I'm not flying
Just like I had in February with Samgeorge965, on the 4th of June I'd arranged to do the Heathrow Express with a forum member, this time Dom395. Using the same dirt cheap child fare as last time to get from Paddington to Heathrow and back quite a few times, my ticket to London and travelcard was 350 times more expensive than one return trip (in 1st class) on Heathrow Express. Nathan wouldn't be joining us on this one so I got up on the Saturday morning, we didn't have to swing via Nathan's on route Leam for the 08:25. We set off at 07:50 (I'd got up an hour before heading off) and it was an uneventful, short drive to Leamington where I bought my ticket to London, which included a travelcard, and another ticket that I'd use after the cat. I'd picked up tickets for both Dom395 (for the purpose of this report, I'll just call him Dom) and myself for Heathrow quite a few days beforehand so had them ready for later when I headed for platform 3 and my cat to London.
I didn't have too long to wait before I could see the DVT approaching. I knew that it wouldn't be GT as that wasn't on the Chilterns at the time so I didn't mind what would appear. I was happy enough with 68008, which has got to be the sub-forum celebrity I get most often! I got in the rear coach as usual and got a seat in one of the several bays of 4 and put some tunes on after hearing the cat thrash away from Leam, making one heck of a good noise. As usual, it was an incredibly slow journey to Banbury due to the red death in front of us but after the stop there we gained speed and were soon past Aynho Junction heading towards London.
My plan in London before meeting up with Dom at 14:00 in Paddington was to simply shuttle back and forth between Waterloo East and Charing Cross to get loads of Southeastern stuff as I needed loads of them. I'd also be able to do a few Vauxhall leaps to get some SWT stuff at the same sort of time so it sounded like a good plan right until I went on the laptop that morning and checked HST gen. There are two trams from Stevenage to Kings Cross within 7 minutes of each other, the first leaving at 11:01, the second at 11:08. I decided to check what they were on the off chance that one of my last 3 VTEC powercars would drop on one and, sure enough, my preferred set out of them was on the second one. That's the reason I got another ticket at Leam - a Kings Cross to Stevenage return. Sure enough, after arriving at Marylebone at 09:50 (a few minutes late), I was Kings Cross bound.
Descending the escalator to Marylebone's only tube line, the Bakerloo, at a pretty decent pace got me onto the 'oven line' in good time for the first arrival, which I decided to take even if it was a pair of duds. Luckily it wasn't a pair of duds, or even a single one as double winner 3261 and 3537 were taking me one stop through the tunnel to Baker Street. This is the first time that I've noticed how easy it is to get between the Bakerloo and Jubilee line platforms in the Waterloo direction and it turns out that it is simply a short, straight line between the platforms with no stairs or anything. A Jubilee line set was noticed arriving in the other platform as our doors opened so I decided that it'd be rude to refuse as I had time and darted across to the unknown set. It turns out that double consecutive winners 96025 and 96026 would be taking me on another one stop hop, this time to winner shack Bond Street. It was really easy to get to the other Jubilee line platform here so I was only at Bond Street for a couple of minutes before winners 96072 and 96081 arrived to take me back to Baker Street, where I decided that it was time to head for Kings Cross. It was certainly the toughest tube-tube connection here as I needed to get to the Hammersmith and City/Circle platforms for winner 21398+21397 along the sub-surface line to Kings Cross St Pancras, where I bade farewell to the tube for now and headed to the main concourse. It was, as always, busy here but I knew where I had to go to get over to my next train, the 10:22 Peterborough, which I'd be taking to Stevenage. Unfortunately it was a single unit but 365538 was required and I easily got a pair of seats to myself on board. This one is non stop to Stevenage after Finsbury Park and, as it's been ages since I've been on that part of the ECML, I was really looking forward to this. After Finsbury Park, it was crazy with 313s, me scoring loads and loads of winners. Hornsey gave me my first 700 for sight too, which was really good. No 'different' locos were spotted en route but, as I said, I scored loads of 313s and a couple of dustys in Welwyn sidings. It was a fun ride through all of the shacks to Stevenage, where I left the train 24 minutes after leaving the cross at 10:46.
