26th – 27th October, Weekend in South Wales

 26th – 27th October, Weekend in South Wales

This was a bit of a late notice decision to book a weekend away in South Wales after finding accommodation for £38 in the Ebbw Vale area (with a couple other options a bit more expensive near Porth).  After finishing a course for work (and doing a random linear hop trip on the Friday to score some 730s towards Milton Keynes), I was due to meet a good friend on the Sunday in Cardiff so decided to go away and book the accommodation.

26th October – Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

The trip began with the 05:24 service from Grateley with 159106 doing the honours with the trip to Basingstoke, where after a gentle stroll I took 165104 to Reading (where I popped out of the station to grab something for breakfast).  I know I could have started half an hour later as the XC voyager gave a barely official +7 connection into the Swansea train, but I decided it was better playing it safe (also the chance to grab something to munch on, rather than rushing around).

The 07:13 service to Swansea this morning was formed of a single 5 coach 800020, thankfully easy enough to grab a decent seat in the 2nd coach (running in reverse formation with 1st class at the front) when it rolled in with the run towards Cardiff Central.  Had it not lost time at Bristol Parkway waiting for an ECS from the depot to get put ahead I might have been able to make a connection to a late running Manchester train at Newport to put myself ahead of plan, but that was pulling out as soon as the IET arrived.  Anyhow I remained on board to Cardiff, changing to board a quiet 197109 on a Cardiff – Manchester starter (instead of a 67 hauled set) to take me to Cwmbran with revenue protection in force (and the new footbridge coming along well).

197109 departing Cwmbran Station

After swinging via Morrisons to pick up supplies for lunch my walk began heading along the road (and crossing what looked like an old railway bridge which used to be the old GWR route towards Blaenavon Low Level) I reached the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal.  This part of the canal is incomplete in places (with parts being lost to modern development and modern roads), but has a solid towpath.  I followed the towpath (and the road network where the towpath ceases to exist) heading towards Old Cwmbran, leaving the urban area behind and into some peaceful rural area with some lovely woodland (although the towpath was a bit slippery in places with wet leaves, but nothing that major).

Soon I reached Malpas Junction, in the shadow of the M4 and headed towards Newport town centre, following the canal and a cycle route to the banks of the River Usk in Shaftesbury Park, before doing a U-turn to head back on myself back towards the canal junction and started with the Crumlin Arm.  The first mile was a steady climb with the M4 on the right-hand side before the canal headed underneath the motorway and I reached the remains of the Cefn Flight, also known as Fourteen Locks.  A very steep climb (50 metres in 740 metres), I tip my hat to the cyclists attempting to ride up that climb.

Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal between Cwmbran & Newport

Anyhow the road noise from the M4 in the far distance, peace had return as the canal headed towards Rogerstone (other than for one selfish cyclist whom basically shouted at people to get out of his way, like he owned the towpath).  My walk along the canal continued leaving Rogerstone and towards Pontymister with some steep lanes leading from the canal towards the centre of the settlement (and the station).  I continued heading towards Risca where there was another short gap in the canal before skirting round Crosskeys and reaching the end of the canal in Pontywaun.  The canal previously continued towards Crumlin but the route has been lost to a road with no real evidence remaining.

The walk finished with a walk along the B4591 towards Crosskeys station, passing the remains of an old footbridge which looked like an old railway bridge (maybe something with the old Cwmcarn Colliery branch?)  At Crosskeys station I saw a pair of 153s on a Cardiff train before 197019 rolled in on the next Ebbw Vale Town service to take me towards the terminus as I wanted to get checked in, a bit of new track as I hadn't been north of Crosskeys station since the line was redoubled towards Llanhilleth allowing for a half hourly service from Ebbw Vale.

153906 at Crosskeys Station

My accommodation was at the Kings Arms Guest House, around half a mile from the station, but up a large hill (as Ebbw Vale Town station is located at the bottom of the valley with the town situated high above it).  I followed the rough route of the railway towards the former Ebbw Vale (low level) station before climbing up to the pub, getting checked in to drop off some weight from my bag before coming back down the hill to Ebbw Vale Town station for 153323 & 153906 on the next Cardiff service, which I took to Risca & Pontymister for some better photos (and a fast walk to Tesco for some supplies).

The next Newport service was in the hands of 197046 which took me towards Newport, crossing a small bit of the network for passenger train coverage (having covered that side of the triangle a couple times on railtours).  At Newport it was a short walk to platform 2 to board a late running 800302 to take me to Cardiff Central where I braved the chaos of the city centre on a Saturday night to visit a Poundland to pick up a new Apple Lightning charger cable for my ancient iPod whose battery is slowly giving up the ghost (it will shout that less than 20% remain, only to jump to 60%+ as soon as it's plugged into charge).



I made it back to the station with a couple of minutes to spare, although the next Penarth train was delayed due to a 231-blocking platform 7, forcing a late notice platform change for 153926 & 153910 for the run to Penarth (solely to give me something to do, and to clear the branch for 153 coverage).  In a way I got lucky because Penarth was reduced to 2tph today (I presume freeing up paths for long distance services diverted via Barry) to get a pair of 153s as the other 2 units on Coryton - Penarth services were single 153s!

Anyhow back at Cardiff Central and a short walk over to platform 1 to board a very busy 197007 which rolled in late from Swansea and formed the next Ebbw Vale service, the last to go direct towards Pye Corner (as the ones later all went via Newport).  I took this to Llanhilleth for some better photos and to look at the new platform, returning to Newbridge on the same unit (sadly the Co-Op which used to be next to the station is long gone, I remember visiting there back in 2018 when I first visited this station).

My last train of the evening was another busy 197 with 197002 to take me to the end of the line, giving it a couple of minutes for the platform to clear before I made my way back up the steep climb to my accommodation (Strava quoted a climb of 85ft in just under half a mile).  I was a bit wary when booking this place thinking that it was a pub and it could be loud until late, but when I got there around 21:15 the pub was all closed up (assuming it actually opened in the first place) so I had a decent night of sleep on a comfy bed.  Certainly, a place I would use again, as I relaxed after an enjoyable stroll along the canal from Cwmbran in some beautiful sunshine, although I wished I had turned the fridge off as it was a bit loud at times!


27th October – Taff Trail

The day began checking out of the pub and making my way to the Ebbw Vale Spoons for breakfast arriving just before 8am so it was a short wait for the pub to open up so I could have a nice breakfast before I made my way down the hill to the station to await the first train of the day with 197105 for the slow trip towards the Newport area before going direct to Cardiff Central (which for a Sunday is quite rare considering most of the Ebbw Vale – Cardiff trains go via Newport).  As I had some time to kill before Jules would arrive from Hereford, I headed across to the high numbered platforms to take 231004 for the trip to Barry Island, having a gentle stroll back towards Barry to board the same train back to Cardiff Central, arriving into platform 8 (which I think is something I’ve not done before).

