An excellent turn out on your local patch there! I've not had a day out with that many changes of plan for years, but they can still be good fun!
Doing better than me on the SWT front that's for sure, I still need 12 444s (I think!) and a whopping 72 450s. Not to mention something like 62 455s, although a good size chunk of those are with Southern. 458s and 456s? I don't want to think about that...
I'm of course hoping to change that in 2015, as I need a lot of stations on the SWT network so hoping to clear some of those when I come down to London in March. GN 313s to be done as a higher priority of course!
About the only time I end up with concrete plans these days is when I am after specific workings or I know that a string of moves will be highly productive for me. Otherwise, when I set out, I'll normally have a rough idea of what I'll be doing but nothing more.
Yes, I suppose I am doing alright on my home patch with the following needed
SWT - 1*158 outright, 3*458/5 outright. 3*444 for 10 miles, 12*450 for 10 miles & 3*458/0 for 10 miles
Southern - 4*171 outright (pure laziness on my part), 1*313 for 10 miles and 4*442 for 10 miles
SouthEastern - 1*375 outright, 39*375 for 10 miles, 12*376 for 10 miles, 11*395 outright (+6 more for 10 miles), 3*465 for 10 miles and 1*466 for 10 miles
Thameslink - 10*377/5 for 10 miles and all 387s outright
Notice the complete absence of all green 377s, 455s and 456s. All cleared for 10 miles and in the case of SWT 455s, all are over 200 miles. Also all 319s are cleared for 1,000 miles. I'm down to seven GN 313s and that's just making the effort to go over there.
As for shacks, there's still a long, long way to go on that front although Thameslink south of the river is clear and SWT within Greater London is looking good with just some effort needed on the Chessington South branch and the Hounslow loop. London Overground just needs some attention on the Watford line and two on the GOBLIN then that'll be job done.
All in all, starting to shape up well but still plenty to do....
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27th December 2014 A Post Christmas Grice
Finding myself free on a winter Saturday automatically implied that my bashing would be conducted in and around London. An early start was out of the question on account of needing to be polite to departing Christmas houseguests. Seasonal engineering work ruled out a visit to the Great Northern on account of very little being scheduled to serve Kings Cross. Paddington and the Great Western Main Line was another possibility with a Thames Branches Day Ranger but I opted to try out a two-track railway on the Great Eastern mainline (GEML). Hindsight proved that this was the right decision as both Kings Cross and Paddington were reported as experiencing severe operating problems.
After a lengthy tube ride (anything over about 10-15 minutes on the tube is long for me), I arrived at Liverpool Street full of confidence ready for a day travelling in and out of the Great Eastern Terminus. The GE lines (and West Anglia) seem to have a high proportion of BR-built stock and of the sort that is lacking in mileage too with the only privatisation era stock being the 360s and 379s. Today the GEML was operating as a two-track railway all the way from Liverpool Street to Romford with engineering jobs on the slow lines at Stratford and in the Chadwell Heath area. While services were thinned out a bit (Metro services were 4 per hour instead of 6) and Southend Victoria trains were terminating short at Shenfield to free up paths on the fast lines. At Stratford, almost all GEML trains were book to use the island platforms 9 and 10 which massively reduced the need to leap through the subways crowded with the masses headed to that Temple of Retail Madness known as Westfield (located in East London of course).
The first train out that interested me was in fact operated by post privatisation stock but 360117 was required for 10 miles. On the way out I noted 315826+832 on a Metro service to Shenfield as I wanted 832, I made a mental note for later. I got bored with the 360s at Stratford so bailed and was rewarded within minutes with 315802+806 heading to Liverpool Street, the latter still needing attention in the mileage book despite this being the fourth trip with it since I first had it back in 1984. Back at Liverpool Street, 321341+343 were waiting for me on the next outbound trip. While waiting for a right time departure, 321344+435 came in on what purported to be a Norwich service; 344 was needed for 10 miles and I hoped that Id catch up with it later in the day. However , I was quite happy to go with 321341+343 as both still were still needed for the magic 10 miles. I had no need to stay on beyond Stratford, especially as I had another requirement directly behind. I made a re-acquaintance with 315849 (partnered with 315855), last having had a trip with it some 24 years ago, for the short trip to Forest Gate in order to clear for 10 miles. Dud pair of 315s 833+839 returned me to the wildly more strategic Stratford Central. There was plenty moving about but nothing that took my fancy (i.e. featuring on my wants list).
I was almost caught napping when 315827+853 rolled in heading for Liverpool Street; it was 315827 that made me take notice as it was still in need of a decent trip to reach the 10 mile threshold. Looking back at the master log, I had it new in July 1991 which was my only previous trip with it. An 8-car 321 formed of 321324+363 followed my 315 into Liverpool Street. It should have been ahead of the 315 [Ed: perhaps that accounted for the bout of insomnia at Stratford] and already on its return journey to Braintree. I later discovered that a level crossing near Ingatestone was causing delays on the mainline. 321363 was yet another still being sought for 10 miles so naturally I headed off to Stratford again. Within a few minutes, required pair 321318+320 rolled in head for Ipswich so I took the plunge and headed out of the comfort zone to the self-proclaimed cultural centre of Essex Romford. At least that was two birds killed with one stone or to paraphrase, two 321s cleared for 10 miles on a single trip.
