How difficult is it to arrive or leave at all timetabled platforms. 5 year project to achieve this.

[Kite159]

A busy day in Nottingham - Lincoln area.
I need to check my records for Rolleston to see if I've done the Nottingham bound platform (rather than using the Newark bound platform both times I've visited that station)

 

[Techniquest]

A most productive time there, and I did allow a smile with the comment about Lowdham

On a completely different note, I've come down with the c-word virus too! I'm just glad I have Tour de France to keep me occupied!

 

[All platforms]

A most productive time there, and I did allow a smile with the comment about Lowdham

On a completely different note, I've come down with the c-word virus too! I'm just glad I have Tour de France to keep me occupied!

Its absolutely rife. Nearly everyone i know under 80 who escaped its clutches for over 2 years have been afflicted these last few weeks. Get well soon but don't get back in the saddle again too early - it saps the energy. Agree that the Tour de France is essential viewing - i think i have watched big chunks of it very year since 1987. Quite the event!

As you can see i am not in Lincoln currently as promised. Enforced change of plans...

 

[All platforms]

Day 132: Saturday 02/07/2022 - Greater Manchester Rail Ranger - £7.70 - Valid all day at Weekends. Strines to New Mills Central - £2.50 - Off-peak Return. CP reddish North free.
Total time today 277 mins - Time on trains 95 mins and time waiting 182 mins. Stations completed today 1. Total completed 757.

A very short notice change of plans as i had to be around from Saturday lunchtime onwards at home. Just one of those things, so i realistically had to sacrifice the 3rd day of the EM Rover given i am in South Wales Sunday and Monday. I had approx 30 minutes to come up with an alternative as i could still do something in the morning and a plan was formulated at speed. It would have worked but a critical early cancellation put me on the back foot.

The start today was Reddish North. The line to New Mills Central and beyond to Sheffield is pretty much the last major line i have to do in the Greater Manchester and beyond area, although there are a few bits and bobs to mop up for track and PSUL purposes still. The line between Hope and Sheffield is closed for much of July weekends so my first move was to New Mills Central on the first Hope service, though why i chose it i am not sure. Interesting chat with the guard who indicated that from Edale there would be a pilotman as a human Single Block in play and i think he said the reverse move would be from Earles sidings which i know is in the Hope area. Interesting stuff - maybe i will find time to get up to Hope later in the month to have a look see. Meanwhile back at New Mills Central it was immediately apparent that my return chariot was going to be a no show so that put paid to ticking off 2 stations back down the line. The next service back was going to be nearly an hour later from a terminator at the station. The board on P1 happily showed the return would be from the correct side so at least i would get a tick. Wrong. To be honest i wasn't sure how it would achieve the platform swap with no crossover apparent. We were waved back onto P2 by the guard who then helpfully pointed out a poster i had missed which stated all weekend starter/terminators would arrive/depart from p2. A wasted journey effectively.

Next up was Romiley as i needed to get to Guide Bridge so again an arrival/departure from the same platfom, this time P1. A repeat of this at Guide Bridge with arrival and departure from P1 to get to Reddish South for my only station completion of the day and which completes the 3 visits necessary to complete all requirements on this line. With Reddish South being a single platform, once again the same platform was used for arrival/departure, so 3 for 3 in that department today so far. I think Reddish South is in an even sparser state than Denton with there being absolutely no facilities on the platform at all. Yes there was art on the back wall but is that a facilty? Not in my book however colourful. The set used today was 2 150's bolted together but only the front set could sit on the platform so the rears were locked out of use.

Back to Guide Bridge then, but only after a visit to Morrisons which is virtually next door to Reddish South and very handy for breakfast fodder. another P1/P1 combo at Guide Bridge followed so the end of a very weird series of moves where only platform was used on 4 consecutive occasions. I may even post something about this separately if i have time as it got me wondering if this could be matched without just hopping forward blindly in the same direction on one line. Hmm. What it actually means is that i have lost 2 opportunities for completion as a result so will have to revist at some stage. No real issues here, just slightly annoying. Oh and i did score the crossover from P2 at New Mills Central i guess, but not really a target.

Perhaps i would have more luck in Manchester as it was about time i ticked off the last 2 platforms at Piccadilly - P4 and P10, neither of which are rare. P4 was up first with a XC service to Reading but with me alighting at Stockport. A short wait should see me return to the Piccadilly shed in P10 but i took me eye off the ball and boarded an earlier than required service in error. Stupid boy i hear you cry. Thankfully an error not made in some remote outpost 200 miles away and one that is easily remedied. All that remained was to return to my starting point and i was back home only 5 minutes later than indicated so no issues there. Phew.

I will be in South Wales for 4 days this week in 2 separate visits and hopefully not over reaching myself in an attempt to tick off some very awkward PSUL moves as well as ticking off some of the more awkward stations left in this part of the world. Time will tell, but the 2nd visit might get a bit silly.

Reddish North	Depart	6.50​	*****	NT			stations	platforms
New Mills Central	Arrive	7.08​	P2	NT	wait 54m		completed	completed
New Mills Central	Depart	8.02​	P2	NT				at completed
Romiley	Arrive	8.11​	P1	NT	wait 8m			stations
Romiley	Depart	8.19​	P1	NT
Guide Bridge	Arrive	8.33​	P1	NT	wait 18m
Guide Bridge	Depart	8.51​	P1	NT
Reddish South	Arrive	8.59​	Single	NT	wait 51m
Reddish South	Depart	9.50​	Single	NT			1​	1​
Guide Bridge	Arrive	9.58​	P1	NT	wait 7m
Guide Bridge	Depart	10.05​	P1	NT
Manchester Piccadilly	Arrive	10.18​	P2	NT	wait 9m
Manchester Piccadilly	Depart	10.27​	P4	XC
Stockport	Arrive	10.34​	P2	XC	wait 8m
Stockport	Depart	10.42​	P4	NT
Manchester Piccadilly	Arrive	10.52​	P8d	NT	wait 27m
Manchester Piccadilly	Depart	11.19​	P1	NT
Reddish North	Arrive	11.31​	*****	NT

 

[Birmingham]

I don’t know whether you’ve done this yet, but covered Bromsgrove P1 today on 1M52 Hereford to Birmingham that was held out of the way to allow late-running CrossCountry 1L00 Gloucester to Cambridge through first. Seems being held for late-running trains is your best shot at this platform!

 

[Techniquest]

Its absolutely rife. Nearly everyone i know under 80 who escaped its clutches for over 2 years have been afflicted these last few weeks. Get well soon but don't get back in the saddle again too early - it saps the energy. Agree that the Tour de France is essential viewing - i think i have watched big chunks of it very year since 1987. Quite the event!

As you can see i am not in Lincoln currently as promised. Enforced change of plans...

One of my friends at work today told me on her part of the shop there are currently nine people off with the virus. One has tested positive and is working as normal, but is exempt from wearing a mask so it's causing a lot of concern and such like. I dread to think what it's like in the rest of the place, this year has been absolutely brutal for it despite vaccines etc. That said, hygiene standards dropped not just through the floor but got buried in the ground. I'll leave it at that, before I go into an epic rant!

