47343 passes Wormbridge on 14 May 1984 with the 6M33 07:00 Llanwern to Dee Marsh steel coils. This was early photography days, when I hadn't yet learnt to avoid cutting off the back of the train! 47343 was withdrawn in 1992 after suffering accident damage when it collided with DMU 158861 near Stockport.

47209 Herbert Austin lays a smokescreen over Hinksey Yard on 1 August 1991, as it heads north with the 4S59 13:10 Southampton Maritime to Coatbridge freightliner. In the 1990s there were far more freight trains passing through Oxford, but much less of the traffic was freightliners.

The Matthews Cotswold Flour lorry immediately identifies this location as the small Cotswold Line station at Shipton-under-Wychwood (just Shipton in railway speak). 37610 passes through on 20 February 2025 with the 1Q23 06:45 Bristol Kingsland Road to Derby RTC Network Rail test train. 37402 Oor Wullie is bringing up the rear.

37402 Oor Wullie brings up the rear of the 1Q23 06:45 Bristol Kingsland Road to Derby RTC Network Rail test train, as it passes through Shipton station on 20 February 2025 led by 37610. This was a very dull day, with intermittent rain, but it did provide the opportunity to take this picture from the north side of the line, which would have been impossible if the sun had been out.

66197 passes Waltham St Lawrence on 27 July 2007 with the 6Z20 09:45 Whatley Quarry to St Pancras stone train. This is the only occasion that I visited this location, which is from the Chalkpit Bridge on the Waltham St Lawrence to Knowl Hill bridleway.

47032 passes Croome on 24 October 1985 with a train of steel billets from South Wales. I'm unsure what the working is, as there is no mention in the working timetable. Judging by the side of the loco, it seems that even in the 1980s there were some graffiti vandals at work!

37901 Mirrlees Pioneer approaches Grintleyhill Bridge, Combe, on 18 February 2025 with the 7Q99 06:23 Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings to Long Marston stock move, taking South Western Railway EMU 458532 for storage. An extremely backlit location, but I went here specifically for the superb view of 37510 Orion on the rear of the train.

37510 Orion brings up the rear of the 7Q99 06:23 Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings to Long Marston stock move at Grintleyhill Bridge, Combe, on 18 February 2025. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer is leading the train, which consists of South Western Railway EMU 458532. Lower Westfield Farm seems to be disappearing behind a huge pile of felled tree trunks!

172002 passes Heyford on 18 February 2025 with the 5L50 09:51 Tyseley to Ilford EMU Depot ECS. These West Midlands units travel one at a time for maintenance at Ilford, and make a change from the usual GWR Class 165s in the Cherwell Valley.

70001 Powerhaul passes through Heyford station on 18 February 2025 with the 4O90 06:04 Leeds to Southampton Maritime freightliner. As well as the usual standard signs, Heyford station also benefits from a living station identification. The topiary 'Heyford' name can clearly be seen in this view.

165029 passes Ardley on 18 February 2025 with the 1H40 12:05 Banbury to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. Although the vegetation on the right hand cutting side has been kept under control, the same cannot be said for left hand side!

165012 passes Steeple Claydon on 18 February 2025 with the 5F96 13:27 Bicester Village to Milton Keynes Central Chiltern Railways route learner. The interchange with the new HS2 line can be seen in the background.

165012 passes Steeple Claydon on 18 February 2025 with the 5F96 13:27 Bicester Village to Milton Keynes Central Chiltern Railways route learner. In the background is one of the new line's many new footbridges.

Although Verney Junction hasn't been a junction for many years, the name lives on as the name of the few houses and farms near the railway. 165012 runs along the newly upgraded line on 18 February 2025 with the 5F97 14:16 Milton Keynes Central to Bicester Village Chiltern Railways route learner. The noise barrier in the background marks the site of the old station.

