On 14 March 1990, 47801 passes the last remnants of the lineside orchards that presumably give the nearby village of Stoke Orchard its name. It is working the 1V51 08:50 Glasgow Central to Penzance 'Cornish Scot'. This locomotive only carried the number 47801 for a relatively short time, from September 1989 until February 1992. Prior to be renumbered into the 47/8 series it carried the number 47551, which is what it reverted to in 1992! It must also be a candidate for the most renumberings (if not actual different numbers carried). It entered service in July 1964 as D1746, becoming 47551 with the advent of TOPS in 1974. However, this was briefly changed to 47153, before reverted back to 47551. After the period as 47801 and subsequent switch back to its old favourite number, 47551, it changed yet again to 47774 in 1993. Any further chance of renumbering was ended by it being cut up in 2006!

With frost on the ballast and trackside brambles and the last of the autumn leaves on the trees, 47802 passes Compton Beauchamp (between Didcot and Swindon) with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z52 07:33 Paddington to Ludlow 'Ludlow Castle Medieval Christmas Fayre' railtour on 24 November 2007. 47832 can be seen on the rear of the train. The day started with some sunshine, so I decided to go to the spot near the site of Knighton Crossing, which is ideal with the sun out. Naturally, as soon a I stopped the car, the sun went in, so I got straight back in the car and went to this spot instead, which in the autumn and winter is only suitable with the sun in!

Running an hour late, 47802 leads the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z55 07:24 Tonbridge to Worcester Shrub Hill 'Worcester Christmas Fayre' Railtour past Uffington on 1 December 2007, with 47790 on the rear. Five different liveries in an eleven coach rake must be something of a record! When I was notified that the tour had passed Denchworth the sun was behind a cloud and it seemed it was touch an go as to weather it would be sunny, as there was a bank of clouds near the horizon. Luckily just before the train arrived, the sun slowly broke through. The hour's delay also meant that the sun was now fully on the nose - a perfect result!

47802 Pride of Cumbria & 47841 pass the site of Bletchingdon station on 3 September 2012 with the Cruise Saver Express 1Z83 10:59 Glasgow Central to Southampton Docks boat train. As I suspected, the shadows were beginning to cause a problem here, and I was contemplating finding an alternative spot (not easy on this stretch of line), when the sun descended into some high cloud, and got progressively weaker. By the time the 47s came into view the sun had virtually disappeared. At least it solved the shadow problem!

With the soon to be closed Didcot Power Station in the background, 47802 Pride of Cumbria & 47810 Peter Bath MBE 1927-2006 pass South Moreton on 8 September 2012 with the 1Z83 12:09 Bristol Temple Meads to Kings Cross 'Africa Express' railtour. Note the specially painted 'graffiti' buffers. 47805 is on the rear of the train.

47802 Pride of Cumbria heads a varied rake of stock past South Moreton (Didcot East) on 13 September 2012 with the 5Z84 08:39 Crewe to Eastleigh Cruise Saver ECS, with 47805 on the rear. Because of track problems further north, it was running nearly an hour late. Coincidentally this is just one bridge away from where I photographed the same locomotives just five days before.

In the mid 1990s, 47803 carried a striking livery based on the InterCity colour scheme, but with the entire upper bodyside in yellow instead of grey. Originally it also had the word 'Infrastructure' in huge letters along the bodyside. With a good coating of grime still not toning down this bright apparition, it pulls away from Oxford station on 27 December 1993 with the 1O12 07:10 Edinburgh to Bournemouth 'Wessex Scot'.

47804 passes Usan signal box with the 1H79 13:27 Edinburgh to Keith 'Royal Scotsman' luxury train on 5 May 2008. This train was running 14 minutes late, having been delayed by the preceding National Express East Coast HST service and then the 16:41 Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street service, which it had to wait to clear the single line section which is just about to enter. This is day one of a five day land cruise that takes in Kyle of Lochalsh, Boat of Garten and Dundee.

47805 Bristol Bath Road passes Chilson on 14 June 1992 with the 08:30 Wolverhampton to Poole InterCity service. During the 1992 summer timetable these inter-regional trains were diverted onto the Cotswold Line from their normal route via Banbury, giving a welcome return of loco hauled trains to the route. Despite appearances, this photo is actually taken from the right side of the railway fence!

It's a lot quicker by train! With a contraflow system causing long traffic jams on the M5 motorway in the background, 47805 approaches Tiverton Parkway on 14 May 2000 with the 1V84 15:10 Birmingham New Street to Penzance Virgin Cross Country service. Despite the hazy conditions, Burlescombe church can just be seen in the background.

47805 Pride of Toton passes Engine Common on 29 March 2002 with the 1V50 11:33 Preston to Penzance Virgin CrossCounty service. The loco had only received its new name a few weeks previously. Ironically its former name (Bristol Bath Road) also reflected its owning depot at the time.

On 13 February 2008, 47805 Talisman worked the 5Z91 11:15 Derby Litchurch Lane to Laira stock move conveying refurbished First Great Western Mk3 HST coaches 41017, 41018, 42202, 42003, 42284, 42285, 44036, 40210, 40205, sandwiched between barrier vehicles 6348 & 6338. Even though it had pulled out of Ashchurch loop two miles previously, it still had full power applied and was clagging well as it passed Tredington running virtually to time. I thought this picture was going to be a write off, as despite it being sunny virtually all the way there, this location was enveloped in thick fog when I arrived, but luckily the sun soon got to work and burnt off the mist in plenty of time!

