Class 67 is latest class of diesel locomotive to be introduced to the railways of Great Britain, and dare one say, the last for many years to come. It is not the prettiest of designs but I admit to quite liking them, especially for the exhasut note when working hard. They were introduced to haul high-speed mail trains across the whole network but this traffic disappeared soon after their emergence mostly through the dogmatic attitude of government in relation to a publicly owned Post Office and the inability of EWS to organise a party in a brewery. Their main fields of employment are currently in the charter field where they are virtually guaranteed to be found hauling the Northern Belle and VSOE luxury trains. They also figure heavily in the charter market and have taken the place of the once ubiquitous class 47 when "unspecified traction" is advertised. Two of the class, 67005 and 67006 are the nominated locomotives for the Royal Train and as such, have been painted in the dark maroon colour of the vehicles forming that train. This pair are not solely dedicated to this work and can be seen on any traffic hauled by the class when not required for Royal duties. These duties have included quite mundane freight and stock moves. The other celebrity class member is 67029, which has been painted into the silver livery of the EWS corporate train and when on this can be driven from the dedicated DVT also in the consist. In the Midlands, a 67 can be found at work on the daily Bescot to Birch Coppice car parts train - a fill-in turn between parcel work from Walsall. They have recently been introduced to the Scottish sleeper services where, of course, they have made themselves unpopular with certain factions of the enthusiast fraternity by replacing the great god, class 37.

	I have, for a couple of weeks, been trying to take a well lit photograph of a complete set of WSMR branded stock on the mid-morning train from Wrexham to London Marylebone. On each occasion I have been foiled by either the weather or the lack of the refurbished coaches on the appropriate train. Saturday 24 July was no different for although the weather was favourable the train, 1P01 (1P03 on weekdays) had three Cargo-D coaches and a single WSMR example just in the front of the trailing DVT as it arrived into the up platform loop at Leamington Spa. Ironically, a complete set of WSMR stock formed the down train, 1J85, standing in the shadow of the station buildings behind 67013 in platform 2. WSMR DVT 82303 was bringing up the rear of the train which has just passed the starter signal and is about to swing right onto the branch to Coventry.
	Most passenger trains on the GWR line through Banbury are formed of multiple units from either Chiltern Railways or Arriva CrossCountry. One of the former is represented here by 165038 approaching the station stop with the 09.38 from Stratford-upon-Avon. A welcome change from units is provided by the albeit infrequent locomotive-hauled services run by WSMR, of of whose trains 1PO1, the Wrexham to London Marylebone, headed by 67015 with three Cargo-D Mk3s and a single coach and DVT is WSMT's own colours. Note that the Cargo-D stock has three different colours adorning the coach roofs.
	The second of two stock moves along the Hatton line on Thursday 15 April 2010 was a 5Z80 from Crewe to Eastleigh, taking ECS south in preparation for a rail charter on Saturday. The locomotive used was 67016 and the train is here seen descending Hatton Bank a few minutes early at about 13.20. My orginal plan had been to go a mile or so north of this location for this shot, having just taken quite a similar view of 47815 also on a Crewe to Eastleigh stock transfer, but I was too busy chattering and decided to stay where I was. The light had improved by a small amount since the previous photograph but still was on the dire side of dreadful. Still, DBS 67s are not all that common along here these days so a record shot was worth the short trip from home.
	I've no interest in horse racing, but the Cheltenham Festival can usually be relied upon to produce one or two trains taking punters to the racecourse. On 16 March 2010 a Euston to Cheltenham special ran, unsurprisingly powered by 67006 and 67005. The outward run was booked to go via Worcester but in the event went straight down the Old Road. I was at Norton Junction after photographing the Round Oak to Margam steel empties and decided not to move onto the main line for a shot because the light would have been tricky, to say the least. In any event, the ECS was booked to go to Worcester for servicing so there was every chance of a photograph on the northern end of the Cotswold Line. Here is 67006 leading the colourful ensemble towards Worcester with 67005 bringing up the rear.