153311 passes Verney Junction in soft winter afternoon light on 18 February 2025 with the 2Q30 11:55 Derby RTC to Derby RTC (via Milton Keynes and Oxford) Network Rail test train. This was running 20 minutes late after a protracted reversal at Fenny Stratford. The newly installed noise barrier means that a single car DMU is the ideal thing to photograph at this location, but looking at the row of newly planted saplings, it may not be possible to photograph anything in a few years! Verney Junction's former stationer master's house can be seen through the trees on the right.

165122 approaches Didcot North Junction on 17 February 2025 with the 2L17 09:34 Oxford to Didcot Parkway GWR service. Note the blue panel underneath the windscreens - a remnant of the unit's previous First Great Western blue livery.

59104 Village of Great Elm passes Didcot North Junction on 17 February 2025 with the 6A16 07:44 Whatley Quarry to Oxford Banbury Road stone train. It has just traversed the normally freight only curve from Foxhall Junction.

800008 Alan Turing approaches Didcot North Junction on 17 February 2025 with the 1P22 08:56 Great Malvern to Paddington GWR service. In the background is the short section of masts near Appleford, installed as part of the abandoned plan to electrify the line from Didcot to Oxford.

The 5Z87 07:14 Derby RTC to Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings passes Didcot North Junction at speed on 17 February 2025, with 37510 Orion leading, and 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer bringing up the rear. This was conveying a pair of barrier vehicles for the following day's stock move. It was running an hour late, after the line between Banbury and Oxford was temporarily closed, due to a lorry striking a bridge at Aynho.

47155 passes Claydon on 1 July 1986 with the 1E06 14:45 Plymouth to Leeds parcels. This loco was renumbered to 47660 a few months later. Earlier in its career it had been used by the Central Electricity Generating Board as a static generator (minus its bogies) at West Thurrock Power Station!

56018 passes Moira West Junction on 26 May 1991 with the Hertfordshire Railtours 1T45 'Coalville Swansong' railtour. The train ran from St Pancras to the final Coalville Open Day, but this was a mini tour from Coalville Mantle Lane to Denby Disposal Point and return. Due to a broken rail there was total chaos, and I had to wait a long time for this train, as it was running three hours late!

33029 & 33207 Jim Martin pass through the not yet open station at Winslow on 15 February 2025 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z74 06:36 Bristol Temple Meads to Bicester Village 'Verney Venturer' railtour. Out of sight on the rear of the train is 47802. This was the second passenger train to traverse the newly relaid Milton Keynes to Bicester line, and the first one with fare paying occupants.

47802 brings up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z74 06:36 Bristol Temple Meads to Bicester Village 'Verney Venturer' railtour at Winslow on the dull morning of 15 February 2025. Hidden by the bridge, 33029 & 33207 Jim Martin are on the front of the train.

168218 & 168004 emerge from the brief dryness of Brill Tunnel, back into the rain, as they head towards London on 15 February 2025 with the 1H41 11:43 Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service.

Unusually running 28 minutes late, 68012 passes underneath the Wotton Underwood to Brill road, as it approaches Brill Tunnel in the rain on 15 February 2025 with the 1R29 12:02 Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street Chiltern Railways service.

The Pathfinder Tours 1Z85 12:00 Bicester Village to Acton Canal Wharf 'Verney Venturer' railtour emerges from Brill Tunnel on 15 February 2025, triple headed by 33207 Jim Martin, 33029 & 47802. The earlier light drizzle had now changed to steady continuous rain. An excellent livery on the coaches, the same cannot be said about the locos!

Superb late afternoon light at Winwick on 25 March 1993, as 87016 Willesden Intercity Depot heads north with the 1S83 15:25 Euston to Glasgow Central service. This is probably one of the most photographed locations on the whole network, with a clear view in both directions and plenty of traffic.

37372 passes the site of Ashbury Crossing, near Shrivenham, on 18 March 1989 with an eastbound loaded ballast train. The loco had just joined the DCWA Departmental Regional Civil Engineer's Western Pool, and would spend the next couple of years working trains such as this.