Don't worry, I am in no rush to get back on the saddle. I am currently looking at my Blue Beauty, my Carrera Zelos road cycle, and I just can't face the idea of taking it out for a gentle spin never mind a full-on intense ride. Just going to/from the kitchen is bad enough! All this downtime is going to drive me crazy, bearing in mind I'm used to going out cycling 6 or 7 days a week and going to work. Hopefully by the time I go back, I'll actually have caught up on everything indoors at least!

I've not watched the Tour before, so this has been good to do. How they keep going for so long I have no idea, much credit to them I say. 202.2km today in just 4h33m, it took me (with plenty of breaks, of course) over 8 hours just to do 161km earlier this year!

You did well in the Manchester area despite issues, hopefully next time luck will be on your side. I will be following your Wales adventures with eager interest, my old stomping ground!

 

[All platforms]

I don’t know whether you’ve done this yet, but covered Bromsgrove P1 today on 1M52 Hereford to Birmingham that was held out of the way to allow late-running CrossCountry 1L00 Gloucester to Cambridge through first. Seems being held for late-running trains is your best shot at this platform!

I think you are right about late running trains. I did a deep dive into Bromsgrove P1 in about March and for the previous 12 months the timetabled P1 only made it into P1 on 3 occasions with just a few more examples found of being placed there to get out of the way of something else. I feel i could spend months there before i could statistically expect to succeed. The weird thing about doing this is that i am finding some platforms come into and then out of fashion almost with every timetable change. I don't keep tabs on those that i have bagged but for the really awkward ones still on my list there are a good few i can expect to get at some time. It would need a timetable clash of some sort to bring P1 into use again - P3 at Sandbach is another case in point where its near impossible to bag under the current timetable but not long ago it was in regular use.

Being a long project i am sure other opportunities will arise before i "finish" Incidentally the 15.56 on Sundays is always timetabled into P1 but never makes it whilst I think you were on a later train c. 18.06 which did the job.

 

[All platforms]

Day 133: Sunday 03/07/2022 - Explore South Wales Pass - £45.55 - Valis all day at Weekends - Day 1. CP Pembrey & Burry Port free.
Total time today 593 mins - Time on trains 239 mins and time waiting 354 mins. Statiuons completed today 6. Total completed 763.

A welcome return to South Wales, this time in high summer so the trip down was in full light and with empty roads it was a joy to behold with some stunning scenery especially in Mid Wales. Much better than the gloom/dark of last years forays. The station at Pembrey & Burry Port was my start point for the day with the immediate area looking out into the bay being deceptively pretty and i had time in hand to wander down to the "Port" area to take it all in before clambering aboard an exceedingly busy first train Eastwards at 9.57. The local premier shoip was thankfully open so i was able to stock up with a sandwich and a bag of Green Onion flavour crisps. Who knew??

First stop was Swansea and my first time here not in the pitch black. The West curve Seems to be much higher than the East curve and you get a great view overlooking the depot which sits in the middle of the triangle. The service was a few minutes late which was making some fellow travellers with their suitcases a bit twitchy as they would be aiming for the GW service into Paddington which was only a few minutes away from departure as we pulled in. Cue mass rush from P4 to P1 but in fact there was enough time to saunter and take a pic or too as well as walk up to the front half of the train. In the end we were delayed 10 minutes due to an unwell passenger. Just as well it was no longer as i would have missed my connection at Neath for the return leg, and with luck on my side it was another saunter over the bridge to the opposite platform and time enough in fact to try and hunt down the sign for P2 which eluded me completely. If it was there it was in a stupid place and possibly the biggest station i have visited therefore without a full complement of platform signage. ( i try and get a pic as proof i have visited each platform - a thankless task at some stations let me tell you).

Back to Swansea on the most packed train of the day for me and standing all the way as were many many others. A twenty minute stopover saw me completing Swansea's 4 platforms in about 70 minutes. Surely some sort of record for me. It may be possible to do it quicker but not by much if at all. Result. Off to Bridgend then and the furthest East i would venture today. It was a GW service so Bridgend was the first stop, and a chance for a look around as not quite enough time last time when ticking off the lesser spotted P3 in early May. Wow is that 2 months ago already. Crazy where the time goes. The station manager there was talking on the phone about some cancellations, something that would bite me on the bum for my next move which was the one a week service going West that uses the Swansea avoiding single line at Landore which is the third part of the triangle mentioned earlier. yes you guessed it, we didn't go directly West, we diverted to Swansea as the service took up the slack of a previously cancelled one, and another reason it was another packed service i'm guessing given the amount of people that alighted. I stayed on as i could still get one of 2 weekly services doing Landore going East by changing at my starting point of Pembrey & Burry port and my third station of the day to be completed. I really should pay more attention but the dot matrix board was on the fritz and couldn't see clearly what was happening so when a service pulled in at the correct time i foolishly boarded. It was a late running one so yes i ended up in Swansea again rather than doing Landore. Given, i will have to come back at some stage and do this again for the first missed opportunity it is no great loss as i would have to return East from this in any event and the return would be the Landore service anyway. Still annoying that i have taken my eye off the ball again...

This necessitated an hours wait in Swansea. I just settled down with a book and kept an eye on just how many ECS move there were going on at this time of the day. At least 5 and all TfW ones. I still haven't been outside the station here so not sure what i am missing if anything. Time for a trip to Carmarthen then to tick off P1 during the day and a station i am unlikely to return to given that by the end of the day all points West of Llanelli will have been completed. Time for the remaining 2 request stops in this part of the world to be ticked off, a task made much harder by more cancellations and the reason i would have to miss my last target of the day which would have been Gowerton. Maybe i can squeeze that one in on Wednesday when i will be returning for day 3 of my Pass. Kidwelly was first up and a quiet spot it was too. Incidentally the guard mentioned that both Kidwelly and Ferryside will no longer be request stops from the December timetable.

With my carefully crafted itinerary blown into the water i would have to be at Ferryside for almost 2 hours and with the sun blazing down by this time, i succumbed to temptation and had an hour in the local hostelry watching Wimbledon and sipping something rather cold and wet. Suitably refreshed i returned to find the sun had gone behind the very tall trees there and so watched in relative comfort the operation of the full Level crossing gates which were adjacent to the signal box there. The last move of the day was back to the sun kissed Pembrey & Burry Port which looked rather idyllic as i drove away in my search for my overnight hotel which would be a Premier Inn in Swansea. Cheap enough too and lots of food options nearby although i wasn't ravenous by any means. A tiring day (or am i still lingering) and i was in bed by 10 (very very early for me) with my alarm set for 4.15 ready for the Heart of Wales line tomorrow.

