25th & 26th May – Overnight Trip to Blackpool

 25th & 26th May –  Overnight Trip to Blackpool

When I first saw that over this weekend Avanti were diverting services via Manchester due to engineering works at Warrington, I originally gave it a “would be nice to do” moment, before noticing that the Sunday it was via Bolton and the Monday going via Eccles potentially giving two different routes for unusual Pendo coverage.  A search for accommodation found plentiful options in Blackpool at various prices, eventually going for something reasonably close to North Station which had good reviews.  Sadly, the walking I had planned needed to be put back on the shelf due to the changeable weather forecast.

25th May

The day began with the short walk to Grateley for the first London service of the day with 158881, 159006 & 159103 to take me towards Waterloo diverting via Staines & Isleworth, the train only getting busy at Woking.  At Waterloo I had around 90 minutes to get to Euston for the next Glasgow train so I did my usual walk, diverting via the Co-Op near Waterloo, across Westminster bridge and along the north bank of the Thames then towards Euston via Tottenham Court Road, arriving with plenty of time as I hung near the top of the ramp before boarding.

River Thames from Westminster Bridge

I managed to get a decent seat on 390153 which departed quite busy, reduction of trains due to the engineering works on the Trent Valley, the train catching up with a LNR service near Leighton Buzzard and sat at Milton Keynes for around 10 minutes due to running early.  After Milton Keynes the train headed towards Rugby, Coventry pausing for another few minutes at Stechford due to early running (the Pendo was in front of a late running LNR stopper).  After Stechford it took the connecting line towards Ascot for the trip via Bescot and towards Wolverhampton avoiding the station before heading towards Stafford & Crewe where the train emptied out (at least in coach G).

After a dwell at Crewe (as again the train was running quite early) it headed towards Wilmslow for a set down only stop and towards Manchester.  Felt strange going nonstop through Stockport on a Pendo before getting a decent path (probably helped with Northern having their usual Sunday service meltdown) via Piccadilly & the Castlefield corridor for the run towards Bolton & Chorley.  The train joined the usual route at Leyland and arrived into Preston something like 25 minutes early, although I decided against a walk in the Preston area and instead headed across to platform 1 to join the large crowd to squeeze onto 195120 on a Blackpool North service for the trip to the coast.

390153 at Preston

As the weather was currently dry, I decided to take a stroll towards the coastal path, deciding to head south (the theory being if the weather turned, I wasn't that far from the tramway).  Some nice views of the seafront, trying to keep my eye on the trams in case my last one I needed for a mile popped up.  I reached the end of the main path in the Squires Gate area of the town, seeing tram 15 heading north on a Fleetwood service so I decided to give chase once I managed to get to Starr Gate tram stop.  One of these days I will continue the walk along the coast towards Lytham as well as the northern section from North Pier towards Fleetwood.

It was onto tram 003 on the next Fleetwood service, and with good time a couple minutes into the journey the rain decided to come, causing some delays.  The tram did get quite busy heading north but emptied out at the stops serving some of the hotels like Cliffs & Norbeck.  I decided to bail at Anchorsholme Lane, crossing over to the opposite platform for a short wait before tram 015 rolled in on a North Station service, taking this tram to Sandhurst Avenue to clear it for a mile and crossed over to the northbound platform for tram 004 to take me towards Fleetwood as it had been a few years since I last visited the northern part of the network.

Blackpool Tram 015 near Starr Gate

I had a recommendation to visit the Spoons in Fleetwood for some nice dinner before returning to the tramway for a wait before tram 015 rolled in on a southbound service which I gather from the timetable would have been one of the last to go direct towards North Pier stop rather than going via the station.  The heaven's opened when on the way south as I alighted at Tower, locating my accommodation on Hornby Road, self-serve check-in and the room was quite reasonable for the £24 I paid.  A good thing I ended the day there as I laid on the bed having a catch-up on the interweb listening to the rain arriving again.  It wasn’t perfect by any means, as there was a small window above the door which allowed light to escape into the room from the hallway.

An enjoyable first day of this little overnight trip, a nice walk along the coast and getting my last Blackpool tram for a mile.

26th May - Cuerden Valley Park

My original idea for today was to walk the Rufford branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, maybe even fitting in a visit to the West Lancs Light Railway but owing to the wet weather the previous night and more rain expected around midday I decided it wasn’t worth the risk of hitting mud or floods, instead I looked at some options for the Preston area and decided on a visit to the Cuerden Valley Park.

