33001 passes St George's on 20 April 1985 with the 2C26 07:40 Milford Haven to Bristol Temple Meads service. This was the first of the class to enter service (as D6500), being delivered to Hither Green in January 1960. It was withdrawn in 1988 with minor collision damage, and was broken up at Vic Berry's, Leicester in 1989.

33001 passes Sherrington on 8 March 1986 with the 1V62 12:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service. This was an excellent location, with uninterrupted views in both directions. I don't know why I didn't visit it more often when the 33s were in operation, but with Class 50s on the Cotswold Line at the time, the temptation was to always stay close to home!

I have seen surprisingly few photographs taken from this lofty vantage point. 33002 & 33114 pass Shapley Heath (near Winchfield) on 21 July 1991 with the 1L08 10:26 Salisbury to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. The much more commonly frequented bridge at Potbridge can be seen in the background.

33002 & 33102 approach Axminster on 24 June 1992 with the 1V09 08:55 London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids Network SouthEast service, running 90 minutes late. This section of line has now been redoubled, albeit only for a short distance.

33004 climbs out of the Severn Tunnel and approaches Pilning on 11 October 1986 with the 1O43 14:05 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service. Sudbrook Pumping Station can just be seen in the distance (on the other side of the River Severn, directly above the tunnel entrance). This was later largely obscured with the construction of the new Severn Bridge approach road.

I only just got away with this! The encroaching foreground shadow has very nearly ruined this picture of 33005 passing Ponthir on 4 September 1986. The train is the 1M73 18:15 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly service, which thankfully was running on time. The second coach is an InterCity Motorail branded Mk 1 FK.

33006 passes non-stop through Bradford-on-Avon on 21 February 1987 with the 2V58 06:58 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service. This used to be an excellent location for railway photography, especially for trains coming from the opposite direction.

33008 Eastleigh & 33119 pass Lee with 4-TC set 8018 on 17 June 1989, working the 12:30 from Eastleigh, one of three special trains run to celebrate 150 years of railways in the town. The circular route was via Romsey (reverse) and Southampton. A warm summers day, with intermittent hazy sunshine.

33008 Eastleigh & 33119 have 4-TC set 8018 in tow as they pass near to Broadlands (to the south of Romsey) with the 15:00 special from Eastleigh on 17 June 1989, one of three special trains run to celebrate 150 years of railways in the town. The train is just passing under the A27 Romsey to Southampton road.

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.

33008 Eastleigh passes Twerton on 12 August 1993 with the 7V05 09:59 Eastleigh to Margam Gwent Demolition, conveying a rake of Southern Region EMUs for scrap. This was a regular sight around this time, with trains either originating from Eastleigh or Bournemouth. This train is made up of Class 415 4-EPB 5268, Class 416 2-EPB 6317, and Class 415 4-EPB 5261.

In brilliant sunshine (which unfortunately was not to last), 33008 Eastleigh & 33026 Seafire storm away from Kidderminster on 30 July 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 08:05 Bristol Temple Meads to Carlisle 'Crompton Crusader' railtour. If Kidderminster is an unusual location for a pair of 33s, then the Settle to Carlisle line later in the day certainly would be!

33008 Eastleigh & 33026 Seafire pass Greenholme with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 18:34 Carlisle to Bristol Temple Meads 'Crompton Crusader' railtour on 30 July 1995. Shortly after taking this picture and driving back onto the M6 at Tebay, I went through one of the most spectacular thunderstorms I have ever encountered. So it was a good job that the train wasn't running late!

33010 passes Marshfield on 27 October 1984 with the 1V20 08:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service. With clear views in both directions, this used to be my default location for railway photography in South Wales.

33011 & 33030 round the curve at Deepcut on 28 August 1987 with a lengthy train of military vehicles, presumably destined for Ludgershall. Just out of sight around the corner, and soon to be overtaking this train, is 50014 Warspite working the 1V09 09:10 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids Network SouthEast service.

33012 passes Baglan on 25 March 1987 with the 1O46 16:05 Swansea to Portsmouth Harbour service. 33012 was one of the first locos to make a break from the standard BR corporate blue livery, receiving full yellow cabs and black windows surrounds in 1981. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of this short lived variation.

D6515 (33012) Lt Jenny Lewis RN passes Greatmoor on 29 April 2018 with the London Transport Museum 1Z33 10:22 Harrow-on-the-Hill to Quainton Road (via Calvert) 'Class 20 Metropolitan' Railtour. 20227 & 20142 are on the rear. This location is approximately half way between Quainton Road and Calvert, and reached by a long and exceedingly muddy bridleway.

D6515 (33012) Lt Jenny Lewis RN brings up the rear of the London Transport Museum 1Z33 10:22 Harrow-on-the-Hill to Quainton Road (via Calvert) 'Class 20 Metropolitan' Railtour at Greatmoor on 29 April 2018. 20227 & 20142 are at the front of the train. The train is just approaching the site of Grendon Underwood Junction, where the line to Ashendon Junction on the Chiltern Line diverged to the right. This was latterly cut back to the UKF fertiliser depot at Akeman Street. The line closed in in the early 1990s, and the trackbed has now been converted into a road to access a new waste disposal plant.

D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN emerges from the bushes at Amersham on 25 August 2019 with the UK Railtours 1Z35 14:01 Rickmansworth to Quainton Road 'Metroland & Quainton' railtour. Photo taken from a public footpath crossing.

D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN brings up the rear of the UK Railtours 1Z36 16:05 Quainton Road to Marylebone 'Metroland & Quainton' railtour at Wendover on 25 August 2019. The train is being hauled by 20007 & 20142 Sir John Betjeman.

D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN approaches the site of Waddesdon Manor station on 26 August 2019 with the UK Railtours 1Z33 10:00 Marylebone to Quainton Road 'Metroland & Quainton' railtour. 20007 & 20142 Sir John Betjeman are bringing up the rear.

D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN stands in Quainton Road station on 26 August 2019, having arrived a little earlier with the UK Railtours 1Z35 14:01 Rickmansworth to Quainton Road 'Metroland & Quainton' railtour. This was one of a series of trains that were run in connection with the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre's 50th anniversary celebrations.

An unusual loco convoy traversed the Cotswold Line on 10 May 2022, taking locomotives from the Swanage Railway to the Severn Valley Railway. D6515 (33012) Lt Jenny Lewis RN, 31128 Charybdis, 37703, D4 (44004) Great Gable & D182 (46045) are pictured arriving at Moreton-in-Marsh with the 0Z33 06:10 Swanage to Kidderminster, which most unusually was booked to recess in the down refuge siding, to allow a service train to pass.

After recessing in the down refuge siding at Moreton-in-Marsh to allow a passenger train to pass, D6515 (33012) Lt Jenny Lewis RN, 31128 Charybdis, 37703, D4 (44004) Great Gable & D182 (46045) get under way again on 10 May 2022 with the 0Z33 06:10 Swanage to Kidderminster loco convoy. Despite the severe backlighting, I wasn't going to miss getting a picture of this highly unusual move. Note that due to a signalling problem, the convoy is leaving the siding without the appropriate semaphore signal being lowered.

D6515 (33012) Lt Jenny Lewis RN approaches the private level crossing at Northwood Lane on 21 May 2022, as it heads north with the 15:10 Kidderminster to Bridgnorth service, during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala.

En-route from the Mid Norfolk Railway to the Swanage Railway, D6515 (33012) Lt Jenny Lewis RN & 50026 Indomitable pass Micheldever on 14 June 2022, running as the 0Z23 07:00 Dereham to Swanage. The two locos had attended the previous weekend's Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Diesel Gala, along with 33202, which had been dropped off at Dereham the previous day.

D6515 (33012) Lt Jenny Lewis RN passes through Culham station in the rain on 3 May 2024 with the Branch Line Society 1Z32 09:21 Eastleigh to Hinksey Reception Lines 'Return Of The Shedi' railtour. The stock is the London Underground red liveried Class 438 4-TC set 428. After reversing at Hinksey, the train would return 45 minutes later, this time hauled by 66205 & 66114.

D6515 (33012) Lt Jenny Lewis RN approaches Oxford on 10 June 2024 with the 5O33 11:10 Tyseley Steam Trust to Eastleigh Arlington ECS. This was the empty stock from the Branch Line Society 1Z33 08:34 Eastleigh to Sheringham North Norfolk Railway 'Holt Hoover' railtour of 6 June. It was almost completely cloudy when I arrived at Oxford, which would have been OK for this location. Unfortunately the sun came out seconds before the train arrived, with the light being almost head on. This was made worse by the train running half an hour early.

33015 heads south through the Herefordshire countryside at St Devereux on 10 November 1984 with the 10:03 Crewe to Cardiff Central service. These trains remained loco hauled for a further two years, before DMUs took over - a very poor substitute for six Mk1 coaches! Although they were Southern Region locos, as this picture shows the 33s did stray considerably from their home area on day to day workings in the 1980s.

Deputising for the usual Class 50, 33015 passes Deepcut on 28 August 1987 with the 1O12 06:42 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo service. Despite being 1,150 hp less powerful than a Class 50, it was only running a few minutes late after its long journey from Devon. The random mix of Network SouthEast and blue and grey stock is very typical of this route at the time.

The vintage VSOE Pullman stock was used extensively during 1986 and 1987 for regular timetabled trips to various southern destinations. One of these was the 'Bournemouth Belle', which also allowed passengers to visit Broadlands (from Southampton) and Beaulieu (from Brockenhurst). Sometimes this train ran with a large headboard, but on 13 September 1986 no headboard was provided for 33016, which is pictured here passing Potbridge with the 1B11 10:35 Waterloo to Southampton.

33017 heads down the scenic Wylye Valley with the 12:05 Bristol Temple Meads to Portsmouth Harbour service on 8 March 1986. It was only a few miles from here that this loco met its end less than two years later, when it hit a fallen tree while working a Portsmouth to Bristol service. At that late stage in their careers, even minor damage was enough reason for withdrawal. 33017 was placed in store for a while, before being moved to Vic Berry's of Leicester, where it was broken up in 1990.

Running half an hour early, 33019 & 33057 approach Fairwood Junction on 18 April 1991 with the 7V84 08:40 Eastleigh to Meldon Quarry ballast empties. Westbury Cement Works is in full production in the background. The tall chimney, that was once such a local landmark, was demolished in 2016.

