Day 1 is already over
Photos and videos I'm going to try and deal with on Tuesday, when I'm recovering from the massive trip. Here is how Day 1 went:
29/07/15 - Tech's 10th Basherversary, Day 1
Yeehaa, it's finally here after just over 2 months of waiting, the epic 6 day celebratory bash! It feels like forever since my last major bash [Tech's Capital Bash, 26-28th March - Ed], same for the Ebbw Vale Town bash just over 2 weeks ago! So what's this one about? I've mentioned it more than a couple of times in this trip report thread, but it's 10 years this summer [I don't have an exact date for it sadly, I never used to record such landmark events - Ed] since I graduated from being a mere spotter to being a basher. For those of you who haven't made that step yet, it's a big change to the hobby but so much more fun! I'm sure the other bashers of this forum will agree with me on that. Originally I had only booked a day trip to Glasgow via an overnight National Express coach, returning south to London on the Cally Insomnie [that's all coming up at the end of Day 4 until the beginning of Day 6 - Ed]. However I wanted some bigger trips again and managed to get most of the week off work, and after some consultation of the Plans for 2015 notes I made in December 2014, I settled with a North West 4 in 8 Rover. There's just so much to do up there, trains and shacks wise, that 4 days will not even get me close to done. However I'll be making rather good progress! The main batch of Advances were booked by late May, same for the hotels.
After sourcing my North West Rover on 20th July, a travelcard for Day 6 and a SPT Daytripper for Day 5 was all that was left to pay for, well and spending money when I'm away of course. The latter is what will hit my wallet hardest I reckon, after all on full days out it isn't hard for me to spend 30+ quid, and that's still being tight-fisted! This time though I have collected quite a fair bit of Costa Coffed Club points [836 at least - Ed], ready for such a trip. My healthy drinking is still going OK [see the Ebbw Vale Town trip report for details - Ed],with a huge decrease in my pop consumption, but I am struggling with eating healthily. Mind over matter, I keep telling myself, but it takes a long time to re-program the brain! Nevertheless there's still progress and by 20th July 2016 I should have hit the goal of being down to 14 stone in mass. Anyway, enough about that, let's talk about the trip now!
Less sleep than desired, what with getting up at 0535 due to a demand for feeding from the stomach, and it's Weetabix and coffee before final prep is done [the bulk of the prep done two days early! - Ed], and l get the early bus to town, enlisting the help of an Aldi bag for my food and drink as the holdall is ridiculously full and heavy! The usual Costa stop is up first, and I position myself ready for the first of many moves, the 0908 to Manchester Piccadilly [0615 from Carmarthen - Ed], which today falls to 175006. With all my commuting logs already up to date, all that's left to do is sit back and enjoy the journey with a read of the current edition of RAIL. I do that until the Wilmslow area, learning of WCML disruption due to a fatality this morning. Arrival is at 1112 and I only just make it to platform 14 for the 1116 to Glasgow Central. Bonus is that it's winner 350401, although it had been tough flagging winner 390130! The school holidays have been tons of families disrupting the boarding and seat finding, but luckily I get a table seat from Oxford Road and the man for Wigan swapped seats with me, gracefully allowing me to use the power socket. The plan at this time is to go to Lockerbie on this one, although if there's a good connection for Windermere available I might take that instead yet. Either way, it's a long journey ahead! I see winner 319365 at Wigan too late to jump off for a shack attack at Bryn, never mind, back to the plan!
It's now lunch time [well, about 10 minutes early! - Ed] and now I have a bit of room to spread out I get my lunchbox out. 4 Bavarian ham rolls later, I'm feeling much better and should easily get to tea time before any more food. Granted I did also devour two packets of crisps on the 175 mind! I could do with a coffee now mind, it's been about 4 hours now since my Costa coffee! My last 350/4, and last one out of all the sub-classes for sight, 350408 was noted between Wigan and Preston, excellent! Time for the first tunes in 4 hours now, and it's Dragonforce's Fury of the Storm as we pelt it up the WCML between Preston and Lancaster. Signal, especially mobile data, is awful in this area which I'd forgotten! The connection at Oxenholme was terrible so staying on to Lockerbie. Hoping like mad there's a conveniently placed Costa near the station, and that the rain holds off, I'm more than keen to get some caffeine in me and have a good little walkabout. Mind you I'm also hoping to get some 68s I need for sight on Kingmoor too, it's been a long time since I last did a train up this way! I was too busy gassing to some new passengers at my table to really note much on Kingmoor, oops. After 2 hours and 20 minutes on the 350 I was glad to have a break, mind you to do Hereford to Lockerbie in exactly 4 and a half hours is not bad. No Costa in Lockerbie, so I make my way to the large Tesco 5 minutes walk away and get a can of Monster Khaos [my favourite Monster - Ed] in.
