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

25th – 27th September – Lancashire Area

25^th – 27^th September – Lancashire Area

This weekend was the second last of my Travelodge BOGOF bookings, based in Manchester with the idea of heading into Lancashire to revisit some stations, using a plan I had for April time but revised taking into account the current timetable (Preston to Colne is 3 trains every 4 hours) and the fact I was in Manchester on the Saturday night (rather than Blackpool as was the plan in April).

 

This trip was booked up before the latest local lockdown restrictions were introduced meaning essential travel only for residents in the affected areas (although based on my experience, it was mostly getting ignored), so with taking extra precautions I decided to carry on with my plan, better than throwing the money down the drain.

 

Friday

For the first time (and probably not the last time) I was using a London – Manchester off-peak return valid only for London Northwestern & Transport for Wales (at £45 it’s quite good value as there is no afternoon peak restrictions).  I headed to Grateley for the 14:59 service which got delayed along the way due to signalling issues, eventually arriving into London at 16:34 so an outside chance of making the 16:46 from Euston was out of the window.

 

To make a change I took a route 68 bus from the Tension Way bus stop to Euston, crossing Waterloo Bridge and crawling towards Euston in heavy traffic.  At Euston I grabbed supplies, managed to get my ranger for the Saturday and waited for a pair of 350s to arrive from Birmingham which would form the 17:46 departure to Crewe.  The rear was a 350/2 but thankfully the front unit was a refurbished 350/1 where I got a table seat in the front carriage (estimated to be 15% full on departure from Euston).

 

Crossing the River Thames

 

Arrival at Crewe was a few minutes late (some issues around Leighton Buzzard area), which reduced the waiting time for the Manchester bound Transport for Wales service as a refurbished 158 arrived, and again it was lightly loaded for the trip into Piccadilly.  A long walk from Piccadilly took me to the Manchester Central branch of Travelodge, located between Salford Central & Manchester Victoria, security staff on the front door and I got given a room on the 6^th floor (labelled as “Business Floor”), at the end of the building.  Usual Travelodge room in terms of what it contained, bit of outside noise but that is to be expected from a city centre location.

 

158820 at Manchester Piccadilly after arriving from Milford Haven

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Saturday

 

It was another early start (this time the 05:37 service towards Clitheroe from Manchester Victoria), as I took my seat on the 158 (attached with a 153) for the long run to Clitheroe, exiting and waiting for the same pair of units to return to take me to Langho, returning on the next northbound service to Whalley.  With around 45 minutes to wait, I headed for a gentle walk into the village centre, via a Co-Op for breakfast before continuing to get a couple photos of the beautiful Whalley viaduct, going underneath the viaduct before a footpath alongside to return me towards the station with the 156+153 returning from Clitheroe.

 

Whalley Viaduct

 

I took these units a couple stations along the way to Ramsgreave & Wilpshire with an hour fester sitting on a bench in the shade (the +1 connection from Blackburn is very risky to attempt due to the path between platforms).  The time flew by but I was happy when a 150+153 arrived from Clitheroe to take me to Blackburn, changing platforms (and having my first ticket check of the day).  A few minutes later a 195 arrived from Blackpool to take me to Burnley Manchester Road (where there was a good number of passengers waiting for the infrequent Manchester service).

 

After getting lost and getting thrown out by a closed footbridge, I reached Burnley Central (lovely viaduct to the south of the station) before a 150 took me to Colne for a photograph, before requesting the stop of Pleasington which is quite a nice station.  A few minutes later a 158 arrived on the next Colne service to take me to Rishton where I decided to have a time wasting walk along the canal to Church & Oswaldtwistle (featuring station totems with “First” written on the bottom, so not changed from the days of First North Western!).

 

Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Burnley

 

Another 158 arrived to take me the one stop to Accrington, for a short wait before the next Preston service arrived (the same 158 as earlier, such a waste on a local stopping service).  At Preston the train terminated before it formed the next Ormskirk so I remained on board for the run to Croston and a 40 minute wait (long festers are made all the better with a decent bench).  The 158 returned from Ormskirk to take me to Preston where it randomly terminated in platform 1 instead of using one of the south facing bay platforms.

