Another pair of Class 455 EMUs make their final journey. Running 13 minutes early, 37800 Cassiopeia passes Baulking on 2 July 2025 with the 5Q86 11:58 Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings to Newport Docks (Sims Group), conveying former South Western Railway 455905 & 455857. The Union Flag on the left seems to be a permanent feature of a recently constructed farm building.

37800 Cassiopeia passes the oil depot on the site of Bremell Sidings, as it accelerates away from Swindon on 30 June 2025 with the 5Q73 11:58 Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings to Lydney Up Goods Loop, conveying former South Western Railways EMUs 455850 & 455909, for onward movement to Newport for scrap.

455909 brings up the rear of the 5Q73 11:58 Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings to Lydney Up Goods Loop near the site of Bremell Sidings on 30 June 2025. The other unit is 455850, and the whole ensemble is being led by 37800 Cassiopeia.

37705 & 37694 approach Chinley on 12 March 1998 with the 6H71 07:35 Oakleigh to Tunstead stone empties. This was just before Class 60s took over these workings. This was something that would not have been possible, had not the vintage vacuum braked hoppers that were used on these trains for years been replaced a few months earlier by these air braked PGAs.

101677 is dwarfed by the surroundings, as it leaves Chinley station on 12 March 1998 with the 09:15 Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly service. I can't remember now whether anybody got on, but clearly nobody got off!

I've often thought that it would be nice to live next to a railway, but probably not this close! 31207 passes the former crossing keeper's cottage at Melton Ross on 30 October 1998. The loco is passing the site of Knab's Crossing, which was replaced by a bridge sometime in the early twentieth century.

Class 423 4-VEP 3497 approaches Swanley on 30 May 1998 with the 11:11 Victoria to Ramsgate Connex South Eastern 'all stations' service. There is (or was in 1998!) a clear view from the A20 bridge, without including any lineside bushes, but I chose to include them for this picture, as it is such a short train.

Toddington station, pictured on 13 March 1982, shortly after the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway took over the site. I'm not sure if the lengths of rail in the foreground are left over from track lifting a couple of years earlier, or whether they have been brought to the site to start track relaying.

166204 leaves Gloucester on 28 June 2025 with the 2O72 06:55 Cheltenham Spa to Weymouth GWR service. The unit has just passed over the Horton Road level crossing, behind which is the sad remains of Horton Road Depot, now just one building and a large overgrown area of wasteland. The large building on the right is the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

D1015 Western Champion leaves Gloucester on 28 June 2025 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 05:03 Dorridge to Penzance 'The Mazey Day Special' railtour. Out of sight on the rear of the train is 47815 Great Western, which had brought the train from Dorridge along with 47812. The Western had arrived a little earlier light engine from the Severn Valley Railway. The line from Cheltenham, which the train had just traversed can just be seen through the bushes on the right. Note the remains of Horton Road Depot in the background.

47815 Great Western brings up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z52 05:03 Dorridge to Penzance 'The Mazey Day Special' railtour, as it heads away from Gloucester station on 28 June 2025. D1015 Western Champion has just disappeared behind the bushes, heading towards Gloucester Yard Junction. It may have been a dull morning, but at least Gloucester wasn't enveloped in low cloud, as the Cotswold Hills in the background certainly are.

800032 Sarah Williams-Martin accelerates away from Moreton-in-Marsh station on 26 June 2025 with the 1P38 16:32 Great Malvern to Paddington GWR service. This train is unusually booked to wait at Moreton for 17 minutes.

After several failed attempts, I have finally managed to get a picture of the often cancelled 2E14 17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham GWR Cotswold LIne 'all stations' service. 165120 approaches Dunstall Bridge, near Moreton-in-Marsh on 26 June 2025, running 11 minutes late.

66719 approaches Moreton-in-Marsh on 26 June 2025 with the 3Z21 16:03 Paddington to Kidderminster Severn Valley Railway 'Railway 200' exhibition train. Both 66719 & 66710 (on the rear) have been specially painted to work this train, which will travel to various locations all over the country during 2025. Each of the coaches has been named after one aspect of the history of railways: Inspiration, Past, Present, Future & Together! This was travelling extremely slowly, as although not booked to stop at Moreton, the preceding 1W33 16:58 Paddington to Great Malvern train had not cleared the section, and Moreton's down outer home signal was still at danger.

