Aberystwyth: The black flags say it all - this was the real end of BR steam at the cessation of the 1988 Vale of Rheidol summer season, which extended into early November that year. No. 7 Owain Glyndwr waits to back down into Aberystwyth station to couple up to the 14.00 departure for the last time.

Devils Bridge: The blackboard states 'LAST TRAIN, NO RETURN' and it wasn't kidding. The 16.00 departure from Devil's Bridge on 4 November 1988, seen here in the fading light of a cloudless afternoon shortly before departure, would be the last service train operated by BR on the Vale of Rheidol line. (I believe a special ran the following day but that doesn't count!)

Garve: View south east over Garve station from the hillside on 4 November 2003, looking in the general direction of Dingwall.

Garve: A wet November day at Garve level crossing in 2003, looking back towards the platforms.

Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale: The former station at Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale on the Nidd Valley Railway looking north west in November 2004. Despite having closed to passengers in 1930 the former station 'facilities' were (thankfully) still open to the public 74 years on. See image [[43690]] [Ref query 1020]

Gargrave: Northern 156489 leaving the attractive 1849 station at Gargrave in the Craven District of North Yorkshire on 4 September 2004. The 156 is on the rear of a 3-car Carlisle - Leeds service. On the front of the train is single unit 153304. Note the original stone shelter, still in daily use.

Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale: The old station at Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, in November 2004. View platform side looking south east towards Pateley Bridge.

Gargrave: A 3-car train led by 153304 arrives at Gargrave on a Carlisle - Leeds working on 4 November 2004.

Wensley: Closing the crossing gates at Wensley in November 2004. The DMU is on its way from Redmire to Leeming on the Wensleydale Railway.

Ribblehead Viaduct: A wet and windswept Ribblehead in November 2004, with the remains of an early morning mist almost obscuring the fells. A Northern DMU has just run north onto the viaduct with a Leeds to Carlisle service.

Cape Town: There is no shame in admitting that you can't quite stretch to £1000 for a single ticket from Cape Town to Johannesburg or vice versa in the Blue Train. But if you don't need a double bed to sleep on, and a private bathroom with bath, a similar level of luxury can be obtained in Premiere Class. The Lounge Car (no jeans allowed) is seen shortly after leaving Cape Town on 4th November 2005.

Cape Town: The Cape Gauge (3 foot 6 inch) electric hauled Premiere Class luxury passenger train climbs up from Cape Town into the veldt on 4th November 2005. The train runs overnight to Johannesburg at least two days a week. The consist included a bogie water at the back of the train- for the needs of the passengers, not the engines, of course.

Forres [2nd]: Last train of the day for Inverness arriving at Forres in November 2005.

Forres East Junction: Trains for Inverness and Aberdeen crossing at Forres east during the late afternoon in November 2005.

Forres East Junction: An Aberdeen - Inverness train held awaiting the crossing service alongside Forres East signal box in November 2005. The old goods shed stands in the right background alongside the remains of the original route.

Beauford West: This official locomotive change on the Premiere Classe luxury train see image [[55261]], due to a change in the OHL supply, was later followed by an unofficial change as this loco' failed at around 11pm. View looks South; notice the 'No cycling on the platform' sign on the right.

Forres East Junction: The morning sun catches an Aberdeen - Inverness service at Mosset Road level crossing on the eastern approach to Forres station in November 2005.

Elgin: An Inverness service picks up the token for Forres at Elgin West Signalbox. This is the only operational signalbox in Elgin now and is the furthest north signalbox in the UK.

Elgin: Ready for token exchange at Elgin West box. The train is heading west.

Stravithie: Entrance to old station at Stravithie.

Stravithie: Stravithie station, an old SR coach used as a chalet.

Port Dundas Swing Bridge: Old swing-bridge on the Port Dundas branch of the E&G.

Glasgow Queen Street High Level: Queen Street viewed from the corner of Cathedral Street and North Hanover Street.

Dalreoch Junction: The track 'doubles' at the southern end of the Balloch line. View looks north from by Dalreoch Junction.

Dalmuir: Dalmuir looking west. An Yoker bound train site next to a train in the terminal platform put in the for Argyle Line.

Dalreoch Junction: Heading for Balloch at Dalreoch Junction.

Dalreoch: Large group at Dalreoch heading for Helensburgh disappointed by the arrival of a Balloch train.

Anniesland: Dalmuir train arrives at Anniesland with a QSHL train having just terminated at platform 3.

Anniesland: Train from Queen Street High Level terminates at Anniesland in platform 3.

Anniesland: Train from Queen Street High Level terminates at Anniesland in platform 3.

Anniesland: Just time for the briefest of chats as the driver (left) and guard change ends at Anniesland.

Anniesland: An open door beckons on a Anniesland-QSHL service.

Possilpark and Parkhouse: Glasgow bound service at Possilpark and Parkhouse. The Hamiltonhill Branch of the Caley crossed over the line beyond the green signal.

