I did mention earlier on the forum about visiting the DLR and on a whim, I went this weekend to scratch the itch before I go back to work.
I didn't fancy driving straight into the heart of London so aimed for Chesham Tube so when I'd be finished in London, I'd be far outside the M25 before turning the ignition on. Doing a bit of a recce beforehand, I found I could make use of the 0512 Chesham to Watford Met and use the 'rare' curve that is otherwise unused. Also, I thought that as I'm going down the M40 too, I could tick off the rejuvenated Bicester Village line and also bag number 2558 - Oxford Parkway.
I left home at 8pm and didn't fancy the motorway beyond Stoke due to a matrix sign warning of problems so I went halfway down the A50 to Uttoxeter and after pulling up at the station to check the route, followed a B road over an impressive reservoir, even at that time of night, towards Rugeley Trent Valley to pause and have more of my water. Nothing to be seen at RTV for the moments I had stopped, so I continued following the line to Tamworth where again I paused to check how to get south in the best way whilst avoiding the M6 Toll. I also had the opportunity to stroll around Tamworth and agree that getting to the high level platforms is a bit awkward. However, it has really good waiting rooms (no bus shelters, all indoor like an airport terminal!)
My new route south took my past Drayton Manor theme park (It's not in Market Drayton, Gathursty!) and onto the A446 which I'd be following for some way until I noticed a sign for Water Orton and could grab a better picture than last time. After this detour, I was following the M42 but hadn't found an exit to join it so continued to my next stop to have a drink - Claverdon. Time there was about 1 as Alex Lester was on the radio. Claverdon was particularly dead as you'd expect at any time of the day really.
My atlas said there was a shortcut to join the M40 nearby so with this I made a great leap towards Bicester with cars going even faster than me on their way down south. Remembering to avoid Bicester Village shopping centre and going to the south first was a good call as the station is easier to access, in spite of the construction material still in situ. This would be in common with the rest of this line.
At Islip, there was a small group of orange men completing some task to do with the staircase on the London-bound platform who I had slightly broken up the evening shift of background silence for.
At Oxford Parkway, following the direction signs around the car park led me to almost come into contact with a moveable bollard whihc I'm sure would have made the security men laugh who have surely a really dull job of watching over the facilities through the night. I can understand why there should be two staff as one would surely fall asleep or go a bit bonkers here. I appreciated the very large BR sign outside the park and ride which was easy to phtograph.
From here the route to the services was pretty easy and it was good to be out of the car again. There was an issue with the coffee machine at the WHSmith being unruly to the elderly couple in front of me but a couple of button bashes by the foreign overnight workers enabled me to self-serve and freshen up a bit before making the journey through Thame to a pub that became globally famous recently...
I had to stop at Monks Risborough because since Thame, I had seen two very bright lights in my direction - Mars and Venus, something I've never seen before and worth pulling up to see. The elevated platform at Monks was perfect to witness the sights of skies and you'd just have to picture it since my camera is rubbish.
The pub which David Cameron and Xi Jinping had a drink in was one I'd return to on the way home. I had one last water stop at Great Missenden and by now it was 50 minutes before my train would leave in Chesham. Chesham had three signs of life walking in different directions before a car arrived and waited with the ignition on for a while by the bank as I was emptying an ATM of notes to spend on a Travelcard with a Watford extension and food later. I returned to the car, paid £1.50 for all day parking (incredible value IMO) and waited for the overnight staff to open the door for me.
The train arrived on time and there were three other people on with me. I watched the driver walk through to the other side through the kaleidoscopic carriage. I absolutely adore these trains where you can see all the way through to the 5th/6th/7th/etc... carriage. It's incredible when it arcs and you can't see around the corner! Moving through the Chilterns into North London was fun and it did feel like a rollercoaster watching the train wriggle up, down, left and right. After Rickmansworth came the fun part, only enjoyed by me and one other as we rounded the curve to Croxley and Watford where 10 commuters readied to go to London. Had I known what was to await me at Watford Junction, I'd have stayed put however...
