56039 Port of Hull & 47739 Resourceful pass Hibaldstow on 18 February 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Killingholme 'Hym'n'Ham' railtour. I remember being surprised at the time that I was the only photographer at this location. The tour did not quite make it to its ultimate destination at Killingholme, due to the state of the track.

47739 Resourceful passes Melton Ross on 18 February 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Killingholme 'Hym'n'Ham' railtour. Unusually for a railtour from around this time, this was actually running a little early!

47739 Resourceful passes Great Coates Sidings on 18 February 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Killingholme 'Hym'n'Ham' railtour. 56039 Port of Hull is bringing up the rear. This location, on the edge of Grimsby, has now become much more overgrown.

56039 Port of Hull brings up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Killingholme 'Hym'n'Ham' railtour at Great Coates Sidings on 18 February 1995. The ribbon on the front of the loco is in celebration of the wedding of Roger Elliot and Dawn Fydell, who were having their reception on the train! 47739 Resourceful is out of sight around the corner at the head of the train.

47739 Resourceful passes Immingham East Junction on 18 February 1995 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Killingholme 'Hym'n'Ham' railtour. 56039 Port of Hull is bringing up the rear. The ribbon on the front of the loco is in celebration of the wedding of Roger Elliot and Dawn Fydell, who were having their reception on the train, as it traversed these rare (for a passenger train) freight lines!

56039 Port of Hull brings up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Killingholme 'Hym'n'Ham' railtour at Immingham East Junction on 18 February 1995. Out of sight around the corner, 47739 Resourceful is at the head of the train.

150228 passes Plean on 24 May 1999 with the 13:55 Dunblane to Edinburgh ScotRail service. This was a very blustery day, with heavy showers alternating with spells of sunshine. Full sun here, and the Wallace Monument on the hillside in the background stands out in the bright light, contrasting markedly with the dark clouds behind. Over to the left, another downpour is completely blocking out the view of the distant mountains.

Brand new 150101 approaches Wellingborough on 12 December 1985 with a southbound crew training run. The two prototype Class 150s (150001 & 150002) had been introduced the previous year, and had spent a lot of time working test trains. 150101 was the first of the production units, and had only been delivered a few weeks before this picture was taken.

Two types of 1980s DMUs, one with a long design life, the other with a limited service life, but which would turn out to have a life far in excess of its original design life! 150249 & 142028 leave Rhyl station on 11 August 1991 with the 09:07 Crewe to Llandudno Regional Railways service.

47338 Warrington Yard just manages to avoid the worst of the late evening shadows, as it passes Overthorpe on 14 June 1994 with the 6M08 18:20 Swindon to Longbridge Rover car body panels. It looks like its been a long day for the secondman!

60050 passes Smardale on 31 May 1999 with the 6O20 10:24 Milford to Killoch MGR empties. This side view shows the majority of the small hamlet of Smardale, including the distinctive Smardale Hall, a grade II listed tower house.

47824 Glorious Devon passes Oxford North Junction on 20 July 1990 with the 1M61 17:50 Paddington to Liverpool Lime Street service. This was running 20 minutes late. Although unfortunately partly hidden by the shadows from the Aristotle Lane footbridge, note that the fifth coach is a ScotRail liveried vehicle.

47807 The Lion of Vienna passes Kings Sutton on 19 May 1998 with the 1M79 16:47 Reading to Liverpool Lime Street Virgin CrossCountry service. This was running just five minutes behind the late running 1M50 14:20 Brighton to Manchester Piccadilly service.

37215 stands at the head of a line up of locos in the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Toddington Yard on 5 December 1999. On the left is the as yet unrestored 37099, which would later emerge in the guise of 37324.

37230 approaches Cholsey on 4 September 1987 with the 6A05 10:39 Westbury to Didcot MGR empties. This was returning from Westbury Cement Works, and would later be worked back to a Midlands colliery. Looking back I should have made much more of an effort to photograph this train on the Berks & Hants line, where it wouldn't have been so backlit!

156441 passes through the snowy landscape near Sandycroft on 30 December 2000, as it works the 11:42 Llandudno to Manchester Piccadilly First North Western service. At this stage, the new franchise operator had just replaced the DMU's former Regional Railways light blue stripe with a green one.