47805 Talisman & 47839 Pegasus do their bit for the environment as they pass Hinksey on 24 September 2009 with the 6Z48 13:05 Burton-on-Trent to Dollands Moor Colas Rail steel empties. Obviously the driver is an enthusiast, as it seems he repeated this clagging performance for various groups of photographers on various bridges along the route. Although the Colas liveried locos were a novelty, these hired in Riviera Trains locos in their more conventional colour scheme are much more photogenic.

Despite the poor weather on 5 November 2009, I ventured out to Kings Sutton to photograph the 6Z48 13:05 Burton-on-Trent to Dollands Moor Colas Rail steel empties. Not only is the traffic about to finish, but the fact that a single blue Class 47 was scheduled to work with a lengthy train of fifteen wagons was definitely not to be missed! It was virtually dark by the time 47805 Talisman passed through Kings Sutton station, resulting in this picture being taken at ISO 1600 with the lens wide open.

A mere 26 minutes after it passed Compton Beauchamp in the other direction led by 47790, the 1Z13 14:52 Salisbury to Oxford Northern Belle luxury lunch excursion demonstrates the advantage of top and tail working on 7 July 2012, as 47805 speeds away from the dark clouds over Swindon, where the train has just reversed.

Low midsummer evening lighting at Heyford on 19 June 1991 as 47806 heads northwards with the 1M40 16:25 Weymouth to Manchester Piccadilly service. Not much problem with the timekeeping here. The 1991 working timetable has this passing Heyford at 19:55, and this picture was taken at exactly 19:55. Of course people would have you believe that in the bad old days of BR nothing ever ran to time!

47810 Porterbrook is pictured near Mortimer (between Basingstoke and Reading) with the 1S49 06:36 Poole to Edinburgh Virgin Cross Country service on 28 July 2001. There wasn't much waiting around here, as I had only just crossed the line via the footpath crossing, when I could see the train coming. So total standing around time at this location, less than a minute!

47810 Peter Bath MBE 1927-2006 passes Wolvercote on 15 December 2012 with the final DRS hauled Cruise Saver Express - the 1Z92 10:33 Southampton Eastern Docks to Edinburgh. 47501 Craftsman is on the rear of the train. Unfortunately the timings of this particular train meant that for most of the locations around Oxford it would be coming directly out of the sun. However, this spot is slightly less backlit than some, and it seemed a shame to waste Network Rail's recent efforts at tree clearance, until which this view was impossible!

On 26 March 1994, 47811 unusually passes through the platform road at Totnes with the 09:18 Manchester Piccadilly to Plymouth survive, while 43146 waits in the centre road with a HST ECS working heading for Laira. As the 47 hauled train is not booked to call at Totnes it would normally have used the centre road. This excellent viewpoint from the A381 bridge would be even better without the tree on the right which restricts the choice of angles from which to take the picture!

An unusual pairing of First Great Western green liveried Class 47s break through the early morning fog at Aller on 11 August 1999. 47811 & 47816 Bristol Bath Road Quality Approved are working the 5A32 04:00 Laira Carriage Sidings to Exeter St Davids ECS. The all over dark green livery applied by First in the late 1990s was certainly not a very inspired choice. Not a patch on the original two tone green, or even the GW150 livery from 1985.

47811 speeds past Bruton on 24 August 2002 with the 1C17 09:30 Paddington to Penzance First Great Western service. Unfortunately FGW's drab dark green livery does not provide much of a colour contrast with the predominantly green summer landscape.

47812 Pride of Eastleigh passes Yarnton with the 1O14 15:10 Liverpool to Poole Virgin Cross Country service on 10 April 2002. The soft evening light is ideal for a situation such as this when the train is coming out of the shadows. The location is on a little used footpath between the village of Yarnton and the A44 road. Subsequently a footbridge was erected here, although on all my photographic visits since I have yet to meet anyone actually using it!

47812 passes Broken Cross (between Gloucester and Lydney) with the 08:03 Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff football special on 29 February 2004. After not having much luck with the sun for the preceding  07:22 Bolton to Cardiff special hauled by 57601, a brief burst of sunshine provides perfect illumination here. However it was only just in time, as the black clouds were rolling in fast. Note that the field in the background is already partly in shade. The loco is in Virgin Cross Country livery, with the branding painted out and a small Freightliner logo applied under the cab window. 

47812 (showing its original pre TOPS number D1916) takes the Swindon line at Standish Junction with the 5Z65 15:30 Cardiff Canton to Old Oak Common empty coaching stock on 10 September 2006. The train was routed the long way around via Gloucester as the Severn Tunnel was closed. Unbelievably, given the fact that there are only a few locations where the sun would be on the nose for this train, there were no other photographers on this bridge! The train was held at signals just after passing me, as it was right behind the late running diverted 14:30 Swansea to Paddington HST. Five different coaching stock liveries in a ten coach train must be something of a record!

I do not often bother with going away shots, but in this instance it was worth it. 47812 brings up the rear of the 1Z51 12:35 Cardiff to Gloucester rugby special at Snipehill Bridge, near Chepstow on 17 March 2007. These Cardiff to Gloucester trains and a series of Cardiff to Swansea specials were run in connection with the Six Nations Wales versus England match at the Millennium Stadium.

47812 passes Wye Valley Junction with the 2Z59 13:58 Gloucester to Cardiff rugby special on 17 March 2007. The disused Wye Valley Branch (latterly cut back to Tidenham Quarry) can be seen climbing steeply away from the main line. The track although heavily overgrown still remains in situ, and even the connecting point blades and signal are still in place, despite the point crossing being replaced by plain rail. Infuriatingly, although it was mostly sunny, small clouds kept appearing, and one has caught the sun here taking the edge of what would have been a perfect shot.

