How difficult is it to arrive or leave at all timetabled platforms. 5 year project to achieve this.

[All platforms]

Day

The track in the bay is very rusty, probably one of those things you might get 'lucky' with a late running SWR getting spun in the bay.

There is a lot of track around Clapham Junction with various connections and such, lot of it is freight or charter train only. You might get lucky with a random overnight Thameslink divert via Clapham if such things happen anymore

The Bay does occasionally get timetabled and i have seen them run from there on RTT after the event, but maybe only 4 or 5 times. Always something that competes!!

Haven't yet seen any Thameslink diverts via Clapham, but then again i haven't really been looking at that kind of thing as yet. Probably in a few months time as juicier targets are consumed meantime....

 

[Bald Rick]

Haven't yet seen any Thameslink diverts via Clapham

I’m reasonably sure they were only done when London Bridge was being rebuilt. The Thameslink Programme spent several million pounds with FCC / GTR on the driver training to get the drivers trained that way, but AIUI it will have lapsed by now unless anyone tells me different.

 

[All platforms]

Day 452: Thursday 13/03/2025 - Filton Abbey Wood to Newport (South Wales) - £12.30 - Anytime Return. Filton Abbey Wood to Bristol Temple Meads - £3.15 - Anytime Single. Filton Abbey Woods to Nailsea & Backwell - £6.15 - Anytime Return. Freedom of Severn & Solent 3 in 7 - £52.95 - Day 1 Valid after 9.00AM Weekdays. CP Filton Abbey Wood - free.
Total time today 524 mins - time on trains 310 mins and time waiting 214 mins. Stations completed today 3. Total completed 2218. Platforms completed at completed stations 5075.

"Day 3 of the Rover becomes Day 1"

Today was about picking up some odds and sods after Day 2 + 3 of the Rover was crafted, and due to other commitments, next weeks weekday visit was promoted to this week instead. For the second time in a row i was delayed on the M6, this time for over 50 minutes so my first move to Newport via Bristol Parkway had to be abandoned. Instead i picked up new track from P1 at Abbey Woods to the Fasts and then a new platform at Temple Meads as i latched on to my intended itinerary there on a trip to Yatton. My rover activated at Nailsea hence the ticketing to there. Yatton proclaims itself to be part of the Strawberry Line which was axed in the early sixties and was the western end of it i guess. A nice enough station with a fully manned ticket office andf some charm about the whole place. Station number 1 done today then.

Another new platform once back at Temple Meads (P5) but we arrived via the relief line (full length) so that was a nice win. Once the line to Portishead is restored i am sure that P3 at Parson street will be in use once more. Next up was a trip to Newport where we ticked the other other crossovers before Filton Abbey Wood to call at P2, and after a few minutes wait to allow a freight to pass. i did wonder whether they may use P4 at Filton instead but once you see the ramps there it is more easily understand replatforming is more of a bigger deal there than some places. I was glad of course, and as we had to get back on to the Up Bristol i scored a rarish crossover to do so. Happy days after a ropy start.

Next up was a trek all the way to Westbury and then the stopper to Salisbury as i was having another go at Dilton Marsh. This time all went well and the 6 minutes between services was just enough to take pics, go down the ramp, under the bridge, and up the other ramp and catch my breath. Short platforms with front door opening only. A least used station and a request stop to boot although probably the busiest i have seen with 6 alighting and 6 boarding on the two services i was on.

The line from Castle Cary to Yeovil was shut this week so the SW services were turning at Castle Cary and i jumped on one of these and alighted at CC to await a P1 return service. Time enough to revisit the delightful dairy/cafe/restaurant there too. Not much people watching action happening today so it was fairly functional this time. A nose in my book once back at Westbury before taking a turn to Salisbury which i needed to get me a P3 arrival from there. I didn't need the platform but i did need the crossover to gain it and i think i just have the avoiding lines to do and one more crossover to complete Westbury. I stayed on as i would be going all the way to Temple Meads before alighting at Abbey Wood before returning home. This was supposed to be clear up day so lets hope the main event for this Rover works just fine this weekend.

Filton Abbey Wood	Depart	8.20​	*****	GW			stations	platforms
Bristol Temple Meads	Arrive	8.29​	P7	GW	wait 29m		completed	completed
Bristol Temple Meads	Depart	8.55​	P8	GW
Yatton	Arrive	9.11​	P1	GW	wait 13m
Yatton	Depart	9.24​	P2	GW			1​	2​
Bristol Temple Meads	Arrive	9.43​	P5	GW	wait 19m
Bristol Temple Meads	Depart	10.02​	P5	GW
Newport (South Wales)	Arrive	10.36​	P2	GW	wait 8m
Newport (South Wales)	Depart	10.44​	P3	GW
Westbury	Arrive	12.08​	P2	GW	wait 20m
Westbury	Depart	12.28​	P2	GW
Dilton Marsh	Arrive	12.31​	P2	GW	wait 6m
Dilton Marsh	Depart	12.37​	P1	GW			1​	2​
Westbury	Arrive	12.40​	P2	GW	wait 43m
Westbury	Depart	13.23​	P2	SW
Castle Cary	Arrive	13.52​	P3	SW	wait 40m
Castle Cary	Depart	14.32​	P1	GW			1​	3​
Westbury	Arrive	14.50​	P3	GW	wait 22m
Westbury	Depart	15.02​	P2	GW
Salisbury	Arrive	15.30​	P2	GW	wait 14m
Salisbury	Depart	15.44​	P4	GW
Filton Abbey Wood	Arrive	17.04​	*****	GW

 

[Western Sunset]

I trust you put your arm out at Dilton Marsh...

 

[All platforms]

I trust you put your arm out at Dilton Marsh...

That pic looks familiar!! There are 5 people there so plenty of arms to go around. I found it a busy request stop, one of the few that might not need that status perhaps, and i was kinda surprised that no one else stuck their arm out on my own brief visit. Perhaps the locals know something i don't. At least the driver gets a good view of the platform upon arrival.

I will be having a bash at the Cornwall request stops before Easter, so before it gets eye wateringly expensive to stay over, which will just leave the Devon contingent and about 3 or 4 in Scotland to do, oh and one in England i am saving for now.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

I have just checked and the 2 crossovers from p14 at CJ to the Up Brighton Fast do have 2 upcoming opportunities available. 1 05/04/2025 c.0502 (Clapham Junction P14 to Victoria) and 12/04/2025 c23.01 (Epsom Downs to Victoria) if you have an appetite for such things.

There are also quite a few opportunities to do one of those crossovers in the down direction and also the attendant crossover from Down Brighton fast to P15. Many dozens in fact on various dates, but weekends (Sundays) 06/04/2025 04/05/2025 + 01/06/2025 seem to have the most prolific opportunities.

I have yet to do these myself but the majority of the others that are available i think i have. My comment about PSUL was more about the lines that are not used such as the lines from Latchmere No1 Jn to the Longhedge Junctions, Latchmere No3 Junction to Clapham West Junction. Others include Longhedge A to Victoria and the shorter section of track between Longhedge B+C and Pouparts. Not sure if the Waterloo curves are used at all but these could also be included in the list.

I will certainly be back at Clapham at some stage, but neither of the April dates are free on my calendar unfortunately to do these in the short term.

Thanks.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

I’m reasonably sure they were only done when London Bridge was being rebuilt. The Thameslink Programme spent several million pounds with FCC / GTR on the driver training to get the drivers trained that way, but AIUI it will have lapsed by now unless anyone tells me different.

I have been hoping for the west to North curve at Loughborough Jct, but suspect it will be very rare if never now. I’m trying to think of what combination of engineering work would leave it as the only option to get to the core, and noth8ng comes to mind

 

[Kite159]

I have been hoping for the west to North curve at Loughborough Jct, but suspect it will be very rare if never now. I’m trying to think of what combination of engineering work would leave it as the only option to get to the core, and noth8ng comes to mind

There is meant to be a UK Railtour on the
28th June (The Bakers Dozen – Rebaked) which will likely do that curve (both ways) as it goes round visiting London terminals.

 

[All platforms]

Day 453: Saturday 15/03/2025 - Oxfordshire Day Ranger - £14.65 - Valid all day at Weekends. Thames Branches Day Ranger - £18.30 - Valid all day at Weekends. Freedom of Severn & Solent 3 in 7 Day 2 - 0.00 - Valid all day at Weekends. Oxford to Swindon - £10.35 - Off-peak Return. Reading to Wokingham - £2.90 - Evening Out Return. Swindon to Didcot Parkway - £11.50 - Off-peak Return. CP Julians CP Didcot - £3.50
Total time today a whopping 1118 mins - time on trains 485 mins and time waiting 633 mins. Stations completed today 6. Total completed 2224. Platforms completed at completed stations 5090.

"Late night shenanigans at Didcot worked out - after an anxious wait"

Day 2 then of my Oxfordshire/Bristol adventures, but planned as Day 1, and i am all over the shop with this one as i finally get around to completing platforms and stations again, but also keeping the bar high for track at the same time. An absolutely cracking day for all aspects of my wants. Made it down to Didcot on time and my first efforts were directed at Appleford and Culham, albeit it was still freezing upon arrival. Oh well...

