London Midland Region Matisa Neptune track recording unit DR50006 heads west at Chinley on 19 June 1984. These vaguely comical little machines were used to produce a readout of track alignment problems and had the ability to spray paint on the track to notify PW workers of areas that needed attention.

Plasser & Theurer 07-16 Universal Tamper / Liner 73220 moves slowly along the as yet unballasted down relief line at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth on 21 February 1993, during a Sunday engineering possession of the Great Western Mainline. The relief lines were being reinstated at this time between the site of Wantage Road and Challow stations, although as can be seen here, work on the up relief line had not yet started. 73220 was cut up at York in October 2006.

Plasser & Theurer 07-16 Universal Tamper / Liner 73223 ambles along the up main line at Woodley, near Reading on 14 June 1987. This location is on the section of track much frequented by steam photographers in the 1960s (and before) between the deep cutting at Sonning and the embankment that takes the line over the valley of the Rover Loddon and on towards Twyford.

Jarvis liveried Plasser & Theurer 07-32 Duomatic Tamper / Liner 73423 heads north up the Highland Mainline at Bardrill (near Gleneagles) on 23 April 2003. Bardrill is a seemingly remote spot down a narrow road that sees virtually no traffic, yet as can be seen by the lorry in the background is only a few hundred yards from the busy A9 road to Pert and Inverness.

Plasser & Theurer 08-4x4/4S-RT Switch & Crossing Tamper DR73906 ambles along the up line at Fritwell (on the Chiltern Line between Aynho Junction and Bicester) on 9 June 2008. Someone was presumably getting bored during some extended engineering possession and decided to decorate the buffers with smiley faces!

DR98923 & DR98973 head south from Moreton-in-Marsh with the 3S31 07:38 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) sandite working on 23 October 2007. The station can just be seen in the distance, with semaphore signals in abundance, even for the little used down refuge siding.

DR98907 & DR98957 are pictured near Grintleyhill Bridge, Combe with the 3S31 07:38 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) sandite working on 16 November 2007, heading back to Ledbury, having reversed at Oxford. You would think it would be easy to include autumn foliage in railway photos, but it seems to be very difficult, as the best trees don't seem to grow near the line. Although there is some reasonable colour in the background of this picture, frustratingly there were several large beech trees near where I was standing that no matter how hard I tried to find a different vantage point could not be included in the picture!

DR98957 & DR98907 have just passed through Shipton station with the 3S31 07:38 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) rail head treatment train on 30 October 2007. As can clearly be seen, the unit is spraying the rail with water to clear away leaf mulch. This picture was almost blocked out by the late running 08:52 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill First Great Western service, which passed a few seconds later.

DR98973 & DR98923 approach Chilson with the 3S31 07:38 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) sandite working on 23 October 2007. The Cotswold Line has become very difficult to photograph due to rampant growth of lineside vegetation. This spot was chosen as the unobstructed gap was just big enough for the MPV, and it is one of the very few locations where it possible to get the sun on the front for a northbound train during the middle of the day. The train is on its way back to Ledbury, having reversed at Oxford.