56115 passes Stokesay on 27 May 1996 with the 6V78 15:30 Dee Marsh to Margam, which on this occasion consists entirely of eight distinctive blue covered scrap wagons. Usually there were just a few of these wagons tacked on the end of the more usual rake of steel empties. The Long Mynd and Wenlock Edge form the background to this view, with Stokesay Castle on the right.

47513 Severn passes through Kemble station in the rain on 16 March 1989 with a Cheltenham Gold Cup race special. In the 1980s there were at least three loco hauled trains going to Cheltenham on Gold Cup Day, so it was always worth venturing out, whatever the weather!

59005 Kenneth J Painter passes Twerton on 12 August 1993 with the 7C42 11:52 Merehead to Hallen Moor stone train, taking another load of stone to the construction site of the Second Severn Crossing. This viewpoint has completely changed. Trees now block out the view on the right, and the cricket pavilion on the left has been destroyed.

Running an hour late, 20304 & 20305 pass through Hexham station on 14 September 1996 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z58 04:49 Bristol Temple Meads to Newcastle 'Geordie Choppers' railtour. At 633 miles, this was my longest single day's railtour photography, and something that would not be possible with today's electric cars!

20304 & 20305 pass Settle Junction on 14 September 1996 with the late running Pathfinder Tours 1Z58 13:45 Newcastle to Bristol Temple Meads 'Geordie Choppers' railtour. The train is taking the line to Carnforth. The tracks on the left mark the southern end of the famous Settle & Carlisle line.

45138 approaches Wickwar Tunnel on 10 August 1985 with the 1M28 15:04 Paignton to Nottingham service. A day out to the West Country for the loco, after spending the previous week working Midland Mainline trains out of St Pancras. It would return to Midland Mainline duties the following day.

47487 approaches Shipton station on 12 June 1982 with the 1A75 07:05 Hereford to Paddington service. Unfortunately I took this a little too early, so this is a severe enlargement from a portion of the original Kodachrome 64 transparency. This is the only time that I saw this locomotive. It was withdrawn in 1988, and cut up the following year. The brickwork in the foreground marks the site of the former end loading dock. Just visible in the grass in the middle distance are the remains of the foundations for Shipton's goods shed. Like most of the stations on the Cotswold Line, this was a Brunel designed broad gauge timber structure.

37378 stands at the head of a train of Tiger PBA china clay hoppers at Bescot on 15 March 1989. Formerly 37204, the loco had been renumbered the previous year, after it was fitted with regeared bogies. This is the view from the waste ground near Friar Park. Traffic on the M6 motorway can be seen in the background.

56103 & 56113 pass Compton Beauchamp on 12 July 2025 with the 1Z61 16:53 Bristol Temple Meads to Derby section of the Branch Line Society's 'Tytherington Quarrier' railtour. Unfortunately this tour had turned out to be slightly misnamed, as due to a points failure it did not traverse the Tytherington branch. The train had originally started from Derby at 04:45, and would not get back until 23:56. Very nearly a whole day's journey!

159008 passes through the chalk cutting at Lower Wyke on 12 July 2025 with the 1L26 06:40 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo South Western Railway service. 159007 should have been attached to this train at Salisbury, after it had arrived with the 1A26 07:36 from Castle Cary. However that was running 54 minutes late on the approach to Salisbury, so the connection was not made. Obviously the original plan was for this unit to wait, as it was 15 minutes late when it passed me.

159016, 159105 & 159021 pass Lower Wyke on 12 July 2025 with the 1L32 08:24 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo service. South Western Railway is now nationalised, but judging by the obsolete South West Trains livery on the middle unit, it could be some time before a Great British Railways livery is applied.

Running 35 minutes late, 60029 Ben Nevis passes through the heavily overgrown cutting at Lower Wyke on 12 July 2025 with the Branch Line Society 1Z58 08:50 Acton Yard to Yate 'Tytherington Quarrier' railtour. 57303 is bringing up the rear. As the name suggests, this train should have traversed the Tytherington branch, but that was prevented by a points failure.

