66701 Whitemoor is pictured at Bardrill (between Blackford and Gleneagles) on the Highland Main Line with the 6S60 22:50 Harwich Parkeston Quay to Aberdeen Guild Street Carless mud oil tanks on 16 June 2006. Considering this is one of the classic locations in mid Scotland, within easy reach of the A9 (seen here in the background), I was surprised that I was the only person here on this day, as shortly after this train the Class 50s headed north on their record breaking tour to Wick and Thurso.

A new freight service conveying ballast from Mountsorrel to Eastleigh commenced operation in November 2010, bringing the welcome sight of a GBRf Class 66 to the Oxford area. Although this in no way brings back the traction variety of the good old days, it does at least bring a different coloured 'Shed' to the area! During the second week of operation, 66701 Whitemoor is pictured approaching Kings Sutton in the last week light of 24 November 2010 with the 6O96 10:25 Mountsorrel to Eastleigh.

66703 Doncaster PSB 1981-2002 approaches Irchester on 9 August 2003 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z71 12:22 Kettering to Crewe 'Metropolis Meanderer' railtour. 37694 & 37521 can just be seen on the rear of the train. These then worked the tour back from Acton Canal Wharf Junction, giving me a chance to get a picture of the tour with much more ratable traction later in the day at Ardley. The 37s are approximately on the site of Irchester Junction, where the branch line to Rushden and Higham Ferrers diverged. It followed the hedge line by the large tree on the right.

On a bitterly cold 15 December 2007, 66703 Doncaster PSB 1981-2002 passes Fritwell with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z11 06:28 Gloucester to Dollands Moor 'Moor and More' railtour. This is the northern end of the Chiltern Line, between Ayhno Junction and Bicester and does not normally see loco hauled trains of any kind, only a steady stream of Class 165 & 166 Chiltern Railways units. Such is the intensity of the service, that the track has been redoubled in the last few years to increase capacity.

66704 Colchester Power Signalbox rounds the curve at Crofton with the 6E31 09:20 Taunton Fairwater Yard to Peterborough scrap sleepers on 21 November 2006. The promising bright start didn't last long, and by the time this train arrived thick cloud had rolled in from the west. For once it was possible to fit the complete train in the picture, as the stone trains that are the main freight traffic on this line are much longer than this, and often less than a third of the train is visible in this view! Coincidentally it was exactly four months ago that I was last at this location, when there was a considerably different appearance to the vegetation.

With the spire of St Peter's church at Offord D'Arcy rising above the trees in the background, 66704 Colchester Power Signalbox approaches the adjoining village of Offord Cluny under overcast skies on 16 August 2007 with the 4E31 06:34 Taunton Fairwater Yard to Peterborough scrap concrete sleepers.

66705 Golden Jubilee shows off its unique Union flag livery, as it passes Hinksey Yard on 19 October 2011 with the 5O08 10:00 Donnington to Eastleigh, conveying two EMU translator vehicles. Locomotives have acquired names since the earliest days of the railways, and in more recent years we have become used to some units receiving names. However, now this naming has even extended to barrier vehicles! These two are 975978 Perpetiel and 975974 Paschar. This train should have been a little more interesting, with a Class 508 unit between the two barriers.

With Goole's landmark 'Salt and Pepper Pot' water towers and the spire of St John the Evangelist church dominating the scene, 66706 Nene Valley slowly weaves across onto the Knottingley line at Potters Grange Junction on 11 March 2010 with the 6H29 09:43 Hull Docks to Drax Power Station coal train. A sunny day had been forecast, and although bright early on, the largest black cloud in the sky was in front of the sun when the train appeared in the distance. I turned this bad luck to my advantage by moving to what would normally be the shady side, for this view which includes the Goole water towers - an angle that would not be possible if the sun was out.

66706 Nene Valley approaches Goole with the 6H29 09:43 Hull Docks to Drax Power Station coal train on 12 March 2010. Typically this was during a cloudy spell, which had been preceded by a an unexpected sunny period. However, unlike the previous day's working, at least the weather forecasters had predicted that today would be cloudy! The train is proceeding at slow speed, after being signal checked prior to taking the Knottingley line just after Goole station.

