Bo'ness: A pair of type 2s stabled in the trainshed at Boness on 24 January 2005. The locomotives are D7659 (nearest) and 25235. See image [[53197]]

Bo'ness: The former BR Swindon built D9524, renumbered here as 14901, photographed from the station platform at SRPS Bo'ness on 24 January 2005. See image [[53402]]

Bo'ness: Preserved class 47 no 47643 stands at the head of a diesel lineup at SRPS Boness in January 2005.

Bo'ness: Ex-BSC Clydebridge Steelworks No 1 R&H 165DE 412439, photographed in the yard at SRPS Boness in January 2005.

Bo'ness: 14901 (originally D9524) in the sidings at Bo'ness in January 2005. Built at Swindon in 1964 it was withdrawn from Landore shed in May 1969 and subsequently purchased by BP for industrial use at Grangemouth. It eventually became surplus to requirements and was donated to SRPS, Bo'ness, in 1981. The locomotive was sold on in 2006. See image [[48156]]

Fouldubs Junction: Locomotive and freight stand in the shadows in one of the sheds at WHM, Grangemouth in January 2006. The windows of Fouldubs Junction signal box can just be seen between the M9 motorway supports.

Fouldubs Junction Yard: Looking towards Grangemouth Docks from Fouldubs Junction in January 2006 as DRS 66406 eases a container train forward from the W H Malcolm depot.

Fouldubs Junction Yard: A class 66 locomotive shunting a container train from the W H Malcolm Grangemouth depot in January 2006. View is north towards the site of the former Grangemouth station, with Fouldubs Junction behind the camera. The chimney of Longannet power station, standing on the other side of the Forth, is prominent in the background.

Alloa: Looking east in January 2006 over what would become the new Alloa station. At this stage the old track has been lifted and the trackbed partially cleared, although some embedded rails remain beyond the gate which accessed the former brewery complex. Plant and equipment should begin to move onto the site next month, with various follow-on developments planned, including new housing off to the left and a supermarket to the right.

Johnstone: A very smoky 66143 passing through Johnstone with loaded coal hoppers.

Johnstone: 66209 passing through Johnstone en route for Hunterston.

Fordell: The converted locomotive shed at Fordell on the former Fordell Railway on 24 January 2008. The building is currently part of a cement distribution yard.

Barton and Broughton: A southbound Pendolino approaches the footbridge alongside the site of Barton & Broughton station, Lancs, on 24 January 2009.

Woodacre Crossing: In a low winter sun on 24 January 2009, a First TransPennine Express service to Mancester Airport heads south on the WCML at Woodacre.

Woodacre Crossing: FTP 185141 on its way south at Woodacre with a service to Manchester Airport on 24 January 2009.

Woodacre Crossing: A southound Pendolino at speed at Woodacre, Lancs, on the West Coast Main Line on 24 January.

Woodacre Crossing: 185113 with a First TransPennine Express service for Barrow-in-Furness heading north on the WCML on 24 January 2009 towards its next stop at Lancaster.

Cherry Tree: The widening trackbed beyond the bridge and the old crossover are reminders that Cherry Tree was a junction, for the direct line to Chorley, until 1960. Now an unstaffed halt on the Blackburn to Preston line this picture looks west towards the next station at Pleasington. The former goods shed is still in the old goods yard alongside the Blackburn platform but now used as a small industrial unit.

Cherry Tree: Cherry Tree is very close to its neighbouring unstaffed halts on the Blackburn to Preston line. Mill Hill, the next station en route to Blackburn, is sited by the next bridge and visible from the platforms. Northern local services are only allowed four minutes from leaving Pleasington to leaving Mill Hill, including the intermediate stop at Cherry Tree.

Barton and Broughton: A down Pendolino is seen from a footbridge on the WCML just north of Preston on 24 January 2009. The train is about to pass under the A6 on its journey to Lancaster.

Woodacre Crossing: A northbound Pendolino approaches the footbridge at Woodacre, Lancs, on 24 January 2009.

Woodacre Crossing: A southbound Voyager at Woodacre just south of Scorton on a service from Scotland to Birmingham New Street on 24 January 2009. The M6 motorway can be seen to the right of the photo however the road vehicles are no match for the Voyager.

Sannox Incline: The Sannox Railway, Arran, was open from 1836-1862 and 1918-1939 to carry Barytes from mines to a pier. The earthworks remain relatively intact and portions of the pier remain. The upper works of the railway was a self-acting incline running from a reversing spur uphill to mines and associated bings. The lower works ran from the reversing spur via mines and various hoppers to a pier at Sannox north of Corrie. There were many mines here and on inspection the upper incline may have been rebuilt on at least three occaisions on different alignments. There are many open shafts, partly demolished buildings and deep pools so caution should be exercised on visiting.

