DaventryRabbit
Member
Hi all
Thought some people might be interested in the edited highlights of my ALR for 2022..
Firstly, let me explain a few things: When it comes to Railways I do a bit of everything, Spotting, Line bashing, Microgricing Rare Crossovers (Down to 'Quail Atlas' level of detail!) Photography, Station Hunting, etc etc.. So I try to incorporate most of these into any itinerary when it comes to ALR's.
I purchased the ticket at Leicester one Sunday afternoon in early May. No problem with the tranasction at all. The EMR Ticket Clerk knew exactly what I was on about and how to issue it "I haven't issued one of these for a Few Years...Happy Travels!"
Day 1 Monday
Start: Buxton
Finish: Kilmarnock
Early Start to be on one of the only departures from Platform 1 at Buxton, the 0632 to Manchester
2x150 to Stockport
A wait for a train that goes across Man Picc to Salford Crescent. This is an Alderley Edge to Southport so half think it might be a 769 but...another pair of 150's. Tight change at Salford Crescent into a Blackburn Kirkby Train to travel via Atherton to Wigan Wallgate
Sit here and wait for 0917 Southport to Alderley Edge which did throw up 769458. My first ride in one of these. A lot quieter in Diesel Mode but IMHO quite tardy acceleration...
Off at Bolton to take a Rochdale to Clitheroe train to Blackburn. Objective here is the extended double Track section Around Darwen.
15 mins at Blackburn an I'm heading back to Bolton. Then the 1210 Manchester Airport Edinburgh TPE Service 397009 to Preston. I knew from RTT that my last 397 for sight AS WELL as my last 331 would both by sheer chance be at Preston at around the same time not long after I arrived...
Off to Windermere next changing at Oxenholme. Not been down the branch in daylight for some Years...
My plan had always been to change at Carlisle for Kilmarnock but all day I had been checking/revising the plan as I had heard about the Derailment at Coatbridge and subsequent lack of trains over the lengthy section between Bathgate and Shettleston. This should be open from tomorrow though so I had today only to scratch the Crossover into Shettleston platform 1, which terminating trains from Glasgow would have to use..
Arriving into Glasgow Central on Avanti at 1915 or so I walked to Queen St and managed to get the late running 1908 from Balloch which according to all systems was THE LAST EASTBOUND TRAIN TONIGHT! So doubly lucky to have been able to be in a position to do it!
One Downside: NO TRAINS BACK INTO GLASGOW FROM SHETTLESTON! So quick thinking on my part and checks online saw me on a First Glasgow Bus on Route 60A from Outside the Station.
Back in the city I had to run to make the 2113 Glasgow Carlisle Train to Kilmarnock.
Day 2 Tuesday
Start: Kilmarnock
Finish: Dumbarton Ctl
Early train from Kilmarnock into Glasgow, which runs Wrong Line from Lochridge Junction to Lugton! Off at Crossmyloof to walk up the road in the rain to Polkockshields East. 320311 to Cathcart and then 380014 on to Neilston.
Not a lot here and a bit bleak I always find, but find a bakery which does takeaway Teas 5 mins walk from station. Back into Glasgow and out to Ayr arriving onto Bay P2 which I required. Dooble back to Kilwinning and down to Ardrossan Harbour. Sunny but very windy as I took a walk along the beach.
Ardrossan South Beach to Largs was next then back to Paisley Gilmour St. Short hop to Bishopton for a wait for one of the only service Bus Routes to go across the Erskine Bridge. Turns up1/2 hr late, just as I was going to abandon it as a bad idea!
Tight 3 min connection at Clydebank for Dalmuir and then 1647 to Larkhall which I stayed with all the way 'Across Town' as it is the only scheduled daytime use of P1 at Larkhall..
Back to Dalmuir on following service and change for Dumbarton Central
Day 3 Wednesday
Start: Dalreoch
Finish: Newcraighall
Dalreoch Is literally across the Bridge from Dumbarton so it was easy to score this new 'Shack'! A quick trip up to Balloch and back to Glasgow via Yoker saw me on the 0817 from Central to Edinburgh via Shotts. My first trip along this route with AC Traction.
Change at Haymarket for the LNER Leeds - Aberdeen Azuma. Another quick change in the Granite City for 1311 to Inverurie. Another newly doubled section to score along here and of course there was the New Kintore Station to view.
