Saughton Junction: One of St Margaret's J38 0-6-0s no 65919 takes a freight west through Saughton Junction in July 1959.

Symington [2nd]: Crewe North Black 5 no 44714 approaching Symington on 31 July 1959 with a southbound train.

Saughton Junction: A4 Pacific 60012 Commonwealth of Australia westbound through Saughton Junction at speed on 31 July 1959. The usual suspects observe proceedings from the wall on the right.

Saughton Junction: DMUs race through Saughton Junction in the summer of 1959 with westbound trains on the Forth Bridge and Glasgow lines respectively.

Saughton Junction: Long time Edinburgh resident A1 Pacific no 60162 Saint Johnstoun heads west through Saughton Junction on the last day of July 1959 and starts the gradual turn north with a train for Aberdeen.

Saughton Junction: A fine July day at Saughton Junction in 1959 sees Bathgate shed's J36 0-6-0 no 65341 passing with an eastbound oil train.

Saughton Junction: Eastfield B1 no 61197 takes a train west at Saughton Junction in July 1959.

Saughton Junction: With just 2 months to go before withdrawal by BR, Gresley K3 2-6-0 no 61876 heads west at Saughton Junction with a freight on 31 July 1959. The train is about to turn north and take the Forth Bridge line.

Saughton Junction: A3 Pacific no 60098 'Spion Kop' is about to turn north at Saughton Junction on the last day of July 1959 and head for The Forth Bridge.

Brienz BRB: The fitter is attending to Number 7 at the depot of the Brienz Rothorn Railway, which at that time, 31 July 1963, was a rack railway fully operated by steam. More like 'kneeling camel' than 'nodding donkey'!

Carstairs: The London sleeper at Carstairs station on 31 July 1964 behind Stanier Coronation Pacific 46244 King George VI. Standing alongside is Britannia 70002 Geoffrey Chaucer.

Strathbungo: Britannia Pacific 70038 Robin Hood takes a Carlisle train through the deserted and overgrown platforms of Strathbungo station on 31 July 1964, just over two years after closure.

Carstairs: Stanier Pacific 46244 King George VI stands at Carstairs on 31 July 1964 with the London Sleeper.

Strathbungo: Black 5 no 44679 brings a Birmingham New Street - Glasgow Central train through the closed Strathbungo station in July 1964, having just passed below the footbridge linking Darnley Road (right) with Moray Place. The train has just over a mile to run to reach its destination.

Sanquhar: View from the summer Saturday 6.35 am Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow near Mennock, south of Sanquhar. Holbeck Jubilee 45697 'Achilles' was showing a clean pair of heels to the cars on the A76. That unfortunately wouldn't have lasted long, as the G & SW line was busy with returning 'Glasgow Fair' extras, and journey north was beset by regular signal checks.

Carlisle: The 9.50am Edinburgh Waverley - Nottingham Midland prepares to leave platform 4 at Carlisle during a busy summer Saturday on 31 July 1965. Holbeck Jubilee 4-6-0 no 45626 Seychelles has recently taken over the train for the journey south.

Harthope Viaduct: Black 5 44658 has just cleared Harthope Viaduct with a heavy train on the climb to Beattock summit in the summer of 1965. The banker on this occasion is Fairburn tank 42693.

Glasgow Central: Royal Scot 4-6-0 46115 'Scots Guardsman', about to leave Glasgow Central with the Friday/Saturday only 2pm express to Liverpool on 31st July 1965. Only two engines of the class remained in service that summer, and this was I believe the final appearance of a Scot on a service to Liverpool or Manchester, a duty regularly undertaken by the class over many years.

Carlisle: A grey morning at Carlisle on 31 July 1965 with the summer Saturday 0945 Blackpool North - Glasgow Central recently arrived at platform 1 behind Crewe South Black 5 no 44715. See image [[50263]].

Sanquhar: The summer Saturday 6.40am Birmingham – Glasgow, heading north near Sanquhar behind Jubilee 4-6-0 45697 'Achilles', in the course of a rather frustrating journey. Delays around Carlisle had cost 15 minutes, but the Jubilee was running extremely well and would certainly have made up time. Almost every time we got going at express speed, however, we ran into adverse signals for slower trains in front - altogether twelve signal checks, six of which were to a dead stand.

Carlisle: Miltary special 1X36, on its way from Halton to Rutherglen, having stopped to change engines at Carlisle on 31 July 1965. About to take the train forward is Polmadie Standard class 5 4-6-0 no 73072.

Greskine Signal Box: Newton Heath Black 5 44696 photographed on 31 July 1965 just north of Greskine. The train is being banked by Beattock shed's 76090.

Carlisle: Train 1S58, the 11.10am summer Saturday Blackpool North - Kirkcaldy prepares to leave Carlisle platform 1 on 31 July 1965 behind Claytons D8581+D8582.

Carlisle: 47326 on station pilot duty at Carlisle in July 1965.

Beattock Summit: Perth based Black 5 45475 brings a train of empty stock south over Beattock Summit on the last day of July 1965.

Greskine Signal Box: Black 5 45148 passing Greskine on 31 July 1965 with an up Manchester train.

Carlisle: 72007 Clan Mackintosh (minus nameplates) arrives at Carlisle on 31 July 1965 with the 1.26pm Glasgow Central - Morecambe Promenade, which had been routed via Kilmarnock and Dumfries. The Kingmoor based 'Clan' Pacific had less than 5 months to go before eventual withdrawal by BR.

Carlisle: Royal Scot 4-6-0 no 46115 Scots Guardsman at Carlisle platform 1 with the 1.12pm Liverpool - Glasgow Central / Edinburgh Princes Street in July 1965. The locomotive was withdrawn from 12A on 1 January 1966 and has since been preserved.

Buchanan Street: A4 60019 'Bittern' prepares to leave Glasgow Buchanan St with the 5.30pm three-hour express for Aberdeen, watched by two young enthusiasts, whose mother has doubtless been persuaded to bring them along the platform to see the departure. Their luck was in, because a bonus was shortly to appear in the shape of A4 60007 'Sir Nigel Gresley' arriving promptly at 5.30pm from Aberdeen. The photograph was taken several minutes beforehand, however. Black 5 44698 can be seen reversing down from the tunnel to take the 5.35pm to Dunblane.

Carlisle: Holbeck Jubilee 4-6-0 45697 Achilles about to enter Carlsle station from the south on 31 July 1965 with the 6.35am Birmingham New Street - Glasgow Central. This train ran via Leeds and the Settle & Carlisle line.

Greskine Signal Box: Jubilee 45698 Mars descends into Greskine cutting on 31 July 1965 with a Glasgow - Liverpool train.

Auchencastle: Kingmoor Black 5 no 44795 with an empty stock working passes the down Royal Scot at Auchencastle on 31 July 1965. Work on the dualling of the A74 is taking place in the background.

Greskine Signal Box: Britannia Pacific 70037 Hereward the Wake climbing just north of Greskine on 31 July 1965. Working hard on the rear of the train is Beattock banker 42694.

Carlisle: Britannia Pacific 70008 Black Prince at Carlisle on 31 July 1965 at the head of the 1.15pm London Euston - Glasgow Central.

Carlisle: One of Kingmoor shed's allocation of Britannia Pacifics, no 70036 Boadicea, has just taken over the 12.55pm from London Euston at Carlisle on 31 July 1965. The locomotive is about to take the train forward to Glasgow Central.

Harthope Viaduct: 70032 Tennyson descending towards Harthope with up ecs on 31 July 1965.

