66548 rounds the curve at Kintbury on 27 May 2026 with the 6A18 09:18 Whatley Quarry to Oxford Banbury Road stone train. This was running 19 minutes early, as it hadn't waited in Hungerford loop, as it was booked to do.

Nice loco, but shame about the lack of a train! 59001 Yeoman Endeavour passes Kintbury on 27 May 2026, running as the 0A50 10:26 Whatley Quarry to Hanwell Bridge Loop light engine. This was running in the path of the more usual 6A50 loaded train. The loco had recently been repainted in its original livery (albeit with Heavy Haul Rail logos instead of Foster Yeoman).

60055 Thomas Barnardo passes Kintbury on 27 May 2026 with the 6M51 09:45 Merehead Quarry to Quainton Railhead HS2 stone train. The train would shortly be approaching the level crossing next to Kintbury station. On this occasion the crossing would be considerably less busy than usual, as the road through the village was closed for road works.

Running 18 minutes early, the 0Z20 12:45 Bescot Up Engineers Sidings to Westbury loco convoy approaches Little Bedwyn on 27 May 2026. The locos are: 66732 GBRF The First Decade 1999 - 2009 John Smith MD, 66778 Cambois Depot 25 Years & 66719 Michael Portillo.

66561 & 59206 John F. Yeoman Rail Pioneer approach Little Bedwyn on 27 May 2026 with the 6V50 14:21 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. Unfortunately the following 6V60 14:43 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Whatley Quarry was cancelled.

59103 Village of Mells & 66566 approach Little Bedwyn on 27 May 2026 with the 6V70 16:31 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. This was running 46 minutes early, as due to the extreme heat, Towney Loop was out of action. This train is normally booked to wait in the loop for 52 minutes.

220005 & 220014 head south at Culham on 27 May 2026 with the 1O02 06:02 Birmingham New Street to Bournemouth CrossCountry service. Crossing Appleford Viaduct in the background is 802009 with the 1W13 06:52 Paddington to Great Malvern GWR service.

802009 approaches Culham on 27 May 2026 with the 1W13 06:52 Paddington to Great Malvern GWR service. CrossCountry's 1O02 06:02 Birmingham New Street to Bournemouth Voyager (220005 & 220014) can be seen disappearing into the distance.

43055 approaches Culham on 27 May 2026 with the Midland Pullman 1Z30 05:39 Eastleigh to Scarborough 'Yorkshire Coast Pullman' railtour. 43049 Neville Hill is bringing up the rear. Appleford Viaduct can be seen in the background, with the Air Products Ltd's tall Air Separation Unit tower in the distance.

66304 approaches Culham on 27 May 2026 with the 4E36 05:24 Southampton Western Docks to Masborough intermodal. Thankfully this was much better loaded than the virtually empty 4O46 03:12 Trafford Park to Southampton Western Docks, which had just passed by in the other direction.

The 5O47 07:48 Crewe to Eastleigh Arlington Midland Pullman ECS passes Oddington on 26 May 2026, with 43049 Neville Hill leading and 43055 bringing up the rear. The lineside bush halfway down the train is now getting out of control, resulting in less choice of viewpoints.

43055 brings up the rear of the 5O47 07:48 Crewe to Eastleigh Arlington Midland Pullman ECS at Oddington on 26 May 2026. 43049 Neville Hill is leading. This was on a day that saw the highest ever recorded temperature for May, reaching 35c in some places.

800001 passes the increasingly overgrown location of Shorthampton on 26 May 2026 with the 1P22 10:59 Great Malvern to Paddington GWR. I had gone here to photograph the 5Q86 13:44 Long Marston to Eastleigh stock move, but as often happens, that didn't run.

800008 Alan Turing passes Grove on 25 May 2026 with the 1L68 09:03 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington GWR service. Just visible shimmering in the heat haze in the distance is the stationary 6M50 07:13 Westbury to Bescot engineers train, with 70811 towing 56049 Robin of Templecombe & 56051 Survival.

70811 has 56049 Robin of Templecombe & 56051 Survival in tow, as it passes Grove on 25 May 2026 with the 6M50 07:13 Westbury to Bescot engineers working. The train had been stopped near the bridge in the background for nearly two hours, slightly longer than the booked time. As can be seen from the smoke, it is still getting back up to speed.

