60026 William Caxton passes Melton Ross on 21 August 1992 with the 6E54 10:37 Kingsbury to Humber oil empties. 60026 was initially allocated to Cardiff Canton, but within a few months had migrated to Immingham, where it spent several years working trains such as this. It returned to its original Welsh home in 2000, although not in one go, as it was allocated to Toton for a few years.

60026 approaches Shrivenham with the 6B33 13:30 Theale to Robeston Murco oil empties on 1 November 2007. As the light was very poor, the opportunity was taken to photograph the train from the north side of the line, which when the sun is out is only possible late on summer evenings. In the background is Chapelwick Farm, which takes its name from the former chapel which was situated near the tall trees visible in the background on the right.

60026 passes Kibworth Harcourt with the 6V92 10:10 Corby to Margam steel empties on 25 June 2008, traveling via the Midland Mainline rather than its usual route via Melton Mowbray. The scatter of orange plastic visible in the ballast is an all too common sight nowadays, plastic track components spilled during track maintenance works and just abandoned. All kinds of discarded materials can bee seen on the lineside, and certainly money could be saved with better stock control.

60026 passes Yarnton (near Oxford) with the diverted 6M04 02:28 Port Clarence to Bedworth Petroplus tanks on 1 September 2008. The major engineering work on the West Coast Main Line has resulted in considerably increased mileage for this train, as instead of traveling down from Teesside to the Midlands in the conventional way, it is seen here approaching the Midlands from entirely the opposite direction! Ironically this massive diversion is caused because its normal route involves just a very short section of the WCML at Nuneaton.

60028 John Flamsteed passes through Oxford station on 13 May 1995 with the 6V53 02:20 Lindsey to Langley Total aviation fuel tanks. At this time the loco was in Immingham's FDAI pool, and therefore the Railfreight Petroleum livery is correct for this working - it wasn't always so! The area to the south of the station was in limbo at this time, with the former scrapyard gone, and the sidings rusting, but before the new car park was constructed, which effectively ruined this photographic viewpoint.

Superb winter lighting at Brampton on 16 December 1995, as 60028 John Flamsteed heads south with the 6E13 12:40 Kirby Thore (Newbiggin) to Milford Sidings gypsum empties. The gypsum is a by-product of the desulphurisation plant at Drax Power Station. Although this is in one of the flatter parts of the Settle & Carlisle route, there is a still the same dramatic background, and with a little snow on the fells and the clouds luckily confined to the background, it still makes an excellent picture.

60028 John Flamsteed passes Hinksey Yard on 2 January 2008 with the 6E55 13:35 Theale to Lindsey oil empties. Luckily it wasn't running late, otherwise the shadows from the wagons parked on the right would have caused a problem. They are already starting to shade the wheels.

60030 passes Circourt Bridge, Denchworth with the 6V99 12:43 Hamworthy to Cardiff Tidal scarp and steel train on 5 October 1999. At the time I thought this location would become restricted by the lineside vegetation seen here in the foreground. Luckily however, this has subsequently been blitzed and the spot is completely clear again.

60030 heads south from Milford Junction on 3 August 2002 with the 6V37 13:00 Lackenby to Llanwern steel slabs. Obviously at this time a Class 60 was such a common sight that nobody was bothering to record every single move, as happened a few years later. There were no other photographers, either on the bridge visible in the picture, or the one on which I'm standing.

60031 ABP Connect passes Challow with the 6B33 12:12 Theale to Margam Murco oil empties on 6 December 2008. The loco seems to have been in a minor shunting accident resulting in a damaged front end just above the buffer beam. The outer pairs of lines visible here are the freight relief lines that were relaid in the early 1990s and extend from a few hundred yards behind my position here at Challow to the site of Wantage Road station.

Shortly before the Avonmouth to Didcot coal trains were taken over by Class 66s hauling bogie HTA wagons, 60032 William Booth passes Baulking with the 6A65 08:51 Avonmouth to Didcot Power Station service on 27 August 2001 using the time honoured HAA wagons, that would have been taking coal to Didcot since the power station opened, although principally from the Midlands via Oxford and hauled by classic traction including Class 47s, 56s & 58s. The bridge in the background marks the site of Uffington station.