Back to the station and after a short fester I score winner 350407 for the journey to my second winner shack of the day, Penrith. Of course, for the time being it's renamed Kenrith until Kendal Festival is over! I still couldn't quite identify the 68 on Kingmoor for sure, it looked like 68001 but not counting a "could be". I see 66426 and 66428 which were my last two DRS 66s to see once upon a time. 66952 was noted earlier, so close to 66953 but oh so far away! 37401 and 37402 were top and tailing a train in platform 1 at Carlisle as we were there, and 142067 was in platform 2. 37402 is required, and it's due to come back up later. I'm definitely going after that then! The second shack score of the day done at Penrith, I have 40 minutes or so here so I go to McDonalds next door for a coffee, in a bid to start collecting again for a free coffee, following losing my last full card. I received gen earlier that the 1230 Euston to Glasgow is to have winner 390118 on it, so it's time to plonk myself onto the bench and slowly drink my coffee. The plan now is to head to base camp, today that's Townhouse B&B in Carlisle, dump stuff off then go 37 bashing. I also need to factor in my evening meal yet, but that can be done later. Winner 390118 did produce as my source said, so just 4 more 390s to go! It's a short 10 minute walk to base camp, with a light rain being the first I've had to deal with today. After a short break, I get back to the station at 1640.
Nothing of interest for ages, so after getting a copy of the timetable for the Cumbrian Coast I end up in The William Rufus (Lloyds/Spoons) for an early fish and chips tea. £6.25 on the afternoon deal, which finished at 1700 so I was close to missing it, and my pint [Ringwood's Old Thumper - Ed] went down beautifully! Back to the station with a 3 minute walk and I turn down a winner 156, in anticipation of a 37 on the 1737 to Barrow-in-Furness. Thankfully it is 37s, and it's winner 37409 to lead us out of Carlisle! I haven't had a 37 on a service train since September 2009 [37670 and 37401 Bristol to Weymouth - Ed] much less a winner! It's fired up soon after I get on and my jaw dropped! Off I go for my planned shack attack at Aspatria, and I eventually find an open window [bars on the windows, so no dangerous heads-out! - Ed] and the noise is awesome! Oh I've missed that sound fair play! Of course there's plenty of photos and some video clips, which I'll hopefully have sorted out on Tuesday when I next get access to a laptop. I had planned to get the 1835 back towards Carlisle, but the timetable suggested it would be better to do the 1842 to Harrington for a +22 onto what should be 37402 leading the 1731 Barrow to Carlisle. Just as well, as the 1835 was dud 156461 and the 1842 winner 156481! 8 more Heaton 156s [13 Northern 156s when including Allerton's lot - Ed] to go then, excellent! 5 winners so far today, out of 6 trains that I've been on, rather pleased!
Harrington marks shack score number 4, and the rain attempts to make it a bad fester, but once 37402 comes around the noise brings beaming smiles to my face again! The second winner 37 today, which in 2015 is unbelieveable. All DRS' 37/4s are now dud for me, although I still need Colas' 37421 at least. At Wigton I decide to get ready to alight, so stand by the droplight. Oh yes, oh yes indeed, that noise is awesome. The muck smell outside however is not! Dalston has a 10 minute fester [which turned into 20 minutes due to delays - Ed] for 156481 coming back so I went for shack score number 5! Upon arrival I head back to base camp after nearly 12 hours of bashing. Granted there was a nice break in the middle for tea and base camp check in, but I've been up for over 15.5 hours by now so ready to shut off for the night. Alarm set for 0630 ready for breakfast and de-rancification, then to meet Blindtraveller at the station. Brilliant first day, hope the next 5 are just as good and bring on Day 2!
. I certainly will be.