170102 was the first three car Class 170 to be painted into Arriva Cross Country livery, although when this photo was taken the interior had still not been altered. The ex-works unit is pictured passing Tredington at speed with the 13:00 Nottingham to Cardiff Central Cross Country service on 13 February 2008. I'm not too sure about the large X on the dark red front end, which at first sight looks like vandalism or some other damage, but otherwise quite an attractive livery.

A location that I had been meaning to visit for some time is the footbridge in the fields near Churcham, just to the west of Gloucester. This spot gives excellent views of eastbound trains, with a clear view for several miles, way past Oakle Street (the bridge in the background). With the cows enjoying the sunshine in the meadows and the hills on the north edge of the Forest of Dean in the background, 170102 passes by with the 1M60 09:45 Cardiff Central to Nottingham CrossCountry service on 4 May 2010.

In nice low evening light, 170103 passes Defford on 2 June 2009 with the 1M77 17:45 Cardiff Central to Nottingham CrossCountry service. The bridge over the River Avon can just be seen in the background, where the line disappears behind the bushes.

The footbridge at Spetchley is unusual in that nothing at all shades the line in either direction even when the sun is very low in the sky. Whilst visiting the location on 8 October 2008 I decided to make use of this fact by continuing to take pictures until the sun was nearly setting. So here is 170105 passing Spetchley in the very last of the light with the 16:57 Derby to Cardiff Central Arriva Cross Country service. Note that the sun is so low that the shadow from the track stretches half way across the field!

170107 passes Stoke Orchard on 18 September 2007 with the 13:00 Nottingham to Cardiff Central service. At this time these cross country services were still operated by Central Trains, but just two months after this picture was taken, Arriva would take over, rebranding the franchise (appropriately) CrossCountry.

170107 passes Up Hatherley on 16 March 2009 with the 1M60 09:45 Cardiff Central to Nottingham CrossCountry service. This viewpoint did not exist until the mid 1990s, when a new road was constructed around the ever growing suburbs to the west of Cheltenham.

170108 passes Croome on Sunday 31 July 2005 with the 11:55 Nottingham to Cardiff Central Trains service. This later version of Central's livery doesn't look quite as impressive as the first version, although at this time of year at least it is slightly different to the predominant background vegetation colour!

Catching the last rays of the setting sun, 170109 passes Tredington on 13 February 2008 with the 14:00 Nottingham to Cardiff Central Cross Country service. The unit is wearing the transitional livery, with the Cross Country logo applied to the former Midland Mainline colour scheme.

170109 emerges from the mist at Broken Cross (between Gloucester and Lydney) with the 1V10 08:00 Nottingham to Cardiff Central CrossCountry service on 18 February 2010. This remote farm level crossing offers reasonably unobstructed views in both directions.

170111 passes the sheep and new born lambs at Abbotswood on 20 March 2009 whilst working the 13:08 Nottingham to Cardiff Central Cross Country service. A bright spring day certainly helped here, as f11 was needed on a 60mm lens to keep both the foreground branches and the train in focus.

170113 passes East Goscote on 12 December 2009 with the 08:25 Stansted Airport to Birmingham New Street CrossCountry service. This route truly deserves the title cross country, traveling as it does through Cambridge, Ely, Peterborough, Melton Mowbray, Leicester, and Nuneaton.

170114 catches the evening sun at Spetchley as it heads south on 8 October 2008 with the 15:00 Nottingham to Cardiff Central CrossCountry service. This location has always been completley open to the west, but as can be seen here it is now also clear on the east side of the line. However, in 2004, there were several trees by the trackside.

A contrast in technologies at Manea on 23 January 2005. A modern unit in striking post privatisation livery passes semaphore signals left over from the age of steam. 170201 heads east with the 11:48 Peterborough to Liverpool Street One Railways service. What a stupid name for a train operating company! Thankfully the ridiculous 'One' name had a very short life.

A hybrid set is pictured at Eccles Heath on 27 November 2006 working the 11:40 Norwich to Cambridge One Railway service. The front coach is from One liveried unit 170207, while the rear coach is from Central Trains liveried 170101. Eccles Heath is situated in the Breckland area, between Attleborough and Thetford.

Shippea Hill station is situated in the middle of the fens, where the Littleport to Mildenhall road crosses the Ely to Thetford line. With only a few scattered farms in the vicinity passenger traffic is virtually non-existence, not helped by the fact that only one train calls in each direction per day. The two units per hour that make up the normal service merely rush through at speed, as in the case of 170273 seen here with the 10:40 Norwich to Cambridge One Railway service on 29 November 2006. The signal box, which when viewed from certain angles has a definite backwards lean, has had a modern extension added to the rear.

The application of the First Transpennine Express livery to certain Class 170s has certainly transformed their appearance. On 14 March 2008, 170306 & 170303 pass Hemingbrough with the 08:41 Manchester Piccadilly to Hull service, passing a surviving relic from the steam age - a cast iron milepost indicating 27 miles from Hull.

170306 passes Thorpe Willoughby in spectacular evening lighting on 26 July 2008 with the 19:00 Hull to Leeds First Trans Pennine Express service. This was a purely opportune shot, as I was stopped at the level crossing and the combination of a low setting sun and dark clouds occurred just at the right time. Note the barriers at the level crossing in the background just starting to rise and the adjacent 1873 built North Eastern Railway signal box.

170398 shows off its short lived Central Trains livery (slightly defaced with a grey panel containing CrossCountry branding), as it passes Fiddington on 18 February 2008 with the 1V26 12:02 Nottingham to Cardiff Central service. 170398 would shortly be repainted to match the rest of CrossCountry's fleet.

