Part 1 (January - April)

Happy New Year! It's been a while since I've gone for a 'Brush' on New Year's Day so this time round I decided to make the effort: 47205 is pictured on arrival back at Pitsford & Brampton with the 1200 'Mince Pie Special' at the Northampton & Lamport Railway (01/01/2016)

47205 is pictured again at Pitsford & Brampton an hour or so later after completing the 1300 round trip. Trains are at present unable to cross 'Bridge 13' at the northern end of the line, but the railway hopes to have completed repairs in time for the start of the 2016 operating season (01/01/2016)

47643 is pictured on arrival back at Bo'ness with the 1000 from Manuel. The loco was booked to work all the 'downhill' legs over the weekend on account of its ability to provide train heating, and was the reason I'd opted for a trip to Scotland ahead of Norfolk (03/01/2016)

47643 awaits departure from Birkhill with the 1206 to Bo'ness. 20020 is just visible at the rear of the train having worked the 1130 outward leg (03/01/2016)

Another view of 47643 at Birkhill with the 1206 to Bo'ness. This service had originally been scheduled to run through to Manuel but had been turned back short to mitigate the affects on the timetable of late running (03/01/2016)

In the last of the daylight, 47643 is pictured again on arrival back at Bo'ness with the 1506 from Manuel. Despite the tribulations of yesterday's journey north it turned out to be a top weekend and well worth the effort (03/01/2016)

47812+47847 await departure from Glasgow Central with 1M11 2340 to London Euston. Owing to the temporary closure of the WCML at Lamington the sleepers were being diverted via the G&SW route, requiring diesel haulage north of Carlisle (12/01/2016)

Very much a 'record' shot but this is the scene at Edinburgh Waverley shortly before 6am where 47848 'TITAN STAR' + 47843 'VULCAN' have just arrived from Carlisle via the G&SW and Shotts with the previous night's 1S25 2116 Euston - Inverness. With the 'Highland' sleeper due to use the ECML from the following week until the WCML is fully reopened this may be the last time such a move is possible (16/01/2016)

47847+47812 are pictured at the head of 1M11 2340 to London Euston at the extreme end of Glasgow central's Platform 10. The previous night's train had eventually been hauled by 66736 after the failure of 47812's triple pump gear, but fortunately for me the engineering team had worked their magic during the day (21/01/2016)

I've done seven 'overnights' in just over two weeks, but this is what it's all about: 47812+47847 are pictured on arrival at Glasgow Central after working the previous night's 1S26 2350 ex-London Euston forward from Carlisle via Dumfries and Kilmarnock (23/01/2016)

47843+47812 take a rest at Glasgow Central after working the previous night's 1S26 2350 ex-London Euston forward from Carlisle via Kilmarnock due to the ongoing closure of the main line at Lamington. 'VULCAN' had been sent north three days earlier after the failure of '847 on Monday (29/01/2016)

Unsurprisingly my own journey north was via the WCML, and with the added bonus of a berth in the front coach. 47812+47847 are pictured on arrival at Glasgow Central the following morning after working the diverted 1S26 2350 ex-London Euston forward from Carlisle via Dunfries and Kilmarnock (05/02/2016)

47192 is pictured beneath a rainbow at Stanhope after arriving on the rear of 1S02 1105 from Primrose Hill Crossing during the Weardale Railway's 'Class 47 Weekend' (07/02/2016)

I couldn't resist the opportune lighting conditions, so here's another view of 47192, which I'd last travelled behind during its spell at the Churnet Valley Railway back in 2007 (07/02/2016)

47712 shows off its stunning and much-missed 'Scotrail' livery at Stanhope after arriving with 1S02. Both '47s' had been used to work the 'Polar Express' charters on the line before Christmas, and the Weardale Railway had kindly laid on a dedicated running weekend for the enthusiast fraternity (07/02/2016)

Another view of 47712 on arrival at Stanhope with 1S02 1105 from Primrose Hill Crossing. Trains were unable to use the final three quarters of a mile into Bushop Auckland due to a landslip, but three out-and-back trips of just over fifteen miles each way were on offer with the top-and-tailed '47s' on each of the two days (07/02/2016)

With the Winter sun now illuminating its distinctive paintwork almost perfectly, 47712 runs round its train later that afternoon at Stanhope after arriving with 1S04 1335 from Primrose Hill Crossing (07/02/2016)

The light didn't quite hold until 47192 had itself run round onto the west end of the stock, and its own paintwork is beginning to look a little weary after several years out of traffic. It's great to see one of the 'forgotten' 47s back in use though (07/02/2016)

47712 waits to depart from Stanhope with the final trip of the day, 1P05 1515 to Primrose Hill Crossing. My only previous visits to the Weardale Railway had been on main-line charters, but this was an excellent (and well-attended) event and one which will hopefully be repeated in future years (07/02/2016)

With work not quite begun on a top-end overhaul for which the loco was stopped some eighteen months ago, the opportunity was taken to resurrect 47402 for another cameo appearance at the East Lancashire Railway's Diesel Weekend. 'Gateshead' is pictured on arrival at Heywood with 2J66 1343 from Rawtenstall, which it had worked forward from Bury (20/02/2016)

Although Lamington Viaduct was expected to be closed until early March, news had broken in the preceding days that it would be reopen a week early, and the very last train to be diverted via the G&SW was this one: with sleet in the night sky, 47812+47847 await departure from Glasgow Central with the SuO 1M11 2320 to London Euston. It's been great fun to be back out on the road again over the last six weeks - many thanks to all those who made it happen (21/02/2016)

The drought is nearly over as 47292 waits to depart from Ruddington Fields with the 1030 to Loughborough High Level during a running day at the Great Central Railway (Nottingham). Remarkably this was the first '47' to work a passenger train in England during March (26/03/2016)

47292 was back in action on Easter Monday, this time top-and-tailing with '8F' steam locomotive 8274. The Brush waits to depart from Ruddington Fields with the 1100 to Loughborough High Level (28/03/2016)

By lunchtime the sun had come out and a grim start to the day had developed into a pleasant afternoon. 47292 is pictured at the head of the 1300 to Loughborough High Level, which it worked from Ruddington Fields as far as the junction with the former Great Central main line at Ruddington South Junction (28/03/2016)