Part 4 (October-December)

47804 arrives at Newcastle with SRPS Railtours' 1Z55 0551 charter from Linlithgow to Saltaire. 47786 was on the rear and worked the train forward from Carlisle via the S&C (06/10/2012)

In order to restart the return leg (which ran directly back to Scotland via the ECML) at Skipton, the empty stock was routed into Bradford Forster Square to reverse. Recreating what was for a couple of years in the early 1990s an everyday scene, 47786 is pictured here after arriving from Saltaire (06/10/2012)

47804 waits to restart 5Z55 1332 Saltaire-Hellifield Goods Loop away from the reversal at Forster Square (06/10/2012)

47786 brings up the rear of the departing 5Z55. It's sixteen years since I last saw a '47' at this location, and I'm hoping I won't have to wait quite so long for the next one (06/10/2012)

47117 is pictured on arrival back at Loughborough Central with 2B23 1345 from Leicester North on its final running day of the 2012 season (21/10/2012)

'Sparrowhawk' catches a brief glimpse of sunlight as it runs round at Loughborough before working the second of two return trips to Leicester (21/10/2012)

47117 is seen here waiting to depart from Loughborough with 2A34 (they haven't changed the blinds yet!) 1515 to Leicester North (21/10/2012)

47802+47501 pause at Crewe with Pathfinder's 1Z53 0555 Swindon-Holyhead charter. The latter was working its first passenger train following repairs at Eastleigh (22/10/2012)

The pair are pictured again later that afternoon at Holyhead prior to working the return 1Z54 1750 to Swindon (22/10/2012)

47818 pounds along the straight from Cross Gates towards Manston Crossing with 1Z30 0800 Northern Belle charter from Doncaster to Edinburgh. Had it been running a few seconds earlier then the '185' disappearing rapidly into the distance might have caused me a few problems, but this hasn't turned out too badly at all (27/10/2012)

47501 'Craftsman' is pictured outside the Mayflower Terminal in Southampton's Western Docks complex. The loco was about to couple to the front of a return Cruise Saver charter after bringing the empty stock down from Eastleigh (31/10/2012)

The classic DRS pairing of 47501+47802 await the arrival of passengers and luggage off a late-running cruise liner before departing Southampton Western Docks with 1Z89 1022 to Glasgow Central. Some good running en route saw a deficit of 100 minutes tranformed into an 'on-time' arrival (31/10/2012)

47715 'Poseidon' waits to depart from Leeming Bar with the 1200 to Redmire during a diesel running day in connection with the annual bonfire and firework display in Bedale. It's hard to believe this was only my second visit to Wensleydale this year (03/11/2012)

This could almost be an image from the scottish highlands in the late-1980s, but it's actually deepest Leicestershire in the 21st century! 47635 'Jimmy Milne' arrives at Market Bosworth with the 1030 from Shenton to Shackerstone (10/11/2012)

47640 'University of Strathclyde' runs round its train at Shenton after arriving with the 1105 from Shackerstone (10/11/2012)

The occasion was a 'Class 47 running day' at the Battlefield line, and in this view 47635 is backing onto the 1210 departure for Shenton at Shackerstone (10/11/2012)

'Jimmy MIlne' awaits departure with the 1210 from Shackerstone to Sheton (10/11/2012)

The 1210 service ran in 'top-and-tail' mode with a '47' on each end of the stock. 47640 is pictured on the rear of the train at Shackerstone (10/11/2012)

47635 is pictured again on arrival at Shenton with the 1210 ex-Shackerstone (10/11/2012)

'Jimmy Milne' catches the afternoon sunlight as it backs onto the 1450 to Shackerstone at Shenton (10/11/2012)

The last trip of a thoroughly enjoyable day featured both 47635+47640 in tandem. The locos are pictured at Shackerstone prior to departing with the 1530 to Shenton (10/11/2012)

Don't look too closeley at this picture as the auto-focus on my camera picked a rather unfortunate moment to throw a wobbly... 47802 powers away from Eastleigh station on its way to Northam to reverse with 5Z88 0931 Eastleigh T&RSMD to Eastleigh ecs move (11/11/2012)

47501 brings up the rear of 5Z88 as the train heads towards the Airport. 'Craftsman' then worked 1Z88 1055 Eastleigh-Edinburgh Cruise Saver charter throughout (11/11/2012)

A week later, 47818 is pictured arriving at Glasgow Central with 5Z89 0938 empty stock from Polmadie for a Cruise Saver charter to Southampton (18/11/2012)