Something a little different on the Cotswold Line! 66710 brings up the rear of the 3Z21 16:03 Paddington to Kidderminster Severn Valley Railway 'Railway 200' exhibition train, as it very slowly approaches Moreton-in-Marsh on 26 June 2025. 66719 is leading the train, which will pause briefly at Moreton's down outer home signal, which can be seen in the background.

56035 Taff Merthyr passes Oddington on 17 June 1983 with the 6V11 09:30 Wolverton to Stoke Gifford ARC stone empties. At this time the Bicester to Oxford line was freight only, with normally just a couple of trains in each direction on weekdays only.

47225 passes Compton Beauchamp on 25 July 1989 with the 6O84 15:40 Velindre to Dover Town Railfreight Distribution service. This train conveyed coiled tinplate from the British Steel plant at Velindre, for export via the Dover Train Ferry to the Sosek Fabrike works in Belgrade. The Velindre works closed very shortly after this picture was taken.

The 11:30 Glasgow Central to Euston service passes Madeley on 9 October 1993, led by 82107. Palisade fencing has now replaced the low post and wire fence seen here. Directly behind the DVT is one of the original West Coast Mainline 25Kv feeder stations, where the power supply was connected to the National Grid.

The sun has almost entirely faded out into high cloud, as 47512 approaches Wolvercote Junction on 30 August 1987 with the 1M53 18:10 Paddington to Wolverhampton service. This loco only ever carried two liveries. It entered service in 1967 in BR blue, and was withdrawn in 1991, still in the large logo livery seen here.

47976 Aviemore Centre heads south at Culham on 9 May 1992 with a test train, presumably from Derby RTC. Apologies for the extremely poor quality of this very backlit picture, but this is the only picture I have of a full train of test vehicles in this unusual livery. Any more details of the train would be much appreciated.

L412 (51347, 59499 & 51389) passes the hangars of the former RNAS Culham on 13 May 1992 with the 2C69 19:51 Oxford to Reading Network SouthEast service. Oxfordshire is a long way from the sea, but Royal Naval Air Service Culham, was a Fleet Air Arm station, otherwise known as HMS Hornbill!

Plasser & Theurer 07-16 Universal Tamper / Liner 73223 prepares to start work at Ascott-under-Wychwood, during a Sunday engineering possession on 13 January 1991. This is the view from Shipton Road, just behind Ascott-under-Wychwood Signal Box. Lineside growth and a new housing development now obstruct this view.

43009 passes Hinksey Yard on 28 April 1999 with the 1D62 18:02 Paddington to Oxford First Great Western service. It's a pity that this stylish Great Western Trains livery only lasted for a few years. Unveiled in 1996, the colour scheme suited the HSTs very well, despite the large area of white that must have been difficult to keep clean. By the time that this picture was taken, the company had been bought out by Great Western Holdings, and soon the fleet would be painted in their 'fag packet' livery.

47848 heads north at Wychnor Junction on 25 April 1996 with the 1E27 07:55 Birmingham New Street to York service. It's hard to imagine now, but a lot of photographers didn't always bother to photograph InterCity liveried Class 47/8s!

47050 heads west along the Great Western Mainline at Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 21 December 1992, with what appears to be a crew training run. The clue is the man in suit and tie in the secondman's seat! Sleepers for the new down relief line have been laid out, and rails have been added in the background.

The good old days, when the East Coast resort of Skegness had a proper Summer Saturday service. 47093 races through Havenhouse station on 14 June 1986 with the 1D20 09:01 Leeds to Skegness, a train that was normally a Class 47, but on at least one occasion during 1986 was a Class 31. 47093 was stored unserviceable the following year, officially withdrawn in January 1988, and cut up in October 1990.

47019 passes Iver on 22 February 1990 with the 6V16 07:48 Dover Town to Morris Cowley Speedlink. This train survived the demise of Speedlink the following year, and continued to run as a Railfreight Distribution European traffic feeder service.

47119 passes Iver on 22 February 1990 with the 6L55 12:25 Westbury to Ripple Lane empty fuel oil tanks. This was in the days when logic prevailed, and diesel fuel for loco depots was actually delivered by rail! Sometimes this train also conveyed empty bitumen tanks from Frome.

165016 & 165006 pass Yarnton on 21 June 2025 with the 2T04 05:50 Banbury to Oxford Chiltern Railways service. Most local trains on this line are operated by GWR, but this and a following ECS working are operated by Chiltern in order to start working early morning trains from Oxford to London. During the week there are four Banbury to Oxford ECS workings, but on a Saturday this one carries passengers. I didn't notice how many people were on board, but I can't imagine it is that busy at this time on a Saturday morning!

