I’ve just had an interesting and enjoyable couple of days with a rare double event.
As usual I had booked a Friday off work and for March that was the 18th, this was done before I realised that GCR diesel gala would be taking place on the 19th and would have a required visitor.
Anyway, here’s day one.
I had looked for cheap tickets on Virgin East Coast but none were to be had and so I turned to Grand Central.
Grand Central have a couple of advantages, one it’s cheap-ish and two there’s free parking at Brighouse, which is only a twenty minute drive from home.
Of course, there are down sides as well, namely the fact that it takes so long, coupled with the assurance that the service won’t be worked by a sub thousand mile 91
I only needed one GC 180 coach for a ride in and that was the first class vehicle in 180114.
I was going first class so naturally had my fingers crossed for a positive result.
I didn’t get one as it was 180112 that appeared for the stagger to Doncaster.
After Doncaster there’s no problem and the 180s fly along, but it’s telling that half the journey time for these services is between Bradford and Donny.
The first class offerings aren’t too spectacular and they weren’t improved by the news that there was no hot water as there was a fault with the boiler, so no cups of tea for me.
Still, I got several bottles of water and some biscuits to tide me over.
An automated announcement half way through the journey advising passengers to take care when carrying hot drinks brought about a smattering of ironic laughter from caffeine desperate punters.
Arrival into Kings Cross was at ten past ten, somewhat later then when I go on Virgin.
Unusually we pulled into one of the suburban platforms, number 9, and when I alighted I immediately spotted a gaggle of photographers at the top of platform 8.
Obviously my crank antenna kicked in and I thought there must be a kettle or some such round the corner and so I strolled up.
Imagine my surprise when I walked round the corner to see a brand new Virgin Satsuma, or something, sat there.
I wasn't expecting that:
EDMU 800101_2016.03.18_1_Kings Cross by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
EDMU 800101_2016.03.18_2_Kings Cross by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
It was 800101.
I took a couple of snaps and noticed that the other people stood there all had “press” passes hung round their necks.
I decided that instead of walking back round to platform 9 I would just stroll down 8 and have a further examination.
I did notice that all the passenger coach windows were covered over, so no chance of a peek inside.
As I approached the buffer end of the train I saw a large gathering of people and it dawned on me that this must be a launch event.
“I wonder if Richard Branson’s here” I chuckled to myself.
Then I spotted a flowing mane pop out of the cab door, followed by an upper torso and a waving arm.
“He is, and all!”
I suddenly felt a bit conspicuous as I started to mingle with loads of people, most in suits with Virgin or press badges and some serving staff carrying plates of canapes.
I was just some scruffy herbert who’d wondered in from the wrong end of the show.
I walked past the cab of the unit and saw that Dickie was now sat inside, grinning and waving out of the platform side window.
There were loads of police and security people stood about but they were to stop uninvited guests from coming through from the South end.
As a big bloke with a beard and a rucksack who was quite clearly not an invited guest I expected to be thrown to the floor or shot at any second
I wasn’t.
I made my way through the cordon going in the opposite way to a few late comers and did attract some puzzled looks from the security, but they didn’t say anything as I was heading away from the proceedings.
I got a couple of shots from the public side of the barrier and then set off as I wasn’t going to waste time hanging around.
Today I was heading East as I wanted to make some inroads into my list of required 315s, a couple of 317s wouldn’t go amiss as well.
To the underground I headed and
24055 was sat in to Liverpool Street.
Once there I mooched down to the low numbered platforms and immediately spotted a winner.
It was straight through the barriers and onto
315801 for a run through to my first new shack of the day
Cheshunt
The same unit was then taken back to
Turkey Street, picked because I found the name amusing
A short wait was followed by another new unit,
315803, which I did for a short run to
Theobalds Grove
No, it's not the Gobble-in line:
EMU 315803_2016.03.18_1_Turkey Street by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
I had just missed an up service and so ended up hanging around for 315803 coming back and doing this to
Hackney Downs
A third new 315 was then bagged when I took
315814 for the five and a half mile run to
Highams Park
My winning streak ended as dud for the day 315801 then produced and this was my ride to the next new station,
Clapton.
