Part 3 (September)

47826 waits time at Preston with Compass Tours' 1Z33 0430 charter from Ayr to Blaenau Ffestiniog (01/09/2012)

47826 is pictured again later that afternoon stabled in the loop at Blaenau with the stock for the 1635 return leg to Ayr (01/09/2012)

On the other end of the train was 47804, which had worked 1Z33 forward from Llandudno Junction. The loco is seen here at Blaenau prior to the stock being shunting back into the platform (01/09/2012)

47237 approaches Pailsey Gilmour Street with 1H87 0746 Bridge of Orchy-Wemyss Bay 'Royal Scotsman' (02/09/2012)

47826 ambles along the three-track section between Hillington West and Hillington East behind a stopping train with 5Z36 1221 Falkland Yard to Carnforth ecs move off the previous day's 'Compass' charter (02/09/2012)

47804 brings up the rear of 5Z36 as it nears Cardonald station. The train was unusally routed via Glasgow Central (where it reversed) due to engineering work on the 'Burma Road' (02/09/2012)

The next morning 47802+47841 await departure from Glasgow Central (where I'd just helped to load several hundred suitcases) with 1Z83 1059 'Cruise Saver' charter to Southampton Eastern Docks (03/09/2012)

I was back in Glasgow the following day too: 47854 'Diamond Jubilee' is pictured in Platform 1 at Central station after arriving with Compass Tours' 1Z73 0550 charter from Blackburn (04/09/2012)

With some of its passengers waiting to greet it on the platform, the empty stock for the 'Africa Express' arrives at Manchester Victoria from Crewe behind 47810 (06/09/2012)

47810 'Peter Bath MBE' pauses at Crewe with 1Z70 1234 Manchester Victoria-Cardiff Central. The 30-minute dwell allowed those on the platform to experience some musical entertainment from a selection of the renowned musicians on board the train (06/09/2012)

To round off a surreal few days, 47804 is pictured on arrival at Glasgow Central with Compass Tours' 1Z65 0605 charter from Holyhead (07/09/2012)

47786 arrives at Montrose with SRPS Railtours' 1Z23 0610 charter from Inverurie to Wemyss Bay (08/09/2012)

'Roy Castle OBE' is pictured again on arrival at Wemyss Bay with 1Z23. Unlike Gourock, this terminus has retained its impressive roof (08/09/2012)

Later that afternoon 47826 awaits departure from Wemyss Bay with the return 1Z24 1705 to Inverurie (08/09/2012)

Suitably refreshed after a flying visit to Rothesay (and then swift pint or two in the nearby Inverkip Hotel) some of the trains passengers pose for the camera (08/09/2012)

Whilst changing trains at York on my way home the next day I noticed 47270 'Swift' stabled in the Parcel Siding after working an ecs from Crewe for a steam-hauled charter to Carlisle (09/09/2012)

47804 awaits departure from Bristol temple Meads with Compass Tours' 1Z51 1644 return charter to Bolton, a journey which incorporated the Great Western and West Coast Main Lines rather than the more orthodox route via Birmingham (11/09/2012)

This is what 'Boat Trains' are about... 47805 runs round at the Queen Elizabeth terminal in Southampton's Eastern Docks after arriving with 5Z84 empty stock from Eastleigh. In the background is one of the world's largest cruise ships, the Queen Mary 2 (14/09/2012)

With the train fully loaded, 47805+47802 await departure with 1Z84 1054 Southampton Eastern Docks-Glasgow Central return Cruise Saver charter (14/09/2012)

47818 pauses at Manchester Victoria the next morning with 1Z54 0800 Northern Belle charter from Crewe to Harrogate, Out of sight at the rear of the train was 47832, which worked the first leg as far as Chester (15/9/2012)

On the rear of 1Z50 was 47580, which fortunately was in charge of the return 1Z53 1442 return leg as far as Ipswich via the Cumbrian Coast and Copy Pit. This also served as a positioning move to return the 'SF47' Group flagship to East Anglia for the following weekend's festivities (15/09/2012)

The Mid Norfolk Railway organised a three-day gala to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Class 47, and just over fifty years to the day since D1500 was accepted into traffic, 47798 'Prince William' is pictured at Dereham on the rear of the event's first train (21/09/2012)

47580+47596 had the honour of working the 0900 ex-Dereham. 'Essex' is detached from the front of the train at Thuxton in order to return the single-line token to Dereham to allow the next train to depart (21/09/2012)

Freshly-repainted into 'revised' Network SouthEast livery, 47596 'Aldeburgh Festival' waits to continue forward from Thuxton with the 0900 from Dereham to Wymondham Abbey (21/09/2012)