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LSGs Getting Out n About

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47403

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Nice read there, sir.

Congratulations on getting the last of the LNER stuff.

As a local, can you tell me why there is a 50 limit for such a silly long stretch of the A1(M) around the Low Fell area (I'm sure it used to be only the Team Valley area) ... it really is taking the proverbial.

Cheers 433, I dunno why it's 50, there's been a load of accidents there, may be it's to do with that.
 
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433N

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Cheers 433, I dunno why it's 50, there's been a load of accidents there, may be it's to do with that.

There was an accident when I drove through the other day anyway ... so could you ask them to put it back up to 60 please ?
 

Techniquest

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Sorry it's taken a while to reply, for some reason I was no longer subscribed to your thread.

Nicely done good sir on clearing LNER stock at long last, proof that the expression 'good things come to those who wait' is indeed true!

I think you're not going to really like the Hitachi sets when you get to try them, I can endure the seats for an hour but after that I'd rather not. They're bloody quick off the mark, and this is based on the GWR sets only of course, as I've not had a LNER one yet. I must admit that I look the look of the Hitachi sets though!

I've not been out on the rails much either, not compared to other years, not feeling as much love for it these days. I hope you get to have an adventure soon though!
 

47403

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Sorry it's taken a while to reply, for some reason I was no longer subscribed to your thread.

Nicely done good sir on clearing LNER stock at long last, proof that the expression 'good things come to those who wait' is indeed true!

I think you're not going to really like the Hitachi sets when you get to try them, I can endure the seats for an hour but after that I'd rather not. They're bloody quick off the mark, and this is based on the GWR sets only of course, as I've not had a LNER one yet. I must admit that I look the look of the Hitachi sets though!

I've not been out on the rails much either, not compared to other years, not feeling as much love for it these days. I hope you get to have an adventure soon though!
Hello Tech, I doubt anyone will be subscribed to this thread, I was beginning to wonder if I'd put anything on it myself. I still have the love but circumstances have dictated me going on anything remotely planned from last year. In February i had hoped to have done a freedom of Scotland hopefully roping in some Cally Eds for haulage and May had been earmarked for 2 days of the Recent SVR Diesel Gala and go Chiltern cat bashing on the Wednesday before.
July has been earmarked too and hopefully that will be booked soon but it'll just be a day rather than the 3 I had planned.
Pretty galling really but life goes on bud. No work, no play so to speak.
I'm still waiting for the TPE Cats on the pennine turns, should they ever finish testing with them.
I'm sure i'll get a spin on the 800s soon enough. As i said, they look ok but we're just new fangled. They look very voyageresque to me.
Cheers for the kind words regarding clearing LNER and meeting up with Mr Train. Talk about just in time too. I wouldnt think it'll be too long before the blunts and zjngs become a distant memory here too. Mind you, If I'd done more trips to the local, I dare say I'd have cleared LNER yonks ago but there's only so many times I can stand freezing my nads off watching dud after dud, with the odd, lesser spotted required GBRf shed passing by, which 9 times out 10, I could see from near home anyway. The Colas 70s have certainly got me out the house more, after bagging more than half of them whilst on my FoSS, mainly down to seeing boat loads parked at Westbury, seeing others at Eastleigh and Cardiff, the cement and Engineers turns have proved very profitable indeed to the point only 70804 eludes me now and even that was up here last Friday on the Donnie to Millerhill, when I was at work.
 

Techniquest

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Always the way that, stuff happening when one's at work. Like the GWR HST farewell tour soon, it's coming my way but I'm working when it comes up here. Good thing I got my final farewell in last weekend when the chance came up!

Very familiar with the 'all work and no play' expression, I've been racking up the hours lately too. HMRC have been rubbing their hands in glee at that, and I paid a helluva lot out in pension contributions too. Guess it'll all help make retirement more enjoyable eh? A quick look at notes between this and last month's pay suggests most of this month's overtime wasn't worth doing, so it's time to cut back the overtime rapidly and start having an actual life again!

