The pioneer Class 58 locomotive seemed to avoid my camera throughout its career. I did however see it at the Gloucester Rail Day, on 17 September 1989. It is pictured here in the company of 37903. More people seem to be interested in Winstone's ice cream van than either of the locos! 58001 was competed in early 1983, but would not enter revenue earning service until September 1984, spending much off the intervening time working test trains, and trying to correct persistent wheelslip problems.

In the last of the light on 22 October 1985, 58002 pulls out of the bi-directional loop at Hinksey (near Oxford) with the 7V65 11:56 Desford Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR coal train. Prior to the 1984 miners strike most of these coal trains were worked by Class 56s, so it is ironic that the reason that this train was looped here was to let 56048 pass by light engine! In addition to southbound freights using this loop, some down DMUs terminating at Oxford would cross over from main line using the crossover in the foreground and use the loop in the opposite direction.

58002 Daw Mill Colliery passes Didcot North Junction on 22 June 1989 with the 6M06 18:55 Didcot Power Station to Mantle Lane MGR empties. The water tower and coaling stage at the Great Western Society's Didcot headquarters can be seen in the background.

58002 Daw Mill Colliery traverses Didcot West Curve on 22 September 1990 with a loaded MGR for nearby Didcot Power Station. This was a Saturday, and the working timetable shows no coal trains at around this time, but there were often specials such as this. Normally I would be pleased to see this, but on this occasion it completely got in the way of a football special coming from the other direction, which I had specifically gone here to photograph!

58002 Daw Mill Colliery passes Hinksey Yard on 3 October 1990 with the 7V65 12:20 Three Spires Junction to Didcot Power Station MGR. The cartics in the foreground are for the car traffic from the nearby Morris Cowley Rover car plant.

58002 Daw Mill Colliery approaches Walton Well Road, Oxford, on 7 September 1991 with the 7V49 04:08 Barrow Hill to Didcot Power Station MGR. There were numerous coal trains passing through Oxford in the early 1990s, but this one was probably the most photographed, as in addition to weekdays, it also ran on Saturdays.

58002 Daw Mill Colliery passes Whitwell on 15 February 1997 with a southbound MGR. The photographers on the right are waiting for 33116 Hertfordshire Railtours & 33051 Shakespeare Cliff with the 33111 Charters 1Z33 07:32 Kings Cross to Scarborough 'Robin Reliant' railtour. This is now the site of Whitwell station, which opened the following year.

I doubt if you will see many pictures taken at this location. 58002 Daw Mill Colliery passes the derelict remains of Shipton-on-Cherwell Cement Works with the 7M28 19:00 Hinksey to Bescot departmental working on 30 July 1999. It was one of those balmy summer evenings when the sun gets progressively weaker as it merges into high cloud, and although there is still a trace of light on the old silos, the light had virtually gone by the time the 58 came into view. Note that the locos still carries the '1Z58 The Worksop Aberdonian' wording on the front from the railtour that took place over two years before!

58002 Daw Mill Colliery passes Breaston (between Derby and Nottingham) with the Pathfinder Tours 06:26 Preston to Deepcar 'Calder Revolver' railtour on 23 September 2000. At this point in its itinerary it is running as 1Z58 (between Derby and Bradford Interchange), so the painted headcode on the front of the loco is correct, although the 'Worksop Aberdonian' wording from three years previously is not! 66008 is hiding in the bushes on the rear of the train.

58003 passes Burton Salmon on 12 March 1997 with MGR empties. Terrible light, and a filthy loco, but it seems to be the only time that I photographed this particular locomotive, so this picture is included for completeness.

With the tower of St Barnabas church in Jericho dominating the background, 58004 approaches Oxford station on 25 September 1987 with the 7V06 13:54 Mantle Lane to Didcot Power Station MGR. The bridge in the foreground carries the line over the Sheepwash Channel, a connection between the River Thames and the Castile Mill Stream.

58004 is pictured passing Croome at 07:00 on 1 July 1990 in the only fleeting bit of sunshine during the entire day with the 1Z17 05:45 Birmingham New Street to Bristol Temple Meads. This was one of a number of special trains run by Pathfinder Tours in connection with the Gloucester Rail Day. The poor technical quality is explained by the use of Kodachrome 200, not strictly necessary here, but certainly required for the rest of the day!

58004 approaches Wolvercote Junction on 11 July 1990 with the 6E81 18:55 Didcot Power Station to Worksop MGR empties. This of course is exactly the kind of train that the class was designed to haul, unlike on the previous occasion that I saw this particular locomotive, just a few days before.

58004 passes Hinksey Yard on 19 January 1991 with the 7V65 08:25 Rufford to Didcot Power Station MGR coal train. At this time Hinksey Yard was in a hiatus, with virtually all traffic lost and only the odd rake of condemned wagons or suchlike in evidence. It has since be reinvented as a civil engineer's yard. The brick built hut in the middle distance has since been removed.

58005 heads south at Portway on 22 January 1992 with the 7V85 13:00 Barrow Hill to Didcot Power Station MGR. The fact that these locomotives were designed specifically for coal traffic, still shouldn't have meant that they had such a scandalously short life.

A rare piece of track for a Class 58, so even a light engine warrants a picture. 58005 Ironbridge Power Station passes Songar Grange (on the Hatton to Bearley line) on the frosty morning of 14 December 1996, heading for Stratford-upon-Avon, where it would take over the Pathfinder Tours 1Z56 07:07 Bristol Temple Meads to Guildford 'Rooster Booster' railtour.

58005 arrives at Hinksey Yard on 28 April 1999 with the 7V27 14:40 Eastleigh to Didcot departmental working. The train would continue its journey northwards later in the evening as the 7M28 19:00 Hinksey Yard to Bescot. Shortly after this Hinksey Yard was remodeled, with the bushes on the right cleared, and the sidings lengthened.

58006 passes Thrupp (between Banbury and Oxford) with the 7V44 09:34 Three Spires Junction to Didcot Power Station MGR coal train on 25 April 1986. Although difficult to tell from this picture, the cement works at Shipton-on-Cherwell was still in use at this time, but closed shortly afterwards, and has since been demolished.

In early 1990 many years worth of vegetation was cleared from the course of the former down relief line at Oxford North Junction, temporarily allowing a view of northbound trains from across the intervening stream. With Aristotle Lane footbridge in the background, 58006 heads north with the 6E81 18:55 Didcot Power Station to Worksop MGR empties on 2 May 1990. A still evening allowed for an almost perfect reflection.

A lucky patch of sun at Mostyn on 11 August 1991, as 58007 Drakelow Power Station & 58003 Markham Colliery pass the beached 'Duke of Lancaster' ship, whilst working the 1T58 15:40 Crewe to Llandudno special, during the Trainload Coal Motive Power Day. The former Sealink 'Duke of Lancaster' was permanently moored at this site in 1979 to be converted into a 'Funship'. However, the local council reversed their initial positive attitude to the project, and have subsequently gone out of their way to scupper the project.