After checking out of the guest house, I headed towards the town centre (and a handy Co-Op) and Blackpool North station, jumping onto 195110 on a York bound service for the hop to Kirkham & Westham for a random revisit and a short wait before 323227 & 323242 arrived on the next Manchester Airport service to take me towards Buckshaw Parkway where my walk began.

323234 at Kirkham & Wesham Station

I headed north away from the station towards the modern Buckshaw Village following a mix of paths to reach the Lower Kem Mill car park of the Cuerden Valley Park on cycle route 55.  I followed the path via the park enjoying the scenery as it headed towards Clayton-le-Woods with a break at Town Brow.  I continued the path keeping track to make sure I was on the correct path as there are many paths in this area, eventually crossing over the M6 and coming to an end at Wigan Road, to the south of Bamber Bridge.

After reaching Bamber Bridge, I followed another path which followed the river Lostock before heading north underneath the railway line where I could have finished the walk and headed to the station but decided to carry on as the weather was dry, heading towards a path I covered a couple of months ago but taking a detour via the Dog Kennel Wood to reach Hennel Lane in Walton-le-Dale.  I picked up another path heading towards the River Darwen and underneath the A6 with the idea of following this path along the south bank of the Ribble towards Preston.  However, my plan needed changing as this path was closed (I presume related to the construction of the new Tram Road bridge) with a detour via a sewage works to pick up the old railway line route to take me into Preston.

Cuerden Valley Park, Clayton-le-Woods

After grabbing lunch from the Tesco near Preston station, I headed to the platform the next London train was due to depart from at a very busy station, grabbing a decent seat on 390153 (again!) for the southbound run.  Along the way we passed a 156 for Ormskirk which looked wedged out and platform 6 at Wigan North Western was rammed as the Pendo emptied out.  Next stop was Crewe, going via the Parkside curve onto Chat Moss via Eccles for a bit of unusual Pendo coverage.  All was going well until the train reached the chaos of Manchester's Castlefield corridor, going from 5 minutes early to 42 minutes late, at one point I counted 7 trains stuck in a traffic jam.

Eventually the Pendo cleared the chaos of Piccadilly, passing Stockport to reach Crewe, where the train got busy once more.  After Crewe, it continued south towards Stafford & Wolvermhampton heading via Darlaston, Bescot & Aston to Stechford where thankfully the signaller decided to hold an LNR stopper for use to go out in front with a spirited run towards Coventry & Rugby only slowing down on the approach to Milton Keynes where it had caught up with a Manchester - Euston service.  Arrival into Euston was 19 minutes late, and it was bad to hear the Train Manager claiming to get delay repay you needed to speak with the retailer in which you purchased the tickets from, rather than via the Avanti website.

Anyhow, with the rain making its appearance a walk to Waterloo was out of the question, and with time to kill I headed over to board 710379 to Willesden Junction for 378217 to Clapham Junction, exiting the barriers with my Oyster and coming back in with my staff pass and heading over to board 455723 & 455741 to Waterloo before taking 159011 (for the first time since February) & 159020 to Grateley to end my little overnight trip to Blackpool.  An enjoyable day with a nice walk via the Cuerden Valley Park, keeping dry as well as enjoying some Pendo mileage via unusual routes.

As always, thanks for reading, the Tuesday was a red pen day in London (and Essex) due to the wet weather, grabbing a few more 720s & 701s (and 458/4s for renumbering), before heading back to work for 6 late shifts.  More photos can be found on my Flickr, May is at an end, have a 701.

701046 departing Stoneleigh

15 – 18th May, Long Weekend in the North West

 15 – 18th May, Long Weekend in the North West

15th May – Return to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal

I had 4 days off from work so after looking at ideas decided to book accommodation in a shared house in Crewe, I had previously used in October last year, cheap & cheerful as a base for a long weekend.  I had several ideas of what I could potentially do when in Preston, one of those times where I couldn’t make up my mind.  The day began with 158887, 159002 & 159004 to Waterloo on the 06:57 from Grateley (a service which might go back to being 10 coaches at some point).  After a gentle stroll (avoiding getting run over by cyclists unable to recognise what a red light stands for) I reached Euston and onto the busy 09:30 service for Glasgow with 390112 for the run to Preston.

