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Thursday 8 May 2008 was another bright and sunny day and I decided to go to the bridge on the Norton Lindsay road at Hatton to photograph the northbound WSMR train due at about 10.45. First to come though was a convoy of locomotives running from Kidderminster to Furzebrook
for a gala at the Swanage Railway. I must say that I have no interest in preserved lines, especially when something like a class 50 is for some reason painted into a two-tone green colour scheme whch the class never carried, but even so, this was too colourful a trainset to ignore as it rolled down Hatton Bank. The locomotives are 66724, D444, 37906, 37275 and 20096.
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My intention in going to Hatton on 8 May 2008 was to get a shot of 67015 heading 1J81, the 10.17 Marylebone to Wrexham service from WSMR. Just before it was due I heard a class 66 horn around the curve which heralded the approach of 66505 on 4M55, the 08.58 Southampton to Lawley Street freightliner. It
was obvious from the time it took to appear that due to early running it had been routed into the Down Goods Loop . The loop is now extensively used, in fact 66126 on 6M30 from Banbury to Mountsorrel had also gone this way a few minutes earlier. Some years ago,
the loop was hardly ever used and I was over the moon on the afternoon of 25 June 1994 when I saw 56119 on the Coedbach to Immingham coal train put inside to allow a DMU from Leamington Spa to Birmingham pass. 4M55 was quite a long train and the rear few wagons
were still south of the bridge as 1J81 throbbed past, with 67015 heading 67026. I quite like the effect and it shows the resurgence of this line as a major part of the network for both freight and passenger after many years as almost a secondary route.
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I knew that 6Z72 Stockton to Cardiff scrap was running with 57006 on 8 May 2008 and had already decided not to go out for it as various gardening duties had been allocated by my wife! However, when at 17.00 I saw a message saying that 47818 was now on the front and that it had passed Lea Marston some 45 minutes earlier
I dropped the strimmer and went to the nearest spot, that good old standby, Croome Perry wood near Pershore. I arrived with plenty of time in hand and here is the colourful combination just after it had passed through the wood and on to towards Gloucester, where 47818 was removed and stabled in Horton Road sidings. The sun was
just dipping into some thin cloud but the result wasn't too bad and well worth the trip.
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The morning of 7 May 2008 started bright and sunny so I drove over to Whitnash, just south of Leamington Spa, take a photograph of 1P03, the 07.25 Wrexham to Marylebone service. The train arrived a couple of minutes early with
67013 heading the stock and 67028 dead on the back. It has been reported that when DVT operations commence the locomotive will be on the north end of the stock. The DVT is arguably of equal interest but it seems a good idea to get pictures of the
locomotive while one can, especially when an EWS liveried example is doing the honours. The fresh green foliage of early summer is always a pleasure to see and there are several different, vivid shades in the cutting at Whitnash. It almost looks
unnatural but there has been no manipulation of the colours as I really dislike the over application of the saturation tool which one sees all too often on photographic sites. This isn't one of my favourite locations, being a bit anonymous, but
the houses on the extreme left help to identify the shot a little and balance the rather overwhelming effect of a "green tunnel".
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Most of the freight traffic on the Birmingham to Reading line is of the intermodal variety with both EWS and Freightliner sharing the traffic. 66593 is here seen at Whitnash representing the latter with the company's 4O54, the 06.13 Leeds to Southampton on the stiff climb out of Leamington Spa
towards Harbury tunnel. Class 66s don't seem to have too much a problem even with trains loaded to in excess of 1300 tonnes and with a less than full load, 66593 was making very light work of the job on 7 May 2008.
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After a bit of a cloudy spell during the mid-afternoon on 7 May 2008, the light picked up again at around 16.30 so I went over to a public footpath near Warwick Parkway station to obtain a shot of
67026 heading 1J83, the 16.10 Marylebone to Wrexham train. At exactly the time this was due another WSMR train, 1P33 went south. This service is booked to run via Coventry but I was later told that due to failure and congestion
near Birmingham it was diverted via Solihull. I was thinking of adding a link showing 1P33 going away but it looked so similar to the main picture that it seemed barely worth the effort. Here is 1J83 running about 10 minutes late
with 67015 dead on the back of the Cargo-D stock, the exhaust haze from 67026 doing its best to obscure the magnificent west-end tower of the St. Mary's Church in Warwick.
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Another set of six FLHH hoppers for in-warranty rectification work were taken from Hunslet, near Leeds to Long Marston on 6 May 2008. This time the locomotive was 66723 and 4Z73 is seen about to pass over the boarded foot crossing at Lower Moor, near Pershore. Despite the clear sky behind the train, quite a lot of cloud had built up near the sun and a large piece obscured the
sun only a few seconds after the train had passed me. The secondman in the cab of 66723 seems to be amused by something - my large floppy hat maybe?!
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The newly introduced WSMR trains between Wrexham and Marylebone commenced on 28 April 2008, whilst my wife and were holidaying near Exmoor. My first opportunity for a shot came on Monday 5 May which being a bank holiday meant that all trains ran via Hatton rather than Coventry. This is 1P03 rounding the curve at Hatton South Junction just as the light
began to pick up after a wet start to the day with 67025 was leading the 3 Cargo-D Mk3s with 67026 dead on the rear. This top-and-tailing will cease at some point in the future when sufficient DVTs are available so I was pleased to photograph 2 EWS examples on the stock.
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Just after lunch on Monday 5 May 2008 the cloudy skies began to clear nicely after a wet start so I went over to Hatton North Junction for another crack at some WSMR workings. This is 1P13 with 67013 topping 4 Cargo-D Mk3s, the dead locomotive on the rear being 67028. I quite like the WSMR grey and silver livery which gives a dignified appearance which well suits the admittedly odd lines of class 67. The train was crawling
along at this point because a bullock was loose on the line. I first saw it on the West North curve as seen in the linked picture but it soon wandered toward the main line. I rang a signaller friend at home and he immediately called in to alert Saltley panel. All trains were stopped to be warned as they approached the sectiion and told to proceed at low speed. A down Chiltern Turbo made the
unfortunate beast head back into the wood (formerly a goods yard) and it wasn't seen again despite 3 Network Rail men conducting a search.
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One of the trains scheduled on 5 May 2008 was 6E48, the Didcot to Lindsey Oil Refinery empty tanks. This has recently been running via the Great Western and Midland main lines so I welcomed the chance for a shot on the "proper" route. The allocated locomotive was a nicely weathered 60074 and the train is here seen
rounding the curve at Hatton North Junction. This train runs infrequently during the summer months so another shot may be not be possible for some time.
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My final photograph at Hatton North on 5 May 2008 was of 1J87, the 15.17 Marylebone to Wrexham WSMR service. This was the return working for 67026 and 67025, which I had seen earlier in the day at South Junction. The train was running a few minutes early and was at normal speed, the all-clear having been given after the previous problem
with a bullock on the line.
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Some crew training runs in connection with the forthcoming WSMR trains between Wrexham and London Marylebone using the single car DMMU 960014 took place on Friday 18 April 2008. The first run was to Birmingham New Street and the second up the main line to Leamington Spa. I am far more interested in seeing this old survivor of the early DMU fleet than the test runs with class 67s
as these will be around for some time and I can get my phototgraphs when the fuss has died down. This train was runnng about 15 minutes late at Hatton due to some earlier signalling problems and managed to run through the platforms at exactly the same time as a northbound Chiltern Trains class 165. I quickly grabbed this receding shot as the 960014 passed a load of untidy clutter
on the ballast - the seemingly inevitable aftermath of majot engineering work. Just why the mess can't be cleared when the work ends escapes me; it seems to invite vandalism.
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The bubble car 960014 was booked to run straight through Hatton station on its return to Birmingham but through previous late running lost the path and was looped in Hattons Down Goods Loop. It ran into the Stratford-upon-Avon Branch platform, rekindling memories of the many years
that units of this type shuttled back and forth between Leamington and Stratford. The reason for the looping was to allow a down Arriva Trains Voyager to pass on the main line.
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If it were not for the branding on the sides of 960014 this picture could almost have been taken in the 1980s, at least if one ignores the modern signalling. In earlier days a train such as this would have turned left at the junction and gone to Stratford-upon-Avon but this working is a training run for WSMR crews and will
take the spur onto the down main line at Hatton once the Voyager shown above has cleared the section.
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After leaving Hatton once the bubble car had departed I went home for a quick sandwich and then headed off to Long Marston to see what 66710, previously reported as going there light engine, was up to. I arrived at the same time as the locomotive and within a few minutes one of the resident industrial locomotives, Rachael, came into view with 6 FLHH
hoppers which have been receiving attention. I believe Rachael was one of the 3 locomotives from the now-closed Longbridge motor works in in Birmingham and has found a new lease of life here.
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The FLHH hoppers were soon propelled in the the second road of Long Marston's exchange sidings and once uncoupled from Rachael were ready for 66710 to leave the main line" and join them. The booked departure time
was some 90 minutes hence at this point and I felt disinclined to hang around in the cold easterly wind so went home.
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There was supposed to be a trial run of GWR Castle Class 5029 Nunney Castle from Tyseley to Stratford-upon-Avon on Tuesday 14 April 2008. For reasons I can't quite fathom, I decided to go and have a shot of the tender-first run, complete with single support coach, on the North Warwickshire line. The only place where the sun would be just right is on the section of line where
it passes under the Edstone Aquaduct and curves around on an east-west axis. In the event the steam run was cancelled but I did capture this shot of 150017 forming a late running Stourbridge Junction to Stratford service. The formerly scruffy farmyard in the background has recently seen a lot of refurbishment and conversion into an expensive-looking residence,
although only the outbuildings are visible in this long lens view.
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This shot at Hatton station wouldn't have been possible until the recent resignalling work undertaken in the area. The train is the northbound West Ealing to Stapleford move of the High Output Ballast Cleaner which was looped in the Down Goods Loop to allow the passage of a down
passenger train, and which was released through the Stratford-upon-Avon branch platform to rejoin the main line. Before the recent work, freights could not use this platform as trains had to fit between the signals in order for the track circuits to allow the setting of the road and signal aspects.
