UK Mainline Diesel & Electric
Tonbridge - 14th November 2024

Tonbridge is a busy freight and passenger centre in the Autumn season as the adjacent Tonbridge Yard is used as the south eastern Network Rail hub for all regional Rail Head Treatment Trains, which are operated by GBRf.
Tonbridge railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the town of Tonbridge, Kent. It is 29 miles from London Charing Cross via Sevenoaks. Trains calling at the station are operated by Southeastern and Southern. The unique location with a mixture of freight and passenger services makes the station incredibly buys and interesting to visit. I visited on the 14th November 2024 mid way through the annual leaf fall season. I travelled via Reading, and Redill on the outbound leg of the trip and back via London Bridge for the return. The added bonus of the last steam hauled Bellmond Pullman of 2024 was also captured during the late afternoon.
Tonbridge railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the town of Tonbridge, Kent. It is 29 miles from London Charing Cross via Sevenoaks. Trains calling at the station are operated by Southeastern and Southern. The unique location with a mixture of freight and passenger services makes the station incredibly buys and interesting to visit. I visited on the 14th November 2024 mid way through the annual leaf fall season. I travelled via Reading, and Redill on the outbound leg of the trip and back via London Bridge for the return. The added bonus of the last steam hauled Bellmond Pullman of 2024 was also captured during the late afternoon.
Stratford and Lea Bridge - 1st October 2024

Stratford Station is a complex station situated in North East London made even more complex with the addition of Stratford International and the Elizabeth Line as well as a heavy freight presence threading its way through the maze of lines and junctions. The busy mainline station has 17 Platforms serving London Overground terminating services from Richmond and Clapham Junction, Greater Anglia local and regional services, London Underground Central and Jubilee Lines, Docklands Light Railway, Crossrail and links to Stratford International.
The station reached Britain's busiest station in March 2021 with 13 million entries and exits through the ticket barriers.
The station reached Britain's busiest station in March 2021 with 13 million entries and exits through the ticket barriers.
Heart of England Rover - 10th and 11th April 2024

The Heart of England Rover covers an extensive area of the Midlands and is available for either three days in seven (£109 full fare) or for seven days in fourteen (£143 full fare). The rover covers from Gloucester and Oxford in the south to Crewe and Matlock in the north, with Birmingham as the central point. The tickets are valid for use with Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, Transport for Wales, and West Midlands Railway. On the 10th and 11th April I took a two day trip to the area to travel around the Midlands and explore. The trip also fell on the last week of full operation of Class 323 units on the Birmingham Cross City route, before new CAF units were introduced.
Liverpool and Manchester - 7th & 8th March 2024

On the 7th and 8th March I embarked on a two day trip to explore both Liverpool and Manchester using rail travel, rover tickets from the perspective of both a rail interest and tourist. The trip itself was planned in January taking advantage of the UK Rail Sale which provided thousands of rail tickets at discount prices across the UK, this coincided with a Travelodge sale which provided cheaper accommodation for a one night stay. The aim of the trip was to explore the unique Merseyrail Network, Manchester Metrolink and explore both cites starting with a drive to Stafford to start the trip.
West Midlands Day Ranger - 24th February 2024

The West Midlands Day Ranger Ticket provides excellent value to those wishing to explore the West Midlands, Birmingham and beyond over the course of a day. The ticket promoted by West Midlands Railway covers a wide area from Hereford to Birmingham, Crewe, Gobowen, Northampton, and Stratford-upon-Avon. The ticket is valid from 09:00 from Monday to Friday and Anytime over the weekend. The Rover costs £34 for Adults, £17 for Children and those with Railcards can also get a third off the quoted prices.
London Railways - 21st February 2024

London contains a wealth of transport interest with countless locations and routes to explore using the Day Travel Card, and Oyster. The city offers many busy commuter and freight routes which can be explored using both underground and overground transport links. I visited London on the 21st February 2024 to ride the newly introduced SWR Class 701 'Arterio' units. After four years in storage owing to handover and acceptance issues the sets were operating a limited service for passenger use, driver training between London Waterloo and Windsor Eton and Riverside. During the afternoon period we travelled to Headbolt Lane (located adjacent to the West Coast Mainline within London Overground boundries.
London Railways - 16th November 2023

London contains a wealth of transport interest with countless locations and routes to explore using the Day Travel Card, and Oyster. The city offers many busy commuter and freight routes which can be explored using both underground and overground transport links. I visited London on the 16th November 2023 and used a mixture Underground hopes and the London Overground 'Orbital' route in an anticlockwise route from London Paddington to West Brompton, Clapham Junction, Peckham Rye, Barking, and Gospel Oak. This gallery provides a selection of images from the day. The weather in the city was dull with mild drizzle, but some very nice Autumnal colours were evident.
London Railways - 18th September 2023

London's Railways like the city itself is colourful, full of variety and interest. On the 18th September I visited the Capital for the first time in three years, taking an anti-clockwise route around the city to record the latest changes to the London railway scene. Locations included London Paddington, Denmark Hill, Stratford, and Lea Bridge, as well as some tractional sight seeing along the way (covered in other galleries).
The West Coastway Line - 8th April 2023

The West Coastway line is a railway line in England linking the conurbations of Brighton/Hove/Littlehampton and Southampton/Portsmouth, with 1.3 million people between them. It has short southward branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, which offer direct services to and from London.
The purpose of my visit to the area on the 8th April 2023 was to record the elderly former British Rail Class 313 EMU's which were due to be taken out of service in May 2023. The units first arrived on the West Coastway in 2012 and have operated stopping services along the route for the past eleven years operating alongside newer Class 377 Electrostar units, some of which they replaced to release more Electrostars for use on London commuter routes.
The purpose of my visit to the area on the 8th April 2023 was to record the elderly former British Rail Class 313 EMU's which were due to be taken out of service in May 2023. The units first arrived on the West Coastway in 2012 and have operated stopping services along the route for the past eleven years operating alongside newer Class 377 Electrostar units, some of which they replaced to release more Electrostars for use on London commuter routes.
Yeovil Junction & Westbury - 22nd September 2022