 

A short wait at Preston before the next Blackpool South train pulled in from the north, a single 156 which I took to Kirkham & Wesham for a short wait before a pair of 331s arrived from Manchester to take me to Layton.  Another pair of 331s on the Macclesfield bound took me back one station to Poulton-Le-Flyde, where I returned back towards Blackpool on another pair of 331s (all the 6 coach electric services!).

 

I passed the RPIs checking/selling tickets to join the queue for the Manchester Airport train before having a time wasting linear hop to Poulton-Le-Flyde to push them over 10 miles.  A short wait before a 319 bound for Liverpool rolled in to take me to the limited served station of Salwick.  Mainly as a time wasting move before the next Blackpool South train, also the previous time I visited this station I only had a couple minutes so no chance to have a look around.  Other than a handful of houses there isn’t much around the area so I spent the 30 minutes I had photographing passing trains.

 

One of the few EMUs to call at Salwick

 

The guard on the Blackpool South 156 looked shocked he had a passenger boarding at Salwick as I took a seat (making use of the WiFi and USB socket to back-up my photos and charge my phone) for the run to St Annes-on-the-Sea where I had an idea of a fast walk to put myself an hour ahead of my original plan.  After a visit to the nearby Sainsburys for dinner I returned to the station for the 156 to return from Blackpool South to take me to Moss Side for a short wait before a pair of 150s arrived from Preston to take me to Ansdell & Fairhaven.

 

After a couple photos it was a fast walk along the road to reach Lytham station with a few minutes to spare before the 150s returned from Blackpool South to return me to Preston, where it was a short connection onto a Birmingham bound Pendo for the short hop to Wigan North Western and a gentle walk across the road to Wigan Wallgate for a short wait before a pair of 150s arrived to take me to Appley Bridge to clear Lancashire, a bonus station move (as this was originally pencilled into a rough plan for December time).  A pair of 150s took me back to Wigan Wallgate (where they terminated before forming an all-station stopper via Swinton 15 minutes later), I decided to gamble on the Stalybridge train a few minutes after and got lucky for it was a pair of lightly loaded 156s going via Bolton.

 

I took these 156s to Salford Central, using my parachute to exit the train onto the low platform and having a gentle walk back to the hotel, getting lost along the way and forgetting my room number for the security guard (the problem of staying in many hotels, you learn the location of the room rather than the number), it was a long day but productive.

 

The new guard at Blackpool North

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Sunday

 

After a good night’s sleep, it was a short walk to Victoria to board the first train towards Clitheroe, this time taking it to Darwen.  A bit of an unusual route out of Manchester Victoria towards Salford Crescent as it didn’t go via the platforms at Salford Central instead went via Ordsall Lane Junction, I guess for route knowledge.  Anyhow I soon alighted at Darwen, but kept close to the station for the 20 minutes before the next southbound service which I took to Entwistle.

 

My original plan was to flag down the next northbound train and head back to Darwen as a time wasting move, but after watching the video from Mr Marshall I had an idea to follow the road towards the Wayoh Reservior, taking a footpath through the woods to get a picture of the wonderful Armsgrove Viaduct before swinging underneath the viaduct on an uneven path (sadly no decent views possible close up as the path is within woods).  Eventually the path reached the Entwistle Reservoir (where the car parks was quite busy with walkers).  Following the road back to Entwistle station and it was a short wait before the 153+156 arrived back from Clitheroe to take me back towards Bolton.

 

 

A tight connection at Bolton (one of the worse stations to get between platforms where it is reasonable to expect passengers interchanging) with a pair of 331s taken to Blackrod for a time wasting move, before another pair of 331s took me to Deansgate (as these terminated at Oxford Road), as I crossed the road for a pair of Metrolink trams to Piccadilly (toot!), grabbing some lunch from the nearby Co-Op before returning to the station to await the next train towards Sheffield.

 

Due to engineering works, the Sheffield stoppers were being sent via Hazel Grove instead of the more usual via Marple.  A 3 coach 195 was working this service and it arrived at Chinley around 12 minutes early, allowing me time to grab some photos before returning on the same train to Hope, returning to Stockport a few minutes later on another 195 (an upgrade on the 150s which would normally be running on this line, but the interior isn’t suitable for local stoppers in my eyes, especially when the guard ropes off most of the rear coach so they can do the doors.

