He's going to need 10 years to do them all, several long trips to Scotland! Plus he'll probably need to do Ireland at some point, if only to catch up with the forum's other top trip reporter
Probably need 10 years to do something like the Whitby line or other lines with many stations but not many services (Heart of Wales) :P
Although I suspect use of a bike would probably be handy, alight at one station and ride to the next.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
10th July Super FoSS Day 4
Long week at work over, so it was back on the rails for day 4 of my 8 day FoSS rover, this time targeting my remaining SWT shacks west of Southampton and north of Romsey. The FGW strike meant a reduction of services from Romsey to being hourly instead of half hourly, but it didnt worry me. A nice drive to Romsey, paying 45p for parking (free parking after 4pm, arrived at 15:40), and a walk to a busy station, waiting for the Salisbury bound service.
158883 & 158887, my 2 highest mileage SWT 158s were on the 15:50 service from Romsey to Southampton, finding a seat in the rear of the leading car on 883 for the short run to
Dean, a station with a level crossing and a rather tight (5 minutes) connection, over the road and to the other platform, quite a basic platform for a low usage station. 158890 & 158881 rolled in to take me back down south, this time alighting at
Millbrook (Hampshire (just in case anybody thinks Ive been transported to Bedfordshire), an island platform, next to a dual carriageway around a mile short of Southampton Central, not the most welcoming of stations, however Google Maps suggested a path which I didnt know existed. To the footbridge and turning left (away from the road) and down a ramp to a narrow little uneven slightly overgrown footpath which is between two fences, with the main-line one side and the loading area for the Western docks on the other side.
Not the nicest of paths, but saves walking along the pavement of the main road, as it comes out at the station car-park. Heading around the side of the building, and having to queue for a ticketless person to try and argue his way through the barrier (to the annoyance of a pair of cyclists waiting to get through as well), noting a required 220 had departed towards Bournemouth (could have caught that if I hadnt got stuck waiting
), and onto the platform to await the next service. A pair of 444s rolled in which split, the front unit going down to Weymouth with the 2nd becoming a Poole stopper. I didnt get the number of the front unit as I wasnt boarding, and since all 444s are dud I jumped on board 444001 for only the 3rd time (first was last February, 2nd was last Sunday), for a ride to
Sway. I crossed over the bridge at this New Forest station, to get onto 444028 for the short ride back to Brockenhurst, to await the next Weymouth service, a XC service was due before that Weymouth service, however it had gotten delayed and overtaken at Basingstoke, so no potential Voyager action for me down to Bournemouth.
444014 & 444032 were on the next Weymouth service, so taking a nice seat in the leading coach of 014, for a nice ride out west. 444032 detached at Bournemouth and carried out to my last shack out to the west, in the shape of the unforgettable
Holton Heath. Wait, did I say unforgettable, I meant forgettable, one side of the tracks is a Wessex Water plant, with the other side being some industrial units, no car-park in which to mention, and a permit to travel machine. I had a 30 odd minute fester here, waiting for the final eastbound service of the day. Nobody else around the station, and the service back east was running a couple minutes late. Formed of long-term absent 444022 (which only previously appeared on a Clapham Waterloo run back in December), so good to get extra miles under its wheels (to clear for 10 miles as Keith would say), brief pause at Bournemouth (Im guessing timetabled for attachment to take place if required), and out to
Christchurch.
Delays, delays, delays coming back west, but worked for me this evening, as 444045 rolled in 30 minutes late to take me back west to
Pokesdown for Boscombe, it be near Boscombe dont you know, with 444011 closely following to take me to Bournemouth, where I alighted from a passenger train at long last (only other time I have alighted at Bournemouth was on a 159 charter last year where we went on a bus to Swanage via Sandbanks ferry). Over the platform and 444015 rolled in, on a fast service back towards London, which I stayed on until Southampton Central. Over to P3, where the next Salisbury service was due in from Romsey, and it was the return of 158881 & 158890 to take me to
Mottisfont & Dunbridge, another level crossing station, with a tiny car-park, front unit only due to short platforms. Nice enough area with a pub/hotel nearby, Ive driven passed the station many times, a nice bench to sit on to await FGWs 158961 pretending to be a SWT unit (which is quite unusual as its normally the other way round with a SWT 158 on hire to FGW) to take me back to my final shack of the evening at
Redbridge.
