Broomhill: On Thursday 14th December the River Spey overflowed resulting in flooding of low lying areas.This is just north of Broomhill,the trackbed to Grantown runs left to right just above the waterline nearest the camera.

Broomhill: Broomhill Station and a lot of water.

Dunkeld and Birnam: Looking south on a frosty afternoon. Factor 60 sunscreen supplied.

Dunkeld and Birnam: Rail digger - close up. double manned.

Alloa: The area around the station building under construction at Alloa on 18 December 2007. View north along what will become the main pedestrian entrance off the A907 ring road.

Alloa: Position at Alloa on 18 December 2007, seen from the ASDA car park.

Kincardine: The converted station house at Kincardine on 18 December 2007 - note the small memento attached to the gate. The level crossing that once gave access to the south side of the former Kincardine power station is down the lane to the right and on the horizon beyond is the deck of the new bridge over the Forth.

Prologis Park: -or perhaps you would prefer me to call it Keresley Colliery? The rail layout hasn't changed much, but everything around it has. When I visited this location by train last year (Pathfinder's <I>Industrious Trader</I>), there were quite a few vans in the sidings; but a week before Christmas this year, totally empty.

Hayes Knoll: Scene on the Swindon and Cricklade Railway on 18 December looking towards Hayes Knoll station.

Delph [West Lancashire Light]: A seasonal scene at Delph on the West Lancs Light Railway on 18 December 2010 as passengers wait in the snow to see Santa.

Hayes Knoll: Scene on the Swindon and Cricklade Railway near Hayes Knoll on 18 December with Barclay 0-6-0ST Salmon heading through the snow with a Santa Special.

Nuneaton North Chord: In the midst of all the 'knitting', the new embankment for the Nuneaton North Chord can be seen taking shape. View looks North-West from the embankment of the old Ashby line. See image [[36137]]

Ashby Junction: This curve from the MR Ashby-Birmingham route see image [[26581]] into the WCML and Nuneaton Trent Valley (former) platform 5 makes a pleasant footpath or cycleway - and, mercifully, will not be demolished to make way for the new North Chord! See image [[36137]]

Milton Keynes Central: The seeds of promise - this notice about Christmas engineering works at Bletchley in December 2012 is notable for its mention of the restoration of the link to Oxford see image [[27801]]. Such a shame it wasn't done when MK was first built.

Wakefield Westgate: Views of the railside exit doors from the new station building at Wakefield Westgate that will give access onto platform 1, and, inside, of the staircase leading to the footbridge for platform 2; with the ticket barrier line seen on left of view. Final work is currently being carried out to have the new building made ready to open for business on Sunday 22 December.

King Edward Bridge: A well worn gradient plate mounted on the west side of the King Edward Bridge, noted when the northbound East Coast service halted, with my seat opposite the plate, on the approach into Newcastle Central station.

Hest Bank: Diverging onto the Bare Lane chord at Hest Bank on 18 December is this trip working to Heysham Power Station from Sellafield. DRS 37688 brings up the rear of the train conveying a single flask led by 37606. The train will reverse at Morecambe to access the Heysham branch.

West End - Princes Street [Tram]: View south from Shandwick Place tram stop on 8 December 2013. A crossover is sited at the far end to allow trams to reverse from the platform face nearest and run back towards Haymarket Station which is located off picture in the right background. See image [[41476]]

Hardengreen Junction: View north from a point near the site of the former Hardengreen Junction on 18 December 2013. The remains of the original 1847 Eskbank station lie immediately beyond the A6094 road bridge in the background. The houses of Hardengreen Lane stand on the left. See image [[17896]]

Hest Bank: DRS 37606 leads a single flask from Sellafield to Heysham and sister EE Type 3 37688 past the disused signal box and onto the chord to Bare Lane on 18th December 2013. I originally entitled this image The once a week crossover but have since found that an early morning ECS working from Barrow Cariage Sidings to Morecambe also uses it.

Wakefield Westgate: Looking north along the up platform at Westgate, with the 08.23 CrossCountry Voyager for Plymouth approaching. The new station building opens for business this Sunday 22 December.

Hardengreen Viaduct: View south along the A7 on 18 December 2013 towards Hardengreen Roundabout, the centre of which is now occupied by a large bridge support. Newbattle Viaduct shows off its new blue safety fencing in the centre background, with Lady Victoria pit beyond. Gorebridge parish church stands on the horizon directly beyond the top of the crane jib.

Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal: It's a lonely life a-shunting. Malcolm group locomotive 08823 returns to the main yard at DIRFT on 18 December 2015 after depositing a rake of Cargowaggons by the Eddie Stobart warehouse see image [[53111]]. The Northampton loop off the WCML is out of view to the right of the concrete fence.

