23rd October – 25th October. Flirting in Suffolk & Norfolk

 23^rd October – 25^th October.  Flirting in Suffolk & Norfolk

 

A couple months or so ago I was randomly checking prices for hotels in the Ipswich area with the idea of doing the connection between platform 3 and the main-line at Marks Tey, which only gets used by the first & last Sudbury trains of the day, the last train gives a couple options to get back to Ipswich (which is a lot cheaper than staying in Colchester).  I booked a couple nights in the Easy Hotel located around 15 minutes from the station, with the idea on the Saturday & Sunday to do some of my required stations in the Anglia Plus area, plus a couple little bits.

 

Friday 23^rd October

The trip began with the 15:59 service to London Waterloo, swinging via Tesco for some supplies (including a 2 week out of date biscuit bar which I only noticed on the Saturday) before the Jubilee line took me to Stratford before a pair of 321s took me to Ingatestone for some linear hopping.  A short wait before a pair of 317s took me to Hatfield Peverel for another short wait for a pair of busy 321s to Colchester, changing onto my first 745/1 (the Stansted Express layout) for the run to Ipswich, getting welcomed with the sound of a 37 on a RHTT service in the through line.

 

I headed towards the quiet town centre (for it was like a ghost town) and got checked into the hotel, before returning to the station to board a seemingly random Peterborough – Colchester service for the novelty of a 755 to Colchester from the north, needless to say I had a private coach on this 3 coach unit (and saw only one other passenger in the middle coach).  On arrival into Colchester, the station was in a state of chaos due to an incident at Chelmsford (RIP) with nothing going south until further notice so I decided to abandon my journey towards Sudbury and head back on the first train heading back towards Ipswich (which was a 745 from Norwich which got terminated at Colchester to form a short notice Colchester – Norwich train).

 

 

A 755 at Colchester

 Back at Ipswich, it was a short walk back to the hotel where I relaxed for the evening.  Writing this has reminded me I need to send my tickets into SWR for a refund due to the disruption.  These things happen; somebody lost their life which puts my issue of missing out on rare track as low.

 

Saturday 24^th October

An early start (well 06:55, which compared to previous Saturdays is late!) from Ipswich for a service towards Felixstowe to revisit Trimley for a photograph before returning to Ipswich for some breakfast from Greggs (not like I had many other options available) before a run to Wickham Market (which had I known now has a delightful looking café in the station building would have used for food).  A short wait at Wickham Market for the same unit to return to take me to Melton for a short wait before the next train to take me to Saxmundham where it terminated due to engineering works.

 

Work in progress at Saxmundham

 

The replacement bus was an unbranded (former London) double decker bus (LK04 NLZ) and I got a seat on the top deck for the run towards Oulton Broad South station for a few photographs before walking to Oulton Broad North, catching the next Norwich service to the remote Haddiscoe station returning towards Lowestoft on the next service.  A short wait at Lowestoft before the unit headed back towards Norwich where I had a short break for lunch from the nearby Morrisons.

 

Back at Norwich station it was onto 755335 which I had earlier in the day to Haddiscoe as the run to Brundall would be enough to clear it for ten miles, returning to Norwich on another 755 which I remained on board as it formed the next Great Yarmouth train going via Acle and into platform 4 as it returned towards Norwich via Berney Arms, which is the first time along that line for a couple years.  2 passengers boarded at the isolated Berney Arms and I alighted at Reedham for a 40 minute wait for the next Norwich service from Lowestoft to take me back to Norwich.

 

A 755 at the Yarmouth of Greatness

 

My original (revised) plan needed to change due to EMR falling over with the cancelation of the 17:50 Nottingham service which would call at March so a quick play on RTT after a visit to Morrisons for dinner items saw me onto a required 745 for the run to Ipswich, changing onto a Peterborough train for the long run to March, changing over to the opposite platform for a XC service to Ely for a ~ 40 minute fester for the same 755 to return from Peterborough to take me back towards Stowmarket for a short wait before a required 745 arrived to take me the 11 miles back to Ipswich, for a gentle walk back to the hotel and relaxing for the remainder of the evening.

 

Big Red Double Decker

 

Sunday

 

I checked out of the hotel and headed to the station (via McDonalds for a lovely sausage muffin) to board the first Cambridge bound train of the day, which I took all the way to Cambridge, remaining on the same unit for its return leg back towards Bury St Edmunds for this is an off-pattern departure which is booked to use the platform loop at Dullingham so the next Cambridge train can pass, sadly my attempt at a photo of the Cambridge train passing came to nothing as it was speedy.

