5th August A lazy Saturday revisit
Due to a family event on the Friday before, I had 2 options for the Saturday, either go down to Exeter to bag 57605 or stay local to revisit a couple shacks I visited before starting to log my trips, just to get them into my log file rather than in memories. Due to a late night and early start I decided to ditch Exeter as I wanted an early finish, so after getting a lift from the hotel to Romsey I purchased the first of my tickets from the ticket office, and headed under the subway to wait for the SWT service to Romsey (via Southampton).
With heavy delays to GWR services from a bridge strike in the Bath area, 158881 was busier than normal for the 8 mile trip to Southampton Central, where it looked like most of the train emptied out (some grumbles as the Southern 377 for Brighton departed pretty much straight away as it is timetabled to do so), but for me it was over the footbridge to platform 4 for a short wait before 220034 rolled in to take me swiftly onto Bournemouth (apart from the slight delay in arriving at Bournemouth due to a late running Weymouth service in front having detached the rear unit). Strange as it sounds I had never previously taken a XC from Redbridge Junction to Bournemouth, so completes a little bit more of the XC empire.
The 220 overtook a late running Poole stopping service at Brockenhurst, with 450085 eventually rolling in around 40 minutes late. A bit of confusion as the screens were showing Weymouth, but I took a seat for the short run passing the old viaduct to Bournemouth West (access is now only from the west facing curve) as I alighted at
Branksome. My only previous visit here was around February 2013, all I can remember it was a day where SWT did a Rainbow Day promotion from Salisbury, with unlimited travel on the network for something like £10, and I went on a day trip to Weymouth, breaking my journey at Poole and at Branksome to visit a nearby Homebase.
Anyhow, less about history, with the delay to that Poole service meant I had roughly a 10 minute wait for 444041 to roll in from Weymouth, attaching to an empty 444007 at Bournemouth. I switched units at Bournemouth in order to get a better seat (unlike some of the normals who seemed to ignore the empty unit and board the portion from Weymouth). This was a fast service (the Weymouth services seem to switch at Bournemouth so a fast service to Bournemouth turns into a Weymouth stopper, with the semi-fast services to Bournemouth turn into a Semi-fast Weymouth service), so only called at Brockenhurst before I alighted at Southampton Central for a short wait before 158887 rolled in to take me round the loop to my 2nd station revisit of the day in the shape of
Chandlers Ford.
Chandlers Ford featured a smiling flower-pot shaped like a steam engine pulling some wagons, and it is bad that I cant remember the last time I visited, only that it was a day I went from Winchester to Romsey to do what I called Charity Shop shopping where I used to visit various charity shops in a given town (or city) for any music which looked interesting. I bailed at Chandlers Ford coming back from Romsey to visit the local library (back when Hampshire libraries had a large selection of CDs) before heading back to Eastleigh then onto Winchester. I can only assume it was in 2012 or 2013 time but couldnt pin-point it down to even a month, and this station has been bugging me, so felt nice to get it revisited once more.
I purchased my single to Grateley which for some reason NRE was quoting as valid going the long way round, so it was back onto 158887 when it returned from Romsey to go the long way round via Southampton to reach Salisbury, arrival was a couple minutes down, but meant I had roughly 25 minutes to dash out to Sainsburys to grab something for dinner before dashing back to the station to board the 15:47 Basingstoke service formed of 159102 to take me the near 11 miles to Grateley. A walk home via the new pavement on the railway bridge (looks like a decent job, one I might use come the winter time to avoid the road by the former pub). Some normal stuff followed; including a trip to the dump before attacking the hedge some more and cutting some grass.
I know I could have headed to Exeter to get that 57, but keeping an eye on my budget after a large expense last Saturday meant I ditched it. Only station left now on my list to revisit is Halling which was previously visited on a Railtour photo stop. Anyhow some pictures:
220034 at Bournemouth by
Kite, on Flickr
450085 at Branksome by
Kite, on Flickr
Branksome by
Kite, on Flickr
158887 departing Chandlers Ford by
Kite, on Flickr
Chandlers Ford Station by
Kite, on Flickr
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6th August The next trip report will be in 1 minute, it will be a service calling at all stations to Ealing Broadway
For the first time for a few months I was heading to London on a Sunday to have a LU hunt, with a detour to Broadstairs making use of an ultra dodgy ticket to get some 140 mph action via HS1 (OK I tell a lie, it was using the current South Eastern Summer Days Out £10 return ticket promotion). With thanks to Dstock7080 I learnt which diagram my 2nd last S7 was due to be working so it was a case of looking up the diagram in the working timetable to see where best to intercept it would be.
But first, it was a gentle walk to Grateley station, purchasing my travelcard to board an empty 159105 & 159006 which sadly soon filled up with football fans at Basingstoke, seriously it was just past 8:00 and they were on the cheap mass produced lager (this was the last service to reach London before the weekend super-off peak 09:30 11:30 restriction kicked in). I decided to bail at Clapham Junction, passing the barriers on the footbridge to reach platform 4 to grab a seat on 455730 & 455866 for the trip onwards to Waterloo, arriving into the rebuilt & reopened platform 22 (so a little micro-gricing of the new layout at International junction).