Glasgow Central Low Level: The unused Low level platform at Glasgow Central seen in December 2015. This will hopefully have a length of track and railway carriage on display as part of the Glasgow Central tour

Glasgow Central Low Level: Numbered Columns in the old part of Glasgow Central Low level station in 2015. Hopefully this area will soon be reopened as a museum. Picture taken during a Glasgow Central Station Tour

Hardengreen Viaduct: At 1022 on 18 December 2016, another one of those grey winter days when it never seems to achieve real daylight, the Sunday morning 0945 ex-Tweedbank comes off Hardengreen Viaduct and begins to slow for the Eskbank stop just behind the camera.

Hardengreen Viaduct: A cold and misty December morning on the Borders line during the week before Christmas 2016. The twin 158 DMU combination is about to clear Hardengreen Viaduct northbound, with just over a quarter of a mile to run to its next scheduled stop at Eskbank.

Glasgow Queen Street High Level: Behind wraps; work continues on making way for the new frontage of Queen Street.

Edinburgh Waverley: 334029 disgorges its passengers at Platform 12, Edinburgh Waverley on 18th December 2017.

Shawfair: A southbound morning service on the Borders Railway, photographed between Newcraighall and Shawfair on 18 December 2017, in the shadow of the under construction Edinburgh and Midlothian Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre.

Shawfair: 'It can be a lonely job at times...' Looking south over Shawfair station on a grey and cloudy 18 December 2017, with the 1009 ScotRail service to Tweedbank recently arrived. The lone figure on platform 2 is the guard, who has just discovered there are 'no takers' for his train this morning.

Edinburgh Waverley: Caledonian Sleeper 92014 stabled in the Klondyke siding at Edinburgh Waverley on 18th December 2017.

Londonderry: Translink Northern Ireland Railways unit 3002 just departed from Londonderry with an evening train to Great Victoria Street, Belfast on 30th July 2018. This view is from the Peace Bridge over the river Foyle, seen on left and the train is heading away from the camera. In the time between my first photo at Londonderry showing this unit in the station in the afternoon, this unit has been all the way back to Belfast and then all the way back to Londonderry again.

Alloa: In with the new. Four coach 385 113 has just arrived at Alloa on a dreich December day with the 10.20 from Glasgow Queen Street High level. The seating in Second class is even harder than First class!

Stirling: A new dawn at Stirling on 18th December 2018. A new Class 385 EMU, 385110, waits on platform 7 with the 13.26 service to Glasgow Queen Street High level whilst Smiley 365525 sits at platform 8 as a spare.

Stirling: Power car 43134, in the new Scotrail Inter City colours, is on the rear of the 13.04 service to Aberdeen at Stirling on 18th December 2018. Unliveried 43135 was on the front. The Turbostar is on the 13.05 service to Edinburgh Waverley.

Stirling: An unidentified Class 385 EMU approaching the South end of platform 6 at Stirling with the 12.23 Glasgow Queen Street High level to Alloa on 18th December 2018.

Stirling: 'I'm big enough and ugly enough.' You can get dramatic results when your camera takes an unconscionable amount of time to focus. A Dunblane to Edinburgh service enters Stirling on 18 December 2019. You'll have to believe me that it had 6 cars.

Carstairs: On the second leg of the Class 314 charity railtour on 18 December 2019 as the special calls at Carstairs before heading back north to Cumbernauld.

Cumbernauld: With the Class 314 railtour in the turnback siding, 385112 on a Queen St to Waverley service heads north from Cumbernauld on 18 December 2019. Weather conditions were not their best during this stop with one person overheard referring the station being more appropriately called Numb an Cauld!

Bushey: 710263, with a Watford Junction to Euston Overground service, calling at the ex-LNWR 'New Lines' station at Bushey on 18th December 2019. To enable these lines to serve the town centre at Watford High Street, they were diverted away from the main line at Bushey through new sharply-curved platforms and then onto a lofty curved viaduct to a junction with the Rickmansworth line, south of High Street station, with trains utilising the Rickmansworth branch back to the main line at Watford Junction. Passenger trains to Rickmansworth ceased in 1952 (and over its offshoot branch to Croxley Green in 1996), thus today one section of the Watford & Rickmansworth line is still served while the rest has been completely abandoned. Bakerloo Line tube trains also once came this way to Watford Junction but became peak hours only north of Queen's Park in June 1965. These ceased altogether in 1982 but a full day service of Bakerloo trains as far as Harrow & Wealdstone only was restored in 1984.

Glasgow Central: 314205 and 314202 prepare to depart with the 1230hrs Glasgow Central to Cumbernauld 'Class 314 Farewell Tour' (Part 2) on 18th December 2019.