My set was apparently delayed by 1 minute, then 2, then 3, then 2 again and back to 1. The PIS couldn't seem to make up its mind! The HST in front of this one was stuck at 2 late and eventually arrived with 43300 and 239. That'd be a complete match for Nathan, who needs both of them! Although he needed both of them on 'my' set behind so it leaves me wondering what Nathan would do if he was there. At 11:10, I could see headlights of an approaching tram - my one to London. It was due out at 11:08 so was, as advertised, running late but that didn't matter to me. I had my fingers crossed for my tram set and was very, very glad to see that it was a match. The best VTEC powercar was leading (and 2nd best overall) so it was good to see 43208 again. It wasn't the reason I'd came out of my way by just under 30 miles though. The reason for that was the powercar on the back, plastered in black 'spirit of Sunderland' writing. Hello winner 43274! I'm getting quite a few things that Tech is annoyed at today aren't I :wink?
I got on and immediately crossed over to the other side vestibule for some tram thrash. Soon all the doors were shut and locked and we'd began moving. Or were they? After a few seconds accelerating, a very hefty brake application brought us to a stop again. The platform staff came down the platform checking that every door was shut. Meanwhile, I was sorely hoping that it wouldn't be caped! Finally, after just over 5 minutes, we moved forward again and didn't come to a stand in the platform again this time. Welcome to the book 274!
We had a very speedy run to Kings Cross, with a normal asking me if we were at Kings Cross every 5 minutes. I don't think she understood English very well at all! After a cracking run on a tram back to the capital, I said bye to 274 and, of course, Lincolnshire Echo before heading back for the tube and Southeastern.
I now wanted to get to Charing Cross so decided on a route that would get me a couple of winner shacks on the tube. The city centre bound Piccadilly line platform was reached after a couple of minutes and double winner 157 and 176 were soon arriving to take me one shack along the line to Russell Square. This was shack score 2. A couple of minutes were spent on the platform before winners 127 and 248 arrived to take me to shack score 3, Leicester Square. Then it was over to the Northern line for winners 51595 and 51715 to Charing Cross where I headed up to the concourse to begin my Southeastern spree. The next one out was at 12:06 so I wandered over and got on board double winners 465031 and 465250 for the ride over the river to Waterloo East. I looked at when the next departure for Charing Cross was and saw that it was in 8 minutes! Stuff that! My Southeastern spree ended rather quickly as I crossed to Waterloo and had a quick look at the departure boards for something stopping at Vauxhall. I noticed one was going to leave in one minute so I ran over to the platform for it and leapt on board winner 458521. It was a short ride out to Vauxhall where I quickly changed platforms and leapt on board the pair of units that were waiting to head for Waterloo. I found out using the coach number that I was in winner 5910 and I got the rear unit at Waterloo. I wasn't happy at all to find out that it was my first ever dud 455, 5722. I've only had a couple as well! Not letting this get to me, I ran back out of the barriers and over to a departure board. I then continued my run over to the 12:28 and got on board just before double winner 458504 and 458513 departed. Back out to Vauxhall again where another tightish connection was had onto winner 5717 back to Waterloo.
I'd now had enough of South West Trains so made my way back across the bridge to Waterloo east and down onto the platform for the 12:47 to Charing Cross. To my surprise, winners 375812 and 375829 left 3 minutes early but it just meant that I got to Charing Cross sooner and onto double winner 465184 and 465041 easier. When I was on that pair, I got a text from Dom to say that he was approaching Waterloo East on his way to Padd, where we were to meet. As I was also on route Waterloo East, I text him to say to meet me there so we could head across to Padd together. He was at the Southwark entrance of the platform but, as I don't know that entrance, I just headed over the footbridge at the main entrance and got to him that way. We then headed down to the Jubilee line at Southwark, getting me a shack score. Winners 96004 and 96021 were the first to arrive in the city centre direction and we took them for the fairly long run out to Baker Street, where we changed to the circle line, There was a Paddington bound one in the platform when we got there so we darted down to it and got on board before it left. It took a while for it to leave so we would have made it if we walked but at least we were on board winner 21333+21334.
