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	On what I believe was the first day of Chiltern Mk5 stock on their locomotive-hauled services, 26 January 2026, I had a message in the late morning saying that 68022 with set CH02 had worked up to London Marylebone on the 087,15 from Birmingham Moor Street and would return on the 11.02 the 11.02 return, 1R25. The light was very poor but a first is a first and all that so I went to Hatton arriving just in time after a closed road and lengthy diversion to find 68032 waiting at the signal with 3Q73 from Bicester North to Stourbridge Junction. I just made it to the roadbridge when the train began to move but the driver kindly stopped for a few seconds which allowed me to fire off a few shots. This one was the only one of 5 with all three headlights showing.
	The first northbound working of a Mk5 Chiltern set took place on 1R25, the 11.02 from London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street, on 26 January 2026 and following a message from Chris Morrison I went to Hatton for a record shot as 68022 took set CH02 through Hatton station in very dull weather. I am told that the new vinyls on this locomotive and coincidentally on 68032 as shown above may have been applied the wrong way round with the lighter blue on number 1 end. Once again I was lucky that all three front lights were illuminated on just one of the rapid-fire shots taken. Thanks to Chris Morrison for the message about this working.
	The first class 150 Sprinter to be preserved, 150231, ran under its own power from Derby RTC to Alton on the Watercress Line on Tuesday 23 December 2025. It was routed via Birmingham, Worcester, Evesham and Oxford and gave me the chance for what I think is my first picture of the class on the North Cotswold Line apart from 950001, although I can't be completely sure without going through stacks of negatives from the late 1980s and early 1990s. I have a single picture of class 150 at Long Marston but that doesn't count as the NCL! Today's unit is in the colour scheme used by Regional Railways and I went to the footbridge at Evesham station to ensure that it was obvious that it was on unusual territory. Running as 5Q15 150231 was 2 or 3 minutes late and despite the light needing the use of ISO 3200 the unit still looked pretty decent. Because of the unusal nature of the movement I took a short video as it passed by although the sound is compromised by the shutter noise of my stills camera being so close to the phone. A new much higher parapet has been put on the footbridge so it was difficult to separate the two bits of kit.
	Another of the seemingly endless stock moves to Long Marston took place on Tuesday 16 December 2025 but it was slightly different to most of the recent drags in that a class 769 was involved. I'm as interested in the load being moved as the locomotive and so decided to have a trip out if it looked as if the weather might improve from the earlier cloud and rain. It did look OK to the south-west of Stratford-upon-Avon but it was too late by then to get to the spot I had planned and walked along a muddy footpath so just went to Evesham. The train, hauled by 37800 with 769421 working as 5Q94 from Allerton Depot, was about three minutes early when it passed the signalbox with the shadows not being as intrusive as it had first appeared. It just over 12 months ago when I photographed the same locomotive but with a class 321 in tow in the same spot.
	I've not been taking many railway photographs of late preferring the challenges of bird and other wildlife photography. On Thursday 4 December 2025 though I decided at the last minute to go for the latest class 68 and Chiltern set runnng from Eastleigh to Long Marston, particularly as 5Q67 was routed along the North Cotswold Line rather than the much more circuitous route via Hatton, Birmingham and Worcester, I reached Honeybourne about 2 minutes before 68026 appeared in the far background about 6 minutes early and passing some autumnal colours and without any sun around which would have made a lot of shots in the area hopeless because of long shadows. This are the first class 68 and stock I've seen in the new Chiltern colour scheme and coincidentally was the first of its class to work a train out of Long Marston which it did on 3 August 2020.
	If a train going to Long Marston running from the south via Moreton-in-Marsh it has either to be topped-and-tailed, go as far as Worcester Yard to run-round or as happened on Thursday 4 December 2025 has a DVT included in the consist. The train was a 5Q67 from Eastleigh with 68026 and a set of class Mk5 stock in the new Chitern Railways colour scheme. It is seen after reversal at Honeybourne North Junction and heading along the Long Marston branch towards the hut in which the single line staff for the OTO line is kept.
	As this was my first sighting of a class 68 in the new Chiltern colour scheme I took a third shot at Honeybourne on 4 December 2025 as the DVT led the Mk5 set to the stop board visible on the left of the Long Marston line. The autumnal colours are still quite intense here even if poor light but had the sun been out it would have been in wrong place and casting heavy shadows over most of the scene. Note the walkway and and foot crossing under the 2nd coach that was installed earlier in the year to provide a safe route for railway staff to access the token hut from Honeybourne station.
	Two stock movements to Long Marston were planned for Monday 24 November 2025. The first was yet another unit drag with a class 37, this time 37407, with a couple of class 350/2 EMUs running from Northampton. My enthusiasm for this sort of thing has waned but as I needed to go in the Evesham direction for something else thought that a short diversion would be worthwhile even though the light was dreadful. Here then is 5Q91 with 37407 hauling 350263 + 350260 past the signalbox and towards Evesham station.
	The second train to Long Marston on 24 November 2025 looked at one time not to be running. It was a 6V52 from Wembley taking new GBRf box wagons for temporary storage but when it reached 230 minutes late a "Cancelled" note appeared on RTT. A bit later it moved, now as 4V52 with 47739 in charge. Some time was made up as it approached and went around Birmingham and with a 60 minute layover at Worcester Shrub Hill not used it was exactly 120 minutes late leaving Norton Junction. This consist made a very welcome change for me from various repetitive units so I went to Honeybourne where, given an almost total lack of daylight, it was handy that the train would be moving very slowly. It was a pain that a bright sky appeared in the left background at just the wrong moment but still worth but it worked out reasonably well in the end.
	I seem to have photographed little other than class 37s recently. Following a shot of 37800 with a set of ex-TPE stock at Hatton on 31 October 2025 there was another member of the class working the same route from Birmingham to Leamington Spa the next morning. This time it was 37240 leading 7029 Clun Castle from Birmingham New Street to London Paddington on a Return to Steam special eventually heading for Bristol Temple Meads. There the similarity ended. The light for 1Z35 was as good as it gets in November and quite a contrast from the previous day and I was keen to take my picture in exactly the same spot to show the contrast. It was obvious that there would be shadows across part of the train but the clear patch just before the roadbridge was plenty to fit in the two contrasting locomotives. The class 37 led to Hanwell Bridge Loop where it ran round the stock for the run to Paddington via Greenford South and Castle Bar Park so that 7029 was ready to lead to Bristol.
	A five coach set of ex-TPE stock was taken from Longsight to Eastleigh on Friday 31 October 2025 routed via Birmingham, Hatton and Oxford. Running as 5Q87 and powered by 37800 it was due to pas Hatton at a convenient 13.24 and although a bit late in the Birmingham area it looked as if it would be on time further up the line. After a heavy shower in Stratford-upon-Avon the sky cleared as I drove to Hatton. Unfortunately it started raining as I arrived at the station car park and turned into some of the heaviest rain in which I have ever photographed and went so dark that I had to use ISO 5000 with settings of 1/1000 at f3.2. The rain can be clearly seen in this image as it pours off the carriage roofs as 5Q87 approached the roadbridge under clear signals. I like the challenge of photography in these conditions even though my trousers were soaked through in the few minutes I was there.
	Two more class 350/2 EMUs were taken for storage at Long Marston on 24 October 2025. The train, 5Q35, left Wembley late and the lateness increased such that the path from Worcester to Long Marston was missed resulting in a 48 minute late departure from Norton Junction. I had limited time available even without the delay so went to the bridge over the Porterbrook site, the nearest spot for me, although knowing that the branch would be largely shadowed. My 80 - 400mm lens helped me to avoid most of the shadows and bring out some decent autumnal colours. Here is 37407 with 350232 and 350239 on the final few hundred yards of the line from Honeybourne. Although not in standard sun-on-the-nose lighting the combination of light and shade with a palette of colours makes for a more characterful image than would be the case in some locations.
