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

[All platforms]

I think it won't be on PSUL because it's not a normally booked route, comes up now and again on engineering works.

I wouldn't worry by the way, I think you're a long way from micro-gricing yet. It takes some serious dedication to doing that, and I think you have to have a particular mindset to even consider doing it seriously.

As you will see when i get the time to compile my reports from South Wales i did kinda fall down this rabbit hole a bit, but i justify this in my own head by saying i had fewer target than usual and was just using spare time wisely by taking advantage of opportunities that arose.

There are different levels of microgricing, some more extreme than others.

I actually took one of my Track Diagram books with me this time to see if this added anything to the experience - and i thnk it did. Without these there is little point getting too fine with the detail as how can you be sure of, and then record what you have just done.. I have no plans to actively chase the vanishingly small stuff but it is only proper to record the journey. More track diagram books will be sourced i am certain. I keep a permanent record on UTtracker which has a good selection of online track diagrams which can be used in an interactive way of course. More are being added each week and it will juste become an even better tool and resource as time goes on.

I do enjoy your creativity.

Whilst I remember, for anyone interested, found this one on GWR engineering webpage for Sunday 13th November

Thanks - much appreciated.

Probably a tad early for me to be looking at November yet but i will file it away to see how it will reverse nearer the time. I did do the curves in January when the lines west of Reading were closed and so it would be a repeat with a bonus crossover. I did Maindee North/East last week, and one way i am sure we stayed on the mainline to reverse and the other definitely used the Usk sidings - (both were booked as such).

 

[All platforms]

I am hoping that @All platforms[/USER] knows the answer to this.

Yesterday I was listening on Radio 4 to The Infinite Monkey Cage, with Brian Cox and Robin Ince.

The programme was How to Teach Maths, and included a discussion about zero.

One of the guests was Matt Parker, a comedian, and I think I heard him claim that he had visited all of the platform zeroes in one day.

Is that possible, or was it a joke?

I did know about the video Kite has kindly referrred to, but i had forgotten that Matt Parker was also with Geoff, so its a good job he is around! I don't listen to it avidly, but i have enjoyed the odd episode of the infinite monkey cage, so i will look this one out i think. Cheers.

Not sure if its possible to visit all stations with Platform Zeros in a day now that Leeds has joined the list, but nigh on impossible to do so arriving at, or departing from each of them in the same time frame. Sounds like a good challenge to puzzle out though. With nothing at Haymarket timetabled to use P0 a lot of patience might be required..

Just seen that P0 was used twice on Sunday at Haymarket - and RTT doesn't show it as a platform alteration. I think its a one off though...

 

[Magdalia]

I believe he joined Geoff Marshall to do all platform 0s in one day

I did know about the video Kite has kindly referrred to, but i had forgotten that Matt Parker was also with Geoff, so its a good job he is around! I don't listen to it avidly, but i have enjoyed the odd episode of the infinite monkey cage, so i will look this one out i think. Cheers.

Thanks to both. I did like Caffe Zero!

 

[Kite159]

I did know about the video Kite has kindly referrred to, but i had forgotten that Matt Parker was also with Geoff, so its a good job he is around! I don't listen to it avidly, but i have enjoyed the odd episode of the infinite monkey cage, so i will look this one out i think. Cheers.

Not sure if its possible to visit all stations with Platform Zeros in a day now that Leeds has joined the list, but nigh on impossible to do so arriving at, or departing from each of them in the same time frame. Sounds like a good challenge to puzzle out though. With nothing at Haymarket timetabled to use P0 a lot of patience might be required..

Just seen that P0 was used twice on Sunday at Haymarket - and RTT doesn't show it as a platform alteration. I think its a one off though...

I reckon it will be easy enough to visit all the stations with a platform 0, but just to visit them rather than using a train which uses P0.

Ie for Cardiff Central/Doncaster a case of arriving at the station, standing on platform 0 for a photo before departing again.

 

[All platforms]

Day 149: Sunday 07/08/2022 - Explore South Wales Pass - £45.55 - 4 in 8 days - Day 2. CP Cardiff Central £12.50. Newport Dusk till Dawn £4.00
Total time today 13 hours 6 mins - Time on trains 459 mins and time waiting 327 mins. Stations completed today 2. Total completed 888.

A final 2 day visit to the Cardiff area to see if i can polish off the remaining stations, platforms and track hereabouts (not including Ogmore and the Builth special being saved for next year). I am finding the drive down and back a little wearing by now so planned to cram everything into 3 days not 4 as originally intended. With quite a few alternative itineraries considered and more planning than usual i felt able to be flexible on the hoof as i still wasn't confident about the remaining 3 Cardiff platforms delivering up the goods and wanted options. I also have with me for the first time the Western & Wales version of Railway Track Diagrams as there are a few fortuitous rare track opportunities today which i want to have a close look at. I will do this again as it worked for me and it was good to see the exact route taken and keep a record of it.

First off was one of the earliest services of the day which was off to Lydney being as the line beyond to Gloucester is closed until 02 September. The reason for the early start was that the main line was also out of use today and the relief lines would be in play to Severn Tunnel Junction meaning the flyover at Bishton was in use - which is not normally timetabled. The main line was being used out of Cardiff but would transfer to the Relief line at various points nearer to Newport throughout the day hence my track diagrams! I would be alighting at Caldicot for a near 20 minute hiatus and another lovely first stop of the day with no one about and the only interruption some distant firing of shotguns? Pigeon pie anyone? I wish i had more time here as i most certainly would have gone exploring towards the estuary/riverside - wonderful spot.

The return to Cardiff stayed on the relief line the whole way for some unexpected track bonus and a satisfying start. Not sure what my next target was, but when i saw the Barry Island service unexpectedly rock up on P6b i was all over it like a rash and i could take out one of my remaining targets on the line to boot. I was glad there was not too much of a wait at Cadoxton with nothing interesting to report and as will be a feature of the next days another out and back from Cardiff.

Third time lucky with the Swansea avoiders at Landore? You betcha - this day keeps on getting better. The 2 car set was not overloaded and set off on time and used the rare line E all the way to the end where it joined the main line and trundled Westwards. This is a route i have done many times now apart from the little chord above the depot at Landore, and its a very much a blink and you'll miss it with overgrown undergrowth not giving a good view of anything. Just time enough to stock up on supplies at the Co-op in Pembrey - or is it Burry Port? before back to the platform to ensure i get on the correct service this time as there are 2 very close together. They were both late and the avoider was pretty much full and standing and losing time at every point it seemed. It got held at the signals in the triangle and at least a dozen punters lost their connection to London as the GW service was allowed out in front. Cue much muttering in the main carriage as this fact was shared.

Back in Cardiff i had chance to ask a friendly dispatcher about P4b with just about everything timetabled here ending up on P4a instead. I had 2 opportunities only it seemed - both on a weekday so lets see if this is good advice tomorrow. My penultimate Cardiff platform was P4 proper with a 10 car GW service taking me as far as Bridgend where i bailed and decided to wait for the Maesteg train. Today seems to be a day of minutiae and with my next target some time away i decided to go to Maesteg the proper way and not using the engineering only P3 as i did earlier in the year. I had time to appreciate it more this time and in the sun it looks a very pretty place to be.