A Class 421 4-CIG meeting at Potbridge on 6 November 1991. 1214 ambles along the relief line with the 07:15 Lymington Pier to Waterloo Network SouthEast service, and is about to be overtaken by 1310 and an unidentified classmate, working the 07:07 Portsmouth Harbour Waterloo train.

150134 approaches Lostock Gralam on 13 June 1992 with the 12:54 Wigan Wallgate to Chester Regional Railways service. The private road on the right leads to the Holford Brinefields, which produces brine for the building and chemical industries. Nearby is the site of the former Associated Octel chemical works, which for over forty years produced tetraethyllead, which was the anti-knock additive in leaded petrol.

The rickety wooden fence separating the railway from a small section of waste ground next to Water Orton station was familiar to many railway photographers in the 1980s. I am not the only person making use of this location on 17 March 1989, as 150102 passes through the station with the 11:10 Birmingham New Street to Lincoln Central Regional Railways service.

If only all Speedlink trains had been this long! 47281 passes Ratcliffe-on-Soar on the afternoon of 1 July 1985 with a lengthy northbound working, comprising 30 domestic coal hoppers, several open wagons, and at least nine vans. The working timetable mentions a 8M46 13:35 Whitemoor to Toton around this time, but I'm not sure that this train would be running under a 8xxx headcode. Confirmation anyone?

47377 approaches Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 25 November 1993 with the 6V99 13:53 Hamworthy to Cardiff Tidal steel empties. The newly laid down relief line has yet to see a train, and the up relief has yet to be laid, the formation having just been prepared.

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.

DRS 20309 & 20311 provide the power, and Fragonset 31468 provides the train heat, as the Eagle Railtours 1Z27 09:58 Worcester Shrub Hill to Buxton 'High Peak Explorer' railtour emerges from Barmoor Clough Tunnel on 28 March 1999.

158853 passes Rossett on 10 July 1999 with the 07:36 Birmingham New Street to Chester Central Trains service. The Rosebay Willowherb is starting to colonise the ballast of what was once a four track railway. The double track mainline also had two loops at this point, which makes today's single track line look a bit pathetic!

Prospective passengers at Brandon are temporarily distracted on 21 August 1999, as 60061 Alexander Graham Bell passes through the station with the 6L39 09:05 Peterborough to Norwich Trowse Redland stone hoppers. The train would have arrived at Peterborough the previous day as the 6E89 09:36 Mountsorrel to Peterborough.

56053 Sir Morgannwg Ganol / County of Mid Glamorgan passes 09107, as it scuttles past Ebbw Junction on 24 July 1996. At the time, the yard required two shunters, as 09015 was parked a lot nearer to the bridge.

Visiting Mainline Freight 37074 passes Waterside (near Goodrington) in superb evening light on 25 May 1996 with the 17:40 Kingswear to Paignton engineer's train, during the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway's Diesel Gala.

142025 arrives at Wylam station on 15 November 1999 with the 09:00 Sunderland to Carlisle Northern Spirit service. The varied autumn tints in the trees partially make up for the very dull weather. The Tyne Valley line was one of the country's earliest railways, and as Wylam station dates from 1835, it makes it one of the world's oldest operational railway stations.

Emergency level crossing repairs in the rain at Goole on 11 April 1998. With the Boothferry Road gates still in the up position, 142077 very cautiously crosses the road with the 09:47 Doncaster to Goole Regional Railways North East service. This level crossing is a very busy one, being in the centre of the town. However, as can be seen here, there were plenty of rail workers around to make sure that no motorists ran into the side of an unexpected Pacer!

50035 Ark Royal approaches Oxford on 29 October 1982 with the 1M03 09:00 Paddington to Manchester Piccadilly service. Note that the up main line is closed, although this was only temporary, as by the time the next Class 50 appeared from the south, the restriction had been lifted. Also the engineer's train with two bridge girders had also been moved.

50033 Glorious passes Radley station on 7 December 1985 with the 1F29 10:35 Oxford to Paddington service. At this time there was also a completely open view from the roadbridge in the background. For some reason I never took that many photos here until later years when lineside vegetation was more of a problem.