	A huge amount of work is going on inside the Long Marston site in preparation for its use as a testing site for Porterbrook. There were several machines working in various areas and this road/rail vehicle and wagon was moving around close to the roadbridge. The area behind the tracks is being prepared for a solar farm to produce as much power for the site as possible. In the meantime, many of the security cameras have small solar arrays and their own battery packs. Also visible in the distance are at least 6 class 701 units including 701011, 701522 and 701049 which although parked in the worst possible spot for photography on a sunny morning were worth a record shot.
	The excitement at Stratford-upon-Avon continued on 14 October 2025 with the arrival of 153311, a Network Rail Video Inspection Unit. Running as 2Q30 it came from Reading Triangle Sidings and visited Stratford twice, the second being a return journey over the North Warwickshire LIne to Birmingham Moor Street. I went for the first visit as it came as booked (for once!) into platform 2 where it stood for about 15 minutes while a class 172, fortunately just a 3 car, left platform 1 for Birmingham Snow Hill and beyond. It was quite a dull and drizzly day; just what was needed for this shot, as the sun would have completely wrong for an arrival here at this time of day. The unit had left Reading nearly 30 minutes late but soon regained the time and reached Stratford 2 or 3 minutes early.
	One of Network Rail's VIUs, 153311, waited for the road to Birmingham Moor Street in platform 2 at Stratford-upon-Avon on 14 October 2025 and gave the chance for a selection of shots. These units worked between Stratford and Leamington Spa in 1994 but I made very little effort to photograph them. One of the few shots I took is this image of 153334 arriving from Leamington in December 1994. As the view of 153311 was unobstructed I took a video clip as it left the station arguably making more noise than did 37511 a few days earlier.
	The final of three days of route learning/refreshing runs with an ROG class 37 were on 9 October 2025 with 37501 arriving just before 08.00 as 0H66 from Derby RTC. I don't chase around for pictures of repainted locomotives, much preferring them to work within a convenient radius of my home but didn't expect this one to come quite so close; about a 10 minute walk! It was a very dull and misty morning, it was just a light engine and anything in platform 3 isn't great for photography but at least it's a shot in the bag in case something happens to 37501. The locomotive first carried the British Steel colour scheme in 1988 as seen here behind 37502 at Washwood Heath
	With the headcode changed to OJ66 37501 waits in platform 3 at Stratford-upon-Avon on 9 October 2025. Its departure to Hatton wasn't due until 08.46 so after a quick shot of the nameplate area I went home. The locomotive was due to run to Hatton, come back to Stratford and then run to Rowley Regis before heading back to Derby and it was in the platform once again when I walked past the station just after 10.00 and took this video of it prior to and during departure. In the event, the trip to Rowley Regis was cancelled and went straight form Stratford to Derby.
	There was another visitor to Stratford-upon-Avon on 9 October 2025 in the form of DR80208, a Stoneblower. I assume that 6U28 from Oxford Down Engineering Sidings was a driver training run as it went straight back to Oxford under the same headcode. The machine didn't go far enough along platform 2 for a shot of the other end but here is a view of the onboard grab.
	The third class 37 to visit Stratford-upon-Avon within one week arrived on Monday 6 October 2025. The culprit was 37608 running as 0Z38 from Rowley Regis once it had reversed there after a run from Tyseley TMD. My assumption is that it was a route refresher for ROG crews preparing for the RHTT season and although light engine moves aren't at the top of my list, on this occasion it was worthwhile as 1) it was a chance to try out my new(ish) Nikon D850 and because 2) 37608 is the next of ROG's class 37s to be stored. Things were running around an hour late but the light was getting slightly better as time went on. Platform 3 arrivals don't give the greatest opportunity for a decent shot and this one with the messy foreground is about the best of the lot.
	After arriving at Stratford-upon-Avon as 0Z38 on 6 October 2025, 37608 made a run to Hatton and back being scheduled to come into platform 2. Someone at Saltley Panel decided otherwise and the locomotive went again into P3 and this view just for the record was taken from P1. I went onto the footbridge to take this image just before it left as 0Z41 some 30 minutes early. The locomotive has been to Stratford on several previous occasions on test trains in three other colour schemes, this being in the original Europhoenix livery.
	For the first time in over 12 months the monthly test train visiting Stratford-upon-Avon used class 37 power rather than the now-usual HST power cars on 30 September 2025. I intended to go Stratford station but RTT showed that the preceding passnger service from Birmingham, 2S09, was formed of 5 cars which meant that most of the platform was full of train with not much of a view of anything in the other. Stratford Parkway with its bright lights was the next best bet hoping that 37667 + 37610 would be going quite slowly ready to stop at the terminus. Unfortunately it passed at speed and this image taken at 1/500 at f2 on ISO 5000 was just about sharp enough to use. The green locomotive isn't the best colour scheme for this type of shot and the blue 37610 isn't a lot better so I didn't bother with a still picture on the return a few minutes later but took a handheld video on my phone including some stray finger as I turned round!
	The test train that visited Stratford-upon-Avon on 30 September 2025 continued its usual diagram by heading south from Derby RTC to Bristol and the South-West the following day. Now running as 1Q22, 37667 + 37610 run via the North Cotswold Line to Oxford and I chose Honeybourne for this picture as the train ran through the station some 6 minutes late and narrowly avoiding a northbound London Paddington to Worcester coming from behind.
	There were two trains from Long Marston on 1 October 2025 the first being the Hydroflex unit 799201 running as 5Q61 to Kidderminster. This left the depot on time and is seen here about to pass non-stop behind Honeybourne station and across onto the down main line. A new walkway for railway staff has been laid from the station to the hut in which the single line staff is kept. A benefit of this to photographers is that a lot of lineside vegetation has been cut down so opening up the view.
	Once 799201 in its latest oolour scheme had passed under the roadbridge at Honeybourne on 1 October 2025 there was just time to cross the road for this image in the small of sunshine before the shadows from the undergrowth started to intrude.
	Autumnal colours and the Pride flag give some relief from all the green at Honeybourne on 1 October 2025 as 800008 approaches the station with the 10.53 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill. The new walkway for train crews needing to use the single line staff hut can be seen crossing the Long Marston branch.
	The second train from Long Marston on 1 October 2025 was 47739 taking a class 701 EMU to Wimbledon Park Sidings. Its departure as 5Q79 should have been at 12.34 but this time came and went and after a while two GBRf men walked to the staff hut to collect the token left there by the crew of 799201. I thought that this meant that departure wouldn't be too far away but left enough time to walk to Honeybourne village for some coffee and cake from an excellent artisan bakery. About an hour after the booked time I decided it was that it was cancelled, probably because of the usual coupling issues, and went off towards home via Long Marston. On arrival the gates to the branch line were open and the road set for departure. There was some more delay but 47739 eventually moved from the sidings just about 2 hours late. It's worth noting the newly laid track and electrification masts being installed; these also being visible around the loop to the right of the bridge.
	After a very slow and careful move across the new-looking pointwork at the end of road no.2 on 1 October 2025, 47739 with 701059 in tow moved onto the branch to Honeyhbourne. It's pity from a photographic point of view that the dense vegetation to th right of the line hasn't been cleared but at least it will provide a lot of food for the local birdlife over the winter.
	I don't often take this sort of shot but thought that the exhaust from 47739 made the scene at Long Marston on 1 October 2025 a bit more interesting. With imagination it could almost seem that 701059 was in a bizarre push-pull situation!
	To mark the 100th railtour operated by a preserved Hastings DEMU one of the sets (although made up from cars from both those available) a train, 1Z40, was run from Hastings to Birmingham Moor Street via Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday 20 September 2025. The weather was very dull but at least the forecast heavy rain didn't appear. For me these trips are well worth some pictures whatever the lighting conditions. Because of rare traction in my part of the world I wanted images in clearly recognisable locations rather than open countryside so had my first shot at Wilmcote with the well-known but oddly coloured GWR bridge. It as good to catch up with my old friend Chris Morrison both here and at Henley in Arden and have a good reminisce about the arguably more interesting times we followed some years ago.
	The Hastings DEMU didn't spend long at Stratford-upon-Avon on 20 Septemner 2025; just long enough for those passengers to be dropped off to visit the town. There was time to drive to Hanley-in-Arden for a shot of 1Z40 as it headed to Birmingham Moor Street and with the flower tubs and refurbished running-in board it made for an attractive scene even in the very dull weather. It was no better for an earlier visit by 1001 on 8 March 1997 when there had been no chance of a colour shot but digital equipment makes it easy for a decent image in such conditions. In fact, none of today's pictures would have possible had it been a sunny day.
