With the promise of two railtours and a sunny Saturday, I headed to Sandy in Bedfordshire to catch sight of them on the ECML. It turned out to be a cold, grey and breezy morning, but the railtours did not disappoint - first, 6233 "Duchess of Sutherland" appeared with "The London Explorer", closely followed by the two ETL Class 86/7 electric locos, 86702 and 86701 top'n'tailed on a railtour from Newcastle Central to London. It also gave the opportunity of a first sighting of a Grand Central Trains Class 180 set, although what the service was no-one seemed to know!

Another photo opportunity at Bruxelles Midi as we awaited the change of trains from ICE to Eurostar - as usual, extremely busy, but this time with the added attraction of some sunshine!

A collection of photos taken during our holiday to Germany and Poland - our itinerary took us to Cologne, Berlin, Wroclaw, Krakow, Warsaw and back to Berlin. Highlights include a stop "in the middle of nowhere" in Poland awaiting an exchange of Polish locos, as one was not certified to run on German metals, and the impressive new structure of Berlin Hauptbahnhof (note, DB still rent offices elsewhere in the capital despite having ownership of an empty block at the main station)

The Poppy Line - The North Norfolk Railway - held its 2009 Steam Gala over three days, 4-6 September 2009. I understand Friday was wet, but I was able to enjoy a decent amount of sunshine and blue sky on the Saturday (and the good company of Graham Briggs and Gordon McCulloch), spent mostly around Weybourne but with a quick trip to Holt. Sunday morning was spent at Bridge 303 between Sheringham and Weybourne, in reasonably bright conditions without any of the sunshine of the day before. Despite some delays and changes to the timetable, another enjoyable event at this line, and one which appeared to be extremely well attended

A lifesize bronze statue of a Border Collie dog has been located on the southbound platform of Garsdale Station. This honours a dog called Ruswarp who was the inseparable companion of Graham Nuttall, one of the founding members of the group set up to save the Settle-Carlisle Railway from closure in the 1980s. On 20 January 1990, Graham went walking in the Welsh mountains and never returned. His body was found eleven weeks later on 7 April 1990. His faithful dog had remained with him throughout this time. The sculpture by Joel Walker is in honour of both the dog and Graham and was unveiled at the station on 11 April 2009

Sunday saw another railtour with the title "The Cumbrian Mountain Express" - this one ran from York to Carlisle and back over the Settle & Carlisle route both ways, hauled by 70013 "Oliver Cromwell". Sadly, the weather closed in just before the train climbed through Ribblehead, and by the time of the return journey, it was pouring with rain as the express raced through Garsdale - a disappointing day!

A Bank Holiday weekend break in Cumbria gave the opportunity to capture LMS 6201 "Princess Elizabeth" on The Cumbrian Mountain Express which ran from Crewe to Carlisle and back. A dull Saturday morning saw a small group congregate at Docker on the WCML as "Lizzie" climbed towards Shap - having trudged across Birkett Common in the afternoon in pouring rain, it was somewhat surprising that the clouds cleared and the sun came out just in time to greet the return trip over the Settle & Carlisle route

With the need to complete my annual leave by the end of August, I took one day out at Leamington Spa in order to catch sight of "Tangmere" and the Colas 47 - thanks to the big black cloud which arrived just as the former SR loco raced through, and also to the Wrexham & Shropshire trains which managed to pass each other in the station when they are timetabled 10 minutes apart. Finally, I joined a good number of fotters on Wilmcote Bank for Tangmere's return from Stratford-on-Avon

Having driven around Dorset on a dark grey August Saturday, I was fortunate to call in at Weymouth station just in time to see "The Weymouth Seaside Special" railtour prepare for its return leg to London Victoria, whilst a pair of Class 67s were top'n'tailing a FGW service to Bristol Temple Meads - there were also a couple of South West Trains Class 444 units bound for London Waterloo

A few days' break on the south coast allowed for a first visit to The Swanage Railway (The Purbeck Line), which runs for nearly six miles through the Dorset countryside from Norden Park & Ride to Swanage. On a hot sunny summer's day, the railway appeared to be doing a very brisk business with visitors enjoying the two steam-hauled services, headed by BR 4MT 80078 and LSWR 30053. Plenty of friendly volunteers working hard to keep things going, with one or two jobsworths thrown in!

A handful of photographs taken during a brief trip to Kent - featuring Eurostar Class 373 and Southeastern Class 375 Electrostar units

On a weekend visit to Liverpool, we passed briefly through Lime Street Station. Although there's not a lot of visible progress to the exterior, the interior of the trainshed and the concourse show good signs of improvement, and there's the addition of a pair of Tom Murphy statues to view

The LNWR signal box which controlled the level crossing gates and signals at Coundon Road, Coventry, closed on 23 May 2009 as part of the Coventry - Nuneaton line resignalling project. Partially boarded up, the box now bears a sign "Coundon Road Signal Box March 1876-May 2009"

The 2009 Open Weekend at Long Marston was held on 6th and 7th June, a very wet Saturday but slightly better weather on the Sunday. This year's event supported the "Help for Heroes" charity, and I hope the conditions did not adversely affect the finances too much. Thanks to all those involved in arranging the event

The Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway held their "25th Anniversary Cotswold Festival of Steam" over the three days of the Spring Bank Holiday and I travelled to Winchcombe on the first day. Unfortunately the forecast sunshine and blue skies did not hold for too long - just my luck! It would have been nice to see 5972 as "Olton Hall" and not something that I am unfamiliar with

"The Palatine" Railtour ran from London Victoria to Sheffield (originally planned as Manchester Piccadilly but rerouted due to gauging problems) hauled by BR Britannia Class 4-6-2 70013 "Oliver Cromwell" - it made a fine sight as it powered through Rearsby in Leicestershire

