This section shows some historical and current scenes in and around the former MOD depot at Long Marston in Warwickshire. It is situated at the end of a long siding from Honeybourne Junction and is accessible only from the north (Worcester) as the run-round loop at Honeybourne has recently been condemned as unserviceable. At the time of writing, October 2005, Long Marston has seen something of a resurgence as the present lessees, Modwen Developments, have made space available for the storage of rolling stock and, at the beginning of 2006, fairly regular trains are running. Photographs of some of the arrivals appear below. This section covers not only the depot itself, but includes images of trains heading to and from various events held there. It came as no surprise that the weather was very poor for almost all my visits here; hence the inclusion of many black & white pictures.

	This picture shows 35028 Clan Line arriving at Moreton in Marsh in October 1987 with a special train from Didcot. Main line steam was not as commonplace as it is today, which accounts for the phalanx of interested locals thronging the secene.The train is heading for Long Marston depot in connection with the celebrations there to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Royal Engineers. 35028 hauled the train as far as Honeybourne where 8F No. 8233 was attached to the rear for the run along the branch to the depot.
	Once Clan Line, shown in the picture above, had arrived at Honeybourne, 8F 8233 was attached to the rear and hauled the train along the former Stratford-upon-Avon line to Long Marston. This line is particularly featureless with no overbridges until the entrance to the depot so this was about the best of a bad job. I remember struggling a bit with my camera on this day. I had just bought a Mamiya 645 1000S, but the shop from which I obtained it did not have a prism finder in stock at the time. I was therefore having to use the supplied waist-level finder, which was fine for composition using a tripod for static subjects, but trickier for moving subjects. Perhaps it is fortunate that nothing was remotely speedy this day!
	After arrival at Long Marston the passengers were treated to a ride around the depot's main loop. The train is seen here about to enter the exchange sidings after its circuit of the camp.
	One of the MOD's own locos, 0-6-0 ST No.98 was also in operation during the afternoon offering rides around the depot's system. The line to Honeybourne is seen disappearing under the new roadbridge, which had been installed just 2 years earlier in 1985.
	This was not purely a steam day as one of the resident 0-4-0 diesel locos was used on a demonstration freight. The loading gauge is a reminder of the days when Long Marston despatched vast tonnages of freight for the MOD. It was last used in earnest during the Falklands conflict in the early 1980s when many trains ran over an extended period. Sadly, I did not have the foresight to have recorded any of these movements.
	Moving forwards in time to 17 February 1992, this and the following 3 photographs show 37235 on a train heading for the MOD depot. Here, the train is approaching Evesham station after the single line token has been obtained from the signalbox in the background. This shot has seen considerable change in the intervening years, see this shot of   66027 in the same spot with a SERCO train on 1 April 2005.
	As I mentioned above, there are limited photographic opportunities between Honeybourne and Long Marston but at least this one, near the site of the ballast tip, offers a clear view of the train.
	After taking the shot above, I managed to arrive at the depot just in time to obtain this picture of 37235 about to enter the exchange sidings. There was clearly some return traffic and the wagons are seen on the 2nd road from the left. The trackbed of the former GWR main line to Stratford-upon-Avon can be seen on the left. There have been many suggestions over the years that this should be relaid to connect Stratford to the Cotswold line.
	To facilitate shunting, one of the MOD locomotives was in use and is seen here in the headshunt at the north end of the depot ready for action. 37235 has been released from its train and will now go to the other end of the sidings to be attached to the return working.
	The final shot in this sequence, taken in virtual darkness, shows 37235 leaving the MOD depot with its train and heading back towards Honeybourne and Worcester.
	A more recent sequence of black & white pictures showing a Long Marston to Didcot train is here seen. This time it was a 6Z36 from Long Marston on 16 June 1998, for which I took an afternoon off work, using 37245. I didn't arrive in time for the inward working and only just in time for the train's departure. The MOD was running down operations here at this time and this train was used to remove a long rake of wagons from the site. The light was, as usual, dreadful and when this photograph was taken at 13.20 a light drizzle had just begun to fall. There hadn't appeared to be any prospect of sun and I left home with just a Mamiya 645 loaded with TRI-X, and struggled even with this 400asa film.
	I had a quick drive down to Honeybourne Junction to picture 6Z36's arrival. The light had deteriorated further since 37245 had left Long Marston and it was fortunate that the train was standing still at this point so that a slow shutter speed could be used. The picture shows a departure from current operations in that the train has pulled forward over the pointwork to give the crew a shorter walk in order to reach the ground frame. In 2007, this trackwork is not fit for use and trains are supposed to stop before the junction, although this ruling has been ignored on at least one occasion...not that you'll find a photograph of it here!
	Once permission had been gained for 6Z36 to join the main line towards Worcester, the train set back to the junction and once the road had been set, ran forward into Honeybourne station before heading west to Evesham. For some reason, the crew member who operated the ground frame had climbed back aboard 37245 so had to dismount again once when in the platform and walk back to reset the points behind the train.
	I obviously had more energy in 1998 than I have in 2007 as I set off in pursuit of 6Z36 and reached Lower Moor, between Evesham and Pershore, in time for another shot, this time in pouring rain. These days, I wouldn't bother to chase around like this...
	As I left Lower Moor with the intention of going home and into the dry, I saw that the sky to the west was rapidly clearing. As it still early, just after 2pm, I decided to go to Croome Perry wood for a final photograph of 37245 after it had run round at Worcester and returned south - it was booked to run to Didcot via Gloucester and Swindon. Just after 3pm the sky finally cleared and 6Z36 gave me the only sunny shot of the afternoon. I would have much preferred the branch line shots to have been in the sun rather than this one on the main Birmingham to Gloucester line - pictures away from the main line are always more satisfying.
	This photograph, taken on 1 May 1992 at Honeybourne Junction, does not have much technical merit, but does show a train on the former east loop. 20901+20904 have just brought the weedkilling train back from Long Marston and, when the main line is clear, will use the crossover in the foreground and then return south to Oxford. At this time the tip, just visible in the background, was still in use and saw trains of spoil from Bescot once or twice each week. The current view is largely unchanged except for the usual unchecked of lineside trees. To be fair, a much more unrestricted vista is available, but a reasonably long lens is needed. Here is a 2008 shot of a class 66 with a 73 standing in approximately the spot.
	It wasn't long before the line was clear and the weedkilling train was allowed access to the main Cotswold Line. It is here seen crossing over the spur where, if I remember correctly, it reversed at headed south towards Moreton-in-Marsh and Oxford. This location is set to change during 2010 when the single track here is doubled and the arrangements to allow train onto the branch are revised with the track through the former branch platforms at the station being relaid with the connection to the main line placed at the south (east) end.
	A railtour ran to Long Marston on 29 July 1995. "The Honey Monster" visited Kineton MOD in the morning before coming to Long Marston in the afternoon. The train ran with top-and-tail motive power, the locomotives being 47348, 33019 and 33057. Once again, a ride around the depot loop was arranged and 4F No. 7298 was used for this. The rakes of stock in the exchange sidings have recently arrived and will be stored in one of the many secure sidings elsewhere on site.
	The train is seen here leaving the depot and joining the branch to Honeybourne where it will reverse once onto the Cotswold Line so that the Cromptons will lead towards Oxford.
	The pair of class 33s on the rear of the train are the only Cromptons I have seen on the branch and despite the large number of enthusiasts on the bridge, I managed to squeeze in to get this shot. It had to be heavily cropped to remove an elbow! The exhaust from 47348 came be seen in the middle distance as it accelerates the train up the speed limit for the branch, 20mph.
	There was plenty of time for the drive to a bridge near Chipping Campden to record the Cromptons leading the train south towards Oxford. This location is just beyond the end of the climb from Honeybourne and the locomotives are putting up a good show of exhaust with the heavy train, still including 47348 on the rear. Typically, after a day of unbroken sun, a large cloud obscured the sun just as the barriers protecting the road at the rear of the train dropped.
	This picture shows 47281 arriving at Long Marston with a MOD train from Didcot on a very wet and dull 11 February 1997. Since the MOD depot closed there has been almost no traffic other than an occasional railtour. Proposals exist exist locally for a new industrial estate which would of necessity need to be rail-connected if HGV chaos were to be avoided on the very narrow lanes around here. A major problem with this plan would be a lack of paths on the largely singled Cotswold line to the junction with this branch at Honeybourne.
	There have been very few passenger trains along here but here is a photograph of 60084 on the branch on 15 October 2000 with a tour run in connection with an open day at Worcester. The light was appallingly bad and I struggled even with TRI-X rated at 400asa. The train was run in top-and-tail mode with 66181 on the rear. The train, 1Z37 did not enter the Long Marston facility but ran only to the gates before reversing. Here is another view of 60084 as it recedes towards Honeybourne with the return. Class 60s are no longer allowed on the branch because of their weight; a visit some years later caused some trouble and a lot of work for the local permanent-way gang when the whole branch had to be checked.
	I was standing at Croome Perry at lunchtime on 31 October 2001 when one of the other locals casually dropped into the conversation that 58030 was on its way to Long Marston with a couple of tanks of diesel fuel. This was apparently in connection with some TA exercises being held at the MOD camp. To the best of my knowledge, nothing had been along the branch for nearly 2 years, so I made the short trip in record time to see the short train appear in the distance. At that time of day, the sun was straight into the lens as the 58 approached the roadbridge, so this shot as the crew gained permission to enter the site was the best bet. The empty tanks were taken out some 4 or 5 days later, but I did not find out until after the event. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only class 58 to have used the branch from Honeybourne and the event is unlikely to be repeated.
	The sun did co-operate when the light engine left the site having deposited its short train in the exchange sidings. This photograph shows some marked differences to the current scene at Long Marston, in both the flora and amount of stock on site.
	The branch from Honeybourne to Long Marston has seen no traffic, other than an overnight run of a weedkilling MPV, for over 5 years. This trend was broken today, 16 September 2005 when 66531 took some ex-Virgin Mk3 coaches and DVTs to the former MOD site for secure storage. The train is seen here crawling towards the end of the OTO section which ends at the gate protecting the entry to the camp. The track from Honeybourne is in a parlous state but was approved for use on 15 September by Network Rail. The whole branch is laid on wooden sleepers, the majority of which, even from a cursory glance, are rotten. Needless to say, the sun didn't appear at the appropriate time, but the extreme rarity of the working, 5Z52 07.32 Crewe to Long Marston, made the short trip from Stratford-upon-Avon unavoidable for me.
	This picture shows 66531 about to enter the exchange sidings at Long Marston on 16 September 2005 with it strain of stock and DVTs. This is the first Freightliner 66 to visit this branch although an EWS example topped and tailed a "mini-railtour" from Worcester some years ago.
	Once the train to Long Marston had entered the exchange sidings, HNRC 12082 was hooked onto the back to take the stock into the secure area, and to release the 66. In earlier times, the loco would simply have used one of the other roads, but as the track is not in an especially good state these days, it was decided not to risk it.
	This picture shows 12082 moving the stock out of the exchange sidings and about to head around the depot loop to the area selected for storage. The creaking of the track and sleepers had to be heard to be believed.
	The sun finally appeared just as 66531 was ready to leave the exchange sidings at Long Marston. The driver very kindly brought his locomotive forward at low speed to allow the small gallery the chance for a well-lit shot of this very rare event.
	Another train ran Long Marston on 14 October 2005. This time, 47830 brought in a rake of 26 JNA wagons, running as 6Z52, for storage. The train left Crewe over 30 minutes late, apparently after having to wait for a path. This seems strange as one would have thought that the train planners would have put the train into a valid path when setting up the schedule. As a result of this and other factors such as a severe speed restriction on the Sutton Park line and the signallers at Gloucester panel trying to send the train to Gloucester when it arrived at Stoke Works Junction instead of via Droitwich and Worcester, the lateness grew almost exponentially. It finally passed Evesham at 13.15 (booked 10.48) and arrived at its destination at 13.50. The weather? Dreadful.
	Once the train had entered the depot, HNRC 12082 was hooked onto the back, 47830 was released and ran back along one of the parallel roads. This movement is seen here with an accompanying bevy of orange-breasted ballast peckers.
	While I was waiting for the main line action, I was kept entertained by 12082 running up and down the internal system. It is seen here in a shot taken with my 70-200mm zoom at full stretch.
	Also visible were the DVTs and MkIII stock brought in with the previous train. It is reported that considerable numbers of redundant vehicles are to be stored here, so the scenes recorded here today will soon become commonplace. Perhaps one of the future trains will run on time and in the sun...
	Another train of stock for storage at Long Marston ran today, 14 December 2005. This time is was Virgin branded HST coaches and 1 power car hauled by Cotswold Rail's 47316, all running as 5Z21 from Gloucester Horton Road. The stock ran from Bicester COD to Gloucester on Tuesday 13 December. The silver locomotive was most welcome on such a dull day! The ensemble is seen here arriving at Long Marston at 11.02 - pretty much right time - quite unusual if some previous workings are used as a measure. It is noticeable just how faded the coaches' paintwork has become whilst in outside storage - they look almost pink. The stock details, courtesy of Freightmaster Interactive, are 17173+44091+42321+42320+40402+41169+41148+44088+42294+power car 43065.
	Here is another shot of 47316, this time about to enter the site at Long Marston with the off-lease Virgin HST set, with power car 43025 immediately behind the locomotive. A train of white ICI tanks has appeared here since my last visit. These were unfit to travel by rail so were delivered by road. This is a bit of a shame as they would have made a most interesting photograph anywhere on the Cotswold line and on this branch. They are just about discernible in the background, above the 2 rakes of almost derelict coaching stock. Unfortunately, the light was so poor that very limited depth of field was available so the tanks are not at all clear so far in the distance.
	Saturday 17 December saw another move of stored Virgin HST stock to Long Marston. This time, the motive power was 20905+20096 - another first for the recently revitalised branch, although the weedkilling 20s did work here in May 1992. Today's train originated from Bicester on Friday 16 December and was staged overnight at Gloucester from where it left at 08.52 as 5Z22 . My first shot was taken at Ashchurch where, as I thought, the rising sun would just be high enough for a decent shot.
	After runnning-round at Worcester, 5Z22 headed up the Cotswold line to Honeybourne, where the branch to Long Marston was taken. The pair of newly repainted class 20s is seen here approaching the yard in dappled sunshine.
	Once authority to enter the yard had been given, 20905+20096 whistled their somewhat faded and pink HST stock into the exchange sidings from where 12081 will later move them to the storage area.
	The departure of 20096+20905 was slightly delayed while one of the operatives from the site fetched and fitted a point clip to the switch leading from the exchange sidings to the main line. This did not take long, and the locos are sen here leaving the site for the run back to Gloucester. Bearing in mind the poor state of the track and the branch being low on Network Rail's priority list, I wouldn't be surprised to see these lighter locomotives used on trains to this location more regularly. The shunting locomotive can just be made out as it approached the newly-arrived stock in the sidings.
	Sunday 8 January saw an unexpected train into Long Marston. This time it was Cotswold Rail's 47316+47813 with a long rake of stock which ran as 5Z58 10.00 Tyseley to Long Marston, which arrived 39 minutes late at 12.50. The stock was a CR set including 2 buffet cars. The impressive ensemble is seen here arriving at its destination in typically dull and very cold weather. My thanks are due to a source wishing to remain anonymous for the original tip-off and to Roger Smith for the stock and working details.
	The first vehicle in the rake is this 1st class buffet. It sems almost criminal that such high quality and newly refurbished stock is being stored when TOCs such as Virgin are using such totally inedequate stock as the Voyager.
	Very little time was wasted in getting 47813+47316 on the move back to Gloucester. Here they are leaving the site with a fine display of clag for the camera.
	Once the 47s had left the site for Gloucester, 12082 was tied onto the stock and made ready for the trip around the internal system. It is seen here across the field in a picture taken from the roadside.
	Here is yet another train of stock going in for storage dated 14 January 2006. This time it is a solo 47813 with 2 Network Rail HST power cars - 43067+43154. The train was some 100 minutes late as it approached the storage site, which did give the opportunity for an interesting lighting effect as the cloud melted away, even though the colour of the 2 NR HST PCs wasn't too apparent. I can't help but wonder why NR are storing these power cars - I believe this leaves them with 3, which must question if the NMT has enough reliable power.
	This is not a particularly inspiring photograph, but it does show the NR HST power cars about to enter the Long Marston site. The red Network Rail stickers have been removed from this side, but were still in place on the other.
	Once 47813 had taken the power cars into the exchange sidings, one of the resident shunting locomotives was hooked onto them for the short trip to their final destination. The ensemble is seen here from the roadside at around 15.15 in a nice patch of winter sun. The Sentinel started her days at Oxfordshire Ironstone as "Jean" and was the last loco on the system having powered the demolition trains. From there she went to the mining arm of the giant Corby complex but due to her light weight seems to have seen comparatively little use being noted on PW trains as much as anything else. She then found her way back to Thomas Hill for overhaul following the closure of Sentinel, and then to the nearby Yorkshire Tar Distillers, before ending up here.
	Just for good measure, here is a slightly closer shot of Jean, the red Sentinel and the power cars framed by a roadside tree. I'm not sure if the graffiti was applied to the coaches in the background while in storage here, but I imagine that security for the newly-arrived off-lease stock is much higher to avoid this happening.
	The by-now anonymous, but distinctly red Sentinel moved the NR HST power cars towards the depot buildings at Long Marston and was photographed here about to pass the main line locomotive 47813, John Peel. The latter eventually worked back to the holding sidings at Gloucester Horton Road.
	While I was waiting for the delayed 0Z43 from Derby I had a look at the recently arrived stock in the storage site at Long Marston. Here is a distant view of a Virgin HST with, in the background, some Midland and CR Mk III stock, the latter of which arrived last Sunday. The black sky over the depot was, luckily, passing away from the camera leaving some pleasant winter sunshine over me.
	On 1 March 2006 there was a move of MkIII stock from Wembley to Long Marston, which was hauled by Cotswold Rail's 47714+47200. While driving over towards Evesham, where I planned to photograph it passing the signal box, the sky grew very dark so I turned off through Welford on Avon and went straight to Long Marston. Just before the train appeared the wind really started to blow and a blizzard materialised. Great. As the train neared the roadbridge the heavy cloud obscuring the sun blew over allowing some light to illuminate the train through the falling snow. I quite like the result; at least it's slightly different from the standard shot.
	The snow shown in the picture above cleared just as quickly as it had arrived. Here are 47714+47200 in the exchange sidings at Long Marston with the rake of VT stock. The locomotives were soon detached and headed off light engine, presumably to Horton Road in Gloucester.
	This week's stock move to Long Marston was formed of a rake of cartics moved last year from Bicester to Gloucester, Horton Road. The train ran on 9 March 2006 as 6M55 13.04 from Gloucester and was booked to arrive at its destination at 15.30. My plan was to do at least 4 photographs of the train but the weather at lunchtime was very poor so I decided not to bother. However, at 14.30 the sky looked as if it might clear. When I arrived at Long Marston a huge black cloud was depositing its load of rain on the hill in the background, but as the train hauled by 47813 came into view, right on time, the cloud blew away and the sun appeared.
	The large black cloud mentioned above was sitting nicely over the hill behind the Long Marston complex when the train pulled into the exchange sidings, so a broadside shot of 47813 being uncoupled from the cartics seemed like a good idea.
	Yet another stock move operated by Cotswold Rail ran on 11 March 2006. This time it was the first class 87 to enter the site for storage; 87029 was moved from Oxley by 47813, the short train running as 0Z87. It is seen here approaching the road bridge just before entering the depot. Unusually, the loco crew unlocked the gate to allow the train to enter the site, rather than the on-site staff.
	This shot was the one for which I was aiming, showing 87029 behind Cotswold Rail's 47813, about to enter the Long Marston site for storage. This is not the first electric locomotive to arrive here, as several class 85s were sent here for scrapping at the adjacent Bird's scrapyard. There were also many EMU sets here for the same reason.
	My first opportunity to photograph Cotswold Rail's HST power cars occurred today, Friday 17 March 2006. A 5Z03 stock move from Bicester (depart 11.15) to Long Marston took place and my plan was to take it passing Evesham signal box and then go home. The train was due to leave Worcester at 14.45 so I arrived at Evesham at 14.35 to find the train in the station, as a result of the late running of a down unit thus giving an earlier path. A rapid drive to Honeybourne resulted, where this image of 43070 leading 41115+40417+42159+42160+40416+40403+40433 and Hornby-liveried power car 43087 was obtained. It is hard to believe that Honeybourne Junction was once a vast and complex array of lines controlled by no fewer than 5 signalboxes.
	This is now the only point-shifting frame on the whole of the Honeybourne site, compared to the hundreds of levers necessary when the complex was in full operation. 43070 waits for the points to be locked before proceeding onto the branch to Long Marston. It is probably just as well that the writing on the inside of the cabin's door is not readable on this shot - it is on the full-size image...
	Once the road was set and locked, the train was able to proceed onto the branch to Long Marston. I especially wanted this view of the Hornby-liveried power car curving onto the branch, and was reasonably pleased with the result despite the poor light.
	Here is the by-now obligatory shot of 5Z03 arriving at the road bridge at Long Marston, captured after a quick drive from Honeybourne. The chase isn't always successful, especially if agricultural vehicles impede progress.
	Once the stock was safely into the exchange sidings, the power cars were removed ready to be re-coupled for the move back to Gloucester. Here is 43067 in the headshunt ready to run back onto the sister car. 12082 can already be seen in the distance moving the first coach towards the storage area.
	Here are the two power cars back together. They will now run forward into the exchange sidings and thence over the points onto the branch back to Honeybourne for the return to Worcester and finally Gloucester.
	Here is a Cotswold Rail hauled 0Z03 from Bicester COD to Long Marston passing Evesham's signal box on 30 March 2006. 47714 + 47813 were allocated to haul 87009, 87020 and 87034, the ensemble running via Oxford, Swindon, Kemble and Worcester, where the locos ran-round before heading south on the Cotswold line. The train was given a clear road through Evesham and did not need to stand time to cross a northbound passenger service. It is here seen putting up a good display of exhaust after the mandatory stop to exchange the token.
	I couldn't resist a second shot as 0Z03 passed the signal. I was pleased to get a shot of 47714 in half-decent light as my previous attempt had been thwarted by a blizzard at Long Marston...
	There haven't been too many class 87s in Evesham station, in fact just 4 at the time of writing, so I felt almost obliged to take this shot of them passing the platforms.
	Another set of redundant stock ran to Long Marston on 4 May 2006. For a change, it was operated by EWS, came north from Old Oak Common, ran via Moreton in Marsh and consisted of 8 ex-FGW motorail vehicles. The original plan was to run 6Z87 to Worcester yard for the run-round, but there were rumours circulating that this might take place at Evesham. The timing was such that this was possible if both this train and the passenger services ran to schedule. I decided to go somewhere south of Evesham just in case, and picked upon the roadbridge at Honeybourne Junction. Here is 66229 with the train passing the junction for the Long Marston branch, to which it will later return. I'm not entirely sure why there is a portrait of Rolf Harris (or is it Osama Bin Laden?) on the hut containing the instruments for unlocking the ground frame.
