Iskra's Odysseys

[Iskra]

I've been on my travels again over the last week or so on a cruise around Greece, its islands and Turkey. It has been very enjoyable and I've seen some wonderful places. It was also notable as I used Doncaster Sheffield airport, which is in its death throes and I managed a brief exploration of the Greek rail network to get me back from the centre of Athens back to the cruise ship at Pireaus.





Doncaster Airport is a fantastic airport to use, mainly because of its unsustainable quietness, which makes it a relaxing airport to travel through. The flights in both directions were operated by Boeing 737-800 aircraft and were pretty uneventful. Corfu airport is a bit small for the traffic it handles so things were chaotic there, but when on a packaged holiday that doesn't matter too much.

Our ship for the week was the Marella Explorer which was recently refurbished inside and I was happy with it. It was my third cruise but my first with TUI, and while there were some minor areas for improvement overall I was very happy with the cruise and I would go with them again in the future. There were some rough seas on the first couple of nights, and these were the first rough seas that I have encountered, but they didn't trouble me too much really. The ship started in Corfu, went to Souda in Crete, Santorini, Kusadasi in Turkey, Athens, Kefalonia and then back to Corfu. All the destinations were fantastic and I would highly recommend them all.



On an organised tour of Athens, having seen the main sights including the Acropolis I ditched our organised coach tour in order to be able to travel back to the port by rail so that I could briefly sample the Greek railway network. This was pre-planned and I'd found a minor point of interest at one station on route to stop off at. I started by catching the Metro to Larissa station. The Metro was efficient enough and after sussing-out a few ticketing idiosyncrasies, I boarded my train. I was impressed that the 'tube map' illuminates so that the next station flashes green and the remaining stations ahead are red to show the trains route, while any other stations on other routes are not illuminated. I thought this a very useful feature that I haven't seen anywhere else. The metro train is seen below departing Larissa station:



I then headed upwards to the main railway station, and I was very underwhelmed for what is a grand city's main station. It's a very functional design with only a handful of operating platforms that mostly host an airport to port electrified commuter service, with the occasional long distance train appearing, but sadly none were present on my visit. I then boarded my train towards the Port of Pireaus which was a fairly modern EMU and was comfortable enough.



I jumped off at the first station called Rouf. There was no logical pedestrian access out of the station, on the side I needed to be, so I (carefully) followed a couple of locals across the tracks and sidings on a well worn path. The reason for this deviation was to see this:



This is a preserved (but not operational) SEK class 2-10-2 steam locomotive that was mainly used for freight and was withdrawn in the 1970's. Today the carriages behind (there are more behind the ones you can see) are restored and function as a bar and restaurant with seating both inside and adjacent on the platform. Sadly, the bar was not open at the time I visited although there was a chap doing some maintenance and I'm sure he would have sold me a beer if I'd have asked nicely.

I then headed back to the platform and on arriving a Greek Intercity train rushed through noisily, this was headed by an electric locomotive, with a diesel tucked-in behind and around 5 or 6 graffiti-ridden carriages followed. I was glad to have seen this train as it looked pretty cool and was far more interesting than the units I would be travelling on today in all honesty, so I might have to come back to sample some Greek Intercity trains. I then continued my journey towards Pireaus.



This next EMU smelt strongly of cigarette smoke inside, so I don't know if they still have smoking carriages on Greek railways. The front of this train had Piraeus Port on it, so I was expecting this train to take me all the way there. However, at an intermediate station all passengers were transferred to a pair of 2 car units, which I wasn't expecting:



This was a nice modern unit, but I must say we travelled extremely slowly for the last stretch of track into Piraeus Port station. However, I did quite enjoy the ride still as this is a bit of a train graveyard area which has some exotic stuff in them. From the port station I could theoretically walk back to the ship, but we'd berthed as far away as possible (just behind a Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer which I believe was HMS Defender). So, instead due to the congestion, heat and the indirect walkways to reach the ship, I lazily took a taxi instead.

I quite enjoyed my brief trip on Greek railways, I can see me heading back for some Intercity action in the future. Also, the ticket prices were extremely cheap which was nice.

I've got a couple more photo slots for this post so I'm just going to use them to share a couple of holiday snaps from Crete and Kefalonia respectively.

 

[Cowley]

Part 2

Well, Moynihan train hall is just total night and day compared to the LIRR section of the station. Such a pleasant exterior and interior:

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On entering, I headed for the Metropolitan Lounge, which guests in a roomette or above get complimentary access to. This was by far the best feature that I came across in all my time using Amtrak and I suggest that anyone who is able to, makes full use of this facility. It's a decent sized, modern lounge with comfortable seating, power points, departure screens, a separate paid bar which serves cocktails, a balcony and a fairly upmarket 'canteen' which serves a great variety of pre-paid food and drinks. It's a bit like an airport lounge, whatever you want, they give you and everything I had in there was fantastic. I mainly had drinks and lemon cake slices because, well I just like cake really. But I did also have a fantastic Cobb salad and all the other food looked great. My train was announced about 20 minutes before departure, at which point I made my way down to the platforms. On the concourse I bought a 4-pack of trendy beer from a hipster liquor store, the occupants of which were impressed (or perhaps they just thought I was daft) by the journey ahead of me when they asked where I was going. I took a quick picture of the loco and went to board my sleeper car.