In fact, this short train fitted quite nicely and probably would have previously been able to make the move, but standing orders prohibited it unless in an emergency. 66549 is here seen after being released from the loop and making its way north. Here it is again
on the spur to the down main that has been very rarely used until recent weeks.
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Another set of FLHH coal hoppers went to Long Marston on Friday 11 April 2008. The train, 4Z87, left Hunslet some 101 late but was back on time by the time it arrived in the Birmingham area. I wasn't going to bother with a shot but
decided that as I hadn't seen a Metronet-liveried class 66 on the Cotswold Line, it would be worth a trip. I don't record locomotive numbers and without looking through my photo files, have no idea whether I have seen any particular
engine before, but I do like to get a record of as many livery varieties as possible. Here is 66722 passing Evesham signalbox about 30 minutes early in an unbelievably lucky patch of sun which appeared from nowhere just as it appeared around the curve in the distance. The train ran into
the platform and as soon as the token was collected from the cupboard headed off east towards Long Marston.
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I had a slow journey to Long Marston thanks to a van the driver of which seemed incapable of driving at more than 40mph and arrived at the same time as 4Z87. This didn't matter as the sun was almost straight down the track looking towards Honeybourne and I settled quite
happily for a shot as the train entered the site, passing the resident Hunslet 0-4-0 shunter; a bit of a coincidence as 4Z87 originated from Hunslet, neear Leeds! There was a train, 4Z89, to come out which consisted of just 2 FLHH hoppers. This was ready to leave at 13.30 but sat right at the far end of the
exchange sidings and showed no sign of moving. As a very large cloud with a lot of visible precipitation was rapidly approaching, I made the decision to go home while still dry...
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It is sometimes good to go out with the intention of photographing some entirely routine train as I did on 8 April 2008. I do tend to do this only if the light is spot on as I can't really see the point in obtaining a photograph
of something that is is less satisfactory than a picture I have previously taken. Here is 66589 rounding the bend at Hatton some 25 minutes early in charge of 4O54, the 06.13 Leeds to Southampton freightliner. The sky was rapidly becoming cloudy
by this time and without the likelihood of any further southbound activity I went home.
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There has been a lot of fuss made about the training runs for the upcoming WSMR trains between Banbury and Marylebone with class 67 locomotives, but very little has been said about the blue & grey single unit also runnning
in the Birmingham area. I much prefer bubble cars to 67s so made the effort to go out on 7 April to get a shot of it which is here seen approaching the outskirts of Balsall Common, between Coventry and Birmingham International stations.
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Whilst returning home with my wife from an afternoon stroll on Sunday 6 April 2008, I noticed a class 66 standing just outside Stratford-upon-Avon. Locomotives here are quite rare so I went home, picked up my camera and went back for a closer look. 66152 was standing on the rear of a train
of redundant track panels. The crew had just arrived and were checking over the train prior to departure. Here is another view of 6P01 taken from a slightly different angle and as a snowstorm rapidly approached. The following saw the train, minus locomotive, standing in platform 2
of the station. I had hoped to see something coming from Bescot to pick up the wagons but nothing appeared in between the usual DMU traffic.
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One of the regular 6Z28 workings from Stapleford to West Ealing ran on Friday 4 April 2008. I have been meaning to go out and get a picture of this for a while and as the weather was reasonable at lunchtime, I took the opportunity to go over to Hatton.
Unfortunately, things don't always run entirely smoothly and my shot of 66561 with the train isn't quite sharp. A Chiltern Trains' class 168 was just pulling north out of Hatton station as 6Z28 came slowly around the bend under adverse signals caused by a Stratford
branch train having just gone south and I had to take the picture much earlier than I had planned. Due to a lack of concentration on my part, the focusing point was too far forward rendering the image a little "soft".
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This photograph is a triumph of hope over experience. I was at home on the afternoon of 2 April 2008 when a friend sent a message to me saying that 60056 was working 4M36, the 13.10 Southampton to Birch Coppice intermodal although today running as a class 6. I had plenty of time to go to a location north of Warwick Parkway station where I knew that
the train wouldn't be going too quickly, essential in the dreadful weather. The exceptionally rare combination of a class 60 on containers was running about 45 minutes late when it passed me going, as hoped, nice and slowly. Even so I had to use ISO 250 with the camera set at 1/500 at f3.2 on my 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens, the whole lot supported on a stout monopod.
All in all, I wasn't too unhappy with the result even with the misty rain trying its best to obscure the tower of St. Mary's Church Warwick and the Round Tower of Warwick Castle. After a leisurely walk back to my car and a slow drive in rush-hour traffic traffic towards Hatton, I glanced over the bridge by Hatton Country World and saw that 6M36 was in the loop, so made a quick
diversion to Hatton station where 60056 was just moving slowly onto the main line. It's not the shot I would have chosen if I had had more time but this sort of thing doesn't happen too often...
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The regular trains from Bescot to Long Marston have become so regular that the former headcode, 6Z80, has now been replaced by a permanent code, 6V17. The first run with this reporting number took place on 2 April 2008 when 37422 took a rake of ferrrywagons to the storage and maintenance site. The weather was not good so
I didn't make a lot of effort and went just to the site of Fladbury station where 6V17 is here pictured. The first signs of spring, in the form of plum blossom, is in evidence in the background and in the few minutes I was standing on the bridge I heard at least 6 different species of birds singing.
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I wanted to go Long Marston to visit a fruit and vegetable stall before returning home so went the extra mile or so to the bridge over the former MOD facility. Despite having a slow journey behind a different sort of tractor and then a car whose driver was one of those who will not exceed 40mph in any circumstances,
I arrived before the train, and indeed didn't hearing it rumbling along the branch for several minutes. The weather was even duller in Warwickshire than Worcestershire and here is 6V17 crawling up to the entrance of the yard having picked up a second crew member at Honeybourne. There was no traffic to be taken out and the locomotive
left light engine within a very few minutes.
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There were several quite interesting train running on the Birmingham to Gloucester line on Tuesday 1 April 2008 and even though the weather wasn't brilliant I made the decision to go and have a look. I went to Stoke Prior, just south of Bromsgrove, and the first freight to appear was 6E41, the empty oil tanks from
Westerleigh to Lindsey, headed by 60071. The sun made a half-hearted attempt to come out for this which did lift the rather gloomy scene a little.
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Trains of stone have recently started running from Croft Quarry, in Leicestershire, to Brierley Hill. This seems to happen every now and again, the last contract being several years when stone from Mountsorrel was delivered for a few months. The train, 6Z42, the 1105 from Croft runs to Worcester Yard to allow the locomotive to
run-round before returning north along the line from Droitwich to Stourbridge Junction where it turns left onto the line to Brierley Hill and Round Oak. 66148 is here seen crawling towards an adverse signal which will be cleared as the train approaches, a "feather" aspect being shown for the junction onto the single
line to Droitwich.
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Just a few minutes behind 6Z42 was another special working, this time with a DRS class 66 on the front. This train was 6Z70, the 08.57 Heywood GF to Westerleigh RTS conveying a Stoneblower, DR 77002 which managed to come in the thickest piece of cloud in the area and just as a local farmer had lit a huge bonfire in an adjacent field. This accounts
for the rather misty and dull appearance of the photograph...
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A set of 8 Freightliner Heavy Haul HXA hoppers were taken from Midland Road, Leeds to Long Marston on 1 April 2008. The hoppers are to receive some remedial work and are here seen rounding the curve at Stoke Prior some 2 hours late behind
47828 but in an especially lucky patch of sun. The P-Way workers visible in the background arrived while I was at Stoke Prior and I had had visions of my pictures being full of orange jackets but the man in charge told me
they would be far enough away not to be a nuisance!
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47828 and its train of HXAs was due to arrive at Evesham at 15.21, but knowing the vicissitudes of the Cotswold Line I decided on a quick drive over there from Stoke Prior
in case an earlier path might be found from Worcester. My hunch paid off and here is 6Z76 passing the signal box at Evesham at 14.53 having followed a Paddington-bound HST from Worcester. There had been time for the crew to switch headboards
from the usual "Advenza Freight" as shown on the picture above, to this one! The rear bracket on the locomotive carried a different one again, "The Marauder". The colourful van in the yard adjacent to the
line had just pulled up as the train came, in an otherwise, for once, empty space.
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There was plenty of time for a gentle stroll around to the roadbridge at the eastern end of Evesham station for a shot of 6Z76 standing in the platform. The shadows from the trees aren't too intrusive at this time of year when the foliage hasn't appeared and it was worth the
wait for the sun to appear to record the unusual sight of FLHH hoppers in the GWR environs. The train didn't have to wait for long and the crew soon collected the token for the section to Honeybourne from the broom cupboard
on the platform and headed off to Long Marston. The locomotive returned light engine to Gloucester and was later that evening noted at Reading West Yard.
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I hadn't intended to go out for any photographs on Monday 31 March 2008, but the cancellation of a lunchtime concert in Birmingham Town Hall (although not known about until I reached the venue!) gave the opportunity to pop up to Hatton North. I originally thought that 6E48 with 60030 and 6E55 with 60012 were due to come, although it later transpired that
the former was booked to run via the GWML and MM Lines, although no-one in the know bothered to post this useful piece of information. As I approached Hatton I saw a Freightliner class 66 in the Down Goods Loop and thought I might have a chance of getting to North Junction in time. It's a walk of about 12 minutes from the village of Shrewley, where I parked,
to the photo-spot and as it happened I had plenty of time before 66530 appeared with 6M01, the Hinksey to Stud Farm empties. The locomotive was making a lot of smoke for a train of empty wagons, but this adds a little to the picture.
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The sun was in and out at Hatton during the afternoon of 31 March 2008, but managed to be in a big clear patch of sky for 60012 hauling the emptry tanks from Theale to Lindsey Oil Refinery, 6E55. I wouldn't normally include quite so much sky in a picture for reasons of compositional balance,
but this lovely cloudscape just cried out to shown in full. It's the sort of sky that one would have photographed with a yellow filter in black white days with the intention of using it in the darkroom to replace a plain one for that special shot. Manipulation of photographs didn't start with the invention of Photoshop!
