Rambling Roebuck... (Trip Reports)

[D841 Roebuck]

Shame you missed the Ribble event, it was an excellent do.
I heartily recommend going when you get the chance, the 66 was a line in the book but the real stars were the 05 and the 14, both are thrashtastic clag monsters

I went last year - smashing day out. I concur re the 05/14, and also thoroughly enjoyed the WMD railcar.
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Plotting a jaunt for Saturday. I fancy West Yorks!

Potential red pen fodder:
VTEC/AXC Class "43"* - 11 required
VTEC 91 - 5
Northern 150 - 4
TPE 170 - 6
GC 180 - 2
TPE 185 - 9
AXC 220/221 - 10
Northern 322 - 2
Northern 333 - 1.

The lack of trams means it will be far less easy to get winners than in Manchester! So I'm going to reverse the other week's targets. 5 winning locos/units and 10 new shacks will do (I've been researching the latter!) Will need to set my alarm though - no lunchtime start this time...

*Proper Class 43s are of course diesel hydraulic beasts with names like Powerful, Thruster, Sharpshooter and, er, Roebuck (!). Sadly, no longer available for haulage...

 

[Kite159]

Good luck on your West Yorks attacking, depending on ticket (I'm assuming West Yorks Day Ranger) you will be going back/forward between Leeds & Wakefield if you spot any required 220s/221s/322s/91s along that route.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Good luck on your West Yorks attacking, depending on ticket (I'm assuming West Yorks Day Ranger) you will be going back/forward between Leeds & Wakefield if you spot any required 220s/221s/322s/91s along that route.

Didn't go in the end - postponed for a week...

 

[D841 Roebuck]

And further postponed...

However, a trip to see my parents in the wilds of Northumberland is coming up next weekend.

Normally, I'd do a 4-in-8 North East rover for this, paying to/from Halifax each day. However this time I think it will be the somewhat cheaper 4-in-8 North West Rover and tickets from Hexham to Alnmouth.

Provisional plan is:
Friday - I'm meeting friends in Liverpool in the afternoon, so shack and 507/8 scratching may be on the cards.
Sat - to Northumberland
Tues - back home
Weds - ??? (A Carlisle to Glasgow return and Strathclyde Daytripper to clear the Wemyss Bay/Paisley Canal branches and scoop units in is a possibility. ..)

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Three months on...

... Yorkshire on Saturday, hopefully!

 

[Techniquest]

Three months on...

... Yorkshire on Saturday, hopefully!

Hope so! I had wondered what had happened to you, not seen owt of you on here for a while!

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Hope so! I had wondered what had happened to you, not seen owt of you on here for a while!

Cheers. Still been "lurking" but had a couple of things going on which left limited time/funds.

Just had a look at the map, and I need 34 shacks in the WYDR area(!). Got plans for a dozen of them, plus possibly South Milford for lunch...
***
Progress report at 12:21 - 1 winner, 5 new shacks. And a lovely day it is too!
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By 'eck! Wakefield Kirkgate's been gentrified!

Well ok, somewhat unscrotified...

 

[Techniquest]

Still a dump though!

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Still a dump though!

Better than Westgate. The new bit seems to built out of monochrome lego, with all the architectural charm of Ceaucescu's Romania.

Score today is 9 shacks so far (will be 10 when Walsden is scooped in at 21:37!) Four winners- would have made the 5 if the KWVR hadn't swapped their diesel diagram...

 

[Techniquest]

I prefer the Westgate station compared to what it was like in 2005. The addition of a Costa does help of course

 

[D841 Roebuck]

I prefer the Westgate station compared to what it was like in 2005. The addition of a Costa does help of course

Coffee? I'm an Asda "Value" man personally. It's warm, wet and cheap!

Currently sampling a "Liqiid Mistress Red IPA" at Hebbers. Not bad, but I'd rather have a Sam Smiths Taddy lager

 

[Techniquest]

Ah yes, Smart Price coffee. I'm very familiar with it, as I use it for my work coffee consumption. Outside of work, I will have Costa or Douwe Egberts, everything else is inferior!

 

[55013]

Nice to see you back.
You're now doing better than me for West Yorkshire shacks.
I still need 32 stations that I can visit on my M-Card!
I'll have to do something about that.
I do realise that I'm slowly being drawn into the world of shack cranking

 

[Techniquest]

Nice to see you back.
You're now doing better than me for West Yorkshire shacks.
I still need 32 stations that I can visit on my M-Card!
I'll have to do something about that.
I do realise that I'm slowly being drawn into the world of shack cranking

Excellent, welcome to the club!