I met up with Jules as we popped out of the station to grab some lunch items before taking 231003 towards Taffs Well going nonstop via the city line (Ninian Park) due to engineering works at Cardiff Queen Street.  Feels strange going along this route on something other than a sprinter, maybe the next time I visit the other Flirts might be in use, maybe even some of the trams we saw stabled at the depot at Taffs Well.

231004 at Barry Island

The walk began as we eventually found the exit to the station (the main exit is currently closed for I presume a new station building), going across the railway and alongside the depot for the 398s and picking up the Taff Trail.  This is a long-distance path which runs from Cardiff towards Brecon, parts I’ve already done in the past.  We picked up the path as it ran along the route of the former Rhymney Railway route towards Nathgarw where it met with the remains of the route of the former Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway, one of the many old railways lost to history in this part of the country.  We stayed on the path towards the outskirts of Caerphilly where the route is lost to housing, doubling back to the junction area, crossing over the A468 and leaving Nantgarw behind as we headed towards the Treforest area skirting round Upper Boat & Rhydyfelin before dropping down, following a path alongside the busy A470 (on what looked to be an old slip road) heading towards Pontypridd via the Ynysangharad War Memorial Park reaching the station.

An enjoyable walk along mostly tarmac paths which were busy with other users, a good way to pass the time having a good social about life & other things.  We reached Pontypridd with a few minutes to spare before 231007 rolled in to take us back towards Cardiff Central, popping out of the station to grab items for dinner before returning with Jules heading back to Hereford behind a 67.  The train I was catching had changed a few times today, firstly it was cancelled outright before coming back as a Cardiff – London service, before that changed to a Cardiff – Bristol Temple Meads service before getting cancelled before finally coming back to being run in full!  Confusing long-distance travel on GWR on Sundays!

Taff Trail (former Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway) between Nantgarw & Rhydyfelin

800310 rolled into Cardiff and I managed to get a decent seat near the back of the train where it was quieter as it headed towards England, losing some time in the Swindon area due to congestion caused by late running services from the Temple Meads direction, and more time outside Reading before it headed into one of the higher numbered platforms with a large crowd waiting for it as two other long distance services had been spun at Reading due to being quite late.

The last train for this trip was 158883 & 158887 on the SWR service to Salisbury, I presume starting at Reading instead of Waterloo due to the paths being taken up by diverted Reading services, so a little bonus for me as it gave me a direct train back to Grateley rather than hanging around Basingstoke for 30 minutes.  Anyhow this train took me home to Grateley, where I had a gentle stroll home, relaxing for the remainder of the evening after two enjoyable walks in some South Wales sunshine.

158883 at Reading

October had been a busy month for myself, the beginning of winter where long walks will get less due to the colder weather & shorter days, so far November is another busy month with a number of overnight trips & the HST tour to the East Lancs Railway.  More photos from this weekend can be found on my Flickr *here*, thanks for reading.

Trips on 18th – 20th October, Weekend in Cheshire

 Trips on 18th – 20th October, Weekend in Cheshire

Originally this weekend getaway was booked for a Pathfinder tour which got cancelled due to the class 40 loco becoming unavailable, but I decided to keep my booking for my usual accommodation in Crewe with lots of ideas in my head of things to do, all based on what the weather forecast was predicting.

18th October – “Delays, delays & more delays”

Just felt like it was one of those evenings where everything was delayed, starting with the 16:59 from Grateley formed of a busy 159009 & 158884 running around 10 minutes late due to the previous Exeter – London service running late (and having stops ripped out), losing some more time along the way into London so arriving around 20 minutes late (mainly caused by congestion).  After grabbing some dinner items from Sainsburys in the Sidings I headed towards the Underground for the Northern line where the platform was quite busy and screens was suggesting trains were turning back at Charing Cross due to some issue further along the line.

Plan Bakerloo time, with 3556 & 3250 taken to Oxford Circus for an unusual 5-minute wait for the next Victoria line service, just about squeezing onto 11010 & 11009 for the run to Euston, my original pick of trains to Crewe already departed so it was onto 390151 working a Manchester service, first stop Stafford.  Departed near enough on time, but soon lost time due to congestion and a late running Wolverhampton bound service calling at both Watford Junction & Milton Keynes being in front so by the time the Pendo passed Rugby it was around 12 minutes late.

158884 at London Waterloo

Still, I was sitting in comfort, watching some videos on my tablet as the Pendo increased speed after Rugby to call at Stafford around 13 minutes late looking likely to be a similar arrival time into Crewe, that was until the train reached the Basford Hall area and hit some congestion and managed to lose 17 minutes before rolling into Crewe just over 30 minutes late.  Hello delay repay I said to myself as I headed out of the station towards the shared house, making myself comfortable (after putting breakfast in the fridge for the morning as it was going to be an early start).  Worse thing about this stay was someone staying in another of the upstairs rooms going out for a smoke during the night but not turning off the hallway light when they returned.

19th October – Exploring the Tissington Trail

The Tissington Trail is the name given to a mixed used path which makes use of the route of the former Uttoxeter – Ashbourne – Buxton line, running between Ashbourne & Dowlow (a couple miles south of Buxton and now a quarry) sharing the first few miles with the High Peak Trail towards Cromford.  A walk I’ve been trying to do a couple of times this year but was either hit with poor weather or engineering works as reaching the starting point using public transport, the options are very limited with one bus a day in each direction (Monday to Saturday) with 2 buses each way on Sundays (Macclesfield – Chatsworth House).

Anyhow the day began with the former Scottish 170416 on the first EMR service from Crewe (making use of the former 1st class area for a little bit of extra comfort) which took me towards Derby and I headed outside the station to catch the High Peak operated route 114 service for Ashbourne with bus 806 on a lightly loaded service via Derby city centre (where the two other passengers whom boarded with myself at the station alighted) for a little trip via some small villages such as Quarndon, Kedleston & Cross o' th' Hands) only picking up another passenger on the outskirts of Ashbourne itself.  Arrival was met with some damp weather as I headed towards the Sainsburys to grab some lunch items before having a little explore of Ashbourne before High Peak’s bus 292 (a little Solo) rolled in on the daily route 441 for Buxton (there is a more frequent route 442 towards Buxton which goes a different route from Ashbourne)

Hulleys of Baslow Bus 9 (MX09 AOF) outside Ashbourne Bus Station on a route 110

Along the way the rain did clear up, being replaced with fog and part of me was tempted to bail out and carry on to Buxton but in the end, I decided to risk it alighting from the bus opposite the Duke of York pub in the small settlement of Pomeroy where my walk began with a short footpath across a slightly muddy field to reach the old railway line route (saved a walk along the busy A515).  When I reached the old railway line, I headed towards Buxton to walk to the end at Dowlow before doubling back towards Hurdlow with the mist lifting and sun coming out.  Yes, the path was a bit wet in places, but nothing that major (and I was expecting puddles due to the rain).  After Hurdlow I continued the walk towards Parsley Hay where there was a bike hire place and the line splits with the High Peak trail heading towards Cromford and Tissington trail continuing south.