	On Thursday 10 December 2009 a stock move of refurbished WSMR stock was scheduled from the Marcroft works at Stoke-on-Trent to London Marylebone. As I had not yet seen any of the stock in the company's own livery I decided that a quick trip over to the Coventry line would be a good idea, especially as the sun looked as if might stay out for a while. As it happened, the ECS move was either cancelled or heavily delayed but this train, 1P13, the 11.27 Wrexham to Marylebone service hauled by 67010 probably didn't look a lot different as it passed Wootton Green, a short distance west of Berkswell station. Before leaving this location I couldn't this shot of 350118 in the lovely afternoon light as it headed to London Euston.
	The Northern Belle made its third visit of 2009 to Stratford-upon-Avon on 9 October. The train started from Leeds and as well as Stratford, passengers were able to alight at Birmingham International for the Horse of the Year Show. The original plan was it to run from Birmingham International to Coventry and Leamington Spa, before reversing and heading for Stratford via Hatton station. In the event, the plan changed and the reversal took place at International with the train running via New Street and Dorridge to Hatton North and thence on to Stratford via Bearley. Here is 67002 leading the smart stock through Bishopton and passing the site of the Park and Ride station due to be constructed in the near future. This site was chosen because it is immediately adjacent to the existing and under-utilised Park and Ride for car travellers. With the reversals planned for the journey it was obviously necessary for the train to be topped-and-tailed and 67001 is just visible under the bypass bridge in the background.
	The second charter that I photographed on 5 September 2009 was the second visit in recent weeks of the Northern Belle to Stratford-upon-Avon. Wilmcote is on the way home from Hatton where I had been photographing earlier in the morning so it seemed silly not to drop in at the attractive station for a shot of 67027 passing through with 1Z67 from York. The light had entirely collapsed by the time the train was due but I felt that a picture was worthwhile as this is only the second daytime working of class 67 along the line. The train is here seen passing under the GWR footbridge, which although in reasonable condition is painted in a strange shade of browny-pink, quite unlike anything the GWR or any subsequent railway company has used.
	I hadn't really intended to go out for the return from Stratford-upon-Avon of the Northern Belle on 5 September 2009 but when the sky brightened but remained cloudy at about 16.30 decided that this would be a good opportunity to obtain a shot of 67027 with 1Z68 on the curve at Hatton North Junction. Other than an early morning class 150 and the steam hauled trains to Birmingham on summer Sundays, nothing uses the line from Hatton's West to North junctions and with a bright but cloudy afternoon a shot from the north side of the bridge, to my eyes better than that from the other side, is possible. Here then is the train heading slowly towards the Leamington Spa to Birmingham main line and thence on to York.
	One of the few classes of diesel locomotive not previously to have visited Stratford-upon-Avon is class 67, although a signaller friend says that one may have reached Bearley Junction on an overnight engineering train from Bescot. Saturday 15 August 2009 saw the Northern Belle run from Leeds to Stratford with 67027 and 67002 performing the honours thus being the first class members to be photographed here. As a local, I felt it necessary to record the arrival at the station and here is 1Z83 coming into platform 1 with 67027 leading and 67002 just visible on the back of the train.
	While the passengers were alighting from the Northern Belle at Stratford-upon-Avon I made my way to the roadbridge over the line to get another view as the stock was shunted out of platform 1 and into No. 2. There was a bit of a delay as the rear of the train was beyond the platform end signal meaning that the points could not be switched and the shunt signal activated. The stock had to be pulled further south until the track circuits were clear before moving forward and out of the station as is seen in this photograph. This caused the following DMU from Stourbridge Junction to be delayed by some 10 minutes and which gave the unusual sight, witnessed from the road as I walked home, of two trains doing a bit of parallel running into platforms 1 and 2 respectively. The return to Leeds, 1Z84, was booked via the North Warwickshire Line but in the event was routed via the very much less interesting line through Claverdon and Hatton North Junction. The signal box at Henley in Arden was switched out but the preceding DMU would have been past Shirley, the end of the section from Bearley Junction, in plenty of time so this caused a bit of a disappointment for those of waiting for it. To me, this was the only route that had any interest as locomotive-hauled trains are not exactly unusual between Hatton and Tyseley...
