31st January – 3rd February Trips

 31st January – 3rd February Trips

After the Thursday was spent collecting my car from the garage where it had been fixed up following a nasty oil leak which involved needing a new cam belt, I was back out exploring.

31st January – Westerleigh to Bristol Walk

Back in 2022, I walked the old Midland railway path from Bristol towards Bath, now turned into a mixed used path, however I still had to cover the section of path from the junction station at Mangotsfield towards Westerleigh, with the section from Westerleigh to Yate still in use as a freight terminal.  I had a couple of options to reach the starting point in Westerleigh, either using a bus (either the hourly 525 from Yate to Emersons Green or the infrequent 620 from Bath towards Stroud) or to walk the first section from Yate, I decided to walk considering connections to the 525 weren't the best.

Anyhow the day began with 15888 & 159012 on the 09:07 from Grateley to take me towards Warminster with 159012 detaching at Salisbury, a short wait at Warminster before 166206 rolled in on a Gloucester service which started at Warminster (all the better to grab a decent seat in the former 1st class area).  This wasn’t the quickest as it dwelled at Bristol Temple Meads for around 20 minutes but eventually took me to Yate where my walk began.  

The first section was along a slightly muddy footpath along the side of Yate Common before joining the northern end of a disused dual carriageway.  The so called "Road to Nowhere" was built in the 1970s for a Yate bypass but costs spiralled and the project was ditched (now sees a second life as a filming location).  I will admit it felt strange walking in the middle of a dual carriageway, just one of those weird senses.

A disused dual carriageway in Yate

This road ended at Westerleigh Road on the south western corner of Yate with a short walk underneath the railway where I had the option of a footpath or risk walking along a road which lacks a pavement.  In hindsight I should have risked it as the footpath turned out to be quite muddy near some fields, although it did involve a bridge underneath the main railway (plus a bridge at the start under the freight line).  Thankfully I soon reached solid ground near Westerleigh itself and a shared used path towards the main road where the main railway line path began.

The first section (after crossing the freight line on a foot crossing) ran close to the freight line leading towards the M4 where the freight terminal ended and path moved onto the route of the old railway as I headed towards Bristol via the former Brandy Bottom Colliery (with some old history boards with the former buildings).  The old railway line path came to a brief end where it meets the Bristol Ring Road (which was built on the route of the old railway in places), with a shared used path running alongside the dual carriageway for a short section before heading away and towards the former Mangotsfield Station.

Yate - Bristol Cycle Path along route of former Midland railway line near Emersons Green

I had a couple of options here, either call it a day and find a bus stop for what seemed to be a slow bus going round the houses to reach the city centre or to carry on the path I've already walked.  My decision was made when I remembered when I did this path there was a short section which was closed for rebuilding forcing a divert via housing estates.  My walk continued towards Staple Hill and the tunnel (and old platform) then towards Fishponds & Lawrence Hill.  A busy path with other walkers, cyclists plus runners.

After Lawrence Hill the path has a gap (I presume from the days there used to be a waste terminal which used the old track, maybe one day the gap will be plugged since that waste terminal is long gone).  I put on an extra bit of speed on the roads before re-joining the path for the final section across the Floating Harbour channel and to Bristol Temple Meads where I just about made it onto 165102 on a Westbury stopper (and even got a seat in the former 1st class area).  This 165 took me to Westbury where I had a short wait before 159008 rolled in from Yeovil Junction to take me to Salisbury where I popped out of the station to grab some supplies from the supermarket before returning to take 159007 & 158884 to Grateley.

59205 passing Westbury Station

A mostly enjoyable walk in Bristol, another walk I can take off my list, a good way to end January.

1st February - Sirhowy Valley & Taff Extension Walk

This is a walk which has been on my (large) list of things to do in South Wales for a while, although a couple times I had it pencilled in has been changed due to bad weather but today the forecast was looking promising.  I booked accommodation near Dingle Road in Penarth which was quite reasonably priced for being close to Cardiff city centre.  Anyhow the day began with 159008 on the first train from Grateley to take me to Basingstoke where I had a short wait before 165117 took me to Reading, where I discovered there was a new Sainsburys Local located a stones throw from the station entrance (which I suspect will come in handy for times where I've got time but not enough time to reach Tesco).

After returning to the station it was onto a quiet 800033 on a Carmarthen service (giving me an idea in how to do the disused railway walk from Llanelli to Crosshands involving a bus from Carmarthen, but something for the summer when days are longer).  I settled down for an uneventful trip to Cardiff Central where I had a short wait before boarding 197115 on platform 0 on a Maesteg - Ebbw Vale service, grabbing a seat in the standard premium section of the train which was quiet.  This service took me to Crosskeys where after a photo of the train my walk began.

197115 departing Crosskeys station

The first section was along roads to reach the start of the Sirhowy Valley Country Park, running alongside the Sirhowy River before climbing a steep hill to reach the car park.  This was an old railway route which used to run between Nantybwch via Blackwood towards Risca, two sections seem to be walkable.  Between Holly Bush & Blackwood plus the section I was on towards the settlement of Pontllanfraith where it had a junction up with the Taff Vale Extension Railway.

Back to Crosskeys as the path quality was quite good and views of woodland beautiful as the railway path ran along the "wrong" side of the river to serve Wattsville  Cwmfelinfach, running close to Ynysddu & Wyllie before terminating at Gelligroes.  The next section wasn't much fun as it ran alongside the A472 dual carriageway towards Maesycwmmer before the old railway line path resumed, now onto the remains of the Taff Vale Extension Railway, crossing close to Hengoed station on the Hengoed viaduct.  The next section I had walked as a time wasting move when the 769s were operating in Wales so it was nice to come back to it.