Possilpark and Parkhouse: Glasgow bound service at Possilpark and Parkhouse.

Cowlairs Carriage Sidings: Further progress on clearing the site of the Cowlairs Carriage Sidings and Turkey Red Dye Sidings at Cowlairs.

Cowlairs Tunnel: Southbound train entering the tunnel on the Cowlairs Incline heading for Queen Street High Level.

Kensington Olympia: A northbound Southern unit heads towards Watford Junction, whilst a southbound Silverlink unit heads towards Clapham Junction.

Kensington Olympia: Seemingly hundreds of people pour off a District Line train and head for the exit to the adjacent Olympia exhibition halls.

Kensington Olympia: Just to break the EMU monotony a class 67 hauled charter arrives from Manchester.

Glasgow Museum of Transport: Highland Railways HR 103 and GNSR No. 49 now residing in the Glasgow Transport Museum.

Stonehaven: Evening Edinburgh - Aberdeen service calls at Stonehaven platform 2 on 4 November 2006.

Montrose: A ScotRail Aberdeen - Edinburgh service on the approach to Montrose station on a dull and drizzly 4 November 2006 passing Montrose North signal box.

Montrose: A late Saturday afternoon Edinburgh - Aberdeen service about to enter Montrose station from the south on 4 November 2006 after crossing the 16-span South Esk Viaduct. The 440m viaduct carries the railway across the eastern inlet to Montrose Basin.

Montrose: A Glasgow Queen Street - Aberdeen train comes off the 1881 South Esk Viaduct and is about to pass Montrose South signal box as it approaches the station in November 2006. On the right of the photograph is part of the extensive Montrose Basin.

Montrose: Last shot of the day... A DMU stands alongside the modern station building at Montrose in rapidly fading light on a murky November afternoon in 2006. The southbound service is about to restart its journey from Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street.

North Water Bridge Viaduct: North Water Bridge viaduct on the Bervie branch looking east. November 2006.

Lauriston: Reclaimed overbridge on the Bervie branch south of Lauriston station in November 2006. The station stood on the other side of the bridge, in an area now occupied by a caravan park. See image [[40622]]

Stonehaven: Nightshift - Stonehaven signal box, November 2006.

Cowlairs Incline: A service on the bidirectional track of the Cowlairs Incline which is overlooked by high flats.

Stonehaven: View across the running lines towards Stonehaven signal box in November 2006. The SB stands at the north end of the up platform.

Darlington [Bank Top]: Early Sunday morning on Victoria Street, Darlington, looking east up the hill towards the clock tower at Bank Top station under a weak November sun.

NRM Shildon: Close up of 03090 standing in the sunshine outside the main exhibition hall at Shildon on a February morning in 2007. Former BR Class 03 0-6-0DM no D2090, built at Doncaster in 1960, is now part of the national collection.

NRM Shildon: View southeast from Spout Lane road bridge on 4 November 2007 showing the main Locomotion exhibition hall and sidings at NRM Shildon, as a class 142 runs past to the left on a Saltburn - Bishop Auckland service.

Darlington [Bank Top]: Sunday morning view north past the clock tower at Darlington Bank Top station on 4 November 2007.

Shildon: View northwest from Spout Lane road bridge on 4 November with a Saltburn - Bishop Auckland train running towards Shildon station. The station stands alongside the old S&D coal drops which are now incorporated within the NRM site. The line running up to the gate in the foreground gives rail access to the main exhibition hall and associated sidings on the other side of the road bridge.

NRM Shildon: NER No 1 (BR 26500) was one of a pair built to operate the one mile long Quayside branch in Newcastle. Much of the branch was located in steep, sharply curved tunnel linking Trafalgar Yard near Manors station with Quayside Yard alongside the Tyne. The locomotives were fitted for dual current collection, using overhead wire in the yards and third rail in the tunnel. Withdrawn in 1964, the preserved No 1 is seen at NRM Shildon in November 2007.

NRM Shildon: A manual, scrolling departure board, once a common sight at even moderately sized railway stations. This one came from Bishop Auckland and now resides in the NRM at Shildon.

NRM Shildon: Ex-BR class 03 03090 with ex-NS 663 standing in the yard outside the main exhibition hall at Shildon on 4 November 2007.

NRM Shildon: Aggressive looking APT-E front end on display inside the NRM Shildon on 4 November 2007.

NRM Shildon: The Big Yin! Prototype Deltic on display at Shildon on 4 November 2007.

Hownes Gill Viaduct: View north across Hownes Gill Viaduct on 4 November 2007. The historic structure has gained something of a sinister reputation in recent years, albeit through no fault of its own, and is currently adorned with various notices containing warnings, advice and telephone numbers, most notably that of the Samaritans.

