Techniquest
Veteran Member
Hey gang,
I've been wanting to bunch up my old trip reports into one place for ages, if only for the benefit of my being able to refer to them easily when discussing stuff on here! I do have more nostalgia to share eventually, but I'm hours behind my plan for today's epic catch up, so that will have to wait until next week when I am scheduled to have more time. So here we go:
12th August 2005
I awoke earlier than planned, eventually got to the station for the 1230, as far as Newport. £36.90 is exchanged, I then go on to find 43137 heading me out to Newport. This was the same set I used to go home on Wednesday! I board in 42314.
158850 pulls into Newport later, after I invested in a copy of entrain. The train is full of reservations, I eventually find a seat I could use for the time being and we were off. A group of 4 eventually find their seats (where I was sitting), 20 minutes or more after departing Newport! Lazy gits...I find an airline seat, not recommended.
I draw up 'The New Orange' (thanks go to Sprinter, TfL and some other sources for the idea), which I'll reveal eventually. This lot is being written from here on in.
Just realised I've not stated what this trip is for. After MUCH deliberation at work and home, I decided to use my holiday day to go chasing after a VST. Why'd I leave so late? A, I didn't go to sleep very early. B, the train I want doesn't leave for hours yet. C, I need more numbers, so peak times is best.
By now, (1600-ish), we're not that far from the OHLE (another song re-write there...). I was going to go via New Street to MP, but time was of the essence and I didn't know whether the 1408 would be held for our 9 down HST at BP. Plus I had some strange desire to go via the 'atchet Loin. Time to get some numbers.
Didn't get much til Stockport. Got my last FNW 323 on the approach to MP though! My room cost me a grand total of £63.50, as all hostels were booked due to cricket and football being on (neither I knew about). That VST is costing me a lot of money! Got a GM Rail Ranger, boarded the delayed (12 down!) 323 to Hadfield via Glossop. Ticked it off, as well as Dinting, then to Guide Bridge. No such thing as service from Guide Bridge to Stalybridge though, so it's onto another 323 eventually to MP.
I went to my hotel and checked in. It's quite lush! A bit of a break, then it's off to Piccadilly Gardens for a tram to Victoria, more numbers needed!
After getting bugger all at Victoria, I got another tram to Piccadilly. James suddenly surprises me here, then we spend around 2 hours spotting there. At 2358, I get a tram back to Piccadilly Gardens, then into the hotel bar for a pint of Guiness Extra Cold. mmm...It then dawns on me that the service I'd been waiting for was not coming as it was Friday...Never mind, got a few more numbers, the highlight being getting down to just 5 more 150/2s to see! BaaZING!
13/08 report coming soon (ie, when I can be bothered to put it up)
[Just a bit of a difference in trip reporting, compared to the current day, over 10 years eh? - Ed]
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13th August 2005
In case you hadn't guessed, I went to Manchester for the 0723 Manchester to Newquay HST. I eventually awoke in my room and left, annoyed with the non-working shower. At Piccadilly, which I reach around 0710, James surprises me with his presence again. We note the carriage numbers and 43s, James being back to equal me in 43s, with 14 to see. I decide to go FC on this trip, hence I join 41081, at the front. James will no doubt be able to recall just how happy I was on departure!
We arrive at Wilmslow 3 up! At Crewe, we have 15 minutes before continuing, so I get some pictures of 43089 and 47843. The batteries weren't having me get 47828! A tradition of having coffee in FC was continued, this being the only time I'd have a chance for one (Crewe to Stafford). Updated my book, then started getting ready to grab my window. Got 2 new 350s, a 37, 57, 86 and 90 on this stretch!
At New Street, we obviously need a turnaround, so 089 is on the front now to Bristol and onwards. No more being near the front, but hey, tons of FC and H-O today! Made the most of my £15 upgrade with another coffee at Cheltenham Spa. Again, we arrive early.
At BP, we arrive 7-8 minutes early, plenty of time for a picture of MML at BP! I really didn't want to alight here, but I had to. My HST home is late (typical, the MP - BP bit I was worried about delays on, it's the last 90 minutes to home the delays come in), due to problematic trains between Paddington and Reading. Whilst waiting for the PD HST, I started tucking into my snack box, which was considerably improved since my one in July 2004. Still, the cheese, cherry cake and fruit pieces are left, they stunk, weren't my cup of tea anyway! I board in 40731, behind 43131.
After updating my report, a bit of Green Day is called for. Pity the batteries don't last. I look up after the masterpiece formally referred to as the Severn Railway Tunnel to see a sign say 'Welcome to Wales'. It might as well say 'You're stuck here forever' to me, I can't see my move back to merry ol' England coming soon.
Anyway, enough moping. Time for a coffee and biscuits. Still undecided whether the FGW coffee is better than the VT coffee. At least we run non-stop to Swansea. At Cardiff Central we waited for ages as passengers for the other stations kept joining. 3 or 4 announcements on-board kept telling them it wasn't calling at intermediate stations to Swansea, but hey. The TM got it right when he passed me by and said 'Can I make myself any clearer?'. I won't say what I'd have been wanting to say, suffice to say some choice language would have desired.
Bored by now, I grab the batteries out of my cam (it wouldn't be needed again today) and use them for my CD player. 'Wake me up when September ends', mmm, if only that was possible...The high I had on leaving MP has gone by now, in case you hadn't guessed. Why? I'm back in Wales, not by choice, then there's the fact I'm doing the night shift tonight and a morning shift tomorrow in the worst kitchen I've ever seen...I'm already dying for my next trip to England, and I've not been back in Wales for 1 hour yet! Once again, the phrase 'I'm a trainspotter, get me out of here!' springs to mind. At least passing Bridgend and PTP (the latter we must have passed at 70mph+!) puts a smile on my face. Coffee #5 for today now! The rain is still coming down, with the only dry section of the trip being from BNS to BP departure. 'Here comes the rain again' sums up the weather well. Too busy writing to notice Neath go past. Oops.
At Swansea, we arrive approximately 25 minutes late. I got 46530 on the 110 back home, then I went on here pretty much straight away.
A lot of moping and moaning, but hey, tough.
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18th July 2005
Just a brief update before I head out for the scrappers to Newport...
- Got the 0739 off Parc Fforestfach to Pontarddulais
- 37425 arrived at 0819 for Llandrindod.
- Got a lot of pics and some great views all the way to Llandrindod.
- More pics of the 37 and MK2s at Llandrindod, then after picking up some TTs, got the 1026 (delayed as we were 12 down on arrival) 153353 to Cilmeri.
- Took some pics here, got 153310 to Church Stretton
- Updated 100% my new book after finding my old carriage stock book.
- Got some supplies from BP at Church Stretton, spoke to some enthusiasts going for the 37s for some time.
