Hawick [2nd]: A 'rescued' image showing what is thought to have been a unique event at Hawick on 26 July 1958, when one of the early Brush type 2 locomotives, no D5511, worked north, unaided, with The Waverley. See image [[24644]]

Glasgow Central: An unidentified Black 5 bringing a train into Glasgow Central on a wet and overcast July day in 1960. The train is entering the station off the old bridge.

Lesmahagow [2nd]: Lesmahagow Station looking towards viaduct.

Larkhall East: Looking south (Larkhall East).

Larkhall East: Looking north (Larkhall East).

Glasgow Queen Street High Level: A Friday afternoon 3.45pm relief to Newcastle is ready to leave Glasgow Queen Street behind Eastfield B1 61116.

Newton: Britannia Pacific 70007 Coeur-de-Lion passes Newton Box in 1964 with a down express.

Buchanan Street: Black 5 no 44794 bides its time with the 5.50pm Dunblane service waiting to leave Glasgow's Buchanan Street station in July 1966.

Interlaken West: View at Interlaken West on a summer evening in 1966. At the pier is MV Oberhofen, a vessel operated at that time by the BLS on Lake Thun on local services around Interlaken. The Oberhofen was rather smaller than other BLS vessels that would cruise the full length of the lake, and I believe she is still in BLS operation today, albeit now only on private charters. The BLS Ce 4/6 electric locomotive in the station will certainly not be in regular service now, and it would already have been more than forty years old when the picture was taken. Two examples have however been preserved, and at least one can be seen occasionally on specials. Dominating the background are the Monch and Jungfrau mountains

Buchanan Street: Having brought in the 1.30pm ex-Aberdeen on 26 July 1966, A2 Pacific no 60532 Blue Peter reverses out of Buchanan Street station and heads for St Rollox shed.

Interlaken West: A 1966 view of vintage SBB Ae 4/7 electric 10957 westbound between Interlaken Ost and Interlaken West, at the level crossing on Interlaken's Marktgasse.

Larbert: Perth Black 5 no 45472 brings a train for Glasgow Buchanan Street into Larbert in July 1966.

Stirling: A2 Pacific no 60532 Blue Peter calls at Stirling on 26 July 1966 with the 1.30pm Aberdeen - Glasow Buchanan Street.

Tyne Commission Quay: I found this booklet of travel instructions from a trip to Norway in 1967. Trains Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle Central and Tyne Commission Quay. Just change platforms at Newcastle, walk from the platform at TCQ through the transit shed and on to the ship. Now it is a double deck bus to the Quay, but this is totally inadequate with virtually no space for luggage. What a blessing was Dr. Beeching and not much appreciated. See image [[35716]]

Nantes: The characteristic French smoke deflectors, 4-8-2 wheel arrangement and complicated array of external 'works' on the locomotive tell us that we are across the Channel, in Nantes to be precise, in 1969. SNCF Grande P 241P30 prepares to leave with a 16-coach load on a Saturday express for Paris, which it will haul as far as Le Mans. Although grubby and due for withdrawal a month or two later, this fine locomotive completed the task with absolute aplomb.

Nantes: The real thing - at the head of a seventeen-coach express from Paris, an SNCF 241P 4-8-2 rolls into Nantes in the summer of 1969. A relief had arrived earlier behind a diesel, giving rise to more than a little concern on my part, as I had been hoping to see one of the 4-8-2s on express duty during their final summer of service. But all was well when 241P11 arrived spot on time with the main train.

Barry: A Crab and a Bulleid Pacific stand face to face in the sidings at Woodhams scrapyard, Barry, on 26 July 1980. Locomotive 34073, 249 Squadron, for whom the Pacifics smokebox door has been reserved, currently awaits restoration on the Mid Hants Railway.

Barry: Withdrawn ex-GWR Hall and 28xx class locomotives languish in one of the sidings at Woodhams Yard, Barry, on 26 July 1980.

Barry: Hands off! Standard class 2 2-6-0 78059 and Standard class 4 2-6-4T 80150 at Barry on 26 July 1980. 80150 was withdrawn from Eastleigh in October 1965 and is currently undergoing restoration on the Mid Hants Railway. 78059 was withdrawn from Crewe South in November 1966 and somehow lost its tender during its time at Woodhams. The loco is currently being restored / rebuilt by the Bluebell Railway as a Standard 2-6-2 tank and will carry the number 84030.

Inverness: 26043 at Inverness Station on 26 July 1981, having recently arrived with a train from Wick/Thurso.

Cupar: Looking west over Cupar with the passenger station on the left, goodsyard centre and signalbox on the right. 26 July 1986.

Bad Peterstal: Bad Peterstal is in Schwartzwald (Black Forest) and is the penultimate station on the Renchtal Bahn, Offenburg - Bad Griesbach. Picture was taken from inside one of the old Red 4 wheel gear driven Schienenbus (Rail bus) that usually work in pairs.

Genève Pâquis: The PS Helvetie of 1926 at Geneva in 1991. She is presently out of service but cosmetically restored.

Lausanne: Lausanne with a local and a TGV in 1991. I was on my way to Geneva and, I think, jumped onto the local.

Uxbridge: A 1994 view of the booking hall of Charles Holden's 1938 Uxbridge station, taken from behind the buffers. The simple train indicator (which is double-sided) is still in place. The clock however has been replaced by an older-style one with serifed roman numerals which to my eye is unsympathetic to the rest of the station.

Uxbridge: Platform 3 of the Metropolitan and Piccadilly Line terminus at the LPTB 1938 Uxbridge station in July 1994. This structure replaced the original (1904) Harrow & Uxbridge Railway station located half a mile to the east.

