In miserable lighting conditions on 22 January 1994, Class 438 4-TCs 417 & 410 leave Salisbury with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 07:35 Waterloo to Weymouth 'Push Pull Farewell' railtour, with 33116 just out of sight behind the white house doing the pushing at the rear. Both the units have been restored to their original 1960s livery. The lower stage of the tower on Salisbury's world famous cathedral was undergoing restoration work at the time and is encased in scaffolding.

With the prominent local landmark of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal engine house in the background, Class 438 4-TCs 417 & 410 are pushed past Charlton by 33116 Hertfordshire Rail Tours with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 07:35 Waterloo to Weymouth 'Push Pull Farewell' railtour on 22 January 1994.

4-TC 8018 is pushed past Nursling on 17 June 1989 by 33119 & 33008 Eastleigh. This is 10:00 special from Eastleigh, one of three circular mini tours run in connection with the Eastleigh 150 celebrations. 8018 was withdrawn shortly after this picture was taken, and has since been scrapped, a fate which has presumably also befallen the cars in the field on the left!

Network Rail DBSO 9701 is propelled towards Cam & Dursley by 31454 on 12 October 2009. It is working the 2Z08 09:46 Derby RTC to Bristol Temple Meads test train. It would later work up various Welsh Valley lines, albeit after dark. Unfortunately this viewpoint is getting more difficult thanks to tree growth next to the bridge.

Network Rail DBSO 9703 leads the 3Z15 11:15 Derby RTC to Eastleigh test train past Tackley on 2 January 2012. 31602 Driver Dave Green is noisily doing the pushing on the rear. Luckily the train was running ten minutes early. A large bunch of clouds was gathering around the sun, and around the booked time it would have been very hit and miss as to whether I got this in the sun.

Network Rail DBSO 9714 leads the 4Z10 07:50 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road (via Oxford) test train past Shorthampton on 23 September 2009. 31106 is providing the power at the rear. The recently cleared cutting at this location now makes an excellent photographic location, and as the light was abysmal, I decided to go for a different viewpoint by shooting from the north side. The tiny Norman church at Shorthampton, famous for its Medieval wall paintings, is just out of the picture to the left, a couple of fields from the railway.

There seemed very little prospect of getting another sunlit shot of the 3Z13 08:23 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road test train on 12 September 2011, after I had seen it near Cornbury Park. However, I decided to go to a location near Chilson to see it returning from its reversal at Oxford, this time of course with Network Rail DBSO 9714 leading, and 31106 pushing at the rear. I wanted a 'train in the landscape' type shot, and thought that the short train would look well framed between the solitary tree and the new signal post. I expected nothing more than a record shot, as the clouds were building up big time. Amazingly, just as it came into view the sun found a hole in the cloud and bathed the whole scene in light, which contrasts markedly with the background. I'm glad I took the trouble to walk to the location now! Incidentally, the last time I saw 9714, was just around the corner at Shorthampton, two years previously, going the other way.

82101 leads the 14:10 Liverpool Lime Street to Euston InterCity service through Cheddington station on 28 April 1990. It was a couple of miles north of this spot that the Great Train Robbers halted the up postal on 7 August 1963, getting away with £2.6 million. The alarm was raised by one of the loco's crew catching an early morning train to Cheddington. Obviously the following day this quiet station in the middle of the Buckinghamshire countryside would have been swarming with police!

Having been thwarted in my attempt to get a picture of 82101 on the 09:30 Birmingham New Street to Euston Virgin West Coast service two days previously, I tried again on 22 April 2009, this time going to Banbury Lane, and this time not being blocked out by something going the the way! 82101 is just passing over the site of the former level crossing at Banbury Lane with its mixed rake of Cargo D blue and grey and Virgin liveried stock. 90036 is out of sight at the rear providing the power.

82123 leads the 1M25 11:48 Glasgow to Euston Virgin service past Docker (between Tebay and Oxenholme) on 12 July 2003. An ideal photographic location on a sweeping curve with the hills in the background. Just think how good it must have been in steam days before they put the wires up, or even in the 1970s when doubled head Class 50s were commonplace!

82125 speeds past Brockhall (between Rugby and Milton Keynes) with the 07:10 Liverpool Lime Street to Euston InterCity service on 24 August 1991. Having a streamlined front end only works if you shut all the flaps, not as here with one of them open and acting as an air brake! The Canon F1 I used to take this picture was one of the few cameras available at the time that had the 1/2000sec shutter speed that was necessary to freeze all motion with a train this close to the camera and traveling at such high speed.

82144 speeds past Kings Langley with the 06:30 Manchester Piccadilly to Euston InterCity service on 28 October 1995. The train will soon be passing underneath the M25 on its express journey to the capital, Having already had its last booked sop at Milton Keynes.