On Thursday 22nd September I made a short trip to Yeovil Junction and Westbury. The purpose of the trip was to record the Network Rail New Measurement Train operating in the Yeovil area, where it had to carry out a rare manoeuvre to stable. The line west of Axminster was closed due to engineering work, so the NMT was unable to carry out its full testing diagram, the set stabled at Yeovil before picking up its booked path.
Westbury never fails to provide interest with huge tonnages of Mendip stone conveyed from Whatley and Merehead Quarries to unloading terminals around dotted around the south of the UK. GWR and SWR also provide regular Intercity and local passenger connections
Westbury never fails to provide interest with huge tonnages of Mendip stone conveyed from Whatley and Merehead Quarries to unloading terminals around dotted around the south of the UK. GWR and SWR also provide regular Intercity and local passenger connections
Dawlish & Teignmouth 'Sea Wall' - 10th September 2022

The Dawlish and Teignmouth 'Sea Wall' section of the southwest mainline has seen huge changes in recent years with major sea defence works carried out at the central Dawlish Section following a major breach of the line 2014. With further work due to start in the Teignmouth area I visited the classic stretch of coastline on Saturday 10th September to record some of the scenes before more changes and constructed to protect the railway and cliffs faces from further erosion and collapse.
The weather during the morning period was excellent for September and my visit also coincided with a visiting steam charter from Saphos Trains hauled by 'Brittannia'
The weather during the morning period was excellent for September and my visit also coincided with a visiting steam charter from Saphos Trains hauled by 'Brittannia'
St Philips Marsh Depot Tour - 23rd April 2022

The 23rd April 2022 provided a rare opportunity to attend a 90 minute guided tour of the GWR St Philips Marsh Depot (Bristol). The charity ticketed event provided a chance to go behind the scenes at one of the UK’s oldest mainline railway depots still in operation today. With a history established in 1910, the depot has modernised to fit in with the 21st Century. The biggest change being the introduction of the InterCity 125 High Speed Train fleet in 1976, with a brand-new maintenance shed being built, which is still in use today. I would like to thank Alex and the team at GWR who took time out of their busy schedules to make this visit possible. All proceeds from the ticket sales went to 'Action for Children' as part of the FirstGroup Corporate Charity Partnership, raising over £5000 for the charity.
Dawlish 9th April 2022

The the latest phase of the Dawlish Sea Wall project now open to the public I visited the Coastguards section on the 9th April 2022 to take a look at the latest section of sea defence works to be opened. The link between Dawlish Town Centre and Coastguards was still closed with a footpath diversion via Exeter Road to Coastguards. Views taken include the newly opened public area at Coastguards and feature the current platform works which were ongoing at the time of my visit.
The Portishead Branch

The Portishead Railway is a branch line railway running from Portishead in North Somerset to the main line immediately west of Bristol, England. It was constructed by the Bristol & Portishead Pier and Railway Company, but it was always operated by its main line neighbour, and was more usually thought of as the Portishead branch or the Portishead railway. It opened as a broad gauge (7 ft 1⁄4 in [2,140 mm]) line to connect new docks at Portbury, at the west side of the mouth of the River Avon, with the railway network. In 2002. Public consultation took place in 2015 regarding the reopening of the entire line to passenger traffic in 2020, as part of the MetroWest proposals. By 2020, the line was scheduled to reopen in December 2024.
A Look Back to 2005

2005 was another year of transition across the UK rail network, with passenger fleets mid-upgrade and plenty of loco-hauled trains in operation. East Anglia in particular was seeing a huge amount of new stock, liveries and locomotives transferring to the region, brining some colourful varieties.
The the photos in this gallery have been digitally re-edited from the original image taken and remastered using more modern editing techniques. The gallery includes photos taken throughout 2005 and run in chronological order.
The the photos in this gallery have been digitally re-edited from the original image taken and remastered using more modern editing techniques. The gallery includes photos taken throughout 2005 and run in chronological order.
The Pennine Wayfarer - 12th March 2022

The Pennine Wayfarer charter was operated by Pathfinder Railtours on the 12th March 2022. The charter was re-dated from January and with space still available on the train we booked seats to take advantage of the lighter days, heritage traction and route through the Hope Valley and Copy Pit scenery.
The charter started at Bristol Temple Meads before heading to Birmingham, Derby, and Chesterfield where the tour was routed via the Hope Valley towards Manchester, before taking in a circular tour over the Pennines to Huddersfield and back via Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria and Bolton.
The charter was hauled by a pair of veteran Class 37 locomotives from Direct Rail Services. Significate as DRS had announced they would no longer be supporting the charter market from 2022.
The charter started at Bristol Temple Meads before heading to Birmingham, Derby, and Chesterfield where the tour was routed via the Hope Valley towards Manchester, before taking in a circular tour over the Pennines to Huddersfield and back via Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria and Bolton.
The charter was hauled by a pair of veteran Class 37 locomotives from Direct Rail Services. Significate as DRS had announced they would no longer be supporting the charter market from 2022.
Toton Yard & Cossington - February 2022