A train that was always worth photographing during the winter months in the 1990s was the Saturdays only Toton to MoD Bicester coal, although running on as required basis, opportunities were limited. As the train had to reverse at Didcot, it was easily possible to get a couple of pictures. On 20 January 1996, 58007 Drakelow Power Station is pictured passing through Oxford station, heading for Didcot. A leisurely drive, followed by a long walk, then secured a second picture near Wendlebury.

58007 Drakelow Power Station passes Wendlebury on 20 January 1996 with the Toton to MoD Bicester loaded coal train. I had photographed this a few hours earlier at Oxford, prior to it reversal at Didcot. This was a very dull day, but in this case that was preferable, as this location on the then single track Oxford to Bicester line, would have been totally backlit had the sun come out.

58008 slowly pulls out of West Burton Power Station on 28 November 1992, having deposited another load of coal on the stockpile. Class 58s and HAA MGR wagons may now be history, but over a quarter of a century after this picture was taken, West Burton Power Station is bucking the trend, and is one of the few UK power station still burning coal.

58008 passes through the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre's station at Quainton Road on 12 December 1997 with the 6Z25 March to Calvert spoil train. 58008 was withdrawn two years later after a scandalously short working life of just sixteen years. This location certainly has an unusual combination of an operational freight line passing through the centre of a preservation centre!

58009 passes Cossington with the 6M46 15:35 Fletton to Ratcliffe Power Station flyash empties on 1 June 1985. The disposal of power station ash from both Ratcliffe and West Burton to the former brick pits at Fletton, near Peterborough, for many years used these rakes of CSA Presfo wagons. This was the first picture taken with my newly purchased Pentax 6x7 roll film camera, bought from Jessops in Leicester a few hours previously!

58009 climbs towards Harbury Tunnel on 5 August 1991 with the 7V44 09:25 Three Spires Junction to Didcot Power Station MGR. A commonplace sight at the time, but now all part of history, not only the traffic, but also the once excellent photographic location.

Until the late 1990s, Bicester Army Depot received a weekly train of coal for heating purposes during the winter months. This conveniently ran on a Saturday, with the empties travelling back to Didcot, and thence to Toton. 58009 passes Water Eaton with the empties on 4 February 1995, in the days when this was one of the few unobstructed viewpoints on the line.

58010 & 58006 approach Oxford on 18 July 1990 with MGR empties from Didcot Power Station. If this is running to time, it is the 6M58 18:00 Didcot Power Station to Bescot, but as presumably 58006 had failed, and 58010 was the rescue loco, this might be an earlier working, running late. The lineside vegetation was starting to become intrusive by 1990. However, now this has turned into a huge wall of trees that completely blocks the view.

With the station building's awning reflected in the windscreen, 58010 approaches Albrighton station on 4 September 1991 with a loaded MGR for Ironbridge Power Station. I had hoped for a pair of 20s, but I missed out on that spectacle, and should have visited the area more frequently.

58010 passes Metheringham on 1 May 1999 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z95 06:16 Yeovil Pen Mill to Lincoln 'Spalding & Lincolnshire Excursioner' railtour. Metheringham station can just be seen by the level crossing in the background.

58011 Worksop Depot finds the last of the day's light as it passes Farington Junction, near Preston on 14 September 1996 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z58 13:45 Newcastle to Bristol Temple Meads 'Geordie Choppers' railtour. Observant viewers will have noticed that this is not Geordie Land, nor is 58011 a chopper! 20304 & 20305 were the main traction event (or possibly 08633 on the mini tour around Newcastle), and 58011 was 'merely' the loco used to get the tour to and from the south.

After the miner's strike ended in early 1985, coal trains again resumed between the Midlands and Didcot Power Station, only this time with the then relatively new Class 58s as the traction, instead of the previous Class 56s. 58012 passes Hinksey Yard on 22 October 1985 with the early running 6M53 14:40 Didcot Power Station to Mantle Lane MGR empties.

58012 passes through Oxford on 18 July 1990 with the 7V60 15:06 Baddesley Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR. The two sidings in the foreground (since removed) have obviously not seen any weedkiller in quite some time!

A misty day at Clay Mills (Hargate) on 4 September 1991. 58012 heads north with yet another train of MGR empties. Unlike the majority of the class, 58012 has managed to avoid the cutter's torch, despite spending some time in Ron Hull's yard at Rotherham.

58013 passes Didcot North Junction on 3 May 1990 with the 6M06 18:55 Didcot Power Station to Mantle Lane MGR empties. There is now a modern replacement for the footbridge in the background, but unfortunately this wide view is no longer possible due to lineside vegetation.

58013 passes Radley on 14 March 1991 with the 6M28 14:10 Didcot Power Station to Toton MGR empties. The tall radio mast had just been installed at this location, making photography more difficult, but not as difficult as now, when a roadside hedge and fully grown trees completely block the view.

58013 works wrong line through Harbury cutting on 28 March 1992 with the Branch Line Society 'Kineton Pullman' railtour. 47597 is on the rear of the train. After a reversal at Banbury, the tour would hand over to Army locos 273 & 265 at Fenny Compton, for the short trip to Kineton Army Depot. Note how rusty the out of use up line is.

58013 leaves High Marnham Power Station with a rake of MGR empties on a very dull 6 February 1999. The power station closed in 2003 and has since been partially demolished. It is situated at the end of a long branch line from the Shirebrook area. 58013 is wearing Mainline blue livery but devoid of any brandings.

58014 Didcot Power Station passes Ryecroft Junction on 15 August 1988 with the 6G24 10:02 Ironbridge Power Station to Baddesley Colliery MGR empties. A completely different world. The loco, the coal traffic, and even this once excellent photographic vantage point have all disappeared.

58014 Didcot Power Station passes Swarkestone with MGR empties on 4 September 1991. In 1991 there was still massive tonnages of coal moved from UK collieries to various coal fired power stations. Few people at the time would have thought that three decades later the traffic would have virtually ceased.

An appropriate choice of motive power for the 6E21 20:10 Didcot Power Station to Barrow Hill MGR empties on 17 June 1992. 58014 Didcot Power Station passes Culham in the very last of the evening light, as it heads north with what at the time was one of approximately ten such daily trains.

The old order at Stenson Junction, when Willington Power Station was still open, and was taking deliveries of British coal in HAA four wheel wagons, hauled by British built locos. 58015 arrives at the power station from the Toton direction on the morning of 16 October 1986 with another load of fossilized carbon.

A busy freight moment at Hinksey Yard on 8 May 1985, as 58016 heads northwards with the 6M82 16:05 Didcot Power Station to Toton MGR empties, while the crew of 31289 wait next to their loco ready to follow it with the 6M93 16:20 Morris Cowley to Bescot Speedlink. Purely coincidentally, both of these locomotives are now preserved

58016 passes Lower Birchwood on 9 April 1992 with a southbound loaded MGR. Happily the loco has been preserved, but very little else in this scene survives. HAA wagons have been superceded by higher capacity bogie vehicles, and this view has disappeared behind the inevitable screen of lineside bushes and trees.