 

This is a loop I attempted to do back in February time but got bowled out with the first Cambridge – Ipswich train getting cancelled due to overrunning engineering works around the Ipswich area so I was glad to get the loop done.  Anyhow at Bury it was a short wait for another 755 back towards Cambridge (and my luck with required 4 coach 755s on this trip has been bad!).  A trip to a nearby Co-Op to grab lunch before heading to the next King’s Lynn service (getting shocked to see a 3 coach 755 being used on the Cambridge -> Cambridge North GA shuttles to connect with replacement buses for Audley End, as I would have pictured that being a 379, or even a 317).

 

It's never dull at Dullingham

 

A quiet 387 was waiting on platform 7 (engineering works everywhere today!) which I took to Littleport for a short wait, making use of the new entrance to the southbound platform as the barrow crossing has been closed due to the northbound platform getting extended to allow 8 coach units to call.  A busier 387 arrived from Kings Lynn which I took back to Ely, changing over to a required 755/4 on the next Ely – Ipswich service which I took all the way to Ipswich where it would be a replacement bus to Stansted Airport as means to escape, as pretty much the entire line from Liverpool Street to Ipswich was closed today!

 

Littleport station

 

Outside Ipswich station it was a choice of 2 double deck coaches, I picked the first option which was an older bus (V66 SUN) by Barker Bus, slightly unusual with the entrance door being nearer the rear, but I managed to bag the prime seat at the front of the bus for excellent views of the trip out of Ipswich, then onto the A12 before the A120 to reach Stansted Airport with time to spare before the next Stansted Express service.  Annoyingly it was the same 745/1 I had on Friday evening but never mind, my red pen will come back out to play another time.

 

A big Flirt at Stansted Airport

 

I took this service to Tottenham Hale, changing over to the Victoria Line (first time I think I’ve used the direct passageway link) for the run to Oxford Circus, changing over to a busy Bakerloo for the run to Paddington.  First option (out of 3) was a 802 for Plymouth (via Bristol) which I took to Reading, changing over to a pair of 158s on the Salisbury stopping service for the speedy run back home, for a walk home.

16th – 18th October, Whitby, North East & a mystery tour on a 802

16^th – 18^th October, Whitby & North East

A couple months ago I booked up a night in a Premier Inn in Middlesbrough on the Friday night, getting my advance on Grand Central at the same time; the idea was to revisit a few stations I needed in that area plus have a bus ride to Whitby for a little walk around the seaside town.  My original idea was to stay overnight in Newcastle on the Saturday and make my slow way back to London via Carlisle & the Cumbrian Coast line; however a few weeks ago I decided to look up prices of hotels in the Manchester area.  Little did I know that the Covid cases in Manchester would sky rocket so was a case of taking extra care when I was in the city.

 

Friday 16^th October

 

The trip started with the 15:59 service from Grateley to Woking, changing onto a pair of 444s for the following leg to Clapham Junction.  As I had some time to play with I was being a bit creative with my route taken for my oyster card so it was over to platform 17 just to see which 377s would roll in to head towards Milton Keynes and I was quite happy my last 377 for mileage was on the rear.  Sadly due to an issue with a rail around Harrow & Wealdstone, London Northwestern had done their usual and threw in the towel in providing any sort of service so I had to bail at Wembley Central for a 710 all the way into Euston. 

 

My original idea was based around the return of a triple 319 from Watford Junction to Euston, just for some motor noise.  Anyhow at Euston it was a short walk via Sainsburys to reach Kings Cross where the Sunderland bound 180 was waiting to take me towards Eaglescliffe changing onto a 156 for Middlesbrough.  Loadings of the Grand Central service in my coach was low, emptied out at York replaced with some drinkers returning home to Middlesbrough after an afternoon/evening on the alcohol, boosting they had no tickets.

 

For an open access operator whose main source of income is from ticket sales, I am still very surprised the guards on Grand Central are not checking tickets; they must be losing out on some revenue from the “pay when challenged” travellers.  Anyhow arrival into Middlesbrough was on time, a good dozen were waiting for the final train towards Saltburn, but walking through the town was quite spooky, the places where in the past would be buzzing were silent, no groups of smokers outside the pub doors etc.  Anyhow I located the Premier Inn, got checked in and relaxed for the short time I had before sleep, usual Premier Inn standard of room, a touch of road noise from the road outside but nothing major.

 

Late night at Eaglescliffe

 

Saturday 17^th

 

An early start (thankfully not as early as previous weeks) as I checked out of the hotel and headed to Middlesbrough station for the 2^nd Whitby service of the day (the 1^st is that very early morning ‘fast’ service which only calls at a couple stations along the way).  There was a small number of passengers waiting for the 156 to be unlocked, and I was happy for it was a low mileage 156 (only one more to try and locate).

 

I took this 156 to Great Ayton where I was the only person around the station for the 25 minutes wait for another 156 to take me back to Middlesbrough where I headed out in search of breakfast.  Nice station Great Ayton, although the picnic area was a bit overgrown.  After returning to the station at Middlesbrough it was onto the next Saltburn train to take me to Marske for a short wait before another Saltburn service arrived (completely empty) for the final leg to Saltburn itself.

