Keith goes wandering

[Kite159]

Although talking about Cornwall, I believe UK railtours have announced aa tour which takes in two of the Cornish freight lines in march time

 

[Kristofferson]

I haven't been myself - heard good things, but fair play if it's not all that

 

[Keith Jarrett]

Tuesday 13th October – Misformed on the 13th

The genesis of this mini mid-week bash was a chance sighting on the daily commute into Blackfriars this morning (377503+377521 providing the traction). As my train pulled into Blackfriars, a 466+465+466 combo was preparing to leave. While I am familiar with the ECS working at this hour, today instead of being formed 466+466+465, the 465 was sandwiched between the two 466s. I did not have time to identify either the front or middle unit before it left but rear one was eyeballed as 466038. A thousand curses went through my mind but thankfully none passed my lips. Why you may ask? 466038 is my last 466 that is required for 10 miles. Knowing that there was no rush to get home tonight, I pondered whether I could get it after work (assuming of course it stuck to diagram).

Once I had arrived at work, and got myself ready for whatever would be thrown at me, I consulted the Southeastern Carriage Woking Notice which I had downloaded onto my work PC a few weeks ago in an attempt to identify 466038’s afternoon workings. The CWN showed this particular set as reforming during the day with one 466 and the 465 heading down the Maidstone East Line from Victoria at lunchtime; while the other appeared to join up with a different 465+466 combo for the evening peak and come out to play on Victoria to Dartford workings. But as the set was misformed, I could not be sure that this would happen or indeed which 466 would get an extended afternoon siesta in the sidings at Victoria. I resolved to cover both of the booked trains but to slink off back home if 466038 did not produce.

I was able to get away from work on time and S-7 21451+21452 conveyed me to Victoria. The stock for the first working that might produce my 466 was already in the platform. “Polar bear” 465906 was on the blocks and I could see a 466 on the country end. I wandered up the platform, fully expecting to be “bowled” and my suspicions were correct, 466019 being the two car unit that would lead the polar bear to Gillingham. I contemplated a fill in move out to somewhere like Brixton or Herne Hill as there was at least 20 minutes to wait until the empties from the sidings would appear. In the end, I decided just to fester and watch the comings and goings. It’s surprising how quickly time passes when there are things to watch. All too soon, it was time for me to wander up the platform to greet the empties on their way into the station. Bang on cue, the empties show up with 466027 leading. Then came 465905 and finally 466038 tagged onto the back. I was in business! Even though there was the best part of 15 minutes to go before departure there were already a good number of passengers waiting and the Dartford-bound train gradually filled up. By departure time, the front coaches (i.e. 466038 were full and standing so further back it must have been rather cosy.

Needing a shade under four miles to clear 466038 for the magic 10 miles, I thankfully did not have to make a massive detour into south east London. The Dartford bound train was first stop Denmark Hill which would do nicely with either a +1 onto and Overground train back to Clapham Junction and the relative safety of the Central and South western Divisions of the Southern Region or a +5 onto a Victoria bound service. 466038+465905+466027 left bang on time and with the first stage of the journey being a bit of a totter, I was fearful that the +1 was down the pan and seemingly tight on the +5. But once clear of the Thames, we picked up speed and rolled into Denmark Hill a few seconds early. The Clapham Junction service was also rolling in so I had just enough time to go over the footbridge and scramble into the back car of 378147. I’d figured that even if the 378 was dud, it was still the best way home but the wedged 378 was not dud but the trip to Clapham Junction would see the 10 mile barrier breached. That’s another one off the list.

I endured the normal totter around the former freight lines of South London to reach Clapham Junction – do 378s ever exceed about 25-30 mph? At least we were on time and I was right by the stairs at Clapham Junction so had a reasonable punt at making a train to Balham that left from the opposite side of the station some 2 ½ minutes later. My arrival on platform 15 (I’d arrived on Platform 2) coincided with the arrival of 377614+377620 which would take me the short distance (just a bit more than a Bus Stop Bash) to Balham. Descending to the Northern Line, London Underground provided me with 51644+51722 for the onward journey to Morden and ultimately home.

For an unplanned evening out, I was happy with the results. Yet another class (466s) with every member now cleared for 10 miles and a “freebie” 378 also cleared for 10 miles. And all through a chance sighting on the way into work. What next?

 

[Techniquest]

Nicely done, I should imagine you're glad to happened to make that sighting!

Can't imagine there's many more members of the SET fleet for you to get for 10 miles now, and good fortune on the 378 too! I think the 378s do manage to go over 30mph somewhere on the Watford DC lines but I can't remember where.

 

[47403]

Certainly a, right time, right place moment.
Congrats on getting all the 466's for 10miles, I still need a boat load for sight

 

[Kristofferson]

Nicely done chap

There's something about a tight connection at Clapham that makes it far less comfortable than a tight connection anywhere else. I think it's the many variables - will the guy in front of me be slow up the stairs, will the over bridge be rammed etc.

 

[Keith Jarrett]

Nicely done chap

There's something about a tight connection at Clapham that makes it far less comfortable than a tight connection anywhere else. I think it's the many variables - will the guy in front of me be slow up the stairs, will the over bridge be rammed etc.

Agree with all that. Although to be fair in the peaks, there's so many folk around that those who are slow often just get carried along with the flow. But the most annoying are our female brethren who will often decide to stop for a natter with their mate right in the middle of the footbridge, totally oblivious to the hordes all around trying to get past.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Friday 23rd October – A High Scoring Day

At the end of my last trip report (the evening mini-bash to get my last 466 for 10 miles) I finished by posing the question “What Next?” Since that trip report my travels have been limited to the daily commute with the odd new S-7 set or two taking me off route for distraction. I was beginning to feel like a caged lion as I’d not done anything substantial on the railway since my very successful trip over The Mule to get my last 143s in September. Five weeks ago to be precise.

The TPP for this outing started at the beginning of October when I found that I still had a day’s leave that I had to take before the end of October. Looking around for cheap tickets out of London at this short notice drew a blank except, courtesy of London Midland, on the Crewe stoppers. What I’d do after getting off at Rugby was another matter. I had all sorts of ideas and equipped myself with a West Midlands Day Ranger to cover all eventualities. For starters, there were around 90 shacks that needed my attention, one piece of track, almost 150 units below 10 miles (70 of which were outright needs) as well as entertainment such as Cats on the Marylebones. So plenty to keep me amused and I set myself a target of a minimum of fifteen entries in the notebook of one sort or another but hopefully getting closer to twenty.

I had a storming journey from home up to Euston and arrived almost half an hour before my 350 was due to leave so that allowed me to view the Lowland sleeper (with 90037 Spirit of Dagenham) and to purchase my WMDR ticket. London Midland helpfully provided 350377 for the run up to Rugby which was a winner so that set the day off to a good start. A couple of minutes were lost to Rugby but nothing untoward. Winner number two arrived within a few minutes in the shape of 221104 which took me onwards to Coventry. This was effectively a shoulder p4eak service and while the five-car vomit comet coped, it looked as though loads of folk were boarding at Coventry so could well have been a little cosy on to Birmingham.