Sirhowy Valley Country Park Trail (former railway line) between Wattsville & Cwmfelinfach

I had a little detour from the Taff Vale Extension line to walk part of the former Penallta Colliery Branch before doubling back on myself to carry on towards Tredomen and towards Parc Penallta.  This was now part of cycle route 47 rather than old railway (as the tracks still exist as they served the former Cwmbargoed colliery).  I will come back for a bigger explore of the large Parc Penallta site.  After the mixed used path left Parc Penallta, it ran alongside the freight line towards Nelson & Trelewis.  After Trelewis I crossed over the Taff Bargoed River towards Treharris, visiting a Co-Op for some more drink before dropping down a steep hill (one which multiple switch-backs) dropping to the River Taff and the Tram Road Side with a final dash near the end to reach the rebuilt Quakers Yard station (complete with new passing loop & second platform)

An enjoyable walk, mix of scenery and mostly a decent quality surface for the winter time.  But it was now time to play with some trains, as since my last visit to South Wales, the 756s had started to be introduced on the Valley lines, working as “Tri-Mode” trains being powered by the new overhead wires plus diesel & battery power on the sections deemed too hard to wire up.  First up was a trip to Merthyr Vale on 150282, returning south with a busy 150251 to Abercynon where I met up with my good friend Jules whom was out on a day trip to Cardiff.  It wasn’t long before my first 756 rolled in with 756105 on the next Merthyr Tydfil service.  Similar to the Greater Anglia Flirts, it was low floor and quiet.

150282 arriving at Quakers Yard Station

We remained on board the 756 during the turnaround at Merthyr Tydfil (scoring the new loop between Pentre-Bach & Merthyr Tydfil) and bailing at Abercynon for a short wait before winner 756111 rolled in on the service from Aberdare to take us to Cardiff Central, going via the city line (via Ninian Park).  Due to engineering works Cardiff Queen Street was closed so everything was turning back at Cardiff Central.   We headed towards platform 4 to board dud 197045 & winner 197028 on the next service towards Swansea, taking this pair of units to Bridgend turning down a 2-coach unit on a stopper from Swansea which did clear the platform at Bridgend for 197009 & 197111 to roll in from the Swansea direction to take us back to Cardiff Central.

Next up was a trip to Cogan (for me, Jules remained on board to Barry Island) on 150260 & 150262 where I had a walk up the hill towards my accommodation, located pretty much outside Dingle Road, a station which today was lacking trains.  After checking into the guest house, I returned towards Cogan jumping onto 153922 & 150252 for a little time wasting spin to Cadoxton to meet up with Jules on 231004 for the run back to Cardiff Central, where we exited the station to grab some dinner items from Tesco.

756105 at Merthyr Tydfil Station

Lady luck was on my side today as when I looked earlier in the day 197123 was showing as staying in North Wales all day on Manchester – Llandudno services but it escaped Chester and made it on a service to Cardiff and was on the next departure towards Manchester allowing me to get it into my little book with a run to Newport, saying farewell to Jules who was hiding in the front of the train on the posh seats (which was a lot quieter than the rear coach!)

I had around 20 minutes to wait before winner 197126 rolled in from the Shrewsbury direction on the first day of service for this particular 3 coach unit (and my last 3 coach 197) to take me back to Cardiff Central where I made a tight connection to 153922 & 150252 on the next Barry Island train, which I decided to take to Barry Island (for the novelty of having a 153 to Barry Island).  I remained on board to take the same pair of units back to Cogan, where I had a gentle stroll (up the hill) to my accommodation near Dingle Road station.  Certainly, a place I would use again if the price was right, not perfect (the window blind didn’t want to stay fully down) but the room was quiet and had a comfy bed.

Entrance to Dingle Park, Penarth

2nd February – Exploring Hereford

A quieter day compared to the last couple of days with a later start, I was toying with walking towards Cogan to head towards Bridgend had that service been a 153 but that was a 150 so after checking out of the guest house, I headed towards the centre of Penarth passing many shops before reaching the station (this was more a time wasting move) for the first train towards Cardiff, formed of 231004 for the quiet journey to Cardiff Central, which was in a bit of a pickle due to a points failure near Swansea delaying services from the Swansea direction.  Quite a few announcements for passengers wanting London to catch a service to Bath and change at Bristol Temple Meads.

Eventually 197103 made it through the chaos to attach to 197043 which was waiting on platform 2, it’s interesting to see how different TOCs cope with train attachments, some will attach first before releasing the doors.  Others will release the doors first before closing the doors to allow the attachment to take place before re-releasing the doors.  Anyhow eventually the train departed around 25 minutes late, but the front coach of 197043 was nice and quiet to enjoy the scenery for the run to Hereford where I was met at the station by Jules who was giving me a little guided tour of a couple old railways in the city.

Platform at Penarth Station

The first section was a walk towards the Widemarsh area of the city and the disused freight line which formally served a chicken factory, doing a little loop before heading towards the "Great Western Way" path which made use of the former GWR route which served Hereford Barton station.  Once away from the urban area where parts of the line has been lost for modern developments, the route crossed the River Wye heading towards the Belmont part of the city.

This was a busy path with other cyclists, dog walkers & joggers and came out in some green space near the southern end, the cycle path moving away from the original route of railway to finish near Grafton.  Along the way we saw a triple 158 leading a pair of 153s on an ECS service towards Cardiff.  We doubled back on ourselves heading back towards the River Wye, before heading towards the city centre via the riverside path towards Bishops Meadow and the cathedral.

Hereford Cathedral

After a visit to Morrisons I headed back to the station to board 802114 on the next London Paddington service, taking a seat in the rearmost coach (which only opened at Worcester Shrub Hill & Worcestershire Parkway) so it was nice and quiet until Oxford where it did fill up (hitting Oxford around the time when all the day trippers start heading home).  The train did loss around 10 minutes along the way cutting my connection at Reading down to 5 minutes so I was thankful to have grabbed supplies in Hereford for dinner before transferring to 158881 & 158880 on a Reading - Salisbury service to take me to Grateley to end this little weekend getaway in South Wales (even if I didn't spend much time in South Wales on the Sunday).  There is another short old railway line path in Hereford on my list to do, but that is a job for the summer so I can include more of the River Wye path on the section which gets a bit muddy this time of year.

3rd February – River Cole Valley Path in Birmingham

Today was a walk which had been on my list for a while in the West Midlands, one which didn’t involve an old railway line nor a canal, but a path from the Marston Green area which was labelled as the River Cole Greenway, one of those urban paths which looked interesting.  Anyhow the day began with 159006 & 158884 to London Waterloo with a gentle stroll to Euston to board 390104 on a Birmingham New Street service which was first stop Coventry.  At Birmingham New Street I exited the station for a tram hunt (something which will be easier to do when it’s pay on board rather than buy before you board which is coming soon judging by the posters).

