My First ALR

[marcouk2]

So after a fair bit of planning (changed daily at times) and counting down the days at work, it was finally time to start my first ALR.
All my reports are being typed up through tapatalk so I apologise for any formatting/autocorrect errors that may occur Any seriously messed up bits I'll try to correct where pointed out.

So my aims for the ALR include different loco hauled services, untravelled track and new classes of trains for me. As well as both sleepers and some of the different catering options available around the country.

Day 1 to follow...

 

[Lrd]

Did you get lost? :P

 

[Gathursty]

Did you get lost? :P

I can imagine a solitary RailUK member cursing the world and lack of phone signal whilst being marooned for some time at Corrour mimicking the scene in Trainspotting.

 

[marcouk2]

Something like that, combination of lack of signal and tapatalk crashing with too many characters in my reply means I'm just about to put day one up when I'm on day six

 

[marcouk2]

So let's hope it works this time

Day one started with an early start, leaving the house at half 6 in the morning to walk down the other end of the village to catch the first bus into Doncaster, munch on a pastry as I go and reach the bus stop in plenty of time, bus arrives on time and cough up £3.10 for a single.

Hop off before the terminus as quicker to walk down and through the bus station than wait for the bus to work its way round the roundabouts to the bus station.

Walking past Smiths I decide to pop in for a new notebook and then spot some quails I've been meaning to get for a while so leave £25 lighter and trying to work out just where in my pack I'll fit them to carry with me!
Bus worked out that I got to the station nearly half hour earlier than train time so settle down for a quick bit of spotting. Couple of 66s go past and a MPV weedkiller, don't expect numbers from me, I struggle to remember to get ones of trains I travel on, let alone ones I see!

So the first train I get ends up also being my first deviation to the plan, deciding to go for 0758 EC HST ex-Hull as looks very lightly loaded and so hop on board for the hours trip down the ECML to Peterborough with a table bay to myself, a trip I've done plenty of times already. Arrive at Peterborough and hop off to look for my next train over to Norwich.

And so my second train of the day ends up being a change as well as EMT industrial action means that the service I wanted is a RRB. Quick look on RTT shows me XC service to Stansted Airport changing to Ely will get me to Norwich not long after the planned arrival. Cross over on the bridge to platform 6 and 170108 turns up so hop on board. Turns out there's no reservation slips so cue chaos as people just boarded turf out people sat in their seat, luckily seat I had chosen is actually unreserved so get to stay sat down and watch the scenery pass by outside.

Quite a drastic change in the landscape come about, canal with narrow boats chugging along turns into a wider river which then turns into a variety of industrial and ex-industrial sites. March station gets my attention as it's 1/2 abandoned, set of platforms out of use with rails left in place but physically cut off by a new exit from the station, this split seems to continue with semaphore signals on the abandoned lines along with rusting rail carrier wagons.

Arrive at March station and hop off marvelling at the CRT information screens and pop over to tescos for a sandwich, arrive back over at station to see 170519 get packed full heading north to Birmingham, then await the Greater Anglia to Norwich which is a lot quieter thankfully!

Grab table Bay to myself again and head back out on myself diverging to head towards Norwich. Agricultural land soon gives way to forestry passing over various level crossings and farm workings. Passenger somehow fails to Manage to get off at Thetford and goes complaining to the guard who gives him short thrift and tells him to just get off at the next stop and get the next train back. Arrive at Norwich and watch a class 90 haul a rake of mk3s down to london and then head out of the station to grab a bite to eat.

With my appetite sated for now I head back into the Station hoping to find DRS 47s waiting on the short set but instead I find 156407 waiting for the trip to Great Yarmouth. I have a think and then decide to go anyway just to do the line so I hop on and away we go again. Appears to just be one long marina alongside the line at first but the landscape eventually opens out and we make it to Great Yarmouth. Original plan was to go straight back on the short set so consider having a hour in Yarmouth until I realise that the town/Coast is over the far side from the station so hop back onto 156407 and trundle back down to Norwich.

Cross over the Station to 90006 tnt with a DVT. Jump on and stand at droplight for journey down to London Liverpool Street. Pass 90045 on freightliner at Colchester along with a DRS 47. Arrive at Liverpool Street, first time been there so spend 30 secs trying to find the departure screens until u discover where they are up above the balcony level in the middle. My aim was to get my first 379 upto Cambridge but both the 1628 and 1643 are 315s so abandon plan to go direct and hop on an 8 car 379 Stansted Express comprised of 379009+379006.

