Recent Additions

74125 Salfords 15 March 1986

73125 Stewarts Lane 1860 - 1985 provides the power at the rear of the 16:05 Gatwick Airport to Victoria service, as it speeds through Salfords on 15 March 1986. I haven't got many early pictures of these Gatwick Express trains. A pity, as they weren't all in the correct InterCity livery at the time. To prove the point, a little later a southbound train was hauled by blue liveried 73110.

319058 Queen Street 15 March 1995

319058 heads west past Queen Street (near Paddock Wood) on 15 March 1995, with (judging by the 'Not In Service' destination blind) an empty stock working, presumably from Ashford. This made a change from the Class 423 4-VEPs and Eurostars passing this location at the time.

08803 Oxford 29 October 1982 08803 propels a single wagon of anthracite into the Beckett Street scrapyard at Oxford on 29 October 1982. 08803 was scrapped just over a decade later, and presumably vacuum braked 16.5 ton MCV wagon B550258 has also met a similar fate!
08803 Oxford 29 October 1982

08803 is surrounded by scrap in this view of the Beckett Street scrapyard at Oxford on 29 October 1982. A Volkswagen Beetle, a Mini and a 1960s Mercedes are complete enough to be recognisable amid the piles of rusting metal. The building in the background on the extreme right is the Royal Mail sorting office, which has subsequently been demolished and replaced by flats. Royal Mail didn't move very far, just a few yards around the corner in Osney Lane.

56034 Waltham St Lawrence 8 April 1990

56034 Castell Ogwr / Ogmore Castle passes Waltham St Lawrence on 8 April 1990 with the 6A54 09:00 Brentford to Appleford GLC Binliner. Unsurprisingly, as this was a Sunday, this was the only booked freight train during the entire day on this line. The red flag on the track indicates that the fast lines are closed for engineering works.

47812 Malago Vale 5 April 1990

Buddleia and other weeds are starting to colonise the disused Malago Vale Carriage Sidings on 5 April 1990, as 47812 heads towards the next stop at Bristol Temple Meads, with the 1M56 12:00 Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly service. A housing estate now occupies this site.

47810 Hinksey 25 June 1993

47810 passes Hinksey Yard on 25 June 1993 with the 1M50 14:20 Brighton to Manchester Piccadilly service. Some photographers ignored the InterCity liveried Class 47/8s at the time, as they were so commonplace. Yesterday's commonplace is tomorrow's history!

59102 Berkley 12 October 1994

59102 Village of Chantry passes Berkley on the misty morning of 12 October 1994 with the 7O38 10:04 Merehead to Fareham stone train. I'm not sure whether its a trick of the light, but it looks like the loco's red lights are lit, as well as the headlight.

37705 Iver 22 February 1990

37705 passes Iver on 22 February 1990 with the 6L31 09:28 Micheldever to Ripple Lane oil empties. In the background the 1A24 07:36 Swansea to Paddington HST overtakes the 6A08 00:50 Robeston to Langley aviation fuel tanks, which is waiting to enter the oil depot.

47297 Claydon (Gloucestershire) 5 September 1987

47297 passes Claydon on 5 September 1987 with the 1E56 11:00 Paignton to Newcastle service. This was in the good old days, when the UK had an integrated railway, and railfreight resources could deputise for InterCity when required. Although now such trains are DMUs, if there was a problem today the train would just be cancelled!

47295 Oxford (Walton Well Road) 7 April 1990

Grey roof liveried 47295 passes the allotments next to Walton Well Road, Oxford, on 7 April 1990 with the diverted 6E50 09:41 Langley to Lindsey empty oil tanks. The train's normal route at the time was via the Midland Mainline.

L204 Cholsey 3 July 1991

A Metro Cammell meeting at Cholsey on 3 July 1991. L204 (51220 & 54371) accelerates away from the station with the 2C68 17:57 Reading to Didcot Parkway Network SouthEast service, while in the background the 2C59 17:15 Banbury to Reading train calls at the station.

45010 Cheltenham 17 November 1982

45010 passes through Cheltenham Spa station on 17 November 1982 with a test train from the Derby Railway Technical Centre. The distinctive red and blue Derby RTC stock meant that although there was no easily available gen at the time, even if you didn't know where the train was going, you had a pretty good idea where it had come from!