Hownes Gill Viaduct: Numero uno, capo dei capi, viaduct of viaducts... originally commissioned by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1841 to alleviate bottlenecks caused by the inclined planes it replaced, the 750 feet long, 12-arch, Hownes Gill Viaduct stands 150 feet above the valley floor near Consett, County Durham. Designed by Bouch, after referral of his plans to Robert Stephenson (who built the original inclined planes). View north west from the south side of the valley on 4 November 2007.

Shildon: Looking west towards Shildon station from Spout Lane road bridge on 4 November 2007 as a train calls on its way to Bishop Auckland. The 13.00 ex-Saltburn is formed by Northern Pacer 142065. The Shildon NRM site is off to the left beyond the fence.

Bishop Auckland: Scene at Bishop Auckland in 2007, now a terminus at the end of a single line section. Northern Rail provides services from here, running to Saltburn via Darlington and Middlesbrough. The overgrown line on the left is the old Crook and Wearhead line, with the former closed in 1965 from Wear Valley Junction and the latter now a preserved line in the hands of the Weardale Railway . The land once occupied by the large original station is now covered by roads, car parks and retail developments.

NRM Shildon: Side view of the English Electric Co prototype Deltic at NRM Shildon on 4 November 2007, with close-up of works plate below.

Bishop Auckland: A shadow of its former self. Buffer stops at Bishop Auckland station on 4 November 2007. The tracks of the Wear Valley line can be seen on the far left.

Shildon: A cold November morning in 2007 sees a Bishop Auckland - Saltburn Pacer about to restart following a stop at Shildon.

NRM Shildon: One of the original Great Northern Railway J13s of 1899 that subsequently became BR class J52 no 68846 under nationalisation. Noted for being a regular station pilot at Kings Cross, 68846 became the first locomotive to be purchased for private preservation from British Railways. The locomotive was eventually donated to the National Railway Museum collection in 1980 and is seen here at Shildon on 4 November 2007.

Shildon: Old stabling point (and origin of the term). The former yards at Shildon on 4 November 2007. The building on the other side of the crossing was opened by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1827 to provide stables for the horses used to haul coal tubs on the Black Boy Colliery branch. The building is now incorporated within the grounds of Shildon National Railway Musem.

NRM Shildon: Dating from 1833, Soho shed at Shildon was part of the original Soho Engine Works. It was used by Timothy Hackworth, who served as locomotive superintendent of the Stockton & Darlington Railway between 1825 and 1840. The building underwent major restoration work in 1975 and is currently used to store some of the museums oldest objects. Photograph taken during a visit in November 2007.

Shildon Coal Drops: Although the structure is suffering from the effects of subsidence, the old coal drops at Shildon have survived and now form a key exhibit within the grounds of the NRM. View east on 4 November 2007 towards Shildon station. The line in the picture is part of the NRM site and links the open area of the museum at the western end of the location with the main exhibition hall off picture in the right background.

Shildon Coal Drops: The old coal drops at Shildon seen looking west on 4 November 2007. The listed structure is now incorporated within the grounds of Shildon National Railway Museum.

Bishop Auckland: View southeast from Newgate Street Road Bridge towards Shildon on 4 November 2007 with Bishop Auckland station immediately behind the camera. The former Wearhead branch line is currently disconnected at the junction although further up the branch the Weardale Railway group remains active in the Wolsingham/Stanhope area despite the past financial difficulties that have dogged the project.

Bishop Auckland: The modern day terminus at Bishop Auckland on Sunday morning 4 November 2007 looking northwest over the parking area and road approaches. Nowadays a single line platform handles the Northern Rail service to Saltburn via Darlington and Middlesbrough with the former Wearhead branch line running straight through alongside. The surrounding area has been given over to retail developments, car parks and road improvements.

Shildon: A class 142 DMU leaving Shildon on 4 November 2007 en route from Bishop Auckland to Darlington and, ultimately, Saltburn.

NRM Shildon: Preserved DC electric locomotive E5001 at Shildon in 2007. One of 24 examples built at Doncaster between 1958 and 1960 for the Kent Coast electrification, it was subsequently renumbered 71001 under the TOPS system. See image [[25721]]

NRM Shildon: King of the quayside! Former NER No 1 (BR class ES1 26500) at Shildon on 4 November 2007. The 600v DC dual-supply loco, along with twin 26501, operated the freight only branch linking Trafalgar yard with the Newcastle quayside. The sharply curved, steeply graded, single line branch, just over a mile long with much of it in tunnel, operated with a 3rd rail tunnel supply and O/H wires in the yards and sidings.

Darlington North Road: Platform view at the S&Ds 1856 North Road station, Darlington, looking north west towards Shildon in November 2007. The covered section of the platform is no longer in use, with passenger access provided from an entrance on McNay Street behind the camera. The original station building on the left was undergoing conversion work at that time and would reopen 5 months later as the 'Head of Steam' museum.

NRM Shildon: Two well known prototypes standing side by side at Shildon in November 2007.

NRM Shildon: APT-E standing in the main exhibition hall at Shildon on 4 November 2007.