 

156s at Saltburn

 

After a swing via the supermarket, I headed towards the bus stop to await the next X4 bus service (which the ranger I was using was valid on).  It was a lightly loaded bus going via such places as Brotton, Loftus & Boulby (following the single track freight line towards the Potash mines).  Some good views of the sea were had around Sandsend before the bus headed inland to terminate at the bus station at Whitby.  A nice little run from Saltburn, certainly one I would recommend.  Anyhow I had around 90 minutes to waste before the next train so I headed towards the swing bridge before the beach front, walking along one of the piers to the river mouth. 

 

The weather was beautiful and the town was busy with tourists, certainly a nice town to explore with some history.

 

Whitby in October.

 

Anyhow back to the trains, and I headed to the station to have some lunch with a heritage train on platform 2 (job for next year is to try and do that line towards Pickering) before the 156 arrived from Middlesbrough.  It looked quite busy judged on the number of passengers getting off, but the return was lightly loaded, at some point along the way I had a private coach.  I do like the Esk Valley line as it has some beautiful views along the way, one of my favourite lines in England.

 

I alighted from the 156 at Marton for a short walk along a footpath (covered with litter) to reach James Cook where I nearly got run over by an idiotic cyclist riding like a bat out of hell over a footbridge with a blind summit (there are signs saying “cyclists must dismount” at either end, but we all know some cyclists cannot read).  Back at the station and it was a short wait on a nice bench for another 156 to take me to Gypsy Lane for a short wait before another 156 (surprisingly that!) took me back to Middlesbrough.

 

Another line complete for station photographs, just leaving a couple in North Yorkshire to hopefully do in December time, assuming we are still allowed to travel (I’m dreading if another lockdown comes, as I don’t think my mental health will cope, especially as the days are getting short and weather turning more cold & wet meaning less chance of being able to escape for a nice walk in the countryside).  Anyway it was a short connection in Middlesbrough before boarding a pair of 185s to take me to Redcar Central for a gentle fast walk along the streets to reach Redcar East for another 156 to South Bank, returning to Redcar Central a short while later.

 

185s at Redcar Central

 

This time at Redcar I had a walk towards the water front for a couple photos before the next TPE arrived, running a tad late and it had a short turnaround before departing back towards Manchester.  I was on this service as far as York but sadly due to some faults requiring it to be turned off & turned back on again twice the (unofficial) connection at York to a Blackpool North train was missed so I had some time to waste, so I headed out to KFC for some dinner (saves a job when in Leeds) before returning to board a required 195 for the run to Leeds.

 

At Leeds I had two options to reach Manchester Victoria, either a 195 via Bradford or a 3 coach 158 via Brighouse, I decided to go for the 158 via Brighouse as whilst it was slower it gave the better ride, and meant I didn’t have to do a tour of Leeds station due to the idiotic one way system.  The sprinter was pretty much empty in the front coach; I don’t think it got more than 4 other passengers all the way to Manchester Victoria, where the first thing which hit me as I got off was the smell of diesel fumes.

 

Exiting the station and it was a walk towards the Easy Hotel, trying to avoid the busy areas where social distancing would be very hard due to roads being closed off with outdoor drinking areas, reaching the hotel, checking in and relaxing for the remainder of the night.  A quiet evening until I got woken up in the morning by the sound of a couple in a nearby room above making sweet love, with the lady being on the noisy side.  Still it beats getting woken up to the sound of a street party playing loud noise which could be classed as music by some, or drunks setting the fire alarm off during the middle of the night for a laugh.

 

Anyhow it was a good day trip to Whitby, a few more stations revisited for photographs, plus the bonus of a required 195 & a low mileage 156.

 

The level crossing at Redcar Central

 

Sunday 18^th October

 

The plan for today changed when I was travelling towards Manchester on the Saturday when I randomly decided to check for fares to get to Doncaster and onwards to St Pancras on the Hull Trains divert (due to Kings Cross being closed), with a couple splits I got it down to around £45 which was more than suitable for a late notice trip for the novelty factor of a 802 going over some unusual routes (nothing new for me, solely due to the various railtours I’ve done over the years).

 

The day began with walking to Manchester Piccadilly via a Tesco Express & the Co-Op for some supplies before boarding the 08:45 stopper towards Sheffield, which was a 195.  I got a seat near the front of the unit which emptied out along the way, and was an enjoyable way to reach Sheffield, better than a 150, although I feel the interior layout of a 195 is not suitable for a stopping service, needs less table seats more airline seats.