At Preston I headed outside the station for some fresh air and to think as I could potentially do a bus move to walk the Rufford branch of the canal.  In the end I decided on a 4th option, which was to split the idea I had for Rishton with doing an old railway line before the canal and purchased my ticket to Church & Oswaldtwistle, taking a seat on 150144 on the next Colne train (which like always was busy until Blackburn where it emptied out).  At Church & Oswaldtwistle I began my walk heading towards Church to the point I left the canal in March, heading back towards the station area on the towpath on a loop of the canal as it went underneath the railway line eventually industrial buildings gave way to countryside, crossing underneath the railway again.  On the approach to the M65 I reached a section of the towpath I walked back in 2020 when revisiting stations (at the time the Preston - Colne services had a missing diagram and I walked between Rishton & Church station to waste time).

150144 departing Church & Oswaldtwistle

I reached Rishton, going underneath the High Street & passing other houses before countryside returned on a very beautiful section before the towpath reached Blackburn where countryside was replaced with industrial & retail building and one final crossing of the canal by the main Preston - Burnley railway line.  My walk continued via a mix of old and new buildings, reaching the town centre area and the old wharf (where the towpath is diverted round the back of the building).  I continued passing the station area and the retail park with the canal curving once more, reaching the start of a lock flight.  Dropping down the locks, I went underneath the Blackburn - Bolton railway line, just missing the chance for a photograph of a train crossing the canal.  In the Mill Hill area, I reached a section of the towpath I'm pretty sure I walked way back in 2015 when visiting the stations, reaching the Cherry Tree area where my walk finished with a small detour to the nearby Sainsburys Local for some supplies.

70815 passing Cherry Tree Station

An enjoyable canal walk with the quality of the towpath being quite changeable, although most of it was decent there was some areas where I wouldn’t want to do during winter time due to the potential of mud.  Anyhow 150138 rolled in from Colne to take me towards Preston where I had some options, annoyingly a required 197 which was previously working Liverpool – Chester services had been swapped onto a Cardiff bound service at Chester so would escape my little red pen.  At Preston to the chorus of “this is a platform alternation” I boarded 390152 on a London via Birmingham service to take me to Stafford where I stepped back onto 350247 & 350119 to Tamworth, solely to waste time before the daily Avanti to Wrexham.  Dud 805009 & winner 805006 rolled in, slightly delayed to take me towards Chester where 006 got dropped off and the vast majority of people in my coach departed (being replaced with people boarding at Chester) for the trip to Wrexham General where it arrived around 5 minutes late.

It seems these days the connecting train to Shrewsbury which used to start from platform 3 at Wrexham General (having arrived as an ECS from Wrexham Central) has changed with an ECS from Chester, one of those services which might be better running in passenger service, especially since the Avanti Wrexham isn’t the most reliable.  Anyhow that 158 departed towards Shrewsbury and a few minutes later 158840 rolled in on a Chester service, slightly delayed departure from Wrexham but it arrived into Chester near enough on time giving me time to transfer to 805007 on the daily Holyhead – Birmingham Avanti service to take me to Crewe, where I headed to the shared house.  Sadly, the issues which were reported back in October (shower head holder broken and the base of the bed being broken) hadn’t been repaired, but for £30 a night it was cheaper than anything else in the area.  Plus, it had half decent curtains and was quiet.

805009 at Wrexham General

A good first day, even though I got a bit warm on the canal walk.  I was glad I decided to split the walk as the railway path from Rishton can be done on another day, the next section of the canal heads away from the railway dropping towards Chorley & Adlington.  I was also happy to finally do a 805 to Wrexham after having to ditch it on multiple times previously, either due to cancellation or severe late running.  Even though like the LNER token daily services it seems quite pointless for passengers heading from London.

16th May – A Day of novelties in Lancashire.

The day started with leaving the shared house towards Crewe station via the little Tesco garage for some breakfast and onto a late running Scotland bound 390148 to take me to Preston (and I was aiming for the train afterwards but that also was running late, a theme which would stalk me most of the day).  At Preston I had a short wait before jumping on 195131 to Chorley for no reason before 331027 & 331028 took me to Adlington where my latest canal walk began.

Once again it would be the Leeds & Liverpool canal and the section heading south towards Wigan.  After leaving the station I headed towards the canal picking up the towpath for the walk south away from the built-up area with a cycle path heading away to run along an old railway line which ran close by.  Once outside Adlington the canal turned quite rural with some nice views as it headed towards Red Rock where the cycle path re-joined and canal headed towards the Haigh Country Park and Wigan.  Near the top lock of the Wigan flight there was a 90-degree bend.