Really do hope you get to go out and play soon, it'll do you the world of good by the sounds of it. Could do with a day of fun myself, got a full day off but no money to spend. Bloody harsh as it's the perfect weather to travel today!

I saw yesterday the first LNER withdrawals of HSTs or 91s begins in just 2 weeks' time. They sure aren't hanging around, probably just as well as we're waiting for spare MK4s to come over this way!
 

47403

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A bit of Nostalgia of sorts, one of my first posts on the forum, ok it's been a bit rehashed. I used to post of the Nostalgia thread quite a lot before I dared to look elsewhere. Being a newby, I didn't want to be seen as treading on anyone's toes, I still don't but back then, I hadn't long been back in the game either and was still trying to find my feet again. However I still think, well I hope, it'll still be relative to a lot of us on here.
It was titled Oh How I miss
...... those highly anticipated, Summer Saturdays, when non ETH loco's hauled passenger trains from such salubrious seaside resorts of Britain, such as Blackpool, Yarmouth, Easbourne, Paignton, Skegness etc, resulting in various Class 20's, 31's, 37's, 40's, 45, 46's and 47's turning up on passenger turns, to add with the usual ETH variants of 31/4s, 45's and 47's that done the local turns. As a young lad, this time of year in the North East, was always time to fill your boots with rarities for haulage. My mates n I loved it.

In a time before the net and mobile phones, gen, meant a trip to Gateshead shed or Tyne Yard at 6 in the morning to try and get a TOPS report, so you could workout your moves with your weighty BR timetable, (which you could buy in WH Smiths, it was about the same width of a Britanica encylopedia), the summer timetable suppliment (which you could get free from the ticket office)your rail riders vouchers and money burning a hole in your back pocket for a weekends Nortumbrian Ranger, then you were all set for 2 consecutive days on the rails. However in the 6wks holidays, that weekend Ranger, would be upgraded to a weeks Northumbrian ranger.

Oh the joys of a weeks Northumbrian Ranger. Yes we were out of sight and suitably out from under our parents feet for sure but your bait box still needed filling on a daily basis. A weeks ration of Beef paste, egg n tomato (seaside sarnies they were nicknamed), cheese or chopped pork sarnies for the week, with plenty crisps, biscuits and bottles of orange or blackcurrant squash, sometimes even a flask, that would always end up broke before the end of the week, well mine always did, p0acked into our canvas havasacks, Ofcourse the invariable chippy on the way, would add the odd daily ho0t meal. Especially if in Carlisle, the Botchergate chippy was notorious.

While the boundaries on a Northumbrian Ranger seemed absolutrly massive to us young lads then, you always wanted to go further, so we added journeys onto it, frittering away your saved pocket money/paper round wages, so you could get further affield, from Berwick to Edinburgh, from York to Sheffield, Leeds Doncaster even Peterborough A trip up to Carlisle meant going for the 26/27's and 47s, invariably HA or ED's examples up the Sou Western, with the added bonus of passing Kingmoor. Trips down the S&C too, to wherever the timetable led you to make a connection without a major fester or a chance of missing the return loco back. If we had a day just leccy bashing, initially two single tickets, one to Penrith from Carlisle and a single from Penrith back, over Shap, could last 4 or 5 moves, if you were lucky enough not to get gripped, sometimes even more but if your ticket did get gripped, we just bought another single, to cover that journey you'd been gripped for. We could quite easily cover about 8-12 leccy moves in one day for the price of 4, maybe 5 single tickets before we got sick of doing the same trip back n forth. We'd sometimes stretch it to Lancaster or Preston, not as easy to avoid the trip but Preston was good for spotting and riding 31s on the Manchester - Barrow turns.

Nowadays to get any loco or of any interest, you have to do a rail tour or a preserved line, not that i dont enjoy either, quite the opposite. Another thing, in those days, the one thing most bashers tried to avoid for sure, were Units or HST's( bog carts or trams as we used to call them) bashers tried to avoid them like the plague, unless it was entirely neccessary to get in place for the next loco hauled move.

