John Patston's Railway Gallery

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22/11/2007Pictures of both of the "Silverlink Swansong" railtours in November 2007 section

Gallery Stats

Hits (today):	19
Hits (this week):	195
Hits (this month):	812
Hits (this year):	15131
Hits (all-time):	389431
Collections:	167

Top Photo

A scene soon to be a distant memory. Two Virgin West Coast DVT's pass each other at the north end of Central Milton Keynes station
(25 hits)
Milton Keynes up to May 2004

Recent Changes

2008-03-01 12:18:03: 1 image added to March 2008
2008-03-01 08:55:00: Added new collection March 2008 (2 images)
2008-01-09 19:31:23: Added new collection January 2008 selected (1 image)
2008-01-09 19:29:59: Added new collection January 2008 (15 images)
2008-01-09 19:24:02: 7 images added to December 2007

Welcome

You are most welcome to my gallery. All the pictures here are railway, the prime subjects being

■The West Coast main line (WCML) in the area local to my home in Leighton Buzzard,

■The South Central area around Brighton and Eastbourne.

■The Midland Main line (MML)

and

■The southern part of the East Coast Main Line.

During 2003 and 2004 my main subject matter was the West Coast main line which was then in the throes of a major re-equipment project. Sadly once 2005 came round this was virtually complete with nearly all locomotive hauled passenger services being in the hands of class 390 pendolino units. No longer do we see any HST's or Virgin class 86, or 87 's regularly tramping up and down the tracks, the only locomotove hauled services are the irregular use of a couple of EWS class 90's and ex VT MkIII sets to fill in for pendolinos undergoing maintenance. I have however included some of the shots I took during their final days of all these classes running through Ledburn, Linslade and Leighton Buzzard

A lot of the pictures in the gallery are taken at Ledburn Junction to the south of Leighton Buzzard and Old Linslade to the north of Leighton Buzzard. However quite a few are also take beside the bridge where the West Coast Main Line (WCML) dives under the Leighton Buzzard by-pass road.

An extremely good summary of photographic locations around Leghton Buzzard exists on Nick Ross's "Leighton Logs" site.

The equipment used to take these photograph prior to January 2004 was an Olympus 5050z. During the first week of 2004 I purchased a new Canon 10d digital SLR which has subsequently been joined by a Canon 400d, with these I use Canon 50mm, 85mm and 28-90 lenses together with Sigma 18-50 and 70-300m lenses.

I have chosen to organise the gallery by geographic location rather than by date or by class as I see this gallery as an ongoing project to document the railway subjects that interest me. It's also worth pointing out that now the site is starting to contain a significant number of photographs I have started sub-dividing some of the subjects into collections grouped by a time period, these collections have the time period covered incorporated in their title.

I would like to take this opportunity of thanking my many friends who help with information, "gen" and advice, among the many (in no particular order) there is Marcus Dawson of Trainspots, Richard Tearle, Nick Ross of Leighton Logs (an invaluable source of local knowledge) and many others who know who they are but there is not room to list them all.