A 20 minute fast walk through Watford took me to the Junction. I liked Watford town centre and the early morning busker (very keen at 6am) The screens at Watford Junction informed me I wouldn't be getting as far as Willesden Junction so I could interchange for direct access to Stratford and for some reason I didn't consider jumping on an LM train straight to Euston and instead put up with the morning commuters as far as Wembley Park and didn't entertain a rush to scramble on a replacement bus into the City and instead ran after the bus in the direction of Wembley Stadium as in the back of my mind, I remembered that Chiltern have some stopping services there. Fortunately I arrived with 15 mins to spare for the 0702 to Marylebone. I've never travelled by Chiltern and enjoyed the carriage. I got on this train with two others. The timetable informed me that there are two an hour on Saturday and it is not as poorly served as I previously thought.
I got off at Marylebone, went underground to Baker Street, was held at a signal there on my journey to Liverpool Street, where I took an AGA white train to Stratford and capped my long journey off by going DLR to the International side, where I got off and stretched my legs strolling through the complex to the toilets by McDonalds. On coming out, I had a breakfast meal there and thought I only had 3/4 hour to kill before Natwest opened. I had an 1 hour and 3/4 instead (silly website) and therefore walked out to see the Orbit and the Aquatic Centre and the QEII Stadium and I was bowled over. It's all so impressive. How bloody tall is that Orbit!!! Also, so many cranes, so much industry, so much action. The east end of London really is moving forward! I loved seeing a sign with the E20 postcode too lmao!
Back to trains, I continued with my DLR bash going to Woolwich Arsenal via Canning Town. Here I sat in the middle and watched the world pass by, marking the closeness of some stations and the high rises and the numerous station attendants hopping on and off, checking tickets and cleaning. Saturday morning was beginning to come alive in London. I can't get over how close Stratford High Street and Regional DLR are. It took less than a minute between the two! Canning Town should be renamed Blade Runner Town due to the double decking of trams. It's so futuristic. You wouldn't see that in Wigan!
More things you wouldn't see in Wigan is a mini-jet landing alongside your tram onto a runway in the centre of town. You also wouldn't see no tram driver too! The automation is something I'm impressed by. The tunnel under the Thames gave me time to let it sink in as well as let me doze for a moment. I got off the train, moved to the back and snoozed as much as I could before I got back to Canning Town and get ready for Cyprus (not the real Med one) and Beckton.
At Canning Town you go down and under and up and up and away you go on a viaduct, by the Crossrail building site, which is coming on well. I have eyed Custom House station ready for me to mark my territory in a couple of years time and the tunnel leading off to Abbey Wood. I then went down and up and down and up as we went straight into Cyprus and the other station in a roundabout. It transpired it wasn't as futuristic as I could glean from Google Maps but neither were the rest, just curved glass shelters protecting enough platform space for passengers. At Beckton, I disembarked, went to the back and sat facing backwards. I've never watched a train in this manner ever before obviously, but to see the station in front of you disappear as you accelerate and then go under a tunnel and curve away made my senses go all over the place. It's incredible that this moves without a driver and you can sit anywhere watching this spectacle. To locals this must seem so mundane but I come from Pacer-land!
I arrived back in Stratford at 10.20 ready to dash to Natwest and run back out to contemplate how on earth I get back to Chesham! An idea sprang to my mind to go via Essex Road as my only picture of it was really poor! If only someone would haave reminded me it's not open on a Saturday and then I wouldn't have got off the rammed Overground train at Highbury & Islington. However I did but was relieved to find out this station gets 6tph so less than 10 mins till the next one! I didn't realise just how busy the North London Line is. Again the 5 carriage train which is walkable all the way through is impressive and is certainly necessary with the amount of people, prams, luggage and bikes getting on and off in multiples at every station. At Finchley Road & Frognal a sizeable number of All Black supporters joined, which made me even more adamant to get out of London now. Knowing the Watford DC Line was still being fixed up today made me zone in on West Hampstead to use as an interchange. I was going to double back to Finchley Road Jubilee to catch a fast Met service but my MO is always go forwards so I took all stoppers to Wembley Park, then Harrow-on-the-Hill then Moor Park and at last Chesham! Things to note on this slog was that Dollis Hill exists, Met Stock is 3 inches under the platforms which is a bit odd and the dodgy character at Moor Park speaking very gang-like reeking of cannabis with very low-hanging pants. I could finally appreciate the journey from Chalfont to Chesham in daylight and was impressed at the curvy nature and how high the line has climbed to get through these hills and meanders. The line still climbs metres before the station approach and has to squeeze through tight gaps and curves all the way!