	A train to Long Marston wouldn't be complete without a shot from this roadbridge near the storage facility! 66229 is arriving about 60 minutes early on the booked time thanks to the run-round being accomplished at Evesham station rather than in Worcester yard. The personnel at the Long Marston site were unprepared for the early arrival and there was a delay of some minutes until they appeared from their cabin. Here's a close-up of one of the  motorail coaches. Incidentally, I hope none of the local photographers were still waiting at Lower Moor or Dog Bridge, thinking that the train was late...Click  here for a view of some local wildlife.
	To the best of my knowledge this is the first EWS class 66 to have entered the yard at Long Marston. Here is 66229 just catching a glint of sun as it draws to a halt prior to uncoupling and return to Didcot.
	On Wednesday 10 May 2006 a move of 4 off-lease 87s from Oxley to Long Marston was arranged. Things didn't work out quite to plan and the train was diverted to Gloucester. The following morning saw them make the second leg of their journey, leaving Gloucester 09.10. I had planned to photograph them near the site of Fladbury station between Pershore and Evesham,but on arrival at 10.15 received a message saying that they were already at Evesham. This must have meant that the planned run-round at Worcester had taken place elsewhere, possibly at Norton Junction. I drove to Long Marston more in hope than expectation, being frustrated by roadworks with a convoy vehicle leading traffic, tractors and village speed limits. When I arrived the train was sitting under the roadbridge so I just had time to obtain this shot of 47810 hauling 87025, 87021, 87030 and 87033 into the site for storage.
	The second train into Long Marston on 11 May was 5Z86 from Oxley. This time the train consisted of 87027, which had been delivered from Norwich the previous day, together with 10 ex-VT MkIIIs and a Cotswold Rail buffet car all hauled by Cotswold Rail's 47813. The light was beautiful when the train arrived at 17.30 and the unusual double-header contrasted nicely with the verdant background.
	Once the train had run into the exchange sidings at Long Marston, 47813 was detached to be replaced by this 0-4-0 shunter named James. The side panels of a DRS class 20 can just be glimpsed between the white ICI tankers, and a little further along, 37170 is partly visible.
	Two ex-GNER HST power cars were deposited in the sidings at Evesham on Friday 12 May 2006 while en-route to Long Marston. They are here seen being passed by a northbound 180110 on Saturday 13 May 2006. A bird appears to have come to a messy end on the earlier run up to Paddington...
	Making a change from off-lease locomotives and stock, here is 47810 hauling a long rake of PIA car carriers past the signal box at Evesham after the token exchange. The ensemble is heading into Long Marston for storage. The train, 6Z66 10.48 from Gloucester New Yard had to stand in the station for a few minutes as a tamper was heading north.
	Here is 6Z66 again, this time on the final approaches to Long Marston. The branch from Honeybourne has very few breaks in the hedges surrounding the line, but there is this small gap just south of the roadbridge from I usually take a picture. It is taken from the side of the road running to Mickleton. Some may object to the pylon and wires, but I accept that these are part of the scene and can be used as a "prop". I must admit though, that apparently unsupported wires, i.e. those without visible pylons, can look a bit odd and *may* be candidates for removal with the clone stamp. If it's done properly, you'd never know...
	I was working in my garden on the morning of 22 June when a message appeared on my BlackBerry to the effect that 66606 had just passed Evesham station en-route to Long Marston, no doubt to collect some stock. I was waiting for a parcel containing my new Nikon D200 camera body to be delivered so was twitching with impatience. Fortunately, UPS did their bit, my parcel arrived as did some more messages about the timing and destination of the train. It turned out to be 6Z71 11.29 Long Marston to Hitchin. As it was already 11.35 I decided to head for the nearest location with easy access, which is Lower Moor on the Cotswold line. The train consisting of 66606 and 18 of the JNAs stored at Long Marston passed me at 12.08. I like this shot as it shows the 1st 66/6 to use this line, and could almost be a "proper" freight service. Incidentally, this is being uploaded to my hosting server at 13.07, just within an hour of the picture being taken.
	19 July 2006, the hottest day of the year. Now, I'm no fan of extreme temperatures, much preferring cooler weather, but on occasions there is no option but to go out, like a mad dog or an Englishman, in the mid-day sun. When I was told that 47714 was taking a goodly selection of stock to Long Marston I had the chance to get a shot I been thwarted on previously no less than 3 times, albeit this time with the sun far too high for a really good picture. Here is 47714 with 5Z91 from Gloucester leaving a haze of exhaust over Worcestershire and about to pass through the village of Fladbury, near Evesham with 4 MkIIIs sandwiching DVT 82134, 2 AWAs, 2 GHAs and HST power car 43157. It passed me at 12.13 and a later few minutes my car's thermometer was reading a temperature of 35.5 degrees Celsius. Was I glad to get the engine and climate control going.......
	Cotswold Rail's HST stock was moved to Long Marston for storage on Monday 7 August 2006. The train is seen here at Fladbury, on the Cotwold line, crawling towards a temporary speed restriction. I believe that the stock has just come off-lease following the Heartland Rail excursion to Edinburgh on 5 August. The train came during the few minutes during the day when the sun is pretty much at a right angle to the subject meaning that both ends are well lit. This is one of the reasons that I have included this going-away shot. It also shows the Hornby-liveried power car and the attractive Vale of Evesham scenery on the approaches to the eponymous town. The TSR was across the underbridge in the centre of the train.
	The Cotswold Rail HST shown above was booked to stand in Evesham station for the thick end of 30 minutes to allow a northbound passenger train to pass. This gave me plenty of time for a leisurely drive over to Lng Marston to record its arrival. Sadly, the sun didn't co-operate this time, although the HST would have been heavily back-lit at this time of day, about 14.45pm. The power cars later left the site with the CR buffet, the passenger accomodation remaining for secure storage. Use this hyperlink to see the Hornby liveried power car trailing the set into the site.
	Another move of Porterbrook stock from Oxley to Long Marston was carried out on 21 August 2006. The motive power was Cotswold Rail's 47813 with 47828 dead in tow hauling 87023 and 87003 plus 11 MkIII coaches as 5Z87. It was running a little late and passed the boarded foot crossing at Lower Moor, near Pershore at 11.29. The weather was strange; the leading locomotive was just about in some sun, but the coaching stock was getting a good soaking as a blustery downpour arrived. I just had time to put my camera away before it was my turn to become wet. In the field to the left of the train are the remains of a long siding used in more enlightened times to convey fruit and vegetables from a nearby farm. The trackbed ran along the curve visible between the two sections of the field. Some infrastructure is still to be seen amongst the undergrowth. For more information on Bomfords branch please follow the hyperlink to a page on the fascinating MIAC website covering this area.
	Two moves were planned for Long Marston on 5 September 2006. The first was a 5Z01 09.00 Gloucester to Long Marston conveying the Cotswold Rail buffet car and 2 ex-Virgin MkIII coaches. The train is here seen at Lower Moor near Pershore behind Cotswold Rails' 47810. The bridge upon which I am standing has this number painted on the brickwork. It is good to see that the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton lives on, in spirit at least.
	47810 returned from Long Marston as 5Z02 12.00 to Laira and I photographed it at Honeybourne, just coming to a stand on the former East Loop. In former days, this piece of track would mostly have been used by local trains from Leamington Spa to Worcester via Stratford-upon-Avon. These would have run straight on at this point into the branch platforms. Some of these lines are still extant but have been condemned as being unfit for use. The crew member charged with operating the ground frame has ridden down "on the cushions" and he is just opening the door of the leading ex-Virgin MkIII.
	The crew have now left the coach and the shunter, holding the token from Evesham signal box, will now walk to the ground frame and put the token into the machine so that the key to unlock the ground frame can be released. The train of Midland HST stock along with CR's buffet will now head for Laira depot in South Devon. The line in the right foreground is the main line from London Paddington to Worcester and Hereford.
	The crew member has now obtained permission for the train to leave Honeybourne's East Loop, operated the ground frame and waved the train across the switchwork onto the main line. Once the points have been cleared he will replace the levers, lock the frame and extract the token, which will be returned to the 'box at Evesham in exchange for the token giving authority to enter the single track to Norton Junction. The token instrument can just be seen within the small hut. It is amazing to recall that the Honeybourne complex was operated by no fewer than 5 full size signal boxes, with hundreds of semaphore signals and their miles of wires and point rodding. There are several books in print with details of the operations here and I can recommend "Shakespeare's Railways" by John Boynton and "An Illustrated History of the Stratford-upon-Avon to Cheltenham Railway" by Audie Baker. The latter includes many fascinating anecdotes from Honeybourne and Long Marston with plenty of illustrations showing how much has been lost in the area.
	A Freightliner move from Crewe to Long Marston conveying coaches 12033 and 12142 along with DVT 82125 was arranged for 21 September 2006. The traction was originally quoted as being a class 47, but in the event, 66514 was provided. This didn't bother me at all as I have far more pictures of 47s on these runs than I have of 66s. Here is 5Z52 passing the site of Fladbury station on the Cotswold Line at 10.41 on a perfectly lit morning.
	I'm not a great one for hurtling around the countryside chasing trains from one location to another, but decided to have an attempt at getting to Long Marston to picture 66514 taking 5Z52 into the site. There is never any guarantee that such a chase will be successful, given the number of farm vehicles on the roads in the Vale of Evesham and the speed limits through the villages on the way there. On this occasion I made it without any trouble, having some 10 minutes to wait before the train appeared at 11.19.
	Next comes the obligatory shot of the stock running into the complex at Long Marston to await a shunt move into the secure area. It would be good to photograph a train leaving the site at this time of day, but this is unlikely given that this path would be required to bring a locomotive into the site. Taking into account the time that would be necessary to couple up and perform a brake test, it seems improbable that a departure time to coincide with an early path on the main line would be achieved.
	No time was wasted in uncoupling 66514 from the stock and despatching the loco back to Honeybourne. There is a reasonable gap in passenger services on the Cotswold Line at this time of day and it seemed likely that 0Z52 would be able to make a much earlier run to Kingsland Road in Bristol than was scheduled. In fact though, this wasn't the case as 0Z52 was seen passing Evesham station at 14.38, which meant an extended lunch break on the East Loop at Honeybourne. The loco is here seen leaving Long Marston whilst, in the background, HNRC 0-6-0 has been attached to the train for the journey on the internal railway system.
	A rake of TTA tanks ran from Warrington Arpley to Washwood Heath last week. The original destination was Long Marston where the tanks were destined for storage and this final part of the move actually took place today, 25 September as 6Z80 Washwood Heath to Long Marston. The train was booked to stand in Worcester Yard for around an hour but I had a hunch that an earlier path to Evesham at least would be found. With this in mind, I decided against a shot at Evesham where the sun, if shining, would be in the wrong place for the earlier path. I therefore went to Fladbury where the train appeared behind 66086 at 11.19, over 60 minutes early. This really was an extremely rare sight and I am not aware that a train of TTAs has worked over the Cotswold line previously. I am indebted to Geoff B.for the additional information that these tanks have recently been retired from the Seal Sands to Eggborough Power Station service, conveying fuel oil and are almost certainly a mixture of TTAs and TUAs.
	I decided that I must have another shot of 6Z80 so went directly to Long Marston, where I had a longer than expected wait. I suspect that a northbound passenger train on the mostly single-track Cotswold Line was running late and that 6Z80 had to stand in Evesham for an extended period. 66086 eventually came into view at 12.23, just 13 minutes early on the original schedule. I was surprised to be alone for the arrival and can only assume that the normal but inexplicably shortsighted bigotry of the average enthusiast against EWS 66 hauled trains came into play. I was more than happy to record what is certainly the only train of TTAs to have traversed the line between Honeybourne and Long Marston especially behind only the 2nd EWS 66 to have entered Long Marston exchange sidings. To me, this is infinitely more interesting than top-and-tail 37s on a short SERCO train. For a close-up view of some of the TTAs, please click  here
	There was a delay of some minutes at Long Marston while the on-site staff came to unlock the gate leading to the exchange sidings. The 66's engine was switched off during this hiatus and was restarted only when the gate was opened. The small plume of exhaust is here seen as this procedure is carried out. After a few seconds, the train was taken into the sidings ready for the 66 to be detached and the tanks left ready for movement into the storage area,
	Mark III stock continues to accumulate at Long Marston and 4 more coaches arrived on 29 September, 3 from Oxley and 1 from Gloucester. The train is here seen approaching the end of the branch from Honeybourne in absolutely appalling light behind 47714 and 47810. The use of 47810 was slightly mysterious as it was dead in tow and after the coaches had been dropped in the exchange sidings, 47714 ran round its sister locomotive and led for the light engine trip back to Worcester and thence Gloucester. I wonder if another run-round was carried out in Worcester yard? For anyone interested in the technical details of the shot, it was taken at ISO 400 on a Nikon D200 using a Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 lens set at 180mm and f3.2 with a shutter speed of 1/250 second.
	As any regular viewers of my website will know, I can't resist making the short trip from my home to Long Marston when a stock move is planned. On 10 October, 47714 was booked to take some HST vehicles to Laira, thus giving a chance to photograph a train leaving the former MOD site. My first shot shows Cotswold Rail's 47714 arriving as 5Z01 from Gloucester with 2 1st class MkIII coaches which were to be used as barriers for the outward move. The morning mist had just begun to clear properly by this time, 11.05am.
	This was the only shot I managed in the sun at Long Marston on 10 October 2006 and shows 47714 waiting for the gate at the end of the OTO section to be opened by the local operations crew. The mistiness in the right background is actually smoke from fires lit by contractors to dispose of some hedges they had just grubbed up.
	This shot wouldn't win any prizes for technical excellence, but even though it was taken at the maximum range of my 200mm lens and against the light, I quite like the effect of the exhaust and misty background. The loco is HNRC No. 29 0-6-0 taking the stock for today's 5Z02 to Laira around the inner circuit at Long Marston. The DVT was being used as a barrier vehicle as the loco would be unable to couple to the HST stock. I must stress that this shot was taken from a public road and did not involve doing anything I shouldn't have...
	Once all the shunting had been carried out, 47714 was able to leave Long Marston with 5Z02 to Laira comprising the 2 MkIIIs brought in earlier as barriers, together with one Virgin and 5 MML HST coaches. It was good to be able a train coming out of the site for a change even though the sun didn't co-operate fully. The HNRC locomotive and DVT can be seen in the exchange sidings ready to return to base.
	I do like to take photographs that somehow appear to be a bit unusual. Here is Cotswold Rail's 47810 in Virgin red livery with a short rake of TTA tanks approaching the site of Fladbury station on the Cotswold line on 12 October 2006. There are no prizes for guessing that the destination of the train is Long Marston where the TTas will be stored. Despite having taken many photographs along this stretch of line, I still get a bit of a buzz when the yellow locomotive nose appears under the bridge at Lower Moor.
	This was one of those occasions when I only just made it to Long Marston before the train. By the time I had parked my car and taken my camera bag to the bridge, 47810 was just coming around the bend in the background with the 6 TTAs. In common with my comment above, I love seeing a train appearing in the distance here; it always makes me think what might have been had the line from Cheltenham to Stratford -upon-Avon not been closed in 1976. As usual, click on the hyperlink for a closer view of some of the TTAs.

	47714 took a long rake of ferrywagons from Bescot to Long Marston on 23 October 2006. The train, running as 6Z84, left Bescot at 10.35 and is here seen about to pass Evesham station right on time at 13.02 with 47714 making its usual smoky start. It makes a change to see a decent length train of vans on the Cotswold Line instead of the usual off-lease coaching stock and DVTs. Click here to have a closer look at the data panel of one the vans. The reason for the IZAs being taken to Long Marston was for some welding work to be undertaken to enable them to be used on a different traffic flow. I believe the work was to adapt the anchorage points to allow for palletised goods to be carried.
	Another set of IZAs were moved from Bescot to Long Marston on 24 October, again with 47714 providing the power. The train left Bescot around one hour early, but was looped at Bromsgrove with the Western Region not wishing to accept it before the booked time. I had already arrived at Fladbury when I was told this, so resigned myself to a long wait. Luckily, it's a pleasant enough spot with little traffic and the time passed quite quickly. Here is 47714 speeding along spot on the booked time with 6Z84, just catching a final patch of clear sunlight. The side to back lighting shows off the exhaust quite well and the uniform rake of vans lend themselves to the angle of the sun.
	An in-and-out run to Long Marston took place on Monday 30 October 2006. 47828 took 2 coaching vehicles from Gloucester to Long Marston, where it is here seen arriving just a few minutes late on the scheduled time, and took out one of the rakes of IZAs taken there last week. Some new sleepers have been laid by the roadbridge, just visible in front of the locomotive. Maybe this is the start of the long-promised upgrade to the branch from Honeybourne, now that regular traffic uses the line.
	I decided not to wait at Long Marston for 47828 to pick up the IZAs, which had just been shunted into position in the exchange sidings, but instead went straight to Honeybourne Junction. Here is 6Z02 with 47828 in charge having just arrived at the junction at 12.02. The crew member will go to the ground frame and ask permission from Evesham signalbox to release the train on the main line. This is the first train of freight vehicles I have photographed here and it made a change from the various rakes of passenger stock, which have the usual fare up until now.
	The line between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh was obviously clear, as no time was wasted in getting 6Z02 on the move and across from the former East Loop and onto the main line. From here, the train ran to Bescot where these IZAs were due to be swapped for another rake of similar vehicles, due to be taken south to Gloucester. Incidentally, if anyone knows of a good photograph taken in this location when all the lines and infrastructure was still extant, I'd very interested to see it. Please use the "Contact" link on the index page to get in touch. See this map for a glimpse of the complex of lines that used to be Honeybourne's junction and loops.
	I have included this uninspiring view of 47828 purely for the background. I was standing over the former island platform at Honeybourne station, which was situated between the main Worcester to Oxford line and the branch lines, used by stopping trains from Stratford-upon-Avon to Worcester, and Honeybourne to Cheltenham trains. The latter ran towards Stratford on the east loop before turning right onto the west loop to gain the Stratford to Cheltenham line. The spur going off sharply to the right was used by steam locomotives heading for the coaling stage, which was roughly in the position of the roof I have cloned into the encroaching undergrowth, and also to reach some wagons sidings a little further north. This spur also marked the northern extremity of the branch platforms. When the Bescot to Honeybourne Tip trains ran in the 1990s, the branch platform lines were used for the locomotives to run-round the wagons. Before the current tranche of trains began running to Long Marston in September 2005, the lines were inspected and found unfit for use. Any trains running from the south have therefore to run to Evesham or Worcester to reverse before getting onto the Long Marston branch.
	I'm not quite sure what is going on with the movement of IZAs between Bescot and Long Marston at the moment, but another set of them ran from the former to the latter on 1 November 2006. I'm not complaining, especially in the perfect light in which 6Z48 ran. The train is shown approaching the foot crossing at Lower Moor, near Pershore running a bit late after a 30 minute late start from Gloucester and fairly rattling along, leaving a cloud of exhaust over Worcestershire. My original plan was to photograph the train from the bridge in the background, but shadows were intruding rather too much for a decent shot.
	47813 clearly has as much of an affinity for the Cotswold as I. Here it is again on 2 November 2006, this time at Lower Moor with a 5Z02 12.00 Long Marston to Laira stock move consisting of 7 Project Rio MML HST coaches along with MkIII vehicles in FGW and VT colours being used as barriers. These 2 vehicles were taken into Long Marston last week and a picture of the that move appears in my Long Marston section. The train was running a few minutes late due to an up Adelante also being late and occupying the single track from Norton Junction to Evesham, and John Peel was working hard to make up time.
	Here is 5Z02 again, this time on the main Gloucester line. The train ran north to Worcester Yard to allow the locomotive to run round before heading south where I photographed it some 25 minutes early at 13.52 passing through the site of Defford station. This is a pleasant location and has the added advantage of a decent northbound shot - far better in my opinion than the more popular viewpoint at Croome Perry, a couple of miles to the north.
	The first move of a DRS locomotive to Long Marston took place on 7 November. 0Z65 09.27 Crewe to Long Marston with 37059 arrived at the site some 150 minutes late following delays all the way from the originating point. It is here seen just after arrival and awaiting the local ground crew to unlock the gate to allow access to the exchange sidings. I don't normally bother with light engine moves, but wanted to record this first arrival by DRS. In the poor lighting conditions, it was a pity that such a dirty locomotive was allocated - presumably straight from the RHTT programme. A nice clean example would have showed up better...
	After such a late arrival it was inevitable that a knock-on effect would put back the departure time, originally scheduled for 14.40. In the event it was 16.22 before 5Z65 to Crewe and Carlisle actually left the exchange sidings. The rake of MkIII stock is to be used by DRS for charter work and will be repainted into their house colours. Here it is in virtual darkness slowly moving onto the OTO line en-route to Honeybourne. Click here to see the unadjusted image as taken. The exposure details for this image are a shutter speed of 1/125 second with an aperture of f3.2 on ISO 800, followed by a bit of work both in the raw convertor and Photoshop.
	Another of the rakes of IZAs taken to Long Marston for interior work was returned to Bescot on 17 November. The allocated locomotive was Cotswold Rail's 47714, but this was failed en-route from Bristol Temple Meads with faulty wipers. 47828 was substituted from Gloucester and made an on-time at Long Marston, where it is seen at the head of the 10 cargowagons in the exchange sidings. This is really quite a busy location these days, as witnessed by the variety of stock visible - it looks almost like a 1990s scene. Strangely, the locomotive ran light engine up the branch towards Honeybourne and back before being attached to the vans.
	The early promise of some good light for the departure soon evaporated and the sun disappeared behind thick cloud for the 12.00 departure. In fairness, I should say that the sun wasn't forecast and the interlude of brightness was a bonus. Here, 47828 is winding the set of 10 IZAs, running as 6Z03 to Bescot, out of Long Marston's exchange sidings and onto the single track towards Honeybourne. Many new sleepers have been laid over the last couple of weeks, which is a welcome development in the life of this branch, formerly the GWR main line from Wolverhampton and Birmingham to the West Country and South Wales.
	FM Rail have the joined the other TOCs in moving stock to and from the Long Marston facility. I missed their first move through being on holiday but the second took place on 20 November 2006, a gloriously sunny day. The train was somehow delayed leaving Derby by nearly an hour and the lateness had increased to some 105 minutes by the time it reached Long Marston. I decided upon a shot on the branch line and went to a foot crossing between the village of Broad Marston and the Long Marston site itself. Here is 47145 with 8 ex-FGW motorail vehicles running as 4Z13 approaching the end of its journey.
	Once the train had entered Long Marston, 47145 was unhooked and ran into an adjacent road while HNRC NO 29, a Hunslet 0-6-0 with a match wagon was attached to the Motorail vehicles. Here is the view from the road bridge overlooking the exchange sidings as the train is inspected and prepared for splitting.