My idea was to view the Nuneaton shuttle at Coventry but the +2 failed to make; I never got to see the working later on as there were other things to entertain me. The first of those pieces of entertainment was 221139 on a northbound Cross Country service which as this was a winner I took as far as Birmingham International. International provided me with several options of things to cover and with plenty of movements; I did not expect to be stood still for too long. In under 10 minutes, I was on the move gain with my 4th winner of the day. I boarded 350371 to retrace my steps to Coventry where I had a +2 onto an unknown Pendolino back towards Birmingham. I had just enough time for an amble across the footbridge when winning 390157 showed up as my 5th winner of the day [Ed: that’s not bad going, five winners before 10:30] so it was yo-yo time back to International.

At International 323219 was sitting in the opposite platform – one I needed for 10 miles so there was only one thing to do – “Right Away New Street”. Having cleared the “starship” on the way into the Bat Cave, I wondered what to do next. 170506 along with 153365 was certainly a tempting pair as the 170 was sub 10 miles but no, let’s take a walk. Moor Street beckoned as there would be a 68 leaving soon. After the brisk walk under the Bull Ring, I was a tad disappointed to see 68008 at the rear of the 10:55 departure for Marylebone as this was only one of three 68s already in the book. Surely it would be bad luck if I hit another dud on the way back in from Leamington, especially as dud 38010 was up at greasy Bridge rather than on the Chiltern circuit. An uneventful, but noisy trip to Leamington followed where I seemed to follow several other folk through the subway to greet 68014 rolling in as 68008 was throbbing its way onwards to London. Thankfully I’d hit on a winner and strolled up the platform and joined the front coach for some cat thrash all the way back to Moor Street. I was wondering what was ½ hour behind us but I need not have worried as it turned out to be dud 68015 which had sat down at High Wycombe with a turbocharger failure. Well, at least I now have four Cats in the book. I quickly checked out Moor Street on the off chance that one of my few mileage required 172s were floating around but no such luck so I made my way back to the Bat Cave.

On arrival at the subterranean dungeon – despite brand new, glitzy shopping centres, still the station feels like a dump – I wondered what might attract my attention. It was “Starship” time again. Rather apt I thought, I’d arrived on a “Starship” and was now about to leave on one, Starship 323207 no less, which was heading north.. While the southern part of the Cross City line was well known to me, the northern part was totally alien once the Bescot line turns off at Aston. I’d only ever done the line once and that was way back in September 1978 with 20167+20170 on a BR sponsored excursion from Nottingham to Didcot via some odd freight lines. 323207 was running late and by the time we reached Erdington, the 10 mile barrier had been breached so I bailed for the first shack scratch of the day. A few minutes behind was 323216, also a mileage requirement and after a quick check of RTT, I formulated a move. I stayed with 323216 until the bitter end, i.e. Lichfield Trent Valley (shack score number 2) where I transferred to the low level platforms to await 350115 (sadly dud) for the short(ish) spin up to Rugeley Trent Valley and shack score number three [Ed: Surely that should be down to Rugeley Trent Valley as you were heading away from London]. Sitting in the opposite platform was the 153/170 combo that I had rejected much earlier at the Bat Cave when I decided to go herding Cats.

I rushed off 350115 to the opposite platform and clambered into 153365 even though it was the 170 that was the mileage requirement! Sorry folks, a Tin Rocket beats a 170 any day for thrash, comfort and all-round crank value! The plan was to head all the way to Tame Bridge Parkway with 153365+170506, and not because I enjoy the massive hike between platforms but to meet the next but one Rugeley train coming the other way. We passed a solo and dud 170501 around Cannock where there was some evidence of work for the forthcoming electrification of the line. While staggering over the Cannock line, my mind flashed back to the first time that I ever did the line. It was way back in 1980 when I was returning from a Scottish jaunt on the overnight sleeper one Saturday night. 86026 brought the train down from Glasgow to Preston where the 86 dropped its pantograph and 40111 topped the train to Crewe. At Crewe, the 40 was removed and the 86’s pantograph was raised. Then 10 minutes later, it was dropped and 47338 appeared and dropped on the front of the 86 to Stafford where it detached and ran off light. With no power in the overheads, we were wondering what would appear to take us forward. Imagine our surprise when we heard a familiar whistling sound. Not one, but two class 40s (40020+40055) were provided to take us forward to New Street via Cannock. By now the train was over two hours late!

But at Walsall I clicked back into today’s world and my plans were rapidly changed as sitting in the bay platform was 153364+170517. While 170517 was a total dud, the Tin Rocket was far from being dud. My Lords, we have a winning Skateboard! With ½ an hour to go before 153364 would pilot the 170 to the Bat Cave, I went in search of supplies and found the mega Tesco store at the back of the shopping centre. With the rucksack suitably restocked (chicken pie and custard tarts for the record), I returned to Walsall station to await the joys of some more Tin Rocket action. I had about five minutes to spare where I heard a familiar thudding noise coming up the mainline. I had just about enough time to scramble the camera before 60040 came through on empty steel carriers. I then took up my place on the 153 to enjoy the run up to the Bat Cave. While not the most stunning of runs (three early passing Duddeston, two late into the Bat Cave), I was certainly pleased to knock another London Midland 153 on the head.

So what next? I was wandering around aimlessly when a pair of Voyagers caught my eye and in particular the leading one with its Festival No 6 branding on top of the standard Virgin livery. A quick consultation of the Bashing Book revealed that I was on for a second Virgin 221 winner of the day. I made my way to the appropriate platform to find that 221143 was tagging along for the ride. Ooops, we have two winners for the price of one. No question, it would have been the height of rudeness to decline a pair of Vomit Comets and so I leapt on board 221106+221143 to Wolverhampton. The trip along the Stour Valley was a bit of a stagger as a late running Starship was in front on a stopping service. Bidding the 221 duo farewell at Wolverhampton, I contemplated my next move. The 158s that were behind and heading for Shrewsbury and North Wales were dud so I gave them a miss. But following up on a Manchester service was winning 220027 – Stafford here we come! The train was packed but I managed to secure a seat next to a lady who, it transpired, was en route from Maiden Newton to Ulverston. She wanted someone to chat to so for 10/15 minutes, I passed the time of day with her. I bailed at Stafford as planned and noted a winning 350 sitting on the opposite platform waiting to leave for the Bat Cave. I dashed over the footbridge and had about 30 seconds to board 350113 straight back to Wolverhampton.