47812 (clearly showing its original pre TOPS number D1916) passes Hatton with the 6Z48 13:05 Burton-on-Trent to Dollands Moor Colas Rail steel empties on 29 October 2009. As this train is coming to the end of its period of operation, I made the effort to get this picture despite the poor weather. The fact that a two tone green 47 with full yellow ends was booked for this week's run was the clincher, as I am old enough to remember these locos working freights in this colour scheme, albeit not with these wagons, and definitely not as clean as this! Unfortunately I didn't have a decent camera in those days.

D1916 (47812) passes Uffington on 23 July 2012 with the 5Z31 09:30 Bristol Barton Hill to Wembley ECS, conveying a single Mk3 coach, freshly outshopped in retro blue and grey livery. Normally single coach moves look a little strange on the mainline, but I quickly realised that the small lineside copse would make an excellent and appropriately sized background, so I swung round for a more side on view.

D1916 (47812) was entrusted with the 6Z31 13:31 Cardiff Canton to Chaddesden refurbished scrap hoppers move on 24 July 2012. It is seen here passing Defford running over one and a half hours late. This was fortunate, as it meant the lighting was much better, with the sun (just!) on the front. Notice how the refurbishment has involved a repaint, but only along the top and around the area where the wagon data panels are. Exactly how expensive is black paint?

47813 & 47714 darken the sky as they accelerate through Kennett (between Ely and Bury St Edmunds) with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z47 08:18 Wolverhampton to Norwich 'New Musical Express' railtour on 8 October 2005. 47813 was named John Peel after the legendary DJ later in the day, and the covered up nameplate can be seen in this view.

On 21 August 2006, another rake of off lease stock was moved from Oxley to Long Marston for secure storage. 5Z87 08:20 Oxley to Long Marston is pictured arriving at its destination hauled by 47813 John Peel , with 47828 Joe Strummer dead in tow. Behind them are 87023 & 87003, followed by eleven Mk3 coaches, including a recently refurbished buffet car and a First Great Western sleeper. The shear lunacy of the privatised railways is brought into focus by scenes such as this. Passengers are forced to put up with short, cramped, inferior trains, while high quality rolling stock such as this is stored. This is not an isolated example, Long Marston is full of complete rakes of stock, some freshly refurbished.

In warm autumnal evening light on 7 October 2006, 47813 John Peel approaches Shrivenham with the 5Z47 14:00 Oxley to Gloucester empty stock working, conveying two Virgin liveried Mk 3 coaches. This train had to go the long way round via Oxford as there were engineering works between Cheltenham and Gloucester. Despite it being a largely sunny day, a large cloud was obscuring the sun when the train was due, and the sun only broke through as the 47 appeared under the footbridge in the background. Had it been a just few seconds earlier it would have been a very different picture! I had popped out specifically for this one train, after I had heard that it had passed Banbury.

47813 John Peel passes Broad Marston on 1 November 2006 with the 6Z47 09:00 Gloucester Yard to Long Marston train of IZA wagons for storage. Unfortunately this was running an hour and a half late, which resulted in the already backlit shot becoming very difficult.

47813 John Peel waits at Honeybourne for the passage of 165112 with the 13:25 Oxford to Worcester Foregate Street First Great Western service on 1 November 2006. The 47 has just traversed the single track branch from Long Marston with the 6Z48 12:00 Long Marston to Bescot stock move, running nearly two hours late. The loco had worked up the branch in the morning with a much lengtheir train of the same type of IZA wagons. A bizarre situation, where wagons go into and out of store on a weekly basis! Given the limited number of locations that would be relatively free of shadows, I was surprised that I was the only person at Honeybourne to witness this train coming off the branch.

A Network Rail employee stands by the ground frame hut as 47813 John Peel weaves across from the Long Marston branch onto the mainline with the very late running 6Z48 12:00 Long Marston to Bescot freight stock move on 1 November 2006. Already two hours late, any later would have resulted in the encroaching shadows completely spoiling the picture..

A very unusual working on the Cotswold Line took place on 5 May 2007 when 47813 John Peel worked the 1Z87 18:44 Oxford to Moreton-in-Marsh special with classmate 47818 on the rear. The train was in connection with a 'Street Gig' taking place at Charlbury featuring the group Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly (aka Sam Duckworth). An inspired choice of locomotive, as the late John Peel would certainly have championed such an event. The empty stock originated from East Ham, and would return there via Bristol, and as the passengers all got out at Charlbury, this must rank as one of the highest mileage ECS movements in relation to the minimal passenger mileage (131/4 miles in each direction) in recent years! The train is pictured having just passed the site of the former Yarnton Junction station. Thanks to David for the event gen.

Very much a grab shot, but an interesting passing picture at Kemble on 1 September 2007. While D1015 Western Champion waits for the correct departure time with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 05:35 Ealing Broadway to Aberystwyth 'Alliance Cambrian Coast Express' railtour, 47813 John Peel speeds through with the 5Z70 06:30 Gloucester Horton Road to Old Oak Common stock move conveying First Great Western HST power car 43140. The railtour had arrived a couple of minutes early, and I was making my way down the platform to witness the departure, when the 47 unexpectedly came into view. I particularly like the reflection of 47813's front end on the side of the 'Western'.

To mark the end of Class 47s in front line service, First Great Western ran a special train from Paddington to Plymouth on 11 December 2004.  47815 Abertawe Landore is pictured passing Langley Burrell with the 1Z30 07:18 Paddington to Penance, with 47811 dead in tow on the rear. Due to an AWS fault on 47815, the train was worked forward from Plymouth by 47811. Many locations were in dense fog this morning, and I did well here to get a bit of weak winter sunshine, contrasting well with the misty background. This is only half an hour after sunrise, but the fog soon rolled back in again, and by all accounts very few photographers got this train in as good as light as this.