	The first four vehicles were removed from the train and hauled away around the outer circuit of the Long Marston internal system by No 29. A short rake of IZAs and some TEAs can be seen in the background; the IZAs should be returning to Bescot soon, as soon as some work has been done upon them.
	As a result of the late inward running of 4Z13, the return, 3Z03 was also quite some time behind its 14.15 departure schedule. It arrived on the East Loop at Honeybourne at about 15.30, about 30 minutes too late to be in sunshine, the sun having dipped into some rapidly developing cloud cover by that time. It will be noted from this photograph showing 3Z03 standing on the East Loop while a northbound Adelante passes, that only 6 NVAs were conveyed on this run - 2 remain at Long Marston. Four were taken inside for unloading and 2 of these were then loaded for the outward run. It is said that these inward and outward runs should soon become a regular working with 2/3 trains per week from Mossend being timed to arrive at Long Marston at 09.30 for an anticipated departure time of around 12.30. Time alone will tell if FMR's reliability will sufficiently improve to allow this to happen...This picture was taken with a 70-200mm lens set at 135mm, with a shutter speed in the failed light of 1/125 second and an aperture of f4.5. The camera was supported on a monopod for stability.
	The 6 ex-FGW Motorail wagons taken from Long Marston on 20 November and which have been languishing at Hams Hall for the best part of a week were finally moved back to Long Marston on 29 November 2006. The train, the 3Z03 08.30 Hams Hall to Long Marston with 47145 finally left its starting point some 120 minutes late - hardly a surprise given FM Rail's recent performance. The locomotive is showing signs of its recent usage on Hams Hall to Mossend traffic, which clearly hasn't allowed any time for a run through the washing plant. My plan had been to photograph it at Broad Marston and then go around the corner to Long Marston to watch the shunting, but given the lateness had to change my plan. After killing time by visiting the fruit and vegetable stall in Long Marston village and the butcher in Welford on Avon, I reckoned the best bet for a well-lit shot would be the bridge just to the north of Evesham station. The lateness had increased to 160 minutes by the time 3Z03 left Worcester and it arrived at Evesham signal box at 13.05 in an outrageously lucky patch of sun, given the amount of cloud surrounding the area. The train went straight through Evesham station and onto the single line towards its destination.
	Four class 86s were last week moved from Immingham to Bescot in preparation to be tripped into Long Marston for secure storage. The final leg of their journey took place in dreadful light on 30 November 2006, being hauled from Bescot by 60042. This is only the second class 60 to have traversed the former Stratford-upon-Avon line and the first to have entered the Long Marston complex. The train is here seen approaching the end of the branch, with 60042 hauling 86247, 86245, 86234 and 86260 towards their new home.
	86260 is here seen tailing 3 sister locomotives and 60042 as it enters the exchange sidings at Long Marston. I was pleased that the former Anglia locomotives were on the rear of the train, but wish that the weather had been better. The HNRC Hunslet shunter is visible on the right of the main train and once the class 60 has been detached and left the site, will be hooked onto the front ready to take the 86s into the secure area.
	Very little time was wasted in getting 60042 detached from the class 86s and within minutes of arrival it was leaving the site ready for the run back to Honeybourne and thence Bescot. Once the gate had been closed, the Hunslet shunter was taken to the front of the line of 86s, hooked onto 86247, and hauled them to the secure part of the site. I was later told by a kind source within the railway industry that the visit of 60042 caused a bit of a stir within Network Rail. The class is banned from using the branch, and once it had left, it was necessary for the line to be walked so that it could be checked for alignment, for 2 structures to be checked for integrity and for several culverts to be examined in case of damage or collapse. All was reported to be in order. This had made me doubly glad that I went across in such poor conditions as I bet another 60 won't set foot on the branch on the forseeable future, sunshine or no sunshine...
	One of the smaller rail vehicles in use at Long Marston is this powered trolley. It appeared to have been used to take some p-way materials around the circuit to an area where some work was being carried out. It's an especially noisy vehicle, with what sounded to the untutored ear like an unsilenced engine similar to those used in small motorcycles. In the background is a rake of 100 tonne bogie tanks with an attendant lorry and crew. It was a bit too far away to see what was being done, but it looked as if cleaning of the insides of the tanks was in progress.
	Three more class 86s were taken for storage from Bescot to Long Marston on 16 January 2007. The train of locomotives, running as 0Z86, was scheduled to start from Bescot at 06.30 and arrive at its destination at around 10.50, but it was some three hours late leaving. Fortunately, information was available and I had some progress updates which allowed me to waste little time hanging around. Here is 66100 with 86251 + 86231 + 86229 about to enter Evesham station at 12.18 in drizzling rain and very poor light. A filthy class 66 doesn't exactly lend much charm to the scene and neither does the white van parked by the fence, but the unusual nature of the working made it a worthwhile trip. The Railtrack-branded stoneblower visible behind the train had recently arrived in the siding by the signal box - I assume there is some engineering work in prospect soon. I photographed it mostly because I previously hadn't seen anything on that piece of track and wanted a record shot...
	A northbound passenger train caused 0Z86 to be held in the up platform at Evesham for quite a few minutes before continuing its journey to Long Marston. This gave me time to go round to the roadbridge on the south side of Evesham station to take another shot. It was exceptionally dark looking down over the station but I thought a shot should be taken to the record the unusual sight of former WCML express locomotives on the OWW.
	After taking the photograph shown above, there was still no sign of the passenger train occupying the single track from Moreton in Marsh so I went onto the platform at Evesham station to obtain another purely record shot of some ex-Virgin 86s on a line never likely to be electrified. The lower-quadrant centre pivot starter signal can just be seen through the roadbridge.
	When I left Evesham my intention was to drive straight home for an only-slightly delayed lunch, but when I reached the turn for Welford on Avon and Long Marston decided to go and see if 66100 was going to take anything out of Long Marston. As I arrived, it was clear that that the gate into the complex was still shut and that the train was yet to enter. Once the Long Marston ground crew in HNRC No.29 had arrived and unlocked the gate, a small patch of sun appeared just as the train drew forward.
	The class 66 was soon detached from the 3 86s and once it had run through the exchange sidings it left the site for to return light engine to Bescot. A rake of tanks it was booked to take out were apparently not quite ready to leave - this means another chance on another day. Just about visible in the background is 45112, due to work a railtour on 27 January 2007. HNRC No 29 soon ran along the 2nd road of the sidings and was hooked onto the 86s ready for their move into secure storage.
	Some redundant stock was moved to Chaddesden, near Derby a couple of weeks ago and the 15 coaches involved were destined for Long Marston. The first move involved only 11 of the 15 because Network Rail incorrectly stated that 15 would be too long for Evesham loop. I was not able to record this move but when the 4 remaining coaches were moved on 23 January 2007 I was in a position to take the requisite photographs. The day was cold but sunny and the use of 47853 led a certain attraction to the prospect. Here is 5Z59 passing the signalbox at Evesham at 10.16 on the approaches to the station, where the token for the stretch of single track line to Honeybourne was taken from the instrument on the platform.
	I set off in pursuit of 5Z59 as soon as it had passed the bridge at Evesham, not really expecting to reach Long Marston in time. As it happened, I arrived with a couple of minutes to spare just as the train appeared in the distance. The frosty sleepers of the branch stand out well in the sunshine as 47853 with 3 InterCity and 1 VST coach runs the final few yards towards the Long Marston facility. Click on the hyperlink to see the Virgin VST coach in the formation. The windows on the other side all had been smashed by vandals at some stage in their journey.
	This is the view from the road bridge at Long Marston as 47853 waits for the shunting to be performed. It shows the four MkIII coaches brought in from Derby together with the rake of JXAs that had just been marshalled ready for departure. The yard looks remarkably like something from the 1970s with the assortment of rolling stock and the engine shed visible in the distance.
	At the start of the day I didn't know if any stock was scheduled to leave Long Marston with 47853. It soon became apparent that some JXAs would be leaving when the resident shunter brought 4 of the big wagons around to the front of the exchange sidings. A little later, another 12 or so so were added to what was to become the rear of the train. Nothing is ever that straightforward though, and it looked as if one or two were found in the rake that were unfit to run. This prompted about 90 minutes of shunting activity, all of which took place in glorious sun. Just as the train of 10 JXAs was making ready to leave the sun was in and out of cloud and when it started away the only shot of the day in partial sun was taken as it left some 80 minutes late on the schedule. The train was stopped before finally leaving and some attention seemed to be given to the brake cocks at the rear of the 10th vehicle.
	While the operation described above was taking place I had a quick drive to Honeybourne to see if a shot was on as the train, running as 6Z69 12.35 Long Marston to Chaddesden, arrived at the junction. I took about 15 shots as it stood on the branch while the crew obtained permission to join the main line and operated the ground frame - such is beauty of "free at point-of-use" digital photography! During the drive from Long Marston, the sky to the west had pretty much cleared and there seemed little prospect of the shot being ruined by cloud.
	I wasn't able to decide whether I preferred this shot or the one above so have included both. The crew are making their way towards the ground frame where they will contact the signaller at Evesham in order to request permission to allow the train onto the single track to Evesham where a southbound passenger train will be crossed.
	Here is a final shot of 47853 standing on the East Loop at Honeybourne collecting the rays of winter sunshine. The crew shown in the picture above have contacted Evesham signalbox and the points are about to shifted to allow the train onto the maon line.
	The final shot of a most enjoyable session was taken at 14.20 as 47853 with its train of 10 JXAs finally leaves the Long Marston branch and gets on to the main line. Once the train had been locked onto the line, the crew re-joined the locomotive and it headed off towards Evesham with an excellent display of exhaust.
	Another seven JXAs were taken from Long Marston to Derby on 24 January 2006 again being hauled by 47853, this time on its final run for the company formerly known as FM Rail. It is here seen passing the village of Lower Moor in rather poorer light than yesterday's run. The sky was clear when I left home, the cloud appearing only as I approached Evesham.
	Cotswold Rail's newly acquired class 31s, 31452 + 31128 made their second trip to Long Marston on Monday 29 January 2007. The first trip was on the previous Friday, but I knew about it too late to get to the line. Here are the pair sandwiching Virgin-liveried MkIII 12077 as they approach the road bridge by the entrance to the former MOD site at 14.40 on an exceptionally dull and misty afternoon. The black livery of former owner of the locomotives isn't exactly the greatest in poor light; maybe Cotswold Rail will soon have them repainted into their house colours - this will show up better in the dark.
	Once the train had been allowed into Long Marston the rear class 31, 31128 Charybdis, was uncoupled whilst 31452 took the coach forward and then propelled onto the loop line ready to be taken to the secure area. Meanwhile, HNRC 12082 was on its way round to the main yard to collect 6 IZAs which were to be coupled to the others visible in the exchange sidings and taken to Bescot. This move was scheduled to leave Long Marston at 16.05 as it was getting colder and darker I decided not to wait...
	I wasn't expecting much activity on Wednesday 31 January 2007, but after returning from my daily swim found a message on my BlackBerry saying that 45112 was working a 4Z47 Chaddesden to Long Marston train conveying more KAA wagons - these are those that were obtained by Blue Circle cement with a SRA grant to carry lorry cement tanks on a piggyback basis, and which were used for only the initially contracted number of trains from Westbury to Southampton before being stored at Aberthaw. The tanks also bought with the grant can of course be seen all around Wiltshire on the backs of lorries. Nothing dodgy there then. Anyway, here is 45112 approaching Long Marston with the flats. The sun came out about half an hour before the train and made life a little difficult, meaning that the lens had to shielded with not only the large "tulip" shade, but by hand as well.
	The train was originally scheduled to arrive at Long Marston at around 10.45 but in the event didn't leave Worcester until around midday. I went originally to Evesham before knowing the change of times, but whilst there the sun disappeared completely. Plan B was to go straight to Long Marston where the sun was fine for a 10.45 arrival. Then came the news that there was a long delay. I came home for a drink and went back later, arriving there at about 12.15. Various messages were sent detailing the train's progress and it arrived at the gate at 13.15 and is here seen going into the complex. I like the idea of the operational headcode panels - wouldn't it be good to have the correct headcode displayed?
	The Long Marston shunter, 12088, was soon hooked onto the flats and took them off the exchange sidings in to allow the Peak to exit the site. Here is 45112 following the train down the sidings prior to leaving. The KAAs visible on the right of 45112 came in here on a previous occasion. The set that arrived today was later coupled to these and went off for storage.
	Here is the obligatory shot taken as 45112 slowly exits the Long Marston complex. I was sort of surprised to see a Peak here bearing in mind the weight of these locomotives. Class 60s are barred from the branch but there doesn't appear to have been a problem today. Maybe the additional axles bring the loading within allowed limits.
	Once the Peak had gone off towards Honeybourne followed by most of the gallery, 12082 propelled the KAAs onto the short rake already there. As mentioned above, the two sets of KAAs were coupled together, and here is that operation in progress. The whole train was still sitting in the exchange when I left but I imagine that it was taken around the circuit before too long.
	A rake of TEA bogie tanks were moved from Gloucester to Long Marston on 20 February 2007. 6B19, the 12.02 from Gloucester was booked for Cotswold Rail's 47703 and despite the gloomy skies I decided to go and get a shot of it as I'm sure that this into silver is an early candidate for repainting from its current Fragonset livery. The locomotive, still carrying the name Hermes which presumably is advertising silk ties, is here seen with the 12 TEAs passing Evesham signal box under clear signals. Click on the hyperlink for a closer look at one of the  tanks as it passed by.
	An EWS light engine move to Long Marston was shown as working on the morning of 23 February 2007, the locomotive being timed to arrive at the site at 10.55 and leaving with a train as 6Z80 to Bescot at 13.45. At about 10.19 I read a message on my BlackBerry saying that the locomotive had passed Evesham at 09.42! I grabbed my camera bag and drove over to Long Marston where, as I reached the overbridge by the branch at 10.39, 66092 was heading down the single track towards Honeybourne with a rake of IZA ferrywagons. I decided to have a go at beating it to Honeybourne Tip and made it with about 30 seconds to spare. Here is 6Z80 on the "main" line passing the sidings previously used to access the ballast tip. This tip was last used in the 1990s when a couple of trains ran from Bescot each week, usually with Class 31 or 37 motive power.
	Honeybourne station and its road overbridge are about a 5 minute drive from the tip and as I arrived at 10.55 the train was sitting on the branch awaiting the road onto the main Oxford to Worcester line. A crew member is about to ring Evesham signalbox to ask for the ground frame to be released so the points can be switched. In the event, it appeared that there was no available path, the door of the box was shut and the second man from 66092 walked back to the by now shut-down locomotive.
	Although the sun was still shining a very stormy looking sky was blowing in from the south and after taking this shot of 6Z80 sitting on the branch I received a telephone call saying that the train would not leave Honeybourne until 12.15. As this was some 55 minutes away, I decided not to hang about and left for home. This was the correct decision, for as I drove through Honeybourne village the heavens opened and I remembered that I had left home without a coat...
	There was a Cotswold Rail in-and-out trip to Long Marston on 28 February 2007 with, on the way in, 31128 and 47703 topping and tailing 3 Porterbrook liveried barrier wagons, the train being sent to collect 3 MkIII HST vehicles. 47703 looks to be smoking quite badly considering that it's just ticking over. The inward trip fitted in quite well with lunch at a nearby restaurant with only a few minutes wait in the very blustery wind before 5Z19 came into view on the branch. The light was dull in the extreme but I thknk it's worth getting the former FMRail locomotives in their old house colours, as they are sure to be repainted before too long. I wasn't able to wait for the outward trip, but looking at how the light deteriorated in the interim 90 minutes, not too much was lost. Note the pile of old sleepers on the left of the train and the considerable number of new ones now in place.
	A rake of PGA wagons used on the Wool to Neasden sand train was taken for storage at Long Marston on 2 March 2007. Most unusually, the train ran north along the Cotswold Line via Moreton in Marsh instead of going via Swindon, Gloucester and Worcester to approach Long Marston from the north. To facilitate this, the train ran in top-and-tail formation so that reversal could take place at Honeybourne, where a run-round is not possible due to the poor state of the track in the former branch platforms. 6Z49 was booked to pass Moreton in Marsh at 16.03 so I decided to go to a location just north of there near the Cotswold town on Chipping Campden on the section very rarely used by locomotives and here is 66527 leading with 66507 bringing up the rear approaching the site of the long-gone station. To see another shot taken here in 1993, this time of 33116 propeliing an 8-TC set heading from Worcester to Waterloo, click on  this hyperlink. I'm sorry, but I failed to organise the hot air balloons for the Long Marston move!
	As the quickest way home from Chipping Campden is via Long Marston, it would have rude not to have dropped in the see the train arrive with 66507 now in charge after the reversal at Honeybourne. I'll put my hands up here and admit that I completely miscalculated the exposure needed to counter the harsh backlighting and this accounts for the poor quality of this image, which needed quite a bit of post-processing work to get even to this stage. The train ran into the exchange sidings where the wagons were deposited. The locomotives were stabled overnight at Long Marston, presumably due to the crew's hours being limited and ran back to Bristol Kingsland Road the following day. I was surprised at how little interest from enthusiasts this rare working over the southern part of the Cotswold Line generated. I understand that there was just photographer at Charlbury - a most attractive location - see   Martin Loader's photograph here, I was alone at Chipping Campden, there were 2 at Honeybourne and just three of us witnessed the arrival at Long Marston. I can only surmise that the average enthusiast doesn't regard anything with class 66 power worth a look, even on the most unusual route. Still, I shouldn't complain. The peace and quiet of the Cotswolds is pleasant without too much company...
	It has been quite widely known that a rake of MkIII stock has been inside Long Marston for complete refurbishment and painting into BR blue & grey livery. It's first public run was made on 8 March 2007 as an ECS move to Crewe behind 47805 + 47812. 5Z47 was originally booked to leave Long Marston at 14.14, this was retimed to 12.25 but due to various circumstances the train didn't make it away from Honeybourne until 15.47. I had put all my eggs into one basket and went straight from home to Lower Moor on the Cotswold Line where, with an on-time departure, the light would have been perfect. The chickens came home to roost when it became clear that the train wasn't going to get away from Honeybourne much before 16.00. This being so, I decided a shot at Honeybourne would be the best chance of at least a bit of light. In retrospect, the right move would have been to have gone there first, as it stood on the East Loop for ages. Still, with the way the light was fading, I'm not too unhappy with the result. The shot I took a few minutes later without the speed restriction sign being quite so obtrusive wasn't sharp; the price one pays for shoooting at 1/125 at f4 on a 200mm lens....
	Having checked another image I took from a slightly less wide angle from the one above, I thought that this shot showed the track layour and overall ambience of Honeybourne a little better. I don't think it's 100% sharp but without excessive post-processing which would have wrecked it altogether by over-sharpening, it's about as good as it gets. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to get photographs of the stock on charters over the coming years, probably with a wide variety of locomotives.
	I've included this final image because I do like to have some human interest in my pictures on occasions. The crew, whose high visibility jackets still carry the name of FM Rail, have obtained permission to allow 5Z47 off the Long Marston branch, set the points and waved the train forward onto the main line to Evesham and Worcester. Note the token instrument visible in the hut - the only remains of a signalling system at Honeybourne which comprised of 5 signal boxes controlling hundreds of points and semaphore arms.
	Tuesday, 27 March started with thick fog over Warwickshire and Worcestershire, thus scuppering my railway-related plans for the day. I went for a couple of hours walking in the late morning and returned home to find a message on my BlackBerry saying that 31452 + 31128 were on the way from Gloucester New Yard to Long Marston with 10 JIAs and 1 TEA for storage. I had plenty of time for the short drive over and arrived to find the fog just beginning to lift. About 10 minutes before the train was due the sun finally managed to break through the fog, this giving some interesting, not to mention challenging, lighting conditions. As it happened, 6Z19 led by 31452 was about 25 minutes late arriving and this allowed the sun to move round far to give a touch of illumination on the side of the train as it approached the bridge adjacent to the yard.
	After a short delay while the train crew were briefed on the move into the exchange sidings, 6Z19 pulled forward allowing the chance to photograph the single TEA tailed by 31128. The fog had lifted from the immediate site at Long Marston, but the background looking towards Rumer Hill, just outside the village, was still well shrouded.
	As soon as the train had come to a standstill in the exchange sidings, 31452 was uncoupled and ran forward to gain entrance to the second road so that it could run onto the front of 31128 before returning to Gloucester. The longer lens I used for this view really makes the peripheral mist stand out, separating the yard from the background.
	I was walking around Stratford-upon-Avon during the morning of Friday 30 March 2007, when my telephone rang and I was told by someone in the know that a class 66 was at Evesham station, in fact it had just been shunted into the up siding to allow a passenger train to pass. This could really mean only one thing; that it was en-route to Long Marston to pick up some wagons. There was no rush as it was likely that the path used would be the one around mid-day so I finished my shopping before walking home, picking up my camera and driving to Long Marston. The gate into the site was open for rail traffic and sure enough, after about a 10 minute wait, 66179 ran into the exchange sidings, coupled onto a rake of 20 mostly green JNA boxes, and at 11.45 moved out onto the branch to Honeybourne. The 2nd box in the rake was at least one quarter full of water, which sloshed around like a small swimming pool with a wave machine working! This week has seen a lot of misty weather, and today was no exception; quite decent light levels, but no sun and a lot of background murkiness.
	After photographing 66179 leaving Long Marston I decided to have another shot at Honeybourne Junction. Once again there was no rush as the train stopped on the branch shortly after leaving the site, presumably so that the Long Marston ground crew could attach the tail light, thus saving the locomotive crew a long walk. The train arrived at Honeybourne at 12.15 but it was clear that there would be a delay as the 10.52 Adelante from Paddington calls at the station at 12.32, meaning that the single line from Moreton-in-Marsh to Evesham is occupied. Here is 180111 approaching the station with 66179 and the JNAs visible on the branch. The crew member at the ground frame will have to wait for the Adelante to leave Evesham about 12 minutes after leaving here, before he will be able to extract a token from the machine in the hut which will unlock the ground frame and allow him to operate the point levers.
	Here is another view of 180111, this time leaving Honeybourne station for Worcester. The scale of the site here can be well seen here, with the currently unused island platform prominent to the right of the train. It is possible that the line will be doubled in the forseeable future, in which case the island will be again used by up trains. The rusted lines on the extreme right were once those used by trains to and from Stratford-upon-Avon, and also by locomotives needing to use the coaling stage or those depositing wagons in the associated sidings.
	Once the passenger train seen above had reached Evesham, the ground frame was released to allow 66179 and its train of JNAs across onto the main line. The sight of an EWS locomotive with wagons mostly in Freightliner colours is slightly incongruous; it is this sort of combination that makes this sort of shot worthwhile for me, despite the poor light. I later found out that the train was a 6Z49 to Healey Mills, the JNAs probably being destined for a new flow commencing the following week.