 

Trams in Sheffield

 

I had a 90 minute wait at Sheffield before my next leg, so I headed towards the city centre for some tram photographs before returning to the station with a 170 to take me to Doncaster on a Hull service, giving me around 20 minutes at Doncaster before the 802 would arrive from Hull so I stayed on the station for a couple photos of passing freight before 802305 arrived a couple minutes late and annoyingly first class was at the front (as I was aiming for a seat in coach A, solely for the lack of an engine underneath).

 

The Hull Trains 802s are nearly the same as the GWR in terms of first class (coach D is split) but has the TPE style USB sockets in addition to the plug sockets below the seats.  Friendly guard soon checked tickets after departure but a quick wonder saw loading was only around 25 passengers in standard class (plus 2 who got kicked out of first class).  Anyway the ‘mystery’ tour went via the Swinton avoider line, then via “The Old Road” after the former Rotherham Masborough station (going via Barrow Hill and avoiding Sheffield) to re-join the mainline at Chesterfield before heading towards the Erewash Valley line to go via Toton before finally rejoining the mainline at Trent Junction, for a speedy run towards London.

 

Passing Wellingborough we were 45 minutes (or so) ahead of time, and with limited platform space available at St Pancras we had to wait so got put behind a 700 after Bedford and another 700 after Luton before the unit from Corby could pass before the 802 went onto the fast lines for the final run into St Pancras arriving around 15 minutes early.  Certainly it was a good run and more interesting than a 350 from Crewe!

 

Ever get the sense you've gone to the wrong station?

 

Anyhow I decided on the Victoria line to Victoria, navigating the maze of tunnels to reach the district line to Earl’s Court (jumped on the first service which was bound for Richmond), before an unannounced Olympia train arrived for the trip to Olympia on a private S7 before a low mileage 378 took me to Clapham Junction (sadly not enough to push it over 5 miles, but gives a good boost).  I jumped on a pair of 444s to Basingstoke changing over to a busy single 159 on the Andover service, where it terminated due to engineering works.

 

The fast coach departed and eventually the bus on the stopper (a service bus from “Newbury & District”) arrived to take me back to Grateley, the end of an interesting weekend.  One positive is on the Saturday when I was in the North East my ticket was checked on the majority of the Northern services, so some sense of normal is returning.

 

9th – 12th October, A Scottish long weekend

9^th – 12^th October, a long weekend in Scotland

Making use of a booking which was transferred to this week from May time, sadly my timing wasn’t the best as it was around the time the guidance changed to avoid unnecessary travel within the central belt, but for the good of my mental health (which has been a bit down recently due to the uncertainly of the future) I decided to keep to my original revised plan.  I just took extra precautions for the time in Glasgow and other areas.

 

The original idea for May time was to use the sleeper to Glasgow on the Thursday night, however with the sleeper currently without seated coaches (my money is on the seats never returning) I booked a cheap room in the Easy Hotel in Croydon and an advance on the 07:10 Avanti service on the Friday morning.  Also I extended the trip to include the Sunday night in Glasgow returning to London around midday to give me a few extra hours.  Sadly the sleeper when it costs nearly £200 for a basic room isn’t an option for my budget.

 

The Thursday was simply a case of taking the 18:59 service from Grateley to Basingstoke, changing onto a pair of 444s to Clapham Junction and jumping on the first service towards East Croydon to check in for the night, first time using the Easy Hotel for a fair while and it hasn’t really changed other than the front desks.  Any station name in italics was required for a photograph in case anybody is wondering.

 

9^th October

 

An early start for the 06:03 service towards Cambridge formed of a low mileage 700 for the spin to St Pancras followed by a gentle walk to Euston via Sainsburys for breakfast, before boarding the 07:10 service for Glasgow Central.  As I got my tickets via TrainSplit it allowed me to pick my own seat for the long journey and on departure from Euston I was the only passenger in coach E (only two other reservations in this coach, both from Preston).  A short delay arriving into Glasgow Central (lost time due to late running freight trains), but thankfully I was sensible enough to build in some padding to counter-act any delays.

 

My first job was to pick up a Roundabout ticket from the TVM before heading via Tesco (lunch time!) to the low level platforms for a pair of 320s to Carmyle before having a gentle walk along the road to reach Mount Vernon, hardest part was at the very end as there wasn’t a crossing which I could see.  Back on the trains with another pair of 320s to Kirkwood returning to Baillieston, changing platforms for the next Whifflet bound train to take me to Bargeddie, where a RHTT passed soon afterwards.  I can remember doing this line the first time (for coverage, not stations) where it was a 156, back before it got wired up.

 

DR 98911 passes Bargeddie

 

Anyhow a short wait at Bargeddie before another pair of 320s took me to Rutherglen for a short wait underneath the motorway before the next Larkhall train arrived to take me to Merryton returning a few minutes later to Chatelherault (I have memories of doing these stations the first time round when it was snowing).  A short wait before the next Larkhall service rolled in which I took to Larkhall simply as a time wasting move before returning to Blantyre for a short (~15 minute) wait for the next train which I took to Anderston, returning to Glasgow Central on the next service a couple minutes later.

