Thanks for the clarification on the music gang, I've learnt something tonight! No I'm not going to YouTube it to find out how dreadful it is!
Work over for the week at last, no idea how I survived it. Lazy day tomorrow before an 0600 alarm on Monday, still not sure where I'll go but it'll depend on what I get as answers to my queries on Monday morning, and of course the weather forecast!
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02/11/2015 - Tech's Tubthumping
Wow, we're down to the last two months of the year alreqdy, where has 2015 gone?! First things first, let's explain the title of this trip. 29th October saw me spending some time deciding upon the hashtag for this one [it's harder than you might think coming up with a good one on a regular basis - Ed] and I was going through my quite varied YouTube viewing history list. I find Chumbawumba's Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down). That was it, I finally knew what I wanted to use! I continued to make plans and attempt to decide between them all, and I was still coming up with new ideas the night before this trip. The list of options finally ended as being the following:
Bristol for 150s and 158960
WMDR for 390114 and 68s
Market Harborough and Kettering shack scoring via Northampton and a bus link
Heart of Wales shack scoring
Aylesbury via Middle Earth and a bus link
Derbyshire Wayfarer
NET bash for the new lines
Manchester for a clearout of shacks and trams
Sheffield for a clearout of shacks and trams
Oxfordshire Day Ranger for Tackley and 165s and 166s
Reading for some shack scoring
Which I think was the lot I had to choose from. Not too much then eh gang? The decision was left to the weather forecast, after all there was no point going shack scoring if the weather was to be less than pleasant! I also needed some gen, so until the morning of the bash it was all still open to where I'd go. My bank balance suggested I had less to play with than originally expected the day before this trip, so I must be careful this time, no impulsive extra fares to be added on to this trip!
I get a most irritating bit of toothache the night before, which kept me awake for longer than planned, so when the alarm went off at 0600 [well, 0550 as my clock had been set to be about 10 minutes fast for quite some time, handy for recovery time if I don't get up on time! - Ed] I was severely tempted to stay in bed and not go anywhere. 15 minutes later the brain had woken up and I knew I'd regret staying at home, after all this was to be one of my last trips this year, it would be sacrilege to give it up now! So after a quick preparation for departure, skipping breakfast as there was simply no time to spare, I left the house with my coffee ready to board the first bus to town. You'll have probably noticed by now I've attempted to stick with just the past tense in this trip report, rather than the more usual poor authorship [if that's not a word, it is now! - Ed] of jumping between the past and present tense during the trip report.
Tech's Mobile Disco produced some Dragonforce on this journey, which for the record is all three Dragonforce tracks I currently have [and keep meaning to update - Ed] which are Valley of the Damned, Operation Ground Pound and Fury of the Storm. I must get on with putting some more stuff on the phone, it would no doubt make a difference to my future commutes. With that in mind, I commit to doing so before the end of the week. If I haven't done so before my next bash I will be unamused! Distubed was next charged with the filling of the ear canals with sound before alighting in town for a PNB and breakfast move. McDonalds is visited and I use a voucher from WHSmith that I got last week, getting myself a bacon and cheese muffin and coffee for £1.99. I cannot stand egg so got one made without it, and the food is OK but now I've tried one of these I'm now going to stick to the bacon roll meal in future.
There's time for a supply raid now in Morrisons, a fiver lighter I'm stocked up for the day and head to the station to spend £27 on a day return to Bath Spa. It's the same fare as to Bristol so it just makes sense! I flag 175002 in favour of having a 67 for the first time in quite a while [no I can't remember when it was last time either! - Ed] and it was 67029. Just a shame that 67007 or 67030 can't make an appearance down here, one day they'll be had I'm sure. 150131 is apparently in Cornwall today, and it is sorely tempting to go after it, with assistance from the magic plastic of course. The timetable said the 1144 from Bristol Temple Meads is a Voyager, so a tweet to CrossCountry was made to find out for sure. Bristol to Plymouth and back on a 220 or 221 is enough to make one's stomach turn! Yep, it was a Voyager, my reaction to that was "Yuck, no thanks!" although it was pointed out that the one an hour later is an HST. Which was enough to get me planning moves and split fares, until I find my connection onto the last bus home would be just +7, no that was far too risky!