So back at Wolverhampton, I noted that next Euston service was already in with 390103 which seems to follow me everywhere. I rejected that but even before it left, a London Midland train from Shrewsbury provided my “Get Out of Jail Free” card. In rolled 170505+170511. The higher number unit of the pair was completely dud but thankfully, 170505 was low on mileage. I did not hesitate to jump on board and take my seat in 170505. By the time the train reached the Bat Cave [Ed: Tech’s terminology for one of the most depressing stations in the land is getting to me!], 170505 was well over 10 miles. By now the Bat Cave was full of homeward bound commuters but I had around 40 minutes to kill before my next (and final) move of the day so time for a fill in move. The Cross City line was my best bet so 323222 was had up to Aston for another shack score where I bailed for a late running 323218 through to Bourneville for a dodgy +1 onto something back to New Street. I would have played safe with a Selly Oak bail but staying on to Bourneville saw Starship 18 tip over the 10 mile barrier. Thankfully, the +1 turned into a comfortable +3 onto dud 323206 which was heaving. Back at the Bat Cave, I had a couple of minutes to batter my way out of 323206, leap over the footbridge to scramble onto 170117 for the final shack score of the day at Wilnecote. I had all of seven minutes to admire the sights of Wilnecote before 170107 trundled in to take me on the short leap [Ed: Not much more than a glorified Bus Stop Bash] to Tamworth.

I had all of 10 minutes to wait for my stead back to London. London Midland at least had the decency to provide a winning 350 for me – 350369 became winner number twelve of the day. What’s more, the lengthy run to Euston saw it cleared for 100 miles. By now darkness had fully set in so admiring the scenery out of the window was no longer an option so I settled back for the run up to London. After consuming the remaining food in my rucksack (remember those custard tarts from earlier?), I reflected on the day. Twelve winners (this year, only the Good Friday Chiltern leap provided more in a single day), seventeen units cleared for 10 miles, one cleared for 100 miles and five new shacks. From my perspective, a fabulous day out, and I never did get to see the Coventry to Nuneaton shuttle! To round off, here are the day’s moves
LU 51623+51719 Morden to Stockwell ---
LU 11017+11018 Stockwell to Euston ---
350377 Euston to Rugby WINNER, cleared for 10 miles
221104 Rugby to Coventry WINNER, cleared for 10 miles
221139 Coventry to Birmingham International WINNER, cleared for 10 miles
350371 Birmingham International to Coventry WINNER, cleared for 10 miles
390157 Coventry to Birmingham International WINNER, cleared for 10 miles
323219 Birmingham International to Birmingham New Street Cleared for 10 miles
68008 Birmingham Moor Street to Leamington Spa ---
68014 Leamington Spa to Birmingham Moor Street WINNER, cleared for 10 miles
323207 Birmingham New Street to Erdington Cleared for 10 miles
323216 Erdington to Lichfield Trent Valley High Level Cleared for 10 miles
350115 Lichfield Trent Valley Low Level to Rugeley Trent Valley ---
153365+170506 Rugeley Trent Valley to Walsall 170506 cleared for 10 miles
153364+170517 Walsall to Birmingham New Street 153364 WINNER & cleared for 10 miles
211106+221143 Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton Both = WINNER & cleared for 10 miles
220027 Wolverhampton to Stafford WINNER, cleared for 10 miles
350113 Stafford to Wolverhampton WINNER, cleared for 10 miles
170505+170511 Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street 170505 cleared for 10 miles
323222 Birmingham New Street to Aston ---
323218 Aston to Bourneville Cleared for 10 miles
323206 Bourneville to Birmingham New Street ---
170117 Birmingham New Street to Wilnecote ---
170107 Wilnecote to Tamworth high level ---
350369 Tamworth Low Level to Euston WINNER, cleared for 100 miles
LU 11091+11092 Euston to Stockwell ---
LU 51600+51601 Stockwell to Morden ---
Milestones
Winners 68014, 153364, 220027, 221104, 221106, 221139, 221143, 350113, 350369, 350371, 350377, 390157
Cleared for 10 miles 68014, 153364, 170505, 170506, 220027, 221104, 221106, 221139, 221143, 323207, 323216, 323218, 323219, 350113, 350371, 350377, 390157
Cleared for 100 miles 350369
New Shacks Aston, Erdington, Lichfield Trent Valley, Rugeley Trent Valley, Wilnecote

 

[Kite159]

Sounded like a very good day in the west midlands, makes me want to try and head up that way in the week before Christmas (madness I know)

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Good for you with the run of winners early in your trip.

The West Midlands is a cracking day out for variety. Just a shame that it probably involves a visit to The Bat Cave.

It's 50/50 for me on Saturday between something similar and the joys of Merseyside. Will decide on the day..

 

[alexf380]

An excellent read as always, Keith. There certainly is a lot to do in the West Midlands. Looking forward to the next one, whenever that may be!

 

[Keith Jarrett]

There certainly is a lot to do in the West Midlands. Looking forward to the next one, whenever that may be!

That's one positive about the West Midlands - there's a lot to do and variety as well. Plus it's dead cheap to get to from The Smoke. That trip cost me 8.00 (railcard) plus the cost of a WMDR so a shade over 24.00 on fares for the day.

You will not have to wait for the next report. This Saturday sees my next outing. It'll be the last long distance one of the year. Anything else will be more local to London.

 

[FQ]

An excellent read as always. I was also on 68014 on the 11:25 that day (front coach, right hand side bay of 4 partition seat, probably the first on the train via the door next to the loco) with Nat67.

 

[Techniquest]

Yes! Keith's back with another excellent trip report! It feels like much longer ago than 5 weeks since you went for the 143s, can't imagine how long it felt like to you.

The West Midlands was very kind to you I see, quite a clearout was being had from the LM fleet! My jaw was dropping when I was reading the story of that overnight trip with 40s, what a beast of a trip that would be. Same for those 20s you had in 1978 mind, well jealous!

I see a few bits of my storytelling have rubbed off on you, the editorial comments, TPP Mode and Starships I noticed. Not complaining, quite the opposite it makes me smile!

Quite the variety you had all in, routes and trains wise. I've not had a WMDR like that, full of winners, for a long time. Glad of that though as it means my books must be full in certain places! I've got Moves Envy today though, that should be an indication of how much I enjoyed the read.

As always a fantastically written tale, and I look forward to seeing how you get on on Saturday, wherever you end up going. I too only have one major bash [20-21/11/15] left this year, all the rest are fairly local trips. Still, perfect time to get all the bookwork done, backups done etc, ready for another excellent year!

 

[47403]

Great read, as always Keith, I concur with tech, the story of the 20's and 40's had me riveted.
Good to hear you score some winners and a ride behind the Cats is always a nice distraction. A very productive day for you.
Also the amount of times New St gets called the bat cave on here nowadays, always makes me laugh.

 

[Techniquest]

Aye you really started something there Lord Spoon Goon! Amazing how these things become commonly used!

 

[Keith Jarrett]

Saturday October 31st – In Search of Space

So many of the tracks on this early 1970s offering from Hawkwind (the original Masters of the Universe) turned out to be so true for this trip. During the TPP, “You Shouldn't Do That” kept on echoing through my mind. But exactly what should I not do? Was I tempting fate in going over recently dug ground – in this case returning to the West Midlands so soon after my previous, highly successful trip? As for the attrition rate from that trip, I could only think "You Know You're Only Dreaming". And as for bashing as a whole, that can be summed up by "We Took the Wrong Step Years Ago"!

