47002 Sea Eagle pulls away from a signal check at Oxford on 18 July 1990 with the 4M79 16:08 Southampton to Lawley Street freightliner. 47002 was one of a number of Tinsley allocated Class 47s that received unofficial painted names during 1989 and 1990. Note the recently constructed industrial estate in the background on the site of the former Oxford South Yard.

Extremley unusual motive power on the West of England line on 9 March 1991. 47002 Sea Eagle accelerates away from Andover with the 1L15 07:52 Waterloo to Salisbury Network SouthEast service. The booked locomotive (50036) had failed prior to departure, and obviously the nearest available locomotive was Tinsley's FDBT Railfreight Distribution reserve allocated 47002. So although the passengers had to make do with an unheated train, at least it ran, albeit 75 minutes late! This late running resulted in the stock staying at Salisbury, rather than working ECS to Southampton as booked, to form the 1V10 11:14 Southampton to Plymouth. This started from Salisbury, with a DMU filling in from Southampton. However, 47002's fun was over for the day, as 50018 took over 1V10. The fact that the car park lights are on gives some idea of how bad the weather was! Although non ETH Class 47s did occasionally work on this route, the appearance of one of Tinsley's tatty unofficially named locos must be unique. Incidentally, 50036 was back in service two days later.

47004 is pictured at Wolvercote Junction on 20 August 1987, long before its repainting into two tone green livery and its celebrity status as Old Oak Common's 'pet' locomotive. As can be guessed by the snowploughs and the Westie logo, at the time this picture was taken it was a Scottish loco, allocated to Eastfield. Therefore it is somewhat off the beaten track in the Oxford area, more so when you consider it has just worked up from the Southern Region. It is working the 4M79 16:19 Southampton to Lawley Street freightliner, seen here running exactly on time.

47018 passes the site of Wantage Road station on a foggy 20 January 1979. Technically rather a poor picture due to the miserable lighting and (to a lesser extent) the use of a Praktica PLC2, but full of interest as it shows the very rare appearance of Stratford allocated steam heat 47 on the Great Western Mainline. Unfortunately I have been unable to identify the working, but my best guess is that it is a football special, which would explain the off region working if an East Anglia team was playing somewhere west. Any information would be gratefully received. Note that this is a long time before the relief lines were reinstated at this location and consequently the long disused platforms are still intact.

Sporting a Stratford depot silver roof, 47019 passes Hinksey Yard (near Oxford) under a threatening sky with the 1M13 11:50 Paddington to Birmingham New Street service on 5 July 1980. A common question to be asked in the late 1970s and early 1980s at Oxford was "Seen any Stratford 47s?", as the white or silver roofs were just about the only variation to the standard rail blue livery. Nevertheless, with a variety of loco types, plenty of freight and loco hauled passenger trains it was still a golden age compared with today! 47019 was withdrawn in December 1993 and broken up at Eastleigh by staff from M.R.J. Phillips of Llanelly.

47033 stands 'wrong line' with a ballast train on the down line at Ascott-under-Wychwood on 12 April 1987, during track relaying work on the Cotswold Line. Although at the the time this location was thankfully clear of lineside vegetation, it is still rather a nondescript location. With no prospect of the train moving for hours to come, I waited for an photogenic batch of clouds to drift across and then placed the train low in the frame to make a feature of the sky.

47033 passes Gunstone Mill (near Crediton) with the 7C38 Exeter to Meldon Quarry ballast empties on 22 April 1988. Other than the addition of an orange cantrail stripe (and some graffiti) the loco still retains standard rail blue livery. Although this appears to be a double track line, it is in fact two parallel single track routes, with the other line being the Barnstaple branch.

