All-Line RaIlrover 1989
I seem to have not bothered with the regional railrovers this year, so straight on to the All-Line:
Sunday 17th September
Being a Sunday, it meant London. Started with the 0833 from Nottingham to St Pancras (HST, 43052 at front), arrived 1055.
Then quickly down the Victoria Line to Victoria for a Dover Western Docks service at 1120 (Class 423 emu no. 3166) via Chatham, Sittingbourne, Faversham, Canterbury, etc to Dover Priory, arrived 1300. Changed there to a London to Ramsgate service (Class 423 no. 3177) at 1320 to Deal, arrived 1336.
Had fish & chips on the seafront there, then got a service from Ramsgate 13 minutes late at 1525 (Class 423 emu no. 3177 again) via Dover, Ashford, Orpington, etc to London Bridge, arrived 12 minutes late at 1728.
Up the Northern Line to Kings Cross for a Bradford Forster Square service at 1805 (HST, 43198 at rear) as far as Grantham, arrived 11 minutes early at 1920.
Then back to Nottingham on a Norwich to Blackpool service (156415) which left 9 minutes late at 2001 and, non-stop, got me to Nottingham 8 minutes late at 2027
Mileage for the day: 417
Monday 18th September 1989
An early start for the Monday with a Derby to Skegness service (150120) from Nottingham at 0630 to Grantham, arrived 0706.
Then a service from Leeds (HST, 43080 at front) at 0717 calling at Peterborough only to Kings Cross, arrived 0836.
Plenty of time for the Circle Line to Paddington for the 0930 (The Hibernian) to Fishguard (HST, 43181 at front and 43170 at rear). This called only at Reading, Cardiff, Llanelli and Whitland so took the avoiding line at Swansea , arriving at Fishguard 6 minutes late at 1325.
Not much to see or do there, so I returned on same train forming the up Hibernian to Paddington at 1404, calling at Whitland and Llanelli only as far as Cardiff, arriving 6 minutes late at 1609.
Luckily for my connection there, the Manchester Piccadilly service (47468, Mk2a) left 4 minutes late at 1614 (perhaps held for the connection). I went as far as Crewe, arriving 4 minutes early at 1852
Then a service from Llandudno at 1906 (thankfully not a 150/1 but hauled by 31124, Mk2a) to Derby, arrived 3 minutes late at 2025.
Then back to Nottingham on a service 2 minutes late at 2056 (150102), arriving at 2117.
Mileage for the day: 715 one of my highest ever.
Tuesday 19th September 1989
This was another south and east London jaunt.
An early enough start from Nottingham with the 0720 from Cleethorpes to Birmingham (150140), arriving at 0842.
Then a service from Manchester Piccadilly (47801, Mk2c) to Brighton which left 17 minutes late at 0923 via Kensington Olympia to Clapham Junction, arriving 19 minutes late at 1155. So Class 47-hauled throughout unlike my previous journey that way a couple of years before.
Didnt stay long at Clapham Junction, but got a service from Waterloo to Guildford via Putney and Chiswick (455913) at 1205 as far as Feltham, arriving at 1235.
Then a service from Guildford (Class 423 no. 3482) at 1240 to Waterloo, via Richmond arriving 2 minutes early at 1304.
Over the bridge to Waterloo East for a service from Charing Cross to Gravesend (Class 415 no. 5243) at 1351 via Maze Hill and Erith to Dartford, arriving at 1432.
From Dartford it was a Charing Cross service (Class 415 emu no. 5170) at 1447 via Bexley, Lewisham and New Cross to London Bridge, arriving at 1524. There was a change of plan here for some reason, and I made my way by Underground to Liverpool Street for a service at 1620 (315809) to Broxbourne, arrived 1701. Changed there to a service 2 minutes late at 1722 (305405) to Bishops Stortford, arrived 2 minutes late at 1739.
Then a service at 1745 (321331) to Cambridge, arrived 5 minutes early at 1820.
I was back on my original schedule then with a Blackpool service (156418) at 1848, calling at Ely, Peterborough and Grantham to Nottingham, arrived 2043.
Mileage for the day: 402
Wednesday 20th September 1989
Started from Nottingham with the 0804 to St Pancras (HST, 43095 at front), calling at Loughborough and Leicester only, arrived at 0942.
By Underground to Waterloo for a Weymouth service (442416) which left 7 minutes late at 1039 to Southampton, arrived 11 minutes late at 1149.