Charlestown: The Quarry tramway at Charlestown looking north from the top of the limekilns through the tunnel towards the stationery engine at the Gin Head and thence to West Quarry.  Loaded trucks would come down the incline and the limestone would be tipped straight into the top of the kilns.  The tunnel remains intact and open despite being around 200 years old.  In his younger days the photographer crawled through the tunnel on a number of occasions - but it is certainly not to be recommended today! 

Charlestown Harbour: Looking south east over Charlestown Harbour on 24 January with Rosyth Dockyard and the Forth Bridges in the background.  The 1894 re-aligned 'main line' followed the path of the grassy verge heading towards the site of Charlestown station (1894-1926).

Charlestown: Surviving rails amongst the overgrown top of the limekilns on the Charlestown quarry tramway in January 2010.

Charlestown: Looking north to the partially hidden tunnel entrance through which the Charlestown quarry tramway emerged from West Quarry.  The tramway route and the limekilns are a scheduled ancient monument yet it is disappointing that so little has been done to help preserve them. January 2010.

Aberlyn Level Crossing: Aberlyn Level Crossing on the Charlestown Railway 1894 NBR alignment. View north towards Merryhill. During the Falklands War in 1982 when the branch trains to and from RNAD Crombie grew from the usual one per day to around 5 per day the photographer occasionally assisted the traincrew here by opening and closing the crossing gates for them - on one occasion to be met not by a 'thank you' from the guard but 'mind you close they gates!'.

Charlestown: Elgin/Charlestown Railway, the 1810 alignment looking north towards Merryhill from just south of Fiddlers Hall.  The 1810 alignment is now occupied by the main road leading from the western edge of Charlestown to the A985 via Merryhill.  The road comes in from the centre right of this photo.

Braeside Junction: Braeside Junction looking south east - from the opposite direction to image 26997.  The line from RNAD Crombie comes in centre right. [Compare with the photograph taken by WJV Anderson of a B1 heading the daily goods back to Dunfermline in 'Steam in Scotland Volume 2' -hard to believe it is taken from exactly the same location.]  Braeside Halt, opened for workers at Crombie, was directly behind the photographer on the Dunfermline side of the footbridge.  The platform and building remained in situ until the mid-1970s. See image [[27502]]

Charlestown: Trackbed of the Charlestown Railway running down towards the harbour. View south across the viaduct in January 2010 see image [[17374]].  

Dalgety Bay: Can you spot it? In far-off days when BR owned Sealink the double arrow on the port side of funnels was painted the 'wrong' way round, apparently to avoid a going backwards look (never mind that it had a 'that symbol's back-to-front' look). This local business advertising at Dalgety Bay station on 24 January is mimicking a rail ticket which still has the double arrow, albeit the right way round.

Charlestown: Looking westwards up the incline back towards the viaduct see image [[17374]].  The line curves sharply to the right when it reaches the trees in the middle distance.  The 1894 NBR alignment is off to the left beyond the houses at a slightly lower level.  The 1834 alignment to Charlestown Harbour, which involved an incline with a stationery engine, is about 50 yards behind the photographer.

Kirkcaldy: Evening at Kirkcaldy, looking south on 24 January 2010.

Nuneaton: The Royal Train, with 67005 on the front and 67006 at the rear, stands in platform 5 at Nuneaton on 24th January 2012. The train had entered the station from the Leicester direction and departed towards London.

Westerton: One of the attractive planters at Westerton station on 24 January 2013. See adjacent news item.

Westerton: Notice posted by Westerton Primary School at their local station in January 2013.

St Rollox Works: Diesel shunter 08568, which has been located at St Rollox for some years, seen through the mesh fence from the Tesco car park on 24 January 2015.

Castlecary: Alloway Cemetery.
On 10 December 1937 at Castlecary, A3 Pacific 'Grand Parade' on an Edinburgh to Glasgow express, travelling at 60 mph in a snowstorm, ran into the rear of a stopped Dundee to Glasgow train. 35 passengers were killed and 179 injured. The cause seems to have been a signal fault, with the drivers of both the Dundee and Edinburgh trains insisting that the down distant was at clear, this possibly caused by the snow.

High Street Junction: 334025 on an Edinburgh - Milngavie service begins the descent to High Street station and the low level tunnel section of the line on 24th January 2015. The tracks of the little used City of Glasgow Union Railway which crosses the Clyde can be seen behind.