Once again i was back in Cardiff again this time into P0 and an hours wait for my next foray East this time using a GW offering to Severn Tunnel Junction. The orange army was out in force relaying track east of Newport on the main line as we trundled past on the relief line. Not sure what the line speed is but it wasn't much.... As we came down off the flyover we passed a slow moving engineering set with old track loaded on quite few trailers. This moved onto the loop west of the Junction station after i alighted at P4. I had the place to myself again it seemed and i settled down and poked my nose in a book for a while. With things going to plan i decided another little deviation was in order so i popped up to Queen Street where the Cardiff Bay services were going from P2 for some reason. Another tick in the obscure section and then back to base before heading off to Newport for my cheap(ish) hotel. No bargains to be had mid summer except some Sundays so Newport it was. I will of course be back tomorrow for the final part of the South Wales extravaganza.

Cardiff Central	Depart	8.24​	*****	AW			stations	platforms
Caldicot	Arrive	9.05​	P2	AW	wait 19m		completed	completed
Caldicot	Depart	9.24​	P1	AW			1​	2​
Cardiff Central	Arrive	10.02​	P4a	AW	wait 24m
Cardiff Central	Depart	10.26​	P6b	AW
Cadoxton	Arrive	10.42​		AW	wait 23m
Cadoxton	Depart	11.05​		AW			1​	2​
Cardiff Central	Arrive	11.22​	P6a	AW	wait 44m
Cardiff Central	Depart	12.06​	P4a	AW
Pembrey & Burry Port	Arrive	13.38​	P2	AW	wait 21m
Pembrey & Burry Port	Depart	13.59​	P1	AW
Cardiff Central	Arrive	15.19​	P1a	AW	wait 39m
Cardiff Central	Depart	15.58​	P4	GW
Bridgend	Arrive	16.17​		GW	wait 21m
Bridgend	Depart	16.38​		AW
Maesteg	Arrive	17.01​	Single	AW	wait 6m
Maesteg	Depart	17.07​	Single	AW
Cardiff Central	Arrive	18.04​	P0	AW	wait 53m
Cardiff Central	Depart	18.57​	P3a	GW
Severn Tunnel Junction	Arrive	19.29​	P4	GW	wait 16m
Severn Tunnel Junction	Depart	19.45​	P3	AW
Cardiff Central	Arrive	20.16​	P1b	AW	wait 29m
Cardiff Central	Depart	20.45​	P6a	AW
Cardiff Queen Street	Arrive	20.48​	P4	AW	wait 11m
Cardiff Queen Street	Depart	20.59​	P2	AW
Cardiff Bay	Arrive	21.03​	Single	AW	wait 7m
Cardiff Bay	Depart	21.10​	Single	AW
Cardiff Queen Street	Arrive	21.13​	P2	AW	wait 14m
Cardiff Queen Street	Depart	21.27​	P3	AW
Cardiff Central	Arrive	21.30​	*****	AW

 

[Kite159]

A productive day

 

[Techniquest]

Excellent to hear of a really productive day with some good unexpected bonuses! Interesting that you've got the Trackmaps books now, it sounds like you're enjoying using them which is pretty good. Down the rabbit hole now, you'll be chasing individual crossovers before too long! Line E all the way to the end is a tad unusual, I've probably done it without realising though!

I *think* the relief lines are 75mph once you get past East Usk, they might have been due to be upgraded to 90mph but I can't recall right now. You might have had a slow run due to a temporary restriction, certainly given this week's heatwave that would be reasonable.

I'm not surprised that the long drive to Wales is getting a bit tedious! Finally for now, I'm pretty sure Pembrey & Burry Port is in Burry Port, but I'd have to get onto Maps to check!

 

[All platforms]

Day 150: Monday 08/08/2022 - Explore South Wales Pass - £45.55 - 4 in 8 Days - Day 3. Cogan to Dinas Powys - £2.20 - Anytime Return. Cogan to Cardiff Queen St - £2.90 - Anytime Return. CP Cogan free.
Total time today 582 mins - Time on trains 180 mins and time waiting 402 mins. Stations completed today 5. Total completed 893.

Not many targets left now and an early start is necessary to maximise the opportunity to bag all of them which is why i find myself at Cogan before 6.00am waiting for the first train East which is bound for Bridgend. I just have 2 stations left to do now on this line and i am doing them in a linear fashion. First off is Eastbrook which is decidedly not one of my usual "lets find something pretty to start the day with" first stops of the day. Houses come right up to the station entrance on one side in the form of a terrace. Not much time to dawdle as the next Eastbound is not far behind, this time its the Barry Island version and only 2 and a bit minutes later i am in Dinas Powys. There is another Dinas in these parts but that one is known as Dinas Rhondda. The claim to fame of this station is that on one side it has an extraordinarily long path to the outside world and a road which passes under the rails. I was faintly amused to see that this bridge was known as Coffinmakers Bridge by British Rail.

Time to hike back to the station where you can look back along the line and see Eastbrook just about, which is where i am returning to for another short sojourn. The final part of this extended out and back is of course to return to Cogan. I could (and should have) stayed on to Cardiff but my phone had died and i needed to recharge. These 2 minute journeys weren't long enough to be of any use. Normally i charge in the hotel but for some (bizarre??) reason my charger just wouldn't work in the sockets there. I have known the occasional sockets on trains not to work but never a hotel. Yes i have a dicky charger/lead no doubt but it does work pretty much everywhere else. If i have time i may do a tad of research on this... very odd.

Anyway i had enough charge after about 20 mins from my car USB connection to carry on so i was on the next Cardiff service where it was my intention to see if the "8 O'Clock" incoming was going to arrive in 4B as advised yesterday. Hmm.. with nothing timetabled for then i was a bit stumped but as i arrived there was a unit already sat at the platform and which turned out to be going to Pengam for an hour or so before returning to service. So, that's one of the 2 services at P4b i can't do today....

In retrospect i should have just bit the bullet and carried on but i decided to do a bit of train and people watching instead. I was was struck by just how empty the station was today compared to yesterday where it seemed almost every service was very well populated with punters. And this was supposedly rush hour... No prospect of anything landing at the B end of platform 4 either so i resolved to wait for the next Lydney service which was at 10am so i think this may be my longest wait between trains yet. People watching and book dipping was the order of the day with a brief foray into M&S for an upgrade on my usual supply fare, and a 15 minute wander along the main thoroughfare. Cardiff, your streets need a good clean. It just looked grubby and yet underlying all this was something worthy of more waiting to emerge. Bollocks speak for "Your city will be much prettier if the streets were clean"

Eventually the clock ticked round sufficiently and i was off up the line towards Lydney, this time most decidedly on the fasts all the way, and at full line speed. It was turning out to be a stunning day - cloudless and high 20's and the scenery was very pleasing to the eye once past Newport. The Bristol Channel eventually turned into the lower reaches of the River Severn as we passed by the 2 Road bridges and all to soon Lydney was in our sights and an all change announcement was being offered. It also allowed time to more fully charge my phone. I do like these 3 car sets that TfW use on the line between Gloucester and Maesteg. More of these please. I have had enough of the old 15x series by now though with most of the core Valley lines being electrified their days will be eventually numbered. I will return once all is done and redo the lines (not stations or platforms) under the wires - and hopefully in better surroundings. Where was i? Lydney is another place i would be happy to explore especially down towards the harbour i think but with only 25 minutes, this wasn't going to happen today. There was already a 3 car set sat at the signals just outside the station waiting to return, but as the platform is before a major crossing it would wait there until its due time - a supposition which turned out to be correct (for once). The service i had set down from had gone up the main line just out of sight, presumably to the next crossover point to reverse onto the Down Main once my return had departed. Again Main line all the way so i now have all 4 lines in the bag now except for the relief line from Cardiff to Ebbw junction which can't be too difficult to achieve at some future time.