807005 passes Chelmscote on 24 May 2026 with the 1A20 10:43 Liverpool Lime Street to Euston Avanti West Coast service. Normally photographers don't like lineside vegetation, but a bit more here would have hidden the rest of the palisade fencing!

730232 passes Chelmscote on 24 May 2026 with the 1U28 11:13 Crewe to Euston service, operated by London Northwestern Railway. Class 730s were introduced from 2023, with 48 three car units and 36 five car sets.

805008 sweeps round the curve at Chelmscote under a cloudless sky on 24 May 2026 with the 1A24 09:38 Holyhead to Euston Avanti West Coast service. The bi-mode unit would have changed from diesel to electric power at Crewe.

88006 Juno passes Chelmscote on 24 May 2026 with the 4L48 12:41 Daventry to Tilbury Tesco liner. High midday sun is not the best light for photography, but it makes a change from worrying about whether the picture will be spoilt by a rogue cloud!

HS2 under construction near Calvert on 24 May 2026. This is the view from Perry Hill Overbridge, looking north west towards West Street Bridge. A short distance to the left, and parallel with the new line, is the course of the old Great Central Railway.

Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM AMW165 Trumpton stands in the yard at Stonehenge Works, on the Leighton Buzzard Railway, on 24 May 2026. The 1939 built locomotive was employed for a long time as part of the fire fighting train at RAF Chilmark, That explains the loco's bright red colour and more recent name. In the shed in the background is Hunslet 4wDM 29 Creepy.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Motor Rail 4wDM 30 stands in Stonehenge Works Yard on 24 May 2026. Built by the Motor Rail & Tramcar Co. Ltd, Bedford, in 1941, this loco was employed on the Leighton Buzzard line when it was used for carrying sand from the quarries to the nearby mainline.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Motor Rail 4wDM 34 Red Rum stands in the company of a couple of  Ruston Bucyrus products at Stonehenge Works on 24 May 2026. On the right is the railway's working Ruston-Bucyrus 10-RB Quarry Face Shovel, while in the background is an unrestored Ruston-Bucyrus 10-RB Dragline.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Motor Rail 4wDM 18 Fëanor does a spot of shunting at Stonehenge Works on 24 May 2026. The loco was built in 1956 for British Industrial Sands Ltd, for use at Middleton Towers Quarry, near King's Lynn.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM AMW165 Trumpton moves a couple of wagons across the yard at Stonehenge Works on 24 May 2026. The Leighton Buzzard Railway was a purely industrial line from 1919 until 1969, since when it has become a very successful and distinctive passenger carrying railway.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Hunslet 4wDM 29 Creepy stands in the entrance to one of the locomotive sheds at Stonehenge Works on 24 May 2026. The diminutive locomotive was built in 1963 for use in various Royal Naval Armaments Depots.

Leighton Buzzard Railway former Jubilee Line extension Hunslet 4wDH 81 Peter Wood stands in the centre road of Stonehenge Works station on 24 May 2026. The station is the present northern limit of the three mile line.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T 4 Doll whistles on the approach to Shenley Hill Road level crossing on 24 May 2026, as it heads the 10:30 Page's Park to Stonehenge Works service. As the train was descending a gradient on a very hot day, there was no chance of any exhaust, but the blast of steam from the whistle adds some interest to the picture.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T 4 Doll attacks the 1 in 105 gradient, as it leaves Stonehenge Works station on 24 May 2026 with the 11:35 train to Page's Park. Normally bunker first pictures don't really work, but in this case I like the composition with the adjacent almost deserted road.

Leighton Buzzard Railway Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T 1578 Gertrude passes the newly constructed houses at Vandyke Road on 24 May 2026 with the 11:40 Page's Park to Stonehenge Works service. In the background is the recently constructed short tunnel that allows the new Kemsley Drive to cross the line. The southern half of the railway has run through housing estates for many years, but now the northern end of the line is becoming urban as well.