High Street Goods: The site of the former High Street Goods yard seen from Hunter Street on 24th January 2015. High Street station is in a cutting off to the left. View is west along what is now Havannah Street, with Duke Street running in parallel beyond the line of new buildings on the right.

Penrith: The first Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express of 2015 passes through Penrith North Lakes with Black 5 45407 in charge. The Jubilee Leander was to have double headed with 45407 but was failed on the morning of the tour.

Sheriffhall City Bypass Overbridge: A Borders Railway 158 bound for Tweedbank about to pass south below the bridge carrying the Edinburgh City Bypass on a wet and windy January morning in 2016. The angle of the shot and position of the train conspire to cover up most of the graffiti recently inflicted on the bridge see image [[54000]].

Sheriffhall City Bypass Overbridge: The 0945 Tweedbank - Edinburgh about to emerge from below the Edinburgh City Bypass during light rain on 24 January 2016. The bridge surround has received some unwelcome attention from vandals of late.

Eskbank: ScotRail 158703 forming the Sunday morning 1045 Tweedbank - Edinburgh Waverley service, calls at Eskbank on 24 November 2016. The surviving platforms of the original Eskbank station are just visible on the other side of the A6094 road bridge in the distance.

Golders Green: Exterior of Golders Green station, LUL Northern Line, in pouring rain on 24th January 2016. The station is an interchange with local buses that gather on the forecourt. It was opened by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway on 22nd June 1907, which was extended out to Edgware by 1924. After 1926, when the line also reached Morden in Surrey, it became known as the Morden-Edgware Line until 1937 when it was renamed the Northern Line, notwithstanding that a long section of the line is in SOUTH London! Obviously one of London Transport's little jokes that remains to this day.

Eskbank: A morning Tweedbank - Edinburgh 158 approaching Eskbank station on 24 January 2016.

Sheerness Docks: Looking north from the level crossing over the A429 Brielle Way see image [[58002]] on the approach to Sheerness on Sea, along a surviving section of the former docks branch. The dock wall is built across the line just by the building ahead. The dock area is to the left and the former Sheerness Steel site across the road to the right.

Sheerness Docks: The disused and severed spur from the Sheerness branch that formerly served the Sheerness Steel site (beyond the fence to left) and continued on to Sheerness Docks. View is south along the A429 Brielle Way in January 2017. The line to the docks is blocked some 100m behind the camera and the section of trackbed running beyond the crossing to the former South Junction is currently being excavated. There are plans to re-open part of the steelworks later in the year, initially as a rolling mill. It is possible the connection between the branch and the steelworks may yet be restored. P.S. Alas this was not to be as within a year from this view a bridge had been erected across the road ahead and the site prepared to be used as an additional storage area, holding some 2000 vehicles, for new cars imported thro' Sheerness dock.

Sheerness-on-Sea: Late January afternoon grab shot from vehicle standing at traffic lights, showing the rather unimposing station building at Sheerness on Sea. The station is the terminus of the branch line running north onto the Isle of Sheppey from Sittingbourne, via Kemsley and Swale stations.

Mount Florida: 314210 is seen here at Mount Florida having had, at least to date, 37 years service. It was used at the re-opening of the Argyle Line (Glasgow Central Low Level) on the 1st of November 1979 when the Queen was the Second Man. See image [[59492]]

Morecambe South Junction: TPE 350404 heads away from Lancaster with a Manchester Airport to Edinburgh service on 24th January 2017. The train is seen looking south towards Lancaster from the new vantage point of the Bay Gateway bridge that opened in October 2016 See image [[54841]]. [Ref query 617]

Kirkham North Junction: Electrification of the Blackpool line continues at Kirkham North Junction. This is the view towards Blackpool on 24th January 2018 with masts appearing and new signals in place, one directly in front of the site of the old mechanical signal box. The Blackpool South line, curving left, reopens on 29th January. See image [[63641]] for the same location in 2001.

Newington [NBR]: It used to be common to see advertising posters at railway sites other than open stations, but this is dying out if not already dead. These First ScotRail posters at Newington are 10 or 11 years old. The sepia effect is caused by the ageing plastic covering. I leave it to you to decide whether you find these people appealing (and no, that doesn't appear to be Esther Rantzen).

Bay Horse: An MOD train ran to Glen Douglas from Fenny Compton on 24th January 2018. Grubby DB 66099 is seen passing Bay Horse with the short train of containers.

