Kite's Transport Potterings: 2nd Jan - 5th Jan, West Midlands, London & Dean

2^nd January – A trip to the West Midlands

For my first trip of 2020, I decided to head towards the West Midlands, to have a social catch-up with my good friend Jules and to have a relaxing day. Although the day didn’t start off relaxing as due to signalling issues west of Salisbury services from that area were delayed, so it wasn’t the 08:59 I caught from Grateley but the delayed 08:26 service which was around 25 minutes late and departed around 08:52, my first service of the year was 159102 & 159020 for the short run to Basingstoke, where I made use of the time before the XC service to visit the Sainsburys located nearby for some supplies.

Back at the station (noting that it seems Basingstoke has some new buses) and onto 221140 for the run to Banbury, after scanning the reservation screens I picked an empty seat which was reserved from Winchester to Birmingham New Street, and as Basingstoke was after Winchester it should have been safe to sit there (wouldn’t be the first time there is a no-show, especially if someone held an open ticket). A lot of the seats were reserved from Oxford, including the one next to me, so when I got up at Oxford to allow the person into the windowless seat, some lady popped up stating that “it was her seat” and she was “sitting elsewhere” beforehand (most likely at a table seat and got evicted), I decided to sit on an empty seat opposite because I wasn’t up for a fight with a rude lady (sorry, but if you decide to sit elsewhere, your reservation becomes void, you can’t come back a few stations later and try and claim it).

Anyhow I escaped from the full & standing voyager at Banbury and had a short wait for the Birmingham train, this one loops a Stratford Upon Avon service at Banbury (one of those ‘new’ Stratford services which is a Banbury stopper extended to Stratford), and I was surprised as the 165 for Stratford went into platform 2 rather than platform 1 (although that was only based on what happens around 6pm when a slower Birmingham service is looped by a faster Birmingham). Into platform 1 rolled 68013 and I got a table seat in the front coach where Jules joined me at Solihull (having kindly purchased my Daytripper to save time). My request for unit allocations produced some good news with 3 out of the 4 requested as gettable, so it was a fast walk from Moor Street to New Street for the 12:10 departure to London Euston.

68013 rolling into Banbury

Low mileage 390121 became my latest member of the ten mile club with the run to Birmingham International, quite busy on board but we got seats for the short hop, sadly my other Pendo was on services which avoided Birmingham but one is better than nothing. At Birmingham International we turned down a busy looking 350/2 on a Rugeley service for 390132 working a New Street terminator for the run back to Birmingham New Street where we had another short walk, this time towards Snow Hill, swinging via the shops for lunch. At Birmingham Snow Hill, we headed towards platform 2 where low mileage 168218 was sitting with 168113 on the rear, this unit escaped me a couple times last year (it had a habit of popping up on a service which arrives at Birmingham around midnight, not the best when you had an early start the following day) so I was glad to finally get it to clear the class for ten miles.

At Solihull we left the Clubman and took 172333 back to Moor Street where unusually the 68 which would form the 13:55 service wasn’t in the bays, but instead rolled in ECS from Stourbridge depot, sadly it was 68008 (I need just 68012 to clear the Chiltern 68s for mileage), so it was onto plan T, with 172219 & 172217 taken to Tyseley to have a look at what was on depot (I think Jules was impressed with the quality of the refurb). We had around 15 minutes in the cold wind before 172339 rolled in from Whitlock’s End to take us all the way to Stourbridge Junction, making our way over to platform 1 where 139002 was waiting to take us to Stourbridge Town for some 139 based fun. We allowed the unit to return to Junction in order to take pictures, before returning to Stourbridge Junction on the following service.

139002 at Stourbridge Town

At Stourbridge Junction, the next service towards Birmingham was a 6 coach service, such space on 172331 & 172334 for the run to The Hawthorns where we transferred over to the metro, with tram 37 being first. A bit of a farce involving overhead wires and electricity meant a short delay before the tram departed towards Library to get the track in for Jules (and for me to see the route in daylight). At the current terminus we stepped back a tram to Tram 24 for the short hop to Town Hall, before tram 18 took us around the corner to Grand Central, where we separated as I was heading towards Coleshill Parkway to intercept my final XC 170 on a working from Stansted, and the tickets to Coleshill are not the cheapest (considering the distance). 170101 took me to Coleshill where I had a short 20 minute fester before 170523 rolled in, I was dreading this as it came from Stansted but I was pleased that where it was busy I managed to get a seat for the run to New Street (being thankful I did this service on the inbound as it worked back to Leicester and it was a fight to get off the train due to the crowds waiting at the doors).