Yesterday i had done Queen Street to Cardiff Bay from P2, but today i could do even better. With the line to Pontypridd closed the Coryton trains were pressganged into diverting to Cardiff Bay on a 30 minute service pattern so Cardiff Bay from P3 all day and then returning to P4 no less. It is also possible from P5 but why would you.... That is most definitely a fortuitous bonus as i had only realsied this was a thing late last night. It also helped while away the time for my last attempt at P4b which was the 13.07 to Lydney once more. Hurrah... it was waiting for me upon my return so on my last out and back from Cardiff the mighty 18 platform variants there were finally done. The bonus was completing Severn Tunnel Junction also and which left me with a very doable Gloucester to Chepstow and back at some future stage to complete TfW track in South Wales albeit only a few yards will actually be in Wales of course. As i also need the curve into Gloucester to/from the South this poses no problems and basing myself in the Bristol area will be the order of the day here.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in South Wales. It has been an effort at times and not everything has gone to plan - but we are all done for the year here with just a few snippets for another time. I will be back for holiday purposes for sure. As for where i go next, that is still up in the air. The impending strikes have crimped a few thoughts as weekends are my preferred first choice and i have semi reserved a block of 10 days at the end of the month to use some of that for a week based in Leeds. A block of commitments and strikes mean that opportunities are few for the next week but i will probably venture forth for a day trip - and not too far either.

Cogan	Depart	5.50​	*****	AW			stations	platforms
Eastbrook	Arrive	5.52​		AW	wait 13m		completed	completed
Eastbrook	Depart	6.05​		AW
Dinas Powys	Arrive	6.07​		AW	wait 20m
Dinas Powys	Depart	6.27​		AW			1​	2​
Eastbrook	Arrive	6.29​		AW	wait 14m
Eastbrook	Depart	6.43​		AW			1​	2​
Cogan	Arrive	6.45​		AW	wait 32m
Cogan	Depart	7.17​		AW
Cardiff Central	Arrive	7.25​	P7b	AW	wait 164m
Cardiff Central	Depart	10.09​	P2a	AW
Lydney	Arrive	10.53​	P2	AW	wait 25m
Lydney	Depart	11.18​		AW			1​	2​
Cardiff Central	Arrive	12.06​	P3b	AW	wait 14m
Cardiff Central	Depart	12.20​	P7a	AW
Cardiff Queen Street	Arrive	12.23​	P4	AW	wait 8m
Cardiff Queen Street	Depart	12.31​	P3	AW
Cardiff Bay	Arrive	12.35​	Single	AW	wait 15m
Cardiff Bay	Depart	12.50​	Single	AW
Cardiff Queen Street	Arrive	12.53​	P4	AW	wait 3m
Cardiff Queen Street	Depart	12.56​	P2	AW
Cardiff Central	Arrive	12.59​	P8	AW	wait 8m
Cardiff Central	Depart	13.07​	P4b	AW			1​	18​
Severn Tunnel Junction	Arrive	13.32​	P2	AW	wait 70m
Severn Tunnel Junction	Depart	14.42​	P1	AW			1​	4​
Cardiff Central	Arrive	15.09​	P3a	AW	wait 16m
Cardiff Central	Depart	15.25​	P7a	AW
Cogan	Arrive	15.32​	*****	AW

 

[Techniquest]

Congratulations on clearing Cardiff Central, it's clearly been a lot of effort but top job! I'm also looking forward to re-doing the Welsh Valleys when the electrification works are done, and the new trains are in service. Until then, I have no real need to head to Cardiff either.

Good luck with doing something productive when the strikes are on!

 

[All platforms]

Congratulations on clearing Cardiff Central, it's clearly been a lot of effort but top job! I'm also looking forward to re-doing the Welsh Valleys when the electrification works are done, and the new trains are in service. Until then, I have no real need to head to Cardiff either.

Good luck with doing something productive when the strikes are on!

Thanks - a worthwhile effort i think.

There is always something waiting my attention - even if its more planning. This was the key to jumping around all over the place these last few days. You can never do too much planning... - and there are non railway topics that also get my attention from time to time haha.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks - a worthwhile effort i think.

There is always something waiting my attention - even if its more planning. This was the key to jumping around all over the place these last few days. You can never do too much planning... - and there are non railway topics that also get my attention from time to time haha.

I know what you mean with the planning thing, it's unusual for me not to be planning a cycle ride somewhere. I've recently discovered the joy of speedwalking along good quality canal towpaths (I don't like cycling towpaths though, irrational fear of falling in!) so I'm also planning those now

Given the railway's annoying habit of going wrong when I don't want it to, I find myself planning less rail days out than I ever used to. There's no confidence personally in the train actually turning up, even 20 minutes before the train was due to leave a good few Sundays back, I left confident it must be running as it had left Abergavenny. No, it was cancelled before Hereford Went to book some Advances last week using TfW, 12 hours or less before the train was due to leave and thinking it would be more reliable than WMR, but stuck with the latter. Good thing I did, as TfW cancelled the train and I'd have run a very real risk of missing the athletics in Perry Barr!

When one cannot have confidence in a train turning up less than 12 hours before it's due to leave, or even 25 minutes in the case of that Sunday journey, it's much more tempting to just leave it be and do something else! I was surprised that WMR behaved really well for me and my family recently, although it's worth noting I was planning the day before to have to leave earlier or expect to have to get the train an hour or more later!

So sadly, unlike yourself, I'm rarely planning a rail day out, and when trains do feature there has to be a backup option these days!

 

[All platforms]

I know what you mean with the planning thing, it's unusual for me not to be planning a cycle ride somewhere. I've recently discovered the joy of speedwalking along good quality canal towpaths (I don't like cycling towpaths though, irrational fear of falling in!) so I'm also planning those now

Given the railway's annoying habit of going wrong when I don't want it to, I find myself planning less rail days out than I ever used to. There's no confidence personally in the train actually turning up, even 20 minutes before the train was due to leave a good few Sundays back, I left confident it must be running as it had left Abergavenny. No, it was cancelled before Hereford Went to book some Advances last week using TfW, 12 hours or less before the train was due to leave and thinking it would be more reliable than WMR, but stuck with the latter. Good thing I did, as TfW cancelled the train and I'd have run a very real risk of missing the athletics in Perry Barr!

When one cannot have confidence in a train turning up less than 12 hours before it's due to leave, or even 25 minutes in the case of that Sunday journey, it's much more tempting to just leave it be and do something else! I was surprised that WMR behaved really well for me and my family recently, although it's worth noting I was planning the day before to have to leave earlier or expect to have to get the train an hour or more later!

So sadly, unlike yourself, I'm rarely planning a rail day out, and when trains do feature there has to be a backup option these days!

Ironically i am at the point of almost trusting a service to turn up on time. Very little evidence this last month of cancellations on my travels - or maybe it was my turn to get the good luck fairy paying attention to me. Actually there have been cancellations but far fewer than what is my normal - and hence why i always have plan B's +C's in my back pocket to get around a problem. Still waiting to be stranded somewhere at the end of service though.... ugh..

 

[All platforms]

Day 151: Thursday 11/08/2022 - Lincolnshire Day Ranger - £21.80 - Valid after 9.00am Weekdays. Habrough to Cleethorpes - £4.40 - Anytime Return. Cleethorpes to Grimsby Town - £1.25 - Anytime Return. Habrough to Thornton Abbey - £2.15 - Off-peak Return. Habrough to New Holland - £3.60 - Off-peak Return. CP Habrough free.
Total time today 525 mins - Time on trains 231 mins and time waiting 294 mins. Stations completed today 7. Total completed 900.

Well, it seems i don't follow my own advice on planning and i was the proud owner of a Lincolnshire Day Ranger before realising it did not cover the section up to Barton. In my own mind i was sure there used to be a Rangerr type ticket that did cover this, but maybe not... Anyway extra tickets then had to be purchased, but i don't think i have paid massively over the odds after having a quick check.