I really took them days for granted, never thought in a million years loco hauled moves would end. How naive I was, oh by God, how I hanker for them days back. Your head out the droplight window, if you were lucky enough to get near it, if not, any window so you could hear that loco roar or thrash it's guts out, was enough. My mates and I were out most weekends on these, I'd go missing from the house with my mates from around 6am and not get in till 10pm, nothing beat that rush, especially if you had no gen, to go meet a turn, that would have a rare freight loco on the front. The buzz on the ends of platforms as like minded folk, awaited their next rare steed. We'd come home totally shattered, big smile on our faces, clothes stinking of diesel fuel and totally skint but with a boat load of numbers and great memories to boot. ah happy days
 
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Techniquest

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That does sound incredibly fun, fair play. Going blind with no gen can be rather good sometimes, adds to the rush when something unusual produces/you score something you've wanted for ages.
 

Cowley

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That’s exactly how it was back then.
I remember first starting to go down to St David’s on my own sometime around 1986 and sitting on some (long gone) steps at the west end of platform 1 watching the endless procession of loco hauled trains heading through the station.
Just over a year later I started bashing and count myself so lucky that I got what I did before it all disappeared.
 

47403

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That does sound incredibly fun, fair play. Going blind with no gen can be rather good sometimes, adds to the rush when something unusual produces/you score something you've wanted for ages.
Going blind was always better thrill, yeah it was great having the gen but those in the know, guarded it like a secret, some let you know, I was lucky, John, Glen n I knew some of the older ones, from trips away we'd been the make weights for railcards with a friend of my dads and if we saw one of them, they'd share the joy, as we'd ask them. However in the case of 37003 failing on the Scarborough - Newcastle turn, the gen went pop anyway. I'll never forget the audible gasps, swearing, astounded laughs, whoops of delight(at least 100 bashers were stood on the North End of the platform waiting for this turn to arrive) as 20013 and 20047 came round the corner. It was absolutely ram packed with bashers.

Failures were not uncommon, on summer Saturday's either, as depots just threw out their absolute bangers out at times. I remember having had the ignominy of a 45/0 rescuing a 47/3, on the Eastbourne turn, apparently the wagon got added at Brum, we only intercepted it at Durham or Darlo, i cant remember which but i do remember Cal the wagon basher giving me it in the neck back to Newcastle though. A few weeks later the boot was on the other foot when 47194 had to rescue one of his beloved Peaks, oh I remember being really smug that day.

Talking of wagons, I can't for the life of me remember where we'd been but I'd been invited out with Cal and his Dad for a trip out, definitely early 80's, Cal was always looking through his timetable and said If we get off here, we can take this to X and get off at Y. Cal's Dad would say ok then, may have been Leeds, something rings true about Leeds, anyway we got off and the platform was rammed with what I call serious bashers, slightly older ones, with the proper holdalls, not havasacks and A6 hardbacked ledgers, where they'd write the loco, it's headcode, where from and too, plus mileage. Cal had only gone and dropped us onto a 46, yeah it was a wagon but even then I knew how rare these were on passenger turns. Seemed the whole wagon fraternity were out that day.
 

AnthonyRail

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That’s exactly how it was back then.
I remember first starting to go down to St David’s on my own sometime around 1986 and sitting on some (long gone) steps at the west end of platform 1 watching the endless procession of loco hauled trains heading through the station.
Just over a year later I started bashing and count myself so lucky that I got what I did before it all disappeared.
The new depot seems to be progressing well at Exeter St David’s.
 

The_Train

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Some awesome nostalgic stories there @47403. Is the story of you being rescued by a 45 the same way that you told me about, only remembered you'd told me when I read this.
 

