12th February – A day trip to London

 12^th February – A day trip to London

 

When I was putting together my rough plan for February I misread the dates of a rugby match in Cardiff as I was originally going to be heading to Cardiff for a spot of 769 hunting, a bit of walking and hopefully the novelty factor of the afternoon 387 operated service back towards Bristol.  As the rugby was on, I decided to push that idea back and for lack of a better idea decided to head to London to do another canal walk along with some other bits & pieces.

 

The day began with the 06:59 service from Grateley, all the way into Waterloo on a single 159 which got quite busy at Basingstoke and was rather cosy at Woking.  At Waterloo I headed towards the Bakerloo line with a Bakerloo service to take me to Paddington where I had a couple options on how to reach Hayes & Harlington, deciding to take the 387s on the GWR service, solely to make use of the plug sockets to give my phone a little boost of electricity.  At Hayes, after a quick toilet break (better to have it at the start then get caught short along the way), I exited the station and headed towards the Grand Union Canal.

 

I joined the canal towpath and headed along the canal towards Southall, going over the Brentford goods line as it passes underneath a road bridge at what is known as Brunel’s Three Bridges (road over canal over railway).  I continued along the canal towpath reaching the Hanwell locks where the canal gave way to the River Brent, which was followed towards Brentford, going underneath the M4, & the Piccadilly Line near Boston Manor station.

 

 

Grand Union Canal at Windmill Bridge (Three Bridges)

Piccadilly Line viaduct

The path continued as the river reached Brentford itself, where I continued along the path to reach the River Thames (the path around Brentford is a bit jumpy in places due to construction work and parts which have closed for private moorings).  Once I reached the River Thames I followed the Thames Path heading towards Kew Bridge, passing both the islands of Lot’s Ait & Brentford Ait as I reached Kew Bridge, where I said farewell to the river (at some stage I will be back in this area on the South Bank).  I headed towards Kew Bridge station which was busy due to the kickball at the nearby Brentford football ground, quite a lot of police around as well.

 

At Kew Bridge station, a pair of 450s rolled in, which I took a single stop to Chiswick (making use of the toilet), where I exited the station to join a footpath which followed roughly alongside the railway line towards Barnes Railway Bridge, passing Barnes Bridge station and I continued along another footpath, doubling back via a Sainsburys local for lunch before reaching open ground at Vine Road Recreation Ground, which exited onto a road which has level crossings on both sides.  After a quick photo of a Kingston loop service I headed towards Barnes Common to reach Barnes station itself.  This is another area on my list to revisit as Barnes Common nature reserve looked quite nice.

 

455908 heading towards Mortlake near Barnes station

 

Next up for me was a pair of 458s to Wandsworth Town where once more I exited the station to head towards the River Thames, solely to tick off another part of the Thames Path, passing underneath Wansdworth Bridge (which was all wrapped up), reaching  the limited served Plantation Wharf Pier Riverboat stop (weekday peak times only I believe).  This is the area where last September I started from when I walked from Clapham towards Kensington Olympia on the day of the GBRF tour.

 

I headed away from the river back towards the railway line near Clapham Junction, but took a footpath called “Tours Passage” which runs alongside the railway line back towards Wandsworth Town, going via the roundabout which has the large advert structure within it.  I reached Wandsworth Town station to board a pair of 455s to take me towards Queenstown Road Battersea to simply step back to a pair of 458s behind as where I had a photo at Queenstown Road, it was a bit poor.  The 458s behind took me to Vauxhall where I headed to the Victoria Line to start playing with some trains, although the Victoria Line was quite slow to reach Kings Cross, kept stopping along the way like it had caught up with a train in front which was heavily delayed.

 

Sprinter in the sunshine

 

Anyhow at Kings Cross I headed towards the suburban platforms as the Moorgate 717s were running from this station today, the first towards Stevenage wasn’t needed so I gave that a miss to await the next service which was a low mileage 717022, annoyingly it was on 4 and a bit miles so the run to Alexandra Palace wouldn’t be enough so I took it to the edge of Zone 6 at Hadley Wood (the Welwyn trains pass each other between Alexandra Palace & New Southgate on Saturdays).  A short wait at Hadley Wood and I got lucky with a low mileage 717009 coming the other way.  I took this to Hornsey, where I will admit to getting confused why only the front 5 coaches are opened as both platforms can take all 6 coaches.

