It certainly was and cheers again. The book of sights done well, hence the reason for going.
#LSGsCapitalGains
Day 3
Unfortunately it's the last day and I'll warn you all now, this trip report is very light on bashing sojourns. It was a number crunching day. Bad news too, it meant the haversack would be made redundant and I'd have to hump the mobile house all over London, what's worse, when I got up to make a cuppa, I realised pretty sharpish, yesterday's marathon session, had certainly took it's toll on my ankle, so not only have a got a ton weight on my shoulder, I'm gonna hobble all over as well. Fortunately, a rummage in the mobile house, I'd struck gold, I had some Co-Codamol, result! After my coffee and hobbling in and out the shower, packing the bag, I set about taking them tablets. After double checking I'd left nowt. I left the key in reception and set off towards Greggs for breakfast. Noticing a Poundland, I called in and made a supply raid, as well as adding some neurofen, even more weight into the mobile house but well needed weight.
At Greggs I got 2 bacon sarnies, coffee and a jam doughnut and set off for Stratford Station, troughing them bacon sarnies as I walked along.
I stood outside Stratford Station, finishing breakfast, whilst doing so, I was watching a young lass busking, she'd strum along on her guitar, the words inaudible, I thought I'd gone deaf, then she screeched, someone please get me out of heeerrree!!! before briefly stopping looking over her shoulder, if someone was coming, she'd start strumming again and mumble some words, then screech someone get me out of here again. I thought jesus, she's shocking, this was merely confirmed, when a homeless guy walked past and shouted, give it a rest will ya, your s**t. I nearly choked on my coffee but the poor lass went crimson.
After buying a travelcard, I made for the London end of platform 9 again, Fortunately there's a small shelter, with a seat in it, so I plonked myself here. I had a great hour and a half here, scoring plenty units, not only coming through the station but some going over to Temple Mills, no doubt for storage till the Evening peak, also there's a steady stream of freight comes through too.
20171012_105428 by
Michael Barrass, on Flickr
I may not have clicked any locos but there was about 6 freight trains came through, which alleviated the unit blindness. Just before I left, I was delighted to score a GA DVT, not bad seen as I only needed 2, I was hoping for a spin down to Liverpool Street, on a winner 90, sadly none appeared.
I made off the platforms for a quick ciggy, then shot back to Platform 1 for a spin over to somewhere I haven't been in a good while. Winner
378219 took me off towards Wilesden Junction. I sat down and got my earphones out and for the duration enjoying some tunes, blasting some of one of my fave bands, Neds Atomic Dustbin, in particular their Brainbloodvolume Album, a great choice too, it certainly put a spring in my step. For those of you unfortunate enough not to have your ears be blessed by the Neds, click the link
Needless to say I arrived at Wilesden Jct in good spirits, even more so when I clicked 2 GOBLIN 172s, stabled round the back of Wilesden Depot, that I could pick off from the platform. However I walked towards the arch, that leads the Depot Entrance, I couldn't find the way onto the bridge, I was like eh, where the? I honestly thought it had been fenced off, without checking just looking. I walked up the car park and got in touch with a fellow crank, thankfully just as he was telling me, go through the arch, I saw the gap between the fence to the right of the arch. I thought, you total berk, ok, I'm paraphrasing there but you get the picture.
So why here you may ask, well, the idea being, Not only can I see freight, maybe even to get one 59/1, plus hopefully to score some LM 350's and more LO units. I got talking to 2 cranks on the bridge, one gent, who has only just returned to the scene after a very long lay off out of the scene and is a new member on this very forum, he goes by the handle of Toad2017, who will no doubt need a bit advice from all of us in the coming months. The other guy, who's name sadly escapes me, was a bit older but certainly knew his stuff. It was a great pleasure to meet both and I had a great couple of hours with those 2 guys, talking Shop. With Toads bino's I managed to snaffle
172005 and
313121 for the book of sights, sadly the LM 350's weren't playing today, neither were them errant 59's but 70815 became a very popular addition to the cops list, for all 3 of us but my 2nd loco clicked for sight. 70815 was on the Oxwellmains-West Thurrock, so here I am standing on a bridge in London, witnessing a turn, that will have past my house at 00.56 that morning. Strangest sight of the day was witnessing a Hull Trains 180 going through the LO platforms at Willesden Junction, excuse the crap mobile shot but it certainly took us 3 by surprise.
2017-10-23_11-43-17 by Michael Barrass, on Flickr
Not long after 59203 went through, I bade farewell to Toad and made for the mole platforms. I was off to Marleybone and a certain set, to High Wycombe, was on the agenda, if it was a winner, at least.
Within seconds of arriving on the mole platform, one arrived, I positioned myself to ID the goblin 172's and was rewarded with another 3 for the book of sights, meaning I'd got 6 out of the possible 8, which made me happy. On the way to Marleybone, I looked at the tube map and saw, Paddington's on the way, I had time to bail there, so I did, lobbed up the stairs and done a quick reccy of the HST stock, as I made my way over towards the Ealing Broadway platforms, I bumped into my second last 180 needed for sight, thanks to 180106 for handing itself into the book of sights, very welcome addition it was too. Needless to say, the GWR Green 387s took my eye and I scarpered through the barrier to leap aboard AR winners 387131 & 387150 for a quick spin out to Ealing Broadway n back. A quick cross over bridge and a few minutes later I'm on winner 387130 and AR winner 387138 back to Paddington, where I went off the platform and had a quick ciggy before going back for the mole to Marleybone.