Harthope Viaduct: 44767 north of Harthope with banker 42694 doing most of the work.

Harthope Viaduct: BR Standard class 5 4-6-0 73064 climbs unassisted towards Harthope viaduct in the summer of 1965.

Carlisle: A busy summer Saturday at Carlisle, as Jubilee 45697 'Achilles' prepares to continue the journey north with the Saturdays only 6.40 Birmingham – Glasgow, via Leeds and Kilmarnock. In the background are Britannia 70037 'Hereward the Wake', waiting to take over another northbound service, and a Type 2 on the 1.45pm to Edinburgh via the Waverley route.

Carlisle: The 0837 Glasgow Central - London St Pancras photographed shortly after arrival at Carlisle on 31 July 1965 behind BR Standard Class 5 4-6-0 no 73103.

Carlisle: The early afternoon combined Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Princes Street - Manchester/Liverpool train waits to leave Carlisle platform 4 on 31 July 1965. The locomotive is Bank Hall Jubilee 45698 Mars.

Harthope Viaduct: Black 5 44715 heading north over Harthope Viaduct on 31 July 1965. The train is the summer Saturday 0945 Blackpool North - Glasgow Central, which had seen an improvement in the weather since leaving Carlisle earlier see image [[50133]].

Carlisle: Jubilee 45626 Seychelles stands ready to leave platform 4 at Carlisle on the last day of July 1965. The Holbeck locomotive is about to take out the 9.50am Edinburgh Waverley - Nottingham Midland.

Greskine Signal Box: Clan Pacific no 72008 Clan MacLeod passing Greskine on 31 July 1965 with the summer Saturday Blackpool North - Dundee. At the rear of the train is Beattock shed's Fairburn 2-6-4T no 42693. The Pacific had taken over the train at Carlisle see image [[46497]].

Harthope Viaduct: Photograph taken from the footplate of Fairburn 2-6-4 tank 42693, one of Beattock shed's duty bankers, on 31 July 1965. The train is crossing Harthope Viaduct over the recently dualled A74.

Beattock Summit: Britannia Pacific no 70003 John Bunyan northbound on Beattock approaching the summit distant signal on the last day of July 1965. The exhaust beyond the road bridge in the background is from banker 80045 bringing up the rear of the train.

Carlisle: The west side of Carlisle station on an overcast Saturday 31 July 1965, with one of Kingmoor shed's Black 5 4-6-0s, no 44884, standing with a train at platform 1.

Carlisle: A wet, overcast, miserable, dreich day in Carlisle in 1965 with Kingmoor Black 5 no 44986 at platform 1 with a Chippenham - Glasgow Central military special. To the right of the train Britannia Pacific no 70003 John Bunyan is waiting to take over the 9.10am Liverpool - Glasgow Central/Edinburgh Princes Street train, while on the extreme right of the picture station pilot no 47326 is having a break.

Beattock: Black 5 45105 approaching Beattock station with a southbound train of empty stock on 31 July 1965. Traces of the Moffat branch survive on the right.

Carlisle: The west station sidings at Carlisle on the last day of July 1965 sees Britannia Pacific no 70003 John Bunyan waiting to take over the 9.10am Liverpool - Glasgow Central / Edinburgh Princes Street.

Greskine Signal Box: Black 5 no 45072 passing Greskine on 31 July 1965 with an up CTAC special.

Beattock: Black 5 no 44868 restarts a northbound train from Beattock on the last day of July 1965. 42694 is working hard at the rear.

Carlisle: The 1X42 summer Saturday Blackpool North - Dundee stands at Carlisle platform 1 on 31 July 1965. Recently coupled up ready to take the train forward is Clan Pacific no 72008 Clan MacLeod. See image [[47148]]

Carlisle: Ex-LMS Jinty no 47326 probably spent as much time as any locomotive under the roof at Carlisle. Seen here taking a break from station pilot duties during a quiet period in July 1965 the 0-6-0T was finally withdrawn by BR from Upperby shed at the end of 1966.

Greskine Signal Box: 73076 climbs through the cutting at Greskine.

Greskine Signal Box: Class 5 approaching Greskine box with a train on 31 July 1965. View from the banking locomotive 42693.

Greskine Signal Box: 44790 passes Greskiine box banked by 80045 on 31 July 1965.

Ayr Shed [2nd]: View from the south end of Ayr shed in July 1966. Nearest the camera is BR Standard class 4 2-6-0 no 76074, some 3 months prior to its official withdrawal by BR.

Ayr Shed [2nd]: A Sunday scene in the shed yard at Ayr in July 1966 with the shed's steam allocation counting the days. Nearest the camera is Crab 2-6-0 no 42789, withdrawn at the end of December that year.

Ayr Shed [2nd]: Crab 2-6-0 no 42861 standing amongst the abandoned locomotives in the sidings alongside Ayr shed on 31 July 1966, the precise date of its official withdrawal by BR.

Beaulieu National Motor Museum: Schools Class 4-4-0 no.928 'Stowe', with three Pullman carriages, stands on a short length of track at the Beaulieu Motor Museum in late July 1966. At the time this was a static exhibit at Beaulieu but the locomotive is now on the Bluebell Railway. Photo by A McIntyre.

Ayr Shed [2nd]: View north east over the shed yard at Ayr in the July 1966 from Viewfield Road footbridge. Locomotives in the busy yard include 'Crab' no 42789 bottom left, with [[Blackhouse Junction]] signal box visible in the right background.

Ayr Shed [2nd]: BR Standard class 4 2-6-0 no 76073 stands on the condemned line at Ayr MPD in July 1966. The locomotive had been officially withdrawn from here in June of that year and was broken up at Arnott Young, Troon, some 5 months later.

Wassen: A 1966 photograph of a northbound Gotthard-route express, hauled by SBB Ae 6/6 electric 11493 'Sissach', emerging from the Wattingen tunnel during the descent of the famous spirals at Wassen.

Doncaster: A class 31 locomotive looking fresh from a works visit stands inside Doncaster shed on 31 July 1982.

Appleby East: D200/40122 with the Hadrian Pullman railtour from Kings Cross at Appleby East on its way to Warcop on 31 July 1983. See image [[30390]] for a 2010 view.

Garsdale: D200/40122 at Garsdale with the Hadrian Pullman from Kings Cross on 31 July 1983.

Warcop: D200 runs round the stock of The Hadrian Pullman at Warcop on 31 July 1983.

Dent: D200/40122 approaching Dent station on the Settle and Carlisle line on 31 July 1983 with the Kings Cross - Warcop Hadrian Pullman.

Wakefield Kirkgate: Up close and personal view of preserved former LNER Gresley A4 Pacific 4468 (BR 60022) 'Mallard', as it runs east non-stop through Wakefield Kirkgate station during one of its Mallard 50th Anniversary Celebration Railtours in 1988.

Willits: Riding the 'Skunks'. The California Western Railroad opened in 1885 to haul lumber from the redwood forests of Northern California between Fort Bragg on the coast and the junction with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at Willits. The name 'Skunks' was coined in 1925 when 'railbuses' were introduced on the line, powered by petrol engines, with oil burning stoves to keep passengers warm. The combined effect of the fumes was a distinctive odour which resulted in the nickname. The tag was eventually applied to all CWR trains. Now a successful heritage operation, a 'Skunk' train is seen here shortly after arrival at Willits from Fort Bragg in the summer of 1988.

Thornhill, Dewsbury: 4468 Mallard runs past the site of Thornhill station near Dewsbury heading east towards Wakefield in July 1988 on one of its 50th Anniversary Celebration workings.

