All platforms
Member
I retired a few years ago and travelling has always been my thing but never much by rail given my commute for the last 20 years had been rammed Northern pacers and sprinters. Surely all trains were like this??
Enforced lockdown meant more time for utube and these forums so i got an education on the current state of the railways and how they work so a plan started to emerge especially after i caught up with Geoff + Vicky's epic adventure "all the stations" in 2017. Fabulous videos to my eyes. Wouldn't it be good to do something in the same vein but spread out over a number of years. My inner nerd kept saying "and you can actually get on or off at every station too" because i would have more time to do it this way. I would have to keep a record of course and take a time stamped pic at every station to prove i had visited. How hard could it be?
I did a test trip August 2020 once restrictions had eased to see if i could take a full day bashing up and down the same bit of track and used my last commute as the starting point. So the CLC route between Liverpool and Manchester Oxford Road it was. It went better than expected and as a result i formulated a specific plan. I would widen the scope to see if i could visit all platforms at each station. Again how hard could it be? This is probably the most ill informed decision i have ever made. I had no idea just how obscure so many of these could be and often at (very) anti social hours. And then there are the ones that only get used when engineering works are present or terminating (and/or departing) short, or even used to allow other trains to pass (Acton Bridge P1 i am looking at you). Never one to make a challenge easy i formulated some very strict rules for myself. I wanted to use the trains and platforms in as pure a way as possible and to tick the hard ones off by using the station/Platform as part of a journey - so starting/finishing stations could not be included. So this is what i formulated.
1. Get on or off a train at every timetabled Platform on mainland UK (and the IOW). RTT would be the arbiter here, and as fantastic a resource it is i have found there are a few gaps to work around. (Hello Skegness for example)
2. Keep a manual written record and a time stamped pic at every platform. I am fairly confident this is working OK.
3. First and last stations of the day cannot be used to tick off a new platform - use the train! - the only exception is if the ONLY occasion it is timetabled is the first or last train. (P4 Rock Ferry springs to mind)
4. If a station only receives a call once a day/week then for it to count you must walk to/from another station. No taxis buses cars or bicycles. (Polesworth from Tamworth has taken the longest so far)
5. Rail Replacement buses do not count. Do not count the station you were picked up from. Do not count the station you were delivered to.
6. If gaps are more than 3 hours between trains then walking to/from another station is allowed - otherwise wait it out. This has been increased from 2 hours since i did both platforms at Bordesley Dec 2020. Currently only 1 train a week of course but covid related timetables had some unexpected anomalies. Anyway, the actual 2 hours 25 minutes wait would have been a bit sporty in any event.
After about 9 months or so i realised that my original assumption was that would this would automatically include getting on and off at every station too. Not so, i realised, so i have yet to alight at Polesworth for example so this will have to be rectified. Polesworth and Pilning are both 1 platform use on a 2 track line. There are 2 single line examples which require a walk in/out - Finstock and Combe but i messed up at Ascott-under-Wychwood walking in both times from Charlbury, Doh! Hanborough is the other single line one i need to revisit but much easier to achieve of course. So...
7. Alight and set Down at every station has been included since September. Much trickier of course is rule 8 which will keep me occupied for much longer than originally intended.
8. Use all lines currently timetabled. This means both ways too. This is a new rule as i have become aware of the PSUL community. I have already bagged quite a few PSUL options but the PSUL options are more of a side project and some of them may have to wait a few years. If i can include them on an itinerary for the main project going forward all well and good.
I know quite a few members here will have already travelled on all these lines or intend to as a long term project of their own but i would be interested to know how long this took. I realise timetable changes over the years make some parts of whatever quest you are on easier, harder or down right impossible at different imes. All part of the great journey.... Patience required!!