An unusual sequence of events took place at Charlbury on 15 May 1988. The Cotswold Line was closed for engineering works during the early part of the day, and 47050 is seen here approaching Charlbury with empty ballast wagons returning from track relaying work at Ascott-under-Wychwood. Little did I expect to see the same loco return from the Oxford direction a couple of hours later with a passenger train! 47050 is wearing the original version of Railfreight grey livery with a white cantrail stripe. It was one of the early repaints and along with 47095 did not have the later standard black window surrounds.

Running over 40 minutes late 47050 arrives at Charlbury station with the 14:00 Paddington to Hereford service on 15 May 1988, the first train of the day over the line on a Sunday at this time. There had obviously been a problem with the train's original loco, as I had earlier seen 47050 heading south at Charlbury with empty ballast wagons from the engineering possession at Ascott-under-Wychwood. So presumably it replaced the errant train loco at either Didcot or Oxford. Non ETH locos were very rare on passenger trains on the Cotswold Line, and I certainly don't ever remember seeing another Railfreight liveried example being used. Note that Charlbury's notoriously short platform was just being lengthened and the car park extended.

Trying to find somewhere different to photograph the many northbound freights on a summer's evening around the Oxford area in the 1980s led to the discovery of this spot near the deserted medieval village of Hampton Gay. 47060 Halewood Silver Jubilee 1988 crosses the bridge over River Cherwell with the 6E30 17:18 Eastleigh to Haverton Hill Speedlink on 11 July 1989. The trackless bridge in the foreground once carried the Woodstock Branch (closed in 1954). The branch ran parallel with the mainline from Kidlington station, but then just past this bridge curved away to the west. This was a very precarious vantage point, trying to get enough height without stepping off the bridge and falling into the river. And no, I did not remove the top rail of the bridge to get a clearer view of the wheels!

47079 passes Shrivenham on 29 December 1995 with the 4B50 14:42 Fridays only Didcot to Pengam freightliner. This was a portion off the 4S55 09:00 Southampton to Coatbridge service and ran at the ideal time of day for (weather permitting!) an excellent shot of a Railfreight Distribution 47 on the Great Western Mainline.

During 1984 long stretches of the Cotswold Line were relayed with continuous welded rail, including much of the single track section between Wolvercote Junction and Ascott-under-Wychwood. In this interesting view taken on 8 April 1984, 47085 Mammoth proceeds at less than walking pace between Combe and Handborough, dropping ballast over the newly laid track. The ballast was dropped from each wagon in turn as the train inched forward. Note the cloud of dust around the fourth wagon as it is emptied. This high vantage point was chosen to show the whole sweep of the line right round to Combe station in the far distance.

A scene that is now totally unrepeatable. 47098 passes Charfield on 13 March 1989 with the lengthy 6M29 14:00 Taunton to Bescot Speedlink, at least half of which on this occasion appears to be departmental vehicles. A rail blue Class 47 on a mixed freight is now sadly a thing of the past, and even this location where Little Bristol Lane parallels the line for some distance is no longer as open as this. My main concern here was whether a car would drive down the road and block off the shot at the critical moment!

47105 Goldcrest sits in Toddington Yard on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in the company of John Fowler 0-6-0 4240016 on 23 April 1994. The former Tinsley 47 had only arrived at the GWR a couple of weeks previously and is pictured here in its unrestored state, complete with the the unofficial name it acquired on 1989. Very little work was required to make the loco operational and initially the loco ran in the livery shown here, but a repaint into all over rail blue was carried out later in the year.

47105 crosses the Gretton to Prescott road on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway with the 15:00 Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse service on 24 October 2003, during the line's Diesel Gala. This is on the long straight section of track between Gretton and Gotherington, which offers very few vantage points, as for most of the way it on an embankment, with little chance of a clear view from the surrounding countryside.

Viewed from halfway up Salter's Hill and with the village of Toddington, and the distinctive white house at Didbrook Fields visible in the background, 47105 passes Winchcombe's fixed distant signal with the 10:20 Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse service on 4 November 2006, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire's Autumn Diesel Gala.