57303 brings up the rear of the late running Branch Line Society 1Z58 08:50 Acton Yard to Yate (should have been Tytherington) 'Tytherington Quarrier' railtour at Lower Wyke on 12 July 2025. 60029 Ben Nevis is the leading loco.

56103 rounds the curve at Crofton on 12 July 2025 with the 4V23 11:04 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Bristol East Depot stone empties. This working was in order to get the loco to Bristol to work the returning Branch Line Society ' Tytherington Quarrier' railtour, which explains the silver painted buffers. The Kennet & Avon Canal's Crofton Pumping Station can be seen in the background.

60026 Helvellyn passes Little Bedwyn on 11 July 2025 with the 6V25 09:53 Quainton Railhead to Tytherington HS2 stone empties. This was running 19 minutes early, despite the fact that earlier in the journey it had been 72 minutes late! The dust blowing up in the background is obviously not from the empty wagons of this train, but from the loaded wagons of the 6A70 14:08 Whatley Quarry to Dawley Loop train, the back of which can just be seen above the footbridge.

Consecutively numbered 66587 As One We Can & 66588 pass Little Bedwyn on 11 July 2025 with the 6V50 14:21 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. This was running 35 minutes early, which was ideal, as the shadows in the background hadn't yet reached the track.

802102 passes Froxfield on 10 July 2025 with the 1A73 05:03 Penzance to Paddington GWR service. This was running 20 minutes late. It's hard to believe that it was once possible to see the Kennet & Avon Canal through the bushes on the left!

With a wave from the driver, 59203 passes Froxfield on 10 July 2025 with the 6A40 08:40 Merehead Quarry to Hanwell Bridge Loop stone train. After the predominance of Class 66s on this working, in July 2025 there seems to be a welcome return of Class 59s.

60026 Helvellyn passes Froxfield on 10 July 2025 with the 6M02 07:32 Tytherington to Quainton Railhead HS2 stone train. The hired in loco's GBRf blue livery is very nearly a match for the wagons, being only slightly darker than DC Rail's own Cappagh blue liveried 60028.

43272 passes Steventon on 10 July 2025 with the 1Q23 06:43 Bristol Kingsland Road to Derby RTC Network Rail test train. This is the rather restricted view from Causeway Level Crossing. Just before this came a funeral party passed over the crossing on the way to Steventon church. There was a long procession of mourners on foot, some of whom had to hurry up when the signalman gave a couple of brief amber flashes on the lights to warn of an imminent train. Good thinking to avoid splitting up the group!

A Class 52/46/42 cavalcade at Steventon on 10 July 2025. D1015 Western Champion has 46045 & D821 Greyhound in tow, as it heads for the Mid Hants Railway Diesel Gala with the 0Q42 08:38 Kidderminster Severn Valley Railway to Alton light engine move.

43357 passes Chilson on 10 July 2025 with the 1Q23 06:43 Bristol Kingsland Road to Derby RTC Network Rail test train. 43272 is hidden by the bushes at the rear of the train. Although this location was cleared of vegetation a few years earlier, it is now getting severely overgrown again, with the bushes touching the trains in places.

43272 brings up the rear of the 1Q23 06:43 Bristol Kingsland Road to Derby RTC Network Rail test train at Chilson on 10 July 2025. 43357 was leading, slowing down prior to stopping near Ascott-under-Wychwood, as it was closely following the 1W02 11:52 Paddington to Hereford GWR train. I could see the stationary train in the valley as I drove home, but there wouldn't quite have been enough time to get to Ascott for another picture before it moved off.

Until 2019, HSTs were a regular sight on the Cotswold Line, but they never looked like this! 43484 & 43468 very slowly approach Charlbury on 9 July 2025 with the 6Z46 11:15 Burton upon Trent Wetmore Sidings to Eastleigh Arlington, conveying barrier vehicles 8027970200 & 8027970192, along with former Greater Anglia Mk3 coaches 12079 & 12167. As the train was running a few minutes late, it was clear that it was not going to be allowed onto the single track section of line from Charlbury to Wolvercote until the 1W27 13:50 Paddington to Great Malvern GWR IET had reached Charlbury. Therefore there was easily enough time to drive through Charlbury for a second picture of the train as it passed Cornbury Park.