47815 Abertawe Landore approaches Kears Wood near Lydney with the 1Z50 09:35 Cardiff to Gloucester rugby special on 17 March 2007. Classmate 47812 was on the rear. A bizarre mix of the 1960s and the 21st century, with a pair of two tone green 47s on turquoise Arriva Mk 2 coaches. Naturally the sun was out just a few minutes before the train came into view!

47815 Abertawe Landore powers away from Chepstow with the 1Z51 12:35 Cardiff to Gloucester rugby special on 17 March 2007. The bridges in view here are the Mead Farm occupation bridge, Wye Valley Junction bridge, and the short tunnel under the A48 Tutshill bypass. The location is Snipehill Bridge.

From a viewpoint that is no longer possible due to the growth of lineside vegetation, 47817 weaves across from the double track onto the start of the long single track section of the Cotswold Line at Ascott-under-Wychwood. It is working the Pathfinder Tours 1Z37 Manchester to Whatley 'Mendip Quarryman' railtour on 31 March 1990. An easy location to get to, as it just meant standing on the side of the road behind the signal box! A little bit of extra height would have been an advantage to show the track layout, but at least the snaking coaches show that it is coming off the double track. Note the point rodding from the signal box leading to the point underneath the locomotive.

47818 approaches Wolvercote Junction on 11 July 1990 with the 1M61 17:50 Paddington to Liverpool Lime Street service. Not only is the rail traction in this picture historic, so is the road transport. Smeeton Panton removals have now become Britannia Smeeton Panton!

47818 & 47790 Galloway Princess pass Wolvercote on 2 August 2011 with the Cruise Saver Express 1Z57 05:50 Edinburgh to Southampton Eastern Docks private charter. Only running two minutes late, but that was enough for the previous ten minutes of unbroken sunshine to be interrupted by an extremely large black cloud. I though this was going to be a total write off, but the sun just managed to find a small hole in the cloud for a few seconds to spotlight the locomotives, if not the train. Not ideal, but it could have been a lot worse!

47819 passes Shipton station on 27 September 1992 with the 08:00 Liverpool Lime Street to Poole service. This was the last day of the summer timetable, which saw a number of inter regional trains diverted away from the Oxford to Banbury line at weekends, bringing real loco hauled trains briefly back to the Cotswold Line.

Despite already being half an hour late, there is still time to wash the windscreen with a broom at Oxford on 24 July 1990, as 47824 Glorious Devon calls at the station with the 1O90 11:33 Glasgow Central to Brighton 'Sussex Scot'. The steel and glass buildings and footbridge had only just opened in 1990, although a section of Great Western Railway canopy survived both this and the previous 1971 rebuilding. It can be seen above the rear four coaches in this view.

47825 Thomas Telford passes Claydon on 28 May 1989 with the Pathfinder Tours 06:45 Swindon to Pwllheli 'Snowdonia Executive' railtour. The 47 would be replaced by a pair of 37s at Wolverhampton. These 'Executive' tours were largely ignored by photographers at the time, as they principally featured Class 47/8 haulage. There would be a lot more interest nowadays!

Twin headlight fitted 47825 Thomas Telford heads south along the West Coast Mainline at Dunston on 3 May 1997 with the 1V94 09:17 Manchester Piccadilly to Reading service. At various other times during this train's history it would run to Paddington, or during the summer months become the 1V50 to Paignton.

47826 speeds past the site of Flax Bourton station on 5 April 1990 with the 1V59 08:20 Edinburgh to Penzance 'Cornish Scot'. A complete rake of InterCity liveried stock with matching locomotive - a surprisingly rare occurrence at the time! Unfortunately the uniform colour scheme is slightly spoilt by the shabby condition of the loco. If you look carefully you can see that the roof area above the cabs should be yellow just like the front end!

47826 just avoids the early morning shadows at Walton Well Road, Oxford, as it heads north with the 1S52 06:03 Paddington to Glasgow Central InterCity service on 26 May 1990. You would not normally think of journeying from London to Scotland via Oxford, and this was one of those oddities that littered the 1980s & 1990s passenger timetables. It was also the first early morning departure from Paddington to Oxford on a Saturday morning at the time. Note the full catering vehicle at the head of the train, not bad when there are only seven coaches in total!

The sole remaining Class 47 in Intercity livery, 47826 Springburn passes through Croome Perry Wood with the 5Z01 12:05 Carnforth Steamtown to Bristol Temple Meads inspection saloon on 16 August 2006, running 68 minutes early! It had just been raining, and the air was so still I could hear the level crossing siren at Pirton Crossing nearly a mile away as the train approached. From this spot you can also see for several miles along the long straight towards Abbotswood, although here it is blotted out by the result of 47826's rapid acceleration away from a PW slack.

With the bodyside covered in slightly inappropriate Scarborough Spa Express advertising, 47826 passes Bishops Itchington on 23 June 2009 with the Kirklees Green Party 1Z13 06:15 Sheffield to Salisbury 'Mid Summer Salisbury Spire' railtour. More conservatively liveried 47804 is out of sight on the rear of the train.