	The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway company run regular trains through Banbury and these have added some interest to the line for railway photographers. The trains are usually formed of a DVT, three Cargo-D coaches and a class 67 locomotive but on Saturday 23 May there was a football match at Wembley involving a team from Shrewsbury and 1P01, the first of WSMR's trains of the day, was strengthened by the addition of a fourth coach. It is here seen approaching Banbury with DVT 82303 leading and propelled from the rear by 67013.
	In connection with the football match mentioned above, WSMR ran three additional services from Shrewsbury to cater for fans wishing to travel to London. The first of was 1Z01, the 08.40 to Marylebone formed of DVT 82305, five Cargo-D Mk3's and 67015 and the train is here seen on the approaches to Banbury station from where it will run to Aynho Junctioin and then run up the Chiltern Line via Princes Risborough. Return fares for the special trains were the same very reasonable £40.00 which is the standard charge for the trip on any of the company's trains. As far as I am aware, this was the first charter run by WSMR, a good initiative to capture some business from road transport in a niche market.
	The second of WSMR's specials from Shrewsbury to Marylebone was 1Z02, which left the Shropshire town at 09.07 with their newly reliveried 67010 leading 3 Cargo-D and 5 Virgin coaches together with DBS's 67021 on the rear. These footexes aroused a surprising amount of interest from railway enthusiasts and this bridge near Banbury stone terminal had around 20 photographers in situ. I imagine though that the earlier passage of a railtour had brought out quite a few who may not have otherwise been present. The third special train to Marylebone from Shrewsbury was formed of an eight coach class 168 hired from Chiltern Railways but I didn't wait to see this one as it wouldn't have looked very different from Chiltern's service trains, most of which were running in a similar formation on 23 May 2009.
	The WSMR passenger services nearly all travel to Leamington Spa and beyond via Coventry as this is a shorter route than the photographically much better line via Solihull and Hatton. Diversions because of out of course running and congestion around Birmingham do occur from time to time but on 14 April 2009 everything ran to the booked plan and here is 67012 heading 1P13, the 11.22 Wrexham to Marylebone train near Wootton Green on the line from Birmingham to Coventry. This is quite a pleasant rural location but it is difficult to vary shots, a large bush in the middle ground is becoming intrusive and there is no chance of photographing anything heading towards Birmingham because of heavy undergrowth on the other side of the bridge upon which crosses the line here. For these reasons it isn't a place I visit very often but it is a useful place if anything out of the ordinary comes along or when one just fancies a few shots of passenger trains.
	In addition to the Central Trains locomotive-hauled extras to Cheltenham Races on 13 March 2007 there was also a 1Z41 from Euston. This was routed via Coventry, Birmingham and Worcester and was topped and tailed by 67021 and 67029. The former looks as if it has been once too often through an automatic washer as it heads the rake of mostly blue and cream stock away from Worcester. Note the tower of Worcester Cathedral in the background along the spire of another church, the name of which escapes me. There are signs of spring around as witnessed by the plum blossom about to appear in the tree on the left of the photograph.
	67021 + 67029 have been performing on the Euston to Cheltenham Race special all week, so there was a danger of exactly replicating the photograph I took earlier this week. However, a headboard has been acquired and this, together with a slightly tighter angle, serve to differentiate today's picture from that taken on Tuesday. It just shows how little work class 67 has if the same locomotives can be dedicated to a train for four consecutive days.
	There have been fewer trains running in association with the Cheltenham Festival in 2007 than in previous years, with no workings from the north of the country. There was, however, an extra train on 16 March in the form of a Victoria to Cheltenham charter utilising the Northern Belle stock. This ran via a circuitous route from London to Didcot, Chippenham, Bath, Bristol Parkway, Yate, Gloucester and on to Cheltenham. After arrival at its destination, 1Z59 was booked to run to Worcester Yard so that the stock could be serviced and stabled before returning to London in the early evening. The ECS is here seen on the approaches to Worcester behind 67014 having just passed under the M5.