Quite a lonely station, large footbridge overlooking the junction, with some old steps which have been gated off towards what looks like a former platform, docks on one side, nothing else of interest elsewhere, so down to the exposed platform, not even a PIS to tell you when the next service was due, and nothing passed in the 15-or so minutes that I was there, waiting for 158887 & 158883 to roll back in to take me back up the line to Romsey. Finishing an hour ahead of plan due to delays, happy days indeed, and with the shacks cleared to the west of Southampton is another tick in the box, only Hilsea & Axminster left to get in the SWT area of the FoSS.
Holton Heath:
Pokesdown for Boscombe:
Mottisfont & Dunbridge:
158961 departing Redbridge:
Redbridge junction:
11th July Super FoSS Day 5
To Salisbury for the 06:03 departure to Westbury, another early start, another early morning drive, this week it was dud 150221 (which is a low millage 150/2, previously only had on a Temple Meads Filton run), attached to 158887 (again), rolling to Westbury, and like last week I was the only passenger. Under the subway at Westbury and onto 158958 for the short run back south to Warminster, with 159101 forming the first SWT Salisbury Bristol service of the day, taking me to my first shack of the day at
Keynsham.
Interesting station footbridge, from sitting on the train the way down to the Bath bound platform was a long ramp, but it has low steps, anyhow I didnt have long to wait until 150102 (previously had last June on a run to Gunnislake and back) rolled in to take me back towards Bath, to Oldfield Park. 158952 which I spotted earlier at Westbury getting ready to depart to Warminster rolled in on a Warminster Great Malvern, service, which I took until Bristol Temple Meads. Knowing that I could catch a XC service which overtakes the 158 when it goes into Gloucester to reverse back out again, gave me some thinking, the first XC which was in the station on a The North bound service (Motherwell I think) was a dud 220, so I didnt dash to the platform it was on. Visiting the WH Smiths for a quick newspaper, and back to the platforms, next potential unit was a service towards Avonmouth, which was a dud 150. Focus shifting to the service towards Bristol Parkway, formed of duds 150248 (another short leap unit, Filton to Pathway) and 150249 to take me up north to Bristol Parkway.
Platform 2 was pretty much rammed, with many cricket fans going to Wales for the Ashes, I popped out of the station for a couple minutes in search of something to eat (and failing), and back to P3/P4. The Swansea HST, which was reported full and standing, rolled in and it was pretty much full and standing. The Paddington bound HST was running a few minutes late, which cleared up a lot of passengers from P3 & P4 (thankfully, as I didnt fancy standing for the 38 mile trip to Cheltenham), and pulled away, with the Swansea HST still in station, judging by the number of passengers coming down the stairs to jump onto the Western Super Mere stopper to get to Temple Meads, Im guessing there was no more room at all on that Swansea service, probably not even in First Class. Anyhow my first winner of the day rolled in, in the shape of
221134 to take me to Cheltenham (where the HST was still on platform, 10 minutes late).
Alighting at Cheltenham and waiting a few minutes on the platform before 158952 reappeared (as if by magic) to take me up towards Worcester, my original plan was to change at Foregate Street and catch a London Midland 170 to Hereford, but checking RTT saw that service was running 6 minutes down (and with only a 7 minute connection at the next station, felt it wasnt worth the risk) so I stayed on board 952 to
Malvern Link. Over to the other platform, to rest and enjoy the sunshine, the LM 170 rolled in and I could have made the connection, but thankfully it was a dud unit. Back onto 158952, back down south, into Gloucester where it reversed (overhearing, it sounded like someone boarded it by mistake confusing Brighton with Dorridge and ended off getting off at Ashchurch to wait for the next FGW service back to Worcester). I stayed on board 952 to another new shack, this time in the shape of
Cam & Dursley.
Not really a lot around the station, M5 motorway to one side with traffic rushing pass, and a large car-park, although thankfully the seats are decent as I waited for the Gloucester service to arrive, formed of dud (last had on the St Ives line last May!) 150266 rolled in to take me to Gloucester, where I had a 20 minute gap before the next service. Locating a little Tesco outside the bus-station provided me with lunch, and it was back to the station, wasting time at a set of traffic lights waiting for the green man to show. Over the footbridge and onto winner
170101 for the short hop back to Cheltenham Spa. The next southbound service was running late, and was annoyingly a required 220, but I gave that a miss as I was focusing on shacks. The next service after that Voyager was a Paddington bound HST, and both power-cars were duds. My luck with required units toward was shocking. Anyhow that luck continued with dud 170108 for the enjoyable run along the Severn to my next new shack, at
Lydney.
