28/05/2017 - I'm a Basher with a Red Pen, Day 1
Trip title this time is a reference to a new favourite Nightcore tune, Angel with a Shotgun. Backstory is short but sweet this time. While in Yates the night before, I looked up the cost of an easyHotel stay in Croydon. Finding out it was only £35.95 I booked that fast! I couldn't wait to get home and have tea then prepare for a bash I had originally decided against, and let my norm mates know I wasn't joining them after all. They're quite good in that they know I'm obsessed with my trains, so didn't mind. I'm giving up the opportunity to go on a tour on 14th June to join them for a night out, and they fully appreciate it's rare for me to give up a train journey. Plus on top of that they're good friends anyway who appreciate I have a life away from NormLand!
I was up well early, as expected, and after a productive morning I got a lift to the station. £22.50 in RTVs got my ticket to London down to a sensible £47.90, which is still chingy but well worth it in my eyes. Yes I could have gone via Evesham, for a potential 165/166 score, but that also meant 170s to/from Worcester. With no Tech's Mobile Disco on my phone, that was not happening! An ops incident caused major delays to the first Manchester train, causing the ECS for the 1007 Hereford to Carmarthen to be delayed, eventually I left 14 down on 153327+150231. I opted for the 150 on this occasion, as I don't get enough 150 thrash. The good news is this one was last had either too long ago to record individual coaches or had as a pair, as I had no line under either half. That got fixed and turned into a Super Dud. Why? I decided my rule on coaching stock can now apply to MUs as well, as long as each one was done between station stops as per the MK3/MK4 revised rule from earlier this month. Whether I choose to keep that rule going after today I have yet to decide, but we'll see.
My full coffee collector card redeemed in McDonalds, once the people in front of me made their 7 seperate orders, and I made it back in time to get into position for the 1139 to London Paddington. Eventually it rolled in late, with 43145+43174 providing the oomph today. Due to a blockade at Swindon, after Bristol Parkway we were diverted to Bristol Temple Meads, then onwards to Bath Spa where the train got unsurprisingly very busy, before running non-stop via Trowbridge, Westbury East Curve and Newbury to Reading and onwards to London Paddington. Two HST trailers were in the formation, so that was excellent news for me. On with the charge for the phone, as I anticipate using it a lot on this bash so want 100% charge for as long as possible. 46018 scored, and later on so was 42514. Still 58 GWR HST trailers to go from memory, the requirements file for which was one of many lost when I had to get my phone replaced recently.
After Bristol Temple Meads I went to the buffet car, and timed it well as in front of me was 4 people but by the time I got to the front there were about 9 behind me if not more! Coffee sourced but I hadn't really appreciated the run to Bath, one I used to do so very often in years gone by. I had forgotten how nice the Avon Valley is though, sadly the sun was left behind in the Freshford area. Of course, after the crawl via Westbury East Curve, on which I saw a westbound HST with 43185 on the back, it would soon be time for the power to come back with a vengence! Well, it was a bit then slow for a while to Pewsey, full thrash to Hungerford then slow and almost to a stop at Newbury. I assume we were following something, and at 1353 we had not long passed Newbury Racecourse. All fine and good except we were due into Reading at 1357! Some thrash after Theale was had and we were 11 down into Reading, leaving 7 down thanks to some padding. It was such a dull run I wished I'd gone via the WCML after all!
Arrival was finally into Paddington at 1447, and after a quick scout I found no winners. The ticket machines wouldn't accept my card, so after getting my Travelcard in the ticket office I checked out the next Twyford. Good job I did as I landed Super Dud 165107 with winner 165120 for a leap to Ealing Broadway!
Now the plan had been to start on the Central line, however I noticed winning S stock so raced over to join double winners 21404+21403 on a leap to Ealing Common. Dud 884 led winner 183 forward to Acton Town, and having been held in the heat for signals I went back to air-conditioned trains! Double winners 21551+21552 took me to Turnham Green, where I originally wanted to head to Richmond. Two Ealing trains came first then the Richmond was dud, so knowing there were winners coming back I returned to the eastbound platform. 27 minutes after arriving, I left again on double winners 21352+21351 as far as Hammersmith, thinking I'd change tactics now with a winner on the Piccadilly. Umm, no, it was being held for 3 minutes! So when I saw double winners 21387+21388 it wasn't a hard choice. I took them to Earls Court, getting treated to a half-hearted attempt at a pole dance from a blonde girl during the wait at a red signal.