153368 Kemble 29 August 1994

I have only got a few pictures of Class 153s working the Swindon to Cheltenham line, during the period in the mid 1990s when a single coach train was considered adequate for the local trains on the line. 153368 approaches Kemble on 29 August 1994 with the 2B07 08:45 Swindon to Cheltenham service.

D1924 Yarnton 22 March 2024

D1924 (47810) Crewe Diesel Depot passes Yarnton on 22 March 2024 with the 5Z20 09:47 Eastleigh Arlington to Crewe barrier vehicle move. There was almost no chance of the sun coming out, which was just as well, as this location would have been extremely backlit. Despite the weather, I was surprised that there was nobody on the footbridge in the background, as it is a very well known spot with local photographers.

37611 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

37611 Denise approaches Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024, running 8 minutes early as the 0V74 08:49 Derby RTC to Reading Traincare Depot light engine. The tubular steel pile giving the appearance of the loco's chimney is a relic of the abandoned Didcot to Oxford electfrication, as is the row of masts in the background.

43277 & 165118 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

43277 Safety Task Force moves slowly away from a signal check at Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024 with the 1Q18 07:48 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road Network Rail test train, just as 165118 heads in the opposite direction with the 2M32 12:35 Didcot Parkway to Banbury GWR service. As the HST (which had 43357 bringing up the rear) moved away from the signal, I could hear the Turbo unit approaching from behind me, and I thought the picture was going to be ruined. However, the two trains passed each other exactly where I was going to take the picture, giving me this lucky shot.

43357 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

Debranded CrossCountry liveried 43357 brings up the rear of the 1Q18 07:48 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road Network Rail test train at Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024. Colas orange liveried 43277 is leading.

59101 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

59101 Village of Whatley is just a few hundred yards into its journey, as it approaches Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024 with the 6C48 12:49 Appleford Sidings to Whatley Quarry stone empties. A pity the sun disappeared as it approached!

66734 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

The blackthorn is in full bloom at Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024, as 66734 Platinum Jubilee passes by with the 6Z59 02:25 Tytherington to Appleford Sidings stone train. Terrible lighting, but it's always worth getting a picture of these 'one off' liveried locos.

60028 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

60028 passes underneath the footbridge at Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024 with the 6Z51 06:50 Tytherington to Appleford Sidings stone train, which was running 15 minutes late, after it encountered a delay in the Cholsey area.

66591 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

A brief burst of sunshine on what was becoming an increasingly cloudy afternoon. 66591 approaches Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024 with the 6V18 13:38 Oxford Banbury Road to Whatley Quarry stone empties. 165123 can be seen disappearing into the distance with the 2L36 13:34 Didcot Parkway to Oxford GWR service.

73962 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

73962 Dick Mabbutt passes Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024 with the late running 1Q66 12:16 Woking to Waterloo (via Oxford) Network Rail test train. 73965 Des O'Brien is bringing up the rear. The train would return half an hour later.

60055 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

60055 Thomas Barnardo passes Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024 with the 6Z23 13:56 Appleford Sidings to Tytherington stone empties. This was running 25 minutes late, as it had been unable to get a path out of Appleford at the booked time, partly due to the late running 1Q66 12:16 Woking to Waterloo (via Oxford) Network Rail test train.

73965 Didcot North Junction 20 March 2024

The 1Q66 12:16 Woking to Waterloo (via Oxford) Network Rail test train passes Didcot North Junction on 20 March 2024 with 73965 Des O'Brien leading, and 73962 Dick Mabbutt bringing up the rear. Half an hour earlier I had photographed the train heading towards Oxford from the ridge in the background.

155329 Bathampton 5 April 1990

155329 passes Bathampton on 5 April 1990 with the 2O11 09:16 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service. Unfortunately I only visited this location a couple of times, and only on this occasion did I move from the road bridge in the background to the nearby farm occupation bridge. This excellent viewpoint was a lost a few years later when the bridge was demolished. The northern suburbs of Bath (Lambridge and Larkhall) can be seen sprawling across the hillside in the background.

86102 Gayton 15 November 1986

86102 Robert A Riddles passes Gayton on 15 November 1986 with the 1M05 07:40 Ayr to Euston 'Royal Scot'. The Grand Union Canal crosses the fields in the middle distance, bridged by the road from Gayton to Rothersthorpe. The loco is named after the steam locomotive engineer who was responsible for the design of the BR Standard classes of locomotives in the 1950s.