- 150258 came in, got on and started reading my copy of entrain.
- Alighted at Garth, got 153353 back to Llandrindod.
- Disaster strikes, as I discover I don't have my Y-P, tickets or cam! Thankfully at 1743 another spotter found me, this guy had the Y-P et al. As a result, I have no pics of the run-around, etc at Llandrindod. Maybe I'll go up again tomorrow, we'll see.
- Got a window at Pontarddulais, we then head over the Swansea District Line. I alight at PTP, we were surprisingly on time!
- I get a shot of 180114 at PTP, after the 37 and MK2s left (naturally I got pictures, not every day you see 37s and MK2s at PTP!), didn't get a shot of 66021 which had come off the Swansea District Line though. Got 43152 to Swansea.
- With a fair bit of time before my bus goes, I grab some shots at Swansea, after checking which 43 had been on the back.
- Got my bus home at 2157 off the station, returning home by about 2210.
That's possibly my longest day trip in my region. 0730 to 2210, that's over 14.5 hours!
Pictures will be uploaded from this and two other trips as soon as I can.
[Wish I knew where those photos were! - Ed]
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12th October 2005
Well this day began with a lot of 'Shouldn't have bothered going', with delays all the way to New Street, via Bristol Parkway. Only after I got to Leicester (OK, Nuneaton) did things cheer up. You'll see as we go on. The day ended with a lot of 'So very glad I went' by the end of it.
My day began at about 0628, when I was faced with a walk to work to get my bag with my stuff in it back, as I had left it there the previous night (I'll say now that this trip wouldn't have gone ahead if I could have got to sleep). I left work at 0755 or so, having arrived at 0718! On the way to the station, I decided that if I failed to make the 0830, I would not go, as otherwise it meant getting a unit on the 0900 to Gloucester, or waiting for the 0930, neither option I liked. Thankfully I arrived at 0817, and having had 5 decisions to make about which destination to choose, I settled with Birmingham as I announced my declaration to the ticket office staff member that I required a 'Young Persons SuperSaver Return to Birmingham, please'. Near £23 leaves my card, and I head onto the station, not long after I see 43028 pull in the HST from Carmarthen. We depart more or less on time.
En-route to Bridgend, we stopped twice, the explanation I didn't hear. heart-of-wessex rang me at this point.
We eventually reach Cardiff around 12 down. 175107 is seen waiting for time to depart with the 0944 to Manchester. Newport we're 12 down still. By Patchway, we stopped at least twice, once in the station, where we had an announcement to say that passengers for BP should alight here for RRBS, due to problems in the area with signalling (I forget the exact announcement, I heard at least three explanations!). Around 10-11 minutes later, after a 7-minute coach ride, we arrived at BP, at 1029. Naturally, I've missed the 1008 Voyager now, and I'm still not happy about it. The 1038 Voyager shows up at 1044, after an announcement was heard that things are back to normal, at least for services to South Wales. We depart 1046.
Then we stuck behind a train in front of us, which is later revealed to have a broken oil pipe. The depot staff and engineers these days...tut tut. We arrive at Cheltenham Spa around 24 down, and at New Street 20 down!
After a bit of number crunching, which saw me get a new 350, I go up and buy my Y-P CDR to Leicester. £4.80 leaves my card, and I go downstairs to see what Voyager is on the 1248 to Manchester...
(Dramatic drum roll) It's a flaming 90! Well, I see the DVT first, then I remember the diagram! I get the numbers, some of the carriage numbers I needed, but not the 90 unfortunately. Typical, I don't have my cam when I need it. I soon run upstairs after dismissing the idea of buying on-board. The ticket machines won't let me buy the ticket to Stockport (was going to go there as only needed H-O to there from Stafford), so I give up and storm off back to the platforms in a bad mood. The 90 leaves 1 down, and I watch it leave without me. My mood is worsened by the poor weather, and the fact 170520 turns up on the stopper to Leicester! Again! GRR!
I got bored of the 170 not long after boarding it (which I only just made), and decided to alight at Nuneaton for the fast 170 on the Stansted train. Good thing I did, as I got 66406 and 401 here before the Stansted train came in! I dismiss the idea of doing the Cov-Nun route, as I wanted to make my way to Leicester for HST numbers (the whole point of the trip)! 170515 pulls in 3 up to take us to Leicester, where most of the train empties out at.
The exact way things went I forget, but here's the brief:
Down to just 1 more 4-car 222 to see, 012.
Got 43044 and 072 here, taking me to just 12 more 43s to go.
8 sheds through Leicester or near to it, which sparked up a parody of the 'I saw three ships...' song, which went like this 'I saw 8 sheds on my Leicester trip, on my Leicester trip, on my Leicester trip, I saw 8 sheds on my Leicester trip in the afternoon'. I loved it myself, don't know whether anyone else will know what I mean.
Saw 60023 here too.
Got a new CT 153 also, which was good.
I got the 1549 (delayed, arrived 1554, left 1556), which was run by 158856. I consider alighting en-route at Nuneaton in case anything interesting comes through, but I dismiss the idea, especially as I saw 66568 approaching Nuneaton as we did, so I was happy with that score and stayed on the train. Good thing I did too, although I missed the locos on three freights (two were FLs!) unfortunately en-route to New Street, I got my last 323 in the entire class as we arrived! Cue one mini-celebration before alighting!
A bit of number crunching before I head to Moor Street for numbers sees the 90 again on the 1648 (slightly less angry I missed it now), 350103, and some other stock which I didn't bother noting. The platform drains were overflowing with water at New Street, something I can't say I've seen before!
At Moor Street, I see 150013, 14 and 17, as well as 168001, none of which I needed. I wasn't willing to wait for the heavily delayed trains coming from the other direction, so I left to get a drink from the newsagents nearby, then for the 1742 Voyager home. 220006 forms this service. Still I need 221115!
On the way home, at 1750, I fall asleep, and remain that way for most of it. At Cardiff, I alight to find the 1953 to Carmarthen is around 35 minutes late. I go get a Mars bar to eat and hence keep me awake til I get home. The Carmarthen HST eventually arrives at 2029, we leave a couple of minutes later.
We arrive in Swansea at 2125, and I proceed to the shop for a bit of supplies, then leave town at 2128. It took me a record 50 minutes to walk home, with most of it up hills! I indulge in some beans on toast, then a sandwich, with a few episodes of the Simpsons, before going to sleep. By now, I was shattered, as a result of not sleeping the night before.
That sums up my day pretty much. Comments are, as per usual, welcome.
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10th September 2005
I'll open with saying this: WOW! What a day!
I eventually (after little sleep) got up at 0444. My taxi came around 0505, got to the station for around 0513. I find 43127 is heading me out to Cardiff, I join the train in 42268 (I think!).