Running 24 minutes late, after losing its original path over this single line section of the Cotswold Line, the 6Z46 11:15 Burton upon Trent Wetmore Sidings to Eastleigh Arlington passes Cornbury Park, as it pulls away from Charlbury on 9 July 2025. 43484 & 43468 are hauling barrier vehicles 8027970200 & 8027970192, along with former Greater Anglia Mk3 coaches 12079 & 12167. The uncontrolled lineside vegetation is now so bad here that the bush near the first barrier vehicle is hitting the side of the train.

60026 Helvellyn passes through Bedwyn station on 8 July 2025 with the 6V25 09:53 Quainton Railhead to Tytherington HS2 stone empties. The loco is on hire to DC Rail from GBRf. This was obviously very popular with photographers, and by the look of it, drivers!

59203 passes through Bedwyn station on 8 July 2025 with the 6V50 14:21 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. The little wooden shelter on the down platform has managed to survive since steam days, while the 'bus shelter' on the up platform has been replaced several times since then.

66524 & 59205 pass through Bedwyn station on 8 July 2025 with the 6V60 14:43 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Whatley Quarry stone empties. Conveniently situated on the edge of the large village of Great Bedwyn, the station is well served by a regular DMU shuttle service from Newbury.

King Class 4-6-0 6024 King Edward I approaches Heyford on 19 May 1990 with an InterCity Didcot to Stratford-upon-Avon VIP Special. The combination of GWR green loco and immaculate white roofed InterCity Mk1s is a bit odd, but certainly looks impressive. It's hard to believe now that this location was once so open. A fully grown lineside forest now hides the view of Rousham church in the background.

47848 passes evidence of a recent lineside fire, as it approaches Banbury on 14 March 1999 with the 1O08 08:45 Wolverhampton to Poole Virgin Cross Country service. The coaches are clean, but the loco could certainly do with a wash!

47843 approaches Hinksey on 19 January 1991 with the 1E34 11:40 Poole to York service. A very backlit picture, but I have included it as a Royal Mail red liveried BG in a passenger train was something I only saw a few times, and then mostly in 1991. Also, this particular viewpoint is no longer possible, as the field in the foreground is now covered by bushes and trees.

D100 Sherwood Forester heads south from Darley Dale in the last of the weak autumnal sunshine on 17 October 1992, during Peak Rail's inaugural Diesel Gala. D100 entered service in May 1961, and was named Sherwood Forester at Derby Midland station four months later. It received the TOPS number 45060 in 1975, and was withdrawn in1985. It moved to Peak Rail two years later, after a period of store at Toton.

45135 3rd Carabinier approaches Darley Dale on 17 October 1992 with a train from Matlock Riverside, during Peak Rail's Diesel Gala. When introduced into traffic in 1961, this loco was numbered D99, so it was fitting that during this gala it was working alongside consecutively numbered D100.

43129 approaches Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 27 October 1982 with the 1B76 12:40 Paddington to Swindon service. Of course most HSTs continued on past Swindon, either to Bristol or South Wales, but this set returned to London as the 1A75 14:09 Swindon to Paddington. This view is totally unrecognisable now. Trees in the background, four tracks, overhead electrification, and a new footbridge have altered the view, and not for the better!

47362 passes Kings Sutton on 28 July 1994 with the 4M04 15:25 Southampton Western Docks to Washwood Heath empty cartics. The 198 feet tall spire of Kings Sutton church dominates the background, as it has done for over 650 years.

57313 Scarborough Castle passes South Marston on 4 July 2025 with the Northern Belle 1Z29 06:30 Cardiff Central to Windsor & Eton Riverside ' RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival & Historic Windsor' railtour. Note the work going on in the background to turn this rural location into a suburb of Swindon.