25 mins or so in Inverurie whilst 158710 went to the reversing siding to...er..reverse and form 1356 to Montrose. Stay with this throughout.
Following HST ex Aberdeen is 42127 so am off to Stirling! Potential new track to score here on the 1719 from GQS which has Alloa and Dunblane Portions which SHOULD Divide on P6 and the latter use the connection back onto the Highland Main Line...but Scotrail had no driver for it so it was cancelled!
So it was back on the trail of 43146 and 43129. I managed both over the course of the evening ( a lengthy trip out to Cupar..) before making the penultimate Borders Line train to Newcraighall...
Day 4 Thursday
Start: Newcraighall
Finish: Burnley Barracks
An easy day today. Mid morning train into Waverley and 1052 Pendolino to Carlisle. Then onto the Cumbrian Coast. I managed to scratch the stations at Parton, St Bees and Seascale where I got on the afternoon Barrow Sellafield Terminator. Almost no one on it and maybe 2 people join at Sellafield for the return 1725 to Barrow.
Barrow has accquired Ticket Barriers since I was last there! 1855 to Preston was again quite lightly loaded. Things where a bit more lively though on 2057 to Colne. After we left a Man had no ticket and clearly no intention of paying! Guard threatens to throw him off at Lostock Hall, with the inevitable result of the usual tirade of abuse! Several other passengers step in and thankfully it dosen't get any worse and he reluctantly agreed to get off
The Freindly Guard then arranges to stop the train at the request stop of Burnley Barracks which is new to me.
Day 5 Friday
Start: Burnley Manchester Road
Finish: Wolverhampton
Am off to Cottingley today because this station will be closed in all likelihood be closed when the proposed White Rose Station opens. So after a Calder Valley Run to Leeds its onto a TPE 185 to Cottingley.
A +30 into another back then LNER to Doncaster and on to Peterborough. Am waiting for 1150 to Ipswich via the new Soham Station. Change at Ipswich for Shenfield and on to Wickford for the Southminster Branch. Out and back with 321902 and a very nice Young Lady Conductor!
Next its Upminster from Romford, where sadly my planned move to Pitsea for a Fenchurch St starter from P3 is blown out by the cancellation of the connecting Shoeburyness Train! So back to Romford then Stratford and onto the North London Line. A slow journey around Gospel Oak in a queue of trains behind a slow Freight Train saw me miss a connection at Willesden. So its a 14 min wait for Watford and then rather than wait for the late Wolverhampton Train I figured it would be slightly quicker to take the late Preston up to Stafford and an XC connection to Wolves...
Day 6 Saturday
Start: Wolverhampton
Finish: Newhaven Town
I still need Oakengates station on the Shrewsbury Line so I am up early to get 0625 BNS - Aberystwyth. A quick run to Telford and a brisk(ish) 40 min walk to Oakengates for 170501/505 on to Shrewsbury
Am in time for the Mid Morning Heart of Wales Service. Since I last did this line the crossover onto the HoW at Craven Arms has been moved from North of the Station to South of the Station.
Quite surprisingly perhaps the single 153 didn't get busy really untill around Ammanford. By Llanelli it was standing Room only!
From Swansea it was on to Newoprt and a GWR 166 From there to Southampton. Managed a trip down the Lymington Pier line from Brockenhurst before Southern's 1928 to Brighton and connection into a very tired and shabby looking 313204 to Newhaven.
Day 7 Sunday
Start: Newhaven Harbour
Finish: Northampton
There's not a lot at Newhaven Harbour at around 0800 on a Sunday Morning! 313211 appears to take me to Seaford from where I walk back along the Coast (sort of) to Bishopstone Station. Sadly the weather takes a turn for the worse with heavy rain, but I still manage to photograph this DELIGHTFUL Station, which, did you know, has GUN TURRETS built into its Roof?
A final move for a required crossover, by chance, in the area today. At Lewes I change for what would normally an Ore via Eastbourne and Hastings Service. But today it's terminating at Bexhill and returning via the Crossover in Service. Move undertaken I alight at Glynde for a hour ( Still raining!!) and then start to head for home. For fun I change at Lewes, Haywards Heath, East Croydon and Clapham Junction before hitting the Overground again via Willesden to Watford and home via LNWR.
All in all I was a good Week. I have to make mention of all the on train and Station staff who accepted my Rover without query and with a smile and (sometimes) a brief conversation about where I was going, what I'd done so far etc.
