Part 2 (July - December)

60087 passes Castleton East Junction with the loaded 6E10 1115 Liverpool Biomass Terminal - Drax AES. (04/07/2019)

66781 rumbles through Rochdale with 6M38 1125 Arcow - Bredbury loaded stone train (04/07/2019)

On what the forecast had suggested would be a gorgeous Summer's evening, 37612 approaches Belfield on the outskirts of Rochdale with 1Qxx 1606 Neville Hill - Wigan North Western. 37057 is just visible at the rear of the train (04/07/2019)

Following just a few minutes behind the '37s' and illustrating just how badly the weather had deteriorated since I left work, 66704 'Colchester PSB' heads west with the empty 6M09 1634 Drax - Liverpool Biomass Terminal (04/07/2019)

Whilst Thursday evening's forecast had been good, the following day's was decidedly average. The view from my office window at 4.35 pm suggested otherwise however, and armed with the knowledge of what was en route towards the Calder Valley I set off on a mad dash across Manchester for a train from Victoria out to Smithy Bridge. An hour or so later I was rewarded with this view of GBRf's colourful 66720 on the approach to Belfield with the empty 6M59 1402 Scunthorpe Roxby Gullet - Collyhurst Street (05/07/2019)

The shadows lengthen as a lone 142049 scurries away from Smithy Bridge at Belfield with Northern's 2K64 1719 Blackburn - Kirkby (05/07/2019)

What a difference 24 hours makes: 66763 'Severn Valley Railway' catches the evening sun beautifully as it trundles towards Rochdale with the empty 6M09 1634 Drax AES - Liverpool Biomass Terminal (05/07/2019)

With the sun obscured by a bank of cloud behind me that was beginning to cover the city of Manchester and its environs, 66762 speeds west at Belfield with the 6M59 1402 Scunthorpe Roxby Gullet - Collyhurst empty spoil wagons. With the benefit of hindsight I should probably have left the office an hour earlier to intercept this working east of the Pennines (16/07/2019)

With the aforementioned cloud having dispersed slightly, 66777 'Annette' approaches Belfield with the empty 6M09 1634 Drax AES - Liverpool Biomass Terminal. This was a shot I've not tried before and is actually taken from a public footpath with the camera pointing through a palisade fence looking towards Smithy Bridge (16/07/2019)

After being cautioned for a possession on the 2-way goods line, 66121 crawls towards Hunslet Station Junction with 6E97 1044 New Biggin - Tees Dock gypsum empties (17/07/2019)

Following closely behind was Freightliner's 66599 on a light loco move from York Holgate Sidings to Midland Road depot (17/07/2019)

60100 'Midland Railway - Butterley' proceeds slowly along the 2-way goods line past Hunslet South Yard with the 'Wednesday Only' 6D80 1413 Neville Hill Depot to Lindsey Oil Refinery empty fuel tanks (17/07/2019)

Just about catching one of the many patches of sunshine that had initially tempted me to spend a couple of hours in Hunslet on my way home from the Dentist, 66738 'Huddersfield Town' passes though the cutting at Stourton with the loaded 6M37 1125 Arcow Quarry - Pendleton (17/07/2019)

Metropolitan No.1 awaits departure from North Weald with the 1110 to Ongar (20/07/2019)

With the Rail Ale Festival now in full swing, 31438 awaits departure from North Weald with the 1317 from Epping Forest to Ongar (20/07/2019)

A very pleasant Summer's evening sees 66748 'West Burton Power Station' heading west at Belfield on the outskirts of Rochdale on the last leg of its journey to Manchester to pick up another load of spoil with 6M59 1402 Scunthorpe Roxby Gullet - Collyhurst (23/07/2019)

Deputising for a '158', Northern's 142090 passes Belfield on 1D74 1639 Leeds - Manchester Victoria - which would normally run through to Chester but can't for the next two weeks due to an engineering blockade on the WCML at Warrington (23/07/2019)

66745 'Modern Railways - The First 50 Years' sppeds towards Belfield with the empty 6M09 1634 Drax - AES Liverpool Biomass Terminal - which conveniently was running a few minutes early as those shadows are just becoming increasingly longer (23/07/2019)

Almost catching me out after departing tweny minutes early from the Quarry, 66752 slows for the entry signal into Blea Moor Up Goods Loop with 6E77 1657 Arcow - Hunslet (24/07/2019)

Under considerably darker skies than I was hoping for, 66752 runs round its train at Blea Moor. To be fair though the forecast for an hour or so later was much more promising, and I was only out here thanks to a team meeting in Leeds finishing in time for me to catch the mid-afternoon Carlisle service (24/07/2019)

As is often the case in this part of the world, less than half an hour later the skies had begun to clear: 66752 'The Hoosier State' waits patiently to depart from Blea Moor Up Goods Loop after running round 6D77 (24/07/2019)

A slightly wider angle view of 66752 and 6D77 at Blea Moor. With the train booked to stand in the loop to follow a Northern service down to Leeds, I'd figured I'd be desperately unlucky not to record this view in a patch of sunlight, however brief it might be (24/07/2019)

As I heard the sound of the train brakes being released and the GM engine revving into life, the clouds above me seemed to part almost simultaneously. 66752 eases 6D77 1657 Arcow - Hunslet out of the loop and down towards the viaduct at Batty Moss (24/07/2019)

With the sun shining brightly above me but not necessarily illuminating the whole of the landscape, Northern's 158901+158xxx climb away from the viaduct with 2H94 1648 Leeds - Carlisle (24/07/2019)