47587 Culham 3 July 1991

47587 Ruskin College Oxford passes Culham on 3 July 1991 with the 1F60 18:37 Paddington to Oxford Network SouthEast service. The sun had almost entirely disappeared into high cloud, which unfortunately often happens during periods of settled weather.

43009 Cholsey 22 July 1994

43009 leads the 1C62 17:45 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads service past Cholsey on 22 July 1994. This used to be an excellent photographic location prior to electrification, although a row of trees alongside the road from Manor Farm to Lees Cottages annoyingly prevented a wider view than this.

37425 Gilfach 24 April 2004

37425 passes Gilfach on 24 April 2004 with the 2R18 10:59 Cardiff Central to Rhymney service. The houses on Eastview Terrace, Gilfach Street and Cardiff Road form an impressive, and distinctly Welsh, backdrop.

46100 Churchill Heath 16 March 2024

Royal Scot Class 4-6-0 46100 Royal Scot passes Churchill Heath in failing light on 16 March 2024 with the Saphos Trains 1Z48 15:50 Worcester Shrub Hill to Northampton 'Cotswold Explorer' railtour. This had obviously made a vigorous ascent of Campden Bank, as although the departure from Worcester was 21 minutes late, it was only running 9 minutes behind time when it passed me. D1935 (47805) Roger Hosking MA 1925 - 2013 is bringing up the rear.

D1935 Churchill Heath 16 March 2024

D1935 (47805) Roger Hosking MA 1925 - 2013 brings up the rear of the Saphos Trains 1Z48 15:50 Worcester Shrub Hill to Northampton 'Cotswold Explorer' railtour at Churchill Heath on 16 March 2024. LMS Royal Scot Class 4-6-0 46100 Royal Scot is at the front of the train.

57313 Chilson 15 March 2024

57313 Scarborough Castle passes Chilson on 15 March 2024 with the Northern Belle 1Z24 08:45 Paddington to Evesham 'Gold Cup Special' charter, with 57601 Windsor Castle bringing up the rear. Just as in the previous year, this was running late, owing to having to wait for a late running GWR IET to clear the single track section of the Cotswold Line between Charlbury and Wolvercote Junction. For me this was good news, as at the booked time it was very dull, but after a short period of rain, the sun came out briefly just as the rain passed.

57601 Chilson 15 March 2024

57601 Windsor Castle brings up the rear of the Northern Belle 1Z24 08:45 Paddington to Evesham 'Gold Cup Special' charter at Chilson on 15 March 2024. 57313 Scarborough Castle is at the front of the train. This was running 17 minutes late, due to a late running southbound GWR service. After a brief downpour the rain had cleared and the sun had come out, but with a dark background in both directions, it was obvious that the patch of sunshine only extended a few hundred yards in each direction, so clearly I had picked the right location!

185116 & 185137 Appleby (Lincolnshire) 12 March 2024

185116 & 185137 hold up the traffic at Appleby level crossing on 12 March 2024, as they head westwards with the 1B77 11:23 Cleethorpes to Liverpool Lime Street TransPennine Express service. The section of brick wall to the left of the train is all that remains of Appleby station, which closed in 1967.

185150 & 185124 Appleby (Lincolnshire) 12 March 2024

185150 & 185124 pass the Grade II listed Appleby (Lincs) Signal Box on 12 March 2024 with the 1B72 09:19 Liverpool Lime Street to Cleethorpes TransPennine Express service. The signal box was taken out of use in 2015.

66190 Appleby (Loncolnshire) 12 March 2024

66190 Martin House Children's Hospice passes the disused, but preserved, Appleby (Lincs) Signal Box on 12 March 2024 with the 4R50 10:31 Drax Power Station to Immingham biomass empties. This was running 35 minutes late, which was OK, as it meant the rain had stopped!

66053 Appleby (Licolnshire) 12 March 2024 66053 approaches Appleby level crossing on 12 March 2024 with the 6H65 12:15 Immingham to Drax Power Station biomass. Although now only a minor road, 2,000 years ago this road was part of Ermine Street, the Roman route linking Lincoln to Winteringham, on the banks of the Humber Estuary.
206 Butler's Hill 10 March 2024

Nottingham Express Transit tram 206 arrives at Butler's Hill in the rain on 10 March 2024 with the 10:55 Toton Lane to Hucknall service. This Bombardier Incentro AT6/5 tram is wearing National Trust Blossom Watch advertising vinyls.

