172101 & 168001 pass the now sadly demolished Banbury North Signal Box, as they prepare to call at Banbury station on 22 August 2015 with the 1H35 09:12 Birmingham Snow Hill to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. Note the difference in liveries between the Class 172's original Chiltern colour scheme, and the Class 168's revised livery.

172101 heads south out of Brill Tunnel on 19 January 2016 with the 1Y30 10:47 Oxford Parkway to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. There is evidence of lots of recent lineside work at this location, but it hasn't extended to cutting back the saplings that are now taking over the cutting sides, after the major deforestation of a few years ago.

Three quarters of the Chiltern Train Class 172 fleet, all on one train! 172101, 172102 & 172104 pass Fritwell on 26 August 2017 with the 1R51 17:32 Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street Chiltern Railways service. Only 172103 is missing! This was running as a short term special, specially strengthened to compensate for the closure of Euston station for engineering works.

172101, 172104 & 172102 pass underneath the footbridge near Brookfurlong Farm, Islip, on 19 April 2019 with the 1T20 09:41 Marylebone to Oxford Chiltern Railways service. Class 172s and 165s were being used exclusively, to release the normal Class 168s for strengthened services on the Birmingham line.

172101, 172104 & 172102 speed through Islip station on 19 April 2019 with the 1T48 16:41 Marylebone to Oxford Chiltern Railways service. The 1Y56 17:40 Oxford to Marylebone can just be seen disappearing into the distance.

Chiltern Railway's two car Class 172s were initially largely confined to the London end of their network. One working that did take one a little further north was the 2U05 06:12 Marylebone to Banbury service. 172102 is pictured here on 10 August 2012 approaching the site of Ashendon Junction in the low early morning sunshine.

172102 passes Oddington on 20 April 2016 with the 1Y19 08:08 Oxford Parkway to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. Points to note here are the house in the background that marks the site of the original level crossing on the road to Oddington Grange, and the row of newly planted trees in the foreground, which will render this view impossible in a few years time!

172102 & 168002 pass Kings Sutton in glorious evening light on 4 May 2016 with the 1R48 16:47 Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street Chiltern Railways service. The scaffolding around the church tower does slightly detract from the picturesqueness of the scene!

172102 & 172104 approach Islip on 2 April 2017 with the 1Y05 08:38 Oxford to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. This picture is taken from a new bridleway bridge, that replaces the former Mill Lane level crossing, which was situated where the palisade fence comes in from the left.

172102 & 172104 approach Islip at speed on 19 April 2017 with the 1Y29 10:10 Oxford to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. LED signals, double track, and modern rolling stock, all a far cry from the sleepy branch liner that this route used to be!

A DMU meeting on the recently upgraded Oxford to Bicester line on 17 September 2017. 172102 & 172013 head south past Langford Lane, Wendlebury, with the 1T19 09:33 Marylebone to Oxford Chiltern Railways service, while in the background, 168326 & 168113 approach with the 1Y15 10:11 Oxford to Marylebone.

Viewed from the footbridge near Brookfurlong Farm, 172102, 172104 & 172101 head north from Islip on 19 April 2019 with the 1Y29 11:10 Oxford to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. Islip station can just be seen in the distance.

172102 & 172104 pass Langford Lane, Wendlebury, on 22 April 2019 with the 1T42 15:11 Marylebone to Oxford Chiltern Railways service. The wooded slopes of Graven Hill can be seen on the right. Photo taken from a convenient new roadbridge.

A conveniently placed pile of redundant track panels forms an ideal photographic foreground for 172103 as it passes the site of Ardley station on 25 June 2012 with the 1H19 08:00 Banbury to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. The Met Office had managed to get the forecast spot on for once, with full sun early on, followed by cloud building up during the morning. Just look at that dark mass rolling in from the north west.

172103 & 168109 speeds past the footpath crossing at Launton on 21 April 2015 with the 1R58 17:18 Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street Chiltern Railways service. Note the difference in liveries, with 172103 still in the earlier white and blue colour scheme, and 168109 in the new silver and white livery. Also in the new livery is the Class 168 unit working the 1H77 18:02 Bicester North to Marylebone, which can be seen disappearing into the distance.

172103 passes Mumfords Lane (near Chalfont St Peter) with the 1H37 09:14 Stratford-upon-Avon to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service on 10 July 2015. This is one of the more open sections of the southern end of the Chiltern Line, most locations being either in deep cuttings or through woods, sometimes both!

The driver of the 1T43 15:33 Marylebone to Oxford Chiltern Railways service gives a friendly toot to the family of cyclists next to me on the bridge at Charlton -on-Otmoor on 17 September 2017. The train is made up of three quarters of Chiltern's Class 172 fleet: 172103, 172102 & 172101.

172103 approaches Wormleighton Crossing on 21 September 2020 with the 1D35 13:43 Marylebone to Stratford-upon-Avon Chiltern Railways service, The bridge in the background formerly carried the Stratford-upon-Avon & Midland Junction Railway's Stratford to Towcester route over the GWR main line.

The weak early morning autumnal sun is just starting to break through the clouds, as 172104 passes Whitnash on 27 September 2013 with the 1D08 06:45 Marylebone to Stratford-upon-Avon Chiltern Railways service.

Half of Chiltern Railway's small fleet of Class 172s are pictured here at Haddenham on 20 January 2017. 172104 & 172101 accelerate away from Haddenham & Thame Parkway station (just visible in the background) with the 1Y29 10:10 Oxford to Marylebone service.

172214 & 172335 move from Kidderminster station (in the background) into the nearby carriage sidings, as the 5S34 London Midland ECS move on 4 October 2012. The train had worked in as the 2K14 10:09 from Dorridge, and would shortly be heading back as the 2S34 11:26 to Whitlocks End.