58016 nears the summit of ferocious 1 in 37 Lickey Incline at Blackwell on 6 May 2000 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z36 06:10 Reading to East Leake 'Oil Leake' railtour. Obviously the effort was too much for it, as it failed later in the day, luckily on a section of the tour where there was an assisting locomotive. The 1950s carmine and cream livery of the coaching stock is an excellent match for the EWS livery of 58016.

After waiting in the down loop at Challow for some time, 58016 gets the green light and accelerates away on 1 December 2001 with an unidentified loaded ballast working, presumably in readiness for Sunday engineering work the following day. With less than a year to go before the entire class was withdrawn, the 58s were being used more and more for non MGR duties. Despite this, I have got very few pictures of them working ballast trains, hence this inclusion of this miserable weather picture. Note the remains of Challow station's platform on the right.

58017 passes through Heyford station on the misty morning of 17 May 1991 with the 7V49 05:20 Barrow Hill to Didcot Power Station MGR. The station's distinctive station building had been removed a few years previously, but at least the GWR footbridge was still in place. That too was eventually replaced by something much less attractive.

58017 passes Stenson Junction on 22 January 1992 with a southbound loaded MGR. The frost covered tracks in the foreground are now just as much a part of history as Class 58s, HAA hoppers and coal trains!

The miner's strike of 1984 resulted in the then nearly new Class 58s suddenly finding there intended role of hauling heavy coal trains had suddenly stopped. Therefore the class were used on other freight services, such as Speedlink and freightliners. On 4 May 1985, shortly after the strike had ended, 58018 passes under the partially completed Hennef Way Banbury bypass with the 4M60 12:20 Southampton to Lawley Street freightliner.

58018 High Marnham Power Station passes Water Orton on 12 January 1991 with the 6M04 06:00 Didcot Power Station to Daw Mill Colliery MGR empties. An extremely dull day, but that has allowed a picture to be taken from the north side of the line, for a wider viewpoint.

58019 passes through Oxford on 22 April 1986 with the early running 6M53 14:40 Didcot Power Station to Mantle Lane MGR empties. 50010 Monarch can be seen in the down carriage sidings. Unfortunately this view from Walton Well Road, looking across the Castle Mill Stream (a branch of the River Thames) towards Oxford station, has long since been obliterated by trees. Apart from the actual mainline, virtually everything else in this picture has now changed. The gate by the notices in the centre of the picture was once an excellent spot to watch trains, and this is where I stood to see Sir Winston Churchill's funeral train on 30 January 1965, although being only seven years old, I seem to remember being more interested in playing in the stream!

The good old days at Whitacre Junction, before the view became spoiled by lineside fences, lamp posts and assorted clutter. 58019 pulls out of the loop with a short rake of ballast hoppers, during a Sunday engineering possession on 28 September 1986. With very few coal trains running on a Sunday, it was often possible to see Class 58s on workings such as this in the 1980s.

58019 Shirebrook Colliery passes Hinksey Yard on 29 July 1991 with the 7V33 12:04 Toton to Didcot Power Station MGR.  In the 1980s there were hardly any trees by the rusty lineside fence. In the 1990s they started to dominate the view, and now they block out everything else!

58019 Shirebrook Colliery passes Clay Mills (Hargate) on 4 September 1991 with southbound MGR empties. An everyday scene at the time, but just over a decade later the class would be consigned to history, after a scandalously short lifespan of less than 20 years (at least in this country). 58019 itself only had a lifespan of 17 years.

58019 Shirebrook Colliery makes a spirited departure from Hoo Junction on 16 July 1999 with the 7L39 13:55 departmental working to Temple Mills. 37713 can be seen lurking in the background. By this date Class 58s were commonly employed on such workings, whereas in earlier years they were virtually confined to MGR trains.

Running an hour early, 58020 Doncaster Works BRE approaches Oxford on 2 July 1985 with the 6E60 09:04 Didcot Power Station to Barrow Hill MGR empties. The loco didn't carry this name for very long, as there was some disagreement within BR about the inclusion of BREL's logo, so new Doncaster Works plates were fitted the following year (not 1987, as quoted in some sources).

A panoramic view of Toton Yard, with 58020 Doncaster Works leaving with a southbound MGR on 16 October 1986. A shadow of its former self, and with the huge hump marshaling yard closed, Toton was still used extensively for staging MGR coal services such as this during the 1980s. Several Class 20s can be seen in the yard, along with withdrawn DMU vehicles and vacuum braked hoppers in the background.

58020 Doncaster Works passes the site of Bletchingdon station on 29 July 1991 with the 7V06 14:25 Daw Mill Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR. In addition to the various grades of coal, it looks like the solid fuel merchant on the old station site is selling logs.

58020 Doncaster Works & 58002 Daw Mill Colliery pass Horse Cove on 19 June 1993 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z43 06:16 Derby to Paignton 'Paignton Decorator' railtour. The town of Dawlish can be seen in the background.

Class 58s were obviously a common sight on freight trains, but not usually like this! 58020 Doncaster Works & 58002 Daw Mill Colliery pass Galmpton on the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway under a threatening sky on 19 June 1993 with the 13:35 Paignton to Kingswear freight train consisting of a motley collection of preserved goods wagons. Needless to say this was in connection with the line's Diesel Gala.

Unusual traction for the 4V22 16:03 Longbridge to Swindon Rover car body panel empties on 30 April 1999. 58020 Doncaster Works is pictured passing Spetchley, deputising for the more usual Class 66. Around this time there were other instances of different classes appearing on this train, including pairs of 37s. I do not remember much variety before the coming of the 66s, when Class 47s had a virtual monopoly. You can draw your own conclusion about what that means!

58020 Doncaster Works passes Overthorpe (near Banbury) on 16 June 1999 with the 6S65 15:19 Eastleigh to Mossend Enterprise service. Unusual to see one of the 'Silver Bullet' china clay tanks actually still looking silver by this date. Although quite difficult to get to, someone has obviously visited the location and removed the bush in the foreground, and no, it wasn't me!

The Worksop area was once renowned for the frequency its coal trains, but unfortunately I took very few pictures in the area. However, here is 58020 Doncaster Works passing Brancliffe East Junction on 15 January 2000, heading for either Cottam or West Burton Power Station. Photo taken from a public footpath crossing.

58020 Doncaster Works pulls slowly away from Kingsbury Yard on 12 January 2002 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 07:00 Swindon to Ironbridge 'Grid Iron Grinder' railtour. 56100 is on the rear of the train. The weak winter sunshine unfortunately didn't last very long!

With the town of Retford visible in the background, 58021 passes Leverton Road on 28 November 1992 with a loaded MGR bound for Cottam Power Station. All this has gradually disappeared from the railway scene. First Class 58s, then HAA hoppers, and now coal!

A colourful combination of liveries at Barrow upon Trent on 12 December 1998. 58021 Hither Green Depot & 56116 haul an equally varied rake of stock with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 06:20 Reading to Sheffield 'Blade & Owl' railtour. This tour also featured three different Class 47s, a Class 60, 66, and possibly the highlight of the tour, a pair of Class 37/9s with their silencers removed! Unfortunately none of this happened in the superb light seen here.

