Looking very smart in its fairly recently applied coat of red paint, Baguley Drewry rail inspection car AD9127 basks in the sunshine at Winchcombe on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway on 23 August 2008. These quaint petrol engined vehicles were used for general permanent way and engineers inspection use during the 1960s. This picture was taken from on board the 11:15 Cheltenham Racecourse to Toddington train.

London Midland Region Matisa Neptune track recording unit DR50006 heads west at Chinley on 19 June 1984. These vaguely comical little machines were used to produce a readout of track alignment problems and had the ability to spray paint on the track to notify PW workers of areas that needed attention.

Plasser & Theurer 09-3X-D-RT Tamper / Liner DR73113 catches the afternoon winter sun as it heads south down the Cherwell Valley near Tackley on 17 December 2008. For a short distance north of Tackley the railway is relatively unobstructed with trees and on a long curving embankment, which offers a number of excellent viewpoints for southbound trains in the winter.

Plasser & Theurer 07-16 Universal Tamper / Liner 73220 moves slowly along the as yet unballasted down relief line at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth on 21 February 1993, during a Sunday engineering possession of the Great Western Mainline. The relief lines were being reinstated at this time between the site of Wantage Road and Challow stations, although as can be seen here, work on the up relief line had not yet started. 73220 was cut up at York in October 2006.

Plasser & Theurer 07-16 Universal Tamper / Liner 73223 ambles along the up main line at Woodley, near Reading on 14 June 1987. This location is on the section of track much frequented by steam photographers in the 1960s (and before) between the deep cutting at Sonning and the embankment that takes the line over the valley of the Rover Loddon and on towards Twyford.

Plasser & Theurer 07-16 Universal Tamper / Liner 73223 is pictured at work at Ascott-under-Wychwood on 13 January 1991. Note the three sets of measuring wheels in the foreground used to assess track geometry. On the right of this picture the remains of the former coal yard can be seen, while the posts of a new fence separating the yard area from the line have yet to receive any wire. This is the start of the fourteen mile single track section of the Cotswold Line to Wolvercote Junction.

Jarvis liveried Plasser & Theurer 07-32 Duomatic Tamper / Liner 73423 heads north up the Highland Mainline at Bardrill (near Gleneagles) on 23 April 2003. Bardrill is a seemingly remote spot down a narrow road that sees virtually no traffic, yet as can be seen by the lorry in the background is only a few hundred yards from the busy A9 road to Pert and Inverness.

Colas Rail Plasser & Theurer 08-275 Switch & Crossing Tamper 73901 ambles past Kemble Wick en-route to Swindon on 5 March 2010. A substantial amount of work has been carried out to stabilise the cutting side here, with a new concrete sectional retaining wall replacing the original brick one, and improved drainage. A landslip here caused the derailment of a Class 158 in 2007. The short (400 yard) Kemble Tunnel can be seen in the background. This was built purely to hide the line from Squire Gordon of Kemble House!

Plasser & Theurer 08-4x4/4S-RT Switch & Crossing Tamper DR73905 heads east at Brimpton on 23 November 2007. Note that how in addition to the running number and operator's name (Amey), this piece of equipment, in common with a lot of on track plant also carries the maker's name and model number.

Plasser & Theurer 08-4x4/4S-RT Switch & Crossing Tamper DR73906 ambles along the up line at Fritwell (on the Chiltern Line between Aynho Junction and Bicester) on 9 June 2008. Someone was presumably getting bored during some extended engineering possession and decided to decorate the buffers with smiley faces!

A named track machine! Clearly showing its locomotive style cast Lynx nameplate, Plasser & Theurer 08-16/4x4C-RT Switch & Crossing Tamper DR73912 waits in the siding near Evesham signal box on 19 August 2009, prior to moving off to the worksite a few miles to the east.

Plasser & Theurer 08-12/4x4C-RT Switch & Crossing Tamper DR73913 heads east along the relief line at Potbridge (between Basingstoke and Woking) on 3 February 2007. Although admittedly a lot of track machines are of similar appearance, this is one of only two machines on the national network of this exact configuration.

Making a change from the usual bright yellow track machines, Fastline operated Plasser & Theurer 08-4x4/4S-RT Switch & Crossing Tamper DR73941 ambles along the up relief line near South Moreton on 12 November 2007. Note that even here there is new spiked fencing by the lineside. Who on earth is going to clamber down from the road and fight their way through the overgrown wood just to get on the line at this point!

