Which lines are you hoping to do in 2012?

[trentside]

I finally achieved the Settle & Carlisle earlier today. Despite being in the grip of low cloud and mist, the scenery was still spectacular - the conductor also pointed out the various landmarks along the route for the benefit of us 'sightseers' onboard, which was a nice touch.

Sadly failed to do the Cumbrian Coast - should have done Carlisle through to Lancaster but had to settle for that section of the WCML instead due to signalling issues between Whitehaven and St Bees.

 

[Techniquest]

If I ever have to do Carlisle to Lancaster, I'd always choose the WCML. There's some nice bits on the Cumbrian Coast, but it's just so slow and annoying you're glad to have to change trains at Barrow-in-Furness! Don't matter how throaty the 156 is on it, there's not really enough opportunities for it to make a racket for long.

Of course, it's worth doing the line for the colour in the Baker, but otherwise I'll not go up there again for a long time!

 

[Requeststop]

Back in June I covered a host of new lines.

Didcot - Kings Sutton
King's Sutton - Marylebone
Victoria - Hastings
Hastings - Ashford
Ashford - St Pancras
St Pancras - Dover
Dover - Faversham
Faversham - Margate
Margate - Ashford
Victoria - London Bridge
Highbury and Islington - Crystal Palace
St Pancras - Sutton

and I did the Gunnislake branch for the first time in 20 years.

Lines I'd like to do:-

Lymington Branch (glaring gap in my rail map)
The Valley Lines
West Highland lines
South of the Clyde
Strathcarron to Kyle of Lochalsh (not covered due to accursed engineering works)

 

[trentside]

If I ever have to do Carlisle to Lancaster, I'd always choose the WCML. There's some nice bits on the Cumbrian Coast, but it's just so slow and annoying you're glad to have to change trains at Barrow-in-Furness! Don't matter how throaty the 156 is on it, there's not really enough opportunities for it to make a racket for long.

Of course, it's worth doing the line for the colour in the Baker, but otherwise I'll not go up there again for a long time!

The train I was intending to get was a through service from Carlisle to Lancaster, and as I was using a Northern free voucher I was restricted to Northern services only. In the end I forked out for a single to Lancaster, and had an enjoyable 11-car Pendolino ride in an almost empty coach (the TM even said the rest of the train was chaos!). The highlighter pen will have to wait for another time

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I've decimated a lot of what I need to do across the Westcountry and East Midlands over the summer, indeed I only need about 20 sections of line in the country now, including 3 in London, 2 on the Western, 1 in Scotland and 0 on the Southern!

 

[Crossover]

I finally achieved the Settle & Carlisle earlier today. Despite being in the grip of low cloud and mist, the scenery was still spectacular - the conductor also pointed out the various landmarks along the route for the benefit of us 'sightseers' onboard, which was a nice touch

When I did it back in March on one of the Northern £10 offers, the lady doing the trolley was pointing out a few of the sights en-route as she came through, indicating points of interest such as the snow huts and where Michael Portillo stayed while doing his TV series (not in the snow huts....the BBC couldn't afford it!)

If I ever have to do Carlisle to Lancaster, I'd always choose the WCML. There's some nice bits on the Cumbrian Coast, but it's just so slow and annoying you're glad to have to change trains at Barrow-in-Furness! Don't matter how throaty the 156 is on it, there's not really enough opportunities for it to make a racket for long.

Of course, it's worth doing the line for the colour in the Baker, but otherwise I'll not go up there again for a long time!

It is very slow. I did the S&C and Cumbrian in the same day and the Cumbrian was a long haul! 3 1/2 hours on the same train as it was a through Carlisle to Lancaster. I think the best bit of the journey traction wise was the blast down the WCML from Carnforth to Lancaster where the 156 really showed what it was capable of. I did Carnforth to Lancaster the other week when coming across from Leeds on a 144 and it was nothing like as good!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
As for me, I managed to get the unusual track on the non-platform line at Malton just over a week ago as we were on the EMT service. Was quite surprised at how fast we went through Seamer!