225 Butler's Hill 10 March 2024

Nottingham Express Transit Alstom Citadis tram 225 arrives at Butler's Hill in the rain on 10 March 2024 with the 12:00 Hucknall to Toton Lane service. The track behind the fence is the East Midlands Railway Nottingham to Worksop 'Robin Hood Line'.

234 & 225 Toton Lane 10 March 2024

Nottingham Express Transit Alstom Citadis trams 234 George Africanus & 225 stand at Toton Lane on 10 March 2024. 234 is just about to depart with the 13:10 service to Hucknall, and 225 had just arrived with the with the 12:00 service from Hucknall. Toton Lane is the most westerly point of Nottingham's tram network.

204 Hucknall 10 March 2024

Nottingham Express Transit tram 204 Erica Beardsmore stands at Hucknall on 10 March 2024, after having just arrived with the 13:45 service from Toton Lane. The orange MHR data consultancy livery certainly brightens up the scene on a very dull and rainy day!

66734 Uffington 8 March 2024

66734 Platinum Jubilee passes Uffington on 8 March 2024 with the 6V32 10:22 Tilbury to Trostre Works steel empties. Although there was a lot of cloud around, I thought it was worth the short drive and long walk for a picture of this purple loco. A good decision, as virtually all of the cloud melted away, to leave a perfect early spring afternoon.

66148 Uffington 8 March 2024

66148 Maritime Intermodal Seven passes Uffington on 8 March 2024 with the 6B33 13:53 Theale to Robeston empty oil tanks. The Class 60s have gone, and DB's re-geared Class 66/6s are yet to appear, so early 2024 sees ordinary Class 66/0s on these workings.

60028 Denchworth (Circourt Bridge) 8 March 2024

No more red Class 60s in the Vale of White Horse, but in 2024 it is still possible to see a blue one! 60028 trundles slowly along the down relief line at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 8 March 2024 with the 6Z23 15:55 Appleford Sidings to Tytherington stone empties.

59003 Uffington 7 March 2024

59003 Yeoman Highlander passes Uffington on 7 March 2024 with the 6M50 07:13 Westbury to Bescot departmental working, which on this occasion was terminated at Hinksey. This was running over an hour early, after missing out its booked stop at Swindon Stratton Green, something which seems to happen quite a lot in early 2024. GBRf's solitary Class 59 is on hire to Colas. This is my first picture of 59003 since it returned to traffic following repairs to the damage caused by the botched attempt to drag a DMU out of Salisbury Tunnel, after the accident in October 2021.

66615 Compton Beauchamp 7 March 2024

66615 passes Compton Beauchamp on 7 March 2024 with the 6A16 07:44 Whatley Quarry to Oxford Banbury Road stone train. Unfortunately this once excellent photographic location is now totally ruined by the overhead wiring and masts. However, because the masts are only on the south side of the line at this point, there is a reasonable shot from the other side, if there is no sun. As this was forecast to be a completely dull day, I was in position on the other side of the bridge, waiting for this train. Just as it came into view the sun came out (almost the only time it appeared all day!), and so I had to rush across the bridge, to get this properly lit, but untidy picture.

66710 Hungerford 6 March 2024

66710 Phil Packer passes through Hungerford station on 6 March 2024 with the 6Z59 02:36 Tytherington to Appleford Sidings stone train. This picture was just a few seconds away from being ruined by the 6C31 10:14 Theale to Whatley Quarry stone empties, the back end of which had only just disappeared from view.

60029 Hungerford 6 March 2024

60029 Ben Nevis passes through Hungerford station on 6 March 2024 with the 6Z51 08:28 Tytherington to Appleford Sidings stone train. It was very lucky that this was running six minutes late, as the sun was only just starting to come out. Had it been on time there would have been no sun at all. When I arrived an hour earlier, the whole area was enveloped in thick fog!

66614 Hungerford 6 March 2024

66614 1916 Poppy 2016 passes through Hungerford station on 6 March 2024 with the 6A50 10:26 Whatley Quarry to Hanwell Bridge Loop stone train. Midday, and the last of the fog has finally disappeared - two hours later than forecast!

