New pictures are stored here temporarily before being moved to a more appropriate home.

I spent much of 2008 concentrating on my cycling in an effort to get fit, my railway photography suffering as a result. However, I do take a camera on most of my rides, and one of the advantages of travelling by bike is that you can stop virtually where you like to take a picture. As a result, I've been able to take some pictures that I might not otherwise have been able to take.

Further pictures from 2008 will be added in due course, so keep looking in.

On December 13th 2008, as part of the major Brighton line timetable changes, the last Cross Country services ran to the south coast resort, bringing to an end 30 years of through trains to distant parts of the country. The final train was the 1422 from Brighton to Birmingham New Street, formed of Voyager unit no 220021.

The Bisley branch existed solely to serve the Bisley ranges (now the National Shooting Centre) which moved to the Surrey heathland from Wimbledon Common in 1890. It ran roughly one mile from Brookwood, although during the First and Second World Wars it was extended to Deepcut and Pirbright camps, respectively. Wartime, excepted, trains ran only uding the shooting season and do not seem to have been included in the public timetable. The line closed in 1952 but, remarkably, despite its scrap value the girder bridge over the Basingstoke Canal was not demolished until 1979. Pictures of the line during its existence can be found at: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engsurry/bisley/photos/bullet.htm and http://www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk/brbis.htm

The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway system ran from Little Bytham in Lincolnshire east to Great Yarmouth with branches from Sutton Bridge to Peterborough and from Melton Constable to Cromer and to Norwich. On summer Saturdays it saw a procession of holiday trains but the rest of the time its was only lightly used and virtually the entire network closed at a stroke in 1959.

The section from Cromer to Sheringham remains as part of the National Rail network, and the stretch from Sheringham to Holt is preserved as the North Norfolk Railway, but the remainder of the network lies abandoned. The line from Thelmelthorpe to Norwich City is now part of the Marriott's Way path, along with the connecting ex-Great Eastern trackbed from Thelmelthorpe to Aylsham, which is included in this collection as an 'honorary' part of the M&GN.

The Lambourn Valley Railway ran from Newbury into the downs at Lambourn, framed for its connections with horse racing. Passenger services ceased in 1960 but the line to Welford Park was retained to serve the US Air Force base until 1973. When that establishment decided to use road transport the line closed.

These pictures were taken during a visit to the line by the Railway Ramblers: see www.railwayramblers.org.uk

Preserved steam locomotives at large on the main line

The last weeks of 2007 saw major changes to the UK rail franchise map, with Silverlink, Central Trains, Midland Mainline, Virgin Cross Country and GNER vanishing from the scene. Photographs from the final days of these franchises.

A selection of pictures, from the mundane to the downright quirky, from travels around the UK rail network, mostly still operational, but with some views of preserved lines and a few odd scenes on closed lines too, from the 1980s to the present day.

The Cuckoo Line ran from Polegate, near Eastbourne to Eridge (Redgate Mill Junc) via Heathfield. The northern section closed in 1966, the final Polegate to Hailsham section lasting another three years. The trackbed from Polegate to Heathfield now forms the Cuckoo trail, and Heathfield tunnel plus a further half mile or so is also open to walkers.

It's hard to believe that the Bluebell Railway in Sussex has been operating as a preserved railway for nigh on 50 years. That's twice as long as it was in the ownership of the Southern Railway!

The first set of shots in this collection were taken in August 1980 when the Bluebell was celebrating 20 years of preservation. They were taken on a Kodak Instamatic 25 (which I still have) using 126 film. I hope that their historic interest will make up for their lack of quality.

In recent years the Railway Ramblers club has been visiting parts of the Somerset & Dorset line that linked Bath with Bournemouth over the Mendips. This much-lamented line closed in March 1966 - I was fortunate enough to travel on its final train. In 2005 the RR visited Bath and walked south to Midford through Combe Down Tunnel. In 2006 it was the turn of the southern end of the line, taking in sections from Templecombe to Blandford Forum. In 2007 visits were made to the Midford to Radstock section as well as to Shepton Mallet, Winsor Hill tuinnels, and Midsomer Norton.

Scenes from a variety of heritage lines up and down the country. Some lines have collections of their own.