Alpirsbach: DB Railcar approaching Alpirsbach crossing point in 1990. One of the best German Beers, Alpirsbacher is brewed in the old Monastery here originally done by Monks

North Walsham: Standing at the end of the platform at North Walsham station looking south towards Norwich in 1996. The Carless oil terminal compound is visible on the left of the line through the patchwork of the old wooden goods shed.

North Walsham: Looking south along the platforms at North Walsham station on 31 July 1996. The fencing of the Carless oil terminal is visible through the goods shed and the storage tower of the HP canning factory looms large to the right.

Ardmore Yard: Ardmore Yard, a set of Second World War sidings, was east of Craigendoran between Moss Road Level Crossing and Ardmore Level Crossing. This length of wire rope, along with various other rusty object and broken sleepers, remained in the dense undergrowth in 2005. Possibly left over from the scrapyard which operated here after the war.

Moss Road Level Crossing: View north of Moss Road Level Crossing in 2005, with an eastbound service having just crossed over. Ardmore Yard was off to the right.

Carstairs South Junction: A Birmingham New Street - Edinburgh Waverley Voyager approaching Carstairs in July 2007. The train will avoid Carstairs station by taking the route via Carstairs South and East Junctions and will shortly cross the picture travelling in the opposite direction on the line in the background passing just in front of the security fence of the State Hospital.

Float Viaduct: The regular pair of Freightliner class 86 locomotives takes the Coatbridge containers over the Clyde on 31 July 2007 on the southern approach to Carstairs.

Float Viaduct: A northbound Voyager crossing Float Viaduct on the approach to Carstairs in the summer of 2007.

Float Viaduct: A pair of Freightliner class 86 locomotives heading north along the WCML with the Crewe - Coatbridge containers in July 2007. The train is on the southern approach to Carstairs station with the State Hospital dominating the background.

Lamington Viaduct: A Virgin Pendolino leans into the curve as it crosses the River Clyde on Lamington Viaduct on a fine August morning in 2007.

Lamington Viaduct: 92012 Thomas Hardy crosses the Clyde at Lamington with a down freight in the summer of 2007.

Lamington: A Virgin Voyager forming a Glasgow Central - Birmingham New Street CrossCountry service runs south through Lamington on the last day of July 2007. Virgin Trains would lose the CrossCountry franchise in December that year, at which point the Birminghan to Edinburgh/Glasgow routes became part of Virgin West Coast.

Carstairs: The rail grinding train stabled at Carstairs on 31 July 2007.

Lamington: EWS 92012 Thomas Hardy heading north with a freight on the WCML in July 2007, photographed passing through Lamington.

Levisham: Schools class 30926 Repton brings a rake of LNER coaches south over the level crossing into Levisham on the NYMR on 31 July.

Levisham: Crew of Black 5 45212 await the green flag at Levisham on 31 July.

Lamington: A Birmingham bound Virgin Voyager lit by the morning sun runs south through Lamington on 31 July 2007 with a service from Glasgow Central.

Lamington: The 1040 Glasgow Central - London Euston Virgin Pendolino, photographed shortly after passing through the site of Lamington station and heading for the Clyde Viaduct on a sunny July morning in 2007.

Lamington Viaduct: Voyager crossing the Clyde at Lamington on 31 July 2007.

Lamington Viaduct: Euston bound Pendolino crossing the Clyde at Lamington on 31 July 2007.

Carstairs: Enter 'The Grinder'. Network Rail Loram C2102 7-module rail grinding train, photographed shortly after arrival in the CE sidings at Carstairs on 31 July 2007.

Bathgate Shed: Looking through the gap between the metal doors into the old Bathgate shed on 31 July 2008, with track still visible on the left. The old shed had been vacated fairly recently, pending its forthcoming demolition, after many years of use by a building firm following its disposal by British Railways in 1964. I swear I could still detect a slight whiff of that evocative mixture of steam, grease, coal and..... I think I need a holiday...

Polkemmet Junction: The bridge in the background stands alongside Whitburn Road in Bathgate. It is located north east of the former Polkemmet Junction and carried the line from Bathgate Upper station over a burn and on towards Armadale. Part of Balbardie Steel Works stands in the left background. The old railway bridge is now part of a walkway and still looks in remarkably good condition - which is more than can be said for the adjacent road bridge. For the view 11 years later (see image [[72020]]).

Bathgate LMD: 170 450 forming the 1225 Bathgate - Newcraighall about to pass under the B792 on 31 July 2008 shortly after leaving Bathgate. The depot on the left is currently occupied by the local council roads department.

Carnoustie: 170 424 forming a Glasgow - Aberdeen train at Carnoustie on 31 July.

Bathgate Shed: Dereliction at Bathgate in the summer of 2008. View north east across the front of the old running shed with the former shed offices in the background and Edinburgh Road beyond. Designated 64F by British Railways, the shed had officially closed to traffic at the end of 1966. Following closure by BR it saw various other uses, including a period as a garage and latterly as home to a property maintenance company. The abandoned buildings are seen here awaiting their ultimate fate on 31 July 2008. The coup de grace was finally administered in September the following year to make way for the new Bathgate station car park- see [[25412]].

Dundee: Platform 4 at Dundee station on 31 July 2008 with 170 424 about to depart on a Glasgow Queen Street - Aberdeen service.

Dundee: The spotty electro-magnetic departure board at Dundee on 31 July 2008. Possibly time for an upgrade.

Golf Street: An Aberdeen to Glasgow service accelerates through Golf Street after a stop at Carnoustie, half a mile away, on 31 Jul 2008. With one service per day each way Monday to Saturday Golf Street and nearby Barry Links vie for bottom position in the Scottish passenger league.

Bathgate East LMD: A ScotRail service for Newcraighall runs through a sea of fresh ballast shortly after leaving Bathgate terminus in July 2008. The Bathgate route was still single at this time with the former goods line in the centre having been renewed and made ready to take over westbound traffic on the reopening of the Airdrie - Bathgate route. The gentleman on the left is approaching along a new line which will serve the light maintenance depot, to be constructed on the former STVA site visible in the background. The pitched roofs beyond that are part of the now demolished Balbardie Steel Works.

Dundee: The east side through platform no 1 at Dundee on 31 July 2008, with 170 412 ready to leave with an Aberdeen - Glasgow Queen Street service.

Kirkcaldy: 170 456 with a Fife Circle line service at Kirkcaldy on 31 July 2008.

Bathgate STVA Aborted Siding: The line that never was. A Newcraighall train passing a recently installed junction half a mile east of Bathgate station on 31 July 2008. The junction was originally intended to provide a link into a relocated STVA car terminal, with the existing STVA site (see image [[18357]]) earmarked to accommodate a new ScotRail light maintenance depot. The relocation project was subsequently abandoned and the STVA Bathgate operation closed down.

Bathgate Shed: Signpost at the rear of the former Bathgate steam shed in 2008. Founded as Jarvis Construction in 1846, the company entered the rail maintenance sector in the mid 1990s. Following the Potters Bar derailment in 2002, in which 7 people died, Jarvis was heavily criticised, with the ORR stating their performance '...fell far short of that expected of a competent IMC'. The following year saw an end to private company-led maintenance on the railways, with all work thereafter being adminstered by the state owned Network Rail. Bathgate shed was demolished in 2009, Jarvis entered aministration in 2010.