Appleford was first up and this is the station that receives the least love/stops of the 3 stations up to Oxford. No step free access here and a very narrow road bridge to traverse to switch platforms so not ideal and not really anywhere to go for an explore either. Just tough it out on the platform then and very glad to board back to Didcot almost 35 mins later. At least the train was warm and i just waited on board for the next Oxford service, this time alighting at Culham. What an intersting place. A very cute old station house with a design i don't recall seeing elsewhere on the network. Its now a design/printer business i think but cute as a button. There is a pub close by which seems to have lost its way a bit, and i was tempted to go and see if it really was open for breakfast as advertised. Its a lost backwater here with the bypass and a few off things to observe. Firstly a collection of cars seemingly for sale - about 7 or 8 but the kind of vehicle no-one would ever buy surely.... lost cause cars was my initial impression. Situated on a road off a road and away from any through traffic to boot. The original platform with the station house on it slopes down to rail level but then continues up another ramp to another platform which is what calling services use. No sign of the pyramids of death seen everywhere else on the network to deter folk wandering down to track level. None at Appleford either come to think of it. No one alighted or boarded at either station apart from me at either station. Oh and what about the motley array of caravans on the other side of the tracks. All different and none of them a recent design. They all had a car attached so thiese are folks full time homes i'm guessing. Very X files stuff going on at Culham - as odd as anything i have encountered.

Back in normal land aka Didcot it was time to get myself to Paddington but i saw i could get ahead of myself a little bit to blunt a tiight turnaround in an hour or so, so i boarded an earlier train. I still need P12 at Paddington but for some reason it never seems to be used near times when i need to be there for other things and this was again the case today. Not a difficult platform in itself but just used less i guess than others.

Time for some trackwork on the return and this would be the crossovers at Dolphin Junction from Main to Relief on my way back to Didcot. This was just about the same time as the broken rail was spotted which caused quite a bit of chaos later, but i was on one of the early affected services. We stopped for what seemed like ages after Twyford and then eventually crossed back onto the Down Main and used P7 at Reading and the Festival line to regain the original planned use. Nothing new unfortunately but i did forget to mention a snippet of track at Didcot that has eluded me. My 2 services towards Oxford earlier each left from P4 and so nothing big in itself.

Still back in time to get myself up to Oxford for one of the big targets of the day which would be the relatively new service that uses the avoiding West Curves at Didcot between Oxford and Bristol Temple Meads. I was quite surprised to see how busy it was to be honest and the majority of seats were taken i would say with the exception being first class and coach A at either end of this 5 car. Very cautious through the curves and attendant crossovers but it was great to get this under my belt and one of my original big wants. I would be getting the return from Bath Spa a few hours later but in the meantime i would be tackling 2 of the stations either side of there.

Crikey Bath is a busy station, to the point that every time you stop there you can expect the carriage to fill entirely and probably the smallest station i have seen where you can expect that to happen. A trip to Freshford was next. A station that receives a decent service, but i still had to wait over 40 mins. Still not warm enough to go too far off station unfortunately so again i just sat it out, and also because of the long day i knew this would be. After Oldfield Park it was the turn of freshford. A lovely haven this one, with an awkward car Park that had me people watching the antics of folk who really shouldn't be let loose with a car judging by the inability to turn in a relatively confined and awkwardly shaped space. Full marks to the transit sized van who made a mockery of the antics of much smaller vehicles. I really like Freshford and i bet it is a wonderful spot in the summer. Popular with walkers even at this time of the year and a good collection of folk boarded the hourly service towards Bristol. I was catching my return to Oxford to complete the West curve at Didcot and on a pretty full service upon leaving Bath Spa. Not quite so many alighted at Oxford where i blotted my copybook by boarding a Northbound service to Banbury instead of a Southbound service. Stiull not quite sure how but we left immediately so no chance to redeem.

It would mean i couldn't get back in time to do Cholsey but with a Goring & Streatley fasts opportunity not far away i can have a bash at that then. I still needed P1 at Didcot but with services to Swindon at too high a cost level for comfort i decided to kill time by doing this via Reading, and you never know with Reading as platform alterations are a common thing and i might get lucky. Actually i would, but not until the return from Didcot so to speak with an unexpected arrival into P10a later on. Happy days.

The real reason i was returning to Reading at this time was an opportunity to do the Down Reading Spur, but first i had to get myself to Wokingham which i duly did. No respite there as the waiting room had just closed, but it was all worth it as my required service pitched up and we alighted less than 15 mins later at P7b after the required piece of track gave up its bounty. Another bonus with a P8b departure back to Didcot and a relocation to Swindon where i would be staying overnight.

After checking in and declining to pay the £14 CP fee there (i used the long stay one close by which had an overnight fee of £2.40) it was a walk down the pedestrianised area and right at the bottom to get to the station. I was a bit earlier than anticipated so availed myself of an opportunity to get an early nightcap just as the tinnitus inducing noise started up from a local punk band there. A very quick downing of liquid later i spent the rest of the time in the waiting room which was still open thank goodness. I was off to Didcot to get the return which promised to use the Down relief line from P4 to do so. There was quite a lot of orange at Swindon but less so at Didcot although i did see the line block in place at the country end of P3 there. For some reason my P4 return to Swindon just kept getting delayed more and more and it was 35 mins late before it eventually rolled in. Happy it did arrive as we duly did the P4 and crossover onto the relief line before crossing over again twice more onto the Down Line. This was another big win as this normally never gets timetabled and so worth the wait if in the area... which i was. The downside was that it was gone 2am before i regained my room and wound down enough to get some sleep. I would need to clear the CP in the morning before 6am to avoid a full days charge so i just had to tough that out as well with a 5.30 alarm. Who said this was an easy gig?

Didcot Parkway	Depart	6.39​	*****	GW			completed	completed
Appleford	Arrive	6.43​	P2	GW	wait 34m
Appleford	Depart	7.17​	P1	GW			1​	2​
Didcot Parkway	Arrive	7.22​	P4	GW	wait 12m
Didcot Parkway	Depart	7.34​	P4	GW
Culham	Arrive	7.40​	P1	GW	wait 35m
Culham	Depart	8.15​	P2	GW			1​	2​
Didcot Parkway	Arrive	8.20​	P4	GW	wait 8m
Didcot Parkway	Depart	8.28​	P2	GW
London Paddington	Arrive	9.06​	P4	GW	wait 32m
London Paddington	Depart	9.38​	P8	GW
Didcot Parkway	Arrive	10.53​	P5	GW	wait 40m
Didcot Parkway	Depart	11.33​	P4	GW
Oxford	Arrive	11.51​	P4	GW	wait 11m
Oxford	Depart	12.02​	P4	GW
Bath Spa	Arrive	12.57​	P1	GW	wait 15m
Bath Spa	Depart	13.12​	P1	GW
Oldfield Park	Arrive	13.15​	P1	GW	wait 42m
Oldfield Park	Depart	13.57​	P2	GW			1​	2​
Freshford	Arrive	14.10​	P2	GW	wait 48m
Freshford	Depart	14.58​	P1	GW			1​	2​
Bath Spa	Arrive	15.19​	P1	GW	wait 13m
Bath Spa	Depart	15.32​	P2	GW			1​	2​
Oxford	Arrive	16.31​	P4	GW	wait 24m
Oxford	Depart	16.55​	P4	GW
Banbury	Arrive	17.23​	P4	GW	wait 11m
Banbury	Depart	17.34​	P4	GW
Didcot Parkway	Arrive	18.20​	P4	GW	wait 22m
Didcot Parkway	Depart	18.42​	P2	GW
Reading	Arrive	18.54​	P11	GW	wait 9m
Reading	Depart	19.03​	P9	GW
Didcot Parkway	Arrive	19.17​	P1	GW	wait 6m		1​	5​
Didcot Parkway	Depart	19.23​	P4	GW
Reading	Arrive	19.35​	P10a	GW	wait 19m
Reading	Depart	19.54​	P5	GW
Wokingham	Arrive	20.02​	P1	GW	wait 44m
Wokingham	Depart	20.46​	P2	GW
Reading	Arrive	21.00​	P7b	GW	wait 22m
Reading	Depart	21.22​	P8b	GW
Didcot Parkway	Arrive	21.37​	*****	GW	drive +
Relocate to	*****	*****	*****	*****	wait 117m
Swindon	Depart	23.34​	*****	GW
Didcot Parkway	Arrive	23.48​	P2	GW	wait 69m
Didcot Parkway	Depart	0.57​	P4	GW
Swindon	Arrive	1.17​	*****	GW

 

[Siemens Staines]

You did well to go to Bath Spa at the time that you did, because that coincided with Didcot to Reading being closed for over two hours and several more hours of consequential disruption.