With a dramatic sky implying that the sun wouldn't last much longer, 82146 leads the 1A39 10:45 Liverpool Lime Street to Euston Virgin West Coast service past Cathiron on 9 September 1998. Presumably any estate agent trying to sell either of the two semi-detached houses behind the train would have a hard job putting a positive slant on being quite that close to the railway!

82146 leads the 5Z05 12:50 Toton to Exeter Riverside DB Schenker Management Train past Tredington on 3 June 2010, with 67029 doing the pushing at the rear. Most photographers would prefer this to be the other way round, but I prefer the sleek lines of the DVT to the aesthetically challenged corrugated sided 'Skip'. At least DBS have managed to keep this train clean (unlike the majority of their fleet) and this does show off the 'three beasties' logo very well.

82201 speeds past Ryther on 1 October 2009 with the 1A20 09:00 Newcastle to Kings Cross National Express East Coast service. This operator had little more than a month to go when this photo was taken, before being in effect renationalised due to mounting losses.

The clouds are gathering at Little Heck on 11 March 2011, as 82207 speeds southwards with the 1E02 06:00 Edinburgh to Kings Cross East Coast service. Almost a complete train in the striking silver livery, only the Class 91 pushing at the rear spoils the uniformity.

82208 leads the 1E04 06:55 Edinburgh to Kings Cross East Coast service past Cromwell Moor on 15 October 2011. Only the Class 91 pushing at the rear is still in the old ex GNER dark blue livery. The nearby village of Cromwell was originally the ancestral home of the Cromwell family, who's most well known member was of course Oliver Cromwell. Anyone got a picture of 70013 passing this spot?

82209 in its stylish new East Coast livery leads the 1E01 05:50 Edinburgh to Kings Cross service past Great Heck on 11 March 2011. Although it may look impressive, it does seem questionable that it is really worthwhile repainting any stock on this route as the franchise will shortly be up for grabs again.

82210 catches the early morning sun as it passes Great Heck with the 06:30 Newcastle to Kings Cross National Express East Coast service on 14 March 2008. Note the 80 mph speed restriction on the down. line. This section of the ECML was closed the previous day due to damage caused to the overhead wires by the second lot of high winds in less than a month. Such, unfortunately is the vulnerability of overhead electrification, especially when inadequate strength was built into the system in the first place to save costs.

82211 leads the 09:30 Edinburgh to Kings Cross National Express East Coast service past Houndwood on 3 May 2008. This was the perfect way to enjoy railway photography (apart from the long walk to get to the location). Sitting on the grassy bank in the sunshine and just picking up the camera when a train appeared in the distance. The only noise was from the sheep in the neighbouring fields and the traffic on the distant A1 road which can just be seen in the background.

82213 leads the 07:50 Glasgow Central to Kings Cross East Coast service past Noblethorpe on 17 June 2010. The DVTs never had a chance to acquire National Express's stylish silver and white livery, before that company lost the franchise. Here we see the subtle rebranding of the re-nationalised operator's interim colour scheme.

In a brief burst of spring sunshine, 82217 leads the 1E11 09:50 Glasgow Central to Kings Cross East Coast Trains service past Burn on 11 March 2010. All vehicles in this train carry the former GNER colour scheme, which is now carrying its second re-branding. National Express East Coast didn't survive long enough as an operating company to apply its new silver livery to much of its stock, and so the good dark blue livery lives to see another day!

A picture that required split second timing and 1/2000 sec shutter speed to freeze the 125 mph train at exactly the right spot between the catenary. 82219 Duke of Edinburgh leads the 1A24 11:40 Leeds to Kings Cross National Express East Coast service past Grassthorpe (between Retford and Newark) on 25 January 2008. The entire train is in the transitional livery, with all traces of former route operator GNER removed, and the National Express branding applied on a white stripe.

Beautiful early morning autumnal light at Burn on 1 October 2009, as 82225 heads southwards with the 1Y14 07:00 Newcastle to Kings Cross National Express East Coast service. The wooded hill in the background (an unusual feature in the otherwise largely flat Vale of York) is known as Hambleton Hough.

82227 speeds past Grassthorpe on 25 January 2008 with the 1E11 09:50 Glasgow Central to Kings Cross National Express East Coast service. Although operated by National Express, 82227 is still carrying GNER colours, with the branding suitably altered. It never would get to acquire National Express livery, as the franchise was handed back to the government the following year!

82301 leads the 1J82 12:17 Marylebone to Wrexham service past Wormleighton Crossing on 22 April 2009, with 67012 doing the pushing at the rear. There was certainly no mistaking that this train was approaching, as these DVTs have a very loud a distinctive chime type horn.

