Hello all!
I completed my first ALR between 28 July - 3 August this summer and have only just finished the trip report! Enjoy
Monday 28 July: Day 1
I was up really early today in preparation for my first day of a very much anticipated week-long All-Line Rover. The only part of the morning that I wasnt looking forward to was the 5.15am alarm call! Quick shower and a round of beans on toast and I was away from the house 45 minutes later. I was lobbed out at Darlington Railway Station for my first train south. My aim for the day was to get down to South Wales and get cracking on the Valley Lines in the area. The day started well with First Transpennine Express 185128 arrived exactly on time. I was whisked south through York and Leeds and onto Huddersfield. In spotting terms, an excellent start was made as required-for-sight 66623 Bill Bolsover was present in York Yard North (not many to go now!) and 43049 on Neville Hill T&RSMD. The rest of the journey through Yorkshire was uneventful and I arrived at Huddersfield exactly on time. Once over, every FTPE train from Newcastle travelled through to Manchester Piccadilly/Airport but now the majority run through to Liverpool Lime Street via an alternative route. This results in a change at York, Leeds or Huddersfield. I stood around at Huddersfield for a short while hoping for some 170s for the onward trip to Manchester. Dud 185129 produced and I continued on through to Manchester Piccadilly. A half hour wait ensued and a large coffee was very much required from the Costa on the station. To avoid a longer wait for the ATW service through to Cardiff, I opted to leap to Stockport in order to (probably) bag a Pendolino without affecting my plans. 390008 carried me south on the short journey to Stockport and 08451/08611 were bagged for sight at Longsight on the way. I havent travelled the route down to Crewe for a good few years, hence the reason for the required gronks. I had a short interlude at Stockport prior to my first long journey of the week through to the Welsh capital. The unit was a guaranteed winner as it would be my first 175 for haulage 175102 did the honours. The first required track of the week started after Crewe on the Marches route through Shrewsbury and Hereford to Newport and Cardiff. A celebratory biscuit of some sort was consumed shortly after departure from Crewe as required-for-sight 66305 was present on Crewe Gresty Bridge DRS depot. This put me on 13 UK-based required for all time. There was a 68 or two present on shed but they were too far from the train to be positively identified. The only thing worthy of note en route to Newport and the GWML was that, upon arrival in Abergavenny, I had officially arrived in Wales for the very first time. There were one or two sheds present at Alexendra Dock Jn but not much else before arrival in the capital. Cardiff was a mass of FGW HSTs, 150s and 158s and units of various types from the ATW stable. Almost everything that I was noting down at this point was required due to the lack of previous visits to the area! My main aim for the rest of the day was to get as much track done as possible and this commenced immediately. 153353 whisked me up the hill through Cardiff Queen Street and down the short branch to Coryton. Next on the list was the alternative route to Radyr via Ninian Park and Danescourt. The trip from Coryton to Radyr and back to Queen Street allowed speedy coverage of multiple routes in both directions (a rule of mine). Colas Rail was well represented at Cardiff Canton Depot with 56087, 60087 and 70807 all present. 153353 powered me along for the third time back to Queen Street where I disembarked and set off aboard 150240 for the Valleys. Merthyr Tydfil was first on the shopping list and this was duly scratched before returning down the line to Abercynon. I had a short wait in the scorching sun in lovely surroundings before 150229 spoilt it. I suppose it did help in clearing the Aberdare branch! I had a look at the line continuing on up the valley to Tower Colliery before rejoining 150229 for the trip to Treforest. I could have jumped off at Pontypridd but the extra mileage and the shorter wait was favoured. Pacer pair 143616 and 142083 trundled in and, rather noisily, dragged me up the last line on this route to Treherbert and back down to Cardiff Queen Street. I did notice some of the madder place names on this route; have they never heard of vowels! Ynyswen, Llwynypia and Penrhiwceiber were particular favourites! Branch line number 4 of the day was the short Cardiff Bay line which was covered in 10 minutes aboard 153320. A quick unit scratch/fill-in move to Heath High Level aboard 143606 before returning to Cardiff Central on 143608. The latter continued through to Penarth with me on board but the addition of 150278 at Cardiff Central was a welcome surprise. After grazing all day on breakfast biscuits and other assorted rubbish, I was desperate for some proper food and so the presence of M&S at Cardiff Central was most welcome and some provisions were duly sourced. 175005 presented itself on a fill-in move to Newport. There were no locos of note at Wentloog Container Terminal or Alexandra Dock Jn but I suspect this was because I was concentrating on cleaning up the entire litre of milkshake which had decided it didnt like the bottle it was in but had concluded that the entire table in front of me looked much better. I bumped into a mate at Newport which passed the 40 minute wait quite nicely before continuing on my journey. One thing I had noticed on my fleeting visit to Wales was the irritating announcements. Everything is done in Welsh and English meaning all announcements take twice as long. Also not good if youre in a rush and youve got to suffer through some unintelligible rubbish before getting the information you wanted. It also means the bloke on the microphone is droning away continuously due to the amount of pointless safety messages that they read these days. Anyway, 43181 and 43012 arrived to take me onto Swindon where I had to change for Reading. Bearing in mind First Great Western operates nearly 150 power cars and Id only had 4, it was just my luck that dud 43012 turned out on my first HST bash of the week Seeing as it was half 10 and very dark, I didnt see anything interesting on the way to Swindon. It was rather cold at Swindon so it was rather fortuitous that my connecting train for Reading arrived some 20 minutes early! The downside of this was that we festered for the 20 minutes to make up time but at least it was somewhere warm where I could give my phone a charge. The half hour journey aboard 43031 and 43034 (double winners) produced 08888 and 66150 at Didcot (both dud) as the train rolled past. I had well over an hour to kill unfortunately and continuing to London Paddington left too tight of a connection onto the sleeper. Before my next quick fill-in move, I had a good look around the new-look Reading station and I have to say I was impressed by the job done and the civil engineering going on west of the station! I scooped a tad more track and my first 166s for sight and haulage with a quickfire return to Wokingham aboard 166208 and 166211 respectively. This trip was also my first foray onto Southern metals although I obviously didnt make much of a dent in it! The trip was relatively uninteresting and I arrived back into Reading a tad after midnight.
Winners for Sight: 16
Winners for Haulage: 17
New Route mileage: 300mi 39ch
Total Mileage: 527mi 20ch
Tuesday 29 July: Day 2
Midnight becomes a bit of a technicality over the next few days as, during the week, Ill actually be on the train overnight on various sleepers. This particular morning I was set to be on the 1C99 Night Riviera service down to Penzance. 57605 got the honours as I got on my very first sleeper. Ill have to wait to experience the actual beds as Im on the cushions for the week to save money. Perhaps this first experience may come when Serco and GBRf take over the Caledonian Sleeper? I found my seat at the very front of the train practically in the back cab of the 57 and settled down for the evening. I listened to the 57 power away on load 7 and get on with its trip west. Lucky Ill be asleep as I wouldnt fancy looking at the delights of Exeter St Davids for an hour in the middle of the night! I had someone sat opposite me with a table in between and I was rather uncomfortable. It would have been slightly more tolerable in a 2 seat table arrangement rather than 1 seat as I ended up being kicked on multiple occasions I think a variety of factors kept me awake through Westbury and Taunton, namely: stifling heat, very upright seats, lack of legroom and a particularly annoying wheelflat. I managed to fall asleep somewhere around 2am but I timed my waking up to absolute perfection at 5.45am. I woke and was immediately dazzled by something or other out the window. Upon rising out of my slumber a bit more, I realised it was the rather excellent sunrise over the River Tamar as I passed over the Royal Albert Bridge for the first time! After that excellent start, I looked forward to the rest of the day. I snoozed for a short while afterwards but I was fully awake upon departure from Truro. I grabbed a much-required coffee to wake myself up but nothing works better than a window bash at 7.30am between St Erth and Penzance! Despite the fact that it had been dry for some time and its nowhere near leaf fall season, 57605 seemed to struggle enormously with adhesion load 7 on the 1-in-67 out of the station. I was expecting it to have a go on the gradient out of the station but certainly not that kind of performance! After arrival at Penzance, I took the obligatory shots under the roof before heading into town in search of breakfast. I had quite fancied a coffee and something from Costa/Starbucks/Café Nero etc but I sort of forgot it was still before 8am so nowhere was open! I had to make do with some pastries and a coke from the co-op I found. I remembered the streets of Penzance easily despite the fact I hadnt been there since I was about 8! I made my way back to the station (via the harbour road) munching on breakfast as I went and I was there in plenty of