I have driven past the Coventry Railway Centre hundreds of times, and never visited until now. The location is home to a collection of preserved electrical multiple units belonging to the Suburban Electric Railway Association (SERA), plus some other railway vehicles owned by third parties. The vast majority of items are sheeted over for protection, so are not the best photographic subjects, but it still made for an interesting visit, and I am grateful to Dave Burbridge and the other volunteers on site for the warmth of their welcome. I hope to revisit when some of the units are uncovered during their restoration

As well as a number of visits to the remains of the Leamington-Rugby line, I have also taken a look at the first part of the Weedon branch, from Marton Junction towards Long Itchington

A collection of photos taken during a number of trips into Warwickshire to seek out the disused LNWR line between Leamington Spa and Rugby. A number of railway bridges exist in Leamington where the line ran alongside the GWR line ; Offchurch Viaduct took the line over the Grand Union Canal ; views exist from a wonderful steel bridge overlooking Marton Junction, where a branch line to Weedon diverged ; Birdingbury station is now a private residence and remains of the platforms still exist
[Photos of the Weedon branch towards Long Itchington are now in a separate collection]

A short visit to Lime Street Station on a visit to Liverpool, allowed time to compile a collection of photos showing six classes of unit - 142, 150, 156, 158, 185 and 350 - and I chose to ignore the 390!

On Mothering Sunday, Orient-Express Hotels/Northern Belle ran one of the Pullman lunch excursions, a round trip from Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe and return. With the stock in fine order, both inside and out, and the customers all decked out in their finery, it was a pity that DBS could not provide a couple of clean locomotives for the outing

This collection of photographs consolidates those taken between 22 Nov 2008 and 22 Mar 2009, showing the progress made in redeveloping the front aspect of Liverpool Lime Street station, including the demolition of the shops and Concourse House, to reveal that part of the train-shed which has been hidden from view for many years

A private charter trip from Kings Lynn and back via Nottingham and Melton Mowbray took place, headed, much to the delight of the many fotters out and about, by rebuilt LMS Royal Scot 46115 "Scots Guardsman" - I managed two sightings in somewhat hazy sunshine, firstly amongst the hoards at Cossington, then in a smaller group at Langham in Rutland

This collection of photographs features some of the large number of locomotives in the roads outside the Roundhouse - not all locos were accessible on this occasion and those that were were not always in a suitable position to be photographed
(note : all photographs in restricted areas were taken under supervision)

A trip up the M1 to Sheffield allowed me the opportunity for a diversion to Barrow Hill Depot. This collection shows the variety of motive power within the Roundhouse, where much attention was being paid to LNER A2 60532 "Blue Peter", being painted in BR Apple Green livery in readiness for the forthcoming Gala event

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Midland & Great Northern Railway, the North Norfolk Railway organised a steam gala with the title "That's yer lot", running over two weekends. My first-ever visit to "The Poppy Line" was for the first two days, during which I bumped into fellow fotter Roger Gurney, and then met up with Mike Snow and Brian Burrows [make sure to visit all three sites for their output]. Thanks must go to all officers, employees and volunteers of the NNR for their combined efforts in staging this gala

Homeward-bound from Cologne involved a change at Brussels from Thalys to Eurostar, and an hour was spent under dismally grey skies recording some of the action at the very busy Bruxelles-Midi station

A small collection of photos taken at the main stations of Zurich and Basel during the first part of our homeward journey, taking us from Chur to Cologne

We returned to the Rhaetian Railway, travelling from Chur to Davos and then on to Klosters, returning via Lanquart

We travelled from Chur to Poschiavo aboard "The Bernina Express" on the Rhätische Bahn (the Rhaetian Railway), returning via St Moritz

A mid-morning departure time allowed for an hour or so on Brig station, where a wide variety of traffic passed through - then it was aboard "The Glacier Express" for the journey across Switzerland to the town of Chur
Unfortunately, the panorama coach of the train did not lend itself to any photos, particularly with the bright sunshine and glare from the snow reflecting heavily on the windows

We travelled to Zermatt, and from there we took the Gornergratbahn rack railway to the summit of the Gornergrat Ridge at over 10,000ft above sea level (where the air is very, very thin indeed)

This is a collection of photos taken on a trip from Brig via Spiez to Interlaken, thence on the Berner Oberland Bahnen [BOB] to Wengen and onwards to Kleine Scheidegg on the Wengernalpbahn [WAB]

A morning trip on the Centovalli Railway from Domodossola to Locarno, thence to Andermatt which is a busy stop on the Matterhorn-Gotthardbahn Railway

A drab day saw our journey continue from Dijon in France to Brig in Switzerland - just a few uninspiring shots taken at the start and finish stations

On our way to Switzerland, we travelled by TGV from Gare de Lyon in Paris - before leaving the French capital, there was time for a small selection of photographs of this fine station and some of the traffic

Although the promised blue skies did not appear for the first day of the 2-day "Christmas Cracker" event at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, conditions were reasonably favourable for my short visit to Chicken Curve to catch sight of the five steam locomotives in action

On a bitterly cold December day, I spent an interesting couple of hours at the Quainton Road home of the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, where "Met 1" was providing steam rides - the excellent cafeteria was doing a roaring trade in hot meals and drinks for the families enjoying a post-Christmas trip out

. . . . Santa Specials and Christmas Market Rail Excursions all over the place. Good to see some blue skies and sunshine for the weekend :
Battlefield Line (Santa Special)
Great Central Railway (Santa Specials)
The Melton Mowbray Christmas Fayre

The forecast said sunny but cold - so I headed to Kings Sutton for the day. However, there the fog never lifted at all so I gave that up and returned north to Leamington Spa. Although the fog had lifted, the sun never appeared. At least they got cold right. P155 poor day, p155 poor photos

