shredder1
Established Member
Reading, Didcot and Oxford. Chasing HST`s.
Reading, Didcot and Oxford. Chasing HST`s. Saturday 17th December 2016.
The weekend had arrived again and this being the last one before Christmas, I wanted to finish the year off by duplicating my visit back to Reading, after the trip last month when my images were lost through a faulty card. I also wanted to complete the last section of track between Oxford and Oxford Parkway.
It was another early start for me, catching the infamous 05.11 Cross Country Voyager from Manchester Piccadilly directly to Reading, arriving just a little before 09.00. I spent some 4 hours on the station which gave me a good selection of the GWR HST`s operating with their variety of liveries, so basically I got what I went down for. I also had the bonus of Lord Dowding passing through the station on the Cathedral’s Express. The weather though was steeped in misty and very foggy at times, poor visibility, but those conditions can lend them self to some excellent atmospheric photographic conditions.
Leaving Reading by around 12.30 I took a direct GWR Turbo service back up to Oxford to enable me to catch a Chiltern DMU up the recently opened track section to Oxford Parkway, which I`d travelled from Marylebone in the Bicester direction two weeks previous. This being part of the much talked about, Cambridge to Oxford link, once it materialises.
Returning to Oxford my next train was back down the line to Didcot for a quick visit and then returning to Oxford to catch the HST workings. Quite a number of trains were late running which gave the opportunity of two working quite close together.
Leaving Oxford on a Cross Country Newcastle bound Voyager, I alighted at Banbury and changed for a Chiltern service up to Birmingham Snow Hill, crossing the city to New Street station and doing a little shopping on the way, my final train was a Cross Country Voyager back to Manchester Piccadilly, and after a short drive home in the car, I was back in the house just after 19.30, another great day out, many thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the photographs.
Tickets used on a railcard were, Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe, £8.40, a West Midland Day Ranger, £16.55, Leamington Spa to Banbury return, £5.55, an Oxford Day Ranger £10.55 and day return from Oxford to Oxford Parkway £1.85.
https://www.facebook.com/nick.melli...37610533756.1073742602.100001125840218&type=3
Reading, Didcot and Oxford. Chasing HST`s. Saturday 17th December 2016.
The weekend had arrived again and this being the last one before Christmas, I wanted to finish the year off by duplicating my visit back to Reading, after the trip last month when my images were lost through a faulty card. I also wanted to complete the last section of track between Oxford and Oxford Parkway.
It was another early start for me, catching the infamous 05.11 Cross Country Voyager from Manchester Piccadilly directly to Reading, arriving just a little before 09.00. I spent some 4 hours on the station which gave me a good selection of the GWR HST`s operating with their variety of liveries, so basically I got what I went down for. I also had the bonus of Lord Dowding passing through the station on the Cathedral’s Express. The weather though was steeped in misty and very foggy at times, poor visibility, but those conditions can lend them self to some excellent atmospheric photographic conditions.
Leaving Reading by around 12.30 I took a direct GWR Turbo service back up to Oxford to enable me to catch a Chiltern DMU up the recently opened track section to Oxford Parkway, which I`d travelled from Marylebone in the Bicester direction two weeks previous. This being part of the much talked about, Cambridge to Oxford link, once it materialises.
Returning to Oxford my next train was back down the line to Didcot for a quick visit and then returning to Oxford to catch the HST workings. Quite a number of trains were late running which gave the opportunity of two working quite close together.
Leaving Oxford on a Cross Country Newcastle bound Voyager, I alighted at Banbury and changed for a Chiltern service up to Birmingham Snow Hill, crossing the city to New Street station and doing a little shopping on the way, my final train was a Cross Country Voyager back to Manchester Piccadilly, and after a short drive home in the car, I was back in the house just after 19.30, another great day out, many thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the photographs.
Tickets used on a railcard were, Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe, £8.40, a West Midland Day Ranger, £16.55, Leamington Spa to Banbury return, £5.55, an Oxford Day Ranger £10.55 and day return from Oxford to Oxford Parkway £1.85.
https://www.facebook.com/nick.melli...37610533756.1073742602.100001125840218&type=3