Very unusual traction for the Dawlish sea wall! 58021 Hither Green Depot passes underneath the distinctive red sandstone cliffs, as it approaches Dawlish on 29 June 2002 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z58 05:30 Birmingham New Street to Penzance 'Cornish Explorer'. Class 58s in Devon are rare enough, but this was the only occasion that a one worked a railtour to Cornwall. It was evidently all too much for 58021, as due to an electrical fault, the return journey was made behind 47811 to Plymouth, and then 47737 onwards, with 58021 dead in tow.

A very tight location for photography, but it was just possible at Appleford (between Oxford and Didcot) to get a picture of southbound trains passing the signal box. On 12 September 1985, 58022 heads for Didcot Power Station with another load of coal from the Midlands. Unfortunately it is no longer possible to replicate this picture, as not only are there no Class 58s on the national network, but the signal box has been demolished as well.

Running exactly on time at 17:10, 58022 passes through Oxford station on 25 September 1987 with the 6E08 16:47 Didcot Power Station to Barrow Hill MGR empties. I took the picture a little early, in order to show the Great Western Railway awning on platform 1, that had managed to survive the station rebuilding in 1971.

The days of King Coal. 58022 approaches Moira West Junction on 23 October 1989 with a loaded MGR, while 56025 waits to follow it out of Rawdon Colliery with a similar working. At this time the Coalville freight line was still relatively busy, a far cry from today's extremely sparse service.

Problems with a bridge at Leamington Spa during March 1992 resulted in MGR coal trains from the Midlands to Didcot Power Station travelling via London, as only the down line was in use past the errant bridge. These trains travelled down the West Coast Mainline, and joined the Great Western Mainline at Acton. This arrangement, which lasted for a week, resulted in the highly unusual sight of Class 58 coal trains between London and Reading. So despite the atrocious weather, it was definitely worth recording 58022 passing Ruscombe with the diverted 7V49 04:08 Barrow Hill to Didcot Power Station on 28 March 1992.

58022 passes through Radley station on 15 May 1992 with the 6E81 18:55 Didcot Power Station to Worksop MGR empties. This was running under adverse signals, behind a DMU, which explains why I was able to get away with 1/250sec on my Pentax 6x7.

58022 passes Feeder Bridge Junction on 27 February 1996 with the 4C13 11:21 Calvert to Bristol Avon binliner empties. Not the tourist face of Bristol, but a panoramic view of the industrial estates on the eastern edge of the city!

58022 slowly negotiates Foxhall Junction on 29 February 1996 with the 4C13 11:21 Calvert to Bristol Avon binliner empties. The water tower at the Great Western Society's Didcot Railway Centre can be seen in the background.

58022 crosses over the River Avon at Eckington on 28 February 1998 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z88 05:50 Reading to Crewe 'Rex Ham' railtour. This section of the railtour was supposed to have featured a Class 58 & 56 combination, but the rostered Class 56 was overdue an A exam, and its replacement wouldn't work in multiple with 58022! All these problems meant that the tour was nearly an hour late when it passed me. It was lucky that the delay wasn't any greater, as the clouds were starting to build up considerably.

58023 climbs the gradient past Harbury on 10 May 1989 with the 7V09 08:41 Markham Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR. All is now history. 58023 is no longer in service, and neither are the vintage HAA wagons it is hauling. Not only has the train gone, so has the view. A wall of trees and bushes now blocks out this once iconic viewpoint.

58023 passes Radley on 9 July 1991 with the 6M06 18:55 Didcot Power Station to Mantle Lane MGR empties. The loco is in typically filthy condition, which is hardly surprising considering how difficult the recessed body sides must be to wash!

58023 Leicester Depot prepares to work its first passenger train in preservation at Kidderminster on 4 October 2024, during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. Note the huge crowd of photographers waiting for it to back onto its train in the background.

58023 Leicester Depot makes history on 4 October 2024, as it becomes the first Class 58 to work a passenger train in preservation. Its first train was the 12:00 Kidderminster to Bridgnorth service, during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. Its pictured here just a few yards into its historic working, as it leaves Kidderminster station. 20142 Sir John Betjeman is included in the train to act as a brake translator.

58023 Leicester Depot & 20142 Sir John Betjeman left Kidderminster in brilliant sunshine on 4 October 2024 with the 12:00 train to Bridgnorth, but that had completely disappeared by the time the now late running train passed Eardington. The Class 58 was the star attraction at the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala.

Running 30 minutes late, 58023 Leicester Depot & 20142 Sir John Betjeman, pass Eardington on 4 October 2024 with the late running 14:05 Bridgnorth to Kidderminster service, during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala. I couldn't resist taking another broadside view picture, as the locos passed me.

A close up view of the unusual and colourful combination of 58023 Leicester Depot & 20142 Sir John Betjeman, as they pass Eardington on 4 October 2024 with the late running 14:05 Bridgnorth to Kidderminster service, during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala.

58024 passes through Oxford station on 28 June 1991 with the 7V49 04:08 Barrow Hill to Didcot Power Station MGR. There were several coal trains booked through Oxford at this time, and this loco was still heading to the same destination, when photographed a week later, albeit on a slightly earlier working.

58024 passes Hinksey Yard on 5 July 1991 with the 7V32 05:42 Daw Mill Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR. Coincidentally, this loco had been photographed a week earlier, a mile north of this spot, on a very similar train.

An unusual duty for a Class 58 on 22 July 2002. 58024 passes Bletchingdon (between Banbury and Oxford) with the 5Z10 16:57 Oxley to Didcot ECS move conveying ex Virgin Mk2 coaches 1204, 1208, 5900, 5975, 5999, 6059, 6061, 6120, 6172, 6184, 9507 & 9522 made redundant with the recent introduction of Class 220 Voyager units. Unusually for such empty stock moves, this was running exactly to time. An industrial estate now occupies Bletchingdon station site and the site of the former yard is now used for storage.

On 1 September 2002 Hertfordshire Railtours ran a railtour to mark the end of Class 58 operations in this country. 58024 is pictured passing Wilsford (between Ancaster and Sleaford) with the 1Z58 10:33 Kings Cross to Skegness 'Bone Idol' with a complete rake of Southern Region green liveried stock. As 58024 only entered traffic in January 1985, its less than eighteen years in traffic does seem rather a waste of resources.

Anglers on the prosaically named South Forty Foot Drain at Hubbert's Bridge take no notice of the historic train that passes them on 1 September 2002. 58024 heads the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z59 15:30 Skegness to Kings Cross 'Bone Idol' railtour - the final Class 58 passenger train, on what was the penultimate day in traffic for the class. Unfortunately the perfect reflection I had hoped for was slightly spoiled by the wind causing ripples just at the wrong moment! Strangely in view of the important nature of the working and the ideal location for a picture, I didn't notice any other photographers in the vicinity. Note the local landmark of St Botolph's Church tower at Boston (the Boston Stump) in the background behind the rear coaches.