With a little characteristic Sulzer smoke, 47105 passes Hailes with the 12:02 Toddington to Winchcombe freight on 4 November 2006, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Autumn Diesel Gala. This was the site of the former Hayles Abbey Halt (note the different spelling), which opened in 1928 at the same time as a museum at the nearby abbey ruins.

47105 pulls away from the speed restriction as it passes Greet on 5 November 2006 with the 11:10 Cheltenham Racecourse to Toddington service, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Diesel Gala. Although there were overlaps in liveries, carmine and cream had completely disappeared from BR by the time the corporate blue was introduced.

47105 has just reached the end of the long straight between Hailes and Winchcombe on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, and is about to round Chicken Curve (near Greet) with the 12:02 Toddington to Winchcombe freight on 5 November 2006, during the line's Autumn Diesel Gala. It is very doubtful if the wagons in a freight train were ever this clean in BR days!

47105 does its bit for the environment at Didbrook on 31 March 2007, as it pulls away from a PW slack with the 13:20 Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse service, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Diesel Gala.

47105 passes Stanley Pontlarge with the 15:00 Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse service on 1 April 2007, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Diesel Gala. Typically, although it was virtually a completely sunny day, just as the train came, a tiny squiffy bit of cloud passed in front of the sun. Luckily the loco is clear of the cloud, but notice how the middle of the train is in its own tiny spot of shadow! Stanley Pontlarge is an appropriate location to photograph a preserved locomotive, as the railway preservation pioneer Tom Rolt used to live just next to the line here.

47105 passes Toddington's home signal as it heads south near Didbrook with the 09:45 Toddington to Winchcombe service on 5 April 2009, during to Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Diesel Gala. Not exactly an easy position to take pictures from, perched precariously on the edge of a steep embankment.

Is this 1970 or 2010? Admittedly a whole train of maroon Mk1s would be getting very unlikely by 1970, but the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's resident 47105 looks splendid in its early 1970s guise as 1693. Of course, the headcode wound back to zero (typically misaligned) indicates a post 1976 date, by which time 1693 would have already received its 47105 TOPS number. However, when it looks this good, who cares! It is pictured approaching the yet to be commissioned Gotherington down distant signal near Dixton on 11 July 2010 with the 14:10 Toddington to Gotherington service, during the line's Diesel Gala.

White out conditions at South Moreton on 9 February 1991. The horizon has disappeared and hedges and bushes in the distance merge with the sky as 47115 kicks up the snow with the 6E50 09:41 Langley to Lindsey oil empties. 47115 was withdrawn exactly two months later, and after spending some time in store at Frodingham, was finally cut up in 1995.

With its previous Stratford allocation indicated by its white roof, 47130 heads an engineers train through the remote countryside between the villages of Stonesfield and Wilcote, on the Cotswold Line on 10 March 1985. It had been engaged in track relaying operations at little further up the line at Fawler. This is on the long single track section between Ascott-under-Wychwood and Wolvercote Junction. Withdrawn almost exactly 3 years after this picture was taken, the loco was finally cut up at MC Metals in Glasgow in October 1990.

47145 Myrddin Emrys passes Engine Common (near Yate) with the 6B97 12:10 Tavistock Junction to Gloucester Speedlink service on 5 July 1990. Note the wonderful assortment of traffic being carried on this lengthy train, including Redland tiles from Exeter, UKF fertiliser from Lapford, empty cartics returning to Halewood, scrap metal and china clay in both polybulk and VGA vans. 47145 was Tinsley's 'pet' loco at the time, hence the application of a cast silver BR double arrow logo, non-standard black window surrounds, and various white embellishments.

47147 passes Thrupp with the 4V16 09:33 Washwood Heath to Morris Cowley Austin Rover cars on 25 April 1986. Presumably most of the vehicles in this picture are no longer with us. 47147 has certainly gone, being cut up at Vic Berry's at Leicester in 1999. I would image that most of the cars probably beat it to the scrapyard by several years and such was the poor quality of BL's products at the time that it is highly unlikely that any of this trainload survive. There is actually a cement works chimney in the background of this picture, although the mist had yet to clear to reveal it. It had cleared a little later by the time the first coal train to Didcot appeared behind 58006. It is totally impossible to take a picture from this location now due to the lineside tree growth.