I was glad to be walking down these locks as there was quite a few as it headed towards Wigan town centre, going underneath both the Wigan - Ince railway line & the WCML before I reached the junction where the Leigh branch began (and where I reached in 2023 when walking from Patricroft).  I left the canal and headed towards Wigan North Western via the streets, nearly getting ripped off in the little Morrisons Local as the shelf edge labels said an item was part of the meal deal but the till said no.  Anyhow another section of the Leeds & Liverpool canal into my little book, leaving just 2 sections in Lancashire.

156419 crossing the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Wigan

For lack of a better idea I jumped onto 390134 for the run to Preston which somehow lost 10 minutes between Wigan & Preston meaning a connection for a pair of 323s to Manchester was missed, so I jumped onto 195128 to Blackburn where I was toying with a 150 towards Bolton via Darwen but that departed late due to earlier delays on the Headbolt Lane services so I gave that a miss (good thing I did as it would have missed both connections at Bolton as it was further delayed due to the single track).  After popping out to Morrisons in Blackburn I returned to Preston on 156415 where I was going to take a Pendo to Wigan to intercept the Blackpool train, but a late notice change of platform meant I gave that Pendo a miss when it lost 10 minutes due to passengers transferring from P3/4 to P5/6, not the first platform alternation in Preston.

Eventually 390006 rolled in on the London – Blackpool service, something which since the timetable change has become a little bit harder to do as there is only one daytime Avanti instead of two (with the services being diverted to Glasgow).  I had a short wait at Blackpool before boarding 390006 again for the trip to Wigan North Western, transferring to 331105 on a Manchester Victoria flyer, which was going well until it reached the outskirts of Manchester Victoria and got caught up in congestion due to late running trains, to the point where once more my plans changed as I was going to stay on board back to Eccles but the connection would have been lost.

390006 at Blackpool North

Instead, I hung back for the late running 323217 to arrive from Liverpool on the daily 323 visit to Manchester Victoria (unless there is a random Manchester Victoria – Blackpool service at the extremes of the day) and I took this to Eccles, where it began very busy due to the previous couple of Northern services towards Liverpool running hopelessly late from the Airport calling at all stations before running nonstop towards Merseyside after delaying other services.  Anyhow I changed at Eccles for a short wait for 331107 to Manchester Piccadilly where I had time to pop out of the station to grab supplies, noticing that the little Sainsburys local was due to close for a refit and hence the shelves were looking barer than the Co-Op.

After grabbing food, I returned to the station and onto 323237 & 323224 on the next Blackpool service, something I think isn’t suitable for these 3+2 seated suburban units, especially after the users got used to the 331s.  I took these to Leyland where I had a short wait, waiting near the footbridge for the last minute “This is a platform alternation” message as 331106 rolled in on 4 instead of 2.  I took this back towards Bolton where I popped out of the station to the nearby Sainsburys for some supplies for tomorrow (and Sunday), mainly to waste some time.

323217 at Manchester Victoria

Back at Bolton station, it was a short wait before 769448 rolled in on a Wigan North Western service, for the novelty of having a 769 into Wigan North Western rather than Wigan Wallgate (it goes ECS to the sidings), where a late running train benefited me with 390047 to Preston to avoid a 45-minute fester at Wigan North Western.  A short wait (and platform alternation) saw me onto 390128 (this was a very Pendo heavy day!) on a service to London which called at Crewe, and soon I was back at Crewe, heading to the shared house to sort my rucksack out for the morning as it would be an early start.

17th May – High Peak Trail

The High Peak Trail is a mixed used path which follows the route of the long gone Cromford and High Peak Railway, part I walked last October when I did the Tissington Trail to the junction near the hamlet of Parsley Hay.  This is a walk I’ve been wanting to do for a while but the last few times I’ve had it pencilled in, the weather has decided not to play ball.  Thankfully the weather today was going to be dry, a bit overcast in the morning but warm & dry.

The day began with the first East Midlands service to Derby with 170533 on this lightly loaded service, where I exited the station to board the route 114 bus from High Peak (buying myself a £6 High Peak Day ticket).  Bus 297 was on this route which departed the bus station with half a dozen passengers on, all alighting at the bus station leaving just myself on board for the trip to Ashbourne via some villages such as Quarndon, Weston Underwood & Cross o' th' Hands with no takers.  At Ashbourne I visited the Sainsburys near the bus stops for some supplies before the daily route 441 for Buxton.  A busier bus compared to the previous one with half a dozen on board bus 285 heading along the A515 detouring to serve Tissington.  Since October High Peak has introduced a bus stop near Parsley Hay itself (as previously it ran fast from Newhaven to Pomeroy, saving myself 2 and a bit mile of walking, every little helps!)  I was the only person to alight and my walk began heading towards the railway bridge, climbing stairs near a visitor centre.