	A DRS 66 locomotive made the first run for its sub-class over the Cotswold Line to Long Marston on 10 April 2007. The move, 0Z66 from Crewe, was run by Victa Rail and was to pick up the rake of KAA flats visible on road 1 of the exchange sidings at Long Marston , previously used on Blue Circle cement trains around Wiltshire. 66419 is here seen waiting for the gate to be opened to allow it into the site. A new fence and gate is under construction, but it looks as if these won't completely ruin the shot.
	Here is the first DRS 66 to enter Long Marston exchange sidings having just been attached to the rake of KAA flats which it will take to Chaddesden Sidings at Derby. Some of the recently arrived JGA hoppers can ben seen in the background; these came in on 30 March 2007 topped and tailed by Cotswold Rail's 31452 and 31128. The Long Marston ground crew had gone back to their HQ by this time, the 3 men visible being those who came in on the locomotive.
	Once the KAAs had been coupled to 66419 and all the requisite checks had been made, 6Z66 was able to leave Long Marston's exchange sidings and join the branch to Honeybourne. The signs of Spring are well developed here, with plenty of blackthorn blossom in evidence. There will be a good crop of sloes here in the Autumn which, along with some sugar and a bottle of gin, will make some excellent Christmas cheer! The train stopped when on the branch and the other 3 crew members presumably had to walk along the length of it to rejoin the locomotive.
	The branch between Long Marston and Honeybourne has an overall speed limit of 20mph together with a couple of slower sections where the line crosses roads. This gave me plenty of time to drive down towards Honeybourne and obtain this shot as the line swings around to the south before running roughly parallel with the Oxford to Worcester line just prior to it arriving at the end of the former East Loop. These flats will be used on a Purfleet to Grangemouth service carrying swap-bodies brought in by sea.
	A First Great Western Adelante ran south into Honeybourne station before 66419 arrived at the East Loop so there was obviously going to be some delay before 6Z66 would be released onto the main line. Here is one of the several shots I took while the train was static. The great beauty of digital photography is that one can take as many shots as one likes with varying exposures and later pick the better images to keep, without having to pay for the film and processing of transparencies, half of which may well end up in the bin.
	There was a bit of delay whilst a couple of passenger trains went south and north respectively, and this allowed the sky to clear a little thus giving a decent bit of sun which lasted just, but only just, long enough for this shot. Under a lovely cloudy sky, 66419 crosses over from the East Loop to the main line at Honeybourne with 6Z66 to Derby. For a closer look at one of the 12 KAAs in the consist, please click on this hyperlink.
	A rake of 11 Virgin liveried MkIII stock moved from Wilton to Derby on Wednesday 25 April 2007, although the original destination was Gloucester. This, together with the fact that 47818 was the motive power, set the alarm bells ringing for a Long Marston run. This happened the following day, with the exit from Derby being timed for around 09.00. The train was booked to stand in Worcester Yard from 11.48 to 14.05 but I thought that this was unlikely to happen in practice. I decided to have a first crack at 5B19 somewhere on the Birmingham to Stoke Works Junction section of line and arrived at Stoke Prior at 11.00. 47818 came slowly into view just 6 minutes later and here is the train crawling towards an adverse signal protecting the junction to the single track round to Droitwich and Worcester. A route indicator was illuminated as the train approached to show that the road was set for the branch. The bird just visible in the right background is a Common Buzzard, a specie frequently seen all over the western part of the Midlands, even appearing over my own garden in Stratford-upon-Avon on occasions.
	I was convinced that 5B19 would not sit in Worcester Yard as booked so made my way as quickly as possible to Evesham. I had been in position on the road bridge between the station and signalbox for only a couple of minutes when I received a 'phone call saying that because of a late running down passenger train 47818 was on its way from Worcester. It's nice when these hunches come off and the result was a picture with the sun on the front, which would not have been the case some 150 minutes later...
	It seemed likely that 5B19 would have quite a wait at Evesham until the late-running down Adelante had cleared the single track from Moreton-in-Marsh. This meant that there was plenty of time for a leisurely trip to Long Marston itself to photograph the arrival of 47818. This was the locomotive's 3rd visit, but the weather was so awful on the first that even I didn't bother to go over. Yes, it was that bad! The 2nd trip involved the locomtoive taking in 87017 and 87011 on 10 April 2006 but I must have had a pressing engagement elsewhere to have missed that. Here is the train of MkIIIs approaching the site on the branch from Honeybourne in rather harsh backlighting. A lot of work has recently been carried out on the track here, even to the extent of attending to the fishplates. The dark appearance of two of these can be seen just in front of 47818.
	Here is the customary view of the train entering Long Marston; my first since the new fence and gate have been completed. Fortunately, these are not too obtrusive and at least are green, unlike the vast majority of pallisade fencing found around the railway system. There was no traffic to come out of the site today so 47818, as soon as it was uncoupled from the stock, ran out light diesel, presumably to Gloucester.
	I knew nothing about this train until 47810 was reported as hauling 2 barrier wagons through Evesham station at 09.45 on the morning of 30 April 2007. A little digging revealed that the working was a 5Z38 12.35 Long Marston to Derby and Loughborough conveying 2 HST restaurant cars and Virgin power car number 43103. However, the power car was refused for carriage because of a faulty drawbar and a side door that would not close. Here is the shorter than expected formation, comprising 47810 with vehicles 6336, 40425, 40417 and 6338, passing Lower Moor on the Cotswold Line at 13.07. The recalcitrant power car was left in the exchange sidings at Long Marston, presumably to receive attention before another attempt is made to move it to Brush at Loughborough.
	This train was known about in advance, although the headcode for the inward light engine move, 0Z66, made me think it would produce one of the DRS class 66s on hire to Victa rather than the Oxford Blue 47839. I knew that the train was to comprise the short rake of KAA flats remaining at Long Marston so I tried to use a location that would emphasise the locomotive but still show the KAAs reasonably well. 6Z66 is here at seen at 14.17 passing the public footpath crossing the line near the site of the long-gone Broad Marston Halt, just a short trip down the branch from the Long Marston facility. The first set of flats which left Long Marston on 10 April are already in use by Victa on their Purfleet to Grangemouth service, so I assume that those that left today will soon also be in use.
	The weather over last couple of days, writing on 3 May 2007, has been characterised by a cold cloudy start to the day with warm sun breaking through around lunchtime. Had the sun co-operated from the start of the day I would have gone to one of 2 or 3 locations where a sunny shot at around 10.30 would have been just the ticket for this train, 6Z80 Bescot to Long Marston. In the event it was fully cloudy so I made just the quick trip to Long Marston to record 66150 arriving with a set of 18 TDA tanks wagons. The train arrived a little late at 11.14 to find the gate into the site firmly locked with no sign of any ground crew to let it in. It transpired that EWS had not told Motorail Logistics, the site operators, that a train was coming! I telephoned a contact in the site who arranged for the gate to be unlocked. There was nothing to be taken out and the locomotive was soon uncoupled and made its way back along the branch to Honeybourne to gain the booked path back to Worcester and thence Bescot. There is evidence in this photograph of some weedkilling activity. This happened about a month ago, but was sadly done in the middle of the night. I would have loved the chance to have photographed an MPV down here!
	The day after the photographs above were taken, I took this picture of HNRC No.12082 shunting the TDAs. The move was from No. 1 road to No. 3 and this has just about filled all the available space in the main yard. Looking around the site, every space seems to be taken up and if more stock is to be stored here, I think that some extensive movements will have to take place. Roads 1 and 2 have to be kept clear for arrivals and departures, both being necessary so that a main line locomotive can be released from the stock. The 2 Tiphook TIAs are more clearly seen in this view than on yesterday's shot; there is another at the other end of the rake.
	Here is another view of the recently arrived TDAs and TIAs which rather better shows the amount of stock stored in the yard at Long Marston. It should be remembered that there is a huge area not visible from this viewpoint, with approximately 25km of running line and sidings available, so I can't imagine that there is going to be a capacity problem here once a bit of shunting and general sorting out has been done. It is to be hoped that at least some of the many bogie tanks stored here will see more use.
	Following the open day at Long Marston on Saturday 9 June 2007, normal business was resumed by the following Tuesday, 12 June. The train involved was 6Z80 05:50 TO Bescot Down Side to Long Marston which consisted of 12 IWA and 5 KVA ferrywagons. I had planned to photograph this at Honeybourne and on receiving a telephone call from a friend saying that 6Z80 had left Worcester Yard at 09.03 I headed out. My route took me past the site at Long Marston but on reaching the road to Pebworth and Honeybourne I found it closed for resurfacing work. There would probably not have been time to use an alternative route so I just turned around and went to the roadbridge at the end of the branch, where, after a short wait, saw 66021 with its long train approaching. Amazingly for such a dull day, the clouds parted as the train reached me and a touch of sun appeared. According to signs on the roads around Long Marston, there will be several weeks of disruption due to road works so this shot may not be available in the short term. Click  here and  here for a closer view of a couple of the ferrywagons.
	Whilst 66021 was being uncoupled from 6Z80, HNRC 12082 was busy propelling the 2 former FGW Motorail wagons used in the display at the Long Marston open day away from the yard and back round to the secure area. This part of the site is rather overgrown and this shot was just about the best I could do from a public area. 12082 is the locomotive mostly used since the departure of HNRC No.29 for Flixborough a few weeks ago.
	A stock move from Bescot to Long Marston was planned for Tuesday 12 June 2007, but this was put back for a week and ran on 19 June. The motive power was 37410, which must arrived have very recently arrrived at Bescot as I had seen no reports on any email lists that it was there. The locomotive had no effect on my decision to photograph the train as I would have gone out regardless of whatever was on the front because of the booked consist which made the train look like a real old-fashioned pick-up freight. 6Z80 was booked to leave Worcester at 09.03 which is really about an hour early for the best of the light on the Cotswold Line as the sun is plumb on the front at that time. Fortunately, there was some high cloud around and this softened the light and avoided the harsh shadows that would otherwise have been present. I chose to go to Fladbury and the train is here seen passing the site of the long-closed station.
	I wasn't sure whether I would make it to Long Marston before 6Z80 arrived because of roadworks around the village. In the event, I ignored the "Road Closed" signs as there was clearly nothing happening, and this, coupled with a late-running down passenger train, meant there was no problem. 37410 came into view on the branch at around 10.10 and arrived at the road bridge just one minute later. As far as I know, this is the first EWS red class 37 to have used the branch from Honeybourne for some years and is first of the 37/4 sub-class since 37418 did a Long Marston to Didcot on 15 October 2001. Apart from the colour of the locomotive, this could easily have been the trip freight from Worcester which ran here up until the early 1990s. Click on this hyperlink to have a closer look at the train's consist. I was slightly surprised to have been alone here for the arrival of 6Z80 and would have thought, given the popularity of 37s these days, even when doing a light engine trip, that one or two others would have been present. A few local friends did arrive shortly afterwards who had been a little further down the branch at a foot crossing. Thanks to Ron Kosys for the information about 37418 in 2001.
	There wasn't a lot of time wasted getting 37410 uncoupled from the stock and it was soon making its way back along the branch to Honeybourne to await a path back to Worcester and thence Bescot. It's a shame there wasn't a trainload to come out on such a sunny morning, although the light would have made it a slightly difficult proposition on the branch and the main line at this time of day. The gate is already being shut by one of Motorail Logistics' staff who will return to the headquarters in the background on HNRC 0-6-0 No. 12082, which was stabled just out of sight.
	I went to the occupation bridge near Norton Barracks just outside Worcester on 29 June 2007 to photograph the long-awaited move of 4 class 87s from Wembley to Worcester. The saga of this movement has been going on for a couple of weeks with several moves planned to get the former WCML locomotives into the Midlands ready for a move into storage at Long Marston. The first leg of the move, to Oxley, took place during the late evening of 28 June with the next stage to Worcester happening the following afternoon. To have a closer look at the 87s please use the following hyperlinks. Here are 87007 and 87008 in unbranded Cotswold Rail livery, followed by 87006 with the former Virgin locomotive 87026 bringing up the rear of the ensemble. The 87s are due to be tripped to Long Marston during the next week.
	Another set of ferrywagons was due for movement from Bescot to Long Marston on 5 July 2007. I had already planned to get a shot of the train at Honeybourne as the weather forecast was reasonable for part of the morning, at least. Just before I left home, I had a message saying that 37410 was working 6Z80; this is always a possibility when one of the 37s is spare at Bescot - a nice quick out and back turn. The forecast wasn't entirely accurate and the light was quite poor when I arrived at my destination. Still, the train was reported as being pretty much on time leaving Worcester and the passenger trains were on time so I wouldn't have long to wait. I heard the train in the distance and it soon appeared on the bend beyond Honeybourne station, where the island platform has recently seen a considerable amount of work to clear vegetation. Here is 37410 coming to a halt prior to the EWS ground crew, who arrived by road, operating the ground frame to allow the train onto the Long Marston branch.
	Even though the light was poor I wanted to go to Long Marston itself to see if 47828 was still there following its trip there from Worcester on the preceding Tuesday, during the course of which there was, very sadly, a fatality on the track near the site of Littleton and Badsey station, just on the west side of Honeybourne. Here is 6Z80 approaching the roadbridge at the end of the branch with the 16 ferrywagons forming the train. The weather was closing in a bit more by then and some rainy-looking mist was beginning to appear over the hill in the background. While waiting for 37410 to come in, I photographed this local resident using the tracks.
	Here is 37410 after it had been uncoupled from the ferrywagons and run down No. 2 road in Long Marston exchange sidings to regain the branch to Honeybourne. Cotswold Rail's 47828 was still in situ, presumably waiting for a CR driver to become available to take it, and anything booked to leave the site, to Gloucester.
	There is far more to railways than just main line locomotives and stock; indeed some of the smaller hardware is of greater interest on occasions. Just before leaving Long Marston I couldn't resist taking this photograph of an 0-6-0 locomotive coupled to a short rake of ex-BR Palvans. These had been parked in a siding close to the shed at the end of the main yard during the recent open day. Note the line of MkIII stock in the background, including examples in Virgin and First liveries. Thanks to Mike Hollick for the vans' ID.
	There was a choice of trains to go for on Monday 9 July 2007. 37405 was shown as working 6G36 and 6G42 from Bescot to Birch Coppice and back and 66710 was taking a set of Megafret flats from Derby to Long Marston. Goodness knows how many times 37s have been to Birch Coppice but this was the first GBRf 66 to go down the Long Marston branch. The train was also good, being 14 of the large flats which came from Thameshaven last week. Additionally, the headcode for the return was 5Z47 so it looked as if some coaching stock would be leaving the site and I thought that this would look attractive behind a Bluebird. The main problem when trains to Long Marston use an early path from Worcester is finding a location where the lighting is OK. The Cotswold main line is no good and the branch itself has only one bridge although there are a few ground level possibilities; not good when the load is flats. So the road bridge it had to be and here is 4Z47 arriving at Long Marston in a large clear patch of sun.
	I always like to be able to show the train in these moves rather than just the locomotive so here is a shot of 4Z47 entering the site. The flats came from Thameshaven last week, with a sojourn at Swindon following the failure of Victa Railfreight's sole locomotive, 47832. They went to Derby via Oxford the following day with a hired-in GBRf locomotive but that move ran in such bad weather I really couldn't be bothered.
	The first clue that something interesting was going on came when the resident class 11 shunter poked its nose around the buildings adjacent to the yard with 3 MkIII coaches in tow. When they came a little closer it was apparent that they had recently been outshopped in BR blue & grey, presumably as additions to the existing Cargo-D rake already in use. There isn't a lot of scope for photographs here so this is about as good as it gets; some undergrowth clearance would be good...
	The exchange sidings at Long Marston are currently pretty full, so 66710 had to uncouple from the flats and then along No 2 road before stabling on the branch so that 12082 could propel the coaches onto the same road. Once the shunter had uncoupled and run clear 66710 was able to go onto the coaches and prepare for departure.
	There was a bit of a delay while a brake test was carried out and everything was thoroughly checked over before the train, now running as 5Z47, was ready to go. The booked departure time was 12.35 but everything was ready by 11.42 and here is 66710 leaving Long Marston in gloriously clear light just a couple of minutes later. The third vehicle in the consist is a MkIII sleeper; maybe this will be used the on-train crew when long runs are made with the Cargo-D stock - much better than trying to snatch a nap in the normal seats.
	After getting such a nicely-lit shot of 66710 leaving Long Marston, I wasn't going to bother with more, but at the last moment decided to make a run for the former CCE tip at Honeybourne. On arriving there I struggled to find a clear space in the undergrowth such has been the amount of growth since my last visit. I knew that the train couldn't be far away so settled for this shot, only to be thwarted by the edge of a large cloud just catching the sun at wrong moment. Still, the picture does show a train on the former East Loop of the Honeybourne complex of lines and the track which led to the tip is clearly visible in the right foreground.
	The booked departure time from Honeybourne for 4Z47 was 12.47 so I thought that there would be plenty of time for a few shots as 66710 and the MkIIIs stood on the East Loop. While I was setting up this shot from the station platform under the road bridge, a crew member walked down to the ground frame and called the signaller at Evesham. As the time was 12.12 I didn't think there would be path available as a northbound Adelante was due shortly. However, the ground frame was released just after I pressed the shutter and the road was put across to allow 66710 to join the main line.
	I scrambled up the steep bank between the station car park and the road and made it just in time to get this picture of 5Z47 crossing from the East Loop to the main Cotswold Line. Sadly, the train is too short for the the coaches to be visible, but I'm happy enough to have a shot of the first GBRf 66 to make this move. As soon as the road was put back and the crew member had joined the train the ensemble went west towards Evesham en-route to Crewe, its final destination.
	This train was shown as comprising of 15 ferrywagons and given the poor light on 12 July 2007 I wasn't going to bother with it. However, when a message appeared saying that 66083 had passed Evesham at 09.24 with 7 ex-Virgin MkII coaches in tow I decided to have a shot as I couldn't remember seeing the combination of an EWS class 66 with coaching stock on the Long Marston branch. Here is the train arriving at its destination at 09.50, about 5 minutes after I had arrived. A female roe deer had crossed the line, using the public footpath here, just in front of the train and the driver of the 66 can be seen watching her go away. I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of the deer; they don't exactly hang about when leaping fences!
	The JNA box wagons used until recently on Freightliner Heavy Haul's service between Beeston and Cardiff were moved to Long Marston for storage on 14 August 2007. Here is the train headed by 66560, 6Z49, the 05.13 from Cardiff Tidal Sidings arriving at Long Marston in a spell of heavy rain which makes the picture look rather noisy, despite having been taken at ISO 200. Many of the wagons still contained significant quantities of scrap metal left from the last run of the train to Cardiff. I wanted to take this picture from the other side of the bridge but a Network Rail van with its crew involved in the routine 6-monthly inspection of the adjacent foot crossing was parked in just the wrong spot.
	Here is 6Z49 heading into the exchange sidings with 66556 bringing up the rear of the consist. On the right of the picture is a rake of ex-Yeoman JNAs which I think were to be taken out later in the day by an EWS class 66 from Bescot. The Freightliner train was booked to arrive at Long Marston at 09.30 but actually arrived at 09.44, no doubt thanks to late running by FGW on the Cotswold Line. The EWS train was due to arrive at 10.06 and this was never going to happen. There simply would not have been time to shunt the stock that arrived behind 66560, get the main line locomotives out of the way and position the stock for the EWS working ready for the arrival of the 2nd inward working. I didn't wait to see what happened, as once the FLHH 66s went of light engine towards Honeybourne, the weather deteriorated even further and I came home. There would clearly have been quite a bit of shunting to do given that only 2 roads are available, but I was getting wet and cold. It later transpired that 6Z80 from Bescot was retimed and arrived at Long Marston at around 15.00. I was unable to see this working through household duties...
	While waiting at Norton Junction earlier in the day I had noticed a plum tree laden with ripe fruit in the hedge close to the signal box so went back to collect a few. I had just left the car when I received a text message from a friend at Evesham saying that 66153 had just left the station hauling a single TDA from Long Marston. After a few minutes the signaller left his box, shouted up to me saying that it was coming and prepared himself for the token exchange. One doesn't see much of this these days so I was pleased to get a picture of the exact moment when it changed hands.
	The first appearance at Long Marston of a First Group class 66 in so-called Barbie livery took place on 28 August 2007 when 66727 ran in light engine. I was alerted by a friend who ws photographing at Abbotswood Junctiion and who saw the locomotive heading towards Evesham pass over the Birmingham to Gloucester line. I made the short trip over to Long Marston and arrived about 10 minutes before 66727 came into view on the branch from Honeybourne. Autumn is approaching; the field adjacent to the line has already been ploughed and is now receiving the attentions of a cultivator, and red hawthorn berries are making an appearance.
	There was a short rake of 5 JNAs waiting in the exchange sidings for 66727 to take to Chaddesden Sidings at Derby, 4 of them in VTG and one in Yeoman livery. The locomotive was soon attached to the boxes and the train then sat and waited for its departure time. The weather never became better than poor as can be seen by the misty background to this shot.
	The time was 11.41 when the brakes were blown off, the horn sounded and 6Z33 moved away from Long Marston yard's exchange sidings and onto the former GWR Stratford-upon-Avon to Cheltenham main line. The second man is carefully watching the bogies of the JBAs as they go over the pointwork before rejoining the train for the 2 and a bit mile journey to Honeybourne Junction. The driver had told me, with a grin, that the booked departure time was 12.35...
	6Z33 and I arrived at arrived at Honeybourne just about the same time - exactly 12.00. The journey by road is considerably longer than that by rail passing, as it does, through 3 villages and a lot of sharp bends, followed by a walk from the station car park! All the same, it is generally possible to arrive in time to see the procedure involved in gaining permission to join the main Cotswold Line. Today was no exception, and here is the secondman walking towards the hut containing the token instrument for the branch. The light had lifted a little and there was just the beginnings of a shadow becoming visible as the the train stood on the former East Loop of the Honeybourne complex of lines.
	It didn't take many minutes for the token to be wielded and the road set for 66727 to leave the Long Marston branch and join the main line towards Evesham and Worcester. Here is the train swinging across the pointwork with some Rosebay Willowherb, Epilobium Angustifolium prominent in the foreground. I had half a mind to make a dash for Fladbury or Lower Moor for another shot but the way that the train Honeybourne station at 12.18 made me think that the driver was a main with a mission and that I would struggle to make it in time. I think I was right; 6Z33 was reported as being past Norton Junction at 12.40...
	The rake of autics that has been in store at Long Marston for nearly 2 years has finally been removed for scrapping. The car carriers left behind Cotswold Rail's 47813 and ran as 6Z21 Long Marston to York Holgate Sidings with a booked departure time of 11.50. I received a call at 10.35 saying that the train was on its way to Honeybourne and hoped for this early running to continue. Unfortunately, someone decided that the train should remain on the East Loop at Honeybourne until the correct time despite there being a perfectly valid path to Worcester. Here is 6Z21 at 12.25 on the line between Honeybourne and Evesham just before power was shut off for the slight down gradient to Evesham station. The treadles visible in front of the leading bogie of 47813 operate the automatic half barrier crossing at Clayfield, the crossing adjacent to the site of Littleton and Badsey station being operated under CCTV from Evesham signalbox.
