Classes 24-27

• 24006 was withdrawn from traffic in August 1975, around the same time as many of its classmates. However it escaped the cutter's torch for a year or two longer than the others, surviving until late 1980. The reason for its extended life was its use in re-railing exercises at Eastfield, where it spent its last years parked in this spot at the north end of the depot. This picture was taken in May 1979, probably Wednesday 30th, by which time it was looking a little the worse for wear.
• 24081 passes Hailes with the 09:00 Winchcombe - Toddington ECS. This was the first train of the day on Saturday 9th April 2005, and the time is 09:05. I'd arrived with a matter of seconds to spare, and the distant splutter of the loco coming up the hill gave me just enough time to react. Even with this warning it was effectively a grab shot, nearly a stop overexposed, and not from the spot I'd otherwise have chosen. If only all my grab shots came out this well.
• 24081 is seen near Hailes once again, this time with the 09:55 Winchcombe - Toddington freight train. This picture was taken at 10:11 on Saturday 9th April 2005, so the train was running about 10 minutes late. For anyone who's ever taken photographs of British freight trains the minor delay brought a touch of authentic angst to the proceedings. Were they going to run it? There was a passenger train due off Winchcombe at 10.05. Would the sun be completely off the front if it ran much later? Would the clouds streaming southwards spoil the light? Well they did run it, the sun was still out, and very nice it looked too. This was only my second visit to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, but I'm already getting fond of the place. Much of this has to do with the presence of four diesels in BR blue: 24081, 37215, 37324 and 47105. And I'm especially keen on smaller engines like the 24.
• 24081 and D9539 run-round the stock of the 11:30 Toddington - Cheltenham, ready to form the 12:20 return working. This shot was taken at 12:13 on Saturday 9th April 2005. On the left is the then new Cheltenham Racecourse signalbox. It wasn't in use at this time, and there was only one-train working south of Winchcombe. A similar box has been constructed at Gotherington, half-way between Cheltenham and Winchcombe, so eventually it will be possible to run a much more frequent service on the southern section of the line.
• 24081 was out again at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway autumn 2005 diesel gala. Amongst the trains it worked was the 11.30 Toddington - Cheltenham on Saturday 24th September which is seen here passing Gotherington at 12.06 - about 15 minutes late. A lovely spot, gorgeous light, and a fabulous engine - what more could you want. Even the minor late-running worked to my advantage here, putting a little more light on the nose of the loco. Also available as a wallpaper.
• The same day as the previous shot, and 24081 was running late with the return service, the 12.20 Cheltenham - Toddington. Despite this it arrived at Winchcombe while the even later-running 12.25 shuttle to Toddington was still in platform 1. This prevented me from taking my intended shot of 24081 running into the platform - but once the shuttle had gone there was plenty of time to take a platform-end shot, and then amble across the bridge to ride behind the 24 to Toddington. The trouble with this shot is the water column on platform 2, which grows out of the leading cab of locos standing here. I've removed it in the post-processing, as it's rather distracting.
• 24081 arrives at Winchcombe with the 14:22 goods train from Toddington. This shot was taken at 14:46 on Saturday 1st April 2006.
• 25001 stands on Dundee depot in this shot which was taken on Wednesday 30th May 1979. Thanks to Jeff B for supplying the exact date.
• The Great Central Railway held a "Mail by Rail" weekend on Saturday and Sunday 28th and 29th July 2007. This involved the running of passenger, mail and freight trains, hauled by a mix of steam and diesel locos. This shot shows D5185 and D5401 clagging like good 'uns as they climb past Woodthorpe with the 16:10 Loughborough - Rothley. It was taken at 16:21 on Saturday 28th.
• This picture was taken in the spring of 1983 and shows 25080 towing 86210 off the depot at Bescot, and back under the wires. Although it was never really associated with the maintenance of electric locos Bescot TMD did do small jobs, like changing the heads on pantographs. It wasn't uncommon to see new heads arrive by passenger train, with a fitter from the depot collecting one from the guard of a Walsall-bound local.
• This is a picture that reminds me why I spent so many hours watching trains in the 1970s and early 1980s (which is when this photo was taken). A pleasant summer evening, friends to chat with, and the chance of this sort of train turning up without any forewarning. Everyone on the platform at Bescot, including the young lady in the foreground, is a railway enthusiast. I no longer have the date, nor any of the loco numbers, but I can recall that some or all of the withdrawn 08s were from Springs Branch, and they were all off to Swindon Works to be broken up. The 25 ran-round them and they departed fairly promptly via Bescot Curve and Dudley.
• 25299 is parked at Bescot in this shot from summer 1980. This was one of the earlier withdrawals for a late-build Class 25 - lasting only until October 1981.