 

It was time for me to walk upstairs to board the next Paisley Canal train, which was a 380, to Hawkhead returning a few minutes later to Corkerhill, with the feeling that 380s on this short branch line are slightly over the top (compared to the 314s which used to run these services).  A short wait in the drizzle at Corkerhill for a 318 to take me to Crookston to clear the line before it took me back into Glasgow Central, where I headed back to the low level platforms to board the next train towards Dalmuir which took me to Drumchapel returning towards Hyndland on the next service for a short wait before an Airdrie stopper arrived to take me to Coatdyke where darkness had fallen and I had a tight connection.

 

A 318 departs Crookston

 

Thankfully I made the connection to the next stopper to take me to Blairhill for a short wait.  Nothing exciting around these stations and other than a trip to a road bridge I didn’t explore. Next up was a 334 from Edinburgh which I took to High Street changing over to the opposite platform for the Springburn service to take me to Barnhill, returning a few minutes later on the same 318 to Queen Street, being impressed with the new station building and having a gentle potter towards the Euro Hostel via a couple shops for supplies for the morning.

 

Room on the 7^th floor, upgrade to what was originally booked as it was an en-suite room, basic but functional, and it was good to get rid of some of the weight from my bag ready for an early start on the Saturday.

 

10^th October

 

By early start I mean the 05:20 service towards Oban, surprisingly not a private train as there were 4 other passengers waiting for the 156, although I was the only passenger to alight at Garelochhead for a ~ 90 minute fester, so it was to a nice bench to relax before the sleeper made an appearance with one person alighting.  Daylight rose around 07:15 allowing me a couple pictures of the loch itself before the next Glasgow bound service arrived to take me to Cardross (for this is the random Oban – Glasgow train which calls here, plus a couple other additional stations towards Glasgow).

 

A short wait at Cardross before the next Helensburgh train arrived to take me to Craigendoran which I remember well from my previous visit when it was during a storm where I took shelter from the wind & rain in the shelter; thankfully today it wasn’t rainy allowing me a quick walkaround before returning to the single platform for the 334 to return from Helensburgh to take me to Dalreoch.   I had a quick walk along the road to get a photograph of the following train from Balloch crossing the viaduct over the River Leven before walking fast back to the station for the next Balloch bound service, with a pair of 320s taking me to Alexandria for a short wait before returning to take me to Renton to clear the line.

 

A 334 crosses the River Leven

 

Similar to the Friday with Larkhall I boarded the following train to take me to Balloch as a time wasting move (last time I was here was behind a 37 on an overnight railtour).  Staying with the same train as I arrived I took them to the island platform of Dumbarton East for a short wait for the next stopper towards Springburn which I took to Bowling returning to Dumbarton East for a tight connection to an Edinburgh train to Dalmuir crossing over to board the next Dumbarton stopper to take me to Kilpatrick where I spent the next 45 minutes having a walk on the Erskine Bridge for some photographs of the River Clyde, sadly this is when the sun decided to make an appearance meaning I was shooting into the sun (the walkway on the western side was closed), but that is first world problems.

 

The Clyde

I returned to the station to take the next train to Garscadden for a time wasting move before heading back to Yoker before the following service took me to Jordanhill for a short break before the next train towards Dalmuir took me to Scotstounhill for a tight connection to take me to Glasgow Central.  It was time to head upstairs for a Carlisle bound 156 to take me towards Auckinleck which is a station which has an odd frequency, but a nice run after all the short hops I was doing in the morning.  Gave me time to have some lunch for the short (30 minute) fester before the next Glasgow Central train to arrive from Carlisle, and once again it was pretty much empty and ran fast from Dunlop.

 

Back at Glasgow Central, and via the manual gates (the joys of using a Daytripper scratch card!) and onto a 385 on a Lanark train, which I took to Wishaw but not via Bellshill (direct to Motherwell from Uddingston) which was a first for me on a Scotrail service [might have done it years ago going in the opposite direction coming from Edinburgh via Carstairs].  A short wait at Wishaw before a pair of 385s arrived from Lanark and with the rear one being required I took these all the way back into Glasgow Central, this time going via Bellshill.

 

A 385 at Wishaw

 

Back at Glasgow Central and it was a short walk to the opposite side of the station to board an Ayr stopper to take me to Howwood for no reason other than wanting some more photos of the station before a Largs train arrived to take me to West Kilbride for a 30 minute fester before the next Largs train (it was the time of day there is an additional service for Largs slotting in between the hourly service) took me to Fairlie where the daylight suddenly came to an end (like someone switching off a light).  A short wait at Fairlie before the first unit returned from Largs to take me to Stevenston returning to Ardrossan South Beach for a time wasting move before the next Glasgow train arrived to take me to Lochwinnoch which like Howwood was simply a case of wanting more photos.