time for the first train of the day. After a bit of a delay actually getting the doors open, I boarded for St Erth with winning pair 43063 and 43133 in charge. I crossed platforms at St Erth for the St Ives train but the ample connection time allow me to grab a coffee (much needed after last nights terrible sleep) and a sandwich for lunch later. The café was very nice and there was a rather enormous picture of D1015 and 40145 on the East Lancs Champion at Carbis Bay above the serving hatch! The double winning pair of 150265 + 150244 arrived behind me in the mainline platforms rather than the bay platform. This meant the mainline connection onto the branch had been cleared and wouldnt result in a return to clear it. The line itself was exceptionally scenic but the weather was a little off at that time of day so I couldnt appreciate the views at their full potential unfortunately. I had originally planned to jump on the next voyager along to Camborne and then leap for the FGW HST behind it but in the end I opted for another copy and a nice wait in the sun for the infinitely more comfortable HST a short while later. I watched the next St Ives branch shuttle depart (from the bay platform Id arrived in) before double winners 43092 and 43187 arrived. The wait for the Falmouth Docks train would have been nice had some Network Rail workers not been continuously braying the hell out of the station canopies! I boarded winning 150101 down the branch to Falmouth and back up to Truro. The viaducts en route were particularly impressive but the EU-funded loop at Penryn just confused me, whats wrong with a bog standard loop and two platforms? After another short wait at Truro I jumped on winning 150247 and dud 153368, the latter being my first dud unit of the day. I stayed on these units as far as Liskeard for the last branch of the day down to Looe. The Looe branch itself was covered aboard winning 150104 and the leisurely pace which allowed me to appreciate some of the odder aspects of the line. The crew-operated ground frame at Coombe Junction and the perpendicular platform at Liskeard spring to mind! I was also reminded of the Kyle of Lochalsh line in a way when tootling along the estuary down to Looe. The only downside to this journey was that it didnt cover the short section along to Coombe Junction Halt but I suppose it provides an excuse to come back! I was going to do the Gunnislake branch today as well but it involved some exceptionally risky connections in both Plymouth and London so I managed to squeeze it into a more suitable slot on Saturday. Now, on departure from Liskeard, I begin my most anticipated voyage of the week: the south west to far north in 36 hours or so. First off was 150106 and 153325 (double winner) as far as Newton Abbot where the train terminated. Of spotting note en route was retro gronk 08644, FGW-liveried 08645 and a cab-less HST on Plymouth Laira along with some form of tea-making device at the South Devon Railways Totnes terminus. The late-running Mayflower HST service allowed me to scratch both 43036 and 43093 instead of some XC mega-dudness through to Exeter St Davids. I paid for this with an hours fester at Exeter but a set of plugs in the waiting room made up for it. A handful of units and HSTs were noted on local and long distance workings. Next up was a blast along the rest of the GWML to its terminus at London Paddington. 4464 Bittern was noted at Southall and required 08483 at Old Oak Common during the 2 hour journey to the capital. I was rather disappointed to sail past Westbury on the avoider as I knew that there was a required 66 and some Colas-Railfreight 70s lurking in the yard there. Upon arrival into Paddington, it took a minute or two to get my bearings as I expected to head towards the bufferstops but the underground route I needed (Circle) happened to be the other way! I joined my clockwise Circle line service to Kings Cross St Pancras where I knew I could stock up on some decent provisions. M&S was once again the port of call for some nosh and I looked forward to the selection of food Id bought. I hadnt spent much during the day so a 20 quid food spend seemed justified for one meal. I still had 45-50 minutes before the northbound Fort William/Inverness/Aberdeen sleeper set off. I opted to walk down the road via a look into St Pancras and onto Euston. 10 or so minutes were spent grabbing shots of thunderbird 57302 and, parked adjacent to it, sleeper ECS loco 90029. I found my seat for the night about half way down the platform and dumped by bags before wondering up the train to find out what was on the front. 90028 was good for sight and haulage so that was a good result; especially the latter as this was set to be my first skoda for haulage! I had two seats to myself so at least it looked as if Id get a better nights sleep than yesterday. I started on the vast amount of food Id bought and got on with updating the books from Monday and today. I have to say I was astounded by the speed at which the 90 powered up and over the Camden Incline with 18 trailing bogies from a standing start. Wembley and Willesden shot past the window in no time but at least I managed to spy required 86401 and 90041. I sat and read for a good while until the train had arrived at Crewe. 37610 was noted moving and around the station and a few unidentified and brand new London Midland 350s were around Crewe LNWR. I dont remember passing Warrington so I assume I fell asleep very soon after departing Crewe.
Winners for Sight: 23
Winners for Haulage: 17
New Route Mileage: 488mi 15ch
Total Mileage: 784mi 71ch
Wednesday 30 July: Day 3
I enjoyed my sleep across the seats for a good while and I was woken up upon arrival in Dundee by the bloke across from me getting off. An excellently-priced breakfast had been purchased the evening before. A croissant, some fruit, a bottle of orange and a massive coffee for 4 quid was most welcome at about 5am. I finished off the newly-delivered food and the rest of last nights tea before departure from Arbroath. The caffeine helped but, as always, a good window bash behind my new hauling locomotive 67016 helped enormously. The skip was required and that means Im a third of the way through them! Despite the fact that there was 12 hours between getting off the northbound Euston-Aberdeen sleeper and getting on the southbound Inverness-Euston, I only had a paltry 4 moves pencilled in for the day. No time for coffee here as, once shots of the 67 were taken, I was off over the bridge for the turbostar north. Dud 170424 took me up to Inverurie on a fill-in move and, after a fruitless plug search in the waiting room there, I resigned myself to the fact that it was unlikely that my phone was going to get a charge until Thursday morning at the earliest as none of my trains since yesterdays Exeter St Davids Paddington HST had plug sockets on. My portable charger was out and my phone on 33% so I dont think theres much chance of getting through the rest of the day! After a half hour fester in the waiting room, I boarded winning 158722 for the long journey around the north-east of Scotland through Insch and Elgin to the highland capital of Inverness. It would have been perhaps a better idea to go straight up the Highland Mainline to Inverness on the sleeper (would have had a dud skip however) and onto the Far North but the opportunity to finally get the northbound line from Dundee through Aberdeen and onto Inverness was too good to miss. This pesky bit of track was really pleasing to finally scratch off. A quick rush across platforms on one of my riskier connections onto the Thurso/Wick train formed of 158711. I was hoping for a pair for the extra winners and mileage but it wasnt to be unfortunately. A winning unit and around 150 miles of new track sounded good to me along with some classic Scottish scenery for entertainment. After my initial disappointment of the lack of class 68 on Inverness Needlefield Depot, I spotted it after departure hiding on the fuelling road on Inverness Depot itself. 68005 therefore became my first of the brand-new 68 class for sight. Apart from the driving rain during the obligatory photo shoot in Thurso, the weather stayed dry everywhere else for most of the day. The nuclear loading facility at Georgemas Junction looked particularly out of place on this line as did the collection of 12t vent vans, Mk1/2 coaches and Ruston shunters at Rogart station. I thought an hour and a quarter at Wick before the return train would be an ideal time for a decent leg stretch and to find some decent food for tea and perhaps something for snacking on later on. Perhaps a look at the worlds shortest street wouldnt be out of the question? The latter was easy enough as it was just round the corner from the station but finding the food was difficult. I soon realised that Wick was a complete dump with nothing worthwhile in it. The only big name place I found was a closed Wetherspoons and even it had been open I didnt have time to sit down and eat. So, tiny corner shop it was! I ended up with a meal of a 2 litre bottle of coke, a tube of BBQ Pringles and a Milkybar as apparently; the shop didnt stock sandwiches any more Looks like Ill have to be economical with the food then as I dont think Ill be getting anything until tomorrow now. The return journey was overcast and quiet down to Dunrobin Castle so I caught up on some sleep in the meantime. The closed shops in Inverness and the very dud 67022 on the sleeper only added to the general disappointment of the latter part of the day. I reflected that in 3 days I hadnt been delayed significantly at any point or bowled in any way. Obviously thinking this would put paid to tomorrow After getting on the sleeper, I asked the guard if he could wake me up upon arrival into Preston at 4.30am tomorrow. He said hed pass on the request to the Perth-Edinburgh guard and then the Edinburgh-Preston guard. This didnt fill me full of confidence so I fully expected to wake up a lot further south than I hoped! I suppose Ill have to wait and see. One thing for sure was that I was knackered after only three days and this showed by the fact that I was asleep before the train reached Tomatin.
