22nd – 25th October – Exploring South Wales
The idea for this trip came from Easy Hotel having a sale earlier in the year where if you booked 3 nights in a hotel the cheapest night was free, so I ended up with the Cardiff Easy Hotel for something like £80 for 3 nights, which would be used as a base for a trip to South Wales.
Friday
The day began with the 08:29 service from Grateley to take me to Salisbury where I got lucky as a GWR Cardiff service was running around 15 minutes late due to signalling issues at Romsey (for I was originally aiming for the Gloucester bound service from Southampton to change at Bristol Parkway). I took a seat on the 166 when it rolled in for the trip towards Newport, having to feel sorry for the trolley host as I suspect some won’t buy hot drinks as there is nowhere to put them (no seat back tables with only small tables in the bays assuming they haven’t broken off).
I arrived into Newport, purchased my rover from the ticket office and went for a little walk to waste some time before the Holyhead train was due. Sadly my timing at reaching the road bridge over the river was slightly late to miss a pair of 387s crossing the river on the railway bridge on a training run (caught the back-end of a red 387). It was a nice little loop, but soon I was back at Newport station to await the Holyhead train, which had 67014 hauling the Mk4 coaches.
Railway Bridge over River Usk
It felt odd boarding a Mk4 coach in Wales, but other than Transport for Wales stickers it was pretty much untouched from East Coast days, even the little seat reservation displays were still showing reservations from the last service it worked for LNER [how hard would it be to have cleared those displays to all say “available”?] For the journey towards Shrewsbury I sat in the front coach behind the loco and spent the time looking out of the window, but soon enough the trip was over and I alighted at Shrewsbury with around an hour wait before the next Southbound 67 would arrive.
Holyhead Train has now departed
So I went for another walk, doing a little loop alongside the River Severn before heading back to the station (via Boots to grab a late lunch). The Cardiff bound train rolled in with 67008 giving it a push, this time I took a seat in the front coach which was quieter until Hereford where some loud college kids joined (all the rubbish noise being played out loud for the entire coach to listen to). Thankfully most of those alighted before Newport returning peace to the coach for the final section into Cardiff Central.
My main aim for the rest of the day was to clear the stations I needed for photos on the Treherbert line (buses on Saturday), but first a required 769 was on the next Penarth train, which I took to Penarth returning on the same unit to Heath High Level which clears it for 10 miles (nice bit of fast running from Queen Street to Heath as well). I crossed over to the opposite platform at Heath High Level jumping on a 150 back towards Queen Street, crossing over to platform 5 and jumping on the first train towards Trefforest for the sake of getting out of Cardiff.
A 769 at Penarth
I didn’t have long at Trefforest before the next Treherbert train arrived which took me to the crossing loop at Ystrad Rhondda, where I had a little walk towards Ton Pentre (something which would be a lot easier to do in daylight!). This featured what appeared to be an old railway route (looking at old OS maps and a bridge), but I was glad to get to the station into the light. The next Treherbert train arrived to take me to the end of the line, for a quick turnaround on the same unit to Dinas Rhondda, for a fast walk along a road to reach Tonypandy station (featuring some local chavs smoking drugs). I took the next train one stop to Llwynypia to clear the line for station photographs, and a good thing as I noticed the next train had been cancelled giving a 90 minute gap before the next northbound train). I didn’t have long at Llwynypia before my last train of the day arrived to take me back to Cardiff Queen Street.
A short walk from the station to locate the Easy Hotel, home for 3 nights and it was nice to be able to get rid of the weight from my bag and relax for the remainder of the evening. It’s a standard Easy Hotel room, basic but functional, tiny bit of outside noise but nothing that major, located less than 5 minutes from Queen Street.
A 150 departs the basic Dinas Rhondda
Saturday
It was an early start for me, with a gentle walk from the hotel towards Cardiff Central, via a little Tesco Express to grab food for breakfast. I was aiming for the Pembroke Dock service and I was surprised when a 158 rolled in from the depot for an extra bit of luxury for the slow trip west (calls at many stations along the way). I put my request in to the guard for Narberth as daylight arrived for the scenic run west of Swansea, and soon I was alighting at Narberth to clear Pembrokeshire for photos.
With around an hour to wait for the next Carmarthen train I went for a little walk into the town centre to visit the old castle before heading back to the station for the next train back towards Whitland (another 158, which I can’t help think is slightly overkill for the Pembroke Dock branch!) I had a short wait at Whitland before boarding a 175 bound for Milford Haven, an area on my list to have a decent look around one of these days (for my list is very long).
Remains of Narberth Castle
I remained on board the 175 as it turned around, and decided to alight at Clarbeston Road for a better photo. Sadly this is an area of poor phone signal and where a couple footpaths on the OS map no longer seen to exist so my original idea of a loop went into the bin as I returned to the station to see the Fishguard train getting later & later (no phone signal to check RTT). Eventually a pair of 153s rolled up which I took for the long trip to Fishguard Harbour. A quick photo and I returned to the 153s for the run back towards Cardiff.
Or that was the plan, but randomly the train got terminated at Clarbeston Road (guard claimed there was a train fault) before they ran ECS to Carmarthen to go back into service. I doubt Clarbeston Road has been that busy for a while as the next train arrived from Milford Haven, another pair of 153s. I was lucky to get a half decent seat for it departed quite full, and it only got worse along the way in terms of overcrowding.
153921 at Clarbeston Road
Anyhow the 153s eventually got into Cardiff Central, something like 20 minutes late caused by extended dwells caused by overcrowding, and I was glad to get off it (along with most of the other passengers). I popped outside to the nearby Tesco for something to eat before heading towards platform 0 to board the Ebbw Vale train, a 3 coach 170, where I took a seat in the former first class area at the front (bit of extra comfort). This train was busy on departure but emptied out along the way as I took it to the end of the line at Ebbw Vale Town.