 

[All platforms]

Day 454: Sunday 16/03/2025 - Freedom of Severn & Solent Rover 3 in 7 Day 3 of 3 - £0.00 - Valid all day at Weekends. CP Union Street Chippenham - free.
Total time today 554 mins - time on trains 269 mins and time waiting 285 mins. Stations completed today 4. Total completed 2228. Platforms completed at completed stations 5104.

"Busy trains all day - who knew about the Bath marathon?"

It was an early start but i had about 90 mins to wait at Chippenham so got my head down for some of that to play catch up upon arrival. I would be catching the first service towards Swindon but it was quite a busy platform by the time the GW set arrived. far too many people in short given it was still below freezing, although it was an hour or so later before i knew that today was marathon day. I only had a 6 mins turnaround at Swindon and with the board threatening delays due to overunning engineering works i was getting rather nervous as this could wipe out a chunk of juicy targets. Thankfully only 2 mins down on departure and the delay worries proved unfounded. Just enough time to alight at P3 for a station complete, take a few pics and stroll across to P1 where i would board the Bristol starter. 2 crossovers i needed then on departure to gain the main line was a great start only marred by how busy the service got as we departed Chippenham. The entire train it seems disgorged at Bath and there was quite the scrum to exit the station via the stairs. A trip to Warrens Bakery score me a few breakfast items and i even wandered outside for 10 mins to admire the view.

Back up the line 20 mins later to Swindon and another visit to P3. And then another departyure from there and another crossover and a short part of the through line before gaining the down line once more. Apart from a little link of track to the East of P3 my work here is almost done. If the departure box says U it isn't what i want. I presume i want the one that says R but more work needed to gauge how common this might be. Next up an alighting at Bristol Parkway to wait for a Filton Abbey Wood service stopping in P1 to complete the station and then back to Parkway and another completeion with a P1 departure going into Paddington. A bonus crossover also oin departure. Things are going well. Can this continue?

Yes is the answer as after turning at Swindon once more i arrive back in P4 at Parkway for the platform line from the East and the crossover to get me there. It is going too well and i am getting nervous. I hadn't relaised but my next 2 trips would be courtesy of Cross Country. Full, shabby and grubby as seems to be the case with an inadequate number of coaches for the return. I was turning at Tiverton Parkway (a weekend of Parkways on reflection) as i need quite a bit of track south of Taunton and i have to start somewhere. 2 guys sat behind me were talking about life in the Military with one of them going to Lympstone Commando - i hope he knew it was a reqest stop. Replacement bus services today at Tiverton and Plymouth we kept getting advised. Not a fan of XC as i have said a few times before but the 4 car that turned up was wholly inadequate and whilst i think everyone managed to scramble aboard it was full aisle standing all the way back to Bristol where i just about squeezed off without treading on too many toes. The final win of the day was a P12 departure after the arrival into P8 for track. The Tiverton services were Weston-super-mare avoiders so track here also down toward Taunton.

All in all one of most successful weekends on record with so much accomplished. The rest of the Bristol area holds no terrors with the track to the South of Weston an unknown thing as is P3 and P4 at Taunton. Another Severn & Solent looks likely before too long with Pilning also in my sights finally, for a board and alight combo - on a Saturday of course. Probably missed a few morsels in the telling too......

Got a busy week ahead that is non rail related for once but i have put together an expensiveish day out next Sunday to tackle some of the missing track/crossovers that abounds between Bletchley and Euston.

							stations	platforms
Chippenham	Depart	8.12​	*****	GW			completed	completed
Swindon	Arrive	8.24​	P3	GW	wait 8m		1​	4​
Swindon	Depart	8.32​	P1	GW
Bath Spa	Arrive	8.59​	P1	GW	wait 23m
Bath Spa	Depart	9.22​	P2	GW
Swindon	Arrive	9.47​	P3	GW	wait 48m
Swindon	Depart	10.35​	P3	GW
Bristol Parkway	Arrive	10.57​	P2	GW	wait 15m
Bristol Parkway	Depart	11.12​	P2	GW
Filton Abbey Wood	Arrive	11.15​	P1	GW	wait 31m		1​	4​
Filton Abbey Wood	Depart	11.46​	P2	GW
Bristol Parkway	Arrive	11.48​	P3	GW	wait 32m
Bristol Parkway	Depart	12.20​	P1	GW			1​	4​
Swindon	Arrive	12.43​	P1	GW	wait 32m
Swindon	Depart	13.15​	P4	GW
Bristol Parkway	Arrive	13.38​	P4	GW	wait 50m
Bristol Parkway	Depart	14.28​	P2	XC
Tiverton Parkway	Arrive	15.29​	P1	XC	wait 13m
Tiverton Parkway	Depart	15.42​	P2	XC			1​	2​
Bristol Temple Meads	Arrive	16.27​	P8	XC	wait 33m
Bristol Temple Meads	Depart	17.00​	P12	GW
Chippenham	Arrive	17.26​	*****	GW

 

[All platforms]

You did well to go to Bath Spa at the time that you did, because that coincided with Didcot to Reading being closed for over two hours and several more hours of consequential disruption.

Yeah i did notice that but not until after the event. My turn to get lucky i guess - it doesn't seem to happen that often in my world but the weekend was all smiles for once

 

[Western Sunset]

Freshford is a lovely spot and, as you say, well-liked by walkers. I managed to successfully circumnavigate the (small) station car park. The approach roads to the village are all quite narrow though.

 

[Kite159]

A busy couple of days there

 

[All platforms]

Day 455: Sunday 23/03/2025 - Bletchley to London Euston - £15.45 - Off-peak Return. London Euston to Milton keynes Central - £12.55 - Super Off-peak Return Avanti Only. London Euston to Milton Keynes Central - £17.15 - Off-peak Return. Milton Keynes Central to Rugby - £11.45 - Off-peak Return. CP Albert Street South CP Bletchley - free.
Total time today 581 mins - time on trains 386 mins and time waiting 195 mins. No stations completed today but i did add 1 new platform to my Euston tally.

"Decoding Euston - again"

I think Euston takes the "lets change all the preplanned pathing and platforms with no prior notice" award. On nearly all my visits there have been a plethora of these changes, which makes it so much more difficult when targetting bits of track here, and there was no let up today either. Near £60 down for just 3 out and backs is poorish value in my book the first of which was Bletchley to Euston. I chose Bletchley because it has a free car park handily placed for the station, and also it would not be too onerous to get there and back from. Yes we landed in P1 not P11 as booked but no track lost thankfully. That couldn't be said about the trip up to Rugby which promised 2 crossovers at Watford South Junction. However the engineering works seemed to have overrun so the fasts were employed for my first 2 journeys. I did score a new platform in departing Euston (P7) and also a new crossover so not all was lost.

Split ticketing is always wise when going to Rugby as long as your Services also call at MKC of course and i got a cheap Avanti deal for my outward. A P4 arrival did score a new crossover and track into P4 of course which had eluded me on many previous visits. Perhaps all was going a bit better as we did finally do the inward vewrsion of the crossovers at Watford South Junction on the return journey after a pretty long wait. These are not normally timetabled so it was relief to get these in the book. However the platform alteration for this return from Rugby cost me more bits and bobs. Very hit and miss and this continued as my next planned run was cencelled, and from a needed platform too. I plumped for a stopper which meant we did the other set of crossovers at Watford South and the changed routing did get me a couple of extra (and unexpected) bits as we left from P11 again. In fact it was the same set i used to get to Euston.

It was already past 1.30pm on arrival at MKC, and with a delayed full and standing return as an unwelcome prospect i switched to another Avanti, and glad i did as we rolled into P7 via another unexpected (but needed) routing. Sheesh. The last roll of the dice was to wait for another stopper as i was starting to think i was sussing out what routings were being used, only to be floored by another unexpected win as we did another unexpected departure route. In the end quite a successful day.

After a shaky start and some proactive on the fly changes to the itinerary it turned out ok but there will be quite a few more days like this before i am anywhere near finished here. All the Euston bits plus crossovers galore all the way up to Northampton and Rugby, and its this kind of thing that will keep me occupied well into a 6th year. Granted its my own fault with the finest of gricing being done now, but i am still confident i can get my needed platforms down to just the super awkward ones by the end of the year. Talking of which i am off to Cornwall tomorrow for three days, which hopefully should tick off almost everything that's available right now. However anything can happen so lets see. It is high time i returned to platform bashing so i am so glad i arranged this for this week as next week is out of the picture due to birthday holiday breaks. Next planned day out after Cornwall is a cheeky more local one on April 5th.