	The Northern Belle ran from Leeds to Oxford on 19 July, being routed via Crewe, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street, Solihull and Leamington Spa. I really had wanted to photograph the train, headed by 67029, at Hatton North Junction because this is an excellent southbound shot, especially with a long lens in order to bring up the background. Unfortunately, a couple of commitments during the morning left me with insufficient time so I had to settle for Hatton South Junction instead. Here is 1Z92 about to pass Hatton station spot on time at 12.31.
	The luxurious Northern Belle dining train was booked to run from Manchester Victoria to London Victoria via Oxford on 13 September 2007. It was topped-and-tailed by 67026 and 67029, this class of locomotive being the usual for these workings. I was glad that the red 67026 was leading 1Z74 as it gave a good splash of colour to the rural surroundings of Shrewley, in Warwickshire. Although this looks to be a quiet and peaceful spot, the M40 motorway is only a few yards away to the left, as the topography of the area means that the railway follows the most favourable gradient profile and the engineers designing the road obviously appreciated the GWR's wisdom and built their carriageways alongside the railway for several miles.
	Class 67s are pretty solid on the 6G36/6G42 turns from Bescot to Birch Coppice and return. The train on 18 September 2007 was no exception as 67012 was allocated to the quite long train of loaded IZA twinsets here seen passing the roadbridge at Lea Marston. There was no return traffic on this occasion and the 67 returned light engine, via the slow lines through Whitacre Junction, later in the morning. The front of the locomotive looks as if it has been used for target practice...
	There was a football match at Cardiff on Sunday 1 April 2007 and a couple of trains ran from Doncaster to accomodate fans, or more probably, railway enthusiasts needing a dose of locomotive haulage. The trains were booked to pass Abbotswood Junction at 10.31 and 10.44 respectively but it soon became apparent from gen postings that both were running late. I had decided to go to Croome Perry, largely because it is just about the closest spot on the line to my home. Sadly, the late running meant that the sun was past its best by the time 67029 passed me at 10.56 with a 12 coach rake of Virgin liveried MkII coaches.
	The second train was hauled by 67005 and consisted of a mixture of Anglia, Virgin, chocolate and cream and intercity coaches. It picked up a lot of time between reports I saw from Burton-upon-Trent and Water Orton so my plan to drive to Bromsgrove for a better lit photograph were shelved because of the likelihood of missing it altogether. Here is 1Z47 at Croome Perry at 11.28 with the sun pretty much gone off the side.
	67005, one of the 2 class members painted into the livery of the Royal Train, has been at Bescot recently, and on 2 August 2007 made its second appearance of the week on the train to Birch Coppice. The outward working, 6G36 was a very short train consisting of just one IZA twin-set, but the return, 6G42, was slightly longer and just about made an acceptable southbound shot at Lea Marston. It is, of course, a gamble here whether the train runs on the fast or slow lines but all was well today when the train went by at about 11.30.
	A timing trial for the new Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway company was carried out on Tuesday 16 October 2007. The train consisting of 67005, the opulent looking 3 coach EWS executive set and 67029, ran as 1Z05 from London Euston to Birmingham Snow Hill via the Chiltern Line through Princes Risborough. It is here seen in rapidly failing light passing Hatton North Junction with 67005 leading and 67029 bringing up the rear.
	The return of 1Z05 from Birmingham Snow Hill to London Euston was, predictably enough, 1Z06. There was a gap of nearly 2 hours between the trains so I walked from Hatton North Junction to the excellent cafe at Hatton Locks, both for the exercise and for one of their home-made cakes. Whilst trekking along the towing path the rain started to fall in earnest and by the time I had returned to the bridge adjacent to Hatton station it was absolutely pouring. The poor composition of this photograph is the result of me trying to keep my camera reasonably dry as the rain drove straight into the lens. The light was dreadful and I had to raise the ISO to 320, a level well beyond my normal setting of 200. 67029 is still in clean condition following its naming "Royal Diamond" by Her Majesty the Queen at Rugeley last week, in honour of her and Prince Phillip's 60th wedding anniversary.
