ash39's Trip Reports & Photos

[ash39]

A very busy month there, not without a few issues. However, congratulations on clearing those 142s!

Thanks. You can probably guess what unit I had my sights on in South Wales last week...

Thanks for an enjoyable read. I also get plenty of trips to London courtesy of work, but I stopped recording 91s for milage years ago. I pay more attention when there is a 90 on the front/back.

You might want to consider staying at the Marylebone Travelodge if you are doing a similar trip again - 30 seconds walk from the station and you can get breakfast from 7 o'clock!

I'm not sure about this canned craft beer lark - I'll choose a pint of cask ale off a hand pull.

That's a good shout thanks. Our travel/reception department made the hotel booking for me, to be fair it was my fault for not specifying.

Feel like the craft beer/real ale scene is splitting in two very different directions at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I can get a lot of enjoyment from a smooth hand pulled pint, but given the choice I'd go for something more hop-forward from a keg anytime. Happily, the more modern style of craft beer also cans and ages better than a more traditional brew.

Sounded like a good month, well done on clearing the Northern Pacers & 158s

Not quite on the 158 front unfortunately, due to Northern moving the goalposts and taking on more from Scotland I'm sure they'll come eventually, I won't be going out of my way to chase them.

 

[barrowjack]

Sounds like a very productive month for you. I was also in London on that Thursday and did the same move to Finsbury Park but maybe a bit later as it was 700149 for me.

Which hotel did you stay at in Kings X? I always stay in the Belgrove on Argyle St which I have never had any problems with.

 

[ash39]

Sounds like a very productive month for you. I was also in London on that Thursday and did the same move to Finsbury Park but maybe a bit later as it was 700149 for me.

Which hotel did you stay at in Kings X? I always stay in the Belgrove on Argyle St which I have never had any problems with.

It was the King's Cross Inn. Nothing wrong with it per se, other than the breakfast situation, but there are much better rooms out there for less money.

 

[noddy1878]

Feel like the craft beer/real ale scene is splitting in two very different directions at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I can get a lot of enjoyment from a smooth hand pulled pint, but given the choice I'd go for something more hop-forward from a keg anytime. Happily, the more modern style of craft beer also cans and ages better than a more traditional brew.

I like the format of your reports. As for the beer thing, I agree with you. Craft vs Cask is a very blurry line though as technically cask is still craft! But I know what you mean. Some stunning beers out there.

 

[ash39]

FOSW day one attached - pop back for days 2-4 in due course...

 

[Kite159]

Well done on clearing the Welsh Pacers

 

[Techniquest]

Many congratulations on clearing the 142s! And a coal train in 2019 is indeed a rare sight, I can't remember the last time I saw one!

As always, a very well written piece with some awesome photos to go with it. I haven't tried the GTi HSTs yet, that must be incredibly funky.

 

[Kite159]

They must make easy work and sound nice in the tunnel.

 

[sftfan1909]

I've enjoyed reading your reports for a little while now - I do like your style of writing.

I started logging my moves at the beginning of this year and finished my TfW 142s last week, having also caught 085 from Llanishen for it. Lucky because it was damaged today after someone smashed the windscreen!

Looking forward to reading more about your current trip.

 

[ash39]

Many congratulations on clearing the 142s! And a coal train in 2019 is indeed a rare sight, I can't remember the last time I saw one!

As always, a very well written piece with some awesome photos to go with it. I haven't tried the GTi HSTs yet, that must be incredibly funky.

Thanks, the 142's took some clearing. The HST's are weird with the power doors, doesn't seem quite right.

They must make easy work and sound nice in the tunnel.

Not that you can hear it in the sealed up modified sets! A 2+4 slam door set in Valenta days though... that would've been something to savour.

I've enjoyed reading your reports for a little while now - I do like your style of writing.

I started logging my moves at the beginning of this year and finished my TfW 142s last week, having also caught 085 from Llanishen for it. Lucky because it was damaged today after someone smashed the windscreen!

Looking forward to reading more about your current trip.

Thanks, you'll have to head up north and get all the Northern ones now!

Day 2 of the FOSW is now attached...

 

[Techniquest]

A very productive day indeed, and some rather decent variety in there. Certainly the red pen was busy!

Another excellent read, as if I would expect anything less, there and I'm rather curious to see what happens in Day 3!

 

[Kite159]

A good day in Devon & Cornwall for both red pen & station scoring

 

[Mills444]

Certainly a productive 2 days and lucky with all the hsts, and did you say there are GTI hsts on the Cardiff diagrams and if so what ones are they

 

[47403]

Good two days there Ash.
Very productive indeed.

 

[CumbrianSausag]

Looking forward to reading about day 3.

 

[ash39]

Thanks for the replies - glad you're all enjoying the read

Certainly a productive 2 days and lucky with all the hsts, and did you say there are GTI hsts on the Cardiff diagrams and if so what ones are they

Yep the Cardiff-Taunton services are now mostly worked by 2+4 sets.

Day 3 attached.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Thanks for the replies - glad you're all enjoying the read



Yep the Cardiff-Taunton services are now mostly worked by 2+4 sets.

Day 3 attached.

Really good reads there, always interesting. I did a South West rover last year, was very impressed it covering everywhere from Cheltenham Spa southward, so coming from the East Midlands didn't give me a lot of expenditure getting onto the area. I also managed to clear my 143's and did the Looe branch, I hope to do more of the branches this year if I manage to repeat the trip.