Toton Yard is located just to the west of Nottingham and has long been the central maintained facility for railway locomotives. The yard is a shadow of its former self, which once serviced the Nottinghamshire coal traffic. The depot and yard are currently operated by DB Cargo, and contains up to one hundred locomotives at any one time. The convenient location of 'Toton Bank' provides a fantastic view of the daily operations at the site.
The yard also contains a huge selection of stored locomotives waiting to either be stripped for spares or sold.
Toton will become the East Midlands Hub for HS2 with a parkway station being formed between Nottingham and Derby together with integrated light rail connections from the same site.
The selection of images in this gallery was taken on Saturday 26th February 2022.
The yard also contains a huge selection of stored locomotives waiting to either be stripped for spares or sold.
Toton will become the East Midlands Hub for HS2 with a parkway station being formed between Nottingham and Derby together with integrated light rail connections from the same site.
The selection of images in this gallery was taken on Saturday 26th February 2022.
The Galloway Fifties - 21st September 2021

The Galloway Fifties charter operated by Pathfinder Tours, The Fifty Fund and GBRf operated on Saturday 11th September 2021, the tour having previously been postponed from 2020 because of the various COVID19 lockdowns in England and Scotland.
The charter featured two veteran Class 50 locomotives from The Fifty Fund. Nos.50007 and No.50049 set off from Tame Bridge Parkway (Birmingham) at 04:52 in the morning to reach the Scottish branch line location of Stranraer by 13:30.
The 750 mile round trip would mark the first ever visit of the the class to the Scottish outpost.
Passengers were provided with a short 20 minute break at Stranraer before returning to Ayr for a longer break. This allowed the crew time to move No.50007 to the front of the train, and fill the coaching stock water tanks before continuing the journey back to Tame Bridge Parkway.
The charter featured two veteran Class 50 locomotives from The Fifty Fund. Nos.50007 and No.50049 set off from Tame Bridge Parkway (Birmingham) at 04:52 in the morning to reach the Scottish branch line location of Stranraer by 13:30.
The 750 mile round trip would mark the first ever visit of the the class to the Scottish outpost.
Passengers were provided with a short 20 minute break at Stranraer before returning to Ayr for a longer break. This allowed the crew time to move No.50007 to the front of the train, and fill the coaching stock water tanks before continuing the journey back to Tame Bridge Parkway.
A look back to 2004

2004 was a year of plenty and a year of transition in the railway world. It was also the first purchase of a Canon Digital SLR. In March 2004 I invested in my first ever Canon 10D SLR camera which at the time was one of the medium range cameras able to produce six megapixel images. This gallery charts my first year having switched from 35mm film to Digital for the first time. We start in March 2004 and run through in date order to December 2004. It was a busy year for rail trips including visits to Wales, the North East, Midlands, and London during the course of the year.
During lock-down I deiced to go back to the start of my digital collection and re-edit every image I took in 2004. Image processing software and my own Photoshop skills had advanced to new levels over the 15 years since the images were first taken, and I've been blown away with the quality of the finished images which have been reproduced from just a six megapixel image. We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.
During lock-down I deiced to go back to the start of my digital collection and re-edit every image I took in 2004. Image processing software and my own Photoshop skills had advanced to new levels over the 15 years since the images were first taken, and I've been blown away with the quality of the finished images which have been reproduced from just a six megapixel image. We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.
Rugby Area - 19th September 2020

Saturday 19th September 2020 provided the opportunity to visit the Northampton / Rugby area to capture passenger and freight operations on the busy West Coast Mainline. Three remote locations were picked which gave good views of the railway, which also allowed social distancing. Rugby is a busy junction where traffic flows for Birmingham and Northampton split, it's also an important road / rail logistics hub with many well known companies such as Stobart, WS Transportation, WH Malcom, Tesco, & Sainburys all have large logistics operations at this important regional hub. Regular freight flows leave for Mossend, Wentloog, London each day, and the many through container services pass through Rubgy from Felxstowe, Hams Hall, Crewe Basford Hall and Mossend.
The below images capture operations on just one day at three locations. Grendon, Cathiron and Ansty in the Rugby area.
The below images capture operations on just one day at three locations. Grendon, Cathiron and Ansty in the Rugby area.
The Devon Crompton - 8th March 2020

The Devon Crompton charter was operated by The Branchline Society on Sunday 8th March 2020. The tour operated using two veteran Class 33 locomotives, No.33207 (from West Coast Railways) and No.33012 (from the 71A Preservation Group). The 1Z38 09:38 London Victoria - Coleford Junction ran via the former southern stomping group of the Class arriving into Yeovil Junction around 13:00. The tour then reversed to include the Yeovil Junction - Yeovil Pen Mill link before proceeding west to Exeter, Crediton and Coleford Junction. The 1Z39 16:40 Coleford Junction - London Waterloo return leg of the charter was routed via Taunton, Bristol, Bath, and Westbury to Salisbury to include some of the former routes the Class once operated in British Railways days. - This video shows the No.33207 and No.33012 making light work of Whiteball Bank heading into Somerset and back to the Capital.
I spent the day capturing the tour in the South West starting near Yeovil and following the trains progress
I spent the day capturing the tour in the South West starting near Yeovil and following the trains progress
The Festive York & Durham Explorer - 30th November 2019

The Festive York and Durham Explorer charter was operated by Pathfinder Tours on the 30th November 2019 departing Bristol Temple Meads at 05:40 in the morning. The tour was hauled throughout by the two mainline registered Class 50s from The Fifty Fund Fleet No.50049 and No.50007. The pair are painted in GBRf colours following a contract agreement between the Fifty Fund and GBRf to use them on GBRf mainline traffic as and when additional motive power is required.
The charter operated mainly in darkness, with the main dropping off points at York, Durham and finally Newcastle. Newcastle is an incredibly tight station for photography which did not lend itself to obtaining images of the traction upon arrival at Newcastle. There was however ample time to walk out to the King Edward Bridge to capture some of the changing scenes in the low Winter light before sunset.
The charter operated mainly in darkness, with the main dropping off points at York, Durham and finally Newcastle. Newcastle is an incredibly tight station for photography which did not lend itself to obtaining images of the traction upon arrival at Newcastle. There was however ample time to walk out to the King Edward Bridge to capture some of the changing scenes in the low Winter light before sunset.
Greater Anglia Revisited - April 2019