My car at Chesham was in one piece, ready for me to GTFO of London and make then 10 mile drive to The Plough at Cadsden and see on the wall, a framed photo of the owners with a powerful leader and David Cameron. To know I've stood on the same spot as the leader of China will stay with me forever! To know I've stood in nearly the same spot as a famous hog roaster will also stay with me for a long time. I had a cup of tea there as my lack of sleep was giving me a couple of tense moments in my head, making me even more off-kilter when in the presence of a very beautiful barmaid. I couldn't stay for lunch for the fact the menu was a little bit out of my price range but not massively. It is reasonably priced though so do go and enjoy it. It is a 30 minute walk MAX from Monks Risborough station. Jeremy Corbyn should go too.
My day now complete, I carved a line through Brill and Bicester to the M40 and the M6 Toll to Sandbach services where I had food and another cup of tea at about 3pm and drove for another 40 minutes and fell asleep, not behind the wheel, but on the sofa. A really varied day, both on the trains and in the scenery.
Cost:
£35 diesel
£11.20 Z1-9+Watford Extension Travelcard
£12 food and drinks
£58.20 Total
TOCs: Chiltern Railways, London Overground, Greater Anglia, Met, Jubilee, DLR, Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City
New NR Stations: Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village (was Town)
I didn't fancy driving straight into the heart of London so aimed for Chesham Tube so when I'd be finished in London, I'd be far outside the M25 before turning the ignition on. Doing a bit of a recce beforehand, I found I could make use of the 0512 Chesham to Watford Met and use the 'rare' curve that is otherwise unused. Also, I thought that as I'm going down the M40 too, I could tick off the rejuvenated Bicester Village line and also bag number 2558 - Oxford Parkway.
I left home at 8pm and didn't fancy the motorway beyond Stoke due to a matrix sign warning of problems so I went halfway down the A50 to Uttoxeter and after pulling up at the station to check the route, followed a B road over an impressive reservoir, even at that time of night, towards Rugeley Trent Valley to pause and have more of my water. Nothing to be seen at RTV for the moments I had stopped, so I continued following the line to Tamworth where again I paused to check how to get south in the best way whilst avoiding the M6 Toll. I also had the opportunity to stroll around Tamworth and agree that getting to the high level platforms is a bit awkward. However, it has really good waiting rooms (no bus shelters, all indoor like an airport terminal!)
My new route south took my past Drayton Manor theme park (It's not in Market Drayton, Gathursty!) and onto the A446 which I'd be following for some way until I noticed a sign for Water Orton and could grab a better picture than last time. After this detour, I was following the M42 but hadn't found an exit to join it so continued to my next stop to have a drink - Claverdon. Time there was about 1 as Alex Lester was on the radio. Claverdon was particularly dead as you'd expect at any time of the day really.
My atlas said there was a shortcut to join the M40 nearby so with this I made a great leap towards Bicester with cars going even faster than me on their way down south. Remembering to avoid Bicester Village shopping centre and going to the south first was a good call as the station is easier to access, in spite of the construction material still in situ. This would be in common with the rest of this line.
At Islip, there was a small group of orange men completing some task to do with the staircase on the London-bound platform who I had slightly broken up the evening shift of background silence for.