It was always worth photographing the Royal Ascot race specials in the 1980s and 1990s, although by the time the returning trains got to the Oxford area, it was getting quite close to sunset, even near the longest day. 47812 approaches Wolvercote Junction in the last of the evening light on 20 June 1991 with a mixed rake of Pullman and InterCity liveried coaches.

47843 passes White Waltham on 6 January 1991 with the 1M01 09:55 Paddington to Birmingham New Street service. This is the view from Breadcroft Lane, a minor road which by this time had been reduced to a bridleway, with a pair of concrete blocks preventing any vehicle crossing the bridge.

L407 (51384, 59494 & 51342) passes Daylesford on 18 July 1986 with the 2B50 07:00 Oxford to Hereford service. Although the view from this farm access and footpath bridge is still OK for afternoon pictures, the same cannot be said for a morning shot, and it is no longer possible to take a picture like this. The small bushes in the foreground have grown considerably, and now include a few full size trees, which completely block this view.

47739 approaches Black Dog Bridge, near Minety, on 12 February 2025 with the 5Q89 12:34 Long Marston to Eastleigh East Yard, taking South Western Railway EMU 701059 back home after its few months of storage. It had travelled to Long Marston on 31 July 2024 behind 69010.

50027 Lion approaches Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 3 November 1984 with an unidentified westbound working. Unfortunately I have not been able to identify this train, but as it was seen half an hour earlier passing non-stop through Oxford, it has clearly just traversed the freight only curve between Didcot North and Foxhall Junctions. This could be an empty stock working, or as this was midday on a Saturday, it could be a football special. Any information would be gratefully received.

Castle Class 4-6-0 5029 Nunney Castle passes through Malvern Link station in the rain on 8 June 1991 with an InterCity sponsored Great Malvern to Paddington railtour. This was its first mainline passenger working. The station car park is full of photographer's cars, and the foreground is full of cars waiting for a new owner! 

Castle Class 4-6-0 5029 Nunney Castle crosses Frampton Mansell Viaduct in spectacular style on 8 June 1991 with its first mainline passenger train - an InterCity sponsored Great Malvern to Paddington railtour. It had been dull all day, and now it was raining heavily, but that didn't stop a large crowd of photographers gathering in the field overlooking the viaduct.

47746 Chris Fudge 29.7.70 - 22.6.10 passes Launton on 7 February 2025 with the 1Z96 12:50 South Marston Euro Terminal to Milton Keynes Central private charter, with 47848 bringing up the rear. This was the first passenger train to traverse the newly reinstated Bicester to Milton Keynes line. Earlier in the day the train had worked the 1Z94 09:17 Paddington to Reading Traincare Depot and 1Z95 11:05 Reading Traincare Depot to South Marston Euro Terminal. After arrival at Milton Keynes, it would carry on as the 1Z97 14:51 Milton Keynes Central to Euston and 1Z98 16:22 Euston to Paddington.

47848 brings up the rear of the first passenger train to traverse the reinstated Bicester to Milton Keynes line, as it passes Launton on 7 February 2025 with the 1Z96 12:50 South Marston Euro Terminal to Milton Keynes Central private charter. 47746 Chris Fudge 29.7.70 - 22.6.10 is leading. Note the lines of newly planted trees on both sides of the line, so that Network Rail can have leaf fall low adhesion problems in 20 or 30 years time!

800018 approaches the site of Yarnton Junction on 6 February 2025 with the 1P20 08:15 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington GWR service. This picture is taken from the road bridge which had a partial collapse in February 2023.

The 6Q75 09:35 Honeybourne Sidings to Reading Triangle Sidings runs along the long single track section of the Cotswold Line near the site of Yarnton Junction on 6 February 2025. This was running early, in the path of the 1P22 08:56 Great Malvern to Paddington GWR service, which had been cancelled (a common occurrence on the Cotswold Line). Colas Rail Plasser & Theurer Unimat 09-4x4/4S Dynamic Tamper DR75016 had been employed on engineering duties between Charlbury and Ascott-under-Wychwood a couple of nights earlier.