Habrough was the obvious choice for my base given that pretty much everything stops there and its free. Google maps suggested it should take far longer to get there than it actually did and i had time on my hands before my first trip of the day which was all the way into Cleethorpes. Lots of atmospheric mist on flat ground on the drive up by the way and it was absolutely glorious everywhere by arrival time. This is a strange line to my eyes - Lots of rural wonderfulness interspersed with decaying and run down industrial infrastructure and then there is the oddity which is Cleethorpes at the end where it becomes a seaside resort. Not much open upon arrival there although one cafe was open on the front and doing a roaring trade with early punters including the train staff. I decided on the breakfast of champions - which is an ice cream and what they call round here a bacon bun. Ice cream because it was already hot and its the seaside, so its obligatory.

The kicker however was a TP set sitting in our booked P2 berth and not P1 as i was expecting. I wanted to knock out Cleethorpes early on as i anticipated full trains later on carrying the masses to the seaside. I left on P2 however after consulting the boards and RTT as it looked like platform roulette was fully engaged. I decided to fit in a Grimsby and back to see if i would get lucky, so an extra ticket was sourced for this which at £1.55 wasn't going to put a crimp in my wallet. No time issues at Grimsby although i need the return to be somewhat on time to allow my itinerary to be followed. Hurrah, P3 came up on the roulette wheel and i could relax somewhat as it was only a few late. A brisk walk round to P1 for another TP service and i was off back up the line to my starting venue of Habrough. Curiously the village seemed to have just one shop - which was a gun shop!

No time to dwell on this as i had to scoot off the train smartish and leg it across the level crossing as there was only 4 minutes till the return and with it being CCTV controlled we all know how long before these things can be activated. Well, i was across with about 10 seconds to spare and the only pinch point of the day was safely negotiated. Hello Cleethorpes for the third time today and an opportunity to increae my ice cream count - an opportunity that was definitely taken given i had time to spare and take in the sights. Skegness it is not and i found it to be one of the smaller seaside resorts - or is there a hidden side i didn't find. Grimsby Town was next (again) and whilst it was only a short wait for a train continuing west from the bay P3, i did have time to idly ponder whether the football team (Grimsby Town) was named after the station (Grimsby Town) or was it the other way round.

Barnetby was my next choice and the only deviation today off the Barton to Cleethorpes section. Plenty of action on P2 and P3 here so no issues with that but the other 2 which are the outside platforms of P1 and P4, really do not see much passenger action at all. Currently only one service is booked on P4 and that very late in the evening and nothing on P1. I am sure i have seen both in use on a covid timetable so am unsure whether to wait to see if this changes again - or use up precious time on a late night adventure. Parked for now. Barnetby was the one place today i found for semi decent provisions. A new Co-op quite near to the station is being fitted out currently and the bonus in the village was a sandwich shop which did me a bespoke tuna salad sandwich - lovely and so much better than a supermarket offering.

One final visit to Grimsby Town before deciding to take the plunge and go one stop to the wonderfully named Grimsby Docks. It was certainly fishy and nearby units were festooned with gulls of all types no doubt attracted by the smell. How long do i have to wait here? Not long thankfully and at last i bring my first branch line ticket into play as i will be alighting at Thornton Abbey. By this time the heat was at scorchio levels and i abandoned plans to go look at the ruins of the Abbey. Perhaps i should have gone because there was no seating in the shelter and i didn't want to be broiled on the admittedly very smart seating provided on the open platforms.

Stallingborough was next to get my attention after the obligatory wait, with the bonus being a recessed shelter and semi decent seating. My book was therefore brought into play given the 46 minute wait and a chance to relax. Its a pretty small rural affair is Stallingborough and i certainly wasn't plagued by other punters whilst i was there. A perfect station then.

Last new station of the day would be New Holland, which sits adjacent to the dock area and HGV's were a continuous sight over the CCTV level crossing just beyond the single platform. Next stop up the line is Barrow Haven which sounds very idyllic and somewhat surprisingly given its "nowhere" location, is benefiting from a rather signicifant upgrade to its platform. For this reason i will not be returning to the line till its back in service, which RTT suggests may be mid to late September. I didn't find any of the services apart from my first to be starved of custom and a 2 car set is about right on this line. Not sure if it experiences much more at peak times however.

7 new stations in the bag which makes a very tidy number of 900 in total completed. Another 130 or so by the end of the year should see me still bang on schedule for the 5 years but i do have some hard thinking to do as to how i define my "all track" goal. Do i include all relief lines between 2 points for example. There are also some amazing targets coming up in the Toton area next month which involve multiple reversals and any number of oddball bits of track - but are these part of my current goals as none of this is part of a normal timetable? If so i don't think a 5 year timetable is going to hack it. Food for thought certainly, but no need to rush a decision.

I will be off the rails for the next few days as real life trumps this project and with more strikes the back end of next week i only have a window on Monday and/or Wednesday until 21 August to contine in the short term. Perhaps as well in this heat..

Habrough	Depart	7.34​	*****	EM			stations	platforms
Cleethorpes	Arrive	8.02​	P1	EM	wait 23m		completed	completed
Cleethorpes	Depart	8.25​	P2	TP
Grimsby Town	Arrive	8.34​	P2	TP	wait 11m
Grimsby Town	Depart	8.45​	P1	TP
Cleethorpes	Arrive	8.52​	P3	TP	wait 4m		1​	3​
Cleethorpes	Depart	8.56​	P1	EM
Habrough	Arrive	9.24​	P1	EM	wait 6m
Habrough	Depart	9.30​	P2	TP			1​	2​
Cleethorpes	Arrive	9.49​	P1	TP	wait 42m
Cleethorpes	Depart	10.31​	P1	TP
Grimsby Town	Arrive	10.37​	P2	TP	wait 9m
Grimsby Town	Depart	10.46​	P3	EM			1​	3​
Barnetby	Arrive	11.08​	P3	EM	wait 61m
Barnetby	Depart	12.09​	P2	EM
Grimsby Town	Arrive	12.29​	P3	EM	wait 11m
Grimsby Town	Depart	12.40​	P1	EM
Grimsby Docks	Arrive	12.43​	Single	EM	wait 19m
Grimsby Docks	Depart	13.02​	Single	EM			1​	1​
Thornton Abbey	Arrive	13.32​	P1	EM	wait 39m
Thornton Abbey	Depart	14.11​	P2	EM			1​	2​
Stallingborough	Arrive	14.30​	P1	EM	wait 46m
Stallingborough	Depart	15.16​	P2	EM			1​	2​
New Holland	Arrive	15.39​	Single	EM	wait 23m
New Holland	Depart	16.02​	Single	EM			1​	1​
Habrough	Arrive	16.19​	*****	EM

 

[Kite159]

A good day in Lincolnshire

 

[All platforms]

Day 152: Monday 15/08/2022 - Greater Manchester Wayfarer - £9.70 - Valid after 9.30am Weekdays. Reddish North to Bredbury - £2.95 - Anytime Return. Reddish North to Belle Vue - £2.40 - Anytime Return. Grindleford to Dore & Totley - £2.55 - Off-peak Return. CP Reddish North free.
Total time today 680 mins - Time on trains 214 mins and time waiting 466 mins. Stations completed today 15. Total completed 915.

