30th December – The Time Lord Plus Twenty Tour
When this UK Railtours tour went on sale back in October, I
noticed it covered some required baker track, and also would be interesting to
have a loco hauled service to Barton on Humber; I had to wait for the tour to
go on general sale due to the tour being held back for priority bookings from a
cancelled tour, but I booked up and after researching hotel options decided to
book into the “Wembley” Travelodge, a hotel I’ve used before. Where it isn’t the best located (just off the
North Circular, and a 10+ minute walk from Stonebridge Park) the other options
were out of my price range (also thinking about the fare for the morning to
reach central London).
The day began at the hotel (thankfully I was given a room
overlooking the car park, but even that was noisy, think Rugby Travelodge for
anybody who has stayed there for Polesworth) and an early morning walk towards
Stonebridge Park station (noticing the NSE logo on the Red Double Arrow sign on
the bridge high above the road, sadly due to the darkness (and me being in a
rush) I couldn’t get a decent shot. The
reason for being in a rush was to touch in before half six in order to pay the
off-peak fare, and I jumped on the first central London bound service which was
a Bakerloo service (3241/3540) which I took to Baker Street, narrowly missing a
Met line service, it was over to the Circle line platform for 21523/21524 to
Kings Cross St Pancras, where I exited the station in search for both breakfast
and lunch from a nearby Tesco (and Sainsburys).
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| 67024 at Kings Cross |
Back at Kings Cross and it was to the train, formed of the
usual Mk1 coaches with Pullman liveried 67021 on the blocks joined with winner 67024 at the front. The train was mostly 1st class
coaches with a couple standard class coaches, split between the diners and
non-diners, and the route was straight along the ECML, calling at Potters Bar,
Stevenage & Peterborough. After
Peterborough it used the new alignment due to construction of the dive-under for
the Spalding line, the 67 was giving a good run turning away from the ECML at
Newark North Gate for the run via Lincoln towards Barnetby and continued to
take the freight only curve towards Immingham docks after the former station at
Brocklesby, and joining the Barton branch after Ulceby station.
The train continued on the branch, pausing after Goxhill for
the 153 to come off the single track section to continue to Barton on Humber,
where due to the length and the generator vehicle being at the front meant
anybody wanting to alight had a single door to do so. I managed to get off for a couple photographs
before reboarding the train.
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| 67024 at Barton on Humber |
With 67021 in
charge, the tour train departed back towards New Holland and rejoined the
main-line at Habrough junction, continuing via the small stations served by the
2-hourly Barton train (memories of festering at these stations on Good Friday
earlier in 2019 come back to my mind), before the train took the connection
towards Grimsby Docks and onto the “Grimsby Light Railway” single track,
passing many new vehicles (VW Group mostly).
The train passed the various lines in the Immingham docks area, passing
the DB depot which was being remodelled for modern freight, passing the oil
refineries, before joining back onto the passenger network at Ulceby and back
onto the main-line towards Habrough and Cleethorpes, a slight delay meant we
delayed a TPE service from departing (due to the single track from Grimsby
towards Cleethorpes, I suspect we were too long for the loop).
The tour had a near 3 hour layover at Cleethorpes (the stock
would return towards Barnetby to be serviced), and in that time the Barton 153
would complete a full circuit, so with needing to revisit Ulceby for a
photograph, I decided it would be good value to board 153359 (along with a
dozen or so from the tour) to take it to the single platform at Ulceby in order
for me to take a photograph of the station to save me a job for a future
trip. It was a chilly 50 minute wait,
interrupted a few times by freight trains and a lovely sunset before 153359
returned from Barton to take me one stop to Habrough, another station I needed
for a photograph (which clears this area).
For this I was tracking a Cleethorpes bound TPE which was running late,
but eventually 185147 arrived to take me into Cleethorpes, and as it was ahead
of the empty stock I regained on board to the end (had the empty stock gone
ahead first I would have bailed at Grimsby
Town)
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| One way to waste time when in Cleethorpes! |
I was annoyed as during the time at Cleethorpes I could have
made it to Sainsburys to grab something to eat for later, but decided it was
too risky. The empties arrived late due
to congestion, and departed around 15 minutes late, a pause at Grimsby Town to
collect any passengers who decided to pass the time at Grimsby rather than
Cleethorpes, and with 67024 in charge, it was a speedy run towards Scunthorpe,
I was expecting us to get looped at Barnetby for the TPE was behind us, but we
didn’t. Full speed ahead passing
Scunthorpe and the other Northern stations (a couple I need to revisit,
probably a job for when I’m in South Yorkshire), after Hatfield the train
turned right onto the line towards Adwick, this being required for me after the
junction for the ‘new’ chord. The train
turned left passing Adwick & Bentley before a first set-down at Doncaster,
before taking the Lincoln line over the flyover and the chord to rejoin the
ECML (which for me finally clears a question mark from a diverted 91 service
back from Leeds one Saturday night).
