Well, I’ve been really busy recently and not been on the forum in something like three weeks.
I’ve got a lot of catching up to do!
Although I’ve been busy it’s not just work that’s kept me occupied, there’s been a few fun things as well.
Firstly, it was my wife’s birthday at the end of November and so we headed off to the tropical wonderland of Morecambe.
On Friday the 27th we went for a five mile walk in torrential wind and rain, cos we’re funny like that.
We got fed up of the weather and caught the train back to Morecambe from
Bare Lane, which was nice (it was 150223 that did the deed).
Not one for the guess the station thread:
DMU 150223_2015.11.27_2_Bare Lane by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
My first proper railway move was on Friday December the 4th and involved, surprise, surprise, a trip to London.
I needed four 442s and was hoping to get at least one of them.
I knew it was impossible for me to get all four, but would have been disappointed if my 442 needs list hadn’t reduced at least slightly.
I woke up at 04.57, well before my alarm was due to go off and decided I should set off and get a few extra 91 miles in.
As I was booked on the 20.35 from Kings Cross in the evening I ruled out parking at Shipley as that had proved problematic enough from the 20.05.
I drove instead to Wakefield and made it in plenty of time to cover the 06.13 service to Leeds.
This was formed of 144005 and was full and standing after Outwood.
I was hoping for a low mileage 91 but when the London train arrived from Bradford I was most disappointed to see it was my highest mileage member of the class, 91102 – now almost within sight of 2000 miles.
Obviously I had no choice but to do 91102 throughout to London but I had an ominous feeling that my day wasn’t going to turn out great.
Once in the capital I crossed over the road and made my way down to St Pancras low level platforms for a train to East Croydon.
As expected, this produced a pair of 387s (this was a service I’d done before).
387125 and
387127 were the traction.
It was nice to get a couple of winners in the book, maybe today wouldn’t be too bad after all.
It should come as no surprise when I say that I had an advance open Gatwick Express ticket, so my plan was to go from East Croydon to Victoria and see if any of my requirements were out.
As my pair of 387s approached East Croydon a Gat-ex set passed going towards London.
The rear unit was 442408.
This was one of the four!
The chase was on.
I leapt from the 387s and piled straight over for the first Victoria service, any delay might mean missing the required Piggie.
It was winning triple
377135,
377161 and
377152 that produced but that was of little consequence to me, I just wanted to get to Victoria ASAP.
I anxiously viewed the relevant platforms as the 377s arrived, 442408 was stood in.
Good.
I bailed and raced round.
I was more than happy when, shortly after taking my seat,
442408 became my 21st plastic pig.
Dud 442416 was on the rear.
My appetite for winners is never sated and so, once my hoped for single winning 442 was in the book I began to think about possibly getting two.
The plastic pig pairing ponderously plodded pathetically along and I began to worry I might miss the first set back.
I knew that the next service after the one I was on was single 442410 and so missing the first one would mean a lengthy fester.
I eventually reached Gatwick just a minute or so before the other service was due to leave.
It was lucky that it was across the platform, if I’d had to go over the bridge I would have missed it, that’s how fine it was cut.
This would have been very bad news because it was another requirement
442405 was leading 442423 and I was overjoyed. Just 442402 and 442414 to go.
Post scooping 442405 shot:
EMU 442405_2015.12.04_Victoria by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
On my way back to Victoria I began to think about my plans for the rest of the day.
As we passed through East Croydon my thinking was interrupted as we were overtaken by a six car 171.
171803 was leading, I stared intently at the rear two car set.
Would it be my final one.
It only blooming well was!
171727 became my last (current NR registered) DMU for sight.
My prediction of a poor day was proving wildly inaccurate.
Once back at Victoria I headed round to the Eastern platforms as I had come up with a shack scratching move.
465040 was taken to
Beckenham Junction where I bailed for some tram bashing.
I hadn’t done any of the track this side of East Croydon and was about to put that right.
2553 was taken from
Beckenham Junction Tram Stop to
Arena where I swapped to
2533 for a run down the line to
Elmer’s End.
I like a bit of tram bashing, but not too much and so it was briefly back to the big railway.
465032 &
465186 took me down some winning track to
Hayes.
465032 at Hayes:
EMU 465032_2015.12.04_Hayes by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
The same pair then returned me to Elmer’s End and a revisit to the tram network.
Dud for the day 2533 whisked me to
Addiscombe.
Post whisking:
Croydon Tram 2533_2015.12.04_3_Addiscombe_& 2551 by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
It can’t be entirely unexpected when I say that I was planning on covering some more 442s.