33019 Griffon & 33057 Seagull pull away from Banbury on 29 July 1995 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 07:18 Paddington to Long Marston 'Honey Monster' railtour. 47348 St. Christopher's Railway Home can be seen on the rear of the train. The Cromptons seem to be doing their best to replace the local all pervading smell of coffee (from the Kraft Foods factory) with the smell of diesel fumes!

33019 Griffon & 33057 Seagull amble down the MoD Fenny Compton to Kineton line with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 07:18 Paddington to Long Marston 'Honey Monster' railtour on 29 July 1995. They have just passed over the M40 motorway and are about to enter the confines of the Army base. Army locos 277 & 273 would then be used for a tour of the camp.

33019 Griffon & 33002 Sea King pass Restormel on 22 June 1996 with the 1Z33 17:22 Penzance to Birmingham New Street 'Penzance Flyer' railtour. This picture is taken from a field next to the River Fowey, not far from the famous Norman Restormel Castle.

33019 Griffon slows down for the severe speed restriction at the Congerstone footpath crossing on the Battlefield Line, during the line's Diesel Gala on 19 September 2009. It is working the 09:00 Shackerstone to Shenton service. The telegraph pole on the left certainly has been in use for a good few years!

33019 Griffon powers away from the speed restriction at Congerstone with the 16:45 Shenton to Shackerstone service during the Battlefield Line's Diesel Gala on 19 September 2009. There is certainly a mixture of liveries in this train!

33020 passes Llandevenny on 21 October 1985 with the 1V20 08:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service. It is just possible to discern the loco's non standard red buffer beam. The bridge in the background carries the new road that was built to connect with the M4 Junction 23a at Magor.

Consecutively numbered 33021 & 33022 round the curve at Kettering on 21 May 1989 with the 1T10 11:00 Leicester to St Pancras (via Corby) special. This was one of a number of Hertfordshire Railtours special trains using freight motive power, and promoted as the 'InterCity Diesel Day'.

33021 & 33050 Isle of Grain pass Waterside (near Goodrington) on 20 June 1992 with the 15:20 Kingswear to Paignton service, during the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway's Diesel Gala. The Railfreight Construction liveried locos had arrived at the railway on a railtour from Paddington.

33021 Eastleigh arrives at Paddock Wood station on 28 August 1999 with one of the Maidstone Celebration of Steam & Transport shuttle trains working between Tonbridge and Maidstone. Although it matches the coaches here, thankfully 33021 did not retain this bizarre bright red livery for very long.

33021 Eastleigh & 33103 pass Washwood Heath on 20 November 1999 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z90 05:34 Crewe to Gedling Colliery 'Crompton Collier' railtour. 33021's garish red livery certainly draws the eye amidst all the muted autumnal colours!

33021 Eastleigh & 33103 cross over the A42 near Ashby-de-la-Zouch with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z90 05:34 Crewe to Gedling Colliery 'Crompton Collier' railtour on 20 November 1999. 33103's green livery would look a lot better with the original 1960's style mid level white stripe, and 33021's livery would look a lot better if (make up your own answers)!

33021 Eastleigh & 33103 approach Stenson Fields on 20 November 1999 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z90 05:34 Crewe to Gedling Colliery 'Crompton Collier' railtour. This picture is taken from the then relatively new A50 road bridge. The bridge visible in the background is the extremely well known one at Stenson Junction.

Dramatic lighting at Bestwood Park on 20 November 1999, as 33021 Eastleigh & 33103 bring up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z90 05:34 Crewe to Gedling Colliery 'Crompton Collier' railtour. The Nottingham to Hucknall tramway now runs parallel with the line here.

Wearing its startling red livery (which thankfully it only carried for a short while), 33021 Eastleigh approaches Hinksey Yard (near Oxford) with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z41 05:30 Crewe to Dungeness 'Marshes Marauder' railtour on 7 April 2001. Although the tour had departed exactly on time, as often happens with railtours, it was 45 minutes late by the time it passed me, although thankfully just ahead of the Turbo unit coming down the relief line!

33025 Sultan & 33027 Earl Mountbatten of Burma approach Oxford on 2 April 1983 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z25 07:30 Euston to Annesley Colliery 'Annesley Anabasis' railtour. The 33s would be replaced by 25048 & 25084 at Bescot, and then 31272 & 31220 would work the train back from Annesley Colliery.

33025 Sultan passes Magor on 4 September 1986 with the 1O43 14:05 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service. Although I have a reasonable number of pictures of 33s on these trains, looking back I should have taken a lot more.

33025 Sultan & 33116 Hertfordshire Railtours pass Alrewas on 28 January 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:20 Swindon to Gladstone Dock 'Gladstone Bag' railtour. Although a pair of 33s would normally be quite enough, the highlight of this tour would have been the use of a pair of 73s in the Merseyside area, well away from their former Southern Region home. However, MerseyRail would not sanction their use due to the loco's poor condition.

33025 Sultan & 33116 Hertfordshire Railtours bring up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:20 Swindon to Gladstone Dock 'Gladstone Bag' railtour at Hooton on 28 January 1995. 56036 is leading the train at this point. The train would shortly reverse at Hooton station (which can just be seen in the distance), and then traverse the line to Frodsham, behind the bushes on the right. The flooded area on the left shows that not only was this once a four track mainline, but there was also once an extensive area of sidings.

Class 33s were used to meeting third rail EMUs whilst working on the Southern Region, however this is not the Southern, it is on the Wirral! 33025 Sultan & 33116 Hertfordshire Railtours pass Hooton on 28 January 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:20 Swindon to Gladstone Dock 'Gladstone Bag' railtour. The tour had just arrived from the Chester direction behind 56036 (the line goes off to the left by the fence in the background) and after reversing in Hooton station is now heading off towards Frodsham. This manoeuvre has slightly delayed 508125 which is working the 14:40 Ellesmere Port to Liverpool Central service.

33025 & 33029 slowly run along the Swindon line at Standish Junction on 6 August 2022 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 05:45 Burton-upon-Trent to Weymouth 'Dorset Coast Express' railtour. The train was a few minutes late, and would be further delayed a short distance farther on, as it had to wait at the next signal while the equally late running 1L68 08:59 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington GWR service cleared the section. This delay did allow a second, albeit poor quality, picture, after I had walked back down the field to the farm bridge.

Definitely not a great picture, due to the grass and dead dock plants in the foreground, but a bonus record shot of 33025 & 33029, as they pull away from a signal check at Standish Junction on 6 August 2022 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 05:45 Burton-upon-Trent to Weymouth 'Dorset Coast Express' railtour. I had photographed the train a few minutes earlier at a much more scenic spot just to the north.

West Coast Railways 33025 brings up the rear of the Railway Touring Company 1Z52 07:13 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill 'Cotswold Venturer' railtour at Little Haresfield on 27 August 2022. Jubilee 4-6-0 45596 Bahamas is at the front of the train, typically making more exhaust than when I photographed it approaching a few seconds earlier!

33026 Seafire emerges from Buckhorn Weston Tunnel on 21 August 1991 with the 1O32 07:50 Yeovil Junction to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. I was expecting a Class 50, but a Class 33 was a welcome substitute!

33026 Seafire approaches Sherborne on 25 July 1992 with the 1O34 08:10 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. Although the Class 50s had finally relinquished their hold over the West of England route a couple of months earlier, it was still worth travelling down to the West Country for the Class 47s, or as in this case, the occasional Class 33.

33026 Seafire & 33008 Eastleigh speed through Ruabon on 30 July 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 08:05 Bristol Temple Meads to Carlisle 'Crompton Crusader' railtour. Since this picture was taken another housing estate has sprung up on former railway land on the left edge of this picture.

33026 Seafire & 33008 Eastleigh cross the River Weaver at Frodsham on 30 July 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 08:05 Bristol Temple Meads to Carlisle 'Crompton Crusader' railtour. The swirl of water on the right is where a powerboat had been using the river to perform some high speed manoeuvres.

With the driver seemingly pointing out something of interest up the valley off to the right, 33026 Seafire & 33008 Eastleigh cross Smardale Viaduct on 30 July 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 08:05 Bristol Temple Meads to Carlisle 'Crompton Crusader' railtour.

33026 Seafire & 33057 Seagull approach Oxford on 20 April 1996 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 05:35 Bristol Temple Meads to Eastbourne 'Southern Coasterman' railtour. A pair of 33s was interesting enough, but things got even more unusual in the south east, with haulage by both a Class 09 shunter, and even more noteworthy, the preserved 750v DC electric Class 71 loco E5001.

33027 Earl Mountbatten of Burma & 33104 head north through Oxford on 21 August 1982 with the 4M60 12:36 Southampton Maritime to Lawley Street freightliner. This very long lens view taken from Walton Well Road shows the former loco depot in the background, with a Class 56 in residence.

33027 Earl Mountbatten of Burma passes Potbridge in the rain on 13 September 1986 with the 1L08 12:10 Salisbury to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. Several of the Southern's named Class 33s carried this revised livery from the early 1980s. The white roof and red buffer beam certainly improved their appearance.

Cherry blossom time at Claverton on 20 April 1988. 33027 Earl Mountbatten of Burma heads up the Avon Valley with the 1O42 13:05 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service. This was during the last few weeks of Class 33 workings on this route, with the loco hauled trains being replaced on 15 May by Class 155 units - hardly an adequate substitute!

33027 Earl Mountbatten of Burma passes Keynsham on 14 May 1988 with the 1O43 14:00 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service. This was the last weekend of Class 33 operation on the route. Fry's chocolate factory can be seen in the background.

33029 passes Potbridge on 13 September 1986 with the 6Y40 10:10 Southampton Bevois Park to Northfleet cement empties. This is one of those rare locations that is virtually unchanged, and is still an excellent photographic spot today.

33029 passes Circourt Bridge, Denchworth on 28 July 2014 with the 5Z37 10:35 Bristol Kingsland Road to Southall ECS. Being freshly painted, the West Coast Railways liveried loco looks quite smart, but will soon no doubt become as shabby as the rest of their fleet. This working was returning the stock from the previous weekend's 'Weymouth Seaside Express' steam tour. Unfortunately, the sun was just on the edge of a large black cloud when this appeared, and the result looked hopeless, with only the rear half of the train in the sun. I have had to resort to some Photoshop manipulation to even up the picture.