58025 just manages to avoid the long winter shadows, as it passes Whisker Hill Junction on 17 February 1996 with a loaded MGR destined for ether West Burton or Cottam Power Station. The line is descending in order to pass underneath the East Coast Mainline, while the higher level lines form a junction with that route near Retford station.

I wouldn't normally take such a horrendously backlit picture, but the sun catching the scattered rails in the foreground makes an interesting picture. 58025 approaches Shirebrook on 12 February 2000 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z36 06:18 Swindon to Thoresby Colliery 'Dukeries Collier' railtour. 60049 is bringing up the rear.

After its visit to Thoresby Colliery, 58025 negotiates the sharp curve back towards the junction with the main line on 12 February 2000 with the Pathfinder Tours 'Dukeries Collier' railtour, now running as the 1Z37 13:54 Thoresby Colliery to Swindon. Out of sight amongst the silver birch trees in the background is top'n'tail locomotive 60049.

58026 passes Clay Mills (Hargate) with a southbound loaded MGR on 17 May 1991. With good view in both directions, this used to be the an ideal spot for a morning's photography, with a constant procession of freights.

58027 passes through Heyford station on 14 September 1985, towing 20090 & 20104 to Old Oak Common for the following day's Open Day. The Class 58 had been in Railfreight livery from new, but the two veteran Class 20s had only just acquired the new colour scheme.

58027 ambles along the relief line at Ampthill (Millbrook) with an overhead electrification train on 29 May 1988. Intensive use of the class on power station coal traffic during the week often gave way to easier duties such as this at the weekend. Note the brickworks chimneys in the background.

58027 & 58041 Ratcliffe Power Station pass Cullompton on 15 September 1991 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z98 07:42 Paddington to Plymouth 'Pym Rose' railtour. I've no idea now why I was stood on the wrong side for the light, but presume there was either no shot from the other side, or the sun came out unexpectedly! Either way, it is still a record of location that has now completely changed, and traction that has completely disappeared.

Southbound MGR coal trains through Oxford were a regular sight during the 1970s & 1980s, heading for Didcot Power Station, but in the 1990s the previously unusual sight of northbound loaded trains appeared, when imported coal for Ironbridge Power Station was routed this way. 58027 approaches Wolvercote Junction on 7 August 1998 with the 14:30 departure from Avonmouth.

58027 passes Southampton on 2 December 1998 with the 6B45 07:44 Eastleigh to Matchwood MoD stores. At the time Class 58s had just taken over these duties from the previous Class 37 or 47s. The distinctive building in the background belongs to Quilter, an investment management company.

58027 passes Hinksey Yard on 28 April 1999 with the 6S65 15:19 Eastleigh to Mossend Enterprise, conveying MoD traffic from Kineton and china clay tanks from Quidhampton. Hinksey Yard had not yet become the busy location that it is now, so there was little danger of a rake of parked wagons in the sidings on the right casting a long shadow in the low evening sun.

With the 'dreaming spires' of Oxford just visible at the rear of the train, 58028 passes Wolvercote with the 6M06 Didcot Power Station to Daw Mill Colliery MGR empties on 10 July 1987. This really dramatic lighting didn't last long of course, as the rain which was falling over the city of Oxford, soon reached this point. This photo was taken from the public footpath crossing on Wolvercote Common, which has subsequently been closed and the whole area is now fenced off.

58028 passes Hinksey Yard on 17 August 1988 with the 6M28 14:25 Didcot Power Station to Daw Mill Colliery MGR empties. 58028, like most of the class, had a ridiculously short working life, in this case just fourteen years.

58028 passes Woburn Sands on 29 August 1998 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z74 08:54 Finsbury Park to Toton 'Toton Gesture' railtour, one of a number of special trains run in connection with the Toton Open Day.

58029 makes a smoky departure from Willington Power Station, as it approaches Stenson Junction on 22 January 1992 with yet another train of MGR empties. A commonplace sight at the time, but now all but vanished from the national network.

58029 approaches the site of Ashbury Crossing, near Shrivenham on 23 June 1995 with the 6B51 16:00 West Drayton to Swindon Transfer stone empties, which would later work back to Tytherington Quarry. This was a short term flow from the then recently reopened quarry utilising HGA Gunnel wagons, which had been converted from PGA stone hoppers, once the mainstay of stone traffic both from Tytherington and the Mendip quarries.

58029 passes Shrivenham on 28 June 1995 with the 6B51 16:00 West Drayton to Swindon Transfer (for Tytherington Quarry) stone empties. Unfortunately this working did not last very long, and did not run at an ideal time for photography in the Swindon area. A couple of hours later would have been better!

A contrast in Mainline liveries at the site of Ashbury Crossing, Shrivenham, on 29 December 1995. 58029's rebranding of the former Railfreight grey colour scheme compares unfavourably with the blue colour scheme worn by 37203.

58029 passes Jordans (between Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield) on 4 August 1998 with the 6A71 19:40 Northolt to Calvert Binliner. There weren't many locations on the heavily wooded Chiltern Line where it was possible to photograph this, as a lot of the locations were heavily shaded even before the late evening.

In the typically filthy condition that the class spent their last years in, 58029 emerges from Alfreton Tunnel on 19 June 1999 with a southbound MGR. Hidden amongst the vegetation on the right is the entrance to the original Alfreton Tunnel, opened in 1862. The line was quadrupled in 1901, when the present tunnel was opened. The original line was removed in the 1960s.

58030 approaches Thrupp on 25 April 1986 with the 6E60 08:50 Didcot Power Station to Barrow Hill MGR coal empties. Just beyond the bridge in the background is the site of Kidlington station. This view is no longer possible due to uncontrolled lineside tree growth.

With the farm buildings of Portway in the background, 58030 heads south with the 7V85 13:58 Toton to Didcot Power Station MGR coal on 15 March 1989. This location just to the north of Tamworth has unrestricted views in both directions, but it also allows for a more adventurous side shot like this by walking down Willow Bottom Lane away from the farm occupation bridge. 

58030 passes Overthorpe on 16 June 1999 with the 7M28 19:00 Hinksey to Bescot engineer's train. The bridge in the background formerly gave access to a farm, which was demolished many years ago. The bridge now forms part of the Jurassic Way long distance footpath.

58030 passes Barrow-upon-Trent on 22 May 2001 with a lengthy rake of car carriers. At this time well over half the class of 50 had already been withdrawn, and so I was quite pleased to get this perfectly lit picture of a rather untypical Class 58 hauled train.

A panoramic view of Bruton, in Somerset, on 27 October 2001. Making a change from the usual procession of HSTs, 58030 passes by with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z46 07:01 Crewe to Taunton 'Tone Bone' railtour. With the clouds rapidly approaching (note the dark background), I was very lucky to get this one in the sun!

58031 passes Wolvercote on 10 July 1987 with the 7V60 14:02 Baddesley Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR. Photo taken from a long since closed footpath crossing, which linked the village of Upper Wolvercote with Wolvercote Common.