47152 clags vigorously as it pulls way from a signal check at Oxford on 18 April 1991 whilst working the Thursdays only as required 7L56 14:20 Banbury to Ripple Lane oil empties. This was a very lucky picture as there was only a small sunny patch with ominous dark clouds all around, especially to the north as can be seen in the background here. Aristotle Lane footbridge can be seen in the background, which like the Walton Well Road bridge I am standing on gives access from Oxford onto Port Meadow.

47197 passes the remote station at Chetnole with the 2O81 08:03 Cardiff to Weymouth Regional Railways service on 21 August 1991. This train was diagrammed for a Cardiff Trainload Petroleum Class 47 during the summer of 1991. Chetnole station is a typical product of the Southern Railway's Exmouth Junction concrete works, with virtually every item assembled from concrete panels.

47197 runs alongside the River Severn at Gatcombe with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z70 06:26 Crewe to Margam 'Valley Vostock' railtour on 7 February 2004. Anyone tempted to emulate this picture should be aware that there is only room for one photographer at this spot! A footpath crosses the line and immediately drops down into the muddy waters of the Severn.

47197 ambles past Croome at a sedate 40mph with 220011, which it was taking from Bristol Barton Hill to Central Rivers on Sunday 31 July 2005, due to the unavailability of any of Virgin's own Class 57s. The booked stop at Spetchley easily allowing for a second picture as it exited the loop after being overtaken by a service train.

Now this is how you want to see a Virgin Voyager - with some quality traction on the front! Freightliner Heavy Haul's 47197 was used to move 220011 from Bristol Barton Hill to Central Rivers on Sunday 31 July 2005, due to the unavailability of any of Virgin's 57s. Limited to 40mph, the ensemble was booked in the loop at Spetchley to allow other trains to pass. As 47197 is a clag monster the expected result is shown here as it pulls out of the loop.

47200 Herbert Austin applies full power at Bourton on 1 November 1994 as it heads east away from Swindon with the 6M08 10:59 Swindon to Longbridge Rover car body panels. The loco's name is certainly appropriate for this train, and is also noteworthy for the number of locos it has been applied to, starting off with 47337 in 1986. In 1990 the name was transferred to 47209, and then just a couple of months before this picture was taken, 47200 became its latest recipient.

On the cold frosty morning of 27 November 1988, 47205 comes off the double track section of the Cotswold Line at Ascott-under-Wychwood with a train of recovered track panels from relaying operations near Evenlode. Interestingly, this train did not proceed on to Oxford as expected, but waited by Ascott-under-Wychwood signal box for a following light engine (47200), which took the train back from whence it came wrong line!

47205 runs alongside the Kennett & Avon Canal near Crofton with a relief to the 4O18 05:17 Lawley Street to Southampton freightliner on 17 February 2001. This train had been diverted off the Reading to Basingstoke line because of engineering works. Unfortunately a slight breeze causing ripples on the canal prevented a hoped for reflection shot!

Surprise traction on the Great Western Mainline on 1 August 1987. A shortage of HSTs meant a rare outing for a Railfreight Class 47/0 with a rake of mostly Mk 1 coaches. 47211 is pictured here passing Bourton with the 1A11 09:25 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington service, surprisingly only running a few minutes late. It had earlier worked the 1B22 07:25 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads. Imagine the number of photographers that would arrive from far and wide if anything remotely like this happened today!