I ended up at Bull Street, and got lucky with winner tram 52 to take me to Soho Benson Road, along the way passing a sub mile tram, so I headed back towards the city centre on tram 41 to Five Ways for a short wait before sub mile tram 33 came back with the next Wolverhampton service.  I prefer the seats on the newer trams as they are far more comfortable than the seats on the original batch of CAF trams.  I took this tram to Bull Street to push it over a mile, walking back towards New Street station via Tesco for a lunch supply raid.

West Midland Metro Tram 52 at Soho Benson Road

221141 & 220015 took me (and Jules) to Birmingham International where we transferred to 730029 on the next Rugeley Trent Valley service to take it one stop to Marston Green where the walk began.
 We exited the station heading towards the airport viewing area but before reaching that spot we turned right onto a path which follows the Hatchford Brook which turned into the Kingshurst Brook a short time later.  This path let us towards Chelmsley Wood (and a massive Asda) and to Meriden Park where the brook met the River Cole.  Ditching a plan to do a loop due to the path conditions looking muddy, we picked up the path on the south side of the River Cole (this is a section where there was a path on both the north & south sides), now into the Kingfisher Country Park.

The path quality was mostly decent, a couple parts were a bit rougher but nothing bad.  I guess in hindsight we should have done the north bank as that passes the Babbs Mill Lake, but it was hard to picture this area being close to Birmingham city centre as it was quite peaceful (other than the passing planes coming into land at the airport).  The walk continued in the green space staying close to the river but never too close for the path to be in danger of flooding as this was part of cycle network 53 (The Cole Valley Route as signposted).  Originally, we were going to continue all the way towards Yardley Wood, but when we reached the Stechford area (and had lunch) we called it a day.  The next section could wait for another trip but it was better than expected.

Meriden Park, Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham 

We headed to Stechford station and boarded 730009 for the run to Birmingham New Street, jumping onto a busy 730022 on a Wolverhampton stopper to Smethwick Galton Bridge before 172212 & 172333 for the tiny distance to The Hawthorns for a spot of tram hunting.  Sadly, neither of our requirements were out so we called it quits and headed to Moor Street on 172003 & 172340 parting ways as I headed to Coventry on 390044 as I heard a required 196 was out on Leamington – Nuneaton services but didn’t know which one it was.  196006 was the first I spotted heading towards Nuneaton before winner 196005 rolled in on the Leamington Spa service, which is a good thing as it means I’ve cleared Coventry to Kenilworth for 196 coverage.

After popping out of the station at Leamington Spa to visit the nearby Morrisons (a store I hadn’t been to in years), I took the same 196 back to Coventry to get it cleared for 10 miles before boarding a busy 390010 to Birmingham New Street for a final meet up with Jules whom had been out 730 hunting.  I hung back to ID the 196 coming into New Street from the depot in case it was a pair of 2 coach units, but it was a 4-coach unit.  I suspect 196007 will simply have to wait until it’s operating on Oxford – Milton Keynes services along with 010 unless it randomly pops up when I’m in Birmingham in a couple weeks’ time.

196005 at Leamington Spa Station

My time in the West Midlands was at an end as I took 390006 for the run to London, thankfully getting a decent table in coach C (generally if I haven’t got a seat reservation, I will aim for the 11 coach sets as they have more unreserved seats for longer journeys).  This lost time heading towards London so I played it safe and used the Northern line (sets 51547 & 51548 which were a bonus sub mile 95 stock pair) to Waterloo before boarding 159022 & 159010 on a service back to Grateley, having a gentle walk home to get my rucksack ready for another adventure with mum involving Manchester.

Summary of 4th Feb – 8th Feb

A couple of novelty services in the Manchester area with a TPE 397 on a Manchester – Preston service which was booked to go via Wigan, returning on a pair of 323s on the same route.  The Saturday the weather was a bit rubbish at times, but I managed to walk the Belmont Railway path in North London which turned out to be a muddy mess of an overgrown path, not one I would recommend (Harrow & Wealdstone – Belmont).  With a good Piccadilly line hunt afterwards.  But sadly, all things come to an end and my time off work ended with going back to the work on the 9th February.  Anyhow more photos can be found on my Flickr account Here, I shall leave you with a photo of a Sheffield tram:

Sheffield Supertram 122 near Station

24th Jan – 29th Jan Trip

 24th Jan – 29th Jan Trip

I had some annual leave which needed to be used up by the end of April so I put in a request for a couple weeks off with many ideas of what to do, all coming together with a large holiday

24th Jan – Onwards to Cheshire

The first day of my trip, and the weather forecast looked a bit rubbish with the latest big storm hitting Ireland & Scotland (Northern Ireland was one option I was looking at for this trip but decided against it) with the day starting with 158884 & 159013 on a delayed 06:57 service from Grateley to London Waterloo.  Arrival into Waterloo was at 08:36 so it was a fast walk to the underground with Bakerloo set 3546/3299 taken to Marylebone with around 5 minutes spare before the next Birmingham train.  To mix things up I decided to head to Birmingham via Chiltern this time round, mainly to relax on the Mk3 coaches with 68015 up front, watching the countryside go by.

I arrived in Birmingham and after picking up a West Midlands Day Ranger I headed towards Birmingham New Street to take 730032 to Blake Street, intercepting winner 730025 (and dud 730033) on a Bromsgrove service, before the line fell over due to a fallen tree around Sutton Coldfield, with no sign of my last 730/0 nor 2 coach 196s I decided to head towards Cheshire to get ‘checked in’ into my accommodation, the shared house I’ve used countless times before, only to get rid of some weight from my rucksack.

68015 at London Marylebone

However, due to issues with the overhead wires falling down between Stafford & Wolverhampton I decided it would be a good chance to cover the Chase line on a 730 so it was onto a busy 730026 for the slow trip via Walsall towards Rugeley Trent Valley, a horrible station at the best of times (for it’s quite exposed to the elements).  It wasn’t the nicest of waits before 350106 & 350403 rolled in on the next LNR to Crewe, taking me to Crewe, picking up a Cheshire Day Ranger from the ticket office.