The Lake Shore Limited New York-Chicago.

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The Genesis P32AC-DM bi-mode locomotive that would take us as far as Albany

I was greeted by the guard and sleeper host and got settled into my roomette quite quickly and I was soon given a full run down of how everything worked by the friendly sleeper host. My room was in day-mode at this point. I wanted to see the view on both sides of the train, so shortly after departure I moved into the lounge car, which wasn't technically open at this point. My presence was fairly quickly challenged, but when I explained that I wasn't wanting any food and just wanted to see out of both sides of the train, they were cool with me sitting in there. Speaking of cool, this carriage was very cool indeed, having massively over-powering air conditioning that caused some other passengers to complain later that evening, but I have a feeling it might have been deliberate to stop people loitering in there as it also seemed to be a bit of a 'staff mess car'. I was very glad to have been able to see from both sides of the train as all the good views were on the left hand side, whereas my roomette was on the right. The main views were of the Hudson river, which was quite impressive. At one point a long CSX operated American freight train was running on a line on the opposite bank and that was quite a sight. Later on, we also had an American Eagle briefly flying right along side us, which seemed very fitting. After a couple of hours we arrived at Albany, where the fun began. At Albany, our train combines with another portion from Boston and we lose our third rail capable locomotive, to switch to the diesel ones that hauled the portion from Boston. This takes about 45 minutes. After getting a bit of fresh air on the platform and filming the loco changes. I needed the bathroom so nipped up to the concourse and had a cheeky look at Albany, which was a bit dull really (or at least the section around the station was).

A video of the loco change and some shunting:

So these two Genesis P42DC locomotives would now haul us the rest of the way to Chicago, or that was the plan...

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Once the train was joined, and electricity was reinstated in the lounge car, I ordered dinner. I'd already seen a few people eat, so I chose the dish that I thought had looked the best, which was the salmon and prawns. It was nice enough for obviously microwaved food and there was dessert too, which was a brownie. You also get a free beer with you main too (although I actually had mine while running alongside the Hudson earlier on).

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The sun set while we were at Albany and the jet lag started to catch up with me, so I asked James -the sleeper host- to make up my bed for me. I chose the top bed, to maintain some room to faff around with my suitcase at ground level and this worked. The lady in the compartment opposite was just travelling a few more stops, so she was wowed that these rooms could be slept in too. She was originally Welsh, but had moved to the US with a serviceman and had a family, we were just getting towards the part of her life story where I felt she was going to tell me her husband had died recently, when we were interrupted by the conductor telling us of locomotive failure and that there would be a delay while a new locomotive was sourced. At this point, I went to bed. The bed was longitudinal, which seemed a bit odd at first, but after an hour of tossing and turning I got comfortable, with the occasional cackling of the conductor coming through the PA with lots of apologies and updates on what was going on. After about an hour delay, I felt forward motion and happily went to sleep. At somepoint after this, I awoke to find us going BACKWARDS! ...Although very slowly and stopping frequently with power cut outs. It turned out we'd had an additional locomotive added, so we now had three! But that still hadn't fixed the issue, so only two miles out of Albany, we'd broken down again which had forced a reversal to Albany, during which we broke down a further four times. I was very appreciative of my bed during all this, and I was half expecting a cancellation so was trying to maximise my sleep knowing the journey I had ahead of me the next few days. Somehow at Albany they must have sourced another locomotive or got things fixed, as that was the end of the troubles for this train. I think we were very lucky that this was happening somewhere with a depot where replacement locomotives were available, otherwise I dread to think what would have happened. After detecting forward motion again, I slept very well the rest of the night. I awoke to the sun rising over Lake Erie, which was nice and I opened the curtains to view it ...which reminds me; in your roomette your toilet is also in your room- remember to close the curtains before use! I then went for a shower and got ready, the shower was okay, probably the second best out of the three train showers I've had- the third placed one was a cold one while in the Arctic Circle! Breakfast was pretty decent, and I awoke to the news that we were three and a half hours late. I had a connection of four hours in Chicago, although I didn't let myself worry as you can't change these things so there's no point worrying about it in my mind. The scenery in these parts was pretty flat, but nice enough- I liked Indiana, and I actually thought the best bit was immediately approaching Chicago, running through all the oversized decaying steelworks, it was like being in Middlesbrough! I was also pleased to see a diesel shunter with a couple of torpedo wagons, which I've never seen in the flesh before so that was cool. Just before Chicago a time-zone change worked in my favour and gave me an extra hour connection time.