47565 passes Ascott-under-Wychwood's last remaining semaphore signal on 10 November 1985, as it heads up the Cotswold Line with the diverted 1S61 07:34 Poole to Glasgow Central service. The Banbury line was closed for engineering work, but I hadn't checked up on this beforehand. It was the clatter of the signal arm dropping to clear that gave me enough warning to get in the right position to photograph this.

47739 Resourceful, pictured in the days when test trains were red, not yellow! The Res livery almost matches the red of the Serco coaches. The colourful ensemble is seen here heading west at Woodborough on 28 July 1999.

Unfortunately I never did get a picture of 50049 Defiance whilst it was operating as a re-geared freight locomotive, and numbered 50149. However, as it was cosmetically restored into Class 50/1 guise in the early days of its preservation, I was at last able to get some pictures of it in Railfreight General livery. Here is a good side view of the locomotive at Kidderminster on 16 October 1999, while it was taking part in the Severn Valley Railway' Diesel Gala. Note the unusual yellow backed nameplate.

43065 passes the flooded fields near Upper Heyford on 14 February 1995, as it heads south down the Cherwell Valley with the 1O09 08:17 Manchester Piccadilly to Bournemouth 'Pines Express'. Luckily the towpath of the Oxford Canal, from which this picture was taken, is considerably higher than the surrounding land, so waders were not required!

47553 approaches Standish Junction on Saturday 7 July 1984 with an unidentified northbound working. This train does not match up with anything in the timetable, and although I can find a reference to the locomotive working the 1A33 16:33 Cardiff Central to Paddington train the following day, I have not been able to identify this train. Apart from the Mk2 BFK at the rear, and the Mk1 catering vehicle in the middle of the rake, the train is composed entirely of Mk2 first class air-cons.

47582 County of Norfolk passes Hinksey Yard on 6 May 1988 with the 1F48 17:02 Paddington to Oxford service. Although the Network SouthEast loco is appropriate for the train, the InterCity stock has obviously been borrowed, as the usual stock for this train was a rake of NSE liveried Mk1s.

20100 ambles bonnet first past Toton on 16 October 1986. This trainless view gives an uninterrupted view of the extensive yards, which at this time were accumulating lines of redundant coaching stock and withdrawn vacuum braked wagons.

After having just traversed the Denby branch, 31551 & 3144 emerge from the fog at Breadsall on 2 December 1995 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z54 07:50 St Pancras to Hammersmith (Midland Railway Centre) 'Butter Mountain' railtour. 47525 is bringing up the rear.

47525 brings up the rear of the Hertfordshire Railtours 1Z54 07:50 St Pancras to Hammersmith (Midland Railway Centre) 'Butter Mountain' railtour at Breadsall on a very misty 2 December 1995. 31551 & 31466 are the lead locomotives. The car park lights in the background give a clue as to how dark it was!

Catching the last of the evening light at Wolvercote Junction on 18 August 1993, surprisingly clean 60047 Robert Owen heads north with the 6E81 19:55 Didcot Power Station to Worksop MGR empties. This was the last summer that all of Didcot's coal came from the Midlands, as at the time the new bulk handling terminal was being commissioned at Avonmouth, allowing imported coal to be brought to Didcot via the Great Western Mainline.

37258 passes Cheltenham on 17 March 1988 with the 6V05 09:32 Round Oak to Margam, comprising just a single covered steel carrier. This light load was by no means unusual at the time. The train still runs today, with the same headcode, but not unfortunately with the same traction.

Still accelerating away from Hungerford station, L401 (51333, 59485 & 51375) passes underneath the roadbridge at Hungerford Common on 30 September 1989 with the 2B33 12:59 Bedwyn to Reading Network SouthEast service.

L401 (51375, 59485 & 51333) passes Shottesbrooke on 29 October 1989 with the 2F20 07:40 Paddington to Reading Network SouthEast service. This was one of a number of excellent photographic locations between Maidenhead and Reading, all of which have been sadly lost due to the electrification of the route. However, as can be seen here, apart from in the summer, trains had to be on the relief lines in order to guarantee being free of shadows.