Corus silver liveried 60033 Tees Steel Express pulls slowly out of Ashchurch loop on 16 July 2002 as it works the 6V40 06:02 Lackenby to Llanwern steel train. Ashchurch for Tewkesbury station opened in 1997 on the site of the former Midland Railway station, junction for the Malvern and Evesham lines.

Corus silver liveried 60033 Tees Steel Express passes Melton Ross on 26 July 2003 with 7C78 14:45 Immingham to Scunthorpe MGR imported coal. This locomotive previously carried the British Steel light blue livery. Note the amount of coal dust blowing off the load. A significant amount of this finely ground coal never gets to the power stations, as witnessed by the state of the ballast at some locations on this intensively used route, which can be quite black in places. The footbridge in the background is next to the New Barnetby level crossing.

60034 Carnedd Llewelyn catches the last rays of the setting sun as it emerges from Twerton Tunnel on 12 October 1994 with the diverted 6B17 Theale to Robeston oil empties. Note the newly planted trees in the field on the right, which have since made such views a lot more difficult.

60034 Carnedd Llewelyn rolls down the gradient towards the Severn Tunnel at Pilning on 22 July 1995 with the 6B33 12:35 Theale to Robeston oil empties. Although frequently it waits in the loop on the right, on this occasion it was given clear passage for the trip under the River Severn.

A very rare piece of track for a loco-hauled passenger train. 60034 approaches Rawcliffe (on the Knottingley to Goole line) with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z55 07:13 Gloucester to Hull  'Humber Haulier' railtour on 18 March 2006. Needless to say the sunshine earlier in the day had now vanished! The loco carries the former Railfreight triple grey livery with the original markings replaced by a large EWS 'three beasties' logo.

With Goole's 'Salt and Pepper Pot' water towers dominating the background, 60034 pulls away from the station stop with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z55 'Humber Haulier' railtour on 18 March 2006. Apparently one passenger elected to visit Goole, rather than carry on to Hull! 66125 can be seen waiting in the loop to follow the railtour out with the 6H93 17:08 Goole to Peterborough empty sand hoppers (from the nearby glass factory). By this point in the day the weather had really deteriorated, and it was now getting dark.

60034 Carnedd Llewelyn approaches Tredington on 13 February 2008 with the 6V92 10:10 Corby to Margam steel empties. The use of a long lens not only reveals the change of gradient under the farm bridge at Fiddington, but compresses the perspective, making the red brick bridge at Claydon, and (just visible in the haze) the bridge at Ashchurch appear relatively close.

60035 Florence Nightingale passes Rangeworthy on 22 July 1995 with the late running 6B13 05:40 Robeston to Westerleigh Murco oil train. This picture would look a lot more impressive if the relatively clean train of Murco tanks wasn't interspersed with several exceedingly grubby grey liveried vehicles. At least on this occasion however the sun decided to remain out at the critical moment! The train has just emerged from Wickwar Tunnel, which is a short distance behind the bridge in the background.

On a gloomy 9 September 1998, 60035 Florence Nightingale passes Cathiron with the 6B10 08:57 Peak Forest to Bletchley RMC stone train. There seems to be one track less than when I was last there in 1984, although this has since been reinstated. Note the variety of wagon types in this train.

60035 passes Baulking (between Didcot and Swindon) with the 6B33 13:30 Theale to Robeston Murco oil empties on 26 April 2007. The EWS paintwork doesn't look to be in too good condition, with sections on the roof and the number peeling off to reveal the colour underneath. A large mass of cloud was approaching from the south, and a few minutes after this train had passed the sun went in for the rest of the day. Usually with my luck this happens before the train had gone out specifically to photograph arrives. At least I win sometimes!

60036 GEFCO takes the Doncaster line at Brancliffe East Junction with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z42 07:50 Banbury to York 'Siberian Hamster' railtour on 16 December 2000. A bitterly cold day, and no doubt the tour participants were glad of the heat provided by the generator van seen here behind the loco. Brancliffe East Junction Signal Box had closed in 1998, but at this time was still relatively intact. However, it wasn't long before it got vandalised, despite its remote location, and was subsequently demolished.

