Palmersears' Jaunts

[FQ]

Sounds like quite a good plan for Brum but I'd personally go for Leamington instead of Bescot. A pretty good week there by the sounds of it (well, later in the week).

 

[Techniquest]

But Bescot will get him 08s, 66s and 70s that he won't get at Leamington!

The end of last week sure did good for you!

 

[FQ]

If you can view them that is! I've only ever been able to identify the betties from the road strangely enough.

 

[47403]

Its your choices palmersears, maybe a choice would be to go past Bescot and go to the next station and try and pick off what you can off the yard and do the same going back over.

Also a trip on the line towards Shrewsbury, sitting on the left hand side, will see you be able to pick off stuff, round the back of Gresty Bridge too.

I would still urge you to ride a 68 to at least Solihull or Warwick Parkway

 

[FQ]

Not sure if you could spare the time but if you took the 12:15 168 from Moor Street to Leamington (arrive 12:46) and the 14:25 68 back to Moor Street (arrive 14:55) then you should see a DBS 66, a Freightliner 70, a Freightliner 66, a DBS 66, a Colas 70, a Freightliner 66 and another Freightliner 66. Alternatively you could take the 12:55 from Moor Street (a 68), which arrives at 13:22 and see all of that except the first 3 freight trains that I have there.

 

[47403]

Not sure if you could spare the time but if you took the 12:15 168 from Moor Street to Leamington (arrive 12:46) and the 14:25 68 back to Moor Street (arrive 14:55) then you should see a DBS 66, a Freightliner 70, a Freightliner 66, a DBS 66, a Colas 70, a Freightliner 66 and another Freightliner 66. Alternatively you could take the 12:55 from Moor Street (a 68), which arrives at 13:22 and see all of that except the first 3 freight trains that I have there.

wish id known that myself Quinn, my NREA very light on 70's, when on the HoE Rover they avoided me big time, stood in the right places for em too.

 

[palmersears]

My preference for Bescot was/is mainly due to the fact it's a quick ride out from New Street, pop up to the footbridge with the binoculars and grab some numbers, then back to New Street within the hour.

However if I'm likely to see a bit of freight whilst at Leamington, which will clearly also be combined with what will be a decent number of Chiltern winners, then I may do what fishquinn has helpfully suggested above instead. That may mean I forgo Moor Street in favour of more New Street action upon my return, but I can play that by ear.

Indeed I may be able to squeeze both of the above in.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
It's been a week since the last update, which is a reflection of the fact that the Piccadilly wishlist is now rather sparse. Nonetheless, let's see what the first full week of May brought.

03/05/16

Just the two today, as we pulled into platform 9 at Piccadilly and nuzzled rather closely up to 221128. Upon alighting I also caught 158820 in platform 11.

04/05/16

A lone 66 was today's spot, as the now traditional wander down to Deansgate secured me 66516 on its way to Trafford Park. I also wandered over to Salford Central to see what's what there, mainly in the vane hope of seeing if any of the three remaining 185s were coming through the disused platforms into Victoria, but after seeing nothing but dud 150s I came to the conclusion that it's a bit rubbish, so unless something specific comes through out of the ordinary I won't be rushing back!

05/05/16

A later commute into work on Thursday led to 66197 presenting itself to me as both it and I trundled through Stockport in opposite directions.

Fast forward 4 hours and I was at Deansgate again to capture 66570 on the daily lunchtime run from Crewe to Trafford.

06/05/16

With the prospect of a slow day at work I embarked upon a bit of detective work to see if the final 150s and 185s were likely to be hanging around Manchester at any point during the day. Word came through that three of the five were, so off to Piccadilly I scurried at 15:15, arriving at platform 13 just in time to see 66532 coming through. This was quickly followed by 150220 arriving from the airport, before a quick dash over to the lower-numbered platforms saw 185109 and 185133 arrive in quick succession. It was then another dash back across to platform 11 for the 15:49 home, lingering briefly at Hazel Grove to see 66055 power through on its way up to Dowlow.

Wishlist

Friday's targeted haul has left the wishlist in rude health:

150 (Northern) - 206
185 - 106
220- 008/028/032
319 (Northern) - 367/374
390 - 115

I need to see if the 220s are coming this way any time soon, likewise 390115. If not then I'm hopeful they might be going through Brum a week on Friday when I'm there.