	Cotswold Rail's 47810 took 2 DVTs, 82134 +82128, from Gloucester to Long Marston on 5 September 2007. The train, running as 5Z82, was reported as over 40 minutes late on the northbound run to Worcester where the locomotive was booked to run-round the stock, but was just 3 minutes late leaving there, thanks to an extended layover being curtailed by the late running. Here is the train rounding the curve at Lower Moor, just east of Pershore, just about spot on time at 12.10. in a patch of sun that appeared from absolutely nowhere as soon as the train became audible in the distance and disappeared just as quickly...
	I was just settling down in my office on 19 September 2007 to get to grips with the post-processing of some pictures from the previous day when my BlackBerry delivered a message saying that 66727 was en-route from Derby to Long Marston, due to arrive at 10.05. A light engine move like this usually means that there will be a loaded train out, so I left home home at 09.45 for the 12 minute trip. 0Z66 arrived just a couple of minutes late by which time I had established that a long rake of VTG liveried JNAs was in road 2 of the exchange sidings ready to be taken to Toton. The locomotive was soon coupled up and the crew started on their procedure to check the couplings and brake connections. The sun was in and out so I took a couple of shots while the train sat in the sidings hoping that the train, 6Z66, would leave before its booked departure time of 12.35.
	66727 whirred into action just 4 minutes before its booked time and just managed to miss the sun. Two minutes either way would have been better! Still, 22 JNAs make for an interesting shot here despite the lack of light and the train is here seen gently negotiating the exit from the exchange sidings. The second man, just visible, had to wait for the rear wagon to clear the points being resetting the road and walking the length of the train and getting in the cab of 66727.
	I arrived at Honeybourne some 5 minutes before 6Z66 and just as a Worcester-bound Adelante was approaching the station stop. 66727 came round the curve on the East Loop and here it is with its JNAs just drawing to a halt prior to joining the main Cotswold Line. The light had deteriorated to the point of near darkness by now as can be seen from the brightness of the main headlight on the locomotive.
	By the time permission had been obtained for 6Z66 to cross over to the main line at Honeybourne the transition from daylight to darkness was pretty much complete. Still, a lengthy freight here hasn't been the most common of sights, most of the moves having been much shorter so I felt almost obliged to take a record shot, with the rear of the train disappearing into the background undergrowth.
	The former MOD site at Long Marston has not been receiving or despatching trains for a couple of weeks following a derailment in the exchange sidings. Network Rail found everything to be in order over the weekend of 13/14 October 2007 and the first train ran on Monday 15th when 47828 went in light engine and collected a long rake of PGAs which it took to Appleford, near Didcot. 6Z50, the 15.30 from Long Marston, is here seen at Lower Moor running some 45 minutes late after a late departure and having to wait for an up passenger train to clear the single track from Norton Junction to Evesham. When the Cotswold Line is re-doubled, hopefully in the not too distant future, freight along here may be seen more frequently, as it would be a valuable diversionary route.
	First GBRf's 66725 has recently been named "Sunderland" and in recent days has been used to move stock around the network. On 18 October 2007 its duties took it from Bristol Temple Meads to Long Marston with 2 Virgin coaches and and DVT for storage. The train, 5Z44, was booked to arrive at Evesham at 12.19 after a run-round at Worcester, where some early running was knocked out of it by the need to wait for its path onto the single track Cotswold Line from Norton Junction. The train stood in the station for nearly 30 minutes which gave ample time for a wander around to the other end for a photo of it standing in the platform where a lot of shadows from the adjacent trees cause a few photographic problems at this time of the year.
	Another chapter in the life of the PGA hoppers trialled by FM Rail for coal traffic was closed on 30 October 2007 when 30 of them were taken to Long Marston for storage. The remaining 28 will go at a later date, probably 31 October, as the exchange sidings at Long Marston would not be able take the full rake at one time. The train, running as 6Z45, the 11.08 from Gloucester was hauled by Cotswold Rail's 47828 and is here seen passing the site of Fladbury station, between Pershore and Evesham. I thought that there would be some Autumnal colours here but wasn't quite prepared for the sheer intensity of the hues on display. I must add that the colours have not been enhanced in any way during the post-processing of the image.
	Another train of rolling stock for storage at Long Marston ran on 1 November 2007, consisting of a set of IKA Megafret flats previously used by Victa Westlink Rail on their ill-fated intermodal services. This time it came from Foundry Lane, carried the headcode 4V66 and was hauled by 66726. I saw no reports of it's progress further south than Crewe but went to Evesham for a shot as the location is identifiable and OK with or without the sun. The latter was the case and the train of flats came into view some 20 minutes early at 12.14 and ran into the station where it would have to had waited until a late-running down passenger train arrived from the south. Given the slightly uninspiring nature of the train's consist I didn't bother a second shot at or near Long Marston but instead went home for an early lunch.
	The remaining 28 PGAs previously used by FM Rail were taken from Gloucester to Long Marston on 5 November 2007. The locomotive originally allocated to the job was Cotswold Rail's 47375 but this had transmogrified into 47703 by the time it reached its destination. The weather had cleared from fog into high cloud with the sun poking through when 6Z45 came into view at Long Marston a few minutes early on the booked schedule but the whole scene was still pretty murky with the limited amount of illumination coming straight into the lens.
	An outward move, 6Z50, was showing as running on 5 November 2007 and the short train is shown leaving Long Marston for Gloucester some 2 hours early at 13.35. The 2 wagons being taken out had been placed on the line leading from the exchange sidings to the site's main loop for collection which avoided the need for any shunting moves. The light was right on the front of 47703 but on such a dull day any light was more than welcome.
	While waiting for 47703 to arrive at Long Marston on 5 November 2007 I noticed that a Pendolino power car and some sheeted-over trailers were stored in one of the sidings adjacent to the wood. I had packed my 200mm lens and took this shot of the vehicles, presumably those involved in the Grayrigg incident earlier in the year, from the road bridge at the Honeybourne end of the exchange sidings.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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...
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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,
	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.
	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!
	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.
	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.
	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. Here is the locomotive arriving ay Evesham just about on time at 12.45 with the driver being given instructions by the signaller. The plan was to run forward into the platform and then reverse into the sidings, couple up the wagons and then go to Long Marston, departing at 13.55.
	The first part of the exercise ran smoothly with 66406 running into the platform and the signaller setting the road for the siding. Unfortunately, he seemed to have difficulty in pulling off the ground signal and eventually, with an up passenger train waiting at the outer home signal the locomotive ran forward beyond the starter and then reversed into the down platform to allow the Adelante to come into the station. 0Z73 then went beyond the signal box and onto the single track towards Worcester before reversing yet again and going into the platform. This time, a Network Rail man clamped and scotched the points and after a bit of manual labour, the ground signal cleared. Here is 66406 leaving the main line and entering the siding. By this time, the weather had deteriorated and rain had just started to fall with a sudden increase in the strength of the wind.
	It didn't take long to couple 66406 to the KXAs but there did appear to be some problem with the brake connections as various hi-visibility jacketed men were walking up and down the down the train while the locomotive's compressor could clearly be heard working away. The sun made a brief appearance and I took the opportunity to take this shot, albeit not one with which I am especially happy, but it is very rare to see anything but on-track plant using this piece of line. The few of us watching proceedings from the nearby road thought that we might get the shot of 4Z73 departing in some decent light, but it seemed that both the locomotive and Network Rail crews were due a break and most of them went into the signalbox for a well-earned brew-up. In the meantime, their path to Long Marston had gone and an up HST came and went....
	The break became quite extended and I was beginning to wonder if the crew had found a problem with the train. However, all was well, and after some record shots had been taken by the crew, they joined the locomotive and moved away towards the station. Here is 66406 and 4Z73 scoring some rare track in the last remnants of brightness.
	I had originally thought that the train consisted of flats similar to those used by Freightliner but was surprised to see the size and scale of these double-bogied vehicles. Click on this hyperlink for a closer look at the first vehicle in the train. It was no surprise to learn that the return working of another set of wagons from Long Marston, 4Z37 to Carlisle ran late and was observed by a friend on the 15.51 ex-Paddington just coming to a halt at Honeybourne Junction at 17.50. The delay increased mightily and the train passed Worcester Depot at 22.50 observed by another friend working there. There had been a crew change - to a blond lady driver who had come in a taxi from Crewe! Thanks to David Guy and Steve Widdowson for the additional information from Honeybourne and Worcester.
	One of the few remaining EWS class 37s was moved down from Scotland to Bescot during the night of 14 January 2008. It did a trip to Washwood Heath on the 15th and on the 16th ran to Long Marston and back. The outward trip, 6Z80, conveyed around 25 ferrywagons and is here seen covering the countryside with smoke in weak sun passing the site of the station at Fladbury, near Pershore. The train had been running in excess of 20 minutes late but managed to keep its path on the Cotswold Line through having a stop booked for 28 minutes at Worcester, which saved the day.
	I wasn't too bothered about charging over to Long Marston for 6Z80's arrival so had a gentle drive across with a view to getting the return trip, 6Z81. However, there was plenty of time and I waited for some 10 minutes before the train appeared in the distance, coming along the branch from Honeybourne. The lighting here at around mid-day is a little harsh when the sun is out but it is possible to obtain a reasonable, if slightly impressionistic, image. I must thank Tom Homer for shielding my lens from the sun with his hand as this cut down the amount of lens flare I was suffering.
	Once the long rake of ferrywagons had been placed in the exchange sidings 37417 pulled forward and picked up a long rake of flates which had been stabled on the loop in front of the engine sheds in the background. The last ferrywagon was fouling the road so the Motorail Logistics crew detached it from the rake and pulled it forward into the headshunt. I hadn't seen their locomotive, named Rachael, in use before; I think it is one of the 3 shunters that were in use at the Longbridge car factory in happier times. 37417 is here seen threading its way out of the sidings prior to leaving, as 6Z81, for Bescot.
	The train moved slowly away from the sidings and out onto the branch. As it was a long train, it sat a long way down the line while the final checks were made. The sun was getting a little straight by now, but given the lack of sunlight so far this year one shouldn't complain too much. The trackbed of the line to Stratford-upon-Avon is gradually disappearing under vegetation. There are still airy-fairy plans for this line to be reopened and much as I would love to see this happen, I'm not going to hold my breath...
	I had plenty of time to move around the corner to the foot crossing near Broad Marston where the sun was in a much better position. I had to wait for around 20 minutes before I heard 37417 start 6Z81 moving towards Honeybourne. Ground level shots are not my favourite but this one, framed with the buds of an ash tree, isn't too bad and does give a feel of this very rural branch. This location is near to the site of a halt built by the GWR which was closed in the 1930s and replaced with a slightly larger structure a few hundred yards closer to Honeybourne. The latter, Pebworth Halt, closed in the 1960s.
	The final couple of shots were taken at Honeybourne itself. This picture shows 37417 with 6Z81 standing on the East Loop while waiting for a path to Evesham and Worcester. A down Adelante had gone west a few minutes earlier and there wasn't long to wait before this reached Evesham and a crew member left the locomotive in order to operate the ground frame.
	Permission to proceed was soon obtained from Evesham signalbox and 37417 drew slowly forward across the connecting spur from the Long Marston branch at Honeybourne. It was gratifying that the sun stayed out for the whole session and that any shadows from adjacent vegetation weren't too intrusive. I hope that the sun stayed out for those photographers I know to have been waiting further down the line on the other side of Evesham.
	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...
	Cotswold Rail have 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 2007. 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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	It wasn't long before 47805 arrived at Long Marston and took the 87s into the exchange sidings. Looking very like a Guard of Honour, the crew keep a vigilant eye on the locomotives as they go across the pointwork into road 2.
	This picture was taken just before 47805 was uncoupled from the 87s and whilst the crews were out of sight behind the line-up. Another class 87 is just visible at the extreme right of the shot, it was obviously brought around to greet the new arrivals...
	The last view of 47805 and the 3 87s was taken just as the former joined the OTO section to Honeybourne and the gate was shut and locked behind it. I had expected to get another shot, assuming that the industrial locomotive would simply be hooked onto 87022 and then take them off around the internal loop to the secure area. In the event, the Motorail Logistics crew boarded their steed, went along No.1 road and disappeared, leaving the 87s catching the last rays of afternoon sun.
	I was fortunate in that several local friends were keeping me updated with status reports of this Gloucerster to 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 the following day but this time the recalcitrant locomotive was shunted out of the consist leaving just 37898 and four JKA 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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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...
	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!
	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 Cotswold Line near Pershore.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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!
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	On Friday 18 April 2008 I had a quick trip to 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.
	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.
	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?!
	I saw a message on the morning of 20 May 2008 saying that 66709 was working a 4Z87 Hunslet to Long Marston and after a quick check, realised that I didn't have a decent shot of this locomotive taken on digital equipment. I didn't want to travel too far as my day-to-day car was having the climate control re-gassed so would have to go in my 1969 Morris Minor - not a problem as it's as least as reliable as any more modern car, but the seats aren't all that comfortable for long journeys! With that in mind I went to Evesham, just for a change, and arrived to see an a FGW Adelante, 180104, sitting in the down platform. An HST soon arrived heading east so I knew that 4Z87 wasn't going to be too far away. The sky was uniformly cloudy with just a few small breaks but my luck at this location held yet again and the sun came through as 66709 appeared on the curve behind the signal box. I think this is 66709's first visit to the Cotswold Line and to Long Marston but there was no way I was going to beat the train to the latter in Albert the Morris so headed home.
	A Open Day was held at Long Marston on Saturday 7 June 2008 and for the first time in recent years, a railtour from Euston was organised to take passengers directly into the site. I didn't go to the Open Day as I don't have much interest in photographing endless lines of static stock, especially when I have photographed pretty much all of them in much more interesting circumstances when en-route to the site. I also have little interest in railtours but didn't want to miss the chance to record the first passenger train on the branch from Honeybourne since 15 October 2000, so here is a filthy 66182 topping 1Z58 as it slowly approaches the end of its journey. The light here is not favourable at this time of day, especially when the sun is shining on some parts of the scene and not others. Still, I was happy to get a record shot...
	The train from Euston to the Long Marston Open Day was tailed by 66081, seen here as 1Z58 cautiously crawls along No 1 road watched by a bevy of photographers and staff ensuring nothing amiss happens to the train on the ancient trackwork.
	The new GBRf initiative, a sort of modern pick-up goods serving long Marston runs every Tuesday and Friday and is currently conveying FLHH hoppers receiving new bogies. I have covered some of the runs and knowing that only a single hopper was forming 4Z87 from Hunslet on 10 June 2008 wasn't going to bother until I remembered that a GBRf locomotive, 66722 had been left at Long Marston over the weekend in order to make an appearance at the Open Day. With the prospect of a double-header in mind I had a trip over to find the Metronet livieried locomotive at the head of 4 hoppers in the exchange sidings, to which was added a further four a few minutes after my arrival. The train locomotive for 4Z87 was 66724 which is here pictured after a slightly early arrival waiting for the gate to be opened.
	It wasn't long before 66724 ran into No.2 road and the single hopper shunted off by the resident class 08. This allowed 4Z89 to be formed and after a long period of checking brake connections and couplings the train moved gingerly towards the exit road, where it sat for some time. So long in fact that as the sun was becoming too straight for a decent shot and with about 45 minutes until the booked departure time I decided to leave Long Mraston and make the short journey to Honeybourne.
	I expected to have quite a wait on the side of the roadbridge at Honeybourne before 4Z89 came into view, but it was only about 10 minutes before I heard a horn on the branch and 66724 appeared. Somewhat unusually, the train stopped on the curve in the distance with only the leading locomotive visible but after a few minutes normality reasserted itself and it ran towards the ground frame. The countryside has lost its fresh green appearance and nearly all the Spring blossom has disappeared, with the exception of the Elderberry bushes.
	There was about 30 minutes before the booked departure time and with no sign of movement from the cab of 66724 it looked as if 4Z89 would wait for the booked time. I spent a few minutes taking a few shots from different angles as this was the first time double-headed 66s in different liveries had appeared here. With plenty of time in hand I then decided to make a move to the other side of Evesham to take full advantage of the sunshine.
	The nearest decent location without a long walk, for which I might not have had time, is Lower Moor and I arrived there to find a small gallery in situ. I hadn't really thought that the train could have gone but a bit of reassurance is always nice! It was around 15 minutes before a horn announced that 4Z89 was coming and here it is running at a good speed through the attractive countryside between Evesham and Pershore on the way back to Leeds.
	Long Marston has seen some odd-looking trains in recent years but this must take the biscuit for the oddest. 666722+66724 arrived from Leeds with a single FLHH hopper on Friday 13 June 2008 but the return working, 4Z89 to Crewe was the real focus of interest. 87002 Royal Sovereign was due to be taken out prior to a loaded test run next week but I wasn't really expecting to see such a mixed train being formed up in the exchange sidings. Here is 66722 with 87002, a Cargo-D Mk3, and 3 FLHH hoppers all tailed by 67724 leaving the site at about 16.00, nearly 2 hours late following a delayed arrival. Following a period of fine weather it was perhaps inevitable that this interesting move was made in appallingly bad light under leaden skies and with a fine drizzle falling.
	I didn't hang about once 4Z89 was on the move and arrived at Honeybourne with just a few seconds to set up my long lens and fix the camera onto a monopod. There was only a short delay before the crew member seen here made his way towards the ground frame to obtain permission to set the points so that his train could join the main line. The light was worse here than at Long Marston and a real contrast to the beautifully sunny conditions I enjoyed here earlier in the week.
	There was obviously no passenger train due in either direction as the road was soon set for 66722 and its ensemble to leave Honeybourne East Loop and join the Cotswold Line to head for Evesham, Worcester and Crewe. Here is 4Z89 with 87002 clearly visible through the murky weather standing in the platform at Honeybourne, the fresh paint reflecting the vegetation on the currently disused island platform. Later in the journey, 66722 was sent from Worcester Yard to rescue 60093 which had failed on 6V07, the Round Oak to Margam empty steel train. The Metronet locomotive dragged 6V07 to Worcester Yard before rejoinng its own train and heading north to Crewe.
	Tuesday 17 June 2008 started off dry, warm and sunny and I quite fancied another crack at getting a decent photograph of 66709 during its second run on the Cotswold Line, while on its way to Long Marston with the 10 HXA hoppers forming 4Z87 from Leeds (Hunslet). I used the opportunity to give my 1969 Morris Minor an outing and decided that a run around the Worcestershire countryside wouold be just the job. I arrived at Lower Moor just a couple of minutes before an up HST went past at 11.54 so guessed that it would only be a matter of some minutes before 66709 put in an appearance. Sure enough, after about 18 minutes I heard a two-tone horn and then the train appeared around the curve behind the houses. It was good to get a proper length train again as the very short consists that turn up on occasions on these runs aren't nearly so photogenic.
	A rake of 7 HXA hoppers was moved from Leeds (Hunslet) to Long Marston for rectification work on Monday 7 July 2008. Instead of the usual class 66 from the GBRf stable, Advenza freight provided the motive power for 4Z88 in the form of 47237, their first run down the Cotswold Line for some time. The weather wasn't especially good but I decided to make the 15 mile journey to Evesham with the intention of taking my photograph from the station footbridge. I met the Videotrack photographer, Stephen Phillips on the platform and we stood there for some time in warm sunshine. Just as we had the tip that the train was approaching, the sun went in but as 47237 came into view the shadow began to creep forward and cleared the platform with about 5 seconds to spare. A wicked-looking thunderstorm was rapidly coming towards us and this gave the sky in the background a bit of character.
	The up starting signal at Evesham was already in the "off" position but there was time for a quick jog to the roadbridge on the east side of the station to obtain another shot of 47237 on 4Z88 to Long Marston. Note that three pieces of black tape were placed on the windscreen surround between the time between the taking of the two pictures here. What's that all about then? Just a few moments after the pulled away to Long Marston the thunderstorm visible in the background broke over the station and a monsoon-like torrent of rain fell; fortuntately just after I had returned to my car.
	Some of the JPA cement wagons that went for storage on 19 March 2008 were removed and taken to Earles Sidings on Tuesday 22 July 2008. 66718 was the GBRf locomotive allocated to the job and it was reported as arriving from Hams Hall at Evesham at around 09.30, some 65 minutes early. I went to Long Marston to find the resident Hunslet 0-4-0 bringing the wagons into road no.1 of the exchange sidings ready for the 66 to be attached. There was clearly no path southwards onto the single track of the Cotswold Line as 66718 didn't reach its destination until 10.53. It was soon put onto the JPAs in the siding and the usual checks took place.
	Before too long, and slightly ahead of the booked departure time, 66718 drew 6Z91 cautiously out of Long Marston's exchange sidings and onto the branch to Honeybourne. It was apparent that the wagons have weathered since their arrival; hardly surprising considering the largely inclement conditions we have so far enjoyed this summer. One of the wagons had been detached from the back of the consist and I wonder if there had been a problem with the brake valve as there had been a lot of activity around the back of the train, accompanied by much hissing as brakes were blown off.
	The remaining 22 JPA cement wagons were scheduled for removal from Long Marston on Wednesday 23 July 2008. The details, timings and locomotive were identical to the move on the previous day, even to the early running of thelight locomotive! The main differences on the day were that the JPAs were placed in road No.2 of the exchange sidings and that the sun shone - both better for photography. Here is 66718 in the sidings while brake tests are carried out, the train standing in sun but with a rather misty background evident.
	The brake and other checks went smoothly and 66718 with 6Z91 to Earles Sidings pulled out of the exchange sidings at Long Marston some 45 minutes early in a nice patch of sun; despite the favourable forecast there was actually quite a lot of cloud in the area. The locomotive is named "Gwyneth Dunwoody", the late Member of Parliament for Crewe and Nantwich, whose death earlier this year forced a bi-election the result of which was a loss of a formerly safe labour seat to the Conservative candidate.
	Once 6Z91 had cleared the sidings I made my usual move down to Honeybourne Junction and arrived just as a down HST was leaving for Worcester. 66718 came into view on the East Loop a couple of minutes later, but with an up passenger due as soon as the previous one had reached Evesham, it wasn't going to move for at least 20 minutes. The uniform rake of tanks look smart behind the clean locomotive but it's a pity the very high sun at this of year is not conducive to good photography. There really is little point in taking pictures in July and August between the hours of about 10.00 and 15.00, but if the target train runs in that window, what can one do? The up HST soon came and went and as soon as it had reached Moreton-in Marsh the road was set for 6Z91 to leave the East Loop and cross over the spur and join the Cotswold Line towards Evesham, Worcester and then on to Earles Sidings via Birmingham and Derby.