60037 Helvellyn passes Stanwardine-in-the-Fields, deep in the Shropshire countryside, with the 6M30 10:17 Margam to Dee Marsh steel coils on 18 August 1996. Note the reddish deposits on the roof of the loco, which indicate that it has recently been used on the Port Talbot to Llanwern iron ore trains.

60038 prepares to leave Westerleigh oil depot on 27 July 1998 with the 6B47 20:25 Westerleigh to Robeston oil empties. With a departure time like that it is obvious why this train had to be photographed in high summer. Luckily the area around the oil depot is relatively free of obstructions, so the very low sun at that time in the evening is not a problem. A decade later in 2008, the train departs several hours earlier, giving more choices of photographic location en-route, although obviously it is more backlit when it leaves Westerleigh.

60038 AvestaPolarit approaches Claydon with the 6V92 10:10 Corby to Margam steel empties on 5 April 2007. The new road bridge near Ashchurch station can be seen in the background, and the tower of Ashchurch church is visible on the right. The use of a long lens also means that the bridge at Bredon can just be seen in the distance.

60038 AvestaPolarit departs from Onllwyn with the Pathfinder Tours 'Principality Railtour' on 14 April 2007. Five minutes before it was running as the 1Z37 06:19 Birmingham International to Onllwyn, now after the briefest of stops it is running as 1Z74 13:33 Onllwyn to Birmingham International. Unfortunately the tour only went as far as the Network Rail limit, and nowhere near the colliery, which can be seen in the background.

60038 AvestaPolarit brings up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z74 13:33 Onllwyn to Birmingham International 'Principality freighter' railtour on 14 April 2007 as it passes Tonna on the Cwmgwrach branch. 37422 Cardiff Canton & 37410 Aluminium 100 can just be seen at the head of the train.

60039 heads south along the East Coast Mainline at Fenwick (between Selby and Doncaster) with the 6D43 14:12 Jarrow to Lindsey empty oil tanks on 13 September 2003. It is something of a challenge finding decent photographic locations on lines with overhead catenary, in fact I try to avoid them if at all possible, as what would otherwise be a useable location is often spoilt by a badly positioned mast. However this turned out to be a reasonable location to spend a few hours in the autumn sunshine.

60039 passes Spetchley with the 6Z98 Lindsey to Westerleigh oil tanks on 8 October 2008. Not a lot left of the numbers on this loco, either on the side or on the front! I didn't realise quite how lucky I was with the sun on this picture until I turned round. The other side of the footbridge was completely in shade from a cloud that I hadn't noticed creeping up on the sun! 

60039 passes Up Hatherley in the gloom on 14 January 2011 with the 6E41 11:41 Westerleigh to Lindsey oil empties. Unfortunately the drab EWS livery looks terrible in poor light (especially when filthy, as here). EWS's successor's new livery is another story, as 60011 was really standing out just over an hour earlier at Grange Court.

Even near the Summer Solstice it is very difficult to take pictures clear of shadows at 21:00. Such is the case here as 60040 Brecon Beacons passes through Quainton Road station with the 6A71 19:25 Northolt to Calvert binliner on 27 June 1995. Although the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre's signal box and signal gantry are well lit, unfortunately most of the station isn't. However, this was the only way to record this unusual view of a mainline freight train passing through the middle of a preservation centre.

Eagerly awaited by the large crowd of photographers on the footbridge, 60040 The Territorial Army Centenary approaches the site of Ashbury Crossing at Shrivenham on 3 December 2008 whilst working the 6C54 13:13 Oxford Banbury Road to Whatley Mendip Rail stone empties. The branding on the side of the locomotive includes the Army's latest recruiting phrase: 'Army - Be The Best'. This loco has become something of a celebrity, despite the fact that its so-called one off livery is very little different from the standard EWS colour scheme.