Bletchley	Depart	6.44​	*****	LM			stations	platforms
London Euston	Arrive	7.44​	P1	LM	wait 34m		completed	completed
London Euston	Depart	8.18​	P7	VT
Rugby	Arrive	9.37​	P4	VT	wait 70m
Rugby	Depart	10.47​	P6	LM
London Euston	Arrive	12.27​	P11	LM	wait 22m
London Euston	Depart	12.49​	P11	LM
Milton Keynes Central	Arrive	13.34​	P3	LM	wait 21m
Milton Keynes Central	Depart	13.55​	P4	VT
London Euston	Arrive	14.30​	P7	VT	wait 48m
London Euston	Depart	15.18​	P8	LM
Bletchley	Arrive	16.25​	*****	LM

 

[Kite159]

All the WCML based trackwork

 

[All platforms]

Tuesday 25/03/2025 - Cornwall Day Ranger - £11.30 - Valid after 9.00am Weekdays. CP St Erth - £4.00 and Harbour CP Penzance - free.
Total time today 761 mins. Time on trains 361 mins and time waiting 400 mins. Stations completed today 9. Total completed 2237. Platforms completed at completed stations 5119. 86.47% stations completed.

"Dear Mum + Dad - Having a wonderful time here in Cornwall"

Today was something i have been looking forward to ever since this project was but a twinkle in my eye, and something i would probably have done eventually even if i hadn't embarked on it in such the comprehensive way that i have. I have very fond memories of holidaying in Cornwall in my formative years, and i really should have made more of an effort to return more than i have in the intervening years. Whilst i didn't know the railway infrastructure back then there are certain memories that are still there. Stuck at the crossing in Wadebridge to allow trains in steam to pass through on the line to Padstow - yes i am that old apprently... and travelling on my own in a compartment from Manchester to Bodmin Parkway at age 12. I have very much enjoyed crafting a 3 day itinerary to cover all track and platforms currently available and i (very) nearly succeeded with all of that. Some squeaky moments though.

So, i had to be at St Erth just before 11am to take a trip up to Camborne before immediately returning to land at Penzance on one of the hourly services from Paddington that usually berths in P1. I allowed more time than perhaps i should have and i was through Bristol a good 90 minutes ahead of where i needed to be. In retrospect this sounds odd but i decided to kill some time by visiting all the services to see which ones i should avoid on any of my Devon trips i would need to make. The answer is almost all of them i have to report. Your mileage may differ from mine in what i look for compared to others but i particularly thought Bridgwater was just plain odd.

I still arrived in more than good time so i decided to get an earlier service than planned as the turnaround was only 10 mins, and well... you never know what can arise so i spent an extra 30 mins at Camborne instead. Well.. a bit more than that as the Penzance service was delayed, which in turn put my intended service out of Penzance in jeopardy. Squeaked it by 30 seconds or so and the forward planning to be at the front of the train paid off handsomly. I would have more time at Penzance later to have a mooch around so just concentrated on getting my next steed which was Plymouth bound. I alighted at Hayle just 10 mins later and was greeted by a rather overweight gentleman who had a sock/shoe combo removed and was doing something important (to him) to the foot that was getting the fresh air. I am so glad i wasn't duty bound to offer any comfort and so went and inspected the other platform after deciding there wasn't much in the vicinity worthy of the effort to get there and back.

Moving swiftly on..... and an early return to Penzance where this time i had a positively easy 3 mins turnaround by comparison with earlier, before relaxing as we made our way up to Bodmin Parkway on one of 3 HST Castle Sets i would see over the next few days. There may be others but this is what i came across. Not many trips left on these i hear but staff training on the new 175's may delay the eventual withdrawals according to a train manager btw. I had 3 trips on these sets over the next few days and loved every second of them. I am lucky i will get a few more trips on these with the Scotrail sets as i have some unfinished business up to Aberdeen in particular. P3 and then P2 ticked at Penzance then - so far so good.

Bodmin Parkway is my last but one Parkway station i believe and one of the few current stations in Cornwall i know reasonably well. Apart from Hayle, all stations up to Liskeard are manned and these all have the welcome addition of toilet facilities whilst manned. I did see quite a lot of upgrade work in progress at a good few of these including a new footbridge and lifts at St Erth, with the waiting shelter at Hayle also getting new proper seating it looked like. Not much heritage action at Bodmin as it was a closed day and i missed the bubble car on the Wednesday because of timings.

After some reminiscing at Bodmin it was back one stop to Lostwithiel which i now remember is the other unmanned mainline station up to Liskeard, and quite a cute station it was. I do enjoy these quieter mainline stattions even though it does get 2 services each way an hour for most of the day. Last station before whisking my way back to St Erth was St Germans which is not far from the Tamar and the border with Devon. Surprisingly busy when i visited too. Time to take a few pics at St Erth before getting back into the car for the short hop to the hotel for the next few days. Such an expensive part of the world to stay in, but for some reason the Travelodge at Hayle was the exception and i got myself a semi reasonable deal there. Time to check-in before heading off to Penzance for the rest of the evening.

The Harbour Car Park is free after 6pm so that is where i aimed my jalopy and had a quick mooch before boarding my service to Redruth. Yes it was dark by the time i arrived and i don't remember much about it to be honest. It was another tick however anbd a near half hour wait before i would be returning to Penzance which was scheduled to land in P4. The only GW service that does apart from some early starters so it would have worked out just fine... but it landed in P3 instead. Bother, P4 is an awkward so and so under my rules and this was the only realistic time to do it. The XC service from Edinburgh was placed in P4 instead some 10 mins later. I would have to have a think about this....

Apart from the Cornish Riviera service the last train out of Penzance is the 21.00 to Plymouth, but alighting at St Erth this enabled me to have a couple of trips on the St Ives services which still shuttled back and forth till 10.45ish. I have done this Branch Line a few times over the years as parking in St Ives is a no no, and it is a very short run with little distance between stations. I was turning firstly at Carbis Bay and then the request stop of Lelant. Not all services are scheduled there so i had time to trek up to the Badgers Inn at Lelant (a steep hill to get there) and a pint was obtained just as the Pub Quiz was finishing. It was full and a didn't notice i had paid £7 for an extremely average version of Moretti until much later. Probably the most i have ever paid for a pint. I was glad to return to the short platform (SDO in force) and wait it out there.

Time to tick off St Ives too before returning to Penzance and thus using 2 crossovers to first arrive in p2 and then crossover to the down upon leaving P2. There is not much in the way of awkward or unusual in Cornwall so this was an important one to do for me and why i had such a long day after my 3.30am start. Now what am i going to do about P4 at Penzance though? I would wrestle with that in the morning.

St Erth	Depart	10.30​	*****	GW			stations	platforms
Camborne	Arrive	10.40​	P2	GW	wait 47m		completed	completed
Camborne	Depart	11.27​	P1	GW			1​	2​
Penzance	Arrive	11.48​	P1	GW	wait 2m
Penzance	Depart	11.50​	P3	GW
Hayle	Arrive	12.01​	P2	GW	wait 33m
Hayle	Depart	12.34​	P1	GW			1​	2​
Penzance	Arrive	12.46​	P3	GW	wait 3m
Penzance	Depart	12.49​	P2	GW
Bodmin Parkway	Arrive	14.04​	P2	GW	wait 22m
Bodmin Parkway	Depart	14.26​	P1	GW			1​	2​
Lostwithiel	Arrive	14.31​	P2	GW	wait 29m
Lostwithiel	Depart	15.00​	P1	GW			1​	2​
St Germans	Arrive	15.27​	P2	GW	wait 38m
St Germans	Depart	16.05​	P1	GW			1​	2​
St Erth	Arrive	17.34​	*****	GW	drive +
Relocate to	*****	*****	*****	*****	wait 100m
Penzance	Depart	19.14​	*****	GW
Redruth	Arrive	19.43​	P2	GW	wait 27m
Redruth	Depart	20.10​	P1	GW			1​	2​
Penzance	Arrive	20.39​	P3	GW	wait 20m
Penzance	Depart	20.59​	P3	GW
St Erth	Arrive	21.07​	P2	GW	wait 12m
St Erth	Depart	21.19​	P3	GW
Carbis Bay	Arrive	21.26​	Single	GW	wait 15m
Carbis Bay	Depart	21.41​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Lelant	Arrive	21.46​	Single	GW	wait 47m
Lelant	Depart	22.33​	Single	GW			1​	1​
St Ives	Arrive	22.42​	Single	GW	wait 5m
St Ives	Depart	22.47​	Single	GW			1​	1​
St Erth	Arrive	23.11​	*****	GW

 

[All platforms]

Day 457: Wednesday 26/03/2025 - St Erth to Lelant Saltings - £1.35 - Anytime Return. Cornwall Day Ranger - £11.30 - valid after 9.00am Weekdays. CP St Erth - £4.00.
Total time today 799 mins - time on trains 377 mins and time waiting 422 mins. Stations completed today 14. Total completed 2251. Platforms completed at completed stations 5143. 87.1% of all stations now completed.