All in all though I'm pleased with progress given the slim pickings on offer, and very much looking forward to going to Birmingham, which I never thought would be a phrase I'd utter!

I also have a day in London on Saturday 11 June, so will need to start planning that. I want to really target C2C, GWR, HX, HC and SE, as I've got nothing from them yet (Likewise Chiltern, but I'll get some of them whilst in the Midlands), but I will need to sit down and work out where to go when. I'm there from about 09:30 until 17:30, so a couple of hours at the major terminals might be the way forward, as discussed in this thread before.

 

[37078xotTE]

My preference for Bescot was/is mainly due to the fact it's a quick ride out from New Street, pop up to the footbridge with the binoculars and grab some numbers, then back to New Street within the hour.

However if I'm likely to see a bit of freight whilst at Leamington, which will clearly also be combined with what will be a decent number of Chiltern winners, then I may do what fishquinn has helpfully suggested above instead. That may mean I forgo Moor Street in favour of more New Street action upon my return, but I can play that by ear.

Indeed I may be able to squeeze both of the above in.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
It's been a week since the last update, which is a reflection of the fact that the Piccadilly wishlist is now rather sparse. Nonetheless, let's see what the first full week of May brought.

03/05/16

Just the two today, as we pulled into platform 9 at Piccadilly and nuzzled rather closely up to 221128. Upon alighting I also caught 158820 in platform 11.

04/05/16

A lone 66 was today's spot, as the now traditional wander down to Deansgate secured me 66516 on its way to Trafford Park. I also wandered over to Salford Central to see what's what there, mainly in the vane hope of seeing if any of the three remaining 185s were coming through the disused platforms into Victoria, but after seeing nothing but dud 150s I came to the conclusion that it's a bit rubbish, so unless something specific comes through out of the ordinary I won't be rushing back!

05/05/16

A later commute into work on Thursday led to 66197 presenting itself to me as both it and I trundled through Stockport in opposite directions.

Fast forward 4 hours and I was at Deansgate again to capture 66570 on the daily lunchtime run from Crewe to Trafford.

06/05/16

With the prospect of a slow day at work I embarked upon a bit of detective work to see if the final 150s and 185s were likely to be hanging around Manchester at any point during the day. Word came through that three of the five were, so off to Piccadilly I scurried at 15:15, arriving at platform 13 just in time to see 66532 coming through. This was quickly followed by 150220 arriving from the airport, before a quick dash over to the lower-numbered platforms saw 185109 and 185133 arrive in quick succession. It was then another dash back across to platform 11 for the 15:49 home, lingering briefly at Hazel Grove to see 66055 power through on its way up to Dowlow.

Wishlist

Friday's targeted haul has left the wishlist in rude health:

150 (Northern) - 206
185 - 106
220- 008/028/032
319 (Northern) - 367/374
390 - 115

I need to see if the 220s are coming this way any time soon, likewise 390115. If not then I'm hopeful they might be going through Brum a week on Friday when I'm there.

All in all though I'm pleased with progress given the slim pickings on offer, and very much looking forward to going to Birmingham, which I never thought would be a phrase I'd utter!

I also have a day in London on Saturday 11 June, so will need to start planning that. I want to really target C2C, GWR, HX, HC and SE, as I've got nothing from them yet (Likewise Chiltern, but I'll get some of them whilst in the Midlands), but I will need to sit down and work out where to go when. I'm there from about 09:30 until 17:30, so a couple of hours at the major terminals might be the way forward, as discussed in this thread before.

Glad the info helped with your wishlist.

 

[FQ]

Good luck at clearing your 185s and 150s!

 

[47403]

Quite a productive week there, definitely 2 Freightliner sheds in that list I require for sight for a start, maybe a few 150's without checking.

Wherever you go in brum, im sure you click an abundant amount. London's a Mecca for most of us, its where the hell to start down there. Obvious Clapham Junction, Willesden Junction and Acton, will get a healthy mix, sure there's other places, the lads on here can point you in the right direction.

Regardless, have a good trip and happy hunting sir.

 

[palmersears]

Thank you all, particularly 37078xotTE for the gen on the 185s and 150 from Friday

In further developments, I will be heading down to London for work on Sunday afternoon, so have the unexpected opportunity to head out and collect some numbers in the afternoon/evening, as well as on the Monday evening. I'm thinking of heading to Clapham Junction if the weather is decent, as I can then clear a large chunk of Southern, SWT and the 378s. Will mean I can focus my efforts elsewhere in June then.