170533 at Crewe Station

I soon reached the junction between the High Peak & Tissington Trail and headed underneath the A515 via a tunnel, heading towards Friden passing other joggers, walkers & school kids doing what looked like their Duke of Edinburgh award (looking at maps carrying camping stuff).  However this is when I noticed I might have had rubbish timing as there was a race by a running club of Matlock and this area was very busy with runners getting ready to start a half marathon.

Anyhow I continued reaching a road crossing of the A5012 as the first of the runners caught up, so for the next 20 minutes it was a case of being passed by runners as the path curved giving some nice views of the countryside & woodland.  Some engineering went into building this line.  Thankfully by the time I reached the former Gotham Curve the runners had disappeared into the distance allowing me to enjoy the stunning views of the countryside of the Peak District, passing Minninglow heading towards Longcliffe.

View from the High Peak Trail near Minninglow

I continued along the walk, passing Harboro Rocks and reaching a section where the path runs close to a road and the first of a trio of steep inclines with Hopton, a case of being glad to be walking down the hill!  Soon the path headed away from the road and via Hopton tunnel heading to Middleton Top which features a visitor centre and the second of the inclines (Middleton), this is when the runners whom were doing the full marathon course started to appear as I headed down the hill passing the National Stone Centre, close to Ravenstor station on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway.  I passed the Steeple Grange Light Railway (sadly closed today).  Some beautiful scenery returned with views of Cromford down in the valley as soon I reached the Sheep Pasture Incline, which was not only steep (1 in 8 gradient) but also long.

The old railway walk came to an end at High Peak Junction crossing the Cromford canal, and following the canal towards Cromford wharf (quite a busy canal towpath this).  At Cromford wharf I headed towards the station arriving just as 170513 rolled in on a Matlock service, taking the unit to Matlock remaining on board back towards Derby.  An enjoyable walk in the countryside, just a shame the public transport options are very limited at the northern end for anybody wanting to do it linearly.

Middleton Top Engine House

On the train (getting very busy along the way) I looked up options, deciding against heading back towards Crewe as it was only 3pm, instead I jumped onto a busy 170114 to Tamworth before 221119 on a Birmingham New Street service (annoyingly the ticket office at Tamworth was closed so I couldn’t buy my West Midlands Day Ranger, although the barriers at Birmingham New Street on the Navigation Street footbridge were wide open.  I headed towards Tesco to grab some supplies, coming back towards the station when I paused to have a look at the trams, just in case.  A good thing I did as the next tram towards Edgbaston Village was my last West Midlands Tram, 55.  I took it to the terminus, dashing over to tram 35 back to Grand Central with still time to board winner 196007 on the rear of 196004 on a Shrewsbury train.

These 196s took me to Wolverhampton (even featured a ticket check!) where I had a fast walk over to platform 4 to board 220033 on the next Birmingham service, the backup being the stopper from platform 5 and some of the platforms along the way looked very busy so I would imagine the stopper would have been a tad cosy.  390016 took me to Birmingham International where I transferred to 197005 on a Chester train for the novelty of a 197 at Birmingham International before they become more common.

West Midland Metro Trams 35 & 55 at Edgbaston Village

Back to Birmingham New Street and a gentle connection onto 390123 to Rugby where I had a short wait in the sunshine on platform 1 before winner 807005 rolled in on a Wolverhampton terminator, which I took to Wolverhampton where it felt a bit strange going nonstop to Wolverhampton after Birmingham.  Next up was 221113 on a XC service to Stafford finishing the day on a busy 350407 & 350106 on a Crewe service, busy with football fans from the FA Cup final at Wembley (when I was at Crewe a Manchester bound Pendo rolled in alongside me and that looked quite cosy).  I returned to the shared house, having a shower to wash the sweat and relaxed thinking what I could do on the Sunday as I wanted to finish early due to work on the Monday.  An enjoyable day with some beautiful countryside in the Peak District, followed by some red pen action in the West Midlands, getting my last tram was the cherry on the cake.  Just one more 196 left and that is with Chiltern for the Oxford – Milton Keynes services.

18th May – Running into another race at Chester!

After departing from the shared house in two minds about giving it another try in the future, weighing up the positives against some negatives, I headed to Crewe station to board the first train for Holyhead with 197008 for the trip to Chester where I decided to have a little stroll.  I headed towards the city centre area near Tesco, picking up a path leading onto the City Walls, something I’ve been meaning to do for ages but never got round to doing (my theory is doing it early on a Sunday morning will be quieter than an afternoon when all the tourists arrive).