 

A 195 waits time at Chinley

 

At Stockport I crossed over to the opposite platform, and noting there was issues at Euston (as the Crewe – London train I was hoping to catch was starting from Stafford) decided to fire up NRE where I saw a good phrase of “ticket acceptance on Avanti West Coast”.  I took a seat on the next Pendo (which overhearing the guard had less than 50 passengers on between Wilmslow & Stafford, certainly coach U was pretty much empty).  I noticed during the dwell at Stafford the London Northwestern service I would have been on had it not been cancelled was a pair of 350/2s!

 

Arriving into London Euston, it was a short trip to Waterloo on the Northern Line before taking the next Exeter service to Andover for a 30 minute wait before the next Salisbury stopper (as Andover is a nicer place to wait around at than Basingstoke).  Getting home and it was time to relax & unwind after a busy weekend.

The calm before the storm?

18th – 20th September, Cumbria Coast & West Yorkshire

 18^th – 20^th September, Cumbria Coast & West Yorkshire

 

Back during the lockdown in March/April time I had to shift a hotel booking for the Ibis Budget in Bradford as at the time they weren’t doing refunds, only free date changes.  This weekend was the dates I randomly picked although my original idea for being in Bradford was completed last month (would have been revisiting the stations I needed in West Yorkshire) so I decided it would be a good chance to head towards the Cumbrian coast to revisit a handful of stations I need on that line (both for photos & platforms).

 

Friday

 

I was booked on the 19:48 Grand Central service to Bradford Interchange which gave me a couple hours to play with.  I had a quick play with Train Split and it threw me out an advance ticket from Andover to Waterloo with a 30 minute break at Fleet which would be a good chance to clear that station for a photograph.  I drove to Andover (for the Sunday was buses, so the idea was I could drive straight home after alighting from the bus rather than waiting for the train connection) and caught the 16:07 service towards Basingstoke (featuring a rare ticket check from the guard who caught out at least 3 others in the carriage).

 

At Basingstoke I had a 25 minute wait before the next stopper, interrupted by a 66 hauling a shiny new 701 towards Eastleigh (one of the new heavily delayed SWR trains for the metro services, first time I’ve seen one in the flesh) and another 66 hauling freight towards Southampton.  A triple 450 took me to Fleet where I had a 30 minute break in the sunshine (sadly nothing unusual passing) before another triple 450 took me all the way to Waterloo where I had time to grab some supplies before heading towards Kings Cross, going via London Bridge [South Eastern & Thameslink] to make a change from the usual Underground.

 

I arrived at Kings Cross, located the 180 and took my seat for the trip towards Bradford, emptied out at Doncaster (and Wakefield) before the tour of Yorkshire to reach Interchange, where it was a medium-length walk to the Ibis Budget where I got given a room thankfully not overlooking the main road, but overlooking an electric transformer which would hum every now and again.

 

A 66 passes Basingstoke bound for Southampton Docks

 

 

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Saturday

It was an early start (thankfully not as early as the previous weeks!) for a walk back across the city to reach Bradford Interchange (The Ibis is more suited for Forster Square).  I arrived earlier than expected allowing me to catch a required 195 to Hebden Bridge before a low mileage 195 arrived on the Blackpool service to take me to Bamber Bridge, which is normally a bit of a pain to visit due to the hourly services passing here (and it has a level crossing).  During my 30 minutes here I popped to a nearby Morrisons for breakfast & items for lunch before heading back to the station, seeing a 158 on a Colne stopper (which seem such a waste).  A 156 arrived from Colne to take me into Preston, where I had a short wait before another 195 took me all the way towards Barrow in Furness, meeting up with a good friend at Ulverston.

 

A Blackpool bound 195 departs Bamber Bridge

 

Changing over to a 156 to carry along the coast (which is a beautiful line) requesting the train to stop at Parton before heading back towards Sellafield (where I spotted one of the former Scottish 68s in plain blue colours).  Back up to St Bees before returning to Barrow, transferring onto a 195 to take us to Ulverston, where I got given a mini guided tour before returning to the station with a busy 195 to Dalton (local door only due to the large step).  Back to the sprinters with a 156 to Grange over Sands before the same 195 returned from Barrow to take me back to Preston.

