4th August – Unit hunting in West Yorkshire

4^th August – Unit hunting in West Yorkshire

As like the last time I stayed in this hotel in Bradford it was reasonable, not the best due to road noise but cheap (and it doesn’t suffer from drunks crashing  in around 2am), but like before I decided to do a West Yorkshire Day Ranger with a couple platforms to score but mainly to look out for any low mileage units.  After a walk to Forster Square station, it was onto the first train of the day towards Leeds with 333002 doing the honours (noting that 333007 was locked up on platform 1 where it would probably remain for the day).  Into Leeds I noticed an 800 which was first stop Retford (Retford of all places!) and had a quick look around for anything of interest.

Nothing really popped up so it was over to 185140 working the Huddersfield stopper to take me one stop to Cottingley, returning 20 minutes later on very low mileage (and quite busy) 185138, so one to keep an eye for later.  I turned down a required 800 to board a very low mileage 155344 to take me to Micklefield which was another platform score and normally a half hour wait from Leeds due to units passing around here.  On the way the unit passed the depot and an EMT 43 caught my eye as it was my last one for mileage, and knowing it was a 50% chance of it being on the 14:34 St Pancras service (or a 50% chance of it being an ECS to Nottingham).

Wasn't expecting one of these to pop up today!

158757 took me back towards Leeds, passing another low mileage 155 on the other Selby stopper, where I had a quick look around the station for anything of interest which I could do between moves, being limited to being in Leeds to try and catch the Nottingham ECS and to grab that 155.  When I was at Micklefield I noticed a low mileage 185 bound for Liverpool rush past (looked like 185108) so that was my backup plan if 43064 had departed for Nottingham.  Anyhow after a quick lunch stop it was back on 155344 this time taking it to Garforth for a short wait before 155347 rolled in from Selby (which leaves me with just 155342 to locate to clear the 155s for mileage).  Anyhow when this service passed Neville Hill, 43064 was still sat on the depot with the other HST set gone so my luck was in.

Back at Leeds, it was a trip to Dewsbury on 185134 returning to Leeds on 185138 to clear that 185 for mileage, with a tight connection to board the St Pancras HST (which was quite busy due to the reduced XC services) with 43045 leading and 43064 on the rear.  I didn’t think I would be clearing my EMT powercars today, nor that my final trip on East Midlands Trains would be on a Leeds – Wakefield Westgate leap!

One more passenger 43 power car to go for mileage!

Anyhow it was back to Leeds on 144005 from Doncaster and with my options limited due to time, I decided on a time wasting leap to Shipley on a busy 333013, returning on 333001 (spotting 150107 heading towards Lancaster).   I headed towards 800110 working my booked London train, and it was quite busy with families heading home, I shifted from my reserved seat to one of the few available seats all the way back in coach A (allows the family to have their little one to sit on the seat, because I’m kind).  A good run towards Kings Cross, nothing unusual happening along the way, and it was to the hot underground with a busy 11069/11070 to Oxford Circus followed by 3262/3531 to Waterloo.

A visit to Tesco for food, before I had a quick scan of the platforms for any low mileage 450s before boarding the 19:15 Exeter service formed of 159010, 159011 & 159004 to take me to Andover where I could rescue my car from Friday night (insurance because I couldn’t get a lift home from Andover had that Azuma been late, and I didn’t fancy waiting around 2 hours for the next Grateley service, something which will change in December as Grateley gets an hourly service on Sundays (shifting to the XX:45 services).

Anyhow once home, I could reflect on my good Sunday, I wasn’t expecting to get both 155s nor that EMT 43 into my book for mileage, the 185 was a bonus as well.  Overall a good weekend and I can leave Northern behind for a few weeks, and play with some Welsh pacers next weekend.  I suspect I will return to Leeds in November time, another weekend (there is an additional service towards Sheffield from Huddersfield around 5pm on Saturdays which does the connection to the Penistone line at Huddersfield which I wouldn’t mind doing for the microgrice), plus maybe in November there might be some new TPE units/68s to play with (as well as more LNER stuff)

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