April 2023 All line rover to Cardiff

[Express380]

Hi Everyone I am planning an all line rover to Cardiff from March the 31st till the 14th of April and I know we have just had the announcement of the strike days for March and April and unfortunately the dates fall on when I was going to be up there as I was going start on the 1st April but coming from Cornwall it seems unlikely that would be any service at all from here so 31st it is unfortunately having to travel during engineering work.

Feel free to view the plan a few posts below!

 

[Turbo004]

On previous strike days like this Transport for Wales have run a virtually normal service. The only exception to this is trains to Birmingham International terminate at Wolverhampton. I fully expect the same to happen on these strike days assuming Network Rail are not striking.

 

[Express380]

On previous strike days like this Transport for Wales have run a virtually normal service. The only exception to this is trains to Birmingham International terminate at Wolverhampton. I fully expect the same to happen on these strike days assuming Network Rail are not striking.

Thats ideal thanks so much for you help I can now get on with my plan I don't intend on going to Birmingham on the strike days anyway so no issues there!

 

[Express380]

So this is the plan so far my main aim to go on as many Sprinters (doesn't have to be just TFW ones) and 175s as I can (with some other units thrown in for good measure) obviously there are gaps available for any runs on 150s or 175s I would love to know any ideas how I could change this to make it better or ideas where to go and I will edit them into the plan if they are places of interest and I will also edit the plan if I come up with any further journeys to do thanks for any help!

Friday Day 1 Starting March 31st
07:47 Plymouth to Cardiff Central
13:46 Cardiff Central to Milford Haven
17:10 Milford Haven to Carmarthen
18:50 Carmarthen to Cardiff Central
21:34 Cardiff Central to Ebbw Vale Town
22:39 Ebbw Vale Town to Cardiff Central
Finish

Saturday Day 2 ( Strike dependent) Flirt Run + Fishguard 175 diagram
07:46 Cardiff Central to Penarth
08:03 Penarth to Rhymney
09:27 Rhymney to Cardiff Central
10:59 Cardiff Central to Carmarthen
13:31 Carmarthen to Cardiff Central
(Via Swansea district line)
16:04 Cardiff Central to Fishguard Harbour
19:00 Fishguard Harbour to Carmarthen
20:09 Carmarthen to Hereford
23:15 Hereford to Cardiff Central
Finish

Sunday Day 3 Marches Sprinters
09:35 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly
14:30 Manchester Piccadilly to Milford Haven
21:35 Milford Haven to Cardiff Central
Finish

Monday Day 4 Merthyr branch + Tenby 175
09:21 Cardiff Central to Ty Glas
10:03 Ty Glas to Coryton
10:15 Coryton to Cardiff Central
10:56 Cardiff Central to Merthyr Vale
12:17 Merthyr Vale to Merthyr Tydfil
13:08 Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff Central
14:45 Cardiff Central to Swansea
15:57 Swansea to Pembroke Dock
19:19 Pembroke Dock to Tenby
20:10 Tenby to Cardiff Central
Finish

Tuesday Day 5 Spare to go anywhere

Wednesday Day 6 Spare day for 150s,175s

Thursday Day 7 TFW 170s
07:08 Cardiff Central to Cheltenham Spa
08:46 Cheltenham Spa to Gloucester
09:15 Gloucester to Cheltenham Spa
09:45 Cheltenham Spa to Cardiff Central
12:18 Cardiff Central to Maesteg
13:15 Maesteg to Newport
14:30 Newport to Cardiff Central
15:08 Cardiff Central to Cheltenham Spa
16:46 Cheltenham Spa to Gloucester
17:17 Gloucester to Cheltenham Spa
17:45 Cheltenham Spa to Cardiff Central
***Must end at this time***
Finish

Friday Day 8 EMR 180 Run + Nottingham Units
06:40 Cardiff Central to Nottingham
10:50 Nottingham to St Pancras
13:05 St Pancras to Nottingham
Photos at Nottingham + anywhere else with 156s
19:08 Nottingham to Cardiff Central

Saturday Day 9 Holyhead 150 diagram
07:22 Cardiff Central to Holyhead
12:32 Holyhead to Shrewsbury
15:24 Shrewsbury to Swansea
19:50 Swansea to Cardiff Central
21:34 Cardiff Central to Ebbw Vale
22:39 Ebbw Vale to Cardiff Central
Finish

Sunday Day 10 West Wales Branches
09:53 Cardiff Central to Milford Haven
13:30 Milford Haven to Carmarthen
14:59 Carmarthen to Pembroke Dock
16:24 Pembroke Dock to Carmarthen
18:06 Carmarthen to Milford Haven
19:40 Milford Haven to Carmarthen
21:15 Carmarthen to Cardiff Central
Finish

