First off, a bit of background....I decided to come out of my “dark ages” about 3 years ago having given up the interest in trains back in the late 80s...however my interest was reignited by attending the Stainmore 150 celebrations in Kirkby Stephen in 2012. I had such a good time at that event that ever since I’ve been gradually getting back into the hobby. As a kid, I did a lot of track bashing and collected numbers….I can’t quite find the motivation to really get into number collecting again…however I’m keeping an open mind on it and beginning to take more careful notes of the units I see / ride on today, but I suppose track bashing is now my number one target and in principle “filling in” a lot of the gaps in my Bakers 4th edition (classic 1984 map) that I carefully highlighted as a kid. So having lurked on here for some considerable time enjoying the adventures of Techniquest, Kite and co it’s now time for me to carve out a thread and hopefully add my trip reports to entertain the masses!
29th August 2014 - The HOWL circular
And so one sunny August morn I decided to redo the majority of a trip I’d done the opposite way some 28 years previously. That trip was a classic, riding the postal train from Stockport to Shrewsbury and then catching the 04:XX something to Swansea on a toasty Met Camm DMU the only passenger as I recall it. That journey then went HST from Swansea to Reading, Reading to Hereford, and then I think it ended with some classic 45 action back up the marshes line back to Stockport.
That was the past…..back to the present day…..the aim this time was to redo the HOWL – opposite way from last time but enjoy some classic HST action on the GWML before electrification really starts to bite. So it was with that thought in mind that I’d booked a £35 VTWC Advance on the 06:10 from Man Picc off Plat 5, to take me on to Euston – only 4 stops and before you know it a 4 min late arrival into EUS, 08:27, hauled by 390044 was already in the bag.
I’d left plenty of time to get across to PAD, but it being the first time I’d done that transfer for a long time, I thought it wise to leave a fair chunk of time to do the underground. As it was a brief blast from Euston Sq to PAD via the circle line had me in PAD in a mere 20 mins and then with a good hour to kill before the Swansea service was due to depart at 09:43. I wondered around for a while and found a Sainsbury’s to stock up on a meal deal for later, knowing that the connection time I had in Swansea was fairly short and that the HOWL would take 4 plus hours. PAD was lovely and spacious, pretty much how I remember it…I think the last time I was there was on a football trip circa 1998! So another on time departure at 09:43 with 43041 in the front and 43049 on the rear. The HST was a high density seating set, with me having a good window seat in coach D.
Off we went and I noticed North Pole depot was very much coming on with the Hitachi signage proudly displaying their motto of “Inspire the Next”. On approach to Reading we were held at a signal (no surprise there) meaning we were 5 mins down leaving Reading. Off we went down the GWML, I noted fairly minimal electrification masts apart from a bit near Didcot and as we approached Swindon we went past the large compound where the HOPS electrification train was….piles and piles of piles (for OLE stanchions) were everywhere….there’s an awful lot of work to do to get this line “knitted up” yet! Leaving Swindon we were 3 down, and I noted on the way to Parkway there was some bridge raising works going on.
At Parkway, I saw 66609 freightliner in the sidings and we pulled out 2 mins down…hauling past Stoke Gifford obviously much activity was going on for the new IEP SET trains depot…lots of earth works involving some kind of underpass on the site. Having then plunged through Brunel’s masterpiece of Severn Tunnel we passed the in my view always slightly eerie/mystical Severn Tunnel Junction. Bit of background here – as a kid in the early 1980’s we often did the overnight Man Picc – Tenby holiday train on a Friday night …. Lots of fond memories of travelling in toasty compartmentalised Mk2s and with that trip we always seemed to pass STJ around early dawn with lots of locos stabled looking menacing in the new day’s mist! …the challenge was through tired eyes and typically filthy BR windows to try to cop as many numbers as we flew past!
Back to the present day, we arrived into Newport 1 min down, where 66077 was noted, The platform canopies at NWP looked particularly lovely , while also observing that the new bit of Newport station looks particularly odd!