Whilst looking at the redevelopment work being carried out at Liverpool Lime Street, I became aware of the sound of a diesel locomotive emanating from within, and a quick look found a Thunderbird-Pendolino drag had just arrived from Crewe

In the Beeching cuts of 1966, the line from Rugby to Market Harborough, originally part of the LNWR line to Stamford, was closed. As this is fairly local, I have made a couple of visits searching out the remains of this line. Interestingly, it appears that the line from Rugby as far as Clifton Mills, including the loop return line, had been electrified in 1964 to allow electric locos to run from up-side to the down without conflicting with the mainline. I am very grateful to "rugd1022" and Paul Burroughs for allowing the addition of some B&W scans from the days before closure

Pathfinder Tours ran their "Industrious Trader" railtour from Reading to industrial locations around the West Midlands, hauled by a pair of EWS Class 37s. My first location was Canley, where the small group of fotters were bowled by a passing freight, then I met up with Steve Chaplin at Foleshill. A grey and overcast Saturday morning meant poor conditions for good photos

With a day's leave due and a forecast of sunny periods, I ventured over to Lea Marston, where I shared the dismay of fellow fotters at the lack of anticipated traffic. Then I made a return visit to Cathiron, to see just what, if any, views are now available following the changes to the track lay-out and the footbridge environs. As expected, not best pleased!

The "Big Name" Engine Show - a 3 day Gala at the Great Central Railway, commencing on the Friday with a restricted service featuring three locos - "Tornado", "Oliver Cromwell" and "Leander". Big crowds in attendance in mainly glorious sunshine and I spent part of the day in the excellent company of fellow fotter Roger Gurney. On Saturday "Lord Nelson" joined this trio and I was one of many who enjoyed the morning sunshine

A collection of photos taken on the French Rail Network during a week's family holiday to the Pyrenees and Biarritz

Built in 1924, Le Petit Train de La Rhune is a cog railway which climbs to La Rhune peak which at 905m high provides "an awe-inspiring vista over the Basque country looking out towards the Atlantic coast" (except on the day when we visited as the cloud had closed in!) It takes about 35 minutes to cover the 4km from the Col de Saint Ignace station to the summit

Le Petit Train Jaune (The Little Yellow Train) runs from Villefranche de Conflent through the Catalan Pyrenees to Mont Louis (opened 1910) and on to Latour de Carol (completed 1927) - surprisingly still operated by SNCF as a commercial railway, the line voltage is 850 dc from a 3rd rail. There are 19 tunnels and 2 major bridges along the 62.6km, and the highest station at Bolquere is at 1593m

I travelled to London Underground's Metropolitan Line to see the two heritage trains running between Harrow, Watford and Amersham - London Transport Museum's art deco classic tube train of 1938 and renovated electric loco "Sarah Siddons"

The disused Birkenhead Dock Branch runs from Rock Ferry to the site of the former Bidston Dock, and although largely overgrown, the 4+ mile stretch has been protected for possible future use. Here are some views of Canning Street North crossing and signal box, with double track still visible to the west

A Bank Holiday weekend spent on Merseyside, to take in football at Anfield, a Superlambanana hunt and The Mathew Street Festival - no time for railways, except for these few photographs taken around the area with a railway link

The movement of "Tornado" from Quorn & Woodhouse to Loughborough Central was slightly delayed as the 11.15 service train to Leicester North was running over 30 minutes late - I was able to capture a shot of this fine engine as it approached Quorn & Woodhouse

New-build A1 steam locomotive 60163 "Tornado", having left its Darlington home yesterday, arrived at Quorn & Woodhouse by road this morning in the safehands of Allely's, and at precisely 12 noon, local Class 10 shunter D4067 hauled the loco out onto the GCR metals for the short journey to the workshops at Loughborough Central

Another short visit to The Great Central Railway at Loughborough Central on a non-event day, where I was pleased to find a total of 14 locomotives (steam and diesel) on show, with work in progress on the latest visitor, Fairburn Tank 42085

Vintage Trains ran "The Bristol Explorer" railtour from Solihull to Bristol Temple Meads and return, hauled by GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 5029 "Nunney Castle" - a couple of shots here of the climb up Hatton Bank on the return journey, taken in the good company of local Claverdon News Photographer and fellow Tedium Mr Clive Hanley, who had just completed a leisurely flight back from The Great Central Railway

Opened in 1863 and running for more than a mile along the seafront at Brighton, The Volks Electric Railway claims to be the oldest existing electric railway in the world. It operates a number of cars which date from 1883 to 1930, and links The Palace Pier (now Brighton Pier) with Brighton Marina, with a midway stop in between [see the "Links" section to go to the fascinating Volks website, full of information and old photos]

I took a short break in Sussex, which is now served by Bombardier Class 377 Electrostar electric multiple units - there's a variety of locations in this collection but little variety in the trains, although they do appear to offer an attractive proposition for travellers brought up on the old slam-door units which the 377s have replaced

Between Newhaven and Seaford lies the disused station of Bishopstone Beach Halt, more commonly known as Tide Mills, the name of the village which it used to serve. The station closed in 1942 after the evacuation of the village, remains of which are a popular site for visitors [more details about this station can be found on the excellent "Disused Stations" website at http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/b/bishopstone_beach_halt/index.shtml]

On my way to Sussex for a short holiday, I decided to break the journey at Clandon Station in Surrey, in order to catch sight of some South West Trains' Class 455 third-rail units on the line to London Waterloo - and a few miles further on, I stopped at Gomshall Station which is on the First Great Western line between Reading and Gatwick Airport