221107 passes Yarnton on 21 June 2025 with the 5M18 05:15 Southampton Central to Birmingham New Street ECS, running in place of the 1M18 05:15 Southampton Central to Manchester Piccadilly CrossCountry service. Apparently this was due to an issue with the train crew. I bet the passengers waiting at Oxford weren't very impressed when their train went straight trough the station without stopping!

Running 28 minutes late, the Midland Pullman 1Z70 06:02 Eastleigh to Scarborough 'Yorkshire Coast Pullman' railtour passes Yarnton on 21 June 2025, with 43049 Neville Hill leading and 43050 Loch Morar bringing up the rear.

The 6U88 11:25 Long Marston to Horsham MDU Siding passes though Shipton station on 20 June 2025. Robel Mobile Maintenance Train DR97504, DR97604 & DR97804 had been exhibited at the Rail Live event at Long Marston over the two previous days.

800008 Alan Turing speeds through Shipton station on 20 June 2025 with the 1P28 11:58 Great Malvern to Paddington GWR service. This is certainly a green station, with vegetation thriving on the up line, and a hay meadow on the up platform!

A wave of acknowledgment from the driver to the signalman, as 800011 slowly gets under way again, after calling at Ascott-under-Wychwood on 20 June 2025 with the 1W33 16:58 Paddington to Great Malvern GWR service. This was running 68 minutes late, due to a lineside fire in the Acton area. Because of this very late running, it was terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill. I had gone here to photograph Ascott's only booked down stopping train, the 2E14 17:04 Didcot Parkway to Oxford, but as is often the case, that was cancelled. I have tried three times to photograph it, but such is the train's chronic unreliability, that I haven't yet managed it! At least GWR arranged for 1W33 to call at Ascott, so at least passengers from Oxford could get home, albeit 89 minutes late!

802022 passes the site of Edington & Bratton station on 20 June 2025 with the 1J74 06:37 Plymouth to Paddington GWR service. The goods shed in the background is probably not the only reminder of the old station, as I suspect that the rose bush just to the right of the train is a remnant from the station's garden. The station closed to passengers in 1952, and freight in 1963.

66598 passes Edington on 20 June 2025 with the 6A40 08:40 Merehead Quarry to Hanwell Bridge Loop stone train. Class 66s are now much more common than 59s on this train, and with a light load like this, that is understandable.

60096 Skiddaw passes Edington on 20 June 2025 with the 6M02 07:04 Tytherington to Quainton Railhead stone train. Luckily this passed during a brief period of weak hazy sunshine. Although mostly sunny on the way here, as soon as I arrived the high cloud blotted out the sun, as it did shortly after this passed, and on the drive home. So much for the sunny morning forecast!

800018 leaves Kemble station on 19 June 2025 with the 1L78 14:03 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington GWR service. The cutting sides here were cleared a few years ago, but already the brambles and buddleia are starting to take over again.

66501 Spirit of '65 Celebrating 60 years of Freightliner passes Kemble on 19 June 2025 with the diverted 4O57 13:24 Wentloog to Southampton Maritime freightliner. The train's normal route was closed for extensive engineering works in the Severn Tunnel.

66117 passes Minety on 19 June 2025 with the 6M53 16:16 Swindon Stores to Toton Up Sidings steel empties. I used to photograph this train a lot when it was Class 60 hauled, but lost interest when DB withdrew all their Class 60s, so this is my first picture of it with a 'Shed' on the front.

800008 passes Minety on 19 June 2025 with the late running 1L82 16:03 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington GWR service. Photo taken from a little used public footpath crossing, where there has been some recent lineside vegetation clearance.

Still wearing the long obsolete EWS livery, 66169 passes Minety on 19 June 2025 with the diverted 6V29 17:41 Swindon Cocklebury to Cardiff Tidal scrap. The Severn Tunnel was closed for engineering work, so this was travelling the long way round, via Gloucester.

56103 has 60096 Skiddaw dead in tow, as it passes Little Bedwyn on 18 June 2025 with the 6V25 09:53 Quainton Railhead to Tytherington stone empties. The 60 had worked the train from Quainton to Wembley. I had expected a lot more photographers to be out for this very unusual working, especially considering the unbroken sunshine.