Tram 37 at Library, plus a big wheel

I met up with Jules again, for another walk across to Moor Street where we parted ways again, with him heading towards Kidderminster on a 68 (lucky him!) and I was on a busy Stratford bound 172333 to take me to Lapworth, where I had a 5 minute fester (more than enough time here, as there isn’t much around, especially in the dark!) before 168111 rolled in to take me to Leamington Spa. I decided to put myself half an hour later as there was a service I wanted to catch from Banbury, so after a little walk around Leamington it was onto 168216 for the run to Banbury and a short fester before 802108 rolled in from Paddington, for the novelty of a 802 from Banbury (beats a crowded voyager!), especially when I had a private coach (and I think a private train as far as Oxford). After oxford I still had a private coach for the run to Reading, where with time to kill I headed out to a nearby Tesco for dinner.

802108 rests at Banbury

Back at Reading, it was a short wait before 220010 rolled in from Manchester to take me to Basingstoke, where I was going to wait for the 20:50 Waterloo - Salisbury, but the 20:20 service towards Salisbury was running late and hence the voyager was put in front and I had a short wait before 159004 rolled in to take me to Grateley, arriving only ten minutes before the train I would have caught, but better early than late. On reflection it was a good day, it’s always nice to catch up with Jules, unit wise I was happy I got 3 out of my 4 requirements (no more having to look out for 170s at New Street), plus I got 4 more stations for revisiting, including an awkward one (Lapworth).

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3^rd January – South Eastern & Thameslink Stations

For my final weekday of freedom before returning to work on the Monday, I decided to carry on with revisiting my London stations, the focus being on South Eastern with the ending involving Thameslink.

Grateley -> Basingstoke: 159005 & 159008 (TVM at Grateley was being repaired so had to buy from the guard)

Basingstoke -> Waterloo: 450069 & 444029 (15 minutes late into Waterloo due to signalling issues, first time with this 450 since it was renumbered from 450569)

Waterloo East -> London Bridge: 375605 & 375903

London Bridge -> Mottingham: 376008 & 376003

Mottingham -> Lee: 465243 & 465187

Freight Train passing Lee

Lee -> New Eltham: 465031 & 465185

New Eltham -> Albany Park: 465049 & 465178 (where to use up my 20 minute fester, I visited a nearby Co-Op for lunch, very peaceful station)

Albany Park -> Slade Green: 465245

Slade Green -> Erith: 465044 & 465026

Erith -> Belvedere: 465030 & 465193 (this is when my phone started to play up and froze when I tried to restart it, eventually requiring a hard restart, technology is great when it works, also due to the timetable I had an extended wait due to the next service skipping this station)

Belvedere -> Plumstead: 376026 & 376013

Plumstead -> Woolwich Arsenal: 376027

Woolwich Arsenal -> Charlton: 465158

Charlton -> Westcombe Park: 700002

Westcombe Park -> Maze Hill: 465241

700041 pauses at Maze Hill

Maze Hill -> Greenwich: 466007, 465160 & 466033 (I was going to take these to Deptford but the next clockwise service was cancelled)

Greenwich -> Deptford: 700003

Deptford -> Greenwich: 700043

Greenwich (DLR) -> Lewisham (DLR): 117, 151 & 102 (first time on the DLR since July 18!)

DLR units climb out of Lewisham

Lewisham -> Bexleyheath: 376002 & 376024

Bexleyheath -> Lewisham: 465246, 465925 & 466016

Lewisham -> Petts Wood: 465008

Petts Wood -> West Dulwich: 465163 & 465169

West Dulwich -> Sydenham Hill: 465242 & 465929 (and that was it for South Eastern stations within zones 1-6, time to move onto Thameslink as I needed 4 of the stations north of the river)

Sydenham Hill -> Herne Hill: 465156 & 465038

Herne Hill -> West Hampstead Thameslink: 700015

West Hampstead Thameslink -> Elstree & Borehamwood: 700041 (saw this one heading towards Rainham earlier in the day at Maze Hill)

Elstree & Borehamwood -> Mill Hill Broadway: 700052

Mill Hill Broadway ->Cricklewood: 700048 (and that was it for Thameslink stations within zones 1-6)

Cricklewood -> West Hampstead Thameslink: 700015

West Hampstead Thameslink -> Blackfriars: 700125 (I was going to carry on to London Bridge, but this service lost 8 minutes between Kentish Town & here due to a late running Horsham train being put out in front)

Blackfriars -> Embankment: 21311/21312 (delayed due to an incident)

Embankment -> Waterloo: 51634/51633

Waterloo -> Grateley: 159106, 158887 & 159104

And that was the end of the Friday, I was pleased I managed to clear both South Eastern & Thameslink for stations within zones 1-6

A 700 rushes past Elstree & Borehamwood and out of zone 6

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4^th Jan – London again!

Today was another trip to London, this time focusing on TfL Rail/GWR & some of SWR, due to engineering works I was limited with SWR, and like before it was a day of playing it by ear, it started with the 06:30 service towards Waterloo in order to go via Reading due to wanting to avoid the slow route via Staines.

