Part 1 (January - March)

47402 catches some early morning sunshine at Ramsbottom whilst working the 0900 Bury - Rawtenstall during a running day at the East Lancashire Railway (10/01/1998)

Later that afternoon 'Gateshead' is pictured again prior to departing Rawtenstall with the 1400 to Bury (10/01/1998)

47757 'Restitution' is coupled to the rear of 1Z48 0827 Kings Cross - Carlisle Hertfordshire Railtours charter which had arrived at York behind an AC electric loco. The train was booked to reverse here, with the '47' working forward via Castleford and the Settle - Carlisle line (24/01/1998)

47757 is pictured again later that afternoon prior to departing Carlisle with the 1547 return leg via the Tyne Valley and ECML, which it worked as far as York (24/01/1998)

A nocturnal scene at York as Virgin Cross Country's 47818 awaits departure time with the SuO 1M59 2024 to Birmingham New Street (01/02/1998)

Having made its final journey, 47346 awaits dismantling in Booth's scrapyard at Rotherham. The remains of 47677 are just visible in the background (08/02/1998)

How the mighty are fallen: 47359 awaits a similar fate (08/02/1998)

47676 and 47369 had also arrived as part of the same batch and wait there turn in the queue (08/02/1998)

47676 + 47369 awaiting scrapping at Booths, Rotherham (08/02/1998)

A last look at 47359, this time from the No.1 end. All five '47s' visible today had been broken up by the time of my next visit a month or so later (08/02/1998)

Carrying it's 'wavy lines' to the end, 47369 awaits its fate at Booths. Dutch-liveried 47346 can be seen in the background (08/02/1998)

Ending the day on a happier note, here's 47701 'Waverley' at York later that evening prior to working 1M59 2024 to Birmingham New Street (08/02/1998)

Another running day at the East Lancashire Railway sees 47402 'Gateshead' at the head of the 1100 to Rawtenstall at Bury Bolton Street (14/02/1998)

47831 'Bolton Wanderer' waits to depart from Newcastle with the SuO 1O11 1250 to Poole. Remarkably this was the only member of the small pool of Cross Country '47/8s' not to have worked this turn since it had gone over to loco-haulage back in June 1996 (15/02/1998)

Later that afternoon 47217 awaits departure from Manchester Piccadilly with the 1G55 1717 to Birmingham new Street. We didn't know it at the time, but the appearance of the ex-RfD machines in place of unavailable '47/8s' was to be a recurring theme throughout the year (15/02/1998)

47312 'Parsec of Eusrope' catches the first rays of sun at Leamington Spa, whilst working Pathfinder Tour's 1Z88 0550 Reading - Crewe 'Rex Ham' railtour as far as Birmingham New Street (28/02/1998)

Slower than usual service in 'Speedy Pizza' at New Street left me with the difficult choice of breakfast or 47712 to Manchester on 1M05. The 'shove' won and is seen here later that morning prior to returning south from Piccadilly with 1V48 1217 to Plymouth (28/02/1998)

47375 'Tinsley TMD' + 47286 'Port of Liverpool' lie dormant in the bowels of Birmingham New Street station prior to working forward on 1Z63 1448 Crewe - Reading return Pathfinder charter. An hour or so later the silence was shattered in more ways than one as my 17-year quest to travel behind every surviving '47' was ended (28/02/1998)

47744 'The Cornish Experience' arrives at Slough with 1Z27 0730 Paddington - Llandrindod Wells Hertfordshire Railtours charter (07/03/1998)

47744 is pictured again later that afternoon at Llandrindod prior to working the 1Z28 1438 return leg. Note the novel means of replenishing the train's water supplies (07/03/1998)

47742 'The Enterprising Scot' waits to depart from Edinburgh Waverley with Railtourer's 1Z47 1705 return charter to Peterborough via the ECML (14/03/1998)

Along with several of their class mates, Former Tinsley residents 47102, 47378 and 47190 had made the short journey to Booths by the time of my next visit in mid-March (15/03/1998)

The closure of Tinsley TMD by EWS had seen a clear-out of the dozen or so withdrawn '47s' from the site. 47214 and 47325 were two such machines (15/03/1998)

47214 was ironically once named 'Tinsley Traction Depot but the loco has clearly seen better days in this view at the Rotherham scrap yard (15/03/1998)'