Completely devoid of any Virgin Trains branding, with even the badge below the windscreen removed, the pioneer 'Voyager' unit 220001 moves from the up relief to the up main line just to the east of Didcot at South Moreton with the 07:24 Manchester Piccadilly to Bournemouth service on 12 November 2007. The franchise had been taken over by Arriva the previous day, but most of the 'Voyagers' seen during the day still carried some Virgin branding. Arriva are retaining the Cross Country name for the route with a new livery to follow shortly.

220033 passes Hatton North Junction with the 14:40 Reading to Manchester Piccadilly CrossCountry service on 19 February 2008. The line to the right leads to Stratford-upon-Avon, but sees virtually no traffic. The footbridge here is a pleasant spot for railway photography, well away from any road, although the ever present hum of the M40 motorway rather detracts from the rural atmosphere. The nearest other means of transport is the nearby Grand Union Canal.

Palindromic 221122 passes Fiddington (near Ashchurch) with the 14:24 Derby to Bristol Temple Meads CrossCountry service on 18 February 2008. This unit, in common with most of the fleet at this time has CrossCountry branding applied to the bodyside and the shadow of the former Virgin badge just visible on the front end. The low winter sun certainly accentuates this livery.

My first railway picture of 2008 shows a pair of de-branded ex Virgin Class 221 'Voyagers' passing at Hinksey Yard, near Oxford in superb low winter lighting on 2 January. 221130 approaches with the 06:00 Glasgow to Bournemouth Arriva Cross Country service, while 221123 slows for a signal check whilst working the 11:45 Bournemouth to Glasgow service. At the start of 2008 most of the 'Voyager' fleet were in this transitional state, although a few sets have received Cross Country branding, and some retain evidence of their former operators.

Meridian unit 222003 passes Milton Ernest with the 09:30 Nottingham to St Pancras service on 16 August 2007. Class 222s come in 4, 5, and (as here) 8 coach formations. The train has crossed over the River Great Ouse, which the line repeatedly re-crosses in the Bedford area. The tracks on the right are the freight lines, which take an easier gradient at Sharnbrook a few miles to the north of this location.

Hull Trains has a very small fleet - just four Class 222 4 car units. 222104 is pictured here passing Woodhall (between Selby and Gilberdyke) with the 09:48 Kings Cross to Hull service on 14 March 2008. As can be seen, this is a very straight section of railway. The flat lands to the north of the River Ouse presented very few engineering difficulties to the original builders of the line.