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As I have mentioned before, railtours hold little interest for me these days and I photograph one only if it runs within a short drive of my home and if the locomotive is something out of the ordinary. Even then I'll only go for one shot and unlike some won't waste time or petrol charging like a thing possessed around the countryside for yet another
shot of the same train in whatever location, however poor, is close to the road. A Deltic on the Gloucester to Birmingham line fitted with all my criteria on Saturday 29 March 2008 and with the promise of some reasonable light coupled with sensible timings I went to Stoke Prior near Bromsgrove. Needless to say, the weather caved as soon as I arrived
and stayed poor when the distinctive nose of 55022 appeared leaving the single track from Droitwich and onto the main line at Stoke Works Junction. The sound effects were excellent as 1Z47 accelerated towards Bromsgrove and the 1/37 of the Lickey Incline although the smoke effects had subsided a little by the train reached me. I much prefer this shot to
one of vantage points on the Lickey itself as there is an identifiable background rather just a row of trees as at Pike's Pool. The crossing at Vigo would have been an option, but I suspect that this would have been heaving with enthusiasts and it would have been difficult to have parked without causing an obstruction in the very narrow lane.
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Just behind the Deltic-hauled railtour shown above was a freight diverted from the North & West route. Headed by a dirty 66213, 6M60, the 08.18 Tavistock Junction to Bescot train of loaded china clay hoppers was crawling along under yellow signals ready to enter the loop at Bromsgrove prior to being banked up the Lickey Incline by another class 66. Even in the few minutes
since 55022 had passed by, the light had further deteriorated to the point where I wondered if a shot was worthwhile. Common sense prevailed though, so I at least I managed a "sort-of" shot but with the hope that there will be a sunny
morning to improve on this photograph before the diversions end. If there isn't a better morning then at least I have a record of the diversion.
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It is possible to obtain a well-lit photograph of 6V05, the 09.39 Round Oak to Margam empty steel train, at Norton Junction near Worcester for just a few weeks at the beginning of Spring. Too early and shadows from adjacent trees are intrusive and once the
clocks have been put forward at the end of March the sun is too straight unless the train runs at least an hour late. I remembered this at around 09.00 on Thursday 27 March 2008 and decided to go over to Norton as the sky was largely clear but with cloud and rain forecast
for later in the day and for the next day - just before the clocks change. I also remembered that on the 2 occasions I went over last yeat a class 66 was diagrammed for the working. I knew that 60053 was on 6V05 and that it should be due at Norton at about 10.50, following a FGW unit from Worcester.
I arrived on the bridge to find a message on my BlackBerry saying that it was running early from Kingswinford Junction. By the time it reached me it was about 30 minutes early having had a clear run through Worcester. It only just managed to be in sun and the extreme foreground of the picture is in partial cloud.
The scene wasn't helped by the locomotive being pretty grubby and with the front number having faded but overall I was quite lucky to have scored a reasonable shot.
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Another set of the new JPA cement wagons owned by LaFarge were moved to Long Marston on 26 March 2008. These has been languishing in Worcester Yard for a couple weeks following a very late start from Bescot and subsequent cancellation of the train. The train, jeaded by 66084, is here seen approaching the end of its journey
and visible on the back are an acid tank, an Imerys china clay tank and 8 KEA box wagons. Click on this link for a closer look at one of the JPAs.
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The train in Long Marston exchange sidings, 6Z80 from Worcester Yard, was quite long and the crew didn't draw forward quite enough to allow 66084 to leave No.2 road. The Mototrail Logistics crew uncoupled the KEAs and older tanls from the JPAs and drew the section of the
train forward onto the loop so that 0Z81 could safely exit the yard and return to Bescot. The shunting locomotive appears to have received a recent coat of undercoat and no numbers were visible, so it remains unidentified for the time bieng.
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A brand new set of Lafarge cement wagons was moved from Bescot to Long Marston on 19 March 2008. It is unusal for new vehicles to be stored there but I believe that the owner is not quite ready for them because of track alterations at the Earles Sidings site. The move has been
pencilled in for a couple of weeks with paths having been established but not used. It seems a bit of a coincidence that today's move happened after 37401, freshly painted into EWS livery, was taken from Warrington to Bescot the previous night and immediately allocated to 6Z80.
The train predictably aroused more interest than would have happened had a 66 been diagrammed and there was a gallery of 4 as the train passed Lower Moor on the single track of the Cotswolsd Line near Pershore.
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There was some debate over whether any traffic was to be taken out of Long Marston on 19 March 2008. Having taken a lot of shots around Honeybourne in recent times, I decided to hang around at Lower Moor and passed the time chatting to a fellow enthusiast until the news came through
saying a short set of ferrywagons were now attached to 37401. Everything worked smoothly and 6Z81 came west towards Lower Moor just about on time. The sun had just come from behind quite a thick cloud so a second shot in sun presented itself.
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The class 101 DMMU known as Iris was taken from Derby to Bishops Lydeard on Tuesday 18 March 2008. The power provided was 31459 which, in its black livery, provided a nice contrast to the different yellows of the unit. I wanted to be in the Evesham or Pershore area at some point during the day so just went to
the nearest point to my home where a reasonably wide view could be obtained so as to show all 3 vehicles. Here is 5Z08 passing Croome Perry wood after being in the loop at Abbotswood for some time to allow the passage of a class 170 on a Cardiff service and an Arriva Voyager on a Cross Country train. I came very close
to being bowled out by a northbound Arriva-liveried 170105 which was outside the frame by no more than a few inches. Another colourful unit, or to be more accurate pair of units had also gone south a little earlier, these being FGW's
158750 with an unidentified FGW class 150 on a train from Worcester.
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Whilst waiting for 5Z50 I saw 66151 going north towwards Worcester with a short MOD train for the MOD depot at Ashchurch. These trains, from Didcot, have to go to Worcester on order to run-round as no access to the MOD sidings is available from the south. Even though the light was quite poor I have decided to include
this shot in view of the train itself, a collection of water tanks, containers, a generator and a field ambulance.
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I have very little interest in photographing railtours or charters and rarely bother with them at all and certainly not to extent of chasing half-way across the country after them although on the rare occasion that one comes to my home town, Stratford-upon-Avon, I usually try to get a record shot somewhere in the area.
On Saturday 15 March 2008 the newly introduced Stobart Pullman topped-and-tailed by 47802 and 47712 came to the terminus station as 1Z94 from Letchworth. This is the first visit of DRS class 47s to the town and the train is here seen arriving in the platform pretty much exactly on time led by 47802 in sparkling condition
and with clean silver buffers.
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This is the view from the other side of the Alcester Road bridge as 47802 waits for the passengers to detrain from the Stobart Pullman. The line used to go from here to Honeybourne, via Long Marston, and then on to the South West and South Wales but was truncated in 1976
when the derailment of a coal train at Winchcombe damaged the track to such an extent that it was considered uneconomic to repair it. I'm sure that this short-sighted decision has been much regretted in the intervening years as the line would have provided a much more gently
graded route for freight than the line via the Lickey incline.
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If the line beyond Stratford-upon-Avon had not been closed in 1976 this picture could well have shown 47802 making a smoky departure towards Cheltenham. In the event, of course, it is doing no more than popelling the ECS of the Stobart Pullman towards Stratford-upon-Avon East Junction, a few yards to the north,
where it will cross over and run back into the adjacent platform 2. This was not an enthusiast charter and was run to give the passengers a chance to look around the Shakespeare-related attractions of the town. The first impression of the town for visitors by rail must be completely negative as they are
greeted by a disgracefully scruffy derelict site that was formerly the cattle market. This is currently being used by a fun fair and once this has gone the site is to be redeveloped with a mix of low-cost housing and office accomodation, along with a much needed bus and rail interchange point. Some enterprise was
shown and a couple of local sight-seeing buses were on hand to give some of the visitors a trip around the area. The forecast rain held off for over an hour so the passengers on the top decks would have enjoyed a dry excursion...
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The Mountsorrel to Banbury self-discharge train is usally diagrammed for an EWS class 66, but I noticed from some early morning locomotive lists that 60090 had been allocated. The return working, 6M31, is scheduled to pass Leamington Spa at around 11.15am and as it was a bright but quite cloudy monring, I thought I that would have a shot at Hatton North Junction. I parked near the railway bridge in Shrewley and while walking
across the bridge though that the shot from there wasn't at all bad as it gave an almost aerial view of the junction at Hatton North. As it was cloudy, a shot from the north side of the line was possible although if the sun had appeared the view from the south side was perfectly OK. As it happened, 6M31 was late and passed me at 12.10, by which time the light had deteriorated to the point where I had to use ISO 250 - well beyond my preferred setting.
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I wasn't planning to do anything on the railway front on Wednesday 12 March 2008, but when a message came through saying that 66713 was running light engine to Long Marston, I decided, mostly out of curiosity, to pop over and see what was being taken out. When I arrived, there was no sign of the 66, despite it having left Worcester around 45 minutes early, but there was a permanent way gang
working on the branch. I thought for a moment that a tree had been blown across the line during the strong overnight winds but the locomotive, running as 0Z46, soon came into view and entered the yard, as here seen.
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Standing on road 2 of the exchange sidings at Long Marston was a rake of 6 MkII coaches, 5 in Anglia colours and the final one in Virgin red and white. 66713 ran straight onto the stock and coupled on. It seemed to me that there were some problems with obtaining a brake as
there was much to-ing and fro-ing of the crew and occasional loud hissing noise from 66713. All was eventually ready and the crew settled down in the cab and awaited departure time.
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The train, now running as 5Z46, started moving onto the OTO line to Honeybourne at 12.40, just as the sun was beginning to come out of some dense cloud. Fortunately, there was just about enough light for a decent picture with some shadow to be seen.
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I made the short drive to Honeybourne in the hope that the sun would come out enough to obtain one or two pictures while 5Z46 was standing on the East Loop while both up and down HSTs used the single track. In fact the sun stayed out pretty much all the time and I took an
inordinate number of repetitive shots from slightly different angles. This one is my favourite, taken as the second HST, en-route to Worcester, slowly approached the station.