Two years after my first photographic feature in the Greater Anglia area I returned at the cusp of a complete fleet replacement on the Greater Anglia Franchise. The franchise has always used locomotive hauled intercity style trains for its long distance diagrams between London Liverpool Street and Norwich and then various British built units to cover branch lines and other core routes. However this is all about to change with the delivery of the new Stadler Bi-mode Class 720, 745 and 755 units which will see a complete fleet replacement right across the Greater Anglis Network. The 111 Class 720 'Aventra' unit will be built by Bombardier in Derby while the Class 745 and 755 'Flirt' units will be built by Stalder and include 20 electric 12-car intercity trains, and 38 bi-mode trains: 24 four-car and 14 three-car vehicles. My visit records a point in time as the new trains begin to be delivered and a look at the current operations in East Anglia.
London - Times of Change - April 2019

With huge quantities of rolling stock have been introduced on various routes into and out of London, the current scenes are changing incredibly quickly. During my visit in April 2019 the Class 313s operating with Great Northern had just days left in traffic before they were due to to be sent for scrap, GWR HST sets were down to just eight diagrams a day, with the last set due to operate on May 18th 2019. Introduction of the Class 700s on the Thameslink corridor had already displaced the previous Class 319 to new parts of the UK or conversion into tri-mode units for future use with GWR. Class 91's on the LNER route out of Kings Cross will soon start to be replaced by the Class 801 Hitachi 'Azuma' . This Gallery features some of the colourful scenes from London during my two visits in April.
Southampton and Eastleigh - January 2019

Saturday 26th January 2019 provided a quick visit to Eastleigh and Southampton to visit the Eastleigh Model Railway Exhibition. The chance was taken to travel by train from Yeovil Junction (No.159008) to Salisbury and change for (No.158881) to Eastleigh. Eastleigh and Southampton are always bustling places to visit for freight and passenger actively thanks to the close proximity of the Southampton Maritime Container Port. Eastleigh is also an important and large infrastructure base for Network Rail.
At the time of my visit the South West Trains franchise had recently ended and had changed hands to become South Western Railway. While most of the trains were still in SWT branded colours, many were now sporting SWR branding.
At the time of my visit the South West Trains franchise had recently ended and had changed hands to become South Western Railway. While most of the trains were still in SWT branded colours, many were now sporting SWR branding.
Exploring the Welsh Valleys - 18th December 2018

The Explore Cardiff and Valleys ticket is one which I have used previously as it offers unlimited travel on the Cardiff Valley Lines route between Barry Island, Penarth, Bridgend, Ebbw Vale, Merthyr Tidfill, Aberdare and Rhymney. With Arriva Trains Wales now ceasing to operate the service and the franchise re-branded as 'Transport for Wales' huge change is about to arrive in Wales. Not least will be the replacement of the Pacers and Sprinters which operate the Valley Lines routes. Having caught an early morning service to Bristol Temple Meads and then changed for a Cardiff service. We spent a small amount of time at Cardiff Central before exploring the various valley routes operated by the Class 142, 143 and 150 Units. The weather was typically Welsh but for late December it was probably about as good as we could of asked for.
The Peak District Explorer - 9th June 2018

'On Saturday 9th June 2018 Pathfinder Railtours operated 'The Peak District Explorer from Taunton to Buxton and back. The charter ran into a few problems before departure from Taunton when the empty stock for the train was delayed by a major brake fault on the locomotive (No.66129) when it tried to run around the stock at Westbury. By the time a second locomotive had been found and coupled to the stock, the empty coaching stock was 40 minutes late arriving at Taunton. The DB crew did a fantastic job at Taunton uncoupling and running around the train and got the procedure completed in record time.
The Cumbrian Hoovers - 14th April 2018

The Cumbrian Hoovers charter operated by Pathfinder Tours ran on the 14th April 2018. The tour featured a pair of former British Rail Class 50 locomotives supplied by The Fifty Fund based at Kidderminster. The two locomotives No.50049 'Defiance' and No.50007 'Hercules' hauled the 1Z50 06:01 Birmingham International - Carlisle on the 220 mile trip north. After a run up the West Coast Mainline from Stafford to Leyland the pair branched right and headed for a photo stop at Hellifield before tackling the Settle and Carlisle route.
After a two hour break in the city, the pair then lead the retimed 1Z52 16:12 Carlisle - Birmingham International back via the Cumbrian Coast route to Carnforth. A photo stop was also made at Barrow before rejoining the West Coast Mainline. The tour operated without incident and provided 473 miles of English Electric traction.
After a two hour break in the city, the pair then lead the retimed 1Z52 16:12 Carlisle - Birmingham International back via the Cumbrian Coast route to Carnforth. A photo stop was also made at Barrow before rejoining the West Coast Mainline. The tour operated without incident and provided 473 miles of English Electric traction.
Gloucester, Hatton, Cossington, Grimsby - 9th /10th March 2018

This set of images in the gallery came about more because of travel to position for a photographic charter in North Lincolnshire on the 10th March. Leaving home on the Friday 9th March I traveled north to in one / two hour increments throughout the day. The first location was the south end of Haresfield Loop (in Gloucestershire) where we captured one freight and the Network Rail NMT. I then continued up the M5 and A46 to reach Hatton (located on the Chiltern Mainline just north of Leamington Spa), the small village station offers some good spots for photography both at the station itself and a short walk down the adjacent Grand Union Canal to an footbridge located at the north side of a triangular junction. From Hatton I moved to the East Midlands visiting Cassington which is located on the busy four track Midland Mainline.
South Wales - 17th October 2017