33029 has Southern Railway Battle of Britain Class 4-6-2 34067 Tangmere in tow, as it passes South Marston on 18 August 2014 with the 5Z40 10:35 Bristol Kingsland Road to Southall ECS. Tangmere was in steam, but how much it was contributing here is questionable. Despite the awful light (naturally it was sunny as soon as I got back in the car!), 33029 still looks smart after its recent repaint, although there is a worrying rusty stain on the roof near the radiator fan, and all down the side of the loco. Note how rusty the line into South Marston Euro Terminal has become.

33029 makes use of the Chiltern Line's bi-directional capabilities, as it passes Fritwell running 'wrong line' on 7 March 2020 with the Branch Line Society 1Z36 07:10 Lancaster to Paddington 'Fenny Crompton' railtour. A little earlier the tour had done a similar move, traversing Fenny Compton Down Goods Loop in the 'wrong' direction. This train had actually left Lancaster nearly an hour late at 08:03, but the easy schedule had allowed it to be back on time by Birmingham, and 14 minutes early into Banbury. It was on time here, but unfortunately the earlier occasional bright spells had been replaced by very dark conditions, which is not good for photographing West Coast Railway's 'sludge brown' liveried locos. 47746 is bringing up the rear.

In the very last of the evening light, just 20 minutes before sunset, West Coast Railway's 33029 & 33025 pass Eckington on 6 August 2022 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z34 16:35 Weymouth to Burton-upon-Trent  'Dorset Coast Express' railtour. The blue and grey coach at the front of the train is generator coach 17105. This unusual vehicle was formerly part of the Royal Train.

33029 & 33025 pass Croome on 29 May 2023 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z25 07:00 Burton-on-Trent to Paignton 'Crompton Torbay Venturer' railtour. The early morning sunshine had disappeared, which was unfortunate, as West Coast Railway's dark maroon livery does not look good in dull light.

33030 passes Upton Scudamore on 23 September 1986 with the 1O42 13:05 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service. The day had started foggy, then become sunny, but by this time in the afternoon, the sun had faded out into high cloud.

33030 passes Hook on 16 March 1990 with a rake of condemned EMUs. Note that the second vehicle has had all the doors removed, presumably as a source of spares for other units. The wide spacing of the tracks here was to accommodate the central island platforms at Hook station. These have now been removed, leaving just the outer platforms on the slow lines.

33030 bursts out of Buckhorn Weston Tunnel on 6 July 1991 with the 1V10 11:14 Southampton to Plymouth Network SouthEast service. This train was booked for Class 50 haulage at the time and I remember being disappointed with this substitution. However, looking back on it, a Rail Blue 33, Inter City van and NSE stock certainly makes an interesting picture. Class 33s did of course appear on the route, along with ever increasing numbers of 47s towards the end of loco haulage.

Terrible lighting, but what a rare working! Apart from railtours, triple headed Class 33 worked trains were extremely unusual. 33030, 33114 & 33026 pass North Perrott on 6 July 1991 with the 1O41 16:22 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. The three 33s had not arrived as a triple header, but were being worked back together, presumably to save a light engine movement. Several attempts were made at Exeter to connect up 33026, but the multiple working equipment obviously wasn't used to three locos being joined, so in the event it was dead in tow, with just the two lead locos powering. Despite looking directly into the sun, it was definitely worth recording this unusual event. I believe 33030 & 33026 were detached at Salisbury.

33030 & 73141 pass Ampthill (Millbrook) on 2 April 1994 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z46 06:15 Bristol Temple Meads to London, via various Midland locations 'Sector Swansong' railtour. This train used no less than 14 different locos throughout the day. Some in pairs, but still with ten different combinations up front. They don't (can't) run tours like this anymore!

33030, 33051 Shakespeare Cliff & 33207 Earl Mountbatten of Burma pass through Kennett station on 10 August 1996 with the 33111 Charters 1Z20 12:10 Kensington Olympia to Kensington Olympia (via Cambridge, Ipswich and Chelmsford) 'Multiple Marauder' railtour. This was part of a tour which started from Preston, which earlier in the day, in keeping with the train's name, had been hauled by three Class 31s. Coincidentally, I have another picture of 33030 leading a triple headed train, and that wasn't even on a railtour!

33030 & 33116 Hertfordshire Railtours run alongside the River Esk, as they approach Whitby on 14 June 1997 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z49 07:26 Kings Cross to Whitby 'Whitby Jet' railtour. 1997 was definitely the year for Class 33 railtours, as all the tour operators rushed to organise special trains before the last of the class were withdrawn.

With the unmistakable outline of the 1,049 feet high Roseberry Topping in the background, 33030 & 33116 Hertfordshire Railtours approach Nunthorpe on 14 June 1997 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z49 14:30 Whitby to Kings Cross 'Whitby Jet' railtour.

33030 & 33051 Shakespeare Cliff pass Rhosneigr in miserable light on 6 September 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z66 14:37 Holyhead to Salisbury 'Crompton Culminator' railtour. Holyhead Mountain dominates the otherwise flat Anglesey landscape. Between the train and the mountain the runway of RAF Valley can be seen.

33031 passes Hinksey Yard on 12 March 1983 with the late running 4O84 03:17 Holyhead to Millbrook freightliner, with its customary single rake of five freightliner flats, with as usual, just a few boxes. With loads such as this, it is not surprising that the Holyhead freightliner terminal closed a few years later. Note the loco's number painted on the buffer beam.

33031 passes Orleton on 18 June 1984 with the 1M70 07:45 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly service. The very long lens has emphasised the line of telegraph poles, which certainly lend a vintage look to the picture. Unfortunately I have very few pictures of Class 33s on this route, possibly because at the time it seemed like a very long drive!

33032 passes Ebbw Junction, Newport with the 1V62 12:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service on 21 October 1985. Alexandra Dock Junction Yard can be seen in the background, while the site of the former steam shed is on the left. Although an excellent location for viewing westbound trains, it is impossible to take pictures of anything in the other direction, as this redundant road bridge is right up against the A4042 Newport by-pass.

33034 & 33028 roll down the gradient at Upton Scudamore on 16 August 1984 with the 6V17 10:00 Allington to Westbury ARC stone empties. This was one of the very few occasions that I managed to photograph Class 33s working a stone train.

The surprising appearance of a Class 33 at Shrivenham on the evening of 29 May 1986. 33034 approaches the site of Ashbury Crossing with a rake of Mk1 stock heading east with an unidentified working. There is nothing in the working timetable, and the 25 headcode doesn't help. Class 33s were never common on the Great Western Mainline, so this is definitely worth a picture.

33035 bursts out from under the bridge at Little Langford in the Wylye Valley on 8 March 1986 with the 1V24 10:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads service. The 33s had just over two years to go on these trains before giving way to Sprinters. Both the locos and stock remained virtually exclusively rail blue until the very end.

33035 & 33201 pass Gunstone Mill (near Crediton) with the 7V84 Eastleigh to Meldon Quarry ballast empties on 7 November 1990. Its not immediately obvious from this angle, but the second locomotive is seven inches narrower than 33035, being one of the batch of twelve locos built to the narrower 'Hastings' gauge.

33035 Spitfire passes Appledore on 18 May 1995 with the 7O62 06:29 Willesden to Dungeness nuclear flask. This was in the days when commonsense prevailed, and a single 1,550 hp loco was deemed sufficient for this lightweight load, rather than the wasteful use of 6,800 hp from a pair of Class 68s, as happens now. It's not as if the flask is going to start leaking radiation if it happens to stop somewhere because the single loco has failed!

33035 Spitfire passes through the disused station at Brookland on 18 May 1995 with the 7O62 06:29 Willesden to Dungeness nuclear flask. The station closed in 1967, but the station building was sold for residential use thirty years earlier, with all passenger traffic (such as there was) being concentrated on the former up platform, the remains of which can be seen as the grassy bank next to the nuclear flask.

Nuclear Network SouthEast! 33035 Spitfire stands next to the semi-derelict Lydd Town station on 18 May 1995 with the 7O62 06:29 Willesden to Dungeness nuclear flask. The guard has just closed the level crossing gates behind the train, and it would shortly be moving off for the short trip to the Dungeness unloading point.

The guard opens the level crossing gate next to the remains of Lydd Town station, so that 33035 Spitfire can proceed with the early running 7M95 12:37 Dungeness Power Station to Willesden nuclear flask on 18 May 1995. The train's point of origin, Dungeness Nuclear Power Station, can be seen on the horizon.

33035 passes through the tree lined cutting on the approach to Bewdley station with the 14:35 Kidderminster to Bridgnorth service on 19 May 2016, during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. It makes me feel old to realise that I had photographed this loco on the mainline over 30 years earlier!

33039 passes Bathampton with the 09:15 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service on 1 September 1985. Not only has the loco been consigned to history, being withdrawn in May 1989 and cut up MC Metals at Glasgow two years later, but the bridge in the background has also been demolished. This was a farm occupation bridge, and as can be seen in this view it gave an excellent view of Bathampton Junction, where the Bradford-on-Avon line diverged from the Great Western Mainline.

33039 & 33052 Ashford take the Oakdale line at Crosskeys on 15 August 1987 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 07:27 Watford Junction to Oakdale 'Valley Basher Three' railtour. The tour had traversed the Ebbw Vale line in the foreground, 15 minutes earlier behind 37284. This is the kind of picture at which the Pentax 6x7 excelled: Slow moving subject, standard lens, and full sun!

33045 passes Marshfield on 28 April 1984 with the 2B26 10:43 Cardiff Central to Bristol Temple Meads service. Just visible in the background is 47462 which is stationary, after having failed whilst working the 10:16 Cardiff to Paddington relief. It would later be rescued by 37251 giving it a push from the rear as far as Newport.

A technique that I have only rarely used, but which can be very effective is panning, where the idea is to follow the train with the camera and fire the shutter while still keeping the camera moving, thereby giving the impression of speed. The possibilities of getting it wrong are endless, as to be effective a slow shutter speed is needed. At this time I was using two cameras on a bracket, which makes it even more difficult. However, it seems to have worked here. 33045 passes Little Langford on 8 March 1986 with the 1V25 11:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads service.

33048 passes Keynsham with the 1V66 13:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads service on 14 May 1988. Although the hills in the background (part of the limestone hill range that further north are known as the Cotswolds) form an pleasant backdrop, the location here is a little restricted for photography, although thankfully there is just a sufficient gap to get a four coach train in the picture. The following week services ion this line went over to Class 155 DMU operation.