 

10 minutes later I was back on the move with a stopper from Ayr which took me all the way back into Glasgow Central, where I connected onto a Newton train to take me to Langside before another 380 arrived on a Cathcart circle service back to Glasgow Central to call it a night, for it had been a long time since 05:00!  Dinner was via KFC and it was a strange feeling walking back towards the hostel passing all the closed pubs when they would normally be buzzing with activity, even going out after dinner to get supplies for the following morning felt strange, the city being so quiet.

 

11^th October

 

This morning started off meeting my good friend Dan from a city centre Travelodge before heading towards the Buchanan Bus Station for the 08:30 departure of the Citylink Route 976 coach towards Oban.  Operated by West Coast Motors and it was a very nice trip towards Oban, following the A82 road alongside Loch Lomond, then the A83 towards Inveraray before heading inland to join up with the A85 which roughly parallels the rail line for the run into Oban. Certainly a run I would recommend for some scenic views you wouldn’t otherwise see by train.

 

Oban Harbour

 

We had around 45 minutes in the town which was enough to get lunch before boarding the first departure of the day from the station (which passes the first train from Glasgow around Tulloch), this attached with another couple units and I wasn’t alone in heading to a working toilet for the run towards Helensburgh Upper where I said a brief farewell to Dan as he carried on to Dumbarton and I walked down the hill to reach the (busy) waterfront before heading to Helensburgh Central for a 334 to Dumbarton Central, meeting up with Dan again for the run to Partick.

 

We said another farewell as he headed off towards Garrowhill on a replacement bus service and I headed to the subway for a spin on the clockwork orange to St Enoch, walking to Glasgow Central to board a service towards Wemyss Bay to revisit Hillington East before heading back to Glasgow Central to jump on some diesels, for all the Scotrail stations under wires have been revisited (woohoo!).

 

A pair of 156s on an East Kilbride service took me to Hairmyres for a short wait for the same pair of units to return to take me to the hourly served Thorntonhall before another pair took me to the end of the line at East Kilbride where darkness had started to fall.  I remained on board for the run into Glasgow Central where I decided on a time wasting move on a XC voyager to Motherwell (slap me for I boarded a XC service without a seat reservation!  Thankfully social distancing was easy on this service for I was alone in coach B!).

 

At Motherwell I got lost trying to locate access to platform 3 (a station currently being rebuilt) to board a 320+318 combo on a fast back to Glasgow Central going from platform 3 for some lovely motor noise on a service which was pretty much empty.  At Glasgow I called it a night, grabbed some food before heading to the hostel to relax for the remainder of the evening

 

Thorntonhall Station from bridge

 

12^th October

 

It was an early start for me as I checked out of the hostel (seriously for £18 a night for a private room for a place less than 5 minutes from Glasgow Central is a bargain, my “go-to” place to use when in Glasgow, plus if you ask nicely you can get a room which gives views of the station!  I reached Glasgow Queen Street and boarded an Anniesland stopper to take me to Gilshochill in the rain; a short walk later took me to Summerston for a short wait for a pair of 158s to take me to Kelvindale for a short wait for the units to return for the tiny leap to Maryhill.

 

I timed my moves on this line to make use of the random Oban – Glasgow service which calls additionally at some of these stations so it was a short wait before a 156 arrived to take me one stop to Possilpark & Parkhouse for a short wait before the 158 returned from Anniesland to take me into Queen Street, the Glasgow area had been completed so I was quite happy, and with a few hours to play with until my booked train back home I fired up RTT to search if any required 385s were floating around.

 

First up was a pair of 385s on an Edinburgh via Cumbernauld, where the rear unit was low mileage, and the run to Robroyston would be enough to clear it for 10 miles, with a tight(ish) +3 for the next Glasgow service which I took to Springburn, noticing some work being carried on the little used platform 4 (maybe bringing it up to a better standard so it gets used more often allowing 6 coach services to run on the Springburn – Dumbarton Central stoppers?  Not sure if 6 coaches fit in platform 3).

 

A 385 in platform 3 at Springburn

 

Anyhow it was onto that 318 for the run to Queen Street low level before heading up to the high level to board a pair of 385s on an Alloa service as 385042 was needed, before a pair of 385s to Falkirk High (noticing the car park had half a dozen cars in) before returning to Queen Street with a short walk over to Glasgow Central via a Tesco Express to board a Shotts semi-fast service to get 385029 into my book, and they certainly are a big improvement over a 156, even with the dwell at Shotts!