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 Trainload Construction Cromptons on NSE stock is a typical odd 1990s railtour combination!

A big journey for a little locomotive. D2192 crosses Greenway Viaduct on 20 June 1992 with the 17:20 Kingswear to Paignton service, during the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway's Diesel Gala. With a suitably small load, the loco's top speed of 28.5mph is no handicap on a 25mph restricted heritage line, but 6.7 miles is still quite an outing!

With all but one vehicle in the attractive Great Western Trains livery, 43020 John Grooms leads the 1C24 08:00 Paddington to Penzance service past Lympsham on 20 September 1998. Unfortunately this colour scheme soon got changed into First Great Western's 'fag packet' livery.

A minor piece of Swindon's railway history, that disappeared long ago, and was probably rarely photographed. This is the bridge carrying the former Midland & South Western Junction Railway over the A420 (now the A3102), with the Great Western Mainline bridge in the background. When this picture was taken, on 22 August 1978, the rails were still in place on top of the bridge, although the line had been disused for many years. This scene is totally unrecognisable today, with the bridge in the background being the only point of reference. The MSWJR bridge has been demolished, and the road converted into a dual carriageway.

The early morning sun struggles to burn through the mist, as 50034 Furious passes Hinksey Yard on 4 July 1985 with the 1F11 07:08 Oxford to Paddington service. 08803 waits in the background for a path to Morris Cowley.

I didn't see this move happen very often. 50040 Leviathan heads north from Oxford with a rake of Mk1 coaches, which it would then take across both main lines, and reverse into the up carriage sidings. Photo taken on 23 August 1985.

20904 Janis brings up the rear of the Hunslet Barclay weedkilling train at Narroways Hill Junction on 16 April 1991. 20901 Nancy is leading. This fine panoramic view of the northern suburbs of Bristol, includes Stapleton Road station in the background, next to St Mark's church (now deconsecrated).

802017 passes Manningford Bruce on 24 March 2020 with the 1A74 08:52 Castle Cary to Paddington GWR service. This would normally be the 1A74 07:10 Paignton to Paddington train, but engineering works had closed the line between Taunton and Castle Cary.

Still travelling slowly, after exiting Woodborough loop, 59002 Alan J Day passes Manningford Bruce on 24 March 2020 with the 7A09 07:12 Merehead Quarry to Action 'jumbo' stone train. Due to the Coronavirus restrictions, this was taken on my one permitted daily walk.

158828 approaches Elmbridge (near Gloucester) on 23 March 2020 with the 2G51 10:37 Cheltenham Spa to Cardiff Central Transport for Wales service. The houses of Churchdown can just be glimpsed through the bushes in the background.

50007 Hercules passes Elmbridge on 23 March 2020 with the 5Z44 09:16 Long Marston to Laira, conveying GWR Mk3 coach 12161, and HST power car 43091. 50049 Defiance is bringing up the rear. This was running an hour early, and unfortunately corresponded with a period of thin cloud taking the edge off the light.

50049 Defiance brings up the rear of the 5Z44 09:16 Long Marston to Laira stock move at Elmbridge on 23 March 2020. 50007 Hercules is leading the train, which comprises HST power car 43091 and Mk3 coach 12161. The newly planted apple trees in the foreground will soon obscure this view.

66708 Jayne passes the newly planted apple trees in 'Jim's Orchard' (near Elmbridge) on 23 March 2020. The train is the 6M42 09:06 Avonmouth Hanson Sidings to Penyffordd Cement Works empty cement tanks, which was just pulling away from its booked hour long layover at Gloucester.

166209 passes Elmbridge on 23 March 2020 with the 1O98 10:41 Great Malvern to Westbury GWR service. This was running 25 minutes late, and although it later regained some time, it was terminated at Bristol Temple Meads. In the foreground is a newly planted orchard, featuring various varieties of apple trees.

'Welcome to Jim's Orchard'. The active bee hives will ensure that the apple trees on the right will be pollinated when they come into flower. This new nature reserve is beside the line at Elmbridge, near Gloucester. 43207 passes by on 23 March 2020 with the 1V50 06:06 Edinburgh to Plymouth CrossCountry service. This broadside shot required a shutter speed of 1/4000sec in order to freeze the action.