A railtour not to be missed on 23 May 2026 was the UK Railtours 'West Midlands Deviator', which traversed various lines in the Midlands with the very unusual combination of a Class 31 and Class 20 on one end of the train. 31128 Charybdis & 20205 are pictured approaching Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway with the 1Z51 10:52 Burton Wetmore Sidings to Stratford-upon-Avon section of the tour. 50049 Defiance is hiding in the bushes, on the rear of the train.

50049 Defiance passes through Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway station on 23 May 2026 with the UK Railtours 1Z21 13:59 Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham Moor Street 'West Midlands Deviator' railtour. The car park is empty due to the fact that there were very few trains running, as West Midlands Railways were on strike.

31128 Charybdis & 20205 pass through Danzey station on 23 May 2026 with the UK Railtours 1Z52 14:58 Birmingham Moor Street to Stratford-upon-Avon 'West Midlands Deviator' railtour. The extremely unusual pairing of the only mainline registered Class 31 and a Class 20 certainly brought out the photographers, with at least a dozen at this location alone.

50049 Defiance crosses Mill Lane at Bentley Heath on 23 May 2026 with the UK Railtours 1Z22 16:00 Stratford-upon-Avon to Codsall 'West Midlands Deviator' railtour. 31128 Charybdis & 20205 are on the rear of the train. In addition to the UK Railtours headboard, there is also a small Hanson & Hall headboard. Hanson & Hall were originally going to supply 50008 Thunderer for this train, but as that is out of action, one of the Severn Valley Railway's Class 50s is a more than adequate substitute.

D1015 Western Champion passes Kennington on 23 May 2026 with the Vintage Trains 1Z32 05:48 Birmingham Snow Hill to Paddington 'Golden Hind' railtour. 37240 is bringing up the rear. From London the train would become the 1Z33 09:55 Paddington to Plymouth. This location is one of the very few in the Oxford area where the sun would be on the front at 07:42, but unfortunately lineside bushes now restrict this to a very head on view. Even so, I was surprised to be the only photographer present on this occasion.

66568 & 66518 pass Kennington on 23 May 2026 with the 4O18 04:24 Lawley Street to Southampton Maritime freightliner. Definitely not the best location to photograph a double header, but uncontrolled lineside growth now prevents a wider view.

60099 Ben More Assynt passes Hungerford Common on 22 May 2026 with the 6M51 09:45 Merehead Quarry to Quainton Railhead HS2 stone train. This was already running a few minutes late, after being held for longer than usual in Woodborough loop, but would soon encounter a more serious delay, caused by the failure of an axle counter near Theale.

60029 Ben Nevis passes Hungerford Common on 22 May 2026 with the 6V95 10:08 Willesden DC Rail Sidings to Merehead Quarry stone empties. This location is now getting almost as overgrown as it was in the late 1990s.

Running 12 minutes late, 59102 Village of Chantry passes Hungerford Common on 22 May 2026 with the 6A60 10:45 Merehead Quarry to Colnbrook stone train. Unfortunately I missed getting a picture of the earlier 6A12 09:18 Whatley Quarry to Appleford train, as that was diverted via Swindon, due to the failure of an axle counter near Theale.

Former Class 416 2-EPB de-icing and sandite unit 930201 heads west past Battledown Flyover on 19 October 2000. This unit was converted in 1987 from the DMBS vehicles from 2-EPB units 6282 & 6284. It was withdrawn in 2004, and cut up the following year at Immingham.

37801 Aberddawan / Aberthaw passes Llangewydd on 15 April 1991 with the 6B70 13:50 Llanwern to Port Talbot Grange Sidings MGR empties. The loco was named in a joint ceremony with 37800 Glo Cymru at Aberthaw Power Station on 27 September 1986.

43012 passes Hinksey Yard on 17 August 1988 with the 1A50 14:13 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington service. The wide flat area on the left shows that there were once many more sidings in the marshalling yard constructed here during the Second World War.

47371 passes Wolvercote on 4 May 1989 with the 4M79 16:17 Southampton Maritime to Lawley Street freightliner. A footpath used to cross both the railway and the nearby Oxford Canal here, giving access from Upper Wolvercote to Port Meadow. People now have to use the nearby bridge, as the footpath was closed some years ago.