 

Next up was a little time wasting leap to Alexandra Palace giving 717013 a little boost, not enough to clear it for 10 miles but every little helps.  My luck ran out with another 717 (001) on the next London train which I took to Kings Cross, aiming to board the first of the evening’s Great Northern branded Peterborough semi-fast services (fast to Biggleswade) for I wanted to tick off Huntingdon to Peterborough for both 387 coverage and also 700 coverage (as I’ve only ever had 365s between those 2 stations for the “Great Northern/Thameslink” services.  I was a bit shocked when this turned out to be a 8 coach 700, so I turned it down to head back towards 717001 to take to Finsbury Park.

 

802304 passes Hornsey

 

The next Thameslink for Three Bridges rolled in on platform 2, which was low mileage 700138 which I took to Blackfriars, not enough to push it over ten miles but like with that 717 earlier, every little helps.  Another 700 took me back north to St Pancras where I had a slow walk over to Kings Cross, where a pair of 387s was on platform 10 to form the next Peterborough semi-fast.  I walked along the platform noticing that the coaches got quieter as I went along, and after a photo boarded the front coach which I had all to myself.

 

387124 at Kings Cross

 

The 387s departed, first stop Biggleswade and it was a nice speedy run, although went onto the slows at Knebworth and caught up with a late running Peterborough stopper, but still an enjoyable run as I always forget how far apart Huntingdon & Peterbrough actually are.  Anyhow at Peterborough I had a short walk to board the 700 on the next stopper back towards London and after checking RTT for any potential options at Stevenage (both LNER services were 91s) I sat down in the rear First Class area, getting surprised with a RPI check, before I relaxed for the run to Finsbury Park.  Had this service gone via London Bridge I would have done my usual move to London Bridge for something South Eastern to Waterloo East, but there was engineering works meaning Thameslink services were going on a little tour of South London.

 

I had a short wait at Finsbury Park for a Victoria Line service to take a service to Oxford Circus, followed by a Bakerloo to Waterloo, where I swung via Tesco to grab some food before boarding a single 159 on a Salisbury service which was full & standing on departure from Waterloo and only got busier at Clapham Junction.  Can’t help thinking SWR should remove the Woking call on these trains to get rid of any Woking passengers as they have lots of alternative services, or at least make it Pick-up only.

 

159107 at London Waterloo

 

Anyhow I made it back home at Grateley, followed by another short walk to get home, to relax and get myself ready for another busy day on the Sunday.

4th – 6th Feb, The Cwmbargoed Collier Weekend

4^th – 6^th Feb, The Cwmbargoed Collier Weekend

 

Friday:

 

I was booked on my first Pathfinder railtour since March 2020 on the Saturday, so after considering options for accommodation I decided on paying an extra couple quid to get a Travelodge in Birmingham (Newhall Street) (rather than paying a little bit less to go to West Brom or Walsall).

 

The trip began with the retimed 17:33 service from Grateley, taking me straight to Waterloo, this train was quite busy due to being a connection from an Exeter train, but I managed to get a decent seat right at the back in coach 8 (of 8).  This train got into Waterloo for around 18:50 so after going via the Tesco outside Waterloo I hung back to wait for the clock to strike 19:00 where “off-peak” began (which meant my railcard discount applied on the underground).  I had the unusual sight of seeing 4 northbound Northern Line trains, all going to 4 different stations [Golders Green, High Barnet, Edgware and Mill Hill East].

 

Various destinations on the Northern Line at Waterloo

 

Anyhow a Northern line train took me to Euston, where I had a short wait before the 350s to Birmingham would arrive, sadly my luck a couple weeks ago with Desiro Roulette wasn’t with me today and the Birmingham Train was a pair of 350/2s (all that lovely 3+2 seating with no tables).  I went to check the 19:46 Crewe train but that was also a pair of 350/2s, so I resigned myself to having an uncomfortable trip to Birmingham as I was in the front coach.  A few minutes before departure the guard came over the PA to say that due to overcrowding First Class was declassified…

 

…I didn’t need to be told twice as I headed to the 1^st class area, a little bit of comfort (at least I had a table in front of me which I could place my tablet to watch something).  The train remained busy pretty much throughout in coach 2, of the people in the 1^st class area a couple alighted at Leighton Buzzard but most remained until after Coventry.   The train was on time arriving into Birmingham New Street giving me a couple extra minutes to get across to another platform to take a Pendo for the run to Wolverhampton.

