Class 47/4 to 47/9

• 47469 stands at Edinburgh Waverley with a parcels train in September 1986. I've got no proper details for this shot, but did manage to identify the loco from its name, "Glasgow Chamber of Commerce", which is just legible on the original scan.
• 47555 heads the 14:12 Plymouth - Manchester as it approaches Selly Oak on Sunday 7th August 1988. Just south of Selly Oak the line kinks as it crosses the Worcs & Birmingham Canal, and the driver applied a brief burst of power once the train was clear of this bend - hence the clag. This picture was taken at 18:40, and as the train was booked to arrive New St at 18:36 it was running about 15 late. White feathers on the nearside buffer and EH cable suggest a recent collision with a bird.
• This is 47602 passing Bescot with a southbound cross-country service at 12:05 on Sunday 12th February 1989. I didn't record which train this was, but it would have been diverted off the Stour Valley route. Both this and the shot of 47555 above were taken in the change-over period from blue and grey to the sector liveries. Mixed-up rakes of coaching stock like this were quite common at the time, which would have been OK by me, if the Inter-City liveries hadn't been so terrible. Shouldn't complain though, at least they're not Voyagers.
• 47703 climbs away from Walsall with a 5Z31 Oxley - Chaddesden ECS on Friday 30th June 2006. I was doubly lucky to get this shot because despite the weather forecast there was a lot of cloud around at breakfast time. I had to drag myself out of bed to cover what should have been a 5Z30 Oxley - Norwich ECS. My first piece of good fortune was to have missed a message advising that 5Z30 had been cancelled, because with the cloud cover building I'd have probably given up and gone home if I had seen it. In the event 5Z30 was replaced by 5Z31, diverted to Derby so that a second loco could be attached. 5Z31 came past me at 09:26, running about 15 minutes late on the original path, and in a very lucky patch of sun (there was 95% could coverage).
• 47703 leads a 1Z32 North Walsham - Holyhead (NENTA) charter through Llanfairfechan at 12:46 on Saturday 7th October 2006. A combination of this train, the first Saturday working of the North Wales RHTT, and a very promising weather forecast enticed me to visit North Wales for the first time this year. It wasn't a very successful expedition with the RHTT eluding me completely, and the weather being worse than I expected. 1Z32 ran to time, and although there was far more sun than the sky in this shot suggests I was very lucky to get it in the light. There was no sun when 47703 rounded the bend, and none after the rear loco had passed.
• 47709 passes Hamstead with a 5Z45 Norwich - Oxley ECS. This shot was taken at 14:25 on Monday 10th April 2006, with the train running about 40 minutes late. The loco and first couple of coaches are only half-lit, but I was lucky to get any sun on a day when there was far more cloud than had been forecast.
• On the morning of Friday 3rd October 2008 47727 worked a 5Z47 Oxley - Long Marston special, and the same afternoon it did a 6Z47 Long Marston - Stoke Gifford. The latter train is seen passing Croome Perry at 15:24, with four Freightliner coal hoppers in tow.
• Only a week remained for the EWS 47s on North Wales passenger trains when this shot was taken at 13:47 on Wednesday 24th March 2004. 47732 is recessed at Chester with the 5D45 ECS from Crewe. The traincrew have just arrived and in a few minutes it will turn using the triangle at the west end of Chester station, before departing at 15:20 for Manchester where it will form the 17:19 Holyhead service.
• 47739 and 47727 provide the power for the 6Z48 Burton - Dollands Moor empty steel train, running for the second time on Thursday 19th March 2009. It was pretty much bang on time when it passed Bentley Heath at 14:42.
• The other EWS 47 out and about on Wednesday 24th March 2004 was 47750. It's seen here departing from Chester with 1K67 12:45 Holyhead - Crewe. Photographed at 14:30 it departed from Chester four minutes late. The sky really was that black, shame nothing was arriving from the east.
• Recently re-painted 47757 trundles down the slow line at Burton-on-Trent. The time is 10:33 on Wednesday 19th March 2003, and the train is 6G78 Toton - Bescot. This service often loaded lightly, but not on this occasion. The loco off this train worked a parcels duty later in the day, departing light engine from Bescot to New St at about 16:00. Hence the use of a Class 47.