Hillington West: 314202 leading 205 on the returning Glasgow Central - Ayr - Glasgow Central at Hillington West on Wednesday 18th December 2019. This was the 314's finale which later this day ran to Carstairs and Helensburgh.

Helensburgh Central: 314205 waits at Helensburgh Central with the last Class 314 run in passenger service, the 2W99 to Glasgow Central on 18 December 2019.

Crouch Hill: Network Rail ballast regulator DR 77905 passing Crouch Hill station on the London Overground GOBLIN, heading towards Gospel Oak, on 18th December 2019. These On Track Machines are used for maintaining, renewing and enhancing the infrastructure of the national railway network. I had no idea this was due, it just happened to come through within seconds of my arriving on the station so it was a mad rush to get my camera out to capture it. Sometimes, railway photography is all a matter of luck.

North Wembley: LUL 1972 stock, currently the oldest on the London Underground, with a Bakerloo Line service to Harrow & Wealdstone departing from North Wembley station, on 18th December 2019. Harrow & Wealdstone station was another to escape the former BR regime's 1970s mania for shortening station names with an '&' in them. Indeed, the Bakerloo Line is the only LUL line that runs between two termini with an '&' in their names, Harrow & Wealdstone and Elephant & Castle. However, a much belated southern extension to Lewisham is on the cards but, as with Crossrail, don't hold your breath. A pre-World War Two scheme to extend the line to Camberwell was started but never completed after 1945.

North Wembley: LUL 1972 stock on a Bakerloo Line service to Elephant & Castle arriving at North Wembley station, on 18th December 2019. Also served by London Overground services, the platforms here and at other stations between Queen's Park and Harrow & Wealdstone do not relate to tube train height and the step up when leaving or down when joining a tube train is very noticeable, not so much of course on the LO trains.

West Hampstead: The London Overground station at West Hampstead has recently been rebuilt at a cost of £12.5 million. This view is looking east on 18th December 2019 with the new footbridge between the platforms and a brand new entrance.

Harrow and Wealdstone: Looking across the platforms at Harrow & Wealdstone station on 18 December 2019. View from 710257 calling with a London Overground Watford Junction to Euston service.
See query 2219

West Hampstead: The rebuilding of the London Overground station at West Hampstead, costing £12.5 million, was virtually completed on 14th October 2019 with the inauguration of the lifts to the two platforms. All that remains now is the demolition of the original station entrance, dating from the it's opening in 1888 (the line, the ex-Hampstead Junction Railway, had opened in 1860) on West End Lane bridge and widening of the pavement in front of the new entrance but the original was still in situ when this view, looking east, was taken on 18th December 2019; however, the building was still there during a visit on 3rd February 2020 and furthermore still issuing tickets even though there is no access to the platforms from here. The station was originally called West End Lane until 1975.

Inverness: The HST farewell at Inverness station.

Glasgow Central Low Level: The Class 314 railtour departs ecs from Glasgow Central Low Level to Shields Road Depot watched by some of the passengers who had just disembarked from the train, the last Class 314 in passenger carrying service on 18 December 2019.

Glasgow Central: 314202 on the buffers at platform 3 at Glasgow Central for what is expected to be the last visit of the class to the station. This was the third leg of the farewell railtour with 314205 leading on the run via Rutherglen West and North Junctions to Helensburgh Central on 18 December 2019.

South Kenton: LUL 1972 stock, currently the oldest on the London Underground, with a Bakerloo Line service from Elephant & Castle to Harrow & Wealdstone, departing from South Kenton station on 18th December 2019. The Bakerloo Line is the only line on the London Underground with two terminus stations that both have an '&' in their names but which will cease if and when the mooted southern extension to Lewisham via Old Kent Road ever gets built. This station is also served by London Overground services between London Euston and Watford Junction. The WCML is on the far right.

South Kenton: 350266 to Euston, passing South Kenton station, on 18th December 2019. This station is served by London Overground trains between Watford Junction and Euston and London Underground Bakerloo Line trains between Harrow & Wealdstone and Elephant & Castle. It is a good place to photo the comings and goings on the adjacent WCML.

South Kenton: South Kenton station, served by London Overground services from Euston to Watford Junction and Bakerloo Line services from Elephant & Castle to Harrow & Wealdstone, looking north on 18th December 2019. This station has an island platform alongside the WCML and is situated on the LNWR 'New Lines' of 1913, although it did not open until 3rd July 1933, two days after the inauguration of the London Passenger Transport Board.

