Part 2 (April - May)

47787 'Windsor Castle' waits to depart York with Railtourer's 1Z43 0610 Bedford-Scarborough charter. After a run up the Midland Main Line and 'S&K', the train was reversing here to continue forward via Selby and the Wolds Coast route through Bridlington (03/04/2010)

This should have been a phot of 47826 waiting to work the return 1Z44 1720 to Bedford at Scarbrough, but the loco wouldn't start. With '787 having sheared its turbo leaving Filey, we were in the unfortunate situation of both '47s' having failed, and DRS' 66412 came light from York to work the return leg (03/04/2010)

On a more pleasant note, 47402 had been entrusted with the East Lancashire Railway's diesel diagram on all four days of the Easter Weeknd. On the brightest (the loco's ETH certainly came in handy) of the three days that I was there, the loco pauses at Bury with the 1040 Rawtenstall-Heywood (04/04/2010)

Later that afternoon, 47402 is seen running round its train at Rawtenstall before working the 1540 to Heywood (04/04/2010)

47826 catches the early-morning sun as it arrives at Wakefield Kirkgate with the first Green Express Railtours charter of the year, 1Z24 0556 Sheffield-Glasgow (10/04/2010)

47826 is pictured again on arrival at Glasgow Central with 1Z24. '851 was on the rear and worked 1Z25 1700 return, but due to reconstruction work at the south end of the platforms it wasn't possible to photograph one of WCRC's more elusive machines (10/04/2010)

There's nothing quite like seeing them in the wild... 47826 powers through Edale with 5Z04 1326 Derby-Carnforth empty stock off the previous day's Green Express charter to Glasgow (11/04/2010)

47851 'Traction Magazine' brings up the rear of 5Z04 as '826 approaches the summit of the Hope Valley route at the entrance to the two-mile-long Cowburn Tunnel (11/04/2010)

47826 passes Lockington with 5Z51 0930 Carnforth-Skegness empty stock move for Railtourer's charter to Oxford the following day. I'd been sunbathing up until about ten minutes before this appeared, but as the saying goes, you can't win 'em all... (16/04/2010)

The SF47 Group's 47580 'County of Essex' passes the site of Kegworth station on the Midland Main Line with 1Z28 1446 Derby-Derby via Melton Mowbray. The train was carrying invited guests following the naming of GBRf's 66729 (visible on the rear) after Derby County FC (16/04/2010)

47245 approaches Sawley with 5Z47 1125 Carnforth-Spondon empty stock for the following day's Green Express Railtours charter to Edinburgh. The train had just reversed at Derby, and was en route to a further reversal at Nottingham in order to access the former Courtaulds sidings at Spondon to stable for the night (16/04/2010)

Rush hour at Sawley! The local residents seem unperturbed as 47580 flashes by on the rear of 1Z28, returning from Melton Mowbray to Derby behind 66729 (16/04/2010)

Minutes later 47786 'Roy Castle OBE' storms under the M1 at Sawley with the returning 5Z47 1125 Carnforth-Spondon. The train had reversed at Trent Junction rather than Nottingham, so reappeared earlier than expected (16/04/2010)

Early the next morning, 47245 draws the empty stock out of the sidings at Spondon before working Green Express Railtours' 1Z47 0640 charter to Edinburgh (17/04/2010)

Just over six hours later, 47245 is pictured again on arrival at Edinburgh with 1Z47 after a rare trip behind the 'o' along the ECML (17/04/2010)

47786 'Roy Castle OBE' waits to depart Edinburgh with 5Z47 1333 to Craigentinny. The loco worked the return 1Z48 1632 to Spondon later that afternoon (17/04/2010)

Catching what was more or less the last of the day's sunshine, 47786 snakes through the reverse curve at Wilmorton on the approach to Derby with 5Z48 1225 Spondon-Carnforth empty stock off the previous day's charter. This was actually my 'test' shot to check the camera was working properly but at this point my battery died. Oops (18/04/2010)

47245 accelerates through Micklefield with 5Z69 0840 Carnforth-Whitby ecs (23/04/2010)

47826 brings up the rear of 5Z69 as '245 disappears beneath the 'A1' (23/04/2010)

47786 'Roy Castle OBE' departs Paignton for Goodrington carriage sidings with the empty stock off 1Z10 0525 Green Express Railtours charter from Leeds (24/04/2010)

47787 'Windsor Castle' had worked 1Z11 out of Leeds, but ran into trouble in the Bushbury area, and the train was reversed at Water Orton to allow '786 to continue forward. The loco is pictured on the rear of the train in Goodrington sidings (24/04/2010)

With 13 coaches and a broken '787 over the permitted weight limit for '786 up the Lickey Incline on the return journey, some very quick thinking by WCRC saw the second driver deposited at Landor Street to collect 47580 from Tyseley to assist. 'County of Essex' is seen here on arrival at Paignton before proceeding into the sidings to collect the train (24/04/2010)

47580 hauls the stricken 47787 and its train into Paignton station from Goodrington Carriage Sidings before working the return 1Z11 1633 to Leeds (24/04/2010)

This will have to go down as one of the workings of the year... 'County of Essex' waits to depart Paignton with 1Z11 1633 return Green Express charter to Leeds (24/04/2010)