800008 Alan Turing passes Shipton on 6 February 2025 with the 1P26 10:59 Great Malvern to Paddington GWR service. Shipton station's down platform can be seen in the background. Only two up trains call at Shipton each day, and this isn't one of them! In fact on this day the early morning stopper didn't call either, as yet again it was cancelled!

37010 & 37042 pass the remnants of the partially lifted down loop at Spetchley on 17 August 1996 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z37 06:20 Exeter St Davids to Crewe 'Crewe - Chester Flyer' railtour. After arrival at Crewe, a pair of Class 31s would take over for a mini tour around the Manchester area.

31233 Severn Valley Railway & 31201 approach Chester on 17 August 1996 with the Pathfinder Tours 'Crewe - Chester Flyer' railtour, at this point running as the 1Z69 13:40 Crewe to Crewe. This was a mini-tour in connection with the 1Z37 06:20 Exeter St Davids to Crewe tour. The 31s have just traversed the line from Helsby, and after a complicated series of reversals, would head back towards Crewe, along the line on the right.

B450 (51352, 59547 & 51394) passes Chilson on 21 June 1987 with the 2A32 09:40 Worcester Shrub Hill to Oxford service. There were 84 Class 117 driving vehicles, but only 39 centre trailer cars, so it is clear that several sets had to run with centre vehicles from other classes. Class 118 vehicles were the normal choice, but B450 ran in the 1980s with a Class 101 trailer. The different windows, and fewer number of doors immediately stands out in this view.

T069 (52049 & 53050) passes Ellistown on 26 May 1991 with a Leicester to Coalville special shuttle service, taking visitors to the Coalville Open Day. This was the final event, after over a decade of open days at Coalville, and will mainly be remembered for the massive delays to various trains, caused by a mixture of bad planning and a broken rail.

The shadows are lengthening at the site of Ashbury Crossing, near Shrivenham, on 10 December 1986, as 56055 heads west along the Great Western Mainline with the 6A02 empty ARC stone train, which at the time could have come from either Theale, Appleford, or Oxford Banbury Road, the booked time here being identical in each case.

C465 (51322, 59474 & 51307) approaches Barnt Green station on 4 July 1987 with the 1V33 08:45 Birmingham New Street to Cardiff Central service. The platforms in the foreground are on the Redditch branch. Groundwork for the new Willow Tree Drive housing development can be seen in the background, on the site of what was once a small cattle market.

70809 passes Uffington in crisp winter light on 2 February 2025 with the 6C20 19:46 (the previous day) Hinksey to Hinksey (via South Wales) ballast empties. The train had been used to drop ballast in an engineering possession in the Bridgend area. This short train of ten HQA Autoballasters (two sets) fits just nicely in the gap between the masts.

165028 passes Launton on 30 January 2025 with the 5F91 09:10 Oxford to Milton Keynes Central Chiltern Railways route learner. This is on the yet to be reopened Bicester to Milton Keynes route, which has seen considerable upgrading, including the reinstatement of double track. The unit is passing the site of the former level crossing, which has been replaced by a new bridge from which this picture was taken. In the background is one of several new footbridges on the line, with the tower of Bicester church visible in the distance.

Although the Bicester to Oxford line is mostly in open countryside, the section between Bicester Village station and Wendlebury passes through an avenue of trees. 165034 & 165016 negotiate this section on 30 January 2025 with the 1T17 09:06 Marylebone to Oxford service, which most unusually for a Chiltern Railways train, was running 15 minutes late. The signals controlling the entrance to Bicester Army Depot can be seen in the background.

66432 passes Pirton on 30 January 2025 with the 4V44 10:44 Daventry to Wentloog Tesco liner. As usual, this was running almost exactly on time. Just visible in the distance, over a mile away, is the road bridge at Abbotswood.

Colas Rail Plasser & Theurer Unimat 09-4x4/4S Dynamic Tamper DR75016 passes Pirton on 30 January 2025, running as the 6Q75 10:10 Bristol Kingsland Road to Ashchurch War Dept Ground Frame. It had just passed Ashchurch, but would reverse at Worcester, before returning an hour later (not in such good light), allowing it to access the sidings at Ashchurch with just one reversal.