Top Photographs This Month

1	CRW_2067a.jpg	A scene soon to be a distant memory. Two Virgin West Coast DVT's pass each other at the north end of Central Milton Keynes station	Milton Keynes up to May 2004	(25)
2	IMG_6090.jpg	At Ledburn on Saturday 1st March 2008 66578 inches past the obstruction operating under emergency regulations and passing red signals in order to clear line of waiting trains	March 2008	(17)
3	IMG_6103.jpg	Another container which apparently came off the overnight Fastline Grain to Doncaster train. This one just north of Cheddington is fouling the OLE.	March 2008	(14)
4	CRW_3984-01.jpg	87002 returns to WCML front line duties for the first time since its heavy repairs were completed, leading 87006 on the 1G21 Euston to Birmingham New Street service on Tuesday 10th October 2006	Carpenders Park	(14)
5	CRW_9252b.jpg	The tours headboard sits on Shenfield staion while being transferred from 86235 to 86246	The Farewell 86 tour organised by ONE Anglia 30th October 2004	(13)
6	IMG_6086.jpg	Container lying across up and down slow tracks of WCML at Ledburn on Saturday March 1st 2008. The previous night had been very windy and the container probably blew off a passing overnight freight.	March 2008	(11)
7	CRW_7030a.jpg	On Sunday 16th May 2004 a pair of SWT class 170 units on a Brighton to Reading service races through Angmering station in Sussex	Southern - Coastway West Worthing, Littlehampton, Chichester	(8)
8	CRW_0248-03.jpg	377441 departing Lancing station with an Angmering to Brighton service on Sunday 14th May 2006	Southern Coastway West 2006	(5)
9	IMG_3782.jpg	377407 forming a Brighton to Angmering service is passed in Lancing station by 377413 with 377404 behind forming an Angmering to London Victoria service on Sunday 6th January 2008	January 2008	(5)
10	CRW_0475a.jpg	90020 in charge of the 17.40 Euston to birmingham New Street passing Carpenders Park on Wednesday 6th July 2005 the LHCS again deputising for deficiencies in the class 390 fleet	Carpenders Park	(5)
11	CRW_7438-01.jpg	Self powered track plant machine DR73837 heads south through Horley returning to its base at Three Bridges on Sunday 5th November 2006	Horley	(4)
12	CRW_6648-01.jpg	377475 sits in the stabling sidings at Eastbourne on Monday 2nd January 2006 displaying some of the “unofficial decoration” it has received.	Eastbourne	(4)
13	CRW_5063-01.jpg	87002 leads the 1G21 Euston to Birmingham New Street through Carpenders Park on Tuesday 17th October 2006	Carpenders Park	(4)
14	CRW_4267-01.jpg	87002 races across the A5 road bridge at Redmoor wih the 1G21 Euston to Birmingham New Street service on Thursday 12th October 2006	Bletchley	(4)
15	P9278094a.JPG	"Celebrity" class 86 no. 86233 "Alsthom Heritage" approaches Leighton Buzzard staion during the afternoon of Saturday 27th September 2003 with a northbound express. This was the last weekend of class 86 operations on the West Coast mainline, this journey being the penultimate northbound journey for any member of the class	Leighton Buzzard Station and by-pass	(4)
16	CRW_0929-01a.jpg	90017 pushes a Birmingham New Street to euston express south through Ledburn on Saturday 22nd October 2005	Ledburn July to December 2005	(4)
17	CRW_7492-01.jpg	377151 with a Brighton to Eastbourne service on Sunday 15th January 2006 seen having just crossed Beddingham level crossing on the A27	Sussex Coastway East services between Lewes and Hastings	(3)
18	CRW_1952-01.jpg	390047 Heavens Angels races south through Carpenders Park during its record breaking non-stop run from Glasgow to London on Friday 22nd September 2006. The start to stop time for the journey was 3hrs 55mins 27secs an average of 102.5 mph, the fastest ever southbound run between the two citeies and the first non-stop southbound train since 1949.	Carpenders Park	(3)
19	CRW_0065-01.jpg	171723 departs Berwick station in Sussex operating the new Brighton to Ashford International service on Sunday 12th February 2006	Sussex Coastway East services between Lewes and Hastings	(3)
20	CRW_0107-01.jpg	377143 stopped about 300 yards north of Hampden Park station on the northern outskirts of Eastbourne. the unit was being inspected by Netowek Raiul investigators following a fatality at Hampden Park station.	Sussex Coastway East services between Lewes and Hastings	(3)
21	CRW_0098-01.jpg	377163 which was not scheduled to stop approaches a signal halt at Berwick station with a Victoria to Eastbourne and Hastingsd service on Sunday 12th February 2006. Eventually the passengers on the serice had to be detrained as the service was unable to proceed any further due to a fatality at Hampden Park station causing the line to be blocked for an extended period.	Sussex Coastway East services between Lewes and Hastings	(3)
22	CRW_1168-01.jpg	87006 screams north thtough Carpenders Park in North London with the 1G21 Euston to Birmingham New Street service on Tuesday 12th September 2006	Carpenders Park	(3)
23	CRW_0079-01.jpg	171725 forming an Ashford International to Brighton service approaches a stop at Berwick station in Sussex on Sunday 12th February 2006	Sussex Coastway East services between Lewes and Hastings	(3)
24	CRW_4007-02.jpg	A view down onto Lovers Walk depot from Howard Place Brighton on Sunday 27th November 2005. Two coaches of one of the one remaining slam door set (now retired) can be seen in the foreground.	Brighton	(3)
25	CRW_2210-01.jpg	377159 approaching Glynde station in Sussex with a London Victoria to Eastbourne and Ore service on Sunday 5th March 2006	Sussex Coastway East services between Lewes and Hastings	(3)