 

A lovely 350/2 at Birmingham, all that 3+2 seating

 

Back last July I attempted to do the random TfW Rail service which goes via Bescot, but got bowled out when it went the ‘direct’ route to Birmingham both ways.  I had my fingers crossed and when the route indictor at the platform end went “H” (which stands for “Heath” for the old railway route towards Heath Town).  A 158 rolled in from Holyhead and set off for the gentle trip via Bescot Stadium & Aston to reach Birmingham New Street, a nice bit of a novelty on a 158 via unusual track.

 

A sight which will become more common come May, route set towards "Heath"

 

At Birmingham I headed towards the hotel, got myself checked in and relaxed for the remainder of the evening, to the best I could do (for there was a group of youngsters staying in a nearby room who were quite noisy when they returned in the early hours to carry on drinking).

 

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Saturday

 

The day of the tour, and with a gentle walk towards New Street going via Tesco to get supplies (for there wasn’t really a break from the train) and also breakfast from Tim Hortons, before I headed down to the platform where required 66013 rolled in with the usual collection of Mk1 coaches in various states of decay.

 

My seat was near the back, and sadly was by the door (which the bench is a good inch+ narrower) so not much room between myself and the lady I was sitting next to.   The train departed New Street and headed towards Smethwick, taking the chord towards the Snow Hill Lines, couple more stops to pick up passengers at Stourbridge, Kidderminster & Worcester Shrub Hill before the tour carried on towards Cheltenham for another pick-up, before heading towards Gloucester, going via a goods loop before the station and via one of the non platformed lines.

 

66013 approaching Birmingham New Street

 

The tour continued towards Wales, going via a loop before Lydney, carrying on towards Chepstow and using the goods loop which goes behind the back of the platform at Severn Tunnel Junction, onto the relief lines all the way for one final pick-up at Newport.  The train continued using one of the through lines at Cardiff Central and had a brief stop at Bridgend for anybody wanting an off-train break for 2 and a bit hours to alight, before continuing towards Port Talbot, using the freight “Ogmore Vale” line near Margam yard.  A class 60 loco got attached to the rear of the train (required 60040) and the train continued using the goods loop at Port Talbot Parkway, reversing just beyond Baglan station near Briton Ferry.

 

The 60 was in charge for the next section as the tour went back towards Port Talbot, using the other goods line, to get it away from the mainline when the carriages were getting watered (for both the toilets & kitchen area).  This took around 40 minutes to complete, which passed by before the train headed back towards Bridgend, going via the freight line again, picking up passengers and using the connection onto the Barry line to head towards Barry.  This is where things went a bit wrong as the train paused for a while at Barry Docks station due to congestion caused by swans on the line near Grangetown.  The tour got back moving, roughly 45 minutes late at the point, going via the loop before Grangetown before using the “Up Barry Relief” line after Grangetown to pass a couple 150s waiting for platforms to become available at Cardiff Central, to access the Valley line route via platform 4 at Cardiff Central.

 

After Cardiff Central the tour continued heading north on the Caerphilly Line, turning off before Ystrad Mynach onto the Cwmbargoed freight line.  I can see there being a business case to reopen this line for passenger services once the freight dries up, for there are a couple reasonable sized settlements where the railway passes close by.  After the residential area the train soon started climbing and the scenery turned very rural and beautiful, reminded me a bit like the Scottish lowlands in terms of bleak wilderness.  The train came to a stop half a mile or so before the network rail boundary due to a landslip further ahead (safe enough to run a freight train over, but not a passenger train due to the remote area).

 

Views from the Cwmbargoed branchline

 

The 66 was back in charge for the run back down from the Cwmbargoed area, rejoining the main passenger line, going via the loop before heading towards Cardiff Queen Street & Central, carrying on towards the Barry Docks line, this is when I decided to head to the kitchen area to look at what hot food options were (for I was getting a bit hungry).  I ended up with a steak pie which was quite tasty, although the Bubble & Squeak didn’t agree with my body as the taste of it remained with me throughout the evening.  Anyhow back to the train as it reversed at the Network Rail boundary on the Barry Docks line, before going back towards Cardiff, but turning left at the triangle after Grangetown to go towards Ninian Park, where the train reversed for the final time, when on the connection with the main-line.  This is where the class 60 detached and headed back towards Margam and the 66 was back in control.