At Cardiff, I unexpectedly see heart-of-wessex! We saw 3 66s come through, then our 37 came in. H-O for most of the way to Newport, then all the way to Hereford for me. Here we meet Sprinter, I do a spot of H-O then retire to a seat for a while. I'm back by the windows for passing through Craven Arms though! heart-of-wessex and I decide to rest between Shrewsbury and Crewe, both of us rather tired (I believe he was more exhausted than I!).
At Crewe, we see 47848 (I needed this! ), a few 57s, but give up waiting for the 390 to Holyhead. The queue for the bus was incredibly long, we all decided to walk. Got the directions, FINALLY found a copy of VT2! I have a bit of water from the machine in the ticket office (cheers VT!), then we all head off. 25 minutes or so later, we make it to the works. Ticket queues weren't very long at all!
We met Zoltan in the queues, then yorkie, metrocamell, David [formerly known here as Harry Potter, he did have a striking resemblance to him at the time! - Ed] and Mojo near the 89. We all find Zoltan's route coverage shocking, then he reveals the actual coverage map. Even I'm impressed! Naturally, he's covered tons of the North, whilst I've covered tons of the South. I KNEW I should have taken my maps!
Argumentive discussion breaks out in the group, so Sprinter, h-o-w and I leave to do other stuff, with myself saying 'Why come to Crewe to argue? You can do that on the forum.', something us three found amusing.
Lots of phots of everything nearby was done. We then start looking around some of the stalls. Some of the old stock books we looked at were interesting, fascinating pictures. Sprinter then sees the burnt-out 143613! We head for this straight away, especially Sprinter as he needed to see it. I was flabbergasted at how much damage it had received. One half of 143615 was also by it, again Sprinter needed to see it. The 158 from a crash in 1991 was also there.
All of a sudden we see 47150 haul 66951 (AT LAST! I've now seen it!) and 86604 in from somewhere. We soon see 47150 being moved on the traverser. We start getting phots of the other locos around, such as 40145 (AT LAST!), 45112 (third time now for me), various steam locomotives, including 4472 (which appeared to be in steam for the first time this summer!). Phots or video footage of these for me. By now, I was getting sick of people getting in front of my camcorder every few seconds.
We then moved on to check out the Hornby stand, which was quite interesting. Next we went into 40088, h-o-w and I found out how little you can see from the cab!
Our next move was to look at the 55022 stand. We then found out a 55 is due to go to Liverpool in January! We all got a business card with the website on it, I'm determined to check it out. We proceeded to check out some more stalls, then went into the sheds nearest us. Surprisingly here, 150222 was in, and I needed it! 4 more 150/2s for me to see now! Unfortunately I never got a phot of 27000 though. We see a carriage from 221126, 10306 (unrefurbished GNER MK4) and a carriage from 377104 and from 377304 in an area inaccessible to us. We go outside again, and all of a sudden we see 365526. Huge, loud cheer from Sprinter, quieter ones from heart-of-wessex and I. Now got just 4 more 365s to see!
Out here, we proceed to cab 47826 (I've cabbed a 47 at last!), then 31108 (I try locking h-o-w and Sprinter out, I locked myself in! Thankfully someone else had the ingenious idea of giving it a bit of a kick from outside, which worked! Phew!). We discover the time is 1259 now, so we head to where 47815 was moving 86401, ready for the latter's naming. By 1330, we were getting bored of guessing what it would be. Someone from the AC Loco Group was giving out leaflets, the name for 86401 was on the back. 'Northampton Town'. Hmm, at least it's not AC Loco Group!
All three of us were starving by now, so we found the restaurant. We JUST saw 91116 (the number we got off it when it came round closer to us later) passing us at that point. We queued for around 10 minutes for some food, took it outside and consumed it with a few minutes break (our feet, legs, everything were starting to hurt), then proceeded to look for the ATW stand. We eventually found it, got some pictures, carrier bags and pens. No mints left by now. We then looked at some more stalls, then stopped for a couple of minutes at the charity auction. The most surprising thing we saw was the 'Borough of Kettering' nameplate off a 43 go for £1450! I was shocked! At this point we were running out of time, so we decided to move on. We needed to find the VT stand, as people had gotten bags of stuff from VT. We couldn't find it, not even after asking the steward (who apparently worked for VT!). We gave up looking for that, then decided to queue up for the 66951 cab. We thought we'd seen the cab of 43062 open, but it turned out it wasn't. We met back up with some of the others here, then they went to check out the other shed we didn't do. We even saw Dennis here, then finally saw Jim later too! The cab of the 66 was interesting, different certainly. I can finally say I've cabbed one!
By now we were running short of time, we had found out the Warship was open, so we proceeded to do that next. That was certainly fun, as I'd never seen a Warship before! Final bit of business was to check if 89001 was indeed open now. Unfortunately it wasn't, no more steps could be located. We decide to go to the donuts stand before we went.
Sprinter and I had one last thing to do in the works before we left. The ones in the wheelshop were shut. Never mind though, we did see things like axle shafts for 317s and 321s, as well as BT10 wheelsets, 156 slave wheelsets and a 220 motor wheelset. Saw a LOT of wheels too, for things such as Electrostars and Goodness knows what else! We found what we needed in the other shed we were in earlier, then met back up with heart-of-wessex. We then had to leave, as it was already gone 1630 IIRC. We weren't going to queue up for the bus anyway, and walked back. heart-of-wessex and Sprinter went like the clappers up the road. We had a bit of a race, in that h-o-w was a Desiro, Sprinter had his namesake as his choice, and I was falling behind rapidly, so I elected to be in the failing 33s! I soon change to a Super Sprinter, then back to the 33s for a while. I end up on a 37 with severe wheelslip. After most of the way back, we decide to walk at the same speed.
At Crewe, h-o-w and I rush down to platform 12 to see the railtour leave. It was only 67005. Boo! Nevertheless, whilst it was being coupled up, we had a chance for a discussion about what things will be like in 15 and 45 years time. I film it leave, it departing about 12 or 13 down. We then see our 37 on platform 11, so we go for that, myself getting a couple of 390 numbers (good thing I did, I FINALLY scored 390009! Just 3 more of those to go!), then invested in a Mars and Diet Coke, before joining the train to ensure we had our seats. A final bit of chat to Jim and Dennis before we left confirmed they were going via Wrexham on the way, a gesture was made, another after finding out they went non-stop through New Street on the way up! At that point in time, we're off. The number of people on the platforms was incredible! I retire back to my seat just after we re-join the Misery Line, too wet for H-O to Shrewsbury for me.