 

Good views of the line hugging the coast at Parton

 

At Preston I visited a nearby KFC for dinner before returning to the station to await the next York train, a required 195 which took me to Accrington where I bailed to attempt a photograph of a passing steam engine tour before 150001 arrived from Blackburn to take me to Todmorden (when I saw the PIS say “formed of 3 coaches” I was expecting to see a 153 or even a 158).  The train lost a bit of time due to following the steam engine which was losing time, arriving into Todmorden around 20 minutes late.

 

 

I decided to call it a night and headed back towards Bradford on another 195 (same one I started the day with), and when I was at Bradford I saw a train towards Halifax (from Hull) was due so I randomly headed over towards that platform to see my last 155 I needed for mileage was at the front so it would be rude to turn it down for the spin to Halifax, returning to Bradford on the same pair of 155s to avoid a wait for an unknown service.  In the current climate it is better to play it safe than sorry in terms of late evening loadings.

 

155342 at Halifax

 

Once I was back at Bradford it was a gentle walk back to the hotel to relax for the remainder of the evening.

 

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Sunday

 

A day of no real plans, other than being on the 15:59 service from Bradford to London, so after checking out of the hotel, I headed towards Bradford Interchange to catch the first Manchester train of the day, expecting a 195 instead a 158 rolled up which made a change.  This 158 took me to Halifax where I spotted the Halifax – York service was a required 195 I bailed to tick off another 195 for the run to New Pudsey, returning to Bradford on the next Manchester service (a pair of 195/0s where the rear one was required, which goes onto my list of still being needed for 10 miles).

 

A York bound 195 departs New Pudsey

 

The first option was a pair of 150s from Huddersfield which were turned down for a pair of required 195s from Manchester, the slow run into Leeds wasn’t enough to push them over 10 miles, but the 9 and a half miles was a start.  At Leeds it was a quick change onto a Skipton bound 331 which was low mileage to take me to Shipley to intercept a dud 801 back to Leeds where I exited the station for a short break.  I knew from RTT the next LNER train to London was required so I did a random trip to Wakefield & back with a 331 followed by a 153+150 combo, to board 801223 to take me back to Wakefield.

 

"Welcome to the Skipton Train"

 

It was a bit sad seeing a pair of voyagers towards Penzance being lightly loaded (maybe 30 passengers on a service which pre Covid would have been busy), but my next move was to Knottingley on the same 153+150 combo I had earlier, more a time wasting move but always interesting to see all the various lines (and former lines) in the area between Wakefield & Streethouse.  A short stay at Knottingley before the same pair returned me towards Wakefield Westgate for a short wait for another required 801 rolled in from London to take me back to Leeds.

 

Dogbox at Knottingley

 

With nothing else I could really do working with the limited Sunday timetable, I decided to exit the station and head to a little Co-Op near the Travelodge to pick up items for dinner before heading back to the station to board a busy Blackpool bound 195 to Halifax (for it was required), intercepting one of the pairs of 195s I had earlier in the day which pushed 195017 over ten miles for the run back into Bradford Interchange, where I interchanged onto the 180 to take me back to London.

 

Mind the step onto the 180.

A quiet coach to start with, but after Doncaster it was busy, no spare pairs of seats which I could see, good to see it being busy as I do like a non-stop run on a 180 along the ECML.  Arrival into Kings Cross was pretty much on time (maybe a minute early) which allowed me to head to Waterloo quickly for the Weymouth train which due to engineering works went via Cobham to reach Guildford, where I changed onto the Andover coach, which in my mind was quite nice (in terms of legroom and interior comfort, coach YR20 BJZ from “Barnes Coaches” of Swindon).  It was very unusual spotting a 458 at Guildford; I guess it was working the Guildford – Alton services.

 

The coach ride back to Andover was peaceful & uneventful, nice speedy run along dual carriageways & the motorway, and it was a quiet drive home for me, the end of the weekend trip.  I've learned from the past it makes more sense using my car as it means not having to wait around for the train connection.