Polkemmet Junction: View east over Whitburn Road, Bathgate, in July 2008, showing Boghead Bridge carrying the trackbed of the closed Airdrie - Bathgate route, with the site of Polkemmet Junction off picture to the right. The buildings dominating the background stand on the site of Balbardie Steel Works, dating from 1907. The last activities ceased here in 2009 see image [[20073]]. The area is now occupied by a supermarket. Electric trains running between Armadale and Bathgate now use this bridge.

Polkemmet Junction: Memento of times past. Impressive sculpture alongside the trackbed heading west from Bathgate towards Armadale near the former Polkemmet Junction. The site of the 1907 Balbardie Steel Works, closed completely the following year, is in the right background. Photographed looking back towards Bathgate in July 2008.

Bathgate Shed: A 158 service to Newcraighall just after leaving the platform at Bathgate on 31 July passes the old Bathgate shed (64F) standing in the area between the line and the A89 Edinburgh Road. The shed was opened as a replacement in 1954 (its predecessor having succumbed to subsidence) and was operational for only 12 years. The building is due for demolition in the near future, as it stands on part of the site currently designated for the new Bathgate station and car park.

Seamer: 6233 Duchess of Sutherland westbound from Scarborough having just passed Seamer station on 31 July heading back to Crewe with The Scarborough Flyer special.  

Tilt Viaduct: DRS 66419 with Inverness - Grangemouth Intermodal 4D47 leaves Blair Atholl having crossed the Tilt Viaduct on 31 July.

Lancaster: Although the former Platform 6 at Lancaster Castle is disused the first floor of the original station building is still the booking office, operated by Virgin, and from where the platforms are accessed via the footbridge. 156480 stands in Platform 5 waiting to form a Northern service to Barrow in Furness in this view looking northwards.

Lancaster: 221116 is just about to depart Lancaster for Birmingham New Street. In the background the impressive down side buildings of the station, formerly known as Lancaster Castle, can be seen as can the Up and Down through roads. These non-platform lines are still frequently used by WCML freight traffic.

Hoddlesden Junction: A Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe service in the hands of 150273 drifts downhill between Darwen and Blackburn near to the site of the former Hoddlesden Junction and Lower Darwen engine shed on 31 July 2010.

Pietermaritzburg: The grand entrance at Pietermaritzburg Station on the South African Railway System, opened on 1st December 1880 and still looking impressive 130 years on.

Haddington: The rear of the surviving station building at Haddington on 31 July 2010. View is south east along the former station approach road. See image [[30056]]

Haymarket: On certain summer Saturdays, in order to provide additional seating capacity, some Edinburgh - Birmingham services are worked by Pendolinos rather than Voyagers. One such example is the 14.52 departure from Edinburgh, seen here calling at Haymarket on 31 July 2010.

Carlisle: DRS 66417 and friend pause at Carlisle on 31 July with a nuclear flask train.

Carlisle: DRS 37610 at Carlisle with Spitfire Railtours Cumbrian Crusader 3 following arrival from Crewe on 31 July 2010.

Leyland: Class 52 No. D1015 heads north through Leyland on 31st July 2010 with the Pathfinder Tours 'The Western Fellsrunner' from Westbury to Carlisle.

Haddington: A curious survivor at Haddington, seen here on 31 July 2010, platform side. See image [[30068]]

Buckshaw Parkway: On 31 July 2010 ex-LMS Pacific no 6201 Princesss Elzabeth coasts along the straight at Buckshaw Village between Chorley and Euxton Junction with the Cumbrian Mountain Express. DMU 150146 on a Preston to Hazel Grove service is about to pass the special, which was running slightly early at this point and was being slowed down due a conflicting movement at Euxton Junction.

Pietermaritzburg: The waiting room at Pietermaritzburg in 2010. Mahatma Ghandi spent the night here after the well known incident when he was ejected from a train going to Pretoria in May 1893. It became a defining moment in his life.

Crianlarich: Platform view at Crianlarich looking north on 31 July 2011.

Crianlarich: View north from the platform at Crianlarich station in July 2011 showing the junction of the routes to Oban and Fort William see image [[24130]].

Lichfield Trent Valley Low Level: A recent build 11 car Virgin Pendolino races south through Lichfield Trent Valley Low Level station on 31 July. Up above, a London Midland 323 EMU is about to depart the High Level platform on the 12.50 service to Longbridge.

Lichfield City: Unusual but extensive unisex toilet facilities on Lichfield City station westbound platform with train type push button operation and locking system. A disabled toilet is also provided in the waiting room further along the building

Shenstone: Part time staffed Shenstone station in Staffordshire, looking south from the adjacent road over-bridge in July 2012. The station is located on the Birmingham cross-city line linking Redditch and Lichfield via New Street.

Lichfield City: Frontage of Lichfield City station main building and street level station entrance on 31 July 2012. The platform level west end canopy is visible to the right of the building. See image [[38906]]

Lichfield Trent Valley High Level: Looking north east along the high level platform at Lichfield in July 2012 with the shortened disused platform on the right. The signal box controlling the north to east spur stands in the left background. The lower level West Coast main line can be seen centre right approaching from the Tamworth direction.

Heathfield Road [Tram]: 1960s railway enthusiasts would have alighted here to bunk Fleetwood Shed (Code 24F/10C) which was immediately behind the trees but now lies under industrial units and a new road system. Tram 003 heads towards Blackpool without stopping during a driver training run on 31 July 2012. The well designed arrangements at the new tram stops can be seen in this view.

Broadwater: Looking towards Cleveleys and Blackpool from the level crossing at Broadwater as Flexity tram 009 departs for Starr Gate. The tram stop has been moved from the other side of the crossing during the refurbishment and now has staggered, level access platforms. See image [[39821]] for the same location three years earlier.

Bury Interchange: A pair of Metrolink 3000 series trams waits briefly in the Bury terminus before returning to Altrincham via Manchester. The station was opened in 1980 and served by the Bury electric trains for twelve years. See image [[40984]] for the scene before conversion to tram operations.

Cornbrook [Tram]: An East Didsbury tram calls at Cornbrook tram stop in late July 2013. This was then the junction for the Eccles line and now also the Trafford Centre line.

Oldham Mumps: Metrolink street works in Oldham as seen from a passing Rochdale to East Didsbury tram. Completed in January 2014, trams now turn right at this point to pass through the town centre to rejoin the railway line formation at Werneth. The new Mumps tram stop is seen being built near the buildings at the top of the hill. See image [[44095]] for a view of this location in the opposite direction.

Hoghton: Black 5 45231 nears the summit at Hoghton heading for Blackburn with The Fellsman on 31 July. The last train of the 2013 season ran on 28 August and the final Fellsman League Table is 61994 - 5 appearances, 45231 - 4 (1 with 44932) and 45699, 46115 and 48151 1 each. Brush Type 4 47580 was also on the train on three occasions for fire risk assistance as seen here.

New Hey: New Hey on the Oldham loop has undergone quite a transformation since my last visit in 2009. With the closure of the railway, which by then had been reduced to a single line between Shaw & Crompton and Rochdale see image [[21080]], the conversion to Metrolink tram has seen most of the route returning to double track. On a wet 31 July 2013, the former L&YR Cotton Warehouse stands over the tram stop as a reminder of times past.

Oldham Werneth: A last ride through Werneth Tunnel, and Central Tunnel beyond, on a Rochdale bound tram using the old route through Oldham in July 2013. The tram is just passing through the site of Oldham Werneth station, which closed in 2009. This section of line finally closed to all traffic on 18th January 2014 and nine days later the first trams ran through Oldham Town Centre on the street running section.