	I had intended to have four cracks at the Hastings DEMU on 20 September 2025 but during the 15 walk from my home to Stratford Parkway 1Z41 from Birmingham Moor Street to Hastings via Stratford a 2 minute deficit at Whitlocks End turned into a minus 13 so even having allowed for 10 minutes earliness I missed it. The shot would have been the least attractive and interesting of the day as 1013 coasted downhill towards the terminus so I wasn't too bothered. My main aim here was to get video footage as the unit began to tackle Wilmcote Bank so I spent several minutes trying to wrap a mini bendy tripod around a lamppost which was a bit too big fro its short legs. Luckily, it stayed in place on its own so a still shot was also possible. It's good to see these first-generation units on the main line and I really wish that a couple of diesel mechanical sets could be made fit for such runs.
	The Branch Line Society ran a railtour from Kiddrminster SVR to Oxford on 8 September 2025 which ran as far as Bescot with a couple of class 69s, two class 73s, a class 57 and two class 66s along with 6 coaches. I assume that there had been a gala weekend at the SVR and that the tour was a convenient way to avoid light engine mileage and for the passengers to get some rare haulage. Given the sunny morning it was tempting to go out for this because of the novelty value and different colour schemes but it was obvious that every decent spot would be crammed so I didn't bother. The second part of 1Z66's itinerary was from Bescot with 57305 topping the coaches with 66719 bringing up the rear all seen here at Evesham. I took some video as 1Z66 approached the station. The class 57 has carried several different liveries including Virgin and one designed to match Pullman colours as seen at Hatton with a shrink-wrapped Mk5 coaching set. Ironically, these sets will soon be seen along the Hatton line working for Chiltern Railways after being dumped by Trans-Pennine although being only a few years old.
	One of GBRf's class 66s in a non-standard colour scheme was on 6G99, the Tunstead to Banbury Reservoir Sidings loaded stone all week, commencing on Monday 18 August 2025. In the hope that there would be at least one run in sunshine during the week I held off going for it until Thursday 21st when in case it didn't work on the folllowing day it seemed a good idea to get an image in whatever light there was. The train is due to pass Hatton at around 13.30 and it ran to time from the Birmingham area being pictured with 66301 leading among some contrasting green foliage just to the north of Hatton station. A light engine move from Westbury to Bescot, 0M50 including 70813 wasn't not far away but passed a couple of minutes after 6G99 had cleared. Fastline freight used to operate 66301 as seen here at Blackminster in 2011 just before the work to complete the redoubling of the North Cotswold Line was completed.
	The Shakespeare Express, this time from Worcester Shrub Hill, ran again on Sunday 17 August 2025. Because of the hot and dry conditions steam was banished with diesel being rostered and with good light looking to be guaranteed all day I went for a shot near Bearley Junction. First to pass was 2S06, the 10.27 from Worcester Shrub to Stratford-upon-Avon formed of 172007 + 172340.
	One of the only benefits of the recent dry and hot weather was, for diesel fans, that the Shakespeare Express from Worcester Shrub to Stratford-upon-Avon on 17 August was planned to run with 37240 topped and tailed with 47773 rather than steam because of the high risk of lineside fires. For reasons unknown only the class 37 was on the train when I saw it pass Kidderminster on the Railcams main line camera and this led to some delay as 37240 had to run-round the stock. Not to worry though, this made the usual reversal at Hatton unnecessary so the lost time was regained as 1Z71 was able to run direct via Hatton North and West Junctions. I picked a location at a foot crossing about 20 minutes walk from Wilmcote along the towpath of the Stratford canal and here is 37240 accelerating from a signal check on the other side of Bearley Junction.
	Given the clear blue sky and strong sunshine on Sunday 17 August 2025 it would have been rude not to have gone out again for 37240 on the Shakespeare Express, now 1Z73, returning to Stratford-upon-Avon from Birmingham Snow Hill. Having used a bit of an anonymous-looking spot for my first shot I went to Wilmcote station with its well-known footbridge for this one. Even at this time of the year shadows were becoming a bit intrusive at 15.25 but not enough to spoil things too much.
	A transit move of former TPE stock was due to pass Hatton during the afternoon of Friday 15 August 2025 and the afternoon Leeds to Southampton Freightliner was routed a few minutes in front of it. Here is 66570 taking its heavy and almost fully loaded train towards Hatton station after a signal check at Hatton North Junction while a Stratford-upon-Avon train crossed over to Hatton West Junction. I took some video footage of both trains with a 5-car Chiltern service passing mid=way through the Freightliner boxes going by.
	The former TPE loco-hauled sets are moving to Chiltern Railways to replace the ageing Mk3 stock. I wasn't able to photograph the first train but another ran on Friday 15 August 2025. The locomotive was 68020 leading the 5 coaches including the stylish DBSO which will lead south when the stock enters service. The sun managed to stay out and I was pleased about this for a first shot as I couldn't be bothered to go further north towards Birmingham where the angle of the light may have been more conventional. Some video footage can be found with the Leeds to Southampton Freightliner coming along first.
	A class 458 EMU was taken for storage at Long Marston from Wimbledon CSD on Wednesday 6 August 2025. The unit, 458536, was sandwiched between ROG barrier/translator wagons with topped and tailed 37611 + 37608 providing the power; the train running running as 7Q94 being routed via Oxford and the North Cotswold Line. at Honeybourne it reversed at the North Junctioin before heading along the Long Marston branch behind the station. Some vegetation clearance has taken place although clearly not enough but there was a better view of more of the train than a few months previously.
	There was quite a lot of green in this view of 37608 at the back of 7Q94 at Honeybourne on 6 August 2025 as the train stood while the crew collected the single line token. it stood for much longer than is usual and there seemed to be lot of hissing from the braking system so maybe the brakes on one of the barriers was playing up, but that's only a guess. What I do know is that the planned class 5 move with the barriers running to Worcester Shrub was replaced with just a light engine move. While waiting for something to happen I took a still shot of more greenery and also a short video which was shot only at the last minute.
	The Shakespeare Express ran to Stratford-upon-Avon from Coleshill Parkway and Derby (in that order) on Sunday 3 August 2025 with slightly different timings from the previous week giving the opportunity to take a picture from the roadbridge which has recently been cleared of vegetation. The later arrival time meant that the preceding train from Birmingham should have gone from platform 2 with plenty of time to spare and thus giving a clear view. In the event 2S06 was 21 minutes late arriving meaning that its 5 car class 172 formation had a good chance of partially blocking the view. After a very rapid turnround it left Stratford just 15 minutes down leaving about 45 seconds before 1Z14 with 37240 leading the train with 7029 on the back after a reversal at Hatton.
	It was Clun Castle's turn to work the Shakespeare Express to Stratford-upon-Avon on 3 August 2025. After arriving the tender water tank needed refilling and two of Vintage Trains' men carried out the operation by connecting a 3 inch hose to a hydrant in Western Road and running it across the carriageway and car park. It's a pity that the trees on the platform hid most of the locomotive but at least the brass safety valve bonnet is visible to identify it.
	Following the dumping of L12 Sarah Siddons in the down siding at Leamington Spa on 25 July 2025 many enthusiasts kept an eye on the schedules to see when it might be removed, The answer was Wednesday 30th when 50007 + 46035 + 50033 were sent from Kidderminster SVR to pick up S12 and then go be exhibited at The Greatest Gathering at Derby over the coming weekend. Here are the three locomotives just after arrival on the up main line with 50007 carrying appropriate headboards.
	As soon as a path was available on 30 July 2025 the locomotves ran back wrong line, crossed over to the long siding outside the station where 50007 was uncoupled, ran forward onto the down main line before reversing again onto the main line to allow 50033 and 46035 to move towards L12. Here is 50007 just prior to that move taking place.