The path quality was good as it headed towards some absolutely beautiful scenery in a very rural area.  I passed the old signal box at Hartington as the path continued mostly heading south towards Alsop En Le Dale & Newton Grange, pausing for lunch with a beautiful view.  The path skirted round the edge of Tissington, crossing over the A615 on a modern bridge with the last couple miles not having such beautiful views as it headed away from the Peak District towards Ashbourne finishing with a tunnel with the path ending near the town centre a short walk away from the bus stops.  A walk I would recommend, just a shame reaching it by public transport is very limited, no wonder why the many car parks along the way were busy.

View from the Tissington Trail

Annoyingly I had hit the gap in afternoon trains on the Derby – Crewe line, so would have had a 90-minute wait had I gone direct to Uttoxeter as I was originally toying with, instead I boarded the Trent Barton operated “Swift” route (bus 737) on the more direct bus towards Derby, terminating at the bus station.  I had a gentle stroll towards the railway station, jumping onto a busy 170115 for the run to Long Eaton, seeing as I purchased a ticket to Long Eaton this morning from Crewe, I might have well made use of it for an extra 8 miles each way).

At Long Eaton, I took a seat on the Derby bound platform, relaxing before 158812 rolled in on the Crewe train.  Making a change from the more usual 170 and first time I believe I’ve had a 158 on the route between Derby & Stoke on Trent.  At Crewe station I headed back towards my accommodation via a takeaway to grab a burger meal box, consuming it in the lounge area and relaxing for an hour or so before heading back out to intercept a required 197.



Back at Crewe station I took a seat on 197118 (in standard plus to make the most of the nicer seats before you have to pay extra for them) on a quiet train because a voyager was running quite late it split at Crewe instead of Chester, which did soak up a lot of the waiting passengers, although the 197 did get delayed heading to Chester as a result (due to the longer signalling blocks), at Chester it ran into the back of 197122 to become my first 6 coach 197 service to take me to Flint, where the main footbridge is out of action as a new lift bridge is getting installed.  Access to the opposite platform is via an existing footbridge close to the station, the main reason for heading to Flint is to avoid a long wait in Chester due to a slightly mismatched timetable and to avoid the risk of TfW swapping out my required unit for something else.

Anyhow, 15 minutes at Flint later and winner 197124 rolled in, not as busy as I was expecting it to have been as I took a seat in Standard Plus as it ran into the rear of 197019 at Chester for the final section to Crewe.  My last currently active (as of the 29th October) 197 with just 2 more of the 3 coach units left and the 2-coach batch with the signalling equipment for the Cambrian so a nice result.  A good thing I went for it on the Saturday as the unit sat on the depot at Crewe most of the day on the Sunday only coming out to form a 3pm service towards Holyhead, the one which avoided me the weekend before when it got swapped over for 120 at Swansea.

197124 at Crewe Station

I alighted from the train at Crewe station, making my way back to the shared house, having a nice shower and relaxing for the remainder of the evening, thankfully the person whom couldn’t turn off the lights seemed to have disappeared as the house was quiet so I had a reasonable night sleep.

20th October – A West Midlands Day Ranger in the rain

Sadly, the weather had turned back to being a bit on the wet side, so walking was out of the option leaving me with some options.  Engineering works in Liverpool had closed Lime Street High Level and there was no Merseyrail services via Hooton so heading towards Liverpool to hunt 777s was out.  I did see if 230006 was floating around on the Wrexham – Bidston line but it wasn’t out (and a good thing I didn’t head that way as the services collapsed with a signalling issue at Wrexham).  In the end I decided to head towards the West Midlands to see what 730s were floating around (although even that plan didn’t work as the southern section of the Cross City line collapsed due to overhead wire damage).

I checked out of the shared house, not sure when I will next be back, heading towards Crewe station via the Tesco at the garage for breakfast items and towards platform 5 where I gambled wrong on the way 220030 was positioned and ended up standing on a very busy service towards Birmingham New Street, being able to ID a Shrewsbury service departing as a 4 coach 196.  On checking RTT I saw a Wolverhampton – London Avanti service was showing as a winner 805 so after grabbing some fresh air I headed back in the Wolverhampton direction on dud 730003 working the stopping service, which even featured a ticket check (which for West Midlands Train was quite rare).

730003 at Wolverhampton Station

After checking the identity of another 196 from Shrewsbury (running quite late) and seeing a voyager being very cosy, I headed across to platform 4 for winner 805012 to roll in from the depot, taking a seat for the trip towards Birmingham New Street where my luck wasn’t with me in terms of 730s (only half hourly towards Lichfield today with nothing heading south due to the overhead wire damage) so I jumped onto a pair of Avanti voyagers (221102 & 221101) on an Euston service which departed right behind a late running LNR stopper (which itself was following a late running Birmingham International stopper), I was going to stay on to Coventry to see what the 196s were out on Nuneaton – Leamington services but bailed at Birmingham International (which turned out to be a good thing as the voyagers lost more time and would have missed both 196s).  I headed back to Birmingham New Street on a busy 390152 before boarding dud 730045 leading winner 730043 on the next Lichfield service which took me to Blake Street.

A quick platform change at Blake Street and it was onto duds 730041 & 730005 back towards Birmingham New Street for the final time of the day, transferring to 350109 & 350368 working a Crewe service (which would normally be a Liverpool service had the line been open).  For the second time of the day I had my ticket checked, the guard managing to get to the front coach by Wolverhampton.  These 350s took me towards Crewe going on the slow lines north of Stafford, arriving into platform 7 giving me around 20 minutes to waste before winner 805005 rolled in with dud 805001 on the rear, easily getting a table seat near the front of 005 (which like with the 197s I’m now waiting for the rest to enter service).

805012 at Wolverhampton Station

This was a fast service calling only at Stafford towards London Euston so a good speedy run (although I really need to do a WCML Voyager farewell run at some point).  Arrival into Euston was a few minutes behind schedule due to congestion around Milton Keynes, giving me just under an hour to reach Waterloo.  As the sun was out, I decided to have a gentle stroll via my usual route, arriving just over 35 minutes later (which included a trip to a Co-Op for dinner to make use of some membership vouchers to get a £2 meal deal).

My final train for this weekend getaway was 159105 & 158886 working the 18:45 service for Salisbury, taking a seat in the front coach and relaxed for the journey to Grateley where I had a gentle walk home to get myself ready for the week ahead.  An enjoyable weekend, shame the weather on the Sunday was a bit rubbish (I did have a plan to walk from Hayfield towards New Mills, but that will have to wait until next year now).  More photos can be found on my Flickr, link is here, thanks for reading :)

Trips on 11th to 13th October

 Trips on 11th to 13th October

11th October – An evening out in London

The idea for this evening’s little trip to London was spotting that both my last C2C 720s were out on services which called at Upminster and were both gettable without requiring mad dashes between platforms.  As a bonus a winning GA 720 was also showing as out on a service from Southend calling at Romford which was timed nicely with the 2nd of the C2C services.