Waterloo International is impressive to say the lease, with a large concrete ramp to gain access to the concourse. I worked out that my 2nd last S7 (the last one being 21547/21548) was due heading towards Wimbledon at Embankment around 09:32 (so roughly 20 minutes time). I didnt have long to wait around on the Northern line as the first northbound service which rolled in was required
51647/51648 to take me underneath the water to Embankment (one more pair of 95 stocks left). I minded the gap as I got off the train and headed upstairs to the westbound sub surface line platform, taking a seat and waiting out the 12 minutes before
21439/21440 rolled in.
My god it was quite busy, a lot of tourists (which I dont mind as they help boost this countrys economy), I was originally going to stay on to South Kensington to catch a following Circle line service to Notting Hill Gate, but bailed at Westminster. Downstairs to the jubilee line with 96119/96120 taking me to Canada Water for a 7 minute wait before 378139 rolled in to take me to Shadwell. You can probably guess what is coming up next, and you would be correct as I went up in the lift and climbed the stairs to the DLR platform for the hunt of another 39.
Alas my luck had run out, no sign of it by the time the first spotted had started to return, so it was onto 83/71 to Poplar, spotting a couple units on the depot (thankfully neither were 39), jumping onto Stratford bound 67 & 68 to Langdon Park, mainly as a move to see what else was on the depot. 91/25 took me back to Poplar for a short wait before 124/141 took me back to Shadwell (for it was Tower Gateway bound) with 43/77/62 for the short run to Bank. Canning Town low level services would have to wait until I got back from Kent, as 51564/51563 took me onwards to Kings Cross St Pancras, where I exited London Underground and headed to the South Eastern platforms at St Pancras.
I had a couple options here, mainly based if anything required was spotted on a loop service, sadly both 395s were dud, so it was plan A with the Margate service. Winner
395020 was leading dud 395002, as I scored a decent table seat near the front of 020 for the speedy run on HS1 (cant beat some 140 mph action), turning left after Ashford to go via Canterbury, the drop of speed was very noticeable as I alighted at Broadstairs (still a very beautiful line in places).
My plan meant I had roughly 30 minutes at Broadstairs, which is a pretty enough seaside town, not as down-market as Margate, a quick walk to the beach to overlook Viking Bay, swinging via Tesco to grab something to eat before returning to the station as 395002/395020 had departed back to London. However I was waiting for the Folkestone West train following a few minutes later, as expected it was dud 395008 to take me on the coast crawl via Sandwich & Deal, before getting up some speed over the rebuilt section of line between Dover & Folkestone (passing the remains of Folkestone East and the old Harbour branch).
I was a bit naughty and broke my journey at Ashford for a 25 minute fester, listening to the noise Eurostars make when storming on the flyover (a 373 sounds better than 374s, if only for the loud motor noise from the end cars). I was rewarded with winner
395021 leading low mileage dud 395007 for the 50 mile dash to Stratford International, another 395 into my book (leaves 7 to go). I hung back at Stratford to see which 395 would roll in from Faversham, getting spooked out when a Eurostar ECS passed on the ramp to/from Temple Meads depot, you can hear it but cant see it from the platform. Anyhow that 395 turned out to be dud so I exited the station and headed over the DLR station getting lucky and leapt straight onto 34/93 working the next service.
Onwards to Canning Town low level, the next two Stratford bound services were duds, so it was 5 options left. Alas 39 must have been sat on Beckton depot as it wasnt on the Beckton short workings, nor the remaining services from Woolwich as 93/34 returned to take me back to Stratford, navigating the crowd control system to access the Central Line platform. My plan was to use the next westbound service as a bridge over to the other platform to access the subway and head out to Leyton. However the next westbound service was 91159/92426/
92080/91135 so my plan to head to Leyton went out of the window with my 2nd last 92 stock taken on a short hop to Mile End where thankfully due to an extended dwell I managed to grab the ID of the leading unit (I wasnt making notes of formations today).
An hour later, having missed a couple eastbound services due to bad timings with S7 movements and 91177 not being spotted I called it a day and jumped onto 21453/21454 to Embankment with 51613/51612 taking me back to Waterloo. I should try to remember that the 07:39 from Grateley to Waterloo forms the 19:15 Exeter service, but means extra mileage for 159006 and 159105 with 159015 joining in, gaining membership of Club 2K on route. Sadly it was a football special, with drunken racist songs being sung by the Arsenal fans, so time for some music, being thankful when it emptied out at Basingstoke.
25 minutes later, Ii arrived back at Grateley with a short walk home, quite pleased with scoring a trio of LU units, plus a couple more 395s, with some good speed. I suspect a return trip to London will be made in a couple Sundays time, mainly focusing on Piccadilly Line and a Leyton fester for 91177.
395020 & 395002 at Viking Bay, Broadstairs by Kite, on Flickr
Viking Bay, Broadstairs by Kite, on Flickr
Viking Bay, Broadstairs by Kite, on Flickr
Inside 92080 by Kite, on Flickr