Superb early spring afternoon lighting at Thrupp on 7 March 2011 as 66706 Nene Valley passes by with the late running 6O96 10:27 Mountsorrel to Eastleigh ballast. This may appear to be a quiet rural location and is in fact surrounded by fields, but it can be surprisingly noisy. Kidlington Airport (recently ridiculously rebranded as London Oxford Airport!) is nearby and numerous private light aircraft keep taking off and going round in circuits (and seemingly following the railway line). There were at least three in the air at one point, which makes hearing an approaching train quite difficult. This is unfortunate, as you can't see very far down the line at this location!

66707 Sir Sam Fay passes Manningford Bruce with the 4E31 06:34 Taunton Fairwater Yard to Peterborough scrap concrete sleepers on 9 August 2007. It had just overtaken 59101 on the 7A09 07:12 Merehead to Acton Yard Yeoman 'jumbo' stone train, which was being held in Woodborough loop.

With the 'Golden Sunrise' Chinese takeaway on the left (unfortunately not open at this time of day!), 66707 Sir Sam Fay slowly traverses the sharp curve from Knottingley South to East Junctions and approaches England Lane with another load of coal for Drax Power Station on 11 March 2011. A day of sunshine and cloud, when generally speaking the sun came out at the right time. Although there is a dark area across the middle of this picture, at least the loco is fully lit!

66708 passes Watford (the small Northamptonshire village, not the Hertfordshire town!) with the 4L22 14:10 Hams Hall to Felixstowe Intermodal service on 21 September 2006. This location on the Northampton loop line is from the embankment leading to the site of a former footbridge in the fields between Watford and Long Buckby.

66708 rounds the curve at Lymington Junction with the 1Z82 09:28 Victoria to Weymouth GBRF staff special on 22 August 2007. 73209 & 73204 can just be seen on the rear of the train. I had hoped that the 73s would be leading, but hadn't time to wait around for the late afternoon return working, so had to make do with a 'shed' picture. At least the sun was out, which was a bit of luck, as the clouds only cleared away a few minutes before the train (which was running exactly to time) appeared.

With the hawthorn bushes and oilseed rape field in full bloom, the unique Medite liveried 66709 Joseph Arnold Davies passes Swarkestone on 9 May 2003 with the 4M21 05:42 Felixstowe to Hams Hall intermodal service.

66709 Joseph Arnold Davies slowly approaches England Lane level crossing at Knottingley on 11 March 2011 with a rake of empty ex Fastline hoppers returning from Drax Power Station. 66709 certainly stands out in a crowd with its unique Medite livery and short sighted spotter friendly cabside numbers!

66710 Phil Packer passes the site of Bletchingdon station on 14 March 2011 with the 6O96 10:27 Mountsorrel to Eastleigh ballast, unusually running more or less on time. The bridge that the train is crossing spans both the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal. Business is certainly booming on the old station site, with constant fork lift activity while I was there. This was something of a problem, as occasionally clouds of coal dust would waft across the line as an over enthusiastic fork lift driver put on a bit of speed!

66710 Phil Packer passes Souldern Wharf on 25 July 2011 with the 6O96 10:27 Mountsorrel to Eastleigh ballast. It was more or less full sun when I left home, but naturally at around the time the train was due a large bank of cloud was coming in from the west threatening to put out the lights for a good part of the afternoon. Luckily just as the train came round the corner, the sun partly came out again, giving a nice soft light, which considering the lighting would otherwise be very overhead and contrasty during the middle of the day in the summer, is probably an advantage.

I had to visit Warwick on 1 August 2011, and so took the opportunity to call in at Hatton to photograph the 6O96 10:27 Mountsorrel to Eastleigh ballast. Just as one week before, it turned out to be 66710 Phil Packer. So here is another picture of what is turning out to be my most frequently seen loco on this train!

66710 Phil Packer passes Haywood (Rushy Moor) on 12 March 2012 with the 4D18 Ferrybridge Power Station to Doncaster Decoy coal empties. The loaded train had working in earlier in the morning as the 6Y09 from Immingham. Due to the exceedingly straight track, the slow speed of the line, and the early operation of the nearby level crossing barriers, there is plenty of warning of approaching trains at this location!

66711 passes slowly through Church Fenton station on 7 May 2007 with the 6H90 11:35 Tyne Dock to Drax Power Station coal train. At the time this service had only just stared running, bringing a welcome diversity to the liveries of Class 66s taking coal to Drax. Church Fenton station is something of a surprise, being a four platform station in a very rural location.