The other option is Bethnal Green or Stratford possibly?

 

[47403]

Thank you all, particularly 37078xotTE for the gen on the 185s and 150 from Friday

In further developments, I will be heading down to London for work on Sunday afternoon, so have the unexpected opportunity to head out and collect some numbers in the afternoon/evening, as well as on the Monday evening. I'm thinking of heading to Clapham Junction if the weather is decent, as I can then clear a large chunk of Southern, SWT and the 378s. Will mean I can focus my efforts elsewhere in June then.

The other option is Bethnal Green or Stratford possibly?

take a dictaphone for clapham and keep a check on Engineering work, especially at weekends

 

[Techniquest]

Bethnal Green will be fairly quiet on Sundays from memory, a morning/evening peak will see a LOT more come through. Stratford will produce more on a Sunday.

Be prepared to write fast at any of the major places, they will come thick and fast at you on a weekday! As 47403 advises, a dictaphone will come in handy!

 

[palmersears]

It looks like I will get into London at around 17:30 on Sunday, so I will drop my stuff off at the hotel up by Great Portland Street and then head to Clapham Junction I think. I'm going to go for the end of P13/14 first, grab the Southern stuff for an hour or so, and then depending on how the dud-frequency is looking I might head over to the SWT side and grab more of that.

 

[FQ]

From experience, the ends of platforms 10 and 11 (or whichever ones you get loads of SWT 455s on) can get you almost everything on both sides (SWT and Southern).

 

[palmersears]

From experience, the ends of platforms 10 and 11 (or whichever ones you get loads of SWT 455s on) can get you almost everything on both sides (SWT and Southern).

I did wonder if that was the case, but struggled to recall which platform it was that allowed views of both TOCs. Tah.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
So it looks very much like I will be down in London for 17:00 on Sunday, and hopefully then off to Clapham Junction for 18:00 to hoover up all that Southern, SWT and LOROL have to offer. I'll probably stay there until I get bored, before possibly heading up to Willesden Junction to catch the sleeper at 21:30.

Monday it looks like I will be finished for the day at about 16:00/16:30, so I plan to head to Action Main Line, stay there and hoover up all that comes out of Paddington until about 19:30. After that I can either head to Willesden Junction to fill a few holes in the LM 350s, Virgin 221s, and hopefully a decent bit of freight, or go to Marleybone and focus on the Chiltern stuff?

Advice on where is best at Willesden? If I remember correctly there's a footbridge over the WCML that also allows for a decent enough view of the high level platforms?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Been a while, hasn't it? When last we spoke I was still plugging gaps in Manchester holes. Indeed this was still the case last week, with a grand total of 8 new sightings, the most exciting of which were my first pair of 86s, working the 16:30 Trafford to Felixstowe. I won't bother breaking them down into a daily record, but for completeness, here they are:

66162
66954
70016
86622
86638
158820
158889
175003

London Calling - Day 1 (15/05/16)

Now to the juicy stuff. With two days in London on 'business' (the reason for this terminology will become apparent shortly!) it was to Stockport on Sunday for the 15:05 dud 390 to Euston. With work paying for the initial ticket, and a rather cosy standard class, I decided to treat myself (if that can be a term applied to Virgin's weekend offerings) to a seat in coach H, mainly for the nice view and the free wifi so I could keep abreast of all the final day Premier League action. The rubbish snack pack arrived just as we hit Crewe, and 350126 had the honour of being the first spot of the trip, closely followed by 350266 in Crewe sidings. Sadly Basford Hall was passed at too great a speed to pick anything up, and it wasn't until we reached the weekend posession around Norton Bridge flyover (which looks superb by the way, can't wait to go over it at some point) that I managed the next number, 70010 helping the orange army out.

From there speeding down the WCML made sightings somewhat more tricky. I did manage to get 350128 at Litchfield, and, somewhat miraculously, 57311 in the bay at Rugby, before everything became a blur once more. I therefore settled in for the ride, enjoying the sun and working thorough the iPod's offerings to see if anything on there would be suitable for a wedding playlist. Turns out Joy Division and the Smiths aren't too danceable! Just one more unit was even vaguely readable before we hit Euston, that of 378219 at Watford Junction.