 

Back towards Cardiff Central, going via the other through line and onto the relief lines, going via Pengam Sidings and back onto the reliefs for the first drop-off at Newport (where the train did seem to empty out quite a bit).  I noticed there was an empty table seat in my coach so decided to make the most of it and relocated there (saying farewell to the couple I was with, giving them extra space as well).  Remainder of the trip I spent reading a couple magazines I had with me (keeping an eye out for when the train went via loops at Lydney & Gloucester).  I was glad when Birmingham New Street came to get a chance for a decent little walk, heading back to the hotel, being thankful I didn’t have to wait round for a tram or a replacement bus due to cancellations on the Walsall line.

 

An enjoyable little day trip, my first “track” railtour since March 2020, some new track covered for me, plus 2 winning locos.

 

Sunday

 

The original plan for today was to do a West Midlands Day Ranger, to head out to Crewe to catch a Pendo towards Rugby via a diverted tour of the West Midlands (Trent Valley line was shut, so it would be going via Bescot & Aston to bypass both Wolverhampton & New Street), however it didn’t go to plan.

I checked out of the hotel and did a little walk towards New Street, along the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal towards the city centre at Gas Street Basin, going via the Library tram stop to reach New Street station where I picked up my rover before heading towards the first departure of the day, a 350/2 towards Crewe.  Or it would have been, had there not been an engineering works overrun closing all the lines at New Street for an extra hour and a bit.  Eventually the train to Crewe was ready for boarding, but I decided against it owing to the fact it would arrive at Crewe after the last Pendo which called at Rugby which didn’t go via Birmingham had gone.

 

The "D" word featuring a lot at New Street

 

So with that rough idea in the bin, I got a refund for my day ranger due to the disruption and managed to get onto a 350/1 on the first Northampton service, which ran non-stop to Coventry.  Surprisingly this wasn’t that busy, and soon it had arrived at Northampton, going into platform 4 where I had a couple options at the next London train.  Either a fast pair of 350/2s which were starting at Northampton vice Birmingham which looked busy, or a quieter 350/2+350/1 combo on a semi-fast London service, needless to say I boarded the semi-fast service for the comfort of 2+2 seating, enjoying a private coach until Leighton Buzzard.  It also featured a rarity on the southern part of the WCML, a ticket check, and yes the guard did catch at least 3 out without tickets who had boarded at Leighton!

 

390042 passing Northampton

 

Into Euston, and after swinging via Sainsburys for food, I headed to the underground where annoyingly my travelcard (which was purchased from one of the TVMs) failed to work from the word go (grr).  A Victoria line service took me to Victoria where I was going for a trio of 377s on a Gatwick service, because due to engineering works around Purley there was an half hourly service towards Gatwick which went via Dorking, reversing at Horsham.  However for the 2^nd time of the day things didn’t go to plan.

 

Due to a tree down on the tracks near Ewell, the  services had been cancelled, so with nothing better to do I popped over to the South Eastern side of Victoria to look for anything required for mileage, before coming back to see what was happening on the Southern side.  Eventually a Gatwick train was announced for boarding, so I headed over to board a 377/7+377/6 combo, sitting in the front coach which was a lot quieter.  The train departed but due to the signaller deciding to put the stopper in front of  the train after the junction at Balham, it was a slow trip towards Dorking, where the train managed to loop  the stopper and get up some speed on the run into Horsham, where it terminated due to being quite late.

 

377121 at Victoria

 

I hung back at Horsham as an empty trio of 377s arrived ECS from Victoria as that was meant to form the next London train, but I guess got cancelled due to lack of a driver, as the 377/6+377/7 combo returned from the sidings to the south of Horsham station to pick up its booked path back towards Victoria.  This was a much better run, calling only at Epsom, with no stopper getting in the way until Mitcham area (where it caught up with a Thameslink.  It even got into Victoria 5 minutes early, which gave me a better chance to making it to Paddington as a Staines crawl avoidance move.  I did the long walk to the Victoria line platforms (making it past the crowd who don’t move along the platform) for a Victoria line service to Oxford Circus, followed by a Bakerloo to Paddington.