EMU 315801_2016.03.18_4_Highams Park by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
It was another dud, this time from one of last year’s soirees, 315811, that whisked me away from Clapton and took me just under two miles to
St. James Street
I was expecting my dud streak to continue as I knew what should be coming to take me on the next leg of my East London jaunt.
I wasn’t disappointed, then, when 315814 re-appeared.
I took this through to Liverpool Street.
I hadn’t finished with that line yet, though as I had one station that was very much on my required list, Wood Street, for obvious reasons.
I wanted to go there on a winner and my mission was successful as it was
315817 that did the deed.
Obviously, anywhere with a name like
Wood Street was going to festoon me with winners, it’s only right.
A fine name for a station:
EMU 315817_2016.03.18_Wood Street by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
I was hopeful when I saw that the next service to Liverpool Street was formed of eight coaches.
I hadn’t yet had a 317 today and so was pleased when I saw a pair coming round the corner.
I was much less pleased when I identified them as double duds 317888 and 317708.
I’d only had thirteen of them and 317708 is the only dud one from that sub-class.
So much for my namesake station being lucky.
I flagged them in disgust and waited for the next one, which was the unit I had arrived on, 315817.
Back at Liverpool Street I decided I’d had enough of that side of the station and so made my way to the high numbered platforms, still after 315s.
Consecutively numbered
315833 and
315834 were waiting to leave and it would have been rude not to and so I was soon on my way to
Chadwell Heath.
With a ten minute frequency I saw the chance to bump my numbers up and had seen the service behind as it pulled into Liverpool Street and so knew I was going to increase my scoring rate.
Continuing with the name theme I wanted to visit a new shack that could have been named after a relative of mine, so I took
315858 and
315842 to
Harold Wood.
Is that you, uncle Harold?
EMU 315842_2016.03.18_Harold Wood by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
Actually, I know of nobody in my family called Harold, although that is my father-in-law's name, but obviously his surname is different
One of my foibles is that I like to ride on each unit individually when possible and so my plan was to go back to on the same two sets. But sat in the opposite unit to the one I had used on the way out.
This plan was put back when winning pair
315826 and
315819 arrived.
I may be strange but I’m not an idiot and so these two were done for a reasonable run back as far as Chadwell Heath.
I sat in 64512 of 315826 and so hope to get a seat in 315819 at some future point.
As expect this pair was followed by 315834 and 315833 and so I went in the former having earlier sampled the latter.
I took these to another new shack,
Seven Kings and then followed this up with a ride on 315858, which was, of course, still working with 315842.
I still hadn’t had a 317 and so resolved to make sure I got one in before heading back West.
As it happens, I didn’t get one, I got two.
317881 was leading
317501 on a Hertford East service and so I leapt aboard and sampled the pair through to
Edmonton Green.
My last EMUs of the day were a pair of 315s, winner
315816 leading dud 315804.
I had a short run on these as I was heading back to the Cross and thought the underground from Liverpool Street would be a bit busy.
Plus I could get another station (technically two, actually) ticked off.
I bailed at
Seven Sisters and made my way down to the Metropolitan line platforms (I count mainline and LU stations separately, even when they’re in the same location) and a seat was found in
12009.
A not too wedged journey was then taken to Kings Cross/St Pancras.
I had a bit of time to kill and so had a mooch up to the Eurostar platforms to see if any of the new 374s were kicking about.
My luck was in as 374010 was stood at the buffers, the first one that I’ve seen.
I had enjoyed a very productive day, making the hoped for inroads into my required 315s, getting a good few shacks ticked off, scoring my first class 374 and 800 for sight and spotting a grinning businessman.
All I needed to cap the day off nicely was a ride home in my last required GC 180 coach.
Did I get it?
Yes!
180114 was on the 19.52 service to Bradford and so I now have no need to do a desperate first class single from Interchange to Halifax move in order to get it in
The train arrived at Brighouse more or less on time and after getting home I had to check out my photos, etc before going to bed as 45135 was due to pick me up in a few hours for day two of my adventure.
The GCR report will follow in due time.