It was onto 390129 to take me to Runcorn (a service made busier due to no LNR running between Crewe & Liverpool for some reason), a short wait at Runcorn before winner 807006 rolled in from Liverpool to take me to Crewe where I had a short wait for the next TfW service for Manchester with dud 197045 leading winner 197031.  I decided to take these to Stockport, although had I been quick on my feet at Wilmslow, I might have been able to change platforms for a 67 hauled set heading south which was running a couple of minutes late.

390006 passing Rugeley Trent Valley

I did have a crazy idea to take a XC towards Stafford to mix things up, but that was cancelled so it was onto 390002 back to Crewe where I exited the station, making my way towards my accommodation via the large Tesco to grab some bottles of liquid (as I didn’t pack any big bottles due to weight/space limitations).  With my stuff dropped off, I returned to Crewe station before winner 807002 took me to Warrington Bank Quay on the Blackpool service, where I had a couple of options to heading back to Crewe, deciding to take a busy 197012 to Chester for 197104 back to Crewe where I was tempted to call it a day but decided to do one of the things on my “novelty” list and took 390050 to Stafford for a 45-minute wait.

Which sounded longer than it was, but due to the issues at Penkridge, a London – Crewe via Birmingham Pendo was sent via the Trent Valley line and arrived 30-odd minutes early (and it was pretty much empty).  390136 provided me some shelter from the cold wind before it set off towards Crewe, but going via Stoke on Trent (the novelty being a Pendo between Stafford & Stoke).  An empty train (it was following a LNR Stafford – Crewe service which took a lot of the passengers), a relaxing end to the first day.  On the way back to the accommodation I was in two minds about a walk on the Saturday, the cold wind was putting a question mark on my trip to the High Peak Trail.

25th January – Exploring the Trans Pennine Trail between Warrington & Altrincham

I decided to leave the High Peak Trail for another day so my backup plan was to walk the route of the former Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway from the Thelwall area of Warrington towards Altrincham which is now part of the long-distance Trans Pennine Trail (which runs from Southport towards Hornsea).  This walk had been on my list to do for a while as a potential Sunday idea (heck it was even my rough plan for the Sunday of this trip had the weather been better).

A later than usual start with 390135 taken from Crewe to Warrington Bank Quay to begin my walk.  The first section was following a path which runs alongside the north bank of the River Mersey, being careful to avoid some icy patches due to the temperature, crossing over the river at the Kingsway Bridge before taking the "Black Bear Park" path starting near Victoria Park and heading south west towards Latchford (going underneath an old railway bridge used by the old railway route.  This path comes to an end next to the Manchester Ship Canal near a handy Morrisons (which came in handy for a quick toilet stop and to grab lunch items).

After visiting Morrisons I picked up the Trans Pennine Trail which for this section followed the north bank of the Ship Canal (although no decent views of the canal due to trees), reaching the impressive Latchford Viaduct (now disused) and Latchford Locks which I used to cross over the canal to the Thelwall side, with a short walk along the road to pick up a path leading up a steep hill to the route of the old railway.

Latchford Locks on Manchester Ship Canal

The path quality was reasonable for the time of year, a bit muddy in places but nothing major.  It was a busy path in terms of other users as the sun had come out (and was quite a lovely day).  The woodland path skirted round Thelwall and towards open countryside, with a short detour required near the M6.  After the M6 it was towards Lymm passing to the north of the town with the Bridgwater Canal coming close at times.  No real evidence of the former stations (in terms of platforms).

After Lymm (and a path which felt like it was constructed using rubber mixed with tarmac as it was a bit bouncy) it was into the wilds of Cheshire, towards Dunham Massey.  A lovely section this in terms of being near silent, other than birds singing.  However, all good things come to an end as the path ended in the Broadheath area of Altrincham with an industrial estate along with some retail units.  I followed a couple of roads to reach Navigation Road station where my walk came to an end.

Trans Pennine Trail (former Warrington and Altrincham Junction Line) in Dunham Massey

It was time to play with some trains and I took a seat on 156429 working a train towards Chester, changing to Merseyrail to see if I could get lucky with a required 777 doing a series of linear hops towards Hamilton Square.  Eventually scoring 777019 on a massively late Chester service (as the Chester line had somewhat collapsed with at least 2 services getting turned back at Birkenhead Central).  Sadly, Merseyrail couldn't do their usual trick in running this service fast as it was following an Ellesmere Port service.

A bit dicey at the Chester end in terms of connection with a Crewe train, but thankfully I made the connection to a busy 197117 for the short run to Crewe where I decided to call it a night.  I headed to my accommodation via a burger place for a yummy burger (afterwards having a little stroll to Tesco to grab some supplies for the Sunday).  An enjoyable walk from Warrington towards Altrincham (and if anybody wanted to walk just the old railway line section, there is a bus stop located at the old railway bridge in Thelwall).

26th January – A Day of Diverts

With the weather being a bit on the wetter side today, I looked up ideas and saw that Avanti were diverting services via Bescot & Aston due to the Trent Valley line being closed, and that a few were calling at Rugby to allow use of a West Midlands Day Ranger.  This is something which had been on my list a couple times in the past, but for various reasons never happened.  Anyhow I headed to Crewe station to board 390126 on a London service for the trip to Rugby going towards Wolverhampton before heading towards Bescot at Bushbury Junction & Portobello Junction.  At Perry Barr junctions it carried straight on towards Aston and then used the freight link towards Stechford, re-joining the regular passenger network after Stechford station.  A nonstop run from Stechford towards Rugby followed (and yes it felt odd going fast through Coventry during the day).  I alighted at Rugby and decided to risk having a short walk as the rain wasn't due to arrive until midday.

Today's short walk was along the route of the former Grand Central line, which is split into two parts within Rugby.  I picked the Southern section, and after walking some roads picked up the path of the old line, passing the remains of the Grand Central station and heading south skirting the edge of Hilmorton before the path ending at Onley Lane.  I did a U-turn and headed back towards Rugby along the same route getting lucky as it only started to rain when I joined the road.  One old railway route in Rugby covered, just leaves the Northern section of the Grand Central route towards Newton plus the old Leamington route towards Birdingbury.

