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!

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!

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.

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.

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.