"Trips to Falmouth and Newquay"

The one awkward station on my trip is Lelant Saltings. It only receives 2 services in the morning and another 2 late afternoon and is curiously not a request stop, whilst Lelant itself generally gets an hourly/2 hourly service each way and is a request stop. The downside is an 80 minute wait, but with the wonderful views this is no penance, although the waiting shelter is situated off platform in the old park & ride Car Park. This was in use before St Erth was transformed into the new park & ride hub with new just about everything in evidence. Very busy it was too. I did enjoy the early morning sun and utter peace at the Saltings with nothing moving apart from the noisy 150 plying its trade every now and again. A great start then and i had time to ponder the P4 Penzance conundrum. I could only do this by trying again this evening, but if i could board the XC service that landed in P4 last night at Truro, either this or the 21.00 back to St Erth would have to use it given the other platforms were in use at that time. However this would be at the expense of St Austell which i planned to visit at that time too. Better that than leaving P4 to do.

Now it was time to do the branch line to Falmouth Docks so a trip to Truro was necessay, and so P3 and then P1 were utilised there. The branch line was very popular, probably because there was a Uni base at Penryn thinking about it, but my first stop would be Falmouth Town. Its a long walk down the ramp to get to the town itself, but sadly i didn't have the time to do so as my schedule today is a packed one. Back up the ramp then for the return service although i would be alighting at the curious station known as Penryn. A single line which has 2 platforms as the down train uses a loop to pass the up train which sits in P2 as it does so. It crosses back to the single line and onto the P1 platform with quite the gap between the 2. A similar idea to what can be seen at Cambridge and Gloucester, but on a branch line! Luckily the up train arrives a few minutes before the down so i had time to stroll from P2 to P1 before boarding the looped train - this time to Falmouth Docks.

I did have time here to go exploring but its a bit out on a limb from the town so i should have used the extra time at Falmouth Town in retrospect. Penmere is another oddity in that the signage on arrival says Penmere Platform. I have seen a few stations with Halt in the title but not Platform, although officially this has been removed now. The old signage persists though. I now realise i visited Penmere first and then Penryn but i am not going to rewrite it! Another quick trip to the Docks before returning on another busy service to Truro for more P1 and then P3 action. Next stop would be Par, which will have a few more track possibilities later in the year.

Time for my first ever visit to the line going to Newquay, and which had only reopened at the beginning of the week after a months closure to put a loop in between Roche and St Columb. I had read about this months earlier as i think the idea is to have an extra service between Falmouth Docks and Newquay (and so using the connecting track at the western end of the loop platform at Par). I get ahead of myself but there is also a P2 at Newquay almost ready to go to facilitate extra trains such as the summer services from London. Hourly rather than 2 hourly as it is now for local services, but i understand the new signalling needs some more work, and a tentative date of September was the consensus after engaging with the onboard crew as they checked tickets. the London services will utilise track at the eastern end of P3 at Par so all these changes will be a good reason to return at the end of summer.

St Columb Road was my first stop and plenty of time to wander into the village and source some supplies from the Co-op there. Bugle was next and quite a lot of newish housing in evidence there before heading to Newquay for an all too brief visit. I will definitely be spending more time here when i return later this year. Par was completed on departure from P1 going to St Austell as i had realised i could squeeze this in by not taking my intended hour break at Truro. So St Austell it was before returning to Par to await the Truro service to complete this station, and then await the Docks shuttle once more. I had one more station to do on the line which was Perranwell and this enabled me to get the return which was actually going to Par, and so extra track was ticked as we arrived in P2 not P3 as normal. I was very glad to work out i could fit St Austell in as well as the rare track. The bonus was that it was only a short wait for the long distance XC service - which was on time by the way for the trip back to Penzance. We did arrive in P3 as scheduled today but my service back to St Erth was sitting in P4 as predicted so i got to tick Penzance after all. The second time i was on the last outward service and alighting at St Erth. Back to the hotel and a very quick nightcap before bed as a repositioning in the early morning awaited.

St Erth	Depart	7.50​	*****	GW			stations	platforms
Lelant Saltings	Arrive	7.52​	Single	GW	wait 81m		completed	completed
Lelant Saltings	Depart	9.13​	Single	GW			1​	1​
St Erth	Arrive	9.15​	P3	GW	wait 12m
St Erth	Depart	9.27​	P1	GW			1​	3​
Penzance	Arrive	9.35​	P2	GW	wait 15m
Penzance	Depart	9.50​	P3	GW
Truro	Arrive	10.31​	P3	GW	wait 14m
Truro	Depart	10.45​	P1	GW
Falmouth Town	Arrive	11.05​	Single	GW	wait 12m
Falmouth Town	Depart	11.17​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Penmere	Arrive	11.20​	Single	GW	wait 12m
Penmere	Depart	11.32​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Falmouth Docks	Arrive	11.37​	Single	GW	wait 7m
Falmouth Docks	Depart	11.44​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Penryn	Arrive	11.53​	P2	GW	wait 5m
Penryn	Depart	11.58​	P1	GW			1​	1​
Falmouth Docks	Arrive	12.07​	Single	GW	wait 7m
Falmouth Docks	Depart	12.14​	Single	GW
Truro	Arrive	12.42​	P1	GW	wait 47m
Truro	Depart	13.29​	P3	GW
Par	Arrive	13.51​	P2	GW	wait 22m
Par	Depart	14.13​	P3	GW
St Columb Road	Arrive	14.46​	Single	GW	wait 40m
St Columb Road	Depart	15.26​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Bugle	Arrive	15.43​	Single	GW	wait 50m
Bugle	Depart	16.33​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Newquay	Arrive	17.03​	Single	GW	wait 15m
Newquay	Depart	17.18​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Par	Arrive	18.10​	P3	GW	wait 6m
Par	Depart	18.16​	P1	GW			1​	3​
St Austell	Arrive	18.27​	P1	GW	wait 19m
St Austell	Depart	18.46​	P2	GW			1​	2​
Par	Arrive	18.52​	P2	GW	wait 15m
Par	Depart	19.07​	P1	GW
Truro	Arrive	19.30​	P2	GW	wait 10m		1​	3​
Truro	Depart	19.40​	P1	GW
Perranwell	Arrive	19.47​	Single	GW	wait 14m
Perranwell	Depart	20.01​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Truro	Arrive	20.06​	P3	GW	wait 7m
Truro	Depart	20.13​	P2	XC
Penzance	Arrive	20.48​	P3	XC	wait 12m
Penzance	Depart	21.00​	P4	GW			1​	4​
St Erth	Arrive	21.09​	*****	GW

 

[All platforms]

Day 458: Thursday 27/03/2025 - Liskeard to Sandplace - £4.05 - Anytime Return. St Keyne Wishing Well Halt to Causeland - £2.50 - Anytime Return. Cornwall day Ranger - £11.30 - Valid after 9.00am Weekdays. CP Liskeard - £2.50.
Total time today 734 mins - time on trains 296 mins and time waiting 438 mins. Stations completed today 10. Total completed 2261. Platforms completed at completed stations 5156. 87.39% of all stations completed.

"A vist to Looe"

An early start at Liskeard so an hours run from Hayle did the trick and my first visit to Liskead and its 90 degree to the main lines P3 platform. Quite remarkable how this line has survived the more i think of it. So much quirkiness and oddities as we descend the 1 in 40 bank and turning about 270 degrees to the East at the same time. One of only a handful of ground frames left in regular service on National Rail i think at Coombe Junction (Morecambe and Bere Alston, and i know Marlow used to have one but probably not now?) Most services reverse at the GF but 4 a day do make it to the least used station that is Coombe Junction Halt about a 100 yards futher up the line. I was told by the guard on of my early morning services that a class 40 something was caught out by the catch points just beyond the station and derailed not that many years ago. These points are hidden in the grass that covers the track here. The line up to the old cement works hasn't been in use for many a year and the dereliction is starting to be super obvious. I think Coombe Junction halt is a wonderful example of the many anachronisms that still exist on the network, and one of the reasons i am enjoying the ability to still see them. The effective closure of places such as IBM, MUFC, Redcar British Steel and Teeside Airport before i was able to get there still rankles somewhat, but that has to be offset with all the new stations and additional platforms that are springing up everywhere. I count 11 new platforms either opened or not far off opening at existing stations since i visited them with 4 of those now revisited. There maybe more than this but i haven't has chance to have a full deep dive on this yet.

It was quite cold today so hoodie and coat were employed as i contemplated the peace at Sandplace, then St Keyne Wishing Well Halt (or just St Keyne as it seems to be now) and Causeland before the excitement of Coombe Junction Halt. One of my favourite stations for some inexplicable reason. Perhaps the way it is stuck out on a limb within touching distance of most services but only used 4 times a day. One further thing about the GF is the way that is locked in position for Liskeard trains after each use. This makes sense now i think of why this is - and ensures the branch line to Looe from the GF is kept isolated. I think there is a token release at the GF too. Lovely stuff.

I had planned for an hour in Looe as i don't remember visiting here before and i got to explore the narrow winding streets before settling on a local bakery for breakfast and a sandwich for later. Local beats out chain every time in this regard. I will certainly be returning to Looe! Back at Liskeard it was off for another visit to Par and the 3 remaining stations on the Newquay line. Quintrell Downs, Luxalyan and Roche were each visited in turn but the cold was sufficient to let me avoid much exploration. The stops were not generally as isolated as i surmised they might be and at most stations others did alight/board with the exception being Quintrell Downs. I think the only reason this is not a request stop like the others is because of the Level Crossing there. I am probably wrong but not sure why else the quietest of the stations is not a request one.