A one-off photo of ex-Southern Region 4-6-0 850 "Lord Nelson" on The Great Central Railway - as usual, despite the long periods of morning sunshine, a dirty black cloud managed to cross in front of the sun just as the 11.15 from Loughborough Central headed through Woodthorpe

LMS Princess Class 4-6-2 6201 "Princess Elizabeth" was in main-line action for a move from The Severn Valley Railway to Carnforth, and I was in the company of a number of fellow photters at Blakedown to record the event

For the host of other photters and videographers in attendance, it was a dismally dark and damp evening at Danzey for GWR's 9466 on a run between Shirley and Stratford-upon-Avon on The North Warwickshire Line

With a trip to the K&WVR unfortunately cancelled, I made use of a Friday morning off work with a couple of hours on Leamington Spa station, during which time there were 5 freight trains, 2 Wrexham & Shropshire services (top 'n' tailed by 67s) and a Bubble Car on route-learing duties, in addition to the Chiltern Rail and Cross Country passenger services

A brief return visit to Quainton Road and the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, for the main purpose of catching a glimpse of a Deltic - in this case, D9009 "Alycidon", the star guest at the Napier Powerex 200 event, part of the 200 year celebrations of the Napier engineering organisation [note: there are a few car photos on my Heritage Cars site at http://motorcargallery.fotopic.net/c1533380.html]

A quick dash after work to Church Lawford, near Rugby, in an effort to photo the loco-hauled Virgin service between London Euston and Birmingham New Street, currently in the hands of 90021 in First ScotRail livery - not the best photo I've taken but a record shot until I can improve on it

In the 1970s, I was a fairly regular visitor to Tyseley Depot, enjoying the sights of "Clun Castle" and "Kolhapur" amongst others. There's quite a range of engines there now, as this collection of photos shows, and I was particularly pleased to be able to sneak a glance at 46229 "Duchess of Hamilton" in the works

Vintage Trains ran "The Lincoln Imp" railtour from Tyseley to Lincoln, hauled by GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 5029 "Nunney Castle", and I joined a high number of enthusiasts on Hinckley Station to capture the impressive sight of the steam-hauled train

Another enjoyable visit to Didcot for a walk around the Great Western Society site, from where former GWR King Class 6024 "King Edward I" was setting off for The Severn Valley Railway at Kidderminster and a royal visit from Charles and Camilla - apart from the array of steam locos, other highlights included a trio of Class 37s added to a Departmental Train and also a couple of Class 60s

The weather forecast suggested that the first day of the Bank Holiday weekend would be the best for visiting Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railways "Cotswold Festival of Steam 2008", where the main attraction would be the appearance of Southern Region 4-6-0 850 "Lord Nelson", so I headed for Winchcombe for the day

A drive through the Cotswolds was interrupted by a call at Toddington on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, where I was delighted to find that SR 850 "Lord Nelson" was in the car-park, having arrived the previous evening in readiness for The Cotswold Festival of Steam

Another sunny afternoon allowed for a visit to Whitnash in time for the return journey from Stratford-upon-Avon to London Victoria of The Cathedrals Express Railtour, hauled by LNER A4 60019 "Bittern"

This is a view which very soon will no longer be seen - no, not a cull of the Pendolino fleet, but the anticipated alterations to the footbridge at the popular trainspot at Cathiron, which are possibly less than a week away

A fleeting visit to Back Lane bridge over the Midland Main Line at Cossington - just a couple of EMT Meridians and one HST

An overdue visit to catch "Oliver Cromwell" which has recently returned to traffic - congratulations (and thanks) to everyone involved in the project - hot and sunny conditions prevailed as I made my way over to the Great Central Railway, with a bonus that "Sir Lamiel" was also in action

At last, a change in the weather - plenty of sunshine allowed for after-work visits on consecutive evenings to Cathiron, Berkswell and Leamington Spa - views include Class 90 passenger haulage and two more Wrexham & Shropshire Railway trains

A couple of snatched photos of the first revenue-earning day's operation of the Wrexham and Shropshire Railway. An early morning dash to Leamington Spa hoping for a photo in the sun of the inaugural 05.42 from Wrexham to London Marylebone didn't materialise, due to the late-running of the service, so I ended up with two not-particularly-good photos of the first northbound service (06.45 off Marylebone) as it passed through. Two sparkling-looking locos seem rather overkill for a three-carriage train, though!

Anticipating glorious late afternoon sunshine and blue skies, I set off for Cathiron in good spirits - however, these were soon to be dampened (not literally) by a build-up of clouds which only seemed to make their way across the sun when an interesting train was due - plenty of sun for those dreadful Pendolinos (as the 1st photo will show) but little for the freights and the mail

With bright blue skies the order of the early part of Saturday, I ventured over to Quorn & Woodhouse for the latest GCR Diesel Gala - the good weather was short-lived, however, with a disappointing increase in clouds as the morning progressed, ending with a downpour just before the lunchtime steam train was due. At least there was good company to enjoy in the person of local videographer John Martin

A day of sunshine and cloud for my visit to the LNER Festival at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway - the line-up included three A4s, "Sir Nigel Gresley", "Union of South Africa" and "Bittern", but sadly the V2 "Green Arrow" was withdrawn after the first weekend of the Festival with leaking flue tubes and it looks as it we may have seen the last of this engine in action

An afternoon visit to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, ahead of a full day at the line's LNER Festival 2008

Better weather than the forecast rain, but very drab and dreary conditions as I set out to see Rood Ashton Hall's "Adieu" railtour - because of the weather I limited it to a visit to Hatton, then to Wilmcote to catch sight of the Stobart Pullman heading for Stratford-upon-Avon

A busy Saturday saw The Railway Touring Co run "The Cheshireman" from Mill Hill to Chester, headed by EWS 67001 and BR 71000 "Duke of Gloucester", whilst "Les Ross's Daytripper" saw a mainline return for Electric Loco 86259, owned by and named after the well-known Midland Radio Presenter, running between Birmingham and Liverpool on a Vintage Trains Railtour which included Brush Type 4 47773

Wonderful conditions prevailed - again - for KWVR's February Steam Gala, which I was able to attend, as last year, for both days. A big thank you to all the Railway staff and volunteers who, despite a number of problems before and during the weekend, provided another great show. I met up briefly with well-known videographers Mike Snow [Steam on the Web] and Graham Briggs [Steaming through Britain] (with Gordon McCulloch assisting) - look out for their output - but fellow tedium Mr Clive Hanley was once more in absentia, photographing diesels - again!