47270 Cory Brothers 1842-1992 passes Potbridge in the rain on 26 April 1997 with the 4L62 07:33 Southampton Maritime to Ripple Lane freightliner. I hadn't gone here in such awful weather just for this, but for the much more interesting (but much shorter!) 6M73 09:12 Quidhampton to Willesden calcium carbonate tank, and 33051 Shakespeare Cliff & 33030 on the D-Tours 1Z21 08:50 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids 'Classic Crompton' railtour.

Next stop Oxford Parkway. 168217 heads south at Islip on 14 May 2026 with the 1T15 08:39 Marylebone to Oxford Chiltern Railways service. I wonder how long it will be before the urban sprawl of either Oxford or Kidlington reaches the fields in the background.

196008 passes the site of Mill Lane level crossing, as it approaches Islip on 14 May 2026 with the 5F15 09:40 Oxford to Milton Keynes Central Chiltern Railways route learner. This is one of six former West Midlands Railway units rebranded with Chiltern colours.

Running 18 minutes early, 37512 Thornaby Demon rounds the curve at Islip on 14 May 2026 with the 5Q87 10:30 Bicester MoD to Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings, conveying South Western Railway EMUs 701527 & 701521. This was the fourth attempt to move a pair of units out of Bicester, with the previous three trains having been cancelled, forcing 37512 to have a week's holiday in the unfamiliar surrounds of Bicester Army Camp! With these moves being so unreliable, I wasn't really expecting this to run, but as the train was manually allocated, I thought I would risk it. It was definitely worth going, and the brief burst of sunshine was a bonus!

66511 passes underneath the Brunel designed Grade II listed bridge at Appleford on 12 May 2026 with the 4O14 05:08 Garston to Southampton Maritime freightliner. The brickwork of the bridge looks a bit weathered, but then it is over 180 years old!

70802 passes through Appleford station on 12 May 2026 with the 6M50 07:13 Westbury to Bescot ballast empties. This small station retained a pair of GWR pagoda corrugated iron shelters until as late as 2005. These were much more photogenic.

The 0Z37 07:19 Swanage to Leicester Loco Inspection Point loco convoy passes thorough Appleford station on 12 May 2026. Swietelsky 37607 is hauling 26007 & 58023 Leicester Depot. The locos had taken part in the previous weekend's Swanage Railway Diesel Gala.

58023 Leicester Depot brings up the rear of the 0Z37 07:19 Swanage to Leicester Loco Inspection Point loco convoy at Appleford on 12 May 2026. 37607 is powering the train, which also includes 26007. The locos were returning from the Swanage Railway Diesel Gala, during which 58023 was mainly a static exhibit, as it failed on its first train, on the first day.

20901 passes through Kemble station on 11 May 2026 with the 6J09 09:55 Gloucester Horton Road to Woking Up Yard Reception Balfour Beatty 'Drain Train'. 20905 is brining up the rear. Note that the rusty track of the former Cirencester branch is completely free of weeds, in marked contrast to the mainline!

20905 brings up the rear of the 6J09 09:55 Gloucester Horton Road to Woking Up Yard Reception Balfour Beatty 'Drain Train' at Kemble on 11 May 2026. 20901 is leading. The train had been used at Cheltenham over the weekend.

20905 passes milepost 86½ at Minety on 8 May 2026 with the 6J09 11:29 Woking Up Yard Sidings to Gloucester Horton Road Balfour Beatty 'Drain Train'. 20901 is brining up the rear. The train was travelling all the way from Surrey to Gloucestershire in order to do some overnight work at Cheltenham during the weekend.

20901 brings up the rear of the 6J09 11:29 Woking Up Yard Sidings to Gloucester Horton Road Balfour Beatty 'Drain Train' at Minety on 8 May 2026. 20905 is at the front of the train. Photo taken from a public footpath crossing.

165001 passes Islip on 7 May 2026 with the 5M92 12:27 Bletchley High Level to Oxford Chiltern Railways route learner. The reason for visiting this spot was to photograph 37512 Thornaby Demon on the 5Q57 11:47 Bicester MoD to Derby Litchurch Lane EMU stock move, but unfortunately that was cancelled. It was especially annoying as there was almost uninterrupted sunshine, which hadn't been forecast!.