I passed the cathedral and Eastgate Clock heading towards the River Dee, following the river for a short section with the wall disappearing near a university building before resuming once past, close to Chester Castle.  The wall path disappeared near the racecourse as a race was just kicking off so the roads were a bit busy with supporters for the runners, thankfully no issues for my walk other than congestion (as the wall path crossed over the running route).  I crossed the railway line to reach Bonewaldesthorne's Tower before crossing over the railway line again heading on the wall path high above the canal and soon, I reached the Kaleyard Gate which is where I joined the path.

River Dee from the Chester Walls Path

After leaving the city wall path I returned towards Chester station with a couple of options, either head towards Liverpool for the novelty of an 807 via Bescot and a tighter connection at Waterloo or head towards Crewe or Warrington.   But first I managed to jump onto 777029 for the trip to Capenhurst returning to Chester on 777019 just to waste some time, the inbound for the 807 service had been cancelled at London (unit was trapped on the depot due to overrunning engineering works) and with a massive crowd waiting for the next Crewe train I headed to join another massive crowd awaiting 197007 on the Manchester train to take me to Warrington Bank Quay.  My theory is potentially I would be better boarding the London train at Warrington rather than Crewe.

390136 rolled in from Preston and I managed to get a decent seat in an unreserved coach for the journey towards London, calling at Crewe (where the train got very busy) and Stafford before heading towards Wolverhampton but turning off before reaching the station to head via Bescot & Aston to rejoin the usual route at Stechford.  Always a nice experience to go nonstop through Birmingham International & Coventry and the train headed to Euston, giving me around 80 minutes to stroll to Waterloo.

390020 (390200) at Warrington Bank Quay

An easy walk, where I even had time to swing via the Iceland near Waterloo for some supplies before boarding 159009, 159008 & 159018 on an Exeter train to take me to Andover where I got a lift home (via a local Chippy for dinner), to end the long weekend in the North West.  An enjoyable short day owing to the limitations of needing to get home at a reasonable time to be in bed by 8pm for work.  My other option would have been a trip towards Rugby to do the northern section of the Grand Central Walk but that would have been a later start, and that can easily wait for another trip.

Anyhow as always, thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr here.

Trips 6 to 8th May (Wales & Liverpool)

Trips 6 to 8th May (Wales & Liverpool)

6th May – A Trip to Pembrokeshire

The idea of staying overnight in South Wales came about earlier in April when I did some research to book a place in Llanelli I used a couple of years ago, a cheap but cheerful hostel around 15 minutes from the station.  As the weather was going to be decent, I decided to head further west to do a walk along a path I’ve wanted to do for a while but either got messed with wet weather or a heavily reduced timetable.

The plan nearly went into the bin before it started with issues between Newport & Cardiff after a fire knocked out the signalling, coming up with an alternative plan in the event I couldn’t reach Swansea in time for the Pembroke Dock train.  The day began with the 05:24 service from Grateley with 159021 & 159022 to Basingstoke, changing over onto 165128 to Reading where I had around 45 minutes to kill before 800003 & 800011 rolled in on a Swansea (vice Carmarthen) service.  I settled down for the trip west, getting lucky as the train only lost a minute or so between Newport & Cardiff (and featured a rather grumpy lady as the train got very busy at Newport due to various cancellations, who didn’t like someone asking her to move her oversized handbag and actually left the train in a huff.  Considering the next train was 30 minutes later and was a 2 coach TfW special I didn’t fancy her chances at even being able to board that service).

After Cardiff the news came through that the train was continuing towards Carmarthen, all be with a set swap at Swansea.  After popping out of the station for some supplies from the handy Tesco Express, I took a seat on a lightly loaded 800004 from platform 1 for a slow trip towards Carmarthen, following a TfW service for Milford Haven which called at all the stations, still it gave me more time to look at the lovely views.  At Carmarthen I had time to buy a West Wales ranger from the ticket office, a rover I’ve not used in many years (probably June 2014 was the last time) before boarding 197015 on the Pembroke Dock service, the 4th train on platform 1.