The Great Central Railway held its first gala event of the year over the weekend of 26/27th January 2008, and I spent an enjoyable time at Quorn & Woodhouse as the busy timetable evolved. Most of the usual suspects were present on the Saturday, with the notable exception of Mr Clive Hanley, otherwise engaged in duties at The People's Republic of Claverdon (although I understand he was actually seen photting diesels at Tyseley!)

The Great Central Railway put on a Night Shoot at Loughborough on the evening before their Winter Gala 2008 - it proved a bit of a steep learning curve for this photographer who, for most of the time, was literally in the dark over what he was doing!

Another brief visit to Loughborough Central, home of the Great Central Railway, for a quick look round the Locoshed and to shoot the lunchtime dining train

Our Christmas holiday started and ended at St Pancras International, which gave an opportunity to see the recently-unveiled redevlopment inside William Henry Barlow's famous train shed, featuring the relocated Eurostar terminus and the statues of Sir John Betjeman and "The Meeting Place"

A small selection of photos taken during our stay in Austria over the Christmas holiday period, including a couple of German electric locos on international services

Our Christmas Day excursion took us on to the Zillertalbahn, the famous 760mm narrow gauge railway. Built at the start of the 20th century, the line stretches from Jenbach, on the River Inn, to Mayrhofen in the heart of the Zillertal. Nowadays it only carries passengers, but in the past it was also an important freight line. There is a mixture of steam and diesel locomotives, plus diesel units

A selection of photos taken at Munich Hbf during a break for a change of trains on our journey from St Pancras International to Austria for Christmas

A visit to Coventry Station, mainly to catch a glimpse of the Class 90 hauled Euston-Birmingham service - there were many late running trains, due to some signalling problems and also a fatality at Tring, but 90028 was on time. One interesting aspect - the late running 16.23 Cross Country service to Edinburgh was shown and announced as the service to Derby, and a check on the National Rail site suggests a journey to Edinburgh from Coventry at 16.23 is best served with two changes, at Birmingham and Carlisle, rather than use the direct train!

A fleeting visit to Leamington Spa Station on my way home from work, to have my first go at a night-shot - too cold to stay any longer than shoot the 17.11 LMS Voyager service to Edinburgh - brrrr!!!!

I took advantage of some December sunshine to visit the Great Central Railway, who were running their Christmas Santa Specials, and I also made a quick visit to the Loughborough Central Depot

A first visit to The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre was made in glorious Autumn sunshine to their Gala event, the highlight of which was to see "Met 1" (Metropolitan Railway E-class 0-4-4T No 1) which was withdrawn from the Bluebell 125 celebrations in August due to a hot axle-box. Despite the relative lack of variety of track activity, the centre at Quainton Road it is well worth a visit and support

The Moorsline held a three-day event and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend for all three days - unfortunately, the weather on the Friday and most of Saturday was pretty awful, although Sunday was much better, despite the odd cloud arriving at the most inopportune time. All the usual suspects in attendance, although I was pleased to have missed the meeting with Mr Blobby at Esk Valley Cottages!

The Battlefield Line held its Autumn Diesel Gala over 14-16 September 2007, and with blue skies and plenty of sunshine on the Saturday morning, I ventured over into Leicestershire to catch sight of some of the locomotives on duty (Note re 47640 - this loco was named "University of Strathclyde" later in the day at Shackerstone)

A long Bank Holiday weekend visit to North Yorkshire including some time spent at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, for the first time since a fleeting visit in 1980 - definitely a "must-return" venue

An overdue return for me to Cathiron resulted in the usual variety of traffic, apart from the endless stream of Virgin Pendolinos

The Bluebell Railway celebrated its 125th birthday with a weekend gala, and, in the company of fellow tedium-members Mike Snow ("Steam on the Web") and Mr Clive Hanley, I travelled to glorious Sussex for the Saturday of the event (where we met up with Graham Briggs and Gordon McCulloch) - unfortunately, problems with low water pressure meant that the scheduled timetable was severely disrupted, and the Metropolitan Railway No 1 was sadly absent - nevertheless, with some brilliant sunshine, it was a most enjoyable day in excellent company

A selection of photos taken during a visit to Kintbury Station - a rural station on the Berks and Hants line between Newbury and Hungerford, alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal

With a welcome forecast of long sunny periods, I ventured down to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway again, mainly to capture some shots of 4771 "Green Arrow" before it leaves this particular railway

Mainly sunny for the first day of the 2-day "Mail by Rail" Gala at the Great Central Railway, although some of the clouds' timings went slightly awry during the afternoon! - full marks to the GCR for a busy programme, despite an early hiccup when 4141 failed, but it was later restored to active service. The day was spent in the good company of fellow tedium-members Mike Snow and Mr Clive Hanley, during which we met up with many photographers and videographers of note

After all the recent rain, it was pleasing to have some blue sky and sunshine when I took a leisurely drive down to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for a non-event Sunday visit

After shooting the VSOE Special at South Moreton, I headed to Didcot for a first-ever visit to the Great Western Society's Railway Centre - because of mechanical problems, only one loco was in action but nevertheless it was a most enjoyable experience and one to be repeated before too long

