xotGD
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For your overnight stay, if you stay somewhere in Fife you can start the day in style with a 68 for haulage over the Forth Bridge.
For your overnight stay, if you stay somewhere in Fife you can start the day in style with a 68 for haulage over the Forth Bridge.
Details are in the Frequently Requested Diagrams thread...Wow that's a pretty special way to start a day on the rails. What route(s) do the 68s work north of the border?
Thanks for all of the tips regarding Scotland guys, as ever it gives me plenty of food for thought in my planning.
As sightings are my priority at the moment I think I am probably working more like @palmersears in that I like to get somewhere, plonk myself down and tick off winners galore before moving on when repetition kicks in. As this trip will be time limited as the cheapest tickets offer only fixed trains to catch I think the trips out to depots would be too risky in that I might nab a few winners but would ultimately miss out at some of the stations.
That said, I will certainly need more than this visit to ScotRail land so I will still be looking at the overnight stay I have as a must do for next year which will allow me the time to get around the depots (and across to Haymarket) so @47403 and @433N your advice won't be wasted![]()
68s passing through Stafford by The_Train
DB class 60 60091 passing Tamworth station by The_Train
EMT 'Meridian' 222102 and XC 170519 seen at Nottingham by The_Train
EMT 156403 leaves Nottingham by The_Train
Colas Rail 70805 pulls into Nottingham by The_Train
50050 and 43058 at Nottingham by The_Train
50050 "Fearless" departs Nottingham by The_Train
Colas Rail 56105 heading into Nottingham by The_Train
DB class 60 60100 pauses at Nottingham by The_Train
EMT HST power car 43044 at Leicester by The_Train
I was able to grab 153364 as it worked the WMT shuttle between Nuneaton and Coventry - just 18 of the WMT units to find now! DR73930 was sat in the sidings as it had been when I visited in September and with little else going on I jumped on 350113 to add this to the winners for haulage today. I was going to take this all the way home but for no reason other than I could, I bailed at Tamworth and waited for the evening Pendolino for the final leg of the journey which turned out to be 390114 and made it a full set of haulage winners for the day. I didn't hang around at Stafford as I was cold, tired and hungry so it was straight home and another venture completed.
DRS Class 37 37716 at Stafford with 37405 by The_Train
DRS Class 37 37405 at Stafford by The_Train
The first train Crewe to Sellafield will be a train of nuclear flasks being taken to British Nuclear Fuels for reprocessingAnyone know what these are
CheersThe first train Crewe to Sellafield will be a train of nuclear flasks being taken to British Nuclear Fuels for reprocessing
The second train Shrewsbury to Shrewsbury will I would guess be a PWay train probably at this time of year clearing the tracks of leaves as you will note from the operational dates this train runs during the leaf fall season.
If you are worried about being on Nottingham station without a ticket, then get a Robin Hood Day ticket from the tram ticket machine. Last time I was at Nottingham the main entrance has barriers but there is an entrance from the car park, from the tram stop & from the street which don't have barriers.
Sounded like a good trip to Nottingham for your book of sights anyhow![]()
Some more good stuff, train. I agree on Nottingham, whenever I went I found I walked round a lot but an ever actually felt I was seeing that much, or that there were masses of people on the station.
Most places will happily let you in if you mention you're there to take photos/spot, worst case scenario just buy the cheapest day return on offer, then you've got a ticket in and out sorted if asked.
A couple of profitable days at the local and a good trip out to Nottingham there Mr Train, roping in a days worth of winners for haulage too. I agree you gotta keep moving at Nottingham, especially when your roping in HST stock too.
I really need to get my butt to Toton bankside, especially with my last 60, 60093, stood there rotting away. Plus I'm brilliant at getting lost, so I'd need absolute fool proof directions, to find the bank side too.
I may try and make a day out of it between Derby Nottingham and Leicester myself, I do still need a fair few of EMT HST stock too, plus the NET trams, so if I do drag my arse that way, I may have the clearance cannons going off, if I could rope in that 60, my last 156 and Meridian. Not likely to be this year though.
If you do manage to get up to Scotland, you'll certainly make hay. Also what book you reading?
Anyway Mr Train, another good read there. Thanks for sharing.
Yeah I need to do Toton bank as well. Need some bino's first though so will be next year before I do so as well. I was worried about getting lost as well but looking on Google maps it looks pretty easy once you navigate the housing estate. Don't know what parking on the estate is like but that might be easier than walking from the park and ride. I still need quite a few of the HST stock as well (was hoping for more reward on this last week) so will need to revisit the area at some point. Not spent a long period of time at Derby since I was a kid - is it any good over a long period of time?
Oh and the book I was reading (I finished it during my last stint at the local) was "The Liar" by Steve Cavanagh. It's a thriller that keeps you thinking right until the end. I would also recommend "Thirteen" by the same author - it's another thriller and it's very well written with a storyline unlike any I've ever read before
I was worried about getting lost as well but looking on Google maps it looks pretty easy once you navigate the housing estate. Don't know what parking on the estate is like but that might be easier than walking from the park and ride.
At least it is easier to reach Toton bank these days with the tram (for non-drivers)
Interesting you say that Mr Kite. When I look at Google maps, it doesn't actually look too much of a walk from Long Eaton (a mile or two maybe ?) but doesn't seem to be alot of people around who have done it.
I have some bino's so that wouldn't be a problem, I'd advise a butcher's on eBay. There's some relatively good ones and they're quite reasonably priced too.
I doubt I'd stay that long at Derby, maybe see if there's any EMT dogboxes kicking about and XC 170s, before scampering to Nottingham for a bit and a sojourn past RTC and In hope of roping in some HST stock and any of the 4 or 5 EMT units required, i'd forgot i need some 153s too.
Sounds a canny book, a book I would reccommend is Complicity by Iain Banks.
The Glasgow trip planned for this week has been delayed due to the threat of some bad weather this week (not really materialised as always). I currently have it planned for next week but will know better later when I do a check of my financial situation.
There were certainly lots of people around to look at me in that bemused way when I bounced down the platform in a mass of excitement because I'd seen a 50 pulling in![]()
I have some bino's so that wouldn't be a problem, I'd advise a butcher's on eBay.
Only rail enthusiasts know that feeling
Any particular one?![]()
I'll look forward to that trip report Mr Train.Glasgow is on for next Thursday so I get one final outing for 2018 before an end of year review.
DB 66117 passes Stafford by The_Train
66746 at Stafford by The_Train
66746 at Stafford by The_Train
GBRf 66708 at Stafford by The_Train