315831+834, the former still needed for 10 miles, soon showed up on the Up Fast on a Metro service bound for Liverpool Street. It did seem odd trundling along the Up Fast calling at all stations. Stratford saw me part company with the 315s as 831 had come of age with in excess of 10 miles on the clock. 360114+115 followed up at Stratford, headed for Liverpool Street. Whilst I had many previous encounters with 360115, all between Stratford and Liverpool Street, 360114 was still needed for the required 10 miles and a single trip to Liverpool Street would not solve the problem. Later perhaps?
Lunch was calling when I arrived at Liverpool Street so I dived out to the nearby Tesco and grabbed a pie and a couple of bananas. In less than 10 minutes, I was back at Liverpool Street. Feeling that I had seen most of the workings on the main line side of the station, I ventured forth to the West Anglia side, vowing to give 379s a miss unless it was either a positioning move to get something else or 379007 which is still needed outright. 317660 attracted me but the doors shut before I was able to board. Cue a large number of swearwords (in my mind rather than out loud). I just hoped that I could fall into it later as this was definitely required for 10 miles and to boot, Id only ever had it in its previous configuration as 317360 on the Great Northern. However, a decent consolation prize, 317888 was about to follow 317660 out on a Chingford service. Hackney Downs saw that one sorted for 10 miles and I had a choice of dud 315s back (810 and 838) to The Street. I opted for 838 and only later discovered that while it was one of my high mileage 315s, I last travelled on it in May 1986 from Rochford to Stratford. Passing through Cambridge Heath and London Fields, I realised that I still needed these two shacks and, should the supply of required units dry up, I could usefully occupy myself getting two new shacks. But scoring new shacks could wait as once back at Base Camp Liverpool Street, 317661was boarding, bound again for Chingford. As with 317888, the few short miles to Hackney Downs would solve the 10 mile problem. This time, a required 315817 (up until now, a single trip Johnny way back in August 1984) took me back to Liverpool Street. Bidding farewell to 315817, I soon noticed 317507 which was imminently departing for Hertford East Again, this was another unit that I had only previously ridden once; it was then carrying the number 317307 and in November 1984 it conveyed me from Farringdon to Kentish Town and allowed me to score the latter as a new shack. I needed a reasonable run (more than the standard Tottenham Hale leap); fortunately, theres a comfortable connection at Ponders End on a Saturday onto an inbound Hertford East train. I figured that 317660 should be due back and was pleased that my longer than usual excursion up the Lea Valley was duly rewarded at Ponders End with the aforementioned unit. Four 317s cleared for 10 miles in a under two hours seemed quite good. Back at Liverpool Street and with the light failing, I had a quick look around and the only thing remotely tempting was 317655 but that was going nowhere fast as it was the days spare unit.
As a result, I retreated over to the Main Line side of the house and within minutes, 360116+120 were whisking me towards Stratford. That short run saw 360120 cleared for 10 miles but I needed a longer run with 360116 but the train was next stop Shenfield. I did not fancy that long trek, especially on revised timings that were in force. But I was rewarded instead with 315827+853 showing up within a few minutes bound for Liverpool Street. This allowed me to clear 827 for the dreaded 10 miles at last. Now where was that other 315 which I noted earlier and required for 10 miles, 315832? When I saw 315827+853 earlier in the day, 315826+832 were about half an hour behind. Just perfect for me to get back out to Stratford to hopefully meet 318826+832 coming back up from Shenfield. I could not bag anything required so opted for 321346+361 to do the job. At Stratford, I noted a required 317653 on the Bishops Stortford service but bang on my guesstimate, the 315 pairing 315826+832 duly appeared for my final run of the day back into Liverpool Street before facing the long tube journey home.
Not a bad days work with 17 more units heaved over the 10 miles. I was particularly pleased that I managed to almost halve the number of 315s needed for 10 with only seven sets left, none of which I saw while out and about. But theres still a lot of work to do on the Liverpool Street lines with four outright winners still at large (317501, 360102, 360118 and 379007) and a decent number of other units still needed for 10 miles. When you add in a reasonable list of required shacks, particularly on the West Anglia side of things, dont be surprised if, when a free Saturday presents itself, I head for Greater Anglia territory again in the near future.
Summary of moves
360106+117 Liverpool Street to Stratford 360117 cleared for 10 miles.
315802+806 Stratford to Liverpool Street 315806 cleared for 10 miles
321341+343 Liverpool Street to Stratford Both cleared for 10 miles
315849+855 Stratford to Forest Gate 315849 cleared for 10 miles
315833+839 Forest Gate to Stratford ---
315827+853 Stratford to Liverpool Street ---
321324+363 Liverpool Street to Stratford 321363 cleared for 10 miles
321318+320 Stratford to Romford Both cleared for 10 miles
315831+834 Romford to Stratford 315831 cleared for 10 miles
360114+115 Stratford to Liverpool Street ---
317888 Liverpool Street to Hackney Downs Cleared for 10 miles
315838 Hackney Downs to Liverpool Street ---
317661 Liverpool Street to Hackney Downs Cleared for 10 miles
315817 Hackney Downs to Liverpool Street Cleared for 10 miles
317507 Liverpool Street to Ponders End Cleared for 10 miles
317660 Ponders End to Liverpool Street Cleared for 10 miles
360116+120 Liverpool Street to Stratford 360120 cleared for 10 miles
315827+853 Stratford to Liverpool Street 315827 cleared for 10 miles
321346+361 Liverpool Street to Stratford ---
315826+832 Stratford to Liverpool Street 315832 cleared for 10 miles