Powderhall Loop: A Class 60 on Binliner duty does some pottering on the since-closed Powderhall branch. Housing now occupies the area to the right all the way back to Broughton Road, the distant bridge.

Brockenhurst: A train arriving at Brockenhurst platform 2 in July 2002.

Redhill: 166221 awaits its departure time at Redhill platform 1 on 26 July 2002 with a Reading shuttle service.

Brockenhurst: Trains passing over Lymington Road level crossing at the north end of Brockenhurst station in July 2002.

Lymington Pier: Peaceful scene at Lymington Pier on 26 July 2002, with a train at the platform awaiting its departure time on the shuttle service to Brockenhurst.

Brockenhurst: A train leaving Brockenhurst platform 3 for Weymouth in the summer of 2002.

Redhill: 165117 at Redhill on 26 July 2002 with a terminated service from Reading.

Lymington Pier: Awaiting the next arrival from Brockenhurst. View out along the platform at Lymington Pier in the summer of 2002.

Lymington Pier: All quiet at Lymington Pier on 26 July 2002, with a recently arrived EMU from Brockenhurst at the platform.

Brockenhurst: The arrangement at the double-island platform station at Brockenhurst, Hampshire, in 2002, where a rotating turntable bridge was employed to provide step free access (on request) between the station entrance and platforms 1 & 2. (Step free access to platforms 3 & 4 was across the trackbed.) The arrangement came to an end in 2014 when the station received a new footbridge with integral lifts. See image [[47749]]

Brockenhurst: Comings and goings at the north end of Brockenhurst station in the summer of 2002, with trains about to pass over Lymington Road level crossing.

Portobello Junction: DVT 82132 leads a Waverley - North Berwick service through Portobello in the summer of 2004 during the period when Virgin locomotive hauled stock was being used to cover for EMU shortages. Propelling the train at the rear is EWS 90033.

Redmire: Ouch!

Greenfaulds: DRS 66410 takes the 12.56 Elderslie - Grangemouth containers north east towards Cumbernauld on 26 July 2006 having just passed the platforms of Greenfaulds station.

Greenfaulds: The arrival of this train at Greenfaulds on 26 July 2006 put an end to some of the best cross-platform chat-up lines I have ever heard. The train is a Motherwell - Cumbernauld service and, while the two young men remained on the grass verge, by the time it had restarted its journey, the ladies had boarded a Falkirk Grahamston - Glasgow Queen Street train, which is currently approaching from the right. I wonder if their paths ever crossed again....

Croy: Trains to and from Glasgow Queen Street meet at Croy station in July 2006 - looking south west.

Stepps: A Cumbernauld - Glasgow Queen Street train leaving Stepps station in July 2006.

Greenfaulds: 12.56 Elderslie - Grangemouth container train passing through Greenfaulds in July 2006.

Lenzie: Arrival at Lenzie in July 2006, looking west towards Glasgow Queen Street.

Croy: An Edinburgh Waverley - Glasgow Queen Street service calls at the busy Croy station in July 2006. The bus interchange connects with various surrounding towns including Cumbernauld and Kilsyth.

Greenfaulds: A Cumbernauld - Motherwell service at Greenfaulds in July 2006.

Greenfaulds: DRS 37087 takes a single 'Ferrywagon' north through Greenfaulds on 26 July 2006.

Lenzie: An eastbound stopping train leaving Lenzie in July 2006, just as an express passes through the westbound platform en route to Glasgow Queen Street.

Greenfaulds: An early afternoon train from Glasgow Queen Street heading for Falkirk Grahamston calls at Greenfaulds on a fine summer's day in July 2006. The station, which is also served by trains on the Motherwell - Cumbernauld route, opened in May 1989.

Kilconquhar: Entrance to the modified former station house at Kilconquhar in Fife, photographed looking south from the A917 road in the summer of 2007. The station was opened in 1857 by the East of Fife Railway in a mainly agricultural area between Largo and Elie (a mile to the south east). The single platform station stood just beyond the station house, with the goods yard on the south side of the line. The main entrance was off to the right (west) alongside a level crossing. Kilconquhar station closed to all traffic in 1965.

Kirkland Loop: After WW1 Methil Docks became Scotlands chief coal port, exporting over 3m tons in 1923. The former lines to the docks are shown on 26 July 2007 looking east towards the now defunct Methil power station.

Methil East Junction: [[Methil Power Station]], commissioned in 1965 to run on coal slurry from the Fife washeries and coal-bing waste. Decommissioned in 2000 the structure is seen here in July 2007 awaiting demolition. The bridge also carried traffic to the coal-drops at Methil docks (including coal from the former [[Wemyss Private Railway]]). See image [[6242]].

Kirkland Loop: View west along the banks of the River Leven on 26 July 2007 showing the rusting and overgrown lines that once brought the coal into the docks at Methil.

Kilconquhar: The former station house at Kilconquhar in July 2007 looking south from the roadside.

Cameron Bridge [1st]: View west from Station Road over the remains of Cameron Bridge station on 26 July 2007, with the Diageo distillery dominating the background. The distillery would see significant further expansion over the course of the following year - see [[20530]].

Inverkeithing: View south over Inverkeithing station during major track replacement work on 26 July 2007. The towers of the Forth Bridge can be seen breaking the horizon.

Cameron Bridge [1st]: Looking over the abandoned headshunt at Cameron Bridge in the summer of 2007. View east from the station site, looking towards the Fife Coast.

Aviemore: West Coast Railways 47804 awaits the coaches of The Royal Scotsman at Aviemore.

Inverkeithing Central Junction: Marooned! Scene during major track renewal works around Inverkeithing Central Junction in July 2007. View is south towards Inverkeithing station. For the view north towards the junction see image [[15999]].

