Bardon Hill Quarries No.59 "Duke of Edinburgh" crosses the A51 enroute to the BR exchange sidings with a rake of loaded MTVs on 25th July 1983. Built by Rolls Royce in 1968 as works number 10273, No. 59 was aquired from British Steel in 1983.

A pair of MOD Thomas Hill 4wDH locos, AD262 & AD264 head a rake of air braked vans down the former S & MJR line from CAD Kineton to Fenny Compton on 19th June 1985. The vans will go forward to Bescot on the 6G55 feeder service from Banbury for onward distribution via the Speedlink network.

AD264 & AD262 are seen again on 19th June 1985, returning to Kineton with a longer rake of vans, including a former ferry in use as a barrier. Armed guards were often in evidence on thse trains in view of the comodities carried. The locos were built in 1983 and 1982 as works numbers 306V & 302V respectively.

A later view at Fenny Compton on 5th July 1991 sees MOD 273 "Edgehill" (TH321V of 1987) about to leave with a short but interesting train vans for Kineton. This was the last day of the Banbury Speedlink tripper. Kineton is still rail served, now with a daily dedicated trip from Didcot.

Tunnel Cement used this Bagnall 0-6-0DM, works number 3160 of 1959 to trip between the exchange sidings on the WCML and Pitstone Cement Works, near Tring. On 21st August 1986 a single PCA was the only load.

The former Harbury Cement Works in Warwickshire was retained for many years after closure as a distrubution point by Blue Circle Cement and employed this 1959 4wDH Sentinel to shunt rail traffic, seen on 17th February 1990. Known to BR as Greaves Siding, traffic arrived either by block train from Northfleet or Earles or by Speedlink trip from Bescot via Banbury.

Traffic to Greaves Siding ceased with the demise of Speedlink, and in this view of the site on 5th July 1991, the last loaded PCAs are being collected after being dropped off by the 6M85 1100 Fenny Compton-Bescot. A picture of 37047 on that train appears in the Class 37 Gallery.

Another view of Greaves Siding taken on 5th July 1991 from track level, the previous view was looking out of the window of Greaves Siding Signal Box. The Blue Circle engine has been listed as having fleet "No.4" but this was not carried at any time I saw it.

A cab ride on 25198 from Leekbrook Junction on the sand empties on 10th May 1985 gave an opportunity to photograph the appropriately named Yorkshire Engine 0-4-0DH "Camel" (2805 of 1960) at the BIS sidings at Oakamoor in Staffordshire. The HKVs loaded with sand for glass making would go forward as 8F21, the 1240 to Springs Branch.

Rail traffic to Hams Hall Power Station, near Coleshill in Warwickshire, had ceased in 1982, the short remaining life of the station meant investment to handle MGR working was not viable. The fleet of English Electric 0-6-0DH locos wwre still present though when visited on 19th August 1983, with No. 1 (D1137 of 1966) seen hear outside the loco shed.

A second 0-6-0DH, No.3 (D1228 of 1967) was outside on 19th August 1983. The power station, which once consisted of three stations, "Hams Hall A", "B" & "C", and was reportedly the largest such site in Europe, has long since been completely demolished. The site now being a distribution park plus an engine plant for BMW but rail interest remains with a thriving intermodal terminal.

One of the few locations in this collection that is still active is Croft Quarry in Leicestershire, which still pushes out a considerable amount of rail traffic. On 25th July 1983 John Fowler 0-4-0DH "Edwin" had just positioned a loaded ballast train into the exchange sidings to form the 8E15 1120 to Whitemoor Yard.