47739 passes Pirton on 30 January 2025 with the 5Q87 12:34 Long Marston to Eastleigh East Yard, conveying South Western Railway EMU 701026, which gad been in store at Long Marston since 17 May 2023. These trains often have a habit of running very late, but this was unusually running exactly on time. Note the clouds in the background, on what was forecast to be a completely sunny day. There were even more clouds to the west, some quite close to the sun, but luck was on my side on this occasion!

166209 passes Pirton on 30 January 2025 with the 2T46 13:52 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads GWR service. Behind the unit is a footpath crossing, with another one just visible by the wood in the background.

47583 County of Hertfordshire passes South Moreton on 20 May 1991 with the 1F46 17:37 Paddington to Didcot Network SouthEast service. This ten coach train was actually an all stations stopping service, a type of train that was normally operated by three car Class 117 DMUs at the time. Admittedly this was rush hour, but it still seems like over provision, especially as there were faster trains from London to Didcot around the same time. I wonder if it was ever full?

A brief burst of sunshine at Wolvercote Junction on 20 June 1991, as 43138 prepares to take the Cotswold Line with the 1B48 17:12 Paddington To Hereford service. It seems that some major roadworks are taking place on the A34 Oxford ring road.

37412 arrives at Burngullow from Drinnick Mill on 26 January 1991. The concrete towers of Blackpool Dries china clay works dominate the background. Note the fine selection of period cars: Ford Cortina, Peugeot 205, Volkswagen Jetta, Volvo 240 and Ford Escort.

20049 & 20051 descend the high level line from Meadow Lane Junction, and arrive at Toton on 16 October 1986 with a short Speedlink trip working. Toton East Junction Signal Box can be seen in the background. This was my only visit to this location.

56082 passes New Barnetby on 26 July 1996 with the 7G06 12:04 Immingham to Scunthorpe MGR. Having lost its Railfreight Coal decals in 1994, this loco would retain this bland grey livery until it was withdrawn in 1999.

37250's Railfreight red stripe livery stands out well in the late evening light, as it heads west along the Great Western Mainline at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 22 June 1988. In addition to unusually having its number on the headcode box, this loco is also non-standard in that it has a small BR double arrow on the cab side, rather than a larger version on the grey bodyside.

168110 climbs towards Ardley Tunnel on 25 January 2025 with the 1H41 11:43 Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. There was no chance of a picture of the whole train here, as most of the embankment is covered with trees, so 168108 on the rear is out of sight. Visible through the haze in the distance on the right is the spire of Kings Sutton church, four miles distant. Nearly seven miles away, the tower of Warkworth church can just be seen amid the trees in the centre background.

168002 emerges from the trees, as it approaches Ardley Tunnel on 25 January 2025 with the 1H43 12:13 Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone Chiltern Railways service. There is three miles of 1 in 200 gradient here, as the line climbs from Aynho Junction and through the 1155 yard long tunnel.

66103 passes Somerton on 25 January 2025 with the 4V43 04:26 Wakefield Europort to Didcot intermodal. The tree and gate provide a perfect frame for the picture. This is a very rural location, half a mile down a very rough track. The garage belongs to a house on the opposite side of the railway, next to the Oxford Canal.

Running 34 minutes early, 70001 Powerhaul passes Somerton on 25 January 2025 with the 4O27 06:47 Crewe Basford Hall to Southampton Maritime freightliner. Note the delta shaped spread of mud and stones in the foreground, clearly the site of some recent floods.

There's not much of a gap between the lineside bushes at this location in the Cherwell Valley near Somerton, so a two car DMU fits in the available space just nicely. 165119 heads north on 25 January 2025 with the 2M24 10:34 Didcot Parkway to Banbury GWR service.

66505 passes Somerton in crisp winter light on 25 January 2025 with the 4O90 06:05 Leeds to Southampton Maritime freightliner. This had just missed out its booked stop at Banbury, and so was running 15 minutes early.