We had some discussion on the way back, then h-o-w fell asleep (unsurprising, he was up before me!), so Sprinter and I compared our fleet lists. At Hereford, Sprinter departs, and h-o-w wakes up. We look through our Locomaster Profiles stuff, and we're soon at Newport surprisingly. h-o-w gets a bit more rest, whilst I go to chat to some others from another forum. We all alight at Cardiff, got some video footage of 37425 departing for Canton, then we all went our separate ways. I got the delayed 2047 HST back to Swansea, it being delayed by around 13 minutes or so on departure from Cardiff, which ensured I missed my bus home. Well, technically I should have JUST made it, but typically it went early. I waited for a while, just to ensure it didn't run late, but after that while I walked into town for the bus station and awaited the 2255 111 to Llanelli, which was run by 46521.
I got home at 2311 or so. Absolutely shattered, I put my stuff down and went to bed. By 2330, I was asleep. Not surprising that, I was shattered! 18 hours or so after leaving, I had returned. A LONG day out! But was it worth it? Oh my Goodness, yes. I got a good few new numbers, cabbed a fair few beasts, seen stuff I wouldn't normally ever see...Overall, if you haven't been this weekend, I reckon you'll have missed out.
The Open Day gets 9 out of 10 from me, an awesome day out, never to be done again, and I could be seen saluting the works as we walked away from it. It was far too cool, my only regret being that I couldn't do more of it! Expect the pictures soon.
[I may not have the photos, but I do have a YouTube video! https://youtu.be/Nh-f4dms_TQ - Ed]
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12/03 - The day before [I don't know why I was doing an American date thing! This was 3rd December 2005 - Ed]
After work, the mission was clear: Get to the station in plenty of time, taking on drinks and films en-route. Finishing work around 1805, I heaqd straight off to the station, arriving around 1825.
The 1848 duly pulls in on time, and it's 158852. I board and find my reserved seat. The sound of the engine was rather interesting en-route, the sound being akin to one of those spinning tops I recall as a child.
As usual, we're delayed en-route, and at this time of day, we're picking up lots of noisy party-goers. We eventually arrive in Cardiff at 2001, 8 down. I fail to see the group on platform 6, and start talking to a spotter on platform 4 for a while. He foolishly notes 60073 as 60013 when it passes.
I eventually lose him, then check my bus time. Darn, still a while to go. Back into the station, spot some more, hunt the group (who later I found out went to Llanbradach), then get the bus to the hostel. We leave 2.5 minutes early, to my surprise.
Checking in at the hostel was fun, in that the Rhymney line passes not far from the hostel! Later 37s are heard passing over the bridge, the sound is incredible. A little later, joy54 shows up, and we chat for a couple of hours about rail events. I fall asleep around 0100.
12/04 - The day none of us will forget [4th December 2005 - Ed]
joy54 and I, after a good breakfast, set off for the 29 to Cardiff. It arrives a few minutes down, but due to slack timings, we're about on time at Cardiff. We find the ticket office queue to be too much, so we go to platform 6 and await the 47 and 33. 47854 clagged out a fair bit coming out of Canton! Decent shots are hard to get, what with the huge crowds. I phot 33207, then run onto the train. We work our way to the front of the train, meeting the rest of the group.
All the way to Rhymney, the train is insanely packed. Rhymney will never be so busy! A lot of us went to the crossing to get some shots, I gave up and got some shots of the 33 from other angles. It's not long before we're all off again, this time we all alight (pretty much of us in our group anyway) at Bargoed to do 50049 to Rhymney. This was fun! A call from heart-of-wessex tells us he's on a 8-car 158, something some forum members couldn't understand. I tried without success to explain this is something ATW and WSX do a lot, partly for stock moves and to have capacity on the unit's diagram later in the day.
50049 was quite enjoyable, and deserved a lot of photos and attention at Rhymney. This time we had plenty of time before returning, so I headed for the crossing too. The headshunt move took about 3 attempts before it actually went up to it! A doubled-up 142 stopped us using the crossing until it left the station for Cardiff. This really annoyed yorkie!
Soon enough 37411 pulled back into the station, after some of us bought souvenier mugs. My first bit of 37 bashing for some time actually. As we were around 15 down leaving, the driver must have really thrashed off, the sound and clag was awesome! Thankfully I finally got some video footage!
I stayed on this train to Cardiff, the others leaving at Caerphilly or Ystrad Mynach. heart-of-wessex and Sprinter, as well as HSTfan!!! join us here. I point out where joy54 and I stayed the night before en-route, and I enjoy a Diet Coke, curteousy of HSTfan!!!.
Back at Cardiff, we meet up with Joe Holmes. Having been informed that 50031 and 049 were swapping during the day, we ensure we get 049 up to Ystrad Mynach (pronounced Iss-trad Min-ack for those unable to say it on the day), alighting for the 33 back to Cardiff. Our group has a picture under the Ystrad Mynach sign, then we find the 47 and 33 had swapped ends at some point, with 47854 at the front now (it had been on what would have been the rear earlier). Still, it's all good mileage gaining. 47854 thrashed its way south, that's for sure!
Returning to Cardiff, three of us decide to do some bellowing en-route...Hey, it was called for. I've never done it before, now I know I'll definately do it on the last HST runs! At this point, we have another group shot by 43010, then Joe Holmes and HSTfan!!! (unfortunately for him he had to go to work!), with the former stroking the 43!!!
Meanwhile, heart-of-wessex, Sprinter and I head to The Prince Of Wales, the nearest pub, so as to celebrate with a pint the day and the locos on the Rhymney line for the last 10 years. He recorded it on his MP3 player, I'm sure the link will come soon.
1611, and I realise the train to Hereford would be leaving soon, so I ran off to the station for the 1615 (couldn't leave any later, had a lift arranged at the arrival time already) to Manchester, as far as Hereford. Having no buses on Sunday isn't helpful. I find a seat in 153353, and stay there to Hereford. Pity it wasn't a required bash, but never mind, the mileage will come in handy.
My lift home (thankfully my dad was picking my sister up from work around that time. Unfortunately for him he had to return straight to work, having taken a couple of hours off to pick us up. Me thinks a large bottle of whisky would be a good compensation) arrived shortly afterwards, giving me time to use the last two exposures on night shots of 153353 and a 150/2. I hope they come out.
Anyway, that's the rather detailed day from my POV. The pictures were all taken on the SLR, video footage may become available when I figure out how to get it off onto the PC via the USB cable. All in all, an absolutely incredible, unforgettable day (as you might have guessed from my MSN display name). One I wish didn't happen for reasons of now having no locos up the Rhymney line, or with ATW full-stop, but at least they were sent off with flying colours. I for one know that I shall miss the locos on the Rhymney line and with ATW. If I may, I'd like to end this thread with the following line:
Goodbye to the 33s, 37s, 47s and the rest of the locos to have been on the Rhymney line. But in particular to the 37s, the most enjoyable loco class I've experienced ever.
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That will do for now. Enjoy the read, I'll be back at some point.