47826 leads the Railtourer 1Z79 06:29 Cleethorpes to Oxford 'Oxford and the Cotswolds' railtour through the rain at Cornbury Park, Charlbury on 28 April 2012. The train is just coming off the newly installed section of double track, and whilst 47826 is now on the single track section to Wolvercote Junction, the rear locomotive (47851) is still on the new section. At this point the train was fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, which meant that instead of the booked full line speed run through Charlbury station (just out of sight around the corner in the background), it had been signal checked, as the northbound First Great Western Turbo unit had only just cleared the section. This was lucky, as not only did it mean less time hanging around in the rain, but also resulted in 47826 clagging away nicely as it built up speed again.

47828 Joe Strummer & 47813 John Peel provided super power for the Heartland Tours 1Z47 10:29 Gloucester to Westbury 'Festive Mystery Tour' on 16 December 2006. With a load of just five Mk 3 coaches (Virgin, Cotswold Rail, & First Great Western liveries) the tour is seen here passing Naas Crossing at Quedgeley at speed, perhaps trying to make up for the twenty minute late departure. The locos have certainly tried darkening the sky with their exhausts as they opened up a few moments before I took this picture! This once completely open location now has a couple of ash trees causing foreground shadows, hence the use of a 200mm lens.

47828 Joe Strummer & 47813 John Peel pass Shrivenham with the Heartland Tours 1Z47 10:29 Gloucester to Westbury 'Festive Mystery Tour' on 16 December 2006. The tour had traveled via Bath, Newbury and Reading, and would later return to Gloucester via Bath. Having caught up a little time, the tour was now only ten minutes late.

Surely the strangest colour scheme applied to a 47! Police liveried 47829 passes Tupton with the 1M68 14:32 Newcastle to Birmingham New Street Virgin CrossCountry service on 7 April 2002. This bizarre livery had not long been applied when this picture was taken, and was designed to highlight railway trespass and vandalism.

By Summer 2002 there were very few remaining loco hauled Virgin Cross Country services through Oxford. One of those still booked for Class 47 haulage was the 1M02 06:00 Paddington to Manchester Piccadilly service, seen here at Aynho on a very misty 19 July 2002. The sun was trying unsuccessfully to burn through the murk, but the Police livery of 47829 certainly brightens up an otherwise dull scene!

47830 speeds past Radley with the 08:25 Glasgow Central to Poole 'Wessex Scot' on 14 March 1991. The loco is wearing the variation of large logo livery in which the large bodyside numbers are replaced by a small set of black numbers on one cab side - much harder to read at speed! Unfortunately the tree pruning visible on the right was not maintained, and this location got progressively more overgrown in later years.

47830 passes Oath (in the Somerset Levels) with the 1C33 12:33 Paddington to Plymouth First Great Western service on 19 August 2002. The rather drab livery almost matches the coaching stock, but with First Great Western changing their mind so frequently with regard to liveries at the time the whole emphasis would soon shift away from green.

Desirable residence for sale, excellent views but occasional under floor noise and vibration! 47831 Bolton Wanderer & 47844 burst out of Clayton Tunnel on 15 November 1998 with the 1S76 12:20 Brighton to Birmingham New Street Virgin CrossCountry service. Joking aside, apparently it is actually quite quiet inside the unique Tunnel Cottage, which sits a little incongruously between the turrets of the Grade 2 listed structure. But then, you don't get Sulzer powered locos passing underneath nowadays, only near silent EMUs!

47832 passes the snow covered fields at Manningford Bruce on 29 December 2000 with the 1C36 12:03 Paddington to Penzance First Great Western service. This particular train was only loco hauled on a few selected dates throughout the winter timetable. 47832's livery isn't the most inspired, and for once the coaching stock is in a more attractive livery than the loco.

47832 Solway Princess passes Yarnton on 2 January 2009 with the late running 1Z79 10:00 Southampton Western Docks to Manchester Piccadilly DRS Cruise Liner special, with classmate 47802 Pride of Cumbria on the rear of the train. The tour had previously worked south on 11 December 2008. The lighting was very difficult for this picture, as the sun was virtually directly behind the train, so it was probably fortunate that the sun had actually gone into a bank of cloud by the time the train came. Incidentally the dark blob in the field in the background is not a technical fault but a solitary black sheep!

Gleaming in the late summer sunshine, 47832 Solway Princess approaches Didcot North Junction on 8 September 2012 with the 1Z78 07:44 Gobowen to Bath Northern Belle luxury excursion. Gobowen is definitely a new one on me for the starting point of a special train! 47790 Galloway Princess is on the rear of the train.

On 19 August 2002, Virgin Cross Country ran their final loco hauled train, prior to total Voyager operation. 47840 North Star (renumbered 47077 for the day) & 47847 Railway World Magazine / Brian Morrison pass Silverton with the 1M56 08:46 Penzance to Manchester Piccadilly service. The headboard reads 'Cross Country Locomotive Farewell'. This was probably about the furthest north that anyone got a picture of this train in the sun, and its only just out here! Even further south there were only a few lucky spots for the sun, so for once I went to the right location!

I felt I could not let the heavy snowfalls on 8 & 9 February 2007 pass without at least some photographic record, but unfortunately once the roads were clear enough to travel the snow was already melting. The sheer dullness of the present day scene is exemplified by the fact that I went out for a blue light engine 47, unthinkable even a few years ago! 47840 North Star passes Uffington with the 0Z77 08:00 Crewe Basford Hall to Old Oak Common, via Hereford, Worcester and Bristol Parkway. Note the forlorn leaning former up loop signal which now has no track to control after the lifting of the loops here a few years ago. It remained lit for a long time after the track to which it referred had been lifted!

