A colorful combination of liveries on the Cotswold Line on 12 February 1989. InterCity liveried 47501 Craftsman hauls a rake of Network SouthEast liveried Mk 2 coaches past Shorthampton with the 1B31 13:45 Paddington to Hereford InterCity service, amazingly the first down train of the day on a Sunday at the time. 47501 had been named in 1987 in recognition of the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers.

47501 passes Elmswell with the Pathfinder Tours 'Twenty Twenty Vision' railtour on 10 March 2007, now running as 1Z21 Ipswich to Cambridge via Leiston. The cloud which had built up while the tour was on the Leiston branch was now dispersing. The headboard reads: "DRS Anglia on a Mission".

47508 Great Britain arrives at Honeybourne on 14 August 1983 with the 16:10 Paddington to Hereford service. After a brief stop the train set off for Evesham as normal, only to stop a short distance up the line and then reverse back into the station! Apparently somebody had been left behind, but even so, a bizarre move that I have not seen happen since! Note the empty shell of the long closed signal box in the background. This was demolished shortly afterwards.

Viewed from a lofty vantage point that is unfortunately now obscured by trees, 47513 Severn approaches Grintleyhill Bridge at Come with the 08:00 Hereford to Paddington service on 31 January 1987. A bright but cold winter morning with the remains of some snow under the hedges and a light mist obscuring the background slightly. This location is not a total loss now, as pictures can still be taken from the bridge, but even if this 1987 viewpoint could be recreated, the rampant growth of lineside vegetation would hide the train today. Lower Westfield Farm is prominent in the centre of the picture, while on the extreme left Whitehill Bridge can just be seen.

A slightly different viewpoint on a well known photographic location at Oxford. A very tatty 47526 pulls way from Oxford station on 2 October 1991 with the 11:00 Oxford to Paddington Network SouthEast service and passes under the Osney Lane footbridge. In 2007 this bridge was removed for essential repairs, but due to typical Network Rail incompetence was not replaced for many months, causing a severe nuisance to local residents. Shortage of materials was blamed for the delay. I cannot believe that the structure of the bridge detiorated so quickly that it had to be closed before replacement parts were available!

A vintage scene at Oxford on 5 July 1980, as 47532 arrives at the station with the 1M38 06:28 Poole to Birmingham New Street service. It is about to pass the disused Oxford Station South signal box, which was taken out of use in 1973 with the introduction of colour light signalling to the area. Although the corresponding Oxford Station North signal box was quickly demolished, this structure survived for a number of years, but was demolished shortly after this picture was taken. Another sign of a bygone age is the complete lack of high visibility clothing, as two train crew members walk alongside the line over the bridge crossing the Botley Road.

Although by no means rare, a pair of Class 47s on the Paddington to Oxford Network SouthEast trains in the late 1980s was always worth photographing. On 2 June 1989, 47540 & 47538 speed past Waltham St Lawrence with the 08:15 Paddington to Oxford service. As this was the start of the period that saw a multitude of liveried locomotives on these trains (rail blue, large logo, InterCity, NSE, and even ScotRail!), it was a bit of luck to get a matched pair of large logo machines.

47547 speeds past Heytesbury with the 1O39 10:10 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service on 14 May 1988. This loco had taken over the service at Bristol Temple Meads, and was a bit of a surprise on the day, as all the other services were being worked by Class 33s on what was their last day on the route. 

There was a double naming ceremony for two Class 47s at Oxford station on 3 October 1990. The Right Honourable Lord Jenkins of Hillhead (Oxford University Chancellor) named 47547 University of Oxford, while Dr Stephen Yeo (Principal of Ruskin College) named 47587 Ruskin College Oxford. After the naming ceremony the two immaculate ex-works Network SouthEast liveried locos made there way back to Old Oak Common light engine, from whence they had come a few hours earlier. 47547 & 47587 are pictured leaving the station. The area behind the locos had just been cleared from its previous use as a scrapyard, and was soon to become a car park.