	Before the main line locomotives backed onto Sarah Siddons on 30 July 2025 I took the opportunity to take this shot of her while most of the others present were at the far end of the platform waiting for the other locomotives to arrive. It was fortunate that there was no sun or most of today's images would have much more difficult given that it would have been exactly on the other side of the lines. There are shots available from the Staff Car Park but they are much tighter and would need steps to get above the fence.
	It's not easy to resist taking too many images when something as unusual as maio line locomotives run on sidings intended mostly to stable DMUs. Here are 50033, 46035 and 50007 at Leamington Spa running very slowly towards L12 Sarah Siddons on 30 July 2025.
	Given the rarity of any locomotive using the DMU siding at Leamington Spa I made sure to take one of 46035 on 30 July 2025 and the unusual sight of a class 50 coupled to a 100 year old electric locomotive.
	My final image from Leamington Spa on 30 July 2025 was taken as 50007, 46035, 50033 and L12 Sarah Siddons were ready to leave the down DMU siding at Leamington Spa. I have taken a few other shots of locomoitves here over the years and this one of 58016 alongside 47129 on 4 May 1985 is my favourite. The class 58 was waiting to replace 31170 on a down freightliner, a regular occurrence at the time although not often with a class 58. I took a couple of slightly disjointed video sequences of the class 50s etc
	The regular Shakespeare Express to Stratford-upon-Avon ran on Sunday 27 July 2025 starting with a trip from Birmingham Snow Hill to Worcester led by 37240, Castle 5043 being on the back of the formation. The Castle led from Worcester to Hatton where 37240 took over again after a reversal and brought 1Z65 to Stratford. A five-car class 172 was already in platform 2 meaning that this shot was the only one available. Still, it's always good to see a locomotive-hauled train here; something increasingly unusual these days.
	Not an image for the steam purist but one showing the reality of the modern railway where it is not possible for so many reasons to recreate the past. I could have waited for 172338 to leave with the 12.26 to Worcester Foregate Street, 2V08, but a large number of people from 1Z65 were on their way so it was unlikely that a clear view of the whole train would have possible.
	A lot of vegetation has recently been cleared from the area around the roadbridge at the south end of Stratford-upon-Avon station and I hoped that 1Z65 led by 37240 would be in a decent position for a picture. Unfortunately, it was a few yards further along than I'd hoped and this very wide-angle and distorted image from my phone was all there was to take.
	A very unusual stock move from Southall to the Greatest Gathering at Derby was scheduled for Friday 25 July 2025. It involved green 33012, Sarah Siddons, a preserved 4-VEP and the Midland Railway saloon 45029. The timings were such that a shot at Widney Manor seemed a good bet; I had thought of Whitacre Junction but the eastbound shot there is little more than an anonymous tunnel of trees at the moment. To cut a long story short there was a road closure near Hockley Heath with insufficient information and a ludicrously convoluted diversion being signed. I took a chance and went down the closed road to find that I could get as far as Bentley Heath and then make just a simple loop round to Widney Manor. On checking Railcams 5Z35 was standing in Fenny Compton loop and after a phone call to a friend in the know established that nothing was going move any time soon and that the train was to run to Leamington Spa where Sarah Siddons, suffering with hot traction motors after being dragged, would be taken off and dumped in the down side siding. Just time for a quick shot of 172101 with 2V28, the 09.03 Dorridge to Worcester Shrub Hill before going towards Hatton to see what happened.
	The news about the 5Z35 stock move on 25 July 2025 was that it had just left Fenny Compton and was to stop in platform 2 to remove Sarah Siddons and shunt it into the siding alongside platform 1. There wasn't enough time to drive to Leamington Spa and walk from the nearest parking spot but a Chiltern Trains service from Stratford-upon-Avon was due within a few minutes so I made the decision to catch this for the 8 minute journey to Leamington. With 33012 etc blocking platform 2 a record-time shunt move, about 10 minutes, was made and 5Z35 passed my train between Warwick and Leamington stations. As expected, Sarah Siddons was in the siding and here is a view of 2 contrasting front ends showing the difference in design since 1922/23.
	There was clearly a shot of Sarah Siddons from the sunny side in the Staff Car Park at Leamington Spa and here is a shot of her in the sole remaining siding. I will wager that this is the first time that a London Transport electric locomotive has been here and quite possibly the last time. There was no news about how it will be moved to Derby but it's difficult to see how road transport would be able to access the site so a low-speed drag seems likely.
	The monthly 1Q48 test train from Derby RTC that calls at Stratford-upon-Avon is booked to arrive at the terminus for reversal at 20.42 and should run into platform 1. On Tuesday 8 July 2025 with a clear sky there would have been a decent picture of it to be had before it left for its run to Leamington Spa but the preceding unit had been put into platform 1 leaving just P2 unoccupied. Options were there limited and this is the only shot available as the driver prepared to move off. I took video clip with my phone as it pulled away with 43357 on the back.
	A stock move from Burton-on-Trent to Eastleigh, 6Z46, ran on Wednesday 9 July 2025 and was unusually routed along the North Cotswold Line. I went to Honeybourne to make sure that it was obvious that it was on this route and here are 43468 + 43484 leading 2 ferryvans and 2 coaches. I assumed initially that the vans were barrier vehicles but thought that the train would have been a class 5 were this the case.
	There have been many almost identical stock moves recently that I haven't bothered with most of them but on Thursday 3 July 2025 a 5Q60 from Wembley to Long Marston seemed to be of more interest, It involved a Europhoenix class 37 as a change from an ROG locomotive taking a class 350 for storage in Warwickshire. The train was cancelled but later reinstated but with a departure close to 2 hours late. It picked up a fair amount of time and managed to be let out of Worcester earlier than anticipated but giving me just about enough time to get to Long Marston and walk over a public footpath across the line and into the field, after struggling over a badly vandalised and useless stile, arriving as 37407's driver blew its horn for a farm crossing just around the crossing. It was good to see a smartly turned out locomotive with clean buffers and an EPR headboard hauling 350237 over the final yards of the branch.
	Any train longer than a locomotive and 4 coaches blocks the footpath over the public crossing at Long Marston which is annoying if the there is a delay with the gates into the site being opened, On this occasion all was well and I was able to take this shot of 350237 on 3 July 2025.
	After another struggle with a broken stile at Long Marston on 3 July 2025 it was onto the roadbridge to take a shot as 37407 prepared to propel 350237 to the yard to my right. The ground crew was on its way to switch and clamp the points from the branch to Honeybourne.
	The class 350 EMU was propelled onto the line to the right of the roadbridge on 3 July 2025 before switching roads with 37407 drawing forward again to take the unit around the circuit towards the main storage yard. The gap in the bushes was nearly long enough for this shot but does the show the new Europhoenix logo and "The Rail Services Partner" wording.
	Once 37407 with 350237 had cleared the exchange sidings there was the chance for a picture of several class 458 EMUs led by 459532, some former Trans-Pennine stock, a class 68 locomotive and a Network Rail class 153 test unit.
	To mark the 200th anniversary of the first public railway, the Stockton to Darlington, GBRf has created an exhibition train which at the end of the June 2025 started its tour of the UK. On Thursday 27th it ran as 3Z21 from London Paddington to Kidderminster via the North Cotswold Line, being timed to pass Honeybourne at about 19.00. I could think of only one location which would be of much use at that time of day should the sun be out, of which there appeared to be about a 50% chance, this being a spot on a public footpath near Mickleton and Norton Subedge. The small gathering of photographers were lucky when the sun went into a small clear patch of sky at just the right time as newly repainted 66719 topped the colourful consist with matching 66710 n the rear through the contrasting colours of the ripening wheat in the surrounding fields. The last time I photographed 66719 was when it double-headed with D1015 on a trial run for the Western on the Avonmouth to Pennyfford empty cement tanks on 17 September 2021.
	On Tuesday 17 June 2025 one of the very rare daylight ballast trains over the North Warwickshire, 6P50, was shown to run to Stratford-upon-Avon from a possession in the Wood End area before reversing at the terminus and going back to Bescot. A perfect morning was forecast which meant that very few locations would be any good for photography between 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning. I had used this on a farm crossing near Bearley Junction in 2011 so on the previous day walked up the Stratford canal towpath to check it out. It had barely changed so went there on the 17th arriving just in time for this image of 172005 + 172004 leaving the single track at Bearley Junction with 2D01, the 05.51 from Birmingham Snow Hill to Stratford via Dorridge at Hatton North Junction.