Pembrey & Burry Port	Depart	9.52​	*****	AW			stations	platforms
Swansea	Arrive	10.13​	P4	AW	wait 18m		completed	completed
Swansea	Depart	10.31​	P1	GW
Neath	Arrive	10.41​		GW	wait 8m
Neath	Depart	10.49​	P1	AW			1​	2​
Swansea	Arrive	11.01​	P2	AW	wait 21m
Swansea	Depart	11.22​	P3	GW			1​	4​
Bridgend	Arrive	11.52​	P2	GW	wait 42m
Bridgend	Depart	12.34​		AW
Pembrey & Burry Port	Arrive	13.34​	P2	AW	wait 19m
Pembrey & Burry Port	Depart	13.53​	P1	AW			1​	2​
Swansea	Arrive	14.19​	P1	AW	wait 66m
Swansea	Depart	15.25​	P1	AW
Carmarthen	Arrive	16.10​	P1	AW	wait 29m		1​	2​
Carmarthen	Depart	16.39​	P1	AW
Kidwelly	Arrive	16.56​	P1	AW	wait 24m
Kidwelly	Depart	17.20​	P2	AW			1​	2​
Ferryside	Arrive	17.25​	P2	AW	wait 127m
Ferryside	Depart	19.32​	P1	GW			1​	2​
Pembrey & Burry Port	Arrive	19.45​	*****	GW

 

[All platforms]

Day 134: Monday 04/07/2022 - Explore South Wales Pass - £45.55 - Valid all day on the Heart of Wales line - Day 2. CP Pantyffynon free.
Total time today 579 mins - Time on trains 284 mins and time waiting 295 mins. Stations completed today 5. Total completed 768.

The Heart of Wales line has caused me a bit of grief as i try and craft a series of itineraries to complete the remaining 9 stations i have to do as well as the awkward bit of track between Sugar Loaf and Llanwrytd and try as i might there is always one piece of the jigsaw left that means i have 1 of the above items left to do without finishing later than i realistically want. The most recent timetable change has brought back into play the early service to Llandovery which has been missing on previous occasions i have looked at this. 3 and a bit visits can now be turned into 2 and a bit visits and the problem is can i now squeeze it into just 2 full visits. Hmm.. still not sure if i can do it by the way and i am looking very carefully at the problem. It may turn my plans for Thursday into sawdust but i digress - again.

The service patterns are generally horrible with 4 hour gaps between service a very real thing. However i realised i could bounce between a few stations early doors north of Llandeilo so i went for it. My start point was Pantyffynon which has a triangular platorm with just one face which is track adjacent. the other side is a branch freight line which i don't think gets used much if at all given the quite rusty nature of the rails there. The gate crossing person is based in the old Station buildings on the platform and probably the plushest crossing control point in these parts. Just off the end of the platform is the signal box and is where the token for the next section is exchanged by hand rather from a metal box cabinet at the end of the platforms for the rest of the line (does Craven Arms count as HoW though?)

I was the only person on board all the way up to Llanwrda which is the stop before Llandovery and where the train reversed. Incidentally they had bolted a 153 onto the front of a 2 car 156 as the front car wasn't driveable so given the short platforms just the front car was in use. However the toilet wasn't useable in the front car so i did get to go back into the rear set after the guard explained it all. Its all go here in Wales today as we shall see. After that little excitement it was time for the return where i still had the train to myself although a person did alight as i set down at Llangadog, and settled down to wait for the next train North which would be for Crewe. I get slightly ahead of myself as the station info poster at Llanwrda promised me a garage that lloked like a station in the village itself but nearly 15 mins later i still wasn't finding it so had to reverse so as not to miss my return. Oh well.

Most of the stations on this line have very decent brick built double bench width shelters but there are exceptions but for the life of me i just can't remember which one didn't on this part of the line. No matter as i had decided my next journey would be all the way to Llanwrytd where the first proper services cross and there is always time to get the return given the crews always work back the way they have come. Very scenic of course between Cynghordy and Llanwrytd although Sugar Loaf is not at the highest point of the line as that honour falls to Llangynllo further North.

The longest journey of the day ensued and after about 15 mins i found myself drifting off. Clearly 6 hours sleep wasn't enough - it normally is by the way. New station number 3 then turned out to be Llangennech which is on the Swansea district line and therefore has 2 platforms, as does Bynea the next stop down. Not enough time to go exploring much but pleasant enough, and before i knew it i was back up the line yet again, this time bound for Llandovery which caused me all kinds of grief last September.

More fun and games then after i alighted as the level crossing barriers stubbornly failed to descend. The lights and sound elements worked fine and it wasn't long before we had an almighty tailback on both sides. Eventually i think the barriers reset and traffic could move once more. Meantime the phones were out with the crew - and a Network Rail Manager who also happened to be on the service and after almost an hour the guys in orange turned up and manually operated them so the service could be released up the line. I did chat briefly with the guard who confidently insisted they would still have to go to Llandrindod, bit that would mean an hours delay in returning. Surely not. I decided to stick it out at Llandovery but with the possibility of a 3 hour wait instead of 2 which would have the knock on effect of missing my last station of the day at Bynea. I did say to the guard it would makes more sense to turnaround at Llanwyrtd but he deemed this unlikely.

In the end the service did terminate at Llanwrtyd but instead of the other southbound doing likewise that terminated as Llandrindod and thus both trains reversed with the same crew on board and the 4 intermediate stations did not receive any service for 8 hours. Ouch. Back at Llandovery then and on time remarkably. Interestingly this reverse service also did not trigger the barriers which were activated by the arange army. Time then for a visit to Bynea which is an odd station with no shelter whatsoever so i had to scoot down to the other end of the platform and hitched myself up the wall for a bit of a read. The house opposite had a top of the line pristine yellow Lambourghini sitting outside with a slightly less pristine Porsche behind it. They probably cost more than the house. One of the few Swansea District line services swooshed past going East (2 each way is all you get) - actually it was the service from Fishguard that i did last year come to think of it. It was only a short hop back up the line to Pantyffynon bafore the long drive home. Again in the light all the way with remarkably few delays.

I am having second thoughts about what i do Wednesday and Thursday as i realise i am probably being too ambitious and a tad unrealstic with my plans. It would take too long to explain (and probably boring) so lets see what i decide meantime.

Pantyffynon	Depart	5.36​	*****	AW			stations	platforms
Llanwrda	Arrive	6.11​	Single	AW	wait 40m		completed	completed
Llanwrda	Depart	6.51​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Llangadog	Arrive	6.54​	Single	AW	wait 25m
Llangadog	Depart	7.19​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Llanwrytd	Arrive	7.51​	P2	AW	wait 20m
Llanwrytd	Depart	8.11​	P1	AW
Llangennech	Arrive	9.36​	P1	AW	wait 26m
Llangennech	Depart	10.02​	P2	AW			1​	2​
Llandovery	Arrive	10.57​	P2	AW	wait 116m
Llandovery	Depart	12.53​	P1	AW			1​	2​
Bynrea	Arrive	13.50​	P1	AW	wait 68m
Bynea	Depart	14.58​	P2	AW			1​	2​
Pantyffynon	Arrive	15.15​	*****	AW

 

[Kite159]

I can think of worse stations to have a 2 hour fester at than Ferryside. Although I do like that part of the country.

Ticking off some more Heart of Wales stations

At least Swansea has a new Tesco express located pretty much outside which could be handy for supply raids between trains

 

[All platforms]

I can think of worse stations to have a 2 hour fester at than Ferryside. Although I do like that part of the country.

Ticking off some more Heart of Wales stations

At least Swansea has a new Tesco express located pretty much outside which could be handy for supply raids between trains

Ferryside and its environs were very picturesque facing towards the water as it does. Much nicer than i was expecting somehow.. Just 4 Heart of Wales stations left to do but i may leave them for now. Just back after Tuesday chores and a couple of hours now in which to formulate Plan B - or retain Plan A of course. Keeps me on my toes.

Good to know about the Tesco Express at Swansea as i will have to visit a few more times as there are (quite a few actually) PSUL options to consider as well as the remaining 2 stations West of Bridgend left on my list - Gowerton and Llamsamlet.