Winners for Sight: 1
Winners for Haulage: 3
New Route Mileage: 207mi 34ch
Total Mileage: 976mi 04ch
Thursday 31 July: Day 4
Success! The guard had received the third-hand message and I was up and onto Preston platform within 30 seconds. Luckily I had all my possesions to hand and so at least everything looked good for the day. Unfortunately, very recently dud 90028 was at the head of the train so no required can from last night. I spent a delightful 50 minutes on Preston station from 4.30am watching absolutely nothing go past with a very, very dead phone for entertainment. To add to my misery, it was surprisingly cold on the station and I was in shorts. I took a chance on the weather and the long periods indoors and so only brought a small jacket and a few pairs of shorts with me in the bags. Mega dud 156484 and winning 142056 formed the 0519 service through to Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast route. I wanted to squeeze in this last, pesky section of the line from Carnforth which had been bugging me for ages. Its one of the last big bits of track I need in the north of England so only small branches here and there left to get. Upon arrival into Barrow-in-Furness Id finally done it! Another bonus was the operational plug socket I found in the waiting room at Barrow so I spent a good half hour giving my phone a charge prior to heading back to Lancaster. The return to Lancaster was aboard mega, mega dud 156469 which can usually be found around where I live in Darlington. Id neglected to notice WCRCs depot at Carnforth on the way out to Barrow as Id been busy being asleep but a variety of classic traction was noted around the depot. Classes 08/33/37/47/57 and various tea-making devices and coaching stock was noted in the yard and on shed. Shortly after arrival, 66433 trundled past on a liner heading south and various units came and went. A particular bonus at Lancaster was the Costa on the station where I bought the biggest, strongest coffee I could buy and as much food as I could fit in my bag. Needless to say this cost quite a bit but, I was rejuvenated and no longer desperately hungry. I had originally planned to do a quick return to Oxenholme and then make my way north to Carlisle. Instead, I headed straight to Carlisle for maximum mobile charge time and did a quick return to Penrith to pass the time. My journey north to Carlisle aboard winning pair 350401 and 350373 (the latter being a brand new unit hired from London Midland to meet the demands brought about by the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow) and spent an hour or so updating the notes and books. The run to Carlisle was without interest but I was pleasantly surprised to DRS thunderbird 57304 on the back roads. I know they are stationed there occasionally but its the first time Ive seen one here since their Virgin days! The return to Penrith produced winning 390157 on the outward journey and 390136 on the return plus the photography opportunities with 92002 on a northbound liner. A convoy of locos flashed past in the Tebay area and a quick internet check showed 60010, 66151 and 66206 en route to Crewe from Carlisle Yards. I had a short connection onto the Glasgow train and so I didnt have time to photograph DRS 57008 and 57009. I was slightly irritated by this as they had the Keyham flask escort coaches in tow and I hadnt had the chance to catch them previously. 156434 was a good result on the 1115 to Glasgow as I dont need many ScotRail 156s for haulage now. Taking the long route to Glasgow also allowed me to finally scratch in the northbound line of the G&SW through Dumfries, 7 years or so after the southbound bash. A variety of heritage and modern locos were viewed on DRS Carlisle Kingmoor base and 56105 was also present in the New Yard. I also spied a Freightliner 66 ending in a 5 towards the back of the yard. Some detective work on the phone concluded that it was 955 I had seen, my last /9 for sight. I had a bit of a snooze on the way north but awoke to general chaos and heavy congestion outside Glasgow Central. The half hour delay meant I had missed my connection to the Paisley Canal train. This little line is really starting to annoy me now as I have been bowled on each of the three separate occasions I have attempted to clear it! I decided to use the missed attempt to go find food before picking up the plan where I left off. I then twigged that I would have just about enough time to catch the end of the Mens Individual Time Trial event. This event would be part of the Commonwealth Games taking place in Glasgow. Being an avid cyclist, this was too good an opportunity to miss! The maps I found on the Games website were a bit misleading so I just arrived at the start area in time to see David Millar (the last man to go ) set off from the gate. At least I saw it! My getting lost meant I had to forego my sit-down lunch in order to make the Largs train. I managed to grab a drink from the station as I had five minutes to spare and was disappointed to see that dud 380106 was waiting for me. 156496 trundled past as we departed which was immensely pleasing for me as it was my last SCR DMU for sight! Plenty of EMUs left to get though. One or two sheds noted at Hunterston before returning down the branch to Glengarnock. I then headed back to Kilwinning. The 380 arrived into the Ayr-bound platforms which, in my overly tired state, I assumed were the only platforms and the junction was further west. I remained on those platforms and was rather put out to see my train arrive into the platforms I hadnt seen before No one to blame but myself as I was well and truly bowled out. I could have skipped Ardrossan Harbour and caught the plan up for Gourock and Wemyss Bay but I gave the day up as a bad lot and completely re-planned. Required 67017 had been on the Fife Circle loco-hauled for a few days so I decided to head to Edinburgh via the required Airdrie-Bathgate line and then head south to Preston for the northbound sleeper. I rebooked my seat up to Perth from Preston which would allow me to catch 67017 the next day. I caught winning pair 334034 and 334014 from Glasgow Queen Street Low Level (after fighting my way through the very busy city centre from Central) to Haymarket before making the insect leap to Edinburgh aboard a second winning pair of 158735/158740. I grabbed some tea from M&S before boarding dud 350404 south to Wigan (equally dud 350373 joined it at Carlisle) before catching winning 390121 back to Preston. My waiting at Wigan produced 57308 on a Pendolino drag and (winning for sight) 90044/90043 on a southbound liner. 325008 and 92019 were also noted at Preston before midnight came around.
Winners for Sight: 4
Winners for Haulage: 10
New Route Mileage: 109mi 10ch
Total Mileage: 902mi 44ch
Friday 1 August: Day 5
After a bit of a fester with the various strange specimens that inhabited the station at night, I got on the northbound sleeper in the very rear coach. The good news was that required 90029 was leading but the bad news was that lights were already out and it was a bit awkward climbing over various bags (and people!) on the floor to get to my seat at the back. The train was very busy and so no chance of getting two seats to lie across for the night and I had to wake up a very large (and now very tired and disgruntled) chap who blocked the way to my seat! I went to sleep pretty quickly and woke up shortly after leaving Stirling with dud 67022 at the helm. This change in sleeper plans also meant a completed bit of northbound track between Stirling and Perth. A bit of fortuitous luck meant that I missed my intended connection. Not as bad as it sounds as the original train involved a run back south to Kirkcaldy and then a short run around the southern Thornton spur to Cardenden. The next train took the direct and very much required north Thornton chord to Cardenden. Required pair 170420 and 158716 were in charge. I was glad Id got this in without realising as a railtour Id been on in 2010 (Spitfire Railtours Royal Scots Tay) had missed the chord and reversed at Thornton South Jn in order to miss out a planned run-round at Dundee. A wait in the cold at Cardenden finally produced winning for sight and haulage 67017 on the 2K18 to Edinburgh. Irritatingly, 67011 still avoids me! I then boarded 170432/170477 to Haymarket as a fill-in move prior to taking 334006/334021 all the way through to Helensburgh Central. This had the double bonus of the westbound Airdrie-Bathgate line as well as the line through Yoker and the Helensburgh spur. A run back to Dalreoch involved the same Juniper pair before 320314/320309 (first class haulages) up the branch to Balloch. A run to Hyndland with 334030/334038 met the northbound 334033 up to Milngavie. I returned to Anniesland then took the branch round to Glasgow Queen Street and back. Again, another quick double track whammy with the Anniesland branch and the west-south Cowlairs spur being cleared. The only tiny bit of track I need north of the Clyde is the tiny bit of line between Cowlairs north and south left. I return to Anniesland aboard 158735 and (winning) 158741 allowed me to leap for winning pair 318270/320304 back to Hyndland for 320312 to Glasgow Queen Street. I wondered across Glasgow via some nosh at McDonalds to Central for my next train. Id hoped to break out the laptop on the journey to Kilmarnock but the train was absolutely rammed and I had to settle for a rather sardine-like spot against the door of 156494 with just about enough space to break out the Kindle for entertainment. A saunter over the platforms at Kilmarnock allowed me to board 156511 (required) and 156432 (dud) for the train through to Stranraer via the Kilmarnock-Troon line. I found the Stranraer line very scenic and it was one of the journeys I enjoyed most throughout my week away. It seemed such a shame that Stranraer was the destination! The units returned north to Glasgow via Irvine where I leapt for some tea. Nothing of any interest was noted on the way north. After a flying visit to McDonalds down the road from Central, I rushed across to Queen Street in order to make the train to Edinburgh. I neednt have rushed as the immense crowds associated with the Commonwealth Games meant that the train was well and truly rammed. Id arrived early and was one of the first through the barriers and onto the train so I settled down with the food and the Kindle for the next hour or so. The train inexplicably lost 15 minutes upon arrival into Edinburgh. Bearing in mind that there were no trains immediately ahead of it and we left all the intermediate stations relatively quickly, there must have been some rather slow driving involved! My times in Scotland for the week were about to come to the end and Im pleased with how things have gone. I missed a few branches in the Glasgow area but I got some really big chunks of track such as Stranraer, Thurso/Wick and NB Aberdeen lines. The clearance of the pesky Stirling-Perth line means Ive done 99% of the passenger track (fully in both directions) north of the River Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Anyway, now to head south and polish off Cornwall! Required 90039 was at the head of the 1C11 sleeper across to Carstairs where the service joined with the 1M11 from Glasgow. Much to my extreme irritation, 90028 arrived with the 1M11 to take the train south to London. The journey south finished off the WCML for track and almost took 90028 to 1000mi of haulage in a week! A good day all round.
