And here we go:
As already mentioned, July was intended to be a quite month.
Domestically I couldn’t justify too much and the financial cost of June’s mega-moves required a bit of sensible money management to balance the books.
When I did have a spare day I stayed local, using my metro-card to good effect.
The first couple of Fridays in the month saw me clearing the first four Northern 170s out of Leeds
I didn’t need any of 170475-170478 outright but three of them were required for mileage and/or all coaches.
That has now been remedied.
Similarly, former GWR Sprinters were on my wants list, one of which was required for all-time.
This was
150128 and I roped that in on the 6th.
The same day also saw me get 153305 into the ten-mile club.
A couple of low mileage 91s also edged closer to the magic thousand mark.
The first big move of the month saw me returning to the capital on Friday the 27th.
As a desperate 91 mileage hound I’d decided to go from Bradford Forster Square on the 06.30 service and return on the 18.33.
Nice plan.
Sadly, my hopes of one of those pesky sub-thousand mile locos producing were dashed as it was 91106, in its rather colourful “Great exhibition of the North” livery.
One hundred and ninety-nine miles later I stepped off it a Kings Cross and pondered my day.
I decided to go after a few more 707s.
The short walk to St Pancras low level was completed just as a Sutton service was arriving, which was convenient.
700038 thus became the first member of the sub class to join the ranks of those units I’ve sampled for over ten miles.
Wimbledon was where I left it.
The first unit London bound contained one winner and one low mileage unit.
The former was
455850, the latter 456013.
Sandwiched between them was 455912.
I did these into Waterloo, then out to Clapham Junction to get 5850 over ten miles.
My goal was 707s, but winning 458s would not be turned down; so I found myself on
458527.
Its partner was also required, so I left Waterloo on the same pair, this time sat in
458510.
For mileage and shack scoring purposes I stayed on these to
Chiswick.
EMU 458510_2018.07.27_1_Chiswick by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
The fact that it was a new station wasn’t the only reason I’d chosen Chiswick.
I’d observed a required 707 working anti-clockwise round the loop and a short wait here meant I could easily meet it.
This was
707019.
In order to get it past ten miles I would need to do it back out of Waterloo, but when it pulled in the unit on the adjacent platform was also new.
I followed my adage of “always take your winners” and jumped on
707020.
A quick look on RTT and I came up with a plan to get both in club.
I left 020 at Clapham Junction, waited a few minutes and boarded 019 once more.
This time I was on it to winner shack
Brentford.
Here I met up again with 020 for a run back to the Junction.
When I’d visited the area in June there had been one member of the class that I’d had as the second in a winning pair but had failed to actually ride on.
This was 707003 and I put that failure right with a run on it into Waterloo.
003 was paired with dud 004.
An outright winner,
707011, was waiting to leave, so naturally I took it.
707011 was working with unrequired 707002.
With only eight now needed to clear the class, I imagine winning pairs are going to be a rarity from now on.
These units were working a service that went around the loop via Strawberry Hill.
I stayed on until Wimbledon as getting there the long way round is nearly twenty miles and I was starting to think about home.
There was still time for a return trip to Waterloo, so that’s what I did.
Winner
455714 and mileage requirement 455715 taking me there and back again.
There was another station that I wanted to score, so took
700037 to West Hampstead Thameslink.
At least, that was the plan.
At St Pancras, the doors opened, people got off, more people got on and the doors closed.
Then the driver announced that he had just been informed that the train wasn’t going to stop at West Hampstead!
Never mind, the next stop after that was in the zones and required, so that would do.
Mill Hill Broadway was the station in question and it actually proved beneficial as it meant I could get another 700 into the ten mile club on my way back.
EMU 700037_2018.07.27_Mill Hill Broadway by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
700053 produced (I was hoping for 70039, just to give me a run of three consecutively number 700/0 winners for the day
)
St Pancras is just short of ten miles from Mill Hill Broadway, but Farringdon is just over.
I had the time so that’s where I left it.
Here I realised that I could get another new shack in as I required the underground platforms.
Thus, I made my way over to the Northbound one and boarded
21065 for the short hop.
It may be noted that I scored
Farringdon LU, even though I’ve not alighted there
I strolled up to the platforms at Kings Cross and into mayhem.
Whilst I’d been enjoying myself in London my native North had been suffering terrible weather.
Lightning strikes had taken out much of the signalling in Yorkshire and the ECML was in chaos as a result.
The weather had taken a turn for the worse in London as well, with lightning filling the sky, thunder roaring and rain bouncing hard off the station roof - I was a bit concerned about getting home at all!
My train was booked a 91 that was due to arrive from Edinburgh.
It was still many miles to the North.
They solved this by running the 18.33 with the set that had just arrived from Hull.
This was, obviously, a HST.
On the plus side, it was the ex EMT pair, which included a winner.
43075 was on the front with 43061 taking up the rear.
HST 43075_2018.07.27_Kings Cross by
Phil Wood, on Flickr
I boarded when the train was announced and took a seat in first class.
There were no seat reservations but being one of the first on meant I managed to get a single seat in coach 40805, which is the one with “It’s never dull in Hull” vinyl.
In platform 2 I could see another HST, this one bound for Edinburgh.
It was wedged, the doors were still open and people were stood looking anxiously up and down the platform.
The 18.18 Newcastle had been cancelled, so obviously everybody from that was on the Edinburgh.
It can be seen in the background of my 43075 photo.
Then, the lights went out and people started to jump off and start running.
Surely they wouldn’t be getting put on the Bradford, would they?
Why, yes they would.
I’ve never known first class be so full.
People were perched on their cases in the vestibules, whilst others sat on the floor.
It was ridiculously hot and we were now past our booked departure time of 18.33.
18.45 came and went and then our first announcement.
We were awaiting train crew.
Just after 19.00 another announcement – we now had a driver but no train manager.
Being asthmatic meant I was starting to find it quite stifling, even though I had a seat.
Eventually the train manager arrived and we were on the move, forty-eight minutes late.
The air-con wasn’t doing much but at least we now had a bit of air moving through the carriage.
No chance of much in the way of refreshments; although a bloke did come through handing out water, which was gratefully received.
As we were heading North there was an announcement to say that the passengers for stations North of Doncaster should change at Peterborough, where a South-bound service had been terminated.
This would then do all main stations to Edinburgh.
The 18.33 isn’t booked to stop at Peterborough, so that added to our delay.
The relief when so many people disembarked was huge.
The most annoying thing about it, though, was that the 19.00 Edinburgh and 19.03 Leeds had both departed Kings Cross before us.
The latter appeared only half full when I’d observed it on the adjacent platform.
The Newcastle and Edinburgh punters could have been advised about those services.
The 19.03 had left before us, but it was still late, meaning we were right behind it.
I wasn’t too surprised when the announcement was made that the train would terminate at Leeds.
My car was at Forster Square, so I had to have a look at RTT.
If we lost no more time I could make a Skipton unit to Shipley for another into Bradford.
We lost more time.
Leeds was reached an hour and five minutes late.
I’d missed the train to Shipley so boarded the next one to Interchange,
This was formed of 158855 and 153360.
Luckily, it was empty and I could sprawl out a bit.
When I sat down I discovered a wallet!
I had a quick look in and it had some id, so I was confident it would find its way back to the owner after I’d handed it in.
It was just sat on the seat, which makes me think the owner had it in his back pocket.
I’ve never understood why people do this – surely that makes it easier to lose or get nicked?
Anyway, my good deed done I walked from Interchange over to my car and finally collapsed into bed just after midnight.
I didn’t have much time in bed as a certain class 40 was calling my name, but that’s another story.