Thought some people might be interested in the edited highlights of my ALR for 2022..
Firstly, let me explain a few things: When it comes to Railways I do a bit of everything, Spotting, Line bashing, Microgricing Rare Crossovers (Down to 'Quail Atlas' level of detail!) Photography, Station Hunting, etc etc.. So I try to incorporate most of these into any itinerary when it comes to ALR's.
I purchased the ticket at Leicester one Sunday afternoon in early May. No problem with the tranasction at all. The EMR Ticket Clerk knew exactly what I was on about and how to issue it "I haven't issued one of these for a Few Years...Happy Travels!"
Day 1 Monday
Start: Buxton
Finish: Kilmarnock
Early Start to be on one of the only departures from Platform 1 at Buxton, the 0632 to Manchester
2x150 to Stockport
A wait for a train that goes across Man Picc to Salford Crescent. This is an Alderley Edge to Southport so half think it might be a 769 but...another pair of 150's. Tight change at Salford Crescent into a Blackburn Kirkby Train to travel via Atherton to Wigan Wallgate
Sit here and wait for 0917 Southport to Alderley Edge which did throw up 769458. My first ride in one of these. A lot quieter in Diesel Mode but IMHO quite tardy acceleration...
Off at Bolton to take a Rochdale to Clitheroe train to Blackburn. Objective here is the extended double Track section Around Darwen.
15 mins at Blackburn an I'm heading back to Bolton. Then the 1210 Manchester Airport Edinburgh TPE Service 397009 to Preston. I knew from RTT that my last 397 for sight AS WELL as my last 331 would both by sheer chance be at Preston at around the same time not long after I arrived...
Off to Windermere next changing at Oxenholme. Not been down the branch in daylight for some Years...
My plan had always been to change at Carlisle for Kilmarnock but all day I had been checking/revising the plan as I had heard about the Derailment at Coatbridge and subsequent lack of trains over the lengthy section between Bathgate and Shettleston. This should be open from tomorrow though so I had today only to scratch the Crossover into Shettleston platform 1, which terminating trains from Glasgow would have to use..
Arriving into Glasgow Central on Avanti at 1915 or so I walked to Queen St and managed to get the late running 1908 from Balloch which according to all systems was THE LAST EASTBOUND TRAIN TONIGHT! So doubly lucky to have been able to be in a position to do it!
One Downside: NO TRAINS BACK INTO GLASGOW FROM SHETTLESTON! So quick thinking on my part and checks online saw me on a First Glasgow Bus on Route 60A from Outside the Station.
Back in the city I had to run to make the 2113 Glasgow Carlisle Train to Kilmarnock.
Day 2 Tuesday
Start: Kilmarnock
Finish: Dumbarton Ctl
Early train from Kilmarnock into Glasgow, which runs Wrong Line from Lochridge Junction to Lugton! Off at Crossmyloof to walk up the road in the rain to Polkockshields East. 320311 to Cathcart and then 380014 on to Neilston.
Not a lot here and a bit bleak I always find, but find a bakery which does takeaway Teas 5 mins walk from station. Back into Glasgow and out to Ayr arriving onto Bay P2 which I required. Dooble back to Kilwinning and down to Ardrossan Harbour. Sunny but very windy as I took a walk along the beach.
Ardrossan South Beach to Largs was next then back to Paisley Gilmour St. Short hop to Bishopton for a wait for one of the only service Bus Routes to go across the Erskine Bridge. Turns up1/2 hr late, just as I was going to abandon it as a bad idea!
Tight 3 min connection at Clydebank for Dalmuir and then 1647 to Larkhall which I stayed with all the way 'Across Town' as it is the only scheduled daytime use of P1 at Larkhall..
Back to Dalmuir on following service and change for Dumbarton Central
Day 3 Wednesday
Start: Dalreoch
Finish: Newcraighall
Dalreoch Is literally across the Bridge from Dumbarton so it was easy to score this new 'Shack'! A quick trip up to Balloch and back to Glasgow via Yoker saw me on the 0817 from Central to Edinburgh via Shotts. My first trip along this route with AC Traction.
Change at Haymarket for the LNER Leeds - Aberdeen Azuma. Another quick change in the Granite City for 1311 to Inverurie. Another newly doubled section to score along here and of course there was the New Kintore Station to view.