30 minute fester at Lydney, not a lot around the station (having gone for a little bike ride to pass the time, passing an 1st generation DMU at the Dean Forest railway station at Lydney Junction, before heading back to the station, to sit and relax. Dud 150241 (although previously over had it on a Cardiff Central/Queen Street hop at 56 chains) rolled in to take me a bit more down the line to
Chepstow, with another 30-odd minute fester. Thanks to Technis knowledge that there was a Tesco nearby I set off to have a look, purchasing some food, drink before heading back to Chepstow station itself. Dud 150255 (although decent miles under this one) took me to the final shack on the line at
Caldicot. My bike was already unfolded, and with Google Maps showing me the way to Severn Tunnel Junction via bike, I set off, along a bike path, over the bridge at Severn Tunnel Junction to cut back onto myself to get down to the platforms themselves, to my favourite station at Severn Tunnel Junction.
My first FGW winner of the day rolled in,
150219 along with dud 150233 (another one previously had down in deepest Cornwall) to take me onto some tunnel thrash and back into England, and to Filton Abbey Wood, where I alighted and crossed over to P2/P3 island to await the Gloucester bound service, and it was another winner,
150127 taking me pass Parkway, coming away from the GWML to
Yate, in the middle of a couple freight only lines , with staggered platforms, a nice station, over the road and to the other side to await for the Weymouth bound service, and it was another winner,
158962, the renumbered 158766 with the 3rd coach from 158959, meaning my FGW 158s are cleared again (until they transfer down to Devon and go back to 2-cars). Staying on board until Filton Abbey Wood, I went across to the island platform for the Cardiff bound service, and it was another winner,
150925.
To Patchway, for a 1 mile 47 chain leap, and across the platform for dud 150926 back to Temple Meads, giving a 10 minute connection to a XC service to Manchester which helpfully was on the other side of the platform, and was a winner,
220007, so I took an available seat in the leading coach, phone on charge to wait for departure. On time departure, arrived at Parkway on time, all was going well until we stopped just shy of the junction where the line towards Yate & Cheltenham came off the GWML, a seriously late running XC towards the West Country was overtaking a FGW stopper, and we had to wait 15 minutes. Into Cheltenham and the Worcester service had already gone (along with a required ATW 158), so change of plans time, as I was up in the northern part of the area, I might as well do the Golden Valley shacks, so onto dud 150239 for the run via Gloucester to
Stroud. 158887 arrived from Swindon to take me back to
Stonehouse where I had a 40-odd minute fester (making use of the time to visit the town, where I had a number of options for food, and in the end picked the Co-Op for a £2.93 meal-deal (£3.25 with 10% NUS discount).
Back to Stonehouse station itself, where I note a new footbridge is in the process of being built, so the only way to get from platform to platform is out of the station and underneath the tracks at a road bridge. Next service was a HST to Paddington, where I could have been a bit more clever and took it all the way to Swindon to double back to Kemble on the 150, but didnt fancy the chance of the connection at Swindon, so I alighted from duds 43181 & 43023 at
Kemble for an hour fester. I had a couple options, either catch the 150 back to Gloucester, and another service down to Temple Meads to connect with the final Salisbury of the night, which was a bit tight, or do some more 158 first class down to Westbury, and do a quick shack attack at Freshford.
After an hour (had a little bike ride around the village to pass the time), 158887 returned from Cheltenham, which I took to Swindon. On RTT I noticed a Temple Meads HST was running a few minutes late, so I decided to jump across platforms and onto the HST to Chippenham. Sadly it was duds 43024 & 43189, I bet if I didnt make the connection it would have been one or two of my final 45 power-cars. It was a few minute wait at Chippenham before 158887 arrived back to take me to Westbury. Cross platform change onto fresh dud 158962 to take me to my final shack of the night at
Freshford. Freshford is quite lonely at half-ten at night, nice and peaceful through. Time passed and a trio of 150s rolled in, 150248 was at the front with 150249 in the middle and
150128 at the rear, unexpected winner back to Bradford on Avon. Last Salisbury service was in the hands of 159107 which joined up with 158887 at Westbury, to take me back to Salisbury.
A busy day, with several shacks cleared in the FOSS area, Ashchurch will have to wait until Friday, but at least the Golden Valley is cleared, so I can focus day 8 on those 3 remaining shacks down towards Weymouth, and the shacks between Taunton & Temple Meads.
Kemble:
) came in handy.