Monday Day 11 Portsmouth Turbos
08:28 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
13:23/14:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
18:16 Cardiff Central to Ystrad Mynach
18:53 Ystrad Mynach to Cardiff Central
19:43 Cardiff Central to Pontypridd
20:18 Pontypridd to Cardiff Central
***Must end at this time***
Finish

Tuesday Day 12 175s
06:35 Cardiff Central to Crewe
10:05 Crewe to Llandudno Junction
11:43 Llandudno Junction to Holyhead
13:04 Holyhead to Llandudno Junction
14:27 Llandudno Junction to Llandudno
14:43 Llandudno to Manchester Airport
17:25 Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly
20:30 Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central
Finish

Wednesday Day 13 Spare to go anywhere


Thursday Day 14 Double 175s (First part of morning free)
11:47 Cardiff Central to Carmarthen
13:51 Carmarthen to Cardiff Central
18:00 Cardiff Central to Truro

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

A very bespoke, South Wales-loving itinerary there that I’m sure will be fun. I’m sure you already know to expect some Sprinter substitutions on some typically-175 diagrams though, right, especially Fishguard which most often produces 153s.

 

[Express380]

A very bespoke, South Wales-loving itinerary there that I’m sure will be fun. I’m sure you already know to expect some Sprinter substitutions on some typically-175 diagrams though, right, especially Fishguard which most often produces 153s.

Absolutely it should be fun and yep I'm ready for substitutions and backups are ready for each day hopefully Fishguard turns up as a 175 on the Saturday but we wait and see!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Absolutely it should be fun and yep I'm ready for substitutions and backups are ready for each day hopefully Fishguard turns up as a 175 on the Saturday but we wait and see!

Yes, that would certainly be my preference as well, although their 158s aren’t too bad.

 

[Techniquest]

Hold on, you're using a 14 day ALR to mostly do Wales and almost nothing else? That seems wasteful, when there's a number of Welsh rovers available for much less!

I also don't envy you doing Manchester to Milford Haven in one go on a 150, that sounds incredibly awful! On a 175, or indeed a 158, it would be tolerable. On a 150, then you are a much braver soul than me! I'd rather sit on a plane for 15 hours, quite honestly, than suffer more than 15 minutes on a grotty 150 again. Or more than 2 minutes on a 150 with windows that only stay closed with tape and have no functioning heating. You can tell TfW 150s have rather let me down this year eh?

Actually, scratch that, I'd rather spend an hour on a 142 on jointed track than suffer another 150 with TfW on a mainline working!

Seriously, there must be better use of an All Line Rover than what I've seen in that plan!

 

[matt]

Is the All Line Rover the best value ticket for this trip? Have you looked at some of the other Rovers? The Explore South Wales pass covers a lot of what you plan to do. http://railrover.org/pages/explore-south-wales-pass.html

 

[Express380]

Hold on, you're using a 14 day ALR to mostly do Wales and almost nothing else? That seems wasteful, when there's a number of Welsh rovers available for much less!

I also don't envy you doing Manchester to Milford Haven in one go on a 150, that sounds incredibly awful! On a 175, or indeed a 158, it would be tolerable. On a 150, then you are a much braver soul than me! I'd rather sit on a plane for 15 hours, quite honestly, than suffer more than 15 minutes on a grotty 150 again. Or more than 2 minutes on a 150 with windows that only stay closed with tape and have no functioning heating. You can tell TfW 150s have rather let me down this year eh?

Actually, scratch that, I'd rather spend an hour on a 142 on jointed track than suffer another 150 with TfW on a mainline working!

Seriously, there must be better use of an All Line Rover than what I've seen in that plan!

I agree with your points but the 150 is my favourite class so I can deal with Manchester to Milford Haven no problem!

Is the All Line Rover the best value ticket for this trip? Have you looked at some of the other Rovers? The Explore South Wales pass covers a lot of what you plan to do. http://railrover.org/pages/explore-south-wales-pass.html

With Both your points about getting a South Wales Rover/Explore Wales pass but the issue is 1. Peak times 2. I'm hoping to go to areas outside of those rovers e.g. Nottingham as seen in the Plan as well as runs into Manchester where I will probably use Northern traction for abit too in addition to possibly going into Leeds/Sheffield/Hull for more 150s +155s sorry Techniquest! But thank you both so much for your recommendations! Any ideas where else I could go to make more value of the ALR ticket would be welcomed!