Methil East Junction: The remains of the rail route into Methil Docks seen looking east from the A955 road bridge in the summer of 2007. The abandoned and overgrown former 4-track railway bridge across the River Leven once carried lines serving Methil power station on the left (decommissioned 7 years earlier) as well as the various sidings and coal drops within the docks themselves. (See image [[70920]].)

Garstang and Catterall: Double bridge. On the WCML, just north of the site of Garstang and Catterall, are two bridges. Each has an extra, single line, arch on the down side. These were for the Knott End line that ran parallel to the main line for nearly a mile before diverging to the west. This track also formed a long Down Goods loop. Both bridges were rebuilt for the 1974 electrification but thankfully the Knott End line arches were left intact. TPE 185136 passes the southerly bridge travelling north. SD 508447.

Carron: The railway ran along the side of this distillery building and barrels were probably loaded onto wagons using the hoist on the right.

Carron: A siding ran between the two buildings. The smaller one on the left appears in many photographs and seems to be a gate keepers office for the distillery.

Carron: A view along the platform at Carron in July 2008. The trackbed has been filled in and trees are taking over at the east end. A signal box used to stand on the platform in the left middle distance.

Carron: Near the former goods yard I found The Carron Express delivering flowers to the area.

Bridge of Carron: This is Carron Bridge, once shared by both road and rail. Looking towards Aberlour, this is a view of the railway trackbed with the road on the left.

Dailuaine Halt: The platform still exists but is showing a marked deterioration since my last visit. The name board has gone and there is evidence of subsidence. See image [[39049]]

Carron: A view of Carron looking towards Aberlour. The main line ran beside the roadway to the station (centre left) and from where the photograph is taken a branch ran into the distillery.

Carron: Certainly in the late fifties Carron was still lit by oil lamps, perhaps even until closure. At the north end of the platform one of the original lamp holders is still extant, if not in original position.

Aberlour: Just south of Aberlour station the line to Carron once passed under this bridge. It now forms the entrance to a car park.

Broomhill Junction: Standard class 4 Tank 80105 makes light work of a four coach train passing Broomhill Junction in July 2008.

Markinch: 170478 in SPT livery calls at Markinch on 26 July with the 1759 to Edinburgh.

Aviemore: The street side of Aviemore station showing the main station building.

Lubeck: DB 112-153 from Hamburg approaching Lubeck's platform 7 on the late morning of 26 July 2010.

Loughborough Central: Deltic D9009 Alycidon stands at Loughborough Central on 26 July 2010. The locomotive is visiting the GCR until September.

Loughborough Central: Ex-LMS 8F 2-8-0 no 48305 about to couple up to her train on 26 July before heading off once more from Loughborough to Leicester North.

Haymarket: Westbound trains on the Fife and Glasgow lines occupy platforms 2 and 4 at Haymarket on 26 July.

Loughborough Central: Former Eastfield resident no 37314 stands at Loughborough Central on 26 July.

Edinburgh Waverley: A North Berwick EMU formed by 322484 stands at Edinburgh Waverley on 26 July 2010.

Loughborough Central: BR Standard Class 2MT 2-6-0 no 78019 outside Loughborough Engine Shed on 26 July 2010.

Lubeck: View across the platforms at Lubeck on the afternoon of July 26 2010.

Lubeck: DB has introduced some new two car sprinter type diesels on local services in and around Lubeck with each unit named after a local town, city or municipality. Here Lensahn [left] and Ratzeburg await their departure times from Lubeck on the afternoon of July 26th 2010.

Boat of Garten: CR 828 approaches Boat of Garten from the north in 2010.

Travemunde Hafen: A Lubeck to Travemunde Strand service pauses briefly at Travemunde Hafen station during the early afternoon of 26 July 2010.

Ben Alder Level Crossing: A southbound service heads away from Dalwhinnie and towards An Torc (the Boar of Badenoch) and the Druimuachdar Pass.

Millburn Junction: The morning 4D50 Inverness-Coatbridge freight heads south from Millburn Junction. The junction is one of those unusual alignments where one line flies over another before a junction - the line to the left runs to Perth and the line in the foreground runs to Aberdeen. Inverness is in the distance beyond the A9 embankment.

Lubeck: 648 838 on a regional service to Buchen awaits its departure time at Lubeck on the evening of July 26th 2010.

Lubeck: The recent completion of the electrification of the line from Lubeck to Travemunde on the Germany coast, has reduced the journey time from thirty five minutes to twenty. A double-deck train basks in the hot afternoon sunshine while awaiting departure for the coast on 26 July 2010.

Loughborough Central: Class 25 no D5185 stands at Loughborough on 26 July 2010. This locomotive was 25035 of Haymarket shed in the 1970s.  The photographer's last sighting of this engine was at Blairhall on the Stirling - Dunfermline line in 1974. See image [[11080.]]

Boat of Garten: Approaching Boat of Garten from the north. If the view seems familiar try scrolling down.

Edinburgh Waverley: Commemorative electrification plaque alongside platform 4 at Edinburgh Waverley in July 2010.

Haymarket [Tram]: Progress with the tram works at Haymarket on 26 July 2011, looking west.

Goswick: 91109 approaching West Goswick Farm LC at the head of a Northbound East Coast service in July 2011. The location is just a little South of the former Goswick Station.

Goswick: 66420 just South of the site of Goswick Station approaching West Goswick Farm LC at the head of the daily intermodal service from Grangemouth to Tees Dock in July 2011.

Greenfaulds: A Falkirk Grahamston - Glasgow Queen Street service slows for the Greenfaulds stop on 26 July 2006. Greenfaulds station, on the south side of Cumbernauld, opened in 1989 see image [[12429]].