 

[D841 Roebuck]

11/7/2015 - Roebuck Revenant

Butties taken - Salmon Paste
Accompanying Literature - The Lord of the Rings
Will readers please imagine the consumption and reading of the above at suitable points during the following events. ..

Yes, I finally stirred my stumps and headed over to West Yorkshire...

The aim of the game was a mixed day of unit/loco and shack scratching, with the usual reluctance to repeat moves - I wasn't going to shuttle between Leeds and Wakefield, for instance - a rover is for roving!

My commute to work involves First Manchester, for whom I have a weekly ticket. Umtil recently, I hadn't realised that this was valid into Yorkshire on the 590 service (which basically parallels the Calder Valley line from Rochdale to Halifax). Working part-time at the moment, this was very useful to save money.

I was planning to start on the 05:25 bus from Rochdale, and head for required shacks in the Dewsbury area first. In the event, I had a slight lie-in and headed off on the 07:25. This was formed of single-decker bus #69581, with extremely comfortable leather seats.

35 minutes later, I arrived at Todmorden and bought my rover ticket, then headed for the trains.

First up was 150111 on the 08:13, which was taken to Hebden Bridge. Here, I dropped back one service and joined 158753 on the Blackpool to York (08:34) in ordrr to reduce potential fester tim at Halifax.

The reason for this is that I needed a couple of GC 180s, so wanted to check the 09:06 to Kings Cross for a possible winner. However this turned out to be dud 180107, so I headed in the opposite direction - to Bradford Interchange on 155345, which left at the same time. A stroll across Bradford brought me to Forster Square in plenty of time for my desired train, so I took333004 as far as Frizinghall to split the journey, on the 09:30 to Leeds. From here, I let the Skipton train (333008) go, then struck lucky. My last required 333 - 333001 appeared on the 09:49 to Ilkley. And as a bonus, this was taken to my first new shack - Baildon.

15 minutes in the sun here, and 333005 appeared to take me back to Shipley. I now had a plan to get a second winner and clear a class for sight, so joined 333012 on the 10:19 to Keighley. ..

...where I was comprehensively bowled. The KWVR diesel rostered should have been required for everything 37075 - however the chalkboard at Keighley said "Class 20". So, eshewing the planned Ingrow Insect Leap, I returned to NR land and found that previously rejected 333008 had returned from its jaunt to Skipton, and was willing to convey me to the required Crossflats.This isn't the most scenic of halts, being next to the dual carriageway, so I was relieved to depart back to Shipley on 333012

Now for a concentrated shack attack of the Wharfedale variety - 333008 reappeared again to run me through increasingly pleasant scenery to Ben Rhydding then reappeared 11 minutes later to trundle me back down the line to Menston, with me reassuring the puzzled guard enroute that I wasn't stalking her! One last shack required up here now, and 333012 took me to Burley-in-Wharfedale for 333001 back down to Leeds.

Having had, like Hamburg's red light district, a surfeit of Siemens I looked for something else to do. I rambled over to platform 13 (I think) heading for the Deighton service, when I spotted a winner arriving. So it was back up the steps and over to platform 17 to join 185101 for a fast and crowded run to Huddersfield.

A nice bonus for the 30 min fester at Hudders was the Caribbean Festival taking place in the square outside the station. Refreshed by reggae, as well as salmon paste, I headed for Wakefield on 158791 (tbc)

 

[55013]

Looks like a good day, there.
Some hellfire reading too, TLOTR is my all-time favourite book

Having had, like Hamburg's red light district, a surfeit of Siemens

 

[Techniquest]

I thought the 333s were Spanish-built CAF EMUs Well done on clearing the 333s!

Certainly having the use of your bus pass into Yorkshire must be more than helpful, should imagine it saves a fortune on rail fares! From your way it would probably take a while by train to get to Todmorden as it is, so the time difference by bus is probably not enormous.

I've had that happen on many a bash, bumping into the same guard several times in one day, rather easily done on a Thames Valley branch bash, or more recently when I did the trams in Nottingham. They must have thought I was crazy!

 

[D841 Roebuck]

(Continued)...

Passing the weed covered remains of Healey Mills yard, I soon arrived at Wakefield Kirkgate. This place has been revamped since my last visit - and is now half-civilized. Another 25 minute fester here - pleasant sitting in the sun - and then 142090 trundled me through the Rhubarb Triangle to Pontefract Tanshelf.