NRM Shildon: The old goods shed at Shildon in November 2007, now incorporated within the museum grounds with part of the 'Welcome' building visible in the left background. The bus stop alongside on the left is used by the internal bus service provided free to visitors within the museum site. [Ref query 21 March 2018]

Darlington North Road: The 1842 station at North Road, Darlington undergoing major refurbishment on 4 November 2007. The site is now home to the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum. Reopening is scheduled for the spring of 2008.

NRM Shildon: Built at Horwich Works in 1926 as LMS 13000, this Hughes 'Crab' 2-6-0 was renumbered as 2700 in 1934. It received its final (BR) number 42700 in September 1948 and completed just short of 40 years operational service at Birkenhead's Mollington Street shed ([[25461]]), from where it was finally withdrawn in March 1966. Following a spell on loan to several preservation groups (see [[32719]]) the locomotive became a static exhibit within the National Collection. Photographed on display in the main exhibition hall at Shildon in November 2007.

Consett: Today little remains to remind visitors of the great steelworks that once loomed over the town of Consett, high up in the western reaches of Co Durham. One item, a cauldron used to move molten metal, now stands on the trackbed just outside the town, where once 9Fs shattered the silence as they dragged iron ore hoppers up the gradient towards the steelworks from the import terminal at Tyne Dock. The former railway route is now part of the Waskerley Way.

Arbroath Goods: View from the platforms at Arbroath on 4 November as demolition work gets underway on the buildings in the former goods yard to the west of the station.

Letham Bridge North: The trackbed of the former Glenfarg Line has played host for thirty years to these black ponies. The high wall to the right is part of the bridge that carried the line across the River Farg.

Grangetown: 150 256 heads a train to Barry Island into Grangetown station on a stormy afternoon. The white structure on the right is the Cardiff Millennium Stadium.

Swanage: 08436 shunting at Swanage station on The Swanage Railway on 4 November 2009.

Swanage: 33111, carrying the name Hotdog, stands at Swanage on 4 November 2009.

Earlestown: The sharply curved platforms 4 and 5 at Earlestown were refurbished in 2010. They lie some distance away from the other platforms at this triangular junction, on a link built by the Grand Junction in 1837, and are used by North Wales - Manchester services such as the one shown here with Arriva Trains Wales unit 175114.

Earlestown: The world's first railway junction is the claim made on behalf of this spot at Earlestown where, in 1831, the Warrington and Newton Railway met the one year old Liverpool and Manchester line. Northern 156488, heading for Warrington Bank Quay, has just left the L&M and is running into the surviving Warrington and Newton platform. View towards Huyton and Liverpool from the surviving section of the station footbridge. See image [[25335]]

Earlestown: Earlestown was built in 1835 and apparently is the oldest railway station building in the world that has survived on an operational passenger station. 142003, on a Manchester Liverpool service, draws up alongside the very ornate platform canopy. Although the station is still staffed this building is not currently in use. Behind it is the platform reopened for use by Liverpool Warrington services See image [[31359]] making Earlestown a full triangle station again. View towards Newton-le-Willows and Manchester along the original Liverpool and Manchester line of 1830.

Warrington Bank Quay: An all stations service from Liverpool via Huyton and Earlestown arrives at Warrington Bank Quay. Running in to the island platform, and passing several stabled track machines, 142048 will shortly retrace its steps back to Lime Street. View north towards Winwick Junction.

Earlestown: Detail of the canopy and stonework of the original Liverpool and Manchester station building on Platform 2 at Earlestown. In this view, looking along the L&M towards Manchester, a passenger can be seen making the long walk to the platforms on the south to east curve.See image [[31358]] The building itself is no longer used but is in a reasonable state of repair.

Warrington Bank Quay: With the giant Unilever works complex forming a backdrop, 66207 gets a load of open wagons and container flats on the move through Bank Quay station. The train has just left Arpley Yard at the south end of the station and is heading north towards Winwick Junction.

Earlestown: The platforms on the west to south curve at Earlestown were closed for some time but one was reopened for a new, hourly, Liverpool Lime Street to Warrington Bank Quay service. Contrary to the destination blind 156488 is heading for Bank Quay in this view looking towards the south junction. The 156 squealed a little on the check railed curve, but this was nothing compared to the screeching Pacer that preceded it. This picture was taken standing behind the original station building See image [[31357]]. Platforms 4 and 5 on the south to east curve are behind the trees on the left - image 31358.

Warrington Bank Quay: 92042 Honegger lays over between duties in the short bay at the south end of Bank Quay's island platform. Immediately beyond the platforms is the entrance to the Arpley Yard complex on the east side of the WCML. The locomotive still has the Eurotunnel cast emblems on its flanks but also a large EWS crest. Footnote: Apparently Arthur Honegger, a Swiss composer, was also a railway enthusiast and his most famous piece of music was entitled Pacific 2-3-1 (axles rather than wheels in European designations).