 

 

Railway Tracks crossing River Thames near Victoria

 

At Paddington I had around 10 minutes to spare before an Oxford service was due to depart, a 5 coach 802 which was already busy when I boarded it and left Full & Standing (Can’t help thinking that GWR should use 9 coach units on the Oxford trains on Sundays).  This train gave me a +7 connection onto a XC service towards Basingstoke and where it lost a minute at Slough due to the overcrowding it was back on time as it approached Reading.  The XC was on platform 8 with this train booked into P9 making it an easy cross platform change…

 

…However Platform 9 had a Bristol bound service sitting there for whatever reason, 5 minutes after sitting outside the station the signaller decided to route the Oxford train via platform 7, but the damage had been done, and by the time I got off the 802 the voyagers were accelerating away.  So for a lack of a better idea I headed out of the station to do a little loop towards the Thames via Christchurch Park

 

River Thames from Reading Bridge

Back at Reading station and it was a short wait before a 165 rolled in from Basingstoke to take me towards Basingstoke (quite a busy train), where I had a short wait before a pair of 158s arrived from the Salisbury direction to take me home to Grateley.  Thankfully this is the last weekend for a while where SWR are going on the slow tour of Staines, although there are a couple blocks Basingstoke – Woking coming up that I can see.  The day was hard going at times, roughly 90 minutes at Birmingham waiting for something to happen (although part of me was hoping it would continue with ticket acceptance given to use Chiltern towards London for some hopeful 68 thrash).  I managed to do part of what I wanted, which was the novelty of a fast train going via Dorking, all be delayed.

21st - 23rd January – Trip to the North West + 30th January - London

21^st - 23rd January – Trip to the North West + 30^th January - London

 

Friday

 

The idea behind this trip was to have a day in Liverpool, mainly for a nice walk but also for some hunting of my last few Merseyrail units I needed for mileage.  I managed to get 2 nights in a shared house in Crewe (stayed there last summer time and found it very reasonable) which would be my base for the two nights (saves carrying around luggage on the Saturday).  The trip started with the 16:33 service from Grateley which took me all the way into Waterloo, where with time to kill I decided to set out on a little walk from Waterloo towards Euston.

 

I took a slightly less direct route, going across Waterloo Bridge and via back streets, there was a couple places along the way I wouldn’t mind visiting again during daylight hours when the parks are open (Tavistock Square Gardens).  At Euston with still time to kill I did a little loop towards Mornington Crescent (mainly to see what sort of view could be had from a road overnight, but alas no real view due to high walls).  After this detour I arrived back at Euston and headed towards the platform the train to Crewe would be departing from, ready to spin Desiro Roulette.

 

Mornington Crescent Underground Station

 

Thankfully I was in luck as tonight was a 350/4 on the back of a 350/2, needless to say I was aiming for a table seat in the front coach of the /4, ready to give my phone a good boost of electric and also to watch some shows on my tablet for the run towards Crewe.  Nothing unusual along the way (although at least 2 passengers got caught without tickets when the guard made an appearance before Milton Keynes), at Crewe I had a short catch up with Stu who was staying in a nearby hotel before I made my way to the shared house.

 

Saturday

 

It was an early start for me this morning with the first Crewe – Liverpool train, formed of a pair of 350/3s.  This was fast to Runcorn then South Parkway so a nice speedy run with the bonus of a private coach.  At Lime Street I purchased my Saveaway from the Northern run ticket office (available on paper without the £1 smartcard fee if you purchased it at a Merseyrail ticket office), swung via Sainsburys for breakfast, where I noticed a Tesco Express near to the station which could come in handy.