 

At Edinburgh I got lucky as the 385 went into platform 12 and my booked Azuma was going from platform 6, so no long walk this time, and it was a required 801 (208 if anybody is interested) which I took to York, crossing over to one of the south facing bay platforms to take a seat on the stopper (I was using a “TrainSplit” special to cut the cost, as even though that 801 runs non-stop and looked mostly empty [other than one coach] it would cost a lot more.  First time in a good few months I’ve had a 91 for pushage (91105) on the stopper to Stevenage.

 

At Stevenage it was a case of crossing the platform to board a 700 bound for Brighton, taking a seat in the rear end for the run to London Bridge for a pair of networkers to Waterloo East, walking across the road to reach a triple sprinter on the 19:20 service to take me home, the end of an enjoyable trip, one I certainly needed to give me a boost to my wellbeing for Scotland is beautiful.

 

One thing I did notice was there was no ticket checks so I suspect there are a lot of tickets being sold to the first station as means to bypass the barriers, i.e. Glasgow Central to Cardonald/CrossmyLoof etc.  Anyhow more photos are in my Flickr album for October Click Here

2nd – 4th October – Manchester area & London

 2^nd – 4^th October – Manchester area

I originally booked a 2 night stay in Walsall for a railtour before that got pushed back to next year so I came up with the idea of heading towards the Cambrian Coast in Wales, but that got ditched because the appeal of being on the 2^nd last train towards Walsall on a Saturday night was low (and the long-term weather forecast predicted Saturday would be a bit wet & windy).  Other options fell away at the way-side due to the weather forecast so in the end I decided on a trip to Manchester to finish my last 3 stations I needed to revisit in that general area before having an unit hunt with my little red pen.

 

2^nd October – Onwards to Walsall

Making use of one of the “Anytime Advance” tickets which London Northwestern has introduced on a ‘temporary’ basic [effectively valid any time of the day but needs to be purchased at least 3 days in advance] meant an earlier arrival than previously.  The retimed 15:06 from Grateley took me to Waterloo arriving a few minutes late due to signalling issues around Clapham and a delay in exiting the station due to a RPI block.  Sounded like the person in front of me got caught trying to use an e-ticket from Clapham Junction when the train didn’t stop there.

 

Anyhow after a supply trip to Tesco, it was to the bus stop for a route 168 bus to Euston (where it terminated short as it was meant to carry on to Hampstead Heath), for a quick meet-up with my good friend Jules.  Similar to last week it was to platform 12 for the 17:46 service for Crewe, but changing at Rugby for the run into Birmingham New Street [there is only one train an hour from Euston to Birmingham at the moment, the other starts at Northampton and doesn’t connect into anything from the south].  So far my 350/2 avoidance went well but sadly the semi-fast train towards Rugeley was a 350/2, but these are standard class only at the moment so I sat in the posh seats!

 

At Walsall, it was a simple walk to the hotel, where I ran into a grumpy receptionist, nobody was around the desk when I arrived, or replied with a “hello” sat loudly so I pressed the intercom button on the door outside [the night arrival entrance] to be moaned because I should have rung a number which was printed at the bottom of a notice about parking.  Certainly has put me off using this particular Travelodge again in a hurry (which is a shame because it is one of the better ones with AC fitted).

 

3^rd October – A wet day in Manchester

The day started with the random non-stop service from Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley (the weekly service from Wolverhampton which uses the direct line) although as it sits at Rugeley Trent Valley for around 20 minutes (before departing at the same time as the train towards Crewe arrives because some of the connections at Rugeley Trent Valley are very passenger unfriendly, especially at a station which has hardly any shelter which doesn’t leak.  I ended up waiting for a short while sat on the 350 exiting a few minutes before it was due out, the next Crewe service arrived and took me to Crewe where I changed onto a lightly loaded 175 from Shrewsbury [engineering works from Shrewsbury towards Hereford] to take me to Stockport where I picked up my ranger from the Avanti TVM.

 

After a short wait at Stockport it was onto a Chester bound pair of 150s to take me to Ashley, returning to Altrincham on a late running 150, before another pair of 150s took me to Knutsford to clear the line before it drops to 2 hourly.  Another single 150 rolled in which I was going to take back to Manchester, but at Altrincham it got announced that due to issues at Stockport the train would be held at Altrincham with passengers suggested to change over to the Metrolink where the tickets would be accepted, so it was a case of jumping on the first tram to take me to Cornbrook before another took me to Deansgate-Castlefield, my plan changing as a Blackpool train was running late.  This turned out to be a pair of required 331s which I took to Bolton to put them over 10 miles, before waiting for the next Southport (pair of 150s) to take me to Wigan Wallgate where I exited the station for some lunch.