Järpen: TMY diesel 1150 belonging to the private loco-hiring company Railcare waits with its train for the last passenger train to depart to carry out concrete sleeper replacement duties. These locos were built for DSB by Nydqvist & Holm AB (NOHAB) in the 1950s and 1960s and had GM-EMD engines. A tracked excavator is placed on the third last wagon with some concrete sleeper filling the last two. This yard is often used by P Way trains see image [[62126]]

Haltwhistle: The 10.22 Newcastle - Carlisle service arrives at Haltwhistle at 11.17 on 26 July 2011.

Haymarket [Tram]: Progress at Haymarket tram interchange on 26 July looking towards the station.

Haymarket [Tram]: Looking down the reverse curve through 'Haymarket Yards' taken by the tram route swinging sharp left after leaving Haymarket interchange. View south west towards the E&G main line and the site of the former coal depot.

Haltwhistle: View west at Haltwhistle station on 26 July 2011 as the 11.17 DMU for Carlisle (10.22 ex-Newcastle Central) prepares to leave platform 2.

University of York: Stanier 8F 2-8-0 48551 was withdrawn and cut up in 1968, but parts of it still survive today on the York University campus. The parts were purchased from Thos. W. Ward of Sheffield and welded to form the sculpture by the University Department of Physics in 1968.

Irthlingborough: There isn't much left of Irthlingborough station on the Northampton to Peterborough line - just a rather boring brick loading bank behind the trees to the right. So the rails and check rails in the adjacent former level crossing add a useful bit of atmosphere. Photographed in July 2013 looking towards Ringstead and Thrapston.

Irthlingborough: Looking North towards the station site at Irthlingborough see image [[44129]], which was just beyond the long 1930's concrete road bridge in the right background. It is clear that the bridge up ahead is not an original railway over river bridge. The ramp angle is a bit of a giveaway; on closer inspection, it seems to be an ex-military Bailey bridge.

Ringstead and Addington: The railway often merges into the landscape rather better than roads. This bridge over the River Nene between Ringstead and Great Addington is a case in point. The trackbed (Thrapston to the right, Irthlingborough to the left) is now a cyclepath see image [[44129]].

Ringstead and Addington: Ladies who lunch - five females ranging in age from teenage to ahem, enjoy lunch on a bridge girder on the LNWR line from Peterborough to Northampton in July 2013.

Irthlingborough: Most ironstone mines in the Midlands were opencast, but the line to the right from this junction - recently cleared to allow electric cable replacement - led to an underground mine opened as a quarry by the Ebbw Vale Steel Iron and Coal Co. in 1915, then converted to a mine in 1918. Ore was also supplied to the Scunthorpe works before closure in 1965. The mine had a 3 foot gauge electric railway, but was connected in 1938 to the Finedon quarries, which had a 2 foot gauge steam line. The line on the left is the LNWR from Peterborough to Northampton see image [[44129]].

Settle: A Carlisle to Leeds service comprised of 1588816 and 153304 calls at Settle on 26 July 2014.

Welland: You don't have to be in Cumbria see image [[47908]] to see shades of the Wild West. Bellerophon waits at the upper terminus of the Welland Railway during the July 2014 Steam Rally. The notice on the water tower seems to indicate that she is only supplied with drinking water!

Helwith Bridge Quarry Siding: 57316, still in Arriva blue, is on the rear of the 'Cumbrian Mountain Express' on 26 July 2014 as the railtour heads north near Helwith Bridge. On the front of the train was 60009 'Union of South Africa' but, due to fire risk, the Class 57 was providing assistance. On the hillside on the left is Arcow Quarry.

Evesham: Roadside scene at Evesham on a warm July day in 2014. Evesham was one of the stations on the Old Worse and Worse, as the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway was colloquially known see image [[48216]].

Bury Bolton Street: D9544 worked at BSC Corby from 1968 until it was scrapped in 1980. At the Class 14s @ 50 ELR Gala D9520 ran in the guise of its Corby stablemate on one trip and is seen here at Bury Bolton St, coupled to D9555, waiting to leave for Rawtenstall. D9520 adopted various identities of scrapped BSC locos during the gala.

Bury Bolton Street: The 2014 Class 14s at 50 Gala was intended to feature ten working examples of the class but, after arrival from the Nene Valley Railway, D9523 suffered a severe failure and became a static exhibit for the weekend. The maroon liveried 0-6-0DH is seen in the bay platform at Bolton Street. It is presently (2020) on the Wensleydale Railway.

Arcow Quarry: 66183 heads south light engine on the S&C near to Arcow Quarry in July 2014. The dry grass on the embankment has caught light after a steam hauled charter had passed northbound, even though it wasnt working hard, with the diesel on the rear doing most of the work. A short time later the fire brigade turned up and quickly extinguished the fire.

Pershore: Something old, something new, something blue... and I'm sure they've borrowed something somewhere! Basic but effective facilities at a sunny Pershore station in July 2014, looking south east towards Oxford.

Evesham (Midland Railway): The Midland station at Evesham wasn't quite a mirror image of the OW&W see image [[49063]], but wasn't far off. It is now used as offices, and has small pictures of a 4-6-2 above the business name plaques. [Ref query 15509]

Welland: A handy thing to have in your shed: a rail mounted steam crane demonstrating its capabilities at the Welland Steam Rally in July 2014. The chap on the right seems to be trying to dissuade his labrador from fetching the large stick on the left.

Ramsbottom: The East Lancs Railway held a 3-day Class 14s @ 50 gala in July 2014. A highlight of the event was the return to service (after twenty years) of resident D9537, not least because it had been secretly painted in the experimental Desert Sand livery, complete with cast cabside crests, as carried by Western D1000 in 1961. The pristine loco is seen at Ramsbottom waiting to leave for Rawtenstall on 26 July.

Settle: The Network Rail HST test train approaches Settle on 26 July 2014 while on a move from Derby RTC to Heaton.

