Just wanted to post a big thank you to all of you for responding with excellent Gen and information.
I had a great trip!
Didn't get in everything I wanted to cover sadly due to a number of factors but c'est la vie!
As mentioned above London-Paris the traditional way, fell apart very quickly from the off due to the weather! Made it to Calais Ville just in time to see the TER to Boulogne leave!! Then it was a van move to Calais Frethun TGV to wait around in the rain for ages before taking a delayed and packed out TGV to Paris -(that was the journey from hell!), but guess you can't complain when its gratuit!
I done the BB 67400 and RIB/RIO run out of Est to La Ferté-Milon. That was pretty awesome! Took your advice Gordon and grabbed a seat behind the loco at the blunt end!
I also enjoyed a quick ride on a Z5300 petit gris from Melun too, hope to get back for some more of those as I'd guess they won't have long left too?
I have to say, I found the refurbished TEOZ cars on the IC to/from Clermont-Ferrand some of the most comfortable stock I've ever had the pleasure of traveling on. I was surprised though to find them in the dull standard gray Corail livery. Are there none of these cars left in the colorful TEOZ livery now the brand has been dropped?
I'm pleased to report that Clermont itself is still a loco bashers delight! There was plenty of BB 67400 / RRR action on local jobs to be had on both days I was there!
The Corail TER from Bercy to Lyon was also a great ride and insight into the pre TGV era. Showed up early at Bercy with my picnic and grabbed a compo for the ride, wonderful!
Had a day in Lyon to take in the sights and sounds of the city (last time I was here it was a football trip in the summer for the euros when the city was full of Romanians and Albanians!), before taking a broken nose and another set of corails on a TER to Belfort for a unit to Mulhouse and then a TGV duplex up to Strasbourg for the Christmas markets.
The Strasbourg Eco was also great fun with the sybic. Although I had an FC ticket, the single first class car was a little crowded for my liking and the friendly Chef du train said I could sit anywhere so I got a 2ne classe compo in the front car behind the loco all to my self the whole way back to Paris! Result!!
Next day, to make up for the loss of the Boulogne diesel on the way out from London I managed to get in a run up to Abbeville and back with an original blue liveried BB 67400 on the way out and "en Voyage" liveried example on the return before a TGV duplex from Est back to Strasbourg for one more Sybic on a TER200 down to Bâle on the route of le Vauban / Iris.
Then it was an ICE / IC from die Badischer Bahnhof for a flying visit to München for a break from trains to party at the Münchner Freiheit!
Then, I had one last ride on the CNL Pollox up to Amsterdam for a shower and Thalys to meet up with some friends in Brussel and in Brugge before "chav'n it up" in STD premier on a TMST back to London a couple of days later!
So that was my mini trip report! Maybe ill do a proper one and upload the pics when I get a chance / can be bothered!
Thanks so much / merci beaucoup / dank u wel to all the guys and girls who answered my many many questions up thread! Would not have been half as much fun had I not joined RailUK!