Ex-Southern Region Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 35028 "Clan Line" hauled a VSOE Special from London Victoria to Oxford and I drove to South Moreton to see it - my early arrival and the train's slightly delayed running allowed some photographs of a variety of traction in addition to the steam railtour, although the uncomfortably heavy, humid and hazy atmosphere did not allow for the best results

For part of the Bank Holiday weekend, we visited Saltaire, and let the trains take the strain, using the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway from Haworth to Keighley and the West Yorkshire Metro line to Saltaire - for photos of Saltaire go to http://cliffjonesphotogallery.fotopic.net/c1296019.html

Vintage Trains ran a railtour from Solihull to Bristol hauled by double-headed GWR Hall Class 4-6-0 locos 4965 "Rood Ashton Hall" and 4953 "Pitchford Hall" - typically the sun went behind the clouds as they raced through Leamington Spa on the outward journey

A selection of photos taken during a visit to the Loughborough Central depot during the Great Central Railway Diesel Gala - a variety of steam locos to be seen in differing states of repair

Fine weather was the order of the day when I visited the Great Central Railway for their latest Diesel Gala - a well-supported event despite the late withdrawal of a couple of star attractions

A number of photos taken of Winchcombe Station on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, and also some views taken in the yard - all those involved in the construction and preservation of this station are to be heartily congratulated. The station at Monmouth Troy in South Wales, closed in 1964, was demolished brick by brick, transported and re-assembled to create Winchcombe Station

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway held a Diesel Gala on 30/31 March and 1 April 2007, and on the Sunday in particular it was blessed with good weather. The afternoon triple-headed Class 37 train became a double-header after 47105 failed to restart following a refuelling stop and 37219 took over its roster

A short visit, on a bitterly cold and grey March Saturday, to Quorn & Woodhouse on the Great Central Railway, who were holding a "1960s Experience" weekend

Vintage Trains ran a "King Circular" Railtour from Solihull and Dorridge to Didcot, with the return journey via Swindon, Gloucester and Worcester. Haulage was GWR King Class 4-6-0 6024 "King Edward I" - here's a couple of views of the train as it passed through Leamington Spa on its outward journey (apologies for poor quality)

The Severn Valley Railway held a Branch Line Gala over the weekend of the 10/11 March 2007, and I took the opportunity of a Day Rover ticket to enjoy the delights of the event - perhaps not the best idea for photos but enjoyable nevertheless, especially to see ex-SDJR 2-8-0 No 88 in its blue livery

Opened in 1850 as Tithebarn Street Station, and rebuilt and renamed in 1888, Liverpool's Exchange Station was the terminus for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. It closed in 1977, and demolished over the next few years, with the exception of the frontage, which has now been incorporated into Mercury Court, a modern office block. Few vestiges of the station now remain

Monochrome images from some of my photographs taken at the Steam Gala held by the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway over the weekend of 17/18 February 2007

A first visit to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway started inauspiciously on the Friday afternoon when the rain poured down, but thankfully there was a big improvement for the Gala weekend with plenty of good sunshine - much appreciation to Mike Snow for allowing me to join his gang on the Saturday and use his knowledge of the line and to Messrs Hanley and Burrows for their friendship and patience!

Photos of a couple of Northern Rail Class 333 EMUs at Bradford Forster Square Station - these German-built trains carry the West Yorkshire MetroTrain livery

DRS 37s 37607 and 37608 top'n'tailed a Serco Test Train from Ilford to Derby today, and I managed a view as it passed through Rearsby, Leicestershire

With pleasant February sunshine around, this was an ideal opportunity for a quick lunchtime visit, the first of the year, to Cathiron - interested to see any progress with the fourth line since my last visit (not too much progress by the look of it)

A visit from LNWR "Super D" 49395 was the highlight of the Great Central Railway's 2007 Winter Gala, which also paid tribute to Driver John Axon GC
Photos taken at the TPO Postal Museum at Rothley can be viewed at http://postandtelephoneboxes.fotopic.net/c1196638.html

Few remnants of a loop line between Humber Road Junction (on the Rugby-Coventry line) and Three Spires Junction (on the Coventry-Nuneaton line), closed in 1981, are still visible

A look at part of the former L&NWR line from Coventry to Nuneaton, originally opened on 2 September 1850 - views of the elevated section in central Coventry ; Coundon Road ; the site of former stations at Daimler Halt and Foleshill ; Courtaulds works lines ; Three Spires Junction

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway held its Christmas Cracker Steam Gala on 30/31 December 2006 - unfortunately, on 30th I found the weather conditions at Winchcombe not to my liking and my visit was abandoned after a short stay

The Railway Touring Company ran its "York Yuletide Express" Railtour on 16 Dec 2006 from St Albans to York. LNER A4 60009 "Union of South Africa" was a late replacement for the non-available BR 71000 "Duke of Gloucester". Photos captured in brilliant sunshine at East Goscote, Leicestershire

Preserved LNER B1 1306 (61306) appeared at The Battlefield Line on loan to run a series of "Santa Specials" - the locomotive carries the name "Mayflower", which in actual service was carried by 61379. On a fine sunny day, it was very disappointing to find the loco "wrong way" for photos

GWR King Class 6024 "King Edward I" headed The Capital Express railtour from Minehead to London Paddington - here are my photos taken at Theale

Having decided to see The Capital Express at Theale, it seemed opportune to visit the ex-Western Region lines in the area while there was some Autumn sunshine

The website said "Steam Railway Gala", so there was a lot of disquiet to find that, of the 4 steam locos in action, 3 were facing north, the "wrong-way-round" for good photography - note the £1 timetable called it "Autumn Gala", perhaps recognising that with 3 diesel locos and a DMU, it wasn't really a Steam Gala after all! Thanks to Messrs Hanley and Burrows for the good company