I also had a 150 on a lengthy trip from Exeter down to Liskeard which was busy but enjoyable. But are these journeys now operated by the short HST sets?

 

[Mills444]

Thanks for the replies - glad you're all enjoying the read



Yep the Cardiff-Taunton services are now mostly worked by 2+4 sets.

Day 3 attached.

Ah thank you for the info that must have slipped past me I feel an trip to Bristol coming on soon
I see you are now getting into my local area I hope you actually managed to get some sleep on the night of day two correct me if I'm wrong but did you get the up sleeper to Taunton and then the down to PNZ.

 

[Kite159]

Lelant Saltings Park & Ride has been replaced with a new park & ride site at St Erth. Hence why the station drops to a token daily service each way from May

Sounded like a good third day

 

[Techniquest]

166207 remains one of just two 166s I need, one day I'll find it and 166206!

A very busy day there, and well done on clearing the 143s! Trying to sleep on the GWR sleeper seats these days with those modern seats must have been a real challenge!

 

[ash39]

Ah thank you for the info that must have slipped past me I feel an trip to Bristol coming on soon
I see you are now getting into my local area I hope you actually managed to get some sleep on the night of day two correct me if I'm wrong but did you get the up sleeper to Taunton and then the down to PNZ.

Yes, a bit of a crazy idea but it saved us a night in a hotel, got us some 57 haulage and, crucially, didn't end up wiping us out so much it ruined the rest of the trip.

Lelant Saltings Park & Ride has been replaced with a new park & ride site at St Erth. Hence why the station drops to a token daily service each way from May

Sounded like a good third day

That makes sense. Glad to have got the Lelant stations in before the service reductions, we didn't realise that was the on the cards.

166207 remains one of just two 166s I need, one day I'll find it and 166206!

A very busy day there, and well done on clearing the 143s! Trying to sleep on the GWR sleeper seats these days with those modern seats must have been a real challenge!

Yes, it was. I was expecting 2+1 like the Caledonian seated carriage. Sleeping across two seats is the way to do it but it only works if you're well under 6ft!

Anyway, belatedly, day four is finally attached. I've also compiled all four days into one pdf for anyone who's yet to read them, to save downloading them all one by one...

 

[ash39]

Ignore that, the full trip pdf is too large to upload. Not sure how to get around that for the moment.

 

[CumbrianSausag]

That was a cracking trip. Glad I didn't have to write it up, that's the only reason I get you to come along. Hopefully the 90 and solo berth next week will allow me to sleep a bit more than the 57s on rock hard seats with drunk Spurs fans.

Big thanks to forum member 37078xotTE who helped massively with our pacer scratching task on this trip and subsequent Northern 142 chasing. Still one to go...

 

[Kite159]

The GWR sleeper seats weren't the best before they were refurbished, 2+1 seats in all bays (so on a busy night you could end up playing footsie with the person opposite). The 2+2 airline style is slightly better but having fixed armrests by the window I found was annoying.

Sounded like a good day, other than the farce at the end of it due to cancelled trains

 

[ash39]

Big thanks to forum member 37078xotTE who helped massively with our pacer scratching task on this trip and subsequent Northern 142 chasing. Still one to go...

Imagine still needing a pacer In the words of Jay from the Inbetweeners... completed it mate

 

[Mills444]

Imagine still needing a pacer In the words of Jay from the Inbetweeners... completed it mate

Imagine still needing all of them other then the typil Portsmouth to Cardiff overcrowding it seemed like an good day, being sent into p2 at Bournemouth is quite uncommon the only time I think i've been sent into that platform was when the Bournemouth to Weymouth shuttle terminated there when the RMT strikes were ongoing.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Great read there Ash, being from the Midlands and having been more interested in the past 18 months of clearing Northern pacers etc i've only done one southern rover and that was the Freedom of the South West last October, primarily to scratch my last GWR 143s which I managed to do. I stayed fairly much Exeter and westbound, so there's plenty of scope to do more on the eastern end of the rover area as you have done on your last day or so, so it was definitely useful to see where you went etc. Thanks for sharing!

 

[47403]

Great read from start to finish Ash.
My sympathies on been wedged on a voyager, even more so in the vestibule.
However over the course of 4 days, it's been a very profitable trip indeed.
Eastliegh normally has a few GB Sheds, Colas sheds and Plugs kicking round, the odd ED too, the EDs seem to all congregate in Tonbridge Yard these days. Still I'm quite surprised there was nowt of great interest there, you only have to check on RTT or on youtube and there's always a varied collection of traction heading for the place.
As for Milbrook, if you'd had been a one legged crossdresser, you'd have got yourself a canny haul of new shoes there.
As I said great read Ash, certainly seemed like you both enjoyed the trip.

 

[433N]

Great read from start to finish Ash.

Absolutely concur to the max.

Could you do another one so that I have something good to read with my cornflakes in a morning.

 

[Techniquest]

A shame the trip ended in such a negative way, but overall it looks like it was quite productive.

Papa Johns, not really that enthusiastic about trying them to be honest. They certainly haven't made much of an impact here, Dominos and Pizza Hut still dominate the market in Hereford. Maybe everyone who's been didn't like Papa Johns, I never hear anyone talk about going there. Not a good sign!

As for Eastleigh, yeah I'm always reading how great it is too but it's not that amazing. Peterborough is the same, everyone waxes lyrical about it but I've never really enjoyed a visit there.