August big bash day 1: The positioner
Finally! The first of August had come! Today was the positioning move for my 7 day North East Rover, the biggest trip of the year. I had booked tickets months back and arranged to stay at Granny's in Pickering from the 1st of August to the 8th of August, with the promise that I would spend the Sunday with them and some of another day during the week. I had booked my tickets for travel up via Peterborough for 3 reasons. The first was that I could travel in the morning without having to go on an Unspeakably Horrible Thing on the direct route. 2 was that I could guarantee loco-hauled from Peterborough and 3 that it was actually cheaper to head via the ECML! Toby, our cousin that lives in Chester, had come down for the week as it was in his school holidays. The Saturday I had to leave was the Saturday that he had to go back home, so dad decided to take the train to Crewe with him, where his parents would pick him up. Dad had to travel on the 08:23 to Birmingham from Leam, the same train I needed to take in order to connect with my 170 to Peterborough at New Street, the 09:22. Dad and Toby had to take the 09:15 Pendo to Crewe so it fit in perfectly. So when the day finally came, I was up at 06:30 to finish getting ready for the week ahead...
Like my trip to Cardiff and the north in June, I put my green canvas bag (for day use) in the big purple one I was using for clothes. I would use this for the trip up and back but just the green one for the Rover. So after packing, I went on the computer to see if there had been any major problems on the ECML overnight. Thankfully not! My train north from Peterborough was a booked HST so that would hopefully throw out a winner or two and with my advance ticket being a First Class one, that would mean it would be even nicer. But that did rule out window hanging for that particular leg but that isn't a big loss. Before I knew it, we had to head out to Leamington for my first train of the mega trip.
We got to the station with plenty of time for our train and after about 15 minutes waiting plus buying tickets to Birmingham for Toby and I (dad had his season ticket),
168001 paired with
172103 arrived to take us to Moor Street. We managed to get the best seats on a 168 (the front/back bay of 4 on the right hand side; it changes depending on the direction of travel) for the first little bit of the northbound journey. Not as far north as I would be going this week though! We all talked for a bit before finally getting off the 'hybrid' (Chiltern's new name for a 168/172 combination) at Moor Street and heading through the open barriers to the concourse and then the very familiar walk to the bat cave. The double cart had arrived on time giving us 20 minutes before Dad and Toby's train to Crewe left New Street. It was on platform 6 so we headed down onto the platform to find 390126 ready to go. Why are the winners always around when I can't get them? I saw dad and Toby onto the train for 09:13 as saying goodbye for a week takes quite a long time. Time I had. They both got on and got to the buffet window to wave at me as the Pendo pulled off. It took me a few seconds to pop back to reality. It was now 09:16 and I wasn't on the Stanstead bound 170! I knew that the chance of me getting a decent seat were now slim but that didn't stop me running over to platform 12 to get on the 09:22 service to Stanstead Airport formed of super dud (and highest mileage 170)
170109. This was also the 170 that I had from Tamworth to New Street 3 days before. Thankfully I didn't have to resort to my rubbish reserved seat as there was a bay of 2 on the right hand side with good window view so I pulled the reservation label out of my old seat and planted myself down in the new pair and plugged my headphones in (not the terrible apple ones) and continued playing the Audiobook I had been listening to for a while, ready for the long ride ahead.
It left right time and accelerated at the usual pace for a 170 - Slowly. There were 2 Bettys in Lawley Street; probably the only ones I would see this week. One of them was 70006, my last Freightliner Betty for sight when I needed them. I finally got it by chance when out on the boats and we were moored next to a bridge carrying the WCML. The next locos weren't until Leicester and that was just the thousand grids (56s) in the depot. All duds of course. I find the section between Syston east junction and Peterborough really dull and this leg wasn't any different. At least I had my book to listen too today, something I hadn't on all of the other trips.
After the long run through the countryside, we finally joined the East Coast Main Line. I knew Peterborough yard was soon so I vacated my seat and headed to the disabled toilet where there was a fair few free on the left hand side ready for the yard. There was 7 different 66s in the yard, 2 of which were winners for me (66756 and 66749) so that put my winner count from 0 to 2 in the space of 3 hours. Since these were winners for sight, this is pretty good! Arrival at Peterborough station was on time and after getting off I ran over to platform 1 just in time to see a Dusty Bin heading off towards Kings Cross. Not my last one for the week by any stretch of the imagination! I was getting hungry and with over an hour until my train north, I decided to head out of the station in hunt of something to eat. I saw a Waitrose less than 100 yards away so I headed up there in the hope of getting a sarnie or something to keep me going until I was on the tram. But after 10 minutes of looking I still couldn't find any sandwiches so I just grabbed a Jam Donut and headed back to the station, hoping that the sandwich in First Class would be big. I planted myself on a station bench to eat my bargain donut, scoring an AGA 170 for sight too. Not too hard considering that before I got that one I needed 8 AGA ones. There had been a shovel sitting just south of the station with the number out of view (I got hardly tell it was even a 67 though) for quite a while. So long that I was wandering if it would ever move. But it did in the end and I managed to see 67021 accelerate through on its way North. Then, as I turned my head to see it head away, I saw there was another shovel coming, this one heading south. It was going through platform 1 and since I was on platform 4/5, I had to head back over the bridge in order to get the number and a photo. The latter wouldn't have been possible if it hadn't been held at a red signal at the end of the platform.