	There was, worryingly, on 17 June 2025 no sign of 6P50 on the Railcams maps anywhere on the North Warwickshire Line by the time it was due out of the possession and this train, the 2L13 06.31 Stratford-upon-Avon to Leamington Spa formed of 168321 already had a green signal with a feather showing that it was routed via Bearley Junction towards Hatton.
	By the time that the next train out of Stratford-upon-Avon was due on 17 June 2025 it was obvious that 6P50 to Bescot wasn't going to appear and my assumption, later confirmed by a friend in the know, was that it had been turned round at Whitlocks End. The light was so good I decided to stay on the farm crossing for the next couple of trains and the first was formed of 172341 + 172007 working the Stratford to Kidderminster, 2K14.
	My final shot before making the 20 minute walk to my car at Wilmcote from the crossing near Bearley Junction on 17 June 2025 was this of 172004 + 172006 working 2V16, the 07.08 Stratford-upon-Avon to Worcester Foregate Street via Dorridge. The trailing set, 172006, was the first that I photographed after it arrived at Tyseley for crew training from London Overground seen in the linked image at Edstone, just around the corner on the LOine to Henley-in-Arden.
	I don't usually bother with light engine shots unless it is something really unusual but when 59003 came towards Bentley Heath Crossing at Dorridge on 3 June 2025 as 0M50 from Westbury to Bescot the young mum with her toddler waving at the driver made it worth a frame.
	One train each hour from Stourbridge Junction/Kidderminster/Worcester Foregate Street to Dorridge is extended to run to Stratford-upon-Avon via Hatton North and West Junctions. This is 2D71, the 13.40 from Worcester passing Bentley Heath Crossing on 3 June 2025. The two subclasses of class 172 are represented by 172007 + 172344.
	I had hoped for several sunny shots at Bentley Heath on 3 June 2025 but the only one that worked out was this of 66597 working 4O99, the 10.56 from Leeds to Southamptom hauled by 66597. This was running 16 minutes late and had had a signal check caused by a preceding passenger train so was working hard to get its load back up to speed.
	The regular 6O01 or 6X01 from Scunthorpe to Eastleigh has been a solid GBRf turn for some years but apparently a shortage of the class in the week commencing 2 June led to class 69 being put onto the service. On Monday someone managed to find 66718 + 66207 but on Tuesday 69005 worked as hoped. As far as I know this was the class's first outing on the train so a photograph seemed to be a good idea. The train sits in Dorridge UPL for around 45 minutes so the obvious place to go was the footbridge at Bentley Heath Crossing. It was running about 15 minutes late and managed to miss clear skies by about 20 seconds as it crawled up to the entrance to the loop on the other side of the bridge. I took a video as 6O01 came under the roadbridge in the background.
	Another Sunday outing this time on 1 June 2025 with an LSL move from Crewe to Southall involving class 121 single unit 121022. The DMU was being hauled by 47712 so I wanted somewhere with a decent going-away shot as, heretic that I am, the unit was more interesting to me than the class 47. The ECS was held at Small Heath to allow this service, the 10.35 Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone, 1H33, to pass and here it is arriving at the Hatton stop formed of 168218 + 168325. The front of the leading looks as if it has passed through a shower of gravel...
	The single unit class 121 121022 owned by Jeremy Hosking of Locomotive Services Limited and sometimes called his travelling cocktail bar, was moved from Crewe to Southall on Sunday 1 June 2025 prior to working some private charters from London Waterloo to Windsor Riverside during the week. Bubble cars have always been high on my favourites list so even though it was to be hauled by 47712 a shot or two had to be taken. The priority for me was a going-away shot of 121022 and Hatton station seemed the obvious choice. Despite a mostly cloudy sky the sun managed to be in a clear patch as 5Z21 came under the roadbridge under double yellow signals caused by following a London Marylebone-bound class 168. The locomotive has been reliveried from its DRS colour scheme as seen from the roadbridge at Hatton on 18 August 2008 while towing 37059 + 37423 and the recently de-branded Stobart Pullman set of coaches from Tyseley to Old Oak Common.
	This was the shot I was after at Hatton on 1 June 2025 as 47712 led 121022 past the station with the 5Z21 from Crewe to Southall. The colour scheme although non-authentic to the class really suits it and is based on, I think, the BR Western Region Carmine and Cream used from 1948 to 1964. I took a short video as 5Z21 went away, but couldn't do a panned shot as I was concentrating on my still images.
	There were two trains running fairly close together, one on the up line and the other on the down, at Bentley Heath, Dorridge on Sunday 25 May 2025. Arguably the more interesting was 5Z77 from Ribblehead to Princes Risborough ACE which was 66765 + 57310 with a proving run for Belmond's stock to be used on hyper-expensive rail cruises. This was due at 15.30 but being a Sunday I thought it best to arrive early, getting there at 15.05. Within a few minutes the barriers were lowered and 5Z77 appeared under the roadbridge in the background just as the sun cleared some quite heavy cloud. It was booked to go into the up loop but the early running meant that it had a clear run to Banbury where the class 66 ran-round ready to assist into the sidings at Princes Risborough. This locomotive was used on the back of the first passenger train with a class 69 as seen here at Moreton-in-Marsh on 5 September 2021.
	A fairly unusual freight diversion was worth a trip to Bentley Heath on Sunday 25 May 2025 in the form of 66005 working 6M45, the 09.06 from Dollands Moor Sidings to Daventry Reception. This was due here at 15.24, ahead of the GBRf-operated 5Z77 with 66765 + 57310 but was a minute or so after the ECS and running 14 minutes early and just one minute after that had passed. So close in fact that the barriers remained down but it could have down with being 10 seconds later to have had fully clear sun on the locomotive. This class 66 has had its appearance changed dramatically following the application of Maritime livery.
	A very unusual test train ran from Brush at Loughborough to Swindon in the mid-afternoon on Friday 24 May 2025. I went to Leamington Spa station arriving early in case of Bank Holiday traffic building up around the nearby M40 junction and was just in time to see a fairly infrequent runner, the Burton-on-Trent to Acton T.C., 6V00, hauled by 66179 pass through on the up main line.
	Next along at Leamington Spa on Friday 23 May 2024 was 70017 with 4M61, the 12.56 Southampton to Trafford Park Freightliner. The sun was in and out but held on nicely as the driver opened up when the signal cleared for the speed-restricted junction to the Coventry line. Not exactly an environmentally ]# exhaust but it made for a decent image.
	On-track plant has always interested me and this is a Robel Mobile Maintenance Train formed of DR97504 + DR97604 + DR97804 running from Retford to Horsham MDU Sidings pictured at Leamington Spa on 23 May 2025. These trains always run with their own headcode, in this case 6U84, no doubt determined by one of the vehicles in the formation. These sets are quite noisy, more so than many locomotives.
	My reason for being at Leamington Spa on 23 May 2025 was to photograph this, 5Q01, the 13.58 Loughborough Brush to Swindon Transfer. The attraction was the inclusion of 91117 in Europhoenix colours being taken for testing on the Great Western Main Line. The rest of the train wasn't bad; 43301, 4 Midland-liveried coaches and 43303 on the back. The light angle wasn't good for this shot but the rarity value made it worthwhile.
	I went to Leamington Spa for these shots on 23 May 2025 to ensure a recognisable backdrop for my shots of what was the very unusual appearance of a class 91. The colour scheme suits 91117 and would make a trip to the GWML worthwhile but I imagine that the test runs will be carried out overnight when there is little other traffic,
	My final shot of 5Q01 on 23 May 2025 was this as 43303 trailed the train along the up main line at Leamington Spa on the way to Swindon. Although the traffic was fine on the way here the 9 mile drive home took 50 minutes...
