Great Western Coffee Shop

Just came across this album of pictures, most of which date from the 1980s, and were taken by a signalman, going by a caption reference, though there's very little caption information and even I had to think hard on the locations of some pictures, such are the differences in vegetation over the years.

http://s997.photobucket.com/albums/af99/wimmer10/British%20Rail%20Cotswold%20Line/

Lots of BR blue diesels, of several varieties, including such rarities as a Peak on one-coach inspection train and a pair of Class 20s.

When I was a student in Oxford in the 1970s I recall some interesting motive power coming from Hereford, Worcester and Birmingham.

I remember going for a job interview in London in 1977 and the Cathedrals Express being 13 minutes late at Oxford - needn't have worried, class 50 haulage, interesting ride through Reading at full power, coffee looking very nervous, 5 minutes early at Paddington....

In 1978, class 45 on a Bank Holiday special from Birmingham via Kidderminster beat the s**t out of an HST on acceleration out of Didcot, though we lost out after a mile or two

And the odd class 33 (sometimes double headers) used to appear wandering off Southern Region, though they mostly went up to Banbury, Birmingham and Liverpool. Saw a couple going up the Cotswold line. Not good acceleration but they could shift once they'd got going.