Anyway, that’ll be enough of the musical interlude. The TPP was originally based around the possibility of London Midland doing yet another Great Escape but as we all know, that was not to be. So I found some cheap advances to get me up to the West Midlands – I deliberately booked through to Coventry as that would give me the option of doing either a West Midlands Day Ranger or if I was feeling a shade on the mean side, I could go for the much cheaper Daytripper. In the end, the WMDR won the day as it would give me the options to stray further should the bashing dictate.

The alarm went off at silly O’clock, about an hour before even a working day but today we were playing trains so that’s perfectly OK. I arrived at Euston in plenty of time so grabbed my WMDR from there rather than grabbing it at Coventry. I even had time to view Freightliner’s 90042 on the sleeper and 86101 in the new dark blue colours for ECS movements to/from Euston in connection with the sleeper. But something wasn’t quite right. Euston seemed unusually devoid of Virgin services apart from one Voyager sitting patiently for a later departure. Then came the news that a signalling fault was delaying ECS movements from Wembley and that outgoing departures would be suitably delayed. To cut a long story short, the stock for my train appeared with 390104 around 40 minutes late. A smart(ish) turnround saw us leave around 20 late. 390104 was dud (where are those 11-car Pendloinos that I need?) but at least I cleared it for 100 miles.

I was glad that I had pre-armed myself with a WMDR as within minutes of my arrival at Coventry, 390155 showed up. OK not a winning 390 but one that was on low mileage and at least the spin back to Rugby would heave it over 10 miles. I did not have long at Rugby before 350127 appeared, another non-winner but still needed for 10 miles so playing yo-yo, I retraced my steps to Coventry. It seemed that all down trains were affected by poor time-keeping and there was a hoard of passengers waiting at Coventry to head towards Birmingham. An 11-car Pendolino would have been better to soak up the crowds rather than an already full 350. I bailed to see what would be next and you could not have stage managed it better! Next up, to pick up about 20 passengers was an 11-car Pendolino. Thankfully it was a winner in the shape of 390119 so off to International but what next? I’d seen 350371 which was one of mate’s second to last 350 to ride so I let him know it was out to play – unfortunately he was not.

I had all of four minutes at International as the Aberystwyth service was of interest with 158824+158827. The former was dud but the latter was a one trip johnnie that had only featured in The Haulage Book back in 1993 so welcome back old friend (the only logged trip being from Romsey to Southampton) and was still under 10 miles. New Street would do nicely! At New Street, I started to sniff around, taking note of the Starships that were floating in and out of the Bat Cave when my eye caught sight of 170504. Given that this was a winner, I simply had to have it! Thankfully I could also get a shack score in as the timetable showed a +5 at Bromsgrove onto a Saturday only train from Bromsgrove to New Bat Cave Street. So off we trundled on 170503+170504 through the southern suburbs of Birmingham only to get held at Kings Norton for a late running Voyager to appear off the Camp Hill line. Thankfully that did not delay us too much and our arrival at Bromsgrove was only two down. But where was the empties for the Bromsgrove starter that should be leaving in a few minutes? I’d seen the empties leaving New Bat Cave Street but must have got lost on the way. As soon as the 170 duo had cleared the section, I looked up the Lickey Incline and saw a bright light coming towards me, gingerly descending the incline as the train had to use the crossover at the foot of the incline, used by so many banking locos from the past, to gain entry to the reversing sidings. Rather than come straight back out, the unit was held for a few minutes to allow another late running Cross Country service to pass [Ed: Can’t Cross Country keep time?] Eventually 172335 reappeared and soaked up the Birmingham bound passengers. This unit was dud for me but I was not waiting for the next service from Hereford in case it were needed. While we left Bromsgrove several minutes late, a spirited run saw us almost catch up time before being held at kings Norton for a late running Cross City train. Until then we had a chance of an on-time arrival at the Bat Cave but the resultant totter put us at our destination ten minutes late. Or in other words, suitably late to see winning 170507 leave for Hereford. Rats! All I could do was hope that I could fall into it later on without wasting a lot of time.

With no diesels of interest floating around, I set about seeing what Starships were around to entertain me. While I’ve secured haulage off of all 43 members of the class, the vast majority of London Midland Starships were low on mileage. First up was 323243 which was bound for Walsall. A trip up to Perry Barr would tip this one over 10 miles and at the same time score me shack number two of the day. While I’d been up and down the Walsall line several times, some of the shacks were still needed (and are still on the wants list in the case of Witton and Hamsted). I was going blind so had no idea what I’d meet coming back – my horse out of Perry Barr turned out to be a very dud 350235 so I just did a glorified Bus Stop Bash back to Aston and took pot luck with the Cross City workings.

I did not have long to wait at Aston before 323203 showed up heading for Four Oaks. Sutton Coldfield would see the 10 mile barrier breached and a new shack (number three of the day) in the book. Given that the Cross City line is not my normal sphere of operation, I made a mental note to score as many shacks as possible so when 323214 followed up, I started to hatch a plan. While 323214 was extremely low mileage, I only took it to Butlers Lane (4th shack score) to await an unknown unit behind which materialised as 323242. This was another Starship where I had only accumulated a micro-mileage on a previous trip. The run up to Lichfield City would not see the requisite 10 miles on the clock. Fortunately, while Lichfield City was shack number five of the day, Starship 42 did not sit there long before heading back south, with me on board again. Blake Street was my chosen alighting point from 323242 (shack score number six) where a short wait ensued before Starship 14 returned from Lichfield Trent Valley. The sane person would have stuck with 323214 far enough to clear it for 10 miles but with half an eye on shack scores, we parted company at Four Oaks to allow me to get shack score number seven for the day.

A few minutes later, Starship 10 appeared from the south and terminated in the bay platform. The crew changed ends and within a few minutes 323210 was heading back south with my good self on board, renewing my acquaintance with this particular machine which last featured in The Haulage Book way back in March 1997 when I had it new from Duddeston to New Bat Cave Street. Fast forward back to star date 31-10-2015 and thankfully I cleared this low mileage machine for 10 miles as upon arrival at Starship Central (aka the Bat Cave), there was some doubt as to whether there was a relief crew to continue southwards. With 10 miles on the clock, I jumped off and found myself leaving New Bat Cave Street within three minutes on board 323240 which I took as far as Gravelly Hill for shack score number eight.

323215 was my stead back from Gravelly Hill so after never really having bashed the northern end of the Cross City line before, I was giving it going over now. But Starship 15 was on ultra-low mileage so I would need to pass straight through the Bat Cave and out to Bourneville to attain the dreaded 10 miles. However, on arrival at the Bat Cave the service was unexpectedly terminated (no crew to go forward). A quick consultation of my notes revealed that Starship 12 was the next one to head north so I traipsed over to platform 8 where 323212 was waiting for me. I leapt aboard and worked out that I needed to go as far as Chester Road to sort ‘212 out for 10 miles. Checking what I had back on RTT, I noted that a booked +1 at the next stop along the line, Wylde Green, would be more like a +3 or +4 due to late running of the southbound service. It did not matter to me where I went as both shacks were needed; I opted for Wylde Green as my notes told me that I should intercept Starship 41 and fortunately a spin from Wylde Green to University would sort that one for 10 miles as well as enabling shack score number nine to be logged. The estimated +3/+4 turned into a very comfortable +5; plenty of time to interchange onto 323241.