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The (now 3) locomotives in Chicago:

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Chicago Station is impressive:


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To be continued...

Amazing. The last couple of weeks have been a bit hectic for me so this is the first time I’ve had a chance to properly sit down and read about it. I’m going to have to do this in a couple of bites because I’m really interested in it so I want to give it some proper attention.

Eagles next to the train, nighttime locomotive failures, overpowered aircon. It’s all going on!

 

[Iskra]

No problem! The trip report was a bit bigger than I thought it was going to be But, it does cover 2560 miles of train journey, so I shouldn’t be too surprised really! Yes, it’s all action with Amtrak Thanks for reading

 

[Cowley]

California Zephyr Day 3

I need to crack on and finish this report as I’ve already started my next adventure so a backlog will develop soon!

After a rather poor nights sleep, I did the usual routine of getting washed and changed in the accessible toilet and then was in the observation car for sunrise. I was shortly joined by Pete and then others slowly arrived. After a second night in the seats, it’s safe to say we were all shattered. There were many lingering aches and pains, we were all sleep deprived, plus the legacy of several days of too much caffeine and alcohol had taken its toll, and our energy levels were collectively very low. This day really was something of an endurance test. We’d also lost 3 of our group to station calls overnight so now we were down to 4 and it felt a little empty being 3 people down. We’d awoken in Nevada this morning. Americans generally don’t seem too taken by Nevada’s scenery, they find it boring. However, I’ve always found it strangely alluring- possibly because desert is the only type of scenery that the US has that we don’t have here in the UK? I like the colours and the vastness of it all. Also, in terms of railway interest here; the two running lines run quite far apart so you get good views of the epic freight trains running in the opposite direction.

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After Nevada we were then into California, where Peter got off in a charming little town called Truckee to go on a hiking trip. I could only get a very brief picture here from the train door as due to the late running the Conductor was eager to keep all station stops to a minimum to make up time.





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We’d made pretty good progress along the plains of Nevada but now we were back in mountains in California, progress once again became painfully slow- I’m talking UK preserved line speeds, but for hours. At least the scenery was good though!

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Once out of the mountains again, we picked up speed, but also entered a rainstorm. Luckily, it didn’t last long. Frustratingly for all on board, we came to a standstill as we entered the San Francisco bay area as we had to wait for a ship to pass through a transporter bridge ahead of us, which delayed us by another 45 mins as ships aren’t the fastest and neither are bridges. The positive of this delay was that we entered the San Francisco bay area as the sun was setting, which was picturesque and I also saw a seal playing in the bay as we passed.

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Shortly after sunset we arrived into Emeryville and our journey was complete.

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I was booked on the shuttle bus here, but as Stef was travelling for work she was able to expense an Uber so I shared that with her and our remaining traveller Armando. Some really great views were had as we made the trip into town.

Overall, I enjoyed the trip and the journey it’s definitely the best way to see all of what the US has to offer. However, I wouldn’t rush to do it again in Coach as it was an incredibly tiring way of travelling that took me a couple of days and nights to recover from, and that’s not really how I like to arrive at a destination as it does have an affect on your travel productivity. I probably wouldn’t be saying this if I’d have had a roomette as intended, but then equally I probably wouldn’t have formed the close bond with my fellow travellers that I did if I was in a roomette, so swings and roundabouts really…

Next, I’m just going to do a briefer post on my time in San Francisco and then that will be the report finished, finally

Still working my through these. I’m absolutely green with envy a must say. The scenery looks fantastic and just being able to relax as the world changes outside your window over a few days looks wonderful.

 

[Iskra]

I've been a bit quiet in the final quarter of the year; I did have a few railtours booked but two were cancelled and one was re-dated to a date I couldn't do.

Today, I hit the rails for what felt like the first time in a long time. I travelled Meadowhall-Sheffield-Manchester Piccadilly-Manchester Oxford Road-Wigan Wallgate-Kirkby-Liverpool Central-Rice Lane-Kirkby-Salford Crescent-Manchester Piccadilly-Sheffield-Meadowhall. This gave me new line coverage between Wigan Wallgate-Kirkby-Liverpool Central. Merseyrail was a new operator and there were new classes of traction in the form of class 769 and 507. I also saw my first TFW 197. Overall it was a good trip, but I did find it quite tiring with the cold weather and the fact it never really got light today made it all a bit dreary. Sadly, there was a cancelled train for me between Kirkby and Wigan so that delayed me, but I should hopefully get another Northern free ticket out of it, so that's not too bad. I was happy to experience classes 769 and 507 which I'm just in time for before they get withdrawn. After todays travels I'm down to just one line left to cover on the Northern network, which I ran out of energy and desire to do today even though it was physically possible, I guess that particular line will have to wait until next year now!