I've been wanting to bunch up my old trip reports into one place for ages, if only for the benefit of my being able to refer to them easily when discussing stuff on here! I do have more nostalgia to share eventually, but I'm hours behind my plan for today's epic catch up, so that will have to wait until next week when I am scheduled to have more time. So here we go:
12th August 2005
I awoke earlier than planned, eventually got to the station for the 1230, as far as Newport. £36.90 is exchanged, I then go on to find 43137 heading me out to Newport. This was the same set I used to go home on Wednesday! I board in 42314.
158850 pulls into Newport later, after I invested in a copy of entrain. The train is full of reservations, I eventually find a seat I could use for the time being and we were off. A group of 4 eventually find their seats (where I was sitting), 20 minutes or more after departing Newport! Lazy gits...I find an airline seat, not recommended.
I draw up 'The New Orange' (thanks go to Sprinter, TfL and some other sources for the idea), which I'll reveal eventually. This lot is being written from here on in.
Just realised I've not stated what this trip is for. After MUCH deliberation at work and home, I decided to use my holiday day to go chasing after a VST. Why'd I leave so late? A, I didn't go to sleep very early. B, the train I want doesn't leave for hours yet. C, I need more numbers, so peak times is best.
By now, (1600-ish), we're not that far from the OHLE (another song re-write there...). I was going to go via New Street to MP, but time was of the essence and I didn't know whether the 1408 would be held for our 9 down HST at BP. Plus I had some strange desire to go via the 'atchet Loin. Time to get some numbers.
Didn't get much til Stockport. Got my last FNW 323 on the approach to MP though! My room cost me a grand total of £63.50, as all hostels were booked due to cricket and football being on (neither I knew about). That VST is costing me a lot of money! Got a GM Rail Ranger, boarded the delayed (12 down!) 323 to Hadfield via Glossop. Ticked it off, as well as Dinting, then to Guide Bridge. No such thing as service from Guide Bridge to Stalybridge though, so it's onto another 323 eventually to MP.
I went to my hotel and checked in. It's quite lush! A bit of a break, then it's off to Piccadilly Gardens for a tram to Victoria, more numbers needed!
After getting bugger all at Victoria, I got another tram to Piccadilly. James suddenly surprises me here, then we spend around 2 hours spotting there. At 2358, I get a tram back to Piccadilly Gardens, then into the hotel bar for a pint of Guiness Extra Cold. mmm...It then dawns on me that the service I'd been waiting for was not coming as it was Friday...Never mind, got a few more numbers, the highlight being getting down to just 5 more 150/2s to see! BaaZING!
13/08 report coming soon (ie, when I can be bothered to put it up)
[Just a bit of a difference in trip reporting, compared to the current day, over 10 years eh? - Ed]
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13th August 2005
In case you hadn't guessed, I went to Manchester for the 0723 Manchester to Newquay HST. I eventually awoke in my room and left, annoyed with the non-working shower. At Piccadilly, which I reach around 0710, James surprises me with his presence again. We note the carriage numbers and 43s, James being back to equal me in 43s, with 14 to see. I decide to go FC on this trip, hence I join 41081, at the front. James will no doubt be able to recall just how happy I was on departure!
We arrive at Wilmslow 3 up! At Crewe, we have 15 minutes before continuing, so I get some pictures of 43089 and 47843. The batteries weren't having me get 47828! A tradition of having coffee in FC was continued, this being the only time I'd have a chance for one (Crewe to Stafford). Updated my book, then started getting ready to grab my window. Got 2 new 350s, a 37, 57, 86 and 90 on this stretch!
At New Street, we obviously need a turnaround, so 089 is on the front now to Bristol and onwards. No more being near the front, but hey, tons of FC and H-O today! Made the most of my £15 upgrade with another coffee at Cheltenham Spa. Again, we arrive early.
At BP, we arrive 7-8 minutes early, plenty of time for a picture of MML at BP! I really didn't want to alight here, but I had to. My HST home is late (typical, the MP - BP bit I was worried about delays on, it's the last 90 minutes to home the delays come in), due to problematic trains between Paddington and Reading. Whilst waiting for the PD HST, I started tucking into my snack box, which was considerably improved since my one in July 2004. Still, the cheese, cherry cake and fruit pieces are left, they stunk, weren't my cup of tea anyway! I board in 40731, behind 43131.
After updating my report, a bit of Green Day is called for. Pity the batteries don't last. I look up after the masterpiece formally referred to as the Severn Railway Tunnel to see a sign say 'Welcome to Wales'. It might as well say 'You're stuck here forever' to me, I can't see my move back to merry ol' England coming soon.
Anyway, enough moping. Time for a coffee and biscuits. Still undecided whether the FGW coffee is better than the VT coffee. At least we run non-stop to Swansea. At Cardiff Central we waited for ages as passengers for the other stations kept joining. 3 or 4 announcements on-board kept telling them it wasn't calling at intermediate stations to Swansea, but hey. The TM got it right when he passed me by and said 'Can I make myself any clearer?'. I won't say what I'd have been wanting to say, suffice to say some choice language would have desired.
Bored by now, I grab the batteries out of my cam (it wouldn't be needed again today) and use them for my CD player. 'Wake me up when September ends', mmm, if only that was possible...The high I had on leaving MP has gone by now, in case you hadn't guessed. Why? I'm back in Wales, not by choice, then there's the fact I'm doing the night shift tonight and a morning shift tomorrow in the worst kitchen I've ever seen...I'm already dying for my next trip to England, and I've not been back in Wales for 1 hour yet! Once again, the phrase 'I'm a trainspotter, get me out of here!' springs to mind. At least passing Bridgend and PTP (the latter we must have passed at 70mph+!) puts a smile on my face. Coffee #5 for today now! The rain is still coming down, with the only dry section of the trip being from BNS to BP departure. 'Here comes the rain again' sums up the weather well. Too busy writing to notice Neath go past. Oops.
At Swansea, we arrive approximately 25 minutes late. I got 46530 on the 110 back home, then I went on here pretty much straight away.
A lot of moping and moaning, but hey, tough.
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18th July 2005
Just a brief update before I head out for the scrappers to Newport...
- Got the 0739 off Parc Fforestfach to Pontarddulais
- 37425 arrived at 0819 for Llandrindod.
- Got a lot of pics and some great views all the way to Llandrindod.
- More pics of the 37 and MK2s at Llandrindod, then after picking up some TTs, got the 1026 (delayed as we were 12 down on arrival) 153353 to Cilmeri.
- Took some pics here, got 153310 to Church Stretton
- Updated 100% my new book after finding my old carriage stock book.
- Got some supplies from BP at Church Stretton, spoke to some enthusiasts going for the 37s for some time.
- 150258 came in, got on and started reading my copy of entrain.