Seldom photographed in daylight on the mainline, Network Rail Loram C2103 rail grinder with DR79257 leading passes Bishop Wood (between York and Doncaster) on 26 July 2008. The full consist being: DR79257, DR79256, DR79255, DR79254, DR79253, DR79252, & DR79251. This is one of three similar American built modular grinder units at work on the national network. Rail grinders are used to extend the life of lines, by grinding away irregularities and re-profiling the rail. This usually takes place at night and is both noisy and a spectacular display of sparks!

Harsco Track Technologies Switch & Crossing Stoneblower DR80302 heads south from Cheltenham on 16 March 2009. It is pictured passing Up Hatherley. This is one of three such machines currently in service with Network Rail.

DR98907 & DR98957 are pictured near Grintleyhill Bridge, Combe with the 3S31 07:38 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) sandite working on 16 November 2007, heading back to Ledbury, having reversed at Oxford. You would think it would be easy to include autumn foliage in railway photos, but it seems to be very difficult, as the best trees don't seem to grow near the line. Although there is some reasonable colour in the background of this picture, frustratingly there were several large beech trees near where I was standing that no matter how hard I tried to find a different vantage point could not be included in the picture!

In the pouring rain, MPVs DR98908 & DT98958 pass through Wilmcote station on 22 October 2009 with the 3S87 09:10 Kings Norton to Kings Norton Rail Head Treatment Train, just after it had reversed at Stratford-upon-Avon. Wilmcote station retains plenty of Great Western character, with both station building and the small waiting room on the opposite platform still extant and in excellent condition. Incidentally the standard of brickwork on these buildings is far in excess of what you would find with present day construction, which probably explains why they have survived so well. Also, the GWR covered footbridge means I didn't get wet whilst waiting for this train!

With the giant Honda car factory at South Marston (near Swindon) dominating the background, DR98912 & DR98962 pass Bourton with the 3S32 08:29 Ledbury to Didcot Railhead Treatment Train on 31 October 2008. This is the third occasion within a week that I have gone out to photograph the train, but in each case decided not to wait for the 3S33 13:07 return working from Didcot due to the rapidly worsening weather. In fact this picture gives a false impression of the conditions, as cloud was building steadily and the area behind the factory was the only completely clear piece of sky! The MPV is just passing the crossovers which are used during single line working. The lines here are signaled for bi-directional working.

MPVs DR98912 & DR98962 pass Cornbury (near Charlbury) with the 3S31 09:55 Kings Norton to Ledbury Rail Head Treatment Train on 9 November 2008, shortly after its reversal at Oxford. Although one of the few locations on the Cotswold Line that is actually less grown up with vegetation than when I used to regularly photograph the Class 50s in the 1980s, the view from the bridge looked a little bland. I wanted to include the Scots Pine tree in the background, but that would also include a lot of featureless sky in the picture. Both problems were solved by standing on the parapet of the bridge on the opposite side of the road. This included the overhanging beech branches, adding colour to the foreground and covering up most of the blank sky.

Running 15 minutes late due to a late running First Great Western service (no surprise there then!), MPVs DR98912 & DR98962 approach the site of Yarnton Junction with the 3S31 09:55 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) Rail Head Treatment Train on 7 December 2008, the final daylight working over the Cotswold Line for the season. The menace of palisade fencing has even invaded this remote spot. Despite the fact that the fence visible here would hardly be a deterrent to trespassers, the bramble choked former occupation crossing near where I am standing now has a single panel of palisade fencing standing in glorious isolation. You really have to question the logic of this particular waste if money!

DR98923 & DR98973 head south from Moreton-in-Marsh with the 3S31 07:38 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) sandite working on 23 October 2007. The station can just be seen in the distance, with semaphore signals in abundance, even for the little used down refuge siding.

DR98957 & DR98907 have just passed through Shipton station with the 3S31 07:38 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) rail head treatment train on 30 October 2007. As can clearly be seen, the unit is spraying the rail with water to clear away leaf mulch. This picture was almost blocked out by the late running 08:52 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill First Great Western service, which passed a few seconds later.

I am wisely sheltering under the canopy at Wilmcote station on 22 October 2009, as MPVs DR98958 & DR98908 pass through with the 3S87 09:10 Kings Norton to Stratford-upon-Avon and return Rail Head Treatment Train. Miserably dull and pouring with rain, but at least this viewpoint shows off the underside of the canopy, which would have been in shadow on a brighter day. Always look on the positive side! The superb Great Western Railway footbridge also helps add interest to the picture.