Cornbrook [Tram]: Photographed from Cornbrook Tram stop, looking across to a pair of EMT Class 158s on a Norwich to Liverpool service via Warrington Central at the end of July 2013. This route is the former CLC Lines route between Manchester and Liverpool. Note the 25kV electrification which allows electric traction to access Trafford container terminal.

Shaw and Crompton: A direct Then and Now comparison at Shaw and Crompton. See image [[25659]] for the same location five years earlier. The only noticeable change in this 2013 view is the disappearance of the signal box and barriers but the old station to the left has gone and been replaced by a new three platform tram station in front of Briar Mill.

Radcliffe [Tram]: A Bury to Altrincham tram departs from Radcliffe, formerly Radcliffe Central, in July 2013. See image [[32761]] from BR days.

St Peters Square: The only first generation Manchester tram to receive the latest Metrolink livery, no 1003, arriving at the tram stop in St Peter's Square on 31 July with a service to Altrincham.

Shaw and Crompton: The tram stop at Shaw and Crompton has been constructed on the Oldham side of the level crossing next to Briar Mill. On 31 July 2013 a Manchester bound tram waits to depart.

East Didsbury: A First TransPennine service to Manchester Airport passes East Didsbury station on 31 July 2013.

Radcliffe [Tram]: The most modern railway station in Lancashire was the description in the Radcliffe Times on 5th June 1959 of the rebuilt station, which coincided with the introduction of the new Bury EMUs (later Class 504) see image [[32761]]. The 1959 buildings are still in use under Metrolink, seen here as Tram 3024 slows on a Bury service in July 2013.

Milnrow: Metrolink 3025 slows for the Milnrow stop on a service from Rochdale to East Didsbury in July 2013. The tram is just passing under the old Harbour Lane bridge (a harbour in Milnrow?), now reduced to just footpath width having been replaced by the large road bridge in the background. The completely new tram stop is built on the site of the old L&YR station that closed in 2009.

Rochdale: On the single line section about to climb over the Network Rail lines on the Northern approach to Rochdale on 31 July 2013. On the left is the stop board and the remains of the route of the Oldham loop line. Beyond this the track is now used as a turnback siding for services coming out of Manchester.

Rochdale: Although the Metrolink doesn't share Rochdale railway station with the national network, it does run parallel to the main line for a short distance to the north of the station before climbing over the tracks and joining the original formation towards Milnrow. View from behind the driver on 31 July 2013 reminding me of the days travelling on First Generation DMUs and EMUs.

Nuneaton: DRS 66421 is clearly focussed on the task ahead as it bustles North through Nuneaton platform 2 on 31 July 2013 hauling W.H.Malcolm container traffic.

Droylsden: The new, 3.9 mile line to Droylsden opened in February 2013 and involves mainly street running into Manchester but also reserved track around the Velopark and football stadium. Droylsden is a temporary terminus as a 2 mile extension to Ashton-under-Lyne will be opening in winter 2013/14. Tram 3036 has crossed to the Manchester line at the turnback siding and runs into the platform to form a service back to the city centre.

East Didsbury: East Didsbury tram terminus (for the moment at least) on 31 July 2013 viewed from Kingsway road bridge looking east along what had been the former Midland Railway route towards Heaton Mersey station.

Rochdale: Another temporary terminus. 3008 stands at the tram stop known as Rochdale Rail Station before returning via Oldham to Manchester then East Didsbury. Construction work continues to take the trams on from here down into the town centre. This image taken from the island platform of the main line station.

Nuneaton: 153354 may not be a beauty, but 70008 is certainly a beast. Contrasting front ends at platforms 1 and 2 at Nuneaton on 31 July. Both trains were heading for Coventry - the freight first.

Derker: There is less vegetation around since the conversion of the Oldham loop to Metrolink, just compare this photo with the same location in the autumn of 2009 see image [[26458]]. On 31 July 2013 a Rochdale bound tram climbs the hill from Oldham on the approach to Derker.

St Werburgh's Rd: The junction at St Werburgh's Rd, where the new Metrolink line to Manchester Airport diverges, was complete in 2013 although not yet connected to tracks on the branch itself. View from behind the driver of a tram taking the recently reopened Midland Main Line to East Didsbury.

Derker: A Metrolink tram calls at Derker on a Rochdale to East Didsbury service on 31 July 2013.

St Peters Square: Quite a bow wave is created by the rear bogie of Metrolink 1022 as it leaves St. Peter's Square, indicating that all is perhaps not as it should be with the drains in this city centre tram station. This section now carries trams to Altrincham, Eccles and East Didsbury and so the performance was repeated every few minutes on this very wet day.

Oldham Mumps: A Metrolink tram leaves the temporary Oldham Mumps stop heading for Rochdale in July 2013. For an approximate Then and Now comparison at this location five years earlier see image [[21173]]. This temporary stop closed on 18th January 2014 and the lines and catenary were removed completely by August that year. The area will be redeveloped now the new town centre street running section is open.

Dalgety Bay: DRS 47805 hauls the returning Compass Tours Blackpool North - Dundee Forth & Tay Bridges Express towards Dalgety Bay on 31 July. 47501 brought up the rear.

Rochdale: A Sprinter/Pacer combination on a Wigan Wallgate service departs from the surviving island platform at Rochdale in July 2013. To the left of the train another long disused platform can be seen, a reminder of the days when the station was a much larger structure than that surviving today. See image [[48303]]

Shaw and Crompton: Briar Mill dominates the scene at Shaw and Crompton on 31 July 2013. The photograph was taken from what would have been the station's Rochdale platform. The old station has now been replaced by a tram stop, built on the other side of the level crossing see image [[44105]].

Largs Pier: PS Waverley, engine astern, prepares to berth at Largs Pier on 31 July 2013.

Milnrow: Newly reopened in 2013 for Metrolink services, Milnrow last saw main line trains in 2009. Tram 3025 is on a Rochdale to East Didsbury service, as seen from the reinstated Rochdale platform. See image [[21032]] for a Then and Now comparison image from 1972.

Nuneaton: Is it just me - or do those cabs belong on two different engines? Locomotive 70008 was clearly styled by engineers - let's hope it wasn't engineered by stylists. It is shown waiting to leave platform 2 at Nuneaton Trent Valley on 31 July with a container train heading for Coventry see image [[44735]].

Largs: The 11.48 ex-Glasgow Central creeps to a halt at Largs station on 31 July 2013.

Cornbrook: Only a few 1st generation trams remained in service on Metrolink in the summer of 2013 and just down the line from Cornbrook, at Trafford Depot, there were long lines of tramcars awaiting disposal. The original Cornbrook station was on the adjacent Altrincham line and closed in 1965 whereas the Metrolink line uses the old CLC/Midland line from Manchester Central. 1009 heads for the city centre.

Cornbrook [Tram]: Manchester Metrolink 1st generation tram number 1009 calls at Cornbrook with a service to Piccadilly on 31 July 2013.

East Didsbury: Temporary terminus? Although there are no funds at present to extend the Metrolink system beyond East Didsbury there are hopes that it will eventually reach Stockport and East Didsbury (Metrolink) has been designed to facilitate this. Until 1969 this was the mainline from Manchester Central to St. Pancras and the Midland Pullman diesel units hurried past this point.

Hoghton: Ex LMS Black 5 no. 45231 approaches Hoghton on a dreich evening on 31 July 2013 with the returning 'Fellsman' railtour from Carlisle. Due to the heavy rain, the photo is taken from the public footpath under the A674 road bridge which at least kept the photographer and camera dry, although I was enveloped in steam as the loco passed!