It is finally time to tackle the Hope Valley line properly. One of the few lines i have previously travelled a fair few times outside commuting and possibly the reason it has been left till now. Oh.. and the fact that there have been so many horror stories about overcrowding and missing or short formed trains. It was also a bit of a pig to try and fit everything in to the time i had available and much recasting of an itinerary ensued. In the end i settled on missing just one station and starting late enough to allow an acceptable wait at the the lesser served stations towards Manchester. This came with the issue of rush hour, one of my pet hates, which is why i found myself parking up around 6.40am. I would rather wait at the station than in traffic. Also a consideration was ensuring a spot in the very small car park.

The station was open upon arrival so i popped in to look at the boards and quickly realised i could use my wait more effectively at little extra cost. Linear stops is my new thing as a way of not spending too much money in travelling before a Ranger/Rover kicks in. I do have some platforms already under my belt on this line from my look at the Hope pilotman situation some weeks ago when the line beyond was embargoed and from a few cancellations earlier that day so i don't need every platform at every station - but i do need the stations at the bottom end of the line so an anytime to Bredbury was sourced and i was away within a few minutes on a short hop to Brinnington. With a better service at peak times the waits wouldn't be horrendous and i could slot into my prepared itinerary upon my return to Brinnington in an hours time. First off was an opportunity to see if anything interesting could be spotted off campus at Brinnington. Not much apart from a housing estate roundabout but my eagle eyes spotted a possible supply shop next to the very closed chippy, and sure enough Mo's supermarket hove into view as i approached. Cheap sandwiches and a treat or two were snapped up and i returned in a happier mood as one of the issues further up the line would be finding supplies - or so i thought. In the end far from it, but i couldn't take the risk...

Next station up the line is Bredbury and where i would be crossing over to the opposite platform for the first time today. Out comes the book as this should be the longest wait today. The first servce was 15 minutes late due to being late out of the depot and in truth would be the only delay of consequence i would see all day. No cancellations would be spotted on the boards today either so at least Northern have upped their game (today at least). The busiest set of the day rolled into view carrying the workers into Manchester and my only non seat service. Back at Brinnington i was awaiting the next service to Belle Vue which is only served by the New Mills Central terminators. I don't mind waiting early doors - the weather was lovely and i could watch the world go by in relative comfort. Eventually i was able to move on and 7 minutes later i alighted at Belle Vue which certainly did not have the best reputation when i was younger, but with no recent experience to compare all is well and i was onto the main road and had to wait patiently to cross as i spied an Aldi close by with a Tesco Extra not much further up the road. This is a public information service on local supply opportunities.....

A slight deviation next as my earlier extra trips meant i could turn at Reddish North and await the return one stop down to Ryder Brow which i duly did. I didn't bother to explore here but settled in for the next service East to Romiley which i would be treating in a linear fashion, having had to do the same the other way previoudly. I was going all the way (steady now...) to Dore & Totley next and which would need my last extra ticket given the Wayfarer ends at Grindleford. I have stopped at Dore & Totley in a previous life, Sheffield bound as i was, but hadn't realised it was a single platform! Lots of info on the station including some about the Hope Valley capacity upgrade - or somethng to that effect. Looks like the station will be getting an extra platform next year with the existing one extended to accept 6 car TP units. I will have to return then clearly...

Time to noodle about this part of the line so Hathersage was the next to receive my custom and the tightest connection today of about 13 minutes. So chilled today... what is wrong with me not going for some crazy connection at some point? With not that long to wait i declined to explore and before i knew it i was back up the line to Grindleford and the chance for a sparkling Vimto at the station cafe. Its been years folks... Chinley hove into view next which had a very large island platform and the hottest perspex enclosed waiting room on the planet not helped by the ticket machine blasting out heat too. Good job it wasn't raining then. wait.... the sky was starting to leak so a good portion of my stay here was spent hovering in the doorway - not my preferred waiting place to be honest but all part of the adventure i guess. Edale is probably the busiest station on this part of the line with the walkers holding sway here and the occasional bike. Or maybe its the lure of the Penny Pot Cafe which is close by and which was receiving excellent amounts of custom on inspection. Do i have an ice cream or not??

I still needed P2 at New Mills Central (don't ask) so a visit was mandatory, but perched on the side of a hill as it is i didn't feel the urge (again) to hike up and down said hill - and the wet stuff had also reappeared upon arrival. Back up the line then to Bamford and a bit of a "Der" moment as i contrived not to see the easy way off the platform (stairs at the end) and ended up hiking around the long way. I needed the excercise cough.. On the opposite platform finally i was the only person in sight till an older lady rocked up on the other platform for ten minutes and who then made her way over to my side. She was waiting to meet relatives apparently and was asking me if this was a request stop as she had 2 rural stations near her in Wiltshire that were. No its not a request stop i said but then i was a bit stumped as i only know Dilton Marsh in Wiltshire to be a request stop. I had to wait till i got back to see that Avoncliff used to be one till 2010. Mystery solved and crazy woman status revoked.

One stop (seems to be a feature today) later i was in Hope which was the third station of the day where i needed one platform only and another linear leap was about to be made. I was starting to wind down internally so no exploring took place and i settled down in a warm place to reflect on the day so far. I was left with a move to Bredbury for positioning purposes and one final station thereafter at Marple where i discovered there was an abundance of information and replica posters of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple detective series and which had more than a few connections to Marple and some surrounding places. It fair fills the station and perked me up somewhat towards the end of the day as i had reason enough to explore all the nooks and crannies. Back to the start point then and a surprisingly easy ride home given the time of day. I had planned to come out and play again on Wednesday but with too much on to justify this, it has been shelved. Next opportunity will be Sunday but if not it will be Monday. No decisions made yet but it is highly likely i will find myself in Yorkshire. Oh and by the way i am more than pleased with a 15 station haul on a line with an iffy reputation. In fact no real issues all day and i can't think of many other occasions when i could have said this.

Reddish North	Depart	7.00​	*****	NT			stations	platforms
Brinnington	Arrive	7.03​	P2	NT	wait 23m		completed	completed
Brinnington	Depart	7.26​	P2	NT
Bredbury	Arrive	7.29​	P2	NT	wait 29m
Bredbury	Depart	7.58​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Brinnington	Arrive	8.00​	P1	NT	wait 44m
Brinnington	Depart	8.44​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Belle Vue	Arrive	8.51​	P2	NT	wait 36m
Belle Vue	Depart	9.27​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Reddish North	Arrive	9.31​	P2	NT	wait 23m
Reddish North	Depart	9.54​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Ryder Brow	Arrive	9.56​	P2	NT	wait 32m
Ryder Brow	Depart	10.28​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Romiley	Arrive	10.41​	P2	NT	wait 27m
Romiley	Depart	11.08​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Dore & Totley	Arrive	11.57​	Single	NT	wait 25m
Dore & Totley	Depart	12.22​	Single	NT			1​	1​
Hathersage	Arrive	12.32​	P1	NT	wait 13m
Hathersage	Depart	12.45​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Grindleford	Arrive	12.48​	P2	NT	wait 40m
Grindleford	Depart	13.28​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Chinley	Arrive	13.47​	P1	NT	wait 37m
Chinley	Depart	14.24​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Edale	Arrive	14.31​	P2	NT	wait 19m
Edale	Depart	14.50​	P1	NT			1​	2​
New Mills Central	Arrive	15.04​	P1	NT	wait 14m
New Mills Central	Depart	15.18​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Bamford	Arrive	15.42​	P2	NT	wait 28m
Bamford	Depart	16.10​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Hope (Derbyshire)	Arrive	16.13​	P1	NT	wait 28m
Hope (Derbyshire)	Depart	16.41​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Bredbury	Arrive	17.14​	P1	NT	wait 24m
Bredbury	Depart	17.38​	P2	NT
Marple	Arrive	17.44​	P2	NT	wait 24m
Marple	Depart	18.08​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Reddish North	Arrive	18.20​	*****	NT

 

[Techniquest]

Mighty impressive that, I have to know if you had the ice cream or not! The Hope Valley is absolutely on my list to go exploring on foot some time, not too sure I fancy taking to two wheels in that area but who knows?

