9th August – Dodging the Rain at Alton

9^th August – Dodging the Rain at Alton

With the weather being a bit on the rubbish side, I was nearly going to stay home, especially with a later than usual finish from work.  However, I decided it would be a good chance to dust off a rough plan I created last year to tick off the loop at Bentley, usually trains use platform 1 as they pass at Farnham [before the double track branch towards Alton reduces to single track], but there is a couple trains a day booked to pass at Bentley.  And I haven’t been down the branch in daylight for years (when I did the stations it was dark), so would be nice to head down that way again.

I dodged the rain showers in walking to Grateley station for the 15:59 service, arriving a few minutes before another sudden downpour, the previous Exeter – Waterloo service was cancelled at Salisbury due to a train fault, so the local stopper was calling additionally at Clapham Junction, and was busy with 159011, 158883 & 159008 rolling in to take me to Basingstoke.  In a way I was glad because when I was driving home I was toying with the idea of driving to Andover to catch the 15:38 service, but that would have been a wasted trip, as the train got full at Andover.

Anyhow I bailed at Basingstoke, watched as a late running Southampton – Newcastle voyager got put behind the stopper, before boarding 450009, 450033 & 450545 from Poole for the short run to Farnborough (Main) for a platform score, before 450117, 450019 & 450099 rolled in from Basingstoke to take me the one stop to Brookwood, getting a nice low mileage 450 was a bonus.  I dodged the waterfall in the subway at Brookwood heading to the opposite platform for the next Alton train, formed of 450104 & 450012 to take me to Aldershot.  I popped out of the station returning to board the following Alton service formed of 450078, 450077 & 450037 which did the loop at Bentley as booked, and also went into platform 2 at Alton (both platforms can only take 8 coaches so the rear unit was adrift, reminds me of Southminster when triple units work in the peaks but only double units fit at the terminus platform.

Old Sign at Aldershot, I can remember when Grateley had one of these

When I was at Aldershot, I saw a low mileage 450 working Farnham – Guildford stoppers, and it was too good of a chance to turn it down, so I headed back to Bentley on 450012 & 450104 for a short fester before 450037, 450077 & 450078 took me one stop up the line to Farnham.  Worth noting the track into the old oil terminal were rusty as anything, that hasn’t seen anything for a couple years at least.  A few minutes later 450008 rolled in to take me to Aldershot, taking me down to 4 of the 450s for mileage (of which 3 are on ‘Clapham’ leaps, the 4^th on 9.7 miles).  I was going to get one of those 4 for an extra mile with a linear hop to Ash Vale [also as a platform score as I need the northbound platform] but sadly 450114 got cancelled at Aldershot due to a tree deciding it wanted to become fire wood and fell down on the line towards Ascot.

Annoyingly that train getting cancelled means I have to rejig a rough plan, but never mind, it was back to Woking on 450022, 450095 & 450091 for a 25-minute fester for 159016 & 159005 to take me back to Grateley, where I wasn’t lucky with random downpours as I got caught out by one when half-way home.  Overall a good little spin to Alton & back, I did my main job with my BLS hat on with the loop at Bentley, getting two more 450s was a bonus, but better than having an evening at home.

Bentley (Hampshire)