Irk Valley Junction: Metrolink driver's view of Irk Valley Junction, on a viaduct between Manchester Victoria and Woodlands Rd on the Bury line. The chord to the right closed in 1966 but was reinstated in 2012 for the Oldham and Rochdale Metrolink services. This junction was the scene of a major accident in 1953 when an EMU from Bury ran through a red signal and collided with a steam-hauled train on the crossover. The EMU fell from the viaduct and the driver and eight passengers were killed.

Prestwick Town: The 9.38 Glasgow Central - Stranraer runs non-stop through Prestwick Town station on 31 July 2013.

Derker: Metrolink driver's view from a Manchester bound tram entering Derker station. The original wooden platforms, from when the station opened to replace Royton Junction in 1985, were replaced when Metrolink rebuilt the line after the 2009 closure. See image [[21153]] for a heavy rail view of this location.

Oldham Werneth: Metrolink tram driver's view of the site of Oldham Werneth station (closed 2009) from a Rochdale bound service. The tracks to Oldham Mumps through the tunnels were only temporarily electrified, as a town centre street running section was opened from the point in the foreground allowing the old railway line to close completely. See image [[21182]] for the same location in 2008.

Oldham Mumps: Oldham Mumps was (almost) completely demolished after closure in 2009. This temporary replacement tram stop was on the Manchester side of the old station. Alongside the part cobbled approach to the tram stop the remains of an old platform face could still be seen in July 2013. These last railway remnants will go when the Oldham street running section is completed in 2014 and the railway land is redeveloped.

Oldham Mumps: North of the former Oldham Mumps station the railway ran on an embankment and crossed the road on a series of bridges. The building on the left featured in a former mystery image taken in 1968 see image [[37965]]. By July 2013 the embankment and bridges have been removed during conversion to Metrolink. This busy road crossing will go when trams start running through Oldham town centre and the original alignment between Mumps and Werneth is abandoned. The new tram line towards the town centre can be seen in front of the red brick building.

Svensta: This Fiat-built Y1 diesel railcar is normally only seen on the Inlandsbanan i.e. the non-electrifed North-South route between Mora and Gällivare. That route shares a short section with Mittbanan east of Östersund. These units have also been seen west of Östersund as here at Svensta Level Crossing west of Järpen. The crossing is open. It has an overhead height limit indicator on wooden poles and a mirror for visual confirmation that the track is clear seen here obscuring part of the railbus front window. A light is provided to warn for the approach of oncoming trains see image [[57536]] and see image [[57524]].

Rochester [1st]: Class 395 'Javelin' unit, to St. Pancras via HS1, arriving at the old Rochester station on 31st July 2014. This station, opened on 1st March 1892, closed 17 months after this photo was taken and replaced by a brand new station closer to the town centre that opened on 13th December 2015.

Dartmouth: Dartmouth enjoyed all the facilities of a Great Western Railway station, except trains. Tickets could be purchased through to Paddington but the railway ferry first had to be taken across the Dart to Kingswear station. After closure in 1972 the building became the Station Restaurant, seen here looking across the harbour with Kingswear behind across the river.

Kingswear: Kingswear station feels like it has been shoe horned into the narrow strip of land between the River Dart and the steep hillside. The old station building is in good repair and used by the steam railway and this restaurant, seen from the road leading to the ferries.

Kingswear: Elevated view of Kingswear station in July 2015. Class 03 D2371 is now employed here as station pilot and can just be seen inside the train shed. To the right of it is a replica signal box used as office accommodation by the railway.

Lampits Junction: ScotRail 380110 accelerates north away from Carstairs on the ex-Caledonian route to Edinburgh on 31 July 2016. The train is 0831 Ayr - Glasgow Central - Edinburgh Waverley. Meantime a freight heading in the opposite direction has been given a green light, with the signal feathers indicating a turn right to join the down WCML at the east end of Carstairs station. The bridge in the background once led to the now demolished eastern annex to the State Hospital see image [[6270]].

Lampits Junction: ScotRail 380110 heads north from Carstairs East Junction shortly after the Carstairs stop on 31 July 2016 with the 0831 Ayr - Edinburgh via Glasgow Central. The train is about to pass below the bridge carrying the A70 over the formation.

Bristol Temple Meads: Well, stone the crows and blow me down! A stoneblower, seen lurking in the shadows at the eastern end of Bristol Temple Meads on 31st July 2016. See image [[14528]]

Thornhill Road Level Crossing: Thornhill Road Level crossing, on the former Falkirk Gasworks branch, surprisingly still exists in 2017. See image [[32764]] of a train on the branch in 1961 with D2778. This location is about 1/4 mile west of Bill's photograph, looking south west towards what was Springfield goods yard (now Central Retail Park).

Govan Ferry: The modern day Govan Ferry, as seen from the Glenlee tall ship at the Riverside Museum of Transport in July 2017. The little boat provides a handy free link to the museum from Govan Subway station using the pontoon seen here. See image [[54433]] showing the slipway that used to be used for its larger predecessor.

Glasgow Queen Street High Level: An impressive line up of turbostars at Glasgow Queen Street on 31st July 2017. It was not good news though as ten turbostar units idle in the station at 10.00 on a Monday morning meant something was not quite right. In this case, there was 'severe' disruption of the Glasgow- Edinburgh services thanks to a points failure.

Prestonpans: The cut-down HSTs which are scheduled to appear on ScotRail services will not, I hope, be quite this short. Cross-Country power cars head south through Prestonpans on 31 July. Obligingly they were travelling at no great speed.

Falkirk Gasworks: Thornhill Road Level crossing, on the former Falkirk Gasworks branch, surprisingly still exists in 2017. See image [[32764]] of a train on the branch in 1961 with D2778. This location is about 1/4 mile west of Bill's photograph, looking south west towards what was Springfield goods yard (now Central Retail Park).

Prestonpans: A six-car service from North Berwick to Waverley calls at 'The Pahns' on 31 July.

Gourock: Platform 1 at Gourock is very convenient for ferry passengers but if Platform 3 is in use it is a bit of a trudge. 380108 waits in Platform 3 to form a fast service to Glasgow Central on 31st July 2017.

Prestonpans: A North Berwick service calls at Prestonpans with a North Berwick service on 31 July. Prestonpans styles itself 'Scotland's Mural Town' and indeed murals bedeck the typical North British station building.

Carstairs South Junction: 88003 approaching Strawfrank with a Daventry DRS (Tesco) to Mossend Euroterminal train.

Edinburgh Waverley: Caledonian Sleeper locomotive no 92014, sporting the attractive Serco 'Midnight Teal' livery, seen here on 13 July 2017 stabled alongside the south wall at Waverley.

Berneray Slipway: Calmac's Sound of Harris Ferry, the specially designed MV Loch Portain, loading at the Berneray slipway on 31st July 2018. The elevated lounge, and the outside seats that provide such a good view, can be seen. To the left of the lamp posts the first of the numerous buoys that the vessel has to follow to negotiate the complicated route to Leverburgh can just be seen. Perhaps Calmac should be promoting this really interesting crossing in the same way that scenic railways are marketed?

Pinkhill: We obviously wouldn't want anything nasty to happen to a cyclist, but these notices are a bit redundant as there is a sturdy fence along this (city-bound) platform of the old station for the zoo. I've never heard anyone claim to live in Pinkhill: it's just Corstorphine.

