The first Class 31, D5500 (31018) entered service with British Rail (BR) in October 1957 and was put through its paces on test, before working its first main line revenue earing service on 13th November 1957; the 1036 London Liverpool Street – Clacton-on-Sea. This very machine now takes the main stage at the National Railway Read the Rest…
I had a flying visit to Inverness with work, up on 20th March, back on 22nd March. On 20th March 1S25 2116 Euston – Inverness was worked by the following: 92010 brought the ecs in as 5S95 1917 Wembley – Euston 92018 worked 1S25 Euston – Edinburgh 67013 worked 1S25 Edinburgh – Inverness 08523 shunted Read the Rest…
The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway (EVR) held a diesel gala over the weekend of 18th & 19th March 2017. After long time resident 31414 had left the railway the previous year I thought my visits to Wirksworth had come to an end. When the EVR announced that 31206 would be visiting for the gala and having Read the Rest…
The Spa Valley Railway diesel gala saw 31289’s return to traffic for the 2017 season. Having watched the live start-up courtesy of someone’s Facebook Live post, all looked good when we got there and the cloud of white ‘289 had spluttered out had dissipated. Locos in use of the weekend were: D3489, D9537, 31289, 33063 Read the Rest…
Outings for anything at the Weardale Railway, other than on their festive Polar Express trains, are quite rare; yet in February 2017 the Weardale Railway advertised two running days, one involved T&T 47’s but the other involved the first workings of Harry Needle Railroad Co. (HNRC) 31465 since it had been bought it from Network Read the Rest…
Tuesday 6th September 2016 (The day disaster struck…..) I got up for work at 1600 to a myriad of texts and whatsapp messages telling me the wires were down on the ECML and the job was well and truly stopped. Firstly it was awfully nice of people to let me know and secondly this not Read the Rest…
On the back of their successful “mileage” running days in 2015 the Great Central Railway (GCR) organised a series of running days for certain locos during the 2016 season and it was the turn of 31563 on Friday 15th July. Like the previous year the GCR would run 6 round trips but unlike the previous Read the Rest…
The East Lancs Railway (ELR) Summer Diesel Gala was held over the weekend of 8th to 10th July 2016. The list of locos attending and timetable produced can be found below: I planned to attend on Friday & Saturday and my time there on Friday was rather brief really as after 31162 had done its Read the Rest…
The Severn Valley Railway (SVR) had basically one of the grandest diesel galas in years planned for the 19th to 21st May 2016; which included 6 main line visiting locos and a whole host of other preserved visitors from all around the country, which would ultimately include 20 different locos in total. However due to Read the Rest…
31203 had been one of those class 31’s that had spent a long time in preservation and yet was about as elusive as they came! Unfortunately its initial return to service was cut short by an AVR problem on its first running weekend and then it looked as though it could have ended up meeting Read the Rest…
I hadn’t planned to travel down to the Avon Valley Railway specifically on this particular day but when 31203 was advertised to work its first trains at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway on Sunday 1st May I needed something to make the journey worth while and I was very grateful for 31101 having a day Read the Rest…
Wednesday 27th April 2016 Having had a couple of 68’s in Scotland almost a year ago I was hoping for a better bash when I got round to having a day out on them again. Having never done the Chiltern’s 68’s I had an appointment in London on Thursday 28th May so decided to head Read the Rest…
31466 had seen quite a lot of use already during 2016 at the East Lancs Railway, generally when I was away on holiday! Thankfully I’d been keeping an eye on the Bury Diesels Loco Roster and was pleased when 31466 had to stand in for 37418; again! The weekend previous to this had seen it Read the Rest…
This was my first venture to a preserved railway during the 2016 season and the place was absolutely packed on Saturday 9th April 2016! The gala line-up had the following present: NVR Home Fleet – D9520, D9529 & 31271 Visitors – DCR 31452, Prototype Powercar 41001, 47192, 47712, 50008, 56006, 56098, DB Cargo 60066 & Read the Rest…
Having almost not made it back into the UK on our last attempt to do some Eurotunnel locos, this trip couldn’t have gone anymore straight froward. We turned up a little later than we had done on our previous trip and breezed through the ticket gates; having got straight onto the 0649 departure from Cheriton Read the Rest…
As I’d recently started a new job that allowed me to take advantage of discounted travel on Eurotunnel this day was picked as a day out to spin up and down through the tunnel on the Le Shuttle trains; the plan being to get as many of the sets out that day in as we Read the Rest…
Mangapps Railway Museum currently houses probably the biggest celebrity of the class 31 world; 31430! While not much of a line to be sampling class 31’s on, an opportunity arose to go an have a look at what goes on down there and with 31430 having been recently painted into BR Blue it would have Read the Rest…
For the first year in a good 10 the Strathspey Railway attempted to make use of their diesel fleet during the Summer of 2015 with the 27 and 31327 alternating each weekend, working two round trips on a Sunday to allow the steam loco to operate the afternoon dinex. It’s long way to go to Read the Rest…
The Great Central Railway did something on 21st August 2015, that hadn’t been done by them in a good 10 years; put 31563 out for 6 round trips! While back in the early 2000’s, mainly due to lack of steam, it was quite common that 31563 would do 6 round trips a day, it actually Read the Rest…
