23rd August – A West Midlands Day Ranger Trip

23^rd August – A West Midlands Day Ranger

Like with the Norwich trip from yesterday, over the last few months I have made a small list of things I want to do, although a few of the ones in the Midlands have been reduced over time there was still a few on the list which required a West Midlands Day Ranger, plus some stations to revisit for random platforms.  Also being on a West Midlands Day Ranger allowed me to look for my last few XC 170s I need for mileage (all were 2-coach units and all previously only had on Beeston – Nottingham leaps).

It was another walk to Grateley for the 08:59 service, with 159005 & 159021 taken to Basingstoke for a short wait before 220001 rolled in to take me to Banbury; I soon located an empty seat which was reserved from Winchester to Wolverhampton which would do me fine on what was a very busy service after Oxford.  One advantage XC has over Virgin is that XC will show seats are reserved from D to H, rather than being “reserved”, so if someone like me boards at station E and is heading to station G and hasn’t got a reservation and sees a seat reserved from D to H it is safe enough to sit in without the risk that the seat will have only been reserved to station F and is reserved again from F to H and you get kicked out, if that makes any sort of sense!.

I soon alighted at Banbury, popped out of the station to buy my West Midlands Day Ranger from the ticket office (I did try buy it from the guard on the XC couldn’t be bothered looking it up), before returning for what always previously was a 68 hauled set, but instead it was 168003 which took me to Warwick Parkway, returning to Leamington Spa on a very busy 168323 (yes a 2 coach unit on a Birmingham – London service…).  The next Nuneaton service was formed of 172007 for my first trip on a refurbished 172/0 since they left London Overground.  They seemed to be nice inside, with new carpets, seat covers, new toilet etc. Certainly a big change from the previous 153 which worked these previously split up services (Leamington – Coventry, Coventry – Nuneaton), both in terms of interior comforts and speed.

Nuneaton was soon reached and I decided to randomly head over to platform 6 to ID an inbound Cross Country service as a time wasting move before the next Crewe bound 350s to visit Atherstone, but that plan changed as low mileage 170116 rolled up, a trip to Coleshill Parkway was in order, returning to Nuneaton on 170111, but once again my planned trip to Atherstone was put on the back-burner as the next Euston service was 350118 leading low mileage 350119 and it was rude to turn it down with the run to Rugby, where I made a connection onto 390039 which sat at the station for a while, a track fault ahead meant trains had to run at a reduced speed so Birmingham was reached around 15 minutes down.  I had some spare time and noticed a low mileage 323201 rolling in on a Four Oaks terminator, the run to Wylde Green was enough to push it over ten miles and gave a reasonable connection to a southbound service, formed of 323207 to take me to Aston, stepping back onto 350122 from Walsall for the final leg to New Street.

170116 departing Coleshill Parkway

A brief look around the station found nothing of interest so with a rough plan in mind, it was on a low mileage 323243  & 323214 to Longbridge (just being enough to push it over 10 miles), noting my last West Midlands 323 for mileage heading northbound during my fester, so my plan was changed again, but first 323209 took me non-stop to Bromsgrove, returning on the same unit to take me to Barnt Green to tick off that platform and a slow walk over to platform 4 to await 323208 for the run to Redditch, changing ends on a busy service back to New Street.  I wasn’t expecting to get my last trio of 323s for mileage, but nice in a way as I don’t have to keep my eyes peeled for them in the future (only one more example in the Northern fleet for the class).

Pair of 323s heading towards Birmingham departing Barnt Green

 

Thanks to my good friend Jules giving me info that my final West Midlands 170 was working Snow Hill lines services, after arriving in a slowly collapsing New Street, I had a quick walk across to Moor Street jumping on 172336 & 172221 to Olton, crossing over for a slightly delayed 170509 & 170511 for the run back towards Birmingham Snow Hill, that just being enough to take the 170 over the ten miles line and saves having to look out for it in the future.  A quick march to New Street and onto a busy 220014 to take me to Oxford, where I had some spare time due to Jules telling me a required 802 was on the London bound, so a quick visit outside the station to waste some time.  I returned and ticked 802104 in my book as it rolled in, pretty much empty, with a trip to Reading passing the many colours of the festival.  An ice-cold 165135 took me to Basingstoke with 159005 taken back to Grateley, the end of a long but partly successful day.