AJM580

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Summer Saturdays were pretty good fun down here in East Anglia. The Yarmouth trains including the one from Newcastle used to exchange locos at Norwich for the last leg to Yarmouth, so we used to get all manner of NB 31s, 37s etc on those, plus the delights of 47/3s to Peterborough via the obligatory bellow round the Ely Curve. Favourite memory is 37797 out of Yarmouth on a boiling hot day in 1990
 

47403

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Summer Saturdays were pretty good fun down here in East Anglia. The Yarmouth trains including the one from Newcastle used to exchange locos at Norwich for the last leg to Yarmouth, so we used to get all manner of NB 31s, 37s etc on those, plus the delights of 47/3s to Peterborough via the obligatory bellow round the Ely Curve. Favourite memory is 37797 out of Yarmouth on a boiling hot day in 1990
37797 is a whopper!!!
Bet there was loads to get excited about too. There was the Yarmouth- Newcastle, Leeds, Brum off the top of my head I can remember.
Peterborough was good for them turns. Was some big 47/3s on them turns too.
 

AJM580

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37797 is a whopper!!!
Bet there was loads to get excited about too. There was the Yarmouth- Newcastle, Leeds, Brum off the top of my head I can remember.
Peterborough was good for them turns. Was some big 47/3s on them turns too.
There was indeed, the best turn over the years being the Yarmouth - Manchester, which had everything from 37s, 40s and NB 47s.
 

47403

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An Evening at the local
Having a few little bursts out locally as of late, a quick nip out the house roped in 800106 out on test and the following day, after getting the bus home from work, whilst going over the Redheugh Bridge, a glance out the window to the left, I saw an 800, crossing over the King Eddie bridge, so after a request to the TOPS thread, it was revealed that I'd inadvertently fell onto another cop in 800110.

Without having any other time to go see anything else, I'd been looking at RTT whilst on my lunch break, noticing a few moves that I could make at my local, Newcsstle Central after work.

One was an Eastleigh to Heaton, I still haven't checked what was on it but on leaving work, checking RTT, I noticed it was running 32 early, so had no chance of seeing that, even without rush hour traffic, I'd have struggled to make it by the time I waited for a bus into Town. I got into town and jumped on the Metro, from Haymarket with ultra duds, 4047 and 4086, arriving onto Central just after 19.00. I walked through the barriers and wondered what I'd do whilst here, so I decided to take a few photos just to keep a bit of interest, not something I've ever gone overboard with, I've tried in the past but never really succeeded very well but armed with my mobile, I'd at least have a go tonight. I walked to the South end of platform 7 and went to see what the Thunderbird was. 67013 is still here, I think it's took root20190529_185738.jpg

After a wander up the platform, I decided I'd go and get a coffee. I went in my bag and to my horror realised I'd not brought my wallet. Which was fatal in 2 ways, if it got cold I'd not be able to get a coffee and I was also hoping to rope in any of the recently transferred jock rail 156s for a spin to either Sunderland or the Metrocentre. So that went out the window too. D'oh!!!! Fortunately I had at least a bottle of Orange squash and a bottle of milk in my bag. So at least I'd not thirst to death. Either would have to suffice till I got home.

Not having my wallet really played havoc. 2 required for haulage AN 156s, 156420 and 156460 were out n about on local turns, transferred Jock Rail 156465 was another haulage requirement that was also playing out locally, then to top it off, another in 156511 duly arrived in from Carlisle too. Grrrrr!!!
However frustrating the 156s were, it gives me a plan for next time I'm off, no doubt it'll be all duds that day, I can see it now. So with this in mind, I entertained myself snapping away. First ones of real interest was the Lynemouth to Tyne Dock Biomass workings, one in either direction', 60056 snaked its way round past the Castle Keep, I was so the south end of platform 6, went it came by
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Around 20mins later 60076 Dunbar went in the opposite direction.
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From here it was across the bridge up to the North end of Platform 2, for a quick pic of 43384. Running 38 down, the driver told me, this things knackered, its running on one engine. His frustrations were evidentally clear to see, as he pulled out the station, he was shaking his head as he notched on the power and it was still struggling to get up any great speed.
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After he left 91101 arrived in on the opposite platform 3, I couldn't resist a pic of this one, I'm still hoping to get a pic of 91119, I have seen it but not close up but I do like 91101's livery and it means I've got a pic of both loco and the DVT now too.
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A slow walk down to the south end of said platform, for one of the main events of the evening. The Heaton-Mancheseter test train. A few folk were out for it too. 802201 was a welcome addition to the book of sights, in my opinion, i think these really suit the TPE Livery, I'm quite new fangled with these to be honest
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and after having a look through the windows, the interiors look really nice too. After a quick ciggy outside the station n a quick toilet break, it was back over to the North end of platform 7 again. This time for the Colas Plug on the Oxwellmains-West Thurrock cement turn. A few mins down but in rolled 70801 on said turn.
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I merrily snapped away getting a few other HSTs and units and was get quite cocky about my attempts too. However both the Southbond and Northbound modals between Tees to Mossend, proved that this photography lark aint as easy as some of you folk in here make it look, cos I cocked both pics up royally:rolleyes:, 66200 went South and was bordering as nigh on passable, if you.looked quickly, preferably with eyes closed, the pic I'd liked to have had, was one of the Northbound modal with 66109
Teesport Express, unfortunately it was erm, horrendous, to the point I deleted it straight away:oops:.