After finishing my work for the day, I headed towards Waterloo on 159015, 159017 & 159104 and headed to the Waterloo & City line for the ride to Bank on 65507 & 65508, first time in nearly 2 years since I used this underground line last (I wonder if TfL will ever reopen it at weekends).  At Bank I made my way towards the DLR platforms turning down the first service before a triple for Lewisham formed of sets 86, 41 & 46 where I needed 41 for a mile.  I took this set to Shadwell where I broke out the deckchair on the look out for any more of my sub mile DLR units, both the older type which are due to be replaced and the newer types, although I have no idea if some of the ones on my list are still active.

DLR Set 32 at Tower Gateway

With one eye on the time, I decided to call it a day with the next Tower Gateway service, getting lucky with sub mile unit 32 on the rear of set 90, with the three quarters of a mile trip to Tower Gateway being enough to push it over the mile mark, which was a nice little bonus.  Anyhow I headed towards Fenchurch Street, swinging via a Tesco Express to grab some dinner items, arriving just as a pair of 720s were rolling in empty from the depot.  I was glad when I saw it was winner 720606 was leading dud 720602 as I took a seat for the run to Upminster.  After transferring to platform 1 I boarded 357044 & 357322 to take me back towards West Ham for a short wait as winner 720608 rolled in with dud 720603 on the rear returning myself to Upminster where after a quick photo, I made my way across to platform 6 to board 710116 on the Romford service.

As I had around 20 minutes to waste before the next fast GA service, I decided to pop out of the station for a little stroll and a visit to the shop where I picked up a reduced to clear chilled pudding as I was still a bit hungry.  Anyhow back at Romford, my fingers were crossed as winner 720134 rolled in with dud 720576 on the rear which took me to Liverpool Street, another GA 720 into my book before I made my way back towards Waterloo going the quickest way I know, which is the Central line one stop to Bank (91139, 92204, 92406 & 91283) before the Waterloo & City line (65504 & 65503) to Waterloo (although not like it could take me anywhere else from bank lol!)

720608 at Upminster

The 19:50 service to Salisbury tonight was formed of 158880 running solo which did get quite cosy on departure, and extremely cosy after Clapham Junction.  After Basingstoke it did empty out as I headed home after a successful little evening in London.  I didn’t fancy hanging around London as the West of England line had somewhat fallen over with both the 20:20 & 21:20 services starting at Basingstoke.

12th October – A Cheshire Day Ranger in the rain

My original idea for this Saturday was either a walk along the disused railway from Warrington towards Altrincham and towards Cadishead Viaduct on the former Glazebrook East Junction to Skelton Junction line which Open Street Maps/Google Maps suggests is walkable.  The 2nd option was to walk the canal from Runcorn towards Warrington before following the route of the former Sankey Canal towards Earlestown.  Sadly, both ideas went back on the shelf with the adverse weather forecast which suggested heavy rain from the afternoon for there would be no point getting soaked.

The day trip began with the 05:24 service to Waterloo with 159022, followed by a quick leap to Vauxhall on 458416 & 458401 to get 401 into my book for renumbering.  Annoyingly the Sainsburys outside Vauxhall station doesn’t open until 8am so I had to wait until I got to Euston (where it was a case of hunting down the sandwiches as the shelves had been moved around) with 11076 & 11075 on the Victoria line.  After grabbing breakfast supplies, I headed towards the 07:30 Glasgow service formed of 390135 for the nonstop run to Warrington Bank Quay where I decided to have a little stroll as the weather was dry.

I exited Bank Quay station, turning south and climbing onto a footbridge which crossed the low level lines and followed the path towards the bank of the River Mersey with the disused transporter bridge.  I followed the footpath alongside the river via the industrial area heading towards Sankey Bridges.  I picked up the route of the Trans Pennine Trail where it leaves the St Helens/Sankey Canal, going via some woodland before crossing the River Mersey heading towards the railway bridges and the remains of the Runcorn & Latchford Canal.

Warrington Transporter Bridge

After following the Trans Pennine Trail towards the Wilderspool area of the town, near the former Walton lock linking the Runcorn & Latchford Canal with the Manchester Ship Canal I headed via a park area and had a fast walk back to Bank Quay station to purchase my Cheshire Day Ranger and managed to get a seat on a Manchester Piccadilly bound 197108 which was on time approaching Manchester but somehow lost 10 minutes in congestion around Oxford Road.  After I popped outside the station to grab lunch from the Co-Op, I returned to take a seat on winner 197119 on the next service towards South Wales.  This 197 took me to Crewe where for a little time-wasting spin, I took 331011 on the next Northern stopper to Sandbach with 331018 back to Crewe.

At Crewe once more, I headed across to platform 11 to await the next Chester bound Avanti service for both my first experience of an 805 on diesel (previously only ever having them on electric) and because both 805004 & 805013 were winners.  I took these units to Chester where I headed across to platform 7 for a little spin on Merseyrail trying to determine my route home, trying to avoid 9 coach Pendos as I didn’t have any sort of seat reservations (and the extra 2 coaches on a 11 coach Pendo are handy)

331011 at Sandbach

As it was Autumn, there was 7 diagrams on Chester services meaning instead of the usual 5-minute turnaround the services were there for around 12 minutes (personally something I think Merseyrail should do all year round to aid time keeping).  The first available Merseyrail service was winner 777053 which I took to Bromborough Rake, before realising my mistake in that Bromborough Rake isn’t the nicest to get between platforms in any sort of hurry!  Anyhow the next Chester was showing as a dud and I decided to jump on 777010 to Spital which has a nicer platform to platform change (keeping my eyes on both northbound & southbound services).  The next Ellesmere Port service was winner 777051 which I took to Ellesmere Port and back to Spital to clear it for 10 miles as the next southbound Chester was an unknown.  Sadly, not a winner as it was 777008 which I took to Eastham Rake to ID the 7th unit on Chester services (another dud) and headed for a gentle stroll towards the car park just as the heaven’s opened.

I returned to the platforms at Eastham Rake to take 777009 to Chester, managing to get a seat on 197012 working the next Manchester Airport service to Warrington Bank Quay where I decided to gamble on the next nonstop London train having some seat availability.  It was running a few minutes late but nothing major as 390137 rolled in and I grabbed a pair of airline seats, settling down to watch some videos as well as watching the rain thundering down.  This Pendo took me to London nice and fast arriving around 15 minutes late due to congestion on the southern section of the WCML.

390154 at Warrington Bank Quay

The weather in London couldn’t have been any more different to what I left behind in Warrington and with time to kill I had a stroll towards Waterloo arriving in time to board 458415 & 458410 on a Weybridge service to get another 458/4 into my book for renumbering.  I alighted at Vauxhall, jumping on the first available service from platform 7, which was 455742 & 455852 back to Waterloo before making my way across to platform 7 to take a seat on 159017 working the 20:50 service.  Bit of an earlier than expected finish today but that early start had caught up with me.