	A class 769 tri-mode unit converted from a class 319 was due to be taken from Eastriggs MOD to Long Marston on Tuesday 13 May 2025. I was a bit ambivalent about going for a shot because the subject of the move, the class 769, would be largely hidden between HST power cars and barrier vehicles. In the event I went to Evesham and while waiting for the on-time 5Q88 to leave Worcester found a lot of cloud building up on the otherwise sunny day but hoped that some gaps would be around at the right time. Just after the up line signal was cleared for the train I heard a strange noise from behind sounding like a road sweeping vehicle but which turned to be Stoneblower DR80211 running from Honeybourne Sidings to Westerleigh and which had completely escaped my attention despite being booked to wait for 5Q88 to pass here. It stopped well short of the signal but as 43423 + 43467 with their "Vulture Squadron" headboard approached the signalbox the signaller gave 6U21 the green light to move off. A cloud of black smoke did its best to cover the scene, but most of it blew away leaving a reasonable shot of the two trains crossing. For the record the blue 769 was 769959 and the other power cars, not really apparent here, were 43465 + 43484.
	Main line certified Western D1015 had an outing on Saturday 10 May 2025 with a run, 1Z77, from Birmingham New Street to Plymouth. It was due to leave New Street at 07.27 but actually got away 10 minutes late. On a morning with guaranteed sunshine locations on my local line were not easy so I went to the bridge almost overlooking the stone yard at Banbury. The slightly late running helped with a couple of shadows and allowed the sun to move around so that it was just brushing the front of the locomotive in its recently applied BR Blue livery with full yellow ends. Here is a shot of D1015 + 40145 shot from the same bridge on 15 May 2010 and before the green stone hoppers were built. On the back of the train was 37240 from Tyseley which was to come off the train at Bristol Temple Meads and run light engine to Plymouth.
	On sunny mornings I sometimes have a look to see what is working the morning Leeds to Southampton Freightliner and on 29 April 2025 saw that Powerhaul pair 70001 + 66416 were allocated. The best local spot for this train is the roadbridge at Hatton station and here is the pair framed by the roadside vegetation. Some trackside growth in the form of bushes between the down main and Stratford branch lines, as seen here in 2024 has finally, after several years, been removed. While waiting for 4O90 I could hear 68010 approaching from the south with the 09.02 from London Marylebone, 1R17, and hoped that they wouldn't clash in front of me. It actually worked out well for video as the 'liner cleared the station just before the passenger train appeared.
	There was another run for 37240 on Sunday 28 April 2025 when it took the stock and 7029 Clun Castle from Tyseley Steam Depot to Derby for the Shakespeare Express to Stratford-upon-Avon. As well as the ECS move it worked from Hatton to Stratford following a reversal there to put 7029 on the right end for the lunchtime run to Birmingham Snow Hill before 37240 again led back to Stratford via Henley-in-Arden. Here is the first run passing Stratford Parkway station fortunately a few minutes before a Chiltern 168 came the other way on a service to Leamington Spa. This had been delayed because of a previous late-running West Midlands train to Birmingham. I used a wide-angle to ensure that the whole train was in view with some inevitable slight distortion on either side of the shot - I used the road bridge as my marker for correct verticals. Clun Castle was on the back of the formation with driver keeping an eye on things further down the line.
	UK Railtours ran a full-day one way railtour on Saturday 26 April 2025 to get the stock in position for a tour of East Anglian freight lines the following day. The train, 1Z37, ran from Carnforth to Birmingham New Street behind 37403 from the where the ECS was taken to Kings Norton to attach 20205 + 20207 which as 1Z38 returned to New Street. From there, 37403 took the train forward to London via Hatton and Leamington Spa meeting a 15 minute delay near Grand Junction following the late cancellation of an AWS signal. With sun breaking through I initially went to the roadbridge at Hatton station to have a shot as 1Z38 slowed for a booked stop for staffing reasons. The sun went in so I moved to Dark Lane to take advantage of the sound effects for some video as 37403 accelerated away down Hatton Bank with 20205 + 20007 dead on the bnack of the stock. This wasn't 37403's first visit to the area; it operated the inpection saloon Caroline to Stratford-upon-Avon, seen here passing Wilmcote on 26 February 2020.
	The Hydroflex train converted from a class 319 unit made several runs from Long Marston to Honeybourne Sidings on Friday 11 April 2025, or at least that was what the schedule said. On a sunny day with nothing much else around I thought that a few shots as it left the Porterbrook site and leaving Honeybourne Sidings would be worth a go so went to the roadbridge by Honeybourne station for the return of the first movement. The unit came into view and as expected stopped at the Staff Hut to replace the single line token before running into the sidings for reversal. Instead, the headlights turned into tail-lights and it began to move back from whence it had come. A quick drive to the other end of the line found the gates into the site closed and nobody in sight and sure enough 799201 stopped with half of it under the roadbridge before reversing again. In retrosepct this all made sense and avoided quite a lot of faffing about both for the train crew and the signaller at Evesham would would have had to switch the points and signals all for a few extra yards of running. A small consolation for the lack of pictures was this shot of a muntjac buck which came from the line and walked up to the bridge before deciding to go back into the hedged area.
	After a disappointing morning around Long Marston things improved at lunchtime with a post on Headsup saying that orange liveried 70020 was working 4O99, the afternoon Leeds to Southampton Freightliner. Bentley Heath seemed the obvious place for a picture and not long after I arrived 177215 + 172342 came along working the 13.15 Worcester Foregate Street to Dorridge local service. The leading unit is losing some new(ish) paint from the cab roof and showing some of the green it carried when new. It is notable for being the first train to call at the new Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway station on 5 May 2013 when door and step clearance trials were carried out.
	A very welcome post on Headsup said that 70020 was currently working 4O99, the 10.54 Leeds to Southampton Freightliner. I had been waiting for it come along somewhere local as my only other shot of it was when double-heading with 70016 in November 2024. The best place without making too much effort was the footbridge at Bentley Heath and I left home as the train was approaching Washwood Heath. It ran pretty much on time and didn't take long to come along a minute or so after 173342 + 172215 had gone towards Birmingham from Dorridge. I also took some video as it worked the fully loaded train over the crossing.
	Vintage Trains' first Shakespeare Express of 2025 ran on Sunday 6 April with a couple of unusual aspects to it. First, it was due to start from Worcester Shrub Hill and second, the stock positioning move from Birmingham was hauled by 37240 with tickets being available for sale. To enable the steam locomotive to lead the northbound trips from Stratford-upon-Avon it ran via Hatton where 1T31 reversed with 37240 leading the 7 coaches and 7029 down to the terminus. This gave the chance for a rare picture of a class 37 on a passenger train on my local line and on a day with clear blue skies and the sun in the best possible place. I chose to go to the roadbridge by Parkway Station to give a recognisable backdrop and had to hope that a Chiltern class 168, due at about the same, wouldn't get in the way. The locomotive-hauled train was a bit early leaving Hatton but cleared my location with just under one minute to spare before the class 168 pulled in to the up platform. I hadn't seen 37240 since 26 March 2021 at Honeybourne when it took 2 Network Rail DVTs for storage into Long Marston.
	The annual visit to the Stratford-upon-Avon line of a weedkilling train took place during the early morning of 5 April 2025. I had assumed that as before top and tailed standard-liveried GBRf class 66s would be used but but I happened to notice that 66718 + 66747 were allocated for the trip from Kings Norton. Always one for a first at my local station I made the decision to head down for the second part of 3Q98's diagram after it had been to Leamington Spa even though the due time was around 4am. My wife said that she didn't mind me going out then so I went out only to find for the first time ever on my night-time trips that the platform lights had been turned off. The lights around the booking office on platform 1 were fortunately on so this is the only shot that was possible taken as 66718 stopped prior to reversal and return to Birmingham. The other locomotive, 66747, also in a special colour scheme, was in almost complete darkness and a frontal shot just wasn't possible so this was the only poor option available. The lights on the train itself are almost painfully bright and I could do nothing about the burnt-out highlights.
	There were some crew training runs between Kings Norton, Long Marston and Worcester using Rail Adventure Power Cars 43465 + 43484 on 3 April 2025. I don't always bother with light engine moves but back-to-back PCs look marginally more interesting and I wanted to check if the Long Marston branch at Honeybourne was free at shadows on a sunny morning. The train, 0T37, ran close to right time but seemed to have been given far too long, 18 minutes, to get from Evesham to Honeybourne North Junction so made sure to arrive in plenty of time. Some 18 minutes before the booked time the pair of power cars crossed over onto the branch from the up main line.