 

[Kite159]

A good day on the valley of no hope

I did notice the timetable is a mess in terms of timings

 

[All platforms]

Mighty impressive that, I have to know if you had the ice cream or not! The Hope Valley is absolutely on my list to go exploring on foot some time, not too sure I fancy taking to two wheels in that area but who knows?

Of course i had the ice cream! I don't have many but they do tend to be included in the narrative for some reason.

Derbyshire of which the Hope Valley is a very pretty part is just a mass of hills for the most part, but i did see a fair few bikes with saddlebags and panniers on my travels on Monday so it can't be all that bad i'm thinking.

 

[Techniquest]

Of course i had the ice cream! I don't have many but they do tend to be included in the narrative for some reason.

Derbyshire of which the Hope Valley is a very pretty part is just a mass of hills for the most part, but i did see a fair few bikes with saddlebags and panniers on my travels on Monday so it can't be all that bad i'm thinking.

Why not I say with the ice cream, sometimes it just has to be done.

Yes indeed, Derbyshire has a lot of hills! Some people are a lot braver than I am with cycling, taking on the hills with full panniers etc. I would hate to take on the gradients with heavy bags, I've done such a thing before and it is hard work!

 

[All platforms]

Day 153: Friday 19/08/2022 - Wolverhampton to Albrighton - £3.55 - Anytime Return. CP Cornhill St Wolverhampton £2.00
Total time today 34 mins - Time on trains 19 mins and time waiting 15 mins. No stations were completed in this brief outing - though one had a bonus added.

This was very much a last minute thing after browsing my oddball platform potential targets last night. A check on RTT showed that P6 had been timetabled for this morning and that a double unit had been sitting there since the weekend. Gensheet were also semi confident this was a go, so an alarm was set and i arrived in Wolverhampton with plenty of time to spare. A quick check and the unit was still there but only the drivers door was open. Within a few minutes 2 chaps in orange turned up with what i can only describe as heavy duty battery starters. Turns out the batteries were left on (apparently a no no) and all 4 engines needed to be jump started. Luckily the front 2 units were not that hard to do because of the tight curve on the platform at this point, but the third coach needed more access so the whole unit had to be drawn forward right to the signal to allow this. Naturally all this took time and we missed our intended departure slot by about 15 minutes. Good old Turbostars......

Given the delay it was too risky to turn at Albrighton as intended so i had another look at Codsall, which is prettier than i remember with an array of different signs and a lovely overbridge in attendance. It was all over in a flash and before i knew it i was trecking back to my car. I did flirt with the idea of relocating to Gobowen or Welshpool to tick a few more stations off but in the end i decided to defer this for another time. Back in time for a late breakfast after a delay because the swing bridges over the Manchester Ship Canal were in action - something i have never seen before, so another first i guess.

Under my rules this is a success with proviso, given that i didn't arrive by train first, which was not possible given no arrivals were booked in front of this. Rock Ferry P4 also has this distinction in my records and if i do see a timetabled offering which allows full rule success i will be back to either. Just for total completion you understand.

Wolverhampton	Depart	8.04​	P6	WM			stations	platforms
Codsall	Arrive	8.12​	P2	WM	wait 15m		completed	completed
Codsall	Depart	8.27​	P1	WM
Wolverhampton	Arrive	8.38​	*****	WM

 

[Techniquest]

I think the odds of you ever arriving into p6 on a passenger train are very slim! Nice work on getting it done though, and thanks for the tip on Codsall, I've been many years ago but it features in a vague plan for some Midlands-based cycling later this year. I now know it'll be worth a quick look at the station before pedalling away

 

[All platforms]

I think the odds of you ever arriving into p6 on a passenger train are very slim! Nice work on getting it done though, and thanks for the tip on Codsall, I've been many years ago but it features in a vague plan for some Midlands-based cycling later this year. I now know it'll be worth a quick look at the station before pedalling away

Apparently its technically possible to arrive on P6 according to todays driver but because its always a (double) shunt move it requires 2 drivers as the 4 car sets used don't allow a walkthrough so no, not in practise. My meaning about arrival was more of i need to depart from somewhere else before i can start ticking things off. I can arrive and tick of course, apart from the end move of a session... It makes sense to me at least haha..

 

[Kite159]

P6 is a bit like P1 at Leamington Spa & the bay at Oxted, you can depart in passenger service but can't arrive directly into the bay in passenger service due to the signalling & track layout.

Similar to the 2nd platform at Buxton as well

 

[All platforms]

Day 154: Huntingdon to St Neots - £1.90 - Super Off-peak Single. St Neots to Arlesey - £4.25 - Super Off-peak Return. St Neots to Stevenage - £5.30 - Super Off-peak Single. Stevenage to Hitchin - £1.65 - Super Off-peak Return. Stevenage to Peterborough - £18.60 - Off-peak Single. Peterborough to Biggleswade - £6.60 - Super Off-peak Return. CP Huntingdon £3.00
Total time today 426 mins - Time on trains 154 mins and time waiting 272 mins. Stations completed today 2. Total completed 917.

Well, they do say only travel when absoluteley necessary on the day after a strike day, but in fact all would possibly have been well were it not for the fact that a goods train had broken down over the entrance to the depot, meaning the start of day service was chaotic to say the least. I just fancied something a bit different today - somewhere i hadn't visited ever before and a chance to look at some of those stations that do not benefit from any Ranger/Rover ticketing. It couldn't be that expensive could it??

After an uneventful trip down to my chosen base of Huntingdon i bought my tickets from the machine outside with plenty of time to spare and settled down on the platform to await my first train which should have been the 7.59 where i had planned to go 1 station south to St Neots. An initial delay on the boards quickly turned into a cancelled so i settled down to see what joy could be had with the next service. Cue station staff turning up and opening the station proper although we were advised the ticket man should have been on the train that was cancelled. ECS going south was the only action so had they cleared the depot entrance? Information was sparse so it was a waiting game. The first train turned out to be the 9.15ish south and everyone piled on but i was waiting for the next one as this would be a Great Northern service travelling on the fasts and stopping at St Neots P3. Not much coming north either so i decided to get refunds on all my tickets and just wing it as best i could for the day. It would probably be more expensive this way but i had to try and salvage what i could. Before we move on a word about P1 at Huntingdon. The Revenue Officer who was helping out with queries did have time to confirm that the rails in P1 had been replaced recently and that had been planned quite some time ago. We know the last timetabled service was c April 2018 and it has been used for various engineering type trains in the meantime. What i didn't know was why the rails were replaced and did this mean future services? Apparently the font of all knowledge in these parts had confirmed the platform will accommodate an 8 car unit - though to my eyes this looks a tad tight (i know nothing however) and there was internal talk some years ago there would be a planned tie up with East/West rail. Plans and actuals don't always meet so it will be a while yet before we know which it is.

My first platform i could tick was P3 at St Neots which is a rarely used fast platform so a good recovery from a sticky start. Even rarer however are the down fasts here and at Biggleswade with just a few engineering late night opportunities currently. At least you can see these on RTT. No chance at some other places - Wolverton i am looking at you (that will need some digging/planning i am sure). Linear hop as still nothing going north and an opportunity to get at least one station ticked off. Arlesey it was then after a bit of a wait and back up the line finally. Turning once more at St Neots to get the down platform i was awaiting the second GN service that would be stopping at the fast platforms going south. Non stop after Biggleswade so another good tick for P2 (why does Biggleswade have the platform numbering opposite to the rest of the line i wonder?) and my second linear hop, this time all the way to Stevenage - which wasn't in my original itinerary at all.. Plenty of time to work out moves and buy tickets at each station today with a nominal hourly TfL service my primary transport for the rest of the day.