 

Back at Lime Street and it was a short wait before winner 802202 departed on a Newcastle train which I took to Newton Le Willows for a short wait for a 319 to roll in from Crewe to take me back towards Lea Green before a short wait before a low mileage 802201 arrived from Liverpool which I took back to Newton Le Willows.  I had a short walk along a shared used path which runs alongside the railway line to reach Earlestown, arriving in time to take a 2 coach 175 back to Newton Le Willows

 

Newton Viaduct

 

The next Liverpool train was unusually a single 3 coach 185, which thankfully wasn’t wedged out like I feared; I even got a seat in the front coach [although I suspect the rear coach would have been busier].  I took this 185 to Lime Street, and headed to the low level platform to take a 508 to Liverpool Central, before a 508/507 combo all the way to Hunts Cross where I set out for my main walk of the day, but before I reached the Liverpool Loop Line I headed towards “Halewood Doorstep Green” with a small loop in a nice wooded area.

 

After I returned to the main-road, I headed towards the start of the Liverpool Loop Line (a mixed used path on the trackbed of an old railway route towards Aintree).  The first section was within Halewood Park, a very scenic wooded area (somewhere I will probably return to), and soon I joined the trackbed of the old railway route.  I took the old railway route towards the junction where an east facing chord came in (from the Halewood direction), which I took towards Halewood, before returning back towards the junction (I did a bit of zig-zagging on the way taking in more of the woods).

 

*

Old railway junction in Halewood Park

 

My walk continued along the Liverpool Loop line heading in a mostly northern-westerly direction, passing some of the Liverpool suburbs.  The path quality was quite good, a bit rough in places (mainly tree roots).  I passed underneath the railway near Broad Green station before carrying on heading along the path, the only station which had old platforms still in existence was West Derby.  I had lunch from a large Sainsburys along the route near East Prescot Road (Broad Green area).  I continued with my walk along the old railway line via a couple tunnels before reaching the end of the route, where the old railway continued towards Aintree, the mixed used path curves away to join another old railway route.

 

Remains of West Derby station

The 2^nd old railway route I believe is part of the “North Mersey branch”, passing the site of the old Aintree Racecourse station.  I came off the old railway route in the Fazakerley area and headed towards Fazakerley station, to mark the end of my long and very enjoyable walk.  Not so much for old railway related but some nice views of an area I’ve never been to before.  But it was time to rest and play with some trains, my main goal was to intercept a required 802 from Newcastle before looking for some 507/508s I needed for mileage.

 

I got lucky because the first train was a low mileage 508 (122) (which I only discovered when I alighted at Moorfields because I was in the front unit).  A short walk to the Wirral line platform and a pair of 507s took me round the bend, where for the 2^nd time of the day I took a seat on 802202 for the run out to Newton Le Willows (the plug socket coming in handy).  I crossed over to the other platform and took a seat, my legs needed the rest.  Time went along before winner 802219 arrived which I took back to Lime Street, another TPE 802 into my book.

 

Back to Merseyrail and a little spin out to Green Lane on an Ellesmere Port service before a pair of 507s took me to Port Sunlight, returning to Hamilton Square before doing the city centre loop to head out to Wallasey Village before finally returning to Moorfields, sadly no required units for mileage but I had managed to spot everything out working on the Wirral, so it was time to head to the Northern line platforms to see if my luck would improve.

 

508111 departs Port Sunlight

 

First Southport wasn’t needed, but a pair of units to Liverpool Central from Ormskirk had a low mileage 508 (139) on the back so I took that to Liverpool Central, remained on board for the run to Maghull North.  A short wait before a busy low mileage 508141 arrived from Ormskirk (the pairs split at the terminal with one of the units going ECS to the depot, which seems strange considering how busy the trains were).  I took this 508 to Sandhills for a short wait before low mileage 507033 arrived on a Southport train (along with another 507).  I took this pair to Freshfield for another short wait for another Hunts Cross bound train.

 

Back to Sandhills with a short wait to take another 507 round the corner to Kirkdale to intercept the final unit out on Ormskirk services, just in case it was one of the last 3 I needed.  Alas it wasn’t but I took it back to Liverpool Central regardless.  I managed to get some food from a McDonalds (where the queue wasn’t outside the door, I needed something warm), before I walked back to Lime Street to catch the last train to Crewe.

 

This service is a bit of a novelty for it runs nonstop to Crewe, one of the very few passenger trains which go nonstop through Runcorn.  I boarded in the front coach, which I had all to myself (all the drunken passengers waiting for the train probably boarded the rearmost coach).  It was an enjoyable fast run back to Crewe, where I hung back on the platform to allow those drunks to leave the station before I followed.  I had a gentle walk back to the house, where I relaxed for the remainder of the day.  It was an enjoyable day, plus I met my target of getting 4 of the 7 Merseyrail units needed for mileage ticked off.  I’m back in the area in April time so hopefully those last 3 will all be out.