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Once the HST shown above had left Honeybourne station, 2 crew members left 66713 and made their way to the ground frame in readiness for operating the system to allow 5Z46 onto the main line once given permission to proceed the Evesham signalbox. I took a further shot of the train standing
on the East Loop so as to show the colour contrast between the locomotive and its stock. For a slightly tighter view of the train click here. There was a very strong wind blowing and it was difficult to hold my camera and its long lens steady enough, so I was glad to have taken my monopod up to the
bridge with me. These are great pieces of kit as not only do they greatly help in keeping a camera steady but also take the weight of a heavy camera and long lens combination off one's shoulders.
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Whilst I was waiting for 5Z46 to be given the right of way onto the Cotswold Line at Honeybourne, I had a play with a bit of differential focusing using a high shutter speed and a small aperture. It's a shame that the blossom on the tree wasn't more advanced but I was still quite pleased with the result. Maybe it
will be possible to try again with blossom in a few weeks if a suitable train comes out of Long Marston...
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After standing for so long in the sun at Honeybourne, I felt slightly cheated when the sun didn't completely illuminate the stock when 66713 and 5Z46 moved across the spur from the East Loop onto the main line.
The stock in the picture was heading for Eastleigh via a run-round at Worcester and then by sea to New Zealand where the coach bodies are to be used. The stock was in a terrible state some with boarded-over windows and with evidence
of a fire in the Virgin-liveried example, which incidentally, was half-full of rubbish!
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A new freight flow of scrap metal operated by Advenza has just started running from Stockton to Cardiff Tidal Sidings. The preferred motive power is one of the company's class 57s and on 11 March 2008 the
lucky locomotive was 57005. 6Z75 is here seen passing the site of Defford station, near Pershore in Worcestershire, in a patch of sun that came from nowhere in an otherwise stormy sky. The wagons are KEAs and in a previous life this one still with a Trans Manche Link roundel was used to transport Channel Tunnel lining segments around Kent. Much
as I like the Advenza 57s, they don't sound quite as good as the pairs of 33s used on the tunnel traffic which loaded to over 2000 tonnes!
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There was considerable disruption to trains along the Birmingham to Coventry corridor on Saturday 8 March 2008. Some reports suggested that a cable theft had taken place while another said that some trouble had been caused by a rail-grinder, but whatever the cause it was undeniable that problems were in evidence, exacerbated by the need to run all WCML services along the
line because of engineering work on the Trent Valley. My main reason for going out was to try and get a photograph of 90021 on the empty stock of the up sleeper, 5M16, whose passengers had been detrained at Crewe and sent forward by bus. In the event, due to crewing problems this was dumped in Bescot Yard. However, various freights did run in daylight after being delayed and held at Bescot
and these are always welcome on this line, which normally doesn't see much in the way of locomotive movements in the daytime. The first to come along was 66550 with a 6Y33 ballast, photographed passing near Wootton Green on the outskirts of Balsall Common.
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The next freight to appear at Wootton Green was 4M30, the 19.53 Grangemouth to Daventry intermodal running in the region of 8 hours late in the hands of 66407. The weather on 8 March 2008 wasn't particularly good, but I thought it worth the trip out to record a few of these normally unphotographable trains. It's a pity that no real variety in the shots is possible at this location
which results in the pictures all looking remarkably similar!
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This freightliner train, hauled by 66570 is 4L90, the 08.43 Lawley Street to Felixstowe running only about 2 hours late, one of the more-on-time freights on 8 March 2008. The sun had only just been obscured when the train went by, but the dark sky sort of compensates for the lack of direct light.
Thanks to Ron Kosys for this one's ID.
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I am confident that this train, hauled by 66406, is 4M62, the 22.22(Friday) Coatbridge to Daventry intermodal. This should have passed Rugby at 07.50 but didn't appear at Wootton Green until 12.33, thanks to the disruption around Stechford. Crewing must become something of a problem when trains are running so late, and I was told
that some services had had to left at Bescot because of the drivers' allowable hours being exceeded.
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There is no conventional northbound shot available at Wootton Green, near Balsall Common, so I had to content myself with a picture of 92007 going away towards Birmingham. The train is
4M05, the 02.44 Felixstowe to Trafford Park intermodal, which was nearly 5 hours at this point. Purely from the enthusiasts' viewpoint, this late running issometimes advantageous because it
does enable one to obtain photographs of workings which would otherwise not be possible.
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My final photograph from 8 March 2008 shows 90048 passing Wootton Green with 4M45, the 03.16 Felixstowe to Ditton freightliner. In common with everything else I photographed, this was running late, although at about 4 hours behind the booked time, not
quite as badly delayed as some others I had seen. This working made a somewhat better going-away shot than that of 92007 as at least there were some colourful bits immediately behind the locomotive. Thanks go to Andy Williams and an anonymous source for much of the information received today.
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The line from Birmingham to Leamington Spa threw up a couple of relatively unusual moves on Thursday 6 March 2008. This first was this, 6V25, a Bescot to Eastleigh train of concrete sleepers. If I remember correctly, this service normally works south in the early hours of the morning but
on this occasion ran through Hatton just after 12.30pm. The main reason for including this photograph is the exhaust being emitted by 66220. This was clearly a heavy train and the locomotive was working hard under clear signals as it began the descent of Hatton Bank.
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About 15 minutes after 66200 went south through Hatton South Junction, the primary reason for my visit to the location appeared. Here are 43003 + 43002 working from Brush's site at Loughborough to Old Oak Common - the final power cars in the current MTU conversion programme. It is unusual for these recently refurbished power cars to work under their own power, they are normally dragged by a class 47 with a couple of barrier coaches in the consist.
The routing of 0F70 was also unusual, despite it being to me at least, the obvious route and preferable to either the WCML or the even more bizarre run through Cheltenham, Gloucester, Swindon and Didcot to Reading and OOC. Whatever the reason, the power cars made for a very rare sight on this line and worth the trip, even when the deadful light was taken in account.
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There were several interesting and unusual movements on the Gloucester to Birmingham line during the morning of 4 March 2008. The forecast was for good sunny spells so I decided to go a bridge near Badgeworth, south of Cheltenham where the light would be spot-on for a northbound train. The first freight to appear was 6M96, the loaded steel
coils from Margam to Corby in the capable hands of 66187. Here is the train on the approaches to Cheltenham under a virtually cloudless blue sky.
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The next train to appear was 150127 in Silverlink livery with small FGW brandings. This is obviously the company's solution to overcrowding but I cannot but wonder if the
passengers are too grateful for the less than comfortable seats these units provide. I'm sure they are fine for a trip from Gloucester to Cheltenham, but not much further...From an enthusiast's point
of view, these transitional liveries give a welcome splash of colour.
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There were 2 Advenza Freight moves booked during the morning of 4 March 2008. The first should have been a 6Z45 09.10 Gloucester to Long Marston conveying a couple of derelict class 37s owned by the HNRC. In the event 6Z71, the 10.05 Gloucester to Stockton, headed by ex-works 57006 came first. The train was
12 large bogie wagons. The general feeling amongst the photographers who witnessed this move was that a load of scrap may be picked up at Stockton and brought south, in connection with Advenza's new flow from Cornwall South Wales. A light aircraft can just be made out in the right background and this is about
to land at Staverton Airfield.
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I wasn't expecting to see a train of loaded HTAs at Badgeworth on 4 March 2008. This one, headed by 66199 is 6M38, the 05.00 Portbury to Radcliffe train running a good 3 hours late. A bit of cloud was by now building, and to my eyes, this makes an attractive addition to the sky as I feel that clouds, obviously in the right place,
are a distinct advantage from a photographic point of view.
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Yet another variety of class 150 livery was the next to appear at Badgeworth, this time Arriva Trains West on 150253 on a local service to Cheltenham. This stretch of line sees a great variety of diesel units and is a good area for those
enthusiasts not totally obsessed with locomotives. I've always liked DMUs and am quite happy to spend an hour or two photographing these colourful little trains.
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Cheltenham's importance has long been recognised by the railway and still benefits from direct trains to and from Paddington. I had previously photographed the down working, led by 43155, but in an attempt to give some variety to the day's action, here is the up train with
43156 at the pointed end accelerating away from Cheltenham and pasing the village of Up Hatherley, just visible behind the trees in the background.
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I was fortunate in that several local friends were keeping me updated with status reports of the Long Marston train on 4 March 2008. 6Z45 should have run yesterday but one of the class 37s due for movement, 37704, was found to have had seized brakes. The same problem
was still extant and the recalcitrant locomotive was finally shunted out of the consist leaving just 37898 and four JTA wagons to be moved. I suppose the train was in the region of 90 minutes late when it passed Badgeworth, but this wasn't too much of a problem
as far as a path on the Cotswold Line was concerned as there was quite a long layover scheduled in Worcester Yard. The class 37 has been stored outside both at Bristol and Gloucester and this is clearly evident in the sorry state of the former Transrail locomotive.
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The empty steel carriers from Round Oak to Margam was in the hands of 60012 on 4 March 2008 and here is 6V05 at Badgeworth accelerating away from the speed restriction at Cheltenham station. It looks to me as if shadows from lineside trees will become a problem here
as soon as the leaves begin to appear over the next few weeks although a higher sun angle should mitigate to some extent.
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This class 60 locomotive, 60074, has just become the latest to achieve celebrity status through being repainted into a eye-catching shade of blue. The new livery, applied by its owners, DB Schenker, EWS's successors, promotes a charity giving support to teenage cancer sufferers. 60074
was also named "Teenage Spirit" at the same time - the whole being unveiled at the end of last week. Here is the still-clean locomotive at the head of 6E41, the Westerleigh to Lindsey Oil Refinery empty tanks passing Badgeworth of 4 March 2008.
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While driving along the M5 after leaving Badgeworth I realised that I should be easily able to reach Evesham just in time for a second shot of 47237 and 37989. I arrived with about 5 minutes to spare and was quite lucky in that the sun managed to avoid some dense cloud just as 6Z45
came into view. Click on this hyperlink for the closer look at the dreadful state of 37898. There appears to be a good growth of algae on the nose of the tractor, a good sign that there was some rain while the locomotive was stored outside.