I had looked at the frequently requested diagrams thread on this forum and seen there was a service from Brighton due around 14.55 and so that was my target.
I had a bit of time to kill and so felt it was an opportune time to get a few more trams and tram shacks roped in.
Dud 2550 took me from Addiscombe back the way I had come to
Woodside.
This was followed by winner
2542 to
Lebanon Road. dud 2549 to
Sandilands and finally
2530 to East Croydon.
I mooched down to the platform and watched the 442s arrive.
I wasn’t too stunned when it was a dud pair and decided to reject them in favour of a winner of some kind.
The next requirements that arrived were also going to Victoria and so I boarded
377140 and
377117 with no real idea of what I was going to do next.
It was fortuitous that I had got on a Victoria service as shortly before reaching our destination we were passed by a Gatwick Express.
Whoah!
442402 was on the front.
Another chase was on!
I bailed from the 377s and legged it down the platform.
I had no ticket to Gatwick now, but had no intention of letting it get away and so it was straight to the ticket machine, there was a queue and I began to get nervous.
If I missed the next departure I would have no choice but to fester at Victoria waiting for it to come back.
I got to the front of the queue, got my return to the airport, raced through the barriers and collapsed in a heap on 442411, which was on its own.
Now all I needed was for it to get there before my requirement set off back.
Luckily, this time there were no delays and I reached Gatwick in time to get a photo of my penultimate member of the class.
Yeah:
EMU 442402_2015.12.04_Gatwick Airport by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
442402 was on the rear, with 442403 on the front.
It seems I’m never satisfied and my joy didn’t last long as I began to ponder how my year had turned out.
I had failed in my attempt to get a winner from every possible class of unit, by one.
I had failed to get a ride on all seven LM 321s before they had come off lease, by one.
Now , with no London move likely until well into the new year, it seemed I was going to fall one short again.
Some people are never happy.
Nevertheless I still had one chance for 442414.
I was heading over to London Bridge for the 17.57 Brighton service.
I took a direct train from Victoria, formed of
377614 &
377622.
This was the first time I had done a Victoria to London Bridge service in many years.
The last time it had been on a single class 456.
It’s a bit more popular nowadays, as the two 377s were pretty full.
This train was due into the Bridge at 17.48 but was held up and I was a bit worried I might miss the 17.57.
Still never mind, it’s never going to be my last 442, is it?
As we eventually pulled into the platform I looked across.
OH. MY WORD.
There stood 442414 in all its glory.
Now I began to panic, I had to get round and time was running out.
Disembarking passengers were being funnelled through to the exits and I had to make my way out through the barriers, then go back in and run down to the front of the set.
Once again, I didn’t have long after collapsing in a seat before the train was off.
I’d done it
All 24 442s in the book, 23 of them this year.
442414 had 442424 on the rear, but that was largely irrelevant to me, I was just happy I’d exceeded my expectations and cleared a class I thought might escape me.
Once the elation had died down I had to think about what to do next.
As mentioned earlier I was booked on the 20.35 from Kings Cross.
That was two hours away, so what could I do?
Heading back into London and a wedged underground didn’t appeal, whereas doing a Thameslink service and getting back to Kings Cross over an hour early seemed daft.
Then a thought occurred to me, other than the New Addington branch, which will have to wait for another day, there was one small bit of the Tramlink network that I needed.
When I had sampled the trams for the first time earlier this year I had been forced to walk to Dundonald Road as they were doing some work at Wimbledon station.
Now that could be remedied.
2546 was therefore taken from East Croydon through to
Wimbledon tram stop.
This nicely put me in to position for a Sutton Loop service to Bedford, formed of
319009 &
319373.
I took these through to St Pancras, where they deposited me about twenty minutes before my train home.
All I needed now was for the 91 home to be a low mileage one.
Sadly, it wasn’t.
It was 91121, which I had cleared for the thousand miles just a couple of weeks previously when Mrs 13 and I had been down museum bashing.
Still, that didn’t take the gloss off what had been an exceptionally good move.
So, a grand way to (almost) finish the year off, loads of winners for haulage including all four of my required 442s, a nice bit of tram bashing and getting my last DMU for sight.
EMU 321413_2015.11.13_1_Romford by Phil Wood, on Flickr
EMU 321413_2015.11.13_2_Romford by Phil Wood, on Flickr
66727_2015.11.13_Upminster_& 357027 by Phil Wood, on Flickr
DLR 31_2015.11.13_Poplar by Phil Wood, on Flickr
EMU 315811_2015.11.13_Enfield Town by Phil Wood, on Flickr