66610 approaches Little Bedwyn on 18 June 2025 with the 6V50 14:21 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. A public footpath runs along the edge of the field here, from Little Bedwyn village to the old crossing keeper's cottage in the background.

59001 Yeoman Endeavour slowly approaches Little Bedwyn on 18 June 2025 with the 6V60 14:43 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Whatley Quarry stone empties. It came to a stop just after it passed me, but only for a few seconds. It had been checked by the very late running 2T23 16:18 Newbury to Bedwyn GWR DMU, which was further delayed in accessing the reversing siding, by the 1A89 15:42 Exeter St Davids to Paddington IET!

My first picture of a DMU in the new CrossCountry livery. 170112 looks startlingly different to the old liveried 170115, as they pass the new solar farm at Fiddington on 17 June 2025 with the 1V09 12:07 Nottingham to Cardiff Central service.

66175 Rail Riders Express passes Fiddington on 17 June 2025 with the 6V92 10:32 Corby to Margam steel empties. Bredon Hill dominates the background, but the view has now been slightly spoiled by the recently installed solar panels.

66110 passes the new solar farm at Fiddington on 17 June 2025 with the 6V51 13:09 Burton upon Trent West Yard to Cardiff Tidal steel empties. Unfortunately the entire train has been defaced by graffiti vandals.

The first ever run of a Stadler built Class 99 bi-mode locomotive in the UK, albeit being towed by a Class 66. After being unloaded at Avonmouth Docks the previous week, 99002 & 99001 were moved to Leicester on 17 June 2025 behind 66307 Ipswich Town, running as the 0Q66 13:53 Avonmouth Hanson Sidings to Leicester Loco Inspection Point. The historic ensemble is pictured passing Fiddington, running 15 minutes late due to earlier signalling problems near Westerleigh Junction.

37516 & 37679 pass the site of Hathern station on 19 June 1999 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z90 05:49 Bristol Temple Meads to Goole 'Spinning Spectre' railtour. Although the railway passes through the nearby villages of Normanton on Soar and Sutton Bonington, neither had stations. Instead, Hathern station was opened between the two villages, even though the village of Hathern was over a mile away. It closed in 1960.

37174 passes Little Bedwyn on 26 March 1999 with the 09:57 West Drayton to West Drayton (via Westbury) crew training run. This train only operated for a short period, and I only managed to get a couple of pictures, both of which were in poor light. This one is by far the worst, as the sun went behind a cloud just as the train approached, but the sun was still out in the background. The original 35mm slide looks terrible, but some Photoshop work has at least evened up the exposure, which was worth doing as this is an unrepeatable scene. Not only are the loco and vacuum braked wagons history, but the viewpoint has totally disappeared, as the neat little beech hedge next to the line in this picture is now so high that it totally blocks out the view.

47702 Saint Cuthbert passes Potbridge on 21 March 1992 with the 1O31 06:45 Exeter St Davids to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. By this date most of the loco hauled trains on this route were worked by Class 47s, although with very little advanced gen available, I was probably still hoping for a Class 50 on this train!

50033 Glorious & D400 arrive at Llandudno Junction on 5 December 1992 with the Class 40 Appeal 1T09 07:30 Euston to Holyhead 'Ffestive Fifties' railtour. After running round, the train would continue towards Blaenau Ffestiniog, taking the line on the right.

After arriving at Llandudno Junction on 5 December 1992 with the Class 40 Appeal 1T09 07:30 Euston to Holyhead 'Ffestive Fifties' railtour, D400 & 50033 Glorious run round their train, prior to heading for Blaenau Ffestiniog. Unfortunately the departure was in miserable light, but at least I got this picture in sun, before the dark clouds in the background enveloped the scene. Note the Class 47 & 31 stabled on the left.

With a horn fanfare, and a wave from both the driver and Steve King, 60029 Ben Nevis rounds the curve at Crofton on 13 June 2025 with the early running 6M02 07:04 Tytherington to Quainton Railhead stone train. It was not only the Class 60 that was making a noise, as a track clearance gang were at work by the bridge, using chainsaws to do some much needed vegetation clearance.

800008 Alan Turing & 800004 pass Minety on 13 June 2025 with the diverted 1L14 09:22 Swansea to Paddington GWR service. The train's normal route via the Severn Tunnel was closed for major engineering works.

