In August 1983 I had a three day rail fest around the Midlands using a Midland Railtourer ticket. 

As a gricer, this was terrific.  You got seven days of unlimited travel across a wide area of the Midlands for what was very little money.  Sadly, I could only use three of the seven days.

Class 25/3 no. 25.282 at Loughborough, 15 August 1983.  Ref 0002280

After a 15 month gap, I'm back at Loughborough for a photo charter.  The loco?  A Black 5 - and not just any Black 5 - a Kingmoor Black Five. 

In 1967 as a twelve year old I looked down in awe from Etterby Bridge at the lines of workstained locomotives lined up outside Kingmoor shed.  Black 5s, 8Fs, Britannas and 9Fs dominated. 

We spent a whole afternoon wandering around the shed gathering numbers.  Kingmoor closed to steam some months later at the end of 1967.  It left a memory with me that's remained ever since.

As a part of the site updating, the Great Central Railway Galleries have been updated and many new pictures added.

The GCR is one of may favourites.  It’s also the closest real heritage railway to home.  And Russ Hillier organises loads of photo charters there. 

 It's that time – looking back across an old year done and wondering what the next will bring.  So I’ve been looking back across the crop of railway pictures I took in 2008.