Salwick: 47245 and 47760 passing Salwick, light engine from Carnforth to Blackpool North, on 9th November 2024. They were following the UK Railtours excursion to Blackpool to haul the stock on a mini-tour, 'The Industrial Brush' over Standedge to West Yorkshire and back, before the return trip to Euston that evening.

Southampton Terminus (for Docks): Southampton Terminus station, on 29th March 1969. It had closed to passengers a few years previously on 5th September 1966. Until 1923 it was described as Southampton Town & Docks

Southend Victoria: Rather a dull day at Southend Victoria, looking towards the buffer stops, on 2nd December 2024. 720559 is on the Greater Anglia Liverpool Street service.

Northumberland Park: 158817, on Northern service from Ashington to Newcastle, on the single track section passing the Tyne & Wear Metro station at Northumberland Park, on the second day of services on the Ashington line, Monday, 16th December 2024. Ashington trains will begin calling here in 2025, when a new single platform on the north side, currently still under construction, has been completed allowing interchange with Metro trains.

Seaton Delaval: 158817 with a Northern service from Newcastle to Ashington arriving at Seaton Delaval to rescue me from the bitterly cold winds, at 11.03 on the second day of restored services, Monday, 16th December 2024. I had planned to wait here to photo the train arriving back but I was so cold, I decided to go back to Ashington before returning to Newcastle, just to get warm.

Newsham: Newsham signal box, seen from passing 158815 returning from Ashington to Newcastle, at 10.40 on the second day of restored services on the line after 60 years, Monday, 16th December 2024.

Wansbeck Viaduct: View from 158815, with Northern service from Newcastle to Ashington, crossing Wansbeck Viaduct, south of Ashington, at 10.20 on the second day of the reopened line, Monday, 16th December 2025. This view is looking east towards the North Sea.

West Sleekburn Junction: View from 158815, with the ex-09.49 Northern service from Newcastle to Ashington, passing West Sleekburn Junction, between Bedlington and Ashington, where the freight branch to North Blyth diverges, at 10.19 on the second day of the reopened line, Monday, 16th December 2024. This branch never had a regular passenger service, as far as I am aware, but on 7th April 2018 a UK Railtours' excursion that I participated on, traversed the branch but, somewhat to everyone's disappointment, did not go to Ashington. See my photo, image no. [[76416]].

Bedlington: View from 158815, Newcastle to Ashington, passing the former Bedlington station on 16th December 2024. Unlike Seaton Delaval and Newsham, which are new stations at or near the sites of the demolished originals closed in 1964, and Blyth Bebside which is a completely new site to the original Bebside station, also closed in 1964, this will be an original but reconstructed station when it opens sometime in 2025. Bedlington is the junction for the freight branch to Morpeth on the ECML. For photos here in 2018 see my images nos. [[76451]] and [[76509]].

Newsham: The uncompleted Newcastle-bound platform at Newsham being passed by 158815, Newcastle to Ashington, on 16th December 2024. Newsham, along with the other uncompleted stations at Northumberland Park, Blyth Bebside and Bedlington are expected to open sometime in 2025. The line becomes double track just south of here and this station will eventually have two platforms. Newsham was the junction station for the branch to Blyth, which also closed with the Ashington line in 1964 and the terminus at Blyth was demolished. The Blyth branch is not being revived for the Northumberland Line.

Ashington: 158843 with 158860 just arrived to a packed platform at Ashington station at 12.30 on the First Day of restored services, after 60 years, Sunday, 15th December 2024 and waiting to return to Newcastle at 12.36.

Mildmay Park: Class 378 unit, London Overground to Stratford, racing in the same direction with the 378 London Overground to West Croydon I was on, passing the site of Mildmay Park station, opened in 1880 and closed in 1934. The trains are passing either side of the now demolished centre island platform but there are still scant remains of the two side platforms. The grand street level entrance building survived in use as a welding factory after closure, complete with North London Railway and Mildmay Park Station engraved on the walls, until it was suddenly and without warning sadly demolished in 1987. I remember it well.

Telford Central: The footbridge at Telford station allows pedestrians to cross the two running lines as well as the busy A442 but it also provides a great vantage point. On the 10th August 2023 Transport for Wales 158822 and 158836 arrive working a service from Birmingham New Street to Aberystwyth. The vast car park was to begin emptying very quickly as commuters returned from a busy day in Birmingham.

Heysham Port: IOMSP 'Ben-my-Chree' has been chartered by Stena Line, after Storm Darragh damaged the port at Holyhead, and is operating a daily freight only route between Dublin and Heysham running up to Christmas and possibly into January. A flat calm Morecambe Bay on 10th December 2024 sees MV 'Seatruck Point' leave Heysham for Warrenpoint as the 'Ben my Chree' arrives.

Tower [Tram]: Blackpool Balloon no. 719, in an eye-catching gold and black livery, operates a southbound service passing the Tower in 2010. This veteran was one of those modified with widened entrances so that they could operate as reserves to the Flexity trams at the new raised tram stops. For this it was repainted in the new purple and white livery - see [[75265]].

Dundurn Viaduct: Going west from Dalchonzie towards St Fillans the line ran through Dundurn Wood in close proximity to the River Earn, resulting in a series of cuttings and earthworks. This is one of the deeper cuttings in a view looking west.

Manchester Oxford Road: 90007 leads 90043 past the distinctive Oxford Road canopies, with a lightly loaded Trafford Park FLT to Felixstowe intermodal service on 5th November 2024.