59202 passes Little Bedwyn on 4 July 2025 with the 6A40 08:40 Merehead Quarry to Hanwell Bridge Loop stone train. Note how close the beech trees near the canal lock are to the railway. Passing trains were hitting the branches!

Running 15 minutes early, 60028 passes Little Bedwyn on 4 July 2025 with the 6M02 07:04 Tytherington to Quainton Railhead HS2 stone train. The railway has water on both sides here. The Kennet & Avon Canal on the left, and (hidden by the lineside vegetation), the diminutive River Dun on the right.

59201 Westbury PSB 1984-2024 rounds the curve at Crofton on 4 July 2025 with the 6A18 09:18 Whatley Quarry to Oxford Banbury Road stone train. Some recent vegetation clearance here has removed some of bushes that made it difficult for more than one photographer to get an unobstructed view. However, the majority of the bushes nearer the line were left untouched!

66524 & 66587 As One We Can pass Crofton on 4 July 2025 with the 6A50 10:26 Whatley Quarry to Hanwell Bridge Loop stone train. What a pity that the locos weren't the other way round! This was running a few minutes late, as it had to wait in Woodborough loop for longer than booked, due to a late running GWR IET.

59203 passes Crofton on 4 July 2025 with the 6V31 09:06 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. Earlier in the day I had seen both 59201 & 59202, therefore completing the numerical first half of the 59/2 sub-class.

60055 Thomas Barnardo rounds the curve past Crofton Pumping Station on 4 July 2025 with the 6V23 10:34 Willesden DC Rail Sidings to Merehead Quarry stone empties. These HS2 trains have seen a welcome return of Class 60s to the Berks & Hants Line.

With a wave from the driver, 59202 Pride of Ferrybridge passes Manningford Bruce on 3 July 2025 with the 6A40 08:40 Merehead Quarry to Hanwell Bridge Loop stone train. It is just about to pass underneath a road bridge that has several large buddleia bushes growing out of the parapet. The thick woody roots of this invasive shrub can cause serious structural damage, so it's scandalous that because of Network Rail's total lack of maintenance, the safety of this bridge is being compromised.

Hired to DC Rail from GBRf, 60026 Helvellyn passes Manningford Bruce on 3 July 2025 with the early running 6M02 07:04 Tytherington to Quainton Railhead HS2 stone train. A sunny morning, but soon the few clouds visible in the background would multiply rapidly, and lead to a mostly cloudy afternoon.

An unusual and very colourful train passes Kings Sutton on 2 July 2025. 37508 & 37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach are working the 5Z03 16:53 Marylebone to Derby RTC, towing inspection saloon 975025 Caroline. This was running 15 minutes early, even though the earlier southbound 2Z02 working from Preston had been delayed by over half an hour, after being re-routed between Birmingham and Leamington Spa.

168003 brings up the rear of the 5A99 17:15 Banbury to Aylesbury Chiltern Railways ECS, as it approaches Kings Sutton on 2 July 2025. This VSTP working was running 68 minutes late. Unfortunately I didn't note the number of the leading unit. Both DMUs are in the latest version of Chiltern's livery, but the leading unit looks especially clean, as if its on its way back from refurbishment. Any help with the ID would be gratefully received.

66053 passes Kings Sutton on 2 July 2025 with the 4E68 16:03 Southampton Western Docks to Wakefield Europort intermodal. This was running nine minutes early, but it was still a surprise that it was allowed to pass Aynho Junction ahead of the 1J53 18:07 Marylebone to Stourbridge Junction Chiltern Railways service.

68015 Kev Helmer passes Kings Sutton on 2 July 2025 with the 1J53 18:07 Marylebone to Stourbridge Junction Chiltern Railways service. Apart from the trees in the background now hiding most of the houses in Kings Sutton, this location hasn't changed much since the 1980s.

Another pair of Class 455 EMUs make their final journey. Running 13 minutes early, 37800 Cassiopeia passes Baulking on 2 July 2025 with the 5Q86 11:58 Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings to Newport Docks (Sims Group), conveying former South Western Railway 455905 & 455857. The Union Flag on the left seems to be a permanent feature of a recently constructed farm building.