- Alighted at Garth, got 153353 back to Llandrindod.
- Disaster strikes, as I discover I don't have my Y-P, tickets or cam! Thankfully at 1743 another spotter found me, this guy had the Y-P et al. As a result, I have no pics of the run-around, etc at Llandrindod. Maybe I'll go up again tomorrow, we'll see.
- Got a window at Pontarddulais, we then head over the Swansea District Line. I alight at PTP, we were surprisingly on time!
- I get a shot of 180114 at PTP, after the 37 and MK2s left (naturally I got pictures, not every day you see 37s and MK2s at PTP!), didn't get a shot of 66021 which had come off the Swansea District Line though. Got 43152 to Swansea.
- With a fair bit of time before my bus goes, I grab some shots at Swansea, after checking which 43 had been on the back.
- Got my bus home at 2157 off the station, returning home by about 2210.
That's possibly my longest day trip in my region. 0730 to 2210, that's over 14.5 hours!
Pictures will be uploaded from this and two other trips as soon as I can.
[Wish I knew where those photos were! - Ed]
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12th October 2005
Well this day began with a lot of 'Shouldn't have bothered going', with delays all the way to New Street, via Bristol Parkway. Only after I got to Leicester (OK, Nuneaton) did things cheer up. You'll see as we go on. The day ended with a lot of 'So very glad I went' by the end of it.
My day began at about 0628, when I was faced with a walk to work to get my bag with my stuff in it back, as I had left it there the previous night (I'll say now that this trip wouldn't have gone ahead if I could have got to sleep). I left work at 0755 or so, having arrived at 0718! On the way to the station, I decided that if I failed to make the 0830, I would not go, as otherwise it meant getting a unit on the 0900 to Gloucester, or waiting for the 0930, neither option I liked. Thankfully I arrived at 0817, and having had 5 decisions to make about which destination to choose, I settled with Birmingham as I announced my declaration to the ticket office staff member that I required a 'Young Persons SuperSaver Return to Birmingham, please'. Near £23 leaves my card, and I head onto the station, not long after I see 43028 pull in the HST from Carmarthen. We depart more or less on time.
En-route to Bridgend, we stopped twice, the explanation I didn't hear. heart-of-wessex rang me at this point.
We eventually reach Cardiff around 12 down. 175107 is seen waiting for time to depart with the 0944 to Manchester. Newport we're 12 down still. By Patchway, we stopped at least twice, once in the station, where we had an announcement to say that passengers for BP should alight here for RRBS, due to problems in the area with signalling (I forget the exact announcement, I heard at least three explanations!). Around 10-11 minutes later, after a 7-minute coach ride, we arrived at BP, at 1029. Naturally, I've missed the 1008 Voyager now, and I'm still not happy about it. The 1038 Voyager shows up at 1044, after an announcement was heard that things are back to normal, at least for services to South Wales. We depart 1046.
Then we stuck behind a train in front of us, which is later revealed to have a broken oil pipe. The depot staff and engineers these days...tut tut. We arrive at Cheltenham Spa around 24 down, and at New Street 20 down!
After a bit of number crunching, which saw me get a new 350, I go up and buy my Y-P CDR to Leicester. £4.80 leaves my card, and I go downstairs to see what Voyager is on the 1248 to Manchester...
(Dramatic drum roll) It's a flaming 90! Well, I see the DVT first, then I remember the diagram! I get the numbers, some of the carriage numbers I needed, but not the 90 unfortunately. Typical, I don't have my cam when I need it. I soon run upstairs after dismissing the idea of buying on-board. The ticket machines won't let me buy the ticket to Stockport (was going to go there as only needed H-O to there from Stafford), so I give up and storm off back to the platforms in a bad mood. The 90 leaves 1 down, and I watch it leave without me. My mood is worsened by the poor weather, and the fact 170520 turns up on the stopper to Leicester! Again! GRR!
I got bored of the 170 not long after boarding it (which I only just made), and decided to alight at Nuneaton for the fast 170 on the Stansted train. Good thing I did, as I got 66406 and 401 here before the Stansted train came in! I dismiss the idea of doing the Cov-Nun route, as I wanted to make my way to Leicester for HST numbers (the whole point of the trip)! 170515 pulls in 3 up to take us to Leicester, where most of the train empties out at.
The exact way things went I forget, but here's the brief:
Down to just 1 more 4-car 222 to see, 012.
Got 43044 and 072 here, taking me to just 12 more 43s to go.
8 sheds through Leicester or near to it, which sparked up a parody of the 'I saw three ships...' song, which went like this 'I saw 8 sheds on my Leicester trip, on my Leicester trip, on my Leicester trip, I saw 8 sheds on my Leicester trip in the afternoon'. I loved it myself, don't know whether anyone else will know what I mean.
Saw 60023 here too.
Got a new CT 153 also, which was good.
I got the 1549 (delayed, arrived 1554, left 1556), which was run by 158856. I consider alighting en-route at Nuneaton in case anything interesting comes through, but I dismiss the idea, especially as I saw 66568 approaching Nuneaton as we did, so I was happy with that score and stayed on the train. Good thing I did too, although I missed the locos on three freights (two were FLs!) unfortunately en-route to New Street, I got my last 323 in the entire class as we arrived! Cue one mini-celebration before alighting!
A bit of number crunching before I head to Moor Street for numbers sees the 90 again on the 1648 (slightly less angry I missed it now), 350103, and some other stock which I didn't bother noting. The platform drains were overflowing with water at New Street, something I can't say I've seen before!
At Moor Street, I see 150013, 14 and 17, as well as 168001, none of which I needed. I wasn't willing to wait for the heavily delayed trains coming from the other direction, so I left to get a drink from the newsagents nearby, then for the 1742 Voyager home. 220006 forms this service. Still I need 221115!
On the way home, at 1750, I fall asleep, and remain that way for most of it. At Cardiff, I alight to find the 1953 to Carmarthen is around 35 minutes late. I go get a Mars bar to eat and hence keep me awake til I get home. The Carmarthen HST eventually arrives at 2029, we leave a couple of minutes later.
We arrive in Swansea at 2125, and I proceed to the shop for a bit of supplies, then leave town at 2128. It took me a record 50 minutes to walk home, with most of it up hills! I indulge in some beans on toast, then a sandwich, with a few episodes of the Simpsons, before going to sleep. By now, I was shattered, as a result of not sleeping the night before.
That sums up my day pretty much. Comments are, as per usual, welcome.
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10th September 2005
I'll open with saying this: WOW! What a day!
I eventually (after little sleep) got up at 0444. My taxi came around 0505, got to the station for around 0513. I find 43127 is heading me out to Cardiff, I join the train in 42268 (I think!).