172216 & 172218 slowly negotiate Hatton North Junction on 9 October 2018 with the 2W84 16:03 Stratford-upon-Avon to Stourbridge Junction West Midlands Railway service. They are just coming off the single line chord from Hatton West Junction.

172219 & 172221 slow down as they enter Danzey station on 1 February 2012 in case there are any passengers to pick up (there weren't!). As Danzey is only a request stop, they were soon accelerating away again. The working is the 2S42 12:55 Stourbridge Junction to Stratford-upon-Avon London Midland service. Note that the running in board posts and top rail have received a coat of London Midland corporate black paint, although this hasn't for some reason included the actual nameboard itself!

172219 approaches Wootton Wawen station on 8 August 2021 with the 2S02 09:27 Birmingham Snow Hill to Stratford-upon-Avon West Midlands Railway service. This being a request stop, the driver is leaning out of the window to ask me whether I was travelling. As I wasn't, and there were no other passengers, he reapplied the power, and proceeded through the station without stopping.

172222 & 172219 arrive at Kidderminster station on 17 April 2016 with the 5K00 09:45 Worcester to Kidderminster ECS. They will then form the 2C00 10:14 Kidderminster to Dorridge London Midland service. In the background the Severn Valley Railway's GWR Manor Class 4-6-0s 7802 Bradley Manor & 7812 Erlestoke Manor can be seen preparing for the day's duties.

Brand new 172332 passes trough the pleasant Warwickshire countryside near Danzey on 1 February 2012 with the 2S36 11:55 Stourbridge Junction to Stratford-upon-Avon London Midland service. This latest generation of DMU definitely has an improved front end appearance, possibly the best design that could be achieved with the presence of a corridor connection.

172333 is near journey's end on 26 March 2012 as it passes underneath the A46 Stratford-upon-Avon bypass at Bishopton with the 2S36 11:55 Stourbridge Junction to Stratford London Midland service. Considering the amount of traffic on the road, I'm surprised there isn't some hideously liveried articulated lorry spoiling the picture!

The elder bushes are in full flower, as 172333 passes Shrewley on 3 July 2013 with the 2V54 19:06 Leamington Spa to Worcester Shrub Hill London Midland service. If the lineside vegetation looks a bit thick, that is nothing compared with the massively overgrown footpath that parallels the nearby M40 motorway!

172334 slowly passes the rail connection to the Severn Valley Railway at Kidderminster, as it works the 5K22 09:10 Stourbridge Junction to Kidderminster ECS on 20 August 2016. Having just passed through Kidderminster station (just visible in the background), it will spend a couple of minutes in the carriage siding, before heading back to the station ready to form the 2S22 09:25 Kidderminster to Whitlocks End London Midland service.

A passenger and freight meeting at Hatton North Junction on 25 March 2019. 172336 slowly comes off the Stratford-upon-Avon line with the 2W82 15:03 Stratford-upon-Avon to Stourbridge Junction West Midlands Railway service, passing 66158, which is working a train of empty wagons from Scunthorpe to Didcot. Even with the 172's slightly odd livery, it still beats another mundane picture of a Class 66 without the sun the nose!

Viewed from the convenient vantage point of the Edstone Aqueduct on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, 172337 heads south towards Bearley Junction on 9 October 2018 with the 2S30 10:57 Stourbridge Junction to Stratford-upon-Avon West Midlands Railway service.

The golden bronze West Midlands Railway livery of 172338 will soon be matching the autumn tints on the trees. However, there is still only a little colour showing in the distant woods in this view of the 2S24 09:57 Stourbridge Junction to Stratford-upon-Avon service approaching Edstone Aqueduct on 9 October 2018.

172338 passes through Danzey station on 14 August 2022 with the 2S04 09:21 Worcester Foregate Street to Stratford-upon-Avon West Midlands Railway service. Danzey station is very rural, with the few houses of Danzey Green being widely scattered along the Tanworth-in-Adren to Henley-in-Arden road.

Almost catching a little weak sunshine, on what was otherwise a dreadfully dull day, 172339 & 172340 pass Ladywood on 18 February 2020 with the late running 2V20 10:46 Dorridge to Worcester Foregate Street West Midlands Railway service.

172339 leaves Kidderminster station on 22 July 2021 with the 5D28 11:05 Kidderminster to Kidderminster (via the Down Goods Loop) ECS. This was running 16 minutes late, after arriving late with the 2K25 09:26 West Midlands Railway service from Stratford-upon-Avon.

172339 & 172216 arrive at the Lakes station on 14 August 2022 with the late running 2S08 11:21 Worcester Foregate Street to Stratford-upon-Avon West Midlands Railway service. The tiny station is immaculate, with wooden tubs of Pelargoniums brightening up the platforms. The station was opened by the Great Western Railway (as the Lakes Halt) in 1935, to serve the nearby popular tourist destination of Earlswood Lakes.

Making a change from the frequent Chiltern Railways trains that pass this spot, West Midlands Railway 172343 passes Hatton North Junction on 19 April 2018 with the 2H24 16:53 Kidderminster to Leamington Spa service.

Viewed from the rather rusty B4089 Alcester Road bridge, 172344 & 173213 approach Wootton Wawen station on 8 August 2021 with the 2V02 0927 Stratford-upon-Avon to Great Malvern West Midlands Railway service. This being a Sunday, this was the first train of the day on the line.

172345 & 172340 pass Bentley Heath on 14 August 2022 with the 2C06 13:26 Stourbridge Junction to Dorridge West Midlands Railway service. The units would return a few minutes later as the 2J58 14:27 Dorridge to Stourbridge Junction service.