Aberfoyle: An interesting page from Shearers Guide of 1907 giving information about Aberfoyle, reached by The Strathendrick and Aberfoyle Railway.

Warrington Bank Quay: As the Class 37s celebrate fifty year's of main line service, two slightly younger members hustle a pair of flasks north through Bank Quay station. Still in front line service with DRS, second loco 37607 is approaching its birthplace, Vulcan Foundry, from where it emerged in January 1963 as D6803. Leading loco 37602 left Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn's plant in Newcastle two months earlier as D6782.

Bradford Forster Square: WYPTE Class 333 no 008 has just arrived on platform 3 at Bradford Forster Square with a service from Skipton on 4 November 2011. This will later form a service to Leeds.

Leeds: Scene at Leeds on 4 November 2011 with a class 91 waiting to return to Kings Cross, while class 144 and 153 diesel services share the adjacent platform.

Sheffield: An Arriva Cross Country Voyager, heading to Newcastle, calls at Sheffield on 4th November 2011.

Ilkley: 333008 had recently arrived from Bradford Forster Square when I photographed it at Ilkley on 04 November 2011.

Ansley Hall Colliery: This may look like a forgotten main line, but the long abutments merely signify that the sidings for Ansley Hall colliery crossed the road here. The branch started at Stockingford, on the MR Birmingham-Nuneaton line (right of picture), but the sole access to the colliery was by shunting back from the end of the line (left). This odd layout prompted speculation that the true aim of this branch was Baddesley Ensor, 2 miles West of here - which would have made it the only colliery I know served by THREE branch lines.

Leeds: 333013 waits at Leeds to depart with the 1202hrs service to Ilkley on 4th November 2011.

Sheffield: As dusk falls on 4 November 2011, a Northern 158 waits in one of the two middle roads between platforms 1 and 2 at Sheffield while carrying out a shunt move at the south end of the station.

Stockingford Colliery: A finely manicured embankment at Chapel End on the branch from Stockingford (ahead, South East) to Ansley Hall coliery in November 2011.

Leeds: One of a number of West Midlands Class 150s to have migrated north recently (and not just for the winter) is seen waiting alongside platform 9d at Leeds on 4 November 2011 with a service to Selby. These 'green' units have also been seen in Blackpool, Preston, Liverpool and Manchester and make a change from the predominant 'blue' of the region's usual train services.

Bradford Forster Square: A view north from behind the buffers at Bradford Forster Square on 04 November 2011 as Class 333 EMUs occupy platforms 1 & 2. On the left is a service to Leeds and on the right is a service to Skipton.

Leeds: 91125, on the rear of a service to Kings Cross, at the east end of Leeds station on 4th November 2011.

Manchester Piccadilly: Looking towards the buffers from the inter platform footbridge at Manchester Piccadilly on 4 November 2011. A First TransPennine service to Hull is departing from platform 3, a Class 323 stands at platform 2 and a Class 150 waits to return to Sheffield from Platform 1.

Polesworth: GB Railfreight 66734 thunders South on the WCML through Polesworth, Warwickshire, with a colourful container train on 4th November 2011.

Leeds: A First TransPennine class 170 unit bound for Hull arrives at Leeds on 4 November 2011, while a Northern service to Sheffield waits in the bay platform on the right, formed by a two car Class 158 unit.

Shipley: A WYPTE Class 333 calls at Shipley platform 4 with a train for Bradford Forster Square on 4 November 2011. Platforms 1 & 2 of the triangular station are on the direct Leeds - Skipton route, 3 & 4 handle Leeds/Ilkely - Bradford Forster Square trains, while Platform 5 is used by Forster Square - Skipton services.

Bradford Interchange: A Northern service from Blackpool North to York waits at Bradford Interchange on 4 November 2011 before reversing and heading to Leeds.

Polesworth: The concrete supports are are all that remains of the footbridge at this Trent Valley station (the cost of a replacement could not be justified). So the station's only train, the 07.26 weekday service to Crewe, has no 'parliamentary' equivalent service heading South. The 'Way Out' sign pointing skyward from the abandoned platform is at least as poignant as the rusty 'bus shelter'. [Additional: In its West Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy (2005) the Strategic Rail Authority called for Polesworth station to be closed, noting that each train that calls there receives on average less than one passenger!]

Sheffield: An Arriva Cross Country service to Plymouth in the hands of a Voyager unit calls at Platform 5 of Sheffield station on 4 November 2011, while an East Midlands Trains Class 222 Meridian unit waits in the south facing bay.

Ilkley: Autumn in Wharfedale. Looking towards the buffers at Ilkley on 4 November 2011 with a Class 333 recently arrived from Leeds. The station once had through lines to Skipton and, over on the right, the remains of the two through platforms are now used as a car park. See image [[12939]]

Margam Running Shed: The running shed in the process of being demolished in 2012.