(Photo's incoming soon)

 

[Iskra]

The 2022 Annual Review

New Coverage:

Glasgow Central-Wemyss Bay
Carstair-Wishaw-Glasgow Central
Chepstow Line
Barry Coastal Line
Cardiff Central-Ystrad Mynach (and onwards up the freight branch to Cwmbargoed Colliery)
Boulby Branch
Northallerton-Middlesbrough line
Upwey-Weymouth
Wigan Wallgate-Kirkby
Kirkby-Liverpool Central
(Peak Rail)

Winning Mainline Locomotive Traction:

87002
66013, 66103, 66740
60040, 60066 (New Class for traction)
British India Line
37706
33025, 33029 (New Class for traction)
73966
92018

International New Coverage

Milan Malpensa-Milano Centrale
Bologna-Taranto via Bari
Taranto-Sibari (Completes Taranto-Reggio 'Ionian Coast Line')
FC Line Catanzaro Citta-Soveria Mannelli
Long Island Railroad; Jamaica-Penn Station
New York-Chicago 'The Capitol Limited'
Chicago-Emeryville- 'The California Zephyr'
Athens Metro
Greece: Athens- Piraeus Port station

Memorable Moments:

Wemyss Bay Station
EMR 222 to Leeds for the Novelty
First Italian Night Train
Milano Centrale, in particular the Bistrot
Haulage behind the D445 newly painted into Trenitalia's striking IC livery
FC Line Catanzaro Citta-Soveria Mannelli through the hills on a retro but dilapidated railcar.
Steam Over the Settle and Carlisle
Boulby Branch
Pathfinder Tours Dorset Coast Explorer tour; Accidentally getting a return trip to Weymouth sidings and having to hide in the toilet to avoid an ear-bashing from the guard
Caledonian Sleeper Fort William-London Euston, and the lounge car in particular
Crossing the width of the United States by rail, multiple locomotive failures, enforced slow-running and surviving 57 hours in Coach class, the state of Colorado probably being the scenic highlight but also the fellow travellers who really made the trip special.
San Francisco itself, the Trams and Ferry's, the airport and the BA A380 Home.
Greek Islands
Just one Northern line left to cover...

Well, it's been a truly great year

Unfortunately, my only railtour that I had booked for 2023 has been cancelled and nothing else is particularly interesting me at the moment. I know that one objective is going to be to to finish my last remaining Northern line and I will be doing some more Italian travels, but beyond that I've very little planned-in, so we will see what happens

 

[D6130]

I know that one objective is going to be to to finish my last remaining Northern line

May I enquire as to which line that is? A great year of travelling nonetheless!

 

[Iskra]

May I enquire as to which line that is? A great year of travelling nonetheless!

It's the Blackburn to Bolton line via Entwistle, geographically it's just one that I would never really need to use and a little out of the way, but I'm looking forward to completing it

 

[D6130]

It's the Blackburn to Bolton line via Entwistle, geographically it's just one that I would never really need to use and a little out of the way, but I'm looking forward to completing it

If you have time, get off at Entwistle for an hour or more and walk to the nearby Strawbury Duck pub for a pint.

 

[Iskra]

If you have time, get off at Entwistle for an hour or more and walk to the nearby Strawbury Duck pub for a pint.

Thank you for the recommendation, a pub visit would add a bit of purpose to the trip and it would be rude not to celebrate clearing Northern without a Pint anyway!

 

[Iskra]

In my end of year review, I neglected to mention a bit of December light rail action:

I travelled from Heworth to Monument on the Tyne Metro, which was significant as I believe these trains will be soon withdrawn. Additionally, I travelled Meadowhall-Cathedral on the Supertram as trains weren't running, which completes the yellow line for me.





21/1

After an early finish from work I decided to scratch off my geographically nearest bit of railway that I hadn't yet covered- the Matlock Branch. I bought a Derbyshire Wayfarer from Sheffield station (no issues) and then got a moderately-loaded EMR 10-car Meridian formation down to Derby in the glorious winter sunshine. At Derby, I was expecting a 156 for the run up to Matlock, but instead it was a modest upgrade to a class 158. Thankfully the unit was sat waiting in the platform on a long turn around and was unlocked so I could get out of the freezing cold.






The run up to Matlock is slightly frustrating as, if you have come from the North, you are retracing track that you have just covered on the MML until Ambergate, perhaps some trains should call at Belper to allow better connections? From Ambergate I was pleasantly surprised to hear the sound of jointed track as we progressed up the valley, soon leaving behind the sunshine for dense fog and hawfrost, giving a winter wonderland feel. Consequently, there weren't any views to be had beyond those of the immediate railway infrastructure, although to its credit that was quite historic and interesting in itself. We soon arrived at Matlock in the gloom.

