1 August 2008 "654" or really 66540 Ruby with the 4L93 Lawley Street - Felixstowe at Milton Keynes. New track is already in situ in the north end of platform 1 and in a matter of a few weeks that will become the new up slow through line, with platform 2 being for terminating trains.

1 August 2008 66248 stands in the centre road at Northampton with an early Bescot - Forders awaiting departure of 350112.

1 August 2008 I decided a 92 on 4H24 would just be framed by the station road bridge at Northampton, but unusually 4H24 had 92026 with 92029 dit!

1 August 2008 The reason for visiting Rugby was the closure of platform 4. Since the up goods was taken out, all southbound freight used platform 4, but with that temporarily closed to enable the new subway to be built, freight and passenger off the Trent Valley is using platform 2. 90045 was on the 4L75 Crewe-Felixstowe.

1 August 2008 Running an 0Z47 Crewe-Crewe via Northampton route learner for several days, 47815 returns from Northampton on the down fast at Rugby.

1 August 2008 92001 eases the 6O60 Mossend-Dollands Moor silver bullets around the S bend at the north of the station. Once complete, platform 2 with revert to being the down Trent Valley platform.

1 August 2008 Platform 1 currently serves all northbound stopping trains and all southbound trains off the Coventry line. A pendolino off the Trent Valley waits to depart platform 2 for Euston, 350120 also waits to head south to Northampton over what was the down goods flyover as 66594 heads north with the 4M81 Felixstowe-Trafford Park.

1 August 2008 92042 in charge of a well loaded 4A10 Trafford Park-Wembley.

1 August 2008 Metronet 66722 on the 4L22 Hams Hall - Felixstowe with mainly MSC containers.

1 August 2008 Quite often a train passing behind the one being photographed can be a pain, but in this instance the containers on 4L90 help to disguise the fact that there are 3 empty flats behind 66728 on 4M23.

1 August 2008 Taken from the south end of platform 1, 66412 is in charge of 4M44 with a mixture of Malcolms and Stobart Rail containers.

1 August 2008 A poorly loaded 4M87 with 90016 in charge at the south end of Rugby station. Platform 2 is still cut short and the whole area behind the train is a mess of equipment and construction materials.

2 August 2008 With the prospect of 3 engineers trains from Forders on Saturday afternoon we headed to Stewartby. 150106 approaches Stewartby station from Bedford with the few remaining brickworks chimneys providing the backdrop.

2 August 2008 Second of the engineers trains to depart, 66161 pulls away with 6R22 to Northampton. The old Forders Sidings signal box, now boarded up, is just visible in the background.

4 August 2008 A brief visit to Wolverton works in the hope of catching 158908 leaving, but this was postponed a second time. 08629 shunts a 442 vehicle with 08649 visible behind.

4 August 2008 66173 coasts down towards Lidlington with an unidentified engineers train to Forders.

4 August 2008 37423 worked a tour of the Southern region on Tuesday and Wednesday push-pull with the observation saloon Caroline. The pair are seen at the second Lidlington foot crossing west of the station on 5Z01 Derby to Clapham.

4 August 2008 An extremely unusual visitor this week was Fertis liveried 56007, seen dit behind 92036 on the 6X77 Wembley-Mossend at Bradwell.

4 August 2008 Tripped to Wembley from Old Oak Common earlier in the day, 56007 was conveyed to Warrington in 6X77 before being taken back to Crewe for "GSM-R" fitment.

5 August 2008 Hybrid 158908 formed of 57908 and 57842 leaving Wolverton works following collision damage repairs.

5 August 2008 Silver Northern liveried 57842 is seen bearing the temporary set number 158908 as the pair head under Stratford Road towards Centre Sidings.

5 August 2008 The original path on Friday was to have been via London, Swindon and Gloucester to Newton Heath, but today the set took a rather more direct route as 5Z69 11.25 Wolverton to Newton Heath via the WCML, running around 80 late through Wolverton station.

5 August 2008 A long while since we have had daylight 31s on a test train on the WCML, so 31459 and 31454 were very welcome visitors on Tuesday afternoon running a 1Z06 Old Oak Common to Old Oak Common working via Nuneaton, Tring and Nuneaton again.

5 August 2008 The light was bad enough when the 31s went north, but heavy rain had arrived by tea time as 90045 passes Bletchley on 4L92.

5 August 2008 Fortunately moving slowly after a crew change in the up goods loop, 31454 leads towards Tring.

5 August 2008 31459 on the rear as they open up and head south. Having run to Tring the pair returned to Nuneaton later in the evening, but the light and rain meant no shot!

6 August 2008 Multiple signal failures at Rugby this week have meant disruption on 4 days. On Wednesday services were just resuming as 350101 heads to Northampton being overtaken on the fast at Wolverton by 66534 on 4M88. With pendolinos stranded north of the problems at Rugby, several of the freights took advantage of the empty fast lines this afternoon.

6 August 2008 92042 is on the slow at Wolverton with 4H17 running around 90 late.

6 August 2008 86639 and 86612 head north with 4M87 from Felixstowe to Trafford Park.

6 August 2008 I headed home after the 86s and had only just arrived home when a call came through from John and Pete that 180103 had arrived at Wolverton! It is seen coming out of the underpass to Centre Sidings.

6 August 2008 180103 heads for the works having arrived as the 5K82 Oxley-Wolverton via the GWML.

6 August 2008 The first time I have tried this shot - 180103 rounds the curve at the back of Tescos and enters the works.

6 August 2008 180103 seen from the Community Centre car park.

7 August 2008 As well as 1Z06 with the 31s, 2Q08 (Sprinter 950001) was due to run to Milton Keynes on Wednesday, but was turned back following the signal problems at Rugby. The third test train of the week was 1Q18 with overhead inspection car Mentor, seen at Bradwell returning from Euston to Crewe with 37602 and 37038 in charge.

7 August 2008 1Z06 was also a casualty of the signal problems on Wednesday with the run being cancelled. On Thursday evening it ran to Bletchley, again with 31454 and 31459, and is seen at Stoke Hammond just before 8pm on the return to Old Oak Common via St Albans Abbey.

7 August 2008 Thursday's stone empties were cancelled after problems unloading. 60059 sits opposite the deserted Bletchley depot at 20:20 on Thursday evening. The empties returned on Friday as 6H55 via Bedford to Peak Forest, although I just missed them at Bow Brickhill due to traffic!