66711 emerges from the fog at Yarnton with the 4M21 03:26 Felixstowe to Hams Hall Intermodal train on 29 November 2008. Ironically I had photographed this train at the same location earlier in the year with 66713 in charge. Although still very dull, the fog had started to thin a little, as when I arrived at the footbridge the tree visible above the purple container was only just discernable in the murk.

The 4M21 03:26 Felixstowe to Hams Hall Intermodal regularly brings a GBRf Class 66 to the Oxford area on Saturday mornings. On a freezing cold 2 February 2008, with frozen floods visible in the field behind the loco, 66713 Forest City heads north at Yarnton. Considering the angle of the light, it was probably fortuitous that the sun started to disappear as the train approached, softening the previously very contrasty lighting, and yet still giving the impression that the sun was out. Less than a minute later however, it had gone completely and the scene looked very dull.

My first picture of a GBRf Class 66 on the Cotswold Line. 66713 Forest City is about to pass under Grintleyhill Bridge, Combe on 11 August 2011 with the 6W82 09:41 Bescot to Moreton-in-Marsh (via Hinksey) engineer's train, conveying ballast and track panels for track redoubling work at Littleton and Badsey.

66713 Forest City passes through Tackley station on 3 October 2011 with the late running 6O96 10:23 Mountsorrel to Eastleigh ballast. Contrary to appearances, the car on the left is not waiting to cross the railway, but is in fact parked in what is effectively the end of the village street. The crossing is now just a footpath.

66716 passes Church Brampton on 22 September 2010 with the 4M23 10:59 Felixstowe to Hams Hall intermodal. Considering this was the latter half of September, it was a very hot day, as can be seen by the driver with hand out of the open window.

I don't normally bother photographing light engine convoys, but the inclusion of a couple of flat wagons here almost constitutes a train! 66716 The Locomotive & Carriage Institution 1911 - 2011, 66706 Nene Valley & 66726 Sheffield Wednesday form the head of the train, with 66724 Drax Power Station bringing up the rear. They are pictured passing over the footpath crossing at Cromwell Moor on 15 October 2011.

66717 Good Old Boy passes Long Buckby on 23 April 2010 with the 4L22 15:16 Hams Hall to Felixstowe North GBRf intermodal service. This location on the Northampton loop line, sees a constant procession of freights, with only local passengers services, as the main passenger route is on the direct line via Weedon.

66718 Gwyneth Dunwoody passes Waltham St Lawrence with the 5Z90 09:03 Laira to Ilford ECS with Mk3 coaches 42318, 42299, 42298, 42099, 41140, 41139, 44037 & 40715 sandwiched between First Great Western Mk2 barrier coaches 9481 & 6721. The first coach is in Midland Main livery, while the rest of the rake is in First Great Western livery.

66720 Metronet Pathfinder, with its garish 'Metronet. Renewing the Tube' livery passes Goring on the Great Western Mainline with the 4M21 03:26 Felixstowe to Hams Hall Intermodal on 12 April 2008. Note the sign on the left warning drivers of the possibility of leaves on the line. I would have thought the presence of trees next to the line would have been a fairly obvious clue, but I suppose nowadays we have to have a warning sign for everything!

Pass the sunglasses! Arguably the strangest 'livery' applied to any UK locomotive, 66720 shows off its new colour scheme as it slowly passes Wolvercote Junction on 22 August 2011 with the 6O96 10:23 Mountsorrel to Eastleigh ballast. This design is the work of six year old Emily Goodman, who won GBRf's 'design a livery' competition. Each side is different, with the other side being possibly even more bizarre. Caught just a few minutes before a cloud covered the sun, and only a few seconds before a diverted Chiltern Railways Class 168 would have blotted out the view.

A colourful sight at Didcot North Junction on 20 October 2011. 66721 Harry Beck is less than a mile into its journey with the 6O10 09:25 Appleford to East Grinstead spoil empties. Although both the loco and wagons are advertising the fact that they are 'Renewing the tube', this train is in fact helping out the Bluebell Railway. The loaded train brings out spoil from Imberhorne Cutting, which was filled in when the line from Horsted Keynes to East Grinstead was closed. Note the hot air balloon in the background.