	Friday 25 July 2008 saw two trains running out of Long Marston but in the reverse order to that which I expected. I won't go through the tedious details involving a road accident (in which I was not involved), a road closure for flood prevention work and a congested town centre in Evesham, of why I ended up with nothing more than a standard and not very exciting shot of 37422 leaving Long Marston with a rake of KWA and IZA ferywagons, but it wasn't what I had planned. Anyway, here is the popular locomotive leaving the site en-route to Bescot and no doubt heading for a few more photographers along the way. This is a busy area over the weekend as the Global Gathering festival is held on the adjacent airfield - I look forward to hearing the music and seeing the laser displays from my home some 5 miles away...
	The first move from Long Marston for some 6 weeks took place on Tuesday 2 September when COLAS Rail's 47727 was sent there to collect 3 class 87s. These were to go to Crewe for electrical testing before export to Bulgaria. The light engine stabled overnight at Worcester before travelling to Long Marston in the early afternoon, making the first visit here for a class 47 with the brightly coloured livery, where it is here seen shortly after arrival. The 87s, 87022, 87028 and 87010 can be seen in the exchange sidings and for a closer look at them click on this hyperlink.
	The gate allowing access into the site was soon opened and 47727 ran into No.2 road in the exchange sidings where it was couple to the 87s. Even though the sun made a brief appearance there was a lot of mist and murk around which don't do much to enhance the scene. There been a torrential downpour about 20 minutes earlier and as soon as the sun appeared it caused the water vapour to rise from the surrounding fields and spoil the overall effect.
	Within a very few minutes 0Z48 to Crewe was on the move and is here seen joining the One Train Only line towards Honeybourne. The sun had gone in by this time which was perhaps fortunate in that it would have been on the "wrong" side at this time of day, but the misty atmosphere still manages to give the picture a rather unsatisfactory appearance.
	In the hope that the sun would reappear I made the short journey to Honeybourne, being frustrated on the way by a school bus, the driver of which was lost in the narrow lanes around Pebworth and Broad Marston. This meant that 0Z48 was just coming into view as I arrived on the road bridge adjacent to Honeybourne. Rain was just beginning to fall and this developed into another heavy shower. This picture was taken as the train began to move onto the spur between the East Loop with rain still falling and with vegetation and mist doing their best to obscure the scene. Within 5 or 6 minutes and while the train was standing in an unphotographable position in the platform, the sun popped into a patch of clear blue sky which have been more than welcome a few minutes earlier. Still, I always think that it's important to record these moves whatever the weather; there may not be a repeat and if there is, then one may have the chance to improve on the previous pictures.
	The Arriva liveried coaches that have been in store at Long Marston were due to be removed during the week starting 15 September 2008 but the move was put back until the following Monday. DRS class 37s 37602 and 37611 were given the job with two trains scheduled, both going to Eastleigh but by different routes; the first via Moreton in Marsh and the other via Birmingham New Street and Hatton. Here are the light engines arriving at Long Marston a few minutes late on the booked time - note the bunch of flowers placed in the cable coupler of the leading locomotive.
	The gate into the Long Marston site was already open and the locomotives were ready to enter the sidings as soon as the token from Honeybourne was placed into the ground frame. The sun was a bonus after a poor forecast for the day and helps to show up the contrasting versions of DRS livery to their best advantage. The 2 rakes of coaches can be seen in roads 1 & 2 of the exchange sidings - they are going to Eastleigh to be refurbished for the forthcoming Cardiff to Holyhead trains due to commence operations later in the year.
	It wasn't long before the locomotives were split and run onto their own sets of stock. It is interesting to compare the front ends of the 2 class 37s including the different positions of the horns. This is not the first visit of DRS 37s to this location, 37059 having visited for another stock move in November 2005. Fortunately, the light today was a little more favourable for photography...
	The booked departure time for 5Z74 was 12.00 but for reasons unknown it some 80 minutes after this that 37602 finally moved out of the exchange sidings and onto the branch to Honeybourne. Those of us waiting for this moment had been discussing what was going on and I suggested, half in jest, that both sets should be coupled together in order to avoid the need for a road trip to and from Honeybourne to collect the token. Almost unbelievably, this is exactly what happened and 37611 moved onto the back of the first train and was coupled up. It had already become known that 5Z74 was no longer going to run via Moreton in Marsh and was to go via Birmingham, Coventry and Leamington Spa. At this point a quick run to Honeybourne seemed the logical move to see the unusual formation arrive.
	Here is the odd looking combination of 5Z74 and 5Z75 just after their arrival at Honeybourne. It's a great shame that the sun failed to co-operate for this part of the operation but even in poor light it was well worth recording the unusual sight. The crew of the second locomotive soon uncoupled the rear portion which meant, unsurprisingly, that there were once again two trains to head for Eastleigh.
	It was a matter of just a few minutes before the road was set to allow 37602 and 5Z74 to gain access to the main Cotswold Line and I thought a heavily framed view of the movement might work, taking advantage of the plethora of Hawthorn berries in the adjacent hedge. As soon as the road was put back 36711 made a smoky start towards the western end of East Loop.
	It unusual to see a train pulled this far forward at Honeybourne, most stay on the far side of the spur to the main line. It is a great photographic advantage if the train does come forward especially if a decent patch of blue sky can be seen moving towards the sun! I had to wait about 10 minutes for this to happen but there was no prospect of the train going anywhere for quite a while so it was not a problem to wait. It was unavoidable that a selection of shots were taken in the sunny spell and here is another from a slightly different angle as the colourful consist basks in the warm sun on the first day of Autumn.
	One of GBRF's class 66 in Metronet livery, 66722, ran light engine, as 0Z89, from Wembley to Long Marston on Wednesday 24 September 2008 in order to collect the former SWT class 73, 73201 and return it to London. It has been reported that the locomotive has been bought and is likely to be painted into a grey livery. The 66 is here seen at Long Marston as the resident Hunslet shunter was about to be uncoupled from the 73. It was a largely cloudy day but I struck lucky with patches of sun coming at the right times for my photographs.
	The light engine had arrived at Long Marston just about on time and had the best part of an hour to couple up to the 73 and a ferrywagon, presumably added to increase the brake force available. Departure time was booked to be 12.15 but the short ensemble moved away a couple of minutes early which, for me, was a piece of luck as the small clear patch letting the sun shine onto the scene was rapidly closing up, as can be seen in the background. The outward move was originally given the headcode 0Z90, but with the addition of the ferrywagon this was changed to 6Z14. It's amazing what a difference a single van makes to the look of the consist. From being just a couple of light engines it is transformed into a proper train.
	The driver in charge of 6Z14 wasn't hanging around and even with a somewhat lively drive to Honeybourne I arrived on the bridge just as 66722 was coming to a halt on the East Loop. While the shunter made his way to the box containing the token instrument the sun just poked through some cloud for long enough to obtain this static shot of the rather odd-looking train.
	For once, it seemed that all trains in the Worcestershire were running on time and the points at Honeybourne were soon put across to allow 6Z14 to join the main Cotswold Line. There is a surprising similarity between the liveries of the 66 and 73 and here is, for me at least, probably a final view of the former Royal Train engine in the bright colours of its former operator, South Western Trains. The train ran into the platform at Honeybourne station where it waited for the shunter to pass over the token to the driver before heading off by road. This scene will hopefully change in the not too distant future if, and it seems likely, that this pasrt of the Cotswold Line receives double track again.
	Nine Mk2 coaches have been painted into blue & grey by Cargo-D. They were booked to be hauled to Crewe by COLAS Rail's 47727 on 25 September 2008 and the light engine for this move is here seen shortly after arrival at Long Marston, bathed in a patch of bright sunlight. I include this picture only because it is my first shot of a COLAS locomotive taken in anything approaching decent light. While I was waiting for the stock to be shunted into place in the exchange sidings I saw this tractor ablaze in a field adjacent to the line. Strangely, the farmer, who was in attendance, did not call the Fire Brigade and it was allowed to burn itself out. The pick-up truck wasn't as close to the fire as it appears from this photograph; the foreshortening effect of a long lens makes it seem in the danger zone, but in fact was quite a way away.
	I watched the superbly finished stock being shunted into place and decided that a wider shot than is available at Long Marston would show it off to the best advantage. There aren't all that many location on the Cotswold Line that don't give a largely head-on view unless a fairly long walk is made. Whilst not having a problem with walking a mile or two, I didn't know how much time I would have so opted for the safe bet at Lower Moor. My recent luck with the sun deserted me on this occasion as 47727 with 5Z47 came into few about 45 minutes late of the booked schedule. It would be good to see a COLAS Rail 47 on passenger stock more often, their bright colours seem to make a good match with the carriages...
	Two EWS trains, 6V17, were booked to run from Bescot to Long Marston during the week commencing 28 September 2008. The first ran on 30 September and consisted of a 66 with some IZA vans for storage. The weather was dreadful in the area so I stayed at home. The floowing day, 1 October 2008 saw a similar train running but with the reportedly stored 37401 providing the power. The weather was a lot better than the previous day and I set off to drive to Evesham in bright sunshine but soon passed through a very heavy shower. On arrival on the bridge by the signalbox the sun was still out and remained so as the signals were pulled off. My luck in this location ran out as the train came past the 'box - the sun was obscured for no more than 10 seconds, just long enough for the locomotive and part of the train to pass by. I really dislike this sort of lighting when the sun is out in the background and would much prefer either all cloud or all sun, but it was still just about worth taking the shot, I suppose.
	There was no traffic to come out of Long Marston and 37410 was soon back on to the branch to Honeybourne. The driver stopped the locomotive adjacent to the bridge and called up that this was 37401's last trip under its own power. Time will tell, but this sort of thing is quite often heard when locomotives are stored and it possible that the current situation is a "paper exercise".
	My primary reason for being out on Friday 3 October 2008 was to try to get a photograph of COLAS Rail's 47727 in sun. The locomotive had, in the morning, taken 8 Virgin liveried Mk2 coaches from Oxley to Long Marston as 5Z47 and was due to bring out 4 Freightliner HXA coal hoppers and deliver them to Stoke Gifford, near Bristol. 47727 had so far managed to evade good light whenever I have been around, not least at Fladbury on the Cotswold Line earlier in the day, and again at Lower Moor a couople of hours later. I was pleased,to say the least, when the sun showed no sign of going in a bit later after the brightly coloured class 47 had run round 6Z47 at Worcester and returnd south, being pictured passing the site of Defford station.
	Five TDA tank wagons were taken from Bescot to Long Marston on Tuesday 28 October 2008. The allocated locomotive was 66097 and the train, 6V17, is here seen approaching the end of its journey spot on time at 13.05 amidst some Autumnal colours on either side of the branch from Honeybourne. The Motorail Logistics crew arrived to open the gate in a rail vehicle I hadn't previously seen, which appears to be painted in colours similar to those of Porterbrook, the owner of many of the locomotives stored at Long Marston. A return to Bescot, 6M17, was booked to run and five Virgin liveried DVTs were taken out. I didn't stay to see this move as the light deteriorated and it poured with rain. In the event, 6M17 was some 90 minutes late at Evesham so I think that I made the correct decision.
	A long rake of PGA hoppers has been languishing at Bescot for a few weeks awaiting movement to Long Marston. On Tuesday 11 November 2008 that move finally took place as 6V17, the 09.30 from Bescot. The train left some 75 minutes late but had picked up about 20 minutes by the time it reached Worcester, where it is booked to sit for a while, awaiting a path behind a Paddington bound HST. Unfortunately, the HST was running late too, so 66160 with 6V17 didn't leave Worcester Yard until 13.13, just about the time it should have been arriving at Long Marston. For once, the late running was an advantage as the very heavy cloud around Evesham was breaking up nicely by 13.35 when I heard the locomotive's horn as it approached the distant signal for Evesham station. The sun broke through nicely as the train came slowly around the curve by the signalbox and drew to a halt in the station, to await the passage of a northbound HST. The rusty appearance of the PGAs blended in well, I thought, with the remaining Autumnal colours of the trees in the background.
	There was some more Long Marston activity on Friday 14 November 2008, this time including a couple of "firsts". Two class 56s were scheduled to run from the Nene Valley Railway, near Peterborough, to Worcester and then on to Long Marston in order to pick up a long rake of covered steel vans, soon to be used on a new flow of steel coil from Immingham to Swindon, for use by Honda Motors. The trains are to be operated by COLAS who will be using 56311 and 56312, the latter in a striking new livery. Everything went exactly to plan (except the weather!) and here is 0Z56 passing the signalbox at Evesham a few minutes early. These are the first 56s I have photographed under their own power on the Cotswold Line, although I imagine one or two may have appeared on engineering trains or a charter over the years.
	I do know that no class 56 locomotive has been along the Honeybourne to Long Marston branch, other than those derelict examples stored within the site. I was therefore keen to obtain this shot of 56312 and 56311 arriving so didn't hang about at Evesham. I arrived with a good 5 minutes to spare so it wasn't long before the unprecedented sight of a pair of the heavyweight engines appeared in the distance. The gates were already open and here is the pair about to run into the exchange sidings, where their load can be seen waiting in road No.2.
	In the relatively short time that 6Z56 was standing in the exchange sidings at Long Marston, there was just one very brief patch of sunlight. The almost spotlight effect shows off the wagons forming the train as well as the variety of other stock stored in the yard, including the PGAs that arrived earlier in the week. I don't think that I've ever seen quite so many high visiblity jackets surrounding a train here - no doubt a function of the new operator visiting here. Shortly after I took this shot, 56311 was started up and the smoke effect had to be seen to be believed. I was, unfortunately, in the process of changing lenses at the time so wasn't able to record the eruption...
	The smooth running of the operation continued and a slightly early departure was made, once all the requisite checks of the vehicles and brakes had taken place. It was good to hear the sound of a class 56 working as the train was slowly moved onto the start of the One Train Only branch to Honeybourne. I can't imagine that this will happen again in the near future so was more than happy to have witnessed it, despite the poor weather and lighting conditions.
	Once 6Z56 had left Long Marston I made a bee-line for Hoenybourne as there was no way that I wanted to miss a shot of a new class for the line standing on the former East Loop. The light reached a nadir during the drive over and didn't improve whilst the train was standing which was a great pity because of the attractive Autumnal colours on the trees all around here. It was still running early at this point and it seemed as if a path to Evesham was going to be available so I took just a few shots before heading off for another attempt on the main Cotswold Line.
	I received a text message from a friend whilst jogging back to my car saying that the down FGW train had gone but that the up was still north of Evesham, meaning that 56311 and 56312 would have to wait there until it arrived at the station. This gave plenty of time to get to the nearest decent location, Lower Moor, between Evesham and Pershore. There was already a small gallery of photographers in situ and the news was that the up HST had already gone. There wasn't long to wait before the rounded front end of 56311 appeared under the bridge at Fladbury. The light had picked up a little but I chose to use a standard f1.8 50mm lens to make the most of it as this piece of glass always performs well in low light conditions. This is a sight that I shall remember for a long time, especially as I can't foresee a repeat performance.
	A GBRf move out of Long Marston was planned for Wednesday 3 December. This looked as if it might be quite interesting as it was running as 5Z90 and going to the PRDC at Wembley. The light engine, from Bristol, was due to arrive at 11.10 so I arrived a few minutes before that time to find the gates into the site open. In the event 66731 was a few minutes late, no doubt due to late running by First Great Western on the main Cotswold line. Unusually, as soon as the locomotive was inside the secure area, the gates were closed. This set alarm bells ringing and when I heard the driver on his telephone saying that, "The wagons aren't ready" I took it to me that the 12.15 departure time wasn't likely to be achieved. In fact, it was some 2 hours later and after a change of headcode to 6Z90 that the diminutive shunting locomotive propelled 6 KVA ferrywagons into road No.2 ready for 66731 to move onto them. The departure time had been put back a couple hours to 14.14. As the sun, which had shown no signs of disappearing all day, would be completely wrong for a departure shot at that time, I drove down to Honeybourne, via some still icy lanes.
	For reasons unknown, 66731 with 6Z90 was further delayed leaving Long Marston and by the time it reached Honeybourne the sun was very low and the track heavily shadowed. That notwithstanding, there was enough of a clear patch on the former East Loop to allow a reasonable photograph to be taken against a very Autumnal looking Cotswold backdrop. An up HST passed and within a couple of minutes the driver of 6Z90 left his locomotive and walked towards the groundframe. As soon as the HST had reached Moreton-in-Marsh, the frame was released and 66731 pulled its train forward on the main line and off towards Worcester. I don't know why ferrywagons are needed at the PRDC, I had assumed that some NPCCS for Christmas mail usa was to be taken there, but maybe another day...
	Three more class 87 locomotives were booked to be taken from Long Marston to Crewe on 10 December 2008. The motive power for the move was 66723 which is here seen about to be allowed into Long Marston after a slightly late arrival from Bristol. The three freshly painted 87s, 87006, 87003 and 87034, can be seen in the exchange sidings having just been deposited there by the shunting locomotive also in shot.
	The booked time for the departure of 0Z90 was 12.15, but after the delay in bringing the 87s to the exchange sidings it was some 15 minutes after this time that 66723 moved towards the branch to Honeybourne. The sun had just come out of a bank of cloud as the train started its journey to Crewe, after a morning much cloudier than had been forecast. The eventual destination of the trio is Bulgaria, as it was for the others of the class to leave here. As soon as I had taken this shot I went to Honeybourne with the intention of taking a shot from the station platform, framed by the roadbridge, but there light was quite poor so I didn't bother and headed straight off to another location as the sky looked much clearer towards the North-West.
	Lower Moor, between Evesham and Pershore, is really just about the only location that is both relatively quick and easy to get to when chasing a train and is guaranteed to be free of shadows in the early afternoon in December. I arrived there to find about 6 cards already in situ and with, I guessed, about 10 minutes to wait before 66723 with 87006, 87003 & 87034 came into view. My guess was about right and the colourful ensemble soon came into sight. I don't normally go for a very wide shot such as this, but have been waiting for quite some time for a short train in perfect light to run along here at the right time of day so as to show the attractive Vale of Evesham scenery off to its best advantage.
	Some 10 days ago, a train of JUA iron ore tipplers and a couple of TEA tanks were moved from Cardiff Tidal Sidings to Gloucester with the intention of onward movement to Long Marston. The final leg of the journey happened on Monday 15 December with Advenza Freight's 47375 being allocated to the train, 6Z06, the 11.15 from Gloucester. Here is the unusual looking consist on the approaches to Evesham station and here is a closer view of one of the TEAs and a JUA. The latter were formerly used on the trains coveying imported iron ore from Port Talbot to Llanwern, in happier times when South Wales still had a thriving metals industry. The light didn't get better than dreadful all day, which I why I chose locations where the train would be moving very slowly so that a reasonable record of the interesting consist would be possible without using sky-high ISO settings on my camera.
	There was plenty of time for a leisurely drive from Evesham to Long Marston via some pleasant villages to see 6Z06 arriving. I can't imagine that any iron ore tipplers of this type have previously been along this stretch of line, although an earlier incarnation of them certainly would have been seen here in the days when thousands of tons of ore was sent from the quarries around Banbury to South Wales. Some of these ran via the SMJ using the Old Town curve in Stratford, but others did run via the GWR line throughout. The JUAs in today's run have clearly been standing outside for some time judging by the quantity of water, weeds and general rubbish in them, as illustrated here . When the train stopped prior to entering the Long Marston site, the water in this wagon gave the impression of a mini-tsunami as it surged to and fro. Tacked onto the end of the train was this KIA, apparently from a set of the type used on Cardiff Rod Mill to Ripple Lane traffic.
	In the few minutes that I was waiting for 47375 to arrive at Long Marston there were several hoots from the shed area of the sight and I assumed that these were from one of the shunting locomotives moving some stock around. There was a 5Z50 16.00 Long Marston to Gloucester booked, although the departure time seemed a little late, given that movements do not usually happen here in the dark. In the event. 47375 was uncoupled from 6Z06, ran a short way around the curve in the background and soon reappeared with 4 Virgin-liveried Mk3 coaches. Within a couple of minutes, the train ran the length of the exchange sidings and, at 14.29, moved onto the branch towards Honeybourne. The light had deteriorated even further so I didn't bother going any further to have another shot after taking this one as it pulled away.
	A little snow fell during the early hours of Monday 5 January 2009 which coincided with the running of a 6Z47 from Wembley to Long Marston. The object of the exercise was to return the 6 KWA ferrywagons that had been taken out before Christmas to act as a backup for extra mail services, although to what use 60mph vehicles would be put on the WCML was never established. Here is 66731 arriving at Long Marston about 30 minutes late at 09.44. In a way it was a pity that the sun didn't come out of some fast-moving cloud, but the line would have been quite heavily shadowed by the adjacent bushes at this time of day. I have not before photographed here with snow lying on the ground; the nearest was a couple of years ago when 47714 + 47200 arrived in a short-lived blizzard.
	Some of the messages about this working on 9 January 2009 suggested that 47746 with some brake force vehicles was to leave Long Marston. Nothing of the sort happened and once the driver of 66731 had returned to his locomotive from the control tower OZ48 left the site in a nice patch of sun, which complemented the small amount of snow remaining on the ground. While gazing around, I noticed that what look remarkably like overhead electrification masts have been erected. Also visible is one of the rakes of PNA wagosn recently sent for storage by Network Rail.
	Network Rail has been sending a lot of PNA wagons to Long Marston for storage in recent weeks. The fourth rake was sent there on 6 January 2009, the train running as 6V17 from Bescot and hauled by 66177. It is here seen at Lower Moor foot crossing running right on time, having left Norton Junction as soon as the preceding HST had left the single line section at Evesham. The train was reported as leaving Bescot around 60 minutes late, but this is quite normal as 6V17 is booked to sit in Worcester Yard for nearly an hour and, as long as paths are available between Bescot and Worcester I'm sure the driver would prefer to stay in a warm office at Bescot rather than hang around at Worcester. This isn't my favourite view for this train but spots clear of shadows are few and far between in the winter and I wanted a stretch of track where the full length of the train, 43 vehicles, would be clearly in view. Use this hyperlink for a closer view of PNA 3643 as it passed by.
	A move of Mk2 stock from Oxley to Long Marston was arranged for Friday 16 January 2009. One can never be sure if these trains will run as planned and in any case I was ambivalent about the working as it was due to convey just two vehicles. However, it seemed churlish not to take advantage of the information and updates so kindly provided so I went over to Long Marston to se what was what. Here is Advenza's 47375 approaching the gate with the FGW liveried coaches, running as 5Z60. The sun at this time of day, 13.40, is pretty much straight into the lens and with it being so low makes the obtaining of a decent image virtually impossible. Fortunately, there was plenty of cloud around and a good-sized patch obscured the sun at just the right moment.
	When I drove past the yard at Long Marston on the way to the bridge, I saw two Virgin liveried coaches on the curve just beyond the exchange sidings and assumed that these would form 5Z61, the 16.00 departure to Doncaster Wabtec. I thought it most unlikely that the train would wait until 4pm and as soon as I could see that 47375 was coupled to the stock I made my way around the corner to the foot crossing near Broad Marston. There wasn't long to wait before a heard the locomotive's horn and it soon appeared coming around the curve towards me at 14.18. The train came to a stand just before the crossing to ensure the safety of any pedestrians and then moved away towards Honeybourne and Evesham. For another view of 5Z61 with the stock better visible, click on this hyperlink. The train arrived at Evesham some 28 minutes early and departed from there at the booked time, 16.28.