Bath Spa: Graffiti is unusual in Bath, but the building on the left is uninhabited. In July 2018 it seemed to be under rather slow restoration. The Westbound HST may have a less promising future.

Kemble: The very end (currently) of the Cirencester branch platform at Kemble see image [[66411]]. Photograph taken on 31st July 2018. [Ref query 27 November 2018]

Bath Spa: Another atypical view of Bath, looking the other way from See image [[66554]]. An eastbound Sprinter passes the retaining wall for the Avon Canal in July 2018.

Berneray Slipway: Looking across the 1999 causeway, which links the islands of North Uist and Berneray, on 31st July 2018. MV Loch Portain is at the Berneray slip, loading for the 1025hrs Calmac sailing to Leverburgh across the Sound of Harris.

Ã…re: The street side of the specially-designed station building which features shops and the local public library incorporating the tourist information office. For a view of the track side complete with train see image [[70117]]. The original 1880 station building is now a cafe and left luggage facility see image [[70254]].

Kemble: This bus would be literally a rail replacement service if it was driving just ten feet to its left. It is passing through the station car park at Kemble in July 2018, running parallel to the course of the Cirencester branch see image [[49512]].

Kemble: The gate to the Cirencester platform is nicely painted. It looks like you could just open it and catch a train; but this is sadly not the case.
See query 2177

Kemble: Another shot see image [[47092]] of the Cirencester branch approaching Kemble in July 2018. Not the easiest old trackbed to access, but pleasant once you're there.

Trimley: 66594 powers towards Derby Road on the Felixstowe branch with a container train for Lawley Street on 31st July 2019. The new signal protects Thorpe Lane level crossing but also has a feather to access the newly extended line to Felixstowe North port complex. This starts just beyond the level crossing but is to be extended to near Orwell over the land in the foreground.

Pinkhill: Past ages may have taken a more cavalier attitude to health and safety, but railways seem to have been liberally supplied with refuges, like this one on the former Corstorphine branch, which can scarcely have been needed. In the background is Carrick Knowe ('rocky hillock') municipal golf course; golfists seem to have abandoned their caddies full of golf bats in mid chukka.

Trimley: The majority of container trains to Felixstowe are handled by Class 66s but Class 70s also put in appearances. Freightliner 70020 is seen approaching Thorpe Lane level crossing near Trimley with a service from the North Terminal to Basford Hall on 31st July 2019. This stretch of line was being prepared for double track at the time of the visit.

Wickham Market: The station building at Wickham Market has been superbly restored inside and out and now accommodates a cafe and community meeting rooms, as well as somewhere to wait for East Suffolk Line trains. 31st July 2019.

Glasgow Queen Street High Level: The old meets the new. July 2019 view from the repositioned gateline at Queen Street, which is almost underneath where the nineteenth century trainshed stops. On the left is the space with which passengers are familiar, while to the right is the new extension, still under construction.

Melton: Melton station, on the now partly singled Ipswich to Lowestoft line, looking towards Saxmundham on 31st July 2019. Melton closed to passenger services in 1955 but following local campaigning it reopened in 1984. See image [[35145]] from the period of closure. Almost 78000 passenger journeys were recorded in 2017/18, which must make a significant contribution to the East Suffolk Line revenues.
See query 2144

Felixstowe Beach: Looking towards the docks from the level crossing at Felixstowe Beach in July 2019. The old station is behind the camera at this point. Colour light signals have replaced the semaphores that previously protected this location. See image [[20637]] from 1990.

Orwell: Orwell station, mid-way between Derby Road and Trimley, closed in 1959 as DMUs were introduced on the Felixstowe branch. What looks like the old station house still stands near the entrance from the road. The station itself was further up the driveway and the busy branch rails are behind the trees. 31st July 2019.

Glasgow Queen Street High Level: View of the atrium at Queen Street at the end of July 2019, when the extended platforms 2 and 3 had reopened and part of the new concourse had been brought in to use. Centre left is a class 385 at platform 2, below is the red of the new friction bufferstops. The dark area is the newly opened concourse extension bounded by the sunlit plywood site hoardings. In the foreground is the area of the concourse which is still under construction; the access ramp is out of frame nearer the camera. A Class 156 DMU can just be seen centre right at platform 6.

Felixstowe Beach Junction: Felixstowe Beach Junction is where the passenger line to Felixstowe (Town) station parts company with the freight line to Felixstowe Port South. On 31st July 2019 156422 swings left towards the Town station with a Greater Anglia service from Ipswich.

Snape Goods: Snape Goods station was the terminus of a short branch from Snape Junction, near Saxmundham, and the surviving station building is seen here in July 2019. The line never carried passenger trains and closed in 1960 after a life of 101 years. Most branch traffic was conveyed to and from Snape Maltings and rail wagons were propelled through the arch in the background to be shunted around the Maltings complex by horses. The Maltings is now a well-known concert venue but other old buildings there have been converted into retail or catering outlets and residential properties.
See query 2130

Orwell: Orwell was an intermediate station between Derby Road and Trimley but it closed in 1959 to allow faster Felixstowe services when DMUs were introduced. Near the station site is Levington Lane level crossing, where 170272 is seen heading from Ipswich with a service to the branch terminus on 31st July 2019. Work is presently taking place to extend double track from Trimley to this location, to increase freight capacity on the branch.

Trimley: 156422, working from Ipswich to Felixstowe, approaches the Trimley stop on 31st July 2019. The track on the left is brand new and in the distance a container train has just got underway onto the now shortened single track section to Derby Road. Prior to 2019 this would have had to wait in the North port complex until the DMU had reached Trimley. Both these tracks are now bi-directional and can be accessed from the north and south port complexes allowing even more flexibility on this busy branch.

Trimley: 66541 powers away from the Felixstowe North container port and through Trimley with a fully loaded train for Ditton on Merseyside, the first of two to the same destination on the morning of 31st July 2019. The track layout here has recently been upgraded and now allows for more flexible working on the branch. See image [[65115]] taken at this location during the previous year.

Framlingham: Framlingham closed to passengers in 1952 but the building is still in commercial use and good order nearly seventy years later. This view looks alongside the building towards the forecourt. The platform was behind the building shown here but has now been built over. 31st July 2019.

Trimley: 66599 crosses over to run through the old Up Platform at Trimley with an intermodal from Garston to Felixstowe North port on 31st July 2019.
See query 2158

Parham: Parham station, which closed to passengers with the Framlingham Branch in 1953, is now a fine looking home. All other traces of the station, level crossing and signal box have gone. 1st August 2019.

Felixstowe Beach: Felixstowe Beach station platform, which saw its last passengers in 1967, still stands alongside the freight line into the south area of Felixstowe Port in 2019 but the station building was demolished around fifteen years ago. See image [[20651]] from 1990.

Felixstowe: Felixstowe (Town) station once had many tracks and several platforms but for many years has just been a single line stub from Felixstowe Beach Junction. The old station buildings have been converted into a supermarket. Greater Anglia runs eighteen trains a day to Ipswich from the shortened platform.

Trimley: In the summer of 2019 Felixstowe branch services were being operated by a mixture of Class 153, 156 and 170 units with all three being seen on the same day. This will no doubt change with the introduction of the new FLIRT trains by Greater Anglia. Single unit 153314 calls at Trimley with an Ipswich to Fleixstowe service on 31st July 2019.

Darsham: New station signs at Saxmundham have an additional area below, currently promoting the introduction of the new Class 755 FLIRT trains to Greater Anglia services. At Darsham, the next station towards Lowestoft, the situation is a little different and it is to be hoped there are on board train announcements. 31st July 2019.