I decided to tick off Hitchin next which was easily done given the Cambridge service is also available to use between Stevenage and Hitchin. This got me back to Stevenage where i had to make a decision. I'm not sure it was the right one as i hadn't worked out the cost before committing so i found myself on the Leeds Azuma as far as Peterborough for the eye watering Off-peak cost of £18.60. It was a full service with no advance options so i had to suck it up. The perils of winging it i guess. Another platform at Peterborough was a bonus on the return south as far as Biggleswade to pick up the stray easy platform there and a long wait for the last hop to Huntingdon due to knock on delays from earlier. I am not impressed with the waiting options at any of the stations today save Stevenage and i would have been fried alive on a really hot day with no appreciable cover in sight (Huntingdon is an honourable exception on one platform). Not sure how i feel about today - on the one hand i salvaged what i could, but on the other, quite a few opportunities had to be missed because of the delays and cancellations.

The staff at Huntingdon did an excellent job in difficult circumstances so hats off in that direction. I do have an itinerary planned to tick off more of the oddball platforms at Peterborough and i shall try and ignore the P3a platform alteration spotted on my short visit there, as this is a non timetabled variant. Not coming back to look for that one again... It will all have to wait however as i really do need to look at Leeds/Yorkshire in more detail at this time and the plan is to start on that on Wednesday. Outside influences allowing this of course.

Huntingdon	Depart	9.29​	*****	GN			stations	platforms
St Neots	Arrive	9.35​	P3	GN	wait 32m		completed	completed
St Neots	Depart	10.07​	P4	TL
Arlesey	Arrive	10.23​	P1	TL	wait 28m
Arlesey	Depart	10.51​	P2	TL			1​	2​
St Neots	Arrive	11.07​	P1	TL	wait 50m
St Neots	Depart	11.57​	P4	GN
Biggleswade	Arrive	12.06​	P2	GN	wait 14m
Biggleswade	Depart	12.20​	P1	TL
Stevenage	Arrive	12.36​	P1	TL	wait 32m
Stevenage	Depart	13.08​	P4	TL
Hitchin	Arrive	13.13​	P2	TL	wait 17m
Hitchin	Depart	13.30​	P1	TL			1​	2​
Stevenage	Arrive	13.34​	P1	TL	wait 21m
Stevenage	Depart	13.55​	P3	GR
Peterborough	Arrive	14.24​	P4	GR	wait 20m
Peterborough	Depart	14.44​	P2	TL
Biggleswade	Arrive	15.18​	P1	TL	wait 58m
Biggleswade	Depart	16.16​	P4	TL
Huntingdon	Arrive	16.35​	*****	TL

 

[Kite159]

A good day on the southern part of the ECML

 

[plugwash]

Regarding 14B at manchester piccadilly.

Today I caught the 00:43 towards manchester airport, this is Scheduled to run from platform 14 in the "abnormal" direction, but in practice it seemed to actually continue past the mid-platform signal and stop with the bulk of the train in 14B leading the passengers to have to dash down the platform.

 

[All platforms]

Regarding 14B at manchester piccadilly.

Today I caught the 00:43 towards manchester airport, this is Scheduled to run from platform 14 in the "abnormal" direction, but in practice it seemed to actually continue past the mid-platform signal and stop with the bulk of the train in 14B leading the passengers to have to dash down the platform.

Ah... planned wrong way working using platform 14... This seems to be the very fellow i have been looking for.

I have to do a late night run to/from the Airport and i will try and incorporate this when i do. Thanks for the info!!

 

[All platforms]

Day 155: Wednesday 24/08/2022 - North East Rover - £75.40 - 4 in 8 Days - Day 1. Selby to Wressle - £2.95 - Anytime Single. CP Station Road CP Selby £3.00
Total time today 734 mins - Time on trains 285 mins and time waiting 449 mins. Stations completed today 5. Total completed 922.

As promised, Yorkshire it is and for me a relatively short drive to my starting point of Selby which seems to be a good place to start from. The line to Hull has 3 unbelievably awkward stations to negotiate under my rules, all of which mean early starts and an inability to combine them in any way with each other, hence the disjointed itinerary. Lots of track to negotiate too with multiple options, all of which will need to be accounted for. There are a bunch of other awkward stations in these parts but currently there are 6 which are impossible to achieve presently due to service cuts by Northern so firstly we say hello to Althorpe Crowle and Thorne South - which do receive one TP service each way but who wants to travel at 5.52 in the morning and return at 23.06. Pontefract Baghill and the line either side has been axed until further notice as has the saturday only service (and line) to/from Kirton & Lindsay and Brigg. Lets leave Teesside Airport for another day (and Stanlow & Thornton i guess) but it all adds up to a significant loss of service for Northern. I am not going to debate the finances which have pushed these decisions but just lament the loss of the oddball underdog stations and track currently seen.

The 3 a day at Whitley Bridge, Snaith, Hensall and Rawcliffe remain intact for now and the 4 other awkwards in the area just get a service which may help commuters but don't help those who want to arrive and then depart without gobsmackingly long waits. A myriad of rare track bits and pieces also await the collector which can often only be done at obscure times and which will inevitably clash with each other so the crafting of a fine itinerary is not really on. That said, i am braving the challenge and seeing how much i can do on my 4 in 8 ticket. I did consider a weekly one but i think thats too big a push.

So Selby it is then and getting there early allowed me to understand the interaction of P3a and P3b which each get early morning services to/from. Excellent. One stop East is Wressle and the minimum return option is 70 minutes with 4 hour waits after 9.30. An evening option of about the same time does present itself but that will be needed for other targets. The station itself is situated next to a level crossing which sees plenty of local traffic and a couple of houses one of which had 2 cockerels competing for the local "length of crow" and "biggest noise ever made by a cockerel" awards. Just call it a draw and shut up i would say. The old station house is being upgraded but i am not sure i would wish to live on top of a level crossing which is beeping every few minutes all day. One slight oddity was the fact that including my arrival there were 5 consecutive trains going East to Hull before a train going West thundered past.

A return to Selby completed the move and a wait for the next TP service going East. There are quite a lot of TP units about today i noticed with amazingly no cancellations seen yet. Good job i wasn't relying on them in the evening though... No dramas for me however and i arrived in P5 at Hull which was one of 2 remaining targets here, and a chance to look outside to see what was on offer. Probably better than i was expecting somehow and an unexpected wander in the pedestrian areas later i was back for the next service to Bridlington to tick off one last station on this line which was Hutton Cranswick. A pretty statioon and where i based myself in May when doing the rest of the line. An hourly service these days so a long wait here and a short wait back at Beverley for the Scarborough service as i need to open my account here and also get the top end of the line beyond Filey for track. This all takes time as the line speed i not all that great and it was gone 3pm before i returned to Hull. Time for 2 of the other stations on the main line so Howden and Gilberdyke were both dispatched without too much effort. I need to be elsewhere so i head back to Selby and relocate to Knottingley in plenty of time for the first of quite a few visits here for platform and track purposes. I chose Whitley Bridge as my starter on this line as it would be the longest wait of the 5 (i need track to Goole also) and if i leave it a week or so it will be getting dark for the return. What of Whitley Bridge then? Nowhere to sit for one. The tiny shelters have no seating and if going outside the station there's not a lot to see and do except look at all the HGV's trundling in and out of a compound next door. Day 1 done then and all four of them will mean a late finish for the Knottingley to Goole line. I will be back the next day to continue the adventure before putting me feet up on Friday before a target that is too tempting to pass up on Saturday.