Winners for Sight: 1
Winners for Haulage: 18
New Route Mileage: 120mi 04ch
Total Mileage: 696mi 54ch
Saturday 2 August: Day 6
The downside of the journey south with 90028 was that the train was full and I had to sit next to someone from Edinburgh. I had a relatively uncomfortable night as Id kind of got used to being able to lie across the two seats for the night. I woke up somewhere around Watford Junction just before my new friend disembarked. I noted the same electrics as were present on Tuesday but no interesting or required locos on Willesden/Wembley. I left Euston itself and walked across to Euston Square underground for the tube across to Paddington. I had initially been wary of the short-ish connection across London onto the 0736 ex-Paddington but the 24E arrival into Euston was a great help! I grabbed a coffee and a sandwich at Costa on Paddington station and spent 15 minutes or so photographing 57305 on the London end of the recently-arrived Night Riviera and the more interesting 08836 on the Old Oak Common end. I was a little put out to see 43009 and 43098 on the Newquay train which I had planned to take through to Plymouth. More individual mileage for the power cars I suppose! Everything went to plan and the long journey through to Newton Abbot provided ample opportunity to get everything recharged and ready for the rest of the day. It was on the approach to Totnes that everything started to go pear-shaped! The failure of a unit of some kind in Totnes station meant arrival into Plymouth came about half an hour behind schedule. Id well and truly missed the connection onto the Gunnislake train (bowled for the second time here) so I opted to continue on and scratch off the Newquay branch first. The journey through to Par was relatively nondescript but the curve passing St Blazey yard allowed me to grab some shots of 66176 on the yard and long-term resident 60096 at the back of the yard. I enjoyed the window hang along the branch and I was impressed by the grades of Luxulyan bank but even more impressed by the stunning bacon baguette I bought on the train! Oh my God it was amazing and the coffee complemented it perfectly. Towards the end of the journey I spent some time catching up on some notes but disaster struck when my red pen ran out! The late running of the train put my lunchtime Tesco move at Newquay in jeopardy but some swift feet meant I was in and out with coke, sandwich, paper and new red pen within five minutes. Once again 43009 and 43098 trundled back along the branch to Par where I decided to leap for the following unit. At least this would cut into the long fester at Plymouth prior to my third attempt at the Gunnislake branch. 150120 and 150131 (with a stuck door) were my units for the blast along the GWML to Plymouth. Whilst waiting, I worked out that it would be just about possible to do the 2C51 SO loco-hauled through to Bodmin where I could pick up the last service train through to Exeter and still get to my digs before 11pm. 150124 (required) was my unit up to Gunnislake. I enjoyed the journey and its various interesting aspects such as the run along the Tamar up to the superbly restored stations along the line such as Calstock with its array of railwayana and stock. I had around 40 minutes in Plymouth prior to the loco-hauled service west. A quick walk in what I thought was the general direction of the city centre produced a Tesco Metro hidden underneath a block of flats. I grabbed a few sandwiches and a pasta box along with a few bottles of coke. I arrived at the station with about 5 minutes to spare and leapt onto the day stock of the sleeper with required 57604 at the front. After the blast west over the Royal Albert Bridge with the bodysnatcher, I leapt at Bodmin Parkway for the wait for the unit south however I had some luck for a change I raced over the footbridge for the shots of the 57 at the same time as 150122 arrived on the 2P82 which was running nearly 40 minutes late. I then realised this made little or no difference as Id have to wait half an hour for my train to Exeter at Plymouth instead of Bodmin! After a dull fester, I boarded required 150239 for the final journey through to Exeter. The 150/2 makes a change from the masses of 150/1s that have been floating round for the past few days. The journey through to Exeter was in the dark and the service was due into Exeter St Davids shortly before half 10. This gave me half an hour to find my digs for the night. My main problem here was the fact that Im not 18 until 25 August so Travelodge/Holiday Inn/Premier Inn is out of the question here My original assumption was that I was blown on my plans for the final day but the owner of a hostel I found was perfectly happy to let me stay so that was sorted a few days in advance. Google maps was adamant that the walk to the hostel was 45 minutes (putting me past the latest check in time advertised) but I managed to speed walk it in about 35 minutes so I was there spot on 11pm.
Winners for Sight: 17
Winners for Haulage: 6
New Route Mileage: 35mi 32ch
Total Mileage: 863mi 32ch
Sunday 3 August: Day 7
The final day is upon me! Seems a shame but Ive had an amazing week. Id set my alarm for 7.45am but I woke up at 7am and used the spare time to sort my bag out and have a hugely required and appreciated shower. I left around 8am and made my way through the city centre to McDonalds for breakfast. The sausage and egg McMuffin went down an absolute treat and the latte was great. Only two stickers to go on the loyalty card! I chose to start my day from Exeter Central in order to scratch some SWT units prior to starting the day proper. The insect leap from Central to St Davids produced the winning pair of 159014 and 159003 for the run down the hill. Another coffee was needed from Pumpkin at St Davids prior to the first move of the day. The first run was the mega PSUL move across to Okehampton on the SuO service. Ive still got the actual preserved line to Meldon to do but Ive got the difficult bit out the way and half a plan for a Cornwall & Devon tour taking in the SDR, BWR, RHDR, DR etc etc. 153380 brought me back down the branch through Crediton and onto Exeter St Davids where my third coffee of the day was acquired. I had a decent nights sleep so I dont know why I need so much bloody caffeine! The train to Barnstaple was a bit of a wait so I decided on a fill-in move to Dawlish for a spot of unit scratching. 153318 and 150120 produced on the outward-bound run and 143603 and 143620 on the return 3 out of 4 was a good result. I noticed a lot of photographers around and about the station and on the footbridge west of the station. A cursory glance on the phone showed the Torbay Express was due through any minute. It was nice to see 5029 Nunney Castle blast through Dawlish on a sunny day and some nice shots were grabbed. I would have liked to have gone to Langstone Rock or Parsons Tunnel for the classic Dawlish shots but time was key and I was back in Exeter 20 minutes later. Timewarp over! Now for the last major bit of track in the area: the Barnstaple branch. The journey there and back took around two and a half hours and I was pleasantly surprised by the nice scenery along the line. 143618 was required for sight and haulage but 143619 was dud from a previous summer bash in the area. I know I said the scenery was great and the weather amazing but I still managed to fall asleep for most of the journey back to Exeter St Davids. There was nothing of any note in the Exeter area in the hour or so I had as a break on the station. I spent some money grabbing a late lunch, some reading material for the journey home and a super large coffee! The next 40 minutes were spent in the waiting room with the phone on charge for a while. One or two HST power cars were copped through the window as I updated my books before heading outside with the kit ready for the next train; the first in a series of journeys which would whisk me back to the north-east and home. 220019 and 220006 formed the 1E63 which would continue onto York. I had the misfortune to board Coach C where the air conditioning had been out of action, making the coach stiflingly hot. Id assumed the air conditioning on the whole unit was broken but when I finally gave up (upon passing Tiverton Parkway no less ), I realised it was pure bad luck in picking the knackered one! I passed through Bristol Temple Meads for the first time after a much fresher journey north. One or two units were copped in the area as were 47847 and 08516 at Bristol Barton Hill just north of the station. I continued on the short journey to Bristol Parkway before changing trains. I could have continued on the long, uncomfortable and very boring journey through to York, thence onto a train to Darlington and an early night. However the required westbound Bristol Newport line (with added and probably required HSTs) and northbound Newport Crewe line were too much to ignore. 43069 and 43128 whisked me along the GWML after a short sandwich break at Bristol Parkway. The original plan had been to wait 40 minutes or so before heading north through Hereford to Crewe. However, some fast dodging and serious sprinting meant I managed a -4 connection onto the previous ATW service to Manchester. 175007 was my unit for the journey north and I saw nothing of any interest on the journey to Manchester. This earlier arrival allowed some time to get some tea and another coffee and provided me with a much simpler connection at York (rather than an invalid and risky run post-midnight run from York). I grabbed a Burger King and boarded the mega dud 185119/185148 pairing for the Transpennine bash to Yorkshire. I used the journey through to York and the onward journey to my hometown of Darlington (behind 91129) to finish updating my books and notes before arriving home. I realised the next day that I had lost my Kindle which had kept me entertained for so many long hours during the week; rather like losing an old friend! After de-activating it through Amazon and reporting it lost to ATW, TPE and EC (couldnt remember where I lost it), I purchased a new one. Low and behold it turned up at home in the most random of places (in the wardrobe ?) on the day the new one arrived. Cue re-activation calls and return of new one. Only major drama of the week really! I have to say Ive had an amazing week and wont hesitate to book another next summer! Perhaps a fortnight with one or two days at home to break it up?
Winners for Sight: 8
Winners for Haulage: 10
New Route Mileage: 107mi 44ch
Total Mileage: 525mi 65ch
Total Winners for Sight: 70
Total Winners for Haulage: 81
Total New Route Mileage: 1368mi 18ch
Total Mileage: 5276mi 50ch
Cheers!