An uneventful journey to Grateley, where I finished the trip with a gentle stroll home, to relax after sorting my bag out ready for another day trip on the Sunday.

13th October – An unexpected return to North Camp

The idea for today was to head towards South Wales to take a trip on the Treherbert line as I hadn’t been on that line (in daylight) for a while.  Also to score off the new platform at Treherbert which at the time I believed only saw use on Sundays (since checking RTT it seems platform 1 is in use for the majority of services with the original platform 2 only being used at the start/end of the day when services go ECS to the sidings.  Also, the plan was to have a trip via Barry as the mainline was closed for works.

The day started with the 07:37-odd service from Grateley with 159022 & 159106 taken to Andover where I stepped back for 158890 on a Reading service for the trip to Reading where I planned to make a connection onto a Swansea service (which RTT was suggesting was a 5-coach special).  When I got to Reading the GWML had fallen over due to a points failure at Slough meaning services from London were delayed or cancelled, so after having a quick walk to Tesco Express for some supplies I decided on a little plan B to waste some time and jumped onto an Ascot bound 450050 to take me to Ascot (where it arrived onto platform 2).  One of these days I will get round to doing the peak time services which does the connection into Platform 1 from the Bagshot line (and from platform 2 at Ascot towards Bagshot).

450050 underneath the footbridge at Ascot

Anyhow I changed onto 450078 working a service for Guildford (with such a brilliant timetable which saw the Reading train departing just as the train from Guildford arrived!) as the Bagshot line is another line I hadn’t travelled on since before Covid stuck.  My original idea was to take this service towards Ash to change onto a stopper to Reading but that stopper had been cancelled so I bailed at Ash Vale for a gentle walk to North Camp, a place I wasn’t expecting to visit today!  A reasonably busy 165104 took me back towards Reading on a semi-fast service giving me just over thirty minutes to waste before the next Swansea service.

The next Swansea service was formed of 800007 & 800021 and I easily managed to grab a seat in the front coach for the fast run towards South Wales where my plans for a little tour of Barry  or Treherbert were put on ice as I worked out it would be possible to grab my last 3 active 197s with a trip to Hereford so I alighted from the 800s at Newport, changing to a busy platform 4 for the Holyhead service formed of winner 197117 to take me to Abergavenny where after looking at the construction of the new footbridge I did a little loop around the local roads, just to pass the time before dud 197120 rolled in.  Looked like it swapped over with 197124 at Swansea, ah-well those things happen as I took this 197 to Hereford where I exited the station for another gentle stroll to pass the time.

New footbridge & lifts under construction at Abergavenny Station

I returned to Hereford station with a busy platform as winner 197125 rolled in, full & standing as I ended up standing near the drivers cab with the aisle & vestibules pretty much full, I think everybody got on at Hereford but passengers at the stations towards Newport were left behind as you couldn’t fit anymore passengers on board.  I was glad it was a 3-coach unit rather than the 2-coach unit which was due an hour later!  Anyhow this service took me back to Newport and I was glad to take a seat on the next London Paddington service which was formed of 387157 & 387142 on the Sunday afternoon Welsh Electrostar working.  It only really got busy after Didcot with a couple of passengers asking where was 1st class (it doesn’t exist on this service) so I was glad to change at Reading.

My last GWR service of the day was the late running Basingstoke shuttle formed of 165127, not as cosy as the TfW service but still quite busy on departure from Reading running late because the Sunday timetable simply doesn’t work.  Anyhow I took this 165 to Basingstoke where I relaxed in the waiting room until 159010 rolled in from Waterloo on a Salisbury stopper to take me back to Grateley.  A good day for mileage (and 387 based fun) with 2 more 197s into my book.  Considering I was around 3 hours late into Newport due to the issues earlier on I didn’t do that badly.

Unexpected Voyager in the platform area...

As always, thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr, although not as many this week as previous weeks due to not walking that much.

Trips on 5th & 6th October (Trent & Mersey + London)

 Trips on 5th & 6th October

5th October – Trent & Mersey Canal in Derbyshire

I had a good number of ideas for this Saturday, in the end deciding that finishing the Trent & Mersey canal would be better than walking a bit more of the Leicester Arm of the Grand Union or doing another canal walk.  As finishing something I started in January last year would be good considering my walks along this canal over the summer.  My final section was from Willington towards the end of the canal where it meets the Trent at Derwent Mouth with a short section along the Trent to the Erewash canal to finish at Long Eaton station.

The day began with the 05:24 service from Grateley with 159007 working this quiet service to Waterloo where I transferred to the underground (after grabbing some supplies from Sainsburys) with the Bakerloo line & Victoria line to Kings Cross St Pancras (sets 3558/3245 on the Bakerloo & 11060/11059 on the Victoria).  I made my way across to the EMR platforms at St Pancras, probably one of my least used major London terminus stations to jump onto 222012 working the 07:32 service for Sheffield, first stop Leicester before calling at Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Long Eaton and finally Derby where I alighted, exiting the station for some fresh air.

222012 departing Derby

I returned to the station and managed to grab a seat on 170638 working the next service towards Birmingham which called at the underserved Willington station, the next Birmingham train wouldn’t be for another 4 hours, no wonder why there was a large crowd waiting for this 170.  I exited the station (passing a recently installed TVM) swinging via a Co-Op to grab some supplies for lunch before making my way to the canal where I picked up where I ended up back in April, something which felt like a lifetime ago but a day I will remember as the day I got invited for my assessment day after radio silence for 4 months.

Anyhow to the canal as I walked along the towpath leaving Willington behind going underneath the railway line towards Uttoxeter heading towards Derby with the towpath running close to the railway before going underneath it near Stenson where it follows the route of the Castle Donington freight line (with a couple of freight services heard along the way).  The canal in this area is quite rural skirting around the smaller settlements along the route (like Barrow Upon Trent) with the towpath a mixed bag for quality.  The tarmac soon returning in the Swarkestone area where the cycle path alongside the former Derby Canal joins and runs along the Trent & Mersey before picking up the former Melbourne railway line.

Trent & Mersey Canal

Once the cycle path departs the towpath returns to being rural with some lovely woodland, I presume Donington race track had some sort of race going on due to the noise of vehicles from that general direction with the canal weaving & skirting round the edge of Weston on Trent & Aston on Trent before reaching Shardlow, passing the zero mile marker at Shardlow Wharf, a good place to pause for lunch before I continued with the last mile of canal to where it meets the River Trent at Derwent Mouth (also the mouth of the River Derwent).  Trent & Mersey Canal, tick.

Now onto the River Trent I did a little detour towards Cavendish Bridge (the limit of navigation) before continuing towards the Sawley cut, crossing the river on a bridge alongside the railway viaduct (carrying the Castle Donington line).  The next section ran alongside a golf course with the river hidden from view by trees, but the occasional opening giving a nice view of the closed Ratcliffe power station, a sight soon to be resigned to memory when the cooling towers are blown up.

Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station overlooking the River Trent in Sawley.

My walk along the Trent ended where it meets the Erewash Canal on a junction near the Cranfleet Cut & mouth of the River Soar Navigation.  I joined the towpath of the Erewash canal walking towards New Sawley and finishing my walk at Long Eaton station.  Originally, I was toying with a spin to Nottingham for a tram hunt but based on the time (it was around half three) I decided it probably wasn’t worth it (as I didn’t want a late finish) so I took my chance with the next London train (which just happened to be the next arrival at Long Eaton) with a busy 222012 (again!).  I got lucky to get an unreserved seat in coach D (as I did have the potential of jumping off at Leicester to chance the 222 from Nottingham had I not got a decent seat).

Anyways around 90 minutes later the 222 arrived at St Pancras and I made my way to the underground with a reverse of the morning’s move with 11055/11056 taken on the Victoria line to Oxford Circus for 3245/3558 (again!) on the Bakerloo to Waterloo where I made it onto the 17:50 service for Salisbury, a busy 159022 & 159008 for the run to Grateley where I had a nice dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening, that early start catching up with me.  An enjoyable walk along the Trent & Mersey canal in some beautiful sunshine, it’s coming into the time of year now where sadly rural canals are removed from my list as the towpaths do get muddy in places, especially after heavy rain.

6th October – Cole Green Way & London Day

The Cole Green Way is the name given to the mixed-use path which makes use of the former Hertford & Welwyn Junction Railway route running from Welwyn Garden City to Hertford (shocker that!), a route I’ve been meaning to do for a while but either gets rained off or engineering works popping up.  Anyhow the day for me began with an early morning drive to Andover to catch the 06:58 service formed of 159002, 159017 & 158880 for the fast run towards London where after swinging via Sainsburys for breakfast I headed to the underground with 3537 & 3240 taken on the Bakerloo line to Oxford Circus for 11072 & 11071 on the Victoria line towards Tottenham Hale, where I got to the booking office level only to do an U-Turn back down to the trains as there was a broken rail near Hackney Downs with Greater Anglia services using Seven Sisters.

11085 & 11086 took me to Seven Sisters, a station in a bit of chaos with delays with a couple of Stansted Express services before the next Hertford East service, something which RTT was suggesting was going to be a winner (720129) but 720136 rolled in, just one of those things with the incorrect data not reflecting any late swaps.  Anyhow I turned down this unit for winner 720541 on an Ely service (no trains between Ely & Norwich so GA were extending their services to Ely rather than Cambridge North).  This service took me to Broxbourne where I stepped back to a busy Cheshunt on 720572 with reports that the line around Hackney had reopened so winner 720519 arrived near enough on time on the next Hertford East service, taking me to the end of the branch line where I had a short walk to the bus station (although it’s nothing worth shouting about).

745009 arriving into Seven Sisters

It was onto the hourly route 324 service for Welwyn Garden City, a private bus from Centrebus (South), an Enviro 200 fleet number 502.  This took me out of Hertford with some fast running along the A414 before dropping me off in Welwyn Garden City near Heronswood Road where my walk began.  The first section was via a park before a path alongside the B195 before picking up the mixed used section near Cole Green Lane.  Some nice woodland on the first section of this walk.  As it headed towards an underpass of the A414 with the tarmac path ending with the section via some lovely woodland passing the remains of Cole Green station as the path skirted closed to Letty Green & Birch Green heading towards Hertingfordbury and Hertford, the path coming to an end with the viaduct carrying the Hertford Loop line close to Hertford Town football club.  Certainly, a nice short walk on decent service.  The next section was a case of heading towards Hertford town centre before making my way to Hertford East station where I jumped onto 720519 once more.

This 720 took me towards Tottenham Hale where I swapped over to board winner 720133 towards Broxbourne with an extended dwell at Cheshunt due to an incident further north.  Eventually it did reach Broxbourne with the previous train from Hertford East blocking platform 2 with dud 720136 taken back to Tottenham Hale.  Annoyingly a winner 720 I saw out earlier that morning on an Ely got swapped over at Cambridge but never mind, 3 more are into my little book.  The next 90 (or so) minutes was spent on the Underground, mainly on the Piccadilly line getting 1973 stock over a mile, ending up at Arnos Grove (where I did consider walking to New Southgate for a 717 to Moorgate but the rain had started).

Cole Green Station

I exited the underground at Liverpool Street, where after a trip to Tesco for some dinner supplies I took a seat on winner 720138 on a Chelmsford service (with dud 720533 on the rear) to Shenfield, swapping platforms for winner 720135 behind dud 720545 on another service from Chelmsford taking me to Stratford where for the lack of a better idea I headed towards the westbound Central line/Elizabeth line platforms with the first Central line service featuring a sub mile trailer (92252) for a nice bonus.  I took this Central line to Mile End where it ran in alongside a sub mile District line service (21387/21388) which I took to Whitechapel turning down the next Hammersmith service for another District line formed of 21405/21406 for another sub-mile S7 cleared with the run to Embankment (having checked the ID of the service starting from Tower Hill).

My last leg on the Underground was with the Northern line (51618/51617) to Waterloo, before boarding 159107, 159104 & 159020 on a busy 18:20 service for Exeter St Davids which took me back to Andover where I had a gentle drive home (giving my car a little run out).  A successful day with a good number of LU stuff cleared for a mile as well as getting 5 more GA 720s and walking the Cole Green Way.  Another disused railway line walk removed from my big list.  More photos can be found on my Flickr album for October, link is  *here*.  Thanks for reading, and remember to always read the small print...

Read the small print ;)

27th – 29th September Weekend Trips

 27th – 29th September Weekend Trips

A busy weekend with overnight stays in the Bristol area on the Friday for the opening of a new station and an overnight stay in Birmingham for the 323 Farewell tour.

27th September – Onwards to Filton… via Taunton

The trip for me began with the 16:07 service from Grateley to Salisbury, formed of a busy 159018 for the short journey to Salisbury, where I had a short wait before 158771 & 158766 rolled in on a GWR service for Cardiff Central.  I managed to get a decent seat in the front coach and relaxed as the train headed towards Westbury & Bradford Upon Avon where it crawled for the next section due to signalling issues (losing 15 minutes in the progress), regaining line speed after Bathampton junction and arriving at Bristol Temple Meads where I exited the station for a stroll towards a nearby Tesco, bringing back memories of an old college friend I had (somebody whom we slowly drifted apart) whom had university accommodation in this area (memories of using his place as somewhere to crash for the night after music gigs).

Anyhow trip down memory lane over and I returned to Bristol Temple Meads deciding to take a gamble with a Plymouth bound XC service which is booked to go via Weston Super Mare but without stopping there, looking back it seems the success rate is around 66% but seemed quite reliable when the service was on time.  Thankfully tonight former Avanti 221115 was on time arriving into Bristol (where it detached from another 220) and I managed to get a seat in coach F for a slightly delayed departure.  My fingers were crossed and thankfully the gamble paid off as the train turned right after Worle to head via Weston Super Mare without stopping before rejoining the mainline and headed towards Taunton.  One of those random XC route knowledge moves (similar to that late night Leeds voyager which goes via Tinsley etc).