150217 at Carmarthen

An enjoyable run towards Pembroke Dock, pausing at a few of the little request stops, noticing what seemed to be a new mixed used path outside Saundersfoot station.  At Pembroke Dock I headed away from the station, and towards the A477 road heading towards the Cleddau Bridge over Milford Haven (the water that is, not the town), quite a steep climb and it was quite windy when on top of the bridge as it gave some nice views of both Neyland & Pembroke Dock.  I continued along the pavement of this busy road, crossing over the Westfield Pill before picking a footpath, part of the Wales Coastal Path towards Neyland, dropping down towards the Brunel Quay.  Neyland used to be the western terminus of the Great Western Railway where passengers could transfer onto transatlantic ships for America.  Sadly both the port & railway are long gone, with the route of the railway turned into a mixed used path heading towards Johnston as part of cycle route 4.

After I picked up the start of the path near a marina, it went underneath the main road, following the Westfield Pill with some nice views of the water before heading into countryside, a busy path with cyclists, dog walkers & other walkers.  Soon I reached the outskirts of Johnston where the old railway met up with the remaining line, with the path running alongside the railway line passing Johnston station heading towards North Johnston and back into countryside.

A477 Bridge over the Westfield Pill, Neyland

The path headed towards some woods, before running alongside a minor road before following the route of the railway towards Merlin's Bridge, part of Haverfordwest.  I headed up Merlin's Hill, which was quite steep (wishing I stayed with the cycle path as it ran alongside the Bypass), but soon I reached the top of the hill and came down the other side, heading towards the station, arriving with around 5 minutes to spare before 197020 rolled in on a Milford Haven service.  I took this unit to the end of the line at Milford Haven, making use of the time to pop to Tesco for some supplies before boarding the same unit for the long trip to Cardiff Central.

25 minutes after arriving I was onto winner 756114 to take me towards Penrhiwceiber on the Aberdare branch for a short connection onto winner 756116 back towards Radyr, stepping back onto 231006 for the trip back to Cardiff Central, going via Queen Street and terminating on platform 4 (as it was the time of night where the trains were heading to the depot).  As for me the plan was to catch the 22:30 Carmarthen service which used the Swansea District Line towards Llanelli, but then I noticed by chance the 23:24 service was also going via the district line but also via Barry, deciding to delay myself an hour for the novelty of a 197 via Barry.  At the same time, I noticed services were reversing after Newport to use the non-passenger side of the triangle towards Hereford.

231006 at Cardiff Central

 

Cardiff Central was quite chaotic this time of night, as platforms 0-2 were closed with everything long distance using 3 + 4, not helping was services arriving from Queen Street & elsewhere onto platform 4 to terminate and a GWR 166+165 blocking platform 3 on the last train to Bristol.  Eventually 197117 rolled in from Crewe where it terminated and formed the Carmarthen train as I grabbed a seat in the standard plus seats at the front of the train with various announcements by the guard that this train was not calling at Neath or Swansea and any passengers for those stations needed to change at Port Talbot for a replacement bus (or wait for the following GWR service).  Based on overhearing some chatter I think several drunks weren’t listening and ended up forking out for taxis!

Anyhow the train departed towards Bridgend, not the fastest due to following a Barry Island service it was meant to be in front of, eventually picking up speed after the junction at Barry to head towards Bridgend, before heading towards Port Talbot Parkway.   After Port Talbot it branched off the main line onto the little used (for passenger services) Swansea district line, a line which isn’t the fastest, made slower as at Genwen Junction (after Bynea) it swung onto the goods line, running the length of the loop before crossing over just before Llanelli station.

197117 at Llanelli Station

I headed away from the station at Llanelli, heading towards my accommodation at the World Horizons centre, near North Dock, this time getting a room on the top floor, basic but functional, the biggest negative was the lack of cover for a skylight so when the morning came the room was flooded in light.  Still for £24 for the night, it was a good deal compared to other places in both the Llanelli & Carmarthen areas which were £60+.  A good first day in Wales, a nice walk in Pembrokeshire followed by a couple more 756s falling to my little red pen (leaving just one more of the 4 coach 756s) with the novelty of some unusual track in the Llanelli area.

7th May – Exploring Fishguard and a set swap which wasn’t actually a set swap.

I was thinking when travelling to the accommodation that it might be worthwhile visiting Fishguard Harbour when I was in this general area, and hence clearing all of West Wales for coverage by 197.  Also, because that area had been on my list for a little explore for a while, but owing to the limited timetable of previous years it was quite hard.  Thankfully TfW has increased the number of services to Fishguard giving a 3-hour window for a little explore.