A mystery working at Cheltenham on 17 November 1982. 33049 calls at the station with an unidentified northbound train. This does not match up with anything in the working timetable. The loco returned light engine a couple of hours later.

33049 emerges from the avenue of trees on the approach to Bradford-on-Avon on 21 February 1987, as it works the 1O33 08:00 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service. The footpath crossing is well used by locals, as it leads to a footbridge over the River Avon, one of only three river crossings in the town.

33050 is neatly framed by the bridge at Hawkeridge Junction, as it heads south with the 1O40 11:10 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service on 4 October 1987. Although it was slowing down for the Westbury stop, quick reactions were required here, as obviously the only warning of its approach was the good old Sulzer racket!

33050 Isle of Grain & 33021 pass through the flower filled cutting at Goodrington on 20 June 1992 with the 14:10 Paignton to Kingswear service, during the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway's Diesel Gala. The pair of Cromptons had worked the 08:05 special from Paddington, swapping their InterCity liveried Mk1s for something much more vintage (including an autocoach!) at Paignton.

33051 Shakespeare Cliff approaches Avoncliff in atrocious light on 18 January 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 06:53 Gloucester to Weymouth Town 'Hardy Devonian' railtour. The tour's name obviously refers to novelist Thomas Hardy, and the fact that later in the day (after dark!), the tour visited Meldon Quarry, in Devon.

33051 Shakespeare Cliff is about to get its Pathfinder headboard fitted, after running round at Yeovil Pen Mill station on 18 January 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 12:25 Weymouth Town to Gloucester 'Hardy Devonian' railtour. The GWR pattern lower quadrant signals, which included the rare wooden post survivor on the left, did not get replaced until 2008, and then not by colour lights, but by a new set of upper quadrant signals!

After running round at Yeovil Pen Mill, 33051 Shakespeare Cliff gets under way again on 18 January 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 12:25 Weymouth Town to Gloucester 'Hardy Devonian' railtour, seem here passing Stoford in the gloom.

33051 Shakespeare Cliff & 33030 pass Potbridge in the rain on 26 April 1997 with the D-Tours 1Z21 08:50 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids 'Classic Crompton' railtour. 33030 was dead in tow here, and was swapped for 33116 Hertfordshire Railtours at Salisbury.

33051 (6569) Shakespeare Cliff & 33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours pass Radway Green on 3 May 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z81 17:11 Crewe to Eastleigh 'Crewe Cut' railtour. The train is passing the one surviving platform of Radway Green & Barthomley station. The station closed in 1966, and it is surprising that the coping stones hadn't been removed three decades later. This unobstructed view would not be possible today, as the route has been electrified.

33051 (6959) Shakespeare Cliff & 33030 cross over the River Avon at Eckington on 6 September 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z66 06:12 Salisbury to Holyhead 'Crompton Culminator' railtour. Unfortunately this early morning sunshine didn't last, with the rest of the day being very cloudy.

33051 Shakespeare Cliff & 33030 pass Haston on 6 September 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z66 06:12 Salisbury to Holyhead 'Crompton Culminator' railtour. The wreath on the front of the train is not marking the end of the Class 33s (the final railtour was the following weekend), but it is in recognition of the funeral of Princess Diana, which was taking place on this day.

Under a suitably sombre sky, 33051 Shakespeare Cliff & 33030 pass Rossett on 6 September 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z66 14:37 Holyhead to Salisbury 'Crompton Culminator' railtour, the penultimate Class 33 railtour. This was the day of Princess Diana's funeral, hence the wreath on the front of the locomotive.

33051 Shakespeare Cliff & 33030 head up the Wylye Valley at Hanging Langford on 13 September 1997 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z66 07:31 Victoria to Bristol Temple Meads' Six Five Special' railtour. This was billed as the final Class 33 hauled railtour on the national network.

33051 Shakespeare Cliff & 33030 pass Whiteball on 13 September 1997 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 12:28 Bristol Temple Meads to Victoria (via Exeter) 'Six Five Special' railtour. The train had started from Victoria as the 1Z66 07:31 Victoria to Bristol Temple Meads, and on arrival in London would continue (with 33116) as the 1Z65 20:17 Victoria to Finsbury Park.

33051 Shakespeare Cliff & 33030 pass the overgrown platforms of Seaton Junction station (closed along with the Seaton branch in 1966) with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 12:28 Bristol Temple Meads to Victoria (via Exeter) 'Six Five Special' railtour on 13 September 1997. Starting out from London as the 1Z66 07:31 Victoria to Bristol Temple Meads, this train was booked as the final Class 33 railtour, which explains the many photographers both on the station's footbridge, and the road bridge on which I was standing. Later in the evening 33116 would perform the last rites as it worked the 1Z65 20:17 Victoria to Finsbury Park.

With the River Avon just visible on the left, 33052 Ashford approaches Claverton on 20 April 1988 with the 1V62 12:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service. This was just a few weeks before these loco hauled trains were replaced by Class 155 units.

D6570 (33052) is in need of some serious rust repairs, and a complete repaint! It is pictured at Sheffield Park, on the Bluebell Railway, on 30 August 2024, in the company of BR 9F 2-10-0 92240, which is also in need of some serious work.

33053 accelerates away from Ferry Meadows with the 1M48 13:06 Peterborough to Wansford service on 1 March 2008., during the Nene Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. The stock being used here is former Western Region Class 117 DMU 51401, 59508, & 51367. This is made up from vehicles from former sets L419 L421, & L429.

33056 The Burma Star & 33021 pass Sevington with the 6C56 11:23 Grain to Shakespeare Cliff on 2 June 1989, conveying Channel Tunnel concrete lining sections. At this time construction of the tunnel was well underway, but the meeting of the British and French tunnels was still a year away. Class 33s were employed extensively on works trains, not just these concrete section trains, but ballast and spoil as well. This pair certainly look impressive in their matching Railfreight Construction livery, and they also sounded impressive too on such a heavy load!

33057 puts on the power as it passes through Patchway station with the 1O79 12:05 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service on 17 December 1983. Although I have a number of pictures of Class 33s on this route, in retrospect more effort should have been put into photographing these trains before they went over to Class 155 operation in 1988. Of course now even the Class 155s are history - time marches on!

33057 Seagull & 33019 Griffon throw out a spectacular column of clag as they accelerate away from Fenny Compton with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 07:18 Paddington to Long Marston 'Honey Monster' railtour on 29 July 1995. The tour had just traversed Kineton Army depot, and was now heading for another (Long Marston) via a reversal at Oxford.

33057 Seagull & 33019 Griffon bring up the rear of the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 07:18 Paddington to Long Marston 'Honey Monster' railtour at Charlbury on 29 July 1995. Just out of sight around the corner is 47348 St Christopher's Railway Home.

Unusual motive power on the Cotswold Line. 33057 Seagull & 33019 Griffon pull away from Moreton-in-Marsh station on 29 July 1995 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 17:05 Long Marston to Paddington 'Honey Monster' railtour. After a little late running earlier in the day, the tour was now running exactly to time, thanks to the nearly two hours of booked time at Long Marston allowing some recovery. The weedkilling train doesn't appear to have been this way recently, and certainly not up the two sidings!

33057 Seagull & 33026 Seafire pass through Berwick station on 20 April 1996 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 15:06 Eastbourne to Bristol Temple Meads 'Southern Coasterman' railtour. This is of course not the town of Berwick on the Scottish border, but the small Sussex village on the line between Eastbourne and Lewes. This was one of those occasions when there is a limited gap in which to take the photo, and no certain way to judge if it is large enough before the train arrives. The train was travelling at considerable speed, and while I have managed to get it clear of the signal, it is still too near the edge of the frame for my liking. Unfortunately the rollfilm version of this is hopeless, with 33057 disappearing off the edge of the picture! Class 71 E5001 also featured on the tour.

D6575 (33057) passes Dixton on 29 July 2016 with the 2C57 10:50 Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse service. The West Somerset Railway loco was visiting the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for their Diesel Gala.

D6575 & D6948 pass Hailes on 31 July 2016 with the 2C53 09:30 Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse service, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Diesel Gala. The footings of the soon to be reinstated Hailes Abbey Halt can just be seen amid the Rosebay Willowherb.

D6575 & D6948 pass Southam on 31 July 2016 with the 2C53 09:30 Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse service, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Diesel Gala. The 33 was visiting the line from the West Somerset Railway.

D6575 pass Southam on 31 July 2016 with the 2L54 10:20 Cheltenham Racecourse to Laverton service. The West Somerset Railway loco was visiting the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for the line's Diesel Gala weekend.

33059 emerges from the eastern portal of the Severn Tunnel on 12 July 1987 with the late running 1O40 11:10 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service. This view is no longer possible, as the whole area next to the A403 Pilning to Avonmouth road has been palisade fenced off. It clearly wasn't in 1987!

33060 just manages to escape a patch of cloud, as it accelerates away from Sevington with another string of empty wagons for Shakespeare Cliff on 2 June 1989. It will shortly return with another load of Channel Tunnel spoil. The Sevington site can just be seen on the left of this picture.

33062 & 33025 Sultan pass the site of Uffington station on 28 February 1987 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z38 07:40 Finsbury Park to Cwmbargoed 'Valley Basher II' railtour. The former branch line to Faringdon curved away to the left, where the yellow BR van is standing.

33063 races through Winchfield with the 1L09 14:10 Waterloo to Salisbury service on 28 August 1987. One year after the launch of Network SouthEast the rebranding had only extended as far as the repainting of two of the coaches in this train, plus of course the inevitable red lamposts on the platforms. Long after the removal of freight services from the station, a coal merchant was still trading from near the up platform in 1987.

There was a Railfreight grey theme evident at the Great Central Railway's Spring 2017 Diesel Gala, with 33063 R. J. Mitchell & 37714 Cardiff Canton appearing in Mainline branded Railfreight grey, and Railfreight Metals liveries respectively. The immaculate pair are pictured passing Thurcaston on 19 March 2017 with the 2B03 09:45 Loughborough to Leicester North service.

33063 R. J. Mitchell & 37714 Cardiff Canton pass Thurcaston on 19 March 2017 with the 2B06 10:30 Leicester North to Loughborough service, during the Great Central Railway's Diesel Gala. Very difficult lighting here, with a little unforecast sunshine further south resulting in some severe bodyside reflections from the bright sky in the background.

