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Roebuck Redux - The Idle Wanderings of an Idle Fellow...

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Andy Pacer

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It's now Thursday lunchtime, and Saturday has been pencilled in for a day out. The question is to where! I've been surfing the net for possibilities, and four come to mind.

Firstly, a day return to Chester and a Day Ranger to clear Chirk, Gobowen and the shacks between Gwyrsyllt and Hawarden, plus Helsby and/or Frodsham on the way back.

Or a Lancashire Ranger, starting early to get rid of the seven shacks I need on the Fylde, then freelancing for required stuff (not had a 397 or 802 yet).

Or a Day Return to Garsdale (clearing up to seven shacks at the Southern end of the Skipton to Carlisle route). The weather forecast needs to be good for this.

Or a Day return to Thurgarton(!), costs the same as Nottingham, gives a variety of traction and judicious breaking of the return journey scores the three shacks needed between Nottingham and Sheffield as well as two or three on the Newark line.

Decisions...
My vote goes for the Cheshire option.

Incidentally I'm out and about tomorrow, some cheap Avanti advances from Rugby to/from Euston and an off peak return from Fenchurch St to Shoeburyness to score various c2c shacks along the way.
 
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D841 Roebuck

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18/09/20 - A day early…

I had planned for a day out on Saturday, and had posted some thoughts above. These plans changed when I found out over a spoons breakfast that all three 68s on the pennines were required. So tram 3070 was taken up the hill to Rochdale station, where dud 195012 and winner 195009 arrived in a pair to take me down to Manchester Victoria in good time for the 1230 to Scarbados.

Winner 68032 rolled in on time, and took me competently to Huddersfield. I had time for a shack scratch here, so trundled out to Brockholes (quite a pleasant station) on 150272, then back on 150228.

I then had time for a very nice pint of Perry from the Kings Head before 68034 arrived on the Scarborough to Liverpool service, and powered me competently through to Manchester.

I had a walk here and bought a roll to eat in the sun by the cathedral, then returned to the station to see if 68033 had stuck to diagram. It hadn't, and 68025 was dud from the SVR Gala a few years ago. So I joined 158756 at the opposite platform for a trip home, with tram 3111 doing the downhill bit.

Not what was planned, but not a bad day out and I won't be sad, cos two out of three ain't bad.
 

Andy Pacer

Established Member
Joined
11 Jul 2017
Messages
2,644
Location
Leicestershire
18/09/20 - A day early…

I had planned for a day out on Saturday, and had posted some thoughts above. These plans changed when I found out over a spoons breakfast that all three 68s on the pennines were required. So tram 3070 was taken up the hill to Rochdale station, where dud 195012 and winner 195009 arrived in a pair to take me down to Manchester Victoria in good time for the 1230 to Scarbados.

Winner 68032 rolled in on time, and took me competently to Huddersfield. I had time for a shack scratch here, so trundled out to Brockholes (quite a pleasant station) on 150272, then back on 150228.

I then had time for a very nice pint of Perry from the Kings Head before 68034 arrived on the Scarborough to Liverpool service, and powered me competently through to Manchester.

I had a walk here and bought a roll to eat in the sun by the cathedral, then returned to the station to see if 68033 had stuck to diagram. It hadn't, and 68025 was dud from the SVR Gala a few years ago. So I joined 158756 at the opposite platform for a trip home, with tram 3111 doing the downhill bit.

Not what was planned, but not a bad day out and I won't be sad, cos two out of three ain't bad.
Sounds good to me. Always nice to have something to aim for as well rather than a random rover etc.
Incidentally did you use a rover for that trip or a combo of tickets?
 

D841 Roebuck

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Sounds good to me. Always nice to have something to aim for as well rather than a random rover etc.
Incidentally did you use a rover for that trip or a combo of tickets?
South Pennines Day Rover, due to potentially covering the 16.30 from Victoria up to Huddersfield. Had it worked, I'd have probably done another Sheffield line shack (Roy Orbison's favourite, "Honley the Lonely") for preference, then gone home via Brighouse and Hebden Bridge.
 

D841 Roebuck

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25/09/20 - Deja vu?

Another Friday and a certain cat was reported out again. So tram 3102 was taken up the hill to Rochdale station, Manchester Day Ranger acquired and nice winning pair 195003/195006 taken to Manchester Victoria. Here, I found 68033 had behaved itself and appeared on the 1230 to Scarbados, taken for the ned leap to Staly Vegas, where the Buffet beckoned me in for a beer. Or three, since a mate was in and we had a catch up.

Eventually, we decided to reconvene at The Old Post Office in Castleton. This was achieved via 150112/150136 back into Victoria, where the timetable was such that we just missed the Castleton stopper, so had to travel via Rochdale and come back a stop. My friend was sensible and took the 1456 for a +8, however this was formed of dud 195009/012 from last week. And something interesting was on the 1503, so I risked the +1 at Rochdale...

The object of interest was very-much-required 150002, exiled from the Hampshire borderlands and sent North. I was a bit worried about the +1, but needn't have been. The veteran sprinter lived up to its name, and arrived a minute early after storming all the way to Castleton at full thrutch, then coasting in with a big grin on its face.

The day concluded with 153330/156460 back to Castleton, then some more beer. A good day.
 

D841 Roebuck

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02/10/20 (This happened)
Went to Castleton and back for a change of scene and pub. Winners 195008/195005 obliged on the train back.

04/10/20 (This didn't happen)
Fired up Real Time Trains and did some cyber cranking. Much more fun now that Scotrail and whatever the ECML calls itself these days include the train numbers! Did a virtual Freedom of Scotland and managed to cover all passenger track apart from Whifflet to Mossend South Junction, including the Markinch to Cardenden curve and the Cross Country service from Glasgow to Edinburgh that went round the Suburban line. Would have "scored" 65/94 locos and units had this been real. Took it semi-seriously in the sense that I stopped overnight at sensible places (Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and obeyed that starting time restrictions (mostly).

Quite good fun if you can't do the real thing!
 

Andy Pacer

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Joined
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2,644
Location
Leicestershire
02/10/20 (This happened)
Went to Castleton and back for a change of scene and pub. Winners 195008/195005 obliged on the train back.

04/10/20 (This didn't happen)
Fired up Real Time Trains and did some cyber cranking. Much more fun now that Scotrail and whatever the ECML calls itself these days include the train numbers! Did a virtual Freedom of Scotland and managed to cover all passenger track apart from Whifflet to Mossend South Junction, including the Markinch to Cardenden curve and the Cross Country service from Glasgow to Edinburgh that went round the Suburban line. Would have "scored" 65/94 locos and units had this been real. Took it semi-seriously in the sense that I stopped overnight at sensible places (Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and obeyed that starting time restrictions (mostly).

Quite good fun if you can't do the real thing!
Haha - that kind of exercise can definitely get the enthusiasm going!
 

D841 Roebuck

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Still in the cyber world, but I've started on trying to see how long it takes to visit every shack on the network - in alphabetical order.

Started at Abbey Wood, with week 1 ending at Acocks Green, 2 at Alloa, 3 at Anderston, 4 at Arisaig and just finished 5 to stay overnight in a Yurt at Ashurst New Forest. Been quite fun so far, with the low point being bustitutions to Alnmouth and Alresford in succession. Only station so far where I haven't had a clue where it is was Althorne, which in real life I've stopped at four times without noticing. 22 more A stations to go, might be a push to do in a week as Attadale is in there...
 
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