66093 passes Islip on 7 May 2026 with the 4M60 09:29 Southampton Maritime to Northampton Gateway intermodal. The standard Network Rail jungle is taking shape on the left, and it probably won't be long before this becomes a much more head only viewpoint.

37512 Thornaby Demon approaches Islip on 6 May 2026 with the 5Q57 11:47 Bicester MoD to Derby Litchurch Lane, conveying South Western Railway EMUs 701505 & 701514. This was not the location that I had in mind. The train had left Bicester 52 minutes early, but I expected it to be held until the right time at Bicester Depot West Junction. However, as I was walking to my chosen spot, I noticed that it was on the move 33 minutes early, so I quickly relocated to this field, which gives a relatively uninterrupted side view of the train.

66015 passes through Islip station on 6 May 2026 with the 4M60 09:27 Southampton Maritime to Northampton Gateway intermodal. Although as yet there are no passenger trains beyond Bicester, at least the new route to Milton Keynes sees some freight use.

165011 & 165018 speed through Islip station on 6 May 2026 with the 1T25 11:06 Marylebone to Oxford Chiltern Railways service. Islip station sees a roughly two hour service, but this is one of the much more numerous non-stop trains.

08730 stands in Toddington station car park on 4 May 2026, four days after arriving at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. The bright blue Railway Support Services livery certainly stands out, even on a dull day. Toddington's goods shed is in the background. It was originally built in 1903, but has been extended since I photographed it in 1990, in early preservation days.

GWR railcar 22 stands at Toddington station on 4 May 2026, prior to working the 11:45 service to Winchcombe. The vintage railcar proved to be a very popular visitor to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, with the earlier 09:00 Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse and return trip being fully booked.

Broadway station platform 2 waiting room under construction on 4 May 2026. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is rebuilding the brick built structure, to replace the original which was demolished in November 1963.

A stranger in Oxfordshire! United States Army Transportation Corps S160 Class 2-8-0 6046 arrives at Chinnor station on 3 May 2026 with the 11:25 service from Princes Risborough. The loco was visiting the Chinnor & Princes Risborough for the 2026 season. It was built at the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, in 1945. Initially it worked in France, before moving to Hungary after the Second World War. After its working life was over it moved to the UK for preservation.

The hawthorn is in full bloom at Up Hatherley on 30 April 2026, as 197116 passes by with the 2G58 11:10 Cardiff Central to Cheltenham Spa Transport for Wales service. The bush does add some foreground interest to the picture when it's in flower, but at other times it just restricts the viewpoint!

66425 Nigel J Kirchstein 1957-2021 passes Up Hatherley on 30 April 2026 with the 4V44 10:42 Daventry to Wentloog Tesco liner. Since I was last here there has been some selective tree clearance at the top of the cutting.

Locomotive Services Ltd's restored Greater Manchester PTE liveried 142003 looks superb in the spring sunshine, as it passes Up Hatherley on 30 April 2026 with the 5Z42 10:50 Crewe to Bristol St Philips Marsh ECS. This was in preparation for the following day's private trip to Portbury and Weston-super-Mare.

153507 & 153362 pass Up Hatherley on 30 April 2026 with the 2G59 13:40 Cheltenham Spa to Cardiff Central Transport for Wales service. It is slightly ironic that these single car units started life as two car Class 155s, and now TfW are effectively using them only as two car units.

66090 Maritime Intermodal Six passes Up Hatherley on 30 April 2026 with the 6V92 10:34 Corby to Margam steel empties. Instead of being looped at Ashchurch, as booked, this had instead used Lansdown Loop, so was still getting back up to speed here.

168215 Marylebone Station - 125 Years calls at Kings Sutton station on 29 April 2026 with the 1H59 16:04 Banbury to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. The unit was named at Marylebone station on 15 March 2024.

66727 Maritime One passes Kings Sutton on 29 April 2026 with the 4O32 15:56 Hams Hall to Southampton Western Docks intermodal. An almost completely empty train, but luckily the only six containers were right behind the locomotive.