58031 crosses the bridge over the River Cherwell at Hampton Gay on 11 July 1989 with the 7V60 15:06 Baddesley Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR. The bridge deck in the foreground formerly carried the Kidlington to Woodstock branch line.

Under leaden skies, 58032 & 58037 round the sharp curve between Retford High Level and Whisker Hill Junctions with the Hertfordshire Railtours Kings Cross to Worksop 'Worksop Coalman' railtour on 5 September 1993, one of a number of railtours heading to the Worksop Open day. Note traces of the former red Railfreight livery showing through on the solebars of both locos.

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

It is hardly surprising that 58033 looks in pristine condition here, as it's only its third day in traffic. On 22 October 1985 it is pictured passing Somerton (between Banbury and Oxford) with the 7V44 09:34 Three Spires (Coventry) to Didcot Power Station MGR coal train. Pictures of class 58s in clean condition are fairly uncommon, as not only was cleaning of a purely freight only locomotive a low priority, but the recessed bodysides of these machines meant that automated washing plants were less than effective.

An unexpected double header passes through Radley station on 30 June 1988. 58033 leads the presumably failed 58003 with a loaded MGR destined for Didcot Power Station. It's difficult to be sure, but as what appeared to be the 7V60 15:06 Baddesley Colliery to Didcot had passed by at the booked time, this could be the very late running 7V85 14:26 Toton to Didcot.

58033 & 58045 approach Tackley on 26 August 2002 with the unfortunately named 'Bone Breaker' railtour. The train, the Pathfinder Tours 1Z58 05:30 Crewe to Clacton, almost lived up to its name, when it ran into the buffers at Walton-on-Naze, causing a few minor injuries. Although the collision was at little more than walking speed, the fact that passengers were preparing to disembark made it worse. The tour was terminated there, and passengers were bussed to nearby Thorpe-le-Soken, where a special train took them to Liverpool Street.

58034 Bassetlaw passes Bletchingdon on 17 August 1988 with the 7V06 13:54 Mantle Lane to Didcot Power Station MGR. Not much sign of the forthcoming foreign invasion here, as a train load of British mined coal is hauled south by a British built loco, while in the domestic coal yard on the left (on the site of Bletchingdon station), all the vehicles are British built, and presumably the various grades of coal in the foreground are also from this country.

58034 Bassetlaw & 58050 Toton Traction Depot pass Cossington in miserable light on 6 September 1992 with the Pathfinder Tours 1T08 16:00 Leicester to Derby 'Leicester Looper' railtour. This was one of a number of mini tours run in connection with the Leicester Open Day.

58035 approaches Foxhall Junction, as it leaves Didcot Power Station on 31 July 1986 with the 6M56 13:00 MGR empties to Toton. The train is passing underneath the road that links Didcot with the Milton Park Industrial Estate.

58035 approaches Water Orton on 17 March 1989 with 6M00 Didcot Power Station to Toton MGR empties. This was one of those lucky days when although there was masses of cloud about, nearly every train passed in sunshine.

Toton in the days of 'King Coal'. 58036 leaves the depot in the drizzle on 2 June 1990. Lines of HAA MGR wagons dominate he scene, with several rows of the red top domestic coal HEA versions also visible in the background.

Severely backlit, by still worth a picture, 58037 passes Didcot North Junction on 3 November 1990 with the 6M07 08:50 Didcot Power Station to Toton MGR empties. This was before the area between the tracks on the left got covered by bushes.

58037 passes Radley on 14 March 1991 with the 7V60 12:10 Daw Mill Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR. Twenty minutes later, classmate 58013 appeared from the other direction with the 6M28 14:10 Didcot Power Station to Toton empties.

With a couple of former RNAS Culham aircraft hangars in the background, 58037 & 58024 head north past Culham on 10 July 1991 with MGR empties from Didcot Power Station. The timing does not match up with anything in the working timetable, which presumably confirms that 58024 was a failure, and is being rescued by 58037. It may possibly be the 6M06 18:50 Didcot Power Station to Daw Mill Colliery. Coincidentally, I saw this same pair on a railtour nine years later.

Not built here! Many classes of BR diesel locomotives were built at the Brush Works, Loughborough, but not this one. 58037 passes the works on 2 April 1994. The Class 58s were built by British Rail Engineering Ltd at Doncaster Works.

58037 just manages to avoid the worst of the shadows, as it passes Shrivenham on a day of intermittent sun and cloud on 26 March 1999. It is working the 4C13 11:11 Calvert to Bristol binliner empties. After a number of years of varied and interesting traction on this working, 1999 would see the Class 58s replaced by the ubiquitous 66s, which work the train (albeit with a switch from EWS to Freightliner) until the service ended in 2011.

58037 approaches Culham on 15 June 1999 with the 6S65 15:19 Eastleigh to Mossend Enterprise, which on this occasion was made up totally of china clay tanks from Quidhampton. This always used to be an excellent spot for photography on summer evenings, with plenty of variety of traffic, and a shadow free location.

58037 Worksop Depot & 58024 pass Miskin on 1 July 2000 with the Worksop Depot CTC 1Z58 06:22 Worksop to Cardiff Central 'Class 58 Farewell' railtour. An excellent choice of coaching stock, with the 1950s Crimson Lake & Cream being a very good match for the EWS livery. Luckily the curve hides the rear half of the train, which was not quite so well matched, as it contained an InterCity liveried coach, three blue and greys, and a green vehicle!

58038 passes the site of Checker House station (between Worksop and Retford) on 28 November 1992 with a loaded MGR for Cottam Power Station. This remote station was closed to passengers as early as 1931, but remained opened for goods traffic until 1963. Note the loading gauge behind the loco. Quite why it was called Checker House is unclear, but apart from being on the A1 road, it was a very odd place for a station, with the nearest house some way off, and the nearest village (Ranby) over a mile to the north.

58039 Rugeley Power Station passes Great Paxton on 20 September 1986 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1G20 Kings Cross to Cleethorpes 'Lincolnshire Coast Pullman' railtour. In addition to Cleethorpes, the train also visited the bracing delights of Skegness. Note the difference in cant between the front and rear of the train as it negotiates the curve. In 1986 this location was easily accessible down a short section of farm track from the main road. However, a gate has subsequently appeared, although the obligatory lineside fencing that has also sprouted up along this section of the East Coast Mainline presumably means that this shot is now either impossible or very difficult.

58040 Cottam Power Station passes Cropredy on 10 May 1989 with the 7V06 13:50 Mantle Lane to Didcot Power Station MGR. It looks like something has gone wrong with the automatic loading of this train, as at least one wagon near the centre of the train looks to be seriously overloaded.

58040 Cottam Power Station passes through Heyford station on 24 May 1990 with the 7V60 15:06 Baddesley Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR. The footbridge has been replaced, Didcot Power Station has been closed, so no coal trains now pass this way, but the Oxford Canal boatyard still thrives.

