|

|
|
|
|

|
|
|
 |
|
180101 approaches Cholsey
with the 13:38 Oxford to Paddington service on 12 November 2007, during
the final few months of the class's operations with First Great Western.
Note the First Great Western HST and Arriva (formerly Virgin) Class 220
disappearing into the distance in the background. The long lens has
compressed the perspective, with the houses of North Moreton, nearly two
miles away clearly visible on the horizon. |
 |
|
180102 passes through the
sylvan surroundings between Combe and Grintleyhill Bridge, on the Cotswold
Line with the 10:52 Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street First Great
Western service on 16 November 2007. This train was running 18 minutes
late, which resulted in the 11:25 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington
service having to wait at Ascott-under-Wychwood, until this unit cleared
the single line section. Luckily it now looks certain that this
intolerable bottleneck will be eliminated, with the re-instatement of
double track on the 14 mile section between Wolvercote Junction and
Ascott-under-Wychwood. |
 |
|
A pair of Class 180
Adelante units at Kingham station on 6 April 2007. On the left, 180113
waits with the 06:52 Paddington to Great Malvern First Great Western
service, while 180103 arrives with the 07:08 Great Malvern to Paddington
service, luckily for the sake of the photograph running 5 minutes late,
thus enabling this passing shot. Note that 180103 retains the valance
over the coupler, which latterly has been removed on most units. |
 |
|
With the gentle curves of
Brunel's Great Western Main Line emphasised by the use of a long lens,
180104 is pictured approaching Compton Beuachamp on 8 September 2006 with
the 08:30 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington First Great Western service.
The concrete footbridge in the distance marks the site of the former
Ashbury level crossing. |
 |
|
A pair of de-branded First
Great Western 'Adelantes' 180104 & 180108 move slowly along the down
relief line at Ruscombe on 17 April 2008, after weaving across from the
main line and consequently being held up by the stopping train in front.
Pairs of Class 180s working together were never common, but during their
final days with the franchise seem to be happening more regularly. This is
presumably an empty stock move. |
 |
|
180105 speeds along the
Great Western Main Line at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth with the 13:30
Paddington to Cardiff Central First Great Western service on 9 October
2003. Their reign on these services was short lived, with the majority
reverting to HSTs, while the 180s were concentrated on the Cotswold line
and Paddington to Oxford services. |
 |
|
180106 kicks up the dust as
it approaches Shipton station with the 10:23 Worcester Foregate Street to
Paddington First Great Western service on 30 October 2007. Notices on the
station remind passengers that it is a no smoking station and periodic
announcements inform passengers that any unattended bags will be removed.
It doesn't say who is going to enforce these regulations, as the station
is unmanned, virtually no trains stop there, and it is in a secluded
location, well away from the nearest Network Rail employee! |
 |
|
180107 passes Brimpton
(between Midgham and Colthrop) with the 12:18 Paddington to Exeter St
Davids First Great Western service on 23 November 2007. In addition to
their main duties between Paddington and Oxford and on the Cotswold Line,
Class 180s were still diagramed for a few of these medium distance trains
in the final months of their use with First Great Western prior to being
handed back to the leasing company. |
 |
|
With the autumn colours
just starting to show on the trees, Class 180 Adelante unit 180108 heads
along the Great Western Mainline at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth on 9
October 2003. It is working the 08:06 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington
(via Gloucester) First Great Western service. The signal gantries
visible in the distance in both directions from this bridge are a useful
aid for photographers, as signals on all lines are manually controlled,
so a green aspect indicates there is something arriving shortly! |
 |
|
From the lofty vantage
point of Grintleyhill Bridge near Combe, 180108 is pictured working the
10:23 Worcester Foregate Street to Paddington First Great Western service
on 16 November 2007, during the final few weeks of the troubled class's
use on the Cotswold Line. Lower Westfield Farm is prominent in the middle
distance, while Wychwood Forest can be seen in the far distance. |
 |
|
Even as late as Spring 2008
First Great Western were still operating a few Class 180 Adelante units in
the Thames Valley. They were obviously keen to be rid of the class, as
180108 has had all traces of First Great Western branding removed, when
pictured passing Goring with the 07:51 Paddington to Oxford service on 12
April 2008. |
 |
|
180109 approaches Bruern
Crossing on 23 October 2007 with the 11:25 Worcester Shrub Hill to
Paddington First Great Western service. It seems that in the last days of
their use on the Cotswold Line the 180 Adelante units have generally been
refitted with the coupler covers, which previously had often been missing. |
 |
|
180109 pulls slowly into
Kingham station with the 11:25 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington First
Great Western service on 29 November 2007. It was running a few minutes
late, and I was worried that the 10:52 Paddington to Worcester Foregate
Street which was now due would come in and block the shot. However, that
was running even further behind time and did not arrive until this train
had left. Yet another example of the poor timekeeping on the Cotswold
Line in 2007. |
 |
|
The troubled Class 180
Adelante units took over from Class 165 & 166 Turbo units on the
Cotswold Line, and on 16 August 2006, 180110 is seen here approaching the
site of Fladbury station with the 11:15 Paddington to Hereford service.