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I went to Norton Junction, near Worcester, on 3 March 2008 with the intention of photographing 6V05, the morning Round Oak to Margam empty steel train. I had just arrived when the signal dropped and 66108 came around the curve under the M5 motorway with a short rake of flats from Didcot to Ashchurch MOD. This train has to
run to Worcester so that the locomotive can run-round the stock, as Ashchurch's exchange sidings cannot be entered except from the north.
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I soon found out from the signalman at Norton Junction that 6V05 from Round Oak to Margam was not running but I decided to hang on as I had seen this class 158 heading north and knew that it would return from Worcester and head to Brighton. This is the first of this class I have seen wearing
First Great Western livery. Verdict? Not bad, but would look better with a third vehicle in the train. The distant signal on the bracket has been lowered, telling the driver that the road is clear across Abbotswood Junction and onto the down main line.
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Just after the class 158 shown above had cleared, the round was put across for a train to leave the Cotswold Line. Within a few minutes this HST came around the curve forming a Paddington to Worcester service, led by power car
43029. This is the first HST I have photographed here since they took over the majority of workings from the clas 180 Adelante which, sadly, have now virtually disappeared from the network.
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I am not one of those photographers who feels the need to chase around the country as soon as a locomotive appears in a new coat of paint, much preferring to wait until it appears somewhere convenient to me. This was the case with the Colas Rail 47s - there was no way I could have been bothered to drive all the way to the West Country
for a picture when they were working RHTTs there at the end of 2007, knowing that one or both would appear in the Midlands sooner or later. 47727 Rebecca finally made a trip I could photograph without much effort on Tuesday 26 February 2007 when it hauled a crane and associated vehicles from Crewe to Banbury. 6Z47 was originally intended to
go to Swindon, but after a late start was finally parked in the up loop opposite Banbury signalbox. I wanted to picture it somewhere with enough angle to clearly show the unique livery so decided upon Leamington Spa station where the train, consisting of 47727 with a crane and associated vehicles, is here seen accelerating away from the severe
speed restriction from the Coventry branch. Click here for a closer view of the crane as the train goes away.
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During the week of 10 February 2008, all trains had to be diverted away from the GWR line from Birmingham to Leamington Spa because of extensive engineering works. The majority of Freightliner's services ran from Nuneaton to Coventry, but 4O54, the morning Leeds to Southampton was booked to use the line from Stechford to Coventry,
before turning right for Kenilworth and Leamington Spa. Here is 66501 with 4O54 passing Wootton Green at 10.59 on the sunny morning of 12 February. It was fortunate that the front couple of flats were loaded or the picture would have looked slightly less attractive, although the filthy state of the locomotive doesn't help. The early mist
fuelled partially by pollution from the Birmingham conurbation has almost burned off although the remnants can be seen in the background.
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The line between Birmingham New Street and Coventry is a happy hunting ground for anyone wishing to photograph a variety of 25KV electric units. Here is a former Silverlink unit, 321417, passing Wootton Green on a New Street to Coventry local service during the morning
of 12 February 2008. I quite like a session photographing units as they are amongst the most colourful trains on the network and it's good to record the ever-changing liveries.
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In contrast to the photograph above, this picture taken at Wootton Green on 12 February 2008 shows the more usual train for a local service to Coventry, a class 350 Desiro unit in the shape of 350129 . I travelled from Berkswell to New Street in one of these trains
the day before this shot was taken and was quite impressed by the comfort, quietness and acceleration. Much better than the class 150s on my local line!
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It is impossible to stand anywhere between Birmingham New Street and Coventry for long without seeing one of Virgin West Coast's class 390 Pendolino expresses. Here is 390051 heading east with a Euston-bound train on 12 February 2008. I find these trains quite stylish albeit somewhat monotonous after a few hours
by the lineside.
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Whilst walking from the lane where I had parked my car at Wootton Green on 12 February 2008, I heard what I thought was the farmer shooting rooks or pigeons but when I arrived on the occupation bridge I saw that
an automatic gas-gun bird scarer was the source of the noise. It was made a bit more interesting by the addition of the head and yellow cape although, with the random timing of the detonations, it still made me jump every time it went off.
The train is a partly rebranded Arriva Cross Country Voyager heading for Bournemouth via Leamington Spa and Oxford.
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There is little scheduled freight along the Birmingham to Coventry line so faced with a wait of several hours before anything appeared, I decided to go to the Cheltenham line to photograph some steel trains and a few diesel units. I simply couldn't be bothered
to go far so ended up, along with half a dozen fellow enthusiasts, at Croome Perry. The first freight to come along was, as expected, 60034 with 6V92, the empty coil carriers from Corby to Margam. This had been held in Abbotswood loop to allow 2 trains to pass
and was making a decent throbbing noise as it passed the gallery by the roadside.
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The next train to head south at Croome Perry on 12 February 2008 was a light engine move involving 2 DRS class 37s. Locomotives without a train hold little attraction for me so the next photograph I took was this
of 170397 in slightly amended Porterbrook livery - the unit is on hire to cover a shortage.
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Just before going home on 12 February 2008 I took this photograph of 60091 on 6V07, the Round Oak to Margam empty steel train. 60091 was the last class 60 to carry coal sector decals, but these have now been removed. The dirt on the bodyside of the locomotive
has seen some attention from someone who didn't mind getting his fingers dirty. I can easily read the words on the high resolution version of this picture, but will refrain from quoting it here as browsers set to prevent the reading of obscenity might filter it!
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After waiting for an obviously late 4O54 at the roadbridge at Hatton Station, I decided to move down the line to North Junction. I knew that D1015 was running light engine from Tyseley to Reading and that 66027 was just in front of it with 4O53, a Wakefield to Southampton intermodal. In view of the perfect lighting I decided
to go for a broadside shot of the 66 as its red livery would contrast nicely with the green background; hoping of course that there would be some containers immediately behind the locomotive!
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Only a few minutes elapsed at Hatton North Junction before the distinctive rattling sound of a Western became audible even above the strong wind and the adjacent M40 motorway. D1015 Western Champion had clearly just been given a green light at the signal protecting Hatton North Junction and was accelerating gently down
the bank towards Warwick whilst en-route to Reading from Tyseley. I would never specifically go out for a light engine move but was pleased to see a Western on one of the class's former stamping grounds. What a pity though that a few coaches didn't need a move south...
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It was while standing on the footbridge at Hatton North Junction on 6 February 2008 that I message reminded me that there had been severe disruption around Derby after a power cable was accidentally severed by contractors. The train I had planned on photographing earlier, the Leeds to Southampton freightliner, had just reported
at Landor Street in Birmingham and I reckoned should be with me in around 45 minutes time. Here is 66589 leading 4O54 through Hatton North Junction at 12.48 some 2 hours late. The shadows here are still problematical and the use of a long lens is necessary to avoid the worst of them.
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This was my first sight of a former Virgin Voyager in the colours of Arriva, the franchise holder for Cross Country railways. 220017 is seen heading north towards Hatton North Junction on 6 February 2008 with a train for, I think, Manchester Piccadilly. This was very much a grab shot as I was watching some rabbits in the adjacent field and only heard
the train approach at the last moment. If I had known it was coming I should have gone for a much wider view to see more of the new livery.
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One of the trains I anticipated seeing during the afternoon of 6 February 2008 was 6E55, the Theale to Lindsey Oil Refinery empty tanks. With this in mind I left Hatton North Junction and drove up the line (not literally!) to a location near Warwick Parkway. No sooner had I arrived than a message came through saying that 60042 had passed Kings Sutton, near Banbury, at 14.16, some 90 minutes early.
I hoped that the train wouldn't get held at Banbury or Fenny Compton as the wind was getting rather cold but I needn't have worried. I heard the distinctive throb of a class 60 and at 14.48 it appeared powering through Warwick Parkway. I don't think the new radio mast poking above the second tank is quite as atractive a backdrop as the tower of St. Mary's Church or the Round Tower of Warwick Castle
but I resisted the temptation to remove during post-processing as it isn't particularly obtrusive. This shot was taken with a 70-200mm f2.8 zoom set at 190mm as the undergrowth nearer to where I was standing would have obscured most of the locomotive, let alone the wheels.
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I am not one of those photographers who ignore diesel units unless they are being hauled by a locomotive as I feel everything on the railway is ephemeral as as such should be recorded. This picture shows 165003 passing non-stop through Warwick Parkway with a London Marylebone to Stratford-upon-Avon service whilst a 168 waits in the station with a train from Birmingham Snow Hill. The Stratford trains form a local service and as such
stop at the station in Warwick town rather than Parkway which has a much more frequent stopping pattern.
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My final shot of 6 February 2008 was of 66585 on 6M01, the Hinksey to Stud Farm empty ballast train. This usually conveys 2 or 3 different wagon types and today was no exception with several varieties being visible in the consist.
This location near Warwick is really only usuable during the winter and spring period as the undergrowth on the embankment tends to grow up and cover the train wheels during the summer months. Maybe Network Rail will clear it one day if falling leaves from the bushes
cause problems in the Autumn...
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Advenza Freight ran a train comprising 47237, 31452 and 6 InterCity liveried MkII coaches from Gloucester to Barrow Hill on 1 February 2008. This unusual-looking working is seen approaching Ashchurch station around one hour late, the delay having been caused by a brake problem on the class 31.
The former DRS locomotive has been branded with Advenza's logo, although its former owners initials can still be made out.
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Ashchurch MOD sees regular trains from Didcot, usually hauled by an EWS class 66, or very occasionally a 60. On Friday 1 February 2008, EWS were obviously short of power as they hired DRS's 37611 for the 6X36 working and here is the unprecendented sight of a DRS locomotive
passing Ashchurch station with a single ferrywagons and eight flats loaded with personnel carriers. This wouldn't have been my first choice of location around Ashchurch but I had quite a slow journey from home and so had to drop in at the first possible spot so as not to risk missing it.
There were closer places to which I could have gone, but thought it more interesting to record it at its destination.
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Trains from the south to Ashchurch MOD have to run all the way to Worcester Yard for the locomotive to run-round the wagons before heading south again, running past the exchange sidings, reversing into the sidings and then along the branch. Here, 37611 is passing both the station at Ashchurch and the
branch to the MOD depot. This track used to be the branch to Redditch which went on to Birmingham via Alvechurch and Barnt Green. The sun was pretty much straight down the track by this time but the scene was too rare not to be recorded.