37800 Cassiopeia passes the oil depot on the site of Bremell Sidings, as it accelerates away from Swindon on 30 June 2025 with the 5Q73 11:58 Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings to Lydney Up Goods Loop, conveying former South Western Railways EMUs 455850 & 455909, for onward movement to Newport for scrap.

455909 brings up the rear of the 5Q73 11:58 Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings to Lydney Up Goods Loop near the site of Bremell Sidings on 30 June 2025. The other unit is 455850, and the whole ensemble is being led by 37800 Cassiopeia.

37705 & 37694 approach Chinley on 12 March 1998 with the 6H71 07:35 Oakleigh to Tunstead stone empties. This was just before Class 60s took over these workings. This was something that would not have been possible, had not the vintage vacuum braked hoppers that were used on these trains for years been replaced a few months earlier by these air braked PGAs.

101677 is dwarfed by the surroundings, as it leaves Chinley station on 12 March 1998 with the 09:15 Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly service. I can't remember now whether anybody got on, but clearly nobody got off!

I've often thought that it would be nice to live next to a railway, but probably not this close! 31207 passes the former crossing keeper's cottage at Melton Ross on 30 October 1998. The loco is passing the site of Knab's Crossing, which was replaced by a bridge sometime in the early twentieth century.

Class 423 4-VEP 3497 approaches Swanley on 30 May 1998 with the 11:11 Victoria to Ramsgate Connex South Eastern 'all stations' service. There is (or was in 1998!) a clear view from the A20 bridge, without including any lineside bushes, but I chose to include them for this picture, as it is such a short train.

Toddington station, pictured on 13 March 1982, shortly after the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway took over the site. I'm not sure if the lengths of rail in the foreground are left over from track lifting a couple of years earlier, or whether they have been brought to the site to start track relaying.

166204 leaves Gloucester on 28 June 2025 with the 2O72 06:55 Cheltenham Spa to Weymouth GWR service. The unit has just passed over the Horton Road level crossing, behind which is the sad remains of Horton Road Depot, now just one building and a large overgrown area of wasteland. The large building on the right is the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

D1015 Western Champion leaves Gloucester on 28 June 2025 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 05:03 Dorridge to Penzance 'The Mazey Day Special' railtour. Out of sight on the rear of the train is 47815 Great Western, which had brought the train from Dorridge along with 47812. The Western had arrived a little earlier light engine from the Severn Valley Railway. The line from Cheltenham, which the train had just traversed can just be seen through the bushes on the right. Note the remains of Horton Road Depot in the background.

47815 Great Western brings up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 05:03 Dorridge to Penzance 'The Mazey Day Special' railtour, as it heads away from Gloucester station on 28 June 2025. D1015 Western Champion has just disappeared behind the bushes, heading towards Gloucester Yard Junction. It may have been a dull morning, but at least Gloucester wasn't enveloped in low cloud, as the Cotswold Hills in the background certainly are.

800032 Sarah Williams-Martin accelerates away from Moreton-in-Marsh station on 26 June 2025 with the 1P38 16:32 Great Malvern to Paddington GWR service. This train is unusually booked to wait at Moreton for 17 minutes.

After several failed attempts, I have finally managed to get a picture of the often cancelled 2E14 17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham GWR Cotswold LIne 'all stations' service. 165120 approaches Dunstall Bridge, near Moreton-in-Marsh on 26 June 2025, running 11 minutes late.

66719 approaches Moreton-in-Marsh on 26 June 2025 with the 3Z21 16:03 Paddington to Kidderminster Severn Valley Railway 'Railway 200' exhibition train. Both 66719 & 66710 (on the rear) have been specially painted to work this train, which will travel to various locations all over the country during 2025. Each of the coaches has been named after one aspect of the history of railways: Inspiration, Past, Present, Future & Together! This was travelling extremely slowly, as although not booked to stop at Moreton, the preceding 1W33 16:58 Paddington to Great Malvern train had not cleared the section, and Moreton's down outer home signal was still at danger.