On approach to Cardiff central, lots of signalling work was in evidence, I assume linked to the Cardiff area re-sig project..(now substantially late and over budget). At Cardiff Central 143604, 150265 and 150235 were noted on various Valley workings…I thought to myself the need soon to come back and scratch off the Valley lines of which I’ve done a whole 0 miles! Now finally on time we left CDF and continued on to Swansea, going past Canton depot with its seemingly Pink painted shabby/peeling walls!, and then on past Port Talbot steel plant which was huge! As we finally came towards Swansea, I saw an abandoned signalbox that looked in good nick as we passed over a line near Neath– however I couldn’t quite figure out where it was. (Later research showed it to be the Neath and Brecon Junction signalbox, at the north end of the closed Neath Riverside station – still seemingly complete on the abandoned Swansea to Onllwyn/Aberpergwm lines)
Arrival into SWA was right time at 12:43, and the rain had now arrived – the majority of the trip having been done in decent sunshine. At this point I had a good 40 mins before the service to SHR was due to go off Plat 1…so since I had several calls to make for work, I wondered around trying to find somewhere quiet to have a call without background noise going on….this actually proved difficult to achieve!! I decided to head to the multi –storey car park behind the station, thinking that would get me the quiet I need – this turned out to be a bad move since while going down the multi storey’s stairs and with it just having rained I slipped and went flying down several stairs!! In the process, I really whacked my wrist, since I tried to use my arm to break my slip and bashed my wrist bone on a concrete step edge….ouch!!!
Swearing to myself and my stupidity and cursing the fact that the steps had zero anti slip edges to them (unlike the ones on most modern car parks) I abandoned the quest for quiet space and went back to station area with my throbbing wrist. This then started to spark a concern in my head that I may have hurt the wrist to the extent that I‘d broken it since the pain was not decreasing and the last thing I wanted was to travel for 4 hours up the HOWL in huge pain. Anyway, I tried to put these thoughts to one side in my head and focus on which plat the SHR service would be on and sure enough there she was on Plat 1 – 153367 – only my 2nd ever 153 to travel on. With renewed excitement I got on and settled into a decent left sided window airline seat facing backwards – knowing that we would reverse at Llanelli – my brain thinking ahead for a change!
Off we went with an on time 13:12 departure with a fairly complete load of passengers and with the pain easing in my wrist I looked forward to the prospect of the HOWL line adventure…it being 28 years since I did it the opposite way…I couldn’t be sure what if anything my memories of that trip would be brought back again (my previous main memory being coming down off Sugar Loaf summit in the mist given it was 05:00 ish in the morning!)
The route out to LLE gave excellent views out across the estuary, and thinking ahead again, I realise a trip out to Fishguard is going to be required mileage at some point soon (Probably 2016 realistically). Reversal at LLE was smooth and on time and finally we diverged at the Llandeilo junction onto the HOWL – (at least that’s where I consider it to start). For this leg of SWA back to MAN, I’d got an excellent value ATW Advance ticket at £20…not bad for 6 hours of travelling entertainment!
And so along we went, the stations thick but not so fast a coming…. LLangennach first off with an incredibly low platform…such that they had little sets of steps placed around the platform to help people to get on and off….then Pontarddulais with a gravelly surfaced platform…then Pantyffynon with part of the station boarded off, there seemed to be some Network rail activity occurring there. North of Pantyffynon on the right side next to the track there seemed to be a hidden house…squeezed between other houses and the track…very mysterious! Lots more stations then came along, usually one or two people joining/leaving at each one…even this initial bit of the HOWL is beautiful with lush open countryside to look out upon. At Llandeilo there was a cool mosaic in the up waiting shelter…north of Llandeilo we crossed the river Towy with a pedestrian path being part of the bridge alongside the track…good point for photography in the future methinks. At Llangadog I noticed the level crossing had fancy new “curved” CCTV cameras…they looked very futuristic. At Llandovery loads of people on and off, I decided to swap to a bay of 4 seats to get a better view, this time looking out the left side.