I completed my first ALR between 28 July - 3 August this summer and have only just finished the trip report! Enjoy
Monday 28 July: Day 1
I was up really early today in preparation for my first day of a very much anticipated week-long All-Line Rover. The only part of the morning that I wasnt looking forward to was the 5.15am alarm call! Quick shower and a round of beans on toast and I was away from the house 45 minutes later. I was lobbed out at Darlington Railway Station for my first train south. My aim for the day was to get down to South Wales and get cracking on the Valley Lines in the area. The day started well with First Transpennine Express 185128 arrived exactly on time. I was whisked south through York and Leeds and onto Huddersfield. In spotting terms, an excellent start was made as required-for-sight 66623 Bill Bolsover was present in York Yard North (not many to go now!) and 43049 on Neville Hill T&RSMD. The rest of the journey through Yorkshire was uneventful and I arrived at Huddersfield exactly on time. Once over, every FTPE train from Newcastle travelled through to Manchester Piccadilly/Airport but now the majority run through to Liverpool Lime Street via an alternative route. This results in a change at York, Leeds or Huddersfield. I stood around at Huddersfield for a short while hoping for some 170s for the onward trip to Manchester. Dud 185129 produced and I continued on through to Manchester Piccadilly. A half hour wait ensued and a large coffee was very much required from the Costa on the station. To avoid a longer wait for the ATW service through to Cardiff, I opted to leap to Stockport in order to (probably) bag a Pendolino without affecting my plans. 390008 carried me south on the short journey to Stockport and 08451/08611 were bagged for sight at Longsight on the way. I havent travelled the route down to Crewe for a good few years, hence the reason for the required gronks. I had a short interlude at Stockport prior to my first long journey of the week through to the Welsh capital. The unit was a guaranteed winner as it would be my first 175 for haulage 175102 did the honours. The first required track of the week started after Crewe on the Marches route through Shrewsbury and Hereford to Newport and Cardiff. A celebratory biscuit of some sort was consumed shortly after departure from Crewe as required-for-sight 66305 was present on Crewe Gresty Bridge DRS depot. This put me on 13 UK-based required for all time. There was a 68 or two present on shed but they were too far from the train to be positively identified. The only thing worthy of note en route to Newport and the GWML was that, upon arrival in Abergavenny, I had officially arrived in Wales for the very first time. There were one or two sheds present at Alexendra Dock Jn but not much else before arrival in the capital. Cardiff was a mass of FGW HSTs, 150s and 158s and units of various types from the ATW stable. Almost everything that I was noting down at this point was required due to the lack of previous visits to the area! My main aim for the rest of the day was to get as much track done as possible and this commenced immediately. 153353 whisked me up the hill through Cardiff Queen Street and down the short branch to Coryton. Next on the list was the alternative route to Radyr via Ninian Park and Danescourt. The trip from Coryton to Radyr and back to Queen Street allowed speedy coverage of multiple routes in both directions (a rule of mine). Colas Rail was well represented at Cardiff Canton Depot with 56087, 60087 and 70807 all present. 153353 powered me along for the third time back to Queen Street where I disembarked and set off aboard 150240 for the Valleys. Merthyr Tydfil was first on the shopping list and this was duly scratched before returning down the line to Abercynon. I had a short wait in the scorching sun in lovely surroundings before 150229 spoilt it. I suppose it did help in clearing the Aberdare branch! I had a look at the line continuing on up the valley to Tower Colliery before rejoining 150229 for the trip to Treforest. I could have jumped off at Pontypridd but the extra mileage and the shorter wait was favoured. Pacer pair 143616 and 142083 trundled in and, rather noisily, dragged me up the last line on this route to Treherbert and back down to Cardiff Queen Street. I did notice some of the madder place names on this route; have they never heard of vowels! Ynyswen, Llwynypia and Penrhiwceiber were particular favourites! Branch line number 4 of the day was the short Cardiff Bay line which was covered in 10 minutes aboard 153320. A quick unit scratch/fill-in move to Heath High Level aboard 143606 before returning to Cardiff Central on 143608. The latter continued through to Penarth with me on board but the addition of 150278 at Cardiff Central was a welcome surprise. After grazing all day on breakfast biscuits and other assorted rubbish, I was desperate for some proper food and so the presence of M&S at Cardiff Central was most welcome and some provisions were duly sourced. 175005 presented itself on a fill-in move to Newport. There were no locos of note at Wentloog Container Terminal or Alexandra Dock Jn but I suspect this was because I was concentrating on cleaning up the entire litre of milkshake which had decided it didnt like the bottle it was in but had concluded that the entire table in front of me looked much better. I bumped into a mate at Newport which passed the 40 minute wait quite nicely before continuing on my journey. One thing I had noticed on my fleeting visit to Wales was the irritating announcements. Everything is done in Welsh and English meaning all announcements take twice as long. Also not good if youre in a rush and youve got to suffer through some unintelligible rubbish before getting the information you wanted. It also means the bloke on the microphone is droning away continuously due to the amount of pointless safety messages that they read these days. Anyway, 43181 and 43012 arrived to take me onto Swindon where I had to change for Reading. Bearing in mind First Great Western operates nearly 150 power cars and Id only had 4, it was just my luck that dud 43012 turned out on my first HST bash of the week Seeing as it was half 10 and very dark, I didnt see anything interesting on the way to Swindon. It was rather cold at Swindon so it was rather fortuitous that my connecting train for Reading arrived some 20 minutes early! The downside of this was that we festered for the 20 minutes to make up time but at least it was somewhere warm where I could give my phone a charge. The half hour journey aboard 43031 and 43034 (double winners) produced 08888 and 66150 at Didcot (both dud) as the train rolled past. I had well over an hour to kill unfortunately and continuing to London Paddington left too tight of a connection onto the sleeper. Before my next quick fill-in move, I had a good look around the new-look Reading station and I have to say I was impressed by the job done and the civil engineering going on west of the station! I scooped a tad more track and my first 166s for sight and haulage with a quickfire return to Wokingham aboard 166208 and 166211 respectively. This trip was also my first foray onto Southern metals although I obviously didnt make much of a dent in it! The trip was relatively uninteresting and I arrived back into Reading a tad after midnight.
Winners for Sight: 16
Winners for Haulage: 17
New Route mileage: 300mi 39ch
Total Mileage: 527mi 20ch
Tuesday 29 July: Day 2
Midnight becomes a bit of a technicality over the next few days as, during the week, Ill actually be on the train overnight on various sleepers. This particular morning I was set to be on the 1C99 Night Riviera service down to Penzance. 57605 got the honours as I got on my very first sleeper. Ill have to wait to experience the actual beds as Im on the cushions for the week to save money. Perhaps this first experience may come when Serco and GBRf take over the Caledonian Sleeper? I found my seat at the very front of the train practically in the back cab of the 57 and settled down for the evening. I listened to the 57 power away on load 7 and get on with its trip west. Lucky Ill be asleep as I wouldnt fancy looking at the delights of Exeter St Davids for an hour in the middle of the night! I had someone sat opposite me with a table in between and I was rather uncomfortable. It would have been slightly more tolerable in a 2 seat table arrangement rather than 1 seat as I ended up being kicked on multiple occasions I think a variety of factors kept me awake through Westbury and Taunton, namely: stifling heat, very upright seats, lack of legroom and a particularly annoying wheelflat. I managed to fall asleep somewhere around 2am but I timed my waking up to absolute perfection at 5.45am. I woke and was immediately dazzled by something or other out the window. Upon rising out of my slumber a bit more, I realised it was the rather excellent sunrise over the River Tamar as I passed over the Royal Albert Bridge for the first time! After that excellent start, I looked forward to the rest of the day. I snoozed for a short while afterwards but I was fully awake upon departure from Truro. I grabbed a much-required coffee to wake myself up but nothing works better than a window bash at 7.30am between St Erth and Penzance! Despite the fact that it had been dry for some time and its nowhere near leaf fall season, 57605 seemed to struggle enormously with adhesion load 7 on the 1-in-67 out of the station. I was expecting it to have a go on the gradient out of the station but certainly not that kind of performance! After arrival at Penzance, I took the obligatory shots under the roof before heading into town in search of breakfast. I had quite fancied a coffee and something from Costa/Starbucks/Café Nero etc but I sort of forgot it was still before 8am so nowhere was open! I had to make do with some pastries and a coke from the co-op I found. I remembered the streets of Penzance easily despite the fact I hadnt been there since I was about 8! I made my way back to the station (via the harbour road) munching on breakfast as I went and I was there in plenty of time