 

Back onto the platform at Wigan Wallgate, my eyes noticed my last Northern 158 needed for mileage had just rolled in from the sidings on a Leeds service, so a quick change of plan saw me on this 158 which I ended up taking to Salford Crescent due to a late running train towards Kirkby, which I took back towards Pemberton, sitting in the pacer for some pacer based noise.  Pemberton was my last station in Greater Manchester, but sadly meant a 45 minute wait, standing in a shelter without seats as the rain continued.  Eventually I exited the shelter to move down the platform, solely because a couple under 30s arrived, coughing away without masks.  In this area you can’t be too cautious; thankfully the pacer & 150 arrived back from Kirkby for the short hop to Wigan Wallgate where I changed to Wigan North Western for a required 195 from Barrow to take me to Oxford Road.

 

A Pacer at Pemberton

 

 After a crawl into Oxford Road, it was over the footbridge to board a 185 for the short spin around the corner to Manchester Victoria, jumping onto a pair of 195s from Chester for the run to Rochdale, one was required outright, and the other needed for mileage.  A short connection saw me boarding the 158 I had earlier back to Manchester Victoria before another pair of 195s took me back out to Rochdale (sadly both not needed), where I intercepted a required 195 from Leeds for the run back to Victoria, before a 156+150 combo took me to Salford Crescent where I changed onto a pair of 331s from Blackpool to take me to Oxford Road, stepping back to board a required 397 from Edinburgh to shake me to the airport, sorry but I am not a fan of the seats on these TPE units, my back was hurting after 10 minutes, however it was the first time ticking off one of these units on a run to the airport and I suspect not the last.

 

At Manchester Airport it was a short walk over to platform 4 where a peak time Liverpool service was waiting, a required 195 so happy days (although I probably would have boarded it regardless as the next service was a stopper).  This train (bit messy inside) took me to Piccadilly where I exited the station to look in the Co-Op to grab some cookies, before heading back to the station to board a 175 to take me to Crewe for a simple change onto the next London NorthWestern service towards Rugeley (better than changing at both Stoke & Stafford), sadly this was a pair of 350/2s (at least I was only on it to Rugeley and not all the way towards Rugby/Northampton).

 

Sadly my luck didn’t change as due to a speed restriction of 50mph introduced due to the forecast high winds meant a +20 connection at Rugeley was missed as the 350s arrived around 25 minutes late, due to a 55 minute wait before the next service I fired up Google Map for options (as I was originally planning a visit to Dominoes in Walsall for dinner) as it would be near 10pm when I would get back to Walsall where food places have to close up.  I spotted a Tesco so I headed in that general direction, carrying on to Rugeley Town as it was closer to the Tesco, reaching the station for a short wait before a 350 took me back to Walsall, walking back to the hotel to dry out and warm up after getting quite wet.

 

Not the best ends of the day, I didn’t get my pizza :(

 

A 153 at Salford Crescent

 

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4^th October – Return home

 

With the heavy rain overnight blocking the Chiltern Main Line, my original idea (and booked train) was to take the daily loco hauled service to Marylebone and have a few hours in London before heading home.  That train got cancelled with ticket acceptance on Avanti so it was a bit of a no-brainer.  The first train of the day took me from Walsall to New Street, going via Soho due to engineering works around Aston, where I had a short wait before the next London Euston bound Pendo would arrive from Wolverhampton.  First time I’ve seen 390119 up close, the Pendo in pride colours and it is certainly colourful, and I easily enough got a table seat in coach E for the trip towards London.

 

A bit slow due to the speed restrictions, but I had the novelty of going via platform 1 at Rugby before a 50mph ‘crawl’ via Weedon, arriving into London at some point (think it was around 17-odd minutes late in the end, but a lot of that was made up due to the Sunday timetable where it was booked on the slow lines but ended up on the fasts).  A toss up in my head and I ended up going to Walthamstow Central on the Victoria Line, although the gamble didn’t pay off as the first two London departures were 315s!

 

I jumped on the second departure to take the 315 to Clapton to get rewarded with a pair of 710s back towards Chingford which I took to Wood Street, for a short oyster break, before returning onto the station with another pair of 710s to Bethnal Green, making the first connection for an Cheshunt service which was another pair of 710s which I took to Silver Street to get them over the 5 mile mark, returning towards Seven Sisters on the first pair of 315s I saw earlier.  I noticed SWR seemed to be in a bit of a mess in the late afternoon services towards Salisbury (3 in a row got cancelled from Waterloo) so I decided to call it a day, the rain wasn’t helping things along either.

A pair of 710s at Walthamstow Central

Switching over to the underground platforms at Seven Sisters, it was some more high speed Victoria Line based fun to Oxford Circus, changing over to the Bakerloo to Paddington, where I got a nice seat on a Swansea departure (a  800/3 where everybody boarded in the first couple coaches they reached) for the speedy run to Reading where it was a case of swapping over to platform 13 for a triple 159 on the Salisbury stopper for the spin back home to Grateley.

 

The 4 operators at Reading