I have an hour to kill in Newport, so I pop by the bank and see why my balance was lower than it should have been. All is fine, it's just poxy Direct Debits [I hate them, they go out whenever they like, I much prefer Standing Orders! - Ed] being processed earlier than expected. Phew, all was gravy and I breathe a sigh of relief! McDonalds is the next stop, redeeming a completed coffee collector card. The highlight of the fester comes just before my next train of choice, when 56103 comes thrashing through on an eastbound freight. Phwoar what a noise! 158960 was indeed on the 1030 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour, yeehaa that's the GWR 158s cleared once again then! Off I go to Filton Abbey Wood then, and I see that the new IEP/SET [whichever it's going to be! - Ed] depot at Stoke Gifford is coming on very nicely. When I observe 150120 flying through at 1112 to Bristol Parkway, I'm worried something's gone wrong and that I won't get it after all. Fortunately the RHTT runs through just before it returns on the 1112 Bristol Parkway to Weston-super-Mare and I grt it in the book at long last. I now need just 2 more 150s with GWR to clear their West fleet, which are 150131 and 150216.
My first visit to Bristol Temple Meads in over 3 years is finally made, and it feels strange but better without the former Post Office bridge in the way. My next move was for a trip down Memory Lane, on an HST to Bath Spa. The nostalgia factor is high, and due to poor conditions in Taunton the 0741 Penzance to London Paddington is rather late today. On I get eventually and we left 21 minutes late, with myself to be found parked up at the droplight. During the wait lunch was had with the ham and cheese baguette sourced this morning, and it was 43069 and 43182 today. I had hoped 43002 would produce on one of my HST moves today, I haven't had 'my' machine in a very long time. I see they've changed the station a fair bit here now, with a separate exit only bit on the bus station side. I also noted Pumpkin on the London platform has been replaced with Frothbucks, ugh! I decide to go in search of the Spoons in Bath, The King of Wessex, and I have poor service there. Those ordering food were given much better friendly service, not for me though! I also disapproved of Bath Ales' Darkside, for a stout it was very watery. Think a UK can of Guiness and you won't be far off.
Back at the station, I have not too long to wait for an HST back to Bristol Temple Meads, which was in the hands of 43042 and 43171 on the 1200 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads. I observe the refurbished First Class for the first time, and wow it's nice looking! Sadly I cannot try it today, but it is on the agenda to do one day. The amount of times I've done Temple Meads to Bath and back in the past, and this journey adds to the whatever-it-is-but-high number, nice and smooth and enjoyable. I really don't fancy going direct back to Newport, so as I need the 52 coach of 150128 I do that instead to Bristol Parkway, which is handy for another nostalgic move, Bristol Parkway to Newport HST leaps. Another sector I've travelled many times this, and as we're 4 minutes late into Bristol Parkway I race to join 43180 and 43041 on the 1245 London Paddington to Swansea. Thankfully I just make it, as the route hadn't quite been set yet!
It's a rather slow journey into Wales, as we're not far behind something [probably 158798 on 1123 from Pompey - Ed] but eventually we pick up speed. I have 30 minutes in Newport, and what a boring fester it was! 158837 eventually arrives to take me back to Hereford, and to my disappointment the power sockets aren't working. I don't think I've ever had one working on an ATW 158! Time now to update the trip report, having not touched8 it for hours, which kills most of the boring journey. It felt rather weird being done for the day so early, but without spending lots of money there was nothing to go for, so going home seemed like common sense. Plenty of time to unwind ready for another week of work, plus there was no need to spend money on a meal out tonight so good times! Eventually we arrive at 1554, and I make the connection relatively easily onto the 1600 bus home. Well, 1559 today as the driver left early! Same at the next stop for that matter, good thing I wasn't any later into Hereford then! I'm glad I got on at the station though, as it got very busy indeed. I can only just move my arms enough to type the last of this up! So let's end this with some stats:
Winners: 2
Shack scores: 0
Mileage: Something like 163 from memory, I haven't added today's lot to RM yet!
Rail fares: £27.00
Bus fares: £6.20
General expenditure: £13.20 (even though I didn't use some of it today after all, I'm counting it here as I might have done!)
Total: £46.40
Not as productive a day as I could have had, granted, but I really enjoyed my trip down Memory Lane and got two awkward DMUs done. Will I be out next Monday? I shouldn't be, however I daresay I will be! If so it'll have to be another cheap bash, but one day I'm going to have to get my bookwork caught up with [I didn't do any of it on the move today after all! - Ed] and get some nostalgic trip reports done! There's plenty more besides to do as well, but I'm thinking a WMDR might just come into play in a week's time, maybe a Daytripper. If I don't go out, then my next bash will be 20th November. Do you really think I'll last that long, another 18 days, without a bash? Well there's only one way to find out!
And perhaps we even crossed paths on the 313s! I have another London bash lined up for November and I can't wait!