Ramsbottom: Demonstration freight at the Class 14s @ 50 ELR gala in July 2014. The rake of wagons is entrusted to D9539, normally resident at the Ribble Steam Railway, seen here waiting at Ramsbottom for the section to Bury Bolton St to clear before heading south.

Settle: The impressive conversion of Settle water tower to domestic accommodation, complete with restored 5 plank wagon and water crane. Photographed on 26 July 2014, almost midway through the 2 month long Settle Flowerpot Festival.

Rawtenstall: The ten locos that gathered on the ELR for the Class 14s @ 50 gala sported a variety of liveries. D9526 from the West Somerset carried a Blue Circle roundel on one cab to reflect its service at APCM Westbury in the 1970s. The former D9524 worked at Grangemouth Refinery after withdrawal. Now based on Peak Rail it has a Rolls Royce engine in place of the Paxman original and sports large logo blue livery and the running number 14901. Both are seen running round at Rawtenstall on 26 July.

Ramsbottom: A once common sight that is very rare now. The signalman at Ramsbottom has released the pedestrian wicket gates and winds the wheel to open the level crossing to road traffic as a passenger train disappears towards Rawtenstall. During the early 1960s this box was open 24/7, apart from a few hours overnight Sunday to Monday, and the line was busy with freight, parcels and passenger trains.

Leyland: Passengers waiting for a Liverpool service and a few spectators who had come out specially to see the Cumbrian Mountain Express watch as it hurries south through Leyland on the return from Carlisle to Crewe during the evening of 26 July 2014 behind A4 Pacific no 60009 Union of South Africa.

Welland: Five wheels on my wagon: this Southern Railway mechanical horse is far from home near Malvern; but well located for offloading freight from the Welland Railway see image [[49338]].

Settle: One of Network Rail's test trains heads north through Settle station on 26 July 2014 on a Derby RTC to Heaton move.

Settle: Colas locos on the 6V38 Carlisle to Chirk loaded log train on 26 July 2014 passing Settle, with 70802 doing the work and 56105 along for the ride. The Class 56 took over at Warrington when the Class 70 came off the train as it is believed that they haven't yet been cleared for the route to Chirk.

Irwell Vale: At various times during the ELR Class 14s @ 50 gala a Parcels train was run on the Bury-Rawtenstall section. In addition to a mixed selection of parcel vans a couple of passenger coaches were in the consist. With the slopes of Holcombe Moor in the background, D9537 is seen powering through Irwell Vale heading back to Bury on the last Parcels of the day with D9539 bringing up the rear. Above the leading locomotive, Lumb viaduct on the long closed Stubbins-Accrington line is just visible, with scaffolding in place for repair work

Gregson Lane: A4 no 60009 Union of South Africa heads east at Gregson Lane LC on 26 July with the Cumbrian Mountain Express from Crewe to Carlisle via the S&C. Normally the loco would be working hard at this point on the climb up Hoghton bank but the fire risk due to dry conditions and the lineside vegetation resulted in the train receiving assistance from 57316 on the rear.

Bury Castlecroft Goods: Barclay Class 01 0-4-0DM D2956, seen through the window of a passing ELR train, is the resident shunter at Castlecroft Goods in Bury. The 153hp loco dates from 1956 and after withdrawal in 1966 continued working in a scrapyard at Snailwell until 1984 when it was donated to the ELR. The Barclay is alongside Class 08 08164, which is in the final stages of an overhaul.

Welland: This 1917 Henschel locomotive, works number 14968, was one of four railway displays on three gauges at this years Welland Steam Rally. It was part of a display explaining road building. (Despite appearances the locomotive was in steam.)

Langho: After having seen the Class 70 run downhill without effort, it was a different matter later in the journey when 70802 was working hard taking the 6V38 Carlisle to Chirk loaded log train with 56105 (dead) and 21 bogies up the hill approaching Langho station on 26 July 2014.

Welland: Another exhibit from Welland see image [[48186]] is Fowler 3930044 - a 3 foot gauge 0-4-0 from 1950. It was one of 47 made to this design, with just 5 sold in Britain. It produces a mere 40bhp from its Marshall diesel engine, but is rated to pull 190 tons. It was restored in 2014 and has a certain angular charm.

Helwith Bridge: The Cumbrian Mountain Express on 26 July 2014 in the hands of A4 no 60009 Union of South Africa approaches Helwith Bridge between Settle and Horton-in-Ribblesdale. With hardly any exhaust and the safety valves lifting the A4 wasn't working hard as 57316 was providing assistance to avoid any risk of lineside fires in the dry conditions.

Ramsbottom: The parcels train assembled for the ELR Class 14s @ 50 Gala is drawn back into Ramsbottom station from the refuge siding by D9513 from the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway. The train departed on a non-stop service to Rawtenstall behind D9531. D9513 carries the NCB 38 livery that it wore for so much longer than its brief career in BR Green. See image [[21742]] of NCB 37 at Ashington Colliery in 1982.

Evesham: The Worcester platform building at Evesham station on a hot summer Saturday in July 2014 - a well kept station, but with a sparse train service.

Heywood: Celebrity Class 14 D9555, the last BR loco built at Swindon works is usually based on the Dean Forest Railway. It ran coupled to D9520 from the Nene Valley on several round trips at the ELR Class 14s @ 50 gala on 26th July. The two locos, in smart BR Green livery, are seen running round at Heywood. D9520 ran with a variety of lost loco identities that day including D9544 and D9547 amongst others.

Buckfastleigh: A pristine EE Type 3 6975 seen at Buckfastleigh in July 2015. New to Canton in 1965 it worked in Scotland as 37275 Oor Wullie in the 1990s and is now preserved on the South Devon Railway.