I intend to write a report for each day including the actual completed itinerary and my thoughts on how each day went. This will be a snapshot of that day and any timings are what actually happened and not necessarily what was timetabled. I kept notes at the time which will aid me. However this will not include detailed notes on the train class or number though i do have some info. I have enough on my plate as it is and whilst i thought i could keep a record it was all i could do sometimes to keep to rule 2.
I have a visual record of achievements by using the colour highlighting ability within pdfs and have drafted in TOCsASv46.pdf to the cause. I am uncertain if it is possible to link to this because of any copyright or other term of use. Ditto a spreadsheet i am keeping of all of this. Can anyone advise on the possibles and not possibles here?
All in all my journey so far has been very positive. I have been fortunate to have had really good weather on the vast majority of days. I dont mind cold but rain is a pain and has thankfully pretty much been absent. I have also experienced very few cancellations but when they do occur it really does concentrate the mind to try and recover an itinerary. I thnk the biggest blow in that regard was my Marston Vale Line day when i was stranded at Stewartby for hours (day 37) and so far my only use of a Rail Replacement bus. Needless to say i couldnt count it due to rule 5..
I know my "rules" will appear arbitrary or even unnecessary to some but my intention was to travel everywhere on the rail network using all lines stations and platforms by actually using the trains. It also scratches another itch for the absolute variety of stations that can be found. Nethertown was a highlight and Havenhouse first thing on a summer morning was an idyllic contrast. I am quite a bit fitter than i would have been otherwise and find i have the temperament to wait for the next train without boredom. Sometimes i explore the local area or sit down with a book in some peaceful locale. Sometimes there may be a pub or cafe to sustain me. The variety is endless.
Lastly this journey allows me to indulge my other passion which is planning. RTT has been my faithful companion in this regard and i am sure i will be writing much more on the subject. It is quite an art form to try and craft the perfect itinerary and can take many many attempts to get something which covers your objectives in a reasonably efficient way. The various Rover and Ranger tickets cover much of the country and are a huge financial win compared to normal tickets with daily or multi day options. RTT also helps trying to decide if a platform is actually being used as well as cross referencing with other sources. Perhaps i like the planning element almost as much as the actual doing....
On to the reports.
Enforced lockdown meant more time for utube and these forums so i got an education on the current state of the railways and how they work so a plan started to emerge especially after i caught up with Geoff + Vicky's epic adventure "all the stations" in 2017. Fabulous videos to my eyes. Wouldn't it be good to do something in the same vein but spread out over a number of years. My inner nerd kept saying "and you can actually get on or off at every station too" because i would have more time to do it this way. I would have to keep a record of course and take a time stamped pic at every station to prove i had visited. How hard could it be?
I did a test trip August 2020 once restrictions had eased to see if i could take a full day bashing up and down the same bit of track and used my last commute as the starting point. So the CLC route between Liverpool and Manchester Oxford Road it was. It went better than expected and as a result i formulated a specific plan. I would widen the scope to see if i could visit all platforms at each station. Again how hard could it be? This is probably the most ill informed decision i have ever made. I had no idea just how obscure so many of these could be and often at (very) anti social hours. And then there are the ones that only get used when engineering works are present or terminating (and/or departing) short, or even used to allow other trains to pass (Acton Bridge P1 i am looking at you). Never one to make a challenge easy i formulated some very strict rules for myself. I wanted to use the trains and platforms in as pure a way as possible and to tick the hard ones off by using the station/Platform as part of a journey - so starting/finishing stations could not be included. So this is what i formulated.
1. Get on or off a train at every timetabled Platform on mainland UK (and the IOW). RTT would be the arbiter here, and as fantastic a resource it is i have found there are a few gaps to work around. (Hello Skegness for example)
2. Keep a manual written record and a time stamped pic at every platform. I am fairly confident this is working OK.
3. First and last stations of the day cannot be used to tick off a new platform - use the train! - the only exception is if the ONLY occasion it is timetabled is the first or last train. (P4 Rock Ferry springs to mind)
4. If a station only receives a call once a day/week then for it to count you must walk to/from another station. No taxis buses cars or bicycles. (Polesworth from Tamworth has taken the longest so far)
5. Rail Replacement buses do not count. Do not count the station you were picked up from. Do not count the station you were delivered to.