I had nearly an hour to get across town for my next train, so had a saunter through Ponte Carlo, having a quick look at the Magna Carta stuff in the library, then sourcing a 99 Flake for refreshment. I then dropped down the hill to Pontefract Baghill, feeling a bit concerned about my +1 connection at Moorthorpe as RTT showed my train as 8 minutes late at Sherburn Tin Helmet. I needn't have worried though - it was allowed 20 minutes thence to Baghill and 150214 departed on time and deposited me at Moorthorpe in a similarly punctual manner.

Crossing over here, 142088 soon appeared and, being on a roll with new shacks, I took this as far as Outwood. From here, I was heading back to Wakefield on the Doncaster local. As there are a fleet of 8 units to cover this service, I was rather pleased when322485 came in as a 4-1 winner to take me back to Westgate. Now it was time to head to Leeds (and a possible shacking trip up to Horsforth - however 221128 and partner in crime 220034 on the Newquay-Dundee were a few minutes late, and I don't like hurrying over footbridges in crowds so another rethink.

I decided on a spin out for a short distance shack scratch, and 150147 was waiting to go on the evening Goole psultrain. So Woodlesford was duly visited. A happy bonus was passing Midland Road TMD, where required-for-sight 66598 and 70004 were resting from their labours. And I clocked a certain HST power car arriving at Leeds as I left. 144015 (ugh - vile things) took me back to Leeds.

The HST was still there, and forming the 1805 to Kings Cross, so winner #4 of the day was in the bag. 43296 and 43314 were taken to Westgate, and thoughts turned to finishing for the day. As the next Leeds service was dud, I decided on the 18:44 to Huddersfield (158791 again, thinking I'd go up to Halifax from there. Howevrr there is a gap in the service at 19:40 which I hadn't noticed, so after another look at the Caribbean festival I joined 185128 back up to Leeds, then wended my way home via 158756 as far as Hebden Bridge (and a bottle of craft beer) and then my most regularly travvelled on of all unit, 155344 for about the eightieth time to the last new shack of the day Walsden.

There's a nice connection here to the bus, so I crossed the road and went home as I started out14 hours earlier - on the 590.

A good day out. Might have to do a Manchester Ranger or something next weekend as Ive got the bug again...

 

[Techniquest]

Pleased to hear you've got the bug again

A rather productive trip, fair dos, for both shacks and winners. Doing better than me on 185s too, which I'm hoping to address a bit in less than 3 weeks!

 

[D841 Roebuck]

I thought the 333s were Spanish-built CAF EMUs Well done on clearing the 333s!

Certainly having the use of your bus pass into Yorkshire must be more than helpful, should imagine it saves a fortune on rail fares! From your way it would probably take a while by train to get to Todmorden as it is, so the time difference by bus is probably not enormous.

I've had that happen on many a bash, bumping into the same guard several times in one day, rather easily done on a Thames Valley branch bash, or more recently when I did the trams in Nottingham. They must have thought I was crazy!

Re the 333s - CAFfeine addiction doesn't sound as good

There are trains from Rochdale to Tod which take about 12 minutes non-stop - however it would take me an extra 10-12 minutes to get to Rochdale station as opposed to the bus station.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Its a fortnight since the last bash.

Tickets have been booked for a trip to Northumberland in a further fortnight's time (returing the long way round )

So tomorrow seems suitable for a GM Ranger. The usual mix of shack and (hopefully) unit scratching is planned - aiming to be fairly disciplined at first and pick up four shacks, then look for winners!
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In the meantime - and inspired by Kite159's FOSS report - here's one from the archives.

The story begins on 3/5/07. I was having a couple of beers with a friend, who asked me to nip out to the travel agency/coach firm next door and pick up a couple of coach tour brochures. A notice there caught my eye - four nights in Bournemouth, coinciding with the Swanage railway's Dieselfest, departing the following Wednesday. I already planned to attend this, and had booked Fri/Sat/Sun off work (my weekend at the time was Wed/Thur!) but had not booked anything in the way of tickets/accommodation.

So I made enquiries - and discovered there were no single rooms left. However, there was one double, and if nobody had booked it by 1pm the following Monday it was mine for the price of a single. So I returned to the pub, returned to the coach firm to pick up Keith's brochures which I'd forgotten, returned to the pub again and crossed my fingers.

Come Monday lunchtime, I nervously made my phone call - and the Man From Del(len Smiths) Monte said YES. So I was on the bash via a five day coach tour of scenic Dorset...