All that remained once back at Liskeard to complete all platforms via Par was a trip up to Saltash where an excellent view of Brunel's Bridge can be found. Thoughts turn to Devon now as all Cornwall bar Menheniot is complete as it stands. Menheniot is best done from the East in any event with my main Devon challenges being the track and platforms at Plymouth and Exeter St Davids. I did once plan a 4 day Devon trip but i feel it needs to more like 5 or 6 with track requirements. Very glad to have done Cornwall at semi decent prices before the summer season kicks in. Probably one of my most enjoyable trips of all i have done too.

We are off tomorrow to have 4/5 days in the Lake District and then an overnight in Gloucester but sandwiched between those is some unusual track at Appleby and Liverpool Central on the Saturday with Aintree shuttles the reason for unusual track in Merseyside. Barely half a day but looking forward to that, and also an attempt on completing the Chiltern Network the following Thursday. Something that has been a long time coming - just waiting for the right opportunity and this is it. Lots more planned but that can wait for now - i am ahead of myself for just about the first time ever and long may that continue. It does help when the targets start to dwindle (ever so slightly).

Liskeard	Depart	5.56​	*****	GW			stations	platforms
Sandplace	Arrive	6.18​	Single	GW	wait 18m		completed	completed
Sandplace	Depart	6.36​	Single	GW			1​	1​
St Keyne Wishing Well Halt	Arrive	6.43​	Single	GW	wait 50m
St Keyne Wishing Well Halt	Depart	7.33​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Causeland	Arrive	7.37​	Single	GW	wait 27m
Causeland	Depart	8.04​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Coombe Junction Halt	Arrive	8.16​	Single	GW	wait 22m
Coombe Junction Halt	Depart	8.38​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Looe	Arrive	9.00​	Single	GW	wait 67m
Looe	Depart	10.07​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Liskeard	Arrive	10.33​	P3	GW	wait 12m
Liskeard	Depart	10.45​	P1	GW
Par	Arrive	11.10​	P1	GW	wait 62m
Par	Depart	12.12​	P3	GW
Quintrell Downs	Arrive	12.55​	Single	GW	wait 21m
Quintrell Downs	Depart	13.16​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Luxalyan	Arrive	13.47​	Single	GW	wait 29m
Luxalyan	Depart	14.16​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Roche	Arrive	14.38​	Single	GW	wait 61m
Roche	Depart	15.39​	Single	GW			1​	1​
Par	Arrive	16.04​	P3	GW	wait 12m
Par	Depart	16.16​	P2	GW
Liskeard	Arrive	16.40​	P2	GW	wait 38m
Liskeard	Depart	17.18​	P2	GW			1​	3​
Saltash	Arrive	17.35​	P2	GW	wait 19m
Saltash	Depart	17.54​	P1	GW			1​	2​
Liskeard	Arrive	18.10​	*****	GW

 

[Kite159]

A productive few days in Cornwall

Agreed about Menheniot being best done from the east, unless timings have changed.

 

[All platforms]

Day 459: Saturday 05/04/2025 - Appleby to Carlisle - £7.75 - Off-peak Return. Hunts Cross to Moorfields - £3.45 - Anytime Return. Liverpool Stations to Southport - £5.75 - Anytime Return. CP - Clifford St Appleby - free. Liverpool South Parkway - free.
Total time today 529 mins - time on trains 223 mins and time waiting 306 mins (which was too long!). No new platforms or stations but a couple of choice cuts crossovers.

"And they're off!"

I was originally going to make a full weekend of things but an unexpected opportunity in the guise of a weekend away turned up and i scaled things back to a half day nearer to home.

According to the staff at Appleby today the crossover from P2 going North is very rarely used, but here we are with a whole day of it promised. I was there for the first service to Carlisle and once in situ i could see the signalman come down from his box and very closely inspect the setting of the crossover before returning to view us as we departed. It is certainly not normally timetabled and given the comparatively friendly start time i was not going to miss this if at all possible. It has been a couple of years since i was on the Carlisle/Settle, and i thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Carlisle and back. Tick number one and a trip almost back to home followed as i was aiming for Liverpool South Parkway after thinking on the way down that the 12 CP slots at Hunts Cross might already be filled due to today being Grand National Day at Aintree.

No probs at LSP but it was very busy there and i just had time to get the service i needed. I alighted at Central and boarded the frankly overloaded Aintree train that was also calling at Moorfields so it was a new but very much not an unusual bit of track by my taking a service North from P1. Unfortunatley this service was delayed (signal issues apparently) and my return which was due to go South via p2 at Central did not do so. A 3 hour wait then before this was due to recommence on all trains to Hunts Cross so i decided on am unnecessary trip to Southport purely to kill time. I needn't have bothered as a few Hunts Cross services did still use P2 in the interim. Bother... In fact it had been intermittent all day so on my eventual return i just alighted at Central and waited for the next Hunts Cross which did turn up on P2 and so i got the rarely used crossover to the South to regain the Up Southport.

A very slow day in terms of numbers but i think the quality was just about there. I expected to be back to watch the National on TV so it would have been a genuine half day - but i stayed for the win. Also in other news the annual National bet brought a 33/1 win for the household so a win win kinda. Out next Thursday again to tidy up the Chiltern stations remaining all being well.

Appleby	Depart	8.26​	*****	NT			stations	platforms
Carlisle	Arrive	9.09​	P6	NT	wait 18m		completed	completed
Carlisle	Depart	9.27​	P6	NT
Appleby	Arrive	10.12​	*****	NT	drive +
Relocate to	*****	*****	*****	*****	wait 148m
Liverpool South Parkway	Depart	12.40​	*****	ME
Liverpool Central	Arrive	12.57​	P2	ME	wait 17m
Liverpool Central	Depart	13.14​	P1	ME
Moorfields	Arrive	13.17​	P2	ME	wait 9m
Moorfields	Depart	13.26​	P1	ME
Liverpool Central	Arrive	13.29​	P1	ME	wait 28m
Liverpool Central	Depart	13.57​	P2	ME
Southport	Arrive	14.42​	P2	ME	wait 73m
Southport	Depart	15.55​	P2	ME
Liverpool Central	Arrive	16.48​	P1	ME	wait 13m
Liverpool Central	Depart	17.01​	P2	ME
Liverpool South Parkway	Arrive	17.15​	*****	ME

 

[Kite159]

You were brave, visiting Liverpool on the big Horsey Racing day

 

[All platforms]

You were brave, visiting Liverpool on the big Horsey Racing day

There were some sights to see and much crowding at Central, but i overcame the difficulties!

 

[All platforms]

Day 460: Thursday 10/04/2025 - Rickmansworth to Aylesbury Vale Parkway - £12.95 - Anytime Return. Rickmansworth to London Day Travelcard Z1-6 - £29.80 - Valid Anytime. CP Citipark Rickmansworth - £5.00
Total time today 412 mins - time on trains 225 mins and time waiting 187 mins. Stations completed today 3. Total completed 2264. Platforms completed at completed stations 5167.

"Filling in the Chiltern cracks/tracks remaining"

Well, perhaps not all the cracks, but certainly all the non unusual track stuff. The proverbial early start to get down towards London before rush hour gridlock takes over and i arrived in good order to park up and stroll across the road to the station and into the delight of a cheap independent cafe which was serving a more than decent bacon roll for £2.20 so happy days before even setting foot on the rolling stock. Time enough to eat at my leisure and then realise i was on the wrong platform!

First off was a trip all the way up the line to Aylesbury Vale Parkway which was unusually going via P2 at Aylesbury and so filling in nearly all my remaining gaps there. Just a crossover left to do which is not too onerous in itself but is now on a bit of a limb. No matter, i am going to find this issue in more and more places as the last percentages of pieces to the jigsaw are found. Time to have a bit more of a wander at the Parkway than on my first visit. It was a 3 car and i expected it to get very busy on my trip into Marylebone. It didn't quite get full, but i was surprised when we sailed through Rickmansworth. Hmm... ticket complications then as i had bought a return and we weren't stopping. My never assume mantra had just bitten me back. Oh well. On the way up to Parkway we did go via P1 at Amersham and so another few bits of track ticked off as last time i was up here i did P2 which is by far rarer than P1. if i hadn't gone through the barrier on arrival at Marylebone i wouldn't have had any ticket check of any description all day - which was a first i think. I have gone many days previously with only 1 on board check, but these days it is a far more common sight especially on Northern and TP.