170206 departs Ebbw Vale Town
I set out on foot towards Ebbw Vale Parkway, going via a nature reserve near to the railway line, which gave some nice views of the area, arriving at Ebbw Vale Parkway just as the sun was setting. This isn’t a station you want to be hanging around too late due to only having one exit (which I could see), but it was my last Welsh station needed for a photograph so mission complete. I returned to Ebbw Vale Town on a late running northbound train in order to secure a decent seat in the former 1st class area (aiming for one of the single airline seats).
As the run back towards Cardiff was in the dark, I spent the time watching a couple videos but soon Cardiff Central was reached and I headed over to the Valley Line platform to board a pair of 150s for the run to Radyr where they terminated due to engineering works. I had a short wait before the same pair departed back towards Cardiff Central (just to mark off the crossover from platform 2 back towards Cardiff via Llandaf). At Cardiff Central I crossed over to board a required 769 which I took to Ystrad Mynach.
A 5 minute connection over the footbridge and I was on a 150 for the run back towards Cardiff Queen Street, where I exited the station and went back toward the hotel, crashing out for the remainder of the evening.
Not the train to Taffs Well
Sunday
The original plan I had for today went into the bin on Saturday night when Transport for Wales announced what services they were pre-cancelling due to “Resource Availability” which was quite a lot for West Wales. My original idea was to head towards the Heart of Wales but with that idea back into the file for another day decided to have a “wing-it” sort of day, based on doing some unusual track in the Cardiff area [engineering works had closed platforms 0 -2].
I departed from the hotel for a short walk to Cardiff Central with my eye on a “Cardiff Central – Cardiff Bay” service to get a microgrice of a crossover to head into Queen Street platform 2 from Central. I had a private 150 for this service and when I arrived at Queen Street had a fast walk back towards Cardiff Central to board a Caerphilly train which was departing from platform 4 (another little crossover, my BLS hat was very much on this morning).
An unusual destination from Cardiff Central
At Caerphilly I changed ends and took the same unit back to Cardiff Central, crossing over to platform 3 for a busy 150 towards Hereford for a short break before once more returning to Cardiff on the same unit. The 150 did make a nice noise at top speed on the long sections between stations. At Cardiff Central I headed over to platform 6 to board the next Maesteg service (a 2 coach 170), taking a seat in the first class area for the run to Maesteg and remaining in the same area (but swapping sides) to return back to Cardiff Central.
This service went via Ninian Park and into platform 7 at Cardiff Central, very unusual seeing a 170 on the “Valley” platforms. It was meant to go into platform 8 but there was a train blocking the way having been cancelled due to no staff. My next move was onto a pair of 800s towards Swansea, where I took a seat in “standard premium” (the end coach with no engine underneath) and the pair split up with the 800 taken to Carmarthen (just to say I’ve covered Pembrey to Carmarthen on an IET, and to give me something to do.
A Maesteg Bound 170272 on platform 6 at Cardiff Central
At Carmarthen I had around an hour before the IET would depart, so I headed towards a Domino’s Pizza on a retail park around a mile away (as I fancied a pizza), returning to eat said pizza sitting on a bench on the platform with the soundtrack of the engines on the unit idling. After my pizza I took a seat in the leading coach for the trip back towards Cardiff, the train getting busier after Swansea.
Arriving back at Cardiff Central (where it went via Ninian Park for the extra novelty factor), I headed back on foot back towards the hotel, going in a longer loop to take in a footbridge over the railway line in the student accommodation area. I arrived back at the hotel where I relaxed for the remainder of the night, a good little day trying to avoid cancellations across the network.
A busy Carmarthen station
Monday
My final day in Wales, and after a quick scan of RTT highlighted no required 769s out (seemed only 1 had made it out, the same one I had on Saturday) so it was onto plan B, with a gentle walk towards Queen Street station waiting for the time where my ticket would be valid from, before catching the first train towards Grangetown, before a Bridgend bound 150 for a trip via the coast (which I always forget how nice it is after Barry).
Arriving at Bridgend and I got lucky with a late running pair of 153s on a Milford Haven train, which I took to Gowerton, solely to get some more pictures. I was planning to do a little loop here, but it seems a path from the Swansea bound platform towards some housing has been fenced off, so I just did a smaller bit within the village dodging the rain which had arrived. My next trip was on a busy 175 for Carmarthen with a short connection to the opposite platform for a Pembroke Dock bound 158 which was taken to Whitland.
153361 departs Gowerton
I didn’t have long at Whitland, before a 150 arrived from Fishguard Harbour which I took back towards Cardiff Central. This was meant to go via the Swansea District Line but for whatever reason went towards Swansea and used the chord which went round the back of the former Landore HST depot (only thing on the depot that day was an old EMR 153 being used for Network Rail). At Cardiff Central I crossed over to platform 1 to board a 165+166 combo on a Portsmouth train which I took to Newport in order to intercept the train from Holyhead.
Winner 67017 was pushing the Mk4 coaches back towards Cardiff Central for the final time of this trip, as I went back over to platform 3 to board another 166+165 combo, boarding in the front unit as it was quieter. It remained quiet pretty much all the way to Salisbury, where I had a nice easy cross platform change onto a 158 to take me up the hill to Grateley.
67017 & Coaches at Cardiff Central
I was glad to get home, the end of my little Welsh trip. Sadly all my plans didn’t work out and I will need to return towards the Heart of Wales line again, as well as to hunt down the remaining 769s I need, but those can wait until next year.
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