I took a quick trip to South Wales on Tuesday 17th October. Scenes on the railways are always changing but no more so than at the moment, both in terms of the new trains which have been introduced to replace the 40 year old HST's, but also in terms of the prolific high rise building work which is completely changing the skyline of Cardiff. In recent years millions of pounds of development money has been poured into the city centre and bay areas of the city, sparking a building and regeneration revolution.
During my short visit to the area I recorded some of the railway operations which can be viewed in the Cardiff area, and also traveled on board the brand new Class 800 IEP trains on only their second day in service.
During my short visit to the area I recorded some of the railway operations which can be viewed in the Cardiff area, and also traveled on board the brand new Class 800 IEP trains on only their second day in service.
The Caledonian - 7th October 2017

It had been 10 years 3 months since I'd last had the pleasure of experiencing mainline Class 50 rail tour so when the opportunity arose for a 50th Anniversary special behind a pair of Class 50s taking them back over their former stomping ground between Crewe and Glasgow I knew I had to be there...... no matter what.
West Midlands Day Ranger - 30th September 2017

The West Midlands Day Ranger ticket covers a large area of the West Midlands for just £25 (before any railcard discount) and provides excellent value for money for unlimited travel between the extents Hereford, Crewe, Rugby and Leamington Spa. We opted to travel from Kidderminster having attended a night shoot on the Severn Valley Railway the night before. We traveled into Birmingham before heading back to Stourbridge and then down to Leamington Spa for the afternoon. We also took time to explore Birmingham City Centre including the new Midland Metro Tram extension outside the newly redeveloped Birmingham New Street.
East Midlands Rover - September 2017

The East Midlands Rover ticket covers a vast area of the UK rail network. During a week in September I spent time with three fellow enthusiasts using this ticket to its full effect. Because of allowable travel area we decided to spend two days based in Doncaster and the rest of the week based in Nottingham. This gave us more range and interest from our tickets. The full priced East Midlands Rover is £111(discounts are available for those with Railcards) and the ticket valid for seven consecutive days, this works out at £15.80 a day. The Rover is valid after 09:00 in the morning and can be used with Virgin East Coast, East Midlands Trains, Cross Country, Northern Trains, and First Hull Trains. Because of the freedom to travel we also had allowable time each day to explore towns and cities covered by the ticket. Further images taken during the week can also be found on the Building/ Architecture pages and Light Rail pages of this website.
Old Oak Common - Legends of the Great Western - September 2017

The 2nd September 2017 provided the opportunity to visit a unique open weekend at the famous Old Oak Common Depot in London. During the depot’s 111-year history, its dedicated, highly skilled staff have maintained everything from steam era Kings and Castles, to the diesel-powered Westerns and Warships. In 1976 the depot was the maintenance hub in the Western region for the newly introduced High Speed Trains, the iconic trains which changed the face of Intercity travel in the UK. While the HST fleet still operates today it is soon to be replaced after over 40 years of service by the Hitachi Intercity Express Train, which will provide another step change in passenger experience. The 2017 event was put together and promoted by GWR. It gathered former legends of the Old Oak Common depot to provide a feast of photographic and public interest. No fewer than seven Class 50's attended the event together with with one of the most impressive lineups charting the railway progress through from steam, early diesels right up to the current IEP passenger train. The hot summer day saw crowds flock to the event with thousands of pounds being raised for charity. GWR powercar No.43093 was also named at the event 'Old Oak Common HST Depot 1976-2018'
Crowle & Barnetby - April 2017

Barnetby was once the mecca for railway photographers, its classic semaphores untouched since the days of steam and large quantities of freight made it the ideal location to record the buys UK freight scenes alongside the classic design of signals. While the signal boxes still stand they no longer operate the modern signals and the gantries are long since removed. However the freight and passenger scenes are still buoyant and colourful, and although coal imports have declined the new flows of Biomass from the Port of Immingham to Drax are very much in their infancy. I took a very brief visit to the area on the 27th and 28th of April and manged a couple of hours photography. On the 27th I visited Crowle (which is located to the west of Scunthorpe) alongside the Stainforth & Keadby Canal, before making time for a couple of hours at Barnetby on the 28th April.
East Anglia - March 2017

The East Anglian Region is currently on the verge of major change, with Greater Anglia having ordered and entire fleet of Electric Multiple Units from Stadler, locomotive hauled trains between London Liverpool Street and Norwich will soon be replaced by new EMU's. The issue of increased container traffic from the port of Felixstowe is also now feeding many more services via Ely and March thanks to a new multi million pound chord constructed at Ipswich, this allows services to head both north and south from the container port. Following the completion of Cross Rail in London paths for freight services will become even harder to obtain, and so threading them through the London suburbs will also become more of a challenge. I spent just over a week in the Ipswich/ Norwich area recording the current freight and passenger services before the major changes take place.
Tonbridge - 17th November 2016

Tonbridge is located in the south of the UK between London and Dover and provides a key role in serving the south eastern section of the UK with infrastructure support and large amounts of aggregate traffic to and from the various south eastern stone terminals such as Grain and Angerstein Wharf. During the Autumn and Winter months Tonbridge Yard is used as a base of the many Rail Head Treatment Trains (RHTT) and Network Rail Deicing Trains. GBRf operates many of the trains from Tonbridge Yard and many of its locomotives can be found operating in the area. My route to Tonbridge was via Reading and Redhill using GWR and Southern Trains. South Eastern and Southern are the two main passenger operators which serve Tonbridge, both of which provide good links to London and the south coast. This gallery provides a selection of images from just four hours at this busy little interchange.
London - 16th November 2016