68020 approaches Kings Sutton station at high speed on 29 April 2026 with the 1J47 16:37 Marylebone to Stourbridge Junction Chiltern Railways service. These newly introduced Mk5a sets are being branded as 'Chiltern Explorer', although how you can explorer the Chilterns any more easily than from the Class 168s is a mystery!

66846 approaches Kings Sutton in superb evening light on 29 April 2026 with the 6M28 18:09 Hinksey to Bescot engineer's working. Quite a short but varied load on this occasion, including a crane, and (partly hidden by the bushes) several wagons of spoil.

60099 Ben More Assynt passes Woodborough on 29 April 2026 with the 6M28 09:45 Merehead Quarry to Quainton Railhead HS2 stone train. With a cloudless sky, the only thing that could have gone wrong here was the 6C52 10:04 West Drayton Frays Sidings to East Usk Yard stone empties getting in the way. Luckily that had passed just a few seconds earlier.

60029 Ben Nevis arrives at Woodborough on 29 April 2026 with the 6V17 10:34 Willesden DC Rail Sidings to Merehead Quarry stone empties. It was just about to enter the down loop for its booked stop, which was to allow a GWR Class 802 to overtake.

Grey loco meets white horse. 60029 Ben Nevis passes Beechingstoke on 29 April 2026 with the 6V17 10:34 Willesden DC Rail Sidings to Merehead Quarry stone empties. The train was travelling quite slowly, having just left the down loop at Woodborough. The Alton Barnes White Horse, which is visible for miles around, was commissioned by local farmer Robert Pile in 1812. It measures 180 feet high by 160 feet long.

Vegetation has encroached on this location at Bredon, meaning only a going away picture is now shadow free. 802005 heads north on 27 April 2026 with the 2E53 08:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Foregate Street GWR service.

66656 passes Bredon's Norton on 27 April 2026 with the 6V05 09:12 Round Oak to Margam steel empties. Anyone driving along the B4080 between Bredon and Eckington gets a good view of the line, unfortunately now interrupted by a number of bushes.

A spectacular loco convoy took place on 27 April 2026, taking all of Chiltern Railway's off lease Class 68s for storage. 68010, 68013, 68014, 68015, 68012 & 68011 are pictured passing Bredon's Norton, running as the 6Z68 08:00 Crewe Coal Sidings to Eastleigh. Unlike most off lease vehicles, the locos don't look a lot different, as there wasn't really any Chiltern Railways branding to remove. Note however the patch painted areas where the former nameplates were situated.

Running 25 minutes early, 66131 passes Uffington on 26 April 2026 with the 6W98 08:00 Gloucester Yard Junction to Westbury (via Reading), returning from an overnight engineering possession. This used to be one of the most open stretches of line in the area, but like everywhere else, the lineside bushes are now taking over.

56103 passes Uffington on 26 April 2026 with the Branch Line Society 1Z57 08:20 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads 'Paxman Quarrier' railtour. 57306 Branch Line Society is bringing up the rear. Very backlit, but worth recording, as you don't get many Class 56s along here anymore.

57306 Branch Line Society brings up the rear of the Branch Line Society 1Z57 08:20 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads 'Paxman Quarrier' railtour at Uffington on 26 April 2026. 56103 is completely hidden by bushes, at the front of the train.

56103 passes Fiddington on 26 April 2026 with the Branch Line Society 1Z60 15:04 Bristol Temple Meads to Kings Cross 'Paxman Quarrier' railtour. 57306 Branch Line Society is bringing up the rear. Earlier in the day the train had visited the Tytherington branch, but I decided not to bother with that, as even in the 1980s it was very overgrown, and now it is almost impossible to get any kind of picture, other than at the level crossings.

Highly appropriate traction for the Branch Line Society's 'Paxman Quarrier' railtour on 26 April 2026. 57306 Branch Line Society brings up the rear of the 1Z60 15:04 Bristol Temple Meads to Kings Cross portion of the tour at Fiddington. 56103 is a the front of the train.

GWR railcar 22 passes Hayles Abbey Halt on 25 April 2026 with the 09:00 Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse service. This was the first train of the day on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, and as the approaching shot was still quite backlit, I opted for this going away picture, which shows off both the train and bridge in perfect light.