6. If gaps are more than 3 hours between trains then walking to/from another station is allowed - otherwise wait it out. This has been increased from 2 hours since i did both platforms at Bordesley Dec 2020. Currently only 1 train a week of course but covid related timetables had some unexpected anomalies. Anyway, the actual 2 hours 25 minutes wait would have been a bit sporty in any event.
After about 9 months or so i realised that my original assumption was that would this would automatically include getting on and off at every station too. Not so, i realised, so i have yet to alight at Polesworth for example so this will have to be rectified. Polesworth and Pilning are both 1 platform use on a 2 track line. There are 2 single line examples which require a walk in/out - Finstock and Combe but i messed up at Ascott-under-Wychwood walking in both times from Charlbury, Doh! Hanborough is the other single line one i need to revisit but much easier to achieve of course. So...
7. Alight and set Down at every station has been included since September. Much trickier of course is rule 8 which will keep me occupied for much longer than originally intended.
8. Use all lines currently timetabled. This means both ways too. This is a new rule as i have become aware of the PSUL community. I have already bagged quite a few PSUL options but the PSUL options are more of a side project and some of them may have to wait a few years. If i can include them on an itinerary for the main project going forward all well and good.
I know quite a few members here will have already travelled on all these lines or intend to as a long term project of their own but i would be interested to know how long this took. I realise timetable changes over the years make some parts of whatever quest you are on easier, harder or down right impossible at different imes. All part of the great journey.... Patience required!!
I intend to write a report for each day including the actual completed itinerary and my thoughts on how each day went. This will be a snapshot of that day and any timings are what actually happened and not necessarily what was timetabled. I kept notes at the time which will aid me. However this will not include detailed notes on the train class or number though i do have some info. I have enough on my plate as it is and whilst i thought i could keep a record it was all i could do sometimes to keep to rule 2.
I have a visual record of achievements by using the colour highlighting ability within pdfs and have drafted in TOCsASv46.pdf to the cause. I am uncertain if it is possible to link to this because of any copyright or other term of use. Ditto a spreadsheet i am keeping of all of this. Can anyone advise on the possibles and not possibles here?
All in all my journey so far has been very positive. I have been fortunate to have had really good weather on the vast majority of days. I dont mind cold but rain is a pain and has thankfully pretty much been absent. I have also experienced very few cancellations but when they do occur it really does concentrate the mind to try and recover an itinerary. I thnk the biggest blow in that regard was my Marston Vale Line day when i was stranded at Stewartby for hours (day 37) and so far my only use of a Rail Replacement bus. Needless to say i couldnt count it due to rule 5..
I know my "rules" will appear arbitrary or even unnecessary to some but my intention was to travel everywhere on the rail network using all lines stations and platforms by actually using the trains. It also scratches another itch for the absolute variety of stations that can be found. Nethertown was a highlight and Havenhouse first thing on a summer morning was an idyllic contrast. I am quite a bit fitter than i would have been otherwise and find i have the temperament to wait for the next train without boredom. Sometimes i explore the local area or sit down with a book in some peaceful locale. Sometimes there may be a pub or cafe to sustain me. The variety is endless.
Lastly this journey allows me to indulge my other passion which is planning. RTT has been my faithful companion in this regard and i am sure i will be writing much more on the subject. It is quite an art form to try and craft the perfect itinerary and can take many many attempts to get something which covers your objectives in a reasonably efficient way. The various Rover and Ranger tickets cover much of the country and are a huge financial win compared to normal tickets with daily or multi day options. RTT also helps trying to decide if a platform is actually being used as well as cross referencing with other sources. Perhaps i like the planning element almost as much as the actual doing....
On to the reports.
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