• 47760 heads a 5Z64 Leicester - Southall ECS past Saltley Viaduct at 10:35 on Sunday 5th April 2009. This was half the stock of a Leicester - Scarborough charter which ran the previous day.
• 47790 worked a 6Z50 York - Reading special on Wednesday 14th November. This conveyed two RHTT wagons, and was routed via Stockport, Stafford and Coventry. It was 18 minutes early when photographed approaching Bescot at 12:22, which was a bit annoying as the cloud was only 10 minutes from clearing the sun. A 6Z51 return working was scheduled for Thursday 15th.
• On Friday 28th September 2007 DRS ran a Carlisle - Euston special, with the return train running on Saturday 29th. This meant that 1Z32 Euston - Carlisle would have to run via the Grand Junction because the Trent Valley was shut for engineering. It's seen here passing Bescot four minutes late at 16:16. 47501 was attached to the rear of this train, which the headboard suggests was a jolly for the Eddie Stobart company, one of DRS's more prominent customers. The mauve flowers in the bottom right of the frame are Sweet Peas using the horrible metal fence as a climbing frame.
• Saturday 28th April 2007, and a return 1Z83 York - Tonbridge charter was originally booked to run via the Midland route via Leicester and Bedford. In the event it was diverted via Birmingham and Oxford, apparently due to the driver not signing the original route. Due past Tamworth at 17:48 it was running a little late when it passed Wichnor Jct at 18:17. 47805 was the train engine, with 47839 on the rear. Thanks to GM for the re-routing info.
• 47805 approaches Bescot with an additional 1A84 Warrington - Willesden mail on Saturday 29th December 2007. This train and a corresponding northbound working had run on the previous couple of days, routed via Oxford because of engineering work in the Rugby area. 47805 had done the honours on the previous workings and duly produced on Saturday 29th, this time towing 325008 and 325011. The train was held for 45 minutes at Stafford, apparently awaiting a crew change at Wolverhampton. Thanks to Pete T for the heads-up and Ron K for explaining the delay.
• 47810 powers through Llanfairfechan with 1D87 Euston - Holyhead. This shot was taken at 12:13 on Wednesday 8th September 2004. I was really out for 47839 on the Arriva diagram, but this shot was the best of the four I took on this day. In the event I was lucky to get this as a late start from home, coupled with three set of roadworks on the A55, meant that I arrived at Llanfairfechan with only a minute to spare before 839 came by at 12:01.
• 47815 passes Alrewas LC with a 1Z49 Birmingham International - Scarborough charter. This shot was taken at 09:03 on Saturday 25th March 2006. I'd originally intended to go to Burton for this train and the 50s on the Cardiff - Redmire, but changed my mind en route due to the weather. There was plenty of sun around Lichfield, but a lot of cloud further north. With the wind blowing from the south it looked like it would definitely clear around Burton, but perhaps not in time. So I elected to sacrifice a shot of the 50s for a better chance of the green 47 in good light - a decision I was happy with in retrospect. The headboards on this train read "North Birmingham G & T Express" (centre), and "GWOT on tour" (over the buffer). And sure enough that's the man himself at the first droplight. Note for anyone thinking of replicating a shot from this spot: a large mobile phone mast has been cloned out of the background.
• 47815 passes Portway at 14:53 on Tuesday 18th September 2007. The train is a 5Z91 Derby - Laira special, conveying refurbished HST trailers from Litchurch Lane, and running nearly two hours late.
• This was intended to be a picture of 57006, and was taken on Thursday 8th May 2008. Unbeknown to me 47818 had been added to the 6Z72 Stockton - Cardiff scrap train at Derby, something that I only learned about on arrival at Spetchley footbridge. There was some concern amongst the gallery of four about the cloud drifting around to the south and west, but none of us gave much thought to the brisk warm wind blowing from the east. At least not until the train passed us at 17:45. The light was fine when the train appeared, but the signal to the south changed from yellow to green just as it got into range. Normally the black plume of smoke that erupted from 47818 would have been very welcome, at least for photographic purposes. But on this day it blew straight in front of the train, obscuring quite a bit of it. As a result I've had to clone out a little of the clag from the rear end of 47818. It's only supposed to be steam photters who have to worry about the wind direction.