At Oxford Parkway, following the direction signs around the car park led me to almost come into contact with a moveable bollard whihc I'm sure would have made the security men laugh who have surely a really dull job of watching over the facilities through the night. I can understand why there should be two staff as one would surely fall asleep or go a bit bonkers here. I appreciated the very large BR sign outside the park and ride which was easy to phtograph.
From here the route to the services was pretty easy and it was good to be out of the car again. There was an issue with the coffee machine at the WHSmith being unruly to the elderly couple in front of me but a couple of button bashes by the foreign overnight workers enabled me to self-serve and freshen up a bit before making the journey through Thame to a pub that became globally famous recently...
I had to stop at Monks Risborough because since Thame, I had seen two very bright lights in my direction - Mars and Venus, something I've never seen before and worth pulling up to see. The elevated platform at Monks was perfect to witness the sights of skies and you'd just have to picture it since my camera is rubbish.
The pub which David Cameron and Xi Jinping had a drink in was one I'd return to on the way home. I had one last water stop at Great Missenden and by now it was 50 minutes before my train would leave in Chesham. Chesham had three signs of life walking in different directions before a car arrived and waited with the ignition on for a while by the bank as I was emptying an ATM of notes to spend on a Travelcard with a Watford extension and food later. I returned to the car, paid £1.50 for all day parking (incredible value IMO) and waited for the overnight staff to open the door for me.
The train arrived on time and there were three other people on with me. I watched the driver walk through to the other side through the kaleidoscopic carriage. I absolutely adore these trains where you can see all the way through to the 5th/6th/7th/etc... carriage. It's incredible when it arcs and you can't see around the corner! Moving through the Chilterns into North London was fun and it did feel like a rollercoaster watching the train wriggle up, down, left and right. After Rickmansworth came the fun part, only enjoyed by me and one other as we rounded the curve to Croxley and Watford where 10 commuters readied to go to London. Had I known what was to await me at Watford Junction, I'd have stayed put however...
A 20 minute fast walk through Watford took me to the Junction. I liked Watford town centre and the early morning busker (very keen at 6am) The screens at Watford Junction informed me I wouldn't be getting as far as Willesden Junction so I could interchange for direct access to Stratford and for some reason I didn't consider jumping on an LM train straight to Euston and instead put up with the morning commuters as far as Wembley Park and didn't entertain a rush to scramble on a replacement bus into the City and instead ran after the bus in the direction of Wembley Stadium as in the back of my mind, I remembered that Chiltern have some stopping services there. Fortunately I arrived with 15 mins to spare for the 0702 to Marylebone. I've never travelled by Chiltern and enjoyed the carriage. I got on this train with two others. The timetable informed me that there are two an hour on Saturday and it is not as poorly served as I previously thought.
I got off at Marylebone, went underground to Baker Street, was held at a signal there on my journey to Liverpool Street, where I took an AGA white train to Stratford and capped my long journey off by going DLR to the International side, where I got off and stretched my legs strolling through the complex to the toilets by McDonalds. On coming out, I had a breakfast meal there and thought I only had 3/4 hour to kill before Natwest opened. I had an 1 hour and 3/4 instead (silly website) and therefore walked out to see the Orbit and the Aquatic Centre and the QEII Stadium and I was bowled over. It's all so impressive. How bloody tall is that Orbit!!! Also, so many cranes, so much industry, so much action. The east end of London really is moving forward! I loved seeing a sign with the E20 postcode too lmao!
Back to trains, I continued with my DLR bash going to Woolwich Arsenal via Canning Town. Here I sat in the middle and watched the world pass by, marking the closeness of some stations and the high rises and the numerous station attendants hopping on and off, checking tickets and cleaning. Saturday morning was beginning to come alive in London. I can't get over how close Stratford High Street and Regional DLR are. It took less than a minute between the two! Canning Town should be renamed Blade Runner Town due to the double decking of trams. It's so futuristic. You wouldn't see that in Wigan!