From Southampton I got a service from Portsmouth to Cardiff (155305) 3 minutes late at 1200 to Bristol Temple Meads, arrived 8 minutes late at 1342.
Then on a service from Liverpool to Plymouth (HST, 43174 at front, 43036 at rear) which left 12 minutes late at 1411 as far as Taunton, arrived still 12 minutes late at 1443.
From there on a service from Paignton to Newcastle (HST, 43009 at front) at 1534 via Weston-super-Mare (a little more black on the map) to Derby, arrived 3 minutes early at 1847.
Then back to Nottingham on a Birmingham to Lincoln service (150113) at 1905, arriving at 1929.
Mileage for the day: 517
Thursday 21st September 1989
An early finish the night before meant an early start - a service to Birmingham (150145) at 0652 to Tamworth, arrived 0748.
Then a service from Euston (86261, Mk 3) 5 minutes late at 0802 calling at Stafford, Crewe, Warrington, Wigan and Preston to Lancaster, arrived 2 minutes late at 0956 and, according to my records as far as it was scheduled to go.
Changed at Lancaster to another service from Euston (86103, Mk 3) which left 6 minutes late at 1025, calling at Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle and Motherwell to Glasgow Central, arrived 1248.
Then, for some black on the map, a service 9 minutes late at 1337 to Haymarket (Metro-Cammell 3-car dmu) via Shotts, arriving 1 minute early at 1506.
Then I think I got the first train that came along for Edinburgh (47717, Mk2d). From there it was a Kings Cross service (HST, 43078 at rear) at 1530 to Doncaster, arriving 6 minutes late at 1831.
I was meant to get a service from Cleethorpes at 1838, but for some reason I instead got an HST at 1851 (43130 at front) to Sheffield.
From Sheffield it was a Liverpool to Ipswich service (156417) at 1927 calling at Chesterfield only to Nottingham, arriving 2 minutes late at 2020.
Mileage for the day: 661
Friday 22nd September 1989
Quite a short day. I started with a St Pancras train at 1007 (HST, 43152 at front) to Leicester, arrived 2 minutes late at 1030.
Then a service from Birmingham to Colchester (156406) at 1053 to Stamford, arriving at 1134 for a visit to Robert Humms bookshop on the station.
I left Stamford on a service from Cambridge (156464) at 1223 to Birmingham, arriving 4 minutes late at 1412. From there I got a service from Walsall to Stoke (310105) at 1436 as far as Stafford, arriving there 2 minutes early at 1528.
I must have spotted this next service in the timetable and somehow knew it was still worked by old-style dmus, as I got the 1551 to Coventry via Nuneaton and Bedworth, arriving 3 minutes early at 1702 on a Derby 2-car dmu which hopefully gave me a front seat view of a section of the West Coast main line (I cant remember!).
From Coventry I returned to Birmingham at 1722 (86208, Mk2f), arriving 11 minutes late at 1758.Then back to Nottingham at 1810 (150101), arriving 2 minutes late at 1930.
Mileage for the day: only 258.
Saturday 23rd September 1989
Coincidentally I was able to use the ticket for a trip to a football match in Wrexham for the second year running.
I started with a service from Cambridge to Liverpool (156413) at 0758 to Stockport, arrived 3 minutes early at 0931. According to my records this ran via Derby and then called at Chesterfield only i.e. not via Sheffield.
From Stockport I put some more black on the map with a service from Manchester Piccadilly (150215) at 0947 to Buxton, arrived 1029. Returned from there on a service to Manchester Piccadilly (150211) at 1102 back to Stockport, arrived 1142.
From Stockport I got a service from Warrington Central (a late-surviving Class 104, or it may just possibly have been a Class 110, 2-car dmu) which left 20 minutes late at 1211. This was via what was either before or later a freight-only line to Altrincham, then calling at Knutsford, Delamere, etc to Chester, arriving 19 minutes late at 1324. Fortunately Id allowed plenty of time for the connection there, which was to a Derby 2-car dmu at 1350 to Wrexham General, arriving at 1406.
This season the game ended with a 2-0 victory for Lincoln City, and I set off for home on a service from Chester 3 minutes late at 1709 (150109) to Birmingham, arrived still 3 minutes late at 1909. Id allowed a four-minute connection at Birmingham as a possibility, with a later train more likely, but despite the late arrival I made it thanks to the Lincoln service (150114) leaving 4 minutes late at 1914. At Derby, 150106 took over the working for some reason, and I was back in Nottingham 3 minutes late at 2027.
Mileage for the day: 295