July 1993. 159020 had been in service less than a year when this picture was taken. The class having taken over from Class 47s & 50s on this former Southern Railway route.

159103 approaches Grateley on 21 March 2009 with the 10:45 Salisbury to Waterloo South West Trains service. This was one of my favourite spots to photograph Class 50s in their final years on the route and I was quite surprised that the location is still fine for photography, as many other locations on the line have become hopelessly overgrown in the intervening years.