165125 Hungerford 6 March 2024

165125 approaches Station Road level crossing, as it prepares to call at Hungerford station on 6 March 2024 with the 2T14 11:57 Bedwyn to Newbury GWR service. The footpath on the left of the picture links the station with Hungerford High Street.

59202 Hungerford Common 6 March 2024

59202 Pride of Ferrybridge passes Hungerford Common on 6 March 2024 with the 7A60 10:50 Merehead Quarry to Colnbrook stone train. This was running exactly on time here, but it would soon encounters delays in the Newbury area, resulting in it running over an hour late. The depression in the foreground is probably the site of an old gravel pit.

66099 Yarnton 4 March 2024

'We Stand With Ukraine' branded 66099 passes Yarnton on 4 March 2024 with the 4O21 09:20 Trafford Park to Southampton Western Docks intermodal. Unfortunately the sun disappeared into high cloud just after I arrived at this location!

153311 Yarnton 4 March 2024

Running 20 minutes early, 153311 passes Yarnton on 4 March 2024 with the 2Q11 10:53 Derby RTC to Eastleigh Network Rail test train. In 2021 Network Rail acquired four of these units from East Midlands Trains (153311, 153376, 153379 & 153385) for infrastructure monitor workings.

66305 Yarnton 4 March 2024

66305 is so filthy that it is difficult to tell what livery it is wearing, as it passes Yarnton on 4 March 2024 with the 4M19 11:47 Southampton Western Docks to East Midlands Gateway intermodal. Someone has cleaned around the number on the front, and added various other markings, including what appears to be a 51F (West Auckland) shed code!

47033 Portway 5 June 1993

A colourful Railfreight Distribution, Regional Railways & InterCity combination at Portway on 5 June 1993. 47033 heads south with the 1M93 10:14 Great Yarmouth to Birmingham New Street service. This train was booked for a Railfreight Distribution Class 47 during summer 1993.

150146 Cosford 31 May 1989

Running 40 minutes late, 150146 passes the semaphore signals at Cosford on 31 May 1989 with the 13:28 Birmingham New Street to Aberystwyth service. This unit ran for a couple of years as a three car unit, with vehicle 52253 from Class 150/2 150253 in the centre, made much more obvious by the mismatched liveries.

L406 South Moreton 12 September 1985

L406 (51383, 59493 & 51341) runs along the down relief line at South Moreton on 12 September 1985 with the 2B72 16:35 Reading to Moreton-in-Marsh service. This used to be one of my favourite locations in the Didcot area, now sadly lost under a mass of 25kV wires!

L405 & L416 Radley 1 December 1983

A pair of Class 117s units worked the 2A62 09:01 Paddington to Oxford service on 1 December 1983. L405 (51340, 59491 & 51381) & L416 (51353, 59505 & 51395) are pictured passing through Radley station. Note that there was road access to both platforms at this time.

66539 Folkestone 11 May 2002

66539 needs all of its 3,200 hp to haul the ten coach Pathfinder Tours 1Z86 14:15 Folkestone Harbour to Crewe 'Hop'n'Stop' railtour up the ferocious 1 in 30 gradient from Folkestone Harbour to Folkestone East on 11 May 2002. Although it appears to be running wrong line, the rust on the other line indicates that only one line was in use. The third rail was also out of use.

66536 Banbury 24 April 2002

66536 approaches Banbury on 24 April 2002 with the 4O29 14:14 Trafford Park to Southampton Maritime freightliner. At this time this train was often still worked by Class 57s, as Freightliner's 66s were still being delivered. 66536 had arrived in the country just six months earlier.

L419 Didcot North Junction 9 December 1986

It's been a very long time since the view was anything like as open as this at Didcot North Junction. L419 (51356, 59508 & 51398) approaches the junction on 9 December 1986 with the 2C09 09:21 Oxford to Didcot Parkway service. The Paddington destination blind is a red herring! Unusually, this short distance working ran non-stop. Appleford Signal Box can be seen in the distance, directly above the DMU.

33065 & 33009 Westbury 5 August 1991

33065 & 33009 arrive at Westbury in very dull conditions on 5 August 1991 with the 6V96 09:38 Tonbridge to Meldon Quarry ballast empties. Both these locomotives received names the following month, 33065 becoming Sealion, and 33009 becoming Walrus.

