Images of 2025

Change is a constant feature of our railway network and 2025 was no exception, when there were more notable losses of mechanical signalling, in East Anglia and in South Wales, and when 49 years of HST-powered passenger services across England came to an end with retirement of the shortened GWR Castle sets, with their final workings in Cornwall and Devon on 13 December.

Closer to home was completion of a much-delayed re signalling of the Portsmouth Direct Line and with it loss of three surviving signal boxes, at Farncombe, Haslemere and Petersfield, with the one at Farncombe immediately demolished, Petersfield remaining with Network Rail, but Haslemere set to become a working museum sometime in 2026.

This ever-changing scene is reflected in my seventh annual look back on the year, as seen through the lens of my trusty Canon camera, when I was able to capture many of these changes, along with the sad closure of a rural branch line in France, the first ever EMR Class 810 Aurora working on the Poacher Line to Skegness, and made return trips to a number of my favourite photo-spots, including Liskeard, Wainfleet Appleby and Moreton-in-Marsh.

My photographic year began with a short trip to the South Coast on 13 January 2025 and a chance to capture trains passing the surviving semaphore signals at Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, whose future is somewhat unclear. From that day, my pick is this view of 377147 departing from platform 3 at Bognor Regis and heading towards Bognor’s distinctive “Odeon” style signal box.

Next month (12 February 2025) I paid the first of four 2025 visits to Pembrey & Burry Port, where the semaphore signals were on borrowed time and eventually replaced in October, with its fine 1907 signal box now facing demolition. My selection from that day (above) shows TfW150258 approaching the doomed box and signal PY81 with 2B60 from Carmarthen (12.34) to Cardiff Central.

Later in the month I spent a few hours at charming Helsby Junction on the route from Chester to Warrington, where I was lucky enough to see one of only two surviving co-acting semaphore signals on the national rail network (HY38) pulled off for a freight working, as Freightliner 66601 left platform 4 with 6F91 from Ince & Elton to Crewe Basford Hall.

My first outing in March took me to Wainfleet on the Poacher Line from Grantham to Skegness, home to a Listed signal box and the wonderful Bateman’s Brewery. The semaphore distant signals here are not always pulled off for a passing train, but my luck was in on 13 March 2025 when my pick of that day’s photos shows EMR 170206 passing up distant signal W22 with 2O12 from Skegness (11.14) to Nottingham.

Two days later (on 15 March 2025) I headed to Moreton-in-Marsh to capture a Cheltenham Gold Cup special (1Z53) on its journey from London Paddington to Evesham and was powered by West Coast Railways’ 57313/601, seen here passing down outer home signal MM2 from a footpath crossing half a mile south of station and signal box.

Inspired by a news story in the French Railway Society’s excellent monthly newsletter I took a trip across the Channel in late March to pay a visit to a small town in Central France called Felletin, which was expected to lose its rail service, with planned closure later in the year of a 21-mile branch line requiring significant infrastructure spending.

A huge anti-closure campaign was being spearheaded by one of the local mayors, a petition against closure attracted around 35,000 signatures and talks were held in Paris between local dignitaries and French rail authorities.

My pick from the first of what became two visits to the branch (above) shows railcar X73585 approaching a level crossing in Aubusson, the branch line’s principal intermediate station, on 25 March 2025 with one of the two daily trains from Limoges to Felletin and a protest banner next to the crossing which translates as “Hands off my little line”.

Back in the UK and another place I would visit twice during the year was delightful St. Erth, home to our most south-westerly semaphore signals and junction for the St. Ives branch. My pick from a day there on 7 April 2025 is a shot from its new footbridge showing 43093/187 passing the signal box with 2P15 from Penzance (12.50) to Plymouth.

Like St. Erth, the Marches Line between Newport and Shrewsbury boasts some fine semaphore signalling, including a mixture of upper and lower quadrant. Paying a return visit to remote Woofferton Junction on 9 April, I was able to capture the route’s only regular freight working, as DB 66656 passes one of Britain’s oldest signal boxes (1875) with 6V75 from Dee Marsh to Margam.

Another fine route for surviving semaphores is the charming Tyne Valley Line between Newcastle and Carlisle. Having spent a couple of nights in Newcastle and a day riding the Metro network, I returned south via Carlisle, stopping off on 24 April at the one location I had never previously visited, Brampton, to photograph the semaphores controlled by Milton Gate Box, including the route’s only semaphore distant signal, as seen above behind the station’s historic footbridge.

During 2025 East Anglia became the first region in England to lose its last semaphore signals, with those at Whittlesea removed early in the year, while those at Manea survived until the autumn, before being replaced, along with the solitary semaphore controlled by King’s Lynn Junction Signal Box on the freight branch to Middleton Towers.