 

[Techniquest]

Two very different days in Wales there!

A productive time, most definitely, but those long waits! That reminded me of the longer waits I had when doing the line years ago, it's fair to say it's not too bad if you're into your exploring and the weather's nice. A shame therefore that I didn't do them in more recent years, I did it back when a long country walk was not too enticing!

I wonder what your plan for the next day is going to be!

 

[Kite159]

I only found out about that Tesco last Saturday, potentially very handy for supply raids (and I dare say a lot cheaper for food/drink than the alternatives of Smiths or that Premier Foods).

 

[Techniquest]

I only found out about that Tesco last Saturday, potentially very handy for supply raids (and I dare say a lot cheaper for food/drink than the alternatives of Smiths or that Premier Foods).

Until you asked me about it, I didn't know it was there. It's a very new addition to Swansea, and it's going to be welcome competition for the likes of CK's (I think that's the one that's gone over to Premier now, I can't be sure, but it was always CK's in my day and always will be) which has gone downhill massively in recent years. It used to be a regular stop for me before or after a trip, when I went there last year I was hugely disappointed. Granted, it was hard to find much in there for me anyway, being a fussy vegan, so I can't fault them too much as I'm not their primary target market, but I am very happy to see Tesco is there now. Mind you, before that even WHSmith was a welcome sight in Swansea, in my day it wasn't much in the way of choice on the station with The Lemon Tree or on-board catering. Those days are quite some way back now, and I'm getting deep, deep, DEEP into nostalgia territory here. I was going to say all it would take now to trip me down Memory Lane even more would be to mention step-entrance Darts, but I've done it to myself there

I think a trip to Swansea just for the memories sake needs to happen. I was there recently, and a walk around some of the shops really broke some memories, but I didn't get to properly go through Uplands, Killay, Hendrefolan, Fforestfach, Middle Road or indeed a number of other places in Swansea. It would be a good excuse to go for a full power walk, that's for sure, and the elevation gain on the walk from the station to Fforestfach would be pretty beast. I've already looked at Maps for the plan, I was going there this month as the end point to an epic 2-day tour of a ride from Hereford, which is on hold for now

ANYWAY! Before more nostalgia kicks in, I must comment on the honourable gentleman's pondering on what he's missing in Swansea. Well, truth be told, not a great deal anywhere near the station. Swansea's best bits are outside the city centre, a prime example is the Mumbles. Really nice place by the seaside, hugely popular whenever the sun's out. Further on from there are the likes of Langland Bay, Bracelet Bay and Carbis Bay. Be forewarned, these are officially in the Gower and that's full of hills. I don't think I'll ever forget that horribly steep hill into Carbis Bay, with a fairly sharp curve at the bottom, that was a ride that was rather clenching, shall we say! However, it is an absolutely gorgeous area and the Gower is just full of beautiful, gorgeous Welsh scenery, bays, beaches and rural walking.

The city itself, it's becoming a lost cause, quite honestly. There's some nice new stuff coming along the Waterfront, not sure exactly what is coming along there though. When I was down there recently, there was so much that had changed I didn't actually know where I was! All this said, the city is still far better than the likes of Neath and Port Talbot. The bus station is hugely improved on what it used to be, not that that was hard to do! The Quadrant shopping centre it's next to, that however has lost the majority of the places it used to have, that was a big piece of nostalgia broken!

Also! I seem to recall noting you haven't yet been to Llansamlet. You may not be aware of them, but just east of the station you have Brunel's Flying Arches. You'll have to forgive my failure to remember the number of them now, I want to say it's 12. Without researching them to tell you about them better, they are there to hold back the cutting the line goes through on its way towards Skewen, Neath and onwards through South Wales. I *think* you can see them from the eastbound platform, but I haven't been on that station since at least 2004 so I can't be sure now. I've been through it way more times than I care to remember though!

That curve coming into Swansea from the west, that is a monster gradient and going up that on a solo 153 would always mean a slow crawl. Sadly, despite doing an HST up it as well, I don't have any memory of the classic HST scream up it. The gradient detail I have forgot, I want to say 1 in 53 but I also have 1 in 67 in memory.

Gowerton, I have a university-related memory of that station. I have no idea how me and a group of friends (evangelists, so we were all quite sensible. Well, they were more than me!) ended up on a rural walk, but that's what we did and we ended up in Gowerton and got a train back. This was of course a long time before smartphones etc, but it remains a favourite memory of the 2003-2004 era. You know, I really should make an effort to get in touch with those good people and see what they're up to these days. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about. Gowerton is not the most exciting place, and I was going to tell you there is at least a Toby Carvery nearby but that's in Gorseinon which is a bit of a trek if on foot. Otherwise, it is a better station than it was in my day although you'd have preferred it back then because it was only a single platform. Good gravy, I've just realised the re-doubling works in that area are now quite a long time ago!

I'm sure I can bore you to tears about the Heart of Wales stations you haven't done too!

 

[All platforms]

I think a trip to Swansea just for the memories sake needs to happen. I was there recently, and a walk around some of the shops really broke some memories.

I seem to recall noting you haven't yet been to Llansamlet. You may not be aware of them, but just east of the station you have Brunel's Flying Arches. You'll have to forgive my failure to remember the number of them now, I want to say it's 12. Without researching them to tell you about them better, they are there to hold back the cutting the line goes through on its way towards Skewen, Neath and onwards through South Wales. I *think* you can see them from the eastbound platform, but I haven't been on that station since at least 2004 so I can't be sure now. I've been through it way more times than I care to remember though!

That curve coming into Swansea from the west, that is a monster gradient and going up that on a solo 153 would always mean a slow crawl. Sadly, despite doing an HST up it as well, I don't have any memory of the classic HST scream up it. The gradient detail I have forgot, I want to say 1 in 53 but I also have 1 in 67 in memory.

Gowerton, I have a university-related memory of that station. I have no idea how me and a group of friends (evangelists, so we were all quite sensible. Well, they were more than me!) ended up on a rural walk, but that's what we did and we ended up in Gowerton and got a train back. This was of course a long time before smartphones etc, but it remains a favourite memory of the 2003-2004 era.

I'm sure I can bore you to tears about the Heart of Wales stations you haven't done too!

I know i said i would be revisiting Swansea but after the last couple of days adventures it is unlikely i will be back much at anything approaching social hours. I also forgot to look for the flying arches at Llansamlet - there's a sneek preview of where i have been, but i did the early evening switcheroo from the West which has the shortest practical wait of the day 1t 10 minutes or i would have gone exploring.

A heady mix of nostalgia there for you i can see, and i have to say i would very much like to come back to this part of the world before too long - but our holiday quota for the year is already full and a return to France next year is already eating into the 2023 schedule.

Just 4 Heart of Wales now of course with 3 clustered around Pontyffynon with Llandeilo being the outlier - and given that last weeks drive back was better than expected i probably have a full day that is workable to knock them out in one go. Hurrah. Not sure when though....

It has taken me all morning to log my last 2 days adventures and update spreadsheets etc such has been the (for me) flurry of activity. Reports to follow.

 

[Techniquest]

I got a long way down Memory Lane there didn't I! Apologies!

It sounds like you've had some busy times, as always I am of course looking forward to the details when they're available Where in France are you looking to go?