33064 passes Marshfield under a cloudless sky on 28 April 1984 with the 1V20 08:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service. Almost a decade later this loco was involved in a serious collision with a 4-VEP EMU at Lingfield, which resulted in it being withdrawn.

33064 & 33102 pass Shrivenham on 4 August 1991 with the Network SouthEast 1Z33 09:00 Waterloo to Gloucester 'Network Explorer II' railtour, run in connection with the Gloucester Rail Day. Although this was running virtually to time, due to the locos being borrowed for one of Pathfinder Tour's mini excursions during the day, the return train left Gloucester over an hour late.

33064 & 33042 pass Shaldon Bridge on 15 September 1991 with the Network SouthEast 07:50 Paddington to Plymouth special, run in connection with the Laira Open Day. A pair of Railfreight Construction Cromptons on NSE stock is a typical odd 1990s railtour combination!

With a rugby match going on in the background, 33065 passes through Patchway station on 17 December 1983 with the 2B38 14:00 Cardiff Central to Bristol Temple Meads service. It wasn't long before the narrow strip of waste ground seen here between the road and the railway was commandeered as a bus depot.

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.

33065 Sealion passes Grateley on 10 September 1991 with the late running 6Y09 07:12 Eastleigh to Ludgershall MoD stores. Up until a few months earlier, this traffic would have been conveyed as part of the Speedlink network. In this area there wasn't a great deal of change after the end of the Speedlink wagonload service, as military traffic made up the bulk of the trains anyway.

33065 Sealion passes Baverstock on 10 September 1991 with the 6L09 09:22 Ludgershall to Eastleigh MoD stores. I had tried to photograph this train earlier, at Ludgershall, but despite being on a public road bridge, I was approached by two soldiers from the nearby Army base, who wanted to know what I was doing. They demanded the film out of my camera, and although in theory they probably had no right to do that, you don't argue with men carrying guns! The Army processed the film, and finding nothing suspicious on it, returned it to me.

33065 Sealion passes Norton Fitzwarren on 30 October 1991 with the 6O74 11:20 Meldon Quarry to Tonbridge ballast train. Note the Taunton Cider vans on the right, a traffic flow that managed to briefly survive the end of Speedlink, which had ceased a few months before this picture was taken. In 1995 all cider production was moved to Shepton Mallet and this factory was closed.

33065 Sealion & 33063 pass Battledown Flyover on 25 February 1995 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z90 07:55 Waterloo to Crewe 'Whistle Test' railtour. This tour was particularly noteworthy for 33063's turbocharger expiring in a cloud of smoke between Leominster and Ludlow. From there on 33065 had to haul the train (and a dead loco) on its own. This didn't seem to make any difference, as the train arrived back in London over 20 minutes early!

33101 passes Worting Junction on 24 May 1986 with the Southampton Eastern Docks to Waterloo Ocean Liner Boat Train. There was no mistaking this prestigious 'as required' train, even without reference to the 95 headcode. The train is made up of Clapham Junction Carriage Depot's dedicated rake of all first class Mk2 coaches, with the addition of a GUV at the head of the train for the passenger's luggage. This train would operate from either Eastern or Western Docks, dependant on which berth the cruise liner had used.

33102 passes Iver on 22 February 1990 with the 6V96 09:32 Tonbridge West to Meldon Quarry ballast empties. Iver station can be seen in the background, with the then fairly new concrete M25 motorway bridge just behind.

33102 & 33114 pass the overgrown platforms of Cullompton station (closed in 1964) with the 6V96 09:50 Tonbridge to Meldon Quarry ballast empties on 1 August 1990. The goods shed has now gone the way of Class 33 hauled ballast trains, and this scene is now unrecognisable. The site is now occupied by the Shell garage and McDonalds of the M5 Cullompton Motorway services.

33102 & 33064 approach Coaley Junction on 4 August 1991 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z63 16:15 Gloucester to Sharpness 'Sulzer Smuggler' railtour. This was one of a number of mini-tours run in connection with the Gloucester Rail Day.

33102 brings up the rear of the 'Swedish Scrubber' rail head cleaning train at Grateley on 14 November 1991. The train is being driven from the surviving half of Class 438 4-TC 8012. The actual scrubbing heads are fitted to the Network SouthEast livered van (ADB977695) directly in front of the loco. It seems like Grateley was on the border as far as the weather goes, with masses of dark clouds to the east, yet with mostly clear skies in the other direction.

33102 propels the 'Swedish Scrubber' rail head cleaning train through Dean on 14 November 1991. The train is being led by two vehicles from the former Class 438 4-TC 8012. Using sets of revolving brushes, rather than water jets, you would have thought it would have been successful, but clearly not, as it only seems to have operated for a very short time.

33102 passes Pirbright on 21 March 1992 with the 1L05 10:15 Waterloo to Salisbury Network SouthEast service. The bridge in the background carries the up line of the route from Aldershot over the West of England line. The Basingstoke Canal can just be seen through the trees on the left. This follows the railway between Woking and Deepcut.

33102 & 33002 pass Bradford Abbas on 24 May 1992 with the 1O38 14:26 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. Note the short pipe on the front of 33102, just below the headlight. This was from its test use the previous year with the unfortunately named 'Swedish Scrubber' rail head cleaning train.

33103 passes through the picturesque Midland Railway Stamford station on 21 November 1998 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z63 06:55 Crewe to Ely 'Crompton Pedigree' railtour. The former bay platform on the left was used by trains from Market Harborough.

33103 passes over the imaginatively named Twenty Foot River at Chainbridge on 21 November 1998 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z63 06:55 Crewe to Ely 'Crompton Pedigree' railtour. This is on the now disused Wisbech branch. Although it looks like this picture is taken from some dodgy lineside position, it is actually taken from the side of the B1101 March to Wisbech road.

33103 stands at the Weasenham Lane level crossing at Wisbech on 21 November 1998 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z63 06:55 Crewe to Ely 'Crompton Pedigree' railtour. This was as far as the tour went, and no doubt some passengers were disappointed that it not carry on over the crossing into the Pedigree Pet Foods site.

33103 brings up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z63 06:55 Crewe to Ely 'Crompton Pedigree' railtour as it traverses the east curve at Whitemoor Junction on 21 November 1998. This was the train's second attempt to exit the Wisbech Line, as first of all it was routed down the west curve, whereupon it stopped at a red signal, then had to reverse back to Whitemoor Junction, before having a second attempt! 37242 can just be seen at the head of the train, approaching March East Junction, with March station in the background.

33103 passes Mintlyn on 21 November 1998 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z73 14:10 Ely to Crewe 'Crompton Pedigree' railtour. Top'n'tail loco 37242 can be seen on the rear of the train. This is the view from the King's Lynn bypass, and shows the tour returning from Middleton Towers, a mile in the distance. This was formerly the King's Lynn to East Dereham line, part of the once extensive network of cross country secondary lines in Norfolk. It was built by the Lynn & Dereham Railway Company, and opened in 1846. With the exception of the short section to the sand terminal at Middleton Towers, the line closed in 1968. In the background of this view is the embankment of the former Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway's Peterborough to Great Yarmouth line, which closed in 1959. Mintlyn is a deserted medieval village. Apart from Mintlyn Farm, the only evidence is the remains of a ruined church, situated a little to the left of this picture.

A fine display of autumn colours at Woofferton on 6 November 1999, as 33103 heads southwards with the 08:35 Crewe to Cardiff Rugby World Cup special. The train participants were off to the Millennium Stadium to see Australia beat France by 23 points in the final.

Superb early morning light (that didn't last very long!) at Lockington on 15 January 2000, as 33103 is about to dive underneath the A50 hauling 4-TC set 417 with the Branch Line Society's 08:14 Birmingham New Street to Goole 'River Don' railtour.

33103 takes the Doncaster line at Brancliffe East Junction (near Worksop) on 15 January 2000 with the Branch Line Society's 08:14 Birmingham New Street to Goole 'River Don' railtour. The stock is Class 438 4-TC set 417, one of two of these former Southern Region trailer sets that was repainted into all over blue livery in 1991, especially for use on charter trains such as this.

33103 pushes Class 438 4-TC set 417 past Swinton on 15 January 2000 with the Branch Line Society's 08:14 Birmingham New Street to Goole 'River Don' railtour. On the right is the Kilnhurst Cut (part of the River Don Navigation).

33103 approaches Meadowhall for the second time on 15 January 2000 with the Branch Line Society's 08:14 Birmingham New Street to Goole 'River Don' railtour. Half an hour earlier it passed in the opposite direction with Class 438 4-TC set 417 leading.

Possibly the first ever visit of a Class 33 to Goole. 33103 waits to depart wrong line with 4-TC set 417 on 15 January 2000 with the Branch Line Society's 'River Don' railtour. The tour which had started from Birmingham New Street had earlier visited freight lines around Shirebrook and Sheffield before arriving at Goole via the little used Knottingley and Snaith line. The very brief stop here while the crew changed ends was just sufficient for this time exposure before the tour headed away into the night towards Doncaster, gaining the correct running line just after the level crossing to the south of the station.

After a day of disappointing weather, with the sun vanishing behind clouds at the critical times, it all suddenly changed at the very end of the day on 22 January 2000. Just before 33103 was due with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z44 15:25 Appleford Sidings to Preston 'White Horse Rambler' railtour, the sun dropped out of the clouds and produced this fantastic lighting, with the dark clouds to the east really standing out. 33103 ambles along the down relief line at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, prior to its booked ten minute stop at Challow.

Although the fabulous lighting of 15 minutes earlier at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth had now gone (as quickly as it had appeared), 33103 still finds a trace of late afternoon light as it pulls away from its booked stop at Challow on 22 January 2000 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z44 15:25 Appleford Sidings to Preston 'White Horse Rambler' railtour.

33103 passes Compton Beauchamp in the pouring rain on 15 April 2000 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z36 04:46 Crewe to Hamworthy 'Dorset Mariner' railtour. This was running 50 minutes late, as it had just dropped off 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR at Swindon, after it had failed. This left 33103 to carry on alone with 12 fully loaded Mk1 coaches. It managed this surprisingly well, and recovered some time, arriving at Eastleigh only half an hour late. With only Fujichrome 100 to hand, the dire weather meant that I couldn't use a decent shutter speed, and even after considerable focus correction work in Photoshop, the front of the train is still not sharp. However, I haven't got many pictures of Class 33s on this line, and a single 33 on such a long train is worth recording.

