heart-of-wessex
Established Member
EDIT - can't change the title! The date is 01/03/14
Don't worry guys, despite the name (derived from the ex-charter operator Steamy Affairs) this is a clean report!
The Outline
So, you've probably seen my thread about booking on the Steam Dreams St David's day tour to Cardiff. I was pretty nervous about going on it, but as mentioned Premier Standard is just a TSO with table cloths, nothing extremely fancy. I did look at the tour before as was wondering weather to go from London, but having found out they were selling seats from Bath, I snapped up a £64 seat for a round trip to Cardiff. At least I'd be able to experience my first mainline steam tour, and was something different to do, and a final bash before my 27th Birthday on Wednesday.
The Tour
This must be the first time I've got on a tour so late in the day. Yes, I've got on ones that start at 7pm, but they are the overnight ones, this is a day trip, so leaving at 11am was rather odd! I set off from my flat at 11, and did my pre-departure checklist. I do this about 100 times in the morning as I like to triple check everything, but one item was missing. I couldn't think what so I thought it can't be important.
Going down the stairs to leave the building, Ah yes I know what I haven't checked, tickets. It's in my coat pocket where I last p....ARGH! TICKETS! where are they!? Oh yes in the flat on the desk...blimey that was close!
Approaching the station, I see the 1116 Cardiff is late, oh well more time to get my ticket to Bath. Whilst in the queue, XC's 221132 passes on the 06:17 York - Exeter St Davids. Seems strange to think that Trowbridge is on an XC route for a few weeks! I suspect the drivers are starting to know this route more than the Bridgwater route.
The 1116 arrived 8 minutes late formed of 150244 and 158958. Just as well it's 5 cars, and it's bloody busy on here! I opt to stand in the 150, as it's always nice to have one on a fast service up the Avon Valley, with the engines roaring away underneath.
Bath was reached at 1142, and I noted the SWT service behind was now late. Formed of 159012, the SWT Bristol service was only 3 minutes late. This was then followed by a near half hour late Bristol HST, the 10:00 ex-Padd. Leaving at 1159, the screen's seem to suggest the 10:30 Bristol HST was hot on it's heels, but instead the charter rolled in lead by Black 5 44932, or 98532 under TOPS, which the number I use for things like RailMiles.
It was required for sight and haulage so this was a plus. The downside is I'm waiting at the front, and Premier Standard is right at the back, so cue a sprint down the platform past the millions of WCRC FO's! I found coach J and found my seat, occupied by 3 people one of whom was in my seat, however they mentioned that the group opposite had vacated the whole table as they were off for the Bath excursion option, so if I wanted a whole table I could sit there, which I was more than willing to take up, so I could have more office space for my bashing kit
Not going to get any thrash on this, as we are too far back to hear anything. It was a slow paced cruise down to North Somerset Junction, our limit was 60mph. We turned off to reach Dr Days Junction, then gave it a good hammering over Filton Bank where you could just about hear the loco.
I was now being offered Tea or Coffee, and opted for the latter. Yes the advantage is you don't have to walk bloody miles to the RMB to get a coffee, you get it served at your seat, and it's free. A bit like the old Midland Mainline standard, but you get it done for you, and you get proper cups too. The downside is you wait for them, so in this case I only got one coffee for the outward leg.
The Severn Tunnel was reached and we covered the whole section in 5 minutes, not bad at all really, and we were slowing over the 1 in 100 out of the tunnel, not due to lack of effort as the brakes came on.
It think we were slowing for the signal as we were possibly checked as we sung over to reach the Up Relief line, dud crossovers and track. We were soon approaching Magor and a a row of Sheds passed on the 0X12 (?) Margam - Eastleigh, followed shortly by 153333 and 153318 on the Bridgwater - Cardiff.
We had a water stop here, possibly because there was no opportunity at Cardiff Canton. The water supply was supplied by a fire engine, as it normally is.