Class 60 sunset? Running over an hour late, 60040 The Territorial Army Centenary passes Ollerton in near darkness on 12 December 2009 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z60 14:30 Tuxford to Westbury 'Pye Bridge Pie-Man' railtour. The assembled photographers had to watch the fine evening light gradually disappear, and indeed some had understandably given up after the sun had set! Prior to setting the sun had tinted the clouds in the background pink, but such was the lack of light that this picture was taken at 1/500sec f2.8 at ISO 3200.

60041 passes Steventon with the 6B33 13:30 Theale to Robeston Murco oil empties on 22 May 2007, running 20 minutes early. Didcot Power Station dominates the background and the A34 road bridge can be seen crossing the line in the distance. 

60041 passes Coaley with the 6B13 05:10 Robeston to Westerleigh Murco oil tanks on 18 September 2009. This was very much a rush shot, as I had walked the few hundred yards from the footpath crossing to the west where I had seen 6E41, and was still not in the right position when the 60 could be seen approaching around the corner!

A long lens dramatically compresses the perspective and emphasises how short the train is, as 60042 The Hundred of Hoo approaches the site of Wantage Road station on 6 November 2007 with the late running 6B24 10:36 Didcot to Wentloog MoD stores train. Using a lens this long (200mm) almost reminds me of the time when I used to use a Pentax 6x7, such is the limited depth of field!

60043 emerges from the fog at Little Haresfield on 27 March 2007 with the 6B13 03:48 Robeston to Westerleigh Murco oil tanks. Although partly lost in the gloom, you can just about see in the background where it is pulling out of the loop after allowing a couple of passenger trains to pass.

60044 leans into the curve at Kintbury with the 6Z20 09:45 Whatley to St. Pancras stone train on 2 April 2007. A very odd combination of liveries, with an EWS branded Mainline blue loco hauling a rake of ex National Power hoppers! This was one of those infuriating situations when a freight train was approaching from both directions and a snap decision had to be made as to which one to photograph. It was touch an go as to whether I was going to get blocked out on this shot. As I pressed the shutter the Class 59 on the westbound stone empties was just about level with me!

60045 The Permanent Way Institution passes Baulking on 27 August 2001 with the 6C64 11:59 Didcot Power Station to Avonmouth MGR coal empties. There was very nearly a passing shot here, as 60026 was bearing down from the opposite direction with the 6A66 loaded train from Avonmouth. The warm sunny day had tempted me to cycle to this location and surprisingly considering it was a Bank Holiday the weather forecasters for once got it right!

The sun sets in the west on 29 May 1997 as 60046 William Wilberforce passes Saunderton with the 6A71 19:40 Northolt to Calvert Binliner (I could easily smell the contents from this side of the fence!). Any later and photography would have been very difficult, as already the wheels are in shade and the fence posts are casting odd shadows on the loco's bodyside.

Hatfield Colliery dominates the background of this view, as 60048 Eastern approaches Hatfield & Stainforth station with the 6N04 09:00 Lindsey to Jarrow oil tanks on 30 October 1998. Note the unusual style of nameplate, with a large white surround to the actual name. This was unveiled on 29 August 1997 to mark the Eastern Group's reopening of the Hunterston terminal, and replaced the original name Saddleback, which was named after an English mountain, and not the breed of pig!

60049 passes Baulking in glorious light on 9 December 2010 with the 6B33 13:33 Theale to Robeston Murco oil empties. After a lengthy period of sunshine, a large bank of cloud decided to ruin things just before this train was due, but shortly before it appeared in the distance, the sun slowly reappeared, only to vanish again just as the train had passed! The dark clouds in the background certainly add to the effect, and the picture is well worth the long trudge from the car, especially after I thought it was going to be a no-hoper.

60049 rumbles slowly along the down relief line at Denchworth on 14 July 2011 with the late running 6B33 13:35 Theale to Robeston Murco oil empties. If it had been on time there would have been a fair chance of it being in the sun!

60050 passes Gascoigne Wood on 20 March 2000 with the 6D04 11:18 Hull Dairycoates to Rylestone Tilcon stone empties. The rusting line in the foreground leads into the former Gascoigne Wood 'super pit' - the largest deep mine coal complex in the world at the time of its construction in the 1980s.