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It didn't take long for 37611 to leave the main line and propel its wagons along the Ashchurch. It is here seen doing this move, the first DRS locomotive to have been onto the branch, as far as I am aware. The sun had gone behind a cloud by this time, which helped the photograph no end and enabled me to get a wider
angle from the west side of the adjacent roadbridge. There was no return traffic and the blue visitor was soon on its way back to Didcot working as a light engine.
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The 3 final operational class 87s were taken away from their spiritual home, Wembley Depot, on Tuesday 29 January 2008. They were due to be taken to Long Marston for storage but an after-dark arrival was scheduled so I felt confident that the move would be curtailed, probably by stabling the locomotives in Worcester Yard.
This happened and the final stage of their journey was completed on Thursday 31 January when GBRf's 47805 came up from Bristol to do the honours. The day started with abyssmal weather, torrential rain and gale-force winds, but by 12.00 the rain had stopped and a little brightness appeared. I make no apology for going to Evesham to photograph
the move as this was quite simply the best place to get reasonably wide views of the 87s, especially as the sun made a very welcome appearance. Here is 47805 passing the signalbox with 87028, 87002 and 87022 in tow.
There are some more pictures, this time from Long Marston itself in the appropriate section of this site.
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There should have been a train to Long Marston from Derby Engineers Sidings on Tuesday 29 January 2008, but this was cancelled during the morning. Instead, 31454 was sent light diesel from Gloucester as 0Z67 to pick up something and take it back to Gloucester. I went across to the Long Marston site to see a rake of 7 InterCity MkII coaches
waiting in the exchange sidings and thought that a nice picture of a complete IC train was going to be a distinct possiblity. Here is 31454 just after arrival awaiting instructions and permission to enter the sidings.
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As far as I am aware, 31454 is the first InterCity liveried locomotive to have entered the yard at Long Marston under its own power, and it's always nice to get a record of something new on one's favourite patch. The booked departure time was 14.55 but the train, now running as 5Z68, started to move along the exchange sidings at just after 13.30.
Here it is, complete with the 7 MkIIs, as it heads towards the "One Train Only" branch to Honeybourne, running alongside some of the recently arrived ferrywagons which came in a couple of weeks ago.
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I just had time to switch lenses from my long telephoto to something a little shorter before 31454 joined the branch. The sun had been shining a short while before 5Z68 moved but dipped behind a thick layer of grey cloud just at the wrong time. Still, the uniform appearance of the locomotive and coaches is aesthetically pleasing and a sight not seen for some time.
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My usual move after Long Marston is the quick dash to Honeybourne to photograph the train arriving at the end of the former East Loop. Today though, I had planned on going somewhere for a change, but found the entrance gated and locked. In the event, things turned out quite well because 5Z68's driver brought his train forward beyond the spur to the main line to give his
colleague a shorter walk to the ground frame where the telephone and block instruments are kept. This is an unusual move and I wonder if it was to save time because there was only available a limited amount of time to get through the single track section to the passing loop at Evesham station. Whatever the reason, it was good to record the move; it is strange how these little things
can make a difference to the session.
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I couldn't resist including this shot showing 31454 chucking out some black exhaust as it propelled the stock back towards the point giving access to spur across to the main line. The driver's colleague has just obtained clearance to put the token into the ground frame, which will be released by Evesham
signalbox, and within a few seconds operated the levers and signalled 5Z68 to come forward.
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Here is my final shot of the day as 31454 brings its 7 MkIIs across the spur and joins the main line to Evesham, before heading off to Worcester for a run-round and going back to Gloucester. It would be an understatemment to say that the train made a spirited departure from Honeybourne - I haven't a 31 make such a racket for years - and it
was audible for ages as it went away. I believe that the coaches are destined for Meldon Quarry and will be taken there tomorrow, 30 January 2008.
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I always like to obtain one or two pictures of 4M21, the 03.26 Felixstowe to Hams Hall intermodal during the winter, when it is frequently diverted via Oxford and Hatton. There aren't too many decent locations north of Leamington Spa but I do quite like this spot on Hatton Bank, even though
the back of the train is lost in undergrowth, and the shot is also just about possible if the train uses the down goods loop in the foreground. I saw 66725 coming very slowly up the bank and thought for a moment that it was to go, as booked, into the loop. However, the slow speed was more
a function of a very long and heavily loaded train, a strong headwind and finally, the 1/110 gradient from Warwick.
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I can rarely resist pointing my camera at anything when I am by the lineside in lovely winter light and I think that the Chiltern Railways' trains look good against a dark background. Here is 165032 leading a class 168 out of Hatton cutting on Saturday 26 January 2008. The signal poking out of the first coach's roof is shortly due for removal
as a replacement has been erected by the footbridge a few hundred yards to the south. A lot of new signals have appeared in the area as part of a major resignalling project in the area, together with more lineside cabinets desinged to
make the railway photographer's life less easy!
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This picture looks quite ordinary but in fact there are relatively few infrastructure trains of the GWR line from Birmingham to Didcot. This one is 6T94, the 08.54 Bescot to Didcot, running in the region of 90 minutes late, in the capable hands of a very grubby 66165 during the morning of 25 January 2008. The locomotive was working hard at this point despite
running under clear signals; it was loaded to 31 full wagons with 12 empties tagged onto the back, so I guess there was a considerable weight to be pulled along. The light was rapidly deteriorating when the shot was taken but the sun just managed to poke out of a bank of cloud as 6T94 came around the bend towards me.
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Cotswold Rail/Advenza Reight has recently acquired 2 class 57s formerly owned by Freightliner and one of them, 57005, made the first appearance for the class at Long Marston on Monday 21 January 2008. I was unable to cover this working and in any event the weather was absolutely filthy, so when I was told about a repeat working the following
day, I was pleased that I was able to go and take a few pictures. Here is the locomotive arriving at Long Marston as 0Z98 from Gloucester, complete with an "Advenza Freight" headboard.
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It was good that the sun was shining for this train as a bit of decent light makes all the difference. The move was laid on in order to take a rake of TDAs to Bescot, and the rake of 15 tanks is here seen in road 2 of the exchange sidings. The Motorail Logistics crew had been on site for a while checking that all was well so that an on-time departure
would be achieved. This was important today as another train, 47847 with a GNER buffet coach from Doncaster was scheduled to come in in the early afternoon.
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The headboard was soon attached to the leading end of 57005 and the locomotive was coupled to the tanks. It was strange to hear the distinctive GM whine of a 57 standing here - the body is the same as the many 47s that have stood in the same spot, but the
traditional Sulzer "thump" was missing. Both the locomotive and MR crews were making their final checks and the driver can be seen walking along the train ready to perform a brake test. The length of 6Z98 was just right with the class 57 nicely angled on the
exit from the siding so that the sun could illuminate the bodyside and front. I like the long lens shot here as the compressed perspective shows well the hills surrounding Long Marston - the primary reason for an airfield and associated MOD facility being constructed
here during World War II, as the hills helped to hide the site from marauding enemy aircraft.
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The booked departure time for 6Z98 was 12.30 but it was a few minutes early when 57005's engine was wound up and the long train gently made its exit from the sidings and onto the Honeybourne branch. The sun had been fading for a few minutes behind some thickening cloud but it
found a fortuitous clear patch just at the right time. I'm all too aware that a lot of my photographs show this spot and the previous views but there really is very little choice of location here and I find it satisfying to record the enormous variety of motive power, wagons and coaches
that have been here since regular operations started in September 2006. Not many branch lines across the UK have seen such a diversity of workings, and I consider myself fortunate to live so close to Long Marston.
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Not long after joining the branch, 57005 stopped for a few moments and this gave me plenty of time to make the run to Honeybourne to try for a shot as 6Z98 came around the curve onto the East Loop. The sun had faded a little but the light still was perfectly reasonable as the
impressive-looking ensemble came to a halt just short of the points of the spur giving access to the main Cotswold Line. It would be interesting to learn to what future use these tanks will be put. To an untutored eye they look in pretty good condition so it is to be hoped that
they will be used again, and not sent for scrapping.
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When a good working is standing in decent light it is difficult to resist taking loads of shots and today was no exception. I took about 20 exposures while 57005 was standing on the East Loop at Honeybourne and this slightly
wider view with a 200mm lens took my fancy. The HST stop board had only just been erected and the Network Rail van with its crew was still in the car park at the adjacent station. HSTs have been working the Worcester and Hereford
trains since the December timetable change and are gradually taking over these Paddington workings from the class 180 Adelante.
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It wasn't many minutes before the second man left the cab of 57005 and walked to the cabin containing the instruments and telephone for contacting Evesham signalbox. Permission for 6Z98 to join the main line was obtained and the points were moved across
to facilitate the move. Here is 57005 swinging across the spur at Honeybourne before stopping in the station to pick up the second man and then making its way to Evesham, Worcester and Bescot.
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I mentioned above that 47847 was taking a train from Doncaster to Long Marston during the afternoon of 22 January 2008 and after leaving Honeybourne I headed home via a rather circuitous route to see this working. The light totally caved in whilst I was driving around the lanes
of Worcestershire so just made for the nearest location, Evesham signalbox, or at least the roadbridge just to the west of it. I had only a short wait before the signals were pulled off and 5Z47 came into view. A MkIII HST buffet, 40811, was being taken for storage and it is here seen
sandwiched between a couple of barriers in simply dreadful light. I don't think I would have bothered to come out especially for this, as the locomotive isn't in its most attractive state and the dull light doesn't really show off the fine GNER livery to the best advantage.
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37417 made its 3rd trip of the week to Long Marston on Friday 18 January 2007. The rather decrepit and uncared for locomotive took yet another rake of ferrywagons for storage at the former MOD site and is here seen passing the signalbox at Evesham. It doesn't look too unlike one of the
MOD trips that used to run from Worcester up until the 1990s so I fancied a shot here despite the poor weather. This was the sort of session I like in that I arrived on the bridge at 12.28, saw the signals drop at 12.31 and took the photograph at 12.35. No hanging about
for ages in a strong wind wondering if it was going to make it this far. Use the hyperlink for another shot of 6Z80 as it passes the inner home signal. By the following day, 37417 had migrated north and was working on the regular train to Anglesey, so my Friday shots
at Evesham may have been the final chance to see an EWS 37 here for a while. I'm not a fanatical fan of the class but do enjoy hearing a locomotive working and it's hard to beat the sound of an English Electric power unit at full chat...