If you’ve not done the HOWL the section north of Llandovery is where the scenery goes up a notch. At Cynghordy and Sugar Loaf there was no stop (unsurprisingly) …Llanwrtyd Wells has a lovely station building …Llangammarch , has stations signs saying Llangammarch Wells!..so much for the accuracy of the Bakers. As we approached Builth Rd there was another spectacular crossing of the Wye river, which then led onto Llandrindod…much passenger to-ings and fro-ings here as well as a crew change, with 153362 noted heading South. Then the rest of the HOWL unfurled itself for me over the next hour as we trundled past the likes of Dolau, Knucklas with its brilliant castellated viaduct, Knighton and Hopton Heath. Before you know it, we pulled round the curve and approached Craven Arms, where I decided to bail, on time at 16:43, we await my connection onto the MAN service at 17:27.
153367 at Craven Arms having come off the HOWL
153367 at Craven Arms - 29 08 2015 by evotista, on Flickr
Given 45 mins at a windswept Craven Arms what do you do? Well first off, I needed the toilet! And thanks to the station info board map I could see there was one just around the corner on the main A49 high street. So off I plodded, found the facilities no problem and then popped into the local convenience store to grab some packets of crisps to sustain me for the rest of the haul back to MAN….the only occurrence of note was the whole absence of any English spoken in the store….seemingly run and full of customers who were Russian…in deepest Shropshire!
Back at the station again, it was satisfying to still hear the twanging of wires being pulled to operate the line’s semaphore signals. Now the only question was if the ATW Milford Haven to MAN service was going to be on time…the PIS indicated as such, but when the train time came due , nothing could be seen down the track (Craven Arms has excellent track visibility by the way…it being bullet straight north and south of the platforms). Eventually with a few spots of rain falling, the light of 175007 came into view and in she pulled, 5 ½ minutes late at 17:32
First time on a 175 I think and boy do they do announcements! So off back through SHR, which is a definite must visit in the future – planning is already in play in my head for another classic bash to redo the Ffestiniog circular. Via North Wales coast and Blaenau, thence to Porthmadog so I’ll see SHR on that one. The rest of the journey back up through Crewe and then the line to Man Picc was standard fare, various units being seen on approach to Crewe (I’ve lost my notes for these!) and then hauling back the late minutes for an arrival at 19:10 into Plat 8 at Piccadilly - a full 5mins early!
So, there we go…only my 2nd ever track bash since I’ve come back to the hobby and overall thoroughly enjoyable. I can’t recommend it enough… going along the HOWL in the daylight, it really is fabulous and well worth doing both ways. So, some summary on the end.
Traction travelled on:
390, 43 (125/HST), 153, 175
Operators Travelled
VT, FGW, ATW
Track Miles travelled
577 miles
New miles travelled
0!
Hope you enjoyed my first one!
29th August 2014 - The HOWL circular
And so one sunny August morn I decided to redo the majority of a trip I’d done the opposite way some 28 years previously. That trip was a classic, riding the postal train from Stockport to Shrewsbury and then catching the 04:XX something to Swansea on a toasty Met Camm DMU the only passenger as I recall it. That journey then went HST from Swansea to Reading, Reading to Hereford, and then I think it ended with some classic 45 action back up the marshes line back to Stockport.
That was the past…..back to the present day…..the aim this time was to redo the HOWL – opposite way from last time but enjoy some classic HST action on the GWML before electrification really starts to bite. So it was with that thought in mind that I’d booked a £35 VTWC Advance on the 06:10 from Man Picc off Plat 5, to take me on to Euston – only 4 stops and before you know it a 4 min late arrival into EUS, 08:27, hauled by 390044 was already in the bag.
I’d left plenty of time to get across to PAD, but it being the first time I’d done that transfer for a long time, I thought it wise to leave a fair chunk of time to do the underground. As it was a brief blast from Euston Sq to PAD via the circle line had me in PAD in a mere 20 mins and then with a good hour to kill before the Swansea service was due to depart at 09:43. I wondered around for a while and found a Sainsbury’s to stock up on a meal deal for later, knowing that the connection time I had in Swansea was fairly short and that the HOWL would take 4 plus hours. PAD was lovely and spacious, pretty much how I remember it…I think the last time I was there was on a football trip circa 1998! So another on time departure at 09:43 with 43041 in the front and 43049 on the rear. The HST was a high density seating set, with me having a good window seat in coach D.