Bonwm Halt: Llangollen Railway Corwen extension mid point railhead at Bonwm on 4 November. Tracklaying is now completed from Carrog, although still to be ballasted and levelled. Tracklaying is also taking place from Corwen to Bonwm.

Corwen: Llangollen Railway tracklaying on the Corwen extension on 4 November 2013. Work is underway here on the outskirts of Corwen heading east to meet the track laid up to Bonwm from Carrog.

Park South Junction: The Furness Railway signal box at Park South, which controls the junction, level crossing and associated semaphores. This view looks north towards Askam with the once quiet valley now dominated by the bridge carrying the A590 into Barrow.

Bonwm Halt: The Corwen extension on the Llangollen Railway seen at its mid point railhead at Bonwm on 4 November 2013. View is west towards Corwen, with the trackbed at this location sandwiched between the A5 road on the south side and the River Dee to the north.

Morfa Mawddach: Looking north west at Morfa Mawddach along the former platform used by trains heading east on the Dollgellau route (closed 1964). The surviving part of the station still serving the coast line lies up ahead on the left. See image [[19704]]

Loch Park Siding: The approach to Hawick from the south in November 2013, taken from the bridge that once took the Waverley route over Mill Path. The road bridge up ahead carries Wellogate Brae. See image [[45791]].

Loch Park Siding: The substantial bridge that brought the Waverley route over Mill Path and on towards Hawick station from the south, seen here looking west in November 2013 see image [[45776]]. The tower of St Mary's and Old Parish Church, with its distinctive bell-cast roof, stands in the background.

Kielder Water: View east across Kielder Water in November 2013, with the Kielder Ferry berthed in the foreground. The route of the Border Counties Railway ran parallel with the shoreline opposite on the section between Plashetts and Falstone. Today the trackbed is submerged some 50 yards from the far shore. The remains of Plashetts station (see image [[26241]]) are also under water, although Falstone survived and was later converted for use by the Forestry Commission (see image [[5390]]).

Park South Junction: View south from the level crossing at Park South, Cumbria. The double track line ahead is the 'Barrow cut off' direct line to Dalton Junction See image [[11905]], which carries freight to and from Sellafield and the occasional special. On the right is the now singled route to Barrow in Furness used by Cumbrian Coast Line passenger services. [With thanks to Mike Gibb]

Aberdour: West Coast 57313 runs light through Aberdour on 4 November.

Aberdour: 170461 enters Aberdour with a Fife Circle service to Newcraighall on 4 November.

Warrington Central: A pair of East Midlands class 158s making a stop at Warrington Central on 4 November 2014 with a service from Liverpool Lime Street to Norwich.

Warrington Bank Quay: Freightliner 66513 runs north through Warrington Bank Quay on 4 November 2014 heading for Hunterston with empty coal wagons from Fiddlers Ferry Power Station. [The photographer wishes to make it clear that it is not his bicycle leaning against the railings but one left over from the Tour de France.]

Allerton Junction: A Northern service to Manchester Oxford Road from Liverpool takes the Warrington Central route at Allerton Junction on 4 November 2014. The building amongst the trees on the left houses the Allerton Depot wheel lathe.

Liverpool South Parkway: A London Midland Class 350 emu departs from Liverpool South Parkway on 4 November 2014 with the 1534 Liverpool Lime Street - Birmingham New Street. The modern 6 platform station in the Garston district of Liverpool opened in 2006.

Widnes: A pair of East Midlands Class 158s calling at Widnes station on 4 November 2014 with a Norwich to Liverpool service.

Warrington Bank Quay: 92005 passes through Warrington Bank Quay with a Mossend to Daventry service in November 2014.

Warrington Bank Quay Low Level: Freightliner Class 66 hauls a coal train west to Fiddlers Ferry power station on 04 November 2014. The train has just passed under Warrington Bank Quay.
See query 2270

Warrington Bank Quay: Warrington PSB viewed from platform 1 at Bank Quay station in November 2014.

Blackpool North: Northern 150272 arrives at Blackpool North on 04 November 2017. No.2 SB and the semaphore signals have only a week to go before the station closes for an extended period and they are swept away.

Aviemore Speyside: Brush Type 2 No. D5862 (aka 31 327) is about to back on to the stock for a Strathspey Railway Association AGM members' special to Boat of Garten at Aviemore on 4th November 2017. Sadly the loco - the very last of its class to enter service in 1962 - failed shortly afterwards and the train was cancelled!

Farington Junction: Colas Rail Freight 56105 is in the 'naughty' siding at Farington Jct after failing whilst working with another Class 56 on the Carlisle to Chirk log train on 02 November 2017. The loco was detached from the train and pushed into the siding by the other Class 56. That then continued south with the train but there is another story around that which will take too long to tell here!

Summerseat: The newly restored BRC&W Calder Valley Set, back on the ELR after a period on the Wensleydale Railway, is seen at Summerseat taking a 6-wheel Stove van as a trailing load as far as Ramsbottom during the 2017 railcar gala.