With just a single wagon in tow, 20064 & 20031 pass Ryecroft Junction on 15 August 1988, heading for Sutton Park. It's hardly noticeable here, as both locos are in such a filthy condition, but 20064 is in green livery, applied the previously year at Tinsley Depot. The tower blocks of Walsall form the backdrop to this view, a scene which has now been lost to a forest of trees and bushes.

The 1Q18 07:51 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road Network Rail test train passes Ascott-under-Wychwood Signal Box on 22 January 2025, with 43274 leading and 43272 brining up the rear. After nearly four years in East Midlands Railway's purple livery, 43274 is now looking decidedly weather beaten.

43272 brings up the rear of the 1Q18 07:51 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road Network Rail test train, as it passes through Ascott-under-Wychwood station at high speed on 22 January 2025, led by 43274. Unfortunately the sun didn't break through the fog until I was on the way home!

37425 passes Troedrhiwfuwch on 16 April 2005 with the 2R30 13:59 Cardiff Central to Rhymney service. The village of Troedrhiwfuwch (between Tirphill and Pontlottyn) was almost completely abandoned in the 1980s, due to fears that the mountain behind the village was moving. Fearing another Aberfan, all the residents were moved out, and all but two houses were demolished.

37038 & 37197 pass Alstone (on the edge of Cheltenham) in miserable light on 16 March 2002 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z37 05:40 Sheffield to Onllwyn 'Valley Voyager' railtour. Although the former Midland Railway goods shed in the background appears to be receiving roof repairs, it caught fire shortly after this, and was demolished the following year.

L411 (51346, 59498 & 51388) approaches Oxford on 18 July 1990 with the 2C66 17:35 Reading to Bicester Town Network SouthEast service. The industrial estate in the background occupies the site of the former Great Western Railway goods yard. The large goods shed was demolished in 1983, but a few sidings survived a little longer.

56113 approaches Whitacre Junction on 8 September 1996 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z56 08:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Felixstowe 'Great Eastern Grid' railtour. There was a worrying few moments here, as something almost as interesting was approaching from the opposite direction.

47793 Saint Augustine drags 90005 past Whitacre Junction on 8 September 1996 with the 1G21 09:45 Euston to Wolverhampton service, which it was assisting between Nuneaton and Birmingham New Street. Passing by in the opposite direction is 56113 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z56 08:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Felixstowe 'Great Eastern Grid' railtour.

D172 Ixion passes Summerseat on 11 July 1998 with the 14:40 Bury to Rawtenstall service, during the East Lancashire Railway's Diesel Gala. At this time Ixion was a common sight n the mainline, as well as preserved lines, having beaten the infamous BR diesel ban four years earlier.

Only a light engine pair, but Class 20s were always worth a picture. 20151 & 20210 pass through Water Orton station on 17 March 1989. Both these locos were withdrawn in 1993. 20210 was broken up later the same year, but 20151 survived until 1995.

Shortly after leaving Oxford station, 47465 passes Hinksey Yard on 3 March 1984 with the 1O15 09:20 Manchester Piccadilly to Poole service. The light grey mud behind the rusty fence is contaminated spoil on the site of Oxford's gas works.

47482 passes Hinksey Yard in failing light on 3 March 1984 with the 1A40 15:15 Paddington to Oxford service. In the 1980s it was still possible to take pictures here in the late afternoon, but tree growth in the last few decades has now caused problems with shadows.

60054 Charles Babbage passes New Barnetby on 27 July 1996 with the 6K22 09:30 Santon to Immingham iron ore empties. With a constant procession of Class 56s & 60s on freights, this location along with the bridge at Melton Ross in the background, were never short of photographers in the 1990s!

142016 leaves Goole on 19 June 1999 with the late running 13:49 Hull to Sheffield Arriva Trains Northern service. Note the temporary replacement for a defective headlamp. In the background 60025 waits to move into the up goods loop with the stock off the Pathfinder Tours 1Z90 05:49 Bristol Temple Meads to Goole 'Spinning Spectre' railtour, but only after the passage of the 14:28 Goole to Doncaster Pacer, which can be seen in the distance.