I am also chasing the remaining bits of track at Marylebone and so a P2 departure allowed me another tick and because i wanted P4 to complete the platforms here i chose to tick off Sudbury Hill Harrow via Northolt, and then via South Ruislip before arriving back at Marylebone and using P4 to do so. It wasn't that easy to get this into my itinerary today without waiting for hours so it was good that it all worked out in the end. I decided to go have a look at the platform end as i didn't remember seeing a particular piece of track which was on my to do list on the way in. Well... it just wasn't there so i assume the map i was using was an old one and it has been somewhat remodelled in the meantime. This is one of the few maps UTtracker hasn't done yet so on my return i double checked my Track Atlas which also didn't show the piece of track. This is important as i now dodn't have to get a P4 departure and so my proposed ticket to High Wycombe was not needed, and i could return home earlier than planned.

There was one remaining target today now and that was to do Rickmansworth using my own rules so a trip back there was needed and then back to Marylebone before returning back to Tricky Ricky and then home. I did get a bonus platform in the form of P5a on the first run out. It was the front train and next to a sign that said P5a, but the announcements and boards did not make the distinction (neither did RTT come to think of it) so it is not a target in itself. Just a wee bonus.

3 more stations completed - none of them difficult particularly but the Chiltern network is somewhat separated from other TOCS near London, so a separate day was needed. This has been a long time coming as i have almost pulled the trigger on this a number of times, but i waited until i could comfortably do the remaining Aylesbury bits at the same time. Suddenly the remaining platforms and stations seem more attainable with a number of rare platforms doable in the next 6 weeks or so. My completion percentage now stands at 87.51% with every chance it will be over 90% before the end of May. I have also pretty much done every available PSUL after discounting Trams and the Underground for now. I am certainly down to single figures of the ones that have anything timetabled anyway.

One final snippet for those looking for rare track at Baker level. On 21/22/23/24 July the 23.03 from Barking Riverside goes to Willesden LL Bay P2 (00.02) thus not calling at Gospel Oak by using the Up T&H alongside P3 there. I will be on one of those services. The first time i have seen this in use - but then again i have only been doing this for a few years..... A pity there is no corresponding service going East.

Next up is one of the big ones - The line between Fort William and Mallaig. All being well i will be travelling up there first thing Sunday. 3 days of waits, waits, and more waits essentially with a final early morning out and back on day 4. I will report back on how Arisaig Bunkhouse does as a base. It was the cheapest way i could find to do this and hopefully i will be there before the 2025 midges are let loose on the humans.

Rickmansworth	Depart	6.57​	*****	CH			stations	platforms
Aylesbury Vale Parkway	Arrive	7.40​	Single	CH	wait 12m		completed	completed
Aylesbury Vale Parkway	Depart	7.52​	Single	CH
London Marylebone	Arrive	8.56​	P2	CH	wait 14m
London Marylebone	Depart	9.10​	P2	CH
Northolt Park	Arrive	9.26​	P2	CH	wait 46m
Northolt Park	Depart	10.12​	P1	CH
Sudbury Hill Harrow	Arrive	10.15​	P1	CH	wait 9m
Sudbury Hill Harrow	Depart	10.24​	P2	CH			1​	2​
South Ruislip	Arrive	10.30​	P3	CH	wait 16m
South Ruislip	Depart	10.46​	P4	CH
London Marylebone	Arrive	11.10​	P4	CH	wait 47m
London Marylebone	Depart	11.57​	P5a	CH			1​	7​
Rickmansworth	Arrive	12.18​	P1	CH	wait 35m
Rickmansworth	Depart	12.53​	P2	CH			1​	2​
London Marylebone	Arrive	13.18​	P6	CH	wait 8m
London Marylebone	Depart	13.26​	P1	CH
Rickmansworth	Arrive	13.49​	*****	CH

 

[sh24]

One final snippet for those looking for rare track at Baker level. On 21/22/23/24 July the 23.03 from Barking Riverside goes to Willesden LL Bay P2 (00.02) thus not calling at Gospel Oak by using the Up T&H alongside P3 there. I will be on one of those services. The first time i have seen this in use - but then again i have only been doing this for a few years..... A pity there is no corresponding service going East.

Oh! Hot tip, much appreciated for sharing that and on dates I can likely do. Thanks!

+7 connection onto the last Bakerloo home too.

 

[Kite159]

Have a good time in Scotland

 

[All platforms]

Day 461: Sunday 13/04/2025 - Highland Rover 4 in 8 Days - £62.70 - Valid Anytime. CP Arisaig - free.

Total time today 420 mins - time on trains 164 mins and time waiting 256 mins. Stations completed today 2. Total completed 2266. Platforms completed at completd stations 5170.


"A long way to go but worth all the effort"


So this it - the big adventure and a very long trip up to the North West of Scotland and a base in Arisaig for the next few days as i endeavour to clear the line between Mallaig and Fort William. Lets see how we get on then.


A word must be said about the scenery on the journey up. I know the route up to Crianlarich and the the Green Welly complex quite well, and i took my time for once and stopped now and again to absorb the scenery on a nice sunny day. Once past the Green Welly (yes its a thing go look it up) the scenery turned up a notch and it was glorious for the rest of the way excepting the bit through Fort William itself. I was staying at the bunkhouse in Arisaig and i have to say it is the perfect place to base yourself when doing the line. The station at Arisaig is very walkable albeit uphill to get there and the rest of the village has views and emenities galore. Pub, Restaurant, Post Office, Spar, Cafes, a gift shop and an information centre. Its also the start point of the passenger ferry to the Small isles. The Bunkhouse does exactly what it says on the tin, and i was grateful i could retire there in the afternoon hiatus period with a gap in service of about 3 hours. An even longer one in the evening too...


So to kick off the station hunting i chose to go to one of the 3 request stops on this line - Lochailort. Just a short hop over the hill from Arisaig it is easy to see why this is a request stop as it seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but strangely i saw more people here over the next few days than any intermediate stop other than Glenfinnan. Thankfully not midgie season yet, and i got to relax in the least of the shelters offered on the line. More like a bus top shelter, but i could perch and read and have a very late lunch. 50 odd minutes later i was back on board for a visit to Arisaig proper. Barrow crossings at either end of the 2 platforms are fairly unusual i think and the copious use of pink chippings reminds us of other stations on the West Highland Line with most stations up to Crianlarich using these also as a platform covering. A fully enclosed shelter also gets my approval on the Up line towards Fort William though when i left the door very slightly open after peeking in i was surprised to find a blackbird hopping in behind me, taking a long hard look at me and then hopping out again.


Time for the longest wait of the week after journeying all the way to Fort William - essentially 2 and a half hours worth so i strolled down the main street and eventually found a pub still serving food so i stocked up in that regard and a couple of pints too. Having lived in Scotland for 14 years (1980's/90's) i still have a hankering for Tennants lager for some reason every time i return. Not a fan of Fort William in itself - sorry... so was glad when it was time to return to the comfort of the ubiquitous Scotrail 156's that ply between Mallaig and Queen Street. The refurbs still look fresh compared to most TOCs aging stock and i have absolutely no qualms about using them. They were all noticably clean as i sampled various different units throughout the week - no rubbish/litter in evidence too. A well run part of the network for sure.


I was forever grateful when the guard came to wake me upon arrival at Arisaig as it would have been a tragically long walk in the dark if i hadn't been. Too long a day clearly as it was 40 mins before midnight and i had been up since 5am. The first example of many of guards being completely on the ball. It didn't take long to go the final 300 yards and my first sleep in a bunk bed since i was Youth Hostelling in my... err youth.

Arisaig	Depart	16.20​	*****	SR			stations	platforms
Lochailort	Arrive	16.35​	Single	SR	wait 53m		completed	completed
Lochailort	Depart	17.28​	Single	SR			1​	1​
Arisaig	Arrive	17.44​	P1	SR	wait 48m
Arisaig	Depart	18.32​	P2	SR			1​	2​
Fort William	Arrive	19.38​	P2	SR	wait 155m
Fort William	Depart	22.13​	P2	SR
Arisaig	Arrive	23.20​	*****	SR

 

[All platforms]

Day 462: Monday 14/04/2025 - Highland Rover 4 in 8 Days - £62.50 - Day 2. CP Arisaig + Kilmallie Community Corpach - both free.
Total time today 468 mins - Time on trains 240 mins and time waiting 228 mins. Statuons completed today 4. Total completed 2270. Platforms completed at completed stations 5175.

"A day for all seasons - sun, wind, rain, cloud and a spot of hail"

Suitably refreshed i awakend to find i was still the only person in the bunkhouse and needn't tiptoe about as i left to catch the 6.23 going East. My hopes of continued peace would shatter as 2 rooms were in use on my return - no matter though. First up today in glorious sunshine was a trip to Loch Eil Outward Bound. Surprisingly this is not a request stop as it is also used as an token exchange point. It is very close to the main road. Its a tiny platform so front door only to board/alight. The other stations can accommodate a 2 car but all 4 cars are middle doors only with one set operated by the guard as usual from the inside with invariably a manual release from the outside on the other middle door.