58040 Cottam Power Station passes through Radley station on 9 July 1991 with the 7V85 14:26 Toton to Didcot Power Station MGR coal. This was in the days when Radley station was little used, with just a couple of cars in the car park, in contrast to today's completely full and extended car park. Also, in 1991 the down platform seemed to be growing a substantial crop of hay!

Viewed from the old Abingdon Branch bay platform, 58040 Cottam Power Station approaches Radley station on 9 July 1991 with the 6M61 20:05 Didcot Power Station to Toton MGR empties, which was running nearly an hour early. The Abingdon branch closed to passengers in 1963, but survived as a freight only line until 1984.

58040 Cottam Power Station runs along the freight only line near Oxcroft Junction on 1 September 1991 with the 2G91 10:20 Worksop to Elmton & Creswell Worksop Depot Open Day Special. 56007 is leading the train towards the bridge under the M1 motorway, which can be seen in the background. This line has subsequently been closed and lifted.

Watched by a large group of photographers and some interested locals (plus a dog!), 58040 Cottam Power Station passes Whitwell on 1 September 1991 with the 2G81 11:20 Chesterfield to Worksop Open Day special. 56007 is bringing up the rear.

58040 Cottam Power Station passes Hinksey Yard on 1 September 1999 with the 6S65 15:19 Eastleigh to Mossend Enterprise service. Note the inclusion of a couple of china clay tanks from Quidhampton, one living up to its 'Silver Bullet' nickname, the other not! A rake of overhead electrification vehicles is parked in the foreground.

Running 45 minutes late, 58041 Ratcliffe Power Station passes Clay Mills (Hargate) on 15 May 1987 with the 7G82 10:05 Toton Old Bank to Bescot Speedlink trip. Obviously Class 58s were more at home on bulk flows, especially MGRs to power stations, and this is my only picture of one working a Speedlink service.

58041 Ratcliffe Power Station approaches Hinksey Yard on 5 July 1991 with the early running 6M07 08:50 Didcot Power Station to Toton MGR empties. This area to the south of Oxford is dominated by electricity pylons.

Absolutely filthy 58041 Ratcliffe Power Station passes Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 29 February 1996 with the 6V13 12:20 Furzebrook to Hallen Marsh LPG tanks. Class 58s were often in this terrible external condition, as presumably the recessed body sides were much more difficult to keep clean.

58041 Ratcliffe Power Station arrives at Westerleigh on 13 June 1996 with the 4B05 17:47 Bath Oldfield Park to Westerleigh Avon Binliner, containing both loaded refuse containers from Bath, and empties from Calvert. It will shortly split the train and shunt the empty containers into the refuse transfer station.

Having arrived a little earlier with the 4B05 17:47 Bath Oldfield Park to Westerleigh Avon Binliner, 58041 Ratcliffe Power Station has detached the loaded Bath portion, and now shunts the empties into the waste transfer station at Westerleigh on 13 June 1996.

58041 Ratcliffe Power Station pulls out of Westerleigh waste transfer station on 13 June 1996 with the 4C06 20:00 Westerleigh to Stoke Gifford loaded Avon Binliner. The loco will leave the containers at Stoke Gifford, and run light to Barrow Road to pick up the final loaded portion. The whole ensemble will then head to Calvert.

58041 Ratcliffe Power Station passes Twerton on 21 June 1996 with the 4C13 11:21 Calvert to Bristol Avon Binliner empties. It has just dropped off some of the containers for loading at Oldfield Park. This used to be a very well known photographic location on the edge of Bath. Totally useless now, for a number of reasons!

58041 Ratcliffe Power Station passes the disused signal box at Aynho Junction on 14 August 2001 with the 6M28 17:57 Didcot to Bescot departmental working. This wasn't the only Class 58 hauled featherweight freight on this particular evening, as just 25 minutes later 58050 Toton Traction Depot passed by with the 6S65 15:19 Eastleigh to Mossend Enterprise service.

58042 Ironbridge Power Station passes through the dramatic landscape of Folkestone Warren on 21 December 1991 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z36 'Man of Kent' railtour. This was a circular tour of Kent, starting from St Pancras at 08:45, and visiting Faversham, Ramsgate, Sandwich, Dover and Tonbridge. Unfortunately it was an extremely dull and windy day, with plenty of rain. Perhaps that explains why there was only one other photographer at this spot, despite the unprecedented sight of a Class 58 on a passenger train in Kent!

58042 Ironbridge Power Station passes Welbeck Colliery Junction with MGR empties on 27 June 1992. The Class 58, HAA hoppers, and this fine display of upper quadrant semaphore signals have all passed into history.

58043 passes through Heyford station on 19 June 1991 with the 7V23 15:42 Toton to Didcot Power Station MGR. Nowadays there is more coal carried on the Oxford Canal in the background, than on the railway. With Didcot Power Station demolished, there are no longer any coal trains here, but there is a very limited coal traffic on the canal, to serve the resident boaters.

58043 rounds Didcot West Curve (between Foxhall and Didcot North Junctions) with the 6E11 10:15 Didcot Power Station to Barrow Hill MGR coal empties on 2 May 1992. These returning coal empties were the main users of this curve at the time and the liberal additional coal 'ballast' shows that the hopper doors of the supposedly empty wagons obviously didn't fit too well!

58043 passes a pair of wagons loaded with concrete sleepers, and a line of weather beaten Grampus wagons at Hinksey Yard on 18 August 1998, as it unusually heads north with a loaded MGR coal train. Hinksey Yard was transformed from this semi derelict state into a 'Virtual Quarry' ballast dump a couple of years after this picture was taken.

A meeting of freightliner trains at Radley on the evening of 25 June 2001. A very poor quality image, both technically, and because I wasn't stood in the ideal position, but not since the miner's strike of 1984 had I seen a Class 58 working a freightliner. 58043 gives a helping hand to failed 47302, with what is presumably the 4S59 15:13 Millbrook to Coatbridge. 57010 Freightliner Crusader approaches from the opposite direction with the 4O17 15:36 Lawley Street to Millbrook.

58043 passes Banbury on 17 August 2001 with the 6S65 15:19 Eastleigh to Mossend Enterprise. This was the successor to the sadly missed Speedlink wagonload service, and carried a variety of traffic, although without the sheer variety of the old Speedlink trains. On this occasion the train consisted of two LPG tanks from Furzebrook, and eight china clay tanks from Quidhampton.

58044 passes Cropredy on 10 May 1989 with the 7V60 15:06 Baddesley Colliery to Didcot Power Station MGR. There's not much colour here, with the unbranded grey loco matching the dull grey of the HAA hopper wagons.

The longest day, and what better place to spend an evening taking railway pictures than the road bridge at Culham, or at least it was worthwhile in 1991! 58044 heads north on 21 June 1991 with the 6M06 18:43 Didcot Power Station to Daw Mill Colliery MGR empties.

58044 passes Hinksey Yard on 1 August 1991 with the 6M38 13:05 Didcot Power Station to Three Spires Junction MGR empties. In the background is the flimsy looking footbridge that has provided generations of Oxford's railway photographers with their favourite vantage point.