Time was marching on now, so I made over the bridge and back to the south end of platform 2 for the last move of interest. Another test train, this time a Heaton to Peterborough. I honestly thought this would be an LNER Azuma turn, alas it wasn't but it was another entry for the book of sights in
802202, albeit without the TPE vinyls. Thus ending an enjoyable evening at the local. At 21.20 I walked off and went for my bus home. I was now in dire need of food and coffee but pretty happy with 2 cops but equally frustrated I couldn't rope in at least 2 of them 156s. Like I've said, it just gives me a plan for next week but I doubt I'll be as lucky next time but you never know.
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xotGD

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Five freights through the Central. Things have picked up!
 

47403

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Five freights through the Central. Things have picked up!

Yeah, would've been 6, if the Seaham- Oxwellmains hadn't been cancelled but I'm not sure it runs Wednesday's but had just been automatically activated on RTT, then cancelled.

Mind if you'd been on Central through the day, 60056 and 60076 probably trundled through a couple of times before I'd seen them.
 

The_Train

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Oh look 60s on the biomass move. I assume they are only sheds when a guy from the Midlands visits the North East? :|

Good little outing to the local that is mate. TPE have really got it spot on with the livery on their new trains and the 802 looks particularly smart.

Oh and please don't mention issues with HSTs. There are people on here already out purchasing metal cutting equipment :E
 

Techniquest

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Quite a productive evening there, and I have to agree the 802s look beast. Won't be much longer until they'll be sampled, I'm predicting a South Pennines Day Ranger later this year...
 

Kite159

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Quite a productive evening there, and I have to agree the 802s look beast. Won't be much longer until they'll be sampled, I'm predicting a South Pennines Day Ranger later this year...

Next year might be better as you will also have Cats to play with (although what the noise will be like inside the coaches is an unknown)
 

47403

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7.6.19
#LSGsMissionDrive
You may have noticed, that as of late, I've been visiting my local, Newcastle a lot lately. On these once a week jaunts, I've noticed a bit of a change from the norm unit wise, AN allocated 156s, plus recently transferred jockrail 156s and 158s, even NL based 158s too.
Having neglected the local for years, with the intent of going further afield to fill gaps in my book of sights, was of more importance to me. However, I've now realised I need to get my arse in gear. The LNER zings and 91s will disappear soon, I'm now onto the 2nd time with the 91s but there's still some needed to finish them again, as are the renumbered HSTs, both have largely been ignored if truth be told. So I thought with a large variation of stuff to try and rope in, a Tyne Tees Day Ranger will eventually get me out the house and strike out a full line under stuff readily available.

A brief look at RTT in the morning, showed a few workings of interest on today too. So after making sure my daughter got on the bus to school, it was straight over to the local to see if any winner HSTs were on the 08.59, mega dud 43300 led the way but winner 43311 was the rear gunner. Oh get in I thought. Only to hear that due to the Leeds- Aberdeen been cancelled, the 08.59 was now cancelled and those awaiting it had to get on the 09.29 to London KX, as the 08.59 was now forming an 09.10 additional Newcastle to Aberdeen. Cheers for that.20190607_090521.jpg
Saying goodbye to 43311, stung a bit, I must say. Even the XC HST were duds 43321 and 43357. Though l may have clicked some of the stock, as I write, I've yet to check.

