Which lines are you hoping to do in 2012?

[trentside]

Exactly what is says really.

I'm wondering what lines people are hoping to travel on, or cross off in 2012? I've got a few on my list;

• Brighton main line; done as far south as Gatwick (via Redhill and avoiding line) so need to do the remainder. Possibly coupled with a day out on Southern.
• Settle & Carlisle
• Valley Lines (hopefully as part of the challenge)
• GWML
• Isle of Wight railways
• Amersham on the Met (only section not done), then out to Aylesbury

These are my priorities, but I'm hoping to travel to some extra new places in the process of completing these - so should have some interesting trip reports to post.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

For me:

• The S&C
• Severn Beach line
• Oxford-Worcester (for the new track)-Hereford

Other than that I can't think of too many lines I've not done!

Others:

• Some more trips around Dublin
• The out-of-the-way LUL lines
• Various light rail networks

If I think of any more I'll add them

 

[Ivo]

My priority is to finish off the extended south-west and Wales, which includes most of the network west of Exeter, west of Shrewsbury, Hereford and Swansea to Shrewsbury some of the Valleys north of Cardiff, the Isle of Wight, Basingstoke to Fareham via Southampton Central, Salisbury to Exeter, Oxford to Worcester and the routes that cross the North Wales route at Llandudno Junction and Shotton. I also intend to complete the Underground - having now done the whole of the Met I can do that which remains on a basic 1-6 Travelcard in one day - and also London Midland and Chiltern, which means the Chase Line north of Walsall and the routes into Stratford-upon-Avon.

At a push, I would also like to say what is left of SWT after this, but that might be asking a bit much in terms of how much access I will have to the London area next year; I also need to do the Marlow and Henley branches (and also Heathrow), which would fit in well here. If everything was to go perfectly I would also add what is left of NXEA, which allowing for me hopefully doing the Braintree, Walton, Sudbury and Harwich branches later this month would in practice mean most of the West Anglia route (the Lea Valley, north of Seven Sisters and Clapton (except to Walthamstow) as far as Stansted Mountfichet, north of Cambridge to King's Lynn and Newmarket) and also Peterborough. At a push, I'd then like to add Cambridge to Hitchin, but that might be a step too far.

EDIT: On a side note, I still have to travel on a few English-based Classes. 168 and 379 should be easy enough, but I also need 144, 155, 322 and 332.

 

[Minilad]

I want to do a line of coke off a 19 year olds b.........

Oh. Wrong sort of line !

And if my gaffer is reading this that was a joke !!

Being serious though. I don't really do line bashing so I don't ever have a list of lines to do. I tend to go for traction rather than lines

 

[Schnellzug]

The furthest north in Scotland I've been is Corrour, I've never quite made it to Ft William, or north of Dundee on the other side. And i've never been on the other side of the Tamar, despite going to Plymouth numerous times. I'll have to try it sometime. is it safe these days?

 

[SwindonPkwy]

I want to do a line of coke off a 19 year olds b.........

Oh. Wrong sort of line .

What a sheltered life I have had!!!

 

[Tomonthetrain]

I intend to finish off Chiltern and London Midlands (3 and 2 lines respectively excluding various chords). I also intend doing HS1 and ECML/WCML on domestic services.

Also, I intend to do the pendo drag in its entirety along with 1K39 in its full length.

 

[ainsworth74]

I have a few targets:

• S&C + Tyne Valley (doing a North East Round Robin to get them both on the same outing).
• Far North, Kyle of Lochalsh, Highland Mainline, Inverness - Aberdeen and finish Aberdeen - Edinburgh (so far I've only got as far as Ladybank on that route).
• Cover all the lines west of Exeter (including Exmouth but not Okehampton) I've already got the mainline but need all the branches.
• Cover the Alton line as well as the bits between Guildford, Ascot and Wokingham.

Then subject to time/funding

• WAG1 from Holyhead to Cardiff.
• A Chiltern Silver Train from Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone (also giving me some coverage of the Chiltern Main Line.
• Cover Hitchin to Kings Lynn as well as Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport and Cambridge and on to Newmarket.

 

[Crossover]

We will have to see how things pan out but a few possible thoughts are the Penistone line, the Island line and down to Portsmouth Harbour.

Wouldn't mind doing the S&C sometime either.

With some luck, I'll get some new areas with some of the upcoming meets (the GMPTE challenge will hopefully allow me to travel on some of the local Manchester lines that I haven't as of yet)

 

[Yew]

For me,

North of lincoln on the ECML
Any of the WCML

 

[466.networkers]

Money (and employment) depending, next year I hope to:

Go on a Chiltern 172 and a Silver train
Go on a LM 172

New Metrolink track in Manchester

That's about it.