At Cardiff, I unexpectedly see heart-of-wessex! We saw 3 66s come through, then our 37 came in. H-O for most of the way to Newport, then all the way to Hereford for me. Here we meet Sprinter, I do a spot of H-O then retire to a seat for a while. I'm back by the windows for passing through Craven Arms though! heart-of-wessex and I decide to rest between Shrewsbury and Crewe, both of us rather tired (I believe he was more exhausted than I!).
At Crewe, we see 47848 (I needed this! ), a few 57s, but give up waiting for the 390 to Holyhead. The queue for the bus was incredibly long, we all decided to walk. Got the directions, FINALLY found a copy of VT2! I have a bit of water from the machine in the ticket office (cheers VT!), then we all head off. 25 minutes or so later, we make it to the works. Ticket queues weren't very long at all!
We met Zoltan in the queues, then yorkie, metrocamell, David [formerly known here as Harry Potter, he did have a striking resemblance to him at the time! - Ed] and Mojo near the 89. We all find Zoltan's route coverage shocking, then he reveals the actual coverage map. Even I'm impressed! Naturally, he's covered tons of the North, whilst I've covered tons of the South. I KNEW I should have taken my maps!
Argumentive discussion breaks out in the group, so Sprinter, h-o-w and I leave to do other stuff, with myself saying 'Why come to Crewe to argue? You can do that on the forum.', something us three found amusing.
Lots of phots of everything nearby was done. We then start looking around some of the stalls. Some of the old stock books we looked at were interesting, fascinating pictures. Sprinter then sees the burnt-out 143613! We head for this straight away, especially Sprinter as he needed to see it. I was flabbergasted at how much damage it had received. One half of 143615 was also by it, again Sprinter needed to see it. The 158 from a crash in 1991 was also there.
All of a sudden we see 47150 haul 66951 (AT LAST! I've now seen it!) and 86604 in from somewhere. We soon see 47150 being moved on the traverser. We start getting phots of the other locos around, such as 40145 (AT LAST!), 45112 (third time now for me), various steam locomotives, including 4472 (which appeared to be in steam for the first time this summer!). Phots or video footage of these for me. By now, I was getting sick of people getting in front of my camcorder every few seconds.
We then moved on to check out the Hornby stand, which was quite interesting. Next we went into 40088, h-o-w and I found out how little you can see from the cab!
Our next move was to look at the 55022 stand. We then found out a 55 is due to go to Liverpool in January! We all got a business card with the website on it, I'm determined to check it out. We proceeded to check out some more stalls, then went into the sheds nearest us. Surprisingly here, 150222 was in, and I needed it! 4 more 150/2s for me to see now! Unfortunately I never got a phot of 27000 though. We see a carriage from 221126, 10306 (unrefurbished GNER MK4) and a carriage from 377104 and from 377304 in an area inaccessible to us. We go outside again, and all of a sudden we see 365526. Huge, loud cheer from Sprinter, quieter ones from heart-of-wessex and I. Now got just 4 more 365s to see!
Out here, we proceed to cab 47826 (I've cabbed a 47 at last!), then 31108 (I try locking h-o-w and Sprinter out, I locked myself in! Thankfully someone else had the ingenious idea of giving it a bit of a kick from outside, which worked! Phew!). We discover the time is 1259 now, so we head to where 47815 was moving 86401, ready for the latter's naming. By 1330, we were getting bored of guessing what it would be. Someone from the AC Loco Group was giving out leaflets, the name for 86401 was on the back. 'Northampton Town'. Hmm, at least it's not AC Loco Group!
All three of us were starving by now, so we found the restaurant. We JUST saw 91116 (the number we got off it when it came round closer to us later) passing us at that point. We queued for around 10 minutes for some food, took it outside and consumed it with a few minutes break (our feet, legs, everything were starting to hurt), then proceeded to look for the ATW stand. We eventually found it, got some pictures, carrier bags and pens. No mints left by now. We then looked at some more stalls, then stopped for a couple of minutes at the charity auction. The most surprising thing we saw was the 'Borough of Kettering' nameplate off a 43 go for £1450! I was shocked! At this point we were running out of time, so we decided to move on. We needed to find the VT stand, as people had gotten bags of stuff from VT. We couldn't find it, not even after asking the steward (who apparently worked for VT!). We gave up looking for that, then decided to queue up for the 66951 cab. We thought we'd seen the cab of 43062 open, but it turned out it wasn't. We met back up with some of the others here, then they went to check out the other shed we didn't do. We even saw Dennis here, then finally saw Jim later too! The cab of the 66 was interesting, different certainly. I can finally say I've cabbed one!
By now we were running short of time, we had found out the Warship was open, so we proceeded to do that next. That was certainly fun, as I'd never seen a Warship before! Final bit of business was to check if 89001 was indeed open now. Unfortunately it wasn't, no more steps could be located. We decide to go to the donuts stand before we went.
Sprinter and I had one last thing to do in the works before we left. The ones in the wheelshop were shut. Never mind though, we did see things like axle shafts for 317s and 321s, as well as BT10 wheelsets, 156 slave wheelsets and a 220 motor wheelset. Saw a LOT of wheels too, for things such as Electrostars and Goodness knows what else! We found what we needed in the other shed we were in earlier, then met back up with heart-of-wessex. We then had to leave, as it was already gone 1630 IIRC. We weren't going to queue up for the bus anyway, and walked back. heart-of-wessex and Sprinter went like the clappers up the road. We had a bit of a race, in that h-o-w was a Desiro, Sprinter had his namesake as his choice, and I was falling behind rapidly, so I elected to be in the failing 33s! I soon change to a Super Sprinter, then back to the 33s for a while. I end up on a 37 with severe wheelslip. After most of the way back, we decide to walk at the same speed.
At Crewe, h-o-w and I rush down to platform 12 to see the railtour leave. It was only 67005. Boo! Nevertheless, whilst it was being coupled up, we had a chance for a discussion about what things will be like in 15 and 45 years time. I film it leave, it departing about 12 or 13 down. We then see our 37 on platform 11, so we go for that, myself getting a couple of 390 numbers (good thing I did, I FINALLY scored 390009! Just 3 more of those to go!), then invested in a Mars and Diet Coke, before joining the train to ensure we had our seats. A final bit of chat to Jim and Dennis before we left confirmed they were going via Wrexham on the way, a gesture was made, another after finding out they went non-stop through New Street on the way up! At that point in time, we're off. The number of people on the platforms was incredible! I retire back to my seat just after we re-join the Misery Line, too wet for H-O to Shrewsbury for me.