Stationary at Peterborough by
fishquinn1, on Flickr
I then watched 67029 head out moments later down the Main Line. Then, the second that had cleared, 43257 and 43311 came racing through on a Kings Cross bound train. As said in the Leeds trip report, 43311 is one of the 3 HSTs that dad needs, and knowing it was out gave me something to aim for above all else (unless 43315 and 43367 appeared) for later in the week. Will it appear for me?
After another half an hour of spotting, I got ready for the 12:23 to Leeds, which I was booked in first class on. I was looking forward to a pelt up the East Coast on a tram but it seemed this was not going to happen as what did I see coming in? A darn Milkfloat. Any tram turn to Edinburgh or Leeds could have been vice but it would have to be my one! Still, it is locohauled but that didn't stop me from being disappointed that I had 109.5 miles from winner
91130 instead of 2 tram power cars. Still, you can't get them all. I got in coach Land began looking down the right hand side for my seat, number 47, but I then found out that it was on the left. I was expecting a right hand side one so I just planted myself in the bay of 2 opposite for the fairly long journey (since it was very lightly loaded). A couple of seconds after leaving Peterborough one of the catering crew came past and asked me what I would like. I went for a BLT sarnie, orange juice and a slice of Victoria Sponge cake, taking the lettuce out of the sandwich (as I don't like it). The tomato bit was a tomato sauce so I was ok with that and it was very nice, finishing it just after Newark. I then sat watching the trains race by until Donny where I put my headphones back in to finish the book. Lots of things were seen in the Doncaster area, but I couldn't ID a lot of it. In the end I only got 12 locos (5x66s, 2x60, 2xNetwork Rail 43, 3x08) but it was nice to see lots of stuff. I had finished the last book in the trilogy (the off to be the wizard trilogy - I highly recommend them) by Wakefield but with a 1st class advance to Leeds I would hardly get off the 91 early (and I would be stuck in the same situation I was when I did the spin to Leeds just over a month before). That and 91130 would be cleared for 100 miles when I get to Leeds. The last 10 minutes was nice and after a journey of an hour and 20 minutes I was getting off, ready for some unit action.
I grabbed the tickets from the booking office that I needed for the rest of the day and then scanned the platforms for any winner Bugeyes to do a return to Shipley on. I saw that the 14:10 to Bradford had a winner on so I headed over and got a seat on
333010 for the quick journey away from the city. I had fallen into the same move that I had done in my Leeds trip so it was a 15 minute wait for the train back, during which time I headed over to the Leeds-Skipton platform because RTT said that there was a light loco due. It was now chucking it down with rain so I sat in the waiting room while waiting for the loco, which never came. Damn RTT! I gave up 4 minutes before my train back left and headed over to the Bradford-Leeds platform ready for another Bugeye, this time winner
333007. I wanted to try and get the 15:05 Kings Cross bound tram again but this time take it straight through to Doncaster, not falling into the Wakefield trap again. This would get me my first tram before Monday, something I didn't think I would get.
I saw the tram waiting when I got to Leeds and after a quick check I saw that the leading one was required. Vote
43306! And it is always nice to get dud
43305 again too as I haven’t had that for ages and even then it was just from Doncaster to York. I did a bit of window hanging for the fun 30-mile journey south but it was over to soon. Then, after getting to Donny, I had a half-hour fester before my train to York and then to Malton. During this time I made the mistake of going to Costa and getting a Belgian Chocolate Creamy Cooler and after 1 sip I loved the darn things. But with the price of them it isn't the sort of thing I want to have on a very regular basis! I finished the brilliant drink at the end of the platform before watching the milkfloat on the 16:10 arrive. I got another winner, this time in the form of
91126, and just like on my Leeds trip, I got a good seat in the quiet coach for the nice journey up to York.
It felt quicker than it was and shortly after leaving Donny, my Edinburgh bound was arriving at its next stop. As it pulled in, I noticed that there was a brush in the bay but seconds after; I saw the back of some sort of railtour. I only had a plus 5 but that should be enough time to get a photo of the brush and shovel, which was on the front of the tour which I later found out was called 'The Harrogate Circle'. A sprint to the far end of platform 11 got me a photo of 47828 but as I was pushed for time, I couldn't really get a photo of 67016 from platform height. Instead, after finding out I had time, I got one from the footbridge and it was probably an even better photo than from platform height because it was 'different'.
A shovel and a DVT by
fishquinn1, on Flickr
I then sprinted over to platform 5 and leaped on the waiting Scarborough bound Diesel Dez. This was my last train of the day and I was glad to find out after arriving at Malton that I had just had 21.25 miles from winner
185141. Granddad was waiting for me on the platform so we walked to the car and I got in to find Ellie, one of Granny and Granddad's 3 dogs (sadly only now two of them) in the car too. From the station it was a short ride back to the house in Pickering, spending the journey catching up with Granddad. After getting to the house, we had a sensational dinner and just chilled out for the evening.
My 2nd day simply comprised of heading into town for a bit and more chilling out at the house with the first day of my rover beginning on the Monday. How will the week go I wander?
I think it's ok now it doesn't have crowd control at there are fewer shoppers using it. But thinking Snow Hell is nicer than it...
Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip.