for the first train of the day. After a bit of a delay actually getting the doors open, I boarded for St Erth with winning pair 43063 and 43133 in charge. I crossed platforms at St Erth for the St Ives train but the ample connection time allow me to grab a coffee (much needed after last nights terrible sleep) and a sandwich for lunch later. The café was very nice and there was a rather enormous picture of D1015 and 40145 on the East Lancs Champion at Carbis Bay above the serving hatch! The double winning pair of 150265 + 150244 arrived behind me in the mainline platforms rather than the bay platform. This meant the mainline connection onto the branch had been cleared and wouldnt result in a return to clear it. The line itself was exceptionally scenic but the weather was a little off at that time of day so I couldnt appreciate the views at their full potential unfortunately. I had originally planned to jump on the next voyager along to Camborne and then leap for the FGW HST behind it but in the end I opted for another copy and a nice wait in the sun for the infinitely more comfortable HST a short while later. I watched the next St Ives branch shuttle depart (from the bay platform Id arrived in) before double winners 43092 and 43187 arrived. The wait for the Falmouth Docks train would have been nice had some Network Rail workers not been continuously braying the hell out of the station canopies! I boarded winning 150101 down the branch to Falmouth and back up to Truro. The viaducts en route were particularly impressive but the EU-funded loop at Penryn just confused me, whats wrong with a bog standard loop and two platforms? After another short wait at Truro I jumped on winning 150247 and dud 153368, the latter being my first dud unit of the day. I stayed on these units as far as Liskeard for the last branch of the day down to Looe. The Looe branch itself was covered aboard winning 150104 and the leisurely pace which allowed me to appreciate some of the odder aspects of the line. The crew-operated ground frame at Coombe Junction and the perpendicular platform at Liskeard spring to mind! I was also reminded of the Kyle of Lochalsh line in a way when tootling along the estuary down to Looe. The only downside to this journey was that it didnt cover the short section along to Coombe Junction Halt but I suppose it provides an excuse to come back! I was going to do the Gunnislake branch today as well but it involved some exceptionally risky connections in both Plymouth and London so I managed to squeeze it into a more suitable slot on Saturday. Now, on departure from Liskeard, I begin my most anticipated voyage of the week: the south west to far north in 36 hours or so. First off was 150106 and 153325 (double winner) as far as Newton Abbot where the train terminated. Of spotting note en route was retro gronk 08644, FGW-liveried 08645 and a cab-less HST on Plymouth Laira along with some form of tea-making device at the South Devon Railways Totnes terminus. The late-running Mayflower HST service allowed me to scratch both 43036 and 43093 instead of some XC mega-dudness through to Exeter St Davids. I paid for this with an hours fester at Exeter but a set of plugs in the waiting room made up for it. A handful of units and HSTs were noted on local and long distance workings. Next up was a blast along the rest of the GWML to its terminus at London Paddington. 4464 Bittern was noted at Southall and required 08483 at Old Oak Common during the 2 hour journey to the capital. I was rather disappointed to sail past Westbury on the avoider as I knew that there was a required 66 and some Colas-Railfreight 70s lurking in the yard there. Upon arrival into Paddington, it took a minute or two to get my bearings as I expected to head towards the bufferstops but the underground route I needed (Circle) happened to be the other way! I joined my clockwise Circle line service to Kings Cross St Pancras where I knew I could stock up on some decent provisions. M&S was once again the port of call for some nosh and I looked forward to the selection of food Id bought. I hadnt spent much during the day so a 20 quid food spend seemed justified for one meal. I still had 45-50 minutes before the northbound Fort William/Inverness/Aberdeen sleeper set off. I opted to walk down the road via a look into St Pancras and onto Euston. 10 or so minutes were spent grabbing shots of thunderbird 57302 and, parked adjacent to it, sleeper ECS loco 90029. I found my seat for the night about half way down the platform and dumped by bags before wondering up the train to find out what was on the front. 90028 was good for sight and haulage so that was a good result; especially the latter as this was set to be my first skoda for haulage! I had two seats to myself so at least it looked as if Id get a better nights sleep than yesterday. I started on the vast amount of food Id bought and got on with updating the books from Monday and today. I have to say I was astounded by the speed at which the 90 powered up and over the Camden Incline with 18 trailing bogies from a standing start. Wembley and Willesden shot past the window in no time but at least I managed to spy required 86401 and 90041. I sat and read for a good while until the train had arrived at Crewe. 37610 was noted moving and around the station and a few unidentified and brand new London Midland 350s were around Crewe LNWR. I dont remember passing Warrington so I assume I fell asleep very soon after departing Crewe.
Winners for Sight: 23
Winners for Haulage: 17
New Route Mileage: 488mi 15ch
Total Mileage: 784mi 71ch
Wednesday 30 July: Day 3
I enjoyed my sleep across the seats for a good while and I was woken up upon arrival in Dundee by the bloke across from me getting off. An excellently-priced breakfast had been purchased the evening before. A croissant, some fruit, a bottle of orange and a massive coffee for 4 quid was most welcome at about 5am. I finished off the newly-delivered food and the rest of last nights tea before departure from Arbroath. The caffeine helped but, as always, a good window bash behind my new hauling locomotive 67016 helped enormously. The skip was required and that means Im a third of the way through them! Despite the fact that there was 12 hours between getting off the northbound Euston-Aberdeen sleeper and getting on the southbound Inverness-Euston, I only had a paltry 4 moves pencilled in for the day. No time for coffee here as, once shots of the 67 were taken, I was off over the bridge for the turbostar north. Dud 170424 took me up to Inverurie on a fill-in move and, after a fruitless plug search in the waiting room there, I resigned myself to the fact that it was unlikely that my phone was going to get a charge until Thursday morning at the earliest as none of my trains since yesterdays Exeter St Davids Paddington HST had plug sockets on. My portable charger was out and my phone on 33% so I dont think theres much chance of getting through the rest of the day! After a half hour fester in the waiting room, I boarded winning 158722 for the long journey around the north-east of Scotland through Insch and Elgin to the highland capital of Inverness. It would have been perhaps a better idea to go straight up the Highland Mainline to Inverness on the sleeper (would have had a dud skip however) and onto the Far North but the opportunity to finally get the northbound line from Dundee through Aberdeen and onto Inverness was too good to miss. This pesky bit of track was really pleasing to finally scratch off. A quick rush across platforms on one of my riskier connections onto the Thurso/Wick train formed of 158711. I was hoping for a pair for the extra winners and mileage but it wasnt to be unfortunately. A winning unit and around 150 miles of new track sounded good to me along with some classic Scottish scenery for entertainment. After my initial disappointment of the lack of class 68 on Inverness Needlefield Depot, I spotted it after departure hiding on the fuelling road on Inverness Depot itself. 68005 therefore became my first of the brand-new 68 class for sight. Apart from the driving rain during the obligatory photo shoot in Thurso, the weather stayed dry everywhere else for most of the day. The nuclear loading facility at Georgemas Junction looked particularly out of place on this line as did the collection of 12t vent vans, Mk1/2 coaches and Ruston shunters at Rogart station. I thought an hour and a quarter at Wick before the return train would be an ideal time for a decent leg stretch and to find some decent food for tea and perhaps something for snacking on later on. Perhaps a look at the worlds shortest street wouldnt be out of the question? The latter was easy enough as it was just round the corner from the station but finding the food was difficult. I soon realised that Wick was a complete dump with nothing worthwhile in it. The only big name place I found was a closed Wetherspoons and even it had been open I didnt have time to sit down and eat. So, tiny corner shop it was! I ended up with a meal of a 2 litre bottle of coke, a tube of BBQ Pringles and a Milkybar as apparently; the shop didnt stock sandwiches any more Looks like Ill have to be economical with the food then as I dont think Ill be getting anything until tomorrow now. The return journey was overcast and quiet down to Dunrobin Castle so I caught up on some sleep in the meantime. The closed shops in Inverness and the very dud 67022 on the sleeper only added to the general disappointment of the latter part of the day. I reflected that in 3 days I hadnt been delayed significantly at any point or bowled in any way. Obviously thinking this would put paid to tomorrow After getting on the sleeper, I asked the guard if he could wake me up upon arrival into Preston at 4.30am tomorrow. He said hed pass on the request to the Perth-Edinburgh guard and then the Edinburgh-Preston guard. This didnt fill me full of confidence so I fully expected to wake up a lot further south than I hoped! I suppose Ill have to wait and see. One thing for sure was that I was knackered after only three days and this showed by the fact that I was asleep before the train reached Tomatin.