London provides a wealth of railway transportation photographic opportunities, in recent year the huge investment in public transport for London has seen a surge of schemes designed to better transport passengers around the city. Getting from location to location couldn't be easier or quicker. The London Overground 'orbital' provides an alternative means to the tube encircling the city. Thameslink was once an outdated rail operating providing a North/ South link through the city, but now has been rejuvenated with longer, quicker trains operating through newly upgraded stations. The pace of change in the city is overwhelming and shows how fast the transport solutions in the city have the progress to keep ahead of the growth.
Isle of Wight - 1st October 2016

The Isle of Wight contains a unique railway system which it detached from the mainland UK, and stuck in a time warp. Despite being part of the South West Trains rail franchise, the Island Line operates a small fleet of 1938 vintage London Underground tube trains, which run along the eight mile route between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin. On any given day there are normally only two trains operating on the route providing a twenty minute service. The remaining stock is looked after at the small depot based at Ryde St John Station.
The Island Line also has a preserved steam railway which can be accessed from the mainline at Smallbrook Junction during operating days. The preserved line operates between Smallbrook Junction, Havenstreet and Wootten.
The Island Line also has a preserved steam railway which can be accessed from the mainline at Smallbrook Junction during operating days. The preserved line operates between Smallbrook Junction, Havenstreet and Wootten.
Shoeburyness & Southend - 18th September 2016

Both Shoreburyness and Southend are connected to London Fenchurch Street via the National Express Franchise 'C2C' (City 2 Coast). The network is almost self contained, having to interact with hardly any other operators over its route. As such it's always had a very high punctuality figure. National Express run a fleet of Class 357 Electrostars which were built by Bombarider Transportation based in Derby between 1999 and 2002.
My visit to the route network was tagged onto the back of a two day trip where I visited the Epping and Ongar Railway on Saturday 17th September before staying in London, which gave the chance to visit the Thames Estuary coastline on the Sunday, where we visited Shoeburyness and Southend Pier before returning to London.
My visit to the route network was tagged onto the back of a two day trip where I visited the Epping and Ongar Railway on Saturday 17th September before staying in London, which gave the chance to visit the Thames Estuary coastline on the Sunday, where we visited Shoeburyness and Southend Pier before returning to London.
Scotland - 11th July to 16th July 2016

Between the 11th and 16th July I ventured to the far north of Scotland in an effort to visit the most northerly point on the UK Mainline (and Mainland!). The aim was to reach Thurso and Wick from Inverness on the Tuesday before then visiting Kyle of Lochalsh on the Wednesday from Inverness and then travelling from Inverness to Haymarket via Aberdeen during the Wednesday afternoon/ evening. Thursday would then be spent exploring the Ayrshire Coastline, and nipping back into the England for a quick trip down the Cumbrian Coast. Friday would entail a visit to Glasgow and Tweedbank before a trip around the Fife Circle in the evening from Edinburgh. Saturday we would return to the South West travelling by Virgin East Coast HST from Haymarket to London Kings Cross before a quick trip across London to Paddington before returning to the South West on a GWR HST set.
St Philips Marsh Open Day - 2nd May 2016

The St Philips Marsh Open Day held on the 2nd May 2016 celebrating 40 years of the iconic High Speed Train which has operated on the UK rail network since 1976. As part of the open day power cars from current UK operators were gathered at the GWR maintenance facility in Bristol providing a colourful line up of the class. To mark four decades of service GWR repainted the very first production power car into its original BR Blue colour scheme. No.43002 was rolled out to the crowds and officially named 'Sir Kenneth Grange' by Sir Kenneth himself.
Avonmouth & South Wales - 8th March 2015

Sundays can be quite busy on the rails of South Wales, especially during the afternoon, as many freights begin to operate to be in place for Monday morning. On Sunday 8th March I took a visit to South Wales to capture some of the more interesting workings operating in the Avonmouth and South Wales area. Several passenger services were operating different diagrams due to engineering work between Bristol and Westbury, and Tamworth to Derby. This provided additional shuttle services which had been strengthened at times to cope with additional passenger loads.
Cardiff - 21st November 2014

Cardiff once used to always take a back seat to Newport with regards to interesting freight traffic during the 1990's, however the decline in traffic, and redevelopment of Newport Station has lead Cardiff to now generate more interest for enthusiasts.
Cardiff Central station is incredibly busy with links to most of the Welsh Valleys, the majority of the Arriva Trains Units frequent Cardiff Central throughout the day. Coupled with this are the mainline links to Swansea, London, Portsmouth and Manchester. Freight traffic also passes through the station including many of the heavily loaded coal trains heading for Aberthaw Power Station.
My visit to Cardiff was on an incredibly cold and wet November day, however the morning period provided a large amount of traffic to record.
Cardiff Central station is incredibly busy with links to most of the Welsh Valleys, the majority of the Arriva Trains Units frequent Cardiff Central throughout the day. Coupled with this are the mainline links to Swansea, London, Portsmouth and Manchester. Freight traffic also passes through the station including many of the heavily loaded coal trains heading for Aberthaw Power Station.
My visit to Cardiff was on an incredibly cold and wet November day, however the morning period provided a large amount of traffic to record.
Daventry - 20th November 2014

Daventry is located on the Northhampton Line to the south east of Rugby, the line also gives access to the sprawling metropolis that is Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT), where trains loaded with traffic for Tesco arrive and depart on trunk routes around the UK.
The terminal is currently in the process of expanding it's rail access further which in the future will allow more goods to arrive and depart using rail transportation.
I spent short period of time at Nortoft Lane bridge and recorded a surprising amount of traffic in the area.
The terminal is currently in the process of expanding it's rail access further which in the future will allow more goods to arrive and depart using rail transportation.
I spent short period of time at Nortoft Lane bridge and recorded a surprising amount of traffic in the area.
Eastleigh - 19th November 2014