Wednesday rolled round 36 hours (ish) later, and I duly presented myself outside Rochdale town hall. A connecting minicoach took me and my fellow travellers to Birchwood Services, via pickups at Oldham, Middleton and Eccles, where I transferred to the cafe for a sausage toastie, then transferred to the main bus for the long ride south. I took time out during the trip to note 37174, 66179 and 66203 whilst passing Bescot, to realise that at 41 (going on 15, the unkind might say) I was the youngest member of the party by at least 10 years and, therefore, took the chance to politely inform the tour guide that I would not be sampling the delights of Stonehenge, Hardy's Wessex, et al with the rest of the group but would be doing my own thing.

So, come the next morning, I waved farewell to the coach and made my way to Bournemouth station. At that time the only line I'd done in that neck of the woods was the main line to Bournemouth from the east, therefore a 3-in-7 FOSS seemed good value.

First up was 444012 for a trip down to Weymouth. Here, I headed North on 150247 to Westbury (more new track), then 158864 across to Salisbury followed by 158751 (not sure why I hadn't had this one before, but apparently also a winner) to Southampton., spotting 08077 (oldest surviving main line gronk at the time) at the Freightliner terminal. 444024 took me as far as Brockenhurst.

Now for some veteran motive power - 411497 was enjoying a late pre-retirement stint on the Lymmy branch, and was duly raked in on a round trip toLymington Pier.
Final train of the day was dud 221129, which took me back to Bournemouth for an evening meal and quiet night in.

 

[Techniquest]

Ooh, a nice bit of nostalgia there!

Certainly a different way of doing things, using a coach holiday to get to/from a bash! I might have to look at such a thing myself

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Nostalgia continued...

Day 2 of my 2007 FOSS didn't actually include much "fossage". I did use the ticket though, taking 444013 to Wareham, from whence I took the bus to Swanage for a day at the Diesel/Beer fest. Memories are hazy, but 73208, 73136, 33012, 20188, 80088 and D1015 were all scored (47635 was the only dud), whilst all shacks on the Swanage Railway - including Herston - were visited and a certain amount of beer was consumed. Highlight of the day was undoubtedly "The Champ", whilst 20188 was also a raucous little beast! Only downside was somehow timing my bus/train move back to base so that I got 444013 again - I blame the beer...
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The final day of my 2007 FOSS started with breakfast at the hotel, where a couple of old chaps on the tour asked me for gen about the Swanage beerfest! Telling them of the bus link via Sandbanks and Studland, I then departed for the station before the tour-fuhrer could collar me for corrupting her clients.

First move of the day was 444040 to Brockenhurst, to see if the other slammer was out. It wasn't, so 221106 was taken to Southampton. Dud (as 1588xx - I refuse to chase bog units twice) 159106 then took me up to Salisbury for 158815 to Bath

Time now for a bit of classier transport - 43165+43172 appearing for a short but speedy hop to Swindon. Here, I had a choice - and decided on a jog along the platform to join an impatiently waiting 143618 for a ride up the scenic Golden Valley line. At least I assume it was scenic - I slumbered peacefully as far as Gloucester, where I raided the buffet for something to eat.

As I recall, it was a warmish day and I didn't fancy leaping about like a whirligig. So a comfortable ride on Trans-Pennine refugee, the thoroughly dud 158771, all the way to Taunton via the Weston loop, won the day....

It was a slow but comfortable ride, which revived me enough to seek out a purveyor of amusingly strong apple juice on arrival. Refreshed, I headed homewards. 43136+43009 were my steeds as far as Westbury, 158816 took me down to Southampton and a final winner in 444039 back to Bournemouth.

I'd missed dinner at the hotel so went to the pub down the road. Common sense should then have taken me home, but Bournemouth had bars that closed very late..

Drawing a veil over the next day's coach trip home (which I made with about 15 minutes to spare) - here endeth the FOSS

 

[Techniquest]

Loved that apple juice thing, funniest thing I've heard in a while!

The Golden Valley is indeed scenic, not West Highland scenic but still worth a view.

Ah yes the ex-TPX 158s, I had forgotten the joy they created when you had a long journey and one of them turned up, comfort levels significantly increased and the de-classified First Class was more than welcome!

You certainly covered quite a bit of territory there, and those HSTs, I didn't immediately recognise any of those numbers there as non-Germanised (43009 was way back in 2004!) but there would still have been some proper sounding power cars floating about at the time.

Certainly you've got me on both a nostalgia trip and wanting to do a FoSS again!

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Back to the Present - GM Ranger, 25/7/15

Started off with 155342 from Rochdale to Manchester, then a small orgy of shack scratching.
150136 was taken to Atherton, then a fill in with 150226 to Swinton (not required, and identical design to Atherton). 156425 then conveyed me to Ince (reverse design without the roof) for 156451 back to Daisy Hill (slightly run down version of Atherton) and finally on this route 150110 to Pemberton (side platforms - first of the day!) 150136 took me back to Wigan Wallgate, whence I decanted myself across the road to North Western looking for a winner.

