ChristopherJ
Repeatedly returning banned member
I noticed that UK Railtours "The Angel of Bedlam" railtour hauled by a class 59 loco coincided with my arrival at Paddington yesterday morning. I decided to have a wander over to admire the train and wondered if there would be any chance of maybe having a quick trip to the first pick-up point purely to say that I've had some GM haulage. I'm not really much of a railtour enthusiast - I have a low boredom threshold and always get five minutes in to them and then want to go home. I found a steward who was selling excess tickets to walk-up passengers and enquired to if and how much he would want for a quick jaunt out to Slough - a tenner. Ace. 
Considering that an FGW Anytime Single is £8.30 - for the unusual haulage I certainly justified £10 as a deal.
It's handy to know that Railtour companies are willing to let those interested in short trips travel on charters for a nominal fee - I just fancied something different as opposed to the usual Turbo.
Also, I also bumped in to some old friends whom I lost contact with years ago and was under the belief that I'd probably never see them again.
After arrival at Slough I bailed out and because the GWML was FUBAR'd because of a track circuit failure and I had over 35 mins to wait for a train back to London, I did the Winsdor & Eton Central branch just to get it over and done - plus as an excuse to keep out of the cold.
Then I had a brain wave - instead of going straight home, I'll get off at West Drayton and catch a bus to Heathrow and get a couple of free trips on the Heathrow Express between the terminals. I traveled on the leased Desiro from Heathrow Central - Terminal 4, 360205 is on hire from Connect to Express for the T4 shuttle and has been modified with the removal of 3+2 seating and replaced with 2+2 seating and has received both external and internal Heathrow Express livery and seat moqeuttes - plus the toilet is constantly locked out. A 360 with 2+2 seating is really pleasant. Afterwards it was back to HRC and this time a trip on a 332 to terminal 5 for a hop upstairs to the Car Park for a trip on the ULTra Heathrow Pod.
Earlier this week I had been contemplating a trip on one of the daily 460 diagrams on the Gatwick Express but I withdrew from the idea because of a) the weather conditions and b) the sheer price of an open return to Gatwick - no thanks on both those grounds. :roll: I knew that I could get a bus from Heathrow to Feltham and decided to get a trip on a 458 to Richmond instead - same thing, different interior layout.
Plus, the 460s will soon be amalgamated in to the 458s to create an evil, twisted, doctor Frankenstein style 458/5 hybrid, anyway.
Decided to head for home on LOROL via Stratford but also having knew that one of the off-lease 317/7s had been working on the Upminster branch all of last week and also that I also that I only ever once had a trip on a 317/7 several years ago, without any prior gen I decided to go home via GA via Romford and Upminster instead of c2c in hope of getting one last trip on one of the 700s. No such luck - it was 317650. :cry: Oh well. Hopefully the use of a 700 will remain in to next week and it'll come out to play again.
Considering that an FGW Anytime Single is £8.30 - for the unusual haulage I certainly justified £10 as a deal. It's handy to know that Railtour companies are willing to let those interested in short trips travel on charters for a nominal fee - I just fancied something different as opposed to the usual Turbo.
Also, I also bumped in to some old friends whom I lost contact with years ago and was under the belief that I'd probably never see them again.
After arrival at Slough I bailed out and because the GWML was FUBAR'd because of a track circuit failure and I had over 35 mins to wait for a train back to London, I did the Winsdor & Eton Central branch just to get it over and done - plus as an excuse to keep out of the cold.
Then I had a brain wave - instead of going straight home, I'll get off at West Drayton and catch a bus to Heathrow and get a couple of free trips on the Heathrow Express between the terminals. I traveled on the leased Desiro from Heathrow Central - Terminal 4, 360205 is on hire from Connect to Express for the T4 shuttle and has been modified with the removal of 3+2 seating and replaced with 2+2 seating and has received both external and internal Heathrow Express livery and seat moqeuttes - plus the toilet is constantly locked out. A 360 with 2+2 seating is really pleasant.
Afterwards it was back to HRC and this time a trip on a 332 to terminal 5 for a hop upstairs to the Car Park for a trip on the ULTra Heathrow Pod. Earlier this week I had been contemplating a trip on one of the daily 460 diagrams on the Gatwick Express but I withdrew from the idea because of a) the weather conditions and b) the sheer price of an open return to Gatwick - no thanks on both those grounds. :roll: I knew that I could get a bus from Heathrow to Feltham and decided to get a trip on a 458 to Richmond instead - same thing, different interior layout.
Plus, the 460s will soon be amalgamated in to the 458s to create an evil, twisted, doctor Frankenstein style 458/5 hybrid, anyway. Decided to head for home on LOROL via Stratford but also having knew that one of the off-lease 317/7s had been working on the Upminster branch all of last week and also that I also that I only ever once had a trip on a 317/7 several years ago, without any prior gen I decided to go home via GA via Romford and Upminster instead of c2c in hope of getting one last trip on one of the 700s. No such luck - it was 317650. :cry: Oh well. Hopefully the use of a 700 will remain in to next week and it'll come out to play again.
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