Note the kink in the trackwork in the background where the single track
moves from one side of the former double track formation to the other. |
 |
|
180110 passes Whitehill
(between Combe and Finstock) on the Cotswold Line with the 13:52
Paddington to Great Malvern First Great Western service on 11 September
2006. Note the width of the trackbed here. Until 1971 this was double
track and the it finally seems likely that it will be reinstated before
the end of 2010. |
 |
|
180111 passes Badsey on
the Cotswold Line with the 09:03 Great Malvern to Hereford First Great
Western service on 6 April 2007. As this was Good Friday, a Saturday
timetable was in use. This is on the long single track section between
Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh, which causes considerable operational
difficulties at times. |
 |
|
December 2007 was due to
see the end of Class 180 operations with First Great Western over the
Cotswold Line, so on 23 October 2007 a concerted effort was made to
photograph these units on my local line. It proved somewhat frustrating,
as most of the locations I used during the 1980s, when the remaining
through trains were loco hauled, have become completely overgrown.
However, this location has stayed comparatively free of bushes. 180111
heads south from Moreton-in-Marsh with the 10:23 Worcester Foregate Street
to Paddington First Great Western service. |
 |
|
180112 approaches the site
of Shrivenham station with the 11:45 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
First Great Western service on 27 October 2003. I'm sure regular travelers
on this route were not impressed when some HSTs were replaced with these
units in 2002, but they needn't have worried as the quality traction was
back within a couple of years! |
 |
|
With only a year of
operations left, before First Great Western hands the whole class back
to the leasing company in favour of more refurbished thirty year old
HSTs, Class 180 Adelante unit 180112 accelerates away from
Moreton-in-Marsh station on 23 November 2006 with the 11:34 Hereford to
Paddington service. Apart from the fact that the signal box has been
fitted with replacement windows, the whole signalling installation here
is still very definitely steam age! Despite the fact that by this date
most of the leaves had fallen, there is still plenty of autumn colour on
show here, particularly the small beech tree on the left. |
 |
|
180112 passes under the
Yarnton to Cassington road and speeds towards the site of the erstwhile
Yarnton Junction, where until 1970 the Fairford Branch (truncated to
Witney since 1962) joined the Oxford to Worcester line. The train is the
11:25 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington First Great Western service and
the date is 2 May 2007. |
 |
|
The December 2007 timetable
change did not see the end of Class 180s on the Cotswold Line as
originally planned, but HSTs have taken over a number of workings, pending
the complete removal of the Adelantes in early 2008. 180113 passes
Bretforton (between Honeybourne and Evesham) with the 09:51 Paddington to
Worcester Foregate Street First Great Western service on 19 December 2007. |
 |
|
When first introduced, the
Class 180 Adelante units were used on London to Bristol services alongside
HSTs. On 12 June 2003, 180114 leads another unidentified unit past South
Marston with the 17:15 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads First Great
Western service, while a another unit on a balancing working can be seen
disappearing into the distance. |
 |
|
Class 180s never had any
booked workings on the Gloucester to Bristol route, so this is presumably
a Hereford to Bristol Temple Meads ECS move. On 2 August 2003, 180114
passes Rangeworthy in glorious evening light. Although reasonably clear,
this is another location that would be improved photographically by the
removal of all the lineside vegetation. |
 |
|
Just to the north of
Kingham station, on the Cotswold Line, a well used footpath linking the
villages of Bledington and Kingham crosses the line. On 5 April 2007 I
revisited the location after a break of several years, only to find the
lineside bushes had grown somewhat. Therefore, I decided to include the
crossing notice in a wider than normal picture. The highest number
Adelante unit 180114 slows for the Kingham stop with the 15:20 Hereford to
Paddington First Great Western service. |