Once we got to Paddington, there was a while until our plan was due to begin. Because of this, we headed across to the 1st class lounge for a bit. It should have been sarnies at this time but, as we were there towards the end of the 'lunch time' bit, there was only a wrap that I didn't really fancy left. Instead, I got a bag of crisps, a bit of shortbread and a drink to take over to the table and have. I knew that this wouldn't completely fill me up so I decided to get something from the Sainsbury's local on Paddington station after our time in the lounge. It was a nice half-hour and we left at 13:55, giving me time to get to Sainsbury's local for a chicken triple sarnie, a bag of crisps and a drink before wandering over to the 14:10 to Heathrow. We got seats in 1st class - a bay of two with a table in the middle - and relaxed for the journey out to Heathrow. This was Dom's first time travelling on the HEX and I think he was quite impressed with the 332s. It was dud from last time 332008 that took us all the way to Heathrow Terminal 5. 33207 was looking extremely good at Southall as we passed and the fresh air carrier was soon entering the Heathrow Tunnels. Unlike last time, we weren't told to leave the train at Terminal 5 so we could stay in our seats back to terminals 1, 2 and 3. The members of staff were confused as to why we were still on board but were OK with it when we said. We were only on it for a few more minutes though and bailed at the first stop so we could get the 360 to terminal 4 and back. I'd only had one of the Heathrow Connect 360s so I had a 4 out of 5 chance of getting a winner on this. I wasn't too happy to see that it was the only 360 that I'd had because of this as it was dud 360201 on it. Still, as I'd not recorded the coaches that I'd had on this the previous time, I scored a winner one on the way out to terminal 4 and a different one on the way back and we both moved down to make use of the facilities.
Back at Terminals 1, 2 and 3, we were to head back to Paddington on the next available 332 at 15:03. I was pleased to see that this was my first 'Heathrow trains' winner of the day in the form of 332004. It was a fairly busy service, even in 1st class, but we managed to get seats for the journey back to Paddington, where we once again headed for the 1st class lounge. We had a while until our next planned train at 15:55 so it'd be a nice time in there (with another half hour). The cakes were now out so we immediately went for them and got a slab of viccy sponge. It was hellfire, just like last time, and after a nice bit of time in there, we headed over to the platform for the 15:55. This was another of my dud ones (!) unfortunately, 332006. This was only taken out to terminal 1, 2 and 3, where the same 332 from earlier, 332004, took us back to Paddington. This ended our Heathrow time so we wandered over to the Circle/Hammersmith & City line platforms to get away from Padd. Dom needed to head home now so had to get to Charing Cross. As I had an hour and 40 minutes until my train back from Marylebone, I decided to head to Charing Cross with Dom and we got on the first available tube, winner 21424+21423 for the ride to Baker Street. Dom wanted to show me a 'secret' entrance to Charing Cross that involved heading to Embankment so we changed to the Bakerloo line and got on double winner 3233 and 3555. Interestingly, we sat in the rear set in coach 3333.
Embankment was a shack score and we exited and wandered over to Charing Cross, a short walk on a route with quite a few people until entering Charing Cross. A pair of 375s were due to leave before the serice that Dom wanted to be on so we decided to go for those to Waterloo East as it'd give me more time to get to Marylebone after a return trip and the service the Dom would get forward from Waterloo East had a dud in the consist. We didn't have time to get the front unit before boarding but winner 375905 was on the back. I got the front unit from the cab number in the gangway and identified it was winner 375821. Excellent! We both bailed at Waterloo East and then headed our seperate ways, me going over to the platform for the next Charing Cross service, Dom going for the service that'd take him home. It was a great day out with him! I was glad to see that the pair of 465s approaching was a pair of winners, 465153 and 465194. I got on board and it was a short ride back across the river to Charing Cross.
I'd decided to go a long route to get to Marylebone as I had 45 minutes so it started with the Northern line and winners 51657 and 51656 to another shack score at Tottenham Court Road before the Central line to Oxford Circus with quadruple winner (don't you love those two words together!) 92193, 92086, 92458 and 92269. This was a very short run on a crowded and very hot stock so it was very nice to leave it. I was only waiting for about a minute before another quadruple winner arrived, this time 92155, 92012, 92136 and 92001. I was only on this for another short, hot, busy, torturous journey but it felt like a long time and I was sweating like anything after getting of it! Away from the Central line now me thinks! Jubilee line bound! I saw that there was one arriving heading towards Waterloo and decided to go for it. Winners 96033 and 96058 took me to Green Park where I headed to the other Jubilee platform for double winners 96040 and 96015 back to Baker Street, where I needed to get to Marylebone. Luckily there was a Bakerloo line one minute after I got onto the platform. This was good because it was beginning to get tight for me to get to Marylebone. Winner 3535 and dud 3237 came in and took me one stop to Marylebone where I said bye to the silver worm until next time and headed over to the mainline platforms to see my DVT waiting. I had a hunch on what cat was with it and I certainly hoped that I was right as I hadn't had custard for ages and it's a monstrous cat. Sure enough, it was 68011 that would be powering me away from London. I was certainly happy enough with this and got a seat in a bay of 4 for a thrashy ride back to Leam and after one heck of a great day, I was watching Custard thrash out of Leamington. I then wandered over to Mum, who was waiting to pick me up, and headed home. Thanks to Dom for helping to make this a great day!
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