Arriving into Euston at 17:30, it was a nice stroll along Euston Road (well as nice as a walk through London can be), before checking into the hotel via an overly enthusiastic receptionist, and then heading out to Warren Street for the Viccy line to Victoria. Here I took the opportunity to pick up all that was in the station, starting with 67005 & 67006 on what was some kind of charter, and ending with 377475, which took me to Clapham Junction

Once at Clapham I quickly grabbed a bagel from the concourse. Rather alarmingly I had to show the women behind the counter how to make it, which was some kind of weird role-reversal, but we got there in the end, and it accompanied me to the London end of platforms 9 & 10, on what was a glorious end to an early summers day in the capital. One of the only things I miss about London, in all honesty.

I spent the next 90 minutes furiously taking down numbers, to the point I missed a few of the Southern 455s that came in, but they'll be back I'm sure. Far, far too many to list, and no particular highlights in this lot:

After a while, with the duds now cropping up on both sides, I decided upon a trip past Selhurst depot to East Croydon, then down to London Bridge to catch the other side of the sheds. All aboard 377204 then. Sadly it was rammed, and I had no chance of getting anything from Selhurst. To compund matters I then got to East Croydon to find that engineering works meant a partial bustitution of the London Bridge line, which was a no-go. Moral of the story? Always check the engineering works, kids!

A new plan needed forming, and eventually I decided upon a tour of the south London suburbs aboard 387110 & 387117 to St Pancras. In the interim I snaffled a few further units across Southern and Thameslink:

As the aforementioned 387s took me through the suburbs at a snails pace I had time to reflect upon just how unhappy they looked, and it took me back to just how unhappy they had made me in the months before I returned home to Manchester almost a year ago. The sheer concentration of people and houses, with no countryside escape route nearby, is an existence I cannot really comprehend anymore, and whilst I enjoyed my trip, I'm very much grateful I can leave after a couple of days. In terms of numbers, I got 377315 having a rest at Selhurst, 377207 at Streatham Common, 377205 & 377201 at my old home station Streatham, and 377325 at Tulse Hill.

Central London, in all it's early evening artificial glow, then arrived, along with 387122 at Elephant & Castle. As we passed through the core the final spot in transit were at Farringdon, with 377521 & 377518 working together.

Alighting at St Pancras, I headed for the international platforms, passed some bemused revelers in the champagne bar, to pick up my first Eurostar units, 3003, 3010, 3205 & 4003. Chuffed to get them, though I then realised getting them all will be a bit tough!

From here I was a bit undecided as to where next. I plumped for a ride on the javelin, more specifically 395020, paying £3.80 for the privelage of speeding through a tunnel for 5 minutes seeing diddly-squat. Thankfully before we departed for Stratford International I also picked up 395004, 395002 & 395012. Arriving at Stratford I made my way through Westfield, which was still surprisingly full for 20:00 on a Sunday night, and set up camp at Stratford for 90 minutes. I won't lie, it wasn't the most thrilling of times, but I made inroads into the Greater Anglia stock for the first time, along with some Tfl Rail and Overground stuff:

By this point it was 21:30 and I was flagging. I received some excellent news however when the colleague accompaying me on the 'business trip' informed me via WhatsApp that the meeting we were attending was now 50% shorter tomorrow, from just 10:00 until 13:00, so I immediately began planning what to do with the extra time. This left me distracted and, knowing I had longer to play with tomorrow, I decided to head for home via Liverpool Street aboard 360102. Here I did a quick sweep of the platforms, picking up 90002 (couldn't be bothered to walk to the other end for the country loco), 315803, 321359, 379017 and, finally, 379022.

With that I was off to the underground, and shared a Metropolitan line service to Great Portland Street with a rather inebriated couple who let me have some of there rather excellent garlic bread. Went down very well with my peppermint tea, I must say.

All in all, 166 sightings for the day, a new record, and I went to bed tired, but very much looking forward to day 2.

 

[Kite159]

What was 387223 doing out Stratford way? Unless it was 357223 on a C2C working?

You didn't miss much with the rear of that Norwich service as it's not a loco, but a Driving Van Trailer, the days of top & tail on the Great Eastern are long gone.

Sounded like a good day in London

 

[palmersears]

What was 387223 doing out Stratford way? Unless it was 357223 on a C2C working?