An eagerly awaited gala that unfortunately suffered the same fate as most other galas had during 2015; a loco failure prior to the start of the weekend. The original line-up had involved 33108 which had been pulled from the line-up well in advance due to it not being ready in time but 26007 was en-route Read the Rest…
Having done a VIP trip to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in 2017, and enjoyed it very much, a second VIP trip was inevitable. Knowing what to expect doesn’t always make the trip less enjoyable and it certainly didn’t on this occasion. The fact that the weather had been truly dismal in the morning had put Read the Rest…
Having been to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park a few times and not for a couple of years, this was a trip with a difference. It was one where we got to feed lions, otters, squirrel monkeys and a whole host of other fun creatures, all while being escorted around the park by a park ranger. Read the Rest…
Having been to Scotland many times before I’d never really taken to time to admire the Forth Bridge from up close so in one evening I did it from both sides and it only took me about 90 minutes; including the train trip between North Queensferry & Dalmeny. I decided to pick North Queensferry first Read the Rest…
Being Conisbrough bred I can never resist the urge to head out with the camera when it snows; there’s so much to photograph, we really are spoilt for choice. On the morning of 27th December, after a fresh sprinkling of snow the night before, I braved the freshly un-gritted roads on the short journey from Read the Rest…
During 2013 the nests on my house went unused and I thought that was the end of that. I was wrong and in 2014 I have no less than 4 sets of House Martins nesting; two of which have actually joined the nests together and used the same foundations! I was lucky enough to catch Read the Rest…
This was my second trip to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park and it was just as enjoyable as the first had been. For a sunny October day it was certainly busy, probably as it was a weekend as well. There had been some new additions to the site since our previous visit and while everything else Read the Rest…
During August 2013 I worked quite a lot of night shifts, during which some of the sunsets seen from the office were spectacular. Below are some examples…….
At the third attempt within a month we managed to get into Conisbrough Castle keep; the first time the castle had been closed and the second the keep closed due to an electrical issue with the lighting on the stairs. I can understand why the keep was closed for safety reasons; even with the lighting Read the Rest…
Yorkshire Wildlife Park is on the outskirts of Doncaster, off the A638, and is well signposted off the main roads. An excellent day out, whether you have kids, or not; if you want to avoid the masses of visiting children, visiting after approx 1300 on school days, will ensure most have already left, or are Read the Rest…
A stark contrast to two weeks previous where everything was white with snow, yet strangely it was colder during this late afternoon walk…… The intermittent sun provided for some excellent Winter evening shots.
A nice Winter walk from Edlington via Warmsworth to Conisbrough Viaduct. The footpath leading off Warmsworth Halt makes for a great way to get between Edlington & Conisbrough, or even further afield through to Sprotborough or Mexborough should you so wish. It leads right beneath the A630 as it enters Conisbrough from Doncaster and straight Read the Rest…
I have swallows nesting underneath the eaves outside my bedroom window. They’ve been coming back for about 5 years now. I know some people don’t want them anywhere near their homes but i quite like having them about, it’s certainly not often you get to be so close to any form of bird, and sat Read the Rest…
A long weekend away with my girlfriend, which thankfully offered “decent” weather, the only rain we saw was a brief shower the day we arrived and the constant downpour the morning we left, it wasn’t glorious but when the sun was out it was nice and it took the slight chill off the sea breeze. Read the Rest…
I was lucky enough not to have to work in the morning on this day, although i did have a bit of a logistical nightmare to overcome to get the photos, in that i needed to be on the 1033 train from Conisbrough to Sheffield, to get for a meeting in Derby. With my car Read the Rest…
A nice Spring day, cracking for a walk round Conisbrough with the camera, the following taken on 25th March 2012: I’d been eyeing up some of the shots taken here of Conisbrough Castle for years and just never got round to walking over the road to get them. If you look closely at the reflection shots Read the Rest…
A five day away week at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest. It was cold, as you’d expect for the end of November, but the heating inside kept the cold at bay if not the constant stream of wildlife that came curiously wandering up to the cabin windows.
Having visited the Mid Norfolk Railway, the walk back form the pub at Wymondham took us through the Wymondham Abbey grounds.
It was a red hot Bank Holiday weekend and we were stuck for something to do. Having walked part way round the York Wall and visited the Minster we drove up the road to Murton Park where the Yorkshire Museum of Farming is housed. Not only do they have animals for the children (and my girlfriend) Read the Rest…
For April it was an excellent couple of days, no rain and “some” sunshine, but not too warm though. We managed to get a decent deal with Hilton to stay in the Caledonian Hilton on Princess Street, which is very well situated for everything you need in Edinburgh. The hotel has that old style feel Read the Rest…
A cold, busy but nice day out in London with my girlfriend. Courtesy of some cheap tickets from East Coast……..