Winners for Sight: 1
Winners for Haulage: 3
New Route Mileage: 207mi 34ch
Total Mileage: 976mi 04ch
Thursday 31 July: Day 4
Success! The guard had received the third-hand message and I was up and onto Preston platform within 30 seconds. Luckily I had all my possesions to hand and so at least everything looked good for the day. Unfortunately, very recently dud 90028 was at the head of the train so no required can from last night. I spent a delightful 50 minutes on Preston station from 4.30am watching absolutely nothing go past with a very, very dead phone for entertainment. To add to my misery, it was surprisingly cold on the station and I was in shorts. I took a chance on the weather and the long periods indoors and so only brought a small jacket and a few pairs of shorts with me in the bags. Mega dud 156484 and winning 142056 formed the 0519 service through to Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast route. I wanted to squeeze in this last, pesky section of the line from Carnforth which had been bugging me for ages. Its one of the last big bits of track I need in the north of England so only small branches here and there left to get. Upon arrival into Barrow-in-Furness Id finally done it! Another bonus was the operational plug socket I found in the waiting room at Barrow so I spent a good half hour giving my phone a charge prior to heading back to Lancaster. The return to Lancaster was aboard mega, mega dud 156469 which can usually be found around where I live in Darlington. Id neglected to notice WCRCs depot at Carnforth on the way out to Barrow as Id been busy being asleep but a variety of classic traction was noted around the depot. Classes 08/33/37/47/57 and various tea-making devices and coaching stock was noted in the yard and on shed. Shortly after arrival, 66433 trundled past on a liner heading south and various units came and went. A particular bonus at Lancaster was the Costa on the station where I bought the biggest, strongest coffee I could buy and as much food as I could fit in my bag. Needless to say this cost quite a bit but, I was rejuvenated and no longer desperately hungry. I had originally planned to do a quick return to Oxenholme and then make my way north to Carlisle. Instead, I headed straight to Carlisle for maximum mobile charge time and did a quick return to Penrith to pass the time. My journey north to Carlisle aboard winning pair 350401 and 350373 (the latter being a brand new unit hired from London Midland to meet the demands brought about by the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow) and spent an hour or so updating the notes and books. The run to Carlisle was without interest but I was pleasantly surprised to DRS thunderbird 57304 on the back roads. I know they are stationed there occasionally but its the first time Ive seen one here since their Virgin days! The return to Penrith produced winning 390157 on the outward journey and 390136 on the return plus the photography opportunities with 92002 on a northbound liner. A convoy of locos flashed past in the Tebay area and a quick internet check showed 60010, 66151 and 66206 en route to Crewe from Carlisle Yards. I had a short connection onto the Glasgow train and so I didnt have time to photograph DRS 57008 and 57009. I was slightly irritated by this as they had the Keyham flask escort coaches in tow and I hadnt had the chance to catch them previously. 156434 was a good result on the 1115 to Glasgow as I dont need many ScotRail 156s for haulage now. Taking the long route to Glasgow also allowed me to finally scratch in the northbound line of the G&SW through Dumfries, 7 years or so after the southbound bash. A variety of heritage and modern locos were viewed on DRS Carlisle Kingmoor base and 56105 was also present in the New Yard. I also spied a Freightliner 66 ending in a 5 towards the back of the yard. Some detective work on the phone concluded that it was 955 I had seen, my last /9 for sight. I had a bit of a snooze on the way north but awoke to general chaos and heavy congestion outside Glasgow Central. The half hour delay meant I had missed my connection to the Paisley Canal train. This little line is really starting to annoy me now as I have been bowled on each of the three separate occasions I have attempted to clear it! I decided to use the missed attempt to go find food before picking up the plan where I left off. I then twigged that I would have just about enough time to catch the end of the Mens Individual Time Trial event. This event would be part of the Commonwealth Games taking place in Glasgow. Being an avid cyclist, this was too good an opportunity to miss! The maps I found on the Games website were a bit misleading so I just arrived at the start area in time to see David Millar (the last man to go ) set off from the gate. At least I saw it! My getting lost meant I had to forego my sit-down lunch in order to make the Largs train. I managed to grab a drink from the station as I had five minutes to spare and was disappointed to see that dud 380106 was waiting for me. 156496 trundled past as we departed which was immensely pleasing for me as it was my last SCR DMU for sight! Plenty of EMUs left to get though. One or two sheds noted at Hunterston before returning down the branch to Glengarnock. I then headed back to Kilwinning. The 380 arrived into the Ayr-bound platforms which, in my overly tired state, I assumed were the only platforms and the junction was further west. I remained on those platforms and was rather put out to see my train arrive into the platforms I hadnt seen before No one to blame but myself as I was well and truly bowled out. I could have skipped Ardrossan Harbour and caught the plan up for Gourock and Wemyss Bay but I gave the day up as a bad lot and completely re-planned. Required 67017 had been on the Fife Circle loco-hauled for a few days so I decided to head to Edinburgh via the required Airdrie-Bathgate line and then head south to Preston for the northbound sleeper. I rebooked my seat up to Perth from Preston which would allow me to catch 67017 the next day. I caught winning pair 334034 and 334014 from Glasgow Queen Street Low Level (after fighting my way through the very busy city centre from Central) to Haymarket before making the insect leap to Edinburgh aboard a second winning pair of 158735/158740. I grabbed some tea from M&S before boarding dud 350404 south to Wigan (equally dud 350373 joined it at Carlisle) before catching winning 390121 back to Preston. My waiting at Wigan produced 57308 on a Pendolino drag and (winning for sight) 90044/90043 on a southbound liner. 325008 and 92019 were also noted at Preston before midnight came around.
Winners for Sight: 4
Winners for Haulage: 10
New Route Mileage: 109mi 10ch
Total Mileage: 902mi 44ch
Friday 1 August: Day 5
After a bit of a fester with the various strange specimens that inhabited the station at night, I got on the northbound sleeper in the very rear coach. The good news was that required 90029 was leading but the bad news was that lights were already out and it was a bit awkward climbing over various bags (and people!) on the floor to get to my seat at the back. The train was very busy and so no chance of getting two seats to lie across for the night and I had to wake up a very large (and now very tired and disgruntled) chap who blocked the way to my seat! I went to sleep pretty quickly and woke up shortly after leaving Stirling with dud 67022 at the helm. This change in sleeper plans also meant a completed bit of northbound track between Stirling and Perth. A bit of fortuitous luck meant that I missed my intended connection. Not as bad as it sounds as the original train involved a run back south to Kirkcaldy and then a short run around the southern Thornton spur to Cardenden. The next train took the direct and very much required north Thornton chord to Cardenden. Required pair 170420 and 158716 were in charge. I was glad Id got this in without realising as a railtour Id been on in 2010 (Spitfire Railtours Royal Scots Tay) had missed the chord and reversed at Thornton South Jn in order to miss out a planned run-round at Dundee. A wait in the cold at Cardenden finally produced winning for sight and haulage 67017 on the 2K18 to Edinburgh. Irritatingly, 67011 still avoids me! I then boarded 170432/170477 to Haymarket as a fill-in move prior to taking 334006/334021 all the way through to Helensburgh Central. This had the double bonus of the westbound Airdrie-Bathgate line as well as the line through Yoker and the Helensburgh spur. A run back to Dalreoch involved the same Juniper pair before 320314/320309 (first class haulages) up the branch to Balloch. A run to Hyndland with 334030/334038 met the northbound 334033 up to Milngavie. I returned to Anniesland then took the branch round to Glasgow Queen Street and back. Again, another quick double track whammy with the Anniesland branch and the west-south Cowlairs spur being cleared. The only tiny bit of track I need north of the Clyde is the tiny bit of line between Cowlairs north and south left. I return to Anniesland aboard 158735 and (winning) 158741 allowed me to leap for winning pair 318270/320304 back to Hyndland for 320312 to Glasgow Queen Street. I wondered across Glasgow via some nosh at McDonalds to Central for my next train. Id hoped to break out the laptop on the journey to Kilmarnock but the train was absolutely rammed and I had to settle for a rather sardine-like spot against the door of 156494 with just about enough space to break out the Kindle for entertainment. A saunter over the platforms at Kilmarnock allowed me to board 156511 (required) and 156432 (dud) for the train through to Stranraer via the Kilmarnock-Troon line. I found the Stranraer line very scenic and it was one of the journeys I enjoyed most throughout my week away. It seemed such a shame that Stranraer was the destination! The units returned north to Glasgow via Irvine where I leapt for some tea. Nothing of any interest was noted on the way north. After a flying visit to McDonalds down the road from Central, I rushed across to Queen Street in order to make the train to Edinburgh. I neednt have rushed as the immense crowds associated with the Commonwealth Games meant that the train was well and truly rammed. Id arrived early and was one of the first through the barriers and onto the train so I settled down with the food and the Kindle for the next hour or so. The train inexplicably lost 15 minutes upon arrival into Edinburgh. Bearing in mind that there were no trains immediately ahead of it and we left all the intermediate stations relatively quickly, there must have been some rather slow driving involved! My times in Scotland for the week were about to come to the end and Im pleased with how things have gone. I missed a few branches in the Glasgow area but I got some really big chunks of track such as Stranraer, Thurso/Wick and NB Aberdeen lines. The clearance of the pesky Stirling-Perth line means Ive done 99% of the passenger track (fully in both directions) north of the River Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Anyway, now to head south and polish off Cornwall! Required 90039 was at the head of the 1C11 sleeper across to Carstairs where the service joined with the 1M11 from Glasgow. Much to my extreme irritation, 90028 arrived with the 1M11 to take the train south to London. The journey south finished off the WCML for track and almost took 90028 to 1000mi of haulage in a week! A good day all round.