At Matlock, I'd decided on a walk to some local waterfalls, which I covered briskly due to the cold. These were impressive but sadly I was a little too late to catch them illuminated by the setting sun. I then headed towards a pub, catching the stunning sunset from a viewpoint on the way. The pub was the Thorne Tree Inn and it was excellent, with a friendly Landlord, clientele and Timothy Taylor's Landord being available on draught. Suitably refreshed, I then headed out for some fish and chips which were also excellent. Then I headed back towards the station to complete the circle, by this point it was dark, foggy and absolutely freezing. With a little time to kill, I headed to Costa for a Hazelnut Hot Chocolate to warm me up before heading to the gloomy station.









The trip back was another surprise class of unit, being an ex-TfW 170, which still had a first class compartment. I sat in that compartment, and illuminated the table light and reclined the seat to really enjoy the declassified first class luxury




After that it was a brief but cold wait in the waiting room at Derby (why are all EMR's waiting rooms tiles and steel seats, that don't help you keep warm at all), before another EMR Meridian whisked me home to Sheffield. My new nearest uncovered line is now the Markey Rasen line I believe, so hopefully I can tick that one off soon too

 

[Techniquest]

Some gorgeous photos there! A good reminder that Derbyshire has plenty of beautiful places to go and explore!

 

[Iskra]

Some gorgeous photos there! A good reminder that Derbyshire has plenty of beautiful places to go and explore!

Thanks Tech! Yes Derbyshire does have a surprising amount to offer

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks Tech! Yes Derbyshire does have a surprising amount to offer

I have too much on my list to do in Derbyshire, and now I've added to my exercise disciplines I have even more! I might get up that way later this year, but there's just so much to do in 2023 I'm not going to manage it all!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

In my end of year review, I neglected to mention a bit of December light rail action:

I travelled from Heworth to Monument on the Tyne Metro, which was significant as I believe these trains will be soon withdrawn. Additionally, I travelled Meadowhall-Cathedral on the Supertram as trains weren't running, which completes the yellow line for me.

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21/1

After an early finish from work I decided to scratch off my geographically nearest bit of railway that I hadn't yet covered- the Matlock Branch. I bought a Derbyshire Wayfarer from Sheffield station (no issues) and then got a moderately-loaded EMR 10-car Meridian formation down to Derby in the glorious winter sunshine. At Derby, I was expecting a 156 for the run up to Matlock, but instead it was a modest upgrade to a class 158. Thankfully the unit was sat waiting in the platform on a long turn around and was unlocked so I could get out of the freezing cold.

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The run up to Matlock is slightly frustrating as, if you have come from the North, you are retracing track that you have just covered on the MML until Ambergate, perhaps some trains should call at Belper to allow better connections? From Ambergate I was pleasantly surprised to hear the sound of jointed track as we progressed up the valley, soon leaving behind the sunshine for dense fog and hawfrost, giving a winter wonderland feel. Consequently, there weren't any views to be had beyond those of the immediate railway infrastructure, although to its credit that was quite historic and interesting in itself. We soon arrived at Matlock in the gloom.

At Matlock, I'd decided on a walk to some local waterfalls, which I covered briskly due to the cold. These were impressive but sadly I was a little too late to catch them illuminated by the setting sun. I then headed towards a pub, catching the stunning sunset from a viewpoint on the way. The pub was the Thorne Tree Inn and it was excellent, with a friendly Landlord, clientele and Timothy Taylor's Landord being available on draught. Suitably refreshed, I then headed out for some fish and chips which were also excellent. Then I headed back towards the station to complete the circle, by this point it was dark, foggy and absolutely freezing. With a little time to kill, I headed to Costa for a Hazelnut Hot Chocolate to warm me up before heading to the gloomy station.

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The trip back was another surprise class of unit, being an ex-TfW 170, which still had a first class compartment. I sat in that compartment, and illuminated the table light and reclined the seat to really enjoy the declassified first class luxury

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After that it was a brief but cold wait in the waiting room at Derby (why are all EMR's waiting rooms tiles and steel seats, that don't help you keep warm at all), before another EMR Meridian whisked me home to Sheffield. My new nearest uncovered line is now the Markey Rasen line I believe, so hopefully I can tick that one off soon too

Some of those landscape photos are stunning. You have a talent for photography.

 

[Iskra]

Thank you!

Yesterday, I travelled on the RTC’s Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express. I joined at Preston, where the tour was Class 86 hauled to Carnforth. This was my first time behind an 86 for years, so I enjoyed the run and clocked the speed at 90mph. The loco and train attracted a lot of interest as we passed through Lancaster Station and I enjoyed the fleeting coastal views around Hest Bank.
At Carnforth our steam loco was waiting for us and it was Royal Scot Class Scots Guardsman. There was some speculation as to whether it would in fact produce as it failed a Fitness to Run test the previous week. I was hoping it would be something else as Guardsman is dud, although it is an impressive locomotive nonetheless, and very traditional WCML traction. A class 47 was also added at the rear. I was fortunate to be just a couple of coaches back from the loco so a storming soundtrack was enjoyed for the trip North through one of my favourite bits of UK railway. 33mph was recorded as we crested Shap which was very respectable.

