Network Rail's 31105 & 31285 were the star attraction on the Railway Children 'Bristol Coal-Stone Haul' railtour on 3 June 2007. Here they are seen from the lofty vantage point of the M5 Avon Bridge as they pass Lodway with the 1Z20 10:00 Bristol Temple Meads to Portbury Dock section of the tour. This is where the newly constructed line veers away from the former Portishead branch, which can be seen heading across the centre of the picture. Although heavily overgrown, the track is still in situ.

I had originally intended to photograph 31105 & 31285 from this angle at Lodway when they headed for Portbury with the Railway Children 'Bristol Coal-Stone Haul' railtour on 3 June 2007. However, as it seemed that the sun might come out (no such luck!) I photographed them from the other side. So after the tour's brief stop in Portbury, and with no other suitable location within walking distance, it was back to my original spot as 50049 led the tour back towards Bristol as the 1Z21 10:30 Portbury Dock to Bath Spa, with 31105 & 31285 bringing up the rear.

31105 & 31285 storm out of Patchway Tunnel with the 1Z24 12:10 St. Andrews Road to Tyherington section of the Railway Children 'Bristol Coal-Stone Haul' railtour on 3 June 2007. The photo is taken from the footbridge next to the brickworks at Cattybrook. The brickworks is still a thriving business today, but is chiefly noted for the fact that it supplied over 19 million bricks for the construction of the Severn Tunnel.

31105 & 31285 approach the southern entrance to Wickwar Tunnel with the Railway Children 'Bristol Coal-Stone Haul' railtour on 3 June 2007, at this point running 45 minutes late as 1Z25 15:15 Tyherington to Bristol Temple Meads (via Gloucester and Chepstow). As the weather was deteriorating I decided to head home rather than continue on to Severn Beach.

To prove that preservation should not be taken for granted, this immaculate Class 31, D5541 (31123) pictured at Hailes on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in 1995, is now no more, having been cut up in 2006 after donating all useful components to other preserved Class 31s. It is working the 12:10 Toddington to Far Stanley service on 18 March 1995, during the line's Diesel Gala. proudly wearing a 'Cathedrals Express' headboard.

D5541 stands in Toddington Yard on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway on the night of 11 November 1995, in the company of Hymek D7017, 26403 & Class 14 D9533. It had recently suffered a major electrical failure during the line's diesel gala, and was out of action. After a long period languishing in the yard it was eventually sold to A1A Locomotives Ltd. After removal of all useable it was broken up at Booths scrapyard in Rotherham in 2006

31143 & 31463 race through Shippea Hill with the 1P32 07:49 Leeds to Great Yarmouth service on 20 September 1986. Shippea Hill signal box was at the time propped up with huge baulks of timber against the rear of the building. As can be seen this had not been entirely successful in preventing the whole structure leaning backwards! In 2007 the signal box is in better shape, having been straightened up. Unfortunately the same can not be said of 31143, which was scrapped in 1989. 31463 has however survived into preservation.

31146 passes Milton, to the north of Cambridge on 4 November 1986 with two twin car DMU sets, presumably from Norwich Crown Point. This picture would be impossible to replicate today, as not only has the locomotive been cut up (at C. F. Booths of Rotherham), but also the view is obstructed by vegetation, and also by the overhead wires and masts of the late 1980s electrification, which have completely ruined the location.

In a brief patch of sunshine, 31160 passes Cornbury Park on the Cotswold Line, with an engineer's train returning from track relaying work at Ascott-under-Wychwood on Sunday 4 May 1986. This location is just south of Charlbury station, and the tower of St. Mary's church in Charlbury can be seen on the horizon. This loco was to gain minor celebrity status three years later when it was adorned with the hand painted name Phoenix whilst wearing Railfreight Distribution livery.

During their last years as EWS locomotives, the Class 31s were in a terrible state, as witnessed here on 15 May 1997 at Slindon by 31201 & 31450 on the 6S44 Willesden to Mossend Enterprise service. 31201 doesn't look like it has had a wash in years, and also has been repaired with a cab door from a blue liveried loco, while 31450 is clearly not in the best of health, as it appears to be boiling over, with coolant spewing out of the roof and streaming down the side. Already running 25 minutes late, I presume this delay only got worse!

31271 passes Castor on the Nene Valley Railway with the 2E47 11:33 Wansford to Peterborough service during the line's Diesel Gala. After a sunny start, the cloud built up rapidly during the day, leading to some anxious moments as the trains came into view. The long stretches of straight track and the 25mph speed limit mean you keep watching the train expectantly as the clouds pass across the sun! Luckily all was well with on this occasion.

The 5Z85 10:05 Gloucester to Long Marston stock move on 19 December brought four Class 31s for storage, from their previous storage site at Meldon Quarry. 31437, 31423, 31301 & 31439 are pictured arriving at Long Marston hauled by 47237. While 31437 just looks like a normal tatty Dutch liveried 31, and both 31 423 & 31439 have received a coat of blue paint (at least on the sides), 31301 is a fine example to all modellers that you can never have too much weathering! This is what nearly ten years in open storage does. Amid all the rust, graffiti and remnants of the Railfreight red stripe livery, traces of the earlier rail blue livery can also bee seen.

On 24 September 1989, 31405 deputised for a Class 47 on the 08:10 Paddington to Manchester Piccadilly service, seen here on the Cotswold Line at Chilson. On Sundays various inter-regional trains ran via the Oxford to Worcester line, giving local passengers a far wider choice of destinations than on a weekday! Class 31s were used as regular motive power briefly on the Cotswold Line after the withdrawal of the Hymeks, but were quickly removed due their low power. 31405 was doing commendably well on this occasion, passing Chilson only 15 minutes down on the schedule.

31405 Mappa Mundi & 33202 The Burma Star cross Eskmeals Viaduct, just south of Ravenglass with the A1A Charters 1T54 05:10 Wolverhampton to Heysham Port 'North By North West' railtour on 8 February 1997. Having seen the tour pass Ravenglass heading towards Workington, a trip was taken on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, before the short drive to this location for the return working.

31417 passes White Waltham on 8 April 1990 with the 9X03 West Ruislip to Crewe LUL underground stock for refurbishment. This was a regular Sunday working during 1989 and 1990, and was certainly an odd sight, moving slowly up the relief line to Didcot, where it was staged overnight. White Waltham is an interesting location if your interest extends to other forms of transport, as the bridge at this location overlooks White Waltham airfield, which often has some unusual light aircraft types on view.

31452 Minotaur approaches Flax Bourton with the 1Z135 11:10 Minehead to Bristol Temple Meads 'Butlins Express' on 11 August 2007, with classmate 31454 on the rear. A positive development by Victa Rail and the West Somerset Railway in connection with Butlins has seen the these holidaymaker's trains return to the rails after a gap of nearly thirty years.

31454 Heart of Wessex passes Flax Bourton with the 1Z39 14:06 Bristol Temple Meads to Minehead 'Butlins Express' on 11 August 2007. One can't complain about the use of heritage traction on the mainline, but the Fragonset liveried 31452 on the rear of the train does spoil the otherwise complete Intercity Mainline livery consist! Just beyond the bridge in the background is the former rail served oil depot.