The Swanage Railway superbly reproduces the look and feel of a typical Southern Region seaside branch line of the 1950s and 60s. Wonderful - a must to visit.

(There are more pictures of the Swanage line in the End of Southern Steam 40th anniversary July 2007 collection.

The Dartmoor Railway runs the former Southern Railway main line from Crediton to Meldon Quarry. The operation is normally restricted to the Okehampton to Meldon length, using either diesel or steam power, but on summer Sundays trains run through from Exeter.

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway was intended to open up an area of countryside badly affected by agricultural depression and poor transport facilities. The original scheme was for a 50-mile network of lines but in the end only part of one line, originally intended to run from Haughley, on the main London to Norwich line, to Halesworth, was built. It opened in 1904. Even that line ended in a field at Cratfield, several miles short of its intended destination, and before long it was cut back to Laxfield.

The line closed to both passengers and goods in 1952. Once the track was lifted much of the line was taken back into the fields from which it had been hewn not so many years before. However, enthusiasts have opened a museum at Brockford station and reconstructed a small part of the line on which they run steam trains several times a year. It is well worth a visit. (See www.mslr.org.uk for details)

The Mid-Norfolk Railway runs from Wymondham, where it has a connection with the national network, to Dereham. The intention is to extend to County School and eventually to Fakenham.

Scenes from the Island Line's 8½-mile line from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin

It is with great pride that I can call myself one of the founders of what became the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, not because of my part in it but because of the enormous success that those who followed on have made of it.

The photographs include a number taken on 21 July 1991, the first day of public service on the relaid line between Havenstreet and Smallbrook Junction, re-opening day at Ashey, and on December 31st 2006, the 40th anniversary of the end of BR steam on the Island.

Although Swindon is but a shadow of its one-time self, it still sees a wide variety of trains, both passenger and freight, ranging from Class 143s on the line to Cheltenham to Class 59s and 66s on the stone trains, as well as the steady procession of HSTs heading for London, Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea.

I've known the RH&DR for longer than I care to remember, from when it was less than 30 years old, so it was a shock to learn that this year (2007) is its 80th anniversary! In recent decades the railway has had something of a mixed history. In the 1970s it struggled as holidaymakers abandoned the Kent coast but with new management it has since revived.

The line still fulfils the aim of its founder, Captain J Howey, to reproduce the main line scene in miniature and does so very successfully, even to the extent of providing a genuine public service with its school train service.

The 7th-9th July 2007 saw the commemoration of 40 years since steam ended on BR Southern Region. As well as five planned special trains, there were galas on both Mid-Hants and Swanage Railways.

Sadly, one special, Friday's Royal Wessex was cancelled, the Southern Sunset had to be curtailed when no 850 Lord Nelson suffered a major failure at Westbury, and this meant the last-minute cancellation of Monday's anniversary Waterloo Sunrise. However, the specials that did run were very well received and the two railway galas were superbly enjoyable.

I have always found this a delightful railway to visit and one which has admirably captured the Col Stephens atmosphere, even when coping with substantially greater crowds than the Colonel was used to. I hope that these pictures demonstrate its flavour.

I have a fascination for recording lost railways before they completely disappear. This collection covers lost lines for which I only have a few pictures.

In May 1838 the London & Southampton Railway opened the first stage of its line between Nine Elms and a station on Woking Common. 150 years later, in 1988, the town that grew up around that station celebrated the anniversary. As well as a display of locomotives and rolling stock in the down yard, there were brake van rides behind a USA class steam loco, and a shuttle service between Woking and Guildford using historic electric multiple units.

Other forms of transport were not forgotten either. The newly-restored Basingstoke Canal was celebrating with a rally of boats, and vintage buses provided a free service to shuttle visitors between the various sites.

Meanwhile the nearby Mid-Hants Railway was also helping to celebrate the anniversary.

The pictures are in five groups: at the festival itself, the electric shuttle to Guildford, and the various exhibits departing on the Monday evening, followed by a few pictures of non-rail aspects of the event, and some of the Mid-Hants celebrations.

Ticket machines may not be as glamorous as locomotives but they're just as important to the running of the railway. This selection of pictures shows some of the recent ticketing systems used on various parts of National Rail. Some, of course, are now history.