45012 Oxford 2 April 1983

45012 passes through Oxford station on 2 April 1983 with the T & N Railtours 1Z42 07:43 Bolton to Swindon ' Swindon Ambassador II' railtour. The Peak took over from 40035 at Birmingham New Street. A combination of bad planning and late running has resulted in a picture with extremely head on lighting.

37258 Patchway 29 April 1993

37258 heads towards the Severn Tunnel with a short engineer's train on 29 April 1993. It is pictured here passing the bus depot at Patchway. This location was a bit restricted for westbound trains, but the gap is just big enough for this short train!

37258 Lydney 23 April 1994

37258 arrives at Lydney on 23 April 1994 with the Monmouthshire Railway Society 08:08 Newport to Gwaun-cae-Gurwen 'Gwaun-cae-Gurwen Growler II' railtour. It is just about to pass over Harbour Road level crossing, which at the time was controlled by the Lydney Crossing Ground Frame (formerly Lydney West Signal Box). The box (which has subsequently been removed) was unusual in that it was built on girders over a steam. Note the bridge lintel and handrail in front of the box.

3556 Nutfield 11 May 2002

Class 423 4-VEP 3556 passes Nutfield station on 11 May 2002 with the 16:32 Horsham to Tonbridge Connex South Eastern service. Although it looks like this location is surrounded by fields, it is in fact in the centre of South Nutfield village.

43098 Kingham 25 June 1995

43098 arrives at Kingham station on 25 June 1995 with the 11:58 Manchester Piccadilly to Paddington service. Throughout the 1990s the Cotswold Line benefited from long distance trains diverted over the route on Sundays, firstly with Class 47s, latterly with HSTs.

31452 Firsby 17 September 1988

31452 approaches Firsby on 17 September 1988 with the 1D23 13:45 Skegness to Leeds service. This was in the days when there was a proper train service to the East Coast resort during the summer, rather than just a basic DMU service. The train is just about to negotiate the almost 120 degree curve, where the line from Skegness joins the former Louth to Boston line. The line north from here to Louth closed in 1970.

37135 & 37189 Denchworth (Circourt Bridge) 9 December 1986

What a pity there's no train! 37135 & 37189 head west past Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, in perfect winter light on 9 December 1986. Denchworth road bridge, on the Denchworth to Grove road, can be seen in the background. This was rebuilt a few years later.

47620 Exminster 22 April 1988

47620 Windsor Castle passes the disused signal box at Exminster on 22 April 1988 with the 1S15 16:20 Penzance to Glasgow Central parcels. The wide area of ballast on either side of the lines here identifies this as the site of Exminster station, which closed in 1964.

43194 Aynho Junction 12 July 1999

43194 rounds the curve past the derelict shell of Aynho Junction Signal Box on 12 July 1999, as it heads north with the 1M41 17:20 Bournemouth to Manchester Piccadilly Virgin CrossCountry service. A Class 165 DMU waits to follow it with the 18:18 Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill Chiltern Railways service.

150265 Claverham 10 August 1989

150265 passes Claverham on 10 August 1989 with the 2C28 13:18 Bristol Temple Meads to Taunton service. At this time the new Sprinters were slowly taking over from first generation units, and anything could turn up. On this day the train an hour earlier had been worked by Class 108 set B967.

56129 Hinksey 8 July 1999

56129 passes Hinksey Yard on 8 July 1999 with the 6M73 19:05 Swindon to Liverpool Alexandra Dock scrap. This train ran on Mondays and Thursdays, conveying scrap from the European Metal Recycling (formerly Coopers Metals) site next to Highworth Junction, Swindon.

60064 Melton Ross 30 October 1998

60064 passes Melton Ross on 30 October 1998 with the 6K23 11:24 Santon to Immingham iron ore empties. At this time there was a still a constant procession of freight trains at this location, attracting photographers from far and wide.

60065 Culham 10 July 1991

Brand new 60065 Kinder Low approaches Culham on 10 July 1991 with the 7V85 14:26 Toton to Didcot Power Station MGR. Over the next eighteen months, Class 60s gradually took over these working from Class 56s & 58s. Official sources say that this loco entered traffic in September 1991, so it proves that you can't always believe what you see in print!