Buckfastleigh: Yard scene at Buckfastleigh in July 2015. Gloucester RC&W Bubblecar W55000 stands alongside GWR 0-6-0PT 6412. Behind the DMU are Class 08 D3721, a Toad brakevan, a Weltrol wagon and GWR 0-4-2T 1420, which is under overhaul.

Torre: The unstaffed station at Torre still boasts this fine station building, overlooking the car park and the main road into Torquay. This view from July 2015.

Torre: A FGW 150/153 combination slows for the stop at Torre heading for Torquay and Paignton on 26th July 2015. Although the station canopy still shelters the Down platform the station building itself is in commercial use, accessed from the forecourt.

Bo'ness: Preserved 40106 passes Bo'ness distant signal with the 16.00 to Manuel on 26 July 2015.

Buckfastleigh: View over Buckfastleigh station from the footbridge, looking towards Ashburton on 26 July 2015. GWR 0-6-0PT 5786, running in London Transport maroon livery as L92 see image [[17855]], is waiting to depart for Totnes. Further items of Dart Valley stock can also be seen in various sidings.

Torre: A four car FGW Class 143 Pacer set slows for the Torre stop on a Paignton to Exmouth Sunday working. The tall, but now redundant, signal box dominates the Up platform.

Bo'ness: Devon & Cornwall Railways 31601 brings up the rear of a train from Manuel arriving at Bo'ness on 26 July 2015, passing D2767 in the bay platform.

Bo'ness: An immaculate 40106 poses by the goods shed at Bo'ness on 26 July 2015.

Bulgaria: Six Class 87s, all apparently operational, were noted at a station with only a Cyrillic name on a journey from Sofia to Burgas on 26 July 2015. This one is 87029.

Bo'ness: That'll be D2767 then... The NBL-built former BR shunter at Bo'ness on 26 July 2015.

Torre: 60163 Tornado lifts the returning Torbay Express through Torre station in the Torquay suburbs on its way from Kingswear to Bristol on 26th July 2015.

Kilcreggan Pier: SPT's MV Island Princess heads from Kilcreggan Pier to Gourock in July 2016.

Anderston: 318268, on a service to Cumbernauld, arriving at Anderston station, Glasgow, on 26th July 2017.

Halfway: A descending Great Orme tramcar nearing the winding house at Halfway on 26th July 2017. Because the cars on the upper level are hauled from Halfway they are fastened to a continuous loop cable rather than just hanging from it as on the lower section. They also operate on a reserved track and so don't need protective side guards.

Llandudno: The approach to Llandudno in July 2017. The semaphore signal, with its calling on arm and platform indicator, controls access to the station. Alongside is a stabling siding with run round loop that still apparently sees occasional use. [Ref query 1661]

Summerlee Heritage Centre: Glasgow Corporation No.1017 working on the tramway at the Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life at Coatbridge, on 26th July 2017. This tram was originally built as open-top double-decker No.17 for Paisley Corporation Tramways in 1904. The system was taken over by Glasgow Corporation Tramways in 1923 and in 1925 No.17 was rebuilt as an enclosed single-decker and renumbered 1017. It continued in service until 1960, latterly as a training car. Discovered some years later in a garden at Cambuslang, it arrived at Summerlee in 1991 where a full restoration took place and 2017 marked the 25th anniversary of its re-entry into service. (The Summerlee Museum occupies the site of the former Summerlee Iron Works that lasted for 90 years from 1836 to 1926.)

Cathcart: 314 207 with a clockwise (outer circle) Cathcart Circle service arriving at Cathcart station on 26th July 2017.

Culter [2nd]: The former station in Peterculter today, on an utterly miserable wet day. This is approx 9 miles from Aberdeen city centre. The line continues past the white poles towards the west. The planter has the correct shorter name of Culter.

Halfway: Passing loop on the upper section of the Great Orme funicular seen from the front of the tramcar in July 2017. As each car leaves the loop (up and down) it sets the trailing points so that on return it takes the same route to prevent cable entanglements. The tramcar drivers are in radio contact with the winch operator and advise if it is necessary to stop or slow the cars due to obstructions etc.

Bargeddie Bridge: Not quite yet matching up to the artist's impression see image [[46140]], the view across the M8 from the replacement Bredisholm Road bridge currently features the renovation work on the old A8 Cutty Sark bridge.

Maxwell Park: 314213, with an anti-clockwise Cathcart Circle service, arriving at Maxwell Park station on 26th July 2017

North Queensferry: A poster at North Queensferry Station celebrates the UNESCO connection.

Glasgow Central: 380015 arriving at Glasgow Central station prior to forming a service to Paisley Canal on 26th July 2017.

Anderston: 320320 to Larkhall, arriving at Anderston station, on 26th July 2017.

Llandudno: 158818 leaves Llandudno heading for the Junction on 26th July 2017. The new bridge in an old style has recently replaced one of similar design, which many years ago replaced a level crossing at this point. The old crossing keeper's cottage seen here is still lived in.

Halfway: Halfway to Halfway. Trams 4 & 5 pass at the lower section loop of the Great Orme Tramway on 26th July 2017. Above this point the tracks are interlaced but below here there is just a single track dropping down a 1:4 gradient to Victoria station. Cars on the lower (street running) section have protective valances rather than an open chassis. The descending car moves the trailing point blade so that it takes the correct line coming back up again and wires don't get crossed!

Anderston: 318268, on a Cumbernauld service, calling at Anderston station, Glasgow, on 26th July 2017.

Paisley Canal: 380015, at Paisley Canal station, waiting to return to Glasgow Central on 26th July 2017.

Greenfaulds: 318270 arriving at Greenfaulds station from Cumbernauld in pouring rain on 26th July 2017.