 

[trentside]

Looking back at my original list, I've only achieved some of it - but far more than what my goals were. This year, I've crossed off the remaining lines I had in the East Midlands and West Midlands that have regular services. In addition, I've highlighted (in no particular order);

Stoke on Trent to Milton Keynes Central, plus via Stafford
Great Eastern Main Line, plus to Shenfield to Southend Victoria
Arun Valley (Horsham - Barnham), plus Littlehampton and Bognor
Caterham, Tattenham Corner and Epsom Downs branches
Inner South London line (pre-LO)
Marshlink and East Coastway (Ashford to Brighton, plus Eastbourne)
North Trans-Pennine (Manchester - Hull)
West Coastway (including PMH)
Seaford branch, plus Lewes - Wivelsfield
Thameslink core and Sutton to Blackfriars via Mitcham
High Speed 1 - Domestic services (St Pancras - Ashford)
Leeds - Knottingley - Wakefield Kirkgate
Settle & Carlisle
Lancaster - Carlisle via WCML
Lancaster - Hellifield
West Yorkshire Triangle (Bradford, Ilkley, Skipton)
The Yorkshire Coast (Hull - Scarborough)
Scarborough - York
Waterloo - Portsmouth
Southampton Central - Woking
Woking - Alton
Aldershot - Guildford
Guildford - Surbitom via Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon
Hertford Loop and GN&CR to Moorgate
Hitchin to Kings Lynn
Norwich to Peterborough
Crewe - Chester
Chester - Shrewsbury

How has everyone else managed to do this year? Have you achieved all the track you were hoping to tick off?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Now left with only Middlesbrough-Whitby and Crainlarich-Oban to do nationwide on NR after this year's exploits. Light rail-wise I need the new Oldham-Shaw extension on the Metrolink (though it's only 13 hours old :P), and Turnham Green-Acton Town on the District line only. I'll post a full list of new lines this year when I have time, both passenger and freight / preserved.

 

[Crossover]

I think I have covered everything I set out to - but partly because I had in mind that I would be doing certain bits during the year anyway (I only set out with 4 or 5 lines anyway)

I may see about a trip out this weekend to complete West Yorkshire before the year is out, but will have to see how things pan out.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I have failed spectacularly this year with only the entiritty of the cross city in Brum ticked off totally. The kyle line may get done this month but not looking good at present.
My much earlier post in this thread0remains acurate sadly

 

[gnolife]

I'm hoping to finish up the North West and West Yorkshire areas, including
Stockport - Guide Bridge (None)
Mossley - Huddersfield (Done)
Huddersfield - Mirfield (Done)
Bolton - Clitheroe (Done between Bolton and Blackburn)
Wigan - Kirkby (Done)
Preston - Liverpool (Done between Liverpool and Thatto Heath)
Colne - Blackpool South (Done between Brierfield and Burnley Central)
Accrington - Hebden Bridge (Done between Manchester Road and Hebden Bridge)
Helsby - Ellesmere Port (Not done)
Bidston - Wrexham Central (Done between Bidston and Shotton)
Merseyrail (Done, except for the Ellesmere Port branch, and the Chester branch between Bache and Hooton)
Marple - Chinley (Done)

I'm putting what I actually managed in the quote

 

[Blindtraveler]

that reminds me, completed the entire blackpool tramway including the turning løps and got blackpool south to preston too! Best of all it was on a 142 very happy

 

[33056]

Looking back at my previous post on this subject, the tour of Latvia did what it said on the tin which leaves one piece of passenger track still to do, don't know whether I could be bothered to go back and do it but it should be easy enough to get. The border crossings to Belarus are more of a problem though....

Made a bit of a dent in our required Swiss track back in the summer but it will need at least another two visits to clear.

The 2kms of Austrian track was also done so we only need a couple of "preserved" lines and some border crossings to complete the country (excluding a few freight-only lines), but then there will be the new bits of the "Westbahn" to do shortly.