You didn't miss much with the rear of that Norwich service as it's not a loco, but a Driving Van Trailer, the days of top & tail on the Great Eastern are long gone.

Sounded like a good day in London

Just spotted that 387 entry myself when rereading and wondered what it was doing there! I shall check my notes and see what it actually was, but I assume you're right and it was a 357. I will edit screenshots tomorrow as necessary.

 

[47403]

Cracking read, very productive time was had there.
Not so sure Love Will Tear us Apart is the right music for a Wedding, though Im sure Panic, would be more appropriate

 

[FQ]

Sounds like a brilliant day! I'm sure that you were glad to hear that your meeting was much shorter!

 

[palmersears]

Cracking read, very productive time was had there.
Not so sure Love Will Tear us Apart is the right music for a Wedding, though Im sure Panic, would be more appropriate

Either that or 'Girlfriend in a Coma!'

Sounds like a brilliant day! I'm sure that you were glad to hear that your meeting was much shorter!

Thank you, quinn. As will be revealed in Day 2 later it certainly helped in my quest for units!

 

[47403]

Either that or 'Girlfriend in a Coma

My experience of weddings, thats normally the groom by half 11 at the evening reception on the wifes Big Day.

 

[palmersears]

London Calling - Day 2 (16/05/16)

Bouncing out of bed at 08:00 I was halfway through my third freshly cooked omelette when my friend/colleague arrived. We set off for our meeting in Hampstead, returning bang on 13:30. She was off shopping, so after a brief chat on the phone with the missus about wedding venues I decided upon a quick hop across to Paddington on the H&C, with the plan thereafter to head just down the GWML to start picking up my first GWR and HC/HX numbers, mixed in with a bit of freight.

After a protracted battle with the ticket barriers out of the tube I was eventually into Paddington itself, which I always love visiting. Has a feel of Piccadilly about the place, which is clearly why it's so endearing. First into the book on day 2 was 180102, swiftly followed by 166207. After my battle with the barriers earlier I'd missed my intended service to Acton Main Line, so instead hung around Paddington for an extra 15 minutes or so, capturing the inaugural GWR HSTs in the shape of 43018, 43022 and 43124. I also snared the first Heathrow Connect unit for the log, 360203, as well as 332002 and 32010 for the Heathrow Express side of things.

With that it was all aboard 165134, for the short trip to Ealing Broadway. The Crossrail works are progressing at pace now (sadly the GBRF 66 helping the orange army out was a dud), and as we picked up speed past Old Oak Common I managed to jot down a few further 332s in the shape of 332004 & 332007. Acton yard then came into view and, ducking and weaving like a slalom skier, I managed to clap eyes upon 57310, 59201, 66024, 66168 & 66174, all in various states of motion. Those aboard our 165 must have thought I was proper odd and, looking back, I probably was. All in the name of numbers though!

Ealing Brodway arrived, I alighted, and then set up camep perched against the fence separating the high-speed platform 2, through which services pass at a terrific rate of knots, from the more sedate pace of platform 3. A plethora of units flew up and down, all of whom were easily identifiable, save for the HSTs that passed through platform 3. They were more of a challenge for the eyes! Particular highlights during the two hours here were seeing the very smart new GWR livery adorning 43187 & 43188, followed 20 minutes later by 166204 in the same clothing. Much preferable to the old FGW livery for me.

After two hours in the lukewarm sunshine I decided a trip back passed Acton Yard was a good bet in order to see if I could snaffle any units previously hidden by workings that had now left the yard. Things didn't go in my favour however, as just a single 66 was identifiable, 66021. This rendered the short hop to Acton Main Line a rather fruitless endeavour, particularly when I then realised I found myself at a station with basic facilities and a bladder rapidly beginning to feel the effects of Ealing Broadway's peppermint tea offerings. I took my mind off things with a handful more sightings, mainly a number of 43s, before heading back to Paddington aboard the same 165 that had taken me to Ealing some 150 minutes earlier.

Back at Paddington, and with the bladder now happy once more, I hoovered up what was in the terminal. In the end this amounted to just four HSTs, one of which, 43002, looked resplendent in its Inter-City 125 blue. Far nicer than 43020, 43093 & 43163 in their manky FGW dress. Having got this excellent spot from the country end of platform 1 I decided to walk the back way out of Paddington, which, 15 minutes of walking and no end to the station later, I regretted. In the end I walked out to Royal Oak tube, and got the H&C back to Great Portland Street.