Platforms at the former Rugby Central Station

Anyhow I got back to the station, coming up with a plan to head to Coventry for a 196 to Leamington for something towards Birmingham that direction when I noticed looking at RTT some non-stop Birmingham Snow Hill – Worcester services and some diverted XC services going via Kidderminster due to the usual route via Bromsgrove being closed.  This is a diverted route which had been on my list for a while (even going as far as looking at costs of a city centre hotel to do it one night so my plan to go towards Leamington went into the bin as a busy 350119 & 350110 took me to Birmingham New Street.

I headed across to board 220011 & 220028 on a Plymouth service (which dwelled at Birmingham New Street for something like 25 minutes), easily getting a seat at the back of the train.  Originally, I was going to take this pair of voyagers to Gloucester but decided along the way to extend my ticket to Bristol Parkway to cover the south facing side of the Gloucester triangle on a XC service (something which I was hoping to do last year when Ashley Gate opened).  So, I ended up taking this pair of voyagers to Bristol Parkway of all places.

220011 at Bristol Parkway

The next northbound service was delayed a few minutes, departing behind a Worcester bound IET.  Again, I got lucky in not only getting a seat, but it was one with an actual window (rather than a view of plastic) when 220004 & 220010 rolled in for the trip back to Birmingham going via Gloucester, Worcester Shrub Hill & Kidderminster.  Back at Birmingham New Street and I headed across to board 390154 on a Preston bound service for the run towards Crewe (enjoying the legroom because the legroom on a voyager isn’t the best compared to a Pendo).

I got lucky as the Pendo arrived a couple of minutes early, allowing a fast walk across to platform 5 to board winner 197034 on a service running nonstop to Shrewsbury, another 197 into my book.  At Shrewsbury I popped out of the station to visit Tesco Express for dinner, before taking 197111 back to Crewe on another nonstop journey (the 197s certainly fly on this section of the route).  Anyhow once back at Crewe I headed towards my accommodation to get my rucksack sorted for the morning as it was time to relocate to East Yorkshire.

27th January – Onwards to Yorkshire… via Brigg.

For the second part of my holiday, I had booked a stay in a hotel in Hull, originally it was going to be one night with another relocation to Newcastle but I decided to stay in Hull for 2 nights, just to give me a day where I didn’t have to carry the mobile house.  I departed from the shared house in Crewe after a good stay (it’s not perfect by any means but for the location and average price it is hard to beat) heading to Crewe station to board 197008 & 197111 on the first Manchester bound TfW service which called at Alderley Edge (which was a bit unusual).  At Stockport I had 25-odd minutes so popped out of the station to visit the Co-Op in Edgeley to grab some supplies for breakfast.

After my supply run, I returned to the station to board 185128 & 185147 on the next TPE service towards Sheffield, with a few passengers heading to board the front unit ignoring the rearmost unit.  I’m sure all of those passengers held valid tickets and not just a ticket from Stockport to Davenport or something else to bypass the barriers at Stockport.  Anyhow these 185s took me across the valley of Hope which was looking beautiful as ever and deposited me at the rebuilt Dore & Totley station, where after a couple of photos I took 195130 from the new platform back towards Grindleford for a short wait before 195112 to Sheffield.

185147 departing Dore & Totley Station

As a time-wasting measure, I took 185139 & 185138 to Meadowhall, nearly getting caught out by short platforms (why did I think the Doncaster line platforms at Meadowhall took 6 coaches?), and returning to Sheffield on 150003 where I had a short wait on platform 1 to await the arrival of 150271 from the sidings to form the daily northern service to Cleethorpes via Brigg.  A line I haven’t done on a passenger service in a while, and never on a 150 (as the Brigg line services were solid pacer when I did the stations).  A quiet train from Sheffield, on a nonstop run towards Worksop picking up a good number of passengers, most alighting at Retford with half a dozen remaining on board for the run towards Gainsborough Central (where I made use of a booked dwell for a photo) before heading towards Cleethorpes.  As I had time and the sun was out (all be with a cold wind) I headed for a little stroll along the seafront heading towards New Clee before doubling back via the roads to Cleethorpes, where things went a bit wrong.  Anyhow it was my first time at Cleethorpes since platform 4 was brought back into use for some reason (it’s not like Cleethorpes is a busy station with 1.5 trains per hour).  An area to return to once I research booked usage.

Anyhow, back to the trains, the 170 from Barton rolled in with announcements that the return service was cancelled due to a lack of staff.  So rather than mess around with a replacement bus which might or might not turn up I cut my losses and jumped back onto 150271 to Grimsby Town to head towards a bus stop near the town hall for the route 250 to Hull.  My original idea was to take the train to Barton (ticking off the branch for both 170 coverage and also as a “EMR” service) to walk over the bridge to Hessle (for a train to Hull).

185107, 170512 & 150271 at Cleethorpes

Stagecoach’s 26268 was on the next 250 service.  It headed out of the suburbs of Grimsby towards Laceby, then a fast run along the A48 coming off the road to serve Keelby before heading towards Ulceby via Brocklesby & crossing the railway at the old station site.  After serving Ulceby village (nowhere near the station) the bus headed towards Barrow Upon Humber and Barton Upon Humber, doing a loop of the town centre, pausing for a few minutes at the station.  After resuming the bus headed towards the A15 to cross the Humber Bridge before heading towards Hull city centre via the suburbs, hitting school throwing out time to take a lot of school kids for what felt like 2 stops (something which probably would have taken them less than 10 minutes to walk).  The bus terminated in the bus station, an enjoyable run and unexpected due to the cancellation of the train.

At Hull, I headed towards my accommodation, to get checked in (it was one of those places with more limited checking in times, and because I had plans for the evening I didn’t want to get caught out).  A basic hotel (converted house from the looks of it) near the hospital, taking around 15 minutes to walk from the station, reasonable enough.  After leaving the bulk of the weight from my rucksack I returned towards the Bus/Train station to grab something to eat from Tesco before heading towards platform 1 at Hull, something which since my last visit had been brought back into use (and mainly used by the hourly stopping services to Doncaster).