66724 Drax Power Station passes South Moreton on 8 May 2008 with the 0Z72 09:40 Kidderminster to Furzebrook stock move conveying D444 (50044) Exeter, 37906, 37275 & 20096 from the Severn Valley Railway to the Swanage Railway's Diesel Gala. I don't normally bother with these light engine moves, but the odd variety of liveries (very odd in the case of the two tone green 50!) and odd combination of traction meant that it was worth taking a picture for a change. 20096 & 37275 had been brought down to the SVR from Barrow Hill two days previously.

66724 Drax Power Station passes Church Brampton on 22 September 2010 with the 4L22 15:16 Hams Hall to Felixstowe North intermodal service. The sun is partly obscured by thin high cloud, which in this backlit situation is an advantage, still looking bright but without excessive contrast. Note the long disused platelayers hut, a relic from the steam age, which hardly fits with the image of an electrified railway and Class 66 hauled container train!

66724 Drax Power Station passes Chelmscote on 27 March 2012 with the 4M23 10:45 Felixstowe to Ham Hall intermodal. Although not ideal, at least there is a long stretch of empty flats and then a continuous run of boxes, which does look a little better than a gappy random loading, as is sometimes seen.

66727 approaches Castor on the Nene Valley Railway with the 2M49 13:48 Peterborough to Wansford service on 1 March 2008, during the line's Diesel Gala. I was very lucky with the sun for this picture, as a large cloud was ominously close to the sun as the train approached. Also it was fortunate that nobody was wandering up the public footpath on the right at the crucial moment. 66727 attracted a good deal of attention during the gala, which does seem slightly odd when there is so much heritage traction around!

Hardly ideal lighting conditions, with the sun very nearly straight down the track, as 66727 passes Brimpton on 8 May 2008 with the 4E31 06:34 Taunton Fairwater Yard to Peterborough scrap concrete sleepers. The buildings in the background are the industrial units at Cothrop, part of the semi-urban sprawl stretching out from Thatcham.

With horn blaring, 66727 Andrew Scott CBE speeds past Little Bedwyn with the 4E31 06:25 Taunton Fairwater to Whitemoor scrap sleepers on Friday 25 June 2010. Presumably the fact that the driver was leaning on the horn adds weight to the rumour that this is the last working of this train via this route and with GBRf traction.

66728 Institution of Railway Operators passes Noblethorpe with the 4L78 11:43 Selby Potter Group to Felixstowe intermodal on 17 June 2010. It just goes to show how many non essential jobs the railway industrial now contains, when there is a perceived need for an Institution of Railway Operators!

66728 Institution of Railway Operators approaches Collingham on 10 March 2011 with the 4L78 11:43 Selby to Felixstowe intermodal service. Not perfect lighting, as the sun was now getting quite head on, but I was amazed that on this occasion I managed to get pictures of all trains at this location in the sun, given the amount of cloud there was in the sky.

An empty coal train passing a colliery, but there the connection ends! 66730 passes Kellingley Colliery on 17 June 2010 with the 4N20 12:44 Drax Power Station to Redcar coal empties. The train is just negotiating the hump that takes the line over the Aire and Calder Navigation.

Running over an hour late, 66731 passes Stenson Junction with the 8X23 09:30 Derby Litchurch Lane to Old Dalby special conveying brand new London Underground unit 1001 for testing. The apparent excess of wagons are there to provide the necessary brake force. A number of these trains are scheduled to operate at intervals over the next few years as the new 'S' stock is built at Derby and then delivered to London Underground's Neasden depot by way of the Old Dalby test track.

66732 GBRF The First Decade 1999 - 2009 John Smith MD approaches the signal controlling the Swinderby Road level crossing at Collingham on 10 March 2011, whilst working the 4M82 10:45 Drax Power Station to Hotchley Hill containerised gypsum. I was having a lucky day with the sun, with virtually all trains passing me in the not too frequent sunny spells.

66733 slowly approaches Shafholme Junction on 12 March 2012 with the 6H12 Tyne Dock to Cottam Power Station coal train, utilising a rake of ex Fastline hoppers. Even though the Knottingley to Doncaster is virtually straight, there is still a 40mph restriction at this end of the line.

66738 passes a very hazy Frisby-on-the-Wreake on 22 March 2012 with the 6L28 04:42 Carlisle to Whitemoor ballast. Still yet to succumb to its new owner's paintbrush, this GBRf loco looks a little plain in unbranded Freightliner green. In its former life it was numbered 66578.