43175 Crofton 23 September 1986

43175 runs alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal at Crofton on 23 September 1986 with the 1C28 10:10 Paddington to Plymouth service. Not quite a perfect reflection, due to the slight breeze, but there was little prospect of any boats passing by and disturbing the water, as the canal had not yet been fully reopened at the time. It's also a pity that the family of swans wasn't a little nearer!

37308 Kirkby (Dale Lane) 12 April 2003

After having just traversed the Knowsley Freight Terminal branch, 37308 runs alongside Headbolt Lane, as it approaches Dale Lane, Kirkby, on 12 April 2003 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z38 14:04 Preston to Reading 'Wizard Express' railtour. 37047 is bringing up the rear.

37012 & 77325 Defford 23 July 1994

37012 heads north at Defford on 23 July 1994 with Plasser & Theurer USP5000C Ballast Regulator 77325. The loco may have lost its former Loch Rannoch nameplates, but it seems to have gained a comic face below the front headlight!

66553 Brocklesby 10 May 2003

66553 passes Brocklesby on 10 May 2003 with the 4G37 07:20 Ferrybridge Power Station to Immingham coal empties.  The grassy area on the left is now a properly surfaced Network Rail car park, complete with Armco barriers.

58032 Lea Marston 29 August 1998

58032 Thoresby Colliery passes Lea Marston on 29 August 1998 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 16:30 Toton to Landor Street Junction 'Totoniser' railtour. This was the return working of a tour that visited the Toton Open Day. 47200 Herbert Austin & 47363 took over the train at Landor Street Junction.

47536 Didcot North Junction 9 December 1986

The driver of 47536 piles on the power, as he passes Didcot North Junction on 9 December 1986 with the 1S39 08:34 Poole to Glasgow Central service. The footbridge now links a housing estate on the left to an industrial estate on the right, neither of which were there in 1986. At the time the footpath just linked Didcot to the villages of Appleford and Long Wittenham.

57543 Oxford 1 December 1983

47543 leaves Oxford station on 1 December 1983 with the 1O01 06:00 Derby to Poole service. The sidings on both sides of the main line have subsequently been removed, and the scrapyard on the right is now a car park.

47522 Compton Beauchamp 30 August 1991

47522 Doncaster Enterprise heads through the Vale of White Horse, near Compton Beauchamp on 30 August 1991 with the 1B95 16:02 Paddington to Swansea parcels. Note the inclusion of an InterCity liveried vehicle near the rear of the train.

47582 & E5001 Basingstoke 25 September 1988

47582 County of Norfolk & Class 71 electric loco E5001 stand in the yard at Basingstoke on 25 September 1988. E5001 had been a static exhibit in Basingstoke station, during the Winchfield 150 event. The car park in the background has now been upgraded to a multi-level structure, which blocks the view of the old goods yard stables, which can clearly be seen in this view. The stables have remarkably survived, although now nearly unrecognisable after conversion into a car wash. If you are wondering about the blurred foliage in the top left hand corner of the picture, that is caused by wind movement, as this is a tripod mounted shot, taken at 1/8sec f16 on a 200mm lens.

47772 Lickey Incline 10 September 1994

47772 descends the 1 in 37 Lickey Incline on 10 September 1994 with the Nenta Train Tours 06:45 Norwich to Cardiff Central 'Heart of Wales Explorer' railtour. Whether by accident or design, consecutively numbered 47773 Reservist worked the return leg of the tour.

73265 Gillingham 25 July 1992

Plasser & Theurer 07-16 Universal Tamper / Liner 73265 stands in the siding near the end of Gillingham station's platform on 25 July 1992. The large Kemira Fertiliser building in the background is now occupied by the removal company, Johnson's of Shaftesbury.

TTA Tank Wagon Northleach 6 July 1985

It used to be quite common to see grounded railway van bodies used for all kinds of non-railway purposes, after their life on the railways was over. In more recent times I have even seen a former Avon County Council 'Binliner' rubbish container in farm use, ironically on the course of the disused Fairford Branch. Railway tank wagons are less commonly seen, but on 6 July 1985, I came across this one high up on the Cotswolds near Northleach. Minus its wheels, former BRT tank 57120 was being used to store diesel for vehicles involved in laying a cross country pipeline. The elevated position meaning that it could gravity feed the vehicles.

