barrowjack
Member
Having been several months since I last posted, thought I would start with the ( very few!) highlights of the rest of 2024! Shows how little I have done when this can be summarised in a relatively short post!
06/05/2024 – Ravenglass Gala
A very last-minute decision to attend the Gala weekend at the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, with a couple of visiting locomotives
Northern Rock Ravenglass to Dalegarth
Mr Hallworth Dalegarth to Ravenglass (Visiting from Perrygrove Railway Adventure)
Mr Hallworth at Dalegarth
The Deep South! 28/06 – 01/07 2024
A long overdue trip to the south coast having not visited that area since 1987, travelling via London Euston then Southern to Bognor Regis via Horsham on the Friday
On the Saturday morning, I took the train to Chichester, then onto the bus to Grooms Yard and a short walk back to the Weald and Downland Living Museum. The museum is home to the barn used for the BBC TV programme “The Repair Shop” and the main purpose of the trip being this was one of their “sneak peek” weekends giving the opportunity to see inside the barn, set up for filming. Was surprised how much smaller it is compared to how the TV makes it look. Certainly, a really interesting museum. Afterwards back to Bognor Regis for a quick trip with “Fred” on the Hotham Park Railway in the town
Repair shop sign and barn
Hotham Park Railway - Fred
Sunday morning another early start, heading east to Brighton to do the Volk’s Electric Railway, another new one for me.
6 and 10 Aquarium to Black Rock
9 Black Rock to Aquarium
Monday it was a mid-morning start via Turners Pie Shop in Bognor (Owned by the Apprentice Runner Up in 2024) returning home via a couple of hours in London
05/08 – 07/08/2024 – Olympics
Usual moves to take me to London starting with the 08:48 from Barrow
Tuesday morning, I was booked on the 09:01 Brussels service I arrived at St Pancras about 07:15 giving me plenty of time to clear security and customs as I was expecting it to be busy and take some time. By 07:30 I was sat on the concourse having purchased a bacon bun and coffee at the Pret, so left with plenty of time to hang around, being called up to the train about half an hour before departure.
373008 / 373007 St Pancras International - Lille-Europe (First 373 set for haulage)
The original plan was to take the Metro to the stadium, however on arrival we were directed to the shuttle buses outside the station so I got my first taste of a foreign bus – Ilevia number 8669 taken from Lille Europe to 4 Cantons Stade. After watching 2 handball quarter finals, it was back on the shuttle bus no 8652 from 4 Cantons Stade -Lille Flandres (Stand B).
Return to London was with 374033 / 374034 with annoyingly the hot drinks machine out of order in both buffets and a late return into London!
Only a short trip south so for once an uneventful trip back home.
24/09 – 26/09/2024
Barrow had been drawn away to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup so this unplanned late notice trip just had to be done! Again, usual method of getting to London, changing at Lancaster.
Unsurprisingly the District line had collapsed between Edgware Road and Kensington so I had to be inventive to get to Stamford Bridge in the end going from St Pancras International to Blackfriars, from there horrendous on the tube to Fulham Broadway, having to change at Earls Court which took ages as the service was so crowded and so bad! After a respectable 5-0 defeat headed back to Kings Cross via Victoria.
25/09/2024
Early start for a visit to Chatham Dockyard, and amongst other things the “Call the Midwife” tour taking HS1 between St Pancras International – Chatham and Arriva bus 6547 up to the dockyard arriving just before opening. After completing the tour had a good look round the rest of the dockyard, Arriva bus 4318 back to Chatham station, HS1 back to London before heading up to the Emirates for the Arsenal match that night
Chatham Dockyard Railway
26/09/2024 – The Greatest Delay!
Had planned the usual last morning in London for me, linear leap St Pancras I to Blackfriars for the walk back to Leicester Square. However, enroute I discovered Avanti were terminating all services north at Preston due to a fallen tree in Scotland somewhere I decided on an earlier train so went for the 12:30 Euston to Preston. Time for the “fun” to commence.
Leaving Euston on time we came to an abrupt halt at the platform at Harrow & Wealdstone where we were told due to an incident near Watford we would be sat there for some time. With a further announcement to say they were considering sending the train back to Euston I came up with a plan B and bailed for the adjacent tube service back to London via Baker Street to St Pancras. Here I headed upstairs for the 16:00 Sheffield service formed of 222008 and 222005, with a short wait and just time to source coffee before taking 158866 / 158780 over the Pennines for Manchester Piccadilly finally changing for a 22:00 arrival in Barrow, some 5 hours later than planned and 9 ½ hours after originally leaving Euston! Needless to say, full delay repay!