Winners for Sight: 1
Winners for Haulage: 18
New Route Mileage: 120mi 04ch
Total Mileage: 696mi 54ch
Saturday 2 August: Day 6
The downside of the journey south with 90028 was that the train was full and I had to sit next to someone from Edinburgh. I had a relatively uncomfortable night as Id kind of got used to being able to lie across the two seats for the night. I woke up somewhere around Watford Junction just before my new friend disembarked. I noted the same electrics as were present on Tuesday but no interesting or required locos on Willesden/Wembley. I left Euston itself and walked across to Euston Square underground for the tube across to Paddington. I had initially been wary of the short-ish connection across London onto the 0736 ex-Paddington but the 24E arrival into Euston was a great help! I grabbed a coffee and a sandwich at Costa on Paddington station and spent 15 minutes or so photographing 57305 on the London end of the recently-arrived Night Riviera and the more interesting 08836 on the Old Oak Common end. I was a little put out to see 43009 and 43098 on the Newquay train which I had planned to take through to Plymouth. More individual mileage for the power cars I suppose! Everything went to plan and the long journey through to Newton Abbot provided ample opportunity to get everything recharged and ready for the rest of the day. It was on the approach to Totnes that everything started to go pear-shaped! The failure of a unit of some kind in Totnes station meant arrival into Plymouth came about half an hour behind schedule. Id well and truly missed the connection onto the Gunnislake train (bowled for the second time here) so I opted to continue on and scratch off the Newquay branch first. The journey through to Par was relatively nondescript but the curve passing St Blazey yard allowed me to grab some shots of 66176 on the yard and long-term resident 60096 at the back of the yard. I enjoyed the window hang along the branch and I was impressed by the grades of Luxulyan bank but even more impressed by the stunning bacon baguette I bought on the train! Oh my God it was amazing and the coffee complemented it perfectly. Towards the end of the journey I spent some time catching up on some notes but disaster struck when my red pen ran out! The late running of the train put my lunchtime Tesco move at Newquay in jeopardy but some swift feet meant I was in and out with coke, sandwich, paper and new red pen within five minutes. Once again 43009 and 43098 trundled back along the branch to Par where I decided to leap for the following unit. At least this would cut into the long fester at Plymouth prior to my third attempt at the Gunnislake branch. 150120 and 150131 (with a stuck door) were my units for the blast along the GWML to Plymouth. Whilst waiting, I worked out that it would be just about possible to do the 2C51 SO loco-hauled through to Bodmin where I could pick up the last service train through to Exeter and still get to my digs before 11pm. 150124 (required) was my unit up to Gunnislake. I enjoyed the journey and its various interesting aspects such as the run along the Tamar up to the superbly restored stations along the line such as Calstock with its array of railwayana and stock. I had around 40 minutes in Plymouth prior to the loco-hauled service west. A quick walk in what I thought was the general direction of the city centre produced a Tesco Metro hidden underneath a block of flats. I grabbed a few sandwiches and a pasta box along with a few bottles of coke. I arrived at the station with about 5 minutes to spare and leapt onto the day stock of the sleeper with required 57604 at the front. After the blast west over the Royal Albert Bridge with the bodysnatcher, I leapt at Bodmin Parkway for the wait for the unit south however I had some luck for a change I raced over the footbridge for the shots of the 57 at the same time as 150122 arrived on the 2P82 which was running nearly 40 minutes late. I then realised this made little or no difference as Id have to wait half an hour for my train to Exeter at Plymouth instead of Bodmin! After a dull fester, I boarded required 150239 for the final journey through to Exeter. The 150/2 makes a change from the masses of 150/1s that have been floating round for the past few days. The journey through to Exeter was in the dark and the service was due into Exeter St Davids shortly before half 10. This gave me half an hour to find my digs for the night. My main problem here was the fact that Im not 18 until 25 August so Travelodge/Holiday Inn/Premier Inn is out of the question here My original assumption was that I was blown on my plans for the final day but the owner of a hostel I found was perfectly happy to let me stay so that was sorted a few days in advance. Google maps was adamant that the walk to the hostel was 45 minutes (putting me past the latest check in time advertised) but I managed to speed walk it in about 35 minutes so I was there spot on 11pm.
Winners for Sight: 17
Winners for Haulage: 6
New Route Mileage: 35mi 32ch
Total Mileage: 863mi 32ch
Sunday 3 August: Day 7
The final day is upon me! Seems a shame but Ive had an amazing week. Id set my alarm for 7.45am but I woke up at 7am and used the spare time to sort my bag out and have a hugely required and appreciated shower. I left around 8am and made my way through the city centre to McDonalds for breakfast. The sausage and egg McMuffin went down an absolute treat and the latte was great. Only two stickers to go on the loyalty card! I chose to start my day from Exeter Central in order to scratch some SWT units prior to starting the day proper. The insect leap from Central to St Davids produced the winning pair of 159014 and 159003 for the run down the hill. Another coffee was needed from Pumpkin at St Davids prior to the first move of the day. The first run was the mega PSUL move across to Okehampton on the SuO service. Ive still got the actual preserved line to Meldon to do but Ive got the difficult bit out the way and half a plan for a Cornwall & Devon tour taking in the SDR, BWR, RHDR, DR etc etc. 153380 brought me back down the branch through Crediton and onto Exeter St Davids where my third coffee of the day was acquired. I had a decent nights sleep so I dont know why I need so much bloody caffeine! The train to Barnstaple was a bit of a wait so I decided on a fill-in move to Dawlish for a spot of unit scratching. 153318 and 150120 produced on the outward-bound run and 143603 and 143620 on the return 3 out of 4 was a good result. I noticed a lot of photographers around and about the station and on the footbridge west of the station. A cursory glance on the phone showed the Torbay Express was due through any minute. It was nice to see 5029 Nunney Castle blast through Dawlish on a sunny day and some nice shots were grabbed. I would have liked to have gone to Langstone Rock or Parsons Tunnel for the classic Dawlish shots but time was key and I was back in Exeter 20 minutes later. Timewarp over! Now for the last major bit of track in the area: the Barnstaple branch. The journey there and back took around two and a half hours and I was pleasantly surprised by the nice scenery along the line. 143618 was required for sight and haulage but 143619 was dud from a previous summer bash in the area. I know I said the scenery was great and the weather amazing but I still managed to fall asleep for most of the journey back to Exeter St Davids. There was nothing of any note in the Exeter area in the hour or so I had as a break on the station. I spent some money grabbing a late lunch, some reading material for the journey home and a super large coffee! The next 40 minutes were spent in the waiting room with the phone on charge for a while. One or two HST power cars were copped through the window as I updated my books before heading outside with the kit ready for the next train; the first in a series of journeys which would whisk me back to the north-east and home. 220019 and 220006 formed the 1E63 which would continue onto York. I had the misfortune to board Coach C where the air conditioning had been out of action, making the coach stiflingly hot. Id assumed the air conditioning on the whole unit was broken but when I finally gave up (upon passing Tiverton Parkway no less ), I realised it was pure bad luck in picking the knackered one! I passed through Bristol Temple Meads for the first time after a much fresher journey north. One or two units were copped in the area as were 47847 and 08516 at Bristol Barton Hill just north of the station. I continued on the short journey to Bristol Parkway before changing trains. I could have continued on the long, uncomfortable and very boring journey through to York, thence onto a train to Darlington and an early night. However the required westbound Bristol Newport line (with added and probably required HSTs) and northbound Newport Crewe line were too much to ignore. 43069 and 43128 whisked me along the GWML after a short sandwich break at Bristol Parkway. The original plan had been to wait 40 minutes or so before heading north through Hereford to Crewe. However, some fast dodging and serious sprinting meant I managed a -4 connection onto the previous ATW service to Manchester. 175007 was my unit for the journey north and I saw nothing of any interest on the journey to Manchester. This earlier arrival allowed some time to get some tea and another coffee and provided me with a much simpler connection at York (rather than an invalid and risky run post-midnight run from York). I grabbed a Burger King and boarded the mega dud 185119/185148 pairing for the Transpennine bash to Yorkshire. I used the journey through to York and the onward journey to my hometown of Darlington (behind 91129) to finish updating my books and notes before arriving home. I realised the next day that I had lost my Kindle which had kept me entertained for so many long hours during the week; rather like losing an old friend! After de-activating it through Amazon and reporting it lost to ATW, TPE and EC (couldnt remember where I lost it), I purchased a new one. Low and behold it turned up at home in the most random of places (in the wardrobe ?) on the day the new one arrived. Cue re-activation calls and return of new one. Only major drama of the week really! I have to say Ive had an amazing week and wont hesitate to book another next summer! Perhaps a fortnight with one or two days at home to break it up?
Winners for Sight: 8
Winners for Haulage: 10
New Route Mileage: 107mi 44ch
Total Mileage: 525mi 65ch
Total Winners for Sight: 70
Total Winners for Haulage: 81
Total New Route Mileage: 1368mi 18ch
Total Mileage: 5276mi 50ch
Cheers!