Preston: The unique Network Rail DMU 950001 arrives at Preston on 04 November 2017 whilst working from Derby to Carlisle. The unit is used for track recording.

North Leith: Just yards from the end of the platform at North Leith (or Leith Citadel) terminus the line went into a short tunnel. Short though the tunnel was Junction Bridge station was practically at the other end so any train had barely got going. Here is the site of the northern end - the southern has been landscaped and there's nothing to see. There was a signal gantry across the tunnel mouth and the sheared-off ends remain.

Summerseat: The special guest at the ELR Scenic Railcar Gala was the unique Wickham lightweight DMU. This has recently been restored to as built condition and was making its first ever trip away from its usual base at the Llangollen Railway. Seen here arriving at Summerseat from Bury on its way to Rawtenstall on 4th November 2017.

Summerseat: Looking rather like it has been posed for one of those 1950s new train publicity photos the BRCW Class 110 Calder Valley 3-car set slows for the Summerseat stop running towards Bury during the ELR railcar gala on 4th November 2017.

Wallyford: A six-car service for North Berwick pulls into Wallyford on 4 November 2017. Whoever comes up with the Gaelic versions of station names seems to have admitted defeat here and the signs are monolingual. Being a Saturday the train service is half-hourly as opposed to hourly during the week. This is a little unusual and makes you wonder why they can't make it half-hourly every day.

Summerseat Viaduct: 09024 cuts a rather lonely figure as it proceeds light engine over the River Irwell on Summerseat Viaduct on 4th November 2017. The shunter was making its way to Ramsbottom where it spent the day attaching and detaching vans to and from DMUs participating in the ELR Scenic Railcar Gala.

Summerseat: The newly restored Cravens DMU slows for the Summerseat stop on 4th November 2017. It is sobering to think that from over 400 Cravens DMU vehicles built only one power car and two driving trailers have survived.

Aberdeen: Aberdeen Station 150th anniversary; this photo shows ScotRail Alliance MD Alex Hynes with Steve Ewen, ScotRail Customer Experience Manager (Acting) for the North-East of Scotland after today’s naming. (Photograph care of John Yellowlees.)

Summerseat: One highlight, amongst many at the East Lancs Railway Scenic Railcar Gala, was the debut of the resident Cravens Class 105 DMU after a 21 year restoration. The unit looked immaculate and I understand the interior is of a similarly high standard. The green power-car trailer set is seen here approaching Summerseat on 4th November 2017. See image [[21627]] for a much earlier view of a Cravens at this station.

Blackpool North: A Northern Class 156 departs from Blackpool North on 04th November, less than a week before the station shuts until March 2018. In that time the semaphore signals and Blackpool North No.2 SB will disappear as the rebuild of the station moves into the next phase. In the foreground the track is in place for the new platform 1 but is not yet connected to the running lines.

Blackpool North: A short distance from Blackpool North station, at the start of the journey to York, a Northern Class 158 passes (on the left) the carriage sidings on 4th November 2017. The new washer plant (to the left of the leading carriage) and the sand and gravel piles for the rebuild of the station can be seen.

Summerseat Viaduct: A feature of the ELR 2017 railcar gala was a number of DMUs running with trailing loads. GRC&W single unit 55001 runs across Summerseat viaduct coupled to a CCT van on a short working from Bury to Ramsbottom on Day 1, Saturday 4th November.

Summerseat: There's a lot of variety on the East Lancs Railway these days but this is the first visit by a Wickham DMU and the first time Mildenhall has appeared on a destination blind on the line. The only UK example of a class of five 2-car sets (two were exported to Trinidad after withdrawal) owes its survival to being selected for departmental use as the Eastern Region General Manager's saloon. Seen here at Summerseat during the Scenic Railcar Gala weekend on 4th November 2017. The standard of restoration is a credit to all concerned.

Summerseat: Resident GRC&W Bubble Car 55001 approaches Summerseat, with a CCT van in tow, on a Ramsbottom to Bury service during the ELR Scenic Railcar Gala on 4th November 2017.

Dunblane Junction: In November 2018, the last remnant of the Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway once again re-emerged from its overgrown graveyard to welcome new traffic. After long years in disuse, the track was cleared to stable the electrification wiring train. Notable are the various layers of protection for the main line which reflect the history of railway safety measures. Perchance to dream of a future reopening and electrification to Callander?

Keynsham: Doctor Day's prescription for Hinksey Yard was to send it a train (631U) full of ballast. 66570 leans to the curve at Keynsham on 4th November 2018.

Kinneil: Recently restored 0-4-4T 419 and, visiting (from the Strathspey Railway), 0-6-0 828 near Kinneil Halt with the Caley coaches during the 2018 Autumn Steam Gala on 4th November.