Not only is the lighting grim, but I nearly got bowled by a HST! 66843 slowly passes Compton Beauchamp on 17 April 2011 with the 6Z78 14:05 Margam to Dollands Moor steel. I saw it appear in the distance underneath the Ashbury Crossing footbridge before I could even hear the HST from behind me. I was just on the point of moving to the other side of the bridge (which isn't quite as good as a viewpoint), when I realised that due to the massive difference in speeds, the HST would just get out of the way in time.

66844 dodges the rapidly lengthening shadows, as it arrives at Kemble on 9 January 2011 with the diverted 6O55 13:20 Llanwern to Dollands Moor steel train. With the Severn Tunnel closed for signaling work, the train was routed via Gloucester and the 'Golden Valley' line. It is pictured here slowly approaching the station, where it had to wait for the 13:30 Paddington to Swansea train to clear the single track section from Swindon. Unfortunately, the trees and deep cutting the other side of the station effectively ruled out another picture.

66845 passes Kemble Wick on 23 January 2011 with the diverted 6O55 13:20 Llanwern to Dollands Moor steel train. Despite the fact that the lighting was abysmal, I ventured out for this picture, as the sight of any freight train on the Gloucester to Swindon line is noteworthy. The train is diverted via Gloucester for a number of Sundays in the early part of the year due to the closure of the Severn Tunnel. I chose this location as a dull day is required due to the depth of the cutting. Also, it shows the entrance to Kemble Tunnel and the spire of Kemble church in the background.

Owing to 66844 slipping to a stand whilst climbing Sapperton Bank two weeks previously, the diverted 6O55 13:20 Llanwern to Dollands Moor steel train was double headed on 30 January 2011. Nearly half of Colas Rail's Class 66 fleet is pictured here, as 66845 & 66844 pass Standish, unfortunately in a cloudy spell. The train is on the 'Golden Valley' route, having diverged from the Birmingham to Bristol line at Standish Junction, just out of sight around the corner.

66951 passes Acton Turville the 6B11 12:30 Thorney Mill to Pengam empty JGA hoppers on 27 March 2007. Branded Freightliner Heavy Haul, and also showing the company's website address, these new wagons emphasis how the Freightliner company has slowly branched out from its core business of moving containers.

66951 heads west past Uffington on 12 February 2008 with the 6V60 10:31 Angerstein to Cardiff Pengam stone empties. There is some evidence of embankment strengthening on the right, with piles of rock added to stabilise the bank.

Surely Freightliner is not making a bid for road transport operations as well! 66951 carries a car registration number plate (SB55 CSX) on its front end as it passes Oddington with the 4V60 10:55 Calvert to Bristol binliner empties on 27 February 2008. As can be seen the cloud was building up rapidly, and a large cloud was approaching the sun as the train came into view in the distance. Luckily it just missed the sun, but note how close it came to being a ruined shot, with the bushes in the background in shadow.

66951 passes Uffington on 2 April 2011 with the 6V60 11:56 Angerstein Wharf to Stoke Gifford stone empties. Ironically, there is some recent work using non local stone visible in this picture. The area of white material in front of the tree is an attempt to build up the road surface underneath the farm occupation bridge (and public footpath) that passes under the railway here. Notorious for flooding, a good depth of granite boulders have been laid down to provide a stable surface.

66955 approaches Walton Well Road, Oxford on 23 May 2009 with the 4O27 05:29 Garston to Southampton freightliner. The extra bodyside door which distinguishes a Class 66/9 low emission variant from a standard 'Shed' can clearly be seen in this picture. Note also the recently relaid and upgraded bi-directional line on the right, which allows traffic for the Bicester line (which diverges at Oxford North Junction, just beyond the footbridge in the background) to keep clear of the main running lines.

66955 swings round the curve at Chelmscote on 27 March 2012 with the late running 4L93 10:08 Lawley Street to Felixstowe South freightliner. The bridge in the background formerly carried the A4146 Milton Keynes to Leighton Buzzard road (now bypassed).

66956 passes Washwood Heath on 22 November 2008 with the 4O02 11:12 Lawley Street to Southampton freightliner, which is barely a few minutes into its long journey south. A little glimmer of brightness, but lots of black clouds approaching!

Looking slightly ridiculous with most of the containers hidden by the bushes, 66956 passes the flooded fields next to the River Cherwell near Tackley on 17 December 2008 whilst working the 4O27 07:12 Ditton to Southampton freightliner. Its a pity there wasn't just a little more water which might have resulted in a nice reflection shot!