31400 passes Ashchurch on 7 August 1988 with what is presumably the 07:55 Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street service, deputising for an unavailable HST. 31400 was converted from 31161 earlier in the year after 31401 sustained serious accident damage. As there was a shortage of ETH 31s at the time, the equipment was salvaged from 401 and used in the conversion. It should really have been numbered 31470, but the non-standard 31400 was chosen to keep it in the same batch as similarly equipped locos. This view of Ashchurch has changed considerably since this photo was taken. Not only has the station been reopened (between the rear of the train and the bridge), but all the semi-rural area to the right has been completely redeveloped.

31403 & 31455 pass Badgeworth on 5 August 1989 with 1V45 09:18 Manchester Piccadilly to Paignton service. Although of course the traction is much more interesting than anything you would get nowadays, what passed for livery variation in 1989 was having an all over grey Class 31 in addition to an all over blue liveried one!

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 catches a very brief patch of sunshine as it passes Stoke Edith on 5 May 1991 with the 11:30 Hereford to Ledbury special. This was one of a number of special trains run in connection with the Hereford Rail Festival. The immaculate condition of the locomotive is explained by the fact that it has just had its Mappa Mundi nameplates unveiled by the Dean of Hereford Cathedral. The Hereford Mappa Mundi is of course one of the most famous maps in the world, and a rare medieval survival.

Traveling slowly along the last few yards of the Sharpness Branch, 31405 Mappa Mundi approaches Berkeley Road, and prepares to rejoin the mainline with the 7M56 Berkeley to Bescot nuclear flask on 30 January 1997. It was always best to take the departure time from Berkeley with a very large pinch of salt. The working timetable shows this to be 13:15, however, this picture was taken at 11:55!

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.

31420 waits in Kemble station with the lengthy 09:15 Gloucester to Swindon parcels train on 28 August 1982. Needless to say the 31 had not climbed Sapperton Bank on its own with such a load, and 47220 had just been detached from the front of the train when this picture was taken. The 31 then carried on towards Swindon, whilst the 47 made its way back to Gloucester light engine. This close up viewpoint, made necessary by the fact I was right at the very end of the platform, reveals plenty of nice modeling detail, including the original oval Brush works plate.

Having detached pilot locomotive D7523 at Williton, 31420 & 31466 head back down the West Somerset Railway at Roebuck Farm with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 16:00 Minehead to York 'Minehead Mariner' railtour on 28 June 1997. With its sweeping curves, this location is an excellent photographic vantage point, but so far I have only ever been there in miserable light!

No problem with the identification of this loco! Someone has crudely scrawled 428 on the front end of 31428, seen here passing Glazebrook on 2 September 1987 with the 1E36 09:45 Liverpool Lime Street to Sheffield service, a working that in previous years would have worked through to Hull. These trains went over to unit operation shortly afterwards, and once again with hindsight more effort should have been put into photographing them before it was too late.

31439 North Yorkshire Moors Railway & 31465 slow down for the their next stop at Abergele on 9 August 1995, whilst working the 1K58 07:39 Holyhead to Crewe service. Although 37s dominated the service at the time, the sight of a pair of Regional Railways liveried 31s with matching coaching stock, although not unusual, was certainly a bonus on such a sunny morning.

In miserable lighting conditions and just after a heavy shower of rain, 31439 North Yorkshire Moors Railway passes Rowington with the A1A Charters 1T70 07:38 Preston to Stratford-upon-Avon 'Jewel In The Crown' railtour on 24 February 1996. Many railtours use a variety of traction during the day, but this one just collected additional locos, adding 37207 for the Stratford-upon-Avon to Worcester Shrub Hill section, and then adding 20128 for the Worcester Shrub Hill to Stafford leg.

31450 & 31229 are pictured at Spetchley on Sunday 15 September 1996, during an engineering possession of the Bristol to Birmingham mainline. The pair are waiting to head off wrong line towards Gloucester with a train of spent ballast.