Eventually double winners 21359+21360 arrived to take me to Kite's favourite S stock hunting spot, South Kensington. I was there for a matter of seconds before jumping on double winners for everything 21488+21487 for the journey to Richmond. My target at this point was 29 winners before I head home and I was already on 14! 29 minutes later I was off at Richmond, and I didn't realise there had been rugby on at Twickenham. About 8 minutes later double winners 458501+458516, the latter also for sight, took me to Clapham Junction, where I bailed and somehow landed the same set I couldn't get on at Richmond, joining dud 458505 and winner 458517 to London Waterloo. The plan had been to go to Burger King, alas the queue was silly and not getting processed too quickly, as per usual here. I went to Sainsburys instead and got a meal deal and a couple of other snacks, then the rain came down like nobody's business, so I waited it out for a bit. When it died down a bit I went for it and ran to the station, faced with several duds.
However good fortune was coming up, as I joined double winners 458532+458534, the latter required for sight too. My much needed tea was devoured here and finished just before Clapham Junction, where I bailed and crossed to the mainline side. Good timing too, as I made it onto a late running winner 455713 and dud 455908 for a journey to my first shack score of the day, Norbiton. I flagged a pair of duds going back towards Wimbledon, and just as well as I scored winner 455736+455725 to winner shack Teddington. Not much around here, and I could have gone for a walk to get the X26 to Croydon, but I had a known winner coming up, so stayed put and joined winner 455914 with dud 455741 for the trip to winner shack Barnes. From here, after consulting RTT, I joined winner 458536 and dud 458533 to winner shack North Sheen. Taking me back from the island platform was dud 455735 and winner 455705 to winner shack Mortlake. I was in the motor coach but heard nothing thanks to it being busy with drunks.
Tesco Express Mortlake was visited, as I really wanted some beers. The first one was had on the platform, raising my Beerspotting level on Untappd slowly! A pair of dud 455s were flagged heading west, so St Magarets will wait for another day. Winner 458519 took me to winner shack Putney, as I had a major taste for shack scoring! Winner for everything 458526 took me onward to Clapham Junction only 5 minutes later, my 26th winner in 6.25 hours in London and not bad considering my first one was at 1513! Noddy had texted me earlier in the day to suggest I'll hit 50 winners before I head home, and now it felt realistic! 6 shack scores too, not a bad result! A rare event now, a pair of required 377s! Double winners 377420+377422 flew me to Croydon in 9 minutes.
It was unusual to actually go fast on Southern, that was a far nicer journey than expected! Once in Croydon, I went to Blindtraveller's choice of pub, Porter and Sorter, for a rather nice pint, then my red pen went crazy here as I then went to Spoons and had 4 winners in there too! Two were halves, one a sample and only one was a full pint, but by the time I got to the room I was more than a bit out of it. Really wasn't bright going overboard like that but it's done now!
Oh, and I forgot to mention I did a leap on 2540 from East Croydon to George Street to get to Spoons!
29/05/2017 - I'm a Basher with a Red Pen, Day 2
0530 and the alarm was turned off for some more sleep. Thankfully Kite texted me not much later and I got up for a badly needed de-rancification. You try and find norms who go out on the drinks and still get up so early without complaining wildly! Travelcard sourced, it was to the platforms for a Pumpkin coffee before boarding double duds 377445+377140 to Clapham Junction. Dud after dud after dud, mostly from yesterday but some from previously, 455 flagged and I settle with dud 455725 to winner shack Malden Manor. I was only there for a couple of minutes before heading back out on winner 455703, another step closer to clearing this side of London! I need some shacks on Southern within the zones, but they're all rail replacement bus served today so no thanks.