 

[TheJRB]

Looking back at my main list I've not done too badly:

• East London Line (the stretch from Canonbury to New Cross Gate) Done (to New Cross)
• Chiltern Main Line (north of West Ruislip) Done
• The northern branches of the Northern Line Yet to do
• North Downs Line Done
• Most of the main lines out of London A bit too general to say
• Branches of the GWML (apart from Greenford which I did the other week) Yet to do

In total the new track I've covered this year (please excuse the long list!):

London & South

• Highbury & Islington to New Cross
• Barnes to New Kew Junction
• New Kew Junction to Cricklewood via South Acton Junction and the Dudding Hill line
• Carlton Road Junction to Blackhorse Road
• Woodgrange Park Junction to Forest Gate Junction
• Bow Junction to Gas Factory Junction
• Barking to Shoeburyness via Dagenham Dock
• Pitsea to Barking via Laindon
• Clapham Junction to Crystal Palace
• Brighton to Portsmouth & Southsea
• Barnham to Bognor Regis
• Ford to Littlehampton
• Ford to Three Bridges via Horsham
• Redhill to Lewes via Plumpton
• Blackfriars to Tulse Hill
• Tulse Hill Junction to Wimbledon via Tooting and also via Mitcham Junction
• Wimbledon to Twickenham Junction
• Clapham Junction to Bracknell
• London Bridge to St Pancras Low Level
• Redhill to Reading via Dorking Deepdene and Guildford
• Reading to Paddington
• Loughborough Junction to Cambria Junction
• Otford to Sevenoaks via Bat & Ball
• New Malden Junction to Hampton Court
• Hastings to Tonbridge
• Petts Wood Junction to Bickley Junction via both routes
• Dover Priory to Rochester via Canterbury East and Faversham
• Sittingbourne Eastern Junction to Sheerness-on-Sea
• Factory Junction to Battersea Park

London Underground

• Baker Street to Paddington (H&C)
• Paddington (Circle) to High Street Kensington
• Euston to London Bridge (Northern)
• King's Cross St Pancras to Acton Town (Piccadilly)
• Baker Street Junction to Baker Street
• Harrow-on-the-Hill to Amersham
• Harrow-on-the-Hill to Uxbridge
• Watford South Junction to Watford
• Watford East Junction to Watford North Junction via North Curve
• Chalfont & Latimer to Chesham

London & West Midlands/North West

• Wembley Central to Birmingham New Street (not via Watford High Street)
• Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey
• Bletchley to Bedford
• Birmingham New Street to Walsall (via Aston and also via Perry Barr West Junction)
• Birmingham New Street to Worcester Foregate Street via Bromsgrove direct
• Worcester Foregate Street to London Marylebone via Kidderminster and Leamington Spa
• Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town
• Birmingham New Street to Stafford via Smethwick Galton Bridge
• Rugby to Crewe via Stafford direct
• Lichfield Trent Valley (High Level) to Aston North Junction
• Rugby to Hanslope Junction (Northampton loop)
• Barnt Green to Redditch
• Crewe to Chester

London & East Anglia

• Norwich to Hitchin via Ely and Cambridge
• Ipswich to Norwich
• Ipswich to Felixstowe

London & East Midlands/North East

• King's Cross to Doncaster
• Nottingham to Burton-on-Trent via Derby
• St Pancras to Nottingham

 

[172212]

Shrewsbury to Crewe hopefully, using the 2 hour stopper service

 

[Techniquest]

As for track I want to do in 2012, there's still quite a lot I need to do despite covering a lot this year. I won't list all the new bits I've done this year, as that might take quite a while, but some of the bits I will be laying down some serious effort for are as below.

Mainline:

Cumbrian Coast line
Windermere branch
Heysham Port
Blackpool South branch
Southminster branch (it was closed during my ALR for platform/loop extension works, otherwise I'd have done it whilst down that way)
Norwich to Great Yarmouth via Acle
Norwich to Sheringham
Nottingham to Worksop
Netherfield Junction to Newark Flat Crossing East Junction
Various amounts in Yorkshire

No doubt I'm missing quite a bit there, but that's most of the big gaps on my map.

All of the above done Just a few bits of PSUL stuff to do when I can be bothered.

Preservation:

Nene Valley Railway
North Norfolk Railway
East Lancashire Railway
Bodmin and Wenford Railway
Swanage Railway
Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
Keith and Dufftown Railway
Strathspey Railway
More of the narrow guage lines in Wales

Plenty of others I still need, but they're the biggest ones I'm going to try for.

Only one of those I managed to do in the end was the East Lancashire Railway, as I've been too busy enjoying a normal social life in the meantime!