heart-of-wessex
Established Member
Hi all,
Thought I'd do a trip report for my 8 day FOSS, except breaking it down by each day or two I do one or will take me forever to type up the whole 8 days in one go!
So here's the Saturday, a bit tired to type the Sunday up at the moment:
Saturday 31/01/09:
Me and me flatmate started on the 0828 Trowbridge to Westbury on 150234. en-route the unit was on/off with the power for about 3 minutes! Got off at Westbury to see that the 150 forms the 0903 to Swindon. We was going to do it but decided maybe BTM was better, so we got the 0908 Cardiff service on some 158/9 to BTM.
On the way there I text Jim to see if he knows what XC HSTs are about but didn't know off by hand so we would see if we might hopefully get one later. We get off at BTM and notice 2 MK2s, Intercity (with logos) and Wessex BSO in the dock sidings. Then we notice what looks like a deformed Voyager.....which turns out to be a XC HST!! (coming back to the point of texting jim to see what XC HSTs are out and deciding to miss out on Swindon, good day so far!)
43304 with 207 roll in on the luckily delayed 0944 to Exeter, if it was on time, we would have -3 minute connection! Suffice to say, the refurb looks swish! I like the choc brown and white vestibules, and the red seat interior, none of this red/blue business, the carpet was good too!!! We mainly did H-O in parts to near Bridgwater or so where we tried the seats, not bad a bit hard mind.
Got off at Taunton to film 43304/207 leave then got the 1051 Aberdeen service on 220 025 to Parkway, standing room only of course! Finally got to Parkway, got a coffee and stood in the 'airport viewing tower' style waiting room by the Upper Crust. We waited for the 1225 diverted HST from Padd to arrive from the Filton line having come via Westbury and got on behind 43142 to Cardiff. Done H-O most the way in the sub zero temperatures, head nearly blew off into Severn tunnel due to the turbulence!!!
After freezing to death almost we got a HST to Newport (dunno what power cars) to see the tanks come through, with a 30min wait....or would have been if it was on time. Got to the end of the platform and in comes 60027 30mins early on the 6B33 Theale to Margam, well i say 30mins early, probably didn't go into Pilning loops and was diverted via Westbury anyway so was probably re-timed. After that we saw some sheds pass, and 170 111 in new XC livery so had a chance to finally got a photo of a XC 170! It was then time to jump aboard some 150 to Patchway, mainly to see some stuff passing. Through out the hour in -500 temperatures, we saw two passing HSTs and a passing 158/9, then a Arriva 150 stopping on a Cardiff service and then finally 150232 to take us to BTM, so didn't really see much at Patchway!
Simon saw a 143 in Platform 1 for Severn Beach and decided to do that...needless to say he wasn't too impressed! the bounciness over the bumpy Severn Beach line was something else! I tried going to the toilet, that was hard work trying to keep still! so we took 143620 back to BTM and I got off wondering why I actually like 143s, as when we got off I was dizzy and had pins and needles in one leg so couldn't walk for a few minutes!!! Still I like 143s for the fun bouncing around and mainly as they look less like a bus on the outside, so I'll try sticking by them....we'll see!
By now it was pitch black and we were tired and wanted to go home, preferably on a train that doesn't stop at the 500 stations in between to Trowbridge so it was a case of getting on 158957 on the Portsmouth run back home. Nothing interesting to see on the way back, a couple of sheds at Kingsland Road, don't know what numbers, not interested, and that's all really.
Sunday bash coming up soon!
Thought I'd do a trip report for my 8 day FOSS, except breaking it down by each day or two I do one or will take me forever to type up the whole 8 days in one go!
So here's the Saturday, a bit tired to type the Sunday up at the moment:
Saturday 31/01/09:
Me and me flatmate started on the 0828 Trowbridge to Westbury on 150234. en-route the unit was on/off with the power for about 3 minutes! Got off at Westbury to see that the 150 forms the 0903 to Swindon. We was going to do it but decided maybe BTM was better, so we got the 0908 Cardiff service on some 158/9 to BTM.
On the way there I text Jim to see if he knows what XC HSTs are about but didn't know off by hand so we would see if we might hopefully get one later. We get off at BTM and notice 2 MK2s, Intercity (with logos) and Wessex BSO in the dock sidings. Then we notice what looks like a deformed Voyager.....which turns out to be a XC HST!! (coming back to the point of texting jim to see what XC HSTs are out and deciding to miss out on Swindon, good day so far!)
43304 with 207 roll in on the luckily delayed 0944 to Exeter, if it was on time, we would have -3 minute connection! Suffice to say, the refurb looks swish! I like the choc brown and white vestibules, and the red seat interior, none of this red/blue business, the carpet was good too!!! We mainly did H-O in parts to near Bridgwater or so where we tried the seats, not bad a bit hard mind.
Got off at Taunton to film 43304/207 leave then got the 1051 Aberdeen service on 220 025 to Parkway, standing room only of course! Finally got to Parkway, got a coffee and stood in the 'airport viewing tower' style waiting room by the Upper Crust. We waited for the 1225 diverted HST from Padd to arrive from the Filton line having come via Westbury and got on behind 43142 to Cardiff. Done H-O most the way in the sub zero temperatures, head nearly blew off into Severn tunnel due to the turbulence!!!
After freezing to death almost we got a HST to Newport (dunno what power cars) to see the tanks come through, with a 30min wait....or would have been if it was on time. Got to the end of the platform and in comes 60027 30mins early on the 6B33 Theale to Margam, well i say 30mins early, probably didn't go into Pilning loops and was diverted via Westbury anyway so was probably re-timed. After that we saw some sheds pass, and 170 111 in new XC livery so had a chance to finally got a photo of a XC 170! It was then time to jump aboard some 150 to Patchway, mainly to see some stuff passing. Through out the hour in -500 temperatures, we saw two passing HSTs and a passing 158/9, then a Arriva 150 stopping on a Cardiff service and then finally 150232 to take us to BTM, so didn't really see much at Patchway!
Simon saw a 143 in Platform 1 for Severn Beach and decided to do that...needless to say he wasn't too impressed! the bounciness over the bumpy Severn Beach line was something else! I tried going to the toilet, that was hard work trying to keep still! so we took 143620 back to BTM and I got off wondering why I actually like 143s, as when we got off I was dizzy and had pins and needles in one leg so couldn't walk for a few minutes!!! Still I like 143s for the fun bouncing around and mainly as they look less like a bus on the outside, so I'll try sticking by them....we'll see!
By now it was pitch black and we were tired and wanted to go home, preferably on a train that doesn't stop at the 500 stations in between to Trowbridge so it was a case of getting on 158957 on the Portsmouth run back home. Nothing interesting to see on the way back, a couple of sheds at Kingsland Road, don't know what numbers, not interested, and that's all really.
Sunday bash coming up soon!
.
hock:. This went into Poole C.S surprisingly, do they turn these around there if Bournemouth C.S is full?
, which was just as well as we would have had to run from Platform 1 to 4 in 30 seconds, as the 450 left in next to no time anyway, and I must add I saw no-one on it as it departed!