On the final day of Wrexham & Shropshire operations (28 January 2011), 82301 leads the 1J85 09:24 Marylebone to Wrexham General service past Overthorpe (near Banbury) in suitably gloomy conditions. 67013 is providing the power at the rear of the train, just visible underneath the bridge the carries the long distance footpath, the Jurassic Way, across the line.

The unique blue livery of 82302 shows up well in the low evening sunshine as leads the 1U53 18:16 Marylebone to Banbury Chiltern Railways service past Kings Sutton on 3 June 2011. There is a fair mix of liveries in this train, as apart from 82302's dark blue, there is good old blue and grey coaching stock at the head of the train and ex Virgin Railways red at the rear. Right at the back doing the pushing is 67013 Dyfrbont Pontcysylite in debranded Wrexham & Shropshire silver.

82303 leads the 1P03 07:23 Wrexham to Marylebone Wrexham & Shropshire Railways service past Fritwell on 8 September 2010. 67013 is doing the pushing at the rear. A dull morning, but thankfully not with the heavy rain that was forecast.

82303 leads the 1R48 16:50 Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street Chiltern Railways service past Kings Sutton on 3 June 2011, with the 67015 David J. Lloyd doing the pushing at the rear. Visually not a great deal of difference to the former Wrexham & Shropshire Railway trains.

82304 leads the 1J82 12:17 Marylebone to Wrexham service past Old Milverton on 20 February 2009. Note that the Wrexham & Shropshire Railway livery does not yet extend to the coaches. 67012 was doing the pushing at the rear. This picture would have been unfit for inclusion on this website without the use of layers in Photoshop. Because the sun had gone in but the sky in the background was still bright the initial image showed a virtually blank sky and a burnt out roof area to the train, and yet paradoxically virtually no shadow detail. Creating layers for each f these problem areas and adjusting accordingly along with careful feathering and blending has yielded a natural result. After all, you wouldn't know there had been any work done, would you?

82305 leads the 1P13 11:27 Wrexham General to Marylebone Wrexham & Shropshire service past Ardley Quarry on 7 October 2010, with DB Schenker liveried 67018 doing the pushing at the rear. Such is the garishness of 670128's livery, that I could tell which loco was coming when it first appeared in the distance over a mile away, even though its on the back!

Early August 2011 saw Chiltern Railways rebrand the former Wrexham & Shropshire Railway Mk 3 coaches 'Chiltern Mainline'. The difference is subtle, as can be seen here as 82305 leads the 1R55 18:30 Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street service past Great Bourton on 3 August. The ubiquitous 67014 Thomas Telford is doing the pushing at the back. Both the DVT and the locomotive are still devoid of any branding.

Inspection saloon 975025 Caroline is propelled by 37423 past Beighton on 25 November 2008, with a cab full of railway officials, at least one of whom appears to be photographing the line ahead. The working is the 2Z65 09:05 Bedford to Bedford (via Sheffield) special, which despite being propelled into Sheffield, returned an hour later with the Class 37 still at the back, which was not anticipated or appreciated! The background of pylons and waste ground is typical of many areas of formerly industrial South Yorkshire.

Inspection saloon 975025 Caroline is propelled by 37423 past Claydon on 22 April 2009 running as the 2Z44 10:58 Derby to Southampton. This was running approximately 30 minutes early, which was just as well as although not very obvious from this picture, the clouds were building up rapidly and this was in a brief sunny interlude.

Inspection saloon 975025 Caroline is propelled past Fritwell on 8 September 2010 by 37409 Lord Hinton, whilst working the 2Z01 09:26 Ealing Broadway to Ealing Broadway (via Birmingham) special. Already running ten minutes late, things were to get much worse later on, with the late running approaching two hours! Instead of coming back via the Cotswold Line, it was re-routed via Bristol Parkway. Although there would have been plenty of time to get a second picture after leaving my chosen Cotswold Line location near Charlbury, given the situation, and already having got this picture, I couldn't be bothered!

Inspection saloon 975025 Caroline is propelled past Steventon on 22 September 2010 by 37423 Spirit of the Lakes, working the 2Z01 09:05 Cardiff to Ealing Broadway (via Oxford). It is pictured between the two level crossings at Steventon. Causeway Crossing can be seen in the background, while the photo is taken from nearby Stocks Lane Crossing.

A solitary steam diagram was employed during the Llangollen Railway's Railcar Gala on 26 June 2010. However, it was totally in keeping, as this is basically the steam equivalent of the railcar principle. Auto trailer 167 leads, GWR 64xx 0-6-0PT 6430 provides the power, and auto trailer 163 brings up the rear, as the 15:00 Llangollen to Carrog service passes Garthydwr.