170203 crosses the A40 Gloucester bypass at Elmbridge on 23 March 2020 with the 2G53 12:21 Cheltenham Spa to Cardiff Central Transport for Wales service. The red and white livery certainly stands out. Please take note GWR!

66108 crosses the A40 Gloucester bypass at Elmbridge on 23 March 2020 with the 4V44 10:45 Daventry to Wentloog Tesco liner. 66108 is one of a small group of DB Cargo Class 66s that is on long term hire to DRS.

Residents of Wolvercote can see Chiltern Railways trains approaching Oxford from the north on a daily basis, but not on this line. The trains from Marylebone normally travel via Bicester, and join the Banbury line at Oxford North Junction. On 22 March 2020, extensive engineering work closed the Chiltern line, and Birmingham to London trains travelled via Banbury to Oxford. Having just passed the junction with the Cotswold Line (just out of sight around the corner), 168107 passes Wolvercote with the 1H29 12:13 Birmingham Moor Street to Oxford service.

50007 Hercules passes Wolvercote on Sunday 22 March 2020 with the 5Z50 12:45 Reading Traincare Depot to Kidderminster ECS, taking GWR Mk3 coach 12161 to the Severn Valley Railway. 50049 Defiance is bringing up the rear.

Running 51 minutes late, 66080 passes Challow on 21 March 2020 with the 6C03 09:00 Brentford Town Day & Sons to Severnside Sita Binliner. Settled high pressure may mean sunshine, but it can also mean thin high cloud, which took the edge off the light for most of the time I was at the lineside.

60054 passes Challow on 21 March 2020 with the 6B33 11:42 Theale to Margam Murco oil empties. With a lot of GWR passenger services cancelled due to the Coronavirus emergency, there was no need for this train to use the relief line for its booked brief stop.

Strange goings on at Challow on 21 March 2020. Instead of slowing down, prior to coming to a stop at signals just behind me, 66604 is pictured travelling at speed along the down relief line with the 6B91 12:34 Hayes & Harlington to East Usk Yard stone empties. It went into the loop at Wantage Road, and straight out again at Challow. With far fewer GWR passengers trains operating, due to the Coronavirus crisis, there was no need to do this, as nothing passed it while it was on the relief line. This naturally converted its 17 minutes early running to 52 minutes!

66078 passes Challow on 21 March 2020 with the 4V96 12:42 Banbury Reservoir to Bristol East stone empties. This had left Banbury 47 minutes early, but by Didcot had tuned that into a 42 minute deficit. It was only 11 minutes behind time here.

London Overground 710272 passes the remains of Widmerpool station on 19 March 2020, as it heads north along the Old Dalby test track, during commissioning testing. This isolated station closed as early as 1949, and its station building was converted into a restaurant in the 1960s, with various modern single storey extensions sprawling out onto the old platform. As can be seen from this view, it is no longer in use. Note the waiting shelter on the opposite platform. Despite waiting for over one and a half hours, I did not see this train return from the Edwalton end of the line.

60096 Impetus passes through Hensall station in the rain on 18 March 2020 with the 6E09 08:10 Tuebrook Sidings to Drax Power Station biomass. This was running half an hour early, having missed out its booked stop at Sudforth Lane.

66133 approaches Hensall on 18 March 2020 with the 4R53 13:55 Drax Power Station to Immingham biomass empties. Just visible in the background is the rear of the 6E09 08:10 Tuebrook Sidings to Drax Power Station biomass, which was being hauled by 60096 Impetus. That was the reason I was here in such atrocious weather, as obviously there is no way that I would go out in the rain just to photograph a 'Shed'!

Grade II listed Hensall Signal Box, pictured on 18 March 2020. The box was built by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway in 1875. It was use, with various alterations to the lever frame, for 139 years, finally closing in May 2014.

60085 Adept arrives at Drax Power Station on 17 March 2020 with the 6E10 11:15 Liverpool Biomass Terminal to Drax Power Station biomass. 18:15 on a dull early spring day is not the ideal time for photography, and it was almost dark. Unfortunately however, it was the only daylight (just!) Class 60 working to Drax on this particular day, and as I was in the area, I thought it worth an attempt. The terrible conditions required an exposure of 1/250sec f2 at ISO3200! The ambient light level is so low, that the glow from the light in the engine room can clearly be seen through the grill.