Off we went and I noticed North Pole depot was very much coming on with the Hitachi signage proudly displaying their motto of “Inspire the Next”. On approach to Reading we were held at a signal (no surprise there) meaning we were 5 mins down leaving Reading. Off we went down the GWML, I noted fairly minimal electrification masts apart from a bit near Didcot and as we approached Swindon we went past the large compound where the HOPS electrification train was….piles and piles of piles (for OLE stanchions) were everywhere….there’s an awful lot of work to do to get this line “knitted up” yet! Leaving Swindon we were 3 down, and I noted on the way to Parkway there was some bridge raising works going on.
At Parkway, I saw 66609 freightliner in the sidings and we pulled out 2 mins down…hauling past Stoke Gifford obviously much activity was going on for the new IEP SET trains depot…lots of earth works involving some kind of underpass on the site. Having then plunged through Brunel’s masterpiece of Severn Tunnel we passed the in my view always slightly eerie/mystical Severn Tunnel Junction. Bit of background here – as a kid in the early 1980’s we often did the overnight Man Picc – Tenby holiday train on a Friday night …. Lots of fond memories of travelling in toasty compartmentalised Mk2s and with that trip we always seemed to pass STJ around early dawn with lots of locos stabled looking menacing in the new day’s mist! …the challenge was through tired eyes and typically filthy BR windows to try to cop as many numbers as we flew past!
Back to the present day, we arrived into Newport 1 min down, where 66077 was noted, The platform canopies at NWP looked particularly lovely , while also observing that the new bit of Newport station looks particularly odd!
On approach to Cardiff central, lots of signalling work was in evidence, I assume linked to the Cardiff area re-sig project..(now substantially late and over budget). At Cardiff Central 143604, 150265 and 150235 were noted on various Valley workings…I thought to myself the need soon to come back and scratch off the Valley lines of which I’ve done a whole 0 miles! Now finally on time we left CDF and continued on to Swansea, going past Canton depot with its seemingly Pink painted shabby/peeling walls!, and then on past Port Talbot steel plant which was huge! As we finally came towards Swansea, I saw an abandoned signalbox that looked in good nick as we passed over a line near Neath– however I couldn’t quite figure out where it was. (Later research showed it to be the Neath and Brecon Junction signalbox, at the north end of the closed Neath Riverside station – still seemingly complete on the abandoned Swansea to Onllwyn/Aberpergwm lines)
Arrival into SWA was right time at 12:43, and the rain had now arrived – the majority of the trip having been done in decent sunshine. At this point I had a good 40 mins before the service to SHR was due to go off Plat 1…so since I had several calls to make for work, I wondered around trying to find somewhere quiet to have a call without background noise going on….this actually proved difficult to achieve!! I decided to head to the multi –storey car park behind the station, thinking that would get me the quiet I need – this turned out to be a bad move since while going down the multi storey’s stairs and with it just having rained I slipped and went flying down several stairs!! In the process, I really whacked my wrist, since I tried to use my arm to break my slip and bashed my wrist bone on a concrete step edge….ouch!!!
Swearing to myself and my stupidity and cursing the fact that the steps had zero anti slip edges to them (unlike the ones on most modern car parks) I abandoned the quest for quiet space and went back to station area with my throbbing wrist. This then started to spark a concern in my head that I may have hurt the wrist to the extent that I‘d broken it since the pain was not decreasing and the last thing I wanted was to travel for 4 hours up the HOWL in huge pain. Anyway, I tried to put these thoughts to one side in my head and focus on which plat the SHR service would be on and sure enough there she was on Plat 1 – 153367 – only my 2nd ever 153 to travel on. With renewed excitement I got on and settled into a decent left sided window airline seat facing backwards – knowing that we would reverse at Llanelli – my brain thinking ahead for a change!
Off we went with an on time 13:12 departure with a fairly complete load of passengers and with the pain easing in my wrist I looked forward to the prospect of the HOWL line adventure…it being 28 years since I did it the opposite way…I couldn’t be sure what if anything my memories of that trip would be brought back again (my previous main memory being coming down off Sugar Loaf summit in the mist given it was 05:00 ish in the morning!)