	The Northen Belle from Manchester to Bath ran today, 17 June 2006. As the North & West line was partly closed it ran via Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Cheltenham. I wasn't going to bother with it until the gen came through that silver 67029 was allocated to the job, and as I didn't have a decent picture of this locomotive.... The train is seen here near Stoke Works Junction, just south of Bromsgrove, runnning just a few minutes late. This livery really suits the shape of the class and is well set off by the inclusion of the 3 EWS beasts on the bodysides.
	My final shot of a sunny session near Ashchurch on 15 July 2006 was this of 67005 on the VSOE running as 1Z87 17.10 Worcester to London Victoria. The combination of a heavy train and quite a gradient made the locomotive work quite hard. Class 67s sound pretty good when working hard, at least in comparison with most of the other traction these days. It is rare for the VSOE to be allocated anything other than class 67 these days unless it is booked to go onto lines where the heavy Bo-Bo axle loading precludes their use.
	Since Easter 2005, the 6G36 and 6G42 trains between Bescot and Birch Coppice have been booked for class 67 haulage. On 8 June of that year, a nice sunny day, I decided to get a few shots of both trains and here is the first; 67002 taking 3 ferrywagons loaded with car parts past Kingsbury Junction. The slow lines via Whitacre Heath to Whitacre Junction can be seen diverting from the main in the backgound. The routing of this train can be a bit of a lottery so I decided to play safe and go just north of the junction. On this occasion, 6G36 ran via the main line.
	The Birch Coppice branch isn't exactly heaving with photographic locations and this one, near the village of Picadilly is better in the winter than late spring. Still, it does give a reasonable broadside view of the locomotive and a couple of wagons.
	Once the loaded wagons have been deposited at Birch Coppice, the previous days empties can be collected and taken back to Bescot. 67002 is here seen passing the houses at Wood End on the approach to the Kingsbury Link industrial estate with a much longer train than it took in. This deep cutting is the result of the track having to be lowered when the the line was re-opened.
	The return to Bescot, train number 6G42, also has the choice of routes to Water Orton. My observations in recent years indicated that the slow lines via Whitacre Heath are the most likely so I went to a bridge in the village. When the train was due, a class 66-hauled coal train appeared and I began to doubt the wisdom of my decision. Looking towards Whitacre Junction, I could see the tail light of the stationary coal train in the distance. Just as I was thinking I had missed 6G42, it appeared in the distance crawling towards the signal just visible on the left of this picture. A few moments later, the coal train began to move and just as I took this photograph the signal cleared and the 67 whirred into action. This location was formerly the start and finish of a 4 track section of line. This must really have been busy in earlier times to warrant both up and down loops.
	On a different occasion, 25 July 2006, 67001 was pictured coming off the lines from Kingsbury at Whitacre Junction with 6G42. Since the roadbridge here was rebuilt in 2004 I have paid fewer visits than is previous years. Steps are now necessary to take shots in both directions and the speed of traffic seems to have increased, along with the amount of abuse received from passers-by.
	Class 67 was the motive power selected to take 3rd rail electric units from Birkenhead to Eastleigh for refurbishment and happily, these were routed via the line through Solihull and Hatton. On a misty 19 March 2005 I had made a visit to the the farm shop at Hatton Country and, never one to miss a chance, wandered across the fields to the foot of Hatton cutting just in time to catch 67020 heading north. There was never any chance of sun on this day, but the misty conditions serve, to my eyes at least, nicely to separate the train from the background and give quite a feel of the atmosphere.
	The final southbound 5X61 ran during the early evening of 27 June 2005 in conditions totally different from those shown above. 67020 was again in charge, this time of the last unit to be refurbished and I photographed it at Bentley Heath crossing near Dorridge about to enter the up goods loop to allow a Voyager and a Chiltern Turbo to pass.
	On 12 July 2005, one of the units taken south a few earlier was returned to Birkenhead as 5X47 from Eastleigh. Conveniently for me at the time this ran at lunchtime, so armed with some advance knowledge, I made the short journey from my then office to the nearest point, the 3 arch bridge towards the top of Hatton Bank where 67016 appeared right on cue. The final train ran 2 weeks later but I prefer this picture to the one I took of the last working taken in the same location.