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One of the few remaining EWS class 37s came down to Bescot during the night of 14 January 2008 and one of its first duties was to power a return trip to Long Marston.
I have put a selection of pictures in the Long Marston page but here is my final shot of the day, taken as 6Z81 crossed from The East Loop at Honeybourne onto the main line before heading away to Evesham and Worcester. The crew member operating the
ground frame will have a long walk back to the locomotive once he has put the road back as the load was a very lengthy set of flats.
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Four KXA awagons were due to be taken to Long Marston during the week commencing 31 December 2007. The train, from Crewe, ran very late and through the combination of a lack of paths on the Cotswold Line and darkness, which is rightly considered unsafe at the unlit Long Marston facility, the wagons
were stabled in the up refuge siding adjacent to Evesham signalbox. On 9 January 2008, 66406 was sent from Crewe to take the KXAs to Long Marston and to collect another rake which were to go to Carlisle. The light engine was on time, 12.45, arriving at Evesham but then the delays started...There are details
of what happened in my Long Marston page but for now here is a single image taken as 4Z73, on a piece of very rare track for locomotives, leaves for Long Marston at 15.17 about 90 minutes late. The few of us standing there experienced
all sorts of weather in that time, from bright sun to very strong winds with lashing rain. The train left Evesham in a small patch of brightness and this almost made up for the soaking. I was expecting a train of flats and was surprised at just how substantial these KXAs are.
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A pair of the HNRC class 20s saw some activity on Tuesday 8 January 2008 when 20905 + 20901 took 4 Arriva-liveried coaches from Crewe to Long Marston. The train was booked to run on either the 7th or 8th and the weather forecast for the latter was
for heavy rain in the Midlands. This fortunately didn't materialise, although a 40 minute late start from Crewe threatened to put a dampener on the proceedings because of the few available paths along the Cotswold Line from Norton Junction to Honeybourne. In the event
5Z90 was diverted from its booked route via Walsall and Sutton Park and ran via the much quicker and shorter route through Bescot to New Street and thence back on route at Kings Norton. This allowed for its original path from Worcester and it did, in fact, manage to run a
few minutes early. In view of the amount of cloud I decided to go to Honeybourne where a decently wide shot can be had to show off the contrast between the locomotives and stock and here is 5Z90 arriving in the platform much to the bemusement of the solitary passenger waiting for
his train south!
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It doesn't usually take long to drive from Honeybourne to Long Marston and I arrived in plenty of time to set myself up for my usual arrival shot. I'm sort of surprised that this shot is sharp because the wind was blowing an absolute gale into my face at this exposed location
and it took some effort to hold the camera steady. The light grey livery of the 20s is a distinct advantage on a dull day as it shows up much better than EWS maroon or the dark green of some class 47s. It was good to see something different appear in the distance and then to hear the whistling
as 5Z90 came into earshot.
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The sun briefly appeared just as the gate to the site at Long Marston was opened and the train moved into the exchange sidings. Very little time was wasted in uncoupling the locomotives from the Arriva stock
and 20901 + 20905 soon came back onto the branch and made a lovely sound as they accelerated away light engine towards Honeybourne, Evesham and Bristol Temple Meads.
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It was unfortunate that arguably the most interesting of the post-Christmas class 325 drags took place in simply dreadful light. Metronet 66722 was rostered for 1F31, the Wembley to Warrington train on 3 January 2008 in place of the usual class 47. It was an absolutely freezing cold day with a strong wind so I certainly wasn't going to travel far
and wanted somewhere with a least a modicum of shelter. As there was no sun I decided to have a shot from the north side of Berkswell station, just about the closest reasonable location to my home. The train was running a little under an hour late due to a problem with the units at Wembley and passed me at speed just before 10.55. The ground signal
visible in front of the locomotive controls the entrance to a siding used occasionally for on-track plant during posessions. It once was the start (or end!) of the branch which ran to Kenilworth Junction. If reinstated, it would be a useful diversionary route for freight as it would completely avoid Coventry. There were proposals to re-lay it in the 1980s
when a plan was launched for an opencast coal mine in the area, but sadly, nothing came of it.
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I don't normally bother with light engine moves but on 2 January 2008, 73201 was due to be transferred from Wimbledon Park in London to Long Marston, where it is to be stored. I don't think there are many photographs of 73s on either the Cotswold Line or the former GWR line from Honeybourne to Stratford-upon-Avon so I decided to have a quick trip out for a record shot.
The weather during the morning was dreadful, with very low cloud and cold drizzly rain, which didn't bode well. The train, 0Z47, reached Worcester early but was fortunately held until right time before leaving the yard there and this gave the chance of slightly better weather. I was going to go straight to Long Marston but the sky looked slightly clearer further west
so I carried on to Evesham to find the place in total cloud. Just as the train appeared in the distance, some 5 minutes early, a small hole broke in the cloud and this stayed open as 66726 and 73201 passed the signalbox giving the unprecedented sight of a South West Trains liveried locomotive in the area,
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0Z47 was booked to stand in Evesham station for the thick end of 30 minutes so I had a steady drive over to Long Marston expecting a wait in the cold. However, it turned out that the stop was long enough only to use the token exchange equipment in the broom cupboard on the platform. This meant that my wait was only about 5 minutes before the 66 and its odd companion came into view. I didn't
bother with the shot approaching the bridge as the sun was straight into the lens, but went instead for the more interesting view of 73201 waiting to be taken into the exchange sidings. There was just time to change my standard lens for a long telephoto to obtain
this picture as the 73 ran into the siding.
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After working the Warrington to Wembley and return trains on Friday 28 December 2007, 47805, this time with 325011 and 325008 in tow made another appearance on 1A84 on Saturday 29th. As the sky was clear blue from horizon to horizon I was almost tempted to go again to Leamington Spa station to get a sunny version of the picture shown below. In the event though, I decided
not to tempt fate and went instead to Tile Hill, between Birmingham International and Coventry. As I walked onto the platform I read a message saying that 1A84 had been in the region on 45 minutes leaving Stafford and with a large bank of cloud blowing in from the north-west I thought that I should again be unlucky. In the event, that mass of cloud blew away only to replaced by another
as the estimated arrival time of 47805 approached. Luckily, despite following a local stopping train and a Pendolino, the mail arrived in the last few seconds of sun. I don't do a lot of photography under the wires and sometimes forget that the OHLE can throw shadows over locomotive body sides. The shadow on 47805 isn't too intrusive but in retrospect I should have avoided it altogether
by using a slightly shorter lens.
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As usual around the Christmas period, the Post Office decided that they couldn't manage to move the seasonal mail around without the help of various rail companies, once again going back on their ludicrous and dogmatic decision to dispense with rail (unless they need it). Personally, if I were in charge of a rail company and the Post Office asked me to help
out, I'd tell them where to go. However......one of the more interesting workings was 1A84, the 10.19 Warrington to Wembley move with a 325 unit being hauled by 47805 on Friday 28 December 2007. As the southern end of the WCML was shut, the train was routed via Coventry, Leamington Spa and Oxford, giving the rare opportunity to photograph a 325 away from electrified
lines. I chose to go to Leamington Spa station because the light was absolutely dreadful and I knew that the train would be travelling only slowly as it joined the GWR main line from the Coventry branch. Here is 47805 bringing 325011 towards the platforms and
again as the controller was opened up. I was tempted to remove the lighting pole during post-processing but decided to leave it as it shows just how dark the conditions were at the time.
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On Tuesday 18 December 2007, Cotswold Rail used their newly-acquired 47237 to move 4 class 31s from Meldon Quarry to Gloucester with 7 InterCity MkII coaches to provide brake force. The following day, they were moved
to Long Marston for storage, being booked to leave at 10.05 and running as 5Z85. I had planned to go to Badgeworth, just south of Cheltenham for a first shot, but there was a lot of cloud and mist so saved a few litres of petrol by going to
Defford. Just before the train was due, the sun partially came out and made the hitherto straightfowardly dull lighting conditions a little more challenging with the illumination coming straight down the line and into my lens.
Anyway, here is 47237 with 31439, 31301, 31423 and 31437 in tow along with the 7 coaches on the way to Worcester Yard where a run-round and remarshalling of the train was necessary to ensure that the unbraked 31s were behind the train engine.
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After photographing 5Z85 at Defford I moved across to Evesham for a shot in, hopefully, light from a more favourable direction. The first train to come was this HST, with power cars 43150 + 43152, in a bit of a hotch-potch of FGW
liveries. The move from class 180 Adelante units to HSTs on the Cotswold Line has now started although some diagrams for the more modern units are still exist. In fact, 180113 was waiting in the platform at Evesham
station before being allowed to join the single line to Norton Junction.
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47237 with 5Z85 had been reported as leaving Worcester Yard some 20 minutes early, which was a bit of a relief as there always scope for Mr Cockup to pay a visit when a run-round and remarshalling is necessary.
Better still, the sun was nicely out of some misty clouds as the impressive-looking ensemble passed the signalbox. I chose this location in order to get a decent view of the train, as opposed to just the leading locomotive,
even though I have taken rather a lot of shots here in recent times. A lot of alternative locations on the Cotswold Line are shadowed at this time of year and whilst there are some clear ground level shots, I felt that a higher
viewpoint would enable a better view of the 31s, particularly as the train would be moving only very slowly at this point. The most notable of the 31s, from its generally disgraceful state, was
31301 on which the through brake pipe can clearly be seen. This looked a little different from the previous time I had photographed it while working an engineering train
at Wilmcote in the company of 25287 in October 1984.