• 47826 slows on the approach to Stenson Jct with 5Z74, a 10:37 Derby - Carnforth ECS. This picture was taken at 10:38 so the train was running a few minutes early.
• 47830 passes Penmaenmawr with 1D87 Euston - Holyhead on Friday 24th September 2004. The time was 12:28 so the train was running about 15 mins late. This was the penultimate day of Class 47 haulage on the London - Holyhead trains, with 47826 on 1A49 (09:20 Holyhead) and 47830 on 1D87/1A77. Cloud on the coast compromised my choice of locations on this occasion. There was significant cloud to the east and to the west, but Conwy Bay was mostly clear and both the lunchtime westbound loco-hauleds were sunlit at Penmaenmawr.
• 47839 departs from Rhyl with 1D65, the 10:17 Crewe - Holyhead. This shot was taken at 11:13 on Saturday 9th October 2004. My luck was definitely in on this day, but this picture demonstrates the fine line between success and failure in weather like this. The train is racing a cloud and Rhyl station, visible under the bridge, is already in shade. Before the loco reaches the footbridge on which I'm standing the bridge behind the train will be in shade too. All of us on the footbridge got the shot in the sun, but it was a mighty close call.
• 47839 accelerates away from Llandudno Jct with 1K67 12:41 Holyhead - Crewe on Saturday 9th October 2004. This is the return working of the previous shot. The train had been strengthened to six carriages from the normal four on this occasion. It was bang on time here, this picture was taken at 13:37. I chose Llandudno Jct because the sun would still be on the nose, but when I arrived the chances of any sort of light looked pretty low. In the event quite a large hole appeared in the cloud about 20 minutes before the train was due, and it held out. Better still platform 1 was unavailable for trains from Bangor so 47839 came out of platform 2, which is a better shot since the lollipop speed restriction signs appeared here. This was the last of my four shots on a day when everything went pretty much as planned, and the sun played a blinder.
• A Paddington - Llandudno "Merrymaker" trip ran on Saturday 7th April 2007, and the outward train ran via the slightly novel route of High Wycombe, Banbury, Washwood Heath, Sutton Park, Shrewsbury, Wrexham and Chester (reverse). Some sort of problem at the outset saw the train reversed, putting 47839 at the front and losing 20 minutes on the schedule. This shot shows the train passing Washwood Heath at 09:56. I was rather fortunate because when I arrived at about 09:10 there were men working on the track near the fast-to-slow connection. Their presence would have added to the photo, but their two white vans parked to the left of the tracks certainly wouldn't have. In they event they finished their job at around 09:50, and after a few minutes getting their stuff together they drove off at about 09:54. Impeccable timing I thought.
• 47840 coasts towards Stoke Works Jct with a 5Z47 Derby - Laira ECS move conveying refurbished HST trailers for First Great Western. This train was running about 50 minutes late when photographed at 12:30 on Tuesday 6th March 2007.
• The sun punches through the cloud just enough to create faint shadows as 47843 rounds the curve at Bayston Hill while working 1Z48, the 08.27 Manchester - Cardiff. 47839 is trailing on the rear, when I would have much preferred it on the front. This picture was taken at 10.16 on Saturday 3rd September 2005, and Z48 was one of several additional trains running in connection with the Wales versus England World Cup qualifying game at the Millennium Stadium (England won 1-0). It's the lot of a railway photographer to be in a state of persistent annoyance with weather forecasters, but I was especially narked on this occasion. A glorious Saturday had been promised for most of the week, and indeed Friday 2nd was lovely in the West Midlands. But Saturday dawned under cloud rather than the early mist that had been forecast, and it was well into the afternoon before some milky sunshine belatedly appeared. Lovely elsewhere apparently.