At Carlisle, I went to Spoons and watched some of the Accrington V Leeds game, before returning to the station. Unfortunately, the various shunt moves left us now at the rear of the train for the journey over the Settle-Carlisle. The weather closed-in and it was quite gloomy but I like the effect different lighting has on this route as it can make the same route look very different. There were still plenty of photographers about.

At Hellifield we stopped to take on water in the goods loop, before proceeding along the freight only line towards Clitheroe. The light was fading now, but there were still some decent views to be had through the gloom. My previous trip over this line was afflicted by heavy condensation on the windows, which was not an issue today so it was nice to see a bit more of the route. We then headed back to Preston via Blackburn.

Overall, it was a nice railtour over some classic lines without requiring too long a day to celebrate my upcoming birthday

 

[Kite159]

I saw that tour rolling into Crewe after I arrived from Manchester, looked quite busy.

Sounded like a good little trip to Carlisle via the WCML then back south via the S&C.

 

[Iskra]

I saw that tour rolling into Crewe after I arrived from Manchester, looked quite busy.

Sounded like a good little trip to Carlisle via the WCML then back south via the S&C.

It was about 80% full I’d say, which isn’t bad for January I don’t think.

 

[Iskra]

20/2/23

I had a day off and after a Spoons breakfast and dealing with some life-admin, I had the urge to hit the rails and cover some new track. A quick look at my coverage map and an itinerary that covered a local-ish gap was spied.

I drove down to Meadowhall station and bought a ticket, from an actual person as I needed to be more specific than normal to ensure I got a ticket valid 'both ways' for my journey. Miraculously, Transpennine were running towards Cleethorpes, but before I could board it a Northern 170 pulled in and I was tempted by the empty declassified first class section, so I took this on a slow run as far as Doncaster even though it was running a little late.



There was some interesting stuff knocking around at Donny, including a Royal 67, a TP 68 attached to some snowploughs and the usual variety at Wabtec including a tatty Anglia 47 which is hopefully getting a much needed repaint.

It was a brief hop over the island platform for the solitary class 185 that I could have caught at Meadowhall, that was actually running all the way to Cleethorpes- a revolutionary concept these days.

I was able to get the saloon beyond first class to myself, and thus I used the tipper seats to sit laterally across two with my back against the partition wall, creating a kind of chaise longue, which I maintain is actually more comfortable than first class and is also excellent for the circulation. (*No feet contacted seats during this journey)

The journey continued to be interesting as it was a little while since I'd been this way and Network Rail were out in force dealing with vegetation. Unfortunately, we did lose quite a bit of time on our journey towards Scunthorpe due to mysterious signalling issues, but this had no ill effects on my itinerary. I liked the mixture of desolate wetlands and industrial decline on this route. I eventually alighted at Barnetby.



This was my first time alighting at Barnetby and it was surprisingly cold and windy. With no trains due through the station in my shore time there; naturally, the best thing to do was to seek shelter at the Whistle and Flute just over from the station. This is a pleasant little pub, with friendly staff that pulled me the best pint of doom bar that I've had for ages. It was an epiphanic realisation, that that is what Doombar is meant to taste like. This experience can be yours for £3.50, with no quibbling about paying contactlessly for such a small amount. The 30 minutes before my next train flew by and I returned to the station, ready to 'phot' my incoming train from the advantageously outlying pedestrian ramp.

Much to my surprise a EMR 3-Car 170 pulled in- true luxury! I was expecting a 156.




Despite looking nice on the outside, the unit was a little grubby on the inside but again a declassified first class section was enjoyed and I appreciated the 170 over the 156 I was expecting, or the rattly 153 that this service would probably have been only a couple of years ago. This train was heading for Lincoln via Market Rasen and this line was new line for me. It's a line that passes through pleasant countryside all the way, but isn't overly exciting. At Lincoln I'd just missed a Northern service direct to Meadowhall, so I took a route that I'd totally forgotten about but quite like- the Lincoln to Doncaster train.

This was a two car 170, which sadly lacked a declassified first class section but was still a massive upgrade on the single 153's that used to ply this line. It felt like a massive upgrade, seeming faster, smoother and just much better. It's quite a fast route with just a couple of stops before reaching Doncaster, where the approach is of much railway interest passing the mail terminal, GBRF yard, DB sidings and other assorted sidings. With some spirited running we arrived 4mins early, which combined with a gentle run allowed me to make an unofficial connection onto a TP 185 (probably the one I was on earlier) back to Meadowhall, saving me a long wait.