At Motspur Park I bailed and started on the doughnuts from yesterday for breakfast before dud 455701 took me to winner shack Stoneleigh. A rare treat indeed next from the island platform, as taking me to Wimbledon were double winners 455873+455726, happy days! There's a lengthy wait for a Sutton bound train next, and the lavatories at Wimbledon are near the LU platforms, which were closed off for engineering works. That meant no PNB for me, which was most frustrating! So imagine my delight when winner 700007 turned up to take me to winner shack West Sutton, never been so happy to see a 700! A boring fester resulted in me getting winner 700038 in the book for a trip to winner shack Morden South. 319220 was up next, much to my delight, for some motor coach noise on the leap to winner shack Sutton Common. This may well end up my final 319 journey on Thameslink, which is a sobering reminder of how things have changed over the years.
Winner 700027 took me to my final Thameslink shack in the zones, winner shack South Merton. 319445 was up next to escort around the long way to town, via Mitcham Junction, and of course I was in the motor coach! I was shocked how many 319s were out on the loop, and after filling the ears with DC motor noise for just under an hour it was time to bail and move on, as I was now fast running out of time to do much. 16 minutes later, I finally got a score with double winners 21062+21061 for a leap to Kings Cross St Pancras. A few minutes later double winners 21549+21550 took me to Euston Square, and by now the stomach was screaming at me. It got told to shut up and wait, I had S8 winners due! Thankfully I was towards the back of double winners 21008+21007 as Wembley visitors were rather loud already! After Great Portland Street, I headed onwards to Baker Street with double winners 21043+21044.
Coffee time here from Treats on the northbound platforms. £1.35 got me a surprisingly decent coffee which was most welcome after a busy morning. Double winners 21004+21003 took me to Finchley Road and I changed tactics here as it was getting close to a football game at Wembley. 96030 got scored for sight on the Jubilee line, and you can see where I'm going with this now I'm sure! Winner 96115 and dud 96070 took me on a Bus Stop Bash to Swiss Cottage, followed 3 minutes later by winner 96049 and dud 96038 to St. John's Wood. Having spied a winner heading north, I rushed to it and got rewarded with double winners 96096+96011 back to Swiss Cottage.
It was then back to St Johns Wood, all the time keeping my eye on the clock as it would soon be the end of play. Winner 96073 and dud 96006 took me there, and to Baker Street I went next on dud 96043 and winner 96094. Double winners 96003+96074 were impossible to turn down on a leap to Bond Street, and my luck was sure in as I got double winners 96086+96095 back to Baker Street.
The connection to the northbound Bakerloo line was nice and easy, and I set up camp for a winner, and as it wasn't far off 12 noon by now I hoped one would turn up soon. It was 10 minutes on a very warm platform waiting in the end, but dud 3459 and winner 3238 took me to Paddington. The crowds for the escalator were enormous, and I was that desperate to get upstairs I actually jogged all the way up the stairs in the middle! I kept going until I reached the concourse before pausing to get the breath back, maybe I am fitter than I thought!
It was insanely busy here with Reading supporters coming to Wembley, wow weren't some of them loud! It was lunch time now, and it was to Burger King for a supersize Bacon Double Cheeseburger meal. I was starving and I knew that would fill me up until I got home for tea, an expected 6 hours later tea was expected at so it made sense. After a thoroughly enjoyable meal, it was just waiting for boarding at my favourite station, before a need to spend money became rather real. Soon enough boarding commenced and I see 43145 had got swapped out for 43162, the rest of the set being the same as yesterday. It was time for some tunes for the next 40 minutes or so, then to getting the notebook updated. That job took a while, although I stopped to get a coffee halfway through. The moves book I dread to think what will be like, however I updated the trip report before tackling that. By now we were passing through Bradford-on-Avon! The weather had turned proper miserable and wet now too, oh that will be fun later...
We eventually reach Newport at 1537, and I visited Hi Coffee next to platform 4 for, well, a coffee. It's good stuff from there so I recommend it over the chingier Upper Crust. 175102 took me to Hereford, much of the journey saw me with tunes on and getting my books all done. As a result, I have some Scores on the Doors! Once in Hereford there was a short wait for a lift home, and I was by now looking forward to whatever was coming for tea. Results then:
39 new sights
56 new haulages
12 shack scores
26 Jubilee sets to go
36 S8 halves to go
70 S7 halves to go
Quite the impressive result considering I was only in London from 1447 to 1300, just over 22 hours!