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| Sunset in Lincolnshire |
The tour was full speed ahead, 67024 was getting a good work
out, dropping off a lot of passengers at Peterborough and pausing in a loop
south of Peterborough to get looped by a few LNER/GC services before speeding
on the fasts towards Stevenage, joining the slows at Welwyn North and catching
up with a stopper around Potters Bar.
Eventually the tour train reached Kings Cross (maybe a minute or two
late), running in alongside a Hull Trains 802 (the interior colours look
smart).
My original idea when booking this tour was to head towards
Waterloo and then home, as it gave a good safety net for the final Salisbury
train, but due to the strike timetable I wasn’t going to risk the revised final
Salisbury train (22:20 instead of 23:40) so a few weeks ago I looked up hotels,
finding the Travelodge in Croydon being the cheapest overall (based on both
hotel cost and cost of reaching said hotel).
So for me it was over to St Pancras, turning down the first Brighton
bound 700, followed by a Rainham bound 700, for a Gatwick bound 700130, sadly
not required for mileage. I took a seat
in the rear first class area and relaxed for the run to East Croydon, stepping
back a train to board 455827 to South Croydon for a sneaky station photograph,
returning to East Croydon a few minutes later on 455803. A much needed dinner was sourced from
McDonalds as I checked into the Travelodge, getting a room on the 8th
floor so it was nice and quiet.
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| 700s at St Pancras |
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29th December – The Day before the tour
It was a late start on the Sunday (due to the strike
timetable and due to engineering works), but I spent my Sunday in South London
for station revisits, which I will do in a summary format with any comments:
Grateley -> Clapham Junction: 159008, 159012 & 159009
(quite busy, sat at Basingstoke for 15 minutes)
Clapham Junction -> East Croydon: 377472 &
377115 (first available service heading that way)
East Croydon -> Norwood Junction: 700138
Norwood Junction -> East Dulwich: 455845 &
455822 (ran fast to Tulse Hill, East Dulwich featured a squirrel attacking a
bin bag)
East Dulwich -> North Dulwich: 455834
North Dulwich -> South Bermondsey: 455821 &
455835
South Bermondsey -> Tulse Hill: 455822 &
455845
Tulse Hill -> Herne Hill: 700004 (caused confusion as due
to engineering works these were running non-stop from Sutton to Tulse Hill via
West Croydon and hence were using the wrong platforms to what they do normally)
Herne Hill -> Shortlands: 700020 (diverted due to Nunhead area being closed)
Shortlands -> Bromley South: 465029/465036 (time wasting
move)
Bromley South -> Beckenham Junction: 700003
Beckenham Junction -> Penge East: 465156 &
465244 (where I noted a pair of 465s heading towards Orpington were both
required)
I walked along the road to Penge West.
Penge West -> West Croydon: 378141
West Croydon -> Waddon: 377607/3677615
Waddon -> Wallington: 377207 (where I used a
nearby Sainsburys for a late lunch)
Wallington -> Carshalton Beeches: 377704
Carshalton Beeches -> Epsom Downs: 455823 (I
always forget how rural this line gets)
Epsom Downs -> Sutton: 455823
Sutton -> Banstead: 377136 (first time having a
377 on this branch)
Banstead -> Battersea Park: 377136 (declassified
first class area)
Battersea Park -> London Victoria: 455832
London Victoria -> Petts Wood: 465911 &
465021 (the pair of networkers I saw earlier at Penge)
Petts Wood -> Chelsfield: 465246 & 465163
Chelsfield -> London Bridge: 465182 & 465171 (crossed
over to the fasts after an extended dwell at Grove Park)
London Bridge -> Hither Green: 465157 & 465031
(saw this 465 on the London bound when at Petts Wood)
Hither Green -> Waterloo East: 465163 & 465246 (first
time I’ve used platform 1, and time for dinner from Tesco. During the fester a low mileage 375 passed on
the London bound)
Waterloo East -> Orpington: 375920 & 375702
Orpington -> Grove Park: 465031 & 465157
Grove Park -> Chelsfield: 465047 & 465238
(this service was delayed at Grove Park due to the passenger alarm being
pulled, had this not happened I would have bailed at Petts Wood, as there was a
gap in London bound services at Orpington.