A quick pit stop at the hotel to snack on the newly replenished complimentary room biscuits, and I was stood on Euston Road again pondering the next move. I debated Fenchurch Street (too far) and London Bridge (too busy), so settled upon a short walk to Euston and 378215, which took me to Willesden Junction. As we pulled away I got a bonus voyager, 221117, and another LM 350 for the collection, 350234.

It took me a wee while upon arrival to work out the best vantage point at Willesden. I did contemplate the footbridge overlooking the WCML, but couldn't for the life of me fathom how to get to it, so settled for the far end of platform 5, nearest said bridge. This allowed for a good view of the slow lines, and thus the LM 350s and freight, as well as a view of platform 4 for the 378s. Given I only need one 390 I disregarded them for the duration of the stay (I hope to pick it up in Birmingham on Friday if I'm lucky), not that I would have got any numbers anyway given the speed they travel at and the ridiculously minuscule unit numbers they possess.

The stay started with the frankly ridiculous squealing and creaking of 56303 going about it's business, as well as 66169 moving the two 67s I spied at Victoria yesterday from somewhere to somewhere else (RTT is not forthcoming with details!) via the curve round to Kensington Olympia.

From here on in it was a good mix of stuff, including 90047 taking the sleeper stock into Euston, and 66056 hauling the longest convoy of car carriers I've ever seen. I exaggerate not to say it went on for a good 3/4 minutes! I also got a bit of excercise in, running across to the Kensel Green chord to catch 66755. 350s were also in abundance, I made serious headway into them, as well as catching a couple of the LO DMUs, 172003 & 172004, being shunted around Willesden depot. Eventually 21:00 came, the sun had departed, leaving me somewhat chilly, and I decided that was probably enough for the day. I headed to the low level platforms, where a dud 378 arrived to take me back to Euston.

All in all, a very good day once more. Whilst not hitting the heights of Sunday I still scored 107 new sightings, including a nice bit of freight. Sadly it was home time tomorrow, but I fancied another game of 125mph spotting from a Pendelino!

London Calling - Day 3 (17/05/16)

A lazy morning, three more omelettes and a conference call later, and we headed down Euston Road to catch the 15:00 to Stockport. Sadly upon exiting M&S and entering the concourse at 14:30 we discovered the 15:00 had been cancelled, and were advised to get onto the 14:40 from platform 1. Now 9 coach pendelino + 2 trains-worth of passengers + last off-peak service = chaos. There were people everywhere, and not a single standard class seat or vestibule was left free. Somehow I secured two seats at a priority table, both going backwards (much to my colleagues annoyance), and we settled in for the journey home. We'd not even reached Queens Park before my colleague fell asleep, so I was left to the spotting in relative peace, picking up 350369 & 350373 to get the ball rolling.

Around Rugby our very informative and helpful train manager, Nick, announced we would be experiencing delays as some numpty had driven into a bridge around Rugeley. Sure enough around Rugby we ground to a halt, as did 66728 coming up from Northampton. We continued in fits and starts to Nuneaton, where another short stop enabled me to capture 70020 as it made its way over the avoiding line towards Brum.

Eventually, after 20 minutes delay, we made it passed the affected area, and picked up speed through Stafford. Undeterred however I still managed to clap eyes upon 66160, as well as 387222 & 387223 on test. See, Kite, I knew I'd seen the latter somewhere!

Basford Hall once again eluded me, though I did pick up 90048 idling at Crewe, and as we arced round onto the line towards Sandbach I also saw 66099 & 66160 heading round the opposite curve towards Chester. Happy with my lot, I settled back then to enjoy the quick blast back to Stockport, where I alighted. A 20 minute wait for the 17:33 to Hazel Grove ensued so, with a spearmint infusion tea purchased, I settled in on platform 1. I wasn't even paying much attention when the 17:29 to Cleethorpes pulled in, but the rear of the front unit stopped directly in front of me and, what would you know, it was only 185106, my last remaining 185, and indeed last remaining TPE unit overall! A splendid way to end a good few days, with my first class and first ToC cleared for sight in one swing of the pen!