DR98959 & DR98909 pass Baulking, on the Great Western Mainline between Swindon and Didcot, with the 3S32 08:29 Ledbury to Didcot Railhead Treatment Train on 27 October 2008. This location is not much use for a normal length train, as only a short section of track is visible, but is ideal for this working. It is one of the relatively few locations on the GWML where there is a display of autumn foliage in the background, which after all is the reason that this train is operating! The Armco barrier visible in the background is where the Stanford-in-the-Vale road parallels the railway for a short distance. This road was only constructed in the 1970s, when a large fuller's earth quarry was opened nearby obliterating the course of the original road. The quarry closed in 2005.

Clearly demonstrating why it is known as the 'Golden Valley', this view of the Gloucester to Swindon line at Sapperton shows the autumn colours at probably near their best on 28 October 2008, as Network Rail MPVs DR98959 & DR98909 climb the 1 in 60 gradient towards Sapperton Tunnel with the 3S32 08:29 Ledbury to Didcot Railhead Treatment Train. Note the spray coming up from the rail in the centre of the formation as the train lays sandite on the rails. Sapperton Bank was a formidable incline in steam days with banking required for most freight trains. Nowadays there is no freight, but the uncontrolled lineside vegetation since the demise of steam has made sandite trains such as this essential during the leaf fall season.

The problem and the cure! MPVs DR98962 & DR98912 pass a good show of autumn leaves at Finstock on 9 November 2008. The working is the 3S31 09:55 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) Rail Head Treatment Train, especially designed to deal with fallen leaves from trackside trees such as these. The leaves looked even more impressive until the sun went in a few minutes before the train was due! Due to pathing difficulties on the single track sections of the Cotswold Line, the 2008 timetable for these trains sees the weekdays workings running during the night, with only this Sunday working running during daylight. Finding a location to include show of autumn leaves on the Cotswold Line is not as easy as you would think from looking at the map.

MPVs DR98962 & DR98912 pass the site of Ashbury Crossing at Shrivenham with the late running 3S33 Didcot to Kings Norton Rail Head Treatment Train on 3 December 2008. Booked to leave Didcot at 13:07, it hadn't even arrived at Didcot at that time, as its previous working the 3S32 08:29 Ledbury to Didcot ran over an hour late. MPVs are obviously very low down on the list of vehicles to be cleaned, as the smiley face picked out in the dirt on the front still shows just as it did nearly a month previously at Finstock!

DR98962 & DR98912 pass the site of Yarnton Junction with the 3S31 09:55 Kings Norton to Ledbury Rail Head Treatment Train on 7 December 2008, after an unexpectedly quick turnaround at Oxford. Having arrived at Oxford 15 minutes late due to a late running First Great Western service, it then passed me at Yarnton 20 minute early heading north, presumably due to the southbound First Great Western Turbo service being canceled. The RHTT should have waited for this to clear the single line at Wolvercote Junction.

On 10 December 2008 with only a couple more days to go before the end of the 'leaf fall season', DR98962 & DR98912 approach Baulking (between Didcot and Swindon) with the 3S33 13:07 Didcot to Kings Norton Rail Head Treatment Train. Universally ignored by most railway photographers (as of course the early diesels were in the final days of steam), I rather like these vehicles, possibly because nobody else does!

DR98973 & DR98923 approach Chilson with the 3S31 07:38 Kings Norton to Ledbury (via Oxford) sandite working on 23 October 2007. The Cotswold Line has become very difficult to photograph due to rampant growth of lineside vegetation. This spot was chosen as the unobstructed gap was just big enough for the MPV, and it is one of the very few locations where it possible to get the sun on the front for a northbound train during the middle of the day. The train is on its way back to Ledbury, having reversed at Oxford.

Rexquote Gigarailer 180s road-railer 99709 940018-3 sits amid the Rosebay Willowherb at Shorthampton on 24 July 2009. This section of the Cotswold Line is being redoubled with initial work involved in realigned the single track, which was 'centered' at most locations in 1971. As a prelude to all this there has been a massive clearance of vegetation, and indeed this location has never been as clear as this in all the years I have been taking pictures on the line. Obviously work was going on elsewhere, as there was nobody at all around, and although the whole line was closed for the engineering possession, it seemed very strange to see this vehicle parked in the middle of nowhere with nothing happening.