The route out to LLE gave excellent views out across the estuary, and thinking ahead again, I realise a trip out to Fishguard is going to be required mileage at some point soon (Probably 2016 realistically). Reversal at LLE was smooth and on time and finally we diverged at the Llandeilo junction onto the HOWL – (at least that’s where I consider it to start). For this leg of SWA back to MAN, I’d got an excellent value ATW Advance ticket at £20…not bad for 6 hours of travelling entertainment!
And so along we went, the stations thick but not so fast a coming…. LLangennach first off with an incredibly low platform…such that they had little sets of steps placed around the platform to help people to get on and off….then Pontarddulais with a gravelly surfaced platform…then Pantyffynon with part of the station boarded off, there seemed to be some Network rail activity occurring there. North of Pantyffynon on the right side next to the track there seemed to be a hidden house…squeezed between other houses and the track…very mysterious! Lots more stations then came along, usually one or two people joining/leaving at each one…even this initial bit of the HOWL is beautiful with lush open countryside to look out upon. At Llandeilo there was a cool mosaic in the up waiting shelter…north of Llandeilo we crossed the river Towy with a pedestrian path being part of the bridge alongside the track…good point for photography in the future methinks. At Llangadog I noticed the level crossing had fancy new “curved” CCTV cameras…they looked very futuristic. At Llandovery loads of people on and off, I decided to swap to a bay of 4 seats to get a better view, this time looking out the left side.
If you’ve not done the HOWL the section north of Llandovery is where the scenery goes up a notch. At Cynghordy and Sugar Loaf there was no stop (unsurprisingly) …Llanwrtyd Wells has a lovely station building …Llangammarch , has stations signs saying Llangammarch Wells!..so much for the accuracy of the Bakers. As we approached Builth Rd there was another spectacular crossing of the Wye river, which then led onto Llandrindod…much passenger to-ings and fro-ings here as well as a crew change, with 153362 noted heading South. Then the rest of the HOWL unfurled itself for me over the next hour as we trundled past the likes of Dolau, Knucklas with its brilliant castellated viaduct, Knighton and Hopton Heath. Before you know it, we pulled round the curve and approached Craven Arms, where I decided to bail, on time at 16:43, we await my connection onto the MAN service at 17:27.
153367 at Craven Arms having come off the HOWL
153367 at Craven Arms - 29 08 2015 by evotista, on FlickrGiven 45 mins at a windswept Craven Arms what do you do? Well first off, I needed the toilet! And thanks to the station info board map I could see there was one just around the corner on the main A49 high street. So off I plodded, found the facilities no problem and then popped into the local convenience store to grab some packets of crisps to sustain me for the rest of the haul back to MAN….the only occurrence of note was the whole absence of any English spoken in the store….seemingly run and full of customers who were Russian…in deepest Shropshire!
Back at the station again, it was satisfying to still hear the twanging of wires being pulled to operate the line’s semaphore signals. Now the only question was if the ATW Milford Haven to MAN service was going to be on time…the PIS indicated as such, but when the train time came due , nothing could be seen down the track (Craven Arms has excellent track visibility by the way…it being bullet straight north and south of the platforms). Eventually with a few spots of rain falling, the light of 175007 came into view and in she pulled, 5 ½ minutes late at 17:32
First time on a 175 I think and boy do they do announcements! So off back through SHR, which is a definite must visit in the future – planning is already in play in my head for another classic bash to redo the Ffestiniog circular. Via North Wales coast and Blaenau, thence to Porthmadog so I’ll see SHR on that one. The rest of the journey back up through Crewe and then the line to Man Picc was standard fare, various units being seen on approach to Crewe (I’ve lost my notes for these!) and then hauling back the late minutes for an arrival at 19:10 into Plat 8 at Piccadilly - a full 5mins early!
So, there we go…only my 2nd ever track bash since I’ve come back to the hobby and overall thoroughly enjoyable. I can’t recommend it enough… going along the HOWL in the daylight, it really is fabulous and well worth doing both ways. So, some summary on the end.
Traction travelled on:
390, 43 (125/HST), 153, 175
Operators Travelled
VT, FGW, ATW
Track Miles travelled
577 miles
New miles travelled
0!
Hope you enjoyed my first one!
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Aye it can be difficult to make it an interesting read for everyone, but you've done well with this one. I'd imagine others will agree with me soon!