Stagecoach Bus 26268 (YM19 VRT) in Hull (layover area) (Passenger Side)

My original idea was to take the next stopper to Brough for a Hull Trains service to Doncaster, but sadly things went wrong again as the next stopper with 158795 was delayed inbound and hence was held for both a TPE & the Hull Trains service to depart first, before heading towards Doncaster running something like 25 minutes late.  I decided to bail at Thorne North as I wanted some more photos of this station, for a wait in the cold before 158792 rolled in on the next Doncaster stopper to take me to Doncaster, where I had a short break before 800106 rolled in on the daily token LNER service to Hull.

I had a private coach on this 9-coach train for the short(ish) journey to Selby, ticking off coverage from Temple Hirst Junction towards Selby on a LNER service (linking up with the time I did a 800 from Selby to Hull in 2023).  A short wait at Selby and it was back towards Doncaster on a lightly loaded 802303 for another wait, this time for 170473 on the next train towards Hull, which was unusual for Northern as it went via Selby rather than via Goole.  Another small part of the Northern network covered on a Northern service, as I relaxed (annoyed that I had taken out my tablet as it would have come in handy to pass the time in the darkness) as the 170 made good process.  At Hull I departed the station & headed back towards my accommodation to relax for the rest of the evening, getting lucky because half an hour later it threw it down.   A mostly successful day with a couple more novelty services removed from my list.

28th January – A tour of Yorkshire

The main idea for today was to take the bus to Hornsea to walk the old railway line back towards Hull, on a day I wasn’t carrying around the mobile house, however the weather didn’t want to play ball with it being a tad wet so I dug out a plan B.  The day starting with a gentle stroll from my accommodation towards the station, going via Tesco for some breakfast items and purchasing my East Yorkshire Round Robin ticket and boarding 155347 for the run towards Nafferton where I had a gentle little stroll into the village during the 30-minute fester, noticing a potential future walking idea towards Driffield.  Anyhow 155347 returned from Bridlington to take me a couple stops to Hutton Cranswick, a station I needed some more photos considering when I did the stations the first time round the connection here wasn’t ideal (a case of dashing to the level crossing to get across the railway line during the short time the barrier went up).

155344 was up next to take me to Bridlington to terminate in the bay platform giving me time to pop to Tesco in the rain to grab a drink (and to waste some time).  After my visit to Tesco, it was onwards to Scarborough on 170458 before taking 802219 on the next TPE service towards Manchester, felt strange being on an 802 on this slow line after last doing it behind 68s.  I alighted from this 802 at York with a plan in my head to rope in the latest Northern 150 hybrid units, but first I had a gentle loop along the city walls.  Although I couldn't do the section between Monkbar & Bootham Bar as that section was closed, so headed back towards the station via the impressive York Minster.  A bit slippery in places due to the recent rain but was interesting with the old walls.

155347 departing Hutton Cranswick Station

Back at York station and feeling refreshed after that walk I boarded a quiet 185140 for the fast run towards Leeds and a short wait before winner 150007 rolled in on the next Knottingley via Wakefield service, nice and easy to get over ten miles with the nonstop run towards Wakefield Westgate where I had around 15 minutes to wait before winner 150008 followed on the next Sheffield stopper.  Originally, I was going to take this towards Rotherham Central but it lost time at both Fitzwilliam & Moorthorpe (with no reasons given by the guard) so I bailed at Goldthorpe for 158792 on the next stopper back towards Leeds, alighting at Moorthorpe for a short wait before a busier than expected 150273 to roll in on the York train for a little trip via Pontefract Baghill.

Darkness had fallen by the time the 150 got back to York, giving me a chance to grab some supplies for dinner before one of my main goals for today, the novelty of the token daily LNER service to Middlesbrough.  It was running a few minutes behind schedule due to delays on the southern section of the ECML as a mostly empty 800205 rolled in, I was in coach B with 3 other passengers, all which boarded at York.  This Azuma ran nonstop towards Thornaby using the Northallerton avoiding line (not sure if I’ve done those on a passenger service before) arriving into Middlesbrough a couple minutes behind schedule.  But the last of the current LNER token daily services had been complete.

800205 at Middlesbrough Station

As I had nearly an hour before the next TPE service back towards York so I jumped onto 156438 to Redcar Central.  Not the best of ideas considering this area is quite dodgy at night in terms of feral youths hanging around causing trouble for any passengers waiting for trains.  I just had a little stroll away from the station to get away from them before returning to board 185124 & 185118 with a good number of passengers walking past 118 to board the front unit even with half of it off the platform, I wonder how many of those actually had tickets or were getting a free ride knowing the guard would be restricted to the rear unit.  Although I shouldn’t make any assumptions.

An hour or so later I alighted from the 185s at York giving me a nice connection into a Hull bound service formed of 170453, one of the northern 170s which still has 2+1 seating behind the cabs, just for that extra bit of luxury on this lightly loaded stopper where I had a crazy last-minute idea and bailed at Ferriby to have a walk towards the river bank for some night time photos of the Humber.  After a couple of photos, it was back to the station for 155344 to take me one stop back to Brough finishing the day with 185148 to Hull.  I made my way back to my hotel to relax for the rest of the night, sorting out my rucksack for the departure in the morning.

River Humber from North Ferriby at Night

29th January – Hornsea Rail Trail

As the weather was looking promising (mainly dry) I decided to do the walk along the Hornsea Rail Trail, which makes use of the route of the former Hull & Hornsea Railway line and is now part of the Trans Pennine Trail.  After checking out of the hotel (certainly one I would use again if I ever need to stay in Hull and can arrive during check-in times) I headed towards the bus station to catch the East Yorkshire Route 24 service (with bus 20361, a Volvo Plaxton).  

This headed out of Hull towards Longhill, then via some villages (such as Skirlaugh, Leven, Brandesburton & Catwick) to reach Hornsea.  I stayed on to the end of the route near what looked like an old bus garage with this bus heading towards Beverley.  My walk began with the first section being alongside the sea front towards the marker which makes the eastern starting point of the Trans Pennine Trail.

Trans Pennine Trail Marker at Hornsea

I passed the site of the former Hornsea station and followed the railway path out of the town, with a small gap where the route has been lost by modern developments but soon I was in the wilds of rural East Yorkshire with fields and not a lot else.  Very peaceful and the path was mostly reasonable, a couple of places where it was a bit muddy due to the recent rain but nothing major.  The good thing with this old railway line path is that some of the old stations still have their platforms in situ (although a couple the platforms were hidden by undergrowth).