Running 35 minutes late, 66549 passes the site of Minety & Ashton Keynes station on 13 June 2025 with the diverted 4L33 09:49 Wentloog to London Gateway freightliner. The station, which closed in 1964, was very convenient for Minety, being on the edge of the village, but including Ashton Keynes in the name was a bit of a stretch, as that village is over two miles away!

The first up train of the day on the Cotswold Line passes Stonesfield on 12 June 2025. 800318 is working the 1P11 05:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington GWR service, passing a viewpoint that is obviously going to disappear in a few years time, once the newly planted trees in the foreground start getting really large.

57310 UK Railtours runs down the Evenlode Valley near Stonesfield on 12 June 2025 with the 5Z17 05:49 Honeybourne Staff Hut to Victoria ECS. This is a route learner / test train for the forthcoming Belmond 'Britannic Explorer' luxury sleeper train. Hiding behind the bushes on the rear of the train is 66712 Peterborough Power Signalbox. Unfortunately this was running a few minutes early, as although it was quite bright, the sun was behind some thin cloud, which naturally had drifted away by the train's booked time!

165132 passes the southern end of Eckington loop in lovely soft evening light on 11 June 2025 with the late running 2E73 18:40 Bristol Temple Meads to Great Malvern GWR service. The 2T52 19:51 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads should have been heading in the opposite direction at around this time, but in true GWR fashion, that was cancelled.

43049 Neville Hill passes Eckington on 11 June 2025 with the Midland Pullman 1Z45 16:48 Paignton to Hull 'Torbay Riviera Pullman' railtour. 43050 Loch Morar is bringing up the rear. This was running 14 minutes late, owing to being held at Gloucester for much longer than booked, due to a procession of delayed passenger services. Despite the delay, the light just managed to hang on, although it was bit anxious, as there were several areas of cloud floating around.

A fine display of Ox-eye Daises cover the bridge embankment at Oddington on 10 June 2025.165005 passes by, not with one of the usual Chiltern Railways services, but with the 5F96 15:16 Milton Keynes Central to Oxford crew training run, in preparation for the opening of the reinstated East West Rail line.

The 1Q48 14:18 Rugby Depot Access Line to Derby RTC Network Rail test train passes Oddington on 10 June 2025 with 43257 leading. It would return 40 minutes later with 43251 leading. Unfortunately on both occasions it missed the sun by a few seconds!

After reversing at Oxford, 43251 passes Oddington for the second time on 10 June 2025 with the 1Q48 14:18 Rugby Depot Access Line to Derby RTC Network Rail test train. 43257 had led the train past this spot 40 minutes earlier.

69013 passes Oddington on 10 June 2025 with the early running 5Q77 16:18 Bicester MoD to Willesden, taking South Western Railway EMU 701056 for onward movement to Wimbledon, after its period in store. The black livery applied to 69013 is covered in slogans and information relating to a mental heath charity.

156403 passes Bestwood Park on 20 November 1999 with the 12:33 Worksop to Nottingham Central Trains service. This is on the then recently reopened Robin Hood Line. The birch trees in the background are colonising the site of the former Bestwood Park Junction Sidings. The Nottingham to Hucknall tramway now runs alongside the line here, with Moor Bridge tram stop now situated in the background of this view.

56055 passes Heytesbury on 14 May 1988 with the 6V85 11:00 Fareham to Whatley Quarry ARC stone empties. I haven't been back to this particular spot since, but a quick search online indicates that the view has been lost to uncontrolled lineside vegetation. What a surprise!

37092 & 37162 head east past Hay Lane on 3 December 1994. They are heading towards Swindon, which is situated just beyond the M4 motorway in the background. The bridge from which this picture was taken was demolished in 2015 as part of the Great Western Mainline electrification scheme.

Golden evening backlighting at Compton Beauchamp on 30 August 1991. 47500 Great Western is surprisingly only a couple of minutes late, as it is deputising for an unavailable HST on the 1A78 17:45 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington service. The full set of HST Mk3 coaches has a BG van next to the locomotive, and generator coach ADB975325 at the rear, which is supplying 415V three phase power to the coaches. Apart from the GW150 green loco, the entire train is in InterCity livery.

Viewed from the Kennet & Avon Canal's Dundas Aqueduct, 59104 Village of Great Elm heads down the Avon Valley on 12 August 1993 with the 7C41 07:30 Whatley Quarry to Hallen Moor ARC stone train. This was a part of a short tern contract to supply stone for the construction of the approach roads to the second Severn Bridge.