Since May 2019, Cotswold Line passenger services have been almost entirely dominated by the new Class 800/802 DMUs. One train that is still worked by one of the two car Class 165 units is the 2E80 06:53 Worcester Foregate Street to Didcot Parkway GWR service, which is the only up train that calls at all the minor stations. It is pictured leaving Moreton-in-Marsh on 16 March 2020.

170636 passes Burbage Common on 16 March 2020 with the 1K07 08:52 Birmingham New Street to Leicester CrossCountry service. This is the view from the public footpath crossing, looking back towards the Stoney Stanton to Hinckley road bridge.

Springtime at Burbage Common. A few roadside daffodils brighten up the scene, as 170520 heads away from the camera on 16 March 2020 with the 1N45 07:21 Stansted Airport to Birmingham New Street CrossCountry service.

47813 Jack Frost passes Burbage Common on 16 March 2020 with the 5Q78 09:57 Loughborough Brush to Canton Pullmans ECS, conveying newly converted bi-mode unit 769003 (formerly a Class 319 EMU). The train also includes six barrier vehicles.

Nearing the end of its tenure on the Midland Mainline, after three decades of speeding up and down the route, 43076 is pictured passing Cossington on 16 March 2020 with the 1B38 11:45 Nottingham to St Pancras International East Midlands Railway service.

Sometimes the simplest liveries are the best. 156413 looks smart in its plain blue EMR Regional livery, as it passes Cossington on 16 March 2020 with the 2L60 10:36 Lincoln Central to Leicester East Midlands Railway service. This vibrant blue colour scheme looks far better than the dark purple livery that EMR will eventually roll out across its fleet - when it can find the money!

With the fourteenth century spire of Kirby Bellars church in the background, 66414 passes Asfordby on 16 March 2020 with the 4M81 08:01 Felixstowe North to Crewe Basford Hall freightliner. Asfordby station (closed in 1951) was situated near the rear of the train.

66720 passes Asfordby on 16 March 2020 with the 6M60 11:07 Whitemoor to Mountsorrel ballast empties. Coincidentally, I almost photographed this colourful locomotive, on this train, at this location several years ago, but it passed by as I was still walking down the footpath to the lineside. In consolation, that was on a miserably dull day, whereas here we have perfect spring sunshine.

170105 passes Asfordby on 16 March 2020 with the 1N55 12:27 Stansted Airport to Birmingham New Street CrossCountry service. Kirby Bellars church can be seen in the background. Because of the nice cloud effect, I have deliberately included more sky in the picture than usual.

Soft evening lighting at Cockwood Harbour on 3 May 1999. 47812 passes the collection of little boats, as it heads south with the 1V50 08:40 Glasgow to Penzance Virgin CrossCountry service. Although the foreground is interesting enough, I never did get a picture here when the tide was in. Water looks better than mud!

24081 & 47105 approach Greet on 19 October 2002 with the 12:25 Toddington to Gotherington service, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Autumn Diesel Gala. 47105's steam heating boiler is clearly in perfect working order.

With frost still lying on the sleepers, despite the sunshine, 159016 rounds the curve from the Romsey line a Redbridge on 23 December 2001 with the diverted 09:00 Honiton to Waterloo South West Trains service.

47818 Strathclyde carries a slightly inappropriate name for this location, as Worting Junction is a long way from Scotland! It s pictured passing the junction near Basingstoke on 16 July 2001 with the 1M01 06:40 Poole to Liverpool Lime Street Virgin Cross Country service.

800009 John Charles & 800030 pass Grove on 14 March 2020 with the 1L66 07:58 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington GWR service. Just visible in the far distance is 56103, which had arrived 29 minutes early with the 5Z20 08:14 Bristol Barton Hill to Wembley DVT move, and would sit there for 35 minutes. This picture is taken from a public footpath crossing, that bizarrely has had the modern palisade fence enclosure removed, and replaced for no obvious reason by a wooden fence.