I made my farewell visit to Manea on 12 May, a fine sunny day, but one where there were some issues with the signalling at Ely, meaning trains being instructed to pass up section signal M21 at danger. My pick from that day shows DB 66073 approaching the station with 6L42 from Mountsorrel Sidings to Barham.

Returning to Pembrey & Burry Port on 4 June, less than six months before the semaphores were removed, my aim was to capture the Network Rail “flying banana” test train passing the doomed signals and my pick from that trip is this view (above) of 43013/062 passing the station with test train 1Q16 after its monthly tour of West Wales.

A fortnight later I was north of the border and paying a return visit to Arbroath, another fine location for mechanical signals and home to a remarkable and Listed signal box. My pick from that 18 June trip shows a ScotRail Inter7City HST powered by 43146/168 departing with 1A39 from Glasgow Queen Street (10.41) to Aberdeen.

Mazey Day in Penzance is the perfect excuse for a return to the Royal Duchy, so on 28 June I travelled down to Liskeard in order to capture shots of the day’s two special trains crossing the impressive Moorswater Viaduct. My pick from that day shows D1015 Western Champion crossing the viaduct with 1Z32 from Dorridge (05.03) to Penzance.

Escaping a heatwave in Southern England at the time I ventured north to Appleby at the start of July where weather conditions were rather different. Among a number of interesting special workings to pass on 1 July, including one hauled by D1015 Western Champion, was the attractive Midland Pullman HST set, powered by 43049/047, seen here approaching the station with 1Z55 from Derby (06.14) to Carlisle.

It was a different kind of special train when I returned to the Grantham-Skegness Poacher Line later in the month, where on 17 July Hitachi bi-mode unit 810004 became the first of its class ever to appear on the route, working a test train (5Q61) from Old Dalby to Skegness, and seen here passing the Listed West Street Junction Signal Box at Boston.

Droitwich Spa is another rather delightful outpost of semaphore signalling and a location I returned to on 12 August, once again in bright sunshine. My pick from that day shows DB 66199 passing the signal box and approaching the station with 6V07 from Round Oak to Margam.

At the end of August I paid an emotional return to Felletin in Central France to travel on and photograph the last trains to serve the town. On 28 August, three days before closure, a final special train travelled the branch line, formed by preserved railcars X2844 (red) and X2907 (blue) and seen above approaching Aubusson.

On Sunday, 31 August, a huge crowd of around 150 people gathered at Felletin station in heavy rain to await arrival of the last ever train, setting off fireworks and detonators as railcar X73810 drew into the station at 19.15, as seen above, having conveyed me, the three local Mayors, around 35 passengers and a coffin on its final journey and seen here shortly after arrival.

A farewell of a different kind came on 11 September when I paid my last visit to Ferryside before its semaphores were swept away the following month as part of the delayed Port Talbot West 2 re-signalling project. My pick from another rather sad occasion shows TfW 150267 approaching the station with 2B52 from Pembroke Dock (07.07) to Cardiff Central.

Back at Liskeard for a first visit since Mazey Day, on 20 October, my aim was to capture some of the ex-TfW Class 175 units, which began regular test runs that day prior to taking over from the Castle HSTs at the end of the year. Here 175009 passes celebrity signal LD3 in dire weather conditions with 5Z12 from Penzance (11.03) to Plymouth.

Re-signalling of the Portsmouth Direct Line was finally completed in late October and meant closure of the signal boxes at Farncombe, Haslemere and Petersfield. Just 24 hours before its demolition, 450011/055 pass Farncombe Signal Box on 24 October (as seen above) with 1P35 from London Waterloo (12.30) to Portsmouth Harbour.

One month later (25 November 2025) I was kindly invited by Network Rail to visit the five historic signal and gate boxes on the Isle of Anglesey, a fine outpost of mechanical signalling at the western end of the North Wales Main Line. My pick from that day, as seen (above) from Gaerwen Signal Box, shows Colas Rail 56078/302 approaching with RHTT 3S71 to Holyhead.

December was a notable month in the South-West with retirement on 13 December of the last GWR Castle HST sets. Heading for St. Erth on the previous day (12 December) my pick from shots taken on a fine sunny day shows 43093/198 (set GW09) heading towards Penzance with 2C20 from Exeter St. David’s (11.28).

Rounding off my photographic year, I took another trip to ever-charming Moreton-in-Marsh on 17 December, where my excuse for a fine pint of Donnington BB in the Black Bear Inn (3.6%/£4.50) was capturing the monthly NR test train (1Q22) powered by Colas Rail-liveried 43257/274, and seen here passing up section signal MM36 on its journey from Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road.

To see more on any of the locations featured above, go to the chronological index on the right hand side of the http://www.railwayworld.net homepage and click on the relevant month. As this will be my final post of the year, I would like to wish all my friends and readers around the world a very Happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.