Llandudno: ATW 158818, on a short working from the junction to Llandudno, runs by a local golf course with the Conwy Estuary in the background on 26th July 2017.

Aberdour: The interior of the new Aberdour Heritage Centre in Aberdour station.

Donibristle Platform: DRS 68006 coasts down Donibristle bank with the evening Cardenden - Mossend empty stock working. Recent vegetation clearance has opened up this view.

Helensburgh Central: Seeing off a train from Helensburgh Central on a sunny 26th of July.

Moy: Colas Rail liveried 70816 southbound from Inverness with the cement empties for Oxwellmains. Pictured climbing the gradient up to Moy, just south of Castleton.

Rothesay Pier: PS Waverley, before the breakdown, is seen on 26th July 2018 as she leaves Rothesay Pier astern.

Southall: A 387 leaves Southall station in full sun.

Glen Ogle Viaduct: The splendid twelve arch Glen Ogle Viaduct, as seen from the A85 on the opposite side of the glen, on a sunny 26th July 2018. Photo by Gayle Bartlett.

Glenfinnan: Glenfinnan, looking towards Mallaig, on a sunny 26th July 2018. This was perfect weather to appreciate the station and its glorious setting, even without a train.

Galashiels: A fine sunny morning at Galashiels on 26 July 2018. View north along the platform as passengers disembark from the ScotRail 0955 Edinburgh Waverley - Tweedbank.

Morar Viaduct: The River Morar is one of the shortest in Scotland but, despite the dry spell, there was plenty of water in it as it passed under the 1897 Morar Viaduct on 26th July 2018. The road bridge only sees light local traffic now that it has been superseded by the Morar bypass bridge.

Galashiels: Scene at a sweltering Galashiels during a mini heatwave on 26 July 2018, as ScotRail 158725 appears from below Station Brae with a mid morning train for Edinburgh.

Rothesay Pier: Rothesay Pier on 26th July 2018 - Beauty and the Beast - otherwise known as 'PS Waverley' and 'MV Bute'.

Glasgow Queen Street High Level: Colourful hoardings block the view of the works at Queen Street.

Edinburgh Waverley: The new TPE unliveried at Edinburgh Waverley on 26 July 2018 during a test run from Doncater. I have from a reliable source that the seats are quite hard!

Paterson's No 2 Siding: The ScotRail 1128 Tweedbank - Edinburgh, seen shortly after leaving Galashiels station on 26 July 2018. The train has just cleared Ladhope Tunnel and is about to pass below the first of the footbridges on Low Buckholmside.

Ayr: Men at work on the roof of the deteriorating Ayr Station Hotel. Work continues to stabilise the building.

Edinburgh Waverley: Details of the new TPE which had arrived in Waverley on a test run from Doncaster on 26th July 2018. Looks like a speed machine.

Edinburgh Waverley: One of the on loan smileys 365509 on rear and 365533 leading, the ex 09.45 Glasgow Queen Street recently arrived at Edinburgh Waverley and getting ready to do the return journey. A cool coach in the heat but quite a rough ride!!!

Glenfinnan: The interesting railway collection at Glenfinnan station yard includes a NBR hand crane, snow plough and two MkI carriages, one of which operates as a tea room. This was the view on 26th July 2018. A revisit one week later was much wetter and the scenery had disappeared.

Morar: This should have been a photograph of the returning Jacobite at Morar but the service was delayed, possibly due to an earlier lineside fire, and the barrel planter was the nearest I got to a steam engine on this occasion. 26th July 2018.

Kilmarnock: A forewarning message for passengers at Kilmarnock in July 2019, advising that the footbridge at Auchinleck is receiving some much needed attention. The footbridge came from Crookston, which no longer has need of a bridge.

Kilmarnock: Reflections on Kilmarnock - July 2019.

Strathavon Branch Junction: Possibly the only remaining intact structure on the NBR Strathavon Branch is this stone overbridge at Easter Loanrig Farm, partially obstructed on the north side where a road access has been formed on to the trackbed. Access by permission of the farmer who said that his late father remembered occasional trains on the line. The junction signal box, Strathavon Junction, was capable of being switched out from around 1921, possibly indicating a dropping off in traffic on the line even then with the box closing on 9th August 1928 suggesting final closure of the branch.

Strathavon Coke Ovens: NBR Strathavon Branch. Remains of the southern abutment where this long closed branch crossed the River Avon on its way to serve the various mines, coke kilns etc around Jawcraig. The Strathavon Coke Ovens and pit, the original destination of the branch, were just to the north.

Garstang and Catterall: 90019 heads north at Garstang & Catterall on the evening of 26th July 2019. The train comprises three Class 325 EMUs heading from Willesden to Shiedlmuir, loco hauled as they have been diverted over the Chat Moss route due to remodelling at Acton Grange near Warrington.

Broadrigg Colliery Pit No 2: The waterlogged trackbed of the NBR North Monkland Branch grows a different type of vegetation from the surrounding ground making it easy to pick out in this view taken from where it once passed below Drumriggend Road, a minor road off Binniehill Road between Slamannan and Longriggend. The Broadrigg Colliery Pit No 2 was on a short mineral branch off to the left. Ahead the line curves round to North Monkland Junction.

St Monans Salt Pans: The Newark Coal & Salt Company was established in 1771 to produce salt from the seawater off St Monans, Fife, using coal from a nearby mine to heat the water. A waggonway was used to move the coal to the saltpans and also connected to the harbour at Pittenweem, along the coast to the east. This ceased operation around 1794 and production stopped in the 1820s. Plans were announced in 2021 to restart production in the area. Looking east to Pittenweem along the site of the saltpans. The (now restored) windmill was used to pump seawater into the pans. The waggonway would have run along the course of the level path below, dividing to serve the coal mine, uphill to the left, and along the shore to Pittenweem.