	One of the class 86 locomotives taken to Long Marston some time ago has been refurbished and modified for use on the Hungarian rail network. The former 86248 was taken from Long Marston to Crewe for live testing on 3 February 2009 as 0Z90 with haulage provided by 66725. The colourful ensemble is here seen leaving the site about 30 minutes early at 12.44 in a luck patch of bright sun, but sadly, not in the snow that I hoped would still be lying around in some quantity following heavy falls during the previous day. Use the following hyperlink for a closer look at the class 86 as it was taken on the branch to Honeybourne.
	I really hadn't intended to go to Lower Moor for a second shot of 66725 with 86248 on their way to Crewe but the train was running early and the location I had in mind involved invloved a walk of around 3/4 mile. The last thing I wanted to see was the train passing by before I was in place so went for the more secure option. As it happened, 0Z90 left Evesham just 4 minutes early and I would have had plenty of time for the walk, but I don't think that the extraordinarily lucky spotlight of sun would have happened a couple of miles to the east.
	A train of Freightliner's FRA flats was due to be moved for storage from Crewe to Long Marston on 4 February 2009. This was a move taken on by Advenza Freight and one of their locomotives, 47810, was rostered for the job. I knew that it was running a little early before Worcester and thought that this might continue, as long as the FGW passenger were on time. As I was running a little late I chose to go to the nearest location to my home and ended up at Evesham. Unfortunately, the road leading to the bridge I had in mind was closed to traffic and I had to park and walk the few hundred yards around the corner, and only a few seconds after my arrival, 6Z17 appeared in the distance. It came slowly past the signabox in some quite pleasant half-strength sun and rolled to a halt in the station. A train of flats isn't the most photogenic load, but it does give the chance to see the signalbox, which is likely to be closed and demolished when the partial double-tracking work takes place on this line.
	47810 and 6Z17 were booked to sit in Evesham station for a few minutes to allow a down passenger service from London Paddington to clear the single track. This gave me a few minutes to walk to the other side of the station and take a shot or two from the roadbridge there. Some of the trees have been cleared from here but the sun is still low enough for shadows to be a slight problem. On the right of the train the new ramp for use by disabled passengers can be seen, this having been opened since my last visit here. The class 180 Adelante, 180104, has just arrived and this allowed the crew of 47810 to go the broom cupboard on the platform, extract a token for the section of single line which in turn allows the signalman to clear the up starter. The train departed within a few seconds to Long Marston where the flats were deposited, 47810 returning to Gloucester light engine.
	Three trains of stock for storage ran from Bescot to Long Marston during the week commencing 15 February 2009. The first two were composed entirely of covered steel wagons but I saw neither because the light was so poor during the week that it would have been a waste of petrol to have gone out. The final train of the week ran on Friday 20 February and I intended, as the light was good, to photograph it somewhere along the line from Norton Junction to Evesham. Unfortunately, a commitment in the late morning meant that I would have missed it so went straight to Long Marston to photograph it there. The sun, of course, failed to co-operate by going behind a cloud and the shot of 66189 with 6V17 was slightly too heavily backlit for a decent image to be obtained. This photograph shows the return working, 6M17, shortly before departure in the somewhat congested-looking exchange sidings where examples of many withdrawn locomotives can be seen. The stock of 6M17 can be seen by using this hyperlink. The stock that formed 6V17 is the rake of bogie tanks and covered steel wagons in road No.1, to the left of 6M17.
	The sky to the south-west looked as if it might clear so I drove over to Honeybourne in the hope of getting a sunny shot of 6M17 with its nicely mixed load en-route to Bescot. Sure enough, the sun came out of a bank of cloud at just the right time a few minutes after the train arrived on the East Loop. There were both up and down passenger trains due within the next 40 minutes meaning that no path to Evesham and Worcester would be available for the thick end of an hour so I didn't wait around in the chilly wind but went home, just as the sun was obscured once again.
	Another set of KIA covered steel carrying wagons was taken for storage from Bescot to Long Marston on Tuesday 24 February 2009. Despite my comments last week about not bothering with these trains in poor light, I decided to go out for 6V17 because I hadn't photographed a train of this type in the area. With the demolition of Evesham signalbox scheduled for the near future when parts of the Cotswold Line receive double track, and the fact that Long Marston is reaching full capacity as a result of the recession I thought that I might at well have a shot while it still is possible. Although I have taken far too many pictures in this location I still want my shots to have an identifiable background rather than on a piece of bland countryside with nothing to identify its whereabouts. Here then is 66145 running about 10 minutes early about to enter Evesham station and here is another from the roadbridge at the other end of the station taken while the train was waiting for 180104 to leave the single track from Moreton-in-Marsh with a service from London Paddington.
	A very short train of two TEA tank wagons left Long Marston for Derby on 25 February 2009. I wasn't intending to photograph this move but decided that it might be worth having a shot of 6Z89 headed by 66715 in the newly cleared cutting on the approaches to Evesham station in case nothing else runs this way for a while. The 2 tanks were labelled "Barrier Wagon" so I presume that this is use to which they will be put if they go back into service. The light was dreadful when the train arrived but I started to walk around to the road bridge at the other end of Evesham station for another shot as the train pulled out of the platform. Unfortunately though, before I had gone very far the token had been exchanged and 6Z89 pulled out and off towards Worcester, some 15 minutes early.
	The relocation of three withdrawn class 37s from Barrow Hill to Long Marston took place on Friday 19 March 2009 with 20901 + 20905 providing the power. I was a bit ambivalent about photographing this move because it wasn't the sort of thing I am particularly bothered about, but the combination of perfect light and the recollection that I didn't have a shot of any class 20s at Evesham spurred me into action. It is quite likely that a repeat here won't be possible bearing in mind the imminent demise of the signalbox and associated semaphores, hence yet another trip to this well-used location. It's also a good spot to get a clear view of the consist of the train, which comprised 37412 , 37672 and de-branded 37029 with 4 PFA flats to provide brake force. The rather colourless ensemble, 6Z37, is here seen passing the lower quadrant inner home signal at Evesham running in the region of one hour late after losing some time both north and south of Birmingham and consequently missing its path onto the single track Cotswold Line. There was just time for a brisk walk and short jog around the corner to the other end of Evesham station for another shot as 6Z37 pulled away with a good dose of whistle and English Electric exhaust noise.
	I was sitting at home at around 17.00 on Friday 10 April 2009 when my telephone rang and a friend who had been walking his dog near the new Trinity Mead housing estate on the south side of Stratford-upon-Avon told me that there was an Alleley's low-loader with an class 87 on board sitting, failed, on the estate's peripheral road. As it was Good Friday there was very little traffic and I arrived within a few minutes to see 87031 on the trailer with a crew working on the tractor unit of the rig. The light was dreadful and it was raining but a rarity such as this cried out to be photographed. I was later told that 87031 had been stored at Tyseley but was en-route to Long Marston. Once the tractor unit had been repaired it certainly headed in the direction of Long Marston. Here is another view of the locomotive just before it moved away.
	After a fairly quiet time along the Long Marston branch, there was a bit of activity on Thursday 14 May 2009. COLAS Rail's 47727 ran light engine to Crewe to collect 86233 and after arrival at Long Marston was scheduled to pick up 87033, 87029, 87020 and 86250 all of which are destined for export following renovation work and repainting into their new liveries. While waiting for 0Z86 to arrive I took this shot of the well-packed yard including 37029 sitting in front of 20901 + 20905 together with the electric locomotives ready for transport. The weather was dreadful with low cloud and mist lying in the valley in which the former MOD facility is located, but my home is only about a 10 minute drive away so it wasn't too far to come for a few photographs.
	I had seen reports of early running of 47727 and 86233, and it wasn't long before the colourful duo appeared in the distance and rolled slowly towards the roadbridge before stopping outside the gate, which was just being opened. There is a very good crop of hawthorn blossom this Spring, plenty of which is visible in this view of 86233 as it waits to be hauled into its new home.
	The booked departure time of 0Z87 from Long Marston to Worcester was 15.40 but it was some 70 minutes before that when 47727 left the exchange sidings and headed towards Honeybourne, where it had to sit awaiting a path to Evesham and Worcester until the booked time. Immediately behind 47727 was 87033 with its 2 classmates with the Floyd liveried 86250 bringing up the rear. The train was going only as far as Worcester on this occasion with onward movement to Crewe where electrical testing will take place being due another day.
	There is an open weekend at Long Marston on 6 & 7 June 2009 and in connecton with this a train of locomotives ran from Eastleigh on Thursday 4 June. This was led by the very smart 47580 from Tyseley and conveyed 73006, 50026 and 50135, formerly 50035. The latter has, somewhat bizzarely, been repainted into Loadhaul livery as worn in the early days of privatisation by classes 37, 56 and 60 despite the fact that class members, in their latter years at least, didn't do a lot of freight work other than working some infrastructure trains in the South West. It is fair to say though that the locomotive is privately owned and that the owner has an absolute right to paint his machine however he chooses and I must say that the finish on 50135 is of an extremely high standard. The train, 0V47, is here seen shortly after leaving Norton Junction while heading to Worcester to run-round before heading west along the Cotswold Line towards Long Marston. I was keen to get a shot of 50135 for the record and those taken today are quite likely to be my only pictures of it as I don't really care for open days or preserved lines where its appearances will be made.
	As soon as the 15.11 Hereford to Paddington HST has cleared Norton Junction, 0V47 with 47580 leading was released from Worcester Yard. Following the run round, Loadhaul liveried 50135 was immediately behind the 47 with 73006 bringing up the rear. Norton Junction's up distant signal can be seen just in front of 47580 and is showing a yellow aspect meaning that 0V47 will have to wait at the home signal until the preceding HST has reached Evesham station on the single tracked Cotswold Line. It is a hangover from GWR days that the Cotswold Line was the primary route which meant that the distant signal would be "off" for train using that line rather than going to the Midland Line via Abbotswood Junction.
	As 0V47 had to wait at Norton Junction for something like 10 minutes, I should have had plenty of time for a fast drive to Long Marston to record the colourful ensemble's arrival. Unfortunately, I had put my prescription sunglasses, required for driving, somewhere safe while standing on the bridge at Norton Junction. It took me quite a while to find them and therefore arrived at Long Marston slightly too late to get the picture I wanted. The train was just moving into the exchange sidings as I reached the bridge to the unmistakeable sound of a class 50 ticking over. I think that 50026 and 50135 may be the first of the class to have travelled over the branch from Honeybourne to Long Marston although it is just possible that one may have reached here on an MOD trip. As I was driving towards Long Marston village the sun was highlighting 0V47 standing in the yard as would have been rude not to have stopped and take a quick shot of 47580 + 50135 over the hedge, even though the view was far from clear.
	A train of six DVTs was moved from Wembley to Bescot during the second week of June 2009 and then, on 15 June, onward to Long Marston. The weather was dull in the extreme and I decided not to bother with it as I already had pictures of such moves in the area. In the early afternoon an email appeared on my BlackBerry suggesting that 6V17 was stuck at Evesham because of a problem with one of the DVTs. I eventually decided to go to Evesham and see what was going on and hopefully get a picture of the train in the infrequently used up sidings, adjacent to the signal box. Unfortunately, due to my inertia, the problem involving a hot axle box on the rear DVT had been solved and as I arrived the train was already in the station and moving away. This then, is the best I could do but as the lower quadrant signals are due for removal over the next few weeks was happy enough to get a picture of the starter in the "off" position.
	The first visit to Long Marston of Advenza Freight's newly acquired 66841 took place on 29 June 2009 when it was booked to take 20901 + 20905, 56021 and 31423 along with some KXA and other flats to Derby, where the 66 was due to be detached with the class 20s taking the train forward to Stockton. There appeared to be some problem with the train, possibly obtaining a satisfactory brake, and 66841 was detached from the consist and left the site light engine towards Honeybourne. I went home at this point but on arrival I checked my BlackBerry for updates to found out that the problem had been solved and that 66841 was on its way back. Inertia took over and I decided to stay put rather than go out again.
	The once regular Bescot to Long Marston trains have been a little thin on the ground recently but on 1 July 2009 6V17, the 10.16 from Bescot did run, conveying a very nice rake of open box wagons which, judging by the flotsam remaining in them, once conveyed scrap metal. The train, headed by 37670, is here seen approaching Evesham station where it stood for a few minutes to allow a down HST to come into the platform before heading south on the single track to Honeybourne Junction where it will turn off onto the Long Marston Branch. I was surprised to have been alone for this shot given that for most other moves, whatever the motive power, there has usually been one or two other photographers on site. The time of this picture was about 1pm on one of the hottest days of the year and the sun was simply too high in the sky for a satisfactory image.
	Here is another view of a well-weathered 37670 at Evesham with 6V17, the 10.16 Bescot to Long Marston as it passed the inner home signal. The scene here will change dramatically within a few weeks as the re-doubling of parts of the Cotswold Line progresses; and as the weeds on the track are swept away!. The signal box and associated semaphore signals will disappear, along with the other mechanical 'boxes along the route, with the exception of that at Norton Junction. The track will be doubled for about one mile from here towards Worcester. Modern electrical signalling will mean that there will be little disadvantage in retaining single track from that point to Norton Junction and will avoid the enormous expense involved in remodelling the junction. The return working to Bescot, 6M17, ran on 1 July 2009 altouugh it actually ran as class 4 and conveyed a single ex-Virgin Trains DVT. As the afternoon was far too hot for my taste I didn't stay out for this, despite early running, but went home and sat under a tree in my garden with a cooling drink...
	Several dates for Long Marston traffic have been allowed for during the preliminary work taking place for the Cotswold Line doubling. One of these dates was 11 August 2009 and 66728 ran light engine from Gloucester in order to pick up newly overhauled and painted 86701 and 86702. The GBRf locomotive is here seen just after arrival, 6 minutes early, at Long Marston while the Motorail Logistics staff were just arriving to open the gate. The two class 86s can just be glimpsed in the background in road 1 of the exchange sidings.
	The booked departure time for 0Z87 from Long Marston to Crewe was just after 15.30, but with an arrival time for the light engine of 13.20 I could see no way that an early departure would not happen, particularly as that part of the Cotswold Line from Oxford to Evesham was under a possession and just an infrequent shuttle formed of a class 165 was running between Evesham and Worcester. Sure enough, at 13.40, the headlights on 66728 were switched on and the train moved out of the yard and onto the branch to Honeybourne. After testing, the 86s are to be a small fleet made available for charter work and will look splendid on the newly refurbished but unbranded Mk3 set owned and operated by Virgin Trains.
	As soon as 66728 with 86701+86702 were on the branch towards Honeybourne from Long Marston, I headed straight to Evesham with the intention of getting a sunny shot as the train passed the semaphore signals on the east side of the station. I made it to the bridge with only a couple of minutes to spare, the train having taken very little time to negotiate the junction at Honeybourne. Use this link to a picture of the two smart 86s which are here seen just about to pass under the roadbridge adjacent to Evesham station.
	When I arrived at Evesham to take the photograph shown above a shuttle to Worcester was just leaving so I reckoned that 0Z87 would have to wait by the signalbox for at least 15 minutes before the passenger train reached the end of the single line at Norton Junction. Although I had intended to go home after taking my shot at Evesham, it seemed silly not to make the short journey to Lower Moor to complete my set of pictures from there of electric locomotives being dragged along. I had only about about a 10 minute wait before the bright headlight of 66728 came into view and the unusual-looking consist came by, 110.5 miles from Paddington according to the milepost just in front of the class 66.
	Despite that part of the North Cotswold Line between Evesham and Oxford being closed for preparatory work for next year's track doubling, certain dates were set aside for trains to Long Marston. Friday 14 August 2009 was one of those days and the 10.17 from Bescot to Long Marston, 6V17, ran on that day. The train, formed of at least three different types of flat wagons, is here seen as 66177 begins to accelerate away from a 10mph speed restriction which ended just beyond the footbridge in the background, the locomotive producing a column of exhaust smoke in the still air of Aldington cutting. The new track is clearly visible, having been laid and ballasted over the past couple of weeks; the existing track was too worn to have been of further use.
	Another three class 87s destined for export to Bulgaria were taken to Crewe from Long Marston on Wednesday 16 September 2009. Unusually, COLAS Rail sent one of its class 56s, 56311, to do the job, the locomotive having been stabled overnight in the centre siding at Worcester Shrub Hill station. Here is the ensemble complete with 86401 still in Network SouthEast livery making an early departure from Long Marston as 0Z57. The other electric locomotives are 87013, 87014 and 87004, the latter still in BR rail blue albeit with the Bulgarian numbering system applied. For a closer look at the rear two locomotives please click on this hyperlink. The class 86 is not for export but presumably will be taken to Crewe either for storage or refurbishment to main line standard.
	The light on 16 September was mostly very poor but with occasional and brief sunny spells. In the hope that one of the latter would coincide with 0Z57's departure from Honeybourne, I went home via this location just to the east of Evesham. A clear patch was approaching the sun as the barriers across the road in the background were being lowered but it arrived about two minutes too late and after 56311 and its load had passed. This is not really a typical North Cotswold Line location with the nearby scrapyard but I quite like to show the different viewpoints along the line, and in reality, I don't have much interest in photographing these workings once they have reached the busier lines north of Worcester. For another look at 87401 as the train receded towards Evesham, use this hyperlink.
	The three class 87s that were taken from Long Marston to Crewe on 16 September did not pass the tests carried out on them and were therefore returned for further work on 7 October 2009. They were tripped to Worcester the previous day and I was tempted to go for a photograph of them but decided instead to trust the weather forecast and wait for a decently lit picture when the second stage of the move took place. The locomotive used to move 87004, 87013 and 87014 was 47839 and the bightly coloured ensemble is here seen leaving Evesham station a few minutes late, having had to wait for First Great Western's 166213 to clear the single track from Moreton-in Marsh.
	I went home from Evesham via the back roads which took me past Long Marston and arrived with a few minutes to spare before 0Z57 arrived. Here is the train moving into the site where a recent arrival from the Harru Needle Railway Company is ready to move the three class 87s to the sheds where the remedial work will be carried prior to their export to Bulgaria. The class 57 was not due to leave for Honeybourne until much later, but did not hang about and wwent almost straight away; use the hyperlink for a photograph of it joining the branch and an earlier path to Worcester.
	For the second time in recent weeks a class 31 hauled SERCO train has visited Long Marston. The first I didn't see because the weather was so bad that even the short journey from my home would have been a waste of time, but this one, on 29 October 2009 ran in much better conditions. InterCity liveried 31454 was in charge of the transit move of an HST coach from the New Measurement Train along with two other vehicles acting as translators and barriers. The ensemble ran as 1Z06 from Derby and was due to arrive at Long Marston at 11.50. I should have quite liked a shot of the working around Evesham but didn't leave my Health Club's swimming pool until 11.10 so went straight to Long Marston from where I heard a squeaky horn as 1Z06 arrived at Honeybourne. There wasn't, therefore, long to wait until it came into view and slowly approached the end of the branch in just a little soft sunlight. As the train was a few minutes early, the gate wasn't open although the Motorail Logistics crew was on the way in their Harry Needle Railway Company locomotive, and here is another look at 31454 and the first coach. Use this hyperlink to have a closer look at the NMT vehicle.
	1Z06 hadn't been in the exchange sidings at Long Marston for more than a few minutes before 31454 was uncoupled from the stock and 01552 BH attached to the other end. Here is the unusual sight of a SERCO train being hauled by an industrial shunter. The journey was very short, probably no more than 50 yards, and the three yellow coaches were uncoupled once again and stabled alongside a rake of box wagons. I don't know the reason for this transit move but the return working has been scheduled for the afternoon of Friday 30 October, albeit a little too late for a photograph now that the clocks have gone back an hour; unless, as is sometimes the case, an earlier path is found. The crew from the class 31 left Long Marston and were driven off in a van by the same man that had operated the ground frame at Honeybourne to get the train onto the branch.
	A rake of Mk2 coaching stock has been trying to escape from Long Marston for a couple of weeks but for various reasons apparently revolving around school holidays and unavailable locomotives, it didn't happen until 9 November 2009. The motive power on the day changed from 47812 to 31190, the green liveried locomotive running light diesel from Washwood Heath to collect the coaches. An early departure from Long Marston took place but the train, 5Z47 to Barrow Hill, had to stand time on the former East Loop at Honeybourne until both an up and a down train had passed and cleared the single line between Moreton in Marsh and Evesham. Here, 31190 and the six coaches stand on the loop from Long Marston in quite dark and misty conditions, the Cotswold Hills being virtually obscured by the murk.
	As soon as the HST shown in the linked picture above had reached Evesham it was possible for a crew member from 31190 to insert the key in the ground frame at Honeybourne switch the points and call 5Z47 to come over the spur and onto the Cotswold Line spot on time at 13.25. The train was then to run via Evesham, Worcester, Droitwich Spa and the Lickey Incline to Birmingham and on to its destination at Barrow Hill. This shot will not be possible by this time next year when the Cotswold Line receives double track as trains from Long Marston will run on the tracks on the extreme left of this picture past the platforms at Honeybourne station and join the main line just south of the platforms.
	Just as I was arriving at Long Marston on 9 November 2009 I took a telephone call saying that the three class 87s that had returned to Long Marston on 8 October were about to leave by road. As there was some time before the railway action was due to take place I drove round to a road junction just beyond the main gate of the storage depot. Within a few minutes I saw the low-loaders on the internal road system and thought that a quick couple of shots would ensue before I went back to record 31190's departure by rail. Unfortunately, there must have been some sort of problem and when I received a text message saying the the train was about to leave I left the roadside and went straight to Honeybourne. After the train had gone I went for another look at the main gate and found 87013, 87004 and 87014 on their respective lorries but with no signs of a departure imminent. I therefore took just this quick shot before going home. I understand that the 87s were taken to Hull for export by sea to Bulgaria. My thanks to Jack Boskett for the call about the class 87 move.
	Thursday 26 November 2009 produced one of those trains which somehow almost manage to sneak under the radar and run without much publicity. Early in the morning, DRS 37s 37688 + 37229 ran light engine to Gloucester to collect a really nice set of TEA tanks and JNA box wagons which were apparently destined either for Kingsbury or Long Marston. It eventually transpired that by lunchtime the train, 6Z40, was in excess of 3 hours late and sitting in the yard at Worcester Shrub Hill. This was the clue to its destination so I decided to have a pop at it, largely because of the novelty of seeing DRS 37s on a decent length train rather than one or two nuclear flasks. I went to Evesham as this is one of the few spots that I knew would be free of heavy shadows if the sun came out and the locations I really had in mind for a long train were in cuttings. Here is 6Z40 approaching Evesham station where the token exchange takes place, before a rapid run to Honeybourne to get onto the Long Marston branch before the following FGW service met any delay.