47560 Tamar approaches Daylesford, on the Cotswold Line with the 1B40 16:10 Paddington to Hereford service on 29 March 1987. Very nearly a complete corporate blue rake, save for the one InterCity coach near the rear of the train. Note also the ex-works BG at the head of the formation, complete with red painted springs. Entering traffic in August 1964 as D1610, this loco was always a Western Region machine, prior to its privatised life with DRS. It was renumbered 47031 in 1974 and then 47560 upon ETH conversion in 1980. The name Tamar was applied at Laira in 1982 and was retained even after renumbering to 47832 in 1989. Unfortunately this pleasant rural location has now been largely obscured by lineside vegetation.

47573 The London Standard speeds past Chilson on the Cotswold Line with an additional Hereford to Paddington Network SouthEast service on 15 July 1990, on a Sunday when the line was being used to capacity by inter regional services diverted off the Banbury to Oxford line. Obviously in situations such as this the 14 mile single track section that the train is pictured on was a severe handicap. This location is still a reasonably good photographic spot, but in 2007 the amount of vegetation has increased somewhat! 47573 was the first of its class to be painted into the Network SouthEast colour scheme, which seemed revolutionary at the time. Subsequent liveries have made this seem quite restrained!

47575 has just passed through Cholsey station on 14 April 1984 with the 09:20 Manchester Piccadilly to Poole service, while Class 117 DMU L402 (51335, 59487, & 51377) pulls out of the station with the 12:35 Oxford to Paddington 'all stations' service. It should not have been possible to get both these trains in the same picture, as the 47 should by this time have been running round it's train at Reading prior to departing south for Basingstoke.

47576 Kings Lynn weaves across onto the down platform line at Oxford with the 18:37 Paddington to Oxford Network SouthEast service on 24 July 1990. 155326 waits in the siding on the right (known locally as the West Midland siding) prior to forming the 20:35 train to Worcester Foregate Street. I would think this view would be difficult today, as high security fencing now hinders access to this point, which is next to the emergency level crossing near to the underbridge on Botley Road.

The sheep take no notice of 47590 Thomas Telford as it passes Wanstrow on the freight only Merehead branch with the Hertfordshire Railtours 'Somerset Secret' railtour on 2 July 1988. The 'secret' referred to was that on the first part of the journey between High Wycombe and Paddington a wedding ceremony took place on board. Keith Webb and Carol Bates got married in one of the Pullman coaches. The tour also visited the Whatley nearby Whatley branch.

Under a threatening sky, 47590 Thomas Telford  approaches Dilton Marsh Halt with the Hertfordshire Railtours 'Somerset Secret' railtour on 2 July 1988. The 'secret' referred to was that on the first part of the journey between High Wycombe and Paddington a wedding ceremony took place on board. Keith Webb and Carol Bates got married in one of the Pullman coaches. Although seemingly insignificant, Dilton Marsh Halt is the subject of a poem by John Betjeman: 'Was it worth keeping the Halt open, we thought as we looked at the sky red through the spread of the cedar tree with the evening train gone by? Yes, we said, for in summer the anglers use it, two and sometimes three will bring their catches of rods and poles and perches to Westbury, home for tea.'

47592 County of Avon has obviously not seen the washer for a long time when pictured passing Marshfield on 4 November 1989. Any information regarding this working would be gratefully received. It was on the day of the Wales v All Blacks Rugby International at Cardiff, which saw a number of specials, alternatively it could be an additional 10:33 Paddington to Cardiff Central. Note the mix of coach liveries, including a single blue and grey and Network South East vehicle, and a mix of Mk 1 and Mk 2 Inter City liveried stock.

47597 rounds the curve from Sleaford North Junction on 24 August 1991 with the 1D20 09:15 Newcastle to Skegness service. This was one of a number of summer Saturday loco-hauled trains that served the east coast resort at the time. Prior to diverging at the junction (by the signal box that can be seen in the background) the train had been traveling south, it is now traveling west, and will soon turn through nearly 180 degrees to join the Nottingham to Skegness line at Sleaford station. It will then of course be heading east towards Skegness!