Blackpool (North Pier): This is Talbot Square in Blackpool, with the North Pier just behind the camera, on 24th January 2018. Talbot Road runs from here to Blackpool North station, a distance of just under 700 yards. Talbot Road is presently closed while new tram tracks are laid to North Station, partially reinstating a long lost Blackpool tram route. Further progress photos to follow as the project takes shape.

St Annes-on-the-Sea: The ticket office at St Annes on 24th January 2018, the last week of rail replacement bus services before reopening to Blackpool South and Preston. The blue plaque records a little known piece of local railway history.

Glazebrook East Junction: On a very misty 24 January 2019, a Northern Class 150 DMU on a service from Liverpool to Manchester passes Glazebrook East Jct SB. The junction is beyond the train and forks to the right. Although originally it ran via Partington to Skelton Jct near Timperley, latterly it only ran as far as exchange sidings on the MSC. Also noted on this visit, the crossover is out of use as the crossing on the up line has been plain lined.

Glazebrook: A Northern service heads west without stopping at Glazebrook on 24 January 2019. Although the rear destination blind is displaying 'Wigan North Western', 150114 will not be heading there directly, if at all. My hunch is that it was heading to Liverpool Lime Street, well at least that is what it said on the other end!

Wennington: For those who haven't experienced the 'joys' of a four wheeled rail vehicle at speed on jointed track it is perhaps time for a visit to the Bentham line, before it is too late. 144020, heading for Morecambe from Leeds, slows for the Wennington stop on a cold and misty 24th January 2019. The Class 144s are slated for early withdrawal from Northern but there is talk of some going to the Welsh Valleys for short term lease to TFW. [Ref query 25 January 2019]

Culcheth: Looking north-west under Wigshaw Lane road bridge to the site of Culcheth station on the former Great Central Railway line from Glazebrook Jct to Wigan Central. The line had opened in 1884 but closed to passengers in 1964, with freight lasting until 1968. The station site has been completely cleared and landscaped and part of the route is now a linear park.

Wennington: 3-car Pacer 144020 calls at Wennington on its way to Morecambe from Leeds on 24th January 2019. The population of Wennington is only 138 but the station is relatively close to a number of other Lune Valley villages. Since May 2018 the number of weekday trains has risen from five to seven in each direction. More importantly the last train from Leeds is now 1918hrs, almost three hours later than previously, with a corresponding later departure from Lancaster on its return leg.

West Kilbride: It seems little progress has been made with the renovations at West Kilbride since my last visit on 17th May 2019. This view on 24th January 2020, when no work was taking place (again).

West Kilbride: View along the platforms at West Kilbride on 24th January 2020.

Woodacre Crossing: Although several Class 350s have been reliveried in LNWR colours ready for cascading they are still in use with TPE, including 350408, seen here heading for Edinburgh at Woodacre on 24th January 2020.

Dalgety Bay: CrossCountry 220017 nears Dalgety Bay on 24th January 2021, with the 12.31 from Dundee to Bristol Temple Meads, which would have started from Aberdeen before the Carron Water bridge problem. Photograph ancillary to a daily exercise walk permitted under Corona Virus legislation.

Aboyne Curlers Platform: Looking north along the trackbed of the Deeside Line alongside the Loch of Aboyne on 24 January 2021. The location was once occupied by the Curlers Platform.

Aboyne Curlers Platform: View north east over a corner of the Loch of Aboyne in January 2021 looking towards the site of the former curlers platform.

Dalgety Bay: LNER Azuma 800104 runs through a frosty Dalgety Bay on 24th January 2021. This was an Edinburgh - Dundee empty stock working in order to form the 15.03 to London Kings Cross. Photograph ancillary to a daily exercise walk permitted under Corona Virus legislation.

Manchester Victoria: TPE 802215 calls at Manchester Victoria, whilst working between Liverpool and Newcastle, on 24 January 2022. While in the station, the pantograph was dropped and the 802 went onto diesel power to cross the Pennines.

Reddish North: A view across the tracks at Reddish North on 24 January 2022 with the station building on the Manchester bound platform and former goods shed on the right of the line in the distance.

Romiley: A Manchester Piccadilly to New Mills Central service departs east from Romiley on a dull January afternoon. It was a bit of a surprise to find Class 195 units operating on this and the services to Rose Hill Marple rather than the customary Class 150s.

Brinnington: A Manchester Piccadilly to New Mills Central service with 195117 arrives at Brinnington on 24 January 2022. With different designs of platform shelters, the ticket office is at street level and is just visible above the far end of the platform canopy.

Bredbury: Bredbury, looking towards Manchester on 24th January 2022, with a relatively modern main station building (compared to others on this line) on the eastbound platform.