Part 1 (January - July)

47671 'Y Ddraig Goch/The Red Dragon' waits to depart from Inverness with 1M30 1015 to London Euston, or the southbound "Clansman" as it's probably better known. Just visible on the right of the picture are some of the vehicles of the previous night's 1S25 2115 from London, which had been diverted via Aberdeen due to flooding on the Highland main line. There'd been no time for breakfast on this particular morning (03/01/1992)

The following morning I awoke to find that 47675 'Confederation of British Industry' had piloted 47673 'Galloway Princess' forward from Perth on 1S25 2115 ex-Euston. The pair are pictured on arrival at Inverness (04/01/1992)

Withdrawn 47643, 47672 and 47436 await their respective fates outside Inverness TMD (04/01/1992)

The northbound ' Clansman' is seen here arriving at Falkirk Grahamston behind 47671. Although technically a small 'plus' at Haymarket, the southbound train had been sufficiently late to warrant caution (04/01/1992)

47671 rounds the curve at Larbert Junction with 1S59. The "Clansman" was by now a 'dated' train running only during the Christmas and Easter school holidays, and was discontinued from the start of the May timetable (04/01/1992)

47677, 47671 and withdrawn 47643 soak up the Sunday morning sunshine outside Inverness TMD. Ironically it's the latter of the trio that survvives to this day in preservation at Bo'ness (05/01/1992)

47674 'Women's Royal Voluntary Service' is pictured in the sidings adjacent to Inverness station. After a night in a B&B, I'd arrived to find a '156' had replaced the booked loco and coaches on the 1000 Aberdeen service, so was contemplating how to pass the next ten hours until the southbound 'overnight' (05/01/1992)

The answer came from a most unexpected source as 47677 was fired up on the shed and backed on the rake of coaches that would normally be used on the 'Aberdeen' service to work an additional 1100 to Glasgow Queen Street! 'University of Stirling' is pictured shortly before departure from Inverness (05/01/1992)

Having been shunt-released, 47677 is seen at Queen Street during what may have been the last visit by a '47' on a passenger train (05/01/1992)

Having been reunited with its train, waits to depart from Glasgow Queen Street with an empty stock move to Edinburgh, before returning north with and additional 1810 to Inverness later that evening (05/01/1992)

That very train, the 1810 Edinburgh-Inverness (via Ladybank) relief, is seen waiting time at Perth. 47677 is once again at the helm. It crossed '1M16' at Aviemore, but I didn't fancy any heroics so bailed at Kingussie for the 'overnight' back south (05/01/1992)

The last act of a thoroughly enjoyable long-weekend in Scotland involved '1S25' back north to Inverness, for the "Clansman" back south. 47673 'Galloway Princess' is pictured on arrival at Edinburgh with 1M30 1015 Inverness-Euston. (06/01/1992)

A by-chance conversation the previous night had pointed me in the direction of a Leeds to Kings Cross charter train for the Denby Dale Round Table. 47802 did the honours, and is seen here on arrival at 'The Cross' with 1G78 0735 ex-Leeds (18/01/1992)

WIth the remaining Network SouthEast 'Thames & Chiltern' loco-hauled workings already on borrowed time and due to finish completely the following month, there was only one way to spend the afternoon: 47431 'Silurian' waits to depart from Paddington with 1F20 1238 to Newbury (18/01/1992)

Just over 30 minutes later, the former Crewe Diesel (and more recently Tinsley) machine darkens the skies as it storms away from Reading with 1F20 (18/01/1992)

With a matching rake of coaches in tow, NSE-liveried 47521 arrives at Reading with 1F55 1225 Newbury-Paddington (18/01/1992)

Following shortly behind was 47801 with 1F57 1300 Oxford-Paddington. A telephoto lens provides a slightly different take on the previous scene (18/01/1992)

Under the impressive arched roof of Kings Cross, 47802 waits to head back north with the 1835 return Denby Dale ound Table charter to Leeds - a very reasonable £21 including breakfast, tea and seat in an FC compo (18/01/1992)

47439 pauses at Guildford with 1S39 0815 Poole-Glasgow, which was routed via Havant and Petersfield due to Sunday engineering work (26/01/1992)

47439 pauses at Reading with 1S39. The train was booked for haulage by a Parcels sector '47' as far as Birmingham (26/01/1992)

Another view of 47439 en route north with 1S39 - this time accompanied by some sunshine at Leamington (26/01/1992)

Having run round in the sidings, 47550 arrives back into the Shresbury station with the empty stock for 1Axx 1432 to London Euston (31/01/1992)

47550 'University of Dundee' waits to depart from Shrewsbury with the 1432 to Euston. The former Scottish machine had been transferred to Crewe's 'ICDA' pool after the end of internal loco-hauled services north of the border in 1990. These trains were only diesel-hauled over the thirty miles between Shresbury and Wolverhampton, and were discontinued from the May timetable change (31/01/1992)

During it's short (three year) spell as a long-range Inter City machine, 47842 arrives at Coventry with 1V94 1106 Birmingham-Paddington. The loco regained its former identity of 47606 the following January and spent its final decade in the Parcels/RES sectors as 47778 (08/02/1992)