• 26008 stands at Dingwall in this shot which was taken in autumn 1986. I only have sketchy memories of this day, the 26 was standing at this spot, engine running, in the brief period that I was at Dingwall changing trains. As it didn't move there was no way to get a picture without the unfortunate shadow on the loco. Somewhere in the loft I think I still have the HA sticker which I peeled off 26008 while going round Haymarket depot on one of my first visits to Scotland in 1974. In those days depot stickers carried only the shedcode, and not the name.
• I spent the week of Sunday 31st August to Saturday 6th September 1986 on a Scottish railrover. Fortunately this co-incided with a DMU shortage which meant that many of the Fife local trains were loco-hauled (by a mixture of Class 26s and 27s). With the Dundee circuit also loco-hauled this provided a "feast" of Type 2 haulage through Fife. I no longer have all the details for the shots I took that week, so these are captioned from memory. This Kirkcaldy - Edinburgh train is arriving at Aberdour and is hauled by 26010.
• This is also Aberdour with 26011 drawing up with an Edinburgh - Kirkcaldy service on the morning of Saturday 6th September. I vaguely remember the day that I had to return home being the sunniest of the week, and I spent the morning in Fife before getting the lunchtime train from Edinburgh to Birmingham.
• 26036 was just one of the many exhibits at the 1990 Bescot Open Day, and (unsurprisingly) is the only Class 26 I've ever seen there in thirty-plus years of regular visits. Sunday 5th May was graced by glorious weather, for what was a brilliantly organised event encompassing all of the yards on the up side plus the depot itself. The full list of exhibits: 08466 08601 08603 08920 08928 20108+20215 D5054/24054 D7672/25322 26036 D5410/27059 31110 31145 31160 31409 31423 31568 33207 D7076 37906 D100/45060 47238 47333 47474 47566 47901 50019 50020 D1013 D9016/55016 56062 58004 58015 58042 59005 73004 85008 85110 86243 90038 and 91013. And there were a bunch of DMUs too. Quite a list, covering virtually every class in traffic at the time and several long gone.
• 26037 is stabled near the fuelling road at Inverness depot on Tuesday 29th May 1979. Doubtless from the same trip as the shot of 25001 above. The loco visible in the background is 26045. It wasn't well, the roof panels had been removed and there were components dumped on the roof itself. Thanks to Jeff B for supplying the exact date. 
• I'm fairly sure that the loco here is 26046. The location is Kirkcaldy and the date is some time during the week Monday 1st to Friday 5th September 1986. The loco is bring its train from the sidings on the down side into the up platform where it will form a local service to Edinburgh. A turnover loco was used for these trains, the incoming service from Edinburgh would run into the down side loop (or was it a siding?) and another loco would drop on the back and work the return train. The incoming loco would then stable in the sidings behind the down platform before dropping on the back of the next service.
• Another shot from, I think, the morning of Saturday 6th September 1986 (see 26011 above). This is definitely 26046, seen at Burntisland with a Kirkcaldy - Edinburgh local. The original slide is rather badly framed, and has been significantly cropped and rotated here. Probably caused by tiredness on my part, the previous night having been an overnight at Carlisle if I remember correctly. That's my excuse anyway.
• Burntisland again, this time with 27049 on a Dundee - Edinburgh train. Note that two of the four bodyside windows on this loco have been plated over. The line branching off in the foreground led to the harbour.
• 27050 runs into the island platform at Leuchars with a Dundee - Edinburgh local train. This shot was taken during the first week of September 1986. I rather suspect I'd have made a leap for this train after photographing its arrival at Leuchars. The tanks in the siding probably convey aviation fuel for the nearby airbase.
• 27053 makes a brisk departure from Kirkcaldy with what I think is a Dundee train (rather than an Edinburgh - Kirkcaldy stopper). This picture was taken in early September 1986, at which point the loco was less than a year away from withdrawal. It was taken out of traffic in May 1987, and subsequently broken up by Vic Berry in Leicester.
• D5401 and D5185 double-head the Great Central Railway's mineral wagon set through Woodthorpe at 17:20 on Saturday 28th July 2007.
• The Great Central were holding a diesel weekend on Saturday 15th September 2007. Out that afternoon were D5401, D6535, D1705 and D8098 (D5185 had failed and its turn was covered by the Crompton). This shot shows D5401 arriving at Rothley with the 15:50 from Loughborough. The erstwhile 27056 was a long-term visitor to the GCR in 2007, looking and sounding rather splendid on the couple of occasions that I saw it.
• I'm fairly sure the loco here is 27066, seen leaving Stirling with the Menstrie - Mossend Speedlink in early September 1986. The small yellow tanks conveyed molasses. Twenty years later I can't remember much about this particular afternoon, but I think I was waiting for a train north. The 27 was shunting near the station, and I had time for a walk to the first overbridge to the south which enabled me to get this shot. The only other thing I remember about this occasion was that I bought the NME from the station bookstall, which could mean this was Wednesday 3rd September (the NME came out on a Wednesday if I recall correctly). It's odd, the little details that you can remember after such an interval.