• A 5Z72 Crewe - Eastleigh ECS was scheduled to run on Thursday 19th March 2009. The consist turned out to be 47843, 47853, four coaches and 47769 trailing at the rear, and it was the best part of an hour late by the time it reached Aldridge at 11:08. This photo is taken from Middlemore Lane West, which is an awkward spot. The road bridge here is a single lane, and deceptively busy as it leads to an industrial estate. A separate bridge runs alongside for pedestrians, but it's on the wrong side for this shot. You feel like you're in the way, particularly when lorries pass by, and in reality you are. The only real redeeming feature is that the landslip which occurred here in 2008 has eliminated the vegetation to the south side of the line, providing a rare clear spot in the tree line.
• 47847 accelerates away from a brief signal stop on the up main at Bescot. This shot was taken on Wednesday 21st February 2007, and the train is a 5Z47 09:00 Crewe - Kineton ECS conveying Mark 2 carriages for storage at the MOD depot. This train ran via Shrewsbury because that made for an easier exit from Crewe, and as a result it wasn't due at Bescot until 11:48. It turned up exactly on time, just as a five minute break in the cloud was about to end. Unfortunately the 47 was checked in favour of the slightly late-running 11:42 Walsall - New St, and with the light about to go the loco wasn't fully lit as it passed me. A little work in Photoshop was required to brighten the foreground, and the result is better than I anticipated at the time. Thanks to GWOT for the gen on this train.
• 47847 again, this time double-heading with 47815 as they climb the Lickey incline with a 1Z30 Minehead - York charter. This shot was taken at 10:14 on Saturday 28th April 2007.
• Taken on the same day as the previous shot, 47851 heads past Bromsgrove with 1Z79 Skipton - Bath. This train was reported 15 late in the Wakefield area, but passed Bromsgrove at 10:57 against a booked time of 11:05. 47245 was on the rear of this one.
• An earlier shot of 47851, departing from Rhyl with 1D87 Euston - Holyhead at 11:51 on Saturday 21st August 2004. This train was running about 10 mins late, although this was a trivial delay compared with other loco-hauled services on this day (see below). The two-tone green is probably my favourite of all current loco-liveries. The complementary green hues are particularly attractive, and both they and even the yellow on the front follows the natural contours of the locomotive.
• On Saturday 15th Septemebr 2007 47851 worked a 1Z22 Wakefield - Salisbury charter, with 57601 trailing at the back. It was a few minutes early through Willington, where this shot was taken at 10:50. I misjudged the position of the sun for this one, expecting it to be on the nose by 11:00 when, at this time of year, 11:20-11:30 is more realistic.
• Also out on Saturday 21st August 2004 was 47853 on the revived ATW hire. With insufficient Class 175 units being available again a short-term loco-hauled diagram was re-instated on the previous Monday. The weekday diagram was two Holyhead - Manchester return trips, but on Saturday it was two trips from Holyhead to Crewe. On this first Saturday the 08:54 off Holyhead was 45 down leaving Rhyl (this pic), and running behind 47816 on the 09:20 Holyhead - Euston which was itself about 10 late. It got worse. The return 11:30 from Crewe was nearly 60 down at Rhyl, and the afternoon train was replaced by a unit.
• 47853 leads 1D37, the 10.00 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead, past Penmaenmawr at 12.09 on Friday 24th September 2004. Incredibly this diagram reverted to loco-haulage again in December 2005, albeit with 57/3s rather than 47s as the traction.
• England were playing Wales at Old Trafford on Saturday 9th October 2004, and a number of football extras were run as a consequence. Most came from South Wales, but a 1Z47 09:33 Holyhead - Manchester Piccadilly also ran. It's seen here heading through Towyn at 10:36, near enough on time, and formed of 47853 plus six Mark 2 carriages. There's a lot of cloud in the background over Colwyn Bay and beyond, but Rhyl and Abergele were brighter and there was more blue sky than might be imagined from looking at this photo.
• 47971 was acting as a standby engine when photographed at Duddeston on the morning of Saturday 30th March 1991. As far as I can recall engineering work was taking place at Proof House Jct, reducing the capacity of the busy lines at the east end of Birmingham New St. 47971 was apparently provided to effect a quick rescue to any train that embarrassed itself in the vicinity. My notes tell me that it was also present on Friday 29th, but not whether it was needed. The loco is standing alongside Duddeston Wagon Works, still in use at that time. Duddeston stabling point once stood on the other side of the bridge, accessed via the line on which the 47 is standing.