	For a while after the loss of the contract with Royal Mail, class 67s were used on SERCO trains around the country. On 22 September 2005, 67022 passed Hatton North Junction with such a working, tailed by 67002. Other traction has been used in more recent times, including representatives of classes 37, 47 and 66.
	One of the photographic highlights of 25 July 2006 was the appearance of 67005 with a rake of Anglia MkII stock running as 5Z12, the 06.00 Norwich to Bescot. It was booked to pass Whitacre Junction at 10.00 and appeared at 10.01 - not bad on one of the hottest days of the year.
	An earlier run utilising 67005 was this, 1Z44 07.30 Ealing Broadway to Kidderminster on 19 February 2005. The train is seen making light work of Hatton just after 11.00 in some really crisp winter light. It was such a crisp morning in fact, that it took me nearly 30 minutes to drive here from Stratford-upon-Avon instead of the usual 12 or 13 such was the icy state of the lanes.
	Here is a shot of a class 67 doing the job for which it was built, hauling a Royal Mail train. The working is 1E43 from Plymouth to Low Fell passing Defford on 27 June 2002. These trains were always handy on a sunny evening as they were reliable and gave the chance to photograph something if there wasn't much freight around.
	This picture shows the same train as the one in the photograph from Defford above, but this time off its normal route. The date is 24 June 2002 and on the previous day a class 56 had derailed at Oddingley on the main Birmingham to Cheltenham line. This meant that everything was diverted via Worcester so I took an afternoon off work and went to this spot near Norton, locally known as Dog Bridge because of the incessant barking of a couple of canines at a nearby house, to record whatever came along. There was plenty of action including classes 47, 60, 66 and this shot of 67028 passing under the M5 with the Low Fell mail.
	67013 was booked to haul a 5Z40 ECS move from Old Oak Common to Crewe on 1 June 2007 in connection with a railtour with the preserved class 40, 40145 the following day. It was booked to leave Old Oak at 11.05 but ran almost exactly one hour late throughout. Here is the attractive-looking train passing Hatton North Junction under a good sky, the clouds of which had only just cleared from the sun, at 15.14. Compare this picture to this of a pair of EPS 37s taken on the wet Saturday morning of 4 May 2007 in the same location. The trees have really come into leaf in the intervening weeks but have yet to lose their "spring green" in favour of the less photogenic and slightly duller summer colours.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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".
	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.
	If someone had told me 12 months ago that regular locomotive-hauled trains would soon be running from Wrexham to London Marylebone I would have doubted their sanity. Luckily, it was perfectly true and with the current spell of good weather I went out on 13 May 2008 for a shot of the second up train of the day, 1P03, the 07.25 from Wrexham and here it is having just passed Leamington Spa station and climbing through the blossom-fringed outskirts of that town. I took exactly the same shot yesterday, but made a complete hash of the focusing, hence my return there today. This shot is only on in the summer months because of a very high belt of Leylandii trees to the right hand side of the picture which cast shadows for most of the year.
	The Northern Belle coaching stock was used for a private charter from Lincoln to Banbury on 21 May 2008. Here is 1Z60 rounding the curve at Hatton South Junction led by 67029 running almost 20 minutes early - it's always worth arriving in plenty of times for these workings as there is often a lot of recovery time built in the schedules. Class 67s were once a fairly uncommon sight on this line but since WSMR started running between Wrexham and Marylebone there are several diagrams along here for the class, especially on Saturdays and Bank Holiday Mondays when all are scheduled to run this way.
	I have taken quite a few photographs from the roadbridge at Hatton in recent weeks so decided to stay on the platform for this shot of 1P03, the 08.55 Wrexham to Marylebone WSMR service. The leading locomotive is 67025 and out of sight on the rear is 67012. The current use of an EWS locomotive is a bonus although I'm sure that substitutions to the WSMR liveried examples will occur after the introduction of DVTs as a result of failure from time to time.