58044 passes Kings Sutton on 8 August 1991 with the 6M06 18:50 Didcot Power Station to Daw Mill Colliery MGR empties. This location is still as popular as ever with photographers over three decades later, but coal trains haven't passed this way for a long time.

58044 Oxcroft Opencast passes the rusting lines leading into the closed Castle Donington Power Station on a sunny and warm 18 August 1992, with a loaded MGR coal train from Toton. This scene has subsequently changed completely. The lines in the foreground were removed when the power station was demolished, and a new road bridge now crosses the line approximately where the loco is! And of course, Class 58s are no longer in use on the national network.

58044 Oxcroft Opencast rounds the sharp curve between Foxlow Junction and Hall Lane Junction on 28 November 1992 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z36 11:23 West Burton Power Station to Salisbury 'Cottam Picker' railtour. 47845 County of Kent is bringing up the rear.

Watched by two of the resident horses of Grange Farm, 58044 Oxcroft Opencast passes Bourton on 25 July 1995 with the late running 6V13 12:20 Furzebrook to Hallen Marsh LPG tanks. Just visible on the horizon (at least on the original slide!) is the famous Uffington White Horse.

58045 approaches journey's end, as it passes Ellistown on 3 June 1990 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1T05 08:24 St Pancras to Coalville 'Coalville & Calverton Caboodle' railtour. Ibstock Sidings were formerly situated in the background of this view, where two lines diverged at different angles, one to Ibstock Colliery, the other to Nailstone Colliery. Ibstock Colliery closed in 1928, but the line remained open for many years to serve a nearby brickworks. Nailstone Colliery closed in 1967.

This can hardly be a profitable working - the south coast to Scotland with one van! 58045 passes Hinksey Yard on 8 July 1999 with the 6S65 15:19 Eastleigh to Mossend Enterprise, comprising just a single VBA van of MoD stores, which had originated from either Ludgershall or Marchwood.

58045 approaches the remote station at Shippea Hill with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z43 03:58 Crewe to Lowestoft 'Freightliner Phoenix' railtour on 12 May 2001. The tour did not quite live up to its name, as due to traction problems no Freightliner locos were employed! However, in addition to this 58, Class 56, 60, 66, 59 & 92 locos were employed at various points during the day.

58046 Thoresby Colliery passes Clay Mills (Hargate) with a southbound loaded MGR on 4 September 1991. At the time this loco was less than eight years old, and everyone assumed it would be around for decades to come. However, EWS withdrawal the final member of the class just over a decade later, in what was a shocking waste of resources.

The last rays of the setting sun nicely illuminate 58047 as it comes off Didcot West Curve at Didcot North Junction on 4 July 1991 with the 6E21 20:10 Didcot Power Station to Barrow Hill MGR empties. Not only are there no longer any coal trains here, as Didcot Power Station is closed, but also this viewpoint is now severely restricted due to lineside growth. All those little bushes on the right are now big bushes, and would block out virtually all the light this late on a summer evening.

58047 passes underneath the farm occupation bridge at Stenson on 22 January 1992 with a loaded MGR for the nearby Willington Power Station. The filthy condition of the loco is unfortunately typical of the era, not helped by the difficulty of cleaned the recessed body sides.

58047 Manton Colliery heads north up the Midland Mainline near Ampthill (Millbrook) with the 6A62 18:36 Cricklewood to Forders Shanks & McEwan binliner on 17 July 1996. It will shortly be running round its train at Bedford before heading down the Bletchley line to Forders, where it is due to arrive at 20:15. This traffic has now ceased, as after many years of taking London's rubbish, the former brick pit is now full. Note the 17th century Ampthill Park House just visible in the background on the left.

58047 Manton Colliery just manages to avoid the lengthening shadows, as it passes Kempston on 17 July 1996 with the 6A62 18:36 Cricklewood to Forders Shanks & McEwan binliner. I had already photographed this on the Midland Mainline near Ampthill, and there was easily enough time to get to this location while the loco ran round the train in Bedford.

58047 & 58039 leave Oxford station on 27 June 1998 with the Worksop Open Day Committee 1Z58 06:05 Worksop to Weymouth 'Wessex Wanderer' railtour. The EWS livery is an almost exact match for the 1950s style carmine and cream coaching stock. Unfortunately this once excellent location has been compromised by the new station car park, which was still under construction when this picture was taken.

The historic and the soon to be historic. Both Class 58s and the 4C13 11:21 Calvert to Bristol Avon Binliner no longer operate, whilst the coal fired Didcot Power Station, which can be seen on the extreme right has only a few months left before closure (as of July 2012). 58048 passes Circourt Bridge, Denchworth on 21 November 1996.

58049 Littleton Colliery passes Hinksey Yard on 29 July 1991 with what is presumably the late running 6M28 14:10 Didcot Power Station to Toton MGR empties. Photo taken from a footbridge that leads to Pembroke College Sports Ground.

58049 Littleton Colliery pulls out of the loop at Bristol East Depot and approaches North Somerset Junction on 10 April 1997 with the 4B05 17:47 Bath Oldfield Park to Westerleigh Avon Binliner, conveying both loaded containers from Bath and empties for Westerleigh. The loco had previously taken the third portion to Bristol Barrow Road, while the Bath containers were being loaded. The line in the foreground is the North Somerset Junction to Bristol West Junction loop line that avoids Temple Meads station and gives access to St Philips Marsh depot.

The very last of the evening sunshine illuminates 58049 Littleton Colliery with a golden glow as it passes Kempston Hardwick on 4 June 1997 with the 6A62 18:36 Cricklewood to Forders Sidings binliner. It was only really possible to get a decent shot of this train on what has now become known as the Marston Vale line in mid summer, as it did not leave Bedford after its run round until 20:20. The chimneys in the background forming part of the Kempston Hardwick Brickworks have subsequently been demolished.

A slightly different angle on a familiar location. 58050 Toton Traction Depot passes Frisby-on-the-Wreake on 21 April 2001 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z38 05:35 Preston to Orton Mere 'Nene Navigator' railtour. This was one of those classic multi traction tours, in this case even involving Class 14 haulage on the Nene Valley Railway. The 58 was used between Kettering and Toton.

58050 Toton Traction Depot passes the remains of Aynho Junction signal box on 14 August 2001 with the very lightly loaded 6S65 15:19 Eastleigh to Mossend Enterprise service. The signal box had been disused since 1992, and was demolished shortly after this picture was taken.

A ridiculously easy load for 58050 Toton Traction Depot, as it approaches Wolvercote Junction on 28 August 2001 with the 6M28 17:57 Didcot to Bescot departmental working. By this date, this once excellent photographic location was becoming seriously overgrown, although this is nothing compared with what happened under Network Rail's 'do nothing' policy!

Token exchange at Park Junction (near Newport) on 6 July 2002. 58050 Toton Traction Depot heads the 17:22 Machen Quarry to Westbury stone train. This was the last occasion on which a Class 58 visited Machen Quarry. This picture is also noteworthy, as 58050 had less than a month left in service, being withdrawn at Eastleigh on 5 August 2002.