Something a little different on the Cotswold Line! 66710 brings up the rear of the 3Z21 16:03 Paddington to Kidderminster Severn Valley Railway 'Railway 200' exhibition train, as it very slowly approaches Moreton-in-Marsh on 26 June 2025. 66719 is leading the train, which will pause briefly at Moreton's down outer home signal, which can be seen in the background.

56035 Taff Merthyr passes Oddington on 17 June 1983 with the 6V11 09:30 Wolverton to Stoke Gifford ARC stone empties. At this time the Bicester to Oxford line was freight only, with normally just a couple of trains in each direction on weekdays only.

47225 passes Compton Beauchamp on 25 July 1989 with the 6O84 15:40 Velindre to Dover Town Railfreight Distribution service. This train conveyed coiled tinplate from the British Steel plant at Velindre, for export via the Dover Train Ferry to the Sosek Fabrike works in Belgrade. The Velindre works closed very shortly after this picture was taken.

The 11:30 Glasgow Central to Euston service passes Madeley on 9 October 1993, led by 82107. Palisade fencing has now replaced the low post and wire fence seen here. Directly behind the DVT is one of the original West Coast Mainline 25Kv feeder stations, where the power supply was connected to the National Grid.

The sun has almost entirely faded out into high cloud, as 47512 approaches Wolvercote Junction on 30 August 1987 with the 1M53 18:10 Paddington to Wolverhampton service. This loco only ever carried two liveries. It entered service in 1967 in BR blue, and was withdrawn in 1991, still in the large logo livery seen here.

47976 Aviemore Centre heads south at Culham on 9 May 1992 with a test train, presumably from Derby RTC. Apologies for the extremely poor quality of this very backlit picture, but this is the only picture I have of a full train of test vehicles in this unusual livery. Any more details of the train would be much appreciated.

L412 (51347, 59499 & 51389) passes the hangars of the former RNAS Culham on 13 May 1992 with the 2C69 19:51 Oxford to Reading Network SouthEast service. Oxfordshire is a long way from the sea, but Royal Naval Air Service Culham, was a Fleet Air Arm station, otherwise known as HMS Hornbill!

Plasser & Theurer 07-16 Universal Tamper / Liner 73223 prepares to start work at Ascott-under-Wychwood, during a Sunday engineering possession on 13 January 1991. This is the view from Shipton Road, just behind Ascott-under-Wychwood Signal Box. Lineside growth and a new housing development now obstruct this view.

43009 passes Hinksey Yard on 28 April 1999 with the 1D62 18:02 Paddington to Oxford First Great Western service. It's a pity that this stylish Great Western Trains livery only lasted for a few years. Unveiled in 1996, the colour scheme suited the HSTs very well, despite the large area of white that must have been difficult to keep clean. By the time that this picture was taken, the company had been bought out by Great Western Holdings, and soon the fleet would be painted in their 'fag packet' livery.

47848 heads north at Wychnor Junction on 25 April 1996 with the 1E27 07:55 Birmingham New Street to York service. It's hard to imagine now, but a lot of photographers didn't always bother to photograph InterCity liveried Class 47/8s!

47050 heads west along the Great Western Mainline at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 21 December 1992, with what appears to be a crew training run. The clue is the man in suit and tie in the secondman's seat! Sleepers for the new down relief line have been laid out, and rails have been added in the background.

The good old days, when the East Coast resort of Skegness had a proper Summer Saturday service. 47093 races through Havenhouse station on 14 June 1986 with the 1D20 09:01 Leeds to Skegness, a train that was normally a Class 47, but on at least one occasion during 1986 was a Class 31. 47093 was stored unserviceable the following year, officially withdrawn in January 1988, and cut up in October 1990.

47019 passes Iver on 22 February 1990 with the 6V16 07:48 Dover Town to Morris Cowley Speedlink. This train survived the demise of Speedlink the following year, and continued to run as a Railfreight Distribution European traffic feeder service.