Quite an efficient, enjoyable and productive trip with some surprising traction improvements throughout. I'm glad to have cleared the Market Rasen line

For anyone interested, below is where I'm at with my coverage and I'm pleased to report that it has come a very long way since I first started this thread:

 

[Kite159]

Sounded like a nice little day trip to Barnetby, certainly 170s on those lines are better than the 153s, at least the nonstop sections allow them a chance to get up to some speed

 

[Techniquest]

Certainly a nicely varied day out there Plenty of track to do in Wales I see!

 

[Iskra]

Sounded like a nice little day trip to Barnetby, certainly 170s on those lines are better than the 153s, at least the nonstop sections allow them a chance to get up to some speed

Yes, and as much as I enjoy a bit of dogbox thrash and rattle, the 170's provide a far superior passenger environment.

Certainly a nicely varied day out there Plenty of track to do in Wales I see!

Yes, although all being well I should scratch a decent % of remaining Welsh track later this year (at the third attempt on this particular line). Wales and the South East of England are my two most problematic areas in terms of access. I could clear the Valley Lines quite quickly and probably will do in the next couple of years, but I may well leave the Pembrokeshire area until last of all and do it in both style and over a few days to really enjoy what promises to be a beautiful area.

 

[Techniquest]

I don't think you will be disappointed by Pembrokeshire I certainly like it over that way, maybe worth looking at doing one of the IETs on the summer extras if you can to Pembroke Dock for some extra class/comfort? I want to do one if they run.

I think the big gap I saw on your map in Wales was the Cambrian, there's some beautiful scenery up that way so you won't be bored!

 

[Iskra]

I don't think you will be disappointed by Pembrokeshire I certainly like it over that way, maybe worth looking at doing one of the IETs on the summer extras if you can to Pembroke Dock for some extra class/comfort? I want to do one if they run.

I think the big gap I saw on your map in Wales was the Cambrian, there's some beautiful scenery up that way so you won't be bored!

Yes, that will hopefully be the plan!

That's booked, behind a pair of 97's...

 

[Techniquest]

Yes, that will hopefully be the plan!

That's booked, behind a pair of 97's...

Oh nice! I don't have any memory of Pwllheli or what I may have travelled on there in early childhood, so I'm hoping to do it on a 158 in the near future. Maybe in combination with a walk over that famous bridge on the line, I haven't worked that bit out yet!

 

[Iskra]

Oh nice! I don't have any memory of Pwllheli or what I may have travelled on there in early childhood, so I'm hoping to do it on a 158 in the near future. Maybe in combination with a walk over that famous bridge on the line, I haven't worked that bit out yet!

Pwellheli doesn’t get overly high reviews but I’ve no choice but to go there to clear the line, but no doubt it will be at least adequate for my needs. I’ll need to return to the line and do a 158 to Aberystwyth at some point which seems a nicer place. That would be great if you could involve the bridge in a walk, it would also be good to get a picture of a train crossing the bridge too

 

[xotGD]

Yes, that will hopefully be the plan!

That's booked, behind a pair of 97's...

Just like back in the good old days on the Cambrian!

 

[Iskra]

4/4/23

Yesterday, Leeds United were playing in the evening, which would normally involve me catching a train from Sheffield to Leeds for the game. However, it was my day off and I fancied a trip out, so I decided to combine my journey to the football with finally clearing the Northern Route Map, visiting a good pub and using a request stop for the first (and second) times

I departed from a very chilly

Meadowhall, after ascertaining that my route was viable for the day- there'd been a freight train breakdown between Sheffield and Dore earlier in the morning, which could have caused issues.

0941 Meadowhall-Sheffield. Northern Class 170

I'm still a fan of these 170's, they are a massive improvement on Sprinters from a passenger perspective and the third carriage is useful too.



At Sheffield I grabbed a quick morning coffee from the Costa and then sauntered over to platform 7. A XC HST was announced as due in to platform 6, so I took the time to photograph that with them now being endangered:



1014 Sheffield-Manchester Piccadilly. Northern 195.

This was a busy service as the glorious sunshine brought the hill walkers out en masse for day trips in the Hope Valley. The journey was absolutely fantastic, the nice big (and clean) windows of the 195 were great for enjoying the views and it was very peaceful as I put my headphones in- just a really nice tranquil journey. I also quite enjoy the industrial heritage on view as you start descending from Marple down into Manchester. This journey was a vast improvement on what was on offer only a few years ago when 150's and 142's operated this route. I know the 195's get a bad press but they are leaps and bounds ahead of what they replaced as far as the average passenger is concerned.



At Manchester, I did the long walk over to P14 from the main train shed, although it actually didn't feel as long as normal on this occasion.

1133 Manchester Piccadilly-Bolton. Class 331x2.



This was an unofficial connection aided by the punctuality of the Hope Valley stopper. P14 was quite crowded so I was grateful for a 6 car formation which easily dealt with the crowds. This is another route that has seen massive rolling stock improvements, with 6 car EMU's replacing 4 car sprinters. The journey out to Bolton passed quite quickly. This would be my first time alighting at Bolton station and when passing through it doesn't look all that great to be honest.

