Route Coverage

[Buttsy]

Does that map not suggest needing HS1?

Aye I almost exclusively need PSUL curves now too, some of them are really annoying to do like Newton Connecting Line, as it doesn't always produce!

IanD, fair enough

D841 Roebuck, Lichfield to Walsall, was that closed since 1981 then?

I've done HS1 (London - Ashford), it's the channel tunnel that I haven't and not having a passport currently means that it is awkward to do.

I only count lines where is is possible to embark and alight in Great Britain...

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Lichfield to Walsall closed 19/3/84.

My trip was in April 1980, the route being Rochdale-Oldham-round the curve at Miles Platting -Ashburys -Guide Bridge-Dore Curve -Derby-Lichfield-Walsall-New St-Kidderminster-Bewdley for the SVR.

Motive power was 40023 to Kidderminster, 25159+25275 to Bewdley, then an unknown tea-making device.

 

[Techniquest]

Lichfield to Walsall closed 19/3/84.

My trip was in April 1980, the route being Rochdale-Oldham-round the curve at Miles Platting -Ashburys -Guide Bridge-Dore Curve -Derby-Lichfield-Walsall-New St-Kidderminster-Bewdley for the SVR.

Ahhh, thanks for the gen
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I've done HS1 (London - Ashford), it's the channel tunnel that I haven't and not having a passport currently means that it is awkward to do.

I only count lines where is is possible to embark and alight in Great Britain...

Ahhh, same problem I had for years with a passport then. I never looked back after getting mine last year, highly recommend getting one

 

[Buttsy]

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Ahhh, same problem I had for years with a passport then. I never looked back after getting mine last year, highly recommend getting one

I had one from 1991 to 2011, but after renewing in 2001, I think I used it for 1 trip if that, so didn't consider it worthwhile renewing at the time. I may if circumstances demand it.
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There are a number of lines that I might have been able to do before they closed, being old enough (according to my parents) in 1982 (12-13) to go with mates on spotting trips. Would have meant that I could have done Tunbridge Wells - Edrige, Woodside - Sanderstead, Selby - York (old ECML) and Shepley - Clayton West. I did manage Elmers End - Addiscombe, Wimbledon - West Croydon, Oldham loop, Stratford - North Woolwich and the Sinfin branch before closure/conversion to light rail.

Also managed Walsall - Rugeley before reopening! (Sunday Dorset Scot diversion)

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Map now updated.

Walsall-Lichfield, Liverpool Exchange, Woodhead and Sheffield to Grimethorpe via Cudworth are included in turquoise as the track has been lifted.

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Map now updated.

Walsall-Lichfield, Liverpool Exchange, Woodhead and Sheffield to Grimethorpe via Cudworth are included in turquoise as the track has been lifted.

 

[ainsworth74]

Map now updated.

I have to ask, why have you got to Bere Alston but not Gunnislake?

 

[D841 Roebuck]

I have to ask, why have you got to Bere Alston but not Gunnislake?

I have been to Gunnislake - the map needs correcting!

(Did a Devon Day Ranger in May 2007. Stayed in Exeter and did Exeter to Exmouth, ferry to Starcross, then on to Plymouth and Gunnislake. A curiosity was that the same unit (153382) performed on both branches.)

 

[IanD]

IanD, fair enough

If it had been a summer trip, Hereford would have been great but I have a cheap advance to get back to MKC (courtesy of one of those RSH e-vouchers tht only lasted a month!) so I'm on a tight schedule this time!

Map now updated.

Walsall-Lichfield, Liverpool Exchange, Woodhead and Sheffield to Grimethorpe via Cudworth are included in turquoise as the track has been lifted.

I have to ask, why have you got to Bere Alston but not Gunnislake?

I wondered that too. I've said somewhere up this thread that the 'odd' missing bits on people's coverage maps sometime seem bizarre and would love to know the reasons.

I suspect the Aylesbury Vale Parkway is the same reason as me. They had the nerve to re-open that bit of line once I'd been to Aylesbury. Think I'll wait for the MK-Aylesbury service to restart rather than making a special trip though - unless Chiltern do their £10 specials again this year.

 

[Buttsy]

I suspect the Aylesbury Vale Parkway is the same reason as me. They had the nerve to re-open that bit of line once I'd been to Aylesbury. Think I'll wait for the MK-Aylesbury service to restart rather than making a special trip though - unless Chiltern do their £10 specials again this year.

Alternatively, pay Quainton Road a visit when they're running the shuttle from Aylesbury. Visit the Bucks railway centre (has the old Oxford Rewley Road station building), grab a ride on a bubble car and do AVP...

Shuttle tends to run on May and August bank holiday weekends, Sunday in the main I think...

