L585 Abingdon 30 June 1984

The Abingdon Branch Line closed to passengers on 9 September 1963 but was retaining for freight traffic, principally for the movement of cars from the MG works. Unfortunately the MG factory closed in 1980 and thereafter the branch saw very little traffic. It was finally closed in 1984 and to mark the occasion, the Oxford University Railway Society ran a shuttle service between Radley (the line's junction with the main line) and Abingdon on 30 June 1984. With an improvised 'Farewell Abingdon 1856 - 1984' headboard stuck to the centre windscreen with sticky tape, L585 (51075, 59434 & 51103) passes one of the foot crossings on the approach to Abingdon with another trip from Radley, all of which conspired to pass me in cloudy conditions. Ironically this is the only time that I saw this particular unit.