 

[All platforms]

Day 135: Wednesday 06 July 2022 - Explore South Wales Pass - £45.55 - Valid after 9.30am weekdays - Day 3. Cwmbran to Newport (South Wales) - £3.35 - Anytime single. Newport (South Wales) to Risca & Pontymister - £2.60 - Anytime Single. CP Cwmbran free.
Total time today 710 mins - Time on trains 369 mins and time waiting 341 mins. Stations completed today 8. Total completed 776.

So, back in South Wales it is for another 2 days. My original plan had to be abandoned because my hotel cancelled on me with 2 days to go. I dabbled with pulling an all nighter, but with a 3 hour plus drive home the day after, even i thought this might be a step too far. Never say never but as it wasn't a must do now thing, i eventually saw reason. The downside was by this time i only had a few hours to come up with a better plan (and find another hotel that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg at such notice) so no pressure.....

I cobbled something around 2 PSUL moves, decided on Cwmbran as a free start point and accepted a 20 minute drive to my cheap hotel in record time before dashing off a super quick itinerary. What could go wrong?

A very leisurely early drive down to avoid the Birmingham rush hour saw me in Cwmbran with time to spare for a Morrisons trip to stock up on supplies. The car park already had plenty of metal occupants but i was only 1 of 3 people who boarded the 8.48 to Newport, so the others had all gone to work clearly. I needed the track to Newport - and the reverse later on of course so a good start. Changing at Newport for the Crosskeys service on the recently introduced service that uses the much longer than i was expecting single track between Gaer Junction and Park Junction with a tunnel thrown in for free. A very good start then. First stop for me would be the oddly named (at least to my non Welsh eyes), Risca & Pontymister which has double track. The rest of the line is singled apart from the track up to the next station at Crosskeys where the service would terminate, move forward on to the single line and reverse into the other platform. I get ahead of myself once more though.

I did look at a few options as to how best to do this line having scoped it some weeks ago but in the end i grafted a good portion of this onto todays itinerary as i was seeing no way of doing the whole line before i had to be elsewhere. I didn't see what the line speed was but the pace was very leisurely on what was an increasingly pretty line as we moved further and higher. Before all of that however was a return to Newport to travel the single line the reverse way before a swift turnaround, this time alighting at Rogerstone. With only one (enforced) wait of 30 minutes the whole day, things seem to keep moving and it wasn't long before the trip one stop to Pye Corner was made. It is only 2 days ago that i visited but already i have no real memory of either of these stations so nothing to recommend i guess unless there are good walks nearby. I could either do both platforms at Crosskeys and maybe one more station but in the end i plumped to visit more stations and so Llanhilleth, Newbridge and the comparatively new station at Ebbw Vale Parkway were all ticked off in good order. I was particularly taken with the last of these and wish i had more time to look at the surroundings which were fairly impressive. The car park is a good hike away though and tucked out of sight so a bonus. After this i would take the Cardiff service South which leaves me with Ebbw Vale Town and platform 2 at Crosskeys left to do here. I am sure this can be tacked on to another day without too much bother.

My first visit to Cardiff then and i was immediately puzzled by the A and B numbering system for platforms 1 to 6 (or was it 1 to 7) which alternate A+B at the same end. OK i got that one sorted for now. Now how are they using these variants? Ignoring the GW services which do invariably use the whole platform, all the AW services stop at (pretty much anyway) the end of the platforms and therefore use way less than half whats available, but RTT and the boards show the base platform number with no A or B variants. There are a few 3A 3B 4A and 4B variants which are listed at certain times so i am in a bit of a quandary. For now i have listed those services i have used as an A or a B pending getting to the bottom of this. I can smell a full day at Cardiff in the future trying to decide for sure what to do - Oh joy. When i have a bit more time i will delve deeper to see if there is more info on how this works. Puzzling for now though.

I stopped at Cardiff purely for platform coverage and to get the next GW service that would be stopping at Bridgend. Full fat P3 in the bag then. My real objective was the Swansea District line going West having done the East variant last year. Thankfully the trains today were all behaving themselves with no evidence of cancellations for any AW train - which makes things so much easier. A very enjoyable jaunt over the Swanses District line then and i saw it in a much better context having travelled extensively now in this part of Wales, whereas before it was my first foray East of Llanelli. Incidentally i mentioned the lack of a P1 sign at Bridgend to one of the dispatchers and he rolled his eyes saying they had been requesting one for years. I had enough time at Bridgend to see if it was possible to do both Gowerton and Llansamlet today and still get back to Cwmbran at a sensible time and i found there was a way - but it would be tight. Having more confidence in the timetable being adhered to today, i went for it so first stop was Gowerton then after alighting at Llanelli from the avoider and a brisk walk between platforms to ensure this.

Gowerton was virtually deserted which was a far cry from the previous weekend when security staff were much in evidence on the busy platforms - presumably to stop disputes about overcrowding?? So many people had oversized suitcases i seem to recall but in truth i was glad i wasn't doing this at the weekend. Again not enough time to explore much outside the station before i was on board once again back to Llanelli. Not a fan of what is near to the station at Llanelli to be honest so i stayed put for the next service East and a chance to open my book. I was really hoping it would be on time as there was a 6 minute turnaround at Llansamlet and not knowing the station i was hoping it wasn't a long walk between platforms. Thankfully not too bad, and thankfully the next service was delayed a few minutes so i needn't have rushed. Phew. That was a big tick as all stations West of Bridgend were now in the bag and i could concentrate on the Cardiff core from now on. The exception being the 2 most awkward PSUL services i have found so far which have had me scratching my tiny brain as to the best way of doing these. I refer of course to the OVE - or Ogmore Vale Extension line, the use of which has me baffled, as all it does is sit parallel to the main line for a mile or so West of Bridgend - and for one service each way in the middle of the night. That was the silliness i was contemplating at the beginning of this report. Oh the other thing in these parts is the single Landore line Swansea avoider which is one each way on a Sunday of course.

Digression over, all that remained was the reverse from Llansamlet back to Swansea and to hop on the GW Paddington service. Wrong - delayed! but the reason escapes me and so i fought my way on to the all stations stopper to Cardiff instead some 50 mins later. Reminiscent of old commuting days with it being packed to the rafters for the first few stops with ironically Llansamlet the first of these. Time for some shut eye as i had the fortune to get a window seat next to the metal panelling not a window if that makes sense and tried not to worry about the connection at the other end. Thankfully it was just about doable and entirely due to it being on the same island platform. i was one of a dozen who made the transition for the Manchester service with first stop Cwmban being my goal. My hotel would prove to be tired and run down but with a clean bed and bathroom i couldn't care less for less than £40. It would be another early alarm call for a daylight attempt at Maindee North to East with a run across the main line to the Esk sidings to boot before reversing. Lets see....