Next up was the West Thurrock to Oxwellmains cement. By some miracle could my last required Colas plug be on it, the simple answer was no, although it was damn close but still an unrequired 70803.
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I was now watching for potential winners of which there was more than enough of too. I knew one would materialise on the 10.23 to Hexham, where I'd bail at the Metrocentre for a move I'd been finding out about on Twitter throughout this week and to also meet s fellow crank, who was out for the same move.

Winner 158869 took me the short leap to the Metrocentre, where indeed my mate was waiting and a few others out for a photo of 67006 dragging 91119 over the Tyne Valley and off to Crewe, for tomorrows Open Day. No sooner had 158869 made it's way West, when 67006 and 91119 duly trundle through.
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A few minutes late, my mate n I hopped on winner, for me anyway 158791 for the short hop back
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Whilst here dud after dud HSTs and Blunts went South before the Lynemouth toTyne Dock biomass, snaked it's way past the keep and into Platform 2, of which I'm told is a bit of a rarity these days.So maybe 60095 offered me the chance to get(hopefully) a decent pic of it and hopefully get the iconic Castle Keep in the background too.
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Not long after my mate departed, I saw the chance to rope in another winner, this time in the form of 156487 up to Morpeth and back.
Passing Heaton, 66109 was parked up, with the Mossend to Tees intermodal, blocking a decent view of 37610 on a test train stabled within the roads of the depot. Right over the back are 2 802's, one in grey and one in TPE livery, at this point, im assuming they're 802201 and 202.
After a 10 minute layover at Morprth it was back to Toon on the same unit, taking a leaf out of 55013s book and transferring into the other coach.
Back into Toon, winners on LNER are still not materialising but 158845 is on the 12.41 Newcastle to Whitby, that'll do nicely thanks.
Winner 158845 is boarded and taken as far as Seaham, for a plus 12 back to Toon. A slow amble round to the Northbound platform kills a few minutes before super mega dud and all round HT stalker 156444, arrives, still I'd rather have 156444 than any bouncing bomb. Arriving back, I see theres another winner parked in platform 10, one of the south end bays at Central unfortunately its locked out for now but definitely one for later.
At long last LNER come up trumps, double winners too on the 13.59 to the Cross. 43318 will lead the charge whilst 43307 will be the cows tail, for the whizz down to Darlo.

Tyne Yard sees a trio of Azuma's stabled and fenced off at the bottom of the yard, good news is that 2 out of 3, 800106, 800107, 800112 are required for sight too.
( more to follow as the day goes by)
 
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47403

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#LSGsMissionDrive
(Continued)
On route to Darlington, the 6S31 Donnie -Millerhill ballast working, passed going the other way. Again it's another Colas plug, for the 3rd time this week its 70817.

I bail off at Darlo and notice my phones on fumes, so whatever's next back to Toon will be deemed the charger. 5 mins later, double duds take me back from whence I came, in the form of 43308 and 43367 and they kindly produce some much needed charge for my phone.

I'm now back at Newcastle and winners are non exsistent but I know there's 2 156s and a 158 i can still go for, plus a vast array of 185s I could probably jump aboard, of which I've currently totally ignored and with winners now getting thin on the ground, I've decided to spin back out on 43308 and 43367 back to Darlo, for a longer chance to charge the phone and to meet up with the next Northbound 185.

I need a fair few still for haulage but it's a 40-60 chance of a winner and 90% chance of it being a Sardinex. Winner blunts are certainly in hiding today. I wonder if I'll hit lucky with one today, it'll certainly be nice to at least rope 1 in. Don't hold your breath though folks.
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Having arrived back in Darlo, I'm met with 66531 on a Tees - Felixstowe interrmodal, then the wonderful news that the 185 I've went for, for a bit Diesel Dessie action has now been cancelled. However not long after the announcement of said Dessies demise, in rolled a winner blunt, hurrah!!! 91120 talk about saving the day.