A further bit of mental arithmetic told me that a shortish wait at University should drop me onto 170507. A slight problem was that 323241 was staggering between stations and we were losing time like mad. I could not have been trespassers as stuff was coming the other way at speed. RTT also showed the preceding service to be keeping time. Odd. Even odder that when we got to Aston, 323241 started to pick up speed and we arrived in the Bat Cave 10 down. I checked whether 170507 had stuck to diagram (it had) so stayed with Starship 41 out to University by which time 323241 had tipped the 10 mile barrier. Another Cross City service appeared and then an absolutely wedged 170501 with a similarly packed, but winning, 170507 tagging along on the back showed up bound for Hereford. I managed to squeeze on. 170501+170507 set off southwards and while a few folk alighted at Bromsgrove, still no chance of a seat. I bade farewell to the pair at Droitwich Spa where it was pot luck for something back to the Birmingham Galaxy. First I noted 172335 heading via the Kidderminster route - No thank you, not required and dud for the day anyway! Following up was 170630; another dud but I wasn’t hanging around anymore on the off-chance of something desirable, especially as the most popular word on the departure boards was "cancelled".

I took 170630 back to University where I figured that I’d intercept 323214 heading back south to Longbridge and I could combine clearing Starship 14 for 10 miles along with shack score number 10 by bailing at Northfield. The downside was a 15 minute wait and I could have lessened that by going through to Longbridge at the expense of a shack score. No competition! Alighting at Northfield made me realise that I was left with one shack to get on the south side of the Cross City line – Barnt Green. Time was pressing on now and I had an hour to get back to New Bat Cave Street for my train home. I was fortunate in that 323240 showed up for the return trip back to Starship Central – another one out of the way for 10 miles with the happy event taking place just south of Bourneville.

On arrival back at the Bat Cave, I popped out to the nearby Tesco for a restock on supplies and to get supper for the trip home. I wondered whether there was anything useful in front of my booked Pendolino that I could take to International or Coventry but it seemed that there was nothing. Three LM trains in row were showing as cancelled and the one after that was 30 late. That train must have been cosy! Dud 390122 was provided for the run back to Euston. It was quite busy as far as Coventry (probably due to the LM services going missing) but was somewhat thinner onwards to London. However a typical Saturday evening run up to Euston followed where we lost 10 minutes in the process. Thankfully London Underground came up trumps and gave me a minimum time journey back to the southern tip of the Northern Line.

“So what of the day?” I mused on my way home. Not as good as my previous trip to the West Midlands where I had an astonishing 12 winners to go alongside 16 more units cleared for 10 miles. Nevertheless, three winners, 14 units cleared for 10 miles and ten new shacks said one thing to me “Pretty good for a day’s work”. I still need seven London Midland Starships and of those seven, I was not able to complete the business with 215 while 221 was the only other one on my list that I saw working. I missed a couple of diagrams on the Wolverhampton to Walsalls and one Cross City diagram was missing all day. Shack-wise, I’ve virtually cleared out the Cross City line with Barnt Green, Chester Road and Shenstone left although there’s other parts of the West Midlands metropolis where I need absolutely shed loads. Plenty of more trips will be needed to that part of the world!

And for those at the back of the class who couldn’t keep up with my ramblings, here’s the list of moves for the long distance final trip of the year -

LU 51515+51703 Morden to Stockwell ---
LU 11059+11060 Stockwell to Euston ---
390104 Euston to Coventry Cleared for 100 miles
390155 Coventry to Rugby Cleared for 10 miles
350127 Rugby to Coventry Cleared for 10 miles
390119 Coventry to Birmingham International WINNER, cleared for 10 miles
158824+158827 Birmingham International to Birmingham New Street 158827 cleared for 10 miles
170503+170504 Birmingham New Street to Bromsgrove 170504 = WINNER & cleared for 10 miles
172335 Bromsgrove to Birmingham New Street ---
323243 Birmingham New Street to Perry Barr Cleared for 10 miles
350235 Perry Barr to Aston ---
323203 Aston to Sutton Coldfield Cleared for 10 miles
323214 Sutton Coldfield to Butlers Lane ---
323242 Butlers Lane to Lichfield City ---
323242 Lichfield City to Blake Street Cleared for 10 miles
323214 Blake Street to Four Oaks ---
323210 Four Oaks to Birmingham New Street Cleared for 10 miles
323240 Birmingham New Street to Gravelly Hill ---
323215 Gravelly Hill to Birmingham New Street ---
323212 Birmingham New Street to Wylde Green Cleared for 10 miles
323241 Wylde Green to University Cleared for 10 miles
170501+170507 University to Droitwich Spa 170507 = WINNER & cleared for 10 miles
170630 Droitwich Spa to University ---
323214 University to Northfield Cleared for 10 miles
323240 Northfield to Birmingham New Street Cleared for 10 miles
390122 Birmingham New Street to Euston ---
LU 11011+11012 Euston to Stockwell ---
LU 51614+51615 Stockwell to Morden ---
Milestones
Winners 170504, 170507, 390119
Cleared for 10 miles 158827, 170504, 170507, 323203, 323210, 323212, 321214, 323240, 323241, 323242, 323243, 350127, 390119, 390155
Cleared for 100 miles 390104
New Shacks Blake Street, Bromsgrove, Butlers Lane, Four Oaks, Gravelly Hill, Lichfield City, Northfield, Perry Barr, Sutton Coldfield, Wylde Green
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Also the amount of times New St gets called the bat cave on here nowadays, always makes me laugh.

Yes, it's spreading - I've even started to call the place New Bat Cave Street. Do any other stations have nicknames like this?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Yes! Keith's back with another excellent trip report! It feels like much longer ago than 5 weeks since you went for the 143s, can't imagine how long it felt like to you.

It seemed like a very long five weeks. Then eight days later I was off again. But if that five weeks seemed a long time, there'll be no chance for me in the dark winter months. There's nothing outside the old Network Southeast area planned at all although it'll only be a matter of weeks before I start properly thinking about 2016. One upside though. Mrs KJ must have sneaked a look at my books as she's suggested that we take a day trip to a nice little town in East Sussex that will involve catching 395s and 171s

Apart from that, you'll have to put up with me trudging around the capital and its environs for the next few months. But should Mrs KJ's roster throw up a decent bashing opportunity or two, then I'll be off in a flash.

The West Midlands was very kind to you I see, quite a clearout was being had from the LM fleet! My jaw was dropping when I was reading the story of that overnight trip with 40s, what a beast of a trip that would be. Same for those 20s you had in 1978 mind, well jealous!