Cwmbran	Depart	8.48​	*****	AW			stations	platforms
Newport (South Wales)	Arrive	8.57​	P2	AW	wait 23m		completed	completed
Newport (South Wales)	Depart	9.20​	P4	AW
Risca & Pontymister	Arrive	9.37​	P1	AW	wait 21m
Risca & Pontymister	Depart	9.58​	P2	AW			1​	2​
Newport (South Wales)	Arrive	10.14​	P4	AW	wait 6m
Newport (South Wales)	Depart	10.20​	P4	AW
Rogerstone	Arrive	10.33​	Single	AW	wait 28m
Rogerstone	Depart	11.01​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Pye Corner	Arrive	11.04​	Single	AW	wait 25m
Pye Corner	Depart	11.29​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Crosskeys	Arrive	11.42​	P1	AW	wait 24m
Crosskeys	Depart	12.06​	P1	AW
Llanhilleth	Arrive	12.20​	Single	AW	wait 30m
Llanhilleth	Depart	12.50​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Newbridge	Arrive	12.55​	Single	AW	wait 18m
Newbridge	Depart	13.13​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Ebbw Vale Parkway	Arrive	13.28​	Single	AW	wait 14m
Ebbw Vale Parkway	Depart	13.42​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Cardiff Central	Arrive	14.35​	P4a	AW	wait 20m
Cardiff Central	Depart	14.55​	P3	GW
Bridgend	Arrive	15.14​		GW	wait 20m
Bridgend	Depart	15.34​		AW
Llanelli	Arrive	16.25​	P1	AW	wait 5m
Llanelli	Depart	16.30​	P2	AW
Gowerton	Arrive	16.37​	P2	AW	wait 19m
Gowerton	Depart	16.56​	P1	AW			1​	2​
Llanelli	Arrive	17.02​	P1	AW	wait 23m
Llanelli	Depart	17.25​	P2	AW
Llansamlet	Arrive	17.55​	P2	AW	wait 10m
Llansamlet	Depart	18.05​		AW			1​	2​
Swansea	Arrive	18.12​	P2	AW	wait 53m
Swansea	Depart	19.05​	P1	AW
Cardiff Central	Arrive	20.12​	P2b	AW	wait 2m
Cardiff Central	Depart	20.14​	P1a	AW
Cwmbran	Arrive	20.38​	*****	AW

 

[Techniquest]

Good work there fair play! The Ebbw Vale line is nice, and thank you for the reminder of the availability of that bit out of Newport. I have to confess I had forgot it was now running, so I have winner track available not all that far from where I am. I must look into sorting that out! I'd do it next week, but my body is still not finished recovering yet, which is driving me crazy!

Cardiff will be a fine bit easier to deal with than the likes of Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh that's for sure. I see you've made a good start with the A and B platforms, you'll soon be done. Fingers crossed you get the rare track at Maindee!

 

[All platforms]

Day 136: Thursday 07/07/2022 - Explore South Wales Pass - £45.55 - Valid after 9.30am Weekdays - Day 4. Cwmbran to Cardiff Central - £6.25 - Anytime Single. Cardiff Central to Coryton - £2.20 - Anytime Single. CP Cwmbran free.
Total time today 613 mins - Time on trains 177 mins and time waiting 436 mins. Stations completed today 14. Total completed 790.

So, was the effort taken to get to Cwmbran once more for a start just a few minutes after 5am. Err no!!

Possession must have been given up early as we most decidely used the standard route into Newport and therefore arrived about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Merde as the French would say. Probably the only opportunity to do this in daylight for some considerable time. The saving grace was we landed in P1 at Newport which is normally only used very late evening from about 10.30pm to 1.30am. Oh and we used a super rare crossover to get there which i don't really have any use for as i'm not collecting these. Having made the decision to alight here i spotted the guard and driver in conversation outside the cab and took the opportunity to ask the question. Apparently they did the reverse on the way up to Hereford earlier however. Having checked RTT all the ones to Hereford this week did the reverse but none of the returns. Other opportunities arise at the beginning and end of August so i may have another go in the pitch dark. More carrots needed...

I am no prude or killjoy but boy were there some sights left over from the night before prowling the station. Nothing West before 6.43 but a few going East. This should have included a West Coast Railways special to Eton & Riverside which accounted for the very smartly dressed contingent also in attendance in direct counterpoint to the great unwashed - who knew Wednesday evenings in Newport were so attractive to the night crowd. A lot of disappointed punters for the special as it was cancelled due to "a problem with the traction equipment" Great shame really..

Plenty of time to have a look at Newport centre and on the way back found a Tesco Local opening at 6am so i had supplies again. Phew. Back at the station it was just a case of waiting for the first service to Cardiff which was the Maesteg service from Gloucester. the next at 7.10 was cancelled so Cardiff was not well served early doors yesterday. Cardiff Central it was eventually after the linear hop my anytime ticket allowed. The next ticket to Coryton allowed a series of linear hops for not many pennies before my Railpass kicked in at 9.30. First time i have done this and i might try this again sometime.

Central to Queen Street started the ball rolling with this and after just a few minutes i was making the short journey to Heath Low Level. With the hops being linear i had time at every station on this short line to get out and about. The first thing i noticed was just hoiw close the High and Low Level stations are to each other. Any one with a throwing arm would have no difficulty chucking a tennis ball between the 2 entrances. By far the closest stations i have come across so far - in fact i would find it difficult to believe there is anything closer on the network. It makes the journey between Wigan Wallgate and North West look like a hike in comparison. Next hop was to Ty Glas and time to settle down with my book given the decent shelter and bench. A lot of pedestrian traffic who were using the platform And the barrow crossing as a cut through - which it was being a right of way.

The next journey to Birchgrove is indecently short. Surely this has to be the shortest distance between 2 stations on the network. I watched the return service go back to Ty Glas and you can almost read the number on the back of the set its that close. In fact the whole line is a series of closely packed stations. When i eventually got up to the penultimate one at Whitchurch you could see the previous 3 stations as the train stopped at each. I get ahead once more as Rhiwbena was next with its claim to fame being the best remaining example of a Garden Village. Very pretty from some angles but is now surrounded somewhat by other residenmtial development.

Penultimate station on the line is my second of three Whitchurch's that can be found on the network and a least used station to boot. I am about halfway through these now and just 1 shy of halfway with request stops, so i guess i am ahead of the game in these areas. Last call was Coryton and a short turnaround before heading back to Queen Street where i took advantage of platform tickage and a trip back to P8 at Cardiff Central. The next part of the plan was to do what i could on the lower reaches of the line to Rhymney so it was all go for a bit as services are quite frequent before Ystrad Mynach. Llanishen and Heath High Level were all done before i decided on a slight change of plan to do Energlyn & Churchill Park which doesn't receive a full service. The sun was pelting down by this time so the urge to wander wasn't there and so just a waiting game until the service to Aber arrived. Llanbradach was next and by this time i was feeling a little tired so another change of plan and a bit of a breather to travel back down the line to the single line at Dingle Road. A quick hop back to Grangetown which has a very large island platform but precious little shelter from the sun so i was glad to be back onboard to my last new station of the day at Penarth. With connections to Cwmbran thin on the ground at this time i had a full 30 minutes to spare to wander the leafy suburbs and which is clearly a monied area. I ventured into a local deli with the intention of taking home a little pressie but the prices were gobsmackingly outrageous so i reluctantly declined. Not that i frequent these type of places often but this was by far the most expensive version i have encountered.

Back at Cardiff in time for the Manchester service which always stops at Cwmbran and i was back at the car by 3.20pm. I knew the M5/M6 junction would be rammed, but it wasn't too bad and i was back in time for tea.