 

[ushawk]

WCML, ECML, GWML, MML, SWML, Cardiff - Holyhead, Both Sleepers, Edinburgh - Inverness and Carlisle - Newcastle (cant remember the line names of the last 2).

Havent really covered much really so i hope to get a lot more next year.

 

[Temple Meads]

Stourbridge Junction for the 139's, Cardiff to Gloucester, Weymouth to Southampton, and hopefully, some of the London Overground network.

 

[trentside]

Havent really covered much really so i hope to get a lot more next year.

Although I've got some priorities, I've also not covered that much of the network. For example, the furthest north I've been by train is Edinburgh.

If I can afford it, I may see about getting a sleeper journey in.

 

[Aictos]

I'm looking at further afield, Europe to be precise but with a different twist - I'm happy admiring the scenery while going from A to C via B rather then doing particular lines or traction although I do like the loco hauled stuff

But if it has to be restricted to the UK then I would like to complete the FGW, NXEA, FTPE and FSR routes in no particular order

 

[RyanB]

I hope to do as many as possible over the summer next year - hoping to do a 7 day All Line Rover trip - out of interest, how much money would you reckon I would need on top of the ticket price in order to survive for 7 days constantly on the move away from home?

 

[Jordy]

Oban and Aberystwyth, as that's all I have left to do!

 

[theblackwatch]

I'm hoping to do Moorswater, Waterston, Tower and many other freight lines that are required - sadly, I don't expect to actually do many of them at all!

 

[Mojo]

I am hoping to have finished off all the Light rail and Metro systems. I still have all of Nottingham to do, plus one side of the triangle in Sheffield, most of Tramlink, Gallions Reach to Beckton on the DLR plus a few outer sections of the Underground.

I'm also hoping to have finished the Western branches; I need to do Falmouth, Newquay, Gunnislake, Exmouth, Barnstaple, Weymouth, and Greenford.

 

[gnolife]

I'm hoping to finish up the North West and West Yorkshire areas, including
Stockport - Guide Bridge
Mossley - Huddersfield
Huddersfield - Mirfield
Bolton - Clitheroe
Wigan - Kirkby
Preston - Liverpool
Colne - Blackpool South
Accrington - Hebden Bridge
Helsby - Ellesmere Port
Bidston - Wrexham Central
Merseyrail
Marple - Chinley

 

[Lrd]

I am intending to do the Cambrian, Marches, Berks and Hants, Exeter - Penzance, some more of Scotland (only done Stranraer - Glasgow - WCML). Also, only need Oxford - Bicester until I have finished the Chilterns but was going to wait for the new curve at Bicester.

out of interest, how much money would you reckon I would need on top of the ticket price in order to survive for 7 days constantly on the move away from home?

Depends whether you were going to use sleeper trains every night or willing to sleep on a bench in a station, then technically all you would need was food and drink.

 

[LE Greys]

I want to clear Scotalnd before I leave the place, which means doing quite a lot:

• Kyle of Lochalsh line
• Inverness-Aviemore
• Strathspey
• North Berwick and the stump of the Waverley
• Ladybank-Perth
• Glenrothes-Kirkcaldy curve
• Alloa
• Bathgate and Shotts lines
• Remaining Glasgow suburban branches (Milgarvie, Balloch, Kelvindale curve Springburn and pretty much everything south of the river)
• Glasgow & South Western system

In terms of holidays, I want to spend a bit more time in America, heading south down the East Coast. Might not be able to afford it, but if I stay in Britain, then Wales is on the list, in particular:

• North Wales Coast
• Conwy Valley
• Ffestiniog
• Welsh Highland
• Talyllyn
• Pwllheli

There's also the top end of the Piccadilly and a few other remaining bits of the Underground to do. I wouldn't mind finally reaching Penzance as well.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Like XC Driver im not a huge line basher but that said I do have a west Highland trip planned out for next year sometime as other than that Iv finished everything in Scotland for one reason or another having managed to complete the Kyle Line and Cathcart Circle, the latter unusually being done on a 380 for reasons better known to SR!

Other than that, I do have a plan for a 7 day ALR which is mainly to get me to areas and bits I'm unlikely to reach otherwise and always fancied e.g Island line, WAG1 and a few other that I'd maybe like to do more im.

i'm also seriusly investigating ways to fund and achieve an idea of Sprinterguys which is to go from Wick to St Ives exclusively on the varius types of sprinter
with the only other transport allowed being buses and the like for, say, cross town transfers between one sprinter route and another or indeed in the few areas where theres no sprinters/no railway!