The 20s (Choppers) and 40s (Buckets) were absolute beasts. Those overnight trains on a Saturday night were excellent bets for all sorts of weird traction. No heat 47s and any sort of 40s were the favourites for drags off the electric lines in the late 70s.

I see a few bits of my storytelling have rubbed off on you, the editorial comments, TPP Mode and Starships I noticed. Not complaining, quite the opposite it makes me smile!

Ed's been around longer than you think - just took a while to persuade him to show his face on this forum. And the TPP mode has been activated more times in my life than I care say. I've been looking for a name for the 323s for a while, especially given their eccentric noises.

Quite the variety you had all in, routes and trains wise. I've not had a WMDR like that, full of winners, for a long time. Glad of that though as it means my books must be full in certain places! I've got Moves Envy today though, that should be an indication of how much I enjoyed the read.

It just goes to prove that sometimes even if you don't do a lot of planning , you can still get a lot out of the day. My original plan was to stick with 350377 to Atherstone to score the shack but the temptation of a winning Vomit Comet forward from Rugby put paid to that

As always a fantastically written tale, and I look forward to seeing how you get on on Saturday, wherever you end up going. I too only have one major bash [20-21/11/15] left this year, all the rest are fairly local trips. Still, perfect time to get all the bookwork done, backups done etc, ready for another excellent year!

Glad you enjoyed the read. Thankfully I do most of the book-keeping as I go along. I'd get lost otherwise.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I was also on 68014 on the 11:25 that day (front coach, right hand side bay of 4 partition seat, probably the first on the train via the door next to the loco) with Nat67.

I was the last one to get on the train via the front door next to the loco but as to where I sat, I have no idea.

 

[Kite159]

Nice day trip to the West Midlands

Quite a few shacks scored there as well

 

[Techniquest]

Another fantastic read, not that I expected anything less from a Premier League trip reporter!

You sure did well there, quite the clearout had again. The books must be getting nicely empty now, certainly 2015 has been pretty good to you as well.

Trundling around London or not, it'll be better than nothing after all. You'll be up tp more than I will be during January, although I would love to start 2016 off with a decent multi day bash.

 

[FQ]

That sounds like a fun day in my neck of the woods. Strangely, I called New Street Starship Central a few days ago while there talking to dad on the phone!

Can’t Cross Country keep time?

No.

 

[55013]

I don't know about bat cave, I have memories of dossing on a trolley at New Street in the late 1980s and hearing the rats squeaking loudly a few feet away, so rat cave works for me
Anyway, a great report as usual.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

An entertaining read, as ever. Thr Chevalier de Saint-Helier on cracking form in the West Midlands!

Ed probably has more time to spend on the forum since losing the election.

As for "starships" - brilliant name. Though with the musical infestation of the forum recently, surely "Jeffersons" might soon enter the TPAR vernacular. ..

 

[Techniquest]

I promise there will be no more musical themes for a while in my hashtags or trip titles Lord Roebuck!

Well, maybe for the next trip at least

 

[Keith Jarrett]

Monday 2nd November 2015 – A Swift One

I had an hour or so to kill after work before I needed to be home so immediately saw the opportunity for a swift bash. My intended prey was to be the 458/5s running out of Waterloo with at least four that I need known to be in traffic. My move as usual would be to make my way to Waterloo and within 15-20 minutes I could cover three turns either at Waterloo or at Clapham Junction. 5701+5859+456001 took me out to Clapham Junction to make sure that I saw all three of those workings but, alas, there was nothing out to tempt me; it was all the early conversions. I thought that it would be a waste if I did absolutely nothing and was soon tempted by low mileage 378135.

There were contradictory announcements coming from the Overground platforms. Depending which one you believed it was a case of either the service was in total disarray and nothing would be moving for a while or that 378135 complete with its gift-wrapped filler car was about to set sail. The latter proved to be the correct announcement. Thankfully, I was on board. A quick check of RTT reveal4ed that there were some cancellations and late running on the East/South London Lines but nothing near the near apocalypse that the doom-mongers were having us believe at Clapham Junction. I could have bailed at Peckham Rye as 378135 would have joined the ever growing membership of the Ten Mile Club but that would simply mean a significant wait so I went through to Surrey Quays as that would give me more options.

Trekking over the footbridge, the station PA system burst into life and informed all and sundry that there was a Clapham Junction train at Canada Water. My arrival on the southbound platform coincided with 378141. A quick check of the lists revealed that a return to Clapham Junction would allow 141 to complete the necessary in order to permit membership of the Ten Mile Club. What’s more, the train was on time and not too full – I only had to stand as far as Peckham Rye before a slot on one of the “park benches” became available! Back at Clapham Junction, the West London Line connection was dud so my preferred option was immediately to trek over the footbridge and drop onto the 18:20 Waterloo to Woking with its 455+456+456 combination. But it seemed that it was not only the ELL with operation problems, the SW suburban was similarly afflicted as I fell into a late running Guildford via Epsom service with 5711+5913. “FIVE NINE ONE THREE” shrieked through my mind followed by “Get on you old fool, it’s 5913!” Why the panic you may ask. The rebuilt 5913 is effectively a new unit in my books and is by a considerable margin (200 miles) my lowest mileage SWT 455. While I was thinking about getting home, another 3 miles and 25 chains would not go amiss with 5913 so I listened to my inner self and pushed my way on board – there were at least two more punters behind me!

At Wimbledon, I had a comfortable amount of time to stroll over to platform nine, admire the newly opened Tramplink platforms (10a and 10b) although only 10a seems to be in use at present. The 319444+319448 arrived to take me home to St Helier. I ended up home aonly an hour later than normal and managed to batter two more 378s for 10 miles so I was a happy bunny.

Tuesday 3rd November 2015 – What, two nights in a row?

Mrs KJ was meeting a former colleague after work and I’d also made arrangements for a beer or two with a work colleague but he had to go home early as he was unwell – must be serious as I have not seen him in work since! So I thought I’d have another look at the 458/5s but that was a waste of time! So 5718+5736+456018 took me out to Clapham Junction. The South London Line was not playing up tonight but nothing tempted me. The West London Line was a different story with a winning 378222 waiting to head off to Stratford via Willy J. I made sure that I was joining in the “fun” that is the West/North London Line in the peak hours. Not wanting to trek all the way round to somewhere like Hampstead Heath (where 378222 would clear for 10 miles), I went for the Willy J bail as that would mean the island platform would save a trek over a footbridge. I just missed a required 328231 (1st time I’d seen it as a five-car) heading for Richmond so I waited for the next Clapham Junction train which rolled in with a winning 378202. I squeezed on to an already crush loaded train and it seemed that we picked up even more punters at every stop. It was definitely cosy around the doorways! As we arrived at Clapham Junction, I checked my watch and concluded that there was 3 ½ minutes to get over the footbridge to the 18:20 Waterloo to Woking. Thankfully, most of the other folk from 378202 were headed in the same direction – the stampede over the footbridge was akin to a herd of wildebeest on the move! Hard luck if you wanted to go in the opposite direction.