The next platform that I needed was a fair walk so it gave me a good opportunity to re-appraise the station, and actually it was okay, certainly better than the impression it gives you when you're just passing through. P1 where I caught my next train was actually quite pleasant.

1204 Bolton-Entwistle. Class 150+156 combo.



I would have much preferred to sit in the 156 on this journey, but I had to go request the stop at Entwistle from the guard who was in the rear unit. 150's are my least favourite stock, but at least this was a 4 car formation and on a short journey I should be grateful for a bit of variety. After leaving the suburbs of Bolton the journey became quite pleasant and it was noticeable how much of a climb we were doing.

At Entwistle, I headed to the very nice Strawberry Duck pub just outside the station entrance. This was an excellent recommendation by @D6130 , whom I am thankful to as it was a brilliant pub. It was probably busier than normal due to the nice weather attracting a lot of walkers due to the location and nearby reservoir walks. At the pub I enjoyed a nice sausage and onion pie (never had that before), followed by the best cheeseboard I've ever had which I also felt was excellent value at £8. There were also a good selection of beers, with Pennine Ambler being my choice which was also very enjoyable. Apologies if I make anyone hungry with these next two photo's:



I would have liked to have enjoyed a walk around the reservoirs but after a hectic week at work, I was feeling a little too drained for that and it would leave me another full hour to wait. I walked back down to the station where an express flew through, someone else requested the train back down South and I then duly stuck my arm out and received a 'toot' of acknowledgement in return to flag down my train to Blackburn.

1319 Entwistle-Blackburn. 150+156 combo



The stretch from Bolton Northwards was all new line, so by heading North again from Entwistle up to Blackburn, this would clear the line fully; thus completing my coverage of the Northern network (and there was much rejoicing). I sat in the 156 for this bit and enjoyed the fairly pleasant scenery on view up to Blackburn.

I had around 30mins wait at Blackburn but this passed quickly.

1404 Blackburn-Leeds. 3 Car class 195.



This train originated from Blackpool North and as soon as I boarded, I detected a bit of a funny atmosphere and I found a rough-looking lady gawping at me confrontationally for no apparent reason, which I just ignored. Shortly after that, she went to the toilet and unfortunately the occupant had failed to lock the door, which resulted in a fiery exchange of coarse language at a high volume. Shortly afterwards the conductor passed through, and he also opened the toilet door, receiving a barrage of abuse from the occupant, to which the unpleasant lady responded. Luckily, there were a pair of travel safe officers on board, and these were quickly summoned resulting in the sweary toilet man being ejected from the train at Accrington (quite a punishment). The travel safe officers then remained in the carriage supervising the belligerent lady and her partner until they got off at Burnley and then everyone else could relax and enjoy the journey. I chose to have a nap at this point. I awoke at Braford Interchange, just in time for the worst bit of railway in the country- the forever litter-strewn long embankment that lines the line from here to Leeds.

At Leeds I headed to the fantastic Head of Steam pub, where some Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker was enjoyed before we then walked out towards the ground. Leeds United managed to beat Nottingham Forest, which was an enjoyable affair.

After the match, we trudged back to the station.

2230 Leeds-Meadowhall. 2x2 car 195's.

At this time of night, the Sheffield stoppers get doubled up to get all the units back to depot in Sheffield, which is very convenient for post-football trains. As usual, everyone crowded into the front unit whereas I walked to the rear of the back unit and pretty much had the carriage to myself for the whole journey. The Moorthorpe stopper isn't the fastest but it was an okay journey, only the slight diversion via Rotherham Central was a minor frustration.

- - -

Well, it was great to finally clear Northern for coverage especially since they have the odd troublesome service to cover. Equally, using a request stop for the first time was mildly interesting and something a bit different. The quality of the pub at Entwistle did really add to this day out, as well as a Leeds win of course- so a very good day out all in all I also have to give credit to Northern, as all trains were punctual and the rolling stock on my travels yesterday is a vast improvement on what the same routes would have offered only a few years ago when travelling on Northern was often a dismal affair.

It has been a fairly slow year for me so far due to work commitments, but I've got quite a bit planned in for the next month or so I'm posting a bit more on Twitter as I travel and I also occasionally post older pictures of trains I've taken or the odd good scenic photo I take on there, so if you are on Twitter my Twitter handle is @Iskra1234

 

[D6130]

A great day out and wonderful photos as usual. Glad you enjoyed the Strawbury Duck. Shame you fell asleep between Burnley and Bradford though, as that's the most scenic part of the journey....especially between Burnley and Hebden Bridge!

 

[xotGD]

Sounds like a grand day out. That pie does look good!

by heading North again from Entwistle up to Blackburn, this would clear the line fully

I hope you didn't board the train further along the platform from where you baled earlier. Otherwise you'll have a missing couple of yards in your track coverage!