A hybrid Pacer leaves Goole on 19 June 1999 with the 15:28 Arriva Trains Northern service to Doncaster. Northern Spirit liveried 55762 (from unit 142066) is paired with Regional Railways 55724 (from unit 152074). In the background 60025 stands in the up goods loop with the stock off the Pathfinder Tours 'Spinning Spectre' railtour, which had arrived a little earlier as the 1Z90 05:49 Bristol Temple Meads to Goole, and would later leave as the 1Z91 15:50 Goole to Bristol Temple Meads.

Still sporting its pseudo Great Western livery, from its abortive time in the West Country, 142017 approaches Tapton Junction on 11 September 1990 with an unidentified southbound working. The Sheffield destination blind is clearly wrong, as that is in the direction it has come from! Chesterfield's then brand new Sainsbury's supermarket is on the right.

58010 runs alongside the M40 motorway at Rowington on 28 July 1992 with the 6E53 16:05 Didcot Power Station to Worksop MGR empties. The newly planted trees visible near the fence have now grown to form a green barrier between the railway and the road.

L415 (51351, 59503 & 51393) passes the site of Chipping Campden station on 2 June 1984 with the 2A75 18:45 Hereford to Paddington service. Anyone contemplating the full journey could knock nearly an hour off the trip by changing into a faster train at Oxford, otherwise the journey took 4 hours 34 minutes! The flat grassy area on the left is the site of the formerly rail connected Chipping Campden Gas Works.

Yorkshire Engine Company 0-6-0 396 rests between duties at Cooper's Metals, Highworth Junction, Swindon, on 25 June 1996. The loco, which was formerly based at GKN in Cardiff, was on hire to Cooper's at the time. Built in 1959 with works No.2761, it formerly carried the name Lemanis. The rusty patch above the front two side grilles shows where the nameplate was attached. Neither the Volkswagen or Suzuki pickups in the foreground have survived. More surprisingly, the classic Vespa scooter is also no longer on the road

158844 passes Sileby on 18 August 1992 with the 11:47 Skegness to Leicester Regional Railways service. The British Gypsum plant at Barrow-upon-Soar, which can be seen in the background, had only just opened when this picture was taken.

153311 John Constable passes over Station Road level crossing, as it approaches Haughley Junction on 25 July 1996 with the 18:07 Ipswich to Peterborough Regional Railways service. In a few yards it will diverge to the left, taking the line towards Bury St Edmunds. The line heading straight on leads to Norwich. The building on the left is the former Haughley station, which closed in 1967.

47052 passes through Pangbourne cutting on 28 April 1993 with the 4S59 12:32 Southampton Maritime to Coatbridge freightliner. The residents of the blocks of flats in the background certainly had a superb view of trains passing through the station. Now of course the view is obstructed by the 25Kv electrification wires and gantries.

37029 passes Norton on 23 July 2000 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z90 07:49 Crewe to Llandrindod Wells 'Heart of Wales Line Excursion'. After encountering a delay in the Birmingham area, the train was now running 95 minutes late, a delay which would unfortunately persist throughout the day. The trees and the Ragwort covered fields in this scene have now been replaced by the newly built Worcestershire Parkway station, making this view no longer possible.

25243 slowly reverses the 6M52 14:44 King's Cross Goods Yard to Tring Cutting empty cement tanks into Pitstone Cement Works (Tring Cutting) on 8 September 1982. This is a very poor picture, not only because of the almost impossible position due to all the 25Kv infrastructure, but also because this is from a film that Kodak messed up in the processing. Kodachrome occasionally suffered from dodgy processing, and on this occasion this one roll of film was returned severely underdeveloped and with a very strong magenta cast, so it has taken a lot of work to get this result. As I have not seen another picture of a train entering the works, I have included it, despite the faults. Also, I have very few pictures of a loco with the headcode wound back to four zeros.