A pair of 159s departing Grateley for London

I headed via the subway at Taunton to board a late running GWR service for Gloucester formed of 802003 without first checking the route it would use (for I had assumed it would also go via Weston Super Mare) but after calling at Bridgwater the next stop was Bristol Temple Meads using the cut-off line.  I was toying with the idea of a late night trip to Cheltenham to get the novelty of a XC service going Cheltenham – Gloucester – Bristol but decided that could easily wait for another trip as the busy week working trains under supervision had slowly caught up with me and I decided to remain on the 802 after Bristol Temple Meads (passing a steam train) for the slow run to Filton Abbey Wood (congestion I presume caused by a diverted London – Wales service, due to flooding on the main-line between Swindon & Bristol).

My accommodation for the Friday night was the Premier Inn located in Filton itself, roughly .75 miles away from the station, including using an unlit subway with pavements.  Took me a few minutes to locate the actual hotel entrance as it was a bit hidden, but soon as I arrived, got checked in and headed to my room I relaxed with the sound of passing traffic in this older hotel.  An early start on the Saturday to walk towards Ashley Down so I was asleep by 10pm.

28th September – Ashley Down & West Midlands

I left the hotel around 06:20 which I felt gave me a good cushion to swing via a Tesco Express to grab supplies for breakfast and to have a look around the new station of Ashley Down (located between Filton Abbey Wood & Stapleton Road in Bristol).  Although I was feeling rubbish as a cold stuck me overnight (so much that I turned down an invite for a breakfast catchup with some friends, can’t be too careful just in case it was something more sinister, it is cold season after-all).  Anyhow 40 minutes (or so) of walking along various suburban roads I reached Ashley Down, a basic 2 platform station linked by a footbridge with lifts, a single TVM located by the entrance (which was quite busy with people buying/collecting tickets) with a good crowd for when 165135 arrived on the Filton Abbey Wood service, quite busy on board the train for the short distance where I swapped platforms to board the same unit back to Ashley Down to clear the station for alighting.

166213 was up next, which was back to being quiet for the short hop to Filton Abbey Wood where I had a short wait before 802003 rolled in to take me to Newport, only switching to electric at Severn Tunnel Junction rather than Patchway.  A friendly guard on this train whom I managed to get my West Midlands Day Ranger from, just to save a job for later in the day.  My original idea was to head towards Worcester direct via Cheltenham but there was engineering works so it was a case of going via Hereford instead.

An IET passing Ashley Down

At Newport I switched over to platform 4 for the Manchester train which was being delayed due to being stuck behind an Ebbw Vale service and 197118 rolled in.  Sadly, my gamble at which end the posher seats would be didn’t pay off (they were at the Cardiff end) but I did manage to get a decent seat for the run north, when I noticed West Midlands Railways were having a bad day (and that was putting it kindly, does it say something when they have replacement buses running to cover for multiple cancellations?)  Anyhow for lack of a better idea I stayed on board this 197 to Church Stretton (not much point staying all the way to Shrewsbury as it would miss both the WMR services for Birmingham with the next TfW showing as a 2-coach special).  A station I wanted to revisit for some better photos and also for winner 197113 on the next Cardiff service which took me to Hereford where it arrived just as the Birmingham train was pulling out, because the timetable is rubbish).

So, with an hour to kill, I popped out of the station to visit Morrisons to grab lunch before returning with one of DB’s regeared 66/6 sitting on the through line for a Cardiff train to pass it.  Some confusion with a late running Holyhead train causing a delay for the Birmingham service as winner 196113 rolled in to take me towards Worcester (with a further delay for a late running IET service to clear the single line).  It had been a good couple of years since I last did a train from Hereford towards Ledbury so a nice reminder of the rural nature, the train getting busier at Droitwich Spa (a couple of trains for Snow Hill had been cancelled) and busy at Bromsgrove (as why take the stopper when you can take the fast service?)  I took this 196 to New Street where I had a plan to intercept a service from Shrewsbury.

196113 at Birmingham New Street

It was a short walk to board 158835 & 158841 on a TfW service for somewhere beyond Shrewsbury (honestly, I can’t remember if it was Holyhead or for the Cambrian) for the run to Wolverhampton where I had a short wait before winner 196114 rolled in from Shrewsbury on the first day in passenger service, clearing the 4 coach 196s (my luck with the 2 coach units is still rubbish).  This was a service which crawled via Tame Bridge Parkway, sitting at Soho junction for 5 minutes for late running trains to go in front, no wonder why the train emptied out at Wolverhampton.

Anyhow back at Birmingham New Street and my luck wasn’t the greatest with the 730s so I decided to cut my losses and jump on a busy 170113 on a Leicester service (featuring someone whom clearly hasn’t heard that you might have someone sitting next to you as he kicked off saying he wanted his personal space when I asked him to move his bag when seat options were extremely limited, if he wanted his personal space then the best place would be the inward facing seats behind the cab or to upgrade for 1st class (that assuming he even had a ticket in the first place).  Back to the trains as this 170 took me to Nuneaton as I decided to chance my luck with the Leamington service, sadly it was dud 196004 which I took to Coventry (clears Nuneaton to Bermuda Park for 196 coverage at least), annoyingly sub-10-mile unit 196006 was the other unit out today.  Ah-well, plenty more chances to hopefully get them into my book with future trips to the West Midlands.  I wouldn’t have liked to have been on that Leicester service after Nuneaton as there was a big crowd waiting for it.

Next up was a 10 coach 805 set which I had mistakenly had down as a pair of winners but seems I forgot to remove 805011 from my list of wants when I scored it a couple of weeks back.  Still 805010 was a winner as I took this service to Birmingham New Street where thankfully my luck with the 730s had improved with winner 730041 (and dud 730005) on a Redditch service which I took to Barnt Green, shouting at some idiotic kids whom were right on the platform edge to stand back as a XC 170 sped through for Bromsgrove before boarding winner 730020 & dud 730029 down the hill to Bromsgrove remaining on board back to Northfield where I was joined by my good friend Jules whom was also on the tour tomorrow.

A Cosy 170 at Nuneaton

We had a nice little catch-up when doing a linear hop to Kings Norton on 730041 & 730005 where the plan was to wait for the service from Bromsgrove to take us to university where 196113 was on the next train from Hereford, sadly for some unknown reason those 730s were delayed departing Bromsgrove so the 196 sailed through (Jules not being a happy bunny as he wanted that 196).  The next train from Redditch was 730033 & 730032 which we took to Five Ways, stepping back to board the late running service from Bromsgrove with winner 730024 leading dud 730007.  I bid farewell to Jules at New Street and took this pair to Aston, where I headed towards my accommodation as I needed to check in before 10pm as it was rooms on top of a private member’s pub (which had already closed up when I arrived at 9pm).  A sizable room which had both a double & a single bed, which came to the aid of Jules as his accommodation provider was messing him around and saved him forking out big bucks for a same day hotel!