Highlight for me was the chance to see the ex-LMS "Princess" and "Duchess", and after the heavy early morning rain, it turned into quite a hot and sunny day, and well supported

The Shakespeare Express has run regularly on summer Sundays between Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon, two round trips each week. I made two visits to Stratford to see each of its latest trips behind "Rood Ashton Hall"

A quick lunchtime visit to Cathiron caught sight of a Class 40 running light engine

"Rood Ashton Hall", in addition to its Sunday Shakespeare Express trips, headed "The Rutland Explorer" from Tyseley to Kettering on Bank Holiday Monday - I caught up with it in Leicestershire at Frisby-on-the-Wreake

Disappointing weather conditions at Hatton North Junction, where I sought some photos of "The Blue Pullman" returning from Stratford-upon-Avon

Here's a selection of photos taken around the Barrow Hill site, following the Deltic photoshoot

Barrow Hill was the location for a weekend "Doncaster Works - A Deltic Tribute" event, and on the Friday evening prior, a photoshoot was arranged where the six remaining Deltics were on view

Holiday time again - this year, Switzerland, with their mixture of National Railways and Regional Bahnen - plus, a steam loco preservation depot at Interlaken

Another visit to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway - not an event day, but the attraction of Merchant Navy Class "Canadian Pacific", allied to some summer sunshire

Another steam railtour, this time "The Ebor Express" from Tyseley to York, behind King Arthur Class "Sir Lamiel" - location was Hinds Crossing, near Whetstone, Leicestershire

A selection of photos taken during a week's break in Cumbria - unfortunately not with the best weather conditions

A very wet day when I visited Haverthwaite, but very interesting to see their collection of locos, including the oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive in Britain

During my week's break in Cumbria, I made several visits to the West Coast Main Line, to see, amongst others, "The Citadel Express" and "The Orcadian" Railtours, involving a Duchess and two Hoovers (with four names and numbers, for some reason !)

More time spent at Cathiron where work is underway to prepare for the 4th track to be reinstated

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway held a 9-day "Centenary Festival" to celebrate not only 100 years of the Stratford-on-Avon - Cheltenham Line but the the preserved railway's own 25 years

A rain-sodden gala at the GCR but well worth the soaking for the appearances of Green Arrow and Sir Lamiel

Another visit to Loughborough, on Diesel Gala day but hoping for a look at some new steam visitors

Finally some decent periods of sunshine encouraged visits to Cathiron

The Kent & East Sussex Railway runs from Tenterden to Bodiam, and here are a selection of photos taken during a visit to the former

A quick evening dash to catch the Royal Mail units at Cathiron, hauled by a Class 87 Electric loco

LMS 8F 2-8-0 48151 and Jubilee 5690 "Leander" (top 'n' tail) hauled ECS from Tyseley to London Marylebone - a selection of photos taken at Leamington Spa of this and other movements

Arriving at Coventry station en route for Liverpool Lime Street and Anfield, I was well pleased to catch a photo of a Class 86-hauled freight movement passing through

Took advantage of some winter sunshine to visit Loughborough Central - not a great deal of activity, just a normal Sunday (apart from the weather)

A short visit during an unexpected break in the clouds to Bidston Station on Merseyside

This year's gala was blessed with good weather, despite frozen points early morning and the non-appearance of 80105

Broke up early for the Christmas hols, so headed to Cathiron for a hour or so - much cloud, then late patchy sun

Running an hour late with "The Yorkshireman" from Hendon to York, 60009 "Union of South Africa" pleased us all at Frisby-on-the-Wreake by hiding behind its own smoke !

A visit to Leicester to seek out some remains of the route of the Great Central Railway through the city

Photos of 4141 taken on a brilliantly sunny winters day at Loughborough Central as it prepared to haul one of "Santa's Specials"

"The Western Yorkian" Railtour from West Ruislip to York ran today, and I joined a small throng on an overcast morning to see it cross Burbage Common, near Hinckley in Leicestershire

"Winter Warmer" Diesel Gala Day was held under brilliant sunshine and blue skies, despite thick fog and heavy frost in the surrounding areas

A day's leave from work so I spent most of the daylight hours at Cathiron, and here's what I saw (excluding most of the endless stream of Pendolinos)

Headed to Barrow-upon-Soar to catch sight of "The Capital Crusader" railtour headed by Class 40 40145 - on the way home diverted via Rothley just in time to see Brush 4 D1705 "Sparrowhawk" arrive

A quick trip into Warwickshire to catch a glimpse of "The Cathedrals Express" Railtour which ran Alton-Kensington-High Wycombe-Stratford and return, hauled by LNER A4 60009 "Union of South Africa"

My first visit to the Severn Valley Railway was most enjoyable despite the lack of sun - and the short delay when D1015 failed between Highley and Bewdley

Highlight of the Autumn Gala was the appearance of BR Standard 5 4-6-0 73129 - my first sighting for probably 40 years

Passed through Lime Street station after the Reds' 0-0 draw with the Mancs at Anfield and found this Pendolino drag

The preview evening before "The Great Gathering" - pity not all the expected locos appeared, but still a wonderful sight to see the LMS steam engines back on home ground

A couple of hours on Crewe Station, prior to the preview evening at Crewe Works, produced a good variety of traffic, including some arrivals for "The Great Gathering"

Headed for the WCML near Lichfield to catch LMS Jubilee "Leander" on "The Blackpool Belle" Railtour, then over to North Staffs Junction and to Water Orton on the way home

A fleeting visit to the old favourite spot at Cathiron, north of Rugby

Thanks for the "gen", I was able to catch sight of the one-liveried Brush 4 47818 hauling ECS from Derby to Norwich at Canley (no longer Canley Halt, and where's the level crossing gone?) - also first shots of the Class 350 "Desiros"

Holiday time, to Austria - here's a small selection of rail photos in Austria and Germany

A variety of traffic through Cathiron during the month

A short visit to Rugby Station produced this small selection of photos

A couple of shots taken at Birmingham New Street, including the Class 37 "Snowdonia I" railtour, due to go to Pwllheli, which ended up in Blackpool !