I made the SW main line platforms with around 45 seconds to spare (or so I thought) but I had more like 145 seconds to wait for my 455+456+456 combo to show up with 5742+456012+456016. While I was not too pleased to see 456012 (it follows me everywhere), 456016 was definitely more welcome as for a SWT suburban unit, it was definitely low mileage. Again the train was crush loaded but I found a slot for the 3m 25ch leap to Wimbledon where 319435+319444 took me on to St Helier and home. Another hour well spent grabbing two winning 378s although I will need to revisit them in due course to clear for 10 miles.

Friday 6th November 2015 – Scratch that Itch!

Mrs KJ was working a night shift tonight so from about 18:45 I was a free agent once the chores were out of the way (that took all of 10-15 minutes). Rather than go chasing 378s – I’d done that twice already this week – my mind turned to a few local “itches” that needed to be scratched. I was thinking nearby shacks that I had never visited.

I knew that the Thameslink service was in complete disarray due to multiple operational problems but RTT was insisting that there was a service imminently from St Helier to Wimbledon – I just made it onto 319384+319434 for the run up to Wimbledon where in theory, I should have missed the train I was after but for once the Railway Gods had my wellbeing in mind and it was 9-10 minutes late. 5724+456004+456015 were provided for my run to Chessington North and thus getting one of the nearer shacks out of the way. I had about 11-12 minutes for a train out of the place so had a quick look outside and was almost tempted by a bag of chips from the nearby chippy but decided against when I saw the size of the portion offered to a customer further up the queue!

5724+456004+456015 arrived bang on time to get me out of the place and onto my second shack score at Maldon Manor which despite us calling at Tolworth first seemed nothing more than a Bus Stop Bash away from Chessington North. There was a cancellation floating around which prevented me staying on to Wimbledon to come back and attack Malden Manor from the other direction (a +5 rather than a +25 or a ½ hour wait). So I bailed at Malden Manor and then had the idea of a bus to New Malden but that idea fell through when a check of the bus equivalent of RTT revealed that I’d arrive at New Malden just in time to see a Wimbledon-bound train leave. So I went for a short walk around Malden Manor – it’s anything but manorial – and ended up in the local Co-op for a quick bite to eat. It appeared that it used to be the local pub. As I emerged from the Co-op, I saw who was running the local buses - that wonderful (not) outfit called Abellio! That explains why there were unexplained gaps in the service ....

Making my way back to the station, I did not have long to wait for 5861+5907 to whisk me back to Wimbledon [Ed: that half hour went quick]. Now the nearest required shacks on the National Network to my residence are Cheam and Wallington but not tonight. Instead I had a very embarrassing Underground shack that needed to be scratched. So I transferred over to the District Line platforms and boarded S-7 21361+21361 for the sort run up to Wimbledon Park and in the process getting my last but one LU shack south of the Thames (only Borough to go). Another S-7, 21415+21416 swiftly returned me to Wimbledon where it appeared that Thameslink services were still in total disarray so tonight it had to be the bus home (completely dud Optare Olympus DOE37 LX58CYG for the bus cranks out there).

OK, no scores on the rolling stock front, but that’s three relatively local shacks out of the way. Apart from Cheam and Wallington, there are no shacks within about five miles of my residence. And after that, the next nearest is Waddon but going south from Croydon is another matter!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I don't know about bat cave, I have memories of dossing on a trolley at New Street in the late 1980s and hearing the rats squeaking loudly a few feet away, so rat cave works for me
Anyway, a great report as usual.

And in the late 70s/early 80s the rats would have been spluttering rather than squeaking!!

 

[FQ]

That sounds like a few nice mini bashes after work!

 

[Techniquest]

Some rather productive evenings there lately good sir! I really must remember to hunt down some gen on 456 workings before I next head to London

 

[Keith Jarrett]

I really must remember to hunt down some gen on 456 workings before I next head to London

I do have a list of known workings up to the timetable change in December so if there's any 456 hunters out there who need them - just yell!

 

[hassaanhc]

I do have a list of known workings up to the timetable change in December so if there's any 456 hunters out there who need them - just yell!

They can still be found in the Class 456 thread if you know where to look They're clustered around Waterloo at certain times which makes it easier to get more than one set.

Do like reading about your trips, both the local ones and those further away . 5913 is my favourite unit because it is loud motors, and the window hoppers in MSO 67301 still open wide, also are hinged to prevent them being blown shut by passing trains (the open wide ones can also be found in TSO 67400 of 5912).

 

[Techniquest]

I really must remember to hunt down some gen on 456 workings before I next head to London

I do have a list of known workings up to the timetable change in December so if there's any 456 hunters out there who need them - just yell!

I might not be down before the timetable change, but they will still provide some ideas. I will try to remember to pester you about them nearer the time!

 

[Kite159]

Sounds like some good post work mini-bashes there

Wasnt 5913 the one which met with a cement mixer?

 

[Keith Jarrett]

Saturday 7th November – Raining in Surrey

On account of Mrs KJ’s nightshift last night, I was able to excuse myself while she rested during the day. That left me with around seven to eight hours to go out and enjoy myself. I’d long been thinking about a pure, unadulterated shack bash to round up many of the SWT shacks in Surrey and for once I drew up a plan to see what I could bag in the time available. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that between ten and a dozen would be relatively easy to bag. I left home just after 07:00 and my departure was slightly too late for the first Thameslink of the day so I had to endure yet more mileage with one of our local DOE class Opatre Olympuses for the trek to Wimbledon. Today’s travel outside London was taking advantage of one of my free weekend tickets that comes with my SWT held season so as long as it was a SWT service, I was free to jump on.

5855 was first up at Wimbledon running approximately two minutes late. Thank goodness for that as if it had been on time, I would have missed it and this would have jeopardised my initial plan! At Clapham Junction I had a comfortable +2 onto 444040 on the Poole stopper. This service is only really a stopper once it leaves Basingstoke. But I was aiming to alight earlier on at the next but one stop. This service sailed through Woking (as booked) – that always seems odd but we ground to a halt at Brookwood on the fast line as according to the guard there was some signalling issue. After cautiously passing two signals, we regained line speed and arrived at Fleet 11 minutes late. Even though my phone was on nearly full battery, I had taken advantage of the plug sockets to give the battery a boost as I knew that I’d be hammering RTT for the next seven hours.

The late arrival at Fleet did not disrupt my plans as I still had 10 minutes to wait for 450024+450548 on a Basingstoke service which I took as far as Hook and shack score number two. It was really tipping with rain at this point and dashing about two coach-lengths to the platform canopy saw me get soaked. I waited for the shower to ease before belting over the footbridge to await 450083+450547 on the next up service which I took to Winchfield and shack score number three. With the exception of Byfleet and New Haw, that’s all the shacks between Waterloo and Basingstoke ticked off. Within five minutes 450107+450551 had arrived to take me out of Winchfield towards Basingstoke. The idea being to make a dodgy +2 onto and up service to Woking but as the 450 duo were two down, that jeopardised things, especially as the up train (a pair of 159s) was showing as on time.