Carpenders Park: Carpenders Park, looking north, seen from a Euston to Watford Junction London Overground service, on 18th December 2019. The original station here on the LNWR 'New Lines' of 1913 was opened on 1st April 1914 but closed on 1st January 1917 as a First World War economy. It reopened on 5th May 1919 for London Electric Railway trains but LNWR electric trains were not restored until 10th July 1922. The present station was opened on 17th November 1952, replacing the original station which was slightly further north. The WCML is on the far side in the background. The LUL Bakerloo Line service was peak hours only north of Queens Park from 1965 until withdrawn completely in 1982, when tube trains last served this station, but reinstated full-time between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone (not including Carpenders Park) in 1984.

Watford High Street: 710257, with a London Overground service from Euston to Watford Junction, departing from its penultimate stop at Watford High Street on 18th December 2019. Until 1982, LUL Bakerloo Line trains also ran through here to and from Watford Junction too and still do further down the line but now start and terminate at Harrow & Wealdstone. The Bakerloo always seems to wind up with the Underground's oldest trains; in 1982 they were all 1938 stock and now in 2022 is worked with 1972 stock.

Perth: An Inverness to Glasgow service pulls into Perth's lengthy Platform 4 on 18 December 2019. The gantry is unusual in being painted 'in colour', the same colours as the station ironwork. I doubt that this frivolity would survive any resignalling.

Perth: Perth station is a bit of a museum, and long may it continue. This specimen is from the BR corporate era. The 'buffet' would then have been the Travellers' Fare. Who can forget the tea which seemed to have been made with pure powdered tanin? Whatever it was in between the cafe is now a Costa.

Croxley Green Junction: View from an Overground service from Watford Junction to Euston, passing the former Croxley Green Junction on 18th December 2019. The Rickmansworth branch passed beneath the bridge and, though electrified, was closed to passengers in 1952 and entirely in 1966. Branching off this was the short branch to Croxley Green which opened on 15th June 1912. The service was suspended on 22nd March 1996 but never reopened and closure was declared on 29th September 2003. However, for many years, the 'Croxley Link' proposal was in the pipeline and would have seen Metropolitan Line trains diverted from their 1925 terminus over a new connection to Croxley Green. The line thence to Croxley Green Junction would have then been relaid with LU trains running beneath this bridge to Watford Junction via Watford High Street and the LU Watford station closed. It was eventually given the go-ahead only to be cancelled later, thus the rather delightful Metropolitan terminus, poorly-sited for the town but in a residential catchment area, will remain open.

Bushey: 710 258, running third rail, with a London Overground service from Euston to Watford Junction, arriving at Bushey on 18th December 2019. Most people still remember this station under its former name of Bushey & Oxhey but which fell foul of the old B.R. regime's mania for shortening station names with an '&' in them, in the 1970s. As at the date of this photo, a few class 378 units still run on this route for the time being and, of course, remain the mainstay of the main LO routes from Stratford to Richmond or Clapham Junction.

Cumbernauld: The Class 314 farewell railtour arrives in the platform from the turnback siding at Cumbernauld on 18 December 2019 with 314202 now on the rear for the run to Glasgow Central via Motherwell.

St Annes-on-the-Sea: A sizeable number of passengers detrain at St Annes from a Blackpool bound 150143 on 18th December 2020. The redundant Up Platform still stands opposite - see image [[36087]] from 1990. Ever since the line was singled around 1984 there have been campaigns to install a second platform and passing loop here. These have been unsuccessful to date but in December 2020 a recent Restoring your Railway bid to the Chancellor's Spending Review was successful. That is only the first stage but a business case for the loop is now being prepared by local authorities.

Granton Gasworks [Station]: It wasn't just the through platform area that was modified after the railway moved out of Granton Gasworks. The footbridge from the top level was removed and the arch largely bricked up. Steps were built to a new front door on the lower level; tracks previously ran right alongside the building on this side. The gas lamp columns are obviously a more recent 'heritage' addition.

St Annes-on-the-Sea: 150143 slows to call at St Annes while heading for Blackpool South on 18th December 2020. The little green pallet tree visible here does not do justice to the efforts of the local volunteer group as I counted a total of sixteen on various fences around the station and its car park. The multi-coloured panel below the station sign announces that St Annes is the home of the International Kite Festival - every day is a school day!

Moy: With a low winter sun throwing a large area into shadow, 66429 is hauling the Inverness to Mossend container train over the newly installed bridge at Moy on 18th December 2021.

Moy: 170409 and 158736 form the 10:35 Edinburgh - Inverness service on 18th December 2021. Pictured crossing the moor at Moy on a sunny, but bitterly cold afternoon.

Botanic Gardens: An excavator and a dump truck were both busy on the trackbed between the old platforms at Botanic Gardens on 18th December 2021. I would like to think they were preparing for the Glasgow Metro or the new link to Central Low Level but I think it more likely it was clearing debris after Storm Barra. All they have left behind is tyre tracks!