33103 Swordfish leads 'Slim Jim' classmate 33202 Meteor through the Silver Birch lined cutting next to Kingsbury Brickworks at Dosthill with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z97 04:10 Yeovil Junction to Buxton 'Buxton Rotator' railtour on 1 May 2004.

33103 Swordfish passes Soldridge on 23 May 2004 with the 11:36 Alton to Alresford service, during the Mid Hants Railway's Diesel Gala. The loco may have quite a drab livery, but that is certainly not the case with the multi-coloured train!

33106 races past Newton Tony (between Salisbury and Andover) with the 1L06 09:29 Salisbury to Waterloo service on 19 April 1986, comprising 4TC trailer set 423. At this time the Salisbury trains were working in push pull mode using Class 33/1s, while the Exeter trains were principally in the hands of Class 50s. Although there are some good locations in the area, it is not recommended to venture too far, as the proximity to Porton Down makes the likelihood of the Military Police taking an interest in any photographers quite high!

33106 pass the disused Heytesbury station on 14 May 1988 with the 1O35 10:08 Bristol Temple Meads to Portsmouth Harbour service. This was the final day of loco hauled trains on this route, and with not a cloud in the sky, there were naturally many photographers around, recording the last workings.

33106 passes Keynsham on 14 May 1988 with the 1V70 14:10 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central service, which it worked as far as Bristol Temple Meads. This was during the last weekend of Class 33 operations on the route.

Very nearly a unique picture. Apart from a local walking his dog, only one other photographer was standing in the rain at Stranraer Harbour on 18 May 2002 to witness the remarkable sight of a pair of Class 33s at this remote Scottish outpost. 33108 Vampire & 33021 Eastleigh slowly pull out of the Harbour station with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 18:32 (the previous day!) Crewe to Glasgow Central 'Rhins & Machars Crompton' railtour. 56106, on the other end of the train had brought the train in to Stranraer from Largs. As can be seen, the weather was absolutely terrible.

33108 looks very smart with its white window surrounds, as it emerges from Foley Park Tunnel on 4 October 2012 with the 12:30 Kidderminster to Bewdley service, during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. It had a minor problem earlier on in the day, which resulted in it being removed from its first booked train.

33108 emerges from Foley Park Tunnel on 2 June 2018 with the 13:00 Kidderminster to Bridgnorth Severn Valley Railway service. The last time I photographed this loco was at the same location, albeit from a slightly different angle, with different coaches, and in better light!

33108 passes Eardington on 20 May 2023 with the late running 17:30 Bridgnorth to Kidderminster service, during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. This is one of the better locations on the line for late afternoon pictures, with a choice of viewpoints in both directions.

33108 & 73119 Paul Taylor leave Highley station on 19 May 2024 with the 15:15 Bridgnorth to Kidderminster service, during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. This picture is taken from the balcony of the 'Engine House' visitor centre, the corner of which can be seen on the left.

33109 passes East Grimstead on 10 September 1991 with a short westbound departmental working. The quarry on the right was only opened in 1972, and had a very short working life. I have seen very few pictures of a train actually arriving or leaving the quarry, and I certainly haven't got any.

It's 11:26 on a miserable Sunday morning at Winchfield on 9 February 1992. 33109 passes through the station non-stop with the 1L08 10:26 Salisbury to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. Unlike a lot of locos in departmental grey livery, 33109 did not receive an upper bodyside yellow stripe, converting into a 'Dutch' liveried loco. Indeed, its grey livery was smartened up when it took part in various railtours. To finish its career on the national network it was repainted back into BR blue.

33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR passes Llanwern West Junction in the rain on 19 November 1994 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z27 07:50 Paddington to Llandrindod Wells 'Sugar Loafer' railtour. This was luckily running a few minutes early, as in those days, without any realtime gen, there would be nothing for it if it didn't appear, but to stand in the rain and hope!

The Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z27 07:50 Paddington to Llandrindod Wells 'Sugar Loafer' railtour arrives at its destination in the rain on 19 November 1994. 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR is providing the power for the tour, which was booked for a pair of 33s, although only one was available on the day. However, with just seven coaches, the single loco had little trouble keeping to time, even over the steeply graded Central Wales line.

33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR & D6535 (33116) Hertfordshire Railtours pass through Kirkham & Wesham station on 4 November 1995 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z56 Euston to Blackpool North 'Crompton Bulb' railtour. The multiplicity of tracks here are due to the two separate routes to Blackpool diverging a few yards further on. The single track line to Blackpool South diverges from the nearest of the running lines in this picture.

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.

33109 (D6525) Captain Bill Smith RNR & 33208 (D6593) pass Hargrave in the rain on 20 May 2000 with the returning Chester to Alton 'Cheshire Cromptons' railtour. The full Southern effect here, with green coaching stock as well as Southern locomotives. Coincidentally, this was exactly five years to the day since I photographed 31105 & 31512 on a railtour at this location.

One of the attractions of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Summer 2009 Diesel Gala was the arrival of 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR from the East Lancashire Railway. It is seen here passing Bishop's Cleeve with the 14:45 Winchcombe to Cheltenham Racecourse service on 10 July 2009.

The 1852 built Peel Tower (commemorating Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the modern police force) dominates the background of this view, as D6525 Captain Bill Smith RNR rounds the curve at Burrs on 7 March with the 2J84 16:16 Rawtenstall to Heywood service, during the East Lancashire Railway's Diesel Gala. Correct headcode on this one!

Framed by a couple of lineside trees, 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR passes Castor on 11 April 2015 with the1E50 13:22 Wansford to Peterborough service, during The Nene Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. And no, this viewpoint wasn't a deliberate ploy to hide the foreign coaches!

33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR passes Castor on 11 April 2015 with the1M50 14:10 Peterborough to Wansford service, during the Nene Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. 66757 can just be seen on the rear of the train.

33110 approaches Water Eaton, on the Bicester to Oxford line with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z25 'Concrete Cow' railtour on 12 January 1985. Needless to say with a name like that, the tour had just visited Milton Keynes, and was heading back towards the Southern Region on what at the time was still a freight only line. The stock comprised 4-TC units 401 & 421, with 33106 on the rear working top'n'tail.

33110 & 33065 pass Gunstone Mill with the 6O74 11:20 Meldon to Tonbridge ballast train on 7 November 1990. Although the train appears to be running wrong line, what looks like a double track mainline is in fact two single lines. The right hand track is the Barnstaple branch, which the Meldon line joins at Crediton, a few miles to the east of this spot. Unfortunately I was experimenting with film in the Pentax 6x7 at this time, and this picture is taken on the truly awful Kodak Ektachrome 400, so apologies for the poor technical quality!

The Swanage Railway's resident 33111 Hot Dog leaves Harmans Cross station during the Swanage Railway's Diesel Gala on 13 May 2012, with the 10:00 Norden to Swanage service. Needless to say the Hot Dog name was not carried in BR service!

33112 passes Monxton on 22 March 1986 with the 12:15 Salisbury to Waterloo service. Coincidentally, consecutively numbered 33113 passed by in the opposite direction with a balancing working, just five minutes later.

With the Isle of Grain Power Station in the background, 33112 Templecombe, 33051 Isle of Grain & 33209 pass the remains of a burnt out PW hut near High Halstow on 3 September 1988 with the Southern Electric Group 1Z23 10:18 Grain to Clapham Junction 'Coupled Crompton' railtour.

I have very few pictures of Class 33/1s working with 4-TC sets on the West of England line, hence the inclusion of this less than perfect view of 33113 passing Monxton on a very gloomy 22 March 1986. The train is the 12:05 Basingstoke to Salisbury service. The 4-TC set is unidentified, but is clearly one of the 420-429 batch.

Oh no, where's the train! Consecutively numbered 33113 & 33114 head east past Sherrington on 15 January 1991. I don't often photograph light engines, but a pair of 33s in superb winter light is hard to resist. Note the very different shade of Rail Blue on the two locos.

33114 deputised for an unavailable Class 50 on 20 April 1991, and is seen here passing Whitchurch station at speed with the 1O37 12:25 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo Network SouthEast service, running 25 minutes late. It was not a good day for Class 50s, with D400 stopped with a speedo fault, and 50037 with low oil pressure. However on the plus side, 50007 did work an additional Salisbury to Westbury service, covering for a faulty Class 158 Sprinter. A pity I didn't know about that at the time!

33114 passes Potbridge on 6 November 1991 with the 1B20 10:15 Southampton Western Docks to Waterloo Ocean Liner Boat Train. A good mixture of liveries, particularly noteworthy being the Network SouthEast GUV, essential for the passenger's luggage. Naturally the train is all first class, using the Southern's dedicated rake, which probably accounted for all of their first class Mk2s!

33116 accelerates away from Grateley station on 19 April 1986 with the 1L03 10:10 Waterloo to Salisbury service. At this time the long distance trains on this line were worked by Class 50s, but Class 33s and DEMUs were used for the local services.

33116 catches the very last rays of the setting sun, as it passes Silchester on 5 July 1987 with the 2O17 20:00 Reading to Portsmouth Harbour Network SouthEast service. The coaching stock is Class 438 4-TC set 8022. I don't know why I didn't take more pictures of these trains. Even this was only taken on a Sunday evening on the way back from visiting relatives in Isleworth!

33116 heads east through the tree lined cutting near Deepcut on 28 August 1987 with a train of rails. Presumably, as this is a Friday, it was destined for some weekend engineering possession. At this time 33116 was just another anonymous member of the 33/1 fleet. It would be another six years before it acquired the name Hertfordshire Railtours, therefore becoming a railtour favourite.

33116 runs along the up relief line at Iver on 22 February 1990 with a single empty Bardon stone hopper. In the background 50026 Indomitable is approaching with the 1F47 12:00 Oxford to Paddington Network SouthEast service, and 47294 can jus be seen in Langley oil depot, having arrived a little earlier with the 6V53 04:20 Humber to Langley oil tanks.

33116 propels Class 438 4-TC 410 out of Winchfield station on 6 November 1991 with an eastbound charter. This was just a few days after the 4-TC had re-entered traffic for special duties, specially painted into 1960s style all over blue livery.

33116 approaches Salisbury on 19 March 1992 with Network SouthEast Mk1 TSO 4943. It has just passed underneath the A36 dual carriageway, after emerging from Fisherton Tunnel. Like a lot of locations, this view is now dominated by full grown trees.