On 6 March 2007, In superb crisp early spring sunshine, 47840 North Star passes Badgeworth with the 5Z47 09:30 Derby to Laira empty stock move, conveying a recently refurbished Mk 3 HST set (allegedly 40901, 40904, 44055, 42305, 42304, 42303, 42066, 41160, & 41086, although I did not note the numbers!). The striking new First Great Western livery contrasts markedly with the 'fag packet' livery of the two barrier vehicles. Already running late, this train had sat in the loop at Ashchurch to let several trains past, consequently it was 75 minutes late here.

Running 55 minutes early, 47840 North Star approaches Kintbury with the 5F70 12:08 Laira to Old Oak Common stock move on 2 April 2007, conveying Mk 2 barrier coaches 6427 & 9488, with HST power car 43010 bringing up the rear. Pending its entry into preservation this loco sees a lot of use on such stock transfers.

47840 North Star & 47828 Joe Strummer pass through Croome Perry Wood in the rain on 28 May 2007 with the Heartland Rail 1Z47 08:10 Derby to Minehead railtour taking 47840 to its new home on the West Somerset Railway. It had been repainted into original two tone green a few days earlier and also had its original pre TOPS number D1661 applied. This would be the final main line run for 47840, which as 47077 was one of the earliest Class 47s to be named, in March 1965. 45112 can just be seen on the rear of the six coach train, which incidentally is made up of three different liveries!

After the failure of 47851 Traction Magazine the previous day, the errant two tone green 47 was included in the consist of the 1S48 07:15 Bristol Temple Meads to Edinburgh 'Midland Scot' Virgin Cross Country service on 17 July 2002. In beautiful crisp early morning light the train is pictured storming up the Lickey Incline at Vigo headed by 47841 Spirit of Chester. There was just over a month to go before Class 47 passenger haulage would come to end to be replaced by the ubiquitous 'Voyager' units.

I very rarely take pictures on stations, but occasionally I used to spend a few hours on Oxford station in the days before you were regarded as a criminal for simply being on the platform with a camera. On a brilliantly sunny 24 July 1990, passengers board the 1M61 17:50 Paddington to Liverpool Lime Street InterCity service headed by 47843. The footbridge in the background had only just opened at this time, replacing the earlier subway. 47052 can just be seen lurking in shadows in the bay platform

47843 Vulcan slowly pulls out of the sidings at Thoresby Colliery Junction with inspection saloon 999506 on 21 February 2007. Running as 2Z02 13:01 Sheffield to Derby, It was touring the Nottinghamshire freight lines, and had just spent 45 minutes parked just out of view behind the signal box. Thoresby Colliery box is an LNER design and dates from 1926. I was very fortunate with the light here, as the clouds had only cleared shortly before the 47 was due to leave, but the sun then sank into a bank of cloud in the west a few minutes after this picture was taken

47847 races through the diminutive Ascott-under-Wychwood station on 25 June 1995 with the 13:40 Paddington to Manchester Piccadilly service, which as in previous years during the 1990s was one of a number of cross country trains diverted via the Cotswold Line on a permanent basis on summer weekends.

With a wave from the driver, 47847 Railway World Magazine / Brian Morrison passes Creech St Michael on 24 August 2002 with the 1V45 09:13 Liverpool to Plymouth Virgin CrossCountry service. The train is composed of a West Coast Mk 3 set with DVT 82138 directly behind the locomotive.

47847 lays down some clag as it climbs the grade out of the Severn Tunnel and passes through Pilning station with the Cardiff to Kensington Olympia football special on Sunday 7 August 2005. This was one of two trains run in connection with the Chelsea versus Arsenal Community Shield match at the Millennium Stadium. A nice golden glint, but it was getting very difficult to shade the lens, with the sun almost directly behind the train!

The prospect of a couple of Class 47 hauled railtours passing through Cheltenham within a couple of hours on 28 April 2007, plus the perfect weather conditions was too good an opportunity to miss. The Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z30 05:55 Minehead to York 'Eternal City of York' tour was hauled by 47847 & 47815 Abertawe Landore, seen here at Up Hatherley on the outskirts of Cheltenham. This location was selected as it is one of the few spots in the area where the sun is on the front for a northbound train at this time in the morning.

In perfect low winter sunshine, 47847 rounds the curve at Wolvercote Junction (near Oxford) with the 5Z47 10:00 York to Old Oak Common ECS on 10 December 2007. The stock had  been used on the previous day's York to Lincoln railtour, when 47847 worked top'n'tail with LMS 5MT 4-6-0 45407. Note the mismatched patch painting on the loco! The line diverging to the left in this picture is the Cotswold Line, which since 1971 has been single track as far as Ascott-under-Wychwood.

As I was already in the area it seemed a pity not to photograph 47847 with the 5Z47 08:54 Doncaster to Long Marston on 22 January 2008, despite the dull conditions. It occurred to me that the location at Aldington (near Evesham) would be ideal, as the view is from the north side of the line (therefore hopeless if the sun is out), and the short visible gap would ideally suit this three coach train. With Evesham Abbey in the background, and in atrocious light, 47847 puts on the power hauling former GNER Mk3 buffet 40811 sandwiched between barrier vehicles 6344 & 6346. Note that the coach is in the intermediate livery with a white stripe and the GNER branding replaced by National Express East Coast wording - certainly a first for the Cotswold Line!

A classic viewpoint and classic traction, but not for much longer. During the final few weeks of Class 47 haulage on Virgin CrossCountry trains, 47848 Newton Abbot Festival of Transport passes Culham with the 1M02 06:00 Paddington to Manchester Piccadilly service. The date is 10 July 2002.