	One of the short-lived Orion parcels unit converted from a class 319, 319373, was taken from Crewe to Sims at Newport on 3 April 2025 prior to be scrapped. On a sunny aftrernoon I chose to go to Defford, near Pershore, where there is an identifiable background. I guess that 37800 was chosen especially for this job given that its colour scheme made a good with the unit. None of the class 319 conversions seem to be successful and I read that the other 3 units at Eastleigh earmarked for conversion into Orions have also been slated for scrapping.
	Two of the 5 car class 701 EMUs were due to be taken from Long Marston to Eastleigh on 1 April 2025 with 47739 having arrived at the storage site on the previous day. The departure time, always approximate here, was around 12.30 and when I arrived at just before midday all looked well with 47739 with its engine running coupled to the stock. The gate was opened but after 45 minutes various fitters were still getting in and out of the unit and locomotive and it didn't much thought to work out that there was a problem with either the couplings or the brakes. This has happened on more than one previous occasion with these moves but it was especially irritating on a day with perfect light just about guaranteed. I took a short piece of video as 5Q89 left but the strong wind means that it's best watched with the sound turned off.
	A huge amount of work is being carried out at Long Marston as Porterbrook prepare the site for its new role as an advanced testing facility. While waiting for 47739 I took a couple of shots showing some of the track relaying going on in the area near the roadbridge. I used a 300mm lens for this view, taken almost straight into the sun, of the work on part of the loop.
	Some 70 minutes after the booked time on 1 April 2025 and following the problem with the stock the sun's angle was less than optimal. It would have been spot at the correct time in the schedule.
	I had hoped that the shot of 47739 with 5Q89 at Long Marston on 1 April 2025 would have been with the sun min the right place for a well-lit conventional shot but the late running meant that a run to Honeybourne was going to be on the cards. A 1969 Morris Minor isn't the ideal vehicle for a quick run around windy country lanes and as I parked by the Co-Op store I could hear the train rolling down the branch. There was just time to put a long lens on my camera as 5Q89 left the Staff Hut where the single line token is kept.
	The run from the Staff Hut to the red signal protecting Honeybourne North Junction didn't take long but because of the unchecked lineside growth I had to change to a wide angle lens for even a head-on shot. The class 701s which seemed to have caused the late running are 701509 and 701512.
	Another GBRf class 69 was released from Eastleigh on Thursday 20 March 2025 when it ran light engine to Longport. A special one-off livery supposedly based on the Hawker-Siddeley (owners of Brush) prototype locomotive "Kestrel" is now carried by 69014 which is seen here passing Hatton station in a big chunk of thick cloud after a long sunny period. It has also been suggested that the livery may actually be based on one used by EMD, the supplier of the engines in class 69s, in the USA. All may become clearer when the nameplate is formally revealed and an announcement made.
	Tuesday 18 March 2025 was a completely cloudless day at least in Warwickshire and Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. The prospect of a maroon class 69 taking a pair of 5 Car class 701 units from Long Marston to Eastleigh was more than enough to tempt me out to Claydon for a shot or two and just after I arrived GWR 158765 arrived at Ashchurch station before heading south with 2T45, the 12.53 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads, running 12 minutes late. The colour scheme of the operating company looks close to black so dark is the shade of green.
	I had planned on taking 2, if not 3, shots of the Long Marston to Eastleigh train, 5Q89, on Tuesday 18 March 2025. The working was due to leave Long Marston at 12.34 but when I dropped in there at 11.55 the gate was closed and there was no sign of life or a maroon class 69 locomotive. I went to Honeybourne where again nothing was in sight so thought 5Q89 may have left early so headed towards the Gloucester main line, stopping in a lay-by to make a few calls. No-one in the usual spots had seen anything so I stayed put until a message and then RTT showed it had passed Evesham and must have been between Long Marston and Honeybourne when I looked. Off then to Claydon in beautiful light until it appeared on the Railcam maps at Norton Junction some 7 minutes late. Eleven minutes later the bright double headlights appeared passing Ashchurch station before coming up the bank to Claydon bridge with the new houses and the tower of St Nicholas' church prominent in the background.
	The Cheltenham Gold Cup on 14 March 2025 produced the usual train from London Paddington to Evesham. As last year the locomotives operating in top and tail mode were 57313 and 57601 both of which were looky quite scruffy considering the job for which they were rostered. I arrived at Honeybourne just as 1Z53 came into view in the misty background giving just enough time to take my camera out and set it for a shot.
	Passengers on the Paddington to Evesham Gold Cup special on 14 March 2025 were taken from there to the racecourse by coach with the stock reversing at Evesham West Junction for the run to Honeybourne Sidings for servicing. Worcester Yard would have been a more obvious location but Health and Safety issues precluded this and Long Marston yard was not available so the sidings it had to be. The train, now running as 5Z53, was 10 minutes late leaving Evesham and with up and down GWR services nearby it was unclear if the ECS would be held for the up train to call at Evesham or be allowed to cause it to be delayed. The empty passenger stock didn't report after reversal but 57601 soon appeared joing the Long Marston branch along which it ran until the 57313 was clear of the points and branch signal.
	I had a long lens in my bag on 14 March 2025 and thought it worthwhile to take a shot as 57313 led 5Z53 into Honeybourne Sidings albeit with the locomotive's heat haze making it look a bit fuzzy. This picture shows only too well the overgrown state of the lineside. It can't be long before some clearance will be necessary both because of sighting issues and stock brushing against the bushes.
	Locomotive Services Limited's class 37, 37401, is in yet another colour scheme, this time a Scot-Rail based livery. It worked an ECS train from Eastleigh to Crewe on Tuesday 11 March 2025 conveying a selection of LSL's stock including one from the Blue Pullman HST set. The sun was in and out during the morning and the best location in the area was likely to be Hatton North Junction where even if the sun were fully out a reasonable image would be possible. The train, 5Z47, followed a Chiltern class 168 unit but this cleared the sections from Warwick Parkway to Hatton to allow 37410 to have a good belt up the 1/110 average gradient from Warwick. My video can found here with the locomotive's sound increasing in volume as it approached. For the record, some of the previous colour schemes on 37401 were Royal Scotsman maroon in 2005, EWS red in 2005 and large logo blue in 2015.
	This used to be the best area for two-way photographs in the Hatton area but since hundreds of trees have been planted along the lineside there is just a footbridge available for shots. I hadn't been here for quite a while but with a couple of decent southbound workings on the sunnt morning of 6 March 2025 decided to have a look. First along was the late-running 00.03 Southampton to Doncaster iPort, 4E34 with 66760 working hard with its fully loaded train. Not a great location at this time of day but there were no light police around...
	There is a good service for passengers between Birmingham and London with Chiltern, mostly using 2, 3 and 4 car class 168 units. This is the 10.11 from Moor Street to Marylebone, 1H32, at Budbrook Junction on 7 March 2025 with 168325 leading 168214.
	The southbound view from the footbridge at Budbrook Junction is still perfectly good in early March but once the foliage has appeared on the nearby trees the shadows will be too intrusive. I usually keep an eye on this train, 4O90, the 06.10 Leeds to Southampton, in case one of the repainted class 70s is on the front. No luck today on 6 March but clear skies and a double header with 70002 + 66588 was good enough for me. A 35mm lens was wide enough to show the pointwork of Budbrook Junction, the start of Hatton DGL, and keep the best part of the locomotives out of most shadows. I took a short piece of video but there wasn't really enough notice of its approach.
	I may not have been able to hear the Leeds to Southampton Feightliner approaching me at Hatton on 6 March 2025 but 68013 was getting louder and louder as the 'liner went south. It was accelerating up Hatton Bank after the stop at Warwick Parkway and appeared just after the last container had disappeared. The locomotive is 68013 and the train 1R17, the 09.02 London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street.