Numerous Tinsley allocated Class 47s received unofficial painted names during the late 1980s. One such was 47217, which received the name Kingfisher in 1989. It is seen here on 31 March 1990 speeding past Claydon (near Banbury) with the 4O81 Lawley Street to Southampton freightliner. The abutments of the bridge that carried the former Stratford-upon-Avon & Midland Junction Railway over the Oxford Canal can be seen in the background directly above the orange containers. The growth of the lineside vegetation resulted in it becoming invisible by 2007.

An exceedingly lucky picture! On 28 September 1989 I had no way of knowing that the 6M29 14:00 Taunton to Bescot Speedlink freight would be this short and perfectly fill the frame in this side view near Blanchworth (between Bristol and Gloucester). 47225 heads north through the Gloucestershire countryside with Stinchcombe Hill in the background. I had decided to try a different type of picture from the usual three quarter front view, and ventured along the local footpaths looking for a location. There was a reasonable gap in the bushes at this point but I never imagined I would get exactly the correct length train to fill the gap!

Not technically a very good picture, but one which is full of historical interest. 47226 arrives at Oxford on 6 October 1979 with the 12:50 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill service. Prominent in the background is the former GWR goods shed, then in use as National Carriers depot. This was the last surviving major steam era railway building at Oxford, but was unfortunately demolished in the early 1980s. Also visible in the background is 45070 which has been dumped on the goods loop after failing with a southbound passenger service earlier in the day.

47237 has just passed Wolvercote Junction on 12 July 1994 with the 4V01 Longbridge to Morris Cowley car train. This picture from the A34 Oxford by-pass gives a good view of the start of the up goods relief line, one of many capacity improvements added to the Oxford area railway map during World War Two. The bridge in the background (which is surprisingly free of traffic) is the A40, a usually notoriously congested route into the city. Wolvercote Junction, where the Cotswold Line diverges to the left is situated just beyond this bridge.

47237 speeds past Offord Cluny with the 1Z43 09:06 Sunderland to Kings Cross Grand Central Railways crew training run on 16 August 2007, with 47802 on the rear of the train. The southern section of the East Coast Mainline has very few good photographic locations, this being one of the better ones. In common with all overhead electric lines, virtually all the former viewpoints have been ruined, which is why I tend to avoid these lines if at all possible.

On 19 December 2007, 47237 passes Bretforton (between Evesham and Honeybourne) with the 5Z85 10:05 Gloucester to Long Marston conveying 31437, 31423, 31301 & 31439, along with a rake of Mk2 coaching stock for braking purposes. The train had worked up from the West Country the previous day as the 5Z80 13:25 Meldon Quarry to Gloucester. I had decided to go to this location in preference to Evesham, as I have not used this location previously, and already have numerous pictures at Evesham. This decision turned out to be a mistake, as while the train passed me in cloudy conditions, it was full sun at Evesham.

In miserable light 47237 arrives at Long Marston with the 5Z85 10:05 Gloucester to Long Marston conveying 31437, 31423, 31301 & 31439 on 19 December 2007, along with a rake of Mk2 coaching stock for braking purposes. 47237 still carries DRS blue livery, although it is devoid of any branding, as it has recently been acquired by Cotswold Rail. Considering the gate into the depot at Long Marston (which is just the other side of the bridge that I am standing on) was still closed, the train seemed to be still going at a fair speed, and did indeed stop very close to the gate.

47237 passes Lower Moor on the Cotswold Line with the 6Z45 09:10 (actually departed 10:30) Gloucester to Long Marston on 4 March 2008, with 37898 and four brake force wagons. The large T of the former Transrail livery on the 37 is just visible on what is otherwise an extremely faded and rust streaked loco. This working should have run the previous day, conveying both 37898 and 37704 for storage, but problems with the 37's brakes caused its postponement. There are only a limited number of paths over this single track section, which can cause problems if a fault is discovered on any stock that has to be moved to Long Marston. This photo was taken from a public footpath crossing.

