Route Coverage

[MidnightFlyer]

I'll just leave this here. Planning on finishing it within the next couple of weeks.

 

[FQ]

Wow Midnight Flyer, only 2 brach lines left and you have cleared all the track in England, Scotland and Wales!

 

[Buttsy]

Wow Midnight Flyer, only 2 brach lines left and you have cleared all the track in England, Scotland and Wales!

I can trump that, I've only the Ebbw Vale branch to go!!!!

 

[FQ]

I can trump that, I've only the Ebbw Vale branch to go!!!!

Well done! Get down to Cardiff then!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I can trump that, I've only the Ebbw Vale branch to go!!!!

You've got twenty-odd years on me though

 

[Buttsy]

You've got twenty-odd years on me though

How do you know????? Is it the profile pic?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

How do you know????? Is it the profile pic?

It's the bit on your profile that says 'Age: 45'

 

[Buttsy]

It's the bit on your profile that says 'Age: 45'

D'oh!

 

[Techniquest]

Merr, I've got you both beat, I finished mine in 2012! Excluding a couple of bits of PSUL track that is, and I think on NR metals there's only Halton Curve and Newton Connecting Line left to get for me

 

[Buttsy]

Merr, I've got you both beat, I finished mine in 2012! Excluding a couple of bits of PSUL track that is, and I think on NR metals there's only Halton Curve and Newton Connecting Line left to get for me

Halton curve done among a number of PSUL lines, but still some to go including Newton. Did Hare Park - Crofton and Castleford station - (Burton Salmon) - Milford - Gascoigne Wood on my last trip. Doing Parkside - Lowton on trip up to Scotland in a fortnight.

 

[Cletus]

Made it down to the end of the branch line to Chessington South yesterday. Not much of a place, hopefully won't have to go there again!

 

[Techniquest]

I might well have some new bits to add to my map, although as I keep losing my copy, I'll have to re-do one. A simple case of choose blue and use the fill tool wherever I fancy to get rid of the red

Depends totally on what plan I actually decide on, which *should* be known by Friday. A lot of it will depend on whether my time off will be granted in September, and I have formed about 17 different plans to decide between! If I go with the one in mind I'll have a lot more lines to draw onto my map...

 

[jnjkerbin]

Now added the Paignton Branch and several Kentish lines including the international connection onto HS1 at Fawkham Jn thanks to UK Railtours

 

[MidnightFlyer]

And the task was completed at 1731 on Wednesday 27/08/2014

 

[bb21]

Well done. Great achievement.

 

[FQ]

And the task was completed at 1731 on Wednesday 27/08/2014

With what track?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Whitby-Middlesbrough

Well done. Great achievement.

Thanks

 

[FQ]

Whitby-Middlesbrough

Thanks

Congrats! Did you by any chance do the NYMR from Whitby-Battersby for the Northern unit (I am guessing 156) to Middlesborough?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Congrats! Did you by any chance do the NYMR from Whitby-Battersby for the Northern unit (I am guessing 156) to Middlesborough?

Nope, simple out and back from Middlesbrough, with a 25 minute break in Whitby. There was a steam loco in the new platform 2 at Whitby and the ex-Falsgrave signal gantry at Grosmont was impressive, but that was as close as I got to any NYMR action. It was indeed a 156, as I believe are all Northern service along the Esk Valley (Nunthorpe services excepted).

 

[Techniquest]

And the task was completed at 1731 on Wednesday 27/08/2014

Many congratulations young man, quite the achievement there! You finished approximately 2 years and 13 days after me I see

So what will you do now, carry on with non-passenger/light rail/preserved lines?

My own new coverage lately is the following:

Denton Junction-Ashton Moss Junction
Baguley Fold Junction-Philips Park No 2-Ashburys West Junction

Thanks to NR giving us a strange but interesting path in the Manchester area on The Retro Shakespearean Tug on Monday! Probably won't be anything else new for ages, well until November that is...

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Many congratulations young man, quite the achievement there! You finished approximately 2 years and 13 days after me I see

So what will you do now, carry on with non-passenger/light rail/preserved lines?

My own new coverage lately is the following:

Denton Junction-Ashton Moss Junction
Baguley Fold Junction-Philips Park No 2-Ashburys West Junction

Thanks to NR giving us a strange but interesting path in the Manchester area on The Retro Shakespearean Tug on Monday! Probably won't be anything else new for ages, well until November that is...

And, if your profile is correct, I completed it in 8 years less in aggregate

Owing to the number of railtours I've done there's not that much non-passenger track that comes up that's worthwhile doing. PSULs by their nature are obviously awful to try and collect, for example I'm not willing to get a hotel / overnighter on Glasgow to get in Newton South. Light Rail I only have two left - Edinburgh, which I'll tie in with the Borders when that opens, and Blackpool which is a bit of an uninspiring day out. Preserved railways are probably the next big focus, but I've done a lot of the accessible ones, so they're mostly either holiday jobs or about 25 bus connections away from a railway station.

I'm sorted for the rest of summer: a Heart of England 3/7, East Mids Day Ranger and a Glasgow Roundabout, so I don't have to sit down and seriously consider day out until the new year now.