06/05/2024 – Ravenglass Gala
A very last-minute decision to attend the Gala weekend at the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, with a couple of visiting locomotives
Northern Rock Ravenglass to Dalegarth
Mr Hallworth Dalegarth to Ravenglass (Visiting from Perrygrove Railway Adventure)
Mr Hallworth at Dalegarth
The Deep South! 28/06 – 01/07 2024
A long overdue trip to the south coast having not visited that area since 1987, travelling via London Euston then Southern to Bognor Regis via Horsham on the Friday
On the Saturday morning, I took the train to Chichester, then onto the bus to Grooms Yard and a short walk back to the Weald and Downland Living Museum. The museum is home to the barn used for the BBC TV programme “The Repair Shop” and the main purpose of the trip being this was one of their “sneak peek” weekends giving the opportunity to see inside the barn, set up for filming. Was surprised how much smaller it is compared to how the TV makes it look. Certainly, a really interesting museum. Afterwards back to Bognor Regis for a quick trip with “Fred” on the Hotham Park Railway in the town
Repair shop sign and barn
Hotham Park Railway - Fred
Sunday morning another early start, heading east to Brighton to do the Volk’s Electric Railway, another new one for me.
6 and 10 Aquarium to Black Rock
9 Black Rock to Aquarium
Monday it was a mid-morning start via Turners Pie Shop in Bognor (Owned by the Apprentice Runner Up in 2024) returning home via a couple of hours in London
05/08 – 07/08/2024 – Olympics
Usual moves to take me to London starting with the 08:48 from Barrow
Tuesday morning, I was booked on the 09:01 Brussels service I arrived at St Pancras about 07:15 giving me plenty of time to clear security and customs as I was expecting it to be busy and take some time. By 07:30 I was sat on the concourse having purchased a bacon bun and coffee at the Pret, so left with plenty of time to hang around, being called up to the train about half an hour before departure.
373008 / 373007 St Pancras International - Lille-Europe (First 373 set for haulage)
The original plan was to take the Metro to the stadium, however on arrival we were directed to the shuttle buses outside the station so I got my first taste of a foreign bus – Ilevia number 8669 taken from Lille Europe to 4 Cantons Stade. After watching 2 handball quarter finals, it was back on the shuttle bus no 8652 from 4 Cantons Stade -Lille Flandres (Stand B).
Return to London was with 374033 / 374034 with annoyingly the hot drinks machine out of order in both buffets and a late return into London!
Only a short trip south so for once an uneventful trip back home.
24/09 – 26/09/2024
Barrow had been drawn away to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup so this unplanned late notice trip just had to be done! Again, usual method of getting to London, changing at Lancaster.
Unsurprisingly the District line had collapsed between Edgware Road and Kensington so I had to be inventive to get to Stamford Bridge in the end going from St Pancras International to Blackfriars, from there horrendous on the tube to Fulham Broadway, having to change at Earls Court which took ages as the service was so crowded and so bad! After a respectable 5-0 defeat headed back to Kings Cross via Victoria.
25/09/2024
Early start for a visit to Chatham Dockyard, and amongst other things the “Call the Midwife” tour taking HS1 between St Pancras International – Chatham and Arriva bus 6547 up to the dockyard arriving just before opening. After completing the tour had a good look round the rest of the dockyard, Arriva bus 4318 back to Chatham station, HS1 back to London before heading up to the Emirates for the Arsenal match that night
Chatham Dockyard Railway
26/09/2024 – The Greatest Delay!
Had planned the usual last morning in London for me, linear leap St Pancras I to Blackfriars for the walk back to Leicester Square. However, enroute I discovered Avanti were terminating all services north at Preston due to a fallen tree in Scotland somewhere I decided on an earlier train so went for the 12:30 Euston to Preston. Time for the “fun” to commence.
Leaving Euston on time we came to an abrupt halt at the platform at Harrow & Wealdstone where we were told due to an incident near Watford we would be sat there for some time. With a further announcement to say they were considering sending the train back to Euston I came up with a plan B and bailed for the adjacent tube service back to London via Baker Street to St Pancras. Here I headed upstairs for the 16:00 Sheffield service formed of 222008 and 222005, with a short wait and just time to source coffee before taking 158866 / 158780 over the Pennines for Manchester Piccadilly finally changing for a 22:00 arrival in Barrow, some 5 hours later than planned and 9 ½ hours after originally leaving Euston! Needless to say, full delay repay!