25 mins or so in Inverurie whilst 158710 went to the reversing siding to...er..reverse and form 1356 to Montrose. Stay with this throughout.
Following HST ex Aberdeen is 42127 so am off to Stirling! Potential new track to score here on the 1719 from GQS which has Alloa and Dunblane Portions which SHOULD Divide on P6 and the latter use the connection back onto the Highland Main Line...but Scotrail had no driver for it so it was cancelled!
So it was back on the trail of 43146 and 43129. I managed both over the course of the evening ( a lengthy trip out to Cupar..) before making the penultimate Borders Line train to Newcraighall...
Day 4 Thursday
Start: Newcraighall
Finish: Burnley Barracks
An easy day today. Mid morning train into Waverley and 1052 Pendolino to Carlisle. Then onto the Cumbrian Coast. I managed to scratch the stations at Parton, St Bees and Seascale where I got on the afternoon Barrow Sellafield Terminator. Almost no one on it and maybe 2 people join at Sellafield for the return 1725 to Barrow.
Barrow has accquired Ticket Barriers since I was last there! 1855 to Preston was again quite lightly loaded. Things where a bit more lively though on 2057 to Colne. After we left a Man had no ticket and clearly no intention of paying! Guard threatens to throw him off at Lostock Hall, with the inevitable result of the usual tirade of abuse! Several other passengers step in and thankfully it dosen't get any worse and he reluctantly agreed to get off
The Freindly Guard then arranges to stop the train at the request stop of Burnley Barracks which is new to me.
Day 5 Friday
Start: Burnley Manchester Road
Finish: Wolverhampton
Am off to Cottingley today because this station will be closed in all likelihood be closed when the proposed White Rose Station opens. So after a Calder Valley Run to Leeds its onto a TPE 185 to Cottingley.
A +30 into another back then LNER to Doncaster and on to Peterborough. Am waiting for 1150 to Ipswich via the new Soham Station. Change at Ipswich for Shenfield and on to Wickford for the Southminster Branch. Out and back with 321902 and a very nice Young Lady Conductor!
Next its Upminster from Romford, where sadly my planned move to Pitsea for a Fenchurch St starter from P3 is blown out by the cancellation of the connecting Shoeburyness Train! So back to Romford then Stratford and onto the North London Line. A slow journey around Gospel Oak in a queue of trains behind a slow Freight Train saw me miss a connection at Willesden. So its a 14 min wait for Watford and then rather than wait for the late Wolverhampton Train I figured it would be slightly quicker to take the late Preston up to Stafford and an XC connection to Wolves...
Day 6 Saturday
Start: Wolverhampton
Finish: Newhaven Town
I still need Oakengates station on the Shrewsbury Line so I am up early to get 0625 BNS - Aberystwyth. A quick run to Telford and a brisk(ish) 40 min walk to Oakengates for 170501/505 on to Shrewsbury
Am in time for the Mid Morning Heart of Wales Service. Since I last did this line the crossover onto the HoW at Craven Arms has been moved from North of the Station to South of the Station.
Quite surprisingly perhaps the single 153 didn't get busy really untill around Ammanford. By Llanelli it was standing Room only!
From Swansea it was on to Newoprt and a GWR 166 From there to Southampton. Managed a trip down the Lymington Pier line from Brockenhurst before Southern's 1928 to Brighton and connection into a very tired and shabby looking 313204 to Newhaven.
Day 7 Sunday
Start: Newhaven Harbour
Finish: Northampton
There's not a lot at Newhaven Harbour at around 0800 on a Sunday Morning! 313211 appears to take me to Seaford from where I walk back along the Coast (sort of) to Bishopstone Station. Sadly the weather takes a turn for the worse with heavy rain, but I still manage to photograph this DELIGHTFUL Station, which, did you know, has GUN TURRETS built into its Roof?
A final move for a required crossover, by chance, in the area today. At Lewes I change for what would normally an Ore via Eastbourne and Hastings Service. But today it's terminating at Bexhill and returning via the Crossover in Service. Move undertaken I alight at Glynde for a hour ( Still raining!!) and then start to head for home. For fun I change at Lewes, Haywards Heath, East Croydon and Clapham Junction before hitting the Overground again via Willesden to Watford and home via LNWR.
All in all I was a good Week. I have to make mention of all the on train and Station staff who accepted my Rover without query and with a smile and (sometimes) a brief conversation about where I was going, what I'd done so far etc.