	I hadn't planned to stay at Hatton North for the 16.10 London Marylebone to Wrexham service on 23 June 2008, but the sun continued to shine and it would have been rude not to have taken advantage of the beautiful light. Here is 1J83 with 67013 leading 3 Cargo-D coaches and 67015 just a couple of minutes late, probably as a result of the train following an Arriva Voyager. Compare this shot with an earlier one taken on 5 May 2008 when a pair of EWS 67s, 67026 and 67025 were in charge. The most noticeable change is the way the greenery has taken over in the background which gives a much "heavier" appearance to the scene.
	The Royal Train ran from Harrogate to Ashchurch on Thursday 10 July 2008 where the stock was stabled overnight on the MOD branch. HM The Queen was scheduled to visit RAF Fairford on Friday 11 June and the train ran from Ashchurch to Kemble from where the Royal Party flew by helicopter to the airfield. The primary purpose of the vist was for The Queen to present new colours to both the RAF and The RAF Regiment. Here is 67005 leading the train along the Ashchurch branch in the most dreadful weather imaginable - thick cloud and heavy rain which makes the picture look rather "noisy" as if taken at a high ISO setting. In fact, because the train was hardly moving, ISO 200 was used with a shutter speed of 1/320 and an aperture of f4.
	Just before the Royal Train came around the curve on the Ashchurch branch a class 153 went south on a local. 67005 led the stock along the branch and stopped by the road bridge and allowed two Arriva Voyagers to pass before crawling non-stop through the exchange sidings and off towards Cheltenham, Gloucester and Kemble. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was taking an interest in the trackwork on the entrance to the exchange sidings and made a passable impression of a track basher! A lot of the trackwork here has recently been replaced; no doubt in preparation for today's rare usage.
	One of the freights I was expecting to see, 6E55, the Theale to Lindsey empty oil tanks, did not appear and 4M36, the Southampton to Birch Coppice intermodal, had a load of empty flats at the front so my next and final photograph was of 1J83, the 16.10 WSMR service from Marylebone to Wrexham. The light had turned quite "milky" by this time, largely as the result of the number of aircraft contrails around the sky, but it held up long enough for a shot of 67015 topping 3 Cargo-D Mk3s and 67012 as the train topped Hatton Bank spot on time.
	One of the Royal liveried class 67s, 67006, has been helping out on the WSMR's services for the past couple of days. As these substitutions will become less frequent when the DVTs are in use I thought that I should go out and get at least one picture with the claret locomotive leading and as luck would have it, it was diagrammed on the ideal train on Saturday 26 July 2008, the 12.17 Marylebone to Wrexham, 1J86. I wanted to get my picture somewhere with a recognisable background so went to the station footbridge at Hatton. Platform edge shots may be unfashionable but I have always liked this location for a down train and the sun is just right at around 14.00 - brushing the front of the locomotive. Here is 67006 with a couple of happy bashers scoring some haulage usually available only on charters.
	An empty stock train was booked to run from Tyseley to Old Oak Common on Sunday 17 August 2008. In the event, this didn't happen because of the lack of a WCRC driver so I made do with 67028 leading 1J84, the mid-afternoon departure from London Marylebone to Wrexham passing through Hatton station in a nice patch of bright sunshine with some decently dark clouds in the background.
	I have been meaning for some time to go to this location for a photograph of 1J81, the 10.17 London Marylebone to Wrexham train, but have ben thwarted by the almost total lack of sun. Friday 19 September turned out to be warm and sunny so I went to the southern end of Hatton cutting and obtained this picture of 67017 leading 3 Cargo-D Mk3s with 67003 dead in tow at the rear of the train. It was crawling towards the new signal just inside the cutting, the preceding Voyager, following 66192 on 4M33, having been checked almost to a stand. 1J81 stood at the signal for over 10 minutes; long enough for me walk back to the footbridge via a couple of Blackberry bushes, the fruit on which demanded picking, and get this rather distant shot of the train waiting for the road. On the other side of the bridge, a class 168 Chiltern Trains class 168 was standing also waiting for the block to clear. I'm not sure what caused the delay, I guess that it was either 4M33 having a problem towards the top of Hatton Bank or a signalling fault manifesting itself.