A trip by Central Trains (after a cancelled service at Birmingham New Street) took me to Cardiff Central, for a trip along the Rhymney Valley line - in top sunshine

A dull afternoon for a short visit to Shustoke Reservoir and the adjoining railway line

Not much happened whilst I called in at Rugby Station !

A varied selection of traffic through Cathiron in Warwickshire during the month

In gleaming condition, LMS Black 5 45305 headed a Birmingham Snow Hill to Didcot and return railtour, pictured on both legs of its journey at Hatton Bank

A quick dash to Coventry Station where Class 87 87002 "The AC Locomotive Group" was due on a Euston-Wolverhampton service

My first (and hopefully not last) visit to the Churnet Valley Railway for their Diesel Gala - a most picturesque part of the country

A small selection of photos taken at the Steam Gala held on The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway

Although the weather could have been a lot better, it was an enjoyable first visit to the West Somerset Railway for their Diesel Gala

Loughborough Central was the destination for a short visit to The Great Central Railway

I called in at The Battlefield Line in Leicestershire, where a number of mainline locos were in store

A visit to Daw Mill saw class 87 87019 "Association of Community Rail Partnerships" being dragged from Birmingham New Street to Nuneaton - and a dash to Nuneaton found the train held just south of the station, just waiting to be photographed!

I enjoyed my first visit to The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, the highlight of which was to see a Class 14 for the first time in many, many years

Heading home after a short break in North Wales, we called in at Llangollen and took a short trip to Carrog and back

Highlight of our visit to North Wales was a trip on the Snowdon Railway - unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions, trains were terminating at Clogwyn, short of the summit - but we were still able to enjoy some good views

The main purpose of this short visit to Leamington Spa Station was to see the "Aggregated Syphons" railtour from Derby to Ardingly, headed by Class 37 37427 "Bont Y Bermo"

A selection of photographs taken at The Great Central Railway during their Winter Gala

A small selection of photographs taken at The Great Central Railway's Diesel Gala, where the weather was very disappointing

A few photos taken during a short visit to Crewe Station

A visit London Victoria was rewarded with a sighting of "Flying Scotsman"

A short break by Eurostar and TGV to Avignon allowed some French Railway photos

Heading for Anfield for a midweek fixture v Tottenham Hotspur, I called into Warrington Bank Quay for a short stay

A trip from Rugby to Crewe to see "Princess Elizabeth" in steam ahead of "The Irish Mail"

A very first photo visit to Cathiron, north of Rugby, on the WCML - and a variety of traffic to enjoy, as well as "The Merseyside Express" hauled by 6201 "Princess Elizabeth"

A family holiday in 2002 took us to Germany, and here are some scans of rail photos taken during our visit

A further selection of black and white scans from around the Midlands, featuring Newton Harcourt, Leicester, Ratcliffe on Soar, Wellingborough and Narborough

Locations include Daw Mill, Kingsbury, Water Orton and Easenhall amongst this selection of scans from 1982 (notice the four lines on the WCML at Easenhall in these photos) - also Coventry and Nuneaton

Another selection of Black & White scans from 1981 showing a variety of traffic, diesel and electric, at Reading

A collection of scans of black and white negatives taken around the West Midlands in 1981 - locations around Birmingham and at Shrewsbury, Tamworth and Leamington are included

A few days around the East Midlands - this collection of black & white scans features Hinckley, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham Midland and Sheffield

A few shots taken on a visit to Oxford

A day trip to Peterborough - scans of some black & white photos

Memories of the long-closed Woodhead route between Yorkshire and Manchester - I wish I'd had the opportunity for more photos along this line to show the scenery as well as the railway

A few more scans from the West Midlands, featuring Saltley, Birmingham New Street, Coventry and Easenhall

Black & White scans of photos taken in 1981 on a visit to Scotland - locations include Polmadie, Millerhill, Motherwell and Eastfield

Some more scans of black & white photos - featuring Coalville Mantle Lane and Buxton

Scans from Deltic-chasing visits to Peterborough, Spalding and Offord Cluny

A fleeting visit to Saltley MPD allowed a few black & white photos, scanned here

Back in 1981 I took part in a tour of various Depots in the London area - here is a selection of black and white scans from photos taken during the visit, which took in Stratford, Old Oak Common, Willesden, Clapham Junction and Hither Green

Scans of black & white photos taken on visits to Leicester and Peterborough

Still more black and white scans taken from the 1981 - this time taken at Sheffield, Doncaster, Retford and other parts of South Yorkshire and surrounding areas

Memories of a visit to Swindon Works in 1981 here - a graveyard for so many, although a few have survived - including D1015

A few scans from a visit to Retford and York

A couple of scans taken from photos at Birmingham New Street

After Barrow Hill, it was off to Doncaster Works - here's some more black and white scans

A quick look at scans of some photos taken during a visit to Barrow Hill MPD in 1980, as part of the NREA "Doncaster Double" Railtour

Colour scans of this former Southern Railway locomotive, taken at Pickering Station, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, in August 1980

This selection of black and white scans dates from 1979 - Crewe was a second home to me as my father was born there and many of my relatives worked on the railways in the 19th and 20th centuries

A selection of scans of colour negatives of shots taken at Reading Station in September 1979