33116 passes Exmouth Junction on 10 July 1993 with the 09:48 Salisbury to Exeter St Davids relief service. The coal depot in the background was clearly still in use at this time, but now the whole area has been cleared and redeveloped. The points for the Exmouth line can just be seen near the rear of the train.

Making a fantastic racket, 33116 pushes Class 438 4-TCs 417 & 410 through St James Park station (Exeter) on 10 July 1993 with the 13:31 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo relief service. The severe 1 in 100 gradient, with eight well filled coaches was bound to produce plenty of Sulzer thrash!

Running exactly on time, and with an appropriate 'Push Pull Tours' headboard, 33116 passes Potbridge on 10 October 1993 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z40 09:37 Waterloo to Brockenhurst 'Kinky Newt' railtour, hauling 4-TC sets 410 & 417.

33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours propels the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 07:35 Waterloo to Weymouth 'Push Pull Farewell' railtour towards Cogload Junction on 22 January 1994. As the tour's name implies, the highlight of the tour was not so much the loco, but the two Class 438 4-TCs 417 & 410 that it is pushing.

33116 Hertfordshire Rail Tours is appropriate traction for that company's 1Z33 07:35 Waterloo to Weymouth 'Push Pull Farwell' tour, seen here at Cockhill (near Castle Cary) on 22 January 1994. The two 4-TC units (417 & 410) had been leading from London to Bristol (via Exeter!) and are pictured here heading for the coast in fading light.

D6535 (33116) Hertfordshire Railtours passes Circourt Bridge, Denchworth on 5 June 1994 with the Waterloo to Weymouth 'Ocean Liner Express' railtour. The Great Western Mainline between Didcot and Swindon is definitely not the most direct route between London and Weymouth, and quite a rare route for a Class 33, as well!

33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours passes through 1930s Art Deco Tolworth station en-route to Chessington South with the D-Tours 'Tatty Cat' railtour on 4 March 1995. Utilising 4-VEP EMU 3581 as coaching stock, the tour started from Clapham Junction at 10:00, and travelled via Twickenham and Raynes Park to Waterloo. It then retraced its steps to Raynes Park, headed down the Chessington Branch, before proceeding to Wimbledon, Guildford, Norwood Junction, Tattenham Court, Purley, Caterham, London Bridge, and finally Victoria.

33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours just manages to dodge the clouds, as it passes Raynes Park on 4 March 1995 with the D-Tours 10:00 Clapham Junction to Guildford 'Tatty Cat' railtour. Although this looks like a standard Class 33/1 & Class 438 4-TC formation, the coaching stock is in fact 4-VEP EMU 3581.

33116 Hertfordshire Railtours & 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR pass Ebbw Junction on 21 October 1995 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 08:03 Paddington to Tower Colliery 'Faulty Tower' railtour. The rusty tracks on the left mark the site of the former Ebbw Junction engine shed, which closed in 1965.

33116 Hertfordshire Railtours & 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR pass Abercwmboi on 21 October 1995 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 08:03 Paddington to Tower Colliery 'Faulty Tower' railtour. 56040 Oystermouth can be seen smoking heavily on the rear of the train.

33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours & 33051 Shakespeare Cliff pass through a snowy Pennine landscape near Uppermill on 28 December 1996 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 07:55 Kings Cross to York 'Duck & Weasel' railtour. As I approached the line of photographers waiting in the field, I was advised to keep to the footpath, as prior to my arrival the local farmer had been threatening to smash up people's cameras, for trespassing on his land!

33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours & 33051 Shakespeare Cliff slog up the gradient towards Copy Pit Summit on 28 December 1996 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 07:55 Kings Cross to York 'Duck & Weasel' railtour. They are passing the small village of Holme Chapel. Burnley is just visible through the mist in the background.

33116 Hertfordshire Railtours & 33051 Shakespeare Cliff pass between the disused signal box and goods shed at Whitwell on 15 February 1997, as they head north with the 33111 Charters 1Z33 07:32 Kings Cross to Scarborough 'Robin Reliant' railtour.

33116 Hertfordshire Railtours is appropriate motive power for the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 08:33 Kings Cross to Skegness 'Swineshead Revisited' railtour on 22 March 1997. It is pictured here passing Saxondale in the company of classmate 33051 Shakespeare Cliff. With the various mixed combinations of coaching stock used on later railtours, note how professionally turned out and neat this rake of Inter City liveried Mk 1s looks (ignoring the single white roof!).

33116 Hertfordshire Railtours & 33051 Shakespeare Cliff pass through Thorpe Culvert station on 22 March 1997 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 08:33 Kings Cross to Skegness 'Swineshead Revisited' railtour. The station is situated in the flat Lincolnshire landscape, with only a few farms and scattered houses in the vicinity.

33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours & 33051 (6569) Shakespeare Cliff pass Dunston on 3 May 1997 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z81 05:14 Eastleigh to Crewe 'Crewe Cut' railtour. A footbridge has now unsurprisingly replaced the public footbath crossing in the background.

There is certainly no mistaking where this is, and its not a location that you would expect to see a pair of Class 33s! 33116 Hertfordshire Railtours & 33030 slowly leave Whitby on a miserably dull and cold 14 June 1997 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z49 14:30 Whitby to Kings Cross 'Whitby Jet' railtour.

33117 passes the site of Bletchingdon station (or Bletchington as the GWR called it) with the 1E22 12:46 Fridays only Portsmouth Harbour to Leeds service on 17 June 1983. This train regularly brought a Class 33 to the Oxford to Banbury line during the 1980s. Although the loco survives, this viewpoint does not! While in 1983 the old station site was just an overgrown area with a few piles of abandoned timber, today it is a thriving industrial unit, and the whole area is dominated by towering piles of pallets! Even if it was possible to stand in this spot now, you wouldn't be able to see anything of the railway!

33117 accelerates away from Micheldever station on 17 June 1984 with the 2O04 09:00 Reading to Portsmouth Harbour service. The stock is Class 438 4-TC set 407. Micheldever station is well over a mile from Micheldever, even though the railway passes within a short distance of the village.

33117 passes the distinctive line of former rail workers cottages ay Worting Junction, as it heads westwards on 24 May 1986 with the 1L03 10:10 Waterloo to Salisbury service. Three decades later this view is still clear. The planting of conifers has only affected the background, rather than the foreground!

33117 passes Winchfield on 28 August 1987, hauling 4-TC 416. The 62 headcode indicates a Salisbury working, but there was nothing in the timetable at around this time. 33063 had passed by an hour earlier with the 1L09 14:10 Waterloo to Salisbury service, so it couldn't be that running late. Class 423 4-VEPs 7760 & 7829 wait at the platform with the 14:42 Waterloo to Bournemouth Network SouthEast service.

33118 rounds the curve at Deepcut on 28 August 1987 with the 1L06 12:10 Waterloo to Salisbury Network SouthEast service. Booked for a Class 33/1 & Class 438 4-TC set 8034, this was a change from the regular diet of Class 50s on the route at the time, not that you need a change from Class 50s!

33119 & 33106 negotiate the reverse curves at Sherrington on 6 May 1989 with the Southern Electric Group 1Z30 12:55 Meldon Quarry to Waterloo 'Tortuous Tortoise' railtour. The stock is Class 438 4-TC sets 8018 & 8023.

33201 & 33008 Eastleigh pass Cattybrook on 12 July 1987 with the 1O42 13:10 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service. I remember being disappointed that the heritage repainted green 33008 wasn't on the front, but a double headed working with a slimline 33/2 was certainly not an everyday occurrence. Note the stacks of bricks on the right. The brickworks has been operating continuously since 1864, when it was set up specifically to supply some of the enormous quantity of bricks needed for the nearby Severn Tunnel.

33201 & 33002 pass Newton St Cyres station on a cloudless 1 August 1990 with the 7V84 Eastleigh to Meldon Quarry ballast empties. This completely open view, with the remnants of the old down platform and various huts has since disappeared behind the inevitable wall of vegetation, leaving only a very head on picture from the bridge. Not of course that you are going to see a pair of 33s on freight at this location today!

D6586 approaches Heap Bridge on 3 July 2011 with the 2J83 14:45 Heywood to Rawtenstall service, during the East Lancashire Railway's Diesel Gala. D6586 is a long way from its original home, being one of the special narrow bodied Class 33s built for use on the Hastings line.

The unusual appearance of a couple of 'Slim Jim' 33s in the Thames Valley. 33202 & 33207 pass Culham with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z36 07:28 Clapham Junction to Carlisle 'Eden Serpent' railtour on 8 November 1986. Didcot Power Station dominates the background, at what used to be (and to some extent still is) a popular location for northbound trains in the Oxford area. Probably the main reason for this is that it is on a main road and you don't have to walk very far from your car!

33202 approaches Bradford-on-Avon with the 1O36 10:07 Bristol Temple Meads to Portsmouth Harbour service on 21 February 1987. 33202 was one of a dozen Class 33s built with a narrower body profile for working on the Hastings line with its restricted clearances. Class 33 haulage was to last just over a year on this route, and although I have a fair number of pictures, in hindsight a few more visits to the area wouldn't have gone amiss!

33202 passes Sevington on 2 June 1989 with a Shakespeare Cliff to Sevington spoil train. The wagons contain material excavated from the Channel Tunnel, which at this time was still far from complete, with the British and French ends still a year away from meeting up under the sea.

The battle of the gauges! 33202 The Burma Star & 31405 Mappa Mundi arrive at Ravenglass on 8 February 1997 with the A1A Charters 1T54 05:10 Wolverhampton to Heysham Port 'North by North West' railtour, passing a line of fifteen inch gauge coaches stabled in the headshunt of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway.

After a brief stop at Ravenglass, 33202 The Burma Star & 31405 Mappa Mundi get under way again on 8 February 1997 with the A1A Charters 1T54 05:10 Wolverhampton to Heysham Port 'North by North West' railtour, seen here crossing the River Mite, with the village of Ravenglass in the background.

'Slim Jim' 33202 accelerates away from Swanley station with a short rake of ARC PGA stone hoppers on 30 May 1998. This bridge affords an excellent vantage point in both directions, although you do have to know which way something interesting is going to come from as the road is the very busy A20 Swanley bypass and is not easy to cross in a hurry!

33202 The Burma Star accelerates away from Summerseat station on 11 September 1999 with the 09:22 Ramsbottom to Bury service, during the East Lancashire Railway' 'EWS Classic Traction' event. 33202 was one of a several locos at the event that were part of the officially stored EWS heritage pool.