	As Long Marston can be on my way home from Evesham, albeit by a slightly circuitous route, I went that way to see if another shot might be possible. A lot of slow traffic was encountered on one or two of the roads and as I went through Broad Marston I could see the train ahead of me on the branch. The road ahead was clear and I made it to the roadbridge adjacent to the site with, quite literally, 5 seconds to spare which may account for the slightly dodgy composition of this shot! If the sun hadn't been out a better result may have been obtained...The locomotives were booked to leave light engine as no load was due to be taken out.
	As I mentioned in the caption to the photograph above, 37688 + 37229 left Long Marston light engine after working 6Z40 on 26 November 2009. They didn't go far and were stabled in the former Stratford Branch platform at Honeybourne station awaiting a driver to retrieve them, the driver of 6Z40 being out of hours because of the train's late running. I haven't seen anything on this piece of track since about 1992 when the Bescot to Honeybourne Tip trips were running so this picture is currently a bit of a rarity. When the Cotswold Line is doubled in 2010 I believe that trains to and from Long Marston will use a relayed version of the line upon which the 37s are standing and will join the main line a little to the south of the station. The shadows on the front of 37688 might not be quite so in evidence earlier in the day; this shot was taken at about 12.30 when the sun was quite well round. I would guess that taking the picture at about 10.00 might have produced a better result.
	The first train to Long Marston to run in 2010 was booked for 2 February when a short set of 4 Mk3 coaches ran from Norwich. The arrival time at 5Z22's destination was 16.22 and with the sun, if there was any, not setting until 16.57 there was a chance of a shot somewhere on the Cotswold Line. Earlier in the day I had made my mind up that I wasn't going to bother until I was told that the coaches were in a livery that hadn't previously run over the line. When the rain stopped and a little brightness appeared at about 15.20 I thought it might be worth a go, so headed to just about the only location where the sun, if out, wouldn't be shining directly into the lens or be too low to reach the track in the many cuttings. The train left Evesham about 5 minutes late and is here seen behind 37194 having just passed under the Evesham bypass and catching the very last rays of light before a thick bank of heavy cloud just about turned the scene nocturnal. I'm no expert in such matters but the coaches look as if they may be unbranded Nat-Ex stock probably heading for storage.
	Five of the KIA steel carriers taken into Long Marston on 24 February 2009 were removed on 9 February 2010. The working involved CLOAS Rail's 47749 which ran light engine from Worcester arriving at Long Marston at about 11.45. The shot I had planned for the loaded return wasn't available so just went straight to Honeybourne to await the arrival of 6Z47 which happened just a few minutes early and just before a down HST was due. One of the crew from 47749 can be seen heading towards the ground frame ready to call Evesham box once the HST had cleared the section to obtain permission for his train to join the main line. The light never really went much above dreadful, but did pick up very slightly at one point so I took another shot of 6Z47 as it stood on the branch.
	First Great Western's passenger trains were running approximately to time on 9 February 2010 so 47749 was able to leave the Long Marston branch just about on time. It is here seen crossing over to the main line before heading off to Worcester where it would run round the stock and go to Llanwern. There were several Network Rail gangs in the Honeybourne area, one of which ws examining the trackwork in the former branch platforms at the station and were probably assessing the work to be done when the next phase of the redoubling and alterations to the layout takes place later in the year. A second was greasing and adjusting the points mechanisms of the ground frame as a Paddington to Hereford HST approached.
	A train of VTG JNA box wagons was taken from Long Marston to Peak Forest on Friday 12 March 2010 for use on the Dowlow to Ashburys circuit. The locomotive, 66201, ran light engine from Peterborough as 0V17, the headcode normally used for something from Bescot, arriving some time around 09.00. The booked departure time was 13.06 but when I arrived at Long Marston fresh from the swimming pool just before 11.00, the gates were locked and there was no sign of a train. After a run down to Honeybourne, I found 6M17 sitting on the branch awaiting a path to Evesham and Worcester. The heavy cloud parted just a little and allowed a weak sun to illuminate the scene for a few seconds before the murk closed in again and it started raining. It looked to me as if the former Stratford Branch sidings at Honeybourne have seen something run over them very recently; and indeed, the undergrowth on the line that used to run to the coaling stage appears to have been cut back a bit. That piece of track also looked quite shiny and I wonder what has been on it? I guess that it may have been some on-track plant as a locomotive move would probably have been reported. My thanks to Graham Lee for the correct identification of the train's consist.
	A rake of twenty TDA tanks was taken from Bescot to Long Marston on Monday 29 March 2010 with COLAS Rail's 47739 providing the power. Running as 6Z47 the train ran pretty much to time all the way, arriving just a few minutes late at its destination where it is here pictured approaching the road bridge adjacent to the entrance to the site and passing a field liberally sprinkled with various bird-scaring devices to protect the crop. The light had picked up quite a bit since earlier in the morning, although a shower of rain was just starting to fall as I pressed the shutter release and the hills in the background were nearly obscured by low cloud. Good though it is to see a class 47 on a decent length freight, I wonder why the tanks could not have been moved from DBS operated Bescot Yard on the usual 6V17, rather than by COLAS, which presumably increased the cost by having to have a path set up especially for the job?
	A third set of Fastline branded coal hoppers was moved from Chaddesden Yard, near Derby, on Thursday 8 April 2010. COLAS Rail's 66845, formerly DRS 66410, was used to move the stock, destined for storage, to Long Marston, their usual class 47s being occupied on a train of empty steel carriers from Washwood Heath to Boston. I was initially disappointed that one of the COLAS liveried 66s wasn't used as I am yet to photograph an example, but as these will hopefully be around for some time came to the conclusion that it was better to picture this locomotive in a transitional colour scheme which may not last for much longer. I hadn't seen any timings for 4Z47 but guessed that an arrival time of around 11.15 at Evesham wouldn't be far off the mark so after my daily visit to the swimming pool at my Health Club, went straight across there, only to find that my first choice of shot was no longer available, thanks to a very high and solid wooden fence having been erected. This meant that Briar Close, adjacent to the signal box was the next best bet and I arrived to find a couple of friends in attendance which at least meant that I hadn't missed the train. The new and not very attractive radio mast behind the box meant that a long lens shot was probably not the best idea so I took this shot incorporating the lower quadrant inner home signal.
	After arriving at Evesham, 4Z47 was to wait there for the best part of 30 minutes in order to cross a down train to Worcester. This meant that there would be no difficulty in finding another location on the other side of the town for another photograph; after all it would have been silly to waste the glorious light. Not many enthusiasts were about, my two friends being about it and they are just visible on the bridge in the background of this shot taken from a road bridge on the Evesham to Offenham road. No doubt everyone else was on the main Gloucester to Birmingham line waiting, along with many others, for a double-headed steam special to Preston. I had been tempted to have a go at this but the thought of the inevitable crowds on such a nice day put me off the idea. I should also have quite liked to have had a shot of 67003 on the Didcot to Ashchurch train but didn't really have time without missing my swim. The train as pictured here nearly caught me out as I was expecting a distant signal on the other side of the bridge to be set to green before it came, but it wasn't. Luckily, 4Z47 with 66845 was moving quite slowly, maybe because of a problem with the barrier crossing at Clayfield Lane, a short distance to the east of here.
	Long Marston can be on my way home from the Evesham area if I use the country roads via Honeybourne so I thought that I may as well drop in to get a final shot as 66845 arrived; after all it is in a new colour scheme for the branch... I didn't have too long to wait before before I heard a horn as it left Honeybourne and a few minutes later appeared in the distance. This is probably about the best lighting it is possible to achieve here as it is very unusual for anything to arrive here before the sun has moved quite a way round towards the south. I can never decided whether I prefer the shot taken here with a strong lens or something wider so I've included both. The gate into Long Marston was already open and little was time was wasted before the hoppers were running along the exchange sidings ready for storage in their new home. A train of JXA wagons was ready to leave at around 13.00, but some domestic matters precluded me from waiting for this train to leave.
	Long Marston saw another visit of COLAS' class 56s, 56311 + 56312, on Friday 16 April 2010. On the previous day they had run light engine from Washwood Heath to Crewe, collected a class 86 and then gone to Worcester Yard where the train was stabled overnight. The morning trip from Honeybourne to Long Marston was slightly delayed because a track inspection gang was scheduled to visit the line, and the single line rules mean that if anyone is on the branch the token must go with them to ensure that no train can access it. Everything was resolved in favour of the train, 0Z86, and here it is arriving some 20 minutes late. While waiting on the bridge this beautiful Alvis came from the direction of Long Marston village. There was a short delay in opening the gates into the yard after 0Z86 arrived which gave the chance for a single shot of the three locomotives in a very brief spell of sun. The cloud covering most of the sky was a bit of a disappointment after the clear blue skies in the area until about 10.30...
	The main interest on 16 April 2010 was 56311 + 56312 removing a rake of 20 TEA bogie tanks from Long Marston and taking them to Bescot. This train, 6Z56, was scheduled to leave at 13.10 and it was a few minutes before that time when the impressive looking ensemble pulled out of the exchange sidings and onto the branch. The light had picked up a little but the sky was still pretty much solid cloud but I suppose that it's good to have a record of such a relatively unusual working. After this shot I went straight off, as yet undecided where to go, but with a couple of bridges in mind where the sun, if it appeared, would be in the right place.
	In the event, and with a rapidly clearing sky becoming evident as I drove west, I decided upon this bridge on the outskirts of Evesham. The cutting sides were cleared last year when the first stage of the North Cotswold Line enhancement took place, and I have been waiting for a suitable train in the right conditions. There was quite a lot of fluffy white clouds blowing around in the strong easterly wind, but with 6Z56 being a few minutes late leaving Honeybourne the sun made it into a large clear patch at just the right time. I do wish that there some "real" freight along this line; maybe when the double track eventually arrives there will the opportunity for diversions to use it if the Oxford to Leamington Spa corridor is under possession.
	The week commencing 18 April 2010 saw two trains of redundant Fastline coal hoppers moved for storage from Chaddesden, near Derby, to Long Marston. The first, on Tuesday 20th, looked as if it might run through the area in which I was interested in cloud so I decided to wait until the following day for which the weather forecast was better. The train, 4Z47, hauled by COLAS Rail's 47739 arrived slightly early at Evesham and was also released a few minutes ahead of schedule which was lucky for me as a big patch of cloud, just visible in the background, was rapidly advancing on my position at Blackminster. I chose this spot deliberately knowing that the white blackthorn blossom would be in full flower thus giving the photograph a bit of identity.
	A long set of JNA wagons was due to be removed from Long Marston on Monday 24 May 2010. I didn't know if the light engine move from Peterborough via Birmingham and Worcester had taken place but went for a look. The scheduled departure time from Long Marston was 14.10 but experience suggested that something earlier would be likely so I arrived at about 12.30 to find 66724 sitting in the left-hand road and to see the local shunter heading off around the inner loop, presumably to collect the wagons. In the meantime, I took this photograph of 20197 looking a bit forlorn. I have no interest in this sort of thing but thought that one or two viewers might like a look. It wasn't long before the shunter appeared in the distance with the JNAs which were soon deposited in No. 2 road so that 66724 was able to run forward into the headshunt before going onto the train to be coupled. The yellow crane visible was recently used to assist with some track repairs on the site, something that I should like to have recorded but found out too late.
	At about 12.50 there was a flurry of activity with 'phone calls being made or received, the gates into the site being reopened and 66724's headlight being switched on. This suggested that Evesham signalbox had a path available and that the expected early departure would take place. Here then is 6E53 to Maltby, where the wagons will be used for a coal flow to Immingham, passing the Blackthorn blossom as the train heads onto the branch to Honeybourne.
	I had planned to photograph 66724 with 6E53 at a location between Honeybourne and Aldington but when I arrived there was a somewhat unsightly group of white caravans in a small yard adjacent to the line so I moved a bit further west to this footbridge. A friend had told me that the preceding down FGW train was on time at Evesham station and that 6E53 wouldn't have to wait for more than a minute or two at Honeybourne before getting a clear run to Norton Junction where it would pass the next up passenger train. He was, of course, quite correct and I had been in position for no more than five minutes when the train appeared under the bridges in the background just as some fluffy clouds began to appear which gave the sky some character.
	COLAS Rail's 47739 was booked to work a train of YXA and YFA "slinger" wagons from Doncaster to Long Marston on 16 June 2010. Not having seen a train for nearly three weeks due to being on holiday on Exmoor I felt that a shot or two was overdue. Here is 6Z47 shortly after leaving Evesham working slowly through Aldington Cutting and the accompanying elderflower blossom with the long rake of stock destined for storage. In retrospect, this was the wrong location for this train because about half of the wagons are out of view around the curve behind the footbridge, but not having any information on the length of the train meant that this had to do. For a look at some of the wagons further along the train click on this hyperlink.
	After 47739 had taken the wagons shown above into Long Marston it was scheduled to take a short set of 10 large KEA box wagons to Doncaster. Running as 6Z48 the train is here seen having just crossed over the Littleton Road in Blackminster where the barriers, operated from Evesham signalbox, seemed to protecting the road for a good five minutes. This is close to the site of the Littleton and Badsey station, the buildings of which were on the other side of the road. The sun is a bit too high around lunchtime for good photography at this time of the year but when the paths along the currently single track are mostly on either side of midday there isn't much that one can do about it. I kept out the sun for a while by visiting a couple of local farm shops and buying the last of this season's asparagus and the first of the gooseberries. How the brownie points build up...
	The morning of 13 July 2010 should have seen a 1Z15 09.00 Derby RTC to Long Marston working. In the event this transmogrified into nothing more exotic than a light engine run, presumably a road learner, involving Network Rail's 97301. I don't normally bother with light engine photographs as they can look a bit silly on the main line but thought that the first visit of the type to the branch from Honeybourne Junction wouldn't make too bad a shot standing outside the gates at Long Marston. As it happened, I needed to do a farm shop run and made the short diversion necessary to get this picture, taken just as the locomotive pulled away, having not gone into the site. The arrival was spot on time at 12.09, the bright colour scheme of the former 37100 standing out well in the very dull conditions. As usual for me, I waited until an example of a new livery or sub-class came conveniently close to home before going for a first shot - it usually happens sooner or later! With a bit of luck a loaded train involving one or two of the class 97s will turn up before too long. A less well preserved class 37, 37898 was parked nearby, waiting for its final journey to the scrapyard. I was later told by a local contact that 97301 later went into the Long Marston site and was stabled, probably to leave during the following day.
	The Stratford and Broadway Railway Society lease part of the Long Marston site and on Sunday 23 October 2005 held an open day. Sadly, and after a lot work by the members refurbishing coaching stock, the planned rides around the depot's circuit were not available following the failure of the diesel shunter diagrammed for the task. Visitors therefore had to be content with examing some of the locomotives and stock on view. My ignorance of matters industrial is comprehensive and I should be pleased to learn details of the stock shown in the next few photographs via the Contact link on my index page. This picture shows a Baguley-Drewry 0-4-0 diesel with an short assortment of vans.
	This is one of the former MOD locomotives on the site and may well be the same as that shown earlier ready to shunt a train brought in by 37235 in 1992.
	Former Network South East DMU set L231 is seen just catching a few rays of sun.
	I couldn't resist this shot showing part of the rake of JNAs brought in for storage a few days before the open day.
	This picture shows half of the JNAs being stored on the site. The overgrown state of the sidings is all too apparent but this may be remedied. A local newspaper has recently carried an advertisement for a landscape gardener to work here. He or she will have their work cut out!
	This is a general view of part of the site looking towards the main part of the depot.
	One of the items of rolling stock on the site ostensibly for restoration is this character-filled NCV.
	This diesel crane is one of the more colourful items I photographed on my wanderings around the site.
	Another of the industrial locomotives present is No. 3, Jack, presumably used in the past at a Ford works. This locomotive has since left the site.
	Another open day was held at Long Marston by the Stratford-on-Avon and Broadway Railway Society on Sunday 3 September 2006. For many, including me, the highlight was a ride around the former MOD railway system behind Harry Needle Railway Company's No. 29 0-6-0, which hauled 3 green liveried vehicles, including a refurbished MkI Restaurant Buffet car. The train is here seen on the 3rd trip of the day approaching the level crossing near the entrance to the site. The crew member was delivering a couple of road signs for use at the entrance in Station Road.
	Here is an ex-MOD Sentinel standing in a headshunt near to the main loco sheds. It is in front of a rake of former Tiphook box wagons, the true size of which are only really apparent when one is at track level near to them. They are huge!
	Another Sentinel, H021, this time in the attractive black colour scheme of Wabtec, is seen just outside the shed partly obscuring a Harry Needle 0-6-0 shunter.
	This locomotive, Barclay 0-4-0 DM "Mulberry" 70047 has a lot of history. It is a WD 150HP shunter built by Andrew Barclay of Kilmarnock in 1942. It worked in France during 1944 during the Normandy campaign and went to 102 Transportation Stores Depot in Bayeux. Her wartime role was later recognised when she was named Mulberry after the floating harbour used to supply the Allied forces. She was returned to the UK in 1946 but went to the Middle East in 1952 where she served for 3 years. After working at various MOD sites she was stored unserviceable in 1991 before being returned to operational condition in 1993 at the Foxfield Railway. She arrived at Long Marston on 6 August 1996. I am indebted to the comprehensive stock list sold by the SBRS for this information.
	Here is a Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST named "Met". She was built in 1909 and worked at the Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Company at Acton and was transferred to Bow Generating Station where she worked between 1948 and 1950. Met was donated to the Industrial Steam Locomotive Preservation Group in 1967 and moved to K&ESR in 1968. She arrived here in November 2005 and is currently awaiting restoration.
	This MkI SK really stood out in the September sunshine. It is a Metro Cammell Second Corridor of 1957 vintage, numbered 25231. It was acquired for spares, but following the plating over of its windows has been used as a stores vehicle.
	There are now many stored former main line locomotives at Long Marston. Because the Open Day involved the running lines being used by a passenger train, it was, quite understandably, not possible to wander around the site at will to photograph these. However, DRS liveried 20902 was just about in a photographable position between rakes of ICI tankers and cartics and it would have been unreasonable not to have taken a shot given the late summer sun being in a co-operative mood.
	The third open day of recent years was held at Long Marston on Saturday 9 June 2007. This time, it was a joint venture between the   Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway Society and Motorail Logistics , the driving force behind rail operations at the site. One of the highlights of the day was the chance of rides around the inner circuit in the MOD's class 117 DMU, here seen leaving the newly constructed platform on the north side of the site. The unit has recently been used for wheel flange lubrication trials and demonstrations at Long Marston which I was priviliged to witness the previous day. The front coach still contained the equipment and video screens so was not available for passenger accomodation during the open day. Some of the video monitoring equipment can be seen on this coach - there were bogie mounted cameras enabling one to see the lubrication process in operation via a video link to screens aboard the train.
	Motorail Logistics played a big part in the open day by posing many of the locomotives resident on the site for inspection and photography. Just about the most colourful was the AC Traction Group's 86401, Northampton Town, which had been placed close to the North Gate entrance to the site. Here it sits in some nice late morning sun partially hiding the Cotswold Line Promotion Group's stand, complete with Ford Anglia van. There were many stalls of local railway interest and I hope they all did well from the many visitors to the event.
	A multi-coloured line up of stored class 86s was also on display, this time in the main yard. Here is 86251 heading the line of Virgin, Anglia and Intercity liveried examples of the class. These locomotives had been shunted into position over the 2 or 3 days prior to the open day, and proved to be a great attraction to visitors.
	I was mildly surprised to see that the nameplates on 86228 were still in place, as those from other named locomotives had been removed. Here is Vulcan Heritage in the middle of the line-up glowing in the morning sun. The sun would have gone from this angle by lunchtime so the morning was the best time for pictures on this side of the site.
	Another locomotive with her nameplates still attached is 47701, here seen in the company of 86226 and 20902. I had forgotten that this class 47 was in Long Marston so was pleased to get a photograph of her as I didn't see the arrival - I think she came in by road rather than in the consist of a rail stock move.
	Two of the former FGW Motorail vans were on display loaded with cars borrowed from Jet Logistics, another large company leasing part of the Long Marston site. The cars were loaded into the vans at the purpose-built ramp in Long Marston left over from MOD days. It will be recalled that these vans were briefly used by FM Rail before their demise and maybe these trains will be resurrected in the not too distant future.
	One of the more unlikely residents of Long Marston is 73138, which was giving cab rides along part of the internal system. In between runs she is here seen parked in the company of an industrial 0-6-0 locomotive named "Emma". In the background can be seen the well-known railway video photographer Stephen M.A.Phillips, a regular visitor to the area for the various stock moves.
	I was keen to obtain more shots of the DMU and positioned myself in such a spot as to see her passing some of the other stock. The class 117 wasn't able to make complete circuits of the inner loop because 86401 had been parked adjacent to the road crossing on the same line. This was to ensure the safety of visitors by not having train movements across the road, which was available to pedestrians to reach the main yard and the part of the site occupied by the SBRS. Instead, the passenger trains ran to the coaling stage in the yard and reversed there, going back to the new platform.
	I do find it more satisfying to photograph moving subjects rather than static exhibits and can think of few things more tedious than viewing endless images of dead locomotives snapped from ground level. Here then is another shot of the class 117 DMU, this time approaching the end of her journey and passing 73138 and Emma. The light had turned a little hazy by this time, just what one would expect on such a warm and humid day. I think that the green livery with a "speed whisker" was one of the finest carried by DMUs and it good to see that this example, which came from Minehead earlier in the year, carries this colour scheme. It was great to ride on the train and to have to open the window to get at the external door handle in order to alight from it. No such small pleasures on the overly safety conscious modern railway...
	This line of shunters had been placed in a perfect position for photography alongside one of the internal roads by the main yard. In second position amongst the Sentinels is 12082, the locomotive now used for most internal operations now that HNRC No. 29 has gone to Flixborough. The little lad in the picture seemed to be transfixed by this locomotive, even to the extent of pausing his consumption of the ice-cream from the nearby Henley Ice Cream Company van!
	Some serious railway business was going on during the open day, with members of the TA assisting MRL's own crew with an engine change in one of the resident Sentinels. This ex-Wabtec 0-4-0 was about to reverse into the shed to bring an MOD loco out into the open. I found the whole process fascinating and was sorry not to have had the time to stay longer and see the work completed. Unfortunately, domestic duties called and I had to leave not long after mid-day.
	Here is the Sentinel, named "Suzie" in small letters, about to be coupled to the MOD locomotive. There are extensive workshops here, some with full-length inspection pits, so virtually any work necessary canb be carried out on site. Since the recent operations began here, I have developed quite a taste for industrial diesels particularly liking the exhaust note of many locomotives when being worked hard on a heavy load.
	The 0-8-0 MOD Sentinel No. 610 was soon dragged out of the shed. I hope to have more details of the operation carried out soon and will update the captiions then.