33008 Whitchurch 9 March 1991

33008 Eastleigh races through Whitchurch station on 9 March 1991 with the late running 1V13 13:15 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids Network SouthEast service, which on this occasion had started at Wimbledon. The 33 was removed at Salisbury, in favour of a Class 47. This was in the brief period when Eastleigh's pet loco was in engineers livery, between two spells of it being painted in a much more interesting version of its original 1960s green colour scheme.

33206 WAnshurst Green 15 March 1986

33206 heads west past Wanshurst Green on 15 March 1986. The loco's narrow 'Hastings' profile is very evident in this view. The Class 33/2 subclass consisted of 12 locos built especially for the restricted clearance in the tunnels between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings.

33109 Churston 25 May 1996

33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR slowly pulls into Churston station on 25 May 1996 with a short engineer's train. This was one of a number of visiting locos taking part in the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway's Diesel Gala.

20169 & 20135 Whitacre Junction 28 September 1986

Sunday engineering work in the 1980s could often produce a wide variety of traction, and on 28 September 1986 this contrasting choice of motive power was in use at Whitacre Junction. 20169 & 20135 stand in the loop with a spoil and ballast empties train, while 58019 is parked right behind it with a short rake of Seacow ballast hoppers. Although all three locos have their engines running, it would be another two hours before either of them moved!

43163 Denchworth (Circourt Bridge) 5 June 1994

43163 approaches Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 5 June 1994 with the 1A18 08:00 Swansea to Paddington service. What the Class 165 DMU is doing on the down relief line is a mystery, although maybe it could be crew training in preparation for the short lived Oxford to Bristol service that was introduced a few years later.

43110 Finedon 26 September 1987

43110 Darlington passes the site of Finedon station on 26 September 1987 with the 07:32 Nottingham to St Pancras service. By the time I revisited this location two years later, the relief lines had been lifted. The station closed to passengers in 1940, but stayed open for freight traffic until 1964.

56006 Milford Junction 27 April 1996

56006 Ferrybridge C Power Station passes underneath the A63 road bridge at Monk Fryston, as it approaches Milford Junction on 27 April 1996 with yet another rake of empty HAA hoppers. MGR coal traffic was still really important at the time, and this location was well known for its constant procession of coal trains. All history now!

47806 Tiverton Parkway 11 August 1999

47806 approaches Tiverton Parkway on 11 August 1999 with the 1V50 08:40 Glasgow Central to Penzance Virgin CrossCountry service. The traffic on the M5 motorway in the background was at a total standstill because of an accident a little further to the north. This was not helped by the traffic being heavier than normal due to people returning from the West Country after witnessing the total solar eclipse. Luckily I managed to avoid this traffic jam by using local roads to get to the next junction.

47820 Bromsgrove 23 September 1989

47820 approaches Bromsgrove on 23 September 1989 with the Pathfinder Tours Swindon to Blackpool North 'Lakes & Lights Executive' railtour. The Executive series of trains run by Pathfinder at the time were aimed at the leisure, rather than the enthusiast market, and so usually featured Class 47s. 47820 had only just been renumbered from 47665 a few days earlier.

37047 & 37114 Shottesbrooke 3 May 2003

37047 & 37114 City of Worcester pass Shottesbrooke on 3 May 2003 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z93 06:00 Yeovil Junction to Norwich 'Norwich & Norfolk Excursion' railtour. Coincidentally, both locos were withdrawn within a few weeks of each other in late 2007, and scrapped the following year at European Metal Recyclers at Kingsbury.

37138 Miskin 28 July 1991

The sun is setting at Miskin on 28 July 1991, as 37138 rounds the curve near the M4 motorway, and crosses the River Ely with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z81 16:29 Onllwyn to Liverpool Lime Street 'Vulcan Valley Venturer' railtour. This was running 80 minutes late. In those pre gen days, waiting at the lineside as the shadows increased and the sun got weaker, with no idea what was happening, the big question was when to give up and go home. I cannot remember now, but looking at the lighting, that decision cannot have been far off!

47587 Kings Sutton 20 June 1989

47587 passes Kings Sutton on 20 June 1989 with the 1G58 18:12 Paddington to Banbury Network SouthEast service. At the time this was the only loco hauled train to travel from London to Banbury via the Chiltern Line. All other trains were Class 115 DMUs from Marylebone.