31452 & 31468 pass Old Denaby on 13 February 1999 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z31 06:20 Westbury to York 'Yorkian Gargoylian' railtour. To prove that Class 31s can quite often be relied upon, the tour was only running the customary (for all traction) few minutes late at this point!

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 passes Upton Noble on 24 July 2004 with the 2O86 08:28 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth Wessex Trains service, with 31128 bringing up the rear. This was an ideal location for Class 31 enthusiasts at the time, as it was followed twenty minutes later by an even more colourful classmate.

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.

On 29 October 2009, 31454 passes Aldington with the 1Z06 09:00 Derby RTC to Long Marston stock move, conveying a single Mk 3 HST coach from the Network Rail New Measurement Train sandwiched between a couple of similarly liveried barrier vehicles. I was not too impressed that literally a minute before the train appeared someone decided to light a bonfire in a field off to the left. In the event the drifting smoke wasn't too much of a problem. The bright yellow crop visible in the field on the right is the local specialty, asparagus, which when left to go to seed in the autumn turns a brilliant golden colour.

31454 arrives at Long Marston on 29 October 2009 with the 1Z06 09:00 Derby RTC to Long Marston stock move, conveying a Mk 3 HST coach from the Network Rail New Measurement Train and associated barrier vehicles. I had chased the train from Aldington, arriving just as it was coming into view around the corner. I would have arrived earlier, but the driver of the horsebox I was following decided to stop and chat to his mate going in the opposite direction in a Land Rover, therefore blocking the road! The 31 had to wait a few yards further on as there was nobody to open the gate into the depot.

31459 Cerberus passes the oddly named village of Queen Camel (between Castle Cary and Yeovil) with the 09:30 Westbury to Weymouth service on Saturday 24 August 2002, with classmate 31602 Chimarea on the rear. Six years later a similar service was in operation with Class 67s, but there is no way I would travel down to the Bristol area to photograph a couple of 'skips'.

31460 & 31454 speed past Little Haresfield on 24 June 1989 with the 1V46 09:33 Stockport to Paignton service. Luckily only a six coach train, so in the not at all unlikely situation of one of the 31s deciding that it had had enough for the day, at least its mate ought to be able to get the train to its destination!

Dramatically dark clouds over Long Marston on 27 June 1987, as 31463 leaves the Army depot with the Southern Electric Group's Waterloo to the West Midlands 'Walsall Concerto' railtour. 31463 was a last minute substitution for 50023, which had failed at Reading. However, its moment of glory didn't last long, being replaced by 50031 at Worcester.

Somebody is obviously enjoying themselves as 31463 very slowly rounds the curve at Broad Marston with the Southern Electric Group's Waterloo to the West Midlands 'Walsall Concerto' railtour on 27 June 1987. The tour had just visited Long Marston Army Depot. 31463 had earlier in the day replaced 50023, which had failed at Reading. Although the sun is not quite out here, it certainly bright in comparison to the extremley dark skies in the direction of Long Marston.

D5830 passes Woodthorpe on the Great Central Railway with the 2A05 09:40 Loughborough to Leicester North service, during the line's Diesel Gala on 12 September 2009. The loco's gold ochre livery is not strictly accurate, as D5830 never carried this distinctive colour scheme in mainline service. However, one member of the class did for a time in the 1960s. Unfortunately that locomotive (D5579, latterly 31400) was cut up in 1993. D5830's final TOPS classification was 31463. Gold ochre on a train of green coaches - some colour combination!

1989 was a good year for the use of Class 31s on passengers trains to the west country. On summer Saturday's three pairs were normally in action, with sights such as this commonplace - a pair of tatty blue departmental allocated 31s hauling Mk 3 coaching stock (plus the obligatory Mk 1 BG!). On 24 June 1989, 31 465 & 31405 pass Little Haresfield (near Gloucester) with the 1M37 08:40 Paignton to Manchester Piccadilly service, which the 31s worked as far as Birmingham New Street.