59104 Village of Great Elm passes Salisbury on 19 March 1992 with what is presumably the very late running 7Z89 06:05 Whatley Quarry to Woking stone train. Trees now block out the view of the houses of Salisbury in the background, and of course the gas holder has been demolished. Even Castle Roundabout, directly behind the loco, seems to be mostly free of trees.

Just a few weeks old, and still looking immaculate, 158837 arrives at Salisbury on 19 March 1992 with the 10:32 Southampton to Salisbury Regional Railways service. It has just passed underneath the A36 Salisbury ring road. Fisherton Tunnel can be seen in the background.

158765 passes Crowle on 5 December 1998 with the 12:29 Cleethorpes to Manchester Airport Trans Pennine Express service. This signal gantry, along with a similar one on the other side of the station, have since been removed.

59005 Kenneth J Painter rounds the curve at Crofton on 6 June 2025 with the early running 6A60 10:50 Merehead Quarry to Colnbrook stone train. Being backlit, I wouldn't have bothered if it had been a Freightliner green Class 66, but an Aggregate Industries Class 59 is always worth a picture.

56301 & 56103 pass Crofton on 6 June 2025 with the 6V23 10:34 Willesden DC Rail Sidings to Merehead Quarry stone empties. With lots of clouds around, it was not at all certain that I would get this in the sun, but luckily it was running a few minutes early, as at the booked time it definitely was cloudy! The building hiding amid the trees on the left is the Crofton Pumping Station, housing the world's oldest operational beam engine that is still in its original location.

Running 18 minutes early, but fortunately just after the rain had stopped, 66144 passes through Tackley station on 5 June 2025 with the 6V00 13:06 Burton-on-Trent to Acton stone empties. Note the random mix of wagon types.

The temporary footbridge at Tackley station has received some unusual artwork. It has been a long time since you could buy a ticket at the station, but this painted ticket window and the list of very cheap fares to various stations (including a couple of nearby closed ones) is an amusing touch. At the other end of the bridge there is another artwork. Photo taken on 5 June 2025.

An amusing artwork has appeared on the temporary footbridge at Tackley station, depicting a not very realistic steam loco and train. At the other end of the bridge there is a picture of a station ticket window. Photo taken on 5 June 2025.

47712 (masquerading as 47709 The Lord Provost) passes through Tackley station on 5 June 2025 with the 5Z23 14:17 Southall Loco Services Ltd to Crewe, conveying Class 121 'Bubble Car' 55022 Flora. The privately owned DMU had been used on a series of trips between London and Windsor the previous day.

55022 Flora is hauled through Tackley on 5 June 2025 by 47712 (masquerading as 47709 The Lord Provost), running as the 5Z23 14:17 Southall Loco Services Ltd to Crewe. The privately owned 'Bubble Car' has been extensively modified for its role as a luxury private train, and has even been fitted with a bar! The livery, whilst not authentic for the type, certainly suits it.

165127 passes Yarnton on 2 June 2025 with the 2V43 15:35 Banbury to Didcot Parkway GWR service. A two coach DMU is just about the longest train that is reasonably clear of the shadows here at this time of the afternoon!

Biffa liveried 66783 The Flying Dustman passes Yarnton on 2 June 2025 with the 4M46 14:19 Southampton Western Docks to Trafford Park Euro Terminal intermodal. Although this looks like a very rural location, Oxford is not very far away, as indicated by the crane in the background.

A GBRf and DB combination at Yarnton on 2 June 2025. 66718 Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill of Imber in the county of Wiltshire has 66207 dead in tow as it passes Stonehouse Farm with the 6X01 10:18 Scunthorpe to Eastleigh long welded rails.

47658 passes Souldern on 11 September 1988 with the 1V95 14:40 Wolverhampton to Paddington service. In the 1980s, before BR stopped controlling lineside vegetation, there was a clear view across the countryside from this farm occupation bridge. Souldern No.1 Viaduct is clearly visible on the right, and just discernible behind the viaduct (at least on the hi-res version of this Kodachrome slide scan) is Aynho church, along with the adjacent large 17th century manor house, Aynho Park.

37892 Ripple Lane passes Langford Lane, Wendlebury, on 29 December 1994 with the 4C13 11:21 Calvert to Bristol Avon Binliner empties. Bristol's rubbish obviously has to be disposed of, even during the Christmas holidays!