 

350124 at Liverpool Lime Street

 

Sunday

 

Today due to engineering works TPE were diverting services from Manchester to Sheffield via Wakefield on a little tour of Yorkshire, and for the lack of something better to do I decided to have a little spin, deciding a South Pennies Day Ranger would be the best ticket (as well as a TfW Only day return to Manchester from Crewe).

 

The day started with the first Manchester train, which was a 2 coach 175, which due to being a Sunday went via the airport line after Wilmslow.  At Piccadilly I had around 40 minutes to waste before the next Sheffield train so I did a short walk in the city centre area, nothing too major (for I had a blister from all the walking on the Saturday).  Back at the station and I made my way across to platform 1 to board a pair of 185s, getting a seat in the front coach (where it was nice and quiet).

 

The route taken by the Sheffield train was towards Huddersfield (where I had a novelty of a non-stop run) turning away before Ravensthorpe running towards Wakefield Kirkgate, going via platform 3 to use that bit of track which connects with the Leeds – Doncaster line [the route used by Grand Central when they are not calling at Pontefract.  The 185s continued towards Fitzwilliam and then towards Moorthorpe for the run towards Sheffield in that direction, arrival was pretty much on time.  A nice little “185 on tour” trip (saves trying to do it late on a Saturday night as Sheffield city centre on Saturday nights can be expensive).

 

185113 & 185146 at Manchester Piccadilly

 

I had a short wait at Sheffield before a 158 rolled in from Lincoln to be the next Huddersfield train, very unusual this service being a 158 as it’s usually a solid 150 (not like I’m complaining because a Northern  158 is in a whole different league than a Northern 150!).  I took this 158 all the way to Huddersfield on the scenic Penistone line, before a dud 802 on a little time wasting move to Dewsbury before winner 802213 rolled in from Newcastle to take me back towards Manchester Piccadilly (going via Guide Bridge due to engineering works between Victoria & Stalybridge).

 

158902 at Huddersfield

 

At Piccadilly I had a short walk towards the next TfW Rail service towards Milford Haven & Pembroke Dock, a 150+153 combo. For the novelty I sat in the 153 for the run towards Crewe, having an unofficial connection to the next London via Trent Valley service, an connection which was easily made [it’s near enough cross platform!] with a 350/4 leading a 350/1.  The train got busy along the way (as expected for a Sunday afternoon), but the final 15 minutes was a bit of a crawl due to engineering works around Euston closing some of the platforms.

 

After arriving at Euston I headed towards the underground, and straight onto a Victoria line service to Oxford Circus, changing for a Bakerloo to Paddington arriving with time to spare to board a 9 coach 800 on a busy Penzance train for the run to Reading.  I had a short wait before a 165 arrived from Basingstoke to take me to Basingstoke (quite a busy train), and at Basingstoke I popped out of the station to grab a KFC.

 

A 800 at Paddington

 

Back at Basingstoke it was onto a pair of 158s on a Basingstoke – Salisbury train which was quiet (the connection for this train from Waterloo was hopelessly late as the route via Staines had fallen over).  These units took me back to Grateley for a gentle walk home, the end of a nice gentle day of looking out of the window at the passing scenery (must be a good few years since I did the Ravensthorpe – Wakefield line during daylight hours).  I even had the bonus of a required 802 taking my needs down to just 2 of the TPE examples.

 

30^th January – London

 

Only a little report for today as it was a trip to London to do some walking around Canary Wharf finishing off with the Thames Path towards Limehouse around the Isle of Dogs.  The highlight for trains was the novelty of a DLR service to terminate into the bay platform at Mudchute as I headed towards Cutty Sark to walk the Greenwich Foot Tunnel.

 

I also did the Northern line departure at Moorgate from platform 8 heading North due to the Northern line block at Bank to tick off that random crossover as a time wasting move before reaching Paddington with a very busy 5 coach 802, the train I was aiming to catch got cancelled.  This connected into the final direct Reading - Salisbury train.

Mudchute Bay Platform 3, Tick