A very good trip, with a grand total of 283 units cleared across a wide range of classes. Next up is Birmingham on Friday, for which I am currently formulating a plan. I may leave the Chiltern stuff for when I am in London in June, we shall see how the day progresses. I may pop across to Moor Street if New Street starts throwing up too many duds in the afternoon, but also want a dose of freight action, either with a visit passed Bescot yard, or via a route home through Stafford or Nuneaton.

Wishlist

150 (Northern) - 206
185 - CLEARED
220- 008/028/032
319 (Northern) - 367/374
390 - 115

 

[Techniquest]

Extremely good time had in London! hock:

A most enjoyable read too, and I've been bowled out by not checking for engineering works myself before!

Well done on clearing the 185s for sight, it won't be much longer until the rest of the local lot get there too!

 

[FQ]

Sounds like one heck of a good time in London! Congrats on clearing the diesel dezes!

 

[47403]

Good reads there for sure, very very productive indeed. Enjoy your trip out tomorrow, sure you'll be buzzing with all the new sightings.

Congrats on clearing the 185s, took me a dogs age to catch up with my last one, as Lord Tram(techniquest) says, it won't be long before your scratching round locally for stuff to see, sure the Intermodal traffic will keep it ticking over for a while, that's when your going to have to trip more, thankfully your ideally placed to get to various destinations, Doncaster, Derby, Crewe, Warrington, Stafford and the likes. This is when the fun really begins and the cost goes up too but its all part of the fun of this hobby, once you start its like a form of OCD.

Happy hunting tomorrow.

 

[Kristofferson]

Wow, more cracking progress! Well done on the 185s.

I wish you luck with tracking down your one last Pendolino... Having just cleared VT for sight myself, I can say it takes far longer than clearing the LM 350s did as the numbers are tiny and the speed is ridiculous!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[palmersears]

So after a bumper three days down south, it was back to the barren fields of the Greater Manchester area on Wednesday, which lived up to its billing when I came home empty-handed from the commute to town and back.

Thankfully Thursday made up for it. You could sense it was to be a good day when 142067 rolled into the Grove to work my 06:50 to Piccadilly (along with a dud 150). I was also pleasantly surprised to then see 66182 going at a fair lick over Stockport viaduct up to Peak Forest.

Lunchtime arrived post-haste, as did I at Deansgate just before 12:20, intending to catch 70008 off to Trafford Park. As I waited I had a lovely surprise when, completely unplanned, my final Northern 150, 150206 trundled wearily in. A right bonus! I ended the day with my first 156 newbie in a while, 156454 doing the honours.

The Voyager Voyage - 20/05/16

No messing about today, I awoke, showered and drove to Hazel Grove all within 20 minutes, hopped aboard a double 142 (both duds), and headed for Stockport. Now peckish, the customary mint tea - spearmint infusion today, since you asked - was also accompanied by a pretty decent Starbucks porridge with honey and fruit. Before I knew it I was aboard a dud 220 heading for Birmingham. Then I realised I'd got on the wrong one. Instead of the 08:35 I'd sleep-walked onto the 08:15, which meant my West Midlands Day Ranger wouldn't be valid by the time we got to Stoke, arriving as we did at 08:43. As the ticket check began not long after departing Stockport I figured I'd chance it, reasoning the worst case scenario was to get off in Stoke and wait for the service I should have got. In the end the train manager didn't bat an eyelid, so off we went.

With the porridge devoured I settled back knowing I'd more than likely not see anything of any use until we hit Stafford. My inaugural trip over Norton Bridge flyover was solid if unspectacular, as I struggled to get my bearings enough to fully appreciate it. Stafford soon arrived, but sadly we were the only service passing through, so the first spot of the day had to wait until Penkridge, where 350104 did the honours.

It struck me as we passed the above 350 that I've never actually been down the line from Stafford to New Street. I'm usually staying on the WCML going down to London, or, once or twice, heading up from London to Birmingham International for Crufts. I was pleasantly surprised therefore to see such leafy scenery through the Voyager window. Sadly this eventually gave way to the slightly more bleak surroundings of the outskirts of Wolverhampton, where 350240 was waiting to become the second spot of the day. Not long after we passed the delightfully named Dudley Port, and my first LM 323, as 323220 sat patiently.

Before I knew it the 80 minute journey was at an end and I alighted into New Street, for the first time ever, some 15 minutes earlier than my itinary had planned. Safe to say I had not a clue what to do or how to approach things, indeed it took me 20 minutes to work out that there was a walkway going the full width of the station that allowed easy access to all the platforms. Before that I was having to get the somewhat bemused gateline staff to keep letting me back and forth between the lounges that covered platforms 1-5 and 6-12 respectively!