Newly preserved (although still not officially withdrawn) 33202 visited the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in 2002. It is seen here approaching Winchcombe in the rain with resident 47105, whilst working the 11:10 Gotherington to Toddington service on 24 February 2002.

Running 90 minutes late (which at least meant the rain had stopped!) 33202 Meteor & 33103 Swordfish pass Up Hatherley (near Cheltenham) with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z48 06:27 Salisbury to Crewe 'Crewe Crusader' railtour on 10 September 2005.

33202 Meteor & 33103 Swordfish head west near Codsall Wood with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z53 05:36 Taunton to Barmouth 'Cambrian Borderer' railtour on 29 April 2006. Still heavily backlit despite running an hour late, the 33s had taken over from 47703 at Birmingham New Street. At Machynlleth the 33s would split and work the train top'n'tail to Barmouth.

33202 Dennis G. Robinson arrives at North Weald on 24 September 2017 with the 2E27 14:45 Ongar to Epping Forest service, during the Epping Ongar Railway's Diesel Gala. It is passing 45132 & 205205, neither of which were taking part in the gala.

This view shows a pair of Class 33s, each of a different subclass. Narrow bodied 33/2 Railfreight Distribution liveried 33204 leads 33/1 departmental grey 33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR through Wimbledon on 29 May 1994. The 33/2 is seven inches narrower than the 33/1, and the difference can be clearly be seen here where the loco's bodies meet the underframes.

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.

With just a very faint trace of evening sunlight remaining, 33207 passes South Marston (near Swindon) with the SEG / RCTS 1Z27 'Birmingham Boomerang' railtour on 16 June 1984. Starting from Waterloo at 08:00 this tour had visited Birmingham (naturally!), Shrewsbury, Llanwern, and Avonmouth before being pictured here en-route back to the capital. Although the buildings on the edge of Swindon can just be seen in the background, the relentless expansion of that town has resulted in this view having changing considerably since 1984. The field on the left is now occupied by a large retail park, while on the right a siding diverges into the Honda car plant.

33207 & 33029 pass Warton with the 6C51 11:51 Sellafield to Heysham Power Station nuclear flask on 9 June 2005. Here we have two thirds of the DRS Class 33 fleet, which was disbanded shortly after this picture was taken. 3100 hp is is possibly a little over the top for a single wagon! This was a lucky shot, as I just stopped off at the line on spec on my way to Scotland.

A brief burst of sunshine provides some very welcome illumination for 33207, as it passes a field of horses near Pontlottyn on 4 December 2005 with the 1Z29 11:15 Rhymney to Cardiff Central service, during the 'Arriva Trains Wales Rhymney Valley Diesel Extravaganza'.

33207 arrives at Pengam station on 4 December 2005 with the late running 1Z40 12:15 Cardiff Central to Rhymney service, during the 'Arriva Trains Wales Rhymney Valley Diesel Extravaganza'. 47854 is bringing up the rear.

33207 Jim Martin crosses over the River Lochy at the appropriately named Lochyside with the Royal Scotsman 1H86 08:23 Spean Bridge to Fort William 'Western Tour' on 6 October 2007, which has just reversed at Fort William, and is now en-route to Mallaig, before returning to Fort William later in the day. Just a few years ago the sight of a Class 33 in Scotland would have been considered exceptional, but now this is a dedicated Royal Scotsman loco. As is often the case, Ben Nevis in the background is enveloped in cloud.

The Royal Scotsman 5H86 13:47 Fort William to Spean Bridge ECS reverses into platform 1 at Spean Bridge on 6 October 2007, with 33207 leading, but being pushed from the rear by 47787, which had worked the train from Fort William.

Running sedately through Ashchurch station five minutes early, and obviously not wanting to gain any more time prior to the Cheltenham pick up, 33207 Jim Martin & 33025 Glen Falloch work the Pathfinder Tours 1Z33 05:58 Crewe to Weymouth 'Dorset Coast Explorer / Great Wey Round' railtour on 23 August 2008. The seven inch difference in width between the narrow 'Hastings Gauge' loco at the front and the standard width machine can clearly be seen in this view.

33207 Jim Martin & 33025 Glen Falloch pass through Charlbury station with the 1Z34 14:36 Weymouth to Crewe 'Dorset Coast Explorer / Great Wey Round' railtour on 23 August 2008. No doubt the highlight of this tour for many on board was the visit to the south coast, but for me it was definitely the chance to see a pair of 'Cromptons' on the Cotswold Line. Despite the atrocious lighting, I was not going to miss a picture of this unusual traction passing Brunel's 1853 built grade 2 listed station building. Unfortunately the tour's exemplary time keeping fell fowl of this single track section of the Cotswold Line, as it was delayed waiting for the late running 17:07 Great Malvern to Paddington First Great Western HST to clear the section at Wolvercote Junction.

Joint Line Railtours ran their first special train on 5 September 2009 utilising a WCRC Class 33 & 37 in top'n'tail formation. 33207 Jim Martin is pictured here approaching Ardley in a very lucky patch of sunshine with the 1Z37 06:45 Worksop to Claydon LNE Junction (via Marylebone) 'Merry-le-Bone' railtour. Rather confusingly the headboard reads 'The Master Cutler'! 37516 is bringing up the rear. I had wanted to get a picture of this train on the Chiltern line, rather than opt for somewhere like Banbury, which sees far more diesel hauled specials. I had considering going to Fritwell, but looking at this picture it's certainly a good job I didn't, as that bridge (the second one in the distance) is completely in the shade.

33207 Jim Martin & D6515 (33012) Lt Jenny Lewis RN pass Potbridge on 8 March 2020 with the Branch Line Society 1Z38 09:38 Victoria to Coleford Junction 'Devonian Crompton' railtour. The train had been running along the down relief line, but had moved across onto the main line at Winchfield (just beyond the bridges in the background).

Heading for the Crewe Open Day, 33208 & 33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours pass Slindon on 21 August 1994 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1T10 09:30 Euston to Crewe 'Cheshire Cat' railtour, Just ten minutes earlier, Pathfinder's tour, which was also heading to the open day, had also passed this way, hauled by a pair of Class 37/9s. So much traction, in such a short time!

33208 & 33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours pass Hargrave on 21 August 1994 with the Hertfordshire Railtours Crewe to Crewe (via Chester) 'Cheshire Kitten' railtour. This was a mini-railtour run in connection with Hertfordshire's 1T10 09:30 Euston to Crewe 'Cheshire Cat' railtour.

33208 & 33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours pass Park Farm, near Rudheath, on the Northwich to Sandbach line, with the Hertfordshire Railtours Crewe to Crewe (via Chester) 'Cheshire Kitten' railtour on 21 August 1994. This was a mini-railtour run in connection with Hertfordshire's main Euston to Crewe 'Cheshire Cat' tour.

33208 & 33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours pound up Sapperton Bank at Chalford on 25 March 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 07:29 Coventry to Hastings 'Marsh 'n' Moor' railtour. Despite the fact that the weather was awful, I was surprised to be the only person at this location. A pair of 33s climbing through the Golden Valley is surely worth a look!

33208 & 33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours run along the up relief line at Shottesbrooke on 25 March 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 07:29 Coventry to Hastings 'Marsh 'n' Moor' railtour. This used to be my default photographic location between Reading and Maidenhead. I haven't been back for years, as you would hardly see anything now, amid a tangle of poles and wires!

Viewed from a convenient spot alongside the A2070 Ashford to Rye road, 33208 & 33116 (D6535) Hertfordshire Railtours pass Kingsnorth on 25 March 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z66 15:02 Hastings to Coventry 'Marsh 'n' Moor' railtour.

33208 & 33202 The Burma Star pass Little Bedwyn on 24 August 1996 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z33 09:00 Paddington to Minehead 'Quantock Crompton' railtour. This was an extremely lucky picture, as not only was a boat passing though the lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal just at the right time, but also the sun broke through on what was a largely cloudy day. I went straight home after this, rather than following the train to the West Somerset Railway. This was just as well, as the weather was dire further west.

D6593 (33208) passes Slindon on 22 November 1997 with the Guildford to Crewe 'Pines Express' railtour. This was the first use of a persevered Class 33 on the mainline, although it only worked a section of the tour on its own. In the morning it was paired up with Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 31625, and in the afternoon it was on the rear of the train, while LMS 'Black Five' 4-6-0 44767 George Stephenson did the work.

Surrounded by a smokescreen from LMS 'Black 5' 44767 at the head of the train, preserved D6593 (33208) brings up the rear of the 'Pines Express' railtour on 22 November 1997, as it heads back to Guildford from Crewe and passes Heamies (near Norton Bridge). This was the first occasion that a preserved Class 33 worked on the mainline.

D6593 & 37029 pass Woofferton on 14 August 1999 with the 1Z70 10:20 Crewe to Cardiff Central driver training run. This was in preparation for the forthcoming Rugby World Cup, which would be held at Cardiff's then newly built Millennium Stadium.

The single track branch line from Sutton to Epsom Downs was one of the highlights of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z96 08:55 Finsbury Park to Cannon Street 'Buffer Puffer' railtour on 8 January 2000. D6593 is pictured arriving at Epsom Downs, with the top'n'tail locomotive (73129) hiding behind the trees in the background. The tour visited various other locations around the south of London.

As if a triple headed Class 33 wasn't unusual enough, the Southern Electric Group made sure that the 'Coupled Crompton' railtour on 3 September 1988 had one of each the three sub classes. 33/2 33209, 33/0 33051 Isle of Grain, & 33/1 33112 Templecombe pass High Halstow, on the Hoo Peninsula with the 1Z23 08:33 Clapham Junction to Grain.

33209, 33051 Isle of Grain, & 33112 Templecombe pass through Higham station on 3 September 1988 with the Southern Electric Group 1Z23 10:18 Grain to Clapham Junction 'Coupled Crompton' railtour. This was my only visit to Higham station, which is situated between Hoo Junction and Rochester.

33209, 33051 Isle of Grain, & 33112 Templecombe speed through Paddock Wood station on 3 September 1988 with the Southern Electric Group 1Z23 10:18 Grain to Clapham Junction 'Coupled Crompton' railtour. Unfortunately the day was largely cloudy, but the unusual sight of one of each of the Class 33 sub classes makes up for the poor light.