 

[Techniquest]

And, if your profile is correct, I completed it in 8 years less in aggregate

Aye I did spend a lot of time going up and down the same tracks for years. Still do that as well, I don't think about how many times I've done the New Street to International section! Or for that matter Cardiff Central to Newport or Bristol Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads, or even Bristol Temple Meads to Bath Spa!

Owing to the number of railtours I've done there's not that much non-passenger track that comes up that's worthwhile doing. PSULs by their nature are obviously awful to try and collect, for example I'm not willing to get a hotel / overnighter on Glasgow to get in Newton South. Light Rail I only have two left - Edinburgh, which I'll tie in with the Borders when that opens, and Blackpool which is a bit of an uninspiring day out. Preserved railways are probably the next big focus, but I've done a lot of the accessible ones, so they're mostly either holiday jobs or about 25 bus connections away from a railway station.

Fair enough, I need a lot of non-passenger track across the country but it just gets so dull so quick doing them. Until Monday I calculated I hadn't done a railtour for around 30 months (UKR's The Angel of Bedlam to Retro Railtours' The Retro Shakespearean Tug), which I mostly blame on difficulty in getting time off work. On our department there's always someone off when I want it, and we can't have more than 1 off at a time. Yet another closely-related department can have up to 3 off at any time, which is more than frustrating!

I'm sorted for the rest of summer: a Heart of England 3/7, East Mids Day Ranger and a Glasgow Roundabout, so I don't have to sit down and seriously consider day out until the new year now.

I'm saving money for the trip to Norway, which still needs to be booked, so I haven't got much lined up for the rest of 2014. I'm due to do a LM Great Escape a week tomorrow, after that there's nowt planned.

 

[dcd]

My coverage is now

 

[Kite159]

Nope, simple out and back from Middlesbrough, with a 25 minute break in Whitby. There was a steam loco in the new platform 2 at Whitby and the ex-Falsgrave signal gantry at Grosmont was impressive, but that was as close as I got to any NYMR action. It was indeed a 156, as I believe are all Northern service along the Esk Valley (Nunthorpe services excepted).

Was a 142/156 combo today on the Whitby/Boro services. A very beautiful line, in my opinion closely matches the West Highlands for best line
---

Baring any engineering works, delays or non-availability of advance tickets hopefully I will have completed the vast majority of the map come end of December

 

[MidnightFlyer]

A very beautiful line, in my opinion closely matches the West Highlands for best line

Edit - it's decent enough but would probably only scrape into my top 20 for scenery. There's only two lines that can really hold a candle to the West Highland: Kyle and the S&C.

 

[Techniquest]

There's only two lines that can really hold a candle to the West Highland: Kyle and the S&C.

That's only considering UK lines, although I totally concur there. Cumbrian Coast comes in a top 10 for me too, with the Heart of Wales fighting hard for a top 5 position.

Outside the UK, I would also put Liege to Luxembourg up there, some stunning scenery there and well worth a trip.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

That's only considering UK lines, although I totally concur there. Cumbrian Coast comes in a top 10 for me too, with the Heart of Wales fighting hard for a top 5 position.

Outside the UK, I would also put Liege to Luxembourg up there, some stunning scenery there and well worth a trip.

I think I've done four rail trips outside of the UK, so yes my list was UK only (Calais-Paris GDN, Lucca-Pisa, Lucca-Florence and one involving Barcelona).

There are a couple that would run those three close over shorter distances (Liskeard-Looe and Barrhill-Dunragit for example), but they don't hold out for anything over 10 or 20 miles. Actually thinking about it I would put Helmsdale-Thurso / Wick over the S&C, easily the most underrated line I've ever done. My top 5 looks something like:
1) Inverness-Kyle
2) Crianlarich-Mallaig
3) Helmsdale-Thurso / Wick
4) Carlisle-Skipton
5) Stirling-Inverness

 

[Kite159]

I'm not sure if it was the day I did the S&C, but I found it very under-whelming, compared to the hype surrounding it. But I will reserve judgement until I can do it again, this time sitting on the other side of the train (sat on the right hand side heading north, so will try and sit on the right hand side heading south at some-point)

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I'm not sure if it was the day I did the S&C, but I found it very under-whelming, compared to the hype surrounding it. But I will reserve judgement until I can do it again, this time sitting on the other side of the train (sat on the right hand side heading north, so will try and sit on the right hand side heading south at some-point)

Aye, I will agree with that. Thinking about what I said last night I would go as far to say the only one that really holds a candle to the West Highlands is Kyle, then a fair way down after those two would be the S&C, Highland ML, Tyne Valley etc. Some would have you believe the S&C is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I find its beauty more in how long the scenery is maintained (well over a few dozen miles) and the occasional beauty spot than constantly jawdropping scenery a la Fort William and Kyle.

 

[noddy1878]

Been a while since I last updated this. Completed all routes to Cambridge from London, nearly finished off East Midlands and the Chiltern main line from Marylebone to London.

Next major trip in November should see more of Scotland turning blue!