170401 passes Cauldcots (near Inverkeilor) with the 16:05 Edinburgh to Dyce First ScotRail service on 5 May 2008. Not a very good location to photograph a long train, but just right for a three vehicle Class 170!

170405 approaches Usan and the end of the short Montrose to Usan section of single track on 5 May 2008. It is working the 15:33 Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street First ScotRail service. This short section of single track on an otherwise double track mainline can be something of an operational bottleneck, however the viaduct at Inchbraoch would be a major stumbling block to adding a second track and the present level of service can just about cope with the inconvenience.

You wait patiently at a rural location for a train, then two come along at once! A very lucky passing shot at Boddin (near Montrose) on 5 May 2008, as 170410 heads north with the 07:41 Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen First ScotRail service, passing 170454 working the 08:50 Aberdeen to Edinburgh service. With a closing speed of well over 150 mph there was very little margin for error in taking this picture, and it was pure luck that they passed right in front of my lens!

After a largely sunny day, the haar (coastal fog) is rolling in from the sea again and blotting out the background as 170412 weaves round the reverse curves at Cauldcots with the 17:00 Dyce to Edinburgh First ScotRail service on 5 May 2008. In fact as I was waiting for this train to appear, lees and less of the village of Inverkeilor in the background could be seen.

170414 passes Errol (between Perth and Dundee) with the 06:40 Edinburgh to Dundee First ScotRail service on 6 May 2008. Errol station closed as recently as 1985 and is now a craft shop. As can be seen in this picture, the semaphore signals remain, protecting the busy level crossing.

First ScotRail has applied 'Backing Scotland's bid for first place' vinyls to 170420 to promote the drive for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The colourful unit is pictured passing Lathallan with the 14:30 Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street service on 5 October 2007. This was midway through a productive ten minutes spent at this location, which is in contrast to the long wait with nothing happening that is commonplace today.

170422 is surrounded by gorse in full bloom as it passes Bardrill with the 09:08 Dyce to Glasgow Queen Street ScotRail service on 11 June 2007. This version of ScotRail livery seems to be not so much a colour scheme, as how many different colours can we apply to one vehicle!

With both Forth Bridges just visible on the horizon, 170426 speeds towards Linlithgow on 5 October 2007 with the 13:30 Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street First ScotRail service. Unfortunately I never venture up to Scotland in time to see the top'n'tail Class 27s or the Class 47/7 push pull sets on these trains.

The 13:40 Edinburgh to Inverness First ScotRail service approaches Drumochter Summit on 10 June 2005, with 170450 leading a Class 158 unit. A little over six months old at the time, the Class 170s as can be seen here were augmenting the Class 158s which have been the staple of the Highland Mainline since the demise of the loco hauled trains in the early 1990s.

170461 speeds through the impressive Gleneagles station with the 1T14 09:08 Dyce to Glasgow Queen Street ScotRail service on 19 June 2006. Gleneagles station may be in a very remote location and have lost most of its high society passengers, but at least the buildings are maintained in a first rate condition.

170512 accelerates away from Hereford station on 2 June 2009 with the 16:40 Hereford to Birmingham New Street London Midland service. A good variety of liveries can be seen at Hereford, with First Great Western and Arriva CrossCountry operating trains, in addition to London Midland.

170514 approaches Shippea Hill on 29 November 2006 with the 1M20 11:57 Norwich to Peterborough Central Trains service. Although there are a number of stations on this cross country route over the fens, this train, like the majority of services calls only at the two major ones: Thetford and Ely.

The early morning fog completely obliterates the background, yet luckily the foreground is in full sun, as 170518 passes Ashchurch on 24 September 2005 with the 06:34 Derby to Cardiff Central service. Obviously the weedkilling train hasn't ventured down the freight loop for quite a while!

Central Trains 170520 passes Walcot with the 09:54 Shrewsbury to Lincoln service on 29 October 2005. The photo is taken from a farm occupation bridge, which is next to a short cul-de-sac of brick built houses, the last of which is visible on the right. This seems strangely out of place situated in the middle of nowhere. Walcot station (closed in 1964) was situated by the bridge that can just be seen in the background.

170521 leads the 06:56 Nottingham to Cardiff Central CrossCountry service past Natton on 6 March 2009. There are several choices of viewpoint at this location and here I opted to include the gate and brambles as foreground interest. The bright early morning light meant there was no problem in getting the required f11 aperture to keep the foreground in focus.

With Wrawby Junction signal box in the background, 170635 takes the Lincoln line on 10 February 2003 with the 11:32 Cleethorpes to Birmingham New Street Central Trains service. Unfortunately this impressive set of semaphore signals has since been replaced by a colour light, although even here it has lost the signal arms from the left hand post. Note the number of guy wires required to keep it an upright position, including the one that goes across the track to wooden pole leaning at a drunken angle in the hedge!

170635 runs alongside the River Severn at Gatcombe with the 09:00 Cardiff Central to Nottingham Central Trains service on 7 February 2004. Photographed from the footpath crossing which just leads straight down to the water's edge. Note the steep bank behind the line, which has been cleared of vegetation in the background.

On a bitterly cold 18 February 2008, 170638 passes Broken Cross (between Lydney and Gloucester) with the 1M01 08:45 Cardiff Central to Nottingham CrossCountry service. Note the subtle rebranding of the former Central Trains livery, with a small area under the leading side windows patch painted grey for the application of the new operator's logos.

In a brief sunny spell, 170639 passes Frisby-on-the-Wreake with the 11:25 Stansted Airport to Birmingham Airport CrossCountry service on 4 November 2009. The farmer in the adjoining field was busy preparing a bonfire for the following day's Guy Fawkes celebrations.