Basking in the late evening light and with a toot from the driver, 47237 passes Claydon (near Ashchurch) with the 6Z71 Cardiff Tidal to Stockton-on-Tees Advenza Freight scrap empties on 13 May 2008. Headboards on freight trains are now relatively common for the minor players such as Advenza. In the case it reads 'The Marauder'. A couple of hours earlier the balancing working had passed the same location heading south. The Cotswold Hills can be seen in the background.

The prospect of two railtours along the Great Western Mainline within half an hour on 13 June 2009 made me venture out to my favourite local spot at Baulking. As the weather was completely cloudy when I left home I thought this would be an excellent choice of location. Typically, just because I didn't want it, the sun decided to come out, resulting in the worst possible lighting with the sun directly behind the train! So here for the record is 47245 with the Railway Touring Company 1Z27 06:45 Paddington to Kingswear 'Dartmouth Express'.  BR Standard 70013 Oliver Cromwell would take over the train at Bristol Temple Meads.

Despite angry protests from local residents, the largely moribund Hinksey Yard was converted into a 'virtual quarry' ballast dump in the late 1990s. Preliminary work in replacing the Second World War track is in evidence here on 18 August 1998, as 47283 passes the site with the 4O29 14:14 Trafford Park to Southampton freightliner. Obviously the present day residents of the area are less tolerant than those of fifty years ago, who would have to put up with steam locomotives shunting loose coupled freights all through the night!

47285 passes through Grateley station with the 6M73 08:32 Quidhampton to Willesden calcium carbonate tanks on 14 November 1991. A fairly lengthy train on this day, as it was not unusual to see this with just a few wagons, occasionally just one! The platform next to the train was formally an island platform, with the other face serving the line to Bulford Camp.

With just a few weeks to go before Ashchurch's new station is due to open, finishing touches are being applied as 47285 & 47280 pass through with the 6V27 10:35 Longbridge to Swindon Rover car part empties on 15 May 1997. I'm not quite sure if the worker on the extreme right in front of the tree has fully read the health & safety book on the use of ladders!

47289 passes Denchworth on 17 August 1992 with the 4V15 Tilbury to Swindon 'butterliner' (containerised Anchor butter from New Zealand). You can clearly see the preparations for relaying the down relief line, with the newly laid ballast reaching just up to the foreground (note the corner of the butyl liner under the ballast). In the background the sleepers have been placed, but the rails have not yet arrived. The down relief line was completed before work on the corresponding up line started. This photo is not taken from the well known Denchworth location (Circourt Bridge), but from the bridge to the east, which also used to offer an excellent vantage point until a huge signal gantry was erected close to the bridge.

A scene that epitomises railways in the Fens in the 1980s. 47292 approaches Chainbridge with the 9H35 11:10 Wisbech to Whitemoor Speedlink trip working on 16 August 1988. The Wisbech branch is all that remains of the former through route from March Kings Lynn. I think this is the only occasion that I have used a polarising filter in combination with the Pentax 6x7 on a railway subject, but here it accentuates the typical big sky of the fenland landscape. The loss of 11/2 stops when using such a filter with ISO 100 film on medium format is no joke, but luckily here the train is slowing on the approach to a level crossing, so a shutter speed of only 1/250 sec could be used.

The blackthorn is in flower on 14 April 1991 as 47293 departs from Long Marston with the 6B53 Worcester to Gloucester Speedlink trip. A lengthy train, which became even longer at Ashchurch, where a string of flat wagons would be added to the rear. As with most MoD traffic, the loadings on this service varied considerably, depending on who we were at war with at the time! In this case, the first Gulf War had only just ended. For anyone visiting this location today, this view will come as a surprise, with its wide open views and virtual complete lack of any rolling stock in the sidings.

A very tatty 47296 runs alongside the M40 motorway at Rowington on 5 June 1996 with the 4M99 15:58 Southampton to Trafford Park freightliner. Unfortunately since this picture was taken the insignificant bushes on the bank between the road and the railway have become very significant, virtually completely blocking the view.