Whitecraigs: Well cared for Whitecraigs station, on 26th July 2020.

Altwhir Viaduct: View south of the line at the site of Altwhir Viaduct. This timber trestle viaduct was replaced by a high embankment and culvert by the North British Railway. The line crossed boggy ground and the Altquhur Burn here, a little east of Drymen Viaduct

Troon: After the dreadful fire at Troon, let's hear it for the engineers - from Motherwell - who built the steel frame to last. The plate reads: 'Alex. Findlay & Co, Engineers & Bridge Builders, [[Parkneuk Iron Works]], Motherwell.'

Tynemouth: Having posted a picture of an empty station, bar an approaching UFO (see image [[78046]]), here is a picture with a train. Not that you will see units like this for much longer.

Tynemouth: This tile map at Tynemouth may not be original, but it is a very nice decoration.

Ilford Road: There are four trains in this view looking North after Ilford Road station (IIRC) - the one we are riding in, one stopped at South Gosforth station ahead, one coming the other way; and one parked in the loop siding on the South line. All very entertaining. Just a shame we couldn't sit in the front seat, due to continuing COVID restrictions in July 2021.

Pelaw [3rd]: The T&W Metro is interlaced with heavy rail. An LNER Hitachi unit was stopped at signals (at the site of the closed 3rd Pelaw station) while my companion and I changed Metro trains. We had gone to South Hylton, and were heading for South Shields.

Gartness Junction: Today tree growth and ground movements have made the site of Gartness Junction far less discernible than back in 1987 (see image [[1974]]) when the former F&CJR trackbed still saw occasional use by farm traffic. Some imagination is required. The Strathendrick and Aberfoyle line was to the left, F&CJR to the right - the hump in the middle of this view separating the trackbeds. The signal box was set back further, within the 'V' of the junction.

High Level Bridge: The High Level bridge, among others, at 12.20 in the morning. It may be hard to find remains of the tunnel from Manors, but the Quayside is a buzzing location 24/7.

Glen Douglas Halt: K1 62005 assisting in the rear of a Fort William to Steamtown Carnforth ECS approaching Glen Douglas. This long train of coaching stock was led by a pair of 37s.

Glen Douglas Halt: 153377 brings up the rear of a Highland Explorer service on the West Highland Line as it approaches Glen Douglas on 26th July 2021.

High Level Bridge: The road deck of the High Level bridge, now used only by buses, seen looking South about 10.30pm on 26th July 2021. There will be a feature on this bridge by Tim Dunn in the forthcoming third TV series of #TheArchitectureTheRailwaysBuilt

Drymen Viaduct: The Drymen Viaduct, here viewed from the south, crosses the Endrick Water. Today it carries a waterpipe and public footway. Drymen station, actually located in Croftamie, was off to the left. There has been considerable tree growth since my visit in 1987 see image [[1972]].

Glen Douglas Halt: A pair of 37s lead a long rake of carriage travelling south from Fort William to Steamtown Carnforth with 62005 in the rear. Loch Long is to the left.

Boldon Colliery: Boldon Colliery may have been completely demolished and landscaped, but this fenced-off road bridge over the rail entrance survives by the skin of its teeth. Grab shot from a passing Metro train slowing for Brockley Whins station. I was enjoying a Metrothon while my wife inspected Newcastle's shops.

Gartness: Immediately west of Gartness station was a level crossing. The site of the station is now a house and the last remains of the station platform and level crossing gates are gone. The line passed to the immediate right of the building. The public road is used as a part of the route of the West Highland Way.

Troon: The roof frames have been saved and are piled on the platform. And let's hear it for the engineers - from Motherwell - who built the frame to last.

Tynemouth: Tynemouth is a pleasant resort just a few miles away from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The station was built in 1882, and rebuilt in 2011. There is a nice restaurant and craft ale bar on the forecourt; but alas, my wife summoned me to a beach barbecue, where I ate chicken with sand. Notice the imminent alien landing in the foreground.

Cardross: K1 62005 on the rear of a Fort William to Steamtown Carnforth stock movement.

Monkwearmouth: When I saw the name St.Peters on the T&W Metro map, I wasn't expecting much; but the former name of Monkwearmouth explains the grandeur of the station, now a museum.

Gartness Junction: Gartness Junction from above. The junction formed a V which can be made out in the lower centre of this view. The course of the Forth and Clyde Junction Railway ran from bottom centre to top right (where Gartness station was located). The Strathendrick and Aberfoyle ran from bottom centre (along the left edge of the field in the centre of the view), crossed over the Endrick Water and continued towards the right hand of the new houses and on to Killearn and Dumgoyne stations (the hill of this name can be seen on the left).

Troon: It looks like the downside building at Troon had a narrow escape - the south curtain-wall is gone and there is evidence of fire-damage. In this July 2021 picture the new timber fence has replaced the wall. 

Edinburgh Waverley: An LNER Azuma from King's Cross climbs what is, I believe, the steepest gradient on its journey and into Waverley's Platform 6.

South Shields Ferry Terminal: Pride of the Tyne is close to the end of its half hourly 7 minute trip from North Shields. Its classmate Spirit of the Tyne is visible on the left. The ferry is included in the cost of a Metro A+B+C Day Rover.

Leyland: Less than a minute before the PA had announced that the next train at platform 4 would be the Northern service to Manchester Airport, a Swift Express Freight Class 321 EMU conversion appeared from under the road bridge with the driver sounding his horn to warn passengers who had strayed too close to the platform edge. The converted unit is 321334 and carries reference to Eversholt (the leasing company) and Wabtec who carried out the conversion. The unit had travelled north to Mossend the day before from Tilbury and Euston and this was the southbound run to Doncaster via Wembley.