Anyway falling asleep here! To be continued...
Don't worry guys, despite the name (derived from the ex-charter operator Steamy Affairs) this is a clean report!
The Outline
So, you've probably seen my thread about booking on the Steam Dreams St David's day tour to Cardiff. I was pretty nervous about going on it, but as mentioned Premier Standard is just a TSO with table cloths, nothing extremely fancy. I did look at the tour before as was wondering weather to go from London, but having found out they were selling seats from Bath, I snapped up a £64 seat for a round trip to Cardiff. At least I'd be able to experience my first mainline steam tour, and was something different to do, and a final bash before my 27th Birthday on Wednesday.
The Tour
This must be the first time I've got on a tour so late in the day. Yes, I've got on ones that start at 7pm, but they are the overnight ones, this is a day trip, so leaving at 11am was rather odd! I set off from my flat at 11, and did my pre-departure checklist. I do this about 100 times in the morning as I like to triple check everything, but one item was missing. I couldn't think what so I thought it can't be important.
Going down the stairs to leave the building, Ah yes I know what I haven't checked, tickets. It's in my coat pocket where I last p....ARGH! TICKETS! where are they!? Oh yes in the flat on the desk...blimey that was close!
Approaching the station, I see the 1116 Cardiff is late, oh well more time to get my ticket to Bath. Whilst in the queue, XC's 221132 passes on the 06:17 York - Exeter St Davids. Seems strange to think that Trowbridge is on an XC route for a few weeks! I suspect the drivers are starting to know this route more than the Bridgwater route.
The 1116 arrived 8 minutes late formed of 150244 and 158958. Just as well it's 5 cars, and it's bloody busy on here! I opt to stand in the 150, as it's always nice to have one on a fast service up the Avon Valley, with the engines roaring away underneath.
Bath was reached at 1142, and I noted the SWT service behind was now late. Formed of 159012, the SWT Bristol service was only 3 minutes late. This was then followed by a near half hour late Bristol HST, the 10:00 ex-Padd. Leaving at 1159, the screen's seem to suggest the 10:30 Bristol HST was hot on it's heels, but instead the charter rolled in lead by Black 5 44932, or 98532 under TOPS, which the number I use for things like RailMiles.
It was required for sight and haulage so this was a plus. The downside is I'm waiting at the front, and Premier Standard is right at the back, so cue a sprint down the platform past the millions of WCRC FO's! I found coach J and found my seat, occupied by 3 people one of whom was in my seat, however they mentioned that the group opposite had vacated the whole table as they were off for the Bath excursion option, so if I wanted a whole table I could sit there, which I was more than willing to take up, so I could have more office space for my bashing kit
Not going to get any thrash on this, as we are too far back to hear anything. It was a slow paced cruise down to North Somerset Junction, our limit was 60mph. We turned off to reach Dr Days Junction, then gave it a good hammering over Filton Bank where you could just about hear the loco.
I was now being offered Tea or Coffee, and opted for the latter. Yes the advantage is you don't have to walk bloody miles to the RMB to get a coffee, you get it served at your seat, and it's free. A bit like the old Midland Mainline standard, but you get it done for you, and you get proper cups too. The downside is you wait for them, so in this case I only got one coffee for the outward leg.
The Severn Tunnel was reached and we covered the whole section in 5 minutes, not bad at all really, and we were slowing over the 1 in 100 out of the tunnel, not due to lack of effort as the brakes came on.
It think we were slowing for the signal as we were possibly checked as we sung over to reach the Up Relief line, dud crossovers and track. We were soon approaching Magor and a a row of Sheds passed on the 0X12 (?) Margam - Eastleigh, followed shortly by 153333 and 153318 on the Bridgwater - Cardiff.
We had a water stop here, possibly because there was no opportunity at Cardiff Canton. The water supply was supplied by a fire engine, as it normally is.
Anyway falling asleep here! To be continued...