56103 passes Grove on 14 March 2020 with the 5Q20 08:14 Bristol Barton Hill to Wembley, conveying Chiltern Railways DVT 82301. It was sunny for most of the time as I was driving both to and from this location, and intermittently while this train was sat at a red signal in the distance, but naturally cloudy when after a 35 minute wait, it moved off again.

57601 Windsor Castle passes Shorthampton on 13 March 2020 with the Northern Belle 1Z43 08:30 Paddington to Evesham 'Gold Cup Special', taking racegoers to the final day of the Cheltenham Festival. 57316 is bringing up the rear. The farm occupation bridge in the background has recently acquired fences on either end, to prevent access. This is no hardship, as before the vegetation clearance of a few years ago, the totally impenetrable mass of brambles on the bridge completely prevented any access!

57316 brings up the rear the Northern Belle 1Z43 08:30 Paddington to Evesham 'Gold Cup Special' at Shorthampton on 13 March 2020. 57601 Windsor Castle is the lead locomotive. I don't mind going out to my local line for a picture of one of West Coast Railway's 'sludge brown' locos, but I wouldn't normally travel any distance to see one. This is precisely why I abandoned my plans to travel from here to Yorkshire for the Branch Line Society's three day railtour featuring Colas traction, which at the last minute had seen the substitution of a pair of WCR's depressing locos.

The old, not so old and the new! 37401 Mary Queen of Scots passes South Marston on 12 March 2020 with the 5Z37 08:42 Norwich Crown Point to Newport Docks (Sims Group) ECS, conveying six former Greater Anglia coaches for scrapping. This is a slightly ironic picture, as while these superb vehicles are heading for the cutter's torch, the much less comfortable modern replacement for much Mk3 stock is heading in the opposite direction. 802109 is working the 1A21 13:00 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington GWR service.

37401 Mary Queen of Scots passes South Marston on 12 March 2020 with the 5Z37 08:42 Norwich Crown Point to Newport Docks (Sims Group) ECS, conveying six former Greater Anglia Mk3 coaches for scrapping. Unfortunately 802109 rather gets in the way in the background, but at least it had stopped raining (note the black sky in the background), and the sun was now out!

D1935 (47805) Roger Hosking MA 1925 - 2013 passes South Marston on 12 March 2020 with the 5Z47 11:31 Long Marston to Eastleigh Arlington ECS, conveying a rake of former GWR HST coaches. Hidden by one of the overhead electfrication posts, D1924 (47810) Crewe Diesel Depot is bringing up the rear. I would normally have chosen a much better location that wasn't backlit, but I wasn't going to miss 37401 Mary Queen of Scots, which passed by in the other direction, half an hour earlier.

D1924 (47810) Crewe Diesel Depot brings up the rear of the 5Z47 11:31 Long Marston to Eastleigh Arlington ECS at South Marston on 12 March 2020. Two barrier vehicles sandwich a rake of former GWR HST coaches. D1935 (47805) Roger Hosking MA 1925 - 2013  is leading. The digger in the field on the left is preparing a new footpath deviation. Directly above this, Westmill Wind Farm can be seen on the horizon.

56046 passes Waltham St Lawrence on Saturday 5 March 1988 with the 6V17 10:00 Allington to Stoke Gifford ARC stone empties. Although this train departed from Allington at the same time on a weekday, and arrived at Stoke Gifford at more or less the same time, the crew change at Southall took much longer during the week.

The late evening sun bounces off the roof of 37678, as it passes Bourton on 11 August 1998 with a short eastbound departmental working. Note the incomplete crossover in the background, directly behind the train.

37670 slowly backs onto the Royal Scotsman coaches in KIncraig Loop on 8 August 2000, after having run round the train. This is the 5H98 08:45 Boat of Garten to Aviemore ECS, which will later form the 1H98 11:51 Aviemore to Kyle of Lochalsh luxury charter.

158868 leads an unidentified classmate past the semaphores at Woofferton on 14 August 1999. The train is the 09:33 Manchester Piccadilly to Penzance Wales & West service. At the time these long distance trains were running under the Alphaline banner. The Alphaline sticker is the only alteration to the Class 158's original livery.

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.

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.