We had some discussion on the way back, then h-o-w fell asleep (unsurprising, he was up before me!), so Sprinter and I compared our fleet lists. At Hereford, Sprinter departs, and h-o-w wakes up. We look through our Locomaster Profiles stuff, and we're soon at Newport surprisingly. h-o-w gets a bit more rest, whilst I go to chat to some others from another forum. We all alight at Cardiff, got some video footage of 37425 departing for Canton, then we all went our separate ways. I got the delayed 2047 HST back to Swansea, it being delayed by around 13 minutes or so on departure from Cardiff, which ensured I missed my bus home. Well, technically I should have JUST made it, but typically it went early. I waited for a while, just to ensure it didn't run late, but after that while I walked into town for the bus station and awaited the 2255 111 to Llanelli, which was run by 46521.
I got home at 2311 or so. Absolutely shattered, I put my stuff down and went to bed. By 2330, I was asleep. Not surprising that, I was shattered! 18 hours or so after leaving, I had returned. A LONG day out! But was it worth it? Oh my Goodness, yes. I got a good few new numbers, cabbed a fair few beasts, seen stuff I wouldn't normally ever see...Overall, if you haven't been this weekend, I reckon you'll have missed out.
The Open Day gets 9 out of 10 from me, an awesome day out, never to be done again, and I could be seen saluting the works as we walked away from it. It was far too cool, my only regret being that I couldn't do more of it! Expect the pictures soon.
[I may not have the photos, but I do have a YouTube video! https://youtu.be/Nh-f4dms_TQ - Ed]
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12/03 - The day before [I don't know why I was doing an American date thing! This was 3rd December 2005 - Ed]
After work, the mission was clear: Get to the station in plenty of time, taking on drinks and films en-route. Finishing work around 1805, I heaqd straight off to the station, arriving around 1825.
The 1848 duly pulls in on time, and it's 158852. I board and find my reserved seat. The sound of the engine was rather interesting en-route, the sound being akin to one of those spinning tops I recall as a child.
As usual, we're delayed en-route, and at this time of day, we're picking up lots of noisy party-goers. We eventually arrive in Cardiff at 2001, 8 down. I fail to see the group on platform 6, and start talking to a spotter on platform 4 for a while. He foolishly notes 60073 as 60013 when it passes.
I eventually lose him, then check my bus time. Darn, still a while to go. Back into the station, spot some more, hunt the group (who later I found out went to Llanbradach), then get the bus to the hostel. We leave 2.5 minutes early, to my surprise.
Checking in at the hostel was fun, in that the Rhymney line passes not far from the hostel! Later 37s are heard passing over the bridge, the sound is incredible. A little later, joy54 shows up, and we chat for a couple of hours about rail events. I fall asleep around 0100.
12/04 - The day none of us will forget [4th December 2005 - Ed]
joy54 and I, after a good breakfast, set off for the 29 to Cardiff. It arrives a few minutes down, but due to slack timings, we're about on time at Cardiff. We find the ticket office queue to be too much, so we go to platform 6 and await the 47 and 33. 47854 clagged out a fair bit coming out of Canton! Decent shots are hard to get, what with the huge crowds. I phot 33207, then run onto the train. We work our way to the front of the train, meeting the rest of the group.
All the way to Rhymney, the train is insanely packed. Rhymney will never be so busy! A lot of us went to the crossing to get some shots, I gave up and got some shots of the 33 from other angles. It's not long before we're all off again, this time we all alight (pretty much of us in our group anyway) at Bargoed to do 50049 to Rhymney. This was fun! A call from heart-of-wessex tells us he's on a 8-car 158, something some forum members couldn't understand. I tried without success to explain this is something ATW and WSX do a lot, partly for stock moves and to have capacity on the unit's diagram later in the day.
50049 was quite enjoyable, and deserved a lot of photos and attention at Rhymney. This time we had plenty of time before returning, so I headed for the crossing too. The headshunt move took about 3 attempts before it actually went up to it! A doubled-up 142 stopped us using the crossing until it left the station for Cardiff. This really annoyed yorkie!
Soon enough 37411 pulled back into the station, after some of us bought souvenier mugs. My first bit of 37 bashing for some time actually. As we were around 15 down leaving, the driver must have really thrashed off, the sound and clag was awesome! Thankfully I finally got some video footage!
I stayed on this train to Cardiff, the others leaving at Caerphilly or Ystrad Mynach. heart-of-wessex and Sprinter, as well as HSTfan!!! join us here. I point out where joy54 and I stayed the night before en-route, and I enjoy a Diet Coke, curteousy of HSTfan!!!.
Back at Cardiff, we meet up with Joe Holmes. Having been informed that 50031 and 049 were swapping during the day, we ensure we get 049 up to Ystrad Mynach (pronounced Iss-trad Min-ack for those unable to say it on the day), alighting for the 33 back to Cardiff. Our group has a picture under the Ystrad Mynach sign, then we find the 47 and 33 had swapped ends at some point, with 47854 at the front now (it had been on what would have been the rear earlier). Still, it's all good mileage gaining. 47854 thrashed its way south, that's for sure!
Returning to Cardiff, three of us decide to do some bellowing en-route...Hey, it was called for. I've never done it before, now I know I'll definately do it on the last HST runs! At this point, we have another group shot by 43010, then Joe Holmes and HSTfan!!! (unfortunately for him he had to go to work!), with the former stroking the 43!!!
Meanwhile, heart-of-wessex, Sprinter and I head to The Prince Of Wales, the nearest pub, so as to celebrate with a pint the day and the locos on the Rhymney line for the last 10 years. He recorded it on his MP3 player, I'm sure the link will come soon.
1611, and I realise the train to Hereford would be leaving soon, so I ran off to the station for the 1615 (couldn't leave any later, had a lift arranged at the arrival time already) to Manchester, as far as Hereford. Having no buses on Sunday isn't helpful. I find a seat in 153353, and stay there to Hereford. Pity it wasn't a required bash, but never mind, the mileage will come in handy.
My lift home (thankfully my dad was picking my sister up from work around that time. Unfortunately for him he had to return straight to work, having taken a couple of hours off to pick us up. Me thinks a large bottle of whisky would be a good compensation) arrived shortly afterwards, giving me time to use the last two exposures on night shots of 153353 and a 150/2. I hope they come out.
Anyway, that's the rather detailed day from my POV. The pictures were all taken on the SLR, video footage may become available when I figure out how to get it off onto the PC via the USB cable. All in all, an absolutely incredible, unforgettable day (as you might have guessed from my MSN display name). One I wish didn't happen for reasons of now having no locos up the Rhymney line, or with ATW full-stop, but at least they were sent off with flying colours. I for one know that I shall miss the locos on the Rhymney line and with ATW. If I may, I'd like to end this thread with the following line:
Goodbye to the 33s, 37s, 47s and the rest of the locos to have been on the Rhymney line. But in particular to the 37s, the most enjoyable loco class I've experienced ever.
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That will do for now. Enjoy the read, I'll be back at some point.
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