66303 stops briefly with 4H61 approaching Crewe, 13/04/26.

Bonus 67 as 1V66 is formed of 67010 & HD07 as far as Crewe this evening vice 197.

Got the earliest book on tomorrow, and the clocks go forward an hour. So do I trust the tech to still wake me up at the correct time, or do I go belt and braces?

60028 waits in the fading light at Chester with 6A29 Penmaenmawr - Willesden, 27/03/26.

67013 & HD01 at Manchester Piccadilly, forming 1V62 1830 MAN - CDF on 26/03/26.

Low pay, poor conditions, abuse every day… I used to see new drivers with a freshly minted licence all smiley and happy, it usually took 3-4 weeks before they became what the rest of us were - grumpy bastards with a 1000yd stare and a strained marriage.

158833 at Wolverhampton just now before departing at 0002 as 1J36 all stops to Salop.

Before I went through check-in at Sydney Airport I was trying to find excuses to stay longer. Australia is an amazing place and I’ve got big plans for going back, but the post-trip come down from the highs of being there are crap.

Brisbane Central?

Today the last V-set units were retired in Australia, with the final pair working an early service from Lithgow in the Blue Mountains down to Sydney. This is the only photo I took of a V-set, V9 at Lithgow on 07/10/23 whilst I was waiting for the XPT to Bathurst.

950001 stabled on Abbey Foregate Yard’s Wash Road (still called that despite the wash plant being long gone) a couple of nights ago.

A big box of horsepower. 3,200 of them, in fact.

Insert tired generic massive/throbbing purple thing reference here.

Hang on, maybe ‘insert’ isn’t quite the right word…

The view ahead, during prep. 67029 No.1 end, 20/12/2025.

67020 & HD03 prior to working 1V31, 0507 CRE-CDF, 17/12/25.

Normally I do manage to avoid them! 67s and DVTs are good fun to drive, thankfully quite sturdy too.

Yes, CDF-SHR. Bit of damage to the front valance and some tree in the ETS socket, but nothing to stop the job. Have to admit I didn’t notice anyone taking pictures!

Apologies for the rapid unplanned stop at Marshbrook, I wasn’t expecting to go tree bashing today.

I don’t do turkey for Christmas dinner for one reason - it’s bloody awful. Usually dry (no matter who cooked it), bland and tasteless.

Nice big bit of slow-cooked beef is the way forward.

One of the Bayerische Zugspitzebahn’s units arriving at the upper terminus, 2650m up Germany’s highest mountain. The terminus is at the end of a 4.5km tunnel and 1900m higher than the starting point in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 19km away.

Trust me, they know. They’ll have heard every excuse under the sun multiple times over for not having the ticket there and ready to go.

TOCLite bags in unusual places - an occasional series.

On the plateau of the Zugspitze at 2600m, 362m below the summit of Germany’s tallest mountain.

67020 at CDF just prior to working 1W57 1053 CDF-MAN, 08/11/25.

Deutsch Reichsbahn Class 41 at the Sinsheim Technik Museum today. Impressive engine, very impressive museum.

Mary Ann + Smooth + Reliable = 🤔

I thought you liked accuracy?

Yes, I’d just brought it in.

67012 on arrival at MAN this morning with 1W11.

Station noir:

150280 is todays chariot on the Salop-Crewe local.

A rarity north of Salop these days, 150267 is the weapon of choice for this evening on 2K64 & 2J70 Crewe locals.