 

[IanD]

Alternatively, pay Quainton Road a visit when they're running the shuttle from Aylesbury. Visit the Bucks railway centre (has the old Oxford Rewley Road station building), grab a ride on a bubble car and do AVP...

Shuttle tends to run on May and August bank holiday weekends, Sunday in the main I think...

Just before they opened the parkway station, I went for a tour round Chiltern's Aylesbury depot. We were due to take a bubble-car trip up to Quainton but it was pressed into service on the Risborough shuttle so we went there instead. Missed chances and gaps on the map go hand in hand!

 

[Techniquest]

I can only agree with that last sentiment there IanD. I came close to having Fort William to Mallaig as a silly gap, but on the forum bash up there (anyone happen to remember when that was? We had a 37 to Fort William, I remember that much, so 2004 or 2005 I would guess) I was persuaded to use food money to get on The Jacobite and get it in. Looking back, I'm well glad of that persuasion, not even got close to t'Bill since then, closest being Oban/Crianlarich in February 2006 and not any WHL trip since then either. Goodness gracious, I think it's time I got booking a berth to Fort William!

Trying to think what the one really annoying gap I had on my map for ages was now. Princes Risborough to Aylesbury took me forever to get in, but I've just remembered one of my biggest annoyances with my maps was having it suggested I got to Rose Hill Marple via Reddish South, rather than Hyde Central as it was. Took me 6 or 7 and a bit years to fix that! What the bit I was going to do once but got bowled out by some failure was Hambleton South to Hambleton West Junctions. Granted, it's technically non-passenger still but I was up there on a weekend with diversions that way going on. I'd been off to Hull on the HST from t'Cross, but due to delays caused by a trespasser my connection at 'ull was looking unlikely. So I bailed at Brough (got that track beyond there to Hull on a 222 but still not an HST!) and saw a 185 coming in and got excited it wasn't a 170 (memory tells me 6 and a half years later 185s were not super common at 'ull), so jumped on. Only forgetting of course that I was after a Northern train to Doncaster, and said train didn't go via Selby like my 185 was! Thankfully I could bail at Selby for a 158 to York, something then to Doncaster for the diverted train to Leeds then back to York for my B+B at silly o clock. Didn't seem sensible, so got to York and gave up, just as well as the guy running the B+B was falling asleep at half 8 in the evening. Imagine if I'd not got back to York until 8 minutes past midnight!

So in essence that was another bit I missed out on there, Hatfield and Stainforth to Goole. Missed out that bit twice now, the second time being after leaving my case on the train from Leeds at Goole on day 1 of my 7 day ALR, so had to completely change my plans to get it back. FINALLY got Goole to Hatfield and Stainforth covered on 2012's 14 day ALR, which was June 2012, 5 and a little years later after originally going to get it done!

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Aylesbury Vale Parkway is, as suggested, awaiting the reopening to MKC.

In hindsight, I should have covered the Watford branch of the met whilst in the area, but was deterred by c combination of a signalling farce at Harrow on the Hill and a football match at Wembley, so headed for London earlier than planned.
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Aylesbury Vale Parkway is, as suggested, awaiting the reopening to MKC.

In hindsight, I should have covered the Watford branch of the met whilst in the area, but was deterred by c combination of a signalling farce at Harrow on the Hill and a football match at Wembley, so headed for London earlier than planned.

Anyway, I still have ambitions for the Rickmansworth to Watford curve...

 

[Trainfan344]

Can someone on here help me, on my map of the Birmingham area, there appears to be two routes from Birmingham New Street to Walsall, one calling at Aston, one straight to Hamstead, what is the service frequency on these two routes?

 

[IanD]

From checking www.realtimetrains.co.uk it looks like the services from Rugeley run non-stop from Tame Bridge Parkway via Soho East and South junctions to approach New Street from the West whilst the other services (including the services to Rugeley) that I checked go via Duddeston and Aston.

 

[Trainfan344]

Thanks Ian, shall factor that into my plan for Wednesday.
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Just found a way around the 09:30 rule, by getting a £2.00 single from stoke-on-trent to Stone I can then use the Great escape ticket on the 09:28 service.

 

[Techniquest]

Can someone on here help me, on my map of the Birmingham area, there appears to be two routes from Birmingham New Street to Walsall, one calling at Aston, one straight to Hamstead, what is the service frequency on these two routes?

I've been bowled out by this in past years too. When I was shack scratching up that way last, the general pattern was:

New Street to Rugeley, via Aston
Rugeley to New Street, via Soho

In other years, it has been both ways via Aston and other times both ways via Soho.

Frequency on these routes, New Street to Tame Bridge Parkway via Aston stopping services are every 30 minutes, then at least half hourly to the Chase Valley line. Unless it's changed again, it's exclusively 170s up there now, a mix of 2, 3 and 4 car trains.