47119 passes Iver on 22 February 1990 with the 6L55 12:25 Westbury to Ripple Lane empty fuel oil tanks. This was in the days when logic prevailed, and diesel fuel for loco depots was actually delivered by rail! Sometimes this train also conveyed empty bitumen tanks from Frome.

165016 & 165006 pass Yarnton on 21 June 2025 with the 2T04 05:50 Banbury to Oxford Chiltern Railways service. Most local trains on this line are operated by GWR, but this and a following ECS working are operated by Chiltern in order to start working early morning trains from Oxford to London. During the week there are four Banbury to Oxford ECS workings, but on a Saturday this one carries passengers. I didn't notice how many people were on board, but I can't imagine it is that busy at this time on a Saturday morning!

221107 passes Yarnton on 21 June 2025 with the 5M18 05:15 Southampton Central to Birmingham New Street ECS, running in place of the 1M18 05:15 Southampton Central to Manchester Piccadilly CrossCountry service. Apparently this was due to an issue with the train crew. I bet the passengers waiting at Oxford weren't very impressed when their train went straight trough the station without stopping!

Running 28 minutes late, the Midland Pullman 1Z70 06:02 Eastleigh to Scarborough 'Yorkshire Coast Pullman' railtour passes Yarnton on 21 June 2025, with 43049 Neville Hill leading and 43050 Loch Morar bringing up the rear.

The 6U88 11:25 Long Marston to Horsham MDU Siding passes though Shipton station on 20 June 2025. Robel Mobile Maintenance Train DR97504, DR97604 & DR97804 had been exhibited at the Rail Live event at Long Marston over the two previous days.

800008 Alan Turing speeds through Shipton station on 20 June 2025 with the 1P28 11:58 Great Malvern to Paddington GWR service. This is certainly a green station, with vegetation thriving on the up line, and a hay meadow on the up platform!

A wave of acknowledgment from the driver to the signalman, as 800011 slowly gets under way again, after calling at Ascott-under-Wychwood on 20 June 2025 with the 1W33 16:58 Paddington to Great Malvern GWR service. This was running 68 minutes late, due to a lineside fire in the Acton area. Because of this very late running, it was terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill. I had gone here to photograph Ascott's only booked down stopping train, the 2E14 17:04 Didcot Parkway to Oxford, but as is often the case, that was cancelled. I have tried three times to photograph it, but such is the train's chronic unreliability, that I haven't yet managed it! At least GWR arranged for 1W33 to call at Ascott, so at least passengers from Oxford could get home, albeit 89 minutes late!

802022 passes the site of Edington & Bratton station on 20 June 2025 with the 1J74 06:37 Plymouth to Paddington GWR service. The goods shed in the background is probably not the only reminder of the old station, as I suspect that the rose bush just to the right of the train is a remnant from the station's garden. The station closed to passengers in 1952, and freight in 1963.

66598 passes Edington on 20 June 2025 with the 6A40 08:40 Merehead Quarry to Hanwell Bridge Loop stone train. Class 66s are now much more common than 59s on this train, and with a light load like this, that is understandable.

60096 Skiddaw passes Edington on 20 June 2025 with the 6M02 07:04 Tytherington to Quainton Railhead stone train. Luckily this passed during a brief period of weak hazy sunshine. Although mostly sunny on the way here, as soon as I arrived the high cloud blotted out the sun, as it did shortly after this passed, and on the drive home. So much for the sunny morning forecast!

800018 leaves Kemble station on 19 June 2025 with the 1L78 14:03 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington GWR service. The cutting sides here were cleared a few years ago, but already the brambles and buddleia are starting to take over again.

66501 Spirit of '65 Celebrating 60 years of Freightliner passes Kemble on 19 June 2025 with the diverted 4O57 13:24 Wentloog to Southampton Maritime freightliner. The train's normal route was closed for extensive engineering works in the Severn Tunnel.