The walk continued in the countryside, passing small villages like Great Hatfield, Whitedale & New Ellerby before reaching the outskirts of Hull and the Sutton area of the city.  The peace had gone but the path was still reasonable with woodland.  In the Stoneferry area I had a little detour along the route of the former Stoneferry freight line, before doubling back on myself back to the junction with the path going underneath the railway line towards Hull docks and turning quite industrial with the path ending with the A165.

Remains of platform at Sigglesthorne Station

With the old railway line walk complete I followed the road network towards the city centre & the station, just having enough time to swing via Tesco to grab some late lunch before boarding 802304 & 802302 on the next Hull Trains service towards London Kings Cross, relaxing with my phone on charge, the coach I was in only getting busy after Grantham.  All was going well until it hit London with some delays, losing around 20 minutes between Potters Bar & Kings Cross.  As my feet were hurting after a long walk, I decided to head to St Pancras low level jumping on 700122 on a heavily delayed service towards London Bridge, and onto 466029, 465044 & 465018 on the first available South Eastern service towards Waterloo East.

After grabbing some dinner, I headed towards 159108 & 158890 at Waterloo on the 19:20 service (which to be expected for 5 vice 8 coaches for the first “super off-peak” train, it was quite busy).  I took this service to Grateley to walk home, spending the rest of the evening sorting out my rucksack and doing some admin stuff after being away for nearly a week.  A week spent being here, there & everywhere, doing novelty services. Old railway line walks & ticking off some more units, I got lucky with both those Northern 150s following each other from Leeds which made my life a bit easier.  The only things I didn’t manage to do was an EMR service to Barton on Humber, walking the bridge & doing a TPE 802 from Leeds towards Selby but those can wait for a future adventure.

Thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr *Here*

January Day Trips

 January Day Trips

First of all, a belated Happy New Year.  I’ve had some little day trips in January so far this year on my rest days from work.

6th January – Nailsworth & Randomness in Westbury

The short disused railway line from Nailsworth towards Stroud/Stonehouse had been on my radar for a while after it was recommended to me by a friend whom cycled it many moons ago, so I decided with the weather being suitable it would be a good chance to head towards Gloucestershire to have a little explore.  Originally, I was going to head towards South Wales on the Sunday night, even booking a cheap Travelodge in the city centre but that idea was thrown on the back burner due to the rubbish weather on the Sunday with snow & rain.

The day began with the 07:27 service towards Basingstoke formed of 159106, 159004 & 159021 where I transferred to platform 5 for 165117 working the GWR stopping service to Reading and another short transfer across to 800019 on the next service for Cheltenham Spa which took me to Stroud losing a couple of minutes along the way due to congestion around Swindon.  It was a short walk to a bus stop in the town centre near the Lloyds Bank where Stagecoach’s 37012 rolled in on a route 620 towards Tetbury

This was a lightly loaded bus as it headed away from Stroud towards Brimscombe, Burleigh & Minchinhampton.  After the nice-looking town centre of Minchinhampton the bus headed towards Nailsworth on a route which featured some sharp bends as it dropped down into the valley.  I departed from the bus at the small bus station in Nailsworth and headed towards the old station, picking up the mixed used path along the route of the former branch line.

Stagecoach Bus 37012 (YX63 ZTK) in Nailsworth on a route 620 to Tetbury

Finding the path was easy and it was flat, not the quietest due to running close to the A46 towards South Woodchester.  Nice woodland though in places, the nicest section was closer to Stroud once the path headed away from the road.  I had a little detour towards Stroud along the route of the old branch (which was a bit muddy in places due to all the recent rain, but just about passable).  After reaching the end of that path I headed back on myself to re-join the main cycle path as it headed towards the A419, which was built over the route of the old railway.

The next section was along a cycle path close to the road but sheltered within trees, a few places were flooded as it headed towards Ryeford and onto a short section which was a bit overgrown crossing the canal and ending in Stonehouse.  I will come back to this area at some point this year to walk the canal from Stonehouse towards Saul Junction on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, assuming I don't get diverted to another area of the country.

Anyhow it was back to the trains (after pretending to be one) with 800014 taken to Cheltenham Spa where everything towards Bristol was delayed due to flooding or other weather-related issues so I paid out for a single ticket towards Cardiff on TfW with 197012 for the trip towards Cardiff (gave me an excuse to clear another part of the network for 197 coverage, and to look out at some of the flooding)

197012 at Cheltenham Spa

Due to earlier flooding on the Great Western I decided to play it a bit safe and get back to Swindon, rather than risking getting delayed and missing the Weymouth train so once in Cardiff Central I headed out of the station (those new style ticket barriers which TfW have installed has the scanner in an unnatural place on the side of the barrier but I guess it is something which if you used them every day you would get used to the location).  After grabbing supplies, I returned to grab an unreserved seat on 800021 & 800004 on the next London train back to Swindon where I had around an hour to kill before the Weymouth train so headed into the town centre for a gentle explore, just to waste some time.

I headed back to Swindon station, making my way across to platform 2 where 166202 had just been kicked into life after sitting in the bay for most of the day and I grabbed a seat in the former 1st class section at the front of the train for the trip towards Chippenham & Trowbridge via the Melksham line.  After Trowbridge the train headed left at Hawkeridge Junction and towards Heywood Road junction where the line from Westbury joins up with the Westbury avoiding line, reversing at the junction to take the Westbury avoider and towards Frome.  Just one of those novelty things which might not be repeated anytime soon once the Westbury remodelling is complete.

166202 at Frome

I had a short 15-minute fester at Frome until 800028 & 800020 rolled in from the Plymouth direction (seeing IETs under the roof at Frome looked so odd) and I managed to get a decent seat for the trip towards Reading calling at Pewsey & Newbury (although not like I could see much out of the window due to it being dark).  The train arrived a couple minutes ahead of schedule at Reading allowing for a fast walk towards platform 1 where 165105 was on the next Basingstoke stopper, although I didn’t need to rush as this was delayed a couple of minutes for some unknown reason.