Grateley -> Basingstoke: 159002, 159005 & 159104 (arrived 5 minutes late, missing an unofficial connection with a Reading bound 165, so I popped to Sainsburys)

Basingstoke -> Reading: 220013

Reading -> Slough: 802102 (running around 25 minutes late, took a couple minutes for the doors to unlock at Reading)

Slough -> Langley: 345020

Langley -> Hayes & Harlington: 345059

Hayes Sunrise

Hayes & Harlington -> Hanwell: 360203 (time for a gentle walk along the quiet residential roads to reach my next station)

Old NSE signage at Drayton Greem

Drayton Green -> South Greenford: 165121

South Greenford -> West Ealing: 165121

West Ealing -> Paddington: 345057 (the idea was to take this unit back out to Acton Main Line but the next Reading was required)

Paddington -> West Drayton: 345055 (a failed attempt at sourcing lunch from a nearby Morrisons)

West Drayton -> Southall: 345020

Southall -> Hayes & Harlington: 345014

Hayes & Harlington -> Paddington: 360201 (this was around 12 minutes late due to an issue in the Heathrow tunnels, gave me time at Paddington for lunch)

Paddington -> Acton Main Line: 345014

New footbridge taking space at Acton Main Line, plus a 332 photobombing

Acton Main Line -> Paddington: 345057 (and that was everything out of Paddington so it was to the underground)

Paddington -> Oxford Circus: 3261/3562

Oxford Circus -> Vauxhall: 11039/11040 (I made use of some time here to get my gold card discount added to my oyster card)

Vauxhall -> Putney: 455724 & 455701

Putney -> Barnes: 458536 & 458534

Barnes -> Hampton: 456007, 455853 & 455913 (diverted to run non-stop from Twickenham towards Fulwell via Strawberry Hill due to engineering works)

Hampton -> Richmond: 707012 & 707024

A 378 departs Richmond, you can make out where the old connection at the far end of platform 3 used to be.

Richmond -> North Sheen: 707018 & 707006 (delayed due to getting looped for late running train from Reading)

North Sheen -> St Margaret’s: 707029 & 707022

St Margaret’s -> Mortlake: 455730 & 455716

It was time for a little walk alongside the River Thames to reach my next station, an enjoyable little walk it was.

Barnes Bridge (spot the train)

Barnes Bridge -> London Waterloo: 458534 & 458536

Waterloo -> Bank: 65501/65502

Bank -> Liverpool Street: 91147, 92052, 92048 & 91029

Liverpool Street -> Harold Wood: 345047 (last TfL Rail station)

Harold Wood -> Liverpool Street: 345052

Liverpool Street -> Stratford: 345038

Stratford -> Caledonian Road & Barnsbury: 378202 (saw this unit earlier on at Richmond)

Caledonian Road & Barnsbury -> Highbury & Islington: 378209

Highbury & Islington -> Moorgate: 717023

Moorgate -> Farringdon: 21097/21098 (on seeing a Hammersmith train was 1 minute behind I decided to bail)

Farringdon -> Paddington: 21457/21458

Paddington -> Reading: 165124 (one of the very few booked fast 165s from Paddington, on a Bedwyn service. At Paddington I saw my last 802/0 was back in service after its accident, but it was running ECS to the depot)

Reading -> Basingstoke: 220006

Basingstoke -> Grateley: 159108

And that was the end of a productive Saturday in London, certainly my stations required within London list is a lot smaller (a couple C2C & GA, plus some more SWR & London Overground), a few more 345s were scored outright, with a small mileage boost given to a 717 and a 378 taken over 5 miles.

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5^th January – A visit to Dean

I wanted to have a lazy day due to it being the end of my holiday, but I also wanted to celebrate hourly Sunday service day as for today Grateley has gained an hourly Sunday service in the shape of the Salisbury – Reading services, it has also temporary kept 2 hourly calls by the Exeter trains. A good way to celebrate was to revisit another station which has also gained hourly Sunday calls, in the shape of Dean. This station is easier to visit on Sundays as the hourly services pass between Dunbridge & Romsey (whereas Monday – Saturday they pass north of Dean).

I walked to the station for the 11:30 service to Exeter (159009, 159001 & 159004) with a short wait at Salisbury for158885 to roll in from Romsey. I took a seat on this 158 for the 9 mile ride towards Dean for a short 15 minute fester. This station is a bit strange in one platform being in Wiltshire, the other platform being in Hampshire, also it is managed by GWR but no GWR services call here (a left over from years ago before SWT took over the Romsey locals).

The River Dun passes nearby, and it was peaceful (and the fact this tiny village station gets an hourly Sunday service will probably annoy Jack). It wasn’t long before 158881 rolled in to take me back to Salisbury, where with around 30 minutes to spend before the next Grateley service I headed to a nearby Sainsburys for supplies, before returning to Grateley on 159004, 159108 & 159020. 004 attached to the train at Salisbury and when it departed I couldn’t help noticing that the units which came up from Exeter were very busy.