The idea here would be to do it for charitty as well as the hell of it!
Other than that I quite fancy a London bash day having never yet experienced 378s and new bits of overground, the latest DLR Stock and new routes, the LU S stock and apart from 1 short hop the 2009 stock.

Quite fancy some pacer bashing too as thats been seriusly lacking of late and am playing with the idea of proposing a forum meet along these lines.

Slightly o/t here but am collecting, slowly, long distance service bus routes and hope to add 1 or 2 also..thoughts anyone?

 

[Schnellzug]

As regards the Undergound, which bits haven't I covered...? Well, I've covered most of the open-air extremities of the Choob lines, they're some of the most interesting parts, it's the less popular extremities of the underground lines that I've rarely been tempted by; the Victoria line beyond Finsbury Park and Victoria, the Northern south of the Heffalump and so on. I don't know anything might tempt me to venture down there one day. I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Blindtraveler]

well don Jordie for pritty much finishing the lot!

 

[cookiescrumble]

I hoping to do the Portsmouth to Waterloo lines, as a commercial guard .

 

[60163]

A lot of preservation lines...

NYMR
Spa Valley
Churnet Valley
Ffestiniog/Tallylyn
Bodmin & Wenford

I'd love to do Crewe - Euston as well. Need to finish off the London Midland map.

 

[anthony263]

I want to do:

Claberston Road - Milford Haven
Chester - Holyhead
Westbury - Reading
Birmingham Moor Street - London Marylebone (on a loco hauled train)
Newton Abbott - Penzance

ow and Worcester -Oxford

As for stations I want to visit:

Fishguard & Goodwick (Planned for March 2012 when station is due to re-open)
Llandrindod
Chester
Yate (Been through on the train but not stopped)
Piling (Just for the hell of it.)

 

[Techniquest]

Oban and Aberystwyth, as that's all I have left to do!

hock:hock:hock:hock:hock:hock:hock:hock:hock:hock:hock:hock:

Obviously not factoring in freight lines, you've seriously done all of those little annoying curves around the network, including annoying little bits like the Newton Connecting Line which doesn't always produce even on a booked train? If so, that's beyond impressive!

RyanB: I don't recall precisely how much I spent on food and drink on my 7-day ALR, but I only used accommodation on one night for £30 including breakfast. Depends entirely on how many nights of accommodation you use and, more importantly, how much food and drink you go through on an average day. I like my food and drink a fair bit, but I tend to restrict myself a bit on a bash to try and save money otherwise I'd spend far too much! I'd expect to spend £100 on food and drink during the week personally, particularly if you have expensive tastes or eat a lot of meals from places like Burger King. If you have any questions relating to an ALR bash, feel free to PM me and I'll answer what I can.

As for track I want to do in 2012, there's still quite a lot I need to do despite covering a lot this year. I won't list all the new bits I've done this year, as that might take quite a while, but some of the bits I will be laying down some serious effort for are as below.

Mainline:

Cumbrian Coast line
Windermere branch
Heysham Port
Blackpool South branch
Southminster branch (it was closed during my ALR for platform/loop extension works, otherwise I'd have done it whilst down that way)
Norwich to Great Yarmouth via Acle
Norwich to Sheringham
Nottingham to Worksop
Netherfield Junction to Newark Flat Crossing East Junction
Various amounts in Yorkshire

No doubt I'm missing quite a bit there, but that's most of the big gaps on my map.

Preservation:

Nene Valley Railway
North Norfolk Railway
East Lancashire Railway
Bodmin and Wenford Railway
Swanage Railway
Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
Caledonian Railway (Brechin)
Keith and Dufftown Railway
Strathspey Railway
More of the narrow guage lines in Wales

Plenty of others I still need, but they're the biggest ones I'm going to try for.

 

[Zamracene749]

The biggest glaring gap in my coverage of UK scenic lines is the Heart of Wales.
I planned to do it many years ago as part of a big Newcastle- Kings Cross (on the 'milk train' overnight HST) Paddington- Swansea- Crewe-Stockport- Stalybridge (they were regular then)- Newcastle trip but was diverted via the Marches line because the HOW was sadly closed after the fatal bridge wash out, just never got round to it since.

Abroad i'm fancying the Septemvri- Dobrinishte line in Bulgaria, also the Skopje-Bitola line in Macedonia and the Ploce- Sarajevo- Belgrade- Bar lines in the Balkans.

Enough to be going on with I reckon!