So enter plan B; bail off the 450s at Hook for a second visit within half an hour. This time, the climate was a little kinder to me so I made for the adjacent Tesco store to grab lunch before repositioning myself on the London bound platform to await the arrival of 450024+450458 returning from Basingstoke to Waterloo. As far as I can tell 450548 was the only unit that I travelled on all day to pass a mileage milestone in that I cleared it for 100 miles. Any other milestones will only show up when I do the end of month reconciliations. Now I had an iffy +1 at Woking so I took the safe option and bailed at Brookwood instead. As things turned out, the service I was waiting for had experienced delays of its own and was 12 down by the time 450078+450126 showed up bound for Alton. As soon as we left Brookwood, the guard came over the PA to advise of a tree on the line but thankfully, that would not affect me as the trespassing tree was west of Farnham and I was only bound for Aldershot.

The timetabled +20 at Aldershot became a +6 and when we rolled into this military town, 450100 was already waiting for me (I was hoping for a pair of 456s). I leapt across the platform onto 450100 for the 4m 20ch leap to Wanborough and shack score number four of the day. The rain had returned with a vengeance and I got soaking number two in transferring to the opposite platform. In what seemed to be only a few minutes, 450100 returned from Guildford to take me on one of the many Bus Stop Bashes that I was to do today back to Ash. I had a fairly tight connection at Ash and knowing that the only way to cross the line was via the level crossing, I made sure that I was in the rear coach to make the quick dash. Thankfully the crossing gates were raised long enough for me to dash over to the Guildford bound platform after successfully grabbing shack number five of the day – that’s all on the Guildford to Ascot line sorted now. While waiting in the rain, I noticed two Stagecoach buses with Kite branding and wondered whether this is part of Kite159’s empire?

Spot on time, 456007+456008 rolled in to take me to Guildford. Here I had a +3 to get from one side of the station to the other. I made it with literally seconds to spare to board 5864 for the relatively short leap to London Road Guildford (number six). 5708 was six minutes behind which took me onwards to Horsley (shack number seven). Here I crossed back via the footbridge to the down line for a comfortable +5. I was slightly confused by the platform indicator which claimed the train to be formed of six coaches. My understanding was that there were not any booked workings out of Waterloo for 456s on a Saturday – the only way SWT can get a six car electric service is by using a 455+456. But the indicator board was telling the truth as 5741+456006 rolled in. 456006 will of course be remembered by many as carrying the Making London Safer vinyls a few years ago but these are now a distant memory now that SWT red rules across the 456 fleet. Another Bus Stop Bash sees me alighting at Clandon for shack score number eight. The plus is here is quite a comfortable one so once I have switched to the up platform via the footbridge, I feel it an appropriate time to crack open the Tesco meal deal bought several hours earlier at Hook. The chicken salad sub goes down a treat but I decide to save the drink and crisps for another day.

5917 rolls in to take me to Bookham on a Guildford-Epsom-Waterloo service. I’d almost forgotten about Bookham until I was checking my list of required shacks earlier in the day so I was pleased to make this shack score number nine of the day. I was feeling pleased with myself as every connection that I had timetabled so far and the only two instances of serious (i.e. more than a couple of minutes) late running were when I had loose connections. Leaving Bookham (which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere) on 5720, I retraced my steps to Horsley; I could have bailed at Effingham Junction but the wait was longer. At Horsley, I fell into 5741+456006 again for the Bus Stop Bash to Effingham Junction (no shack score here) where 5737 was a few minutes behind to take me up the Cobham line.

Since leaving Guildford earlier in the day, I’d noticed that all down services off the Cobham line were coming along a few minutes late so using RTT, I discovered that every single service was losing a few minutes between Wimbledon and Surbiton. This was looking good as it meant I could try for the -3 at Hinckley Wood. I kept checking the progress of the train that I should miss and, lo and behold, it was for down on arrival at Surbiton. We were on for the shack score at Hinchley Wood; it would have been rude to refuse such a gift! 5737 was spot on time into Hinchley Wood and RTT was hinting at a +1 so I dashed across to the other side of the island platform. No signs of the down train for a further three minutes so a -3 turned into a +3. Bingo! 5717 rolls in to take me to Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon and shack score number 11. Here I had a comfortable plus onto the next up service so had a quick look around the station and its environs – the contents of the car park was a good indicator that this part of town is rather well healed!

5720 showed up on time to take me back to Claygate to bring the tally of shack scratches to 12. I was glad that I tried the Hinchley Wood leap half an hour earlier as this time the down service was only one late! After a five minute wait, 5855 [Ed: remember that one from earlier this morning?] trundled in and I leapt aboard for another Bus Stop Bash, this time to the next station of Oxshott where I logged shack score number 13 of the day. That sees all SWT-managed stations clear on the secondary lines to Guildford on both routes. With 13 shack scores under my belt, it was time to make for home. After about 20 minutes 5720 rolls in to take me on a relatively long run back to Wimbledon where I had dead zero connection onto a Thameslink home. Thankfully the Thameslink was a few minutes late and 5720 on time) so I had just enough time to cross the ever-congested footbridge to board 319427. Reflecting on the day’s antics on the way back home, I felt that the objective of 10-12 shack scores had been a realistic one and it was only a bit of luck that saw me get up to 13. I still need a pile of SWT shacks and the next time I go shack scratching on SWT, I think I will aim for the Windsor/Reading Lines. Finally, here is the list of the day’s moves –

5855 Wimbledon to Clapham Junction
444040 Clapham Junction to Fleet
450024+450548 Fleet to Hook
450083+450547 Hook to Winchfield
450107+450551 Winchfield to Hook
450024+450548 Hook to Brookwood
450078+450126 Brookwood to Aldershot
450100 Aldershot to Wanborough
450100 Wanborough to Ash
456007+456008 Ash to Guildford
5864 Guildford to London Road Guildford
5708 London Road Guildford to Horsley
5741+456006 Horsley to Clandon
5917 Clandon to Bookham
5720 Bookham to Horsley
5741+456006 Horsley to Effingham Junction
5737 Effingham Junction to Hinchley Wood
5717 Hinchley Wood to Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon
5720 Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon to Claygate
5855 Claygate to Oxshott
5706 Oxshott to Wimbledon
319427 Wimbledon to St Helier

Milestones
Cleared for 100 miles 450548
New Shacks Ash, Bookham, Clandon, Claygate, Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon, Fleet, Hincley Wood, Hook, Horsley, London Road Guildford, Oxshott, Wanborough, Winchfield
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They can still be found in the Class 456 thread if you know where to look They're clustered around Waterloo at certain times which makes it easier to get more than one set.

Silly me, I'd forgotten that I had posted the workings back in May. Let's see if they stay the same with the December timetable change.
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Sounds like some good post work mini-bashes there

Wasn't 5913 the one which met with a cement mixer?

Indeed it was the one that had an altercation with a cement mixer!. Given that it is a completely different power car, my rules state that it is an new unit in my language.