Cowslips flower in abundance on the grassy bank at Dixton on 25 April 2026, as GWR railcar 22 passes by with the 09:40 Cheltenham Racecourse to Toddington service. This picture should make Network Rail utterly ashamed of their track maintenance, as if the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway can control vegetation on this scale and make the trackside immaculate with limited resources and volunteer labour, how come Network Rail's dangerously overgrown lineside is mostly like a jungle!

GWR railcar 22 leaves Winchcombe station under a cloudless sky on 25 April 2026 with the 10:55 service to Toddington. The vintage unit was visiting the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway from the Didcot Railway Centre.

2884 Class 2-8-0 3850 passes Hayles Abbey Halt on 25 April 2026 with the 10:55 Broadway to Cheltenham Racecourse service. This was an unseasonably warm day, so as expected, there was not a trace of exhaust.

GWR railcar 22 approaches Hayles Abbey Halt on 25 April 2026 with the 11:45 Toddington to Winchcombe service. The Great Western Railway had 38 of these railcars, built either at Swindon (including this one), or by Park Royal, or the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company.

GWR railcar 22 passes Winchcombe's fixed distant signal (near Hailes) on 25 April 2026, as it heads south down the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway with the 13:00 Toddington to Winchcombe service. With bushes on either side, this location is only suitable for photographing something this short!

Work stained 70802 passes underneath the distinctive concrete footbridge at Little Bedwyn on 24 April 2026, as it heads eastwards along the Berks & Hants line, running as the 0Z70 15:27 Westbury to Eastleigh light engine.

60046 William Wilberforce passes Little Bedwyn on 24 April 2026 with the 6V37 09:53 Quainton Railhead to Tytherington stone empties. This was running 25 minutes late, as it had been blocked in the loop at Newbury when the 1K23 15:55 Newbury to Reading GWR refused to leave on time. The unlucky passengers on that train only got as far as Reading, where it was terminated!

59004 Paul A Hammond just manages to avoid the advancing shadows, as it passes Little Bedwyn on 24 April 2026 with the 6V60 14:43 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Whatley Quarry stone empties. This is still a good photographic location, but it's a pity that the trees behind the loco now completely hide the Kennet & Avon Canal.

66594 NYK Spirit of Kyoto passes Baulking on 24 April 2026 with the 6A16 07:43 Whatley Quarry to Oxford Banbury Road stone train. The branches of the oak tree add some inertest to what is otherwise a quite ordinary location. The embankment strengthening work means that at the moment there is a noticeable lack of lineside vegetation.

66563 rounds the curve at Crofton on 24 April 2026 with the 6A12 09:18 Whatley Quarry to Appleford stone train. The train was being watched by a small group of llamas, one of which can just be seen on the right.

59206 John F. Yeoman Rail Pioneer passes Crofton on 24 April 2026 with the 6V31 09:06 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. Unfortunately although it was very warm and calm day, there was just enough wind to disturb the reflection of the train in the Kennet & Avon Canal.

60029 Ben Nevis runs alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal at Crofton on 24 April 2026 with the 6V17 10:34 Willesden DC Rail Sidings to Merehead Quarry stone empties. There would normally have been another DCR Class 60 coming from the other direction at this time, but the 6M51 09:45 Merehead Quarry to Quainton Railhead had been cancelled due to derailment at Merehead.

Running 43 minutes late, after an unscheduled layover at Westbury, Colas Rail Plasser & Theurer 08-16/4X4C100-RT Tamper DR73924 passes Crofton on 24 April 2026, running as the 6J39 12:15 Castle Cary Up Sidings to Southall Infrastructure Services Unit.

59202 Pride of Ferrybridge & 66957 Stephenson Locomotive Society 1909-2009 pass Crofton on 24 April 2026 with the 6V40 12:20 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. The Kennet & Avon Canal's Crofton Pumping Station can be seen in the background.

A standard Network Rail bridge information sign, but with a very non-standard name. Autobiography Overbridge at Crofton carries the Crofton to Wolfhall road over the Berks & Hants line. How it came to have such an unusual name is a mystery. Photographed on 24 April 2026.