Not got the time tonight to continue my very long post about moves in the Midlands, but I can also vouch for Water Orton. It's not a bad place, I spent a while there a couple of years and had no problems at all. Certainly it's better for stuff coming from the west though, what with the bridge at the east end making photos very awkward. Nothing in the area much shops wise so make sure you take supplies with you!
I'll continue my thorough advising tomorrow hopefully!
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Mmkay, time for a bit more now I've got data signal again!
323s, as I'm sure you'll already know, work the Cross City line from Lichfield TV to Redditch. Through the main bit of the line, Longbridge to Four Oaks, there's 6 trains an hour in each direction. A lot of single sets but also some pairs too. I'm not sure if it still happens, but I think the timetable has a headnote saying what's 3-car sets and which are 6-car sets (singles and pairs obviously). There are still a few services, or at least there was, on Walsall to Wolverhampton locals that have 323s on them. 0719 Wolverhampton to Four Oaks is one of them, but the rest could have gone over to 350s by now.
One of my favourite moves for 323s is New Street to University. Only 10 minutes at the most each way, usually around 8. This way you can also scoop 170s with both LM and XC. XC 170s are only hourly (Nottingham to Cardiff Central services) in both directions, and I seem to recall the plus between a southbound and northbound one is awful. LM 170s are hourly from New Street to Hereford, with some extras in the peaks too. Some 170s are 2-car 170/5s, some are 3-car 170/6s and some are paired with a 153 as well. One such service is 1549 BHM-HFD, 1740 return and 1919 to HFD, which IIRC is then the 2056 to Worcester Shrub Hill. There are also pairs of 170s, mostly /5s but also some /5s and /6s.
153s are otherwise available on the Coventry to Nuneaton line, singles only though. There are also 153-strengthened services on the Shrewsbury to New Street line (same as Hereford, a mix of 170/5s and 170/6s with pairs too), although which ones I can't remember. The 1042 New Street to Walsall comes off 0849 Hereford to New Street, which is another 153+170 run normally. I believe that then returns to New Street to pick up Rugeley TV services.
Talking of, the Chase Valley is also normally 170s, and as with Shrewsbury and Hereford it's a mix of /5s, /6s and pairs. Some are 153+170 but I don't know what is and what isn't.
What else? Oh yes, Northern 323s can also be done from Stoke to Kidsgrove. EMT 153s can also be sourced between Crewe and Stoke, with 158s and the occasional 156 also turning up too. I believe the 1807 Crewe to Derby and its inward working are booked for a 158 but don't hold me to that!
Oh yes, ATW 158s on International to the Cambrian Coast/Holyhead too. Mostly pairs of 158s, or at least it is when the Welsh 158s are behaving! A WMDR will cover you as far as Gobowen from New Street, which is a fair ol' way! Of course you've also got 168s on Moor Street to Marylebone runs too. My favourite leap there is Moor Street to Solihull, nice and easy 8/9 minute run and an island platform so tight connections are relatively easy. Plenty of trains too!
Unless I'm forgetting something else, you've finally got 390s 3 times an hour between New Street and Euston, well most hours until you get unlucky and find 221s vice 390 on some of the Anglo-Scottish runs! Easiest leap for these has to be New Street to International, nice little 8/9 minute run for an 8m18c leap. Easier believe it or not than changing at Coventry and interacting with the long sets of stairs there! You can also do Stafford to Crewe on 390s most of the day (there are exceptions so check carefully!) but the pluses between one and the other at each end are fairly big.
Freight wise there's not a lot I know there. Quite often you'll see a 60 or 66 on Wolverhampton Steel Terminal (on the right when heading to Wolverhampton). Stafford's supposed to be excellent for freight though. Then of course there's Basford Hall yards, but unless you happen to go by when something's coming out all the locos are well out of ID range. LNWR depot opposite is better for that thankfully! Most freight avoids Crewe station though.
There is also the Freightliner depot (Landore Street I think!) not far from New Street, best viewed from Tamworth-bound (or Nuneaton actually) trains as although 390s etc go near they're still well away from ID range of the 66s on depot. Washwood Heath yards just up the line should provide at least one 08 and usually some DBS 66s. If you're on one of the half-hourly XC 170s to Nuneaton you'll go past Hams Hall, which in the past at least has generated GBRf 66 sightings for me, not sure if it's still the case. Nuneaton is allegedly brilliant for freight too.
Oh aye, if you venture down to Worcester/Hereford and time it right you can also travel between Worcester and Great Malvern/Hereford on a FGW HST, or a 180 (only as far as Malvern for the latter). There's also a mix of 150s, 153s and 158s with FGW from Bristol and beyond you can do between Malvern and Worcester.
Right, that SHOULD now be it! It's taken me over half hour to get that lot done, which meant I even included the walk to work on this! I hope the above concludes a thorough list of options and has given you some ideas!
hock
wouldn't work out much cheaper, and with the Heart of England you'd only have to book travel to/from Derby, meaning you'd avoid the ching on one of XC's expensive bits of route.