More things you wouldn't see in Wigan is a mini-jet landing alongside your tram onto a runway in the centre of town. You also wouldn't see no tram driver too! The automation is something I'm impressed by. The tunnel under the Thames gave me time to let it sink in as well as let me doze for a moment. I got off the train, moved to the back and snoozed as much as I could before I got back to Canning Town and get ready for Cyprus (not the real Med one) and Beckton.
At Canning Town you go down and under and up and up and away you go on a viaduct, by the Crossrail building site, which is coming on well. I have eyed Custom House station ready for me to mark my territory in a couple of years time and the tunnel leading off to Abbey Wood. I then went down and up and down and up as we went straight into Cyprus and the other station in a roundabout. It transpired it wasn't as futuristic as I could glean from Google Maps but neither were the rest, just curved glass shelters protecting enough platform space for passengers. At Beckton, I disembarked, went to the back and sat facing backwards. I've never watched a train in this manner ever before obviously, but to see the station in front of you disappear as you accelerate and then go under a tunnel and curve away made my senses go all over the place. It's incredible that this moves without a driver and you can sit anywhere watching this spectacle. To locals this must seem so mundane but I come from Pacer-land!
I arrived back in Stratford at 10.20 ready to dash to Natwest and run back out to contemplate how on earth I get back to Chesham! An idea sprang to my mind to go via Essex Road as my only picture of it was really poor! If only someone would haave reminded me it's not open on a Saturday and then I wouldn't have got off the rammed Overground train at Highbury & Islington. However I did but was relieved to find out this station gets 6tph so less than 10 mins till the next one! I didn't realise just how busy the North London Line is. Again the 5 carriage train which is walkable all the way through is impressive and is certainly necessary with the amount of people, prams, luggage and bikes getting on and off in multiples at every station. At Finchley Road & Frognal a sizeable number of All Black supporters joined, which made me even more adamant to get out of London now. Knowing the Watford DC Line was still being fixed up today made me zone in on West Hampstead to use as an interchange. I was going to double back to Finchley Road Jubilee to catch a fast Met service but my MO is always go forwards so I took all stoppers to Wembley Park, then Harrow-on-the-Hill then Moor Park and at last Chesham! Things to note on this slog was that Dollis Hill exists, Met Stock is 3 inches under the platforms which is a bit odd and the dodgy character at Moor Park speaking very gang-like reeking of cannabis with very low-hanging pants. I could finally appreciate the journey from Chalfont to Chesham in daylight and was impressed at the curvy nature and how high the line has climbed to get through these hills and meanders. The line still climbs metres before the station approach and has to squeeze through tight gaps and curves all the way!
My car at Chesham was in one piece, ready for me to GTFO of London and make then 10 mile drive to The Plough at Cadsden and see on the wall, a framed photo of the owners with a powerful leader and David Cameron. To know I've stood on the same spot as the leader of China will stay with me forever! To know I've stood in nearly the same spot as a famous hog roaster will also stay with me for a long time. I had a cup of tea there as my lack of sleep was giving me a couple of tense moments in my head, making me even more off-kilter when in the presence of a very beautiful barmaid. I couldn't stay for lunch for the fact the menu was a little bit out of my price range but not massively. It is reasonably priced though so do go and enjoy it. It is a 30 minute walk MAX from Monks Risborough station. Jeremy Corbyn should go too.
My day now complete, I carved a line through Brill and Bicester to the M40 and the M6 Toll to Sandbach services where I had food and another cup of tea at about 3pm and drove for another 40 minutes and fell asleep, not behind the wheel, but on the sofa. A really varied day, both on the trains and in the scenery.
Cost:
£35 diesel
£11.20 Z1-9+Watford Extension Travelcard
£12 food and drinks
£58.20 Total
TOCs: Chiltern Railways, London Overground, Greater Anglia, Met, Jubilee, DLR, Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City
New NR Stations: Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village (was Town)
. You definitely aren't wrong there about it being mundane for the locals. I remember back in 2013 when I first visited the University of East London's Docklands Campus, I couldn't believe the views by the Royal Docks, how such a place could exist in London. I would do anything to get the feeling of the first impression back 
.