After coming back I saw the winner 156 that had been locked out earlier, arrive into platform 5 with the 17.55 to Chathill, even with a shoe horn and a barrel of lard, I'd have never squeezed on that. Instead I watched a few more dud blunts go south and decided to go get some food. A couple of pasties later and a quick ciggy, it was time to start the hunt again.

Feeling slightly more human again, I wandered over to platform 5 to see what was on the Hexham-Nunthorpe, winner 158861 couldnt be ignored, so its off to Seaham for a +7 back to Toon, only to land on my stalker 156444 again on the way back. I don't know what mileage I've got on this but it's got to be over 400 miles now.

I'll openly admit I'm starting to flag a bit now and cant see many more moves in the pipeline. If it is it'll be a mini leap to the metrocentre and back. Think 8 winners could easily have been 10 and more if I'd taken more notice of the 185s and not totally blanked any potential winning voyagers(I have to draw the line somewhere). What's more surprising, is despite not having any gen, I'd managed to somehow avoid stumbling onto any of the bouncing bombs. Don't get me wrong, I was more than happy that I hadn't too but it also shows the shifting sands are swamping them. I think I only seen 5 maybe 6 out all day.

The Bashing was over, 2 required 156s had escaped me. 156472 and 156496 had either gone to bed at Heaton, I think 156472 had, that was the one that went up to Chathill, wedged out wasnt the word for it. I think 156496 must've escaped elsewhere when I was down at Darlo, using the HSTs 43367 and 43308 to get some much needed charge. Still there was time to see a few comings and goings before calling it a day. 60095 returned with another Biomass working from Lynemouth to Tyne Dock. The Northern Belle, came in from Chesterfield on its way to Glasgow Central, top n tailed by bodysnatchers 57601 and 57313. Talk about ruining a perfectly good 47', even worse in that dire livery too.
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Southbound and Northbound Intermodals between Mossend and Tees saw 66037 and 66109(Again!!!)respectively and inbetweeners both 66019 went through with the Dalziel to Tees steel empties.
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After that it was left to 802201 and 802202 coupled together on test, finished off the day.
Overall not the greatest day of regarding the number of winners but it was a very enjoyable day indeed. Still I came away thinking why has it took do long to do this before.
 
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ash39

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I've not finished reading yet, but just to say we were on the same train this morning briefly! 158869 was a winner for me as well...

I had the same idea as you but was a bit further down the line in Prudhoe.


67006 & 91119 Prudhoe 07/06/2019
by Flash 3939, on Flickr

EDIT - finished reading now. Great read, my mate and I have just spent 4 days in your neck of the woods doing much the same as you, seeing off the HST's & 91's. We've had some ridiculous 91 mileage this week... will get a report up soon.

We were saying the same thing about how interesting things have got recently with the new arrivals and reshuffling of existing units. Also surprised about the amount of freight we bumped into through Central, good variety of traction & load too!
 
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47403

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Jeez, small world Ash. Wish I'd known squire. I'm surprised you never went to Wylam and visited the Boathouse. Great pub and nice food, I'd certainly reccomend it to anyone who comes up to the North East only a minutes walk off the platform too.
 
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noddy1878

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Great read @47403 I don't get on here much these days, but I'm like you with my local now chucking out things I need. My newborn has put paid to pretty much anything at the moment though! I've not been on a train for over 6 weeks!
 

47403

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Great read @47403 I don't get on here much these days, but I'm like you with my local now chucking out things I need. My newborn has put paid to pretty much anything at the moment though! I've not been on a train for over 6 weeks!

Wow congratulations squire. That's a very good excuse for not getting out. Thanks for the kind words too.

Ash, you should've sent me a message on here and I'd have came and at least have a chat with you.
The recent unit transfers, have given the place a much needed lift, well in my opinion it has.
 

noddy1878

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Wow congratulations squire. That's a very good excuse for not getting out. Thanks for the kind words too.

Thanks! Wouldn't change it for the world but I have missed some good galas by the looks of it. Luckily I pretty much cleared all ex BR stock (especially the stuff in danger of being extinct!) before my abrupt halt to bashing.
 
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