After emptying my rucksack, I returned to Aston (very much an industrial area so it wasn’t that pretty) jumping onto 730046 on a Lichfield service (quite busy it was as well) with the idea of intercepting 024 at Sutton Coldfield but as that was delayed by around 10 minutes departing Lichfield, I changed at Four Oaks with the announcement that due to late running the last train to Bromsgrove would run nonstop after Sutton Coldfield to Birmingham New Street. 730007 & 730024 returned from Lichfield and running fast after Sutton Coldfield did claw back the 10 minutes of delay, as 024 was pushed over ten miles.  I made my way across to platform 1 to board the Walsall train which was winner 730022 which I took to Aston, not wanting to take it to Walsall due to the time of night as I left it under ten miles (and hence creating a new tab on an excel spreadsheet).

730022 at Aston Station

I met up with Jules again and we headed towards the pub, sneaking him in via the side door (although I would imagine the main door would be locked up with the member of staff having gone home), and headed to sleep ready for another early start and another walk (with the backup option of a bus as the pub was located on the “inner circle” bus route had the weather turned out to be wet.

29th September – West Midlands 323 Farewell

I decided to book on this Railtour to say farewell to the 323s operating within the West Midlands, just feels strange being at Birmingham New Street and not seeing the 323s working Cross City line services but things move on and the 730s have slowly grown on me (although I still think the seats are too narrow).  Me & Jules left the accommodation with a lovely sunrise over the city, bit noisy with the road but overall, quite reasonable for £50 for a Saturday night in near enough the city centre.

We headed towards Birmingham city centre with a short walk along the Birmingham & Fazakerley canal before cutting across the campus of Aston university (swinging via a Tesco Express to grab some supplies).  On reaching the city centre we popped into Tim Hortons for something warm (and because the station doesn’t open until 8am on Sundays due to the late start up of services), first time I’ve been upstairs and it is quite nice, certainly somewhere I would return to if I ever had a long connection at New Street and wanted a comfy sofa.

Anyhow, the station was opened and the crowd of passengers headed towards the platform the 323s were due to depart from before 323222 & 323221 arriving from the depot, we were assigned coach D (sit anywhere you like within the coach) and departure was on time.  The first trip was a nonstop run on the southern part of the Cross City line towards Bromsgrove pausing at Barnt Green to pick up passengers, reversing on platform 1 at Bromsgrove (probably a fair while since the wires on platform 1 saw some actual use!)

323221 at Birmingham New Street

The 323s climbed Lickey and headed back towards Birmingham New Street for a further pick up before heading towards Aston (using the chord usually used by Walsall trains rather than the flyover), after Aston the train continued towards Perry Barr before using the track in the Soho junction area to join the main route from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, going nonstop via platform 4 at Wolverhampton was a bit of a novelty before the units gained some speed on the run towards Stafford for a final pick-up.  Next stop was Liverpool Lime Street but a bit of a farce around Crewe saw the service losing time and departing behind the 350 on the stopper (rather than being in front of it).  The first section of the tour came to an end on platform 1 at Liverpool Lime Street where we decided to have a short walk to Liverpool Central to jump onto 777031 on a Hunts Cross service to cover the line between Liverpool Central & Hunts Cross for 777 coverage (and to give our phones a quick charge).

The same 777 returned us to Liverpool Central where we headed back towards Lime Street, grabbing some supplies before returning to the 323s.  Annoyingly our original seats had been taken by someone else (and Molly was raging) [in relation to an advertising poster for some charity] so we had to relocate elsewhere in the coach.  After a couple of photographs, it was back on the move with the tour heading towards Crewe with a short pathing stop before heading towards Stoke (with another pathing stop where the doors weren’t released because the dispatch staff had forgotten how to dispatch a 6 coach EMU).  After Stoke the train headed back towards Stafford using the little used single-track chord onto the WCML near the remains of Norton Bridge station before another pathing stop at Stafford (for this afternoon was all the pathing stops).

323221 at Liverpool Lime Street

After the tour departed Stafford, it was a trip towards Rugeley Trent Valley crossing over the lines to join the Chase line (where it looked like West Midlands Trains had given up with running a service with multiple cancellations showing).  A speedy run along the Chase line, bringing back memories of when I did a 323 on this route back in August 2019 when there was a random 323 service to Rugeley on a Saturday night.  At Walsall the tour had a 30-minute photo stop, not the nicest of stations for photographs, even from the platform 1 side due to hedges in the gap between platform 1 & 2.  Anyhow soon the tour departed Walsall heading towards Birmingham New Street via Soho for a brief pause before what was meant to be a nonstop run to Coventry but congestion on that route, twinned with a fare dodger whom got evicted from the train at Birmingham International meant the train lost 20-odd minutes eating into the turnaround time at Coventry and losing its path back towards New Street (departing behind a stopper).

At Birmingham International the tour was looped by both a Manchester bound Voyager and a Preston bound Pendo and I decided to call it quits as I wanted to catch a southbound voyager which was showing as a pair (and the one an hour later showing as a single 4 coach set, going via London was risky due to the 90-minute gap in trains calling at Grateley on Sunday nights (20:45 then the 22:20).  So, both me & Jules called it quits (as his last-minute hotel was in the Birmingham Airport area), after a photograph of the 323s departing I jumped onto 390107 for the run to Coventry to pop outside the station to grab some dinner from the Sainsburys Local.

221129 at Coventry Station

The next southbound voyager was caught up in congestion caused by a late running stopper from Wolverhampton & being behind a London bound LNR service (which looked quite busy when it called at Coventry) with a busy 221138 rolling along with 221140, I managed to grab a decent seat in the rear unit for the run towards Reading (losing a few more minutes due to awaiting the 196 to clear the single track near Kenilworth so it was looking a bit dodgy with the connection at Basingstoke).  A quick turnaround at Reading (not helped with the rear coaches getting locked out of use on arrival at Reading due to no staff member being available).  Thankfully the train arrived into Basingstoke allowing a connection onto 159013 working the 19:45 service from Waterloo to be made.  I guess in hindsight I could have forked out for the Avanti fare to London and used LU to avoid using XC but hey-ho.

The sprinter took me to Grateley where I had a gentle stroll home to relax for the rest of the evening although I was in bed by 10pm as tiredness of the last couple days early starts had caught up with me and I needed to be fresh for my assessment at the training school on the Tuesday.  September had been a busy month for travelling, both local and longer distance, October is looking similar although one of the railtours I was booked on has been cancelled, the other pushed back to 2025 so I’ve got no real solid plans (although I'm keeping my booking for accomodation in Crewe from the cancelled tour).   Anyhow thanks for reading :)