Viewed from high up on Salter's Hill, D8137 passes Hailes on 19 October 2002 with the 11:15 Toddington to Gotherington service, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Autumn Diesel Gala. The road bridge at Hailes seems remarkably free of photographers! Toddington station can be seen in the centre of the picture.

Viewed from high up on Salter's Hill, 37324 Clydebridge passes the chicken farm near Winchcombe on 19 October 2002, as it returns from Gotherington to Toddington, during the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's Diesel Gala.

A rake of IFA point carriers gives a bright yellow foreground to this view of Hinksey Yard on 9 January 2025. In the background 165121 passes by with the late running 2L23 11:04 Oxford to Didcot Parkway GWR service. The two crows sitting on the noise reduction fence are obviously well used to passing trains!

70014 passes Hinksey Yard on 9 January 2025 with the 4O90 06:04 Leeds to Southampton Maritime freightliner, passing the 6M50 12:07 Hinksey to Bescot ballast, which had just moved up to the signal, from the other end of the yard.

47593 Galloway Princess passes Hinksey Yard on 9 January 2025 with the 5Z47 08:34 Crewe to Eastleigh Arlington Locomotive Services Ltd ECS. There was a moment of panic among the assembled photographers, as 802103 was approaching from the opposite direction with the 1W02 11:52 Paddington to Hereford GWR service. Hoping for the best, I fired off a short ten frame per second burst. This picture was within less than a second of being ruined, as two frames later the nose of IET was in the picture!

Running 19 minutes early, 165025 approaches Launton on 9 January 2025 with the 5F97 14:16 Milton Keynes Central to Bicester Village Chiltern Railways route learner. This is one of a series of crew training runs over the reinstated Milton Keynes to Bicester East West line, prior to its reopening. The unit's full itinerary, which runs throughout January is: 5Y90 08:23 Banbury Depot Reception to Oxford, 5F91 09:10 Oxford to Milton Keynes Central, 5F92 10:16 Milton Keynes Central to Bicester Village, 5F93 10:54 Bicester Village to Milton Keynes Central, 5F94 11:39 Milton Keynes Central to Oxford, 5F95 13:11 Oxford to Bicester Village, 5F96 13:27 Bicester Village to Milton Keynes Central, 5F97 14:16 Milton Keynes Central to Bicester Village & 5U98 14:53 Bicester Village to Banbury Depot Reception.

33019 Griffon & 33002 Sea King approach Cullompton on 22 June 1996 with the 1Z33 17:22 Penzance to Birmingham New Street 'Penzance Flyer' railtour. Thus used to be my default location for photographing railtours returning from the West Country, as it was on my way home, and as can be seen here, right next to the M5 motorway.

60073 Cairn Gorm ambles through the impressive rock cutting near Dove Holes Tunnel on 8 February 2003. The loco has just emerged from the 2,984 yard long tunnel. This is on the freight only line from Chinley to Peak Forest.

60029 Ben Nevis passes Uffington on 7 January 2025 with the 6Z52 07:04 Tytherington to Appleford Sidings stone train. After this there should have been a 26 minute wait for the 5Q87 09:20 Eastleigh to Long Marston stock move. Unfortunately that turned out to be a nearly two hour wait in the cold due to late running!

66565 passes Uffington on 7 January 2025 with the 6V53 10:38 Oxford Banbury Road to Stoke Gifford stone empties. The blue sky gives a false impression here, as behind me the clouds were building up from the west.

47727 Caisteal Dhun Eideann / Edinburgh Castle takes South Western Railway EMU 701030 on its second trip to Long Marston! It is pictured passing Uffington on 7 January 2025 with the 5Q87 09:20 Eastleigh to Long Marston, running 93 minutes late, after being held up by a track circuit failure near Micheldever. This late running had improved the light angle, but had increased the possibility of the picture being ruined, as there was masses of dark clouds to the west. 701030 made its first trip to Long Marston on 5 April 2023, returning to Eastleigh on 25 July 2024.