This 165 took me back to Basingstoke where I had a gentle walk towards platform 3 where the next Salisbury service was due to depart from (being swapped from platform 2 due to a late running Voyager).  159012 rolled in from London and was very quiet, hard to believe it was the 19:50 from Waterloo judging by how lightly loaded it was.  Anyhow it was easy to get a seat for the last section to Grateley where I had a gentle walk home.  An enjoyable day in Gloucestershire along with some randomness around Westbury.

14th January – Part 1 of the Tarka Trail.

The Tarka Trail is a long-distance path in North Devon, the parts I was interested in are the sections where it runs along routes of old railway lines (rather than the sections where it uses a mix of roads & footpaths).  Running from Braunton towards Barnstaple, then towards Bideford and finally Meeth.  I decided to split it into 3 parts, so today I decided to head west to make a start as the weather forecast was looking dry.

The day began with the 08:30 service from Grateley towards Exeter Central with 159008 & 159107 where I headed out of the station to grab some supplies from Sainsburys Local near the bus station (as the Co-Op on Queen Street is currently closed for refurbishment) before heading back to the station to board 166213 on the next Barnstaple train, sitting in the former 1st class area at the back of train and relaxing for the slow journey to North Devon.

166213 at Barnstaple

At Barnstaple itself I didn’t have long to make an unofficial connection to the next route 21 bus service bound for Westward Ho! Via Bideford & Fremington.  A busy stagecoach double decker (fleet 15431), also seeing my first Stagecoach bus in the latest dark blue colour scheme.  I alighted from the bus in Bideford, seeing an old Dennis Dart passing on another service before starting my walk.  I crossed over the river Torridge on the Bideford Bridge, climbing a ramp to reach the old station which is now a heritage centre, after a couple of photos I headed north along the path, heading away from Bideford, with the path running close to the B3233 road so it wasn't the quietest.  Some nice views of the water on the left-hand side as I continued towards Instow, passing the former station with the path moving away from the main road and into the wilderness with marsh land both sides.

This section was very nice for being quiet and gave some nice views of the river Taw.  I continued along the tarmac path heading towards Fremington Quay with the former station now turned into a café with the path heading towards Barnstaple, running alongside the bank of the river Taw.  I was toying with doing a little loop to the south of Barnstaple station along the route of the former Devon and Somerset Railway route (which used to head towards Taunton) but decided I wouldn't have time and that would have to wait until the day I return for the Braunton section.

Bideford Railway Station

After doing a little time-wasting loop, I returned to the station to board 150248 & 150246 on the next Exeter service, normally this is the train which would run all the way to Axminster but due to the Westbury works, GWR had split it at Exeter in order to send up fresh 158s (which would make it to Salisbury ECS).  The front coach was empty after the first stop and I settled down to relax as darkness was falling.  At Exeter St Davids it was a short walk from platform 6 to platform 1 to board 158760 & 158771 on the Axminster train, just for the novelty of the GWR service to Axminster (as maybe one day it might be an all-day thing if improvements are made to allow Axminster – Exeter to be half hourly, something I’m not holding my breath for.

158771 at Axminster

At Axminster I headed towards a nearby Co-Op to grab dinner before heading back to the station and onto 159004 & 159105 for the run back to Grateley, relaxing after a nice little day trip to Devon.  It was an enjoyable walk along the old railway route.

15th January – Deviating from Fareham

What felt like a good idea the night before was a bit crazy in starting the day with the 05:20 from Grateley in an attempt to get my body ready for a run of 7 early shifts.  It was onto 159104 & 159018 for the run to Woking where I randomly jumped onto 444014 on the service which starts from platform 6 as it has been a good few years since I last departed from this little used bay platform at Woking.  I took that 444 to Brookwood which was a bit spooky standing around in peace & quiet, watching as the commuters started arriving on the London bound platform for the next train from Alton.

For me it was onwards to Ash Vale on 450041, 450078 & 450087, changing platforms to board 450097 & 450062 on the next London Waterloo service, taking a seat in declassified first class.  What was unusual is this is a Waterloo service which goes via Staines taking a lot longer than the direct route via Woking, but scratches a little track itch at the Ascot end as it goes into platform 1 from the Bagshot line.  The train started to fill up along the way towards London and I bailed at Staines for a short wait for winner 701031 to roll in from Windsor (having seen a pair of 455s from Reading looking rather busy).  I took this 701 to Putney where I made a quick cross platform change onto 458416/458406 for the single stop to Barnes, just gets 458406 into my book as a /4.

458406 at Barnes Station

I noticed the new footbridge (with lifts) at Barnes was open as I transferred to platform 1 to board a busy 458405 & 458413 to Clapham Junction, deciding it would be best to leave London and jumped onto 444031 & 444005 on a Weymouth service to take me to Winchester, stepping back onto 450033 & 450100 on the next Portsmouth via Fareham service, to take me to Fareham where my walk began.  My target today was the short Funtley Deviation line, built to bypass Fareham tunnel and something I was planning to walk last year when I did the old railway line from West Meon to Wickham but decided to call that walk short early due to tired legs.

After leaving the station at Fareham I headed along Gudge Heath Lane towards the Hill Park area of the town, where the walking trail along the former railway route begins.  This was a bit muddy in places (as unlike the other walks I've done this month this wasn't a proper cycle path).  Once away from the housing and into woodland it was quite nice, very peaceful.  Soon I arrived at the village of Knowle, and going via some woods I ended up on Mayles Lane for the last section towards Wickham.  My walk ending in the market square where it was a short wait before the next Fareham bound route 69 rolled in (Stagecoach's 19160) which dropped me off at the station roundabout.

Path along the route of the former Funtley Deviation line, Fareham (1)

At Fareham station, I decided on a random time-wasting leap to Porchester on 450101 before boarding 444012 for the run back towards Basingstoke, popping out of the station to grab some supplies from Sainsburys.  My last train of the day was 159101 to take me back home to Grateley where I had a relaxing evening and an early night ready for the following week of work.  A productive day with that random track in Ascot area (one of these days I will do an evening service which does the short section of track from platform 2 towards the Bagshot line, just to scratch that itch with my BLS hat on) plus doing the old railway route in Fareham.  One of those small walks which had been on my list, leaving just the Hamble Rail Trail in that general area.

More photos can be found on my Flickr *here*, thanks for reading.