 

[Trainfan344]

I've been bowled out by this in past years too. When I was shack scratching up that way last, the general pattern was:

New Street to Rugeley, via Aston
Rugeley to New Street, via Soho

In other years, it has been both ways via Aston and other times both ways via Soho.

Frequency on these routes, New Street to Tame Bridge Parkway via Aston stopping services are every 30 minutes, then at least half hourly to the Chase Valley line. Unless it's changed again, it's exclusively 170s up there now, a mix of 2, 3 and 4 car trains.

Check the trip report planning forum as I created a thread in there to stop this thread going too far off track.

 

[ChristopherJ]

Despite living only up the road to it for 23 years, I finally did Broxbourne - Hertford East yesterday.

 

[Buttsy]

I've been bowled out by this in past years too. When I was shack scratching up that way last, the general pattern was:

New Street to Rugeley, via Aston
Rugeley to New Street, via Soho

In other years, it has been both ways via Aston and other times both ways via Soho.

Frequency on these routes, New Street to Tame Bridge Parkway via Aston stopping services are every 30 minutes, then at least half hourly to the Chase Valley line. Unless it's changed again, it's exclusively 170s up there now, a mix of 2, 3 and 4 car trains.

I had great fun one day when there were works around Proof House junction one summer. Bagged Wolverhampton - Stetchford via Bescot, Bordesley junction - Lifford West junc/King's Norton (Bordesley junc - Landor Street junc had been done on a Merrymaker to York in the 70s), Perry Barr West junc - South junc. What fun!

 

[ATW Alex 101]

A little bit of an update to my previous one.

 

[Requeststop]

My latest following my last trip to the UK.

Been able to mark off York - Hull - Scarborough; Whitby and Saltburn, Frome loop, Brighton to Seaford and amazingly Brighton - Hove; Birmingham - Kings Sutton; Leeds - Selby; Newcastle - Carlisle - Barrow - Carnforth; Manchester - Southport and at last..........Ellesmere Port - Helsby, with one other passenger and the train manager telling me I was crazy but most passengers were fellow route coverage addicts.

It's been an amazing year for me for route coverage, having done all the west coast of Scotland from Mallaig down to Stranraer, Settle and Carlisle, Pembrokeshire and the South Wales Valleys and a huge swage of East Anglia. Add to that some London Lines not covered before; Sheffield -Manchester, Crewe - Derby - Nottingham - Lincoln and areas of Kent not covered before then I feel it has been a fruitful year.

Let downs! Being stuck outside Darlington waiting for a platform so I never covered Bishop Auckland and a swing back around to Hartlepool; and being so knackered after my Mallaig - Stranraer run that I dropped my swing back and forth on all routes between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Plans for the next year? If I make it to the UK; Getting Lincolnshire out of the way, clearing out the red around Manchester, and what's left of Wales.

What has helped me this year has been the BritRail Pass I can buy being a non resident and passing 60.

I hope all of you trying to complete your Route coverage have as much success as I had this year and more importantly, enjoy the journeys! Have fun turning the Red to Blue.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I wonder what happened to those who had their feet on the seats or sat with their bag in the chair next to them

 

[Trainfan344]

Have attached my updated route coverage to include Stoke-on-Trent to Crewe, Crewe to Liverpool South Parkway, Crewe to Stafford, Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town, Kidderminster to Worcester Foregate Street and Worcester Foregate Street to Birmingham New Street.

 

[Techniquest]

Latest coverage for me is the Kilkenny avoiding line, first new track in a good while! Finishes the Irish Rail network completely now, so I'm well chuffed. No need to return to Ireland until some time next year now

 

[alex17595]

This is mine. sorry about a different map, I will change it when I transfer it over.

 

[jnjkerbin]

Improved mine over the summer with a bit of the WCML, a fair chunk of Wales and a teensy step into East Anglia.

 

[CallySleeper]

Five hours free on Friday afternoon, I hope to clear the Chessington, Hampton Court, Chingford and Enfield Town branches in London.

 

[ryan125hst]

Improved mine over the summer with a bit of the WCML, a fair chunk of Wales and a teensy step into East Anglia.

How did you get your map to upload at that resolution? Whenever I upload mine, it uploads at quite a low resolution (see my last post in this thread to see what I mean). It's at a high resolution on my computer, so it isn't the original file.

Any ideas?

 

[jnjkerbin]

How did you get your map to upload at that resolution? Whenever I upload mine, it uploads at quite a low resolution (see my last post in this thread to see what I mean). It's at a high resolution on my computer, so it isn't the original file.

Any ideas?

Not too sure to be honest! I just added it as an attachment and there we were!