The day began with a walk to Llaneli station and onto 197020 for the run towards Fishguard Harbour, this part of the world is quite remote and I always forget how far it is between Fishguard & Goodwick & Clarbeston Road.  Anyhow once at Fishguard Harbour I headed out on foot on the road alongside the port area (my original idea was to head up a path but that was gated off), a quick stroll along the breakwater before climbing towards Fishguard itself and onto the Marine Walk, a path which runs alongside the harbour giving some nice views.  I ended up in Lower Town and the lower Fishguard Harbour before climbing up a steep hill on the A487 road into Fishguard town centre, swinging via the Co-Op (which was a bit bare boned due to their IT systems hack) before picking up a path heading towards the A40.

Lower Fishguard Harbour

I followed this path down the hill, crossing the road and into the Goodwick Moor Nature Reserve following a path to reach Phoenix Park and the main road near a rugby ground.  After swinging via Tesco for some supplies I headed back towards Fishguard Harbour station for a short wait before 197117 rolled in to form a Manchester service, grabbing a seat in the standard premium section and I relaxed for the trip back towards Carmarthen, staying on board to Pembrey & Burry Port for no reason other than wanting to revisit this station.

A short wait here before 800010 rolled in on the next London train, attaching itself to 800027 at Swansea to head towards Cardiff Central where I decided to have a change of scenery and changed to 166217 on the Portsmouth Harbour service.  An announcement was made that there was going to be a set swap at Bristol Temple Meads so everybody got off the train, crossing over to another platform for a ghost train.  5 minutes later, it was decided that 166217 would in fact be running to Portsmouth rather than a pair of 158s.  Bit of a farce and it departed 10 minutes late, time it never really gained back.

197117 at Fishguard Harbour Station

I took this 166 to Salisbury, where I changed onto 159014 working a Reading service to take me to Grateley, and a gentle stroll home where I could relax, reflecting on the couple days in Wales.  Fishguard looked to be a nice enough town and it was good to finally get to visit the town rather than just the station (and the area just outside Goodwick station).

8th May – A Day trip to Merseyside

Originally this was meant to be a walk along the Leeds & Liverpool canal, but things happened and it turned into a little red pen day.  The day starting with 159022 & 158885 taking me to London Waterloo and a gentle stroll across to Euston to board 390118 on the delayed 08:30 service for Glasgow Central, which got caught up in issues further north causing a visit to platform 12 at Crewe and arrival into Warrington Bank Quay around 45 minutes late.  I decided to ditch the idea of a walk as I had no clue how further delayed the train would be getting into Preston and after swinging via an Iceland in Warrington it was onto winner 197035 & dud 197043 on the next train to Chester which was very busy due to the races being on.  I didn’t hang around Chester for long before jumping onto 777039 for the short run to Bache where I headed to Morrisons for lunch items.

I was down to needing 4 of the Merseyrail units for my little red pen, and all 4 were out today, with winner 777003 on the next train towards Liverpool which I took to Hamilton Square, making a fast walk across to platform 3 to jump onto winner 777035 on the next New Brighton service, taking it to the end of the line & remaining on board back towards Moorfields where I headed towards the Northern line platforms and onto dud 777053 for the trip to Formby, making a note for a future adventure in these parts involving the coastal path.

777035 at New Brighton Station

Anyhow the next Liverpool train was formed of winner 777047 & dud 777010 which I took to Liverpool Central, have a short break before winner 777150 rolled in on the next Headbolt Lane service, taking this to Headbolt Lane where I had a crazy idea and instead of returning to Liverpool on the same unit, I headed across to platform 3 and onto 156461 & 150135 on the next Northern service, which looked like it had revenue on board, having a chat with someone whom thinks payment is optional.  I took these units to Rainford where I had a gentle stroll to waste the 30 minutes before 156410 & 150150 rolled in to take me back to Headbolt Lane, and onto 777150 back towards Liverpool Central, clearing the entire class for ten miles.

In a way I was glad to have done 777047 earlier as the Southport line had somewhat collapsed and this train got very busy after Sandhills as Merseyrail did their usual terminate late running Southport – Liverpool trains at Sandhills and sending them back empty northbound.  Back at Liverpool I had a gentle stroll to Lime Street and onto 807008, getting a decent seat in coach H for the run to London Euston, having a gentle stroll to Waterloo for 159002 & 159013 on the 21:20 service, to take me back to Hampshire to relax and get myself ready for 6 late shifts.

807008 at Liverpool Lime Street

I was happy I had cleared the 777s, as no more hanging around the Merseyrail stations, although it does mean I have lost a “Wet Weather” option for when I stay overnight in Crewe.  More photos can be found on my Flickr, thanks for reading :)