Eastleigh is a railway town located between Southampton and Winchester the town has always had strong ties with the railway thanks to the Eastleigh Railway Works which dates back to the days of steam. Today the Railway Works are still in use as a large maintenance and repair facility operated by Arlington Fleet Services. Eastleigh Station itself has always been a busy location for interesting freight traffic thanks to its close proximity to Southampton Docks, from where much deep sea container traffic originates. Eastleigh also has a large yard complex which Network Rail use as a base for their engineering traffic in the South of England. There is always something of interest at Eastleigh on any given day, whether it be shunting in the yard or heavy container trains passing through the station.
London - 17th November 2014

The purpose of a visit to London on the 17th November was to record the every changing railway scene in parts of the Capital which I had previously not covered in detail. The trip included visits to Mill Hill Broadway, Gospel Oak and later a ride on the Aylesbury - Princes Risborough 'Bubblecar' operated by Chiltern Trains, before returning into London for our train home.
West Midlands Day Ranger - 20th September 2014
On the 20th September 2014 I used the West Midlands Day Ranger ticket to travel around the Midlands by rail. The ticket costs just £23 and provided excellent value for money for unlimited travel between the extents Hereford, Crewe, Rugby and Leamington Spa. We opted to travel from Worcester Shrub Hill and travel into Birmingham before heading North to Crewe. After a short photography break in Crewe we headed south to Rugby via Stoke on Trent before returning into central Birmingham and heading back to Worcester.
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First Great Western (Loco Hauled) - 19th July 2014

During the Summer of 2014, First Great Western introduced a Saturday's only Locomotive Hauled Diagram in order to release a Class 150 Unit from it's normal operations. The service uses day coaching stock from the overnight 'Night Rivera' service, the Mk3 coaches are a huge improvement in customer comfort, but the set does provide less seating than normal. On the 19th July I ventured into Cornwall to travel on board the 11:25 service from Par to Exeter. On the day of travel the set had been strengthen to four coaches rather than two or three. The train has been popular with passengers and enthusiasts, coupled with the summer holidays the additional coaching stock was certainly a welcome sight. The Saturday diagram will continue to operate while First Great Western begin to refurbish their unit fleet, and fit new disabled toilets/ access into all of their trains.
Westbury & Fairwood Junction - 17th April 2014

Westbury is situated on the Berks & Hants route between Taunton - Reading, close to the Mendip Hills. The station serves many surrounding towns and villages offering good travel connections to London, Midlands, South and West. It also offers a busy freight scene thanks to it's extensive engineering yards, Network Rail track recycling centre and stone traffic from both Whatley and Merehead Quarries. Westbury has long been an integeral base of south west based engineering activities, with trains operating in a 100 mile radius of the yards. The purpose of our visit was to record the busy engineering scene which now operates with multiple companies such as DB Schenker, Freightliner, GBRf and Colas Rail Freight.
Chiltern Mainline - Bishops Itchington/ Kings Sutton - 15th April 2014

The Chiltern route stretches from London Marylebone to Birmingham New Street. Chiltern Railways have turned the line around from it's former operational state into a serious contender for quick and easy travel between Birmingham and London. The line also features a large amount of container traffic between Southampton and inland ports such as Lawely Street, Hams Hall and Tafford Park. The line offers some great views for services passing through Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire.
Chiltern Railways also operate a loco hauled service using Class 67s and refurbished Mk3 coaching stock, coupled with former West Coast DVT's (Driving Van Trailers). Up to three sets a day can be viewed operating multiple services throughout the length of the line.
Chiltern Railways also operate a loco hauled service using Class 67s and refurbished Mk3 coaching stock, coupled with former West Coast DVT's (Driving Van Trailers). Up to three sets a day can be viewed operating multiple services throughout the length of the line.
Great Western Mainline - Cholsey/ Didcot - 14th April 2014

Cholsey is located a few miles to the east of Didcot on the Great Western Mainline between Bristol and London Paddington. The bridge at Cholsey Manor Farm provides good views of the four track mainline heading to and from London. The area is about the undergo a huge transformation with the announcement of the overhead electrification. The purpose of this visit was to record the unspoilt vista of the location before contractors arrive to install foundations, gantries and wires throughout.
South Wales Mainline - 15th February 2014

The South Wales Mainline can still offer some interesting traffic flows during a weekend period. Although rail traffic has dropped off over the years, the introduction of online technology such as Real Time Trains does as least allow an element of 'planning' to which trains are likely to be passing the area. Passenger services were also reduced during our visit following the closure of the mainline between Lydney and Gloucester by Network Rail. This was to repair the track after a recent derailment.
On the 15th February we made a visit to the area to photograph some of the current workings which are possible to record. We first visited Bishton (near Magor), continuing to Margam Yard/ Port Talbot Steelworks, and then back to Coed Kernow, finishing the trip back at Pilning on the English side of the Severn Tunnel.
On the 15th February we made a visit to the area to photograph some of the current workings which are possible to record. We first visited Bishton (near Magor), continuing to Margam Yard/ Port Talbot Steelworks, and then back to Coed Kernow, finishing the trip back at Pilning on the English side of the Severn Tunnel.
North West England - 14th - 19th October 2013

This gallery of images resulted from a four day trip based in Manchester using a 'Freedom of the North West' rover ticket and visiting many locations within the limits of the ticking area. The North West ticket is very good value and covers a large area. During the week we covered over 1500 miles and visited around15 towns dotted around the North West.
3 in 7 Freedom of Severn and Solent Ticket - August 2013

The Freedom of Severn and Solent offers unlimited travel on any train operated by First Great Western, Cross Country, South West Trains and Arriva Trains Wales after 9am on the days of use. It's valid to the north of Taunton as far as Cardiff and Great Malvern. Swindon is the most easterly station which may be visited, and it's also valid to Eastleigh, Southampton & Portsmouth Harbour. The 3 in 7 Rover costs £45 and is exceptionally good value. (Further details can be found on the National Rail Website and a Map is also available). The ticket offers the freedom to travel at leisure around the South West and visit many locations within one day.
Eastliegh - 26th October 2012