These pictures were taken at the National Railway Museum over the years, including at the 2004 Railfest event, and at a special rail industry dinner in March 2007 to mark the phasing out of the last ex-BR heritage ticket issuing systems - APTIS, SPORTIS, and Quickfare.

These pictures were mostly taken during the mid-1980s and early 1990s and show the remains of parts of the Southern Railway's network west of Exeter. Many of these sites have, of course, vanished in the 20 years since these pictures were taken. Halwill Junction, for example, is now a housing estate, as is Bude station. Sadly, the quality of some of the older pictures is poor but I hope the historical interest will compensate for this.
.....If you enjoy looking at these pictures, you can see more of Cornwall's lost lines at Chris Sawles Cornwall's Lost Railways at: http://cornwallslostrailways.fotopic.net/
.....Another site of interest is http://www.northcornwallrailway.co.uk/ which provides an excellent history of the North Cornwall Railway as well as pictures of it in operation and of the present day state of the line.

On Saturday 28 October 2006 I visited the remains of the former Westerham branch in Kent, 45 years to the day after it closed in 1961. Although part of the line has now vanished beneath the M25 motorway, a surprising amount remains.

Saturday 3 February was the last day of the old SWT franchise and the very last day of Wessex Electric operation. It featured a staff only railtour from Waterloo to Waterloo via Windsor and Shepperton, as well as a number of timetabled workings, culminating in the last Wessex Electric passenger service of all, the 21:05 from Waterloo to Poole, comprising Class 442 (5-WES) unit no 2412.

I like traditional railway signalling, from the gleaming brass and steel of the signalbox, and the ringing of the bells, to the satisfying clunk of a semaphore signal returning to danger.

Most of these pictures are of traditional signalling on the national network, interspersed with a few of preserved equipment.

Saturday 13 January was announced by SWT as the final day of scheduled operation of the Class 442 Wessex Electrics. Only two units were planned to be in operation, covering the 0730 Waterloo to Fratton and 0920 return services, followed by the 1135 Waterloo to Weymouth and 1500 return services. The units' duties were to finish with the 1835 Waterloo to Weymouth and 2310 back to Bournemouth.

On Saturday 19 November Southern ran a special train, the Sussex Slammer, to commemorate the end of their use of Mark 1 slam door stock.

With the end of the Wessex Electrics looming, I took advantage of a visit to Dorset to travel back from Weymouth on Saturday 9 December 2006. Because of engineering works the train was diverted via Havant, giving an opportunity for a run over the Portsmouth Direct line.

The Weymouth Tramway was an unusual bit of railway and one which must have been fascinating to see in operation as main-line trains made their way through the streets of the town to and from the quay and the Channel Islands boats. Sadly, I never saw it.

Originally opened in 1865 for freight, the Tramway was extended to the Pier and used for passenger trains in 1889 when the GWR took over the boat services. During the 1930s the Quay station was reconstructed and enlarged and some of the sharper curves on the line were eased.

The final scheduled services over the Tramway ran in September 1987 but occasional specials ran until 1999. The track remains in place and could, in theory, still be used. However, Network Rail has recently announced that maintenance on it is to cease - begging the question as to what maintenance has been carried out since 1987!

The Waveney Valley Railway ran from a junction with the London to Norwich main line at Tivetshall through the small market towns of Harleston and Bungay on the Norfolk/Suffolk border to Beccles on the East Suffolk line to Yarmouth. It opened in stages between 1855 and 1863.

Given the sparsely populated area through which it ran, the line was never very heavily used for passenger traffic. Indeed, the stations at Starston and Redenhall closed as early as 1866. The passenger service was withdrawn in 1953. Goods services began to be cut back in 1960 and by 1966 the whole line had closed.

During the 1970s and 80s its course between Harleston and Broome (east of Bungay) was taken over by the re-aligned A143 road.

The Southern Belle was a railtour to celebrate the forthcoming end of slam door trains on the Southern Electric system. It ran from Ramsgate to Weymouth via London, and back, probably the last time that an electric train will be able to do this. The train comprised representatives of each type of unit left in service (4Cep, 4Vep, and 4Cig) one from each of the Southern TOCs.