May 2022

GBRf's 66711 passes through Stourton cutting with the 6M37 1125 Arcow - Pendleton loaded stone train. There'd not been a hint of sunlight all morning here but just after 2 o'clock the cloud began to break and I decided to leave my desk for an hour and go for a walk on the off-chance one of the gaps aligned with the train. Talk about perfect timing (04/05/2022)

47854 'Diamond Jubilee' leads 1Z36 0900 Liverpool - Scarborough 'Northern Belle' charter through Horbury Cutting (05/05/2022)

Two tone green-liveried 47815 brings up the rear of 1Z36 as its class mate rounds the curve towards Horbury Junction (05/05/2022)

A sizeable gap in the cloud further west suggested the sun might well reappear if I waited on another half hour or so for "the tanks" and I wasn't to be disappointed. 70811 passes through Horbury Cutting with the 6E32 1005 Preston Docks to Lindsey bitumen empties (05/05/2022)

With 37706 in tow 47813 approaches the site of the former Hunslet Station. The duo were en route to Doncaster as 0Z84 1330 from Carnforth prior to working an engineering haulage train for Network Rail the following day (05/05/2022)

Having just negotiated the long-standing speed restriction around Normanton station's island platform, 47815's driver reapplies the power as 1Z37 1650 Scarborough - Liverpool makes its way back from the seaside later that afternoon (05/05/2022)

47854 brings up the rear of 1Z37 as the 'Belle' disappears beneath the entrance to the Welbeck landfill site (05/05/2022)

66773 draws to a stand ahead of a driver change at Peterborough mid way through its journey north with GBRf's 4E14 0405 Felixstowe - Doncaster IPort (06/05/2022)

Moments later 66789 appears from the direction of Eastfield Yard with 4L43 0250 Doncaster IPort - Felixstowe. The rear end of Cross Country's 170620 is just visible as it departs with 1N41 0527 Stansted - Birmingham (06/05/2022)

47805 + 47501 arrive into Peterborough with 5Z50 0204 empty stock from Crewe HS for a weekend charter to Cornwall (06/05/2022)

Another view of the LSL duo prior to departing Peterborough with 1Z50 0717 'Statesman' charter to Penzance. After picking up via Cambridge, Royston and Potters Bar to Maidenhead the locos eventually got to stretch their legs with a rather rapid run down the Berks & Hants (06/05/2022)

The next morning 47501 + 47805 await departure from Penzance with 1Z70 0719 charter to Oxford - which made use of the 'Statesman' stock whilst passengers off the previous day's trip were enjoying a free day in Cornwall (07/05/2022)

The wide angle view of the the Cornish terminus on what was an uncharacteristically grey morning (07/05/2022)

Later that afternoon 47805 + 47501 are seen arriving back into Oxford with 5Z72 1604 from Bicester Depot where the empty stock had been serviced (07/05/2022)

Their work for the day now complete apart from shunting the train out to the sidings, 47805 + 47501 are pictured on the blocks at Penzance after arriving with the 1Z72 1624 return 'Dreaming Spires Statesman' charter from Oxford (07/05/2022)

Early the next morning and with the sun shining brightly over Penzance, 47805 + 47501 have just been fired up in Sloper Siding before running round their train ahead of the return journey to Cambridgeshire (08/05/2022)

GWR's 43004 awaits departure from Penzance with 2P09 0949 to Plymouth (08/05/2022)

After a coolant top-up and a quick scrub of the windscreens in Platform 1, 47501 + 47805 make their way past Penzance Signal Box to pick up their train in Sloper Siding (08/05/2022)

In what's probably the pick of the weekend's photos, 47501 + 47805 propel the 5Z52 empty stock from Sloper Siding into Penzance station (08/05/2022)

With the Paddington-bound IET having departed, the pair had Penzance station to themselves for a short while (08/05/2022)

A close-up of 47501 + 47805 prior to departing Penzance with the 1Z51 1104 return charter to Peterborough (08/05/2022)

After a trek of more than ten hours via the Berks & Hants, North London Line and Cambridge, 47501 + 47805 are pictured on arrival into Peterborough later that evening (08/05/2022)

47192 runs round its train at Duffield after arriving with the 1520 from Wirksworth during a running day at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway (10/05/2022)

DB Cargo's 66117 cruises through the high level platforms at Tamworth with an early running 6Vxx 1810 Rotherham Masborough - Cardiff Tidal (13/05/2022)