47848 Titan Star & 47839 Pegasus storm through the centre road of Oxford station with the 6Z48 13:05 Burton-on-Trent to Dollands Moor Colas Rail steel empties on 10 September 2009. The hired in Riviera Trains locos make a welcome change from the slightly gaudy Colas locomotives normally employed on this working, and the Oxford Blue livery is not that far removed from BR's own corporate livery. I really thought that this picture wouldn't be in the sun, as it wasn't until the locos were actually through the station that it came out, not a second too soon! Unfortunately a few miles further on 47848 ran into problems and the train came to a stand on Didcot East Curve with the firebells ringing. A small battery box fire resulted in the loco having to be shut down and the train was taken forward after a 90 minutes delay with 47839 doing all the work. Certainly a wise decision to use two locos! 47848 was dumped at Reading and 47839 carried on solo.

47851 Traction Magazine approaches Radley station at speed on the morning of 4 July 2002 with the 1M02 06:00 Paddington to Manchester Piccadilly Virgin Cross Country service. With only just over a month to go before the end of loco hauled services on the route, every available opportunity was taken to photograph as many workings as possible. Naturally the combination of two tone green 47851 and a perfect sunny morning was too good to miss, despite the early start.

Shrivenham is the location here, chosen as it would be one of the least backlit spots on the Great Western Mainline between Didcot and Swindon for the 1Z29 07:15 Paddington to Plymouth 'Devonian' railtour on 7 October 2006. Even so, the sun is still well behind the train as 47851 (D1648) Traction Magazine heads west, prior to handing over the tour to LMS 4-6-2 No.46201 Princess Elizabeth at Taunton. 47826 Springburn can just be seen on the rear of the train.

47851 (D1648) Traction Magazine approaches Cheltenham with the Green Express Railtours 1Z79 06:28 Skipton to Bath 'Georgian Bath Explorer' railtour on 28 April 2007, with 47245 hidden by the bushes on the rear of the train. I little thought that when I photographed 47853 at the same location two weeks previously that I would be back so soon! Unfortunately several potential locations that I investigated in the Cheltenham area were either overgrown or not ideal with regard to the angle of the sun. However, it is interesting to note the change in the vegetation in just two weeks.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s it was quite common for Summer Saturday holiday trains to the West Country to still have the DVT attached to the stock. Such is the case here as 47852 approaches Cheltenham with the 07:31 Wolverhampton to Penzance InterCity Holidaymaker service on 4 August 1990. DVT 82152 is coupled directly behind the loco. 47852 is carrying an unusual livery variation, with wrap around yellow ends with black numbers, but no BR insignia.

Viewed from inside the now demolished Aynho Junction Signal Box, 47853 heads south on 27 July 1993 with the late running 1O13 12:06 York to Poole service. The box was situated in the vee of the junction with the Marylebone line. The down Marylebone line can be seen coming in from the left, while the up line is diverging to the right of the 47. Even at this remote location in fields not far from the Oxford Canal virtually all the windows have been smashed by vandals.

47853 rounds the curve at Yate on 6 August 1998 with the 1M31 15:55 Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly Virgin Cross Country service, proving that even as late as 1998 it was still possible to see a complete train made up of InterCity liveried vehicles. The local farmer is obviously taking no chances and has used sheets of corrugated iron to prevent his stock escaping onto the railway.

Still wearing its XP64 heritage repaint from the previous year's Virgin CrossCountry loco hauled finale, 47853 Rail Express passes Ebbw Junction on 22 February 2003 with the 1Z42 10:46 Crewe to Cardiff Central rugby special. The livery is an accurate representation of the experimental 1964 colour scheme that eventually led to the more subdued Rail Blue livery. Apart from the modern name, the only difference is the application of TOPS standard size (larger than the original) numbers.

XP64 liveried 47853 Rail Express throws out some typical Brush Type 4 clag on 17 January 2004 as it passes under the A1(M) shortly after departing from Harworth Colliery with the Pathfinder Tours 'Joint Line Jester' railtour, now running as the 1Z57 11:40 Harworth Colliery to Reading.

After nearly a month of dull weather, 23 January 2007 dawned clear and bright, so a trip was made to Evesham to see 47853 Rail Express on the 5Z59 07:30 Chaddesden to Long Marston, conveying four Mk 2 coaches for storage. With a touch of frost on the sleepers and Evesham's austere signal box in view the train is pictured slowing for the token exchange, which now takes place on the station platform.

After working in to Long Marston with four coaches for storage, 47853 Rail Express was booked to take out a rake of wagons as 5Z59 12:35 Long Marston to Chaddesden on 23 January 2007. Initially it looked like just four wagons would be leaving. Then the shunter seen standing on the right added a long rake to the rear of the initial four, and then spent over an hour shunting a couple of wagons out of the middle of the rake! In the end half the train was left behind (seen in the distance). Typically all this happened in full sun, only for the light to dip when the train left. 

47853 Rail Express is pictured passing Broad Marston with the 5Z59 12:35 Long Marston to Chaddesden on 23 January 2007. After protracted shunting at Long Marston, this was running 80 minutes late. After a disappointing picture of the train leaving Long Marston due to the head on angle of the sun, and the fact that it was partly obscured by cloud, a much better picture was to be had here, less than a mile from the depot on the single track freight only branch towards Honeybourne. This locomotive is finished in the XP64 experimental livery that it previously carried in the 1960s, as a forerunner to the corporate blue livery.

47853 Rail Express is pictured here at Honeybourne waiting to gain access to the Cotswold Line seen on the right, with the 5Z59 12:35 Long Marston to Chaddesden working conveying a rake of wagons removed from storage on 23 January 2007. The long lens used here has flattened the perspective, emphasizing the Cotswold Hills in the background.