	After a misty and murky start, Saturday 20 September 2008 developed into a beautifully warm and sunny day. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary around but it seemed rude not to take advantage of the perfect light so I went across to Hatton to photograph 1P03, the 08.55 Wrexham to Marylebone train. My first choice of location was a little further south than the bridge from where this picture was taken but it was heavily shadowed. 67013 is here seen topping 67025 and 3 Mk3 vehicles rounding the curve at Hatton Station Junction at 11.25, maybe a few minutes early on the booked time. The Restaurant Buffet behind the locomotive appears to have been a later candidate for refurbishment than the other vehicles if the fresher looking paint is a guide.
	This train is 1P50, a WSMR service, but which started from Ruabon and ended up at Paddington because of various engineering works on Sunday 21 September 2008. It left Ruabon as a strange formation with two sets coupled together but sadly for those of us south of Shrewsbury the sets were split there. Here is 67013 leading 67025 past the footbridge just to the south of Hatton Cutting running in the region of 20 minutes late and managing to arrive in a patch of sun in a sky increasingly populated by piles of fluffy cumulus clouds generated by the warm sun and ground still damp from the recent wet weather.
	After a misty and murky morning, Saturday 27 September 2008 developed into a gloriously sunny and warm day. It would have been almost unforgiveable not to have taken advantage of the light so, with a couple of late afternoon workings heading north along the Leamington Spa to Birmingham line I dropped in at Hatton North Junction for a short session. The first train to come along was 1J87, the 15.17 Marylebone to Wrexham service led by 67022. I think just one WSMR liveried class 67 was on duty again during the day - pretty much the same as the past week.
	I don't much like the northbound shot of a train on the through lines at Leamington Spa but have included this photograph taken on 10 October 2008 for completeness. It shows 67028 heading 1J81, the 10.17 London Marylebone to Wrexham passing the station. It seems to me that the hoped for competition resulting from railway privatisation seems to work only for the larger operators such as Arriva and Virgin. I'm sure that WSMR would carry a lot more passengers if their stopping pattern was more favourable. It seems ludicrous that half-empty trains are not allowed to pick up at some stations or have to pass through without stopping at all while grossly inadequate 4 and 5 coach Voyagers run around overcrowded. The Voyager that ran a short while after this WSMR train was so full that over 20 passengers were refused entry and had to either wait for another or make alternative arrangements.
	One of my reasons for being at Leamington Spa on Friday 10 October 2008 was to record the first run of a WSMR DVT, 82301, south of Crewe. The train is 1Z09 Crewe to Marylebone which at this point was running about 50 minutes late but still managing to catch some sun in the right place as it was propelled through the up main line by 67015. This wasn't quite the shot I was after, but the Voyager receding on the down line was in the platform when the signal was cleared for 1Z09 so I had to change position to minimise my chances of the shot being blocked. Leamington Spa station, with its East-West layout, is just about the only location in the area where trains can be satisfactorily photographed around midday if they are coming from the Coventry branch as the sun will be too straight further north or south.
	The first revenue earning run of a WSMR DVT took place on Saturday 11 October 2008. I went to Hatton for the up train in the morning but through slightly late running it was diverted via Coventry, a shorter route. The return, 1J87, the 15.17 London Marylebone to Wrexham was really the more significant as the DVT, 82301, led the train. It was reported as running about 15 minutes late; not normally a problem, but when it was due at Hatton North Junction at about 17.00 and the sun was very rapidly heading for the horizon, every minute counts. I had a feeling that it was stuck behind the train to Stratford-upon-Avon and this was confirmed when I heard the Chiltern Trains Turbo rattling down the branch. It was about 4 minutes later when 1J87 came into view with the DVT and its train being propelled by 67015. I was initially surprised to be alone for this historic shot but then, there was no locomotive on the front which meant that the blinkered attitude of most enthusiasts made it of no interest...