Part 1 (January - April)

47810 'Peter Bath MBE' is pictured on arrival at Hull with 1Z70 0706 football charter from Kings Cross conveying Chelsea fans to their Premier League match in the city (11/01/2014)

Paragon station's overall roof forms the impressive backdrop as 47853 'Rail Express' waits to work the 1Z71 1534 return leg to London later that afternoon (11/01/2014)

47402 catches the last of the daylight on arrival at Heywood with 2J68 1515 ex-Rawtenstall on its first running day of the year at the East Lancashire Railway (25/01/2014)

47746 passes Stourton, Leeds, at the head of 5Z52 0945 Hitchin - Carnforth ECS move. The previous day the loco had worked the St Neots to Crewe leg of a West Coast Railways charter to Shrewsbury (16/02/2014)

A classic loco in an equally classic location: 47580 'County of Essex' waits to depart from London Kings Cross with Steam Dreams' 1Z24 0911 charter to Shildon (23/02/2014)

47746 had been on the rear of the train, and is seen here departing Shildon with the 5Z25 empty stock move to Darlington. Unfortunately A4 pacific 60007 'Sir Nigel Gresley' chose this particular moment to engulf the waiting photographers in a cloud of steam as it passed by on a brake-van ride in the adjacent museum complex (23/02/2014)

47580 brings up the rear of 5Z25 as it leaves Shildon. In the background is the National Railway Museum's 'Locomotion' site, which was hosting the final gathering of the six surviving 'A4' steam locomotives before tow of them are shipped back across the Atlantic (23/02/2014)

The next morning DRS' 47810 'Peter Bath MBE' is pictured on arrival at Lowestoft with 2J70 1005 ex-Norwich (24/02/2014)

At the other end of the set was 47818, which is seen here waiting to depart from Lowestoft with the 2J73 1057 return to Norwich (24/02/2014)

The ex-works 47818 is pictured again on arrival back at Norwich with 2J73. The loco had only been released from Eastleigh the previous week after receiving modifications and a repaint (24/02/2014)

An ongoing DMU shortage has seen Greater Anglia resort to using a 3-coach set top-and-tailed by DRS '47s' on the 'Wherry Lines' out of Norwich on an almost daily basis since the start of the year. 47810 waits to depart from Norwich with 2P20 1236 to Great Yarmouth (24/02/2014)

Under clear blue skies, 47818 is pictured again later that afternoon at Great Yarmouth with 2C23 1512 to Norwich via Reedham (24/02/2014)

47402 pauses at Bury with 2J62 1245 Rawtenstall - Heywood during its second running day so far this year at the East Lancashire Railway (01/03/2014)

Later that afternoon 47402 just about catches the sunshine as it runs round at Rawtenstall before working 2J68 1515 to Heywood (01/03/2014)

47854 'Diamond Jubilee' is pictured on arrival at Carlisle after working Compass Tours' 1Z61 0522 charter from Preston (07/03/2014)

In keeping with true 'Compass' tradition, 1Z61 hadn't taken the direct 90-mile route from Preston via Shap. Instead 47854's journey to the 'Border City' had taken it via Crewe, Uttoxeter, Beeston, Chesterfield, Skipton and Appleby (07/03/2014)

47804 waits to depart from Carlisle with the 1Z62 1556 return leg to Preston later that afternoon, which re-traced 854's 306-mile trek in reverse (07/03/2014)

47580 is pictured in the Eastern Spur at Manchester Piccadilly having stabled overnight in preparation for working a charter train later that day. I did actually know she was here at the time and so had the camera ready, but would have had a very pleasant surprise if I'd stumbled across 'Essex' as I simply walked past on my way into work (15/03/2014)

Having run light from Manchester, 'County of Essex' is pictured again later that afternoon on the blocks at Buxton after arriving with the empty stock for the Railway Touring Company's 1Z73 1515 return charter to Ealing Broadway. After being dragged back into the headshunt (in order to reverse and access the old Midland route) by a steam loco, 47580 worked the train through to its destination via Peak Forest, Stockport, Nuneaton, Corby and Bedford (15/03/2014)

The next day there was an opportunity to sample another of the SF47 Group's trio of locomotives, with 47596 in action at the Mid Norfolk Railway. 'Aldeburgh Festival' waits to depart Dereham with the last of its three return trips, the 1530 to Wymondham Abbey (16/03/2014)

My cunning plan to stay over in Norwich after yesterday's visit to the Mid-Norfolk Railway had initially been rewarded by the appearance of the 'short-set' on the 0611 to Yarmouth, but a lack of coolant in 47805 saw a unit take over the next leg of the diagram. Fortune was with me on this occasion though, and after a quick visit to Crown Point the '47s' were soon back in action. 'John Scott' waits to depart from Lowestoft with 2J73 1057 to Norwich (17/03/2014)

After arriving with 2J70 1005 ex-Norwich, 47818 is pictured on the blocks at Lowestoft (17/03/2014)

A punctual arrival into Lowestoft provided the opportunity for a further shot of 47805 waiting to head back to Norwich with 2J73 (17/03/2014)

Later that afternoon 47818 is seen at Norwich at the head of 2P24 1436 to Great Yarmouth (17/03/2014)