Now here I could make hay, I need a lot of the Chiltern 165/0's but I was hoping to get 2 Chiltern Cats that have avoided me, if either 68013 or 68015 turn up here, now that'd make me a happy chap indeed, if either is on the 17.21 to Bicester, I'd be ecstatic. On arriving there, I noticed 2 loco hauled silver sets were in. So obviously, I made for them first.
68015 straight of the bat, get in. I went to check when it was leaving, the 16.15 to Kidderminster, talk about breaking my heart, first stop Banbury, the language was choice, having it growl out of Marley without me on it, hurt like a bitch. Still the Chiltern units were being added to the book of sights, plus there's a chance with the 17.21, I told myself.
Ok so it was close but no cigar but a dud 68 nonetheless, a huge shame, 68012 gave me the eyes, the big grey temptress but ultimately I only had eyes for 13 or 15. I watched 68012 depart, then so did I, with over 30 cops for the book of sights too, it'd been a very wise decision on my behalf to hit Marley in the peak.
It was now time to hit Kings Cross, easier said than done, in the crush hour, I had to let 2 moles go before I managed to get on one. I come out the tube station onto the platforms, a pair of 313s took my eye, so I made through the barriers and jumped in the nearest door of AR winner 313035 just before the door closed, for a leap up to Finsbury Park, at which I'd have to discover which other 313 was on the front. Having bailed at Finsbury Park, I dashed up front to see, what was indeed on the front, no surprises to see AR winner 313036. I wandered through the tunnel and over to the Southbound platform, standing here thinking, here I am standing at a place, that was once a bastion of the Deltics. After about 10mins, in came AR winner 365507, for the run back to the Cross, where I was in dire need of food.
After a quick sweep of the platforms, I made my way out to Kings Cross Square and had a ciggy and got talking to two guys, who were from the church of latter day saints, who asked, if I was a believer. I said, no thanks lads, the last thing I need is a sermon. With that, I said cheerio and found a chippy called Eddie's, I got a half pound cheese burger with proper chips, £7 well spent, it was gorgeous too and I could only eat half such was the size of it. The rest I put in my bag for the journey home.
Suitably stuffed and with just over an hour till the 21.00 home, I decided/was talked into, doing one last spin on the Thameslink. I scampered over to St Piano's and onto the Thameslink platforms. After a few minutes another AR winner arrived in the form of 700012, so off I went to Farringdon. As I was crossing the bridge a 700 arrived, so I picked up the pace and scampered down the stairs onto an unknown 700 back to St Pianos, for the penultimate move of the trip. After bailing and I made to find out what the 700 was. Winner 700004 obliged me with the last move of the travelcard. I only had about half an hour to kill, so I made over to Kings Cross, walked through the open barriers and had a wander round the platforms. Trying to maximise the cops, well I eeked out 2 more, 387126 and 387110, kindly donated themselves to LSGs Book of Sights.
20171012_210307 by Michael Barrass, on Flickr
With 10mins to spare, I made my way over to Platform 0, I thought I'd got one of my VTEC coaches too, however when I checked the book of sights, I was wrong. As I fully expected the 91 was a dud, 91105, was given the job of taking me back home. I made my through Coach D's door to find my window seat in Coach C, I got near to it and saw a woman plugging her laptop into the power socket and sitting in my seat, she turned round and the instant our eyes met, she screwed up her face, I couldn't believe it, I just burst out laughing, to the point folk must've thought I was mental. I just turned away to find another seat, the coach was rammed anyway. Who was it? it was only the very woman, who ran over the mobile house with her bike, on Day 1. I couldn't have written this if I tried. I found a backwards facing seat, just as I walked into coach D, one with loads of leg room, no reservation. so here I plonked for the duration of the trip home. Bike lady got off at York, I watched for her at every station lol
So what of the results, Day 1 garnered 129 cops, Day 2 got me 140 and Day 3 landed me 83, giving a grand ole total 0f 352 cops, which delighted me, it was 52 more than I'd hoped to get. However a few days before I set off, I'd sat for bloody ages, going through my notebooks, counting just how many cops I'd managed to get (there's a little pen dot above every cop in my notebooks, no such data file thingymebobs for me) over the course of every single trip out, since my first ever trip report on here, from a trip out on a roundabout ticket in Glasgow on the 14th July 2014. Now on the 12th October 2018 the EMU below, 365532 became a bit of a landmark, it became the 347th cop of the trip
20171012_210426 by Michael Barrass, on Flickr
thus becoming THE 2000th entry to the book of sights, since that very day in Glasgow. Mind you, at the time I didn't know this, I knew I was close but didn't know for certain, at one point I thought it may have been a VTEC coach 10320, that would've been a bit disappointing, in the end it wasn't even a cop anyway. So all in all a very profitable trip away. I've sampled a myriad of loco's and units for haulage, actually ID'd a few 395s, hit a landmark and had a brilliant time. Thanks for ALL the advice and gen, I can't thank you enough, to Toad and the guy on the bridge at Wilesden Junction, thanks for the company, conversation and the good laugh. Much appreciated. Hope you all enjoyed the trip report.