47853 Rail Express rejoins the Cotswold Line at Honeybourne with the 5Z59 12:35 Long Marston to Chaddesden working conveying a rake of wagons removed from storage on 23 January 2007. Protracted shunting at Long Marston had resulted in some wagons being left behind, due to brake problems, and yet at least two of these wagons were running with their brakes isolated.

47853 Rail Express approaches Cheltenham with the Compass Tours 1Z41 05:59 Preston to Minehead 'West Somerset Express' railtour on 14 April 2007, running 35 minutes late. Here we see two obsolete blue liveries. The loco is painted in XP64 chromatic blue, the forerunner of the BR corporate blue livery that dominated the railways in the 1970s, while the coaches (apart from the two Virgin liveried vehicles half way down the rake) are in the now superceded Anglia Railways turquoise livery. 47847 is on the rear of the train, just hidden by the bushes.

47854 Women's Royal Voluntary Service leaves Basingstoke with the 1S39 09:05 Poole to Glasgow Virgin CrossCountry service on 30 August 1998. 47854 is the highest numbered 47/8, and still survives in use on the national network, unfortunately now in the awful West Coast Rail sludge brown livery.

In superb low winter sunshine, 47854 rounds the curve into Aber station (near Caerphilly) with the 1Z41 14:15 Rhymney to Cardiff Central service on 4 December 2005. This was one of a number of special loco hauled services over the line to mark the impeding end of the Class 37 haulage over the route. The train is just crossing over the Caerphilly to Nantgarw road.

The grey clouds hang over the mountains as 47854 passes Dalnacardoch with the Royal Scotsman 1H82 14:29 Kingussie to Perth portion of the 5 day 'Classic' tour on 10 June 2007. This is a railtour with a difference as each person has paid £3080 for the luxury experience! Although only a short distance from the busy A9, Dalnacardoch feels like the middle of nowhere, with the only buildings visible being Dalnacardoch Lodge (the white building in the distance), and the derelict signal box on the other side of the bridge. The principal traffic over the roadbridge are sheep moving from one field to another!

47854 is pictured here just a few miles from its destination as it passes Thrupp with the Green Express Railtours 'Shakespeare & Dreaming Spires of Oxford' Land Cruise on 11 April 2009. Having already completed the Shakespeare part of the tour it is now heading for Mathew Arnold's dreaming spires, running as the 1Z74 14:10 Stratford-upon-Avon to Oxford. The tour had originated from Huddersfield at 06:34 as the 1Z73 to Stratford. Even though this location is fairly near to where I live, surprisingly I hadn't used it before. It was deliberately chosen as although the whole train cannot be seen, it is neatly framed by the blackthorn in full bloom. Due to the several reversals en-route the tour was being worked top'n'tail, with 57601 well out of sight on the rear of the train.

The only occasion that I saw the unique 47901 working a train was on 11 March 1986, when I happened to be at Fairwood Junction when it passed by with the 7O83 12:09 Whatley to Fareham ARC stone train. In 1974, as a test bed for the forthcoming Class 56 project, 47046 received an engine transplant in the form of the Ruston Paxman 16RK3CT 3250 hp unit and in view of its non-standard status was renumbered to 47601. It was later renumbered to 47901 and acquired an even more powerful engine - the 3300hp Paxman 12RK3ACT, as destined for use in the Class 58. After its period of evaluation was over, it settled down to work out of Westbury, as pictured here. It did however spend long periods out of traffic, due to its non-standard specification. It was withdrawn in March 1990 and cut up at MC Metals, Glasgow two years later.

47972 The Royal Army Ordnance Corps passes Shrivenham on 1 November 1994 with the 1Z05 08:20 Worcester Shrub Hill to Cardiff track testing special, including the High Speed Track Recording Coach DB999550. 47972 was painted into this distinctive Central Services livery prior to its naming at MoD Kineton in 1993. As a departmental locomotive (at this time allocated to Crewe depot in pool CDJC) its job was to work test trains over the national network from the Derby Railway Technical Centre.

For a short period during 1988/9 the erstwhile 47561 was renumbered into the departmental series as 97561, before becoming 47973. During this time it was repainted into Midland Counties Railway red livery and named Midland Counties Railway 150 1839-1989 in connection with that railway's anniversary. A week after naming, it is pictured taking the Swindon line at Standish Junction with the BR East Midlands Area 1Z16 07:45 Derby to Bristol 'Avonian' railtour on 30 May 1989.

One of the most striking liveries ever applied to a Class 47 was the bright red that 97561 Midland Counties Railway 150 1839-1989 acquired in 1989 to commemorate that railway company's anniversary. The former 47561 was renumbered 47973 shortly afterwards. It is seen here at the Gloucester Rail Day on 17 September 1989. The hand painted BR double arrow logo definitely looks a little non-standard and amateurish! Like most photographers in the 1980s and 1990s, I used transparency film for all serious work, as almost without exception colour negative film was of very poor quality. However, this is taken on the short lived Kodak Ektar 25 negative film, an unbelievably sharp and grain free film, which at ISO 25 was also ridiculously slow! Due to this slow speed and the fact that at the time an image on negative film was of no practical use for projection or publication, my experiment was confined to just a couple of films.

47976 Aviemore Castle is well off the beaten track here. It is passing Launton on 6 August 1998 with the 1Z13 07:25 Derby to Derby (via Banbury, Marylebone & Aylesbury) Serco test train. For those interested the train consists of vehicles 999508, 977422, 977802, 977468 & 977905. Note the slewing of the track from one side of the formation and back again in the background.