Arrive too late to get XC 170 heading north so wonder upto the airport concourse for a bit and then head back down for a return service as far as Bishops Stortford and then change over to catch the next train to Cambridge, finally I get my wish a 379 going north and plenty of people disembark so hop on and grab a seat right under the panto well as a neutral section gives me quite a shock with the noise!

Arrive at Cambridge and get thwarted by Town planning again, not enough time to find somewhere in town before my train is due so m&s at the station does nicely in place, grab some tea (pulled pork pasta is my current pick from there atm) and head out to platform 7 where FCC 365510 has pulled up so grab a mini table to eat my tea from (still manage to get it down me and spill my drink even before we set off though). Runs fast down to KGX so whizz through ECML suburban stations and pulls into Kings Cross.

Quick jaunt on the H&C line over to Paddington and crossing over the bridge heading to the first class lounge just in time to hear announcement about use of it by sleeper passengers. Quick nip up and down platform to get photos of locos on either end and then head to the FC lounge. Very similar to EC lounge in what's offered, fruit juices, drinks, fruit so stick my phone on charge and sit back munching on crisps, fruit and shortbread until the FC host shouts out at 2230 that the sleeper is now boarding. I'd paid for a solo berth (£50, well worth it) and been allocated F1 so right next to the droplights and toilets but didn't bother me as after watching pull out of Paddington, I was fast asleep by Reading.

Day 1 Overview:

Missed out on the 47s on the short set but got my first ride on a 379 and cleared my first tracks in East Anglia as well as catching the Night Riveria so a successful day overall.

Distance travelled: 748 miles 24chains.

 

[crispy1978]

A good start - look forward to reading the rest with a deal of expectation and a hint of jealousy, as I'd love to do one of these, but will never get it past the wife!

 

[Johnuk123]

A good start - look forward to reading the rest with a deal of expectation and a hint of jealousy, as I'd love to do one of these, but will never get it past the wife!

Just disappear mysteriously for a while without telling her where you're going.

She will be out of her mind with worry thinking you're in the canal or the bottom of Beachy Head. When you eventually return from your ALR safe and well she'll be well chuffed.

So everybody wins.

 

[bb21]

3-car XC 170s are never reserved in the middle coach, so make sure you head there if the train is busy. XC policy is not to turf people out of their seats if no reservation is displayed. People can demand that you move, but you can also tell them politely that you would not if you don't want to and if they have any grievance they should take it up with the train company.

Shame about the 47, but sounds like it worked out well overall.

 

[FQ]

Shame about the 47, but sounds like it worked out well overall.

37s from September.

47s probably to Booths. :cry:

 

[bb21]

Really? That would be wonderful as I am going to be there and thereabouts sometime in September.

 

[FQ]

Really? That would be wonderful as I am going to be there and thereabouts sometime in September.

Yep, 47s coming off them soon and 37s on. Either that or 68s on until December where 37s will take over.

 

[Lrd]

Yep, 47s coming off them soon and 37s on. Either that or 68s on until December where 37s will take over.

Looks like I'll be heading to East Anglia soon then!

 

[Welshman]

Just disappear mysteriously for a while without telling her where you're going.

She will be out of her mind with worry thinking you're in the canal or the bottom of Beachy Head. When you eventually return from your ALR safe and well she'll be well chuffed.

Or will have changed all the locks.

 

[marcouk2]

So I gave up on Tapatalk in the end and I'm typing this up from home

Day 2

Aims for today:
Pullman Dining on FGW coming back up from Penzance.
Trip on Pretendolino.

So after about 6 hours sleep I get awoken by the sound of the wheels squealing as the sleeper rake departs Plymouth. Gradually come round, check phone to see that we're on time and knock open the blind just in time to see us crossing the Tamar on the Royal Albert Bridge, not awake enough yet to get a picture with the sun rising behind it unfortunately.

Continue on heading down to Penzance stopping at stations and then get my breakfast delivered; Cup of coffee, bacon baguette (stick brown sauce on it and stash the ketchup for later ), and some Scottish shortbread. Does the job until we reach Penzance at least.

Arrive into Penzance on time, gather all my items together and disembark, waiting in the Station to take a few photos and watch 57604 propel the set out of the station. Then head across the road to have a proper breakfast at Sullivans Cafe, now filled up to start the day (and warned about not leaving my food unattended due to pesky seagulls) I have a bit of time to fill before getting the 1000 back upto Paddington.

So I take a wonder along the docks just in time to see the Scillian III head out to the Scilly Isles and then walk back along the front to find 43063/43133 sat in platform 4 forming the 1000 departure to Penzance with Pullman service offered from Plymouth. Grab a bay in an empty coach F and await for the off. Unfortunately before we set off there's an announcement that due to a CDL fault the service will terminate at Plymouth with another set out on to take us onto Paddington.