When I eventually settled into a rhythm things soon picked up, and I was pacing between the relevant platforms at a rate of knots. Knowing I could ignore the 390s helped, and I also cottoned on pretty quickly as to the frequency with which local services returned back through the station, meaning I wasted as little time as possible negotiating the place. A lot of 323s and 170s, but also three more 221s, which helped, as well as my first three XC HSTs. Sadly the final one eluded me as I left New Street at the end of the day, crossing paths with a wall in the way. If anybody knows what was on 1S51 along with 43285 I'd be much obliged!

After two hours of occasionally frantic scribbling I decided I was in need of a rest, so hopped aboard a now dud 350 for a trip out to Bescot in the hope of catching a few 66s in the yard. As we stop/started through the outskirts of Birmingham, passed the impressive yet forlorn Villa Park I saw nothing numbers-wise, and had to wait until Bescot came into view to catch 66066. Hopping off to a somewhat deserted station (save for three older gentlemen on the footbridge noting down numbers of something on the adjacent motorway) I made use of my new binoculars to see if anything further was lurking in Bescot. After a couple of minutes 66101 trundled to the front, awaiting clearance onto the main line, and proceeded shortly after 153364 had whizzed through. With nothing further forthcoming through the lenses I quickly hopped back aboard the same 350 that had brought me here, and heading back to New Street I did manage to clap eyes upon 66031 & 66846.

New Street arrived once more, as did 220018, taking my required 220s down to two, but I was getting a bit bored of the constant gloom by this point, so decided upon a spot of lunch in the Bullring where I would formulate my next move.

Meandering through the centre I saw nothing of interest lunch-wise and, more by look than judgement, found myself standing outside Moor Street, which I must say is a charming little station. Indeed I'd go as far as to say it immediately secured a place in my top five. Here I purchased a chicken fajita panini and 'strawberry delight' smoothie (both delicious), jotted down a few 172s, and then boarded 68008 for the thrash to Leamington Spa, as recommended by a number of contributors in the past. Sadly it took the rake 5 additional minutes after scheduled departure to finally release its brakes, but after that we fairly flew down to Leamington.

Having visited Leamington before to watch Stockport play there, I was looking forward to an hour or so here. Not many people milling about, but a good variety of traffic, and indeed 66s, 165s, and 168s were all present, as was 68009 on the way up to Moor Street. I must admit however that there wasn't as much as I was expecting so, after 90 minutes, I decided that, for my sins, I'd catch the 15:14 all the way back to Stockport. Sucker for punishment aren't I?!

Not much to report really on the slog back to Stockport. The woman next to me snored horrendously from Coventry all the way to Macclesfield, and the woman behind me was having a domestic over the phone for an hour, but that aside very little happened. I did get 158823 at Wolverhampton, and the flyover on the way back was a very impressive feat of engineering, but nothing else really happened. The day was rounded of nicely however when, awaiting the perpetually late 17:33 to Hazel Grove (which is the 17:13 ex-Deansgate that I get home from work), I saw 68016 & 68017 top and tailing the Northern Belle through to Victoria. A very nice way to end another productive day!

Wishlist

With the Northern 150s and the 185s now gone, we have two new entrants on the wishlist top five:

319 (Northern) - 367/374
175 - 004/005
220 - 028/032
332 - 003/009/014
390 - 115

Hopefully I'll finally track down this bloody 390 soon, and the 220s and 175s should present themselves soon enough. The 332s might have to wait a bit longer, but I am down in London again in 3 weeks so I may try and get them then.

I'm now looking for suggestions as to where to go next. Needs to be a 2 hour journey, tops, so I'm thinking maybe a day in Leeds and Donny again, or maybe Leicester. Not really given it much thought though.

 

[Techniquest]

Not a bad little day there, must admit I'm surprised you got a train home so early mind. Certainly filled the books somewhat! Jealous of your haulage with 68008 mind...

 

[palmersears]

Not going to lie, Tech, by the time I got to 15:00 I wasn't really feeling it anymore. I think doing the trip so soon after the London adventures possibly sucked the fun out of it a little bit, so a few weeks before my next major outing is a good thing.