Part 3 (July - September)

47596 'Aldeburgh Festival' is pictured on arrival at Ramsbottom with 2E61 0900 ex-Bury, which was the first train of the East Lancashire Railway's three-day Summer Diesel Gala. I'll confess to not actually having been on board, having had to collect a hire-car in Leeds at 8am to assist with the logistics of what was to prove a complex but highly rewarding weekend (05/07/2013)

Also visiting from the Mid Norfolk Railway was 47579, which is seen here at Rawtenstall after working 2J69 1025 ex-Heywood (05/07/2013)

47579 runs round at Rawtenstall after arriving with 2J65. 'James Nightall' had taken over the train from former 'SF' stable-mate 'Aldeburgh Festival' at Bury (05/07/2013)

Another view of 47579 at Rawtenstall before being attached to the return 2J70 1146 to Heywood (05/07/2013)

Making its first appearance at the ELR's northern terminus, 47596 is pictured on arrival at Rawtenstall with 2J77 1305 ex-Heywood (05/07/2013)

'Aldeburgh Festival' basks in the sunshine at Rawtenstall after working 2J77 forward from Bury. In the background is the recently-opened 'Buffer Stops' real-ale bar, which has already proved itself a welcome addition to the ELR's excellent refreshment facilities (05/07/2013)

Having run round its train, 47596 waits to head back south with 2J78 1426 Rawtenstall-Heywood (05/07/2013)

Saturday began with an early-morning drive along the A1 in order to position the car and then retrace my steps with a run back through Leeds and on up the S&C behind 47786. Roy Castle OBE' is seen here at Carlisle after working Compass Tours' 1Z68 0620 charter from Peterborough. 47854 was on the rear to work the return leg, but that would have just been far too sensible a move (06/07/2013)

It's a quarter to five on a scorching hot summer Saturday afternoon, and a work-stained no-heat '47/0' sits patiently at the head of a lengthy rake of eleven mk1 coaches. In a scene reminiscent of the holiday trains of the mid-1980s, 47245 waits to depart from York with the RTC's 1Z84 1700 return charter to London Victoria, the outward leg of which had been steam-hauled (06/07/2013)

Appearances can be very deceptive, and the run south down the S&K, Erewash and Midland Main Line (front compo too!) was an absolute cracker. It's work for the day completed, 47245 is pictured on the blocks at Victoria after arriving from York with 1Z84 (06/07/2013)

Arrival back home had been shortly after 2am, but after a few hours' sleep I was ready for day 3 of the East Lancs Gala. Having been hauled north on the rear of the incoming service from Bury, 47596 'Aldeburgh Festival' awaits departure from Rawtenstall with 2J64 1006 to Heywood - the day's first meaningful train (07/07/2013)

47596 is pictured again at Bury after arriving with 2J71 1115 Heywood-Rawtenstall. The SF47 Group machine was booked to be detached here in favour of the '31+40' combination in the adjacent platform, but having done so an electrical fault prevented it from taking any further part in the day's proceedings (07/07/2013)

Later that afternoon, 47579 waits to depart from Rawtenstall with 2J78 1426 to Heywood. The northbound return leg of this final round trip had been due to feature all three '47s' but the aforementioned problems with 'Aldeburgh' meant there was only the highly-rateable 47402 to pilot 'James Nightall'. I rounded off an absolutely hell-fire weekend with a fast car down the M6 to watch New Order's only scheduled live UK performance this year in the stunning setting of Jodrell Bank (07/07/2013)

47813 'Solent' climbs through the eastern suburbs of Leeds at Killingbeck with 1Z56 0624 'Northern Belle' charter from Sheffield to Edinburgh. I'm kicking myself for getting my angles wrong on what was a beautiful sunny morning (26/07/2013)

47805 'John Scott' draws into Hereford station from the former HST sidings with the empty stock for Compass Tours' 1Z89 0719 charter to Blackpool North (27/07/2013)

47376 'Freightliner 1995' waits time at Winchcombe with 2L58 1130 Cheltenham Race Course - Laverton, which provided my first trip along the latest section of the line to be opened north of Toddington (28/07/2013)

47376 waits to depart from Cheltenham Race Course with 2L74 1650 to Toddington (28/07/2013)

47805 arrives at Preston with Compass Tours' 1Z90 0741 Blackpool North - Dundee charter (31/07/2013)

1Z90 reversed at Preston, and 47501 'Craftsman' is seen here prior to departing north along the WCML (31/07/2013)

Later that afternoon, 47805 'John Scott' is pictured at the head of the return 1Z91 1637 Dundee - Blackpool North, which it worked as far as Preston (31/07/2013)

47813 departs from Berwick on the rear of 5Z75 1303 empty stock to Tweedmouth after arriving with a Northern Belle charter from East Midlands Parkway. 'Inside' is 47853, which had failed on the previous day's train (10/08/2013)

With the errant '853 still in tow, 47813 crosses the Royal Border Bridge later that afternoon with the 5Z76 1630 return empties from Tweedmouth to Berwick (10/08/2013)

47805 'John Scott' had charge of the southbound 1Z76 1700 to East Midlands Parkway, which is seen here prior to departure from Berwick (10/08/2013)

A defective speedo on '805 saw the train turned on the triangle at KEB South Junction, which meant 47813 was once again on the front of 1Z76 for the bulk of the return journey. 'Solent' is pictured here at Sheffield (10/08/2013)