43142 passes Baulking on 8 April 1989 with the 1A38 10:20 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington service. What a pleasure it was to take pictures here in the 1980s. A wide open unobstructed view, with no vegetation in the way. A background of yellow flowering gorse bushes, and the original steel girder bridge in the distance at the site of Uffington station.

43142 rounds the curve at Thingley on 25 June 1993 with the 1C31 11:15 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads service. The additional span on the left of the bridge in the background once crossed a long siding extending from the nearby junction.

43149 BBC Wales Today passes Compton Beauchamp on 21 May 2001 with the 1L40 07:35 Carmarthen to Paddington First Great Western service. 43149 was easily ecignaible at the time by the large black patch above the windscreen.

47618 Fair Rosamund approaches Circourt Bridge, Denchworth, on 18 December 1985 with the 3A12 08:30 Carmarthen to Old Oak Common empty newspaper vans. This became a well known photographic spot in later years, but I very rarely saw anyone else here in the 1970s and 80s.

43189 crosses the River Neath (Afon Nedd), as it approaches Neath station on 28 July 1991 with the 1A81 16:32 Swansea to Paddington service. The line here is on a very sharp curve, bending nearly 180 degrees, as it crosses from one side of the valley to the other.

800030 Lincoln Callaghan passes Grove on 31 May 2025 with the 1L70 10:03 Cheltenham Spa to Paddington GWR service. This is the view from Hanney Bridge, which despite the catenary, does allow a reasonable picture to be taken of up trains without the wires being too much in the way. Unfortunately however, there is no view whatsoever in the other direction!

50008 Thunderer passes Grove on 31 May 2025 with the 5V50 08:57 Eastleigh to Reading Traincare Depot, taking a single GWR Mk3 coach back home after maintenance. This was travelling the long way round, via Salisbury, Westbury and Swindon.

59203 passes Great Bedwyn on 30 May 2025 with the 6V31 09:06 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry stone empties. This is an excellent scenic location, with St Mary's Church prominent in the background, but unfortunately the lineside vegetation now restricts the view slightly.

59201 Westbury PSB 1984-2024 & 66545 approach Great Bedwyn on 30 May 2025 with the 6A50 10:26 Whatley Quarry to Hanwell Bridge Loop stone train. This had left Whatley 79 minutes late, and was still over an hour late here.

56103 & 56301 pass Great Bedwyn on 30 May 2025 with the late running 6V23 10:34 Willesden DC Rail Sidings to Merehead Quarry stone empties. A moderately sunny morning, and a mostly sunny evening, but unfortunately during the middle of the day it was almost totally cloudy!

802020 makes use of the bi-directional signalling on the Great Western Mainline, as it passes Uffington 'wrong line' on 28 May 2025 with the 1L66 07:25 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington GWR service. A little further to the west, 59003 Yeoman Highlander had come to a stand with the 6M50 07:13 Westbury to Bescot departmental working, blocking the up line. Because of this failed train, this was running 35 minutes late, but once again there was no mention of any delays when I checked the GWR website.

59003 Yeoman Highlander passes Uffington on 28 May 2025 with the 6M50 07:13 Westbury to Bescot departmental working. A little earlier the train had come to a stand a short distance to the west, with dragging brakes on one of the wagons. The train blocked the line for over an hour, until the driver could isolate the brakes on the defective wagon. Although it was running 76 minutes late here, a few miles further on it was back on time, as it passed Wantage Road at exactly the time it should have been leaving the loop after over an hour's stop!

The 5Q01 09:42 Swindon Transfer to Loughborough Brush passes Uffington on 28 May 2025 with 43301 leading and 43303 bringing up the rear. 91117 Project Electra is in the centre of the train. This was running 45 minutes late, due to an earlier failed freight train. The late running had improved the light angle, but the chance of actually getting any light was diminishing by the minute. Luckily this came in one of the last sunny periods.

91117 Project Electra is dragged past Uffington on 28 May 2025, in the centre of the late running 5Q01 09:42 Swindon Transfer to Loughborough Brush, led by 43301. The loco had been used over the weekend for overhead line testing.

Colas livery, GBRf loco, DCR train! 60096 Skiddaw passes Uffington on 28 May 2025 with the 6M02 07:32 Tytherington to Quainton Railhead, with another load of stone for the not very environmentally friendly HS2 project.