	The service offered to those travelling between Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa is dreadful, a train every 2 hours which is summarily cancelled every time anything happens at Wembley Stadium needed extra drivers for the main line. This is 165010 forming the 10.29 from Stratford about to pass under the footbridge at Budbrook Junction on 6 March 2025.
	One of the brightest trains on the system is the Network Rail NMT. On 6 March 2025 43062 topped 43013 on a 1Z49 Derby RTC to Reading Triangle Sidings ready to work to South Devon the following day. I took this shot with an 85mm lens to bring out the woodland on Hatton Bank and to show that this shot won't be worth doing when the leaves have appeared.
	Most weeks see schedules in the system for Longsight to Long Marston trains taking Mk5A stock for storage but in recent times these have rarely run. There was an exception on Wednesday 5 March 2025 when 68019 did work and with a sunny day looming it was worth going for a shot. I hadn't managed a picture of one of these in good light since January 2024 when the class 68 and stock were topped by 37884. Today's 5Q94 was hauled by debranded and very clean 68019 which was a bonus in the lovely light.
	A Long Marston to Wimbledon Park Sidings stock movement took place on 4 March 2025 with a colourful locomotive doing the honours. Given just about guaranteed sunshine it would have been rude not to have gone out and I chose a location between Evesham and Pershore for my first shot where it was unlikely a crowd would be present. Even GWR IETs look reasonable in bright sunshine and here is 800034 working 1P28, the 11.57 Great Malvern to Paddington which on this occasion started from Worcester Foregate Street because of previous late running.
	If the stock move from Long Marston on 4 March 2025 was running to time it would have had to have waited at Honeybourne for this GWR service, the 10.53 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill to clear the line. For a change the passenger train was on time and is shown here passing Wyre Bridge in Wyre Piddle village giving some hope that 5Q91 would be too far away although these moves do not often report until passing Evesham.
	I had watched two Great Western trains pass Wyre Piddle on 5 March 2025 and hoped that 69012 with 701002 was at Evesham ready for when 800027 cleared the single track to Norton Junction. Despite the locomotive having been about 45 minutes late arriving light engine at Long Marston earlier RTT soon showed that it was away from Evesham about on time. It didn't take long for it to appear in the distance and the well-turned out 69012 in a representation of the livery once carried by Falcon passed by in some bright sunshine. I took a short video clip on my phone and the locomotive's horn can be heard at the end as it approached one of several farm crossings on this section.
	I had just arrived at Defford on 4 March 2025 when the front light of this becamse visible in the distance as it left Eckington Loop. It wasn't booked to use the loop but runnng 10 minutes meant that it was put inside to allow a CrossCountry train to pass. It was running as 6U42, the 12.55 Gloucester Horton Road to Trent Sidings but I don't have any idea about what sort of OTP it is. There was no visible number and the faded lettering on the side looks something like "Multi-Purpose Shredder" but this seems unlikely to be the case. Whatever, OTP has an interest of itd own and I usually have a shot of one when possible.
	I don't see many Great Western trains and even class 165 units can look reasonable in good light early in the year before the sun is too high. This is 165135 working 2T46, the 13.52 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads as it approached the roadbridge at Defford, a few miles south of Norton and Abbotswood Junctions on 4 March 2025.
	CrossCountry class 170s don't look bad when clean and in good light so I took this image of 170102 at Defford on 4 March 2025 while it was working the 12.07 Nottingham to Cardiff Central service, 1V09. This location was the site of Defford station and now houses a compound used to store p-way supplies for when engineering work takes place in the area.
	This was the photograph that was my primary target on 4 March 2025 with GBRf's 69012 looking terrific in a colour scheme reminiscent of the livery carried by Falcon, the prototype diesel locomotive. The train is 5Q91 from Long Marston to Wimbledon Park Sidings taking 701002 out of storage and hopefully into service befoe too long. As is sometimes the case with these stock moves the run-round procedure at Worcester didn't go smoothly and my assumption is that there was an issue with brakes on the unit that led to the 45 minute delay in its departure. Fortunately it did run unlike on at least one previous occasion when it was cancelled until the following day.
	A rare charter train visited the Long Marston branch on Saturday 22 February 2025 after Network Rail refused to allow the tour to cover the line to Round Oak and offered this alternative. The train was UK Railtours' 1Z58 07:01 Paddington to Long Marston 'Shakespearean Sonnet' which was also to visit Stratford-upon-Avon, the Kineton MOD branch and the Chiltern Line. The weather was, naturally enough, dull, gloomy and misty in the extreme but it was worth recording an actual passenger train here rather than the usual and increasingly repetitive ECS moves. There should have 4 class 20s but 20118 wasn't ready in time and this allowed the noisiest approach to Long Marston I have ever heard as 20142 hauled the 9 coaches and the other class 20s, 20007 + 20225, away from the 5mph speed restriction in the background. The train's ultimate destination of Stratford is about 7 miles away and had the GWR line still been in place the journey would have taken about 10 minutes but as things stand it took 3 hours and 40 minutes to run via Worcester and Birmingham.
	Long Marston yard wasn't on the itinerary for 1Z58 on 22 February 2025 and it ran only to the Network Rail limit. This picture shows one of the oldest types of stock (20142 was built in 1966) and still going strong in front of a new class 701 EMU waiting to be accepted into traffic.
	There was more than enough time on 22 February 2025 to find somewhere for a shot on North Cotswold Line and I had 2 places in mind, one if the sun came out and the other if it stayed dull. The weather forecast was accurate and during the drive towards Evesham the clouds began to clear so I went to a bridge on the Offenham Road. I wanted to avoid the usual photographic locations and this spot, the site of Aldington station, offered the chance to see the attractive BR blue & grey stock as 1Z60, the Long Marston to Stratford-upon-Avon, passed the park homes in Sidings Lane.
	After having returned home on 22 February 2025 I turned out again to take another shot of 1Z60, this time on the North Warwickshire Line. Class 20s have run along quite a few times in recent years, mostly substituting for steam locomotives on the Shakespeare Express and on one notable occasion on a private charter for invited guests with 20189 working solo with 7 coaches and 47773 dead in train. The Shakespearean Sonnet looked set for really good light at Edstone but as 20205 and 20007 became audible passing Wootton Wawen a damn great cloud blew across the sun and stayed there until the train had passed the four photographers. There was just room in this going-away shot to show all 3 locomotives as they approached Bearley Junction.
	Home for lunch after the disappointment at Edstone on 22 February 2025 but I felt almost obliged to walk down to Stratford station for a record shot of what was now 1Z62 in platform 1. The tour had originally been advertised as running with 14 coaches and 4 locomotives presumably to relect that each stanza of a sonnet has 14 lines. It struck me that this might have been too long a formation for Stratford station as even with 9 + 3 the rear locomotives were well beyond the roadbridge and almost over the locomotive release crossover. Here anyway is a heavily backlit view of 20142 preparing to leave at the head of 1Z62 to Kineton. The LT colour, nameplate, and Inter-City logo are better seen here.
	The departure time for 1Z62 from Stratford-upon-Avon to Kineton on 22 February 2025 was 15.55 and it was hard to think of anywhere between Stratford and Leamington Spa where a worthwhile shot was possible. My plan was therefore to go to the Parkway station and just take some video of what would undoubtably be a noisy affair as 20142 banked by 20007 + 20205 started to climb the 1/75 of Wilmcote Bank. After setting up my phone on a bendy mini-tripod wrapped around a station lamp I thought a still image was worth a go too. In the event this was all I managed through accidentally pressing the remote Bluetooth control and stopping my film just before the train appeared. And yes, it was very noisy.
	The third off-lease class 458 was taken for storage from Wimbledon Park Sidings to Long Marston on 18 February 2025. The barrier wagons ran to Wimbledon from Derby RTC during the previous morning topped and tailed with 37510 and 376901 which then worked 7Q99 on Tuesday with 458532The. It was a sunny morning which isn't an easy prospect for a picture at around 10.00 but a bit of late running helped with lifting most of the shadows as the train approached the roadbridge at its journey's end. There was still a lot of early mist around which was accentuated by the backlighting. The land just beyond the bridge has recently seen some work to stabilise the ground following a landslip last year.