The sunny and magnificent run over the hills and Glenfinnan were superb in the sun with quite a lot of deer to spot on the quieter spots not near the main road. I think my count was 18 or 19 over the time i was up there and far and away my biggest haul so far. Majestic is one word to describe the stags as is the scenery in general. However by the time i left the Outward Bound stop it had become cloudy and a little bit of rain had appeared too. Completely different vibe travelling on the same bit of line. Stll spotting with rain as i alighted at my second request stop at Beasdale. This must be the quietest stop on the line as apart from the old station building it was seemingly in the middle of nowehere if you discount the main road close by. Not sure of the official title but one of the station tidiers turned up after a while and he was very surprised to see me. Given that he can visit all the stations on the line 2 or 3 times a week i was just as surprised to bump him to him on a further 2 occasions on my trip. We had a bit of a blether about the state of the railways but i had to say that this part of the world looked in better condition than most other parts. This is turning out to be my most enjoyable trip so far - even better than Cornwall i think. So glad i saved those two for year 5.

Next up was a return to Fort William as i only scored P2 the previous night and i would be scoring P1 on both arrival and departure this time. Late breakfast itmes were procured from the Tesco Express and i then struck off in a different direction for more exploring. Suitably not impressed i returned to find the world and his dog were waiting for the early train from Queen Street to turn up on its way to Mallaig. Thankfully half the train disgorged upon arrival and so i managed to snag one of the last free seats in the front coach for the run back to Arisaig.

The Jacobite crosses with the regular train at Glenfinnan but that was pretty much the only glimpse i got this week as we rolled in from Beasdale. They have to do a bit of shuffling to get everyone on and off who wants to.
Jacobite arrives and releases the front few carriages.
Scotrail arrives going west and stops beyond the platform. Middle doors released and anyone alighting then goes to the rear of the train and uses the manned barrow crossing there.
Once all crossed the Jacobite pulls forward beyond the platform once the token is released by Scotral to allow the rear carriages to be opened.
Scotrail departs first once the points are fully cleared by the Jacobite. Not seen that sequence of moves before and trains don't cross on the return journey.

Back to the bunkhouse for a sleep before exploring the lovely village of Arisaig on foot and calling at Soar on the way back. I would be very happy returning here in the futuire but not in high summer. For the next part i needed to relocate otherwise it would not be possible to complete the stations in my allotted time so off i went to Corpach. Best part of 50 mins to get there but the scenery rewards on every turn so no drag on the day. Corpach is a single platform station and located next to the entrance to the Caledonian canal. A Community centre is also close by as is a Co-op. For those following less strict rules than i am the next station - Banavie is easily walkable and makes the whole line easily doable within 3 days.

I was only going for a 10 minute spin, to my third and final request stop of Locheilside, which remarkably is on the side of Loch Eil. Who would have thunk it. All joshing aside it is quite isolated and probably worthy of its request status. 2 others alighted however but that was the only time we stopped there in about the 12 passes i did. Enough of a shelter to sit down and read a few more chapters without being rained on though it was on and off for most of the day. Back at the bunkhouse for some more rest before wandering the 50 yards to the hotel pub for a nghtcap or 2. Quite a lively place so i might return for some food tomorrow in an effort to stave off more junk food consumption. A satisfying end to day 2 here.

Arisaig	Depart	6.23​	*****	SR			stations	platforms
Loch Eil Outward Bound	Arrive	7.10​	Single	SR	wait 82m		completed	completed
Loch Eil Outward Bound	Depart	8.32​	Single	SR			1​	1​
Beasdale	Arrive	9.14​	Single	SR	wait 85m
Beasdale	Depart	10.39​	Single	SR			1​	1​
Fort William	Arrive	11.42​	P1	SR	wait 37m
Fort William	Depart	12.19​	P1	SR			1​	2​
Arisaig	Arrive	13.25​	*****	SR
Back to Bunkhouse	*****	*****	*****	*****	Bunkhouse
Corpach	Depart	16.39​	*****	SR
Locheilside	Arrive	16.50​	Single	SR	wait 24m
Locheilside	Depart	17.14​	Single	SR			1​	1​
Corpach	Arrive	17.25​	*****	SR

 

[All platforms]

Day 463: Tuesday 15/04/2025 - Highland Rover 4 in 8 days - £62.50 - Day 3. CP Arisag - free.
Total time today 479 mins - time on trains 286 mins and time waiting 193 mins. Stations completed today 3. Total completed 2273. Platforms completed at completed stations 5178.

"Another stonker of a day"

Another start taking the early towards Fort William and a thoroughly enjoyable trip it was too. I alighted at Banavie just next to the bottom of Neptune's Staircase - the famous set of locks on the Caledonian Canal. I have been here before but i have never walked the length of the staircase locks so that is what i set out to do. It didn't take too long to press on up the hill and along the towpath for a few minutes before the call of a cooked breakfast reversed my direction and back down the hill to the hotel on the right about halfway down. Having had enough of sandwiches and the like it was a full scottish brteakfast which set me up for the rest of the day. It was a little chilly so i was glad i was getting warmed from the inside as well my outside.

Nothing much else happens at Banavie unless swing bridges are your thing. This allows canal traffic to traverse in and out of the lock sequence but definitely too early in the day for any action here. My first time beyond Arisaig next as we went to the end of the line. Just as pretty beyond Arisaig was the verdict and all too soon i was alighting near the buffers at Mallaig. A place that definitely looks better in the sun. I had a brief look here on arrival on the Sunday only to be greeted with torrential rain. Much better today and with only 20 minutes or so i wasn't going to wander off. A heck of a lot of seagulls congregated at the end of the platform to greet us and bid us farewell i remember. Scotrail only use P2 currently and its quite a few years since P1 was in regular use. These days it is used exclusively by The Jacobite according to staff although i seem to remember in a previous timetable the early Scotrail starter was supposed to use P1. Its a possibility in future years but not for now i think.

Another decent run out to my next but last station today - which was Corpach. Here i did have time to wander down to the quayside after again seeing the Glenfinnan shuffle as i had begun to call it. Another hiatus at Arisag before my last couple of runs - which was to Morar and back. A pretty village so i had to time to admire this before returning back to Arisaig and an early tea at the hotel and an early bed too. So unlike me haha.

Arisaig	Depart	6.23​	*****	SR			stations	platforms
Banavie	Arrive	7.20​	Single	SR	wait 61m		completed	completed
Banavie	Depart	8.21​	Single	SR			1​	1​
Mallaig	Arrive	9.39​	P2	SR	wait 23m
Mallaig	Depart	10.12​	P2	SR
Corpach	Arrive	11.23​	Single	SR	wait 68m
Corpach	Depart	12.31​	Single	SR			1​	1​
Arisaig	Arrive	13.24​	*****	SR
Back to Bunkhouse	*****	*****	*****	*****	Bunkhouse
Arisaig	Depart	17.32​	*****	SR
Morar	Arrive	17.40​	Single	SR	wait 41m
Morar	Depart	18.21​	Single	SR			1​	1​
Arisaig	Arrive	18.30​	*****	SR

 

[All platforms]

Day 464: Wednesday 16/04/2025 - Highland Rover 4 in 8 Days - £62.50 - Day 4. CP Arisaig (yet again) - free.
Total time today 179 mins - time on trains 76 mins and time waiting 103 mins. Stations completed today 1. Total completed 2274. Platforms completed at completed stations 5180.

"Glenfinnan at last"

I think i saved the best station to last. It was always going to be a bit of a wait here as it is situated close to halfway along the line and trains either cross here or there is a 2 hour+ gap. The early trains however do reduce this gap a little so it was the earlies for me before returning home. Glenfinnan has a lot going for it in the grand scheme of things. A museum with lots of paraphanalia, old style bench seating, a snow plough, a stationary crane, a sleeping car now in the style of bunkhouse accommodation and a cafe/dining car from the 1950's. This cafe served a pretty good bacon and sausage barm upon opening at 8.30 so i just had time to consume this before my return to Arisaig.

I must also mention the guard on the earlies for most of the week. Super helpful and knowledgable. We were chatting so much i almost forgot my backpack on alighting at Glenfinnan, and then again as i was leaving the dining car. Twice in a few hours and i can't remember another occasion i have ever forgotten this. Weird. I did also try and explore the Glenfinnan trail above the station towards the viaduct but it was firstly very overgown and once through the deer gate the track just petered out so no luck there. If i had longer i might have persevered but just mosying about the station had taken more time than anticipated. What did i think about the viaduct this week? Well it was curved and it was concrete! On the occasions when i passed the Jacobite the area under the viaduct was packed with folk so it is clearly a must do for lots of people. Nobody there for the early pass however!

A very enjoyable few days away. i didn't need to knock my pan in to do this and there were many opportunities to just rest and do something else. I will almost certainly be back at Arisaig at some future point. The journey back was uneventful and time to catch up with all at home. I will be out Saturday and Sunday doing something a little different on the track front, as i really do need to nail some more track in the North.

Arisaig	Depart	6.26​	*****	SR			stations	platforms
Glenfinnan	Arrive	6.58​	P2	SR	wait 103m		completed	completed
Glenfinnan	Depart	8.41​	P1	SR			1​	2​
Arisaig	Arrive	9.25​	*****	SR