JL - 23.5.23 68014 1J53 18:07 Marylebone - Stourbridge Jn, Saunderton

Well away from my Cumbrian base, I stayed in the Thames Valley for a few nights this week. This brought the opportunity to shoot the evening loco hauled diagrams off Marylebone on the route to Banbury and Birmingham. I often use these trains for work travel and these Chiltern Railways services represent the best value for money on the network, in my opinion. From my seat in a comfortable mk3 carriage I've noted the photographic potential of this attractive stretch between Saunderton and Princess Risborough. Tonight was my first chance to try it out. In lovely evening light and with the lineside hawthorne blossoming, unique liveried 68014 thunders up the final yards to the summit at Saunderton with 1J53 18:07 Marylebone - Stourbridge Junc.