Eastliegh is located to the east of Southampton and plays a major part to rail operations in the south of England. Eastleigh Works provides a sub contract maintenance/ overhaul/ storage facility for any rail operator via Arlington Fleet Services. Eastleigh Yard is used by Network Rail as a major ballast processing and loading facility and also provides a large engineers base for rail based operations in the south of the UK.
The station also provides crew facilities for GBRf, DB Schenker and Freightliner. Most Freightliner services stop at Eastleigh in each direction for crew changes. Couple these heavy freight operations to the regular services operated by South West Trains, Eastleigh is an exceptionally busy rail centre which is currently experiencing a huge number of trains operating through the small town each day. Unfortunately we are not able to order some nice sunny Autumn weather for the visit, as despite a good forecast, the wet day took longer to blow through than expected. Below is a selection of images taken during a visit on the 26th October 2012.
The station also provides crew facilities for GBRf, DB Schenker and Freightliner. Most Freightliner services stop at Eastleigh in each direction for crew changes. Couple these heavy freight operations to the regular services operated by South West Trains, Eastleigh is an exceptionally busy rail centre which is currently experiencing a huge number of trains operating through the small town each day. Unfortunately we are not able to order some nice sunny Autumn weather for the visit, as despite a good forecast, the wet day took longer to blow through than expected. Below is a selection of images taken during a visit on the 26th October 2012.
Washwood Heath & Cossington - 7th September 2012

While on route to the Great Central Railway Diesel Gala on Friday 7th September, we decided to make a day of mainline photography as we traveled north to Loughborough for the weekend. We didn't plan the locations until our first service station stop on the M42, as the weather was looking favorable for all three days of our Midlands visit we decided the first call was Washwood Heath in Birmingham. We spent the mid morning at this popular location to capture the newly released Class 56 from Colas. In the afternoon traffic flows indicated that Cossington (Midland Mainline) would provide some variety of freight / passenger services into the early evening. Below is a selection of images from the day.
Scotland - April 2012

April 2012 provided a week long visit to Scotland using the ‘Freedom of Scotland Rover’ to get around. Although the week was based around rail travel, to make the most of the ticket there were opportunities to take photographs along the way. Our base for the week was Haymarket which gave us the opportunity to visit some outposts in the Scottish Highlands such as Aberdeen, Inverness, and Fort William without having to overnight at another location. Our route up was with First Great Western to London Paddington before traveling First Class with East Coast from Kings Cross to Edinburgh. The weather during the week wasn’t the best, but with snow still evident (and falling) in the highlands the scenery was stunning. A further surprise was the Glasgow suburbs which proved to be an real eye opener with some superb sights to be witnessed.
Lincolnshire & Yorkshire 'Road Trip' - April 2012

The Lincolnshire and Yorkshire ‘Road Trip’ was planned as part of a hasty replacement for a trip to America in 2012. Unfortunately we had to postpone this overseas trip, but replaced it with two trips in April to compensate for not being able to go abroad. We planned to head North (via a stop off at Ashchurch (near Cheltenham) and Portway (in the Midlands) then heading on to Barnetby (in Lincolnshire), before heading to York where we would cover the various maze of freight lines connecting to Drax, Eggborough, and Ferrybridge power stations. We returned south via Clay Cross (near Chesterfield).
A day on the Southern - 26th January 2012

The 25th January saw a trip onto Southern territory for a visit to Ford Station on the South Coast. Situated between Southampton and Brighton (just to the North of Littlehampton) Ford Station also provides quick and easy access to the popular Guagemaster Model Shop. Things didn't go to plan after we planned a meet up at Southmapton with a friend from Portland. A 80 year old lady drove her car off the road crossing at Brokenhurst Station causing major delays to train services to and from Weymouth/ Southmapton. After a coach connection we were finally able to continue forward to Ford via Fareham with Southern Trains. The return trip from Ford also took in Littlehampton, Barnham and Portsmouth Harbour, before picking up our First Great Western service home.
A Day in Wales - November 2011

Tuesday the 15th November promised to be a day of good light (according to the Met Office!), a trip to South Wales to record various freight and passenger movements was arranged. The day was quite busy with many of the booked freight flows running to time, we concentrated our efforts between Severn Tunnel Junction in the East, and Coedkernew in the West. With some reasonable spells of sunlight, the best light came in the final hour before sun down between 15:00 and 16:00. Below is a record of the days sightings. Coedkernew provided some nice Autumnal light with many differing colours from the lineside vegetation. Below is a selection of images from the day.
London Underground Heritage Running - September 2011

Sunday September 11th 2011 provided the chance to travel over part of the London Underground network on heritage stock from the London Transport Museum. Heritage Tube Locomotive No.12 'Sarah Siddons' teamed up with Railfreight Grey 20227 to work shuttles between Harrow on the Hill and Amersham. While a balancing diagram used former Northern Line 1938 tube stock, painted in London Transport Red.
Services were slotted in-between normal tube trains running over the Metropolitan Line. The event was well attended and provided an excellent opportunity to view/ photograph all aspects of the London Underground operation of 'The Met'.
Services were slotted in-between normal tube trains running over the Metropolitan Line. The event was well attended and provided an excellent opportunity to view/ photograph all aspects of the London Underground operation of 'The Met'.
St Pancras, East Midlands Parkway & Loughborough - May 2011

In order to attend the Great Central Railway & Great Central Railway (North) Diesel Gala’s we travelled up to Loughborough via London and East Midlands Parkway on Friday 13th May. The location of East Midlands Parkway is right next to Ratcliffe Power Station which provides a stunning and unique backdrop to any railway photos. This collection details a selection of images from our time spent in the Loughborough area between the 13th and 16th May