31465 emerges from the fog at Bucknell on 16 November 2010 with the 2Q08 05:39 Derby RTC to Ipswich (via Acton, Banbury and Acton again!) test train. 31602 is bringing up the rear. Running ten minutes early after a short layover at Banbury, the train is here retracing its route back down the Chiltern Line. If you are going to photograph a train in such miserable weather conditions, this is obviously the ideal type - short and brightly coloured!

31466 & 31420 pass Brent Knoll at a very respectable 85mph with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 05:15 York to Minehead 'Minehead Mariner' railtour on 28 June 1997. An interesting train, taking the 31s the full length of the West Somerset Railway, but unfortunately not a glimpse of the sun all day!

Upon arrival at Bishops Lydeard, the West Somerset Railways resident Class 25, D7523 was attached inside 31466 & 31420 for the journey onwards to Minehead with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 05:15 York to Minehead 'Minehead Mariner' railtour on 28 June 1997. Crowds are seen here milling around waiting for departure time.

The unusual combination of the West Somerset Railway's Class 25 D7523 & Class 31s 31466 & 31420 round the curve at Roebuck Farm (near Crowcombe) on 28 June 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 05:15 York to Minehead 'Minehead Mariner' railtour. You don't often see this combination of liveries all on one train!

As I somehow managed to miss photographing 31466 in EWS livery when it was actually owned by that company and operating on the mainline, I took advantage of the Dean Forest Railway's Diesel Gala on 26 September 2009 to finally get a picture. Here it is passing Upper Forge with the 13:13 Lydney to Parkend service.

31466 passes Whitecroft Stores and Post Office with the 13:51 Parkend to Lydney service on 26 September 2009 during the Dean Forest Railway's Diesel Gala. The 10mph speed restriction approaching the manually operated level crossing gates by the Post Office proved to be really irritating when the sun was about to disappear into a cloud! Luckily the train just made it into a photographable position in the very nick of time. Just look at the shadows creeping up in the background,

31467 & 31420 pass Bishopton on 16 August 1997 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z62 08:25 Victoria to Stratford-upon-Avon 'Spin Doctor' railtour. They are just passing Stratford's fixed distant signal. The tour had earlier employed 58024 as far as Bedford St Johns, and would later feature 56055 and between Reading and London, a pair of EDs (73106 & 73138).

Shocking pink! 31601 Bletchley Park Station X passes Upton Noble on 24 July 2004 with the 2O87 08:58 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth Wessex Trains service. A slightly more conventionally coloured 31452 can be seen on the rear. Perhaps Wessex Trains were looking through a paint chart until someone said "There's a colour that hasn't been used on a loco yet"!

31601 & 31190 (D5613) storm past Dunston on 29 January 2011 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 06:17 Bristol Temple Meads to Deepcar 'Rother-Don Rambler' railtour. Two dark green locos (of different shades) are not really the best liveried machines to photograph on a dull day such as this, but Class 31 hauled railtours are a bit thin on the ground nowadays, so a quick trip north of Birmingham was made for this one picture.

31601 & 31190 (D5613) pass Little Haresfield on 25 June 2011 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z20 05:22 Tame Bridge Parkway to Penzance 'Mazey Day Cornishman' railtour. I am not having much luck with the weather when photographing this pair of locomotives, as five months earlier I saw them in equally dire light.

In the very last rays of the setting sun and running 15 minutes early, 31602 Driver Dave Green passes Banbury stone terminal on 17 August 2009 with the 1Q06 17:11 Derby to Selhurst Network Rail Structure Gauging Train. I had correctly identified this location as the most likely local spot where shadows wouldn't be a problem, but of course you can never predict what's coming on the other line! An errant Voyager very nearly gets out the way, but just obscures the rear locomotive, 31465.