Selby	Depart	8.02​	*****	NT			stations	platforms
Wressle	Arrive	8.10​	P1	NT	wait 73m		completed	completed
Wressle	Depart	9.23​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Selby	Arrive	9.30​	P2	NT	wait 27m
Selby	Depart	9.57​	P1	TP
Hull	Arrive	10.30​	P5	TP	wait 31m
Hull	Depart	11.01​	P4	NT
Hutton Cranswick	Arrive	11.24​	P2	NT	wait 58m
Hutton Cranswick	Depart	12.22​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Beverley	Arrive	12.30​	P1	NT	wait 7m
Beverley	Depart	12.37​	P2	NT
Scarborough	Arrive	13.42​	P4	NT	wait 20m
Scarborough	Depart	14.02​	P4	NT
Hull	Arrive	15.19​	P6	NT	wait 31m
Hull	Depart	15.50​	P3	NT
Howden	Arrive	16.16​	P1	NT	wait 11m
Howden	Depart	16.27​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Gilberdyke	Arrive	16.34​	P1	NT	wait 36m
Gilberdyke	Depart	17.10​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Selby	Arrive	17.28​	*****	NT	drive + wait
Relocate to	******	*****	*****	*****	67 mins
Knottingley	Depart	18.35​	*****	NT
Whitley Brridge	Arrive	18.42​	P2	NT	wait 88m
Whitley Brridge	Depart	20.10​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Knottingley	Arrive	20.16​	*****	NT

 

[All platforms]

Day 156: Thursday 25/08/2022 - North East Rover - £75.40 - 4 in 8 Days - Day 2. Selby to Gilberdyke - £5.80 - Anytime Single. Gilberdyke to Eastrington - £3.10 - Anytime Return. Gilberdyke to Ferriby - £4.40 - Anytime Single. CP Station Road CP Selby £3.00
Total time today 768 mins - Time on trains 240 mins and time waiting 528 mins. Stations completed today 7. Total completed 929.

This mornings awkward station is Eastrington which only has 1 service a day going in the Hull direction and with a Westbound service only 7 minutes prior to that what could go wrong - especially when you know that there is a CCTV controlled full level crossing as your only means of swapping platforms - and the full knowledge that this will be activated 4/5 minutes before arrival. Firstly then a positional move to Gilberdyke - though in hindsight Brough may have involved a shorter wait time and another station tick - but it would have cost more as this would be well before the 9.00am start time of the Rover. Yes that was why. Having spent a chunk of time here the previous day i just found a place to park myself and delve into my book and enjoy the early morning atmosphere. Ok then front of train needed in order to be nearer the level crossing gates when (if) they opened. Just a minute down on schedule seemed ok but a few quick pics and then wait for the gates to rise which they thankfully did. I had an actual 2 minutes in fact before they came down again so the biggest pinch point of the day was successfully negotiated. Not much time to consider what delights Eastrington had to offer the traveller - not much i'd wager, before i was on board and heading for Ferriby which sees an hourly service and with good views of the Humber which is quite wide here.

I had decided to open my account on the line to Doncaster which sees a two hourly service so this will take some clearing. My first stop here will be Hatfield & Stainforth, but i am not sure now why this was chosen specifically. With the freight lines running behind the centre platforms i was expecting some action but there was a blockade on one side i noticed and nothing coming North. Cue what will be a most regular opeing of my book again as i was not disposed to explore given the light rain which was most decidedly not on my weather app. Another station i had the place to myself whilst waiting before the next service arrived and i was off to Brough which sees the big trains stop at too. Not a big station at all but plenty of folk bemoaning 2 cancelled services, but thankfully not the one i was awaiting which was destined for York. One service goes direct and the other via the 3 stations via Church Fenton. This service was going this way but i stayed on all the way to York where a something and onion pie awaited my attention at the York Tap on the station. I need the track as well as the stations so why not now. The return would be the direct service going via the North/East Hambleton curve so it really opened up the the taps till then given this is the ECML proper. A specific timed slot on the line was probably the reason it then had quite a long dwell on arrival at Selby. Not quite enough time to pop into Selby proper so sat it out until the York stopper turned up again 2 hours after my first foray.

Off at Church Fenton where you could see the new wires already up North of the station. In fact these go all the way to Colton Junction apart from a small section still being worked on. Next is Sherburn-in-Elmet and what was supposed to be the longest wait of the day as Ulleskelf gets a truly shoddy service outside peak hours - and its not much better then. I decided to treat myself if the local pub was open - which it was although it was unpopulated by customers when i arrived. By the time i left there was a good dozen peple there and food was being served. Had they all heard i was in the area and came to gawp? Actually it was very Royston Vasey (look it up) with an astonishing array of very real charachters in full flow. Strangest pub i ever did visit for sure... The upside was that the best connection of the day at Ulleskelf would be within my grasp. There was no information displays at the station and it took me a few minutes to realise my planned wait of 7 minutes would extend to 2 and a half hours due to a cancelled train with me stuck in the middle of nowehere for the duration. Then the sun came out to boil the air with not an square inch of shelter to be found. Great!

I did eventually find a shady place to park myself in the village itself, and whiled away the hours munching on my dwindling supples and getting through my book at an alarming rate. By this time i had also realised i could not hope to reposition myself in time for the Knottingley/Goole service so i decided to abandon the rest of the day although in the end i only got back home about 25 minutes earlier than yesterday due to a terrible connection. The service from Ulleskelf turned out to be one of only 2 services going to Leeds and a turn at Micklefield would be necessary and a near hour wait to boot. 7 stations in the circumstances can't be considered a bad thing but i will still need another four goes at the Knottingley/Goole line so it will be interesting to see how best to achieve this. A diversion from this task on Saturday all going well and then 2 more days at the beginning of next week to see what's left to do.

Selby	Depart	6.50​	*****	NT			stations	platforms
Gilberdyke	Arrive	7.05​	P1	NT	wait 64m		completed	completed
Gilberdyke	Depart	8.09​	P2	NT
Eastrington	Arrive	8.13​		NT	wait 9m
Eastrington	Depart	8.22​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Ferriby	Arrive	8.42​	P1	NT	wait 23m
Ferriby	Depart	9.05​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Hatfield & Stainforth	Arrive	9.49​	P1	NT	wait 33m
Hatfield & Stainforth	Depart	10.22​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Brough	Arrive	10.55​	P1	NT	wait 19m
Brough	Depart	11.14​	P2	NT			1​	2​
York	Arrive	12.10​	P1	NT	wait 32m
York	Depart	12.42​	P1	NT
Selby	Arrive	13.03​	P1	NT	wait 27m
Selby	Depart	13.30​	P2	NT
Church Fenton	Arrive	13.44​	P2	NT	wait 13m
Church Fenton	Depart	13.57​	P1	NT
Sherburn-in-Elmet	Arrive	14.00​	P1	NT	wait 101m
Sherburn-in-Elmet	Depart	15.41​	P2	NT			1​	2​
Ulleskelf	Arrive	15.48​		NT	wait 155m
Ulleskelf	Depart	18.23​		NT			1​	2​
Micklefield	Arrive	18.30​	P2	NT	wait 52m
Micklefield	Depart	19.22​	P1	NT			1​	2​
Selby	Arrive	19.38​	*****	NT

 

[Kite159]

All the long festers caused by the reduced timetable.
Good news on getting Eastrington into your book along with some other awkward Yorkshire stations