The plan was to fester here for 50 minutes, awaiting the Glasgow Manchester service which had a decent chance of a required 350. So I sat on a bench in the sun, idly noticing a 142/150 pair sneak into platform 6. I spent a couple of minutes, out of sheer boredom working out which pacer it was from the side numbers (055) then turned my attention to the 150, then went back to my book - then, two minutes later, the penny dropped and I headed through the subway for a spin and win to Bryn.

150112 was the reason for this, now down to three of these needed in the Northern fleet. Arriving at Bryn (which isn't in Wales but sounds like it ought to be). As expected, I didn't make the +1 here for the return to Wigan, so had a walk and smoke, then sat down to watch the antics of a hen party on the opposite platform trying to get organised for a trip to Liverpool (more puppy fat than the drip trays at a Korean takeaway) whilst Iidly speculating what random DMU would turn up for the return trip.

It turned out to be a very random DMU indeed - 319162. With a couple of months away from the rails I'd forgotten that electric services had started on this line. So a winning spin away from Bryn.

A further fester at Wigan was rewarded by a winning pair of 350s appearing. Tossing a coin mentally, I boarded 350403
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A smooth run was had to Manchester Piccadilly, where I diverted to the ticket office to collect an advance for a couple of weeks later. Then back to the concourse, where another winner caught my eye. 390155 was on a Euston service departing in about five minutes time, so it would be rude not to take this to Stockport. On arrival here, I had a smoke break then awaited something interesting back to Piccadilly. Nothing much of note from VWC XC or Northern, and ATW were caped north of Crewe for some reason. The EMT service to Liverpool pulled in with 158847 and a friend, so I boarded the rear unit number unseen...

...and found out at Piccadilly that I had scored 158863 This was my penultimate EMT 158 (just 862 left). So that was five successive winners from five different classes (and four different TOCs). I was now in position for the recently electrified Airport to Liverpool service and 319380 duly made my winner count 6/6 for the ned leap to Oxford Road.

After hubris, nemesis follows, and dud (!) 319382 took me back to Picadilly. It was now time to think about my last planned shack scratch of the day, and with St Peters Square being blockaded, a 15-tram per hour service to Victoria provided an opportunity for some gratuitous linear scooping of M5000s. 3039 took me to Picadilly Gardens, then 3053 to Shude Hill before time constraints militated the use of dud 3038 down the hill to Victoria.

The reason for the attention paid to timing - the presence of a couple of additional services in the evening peaks which enables the keen shack scratcher to avoid a huge fester! So 142049 became my first pacer of the day as far as Patricroft, then 10 minutes or so later another pleasant surprise appeared - winner 319367 to whiz me back to Victoria. That was my ninth winner of the day, and I fancied double figures. So I aimed my shotgun at the Metrolink fish barrel once again. 3050 was taken on the first service to Shude Hill (so I could grab winners in either direction), then 3017 to Market Street brought up the 10. And I wasn't finished, with 3070 forming the next service back to Victoria.

I declared at this point, taking 150138 on a Clitheroe service as far as Castleton for a couple of lime juices in my former local hostelries, a winning but appalling rendition of Waterloo Sunset on the karaoke at the second of these and then 37298 home (the bus, not a ghostly tractor...

A good day out - 11 winners and 5 shacks for £5.20 ain't at all bad!

 

[Kite159]

Sounds like a busy day in the GM area

Although shouldn't the 319 from bryn be 319362?

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Sounds like a busy day in the GM area

Although shouldn't the 319 from bryn be 319362?

Indeed it was

I believe that's another one you sampled the same day...

 

[Techniquest]

Bargain day out there, and very productive time too! I do love a GM Rail Ranger, need to get up there for one again asap!

 

[Kite159]

I do like the Northern 319s, very purple. Although the PIS on board gets annoying after a while.

Bryn is on my hit list for my next GM Rail Ranger, just to clear it out of the way (the remainder of the line can be done on a Merseytravel Saveaway ticket I believe)

 

[Techniquest]

I do like the Northern 319s, very purple. Although the PIS on board gets annoying after a while.

Bryn is on my hit list for my next GM Rail Ranger, just to clear it out of the way (the remainder of the line can be done on a Merseytravel Saveaway ticket I believe)

It can indeed, and Bryn has been on my list to do for a long time. Never seem to get over that way on a GMRR!

Can't comment on the Northern 319s, I must make an effort to try them this week!