By the time we reach Plymouth we'd picked up a fair number of passengers at each stop so large numbers do a cross platform transfer from 7 to 8 to continue onto London. Realise that this set only had a micro buffet so no pullman dining but decide to head up to Totnes to check out the South Devon Railway for an hour as the 1255 ex-Plymouth is supposed to be a pullman train as well.

Hope off at Totnes and my first issue is finding the South Devon Railway, their website says that they're signposted from the station, they are just only from the other side of the station! Which I eventually discover when I walk round and over the long way to the other side. Get there in time to see L92 preparing to head out.


Head back to the NR station once it's departed. Arrive back to discover that the 1255 is running about 15 mins late but it eventually turns up with Pullman carriage, hurray!

Hop on board in F and await announcement for Standard Class passengers to be invited to the Pullman. Call comes and race down unnecessarily as I'm the only one who moved from standard with 9 from First Class who have taken up the offer.

Get informed of the menu changes for the day (crab instead of mussels, fish of the day is pollock), order and then it's discovered that the hobs and ovens aren't working so they can't offer hot food, cue commiserations to the serving staff and agreement that they're not prioritised for maintenance. So I ended up going for 2 starters; a very nice smoked salmon and then some equally delicious devilled crab, accompanied with a very nice raspberry cider.

Finished by Castle Cary but offer is made to stay in the seats until London, as it is I hop off at Reading to swap over to SWT to head into London via the route to Waterloo, board 458010 and I'm off again, all going smoothly until Virginia Waters when the guard announces that due to a point failure at Staines this service will be sat here for a while but the service to Weybridge just about to leave on platform 3 will get you to London faster.

Cue mass emigration of people all trying to cross over the bridge at once leading to an aggrieved guard on the Weybridge service (450041) having to give a good blow on his whistle to try and hustle people along

Head down to Weybridge and we're just in time to allow a cross platform change to jump on 455719 and I'm finally heading to London Waterloo. No seats free at first on the 455 so I'm stood most of the way to London. Aim to head straight through Waterloo but delayed by being a twit and using my oyster on the NR exit gate so divert to the ticket office to get the maximum fare taken off :whoops: and of course there's only one booth open and a big queue of people there. Once my oyster balance is restored, its through the underground gateline to head on the Northern line to Euston.

Not too busy leaving Waterloo but it soon fills up and I have to squeeze off at Euston bashing a few people with my backpack, and head upto ground level again. Quick stop-off at Burger King for tea witnessing a women screaming at the manager for some reason and still getting 20% discount on my bite card and then head over to Platform 7 to see the Pretendolino sat waiting there. Sit on platform bench munching on my tea gobbling down the last bits when the service has been announced and everyone else starts heading down the platform, pop upto the loco to see 90020 on the service today and then grab a seat in Coach A remembering just how constricting the IC70 armrests are :-x


Nice journey upto Birmingham International where the New Street style tunnel platforms turns into a bright and wide open station inside which was a big surprise to me. Have enough time to ride the People mover to the Airport and back then head back down to find 158831 waiting to take me to Shrewsbury. Service starts off empty but fills upto standing room only at New Street but then tapers off again as everyone gets off at Telford and Wellington.

Having to change at Shrewsbury due to Wrexham redoubling engineering works, have to head out of the station itself, heading back up some stairs to find platform 4 where a 153 unit is waiting to head to Wrexham General. Rolls off through the darkness with a couple of other people on board and arrives at Wrexham General where I literally have to cross the road to the Premier Inn where I'm staying for the night.

Day 2 Review:

Pullman Dining half done, shame that I didn't get to try a main course but means that my budget was quite a bit less than expected for the day.
Pretendolino done as well especially given that its reportedly being taken off-lease by Virgin at some point in the future.

 

[Techniquest]

Sounds like an excellent trip so far! Shame you've not had a good experience on FGW's Pullman service, I've had amazing experiences of it in the past (mind you this was 2005!) and highly recommend it from then, but I've not had a chance to even try the Travelling Chef lately let alone the Pullman service. I need to do both again soon before they get withdrawn and for nostalgia purposes!

I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip report when you have time to type it up

 

[Minilad]

37s from September.

47s probably to Booths. :cry:

Fantastic. Can't come soon enough

 

[Techniquest]

If 37s get onto the Yarrrrrrrrrrmouths soon, as is expected, I'm getting over there sharpish as I'm in dire need of some 37 action!