66117 passes Minety on 19 June 2025 with the 6M53 16:16 Swindon Stores to Toton Up Sidings steel empties. I used to photograph this train a lot when it was Class 60 hauled, but lost interest when DB withdrew all their Class 60s, so this is my first picture of it with a 'Shed' on the front.

800008 passes Minety on 19 June 2025 with the late running 1L82 16:03 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington GWR service. Photo taken from a little used public footpath crossing, where there has been some recent lineside vegetation clearance.

Still wearing the long obsolete EWS livery, 66169 passes Minety on 19 June 2025 with the diverted 6V29 17:41 Swindon Cocklebury to Cardiff Tidal scrap. The Severn Tunnel was closed for engineering work, so this was travelling the long way round, via Gloucester.

56103 has 60096 Skiddaw dead in tow, as it passes Little Bedwyn on 18 June 2025 with the 6V25 09:53 Quainton Railhead to Tytherington stone empties. The 60 had worked the train from Quainton to Wembley. I had expected a lot more photographers to be out for this very unusual working, especially considering the unbroken sunshine.

66610 approaches Little Bedwyn on 18 June 2025 with the 6V50 14:21 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. A public footpath runs along the edge of the field here, from Little Bedwyn village to the old crossing keeper's cottage in the background.

59001 Yeoman Endeavour slowly approaches Little Bedwyn on 18 June 2025 with the 6V60 14:43 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Whatley Quarry stone empties. It came to a stop just after it passed me, but only for a few seconds. It had been checked by the very late running 2T23 16:18 Newbury to Bedwyn GWR DMU, which was further delayed in accessing the reversing siding, by the 1A89 15:42 Exeter St Davids to Paddington IET!

My first picture of a DMU in the new CrossCountry livery. 170112 looks startlingly different to the old liveried 170115, as they pass the new solar farm at Fiddington on 17 June 2025 with the 1V09 12:07 Nottingham to Cardiff Central service.

66175 Rail Riders Express passes Fiddington on 17 June 2025 with the 6V92 10:32 Corby to Margam steel empties. Bredon Hill dominates the background, but the view has now been slightly spoiled by the recently installed solar panels.

66110 passes the new solar farm at Fiddington on 17 June 2025 with the 6V51 13:09 Burton upon Trent West Yard to Cardiff Tidal steel empties. Unfortunately the entire train has been defaced by graffiti vandals.

The first ever run of a Stadler built Class 99 bi-mode locomotive in the UK, albeit being towed by a Class 66. After being unloaded at Avonmouth Docks the previous week, 99002 & 99001 were moved to Leicester on 17 June 2025 behind 66307 Ipswich Town, running as the 0Q66 13:53 Avonmouth Hanson Sidings to Leicester Loco Inspection Point. The historic ensemble is pictured passing Fiddington, running 15 minutes late due to earlier signalling problems near Westerleigh Junction.

37516 & 37679 pass the site of Hathern station on 19 June 1999 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z90 05:49 Bristol Temple Meads to Goole 'Spinning Spectre' railtour. Although the railway passes through the nearby villages of Normanton on Soar and Sutton Bonington, neither had stations. Instead, Hathern station was opened between the two villages, even though the village of Hathern was over a mile away. It closed in 1960.

37174 passes Little Bedwyn on 26 March 1999 with the 09:57 West Drayton to West Drayton (via Westbury) crew training run. This train only operated for a short period, and I only managed to get a couple of pictures, both of which were in poor light. This one is by far the worst, as the sun went behind a cloud just as the train approached, but the sun was still out in the background. The original 35mm slide looks terrible, but some Photoshop work has at least evened up the exposure, which was worth doing as this is an unrepeatable scene. Not only are the loco and vacuum braked wagons history, but the viewpoint has totally disappeared, as the neat little beech hedge next to the line in this picture is now so high that it totally blocks out the view.

47702 Saint Cuthbert passes Potbridge on 21 March 1992 with the 1O31 06:45 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. By this date most of the loco hauled trains on this route were worked by Class 47s, although with very little advanced gen available, I was probably still hoping for a Class 50 on this train!