Chelsfield -> Orpington: 465163 & 465246
Orpington -> Charing Cross: 375802 & 375629
Charing Cross -> Stonebridge Park: 3541 & 3237 (first
northbound Bakerloo was for Harrow & Wealdstone).
On arrival at Stonebridge Park, it was a gentle walk to the
Travelodge to get checked in and relax for the remainder of the evening. 4 more 465s & another 375 taken over ten
miles, along with a lot more stations for revisiting
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| A diverted 700 passes Carshalton Beeches |
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31st December – The Day after the Tour
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| View from hotel room, you wait ages for a bus and... |
Like with the Sunday I focused my time in South London and
started the day with the 09:32 service from East Croydon towards Caterham &
Tattenham Corner.
East Croydon -> Kenley: 377617 & 377621
(377621 detaching at Purley)
Kenley -> Purley: 377619
Purley -> Coulsdon South: 377457 (I was hoping to
catch a bus to Coulsdon Town to avoid a walk, but Google Maps had a bus which
didn’t exist, forcing me into a fast walk)
Coulsdon Town -> Reedham: 377705
Reedham -> Purley: 455833 (I exited the station for a
quick walk to the bus stop, with a route 412 double decker taken towards
Riddlesdown area, went up quite a steep hill
Riddlesdown -> East Croydon: 377310, 377318 &
377160 (when at East Croydon, I noticed a low mileage 377 on the Bognor bound
so made a note for later on)
East Croydon -> Selhurst: 455842
Selhurst -> Sutton: 455815 (making an unofficial
connection to a Sutton loop service)
Sutton -> Morden South: 700004
Morden South -> West Sutton: 700019
West Sutton -> Sutton Common: 700005
Sutton Common -> Mitcham Eastfields: 700005
Mitcham Eastfields -> Mitcham Junction: 377615
(didn’t think I would make this connection as my rough plan was based on making
the 700 a few minutes behind)
Mitcham Junction -> Wimbledon: Tram 2556 (seemed
to be a bit of bunching of services, at Wimbledon it gave me time to grab
lunch)
Wimbledon -> Haydons Road: 700046
Haydons Road -> South Merton: 700006 (as South
Merton was the passing point of the half hourly services, I walked out of the
station to the bus stop for a route 413 service to Morden underground station
Morden -> Balham: 51617/51618
Balham -> Clapham Junction: 377614
Clapham Junction -> Victoria, 377459, 377156 & 377149 (I had a 15 minute
turnaround so I made use of the station loos, wasn’t expecting to make it at
Clapham but it was delayed by 10 minutes)
Victoria -> East Croydon: 377149, 377156, 377459
(final 377/1 needed for ten miles, the one I spotted earlier.
East Croydon -> Elmers End: Tram 2554 (with Southern
complete, it was time to move over to South Eastern land, mainly the Hayes
branch)
Elmers End -> New Beckenham: 465909 & 465905
New Beckenham -> Eden Park: 376015 &
376033
Eden Park -> Lower Sydenham: 465020 & 465250
Lower Sydenham -> Catford Bridge: 376033 &
376015 (I walked along the street to Catford)
Catford -> Nunhead, 700060
Nunhead -> Lewisham: 465009 &465185
Lewisham -> Grove Park: 465250 & 465020
Grove Park -> Sundridge Park: 466010 (with its
long platforms where a 466 looks lost)
Sundridge Park -> Grove Park: 466010
Grove Park -> Elmstead Woods: 376020 & 376023 (mainly a time wasting move, plus
an extra mile and 23 chains for 023)
Elmstead Woods -> St Johns: 465020 & 465250
St Johns -> New Cross: 376013 & 376026
New Cross -> London Bridge: 465191 & 465920 (making
use of 3 trains inside 10 minutes)
London Bridge -> Waterloo East: 465931 & 465175
Waterloo -> Grateley, 159005, 159008 &158890
And that last Sprinter move was the final move of 2019 for
me, I sat in the front coach and it was lightly loaded, after Andover there was
around a dozen or so passengers on board.
Overall another productive day, a few more units pushed over the line
for ten miles, a handful given boosts.
My South London area map for stations to revisit is looking a lot
better.
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| Farewell 2019¬! |
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