Glasson Dock: Sixty or so years after wagons were last shunted down to the Glasson Dock basins, over a level crossing and this low embankment, there has been a lot of tree growth. This view, in November 2018, looks back towards the site of the little passenger station which closed in 1930. See image [[66272]] for a map of Glasson when the railway was operational. This embankment lies just west of the Vicarage and 'Station House'.

Logierait Viaduct: A vew from the former railway bridge over the River Tay on 4th November 2018. The Church of Logierait, on the north bank of the Tay, dates from 1806 but a church has stood here since at least AD650. Opened in 1865 by the Inverness & Perth Junction Railway, the bridge at Logierait (often known as The Tay Viaduct), comprises two 137-foot spans over the river, each formed of two lattice girders. These weigh a little over 100 tonnes apiece and gave the bridge a working load of 88 tonnes. It features side spans at both ends

Bitton: This is a very pleasing shot, considering that we arrived at Bitton due to a navigational error! Beattie 2-4-0WT 30587 pulls into Bitton with a train for Avon Riverside in November 2018. A class 08 shunter is hidden by the steam engine. See image [[31870]]

Avoncliff: Digital cameras have a way of exaggerating contrast at dusk. This makes Avoncliff Halt look even more idyllic than it really is. The train is the 16.40 to Portsmouth Harbour, running late, on 4 November 2018. [Ref query 10 November 2018]

Hardengreen Viaduct: ScotRail 170413 crossing Hardengreen Viaduct shortly after leaving Eskbank on 4 November 2018. The train is the 1011 (Sunday) Edinburgh Waverley - Tweedbank.

Bitton: I wonder if the owner likes trains? Van with vinyls, spotted in the Avon Valley Railway's station car park.

Avoncliff: The very well lit steps down to platform 2 at Avoncliff. The lighting would be very handy if you couldn't wait for the grapes see image [[66445]], and had visited the rather pleasant looking pub in the background.

Avoncliff: I heard it on the grapevine - investment in future refreshments at Avoncliff. The steps lead down from the car park to platform 2.

Ayr: The 10.51 for Edinburgh via Glasgow Central (reverse) awaits departure from Ayr on 4th November 2019. On the return, in spite of the conductor's assurances that the same reversal applied at Central with no change needed, we would have ended up at Largs!

Avonbank Viaduct: Caledonian Railway 0-4-4T No.419 hauls the two preserved Caledonian Railway coaches over Avonbank Viaduct on an SRPS photo charter on 4th November 2019.

Wennington: 142024 pulls away from the Wennington stop with a Leeds to Lancaster service on 4th November 2019. On this still autumn morning the Pacer could be heard 'clacking' on the jointed track all along the Wenning Valley.

Wennington Junction: 142024 leaves Wennington heading for Lancaster on 4th November 2019. The recess where the signalbox once stood is filling with vegetation and it is becoming difficult to see where the Lancaster Green Ayre line diverged until 1966 (just ahead of the Pacer). See image [[37943]] from 1976.

South Esk Viaduct: The 09:52 Aberdeen to King Cross LNER Azuma service crosses the South Esk Viaduct near Montrose on 4th November 2020, the day after through services resumed following the rebuilding at Carmont.

South Esk Viaduct: Plaque affixed to the South Esk viaduct to mark its refurbishment in 2018.

Montrose [CR]: Lovely bit of skew bridge building on the one time Caledonian line to the old Montrose station, still extant in 2020.

South Esk Viaduct: Underneath the pillars of the South Esk viaduct in November 2020.

Montrose [CR]: Looking down from the A92 skew bridge on the old Caley line at Montrose, I just happened to notice this telegraph pole, which I would assume to be railway infrastructure although I might be wrong. 4th November 2020.

Loch Tay: The old station at Loch Tay became a home after closing to passengers on the outbreak of WWII. The railway remained open so that the Killin Branch locomotive could access the locomotive shed at Loch Tay until 1965. The station building has been extended but retains its railway features [[34768]], and the platform supports can be seen to the left of the wooden fence. Beyond the wire on the left a private driveway follows the track bed down to a house built on the site of the loco shed. Photo taken on 4th November 2022 from private land, accessed with the kind permission of the landowner.

Cairnbaan Swing Bridge: With the Crinan Canal drained to allow the replacement of several lock gates, the opportunity has been taken to also work on the swing bridge at Cairnbaan, as seen here on 4th November 2022.

Pitlochry: 43151 leads an Inter7City HST into Pitlochry from the south. This was an Edinburgh to Inverness service on 4th November 2022.

Glen Douglas Halt: A carefully prepared bundle of fenceposts and fencing is taken by helicopter from Glen Douglas northwards beside Loch Long to the fairly rugged section of line south of Arrochar.

Pitlochry: 66769, in special Prostate Cancer UK livery, and 73969 slow past the famous bookshop to call at Pitlochry with the Up Highland Sleeper on 4th November 2022. Because of the planned but later suspended rail strikes there was no balancing northbound service, although empty sleeper stock was worked northwards two days later [[83195]].