I feel i want to return to Cardiff before too long but i may do something local to me on Sunday as other commitments and opportunities are in the way till then, and Monday and Tuesday are also off the agenda so maybe Wednesday next week before i return??

Cwmbran	Depart	5.06​	*****	AW			stations	platforms
Newport (South Wales)	Arrive	5.20​	P1	AW	wait 83m		completed	completed
Newport (South Wales)	Depart	6.43​	P2	AW
Cardiff Central	Arrive	6.55​	P4a	AW	wait 20m
Cardiff Central	Depart	7.15​	P6a	AW
Cardiff Queen Street	Arrive	7.18​	P4	AW	wait 7m
Cardiff Queen Street	Depart	7.25​	P4	AW
Heath Low Level	Arrive	7.29​	Single	AW	wait 32m
Heath Low Level	Depart	8.01​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Ty Glas	Arrive	8.07​	Single	AW	wait 27m
Ty Glas	Depart	8.34​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Birchgrove	Arrive	8.35​	Single	AW	wait 30m
Birchgrove	Depart	9.05​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Rhiwbina	Arrive	9.07​	Single	AW	wait 30m
Rhiwbina	Depart	9.37​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Whitchurch (Cardiff)	Arrive	9.38​	Single	AW	wait 31m
Whitchurch (Cardiff)	Depart	10.09​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Coryton	Arrive	10.11​	Single	AW	wait 4m
Coryton	Depart	10.15​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Cardiff Queen Street	Arrive	10.30​	P3	AW	wait 11m
Cardiff Queen Street	Depart	10.41​	P2	AW
Cardiff Central	Arrive	10.44​	P8	AW	wait 17m
Cardiff Central	Depart	11.01​	P6a	AW
Llanishen	Arrive	11.12​		AW	wait 5m
Llanishen	Depart	11.17​		AW			1​	2​
Heath High Level	Arrive	11.19​		AW	wait 7m
Heath High Level	Depart	11.25​		AW			1​	2​
Energlyn & Churchill Park	Arrive	11.42​	P2	AW	wait 23m
Energlyn & Churchill Park	Depart	12.05​	P1	AW			1​	2​
Aber	Arrive	12.06​		AW	wait 12m
Aber	Depart	12.18​		AW			1​	2​
Llanbradach	Arrive	12.21​		AW	wait 15m
Llanbradach	Depart	12.36​		AW			1​	2​
Dingle Road	Arrive	13.12​	Single	AW	wait 8m
Dingle Road	Depart	13.20​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Grangetown	Arrive	13.24​		AW	wait 12m
Grangetown	Depart	13.36​		AW			1​	2​
Penarth	Arrive	13.43​	Single	AW	wait 20m
Penarth	Depart	14.04​	Single	AW			1​	1​
Cardiff Central	Arrive	14.14​	P6a	AW	wait 42m
Cardiff Central	Depart	14.56​	P1a	AW
Cwmbran	Arrive	15.19​	*****	AW

 

[Techniquest]

Interesting, I didn't know p6 had A and B variants. Learn something new every day! Harsh times on the rare track not being grabbed after all though

 

[pne]

The first thing i noticed was just hoiw close the High and Low Level stations are to each other. Any one with a throwing arm would have no difficulty chucking a tennis ball between the 2 entrances. By far the closest stations i have come across so far - in fact i would find it difficult to believe there is anything closer on the network.

Wait until you get to Devon; I think St Budeaux Victoria Road and St Budeaux Ferry Road (just outside of Plymouth) are even closer together, especially if you look at the entrances: just about opposite the road from each other. (Google Street View image: https://goo.gl/maps/csJ7iFuM8hMFrpZd9)

 

[All platforms]

Good work there fair play! The Ebbw Vale line is nice, and thank you for the reminder of the availability of that bit out of Newport. I have to confess I had forgot it was now running, so I have winner track available not all that far from where I am. I must look into sorting that out! I'd do it next week, but my body is still not finished recovering yet, which is driving me crazy!

Cardiff will be a fine bit easier to deal with than the likes of Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh that's for sure. I see you've made a good start with the A and B platforms, you'll soon be done. Fingers crossed you get the rare track at Maindee!

Interesting, I didn't know p6 had A and B variants. Learn something new every day! Harsh times on the rare track not being grabbed after all though

I got a long way down Memory Lane there didn't I! Apologies!

It sounds like you've had some busy times, as always I am of course looking forward to the details when they're available Where in France are you looking to go?

2 things with Cardiff - firstly the weird numbering system so if you were lets say at the Newport end of all the platforms they would go 7B 6A 5B 4A 3B 2A 1B. Manchester Piccadilly does this with P13 and P14 but otherwise i haven't encountered this before. P0 and P8 don't have the variants being quite a lot shorter than the others but in the end it doesn't really matter how they number them i guess.

Bearing in mind the main platforms can accommodate at least 10 car GW services, if you place a 2 car to Manchester right at the Newport end of the platform it really should be called P1a for example and not just call it plain P1 which is what always happens. Nothing gets called A or B by the system except a few services on platform 3 and 4 where both A and B variants are seen on a daily basis. My logical mind goes a bit ditzy as to why some get called out but the others don't. Its going to be a deep dive into the timetables now to see if i can predict which end various services will use. In any event i think there will be at least one day based at Cardiff yet to come.

The new chord/line up to the Ebbw line proper is much longer than you might think and is a worthwhile objective given where you are. One side of a really big triangle and a candidate for one of the largest out there. What is it about this part of the world that i'm finding biggest, shortest etc.

It took me 10 to 14 days to recover sufficiently before i felt normal again but i still feel there's a missing 5% somewhere waiting to be rediscovered.

France - destination not finalised but pretty much we will end up in the Dordogne region again or perhaps a tad North of there. I have always wanted to drive there and bring back wine so next year we will try this.

 

[All platforms]

Wait until you get to Devon; I think St Budeaux Victoria Road and St Budeaux Ferry Road (just outside of Plymouth) are even closer together, especially if you look at the entrances: just about opposite the road from each other. (Google Street View image: https://goo.gl/maps/csJ7iFuM8hMFrpZd9)

You got me - that is shorter still from entrance to entrance i will concede. Amazing really and good to know about.

 

[Kite159]

A good couple days in Wales, other than being bowled by the track at Newport.

 

[Western Sunset]

Ferryside and its environs were very picturesque facing towards the water as it does. Much nicer than i was expecting somehow.. Just 4 Heart of Wales stations left to do but i may leave them for now. Just back after Tuesday chores and a couple of hours now in which to formulate Plan B - or retain Plan A of course. Keeps me on my toes.

Good to know about the Tesco Express at Swansea as i will have to visit a few more times as there are (quite a few actually) PSUL options to consider as well as the remaining 2 stations West of Bridgend left on my list - Gowerton and Llamsamlet.

Yes, Ferryside is a nice spot. The signalman invited me into the box when I was there (some years ago).

Really enjoying reading your travails. Have you done Bournemouth's plat 4 yet?

 

[Techniquest]

The platform numbering and lettering you mention there had me exclaiming 'Does it? Huh!' when I read that, I have to confess the only A and B I knew of at Cardiff Central was on 3 and 4. I used to be very familiar with Cardiff Central, given the amount of time I spent there in the mid 2000s on spotting missions, but I am clearly in need of a revisit. If the A and B variants are as mixed as that, then it seems a bit wrong.