Trimley: The very tired station building at Trimley, subject of a local campaign for restoration as a community centre, as seen in July 2019. Ironically, the van parked alongside was being used by the contractor engaged on keeping the operational side of the station clean and tidy.

Trimley: 66761, bearing the rather snappy title 'Wensleydale Railway Association 25 Years 1990-2015', approaches Thorpe Lane Crossing at Trimley with a Masboro' to Felixstowe North container train on 31st July 2019. Cleared land to extend the new double track section north from Trimley towards Orwell can be seen in the foreground.

Trimley: The first Greater Anglia FLIRT Class 755s were used on the Felixstowe branch in November 2019. In July of that year 153314, one of five single car units in the Greater Anglia fleet, slows to call at Trimley and runs over the level crossing. Units of classes 153, 156 and 170 were all used on Ipswich Felixstowe services that day. The new second track can be seen alongside the original single line that the DMU is using.

Framlingham: Framlingham station, viewed across the old forecourt, in July 2019. The station closed to passengers in 1952 but the pick-up goods continued until 1963, latterly diesel hauled by BTH Type 1s or Brush Type 2s. After a period when it was very run down the station building has been refurbished and extended in recent years to increase the retail space of the business that occupies it. The building on the left is still a busy pub and features in old pictures of the station.

Trimley: 66519 runs onto the new double track section as it heads north-west from Trimley with a Felixstowe North to Ditton (Merseyside) intermodal service on 31st July 2019. Prior to this year this train would now have been occupying the single track section to Derby Road but this gradually extending second track is steadily increasing branch capacity.

Trimley: Although Trimley station is still open the old building itself is no longer in use and is in a poor state of repair. A community group has been formed to try to save the building and put it into community use, perhaps along similar lines to Wickham Market, but the first task is to stop the building deteriorating further. The platform is accessed through a gap in the wall by the notices. 31st July 2019.

Trimley: 170272 runs over the Thorpe Lane level crossing on the outskirts of Trimley heading for Ipswich on 31st July 2019. This stretch of line is scheduled to be doubled in the near future as part of the Network Rail scheme to enhance capacity on the busy branch line to the Port of Felixstowe. The twelve Greater Anglia Class 170s are scheduled to move to Transport for Wales as the new Class 755 bi-mode units are introduced.

North Queensferry: 170395 is on the rear of a six-coach Fife Circle train, seen leaving North Queensferry and climbing up to join the bridge, on a damp and misty 31st July 2021.

Didcot Railway Centre: USA S160 2-8-0 in action at Didcot on 31st July 2021. Note the ten lugs used to fasten the small smokebox door, compared to the single 'dart' on GWR locos.

Slaggyford: At a time when Network Rail is closing signal boxes as fast as it can, its nice to find a new one in 2021. Battery electric loco Carlisle (built in 2015 by Alan Keef, and rebuilt the following year at Statfold Barn) patiently waits for passengers to board at Slaggyford for the next departure to Alston. Google Street View currently shows historic views of this station minus signalbox and track. Picture taken with permission (see also image [[47570]]).

Didcot Railway Centre: The visiting USA S160 2-8-0 stands in front of an array of GWR locomotives outside the shed at Didcot.

Donibristle Siding: A1 60163 'Tornado' climbs away from the site of Donibristle siding with 'The Aberdonian' on 31 July 2021.

Bowes: Amid all the uncertainties of modern life, it is comforting to know that Bowes station continues its genteel decline. The shed on the left, being built of wooden sleepers, may last longer; particularly as a resident of Bowes tells me that the station building may be demolished then re-erected on the preserved section out of Kirkby Stephen East. (See also image [[60945]]).

Didcot Railway Centre: Vintage carriage stock behind 0-4-0ST 1340 'Trojan' on the Didcot branch line service on 31st July 2021.

Didcot Parkway: A rake of old but very tidy BR box vans stabled at Didcot on 31st July 2021. These are air brake piped to travel on Network Rail and are apparently to feature in a forthcoming film.

Didcot Railway Centre: Model of a short section of Brunel's Broad Gauge Atmospheric Railway, vacuum tube between the rails, as briefly operated in Devon and displayed at Didcot Railway Centre. See image [[29465]] of the Totnes atmospheric pumping station. Another survives at Starcross.

Didcot Railway Centre: The Didcot Railway Centre was celebrating its Diamond Jubilee with a Gala on 31st July 2021. Visiting locos included No 29, a Kitson 0-6-2T from 1904, on loan from the North Yorkshire Moors Rly. This Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Colleries (LH&JC) loco was working trains on the branch line for part of the day.

Alston: Its good to see Alston with an overall roof again.

Didcot Railway Centre: A line up of the GWR's finest at Didcot on 31st July 2021, but sadly that day out of use.

Bowes: The station access steps at Bowes (this is the lower flight, looking West) are still present, but the farmer - possibly troubled by trespass and theft - doesn't really want you to use them. A local who directed me to this site told me that the remains of the station may be demolished and rebuilt on the Kirkby Stephen East line. (See image [[28447]])

Didcot Railway Centre: 0-4-0ST 1340 taking a turn on the branch train at Didcot, pictured at the rebuilt transfer shed on 31st July 2021.

Didcot Railway Centre: USA 2-8-0 on display and in steam at Didcot on 31st July 2021. 6046 is a Baldwin S160 built for the war effort. Never saw service in the UK, went straight to France and then sold to the Hungarians for where it came to the UK. Now calls the Churnet Valley Rly its home. Working the Centre's main demonstration line.

Didcot Parkway: DB 66109, in PD Ports blue, parked in the station sidings at Didcot on 31st July 2021.

Islington Tunnel West Portal [RC]: View of the Regent's Canal, just north of Kings Cross, looking east towards the west portal of the 960 yards long Islington Tunnel, from a Route 17 bus to Archway crossing Caledonian Road bridge, on 31st July 2021. The canal celebrated its bi-centenary in 2020, having opened in 1820 to link the Grand Junction Canal at Paddington with the Thames at Limehouse. In the mid-19th Century, there was a proposal to drain it and convert it into a railway but this never happened. In 1929, both the Grand Junction and Regent's were amalgamated to form the Grand Union Canal but this section is still known colloquially by its original name.

Dalmeny: A short formed HST, with just two coaches, worked ECS from Inverness to Slateford Depot on 31st July 2021 and is seen at Dalmeny. Immediately beyond the station it was looped to allow to passenger trains to pass before continuing towards Haymarket.

Didcot Railway Centre: No 29 is a Kitson 0-6-2T from 1904. On loan from the North Yorkshire Moors Rly. working on the Didcot branch line on 31st July 2021

Loch Leven: 2021 marks the centenary of Loch Leven station's closure to passengers, although trains continued to pass through for a further fifty years. The station buildings are still in use [[33850]] but gardens from surrounding houses now encroach onto the trackbed. This bridge, which still carries the B996 road over the trackbed, forms a handy storage area for someone.

Didcot Railway Centre: During the GWS Diamond Anniversary celebration gala the recreated GWR 'Saint' 4-6-0, 2999 'Lady of Legend' was on display. The new Saint has been visiting various heritage railways during 2021.

Forth Bridge: Although we were offered seats inside the coffee shop, this was the view from the pavement table so we stayed outside despite the light drizzle. A 170, on its way to the Fife Circle, passes high above Post Office Lane, and the rest of North Queensferry, on 31st July 2021.