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The morning of Thursday 13 December 2007 started off with a sharp frost and clear blue skies. Knowing that 60007 was working 6V92, the afternoon Corby to Margam empty steel coils, I decided that later in the day I would go out to have a shot of it. In the meantime, the sky clouded over and I put my plan on hold for another day. By 12.30, the
bank of cloud was rapidly breaking up and when a message came through that 47839 was hauling a 5Z91 HST stock move from Derby to Laira I changed my mind again and went to Croome Perry, just about the only place I could think of where the line would be totally free of shadows. Here is the Oxford Blue 47 with its smart rake of refurbished trailers having just passed through
the wood, just south of Abbotswood Junction, at 13.30.
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60007 with 6V92 had been running early north of Birmingham but lost its time advantage and was pretty much on time when it left the loop at Abbotswood Junction and ran south through Croome Perry wood during the afternoon of 13 December 2007. The former Loadhaul locomotive is looking a bit the worse for wear these days and seems
to have received a hefty clout to the bodyside. A large bank of mist was building up over the line in the colder air of the wood by 14.30 and with the sun getting lower I wouldn't have wanted 6V92 to have been much later. As luck would have it, it arrived in what I regard as perfect winter light; low, but with enough strength to allow
a decent shutter speed and aperture combination.
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I was surprised to read an email on the morning of 10 December 2007 saying that 37605, 5 SERCO vehicles and 37612 were running as 2Q08 to Stratford-upon-Avon. In fact, they were coming twice which was just as well as I had missed the first run through not keeping a sufficiently close eye
on my BlackBerry! The second trip was booked to arrive shortly after 10.30 so I made the short trip to Stratford-upon-Avon station to record the train, as these are the first DRS locos to have visited the town. On a sunny morning at Stratford there are very few options and none which involve
the sun being in the right place for a properly lit photograph, so I had to make the best of a bad job and took this shot from the footbridge, albeit against the light. The sprinter substitute had started from Tyseley, run to Stratford via Henley-in-Arden, gone up the single track from Bearley
Junction to Hatton where it reversed and came back to Stratford.
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Here is 37612 waiting to leave Stratford-upon-Avon with the next leg of its trip, which included a run north along the North Warwickshire Line via Henley-in-Arden, a visit to Round Oak on the truncated Stourbridge Junction to Walsall line, and then another visit to Hatton via Dorridge and then back to Derby.
The backlighting is impossible to avoid at this time of day and this makes the DRS livery a bit unclear, but at least the front end of the locomotive is instantly recognisable as DRS.
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The platform-end signal had been showing a green aspect for several minutes, but the driver of 2Q08 waited until the booked time before easing his train along the platform and towards the points where it would join the up main line towards Bearley Junction and Henley-in-Arden.
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This is the view turning around from the previous shot as 37605 tails 2Q08 off the pointwork and away from Stratford-upon-Avon. This is a rather untidy scene dominated by old track panels and the white fencing erected to halt the steam fans' love of trespass when
the Shakespeare Express became a regular feature of summer Sundays. It's a great shame that this train didn't come to Stratford in the early afternoon as photography would have been a lot easier with the sun coming from the right direction!
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Another train involving an older locomotive ran on Moday 10 December 2007. This time it was a 5Z47 York to Old Oak Common ECS with 47847 in charge and it is here seen rounding the curve at Hatton South Junction. This area is heavily beset with shadows from lineside trees and this is about the clearest spot
that came to mind. Even so, there is an unfortunate shadow on the locomotive's bodyside but it is almost the shortest day and I shouldn't complain given the otherwise good lighting conditions! There was a real hotch-potch of stock behind 47847 with the first 4 MkIIs being all differently painted. I do like the
"blood and custard" of the third coach and should like to see a full rake of this behind a two-tone green 47...
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A Hertfordshire charter was run from Tonbridge to Worcester for the Christmas Fayre in the city. Quite why the antiquated and pretentious spelling of the word "Fair" is used beats me, but anyway DRS's 47802 headed the tour with 47790 bringing up the rear. The train somehow managed to leave its starting point over an hour late so I was in no rush
to get to the bridge at Norton Barracks, near Worcester. In the event around 40 minutes of the lost time was made up, presumably through a combination of some smart running and a favourable path over the partly single line from Swindon to Gloucester. The light at home was excellent but I ran into a thick bank of cloud around Pershore
and this showed no sign of breaking up as the train appeared under the M5 bridge in the background.
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The former Fragonset class 33, 33103 was used for another move to Long Marston on Monday 26 November 2007. This time it ran as 6V86 from Oxley and conveyed the Anglia-liveried 86223 along with 7 MkII coaches. The weather during the morning was dreadful and I went to the roadbridge at Long Marston, the nearest point to my home. The train was a few minutes because of some late running
by a down FGW service from Paddington and in the event this delay was a good thing. At 13.05 in November, the sun here is very low and straight down the track. At that precise moment, the booked arrival time, the misty sky cleared for a couple of minutes and the sun came out. This is what happened last week when 33103 brought in a couple of scrap class 56s and I missed out on the shot
because of the impossible lighting conditions. This time though, the clouds soon closed in and a shot, albeit a bit dull, was achieved.
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I was surprised to see that 86223 still carried its "Norwich Union" nameplates; I would have thought that these potentially valuable items would have been long removed and perhaps bought, or given to Aviva, the group owning the
eponymous insurance company. Here is 33103 hauling the electric locomotive plus one Virgin, 2 Intercity and 4 Wessex liveried coaches into the exchange sidings.
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I had hoped that some of the coaches were to be taken out of Long Marston, as had happened last week, but this was not to be. 33103 was soon uncoupled from 6V86 and made off light engine back to presumably, Derby. I think this is the only class 33/1
to have been here hence the inclusion of this picture. I cannot recall another "Bagpipe" having visited the branch although 33116 has worked a railtour on the Cotswold main line.
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Another stock move to Long Marston was planned for Friday 23 November 2007. In the event this did not happen but I decided that as the light was so good it would be a shame to miss out on the chance to
photograph the day-to-day traffic along the Cotswold Line. I was on the boarded public crossing at Lower Moor near Fladbury when this class 180 Adelante, 180112, came along, forming the 11.25 Worcester to Paddington service.
From the start of the new timetable on 9 December 2007 these stylish units will start to go off-lease to be replaced by HSTs. I, for one, will miss their distinctive appeareance although regular passengers and operating staff
may feel differently as their reliability has not been quite as good as it should have been. The Autumn colours that were so vivid along here a few weeks ago have almost entirely disappeared now that we have had some frosts and strong winds.
Some more pictures from this session, including more 180s, class 166 and an RHTT MPV can be found in my Diesel Units page.
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One of the most unusual moves so far to Long Marston took place on 19 November 2007. 33103 took long-withdrawn 56021 and 56011 with some barrier wagons, 5 coaches to provide brake force and 2 Megafret flats from Chaddesden to Long Marston as 6V33. The 56s, flats and coaches, apart from the intercity example and 4 ex-Wessex trains, had been taken
from storage at Mantle Lane, Coalville the previous week. The locomotives were in a deplorable state after vandalism at Coalville, including graffiti and missing windows, looking barely fit to travel by rail. Here is the odd-looking consist passing Evesham signalbox about 30 minutes late.
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On arriving at Long Marston to get another shot of 33103 with 6V33, I hoped that the sun would be behind clouds as at that time of day it shines directly down the line and into the camera lens for a train arriving from Honeybourne. Needless to say
the sun came out just at the wrong time, hence the lack of my usual shot from the roadbridge. Here is a closer-up view of the two 56s as they wait to gain entrance into Long Marston headed by 33101. To the best of my knowledge these are the first 56s to have used the branch from Honeybourne as the other
example in the site came in by road. Class 33s aren't exactly commonplace either but have worked here on a railtour and on a few occasions in the 1960s on excursion traffic to Stratford-upon-Avon.
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33103 was detached from the train and ran round the stock along No.2 road. In the meantime, 12082 took the 2 Megafret flats out of the way while the 56s and blue and grey stock were detached from the Intercity and Wessex-liveried stock. These 5 coaches were
included in the train to provide brake force as the 56s and barriers were almost certainly incapable of providing any themselves. 33103 was then attached to the 5 coaches ready for the return trip.
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While all the shunting was going on this rainbow appeared over the woods at the north side of the Long Marston site. So, there is no pot of gold at the end of a rainbow after all; just a Virgin Trains MkIII coach...
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In the hope that the sun would stay out long enough to illuminate 33103 and its stock on the East Loop at Honeybourne, I made the 5 minute journey across country to the station. Unfortunately, dark clouds rolled in before the train arrived and the light dipped to almost
impossibly poor levels. Just as I took this shot in the last vestiges of daylight, the heavens opened and I scurried away to the shelter of my car in the adjacent station car park. Just a couple of minutes passed before 33103 drew into
the platform, picked up the men who had operated the ground frame, before heading off towards Evesham and Worcester. The dots visible over the hill in the background are not caused by dirt on my camera's sensor but are actually a flock
of fieldfares, a member of the thrush family which comes to Great Britain from Scandinavia for the Autumn and Winter.
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Two MML HST buffet vehicles, 40723 + 40732, were taken from Neville Hill (Leeds) to Bescot on 13 November 2007. The following day they were taken, sandwiched between 2 barrier vehicles, to Long Marston by 66103. 6Z80 is here seen passing under clear lower quadrant
semaphores at Evesham. The train had to wait in the station for a northbound Adelante to clear the single track section from Moreton in Marsh before proceeding to Honeybourne where it gained the branch to Long Marston. It is to be hoped that these coaches will soon be back in use as it would be a criminal waste of
a first-rate resource for them to be stored out-of-use for too long.
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One of the few extant classes of locomotive I had not photographed on the Ashchurch branch is class 60, so when I saw a message on the morning of 7 November saying that 60079 was working 6X36 from Didcot to Ashchurch I rescheduled
an appointment and headed over. I was too late for the northbound working which has to go as far as Worcester to run-round because the only access to the branch is from the north, but was in plenty of time for the arrival at Ashchurch.
Here is 60079 propelling its train of armoured personnel carriers and containers down the branch alongside Ashchurch station. The procedure here is unusual in that a man walks before the train to ensure
the safety of any pedestrians using the foot crossing during the propelling move, the operation being controlled by a radio link between the shunter and the driver.
A southbound Virgin Voyager crawls by towards a red signal caused by the preceding class 158 unit running a little late.
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