3 and 4 are the ones that need A and B variants the most, given those are the ones that have the most terminating trains/platform sharing going on. It's not uncommon, or at least used to be the case, that you'd get 2 or 3 terminating services all using platform 4 within a short period of time, with the first going as far down as possible (makes sense, given it's then far easier to see the signal) and the next train parking behind it etc. With the GTi HSTs now, I guess that might be a bit harder to do, but the A and B ends do get used quite a bit. A Manchester to Milford Haven train will commonly use p3b, and one that definitely used p3b in the previous timetable was the 1602 Cardiff Central-Fishguard Harbour.

I *think* when it's the only train in said platform then they don't make a thing about it being from A or B, because there isn't much point. All this being said though, it has been a mighty long time since I really looked at all the workings at Central, all of this has been based from memory of stuff I've seen happening. In my day, for example, it was very unusual to arrive from the Newport direction into platform 2, never mind head west from it. I did just that some months back on a Holyhead-Maesteg train, on a Hereford-Maesteg and back journey for some cycling and 175 coverage.

Either way, I hope that Central will not cause you too many headaches in trying to get it all done!

That area of France, I'm not familiar with if truth be told. Until a friend went to Nice last year, I had no intention of going back to France but I changed my mind when I saw how good it looked. The Tour de France has inspired me to jump on a ferry and go exploring in the Dunkerque/Calais area with my cycle, and Lille deserves a proper explore too. There's been lots of nice places I've seen, some of the last couple of days' action convinced me not to go with my cycle though, now it's gone up into the mountains!

 

[All platforms]

Yes, Ferryside is a nice spot. The signalman invited me into the box when I was there (some years ago).

Really enjoying reading your travails. Have you done Bournemouth's plat 4 yet?

He did seem a friendly sort as i was passing by and later as i sat on the platform on the other side i think he showed some kids (with parents) how the barriers worked with an impromptu demonstration!

I did scope out Bournemouth P4 last year in a period of downtime and it was a weekday 9.10 arrival quickly checking my records. No idea if that exists still in the timetable but i have not ventured south of Bristol yet although a few forays have got me close to London. It may well be next year before i take the plunge with the South Coast.

 

[All platforms]

Day 137: Sunday 10/07/2022 - Greater Manchester Wayfarer - £15.20 - Valid all day at Weekends. CP Reddish North free.
Total time today 538 mins - Time on trains 420 mins and time waiting 118 mins. Stations completed today 2. Total completed 792.

A bit of a bonus day as i slowly make my through the remaining bits and bobs in the Greater Manchester area. In my head i have been saying to myself i am almost done but the reality is somewhat different. The bits and bobs look simple to do but its the devils own job to get a coherent itinerary on the go and my natural aversion to the Hope Valley line with all the horror stories that have been around for months isn't helping.

Whilst the day was cut short due to a key out and back cancellation it was an interesting outing nonetheless. Reddish North was chosen as a base as its less than 40 minutes travel for me, and its free of course. I have no idea why but Strines always struck me as a cool place to visit and the reality lived up to the internal hype. An utterly cloudless sky, not a breath of wind and a restricted byway just outside the entrance which just cried out for exploration. What's not to like and it probably makes my imaginary Top 10 list. Not too much cover if its wet and windy though.

I could have spent all day on the line but being a Sunday there was the anomaly that is the one a week Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Piccadilly service that goes to Hadfield via Dinting P1 and then Glossop before returning to Manchester via Dinting P2. There are a couple of others that do the same route but at antisocial times and these all show Hadfield as a terminating and start point rather than a continuous service. Just a little oddity i guess. 90 minutes later i was back at Piccadilly and just enough time to pop into Sainsburys for some supplies before i was off to Navigation Road purely for track purposes. We set off from P12 which doesn't get too much use and a piece of track i have done many years ago - and which i seem to remember had sidings and track where we peel off and round to Navigation Road. Probably my memory playing up but little sign of that today.

A brief peek in my book whilst keeping an eye on the trams on the other track before a return to Piccadilly and the rest of the afternoon on the Hope Valley line - hopefully....

I wanted to have a look at the weekend Pilotman situation up at Earles and as a consequence potentially giving up completed stations but a fairly full 5 car unit made its way up the line to terminate at Hope where coaches to/from Sheffield were in strong attendance. I have seen quite a few arguments online about whether P1 or P2 - or even both would be in use. I purposefully sat right at the front so i could see (and hear) what was happening. We proceeded as normal as far as Earles Signal Box where we stopped to pick up the Pilotman. From there we proceeded up to Hope Station as normal but at a much reduced pace - so we landed in P2. It took a good 10 minutes to disgorge the Sheffield hordes and get the incoming hordes on board and we departed from P2 going wrong way all the way back to the crossover (which looked to me to be) about 250 yards before returning to Earles on the correct side. It was at that point i realised that the next but one service east was cancelled with no real opportunity to use the next one due to timings i reluctantly made the decision to bail. 2 hours wait for 2 stations so close to home on such a nice day was just a bit much to contemplate and i was back home appropriately early with brownie points gained..

A day of much trainage and very little waiting which makes a nice change. 3 stations on the line now have 1 platform done which is as much use as a chocolate fireguard - so will have to be redone from scratch effectively. Also in the to do pile is completing Manchester Airport. Still not decided what to do here and it will probably have a stand alone day/evening somewhere down the line. Thirdly is track to/from Stalybridge to/from both Manchester stations and the TPE track to/from Chinley to/from Stockport/Manchester. 2 platforms at Stalybridge and Ashton-under-Lyne complete the list i think. Err apparently not as having rechecked my records i have unbelievably got Crewe to Warrington Bank Quay missing too - very ironic as its my home base. How weird - i could have sworn this was in the bag - but no.

Hoping to be back in South Wales Wednesday/Thursday - lets see...

Reddish North	Depart	7.52​	*****	NT			stations	platforms
Strines	Arrive	8.08​	P2	NT	wait 37m		completed	completed
Strines	Depart	8.45​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Manchester Piccadilly	Arrive	9.10​	P2	NT	wait 19m
Manchester Piccadilly	Depart	9.29​	P3	NT
Manchester Piccadilly	Arrive	10.51​	P3	NT	wait 10m
Manchester Piccadilly	Depart	11.01​	P12	NT
Navigation Road	Arrive	11.26​	P2	NT	wait 33m
Navigation Road	Depart	11.59​	P2	NT
Manchester Piccadilly	Arrive	12.36​	P10	NT	wait 9m		1​	15​
Manchester Piccadilly	Depart	12.45​	P3	NT
Hope (Derbyshire)	Arrive	13.48​	P2	NT	wait 10m
Hope (Derbyshire)	Depart	13.58​	P2	NT
Reddish North	Arrive	14.50​	*****	NT

 

[Techniquest]

Good work on clearing some unusual bits close to home, gets them out of the way nicely. In such beautiful weather too, which certainly helps make up for the cold winter days! Well, a bit at least!

I can see you prioritising Crewe-Warrington Bank Quay soon, just to get a major local gap cleared!

 

[Kite159]

If you need the bay platform at Barking, better try and get it done this week as the new station at Barking Riverside opens on Monday with the services extended from Barking.

I suspect the only time it will get used after next week will be for engineering works closing the route towards Riverside