Back on the platform

xotGD said:

So 716 was sat in a siding at Norwich laughing at me.

405 and 407 provided suitable entertainment however.

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From what I can gather the 37 short sets have been out of action today after 405 failed at the weekend so you got in just in time

37418 started on the Valleys today. The other set allegedly starts next Monday too, where its expected to be 37421.

47403 said:

37418 started on the Valleys today. The other set allegedly starts next Monday too, where its expected to be 37421.

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Do we know how long they are expected to be working the Valleys for?

The_Train said:

Do we know how long they are expected to be working the Valleys for?

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End of the year, not PRM for afterwards

The_Train said:

From what I can gather the 37 short sets have been out of action today after 405 failed at the weekend so you got in just in time

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That probably means that 716 will be back out tomorrow

xotGD said:

That probably means that 716 will be back out tomorrow

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Well you would think that but why not have it swapped for today considering the failure occurred on Saturday?

Forget all of that, 405 and 407 resumed service this evening so looks like they got 405 working again

The_Train said:

Forget all of that, 405 and 407 resumed service this evening so looks like they got 405 working again

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The big hammer came out to play

Kite159 said:

The big hammer came out to play

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I'm surprised it's still going considering the amount of use it would have had over the years. Unless of course it is like the broom that Trigger had for years and years in Only Fools and Horses.......

Nail on head there. There's plenty of brooms in this hobby.

The_Train said:

Do we know how long they are expected to be working the Valleys for?

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Probanly until they have enough PRM ready units. Also the 769's and 230's are way behind schedule, so have to resort to loco hauled.

I had 37418 +9507+5998+6067+6024, on the evening rush train on Monday night. It was 2R20, 1701 Cardiff Central to Rhymney.

pieguyrob said:

Probanly until they have enough PRM ready units. Also the 769's and 230's are way behind schedule, so have to resort to loco hauled.

I had 37418 +9507+5998+6067+6024, on the evening rush train on Monday night. It was 2R20, 1701 Cardiff Central to Rhymney.

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Jammy swine

I'm led to believe it was the first working in service and I just happened to be there for it!

Local Updates

Part 1 - A quick hop onto the platform (18/06/19)

I've managed to fall behind with my reports again so time to catch up starting with a couple of visits to the local.
First one was a last minute decision as I headed home from town and caught sight of a Crewe to Wembley light loco working, which has been something interesting on many occasions - although each time I'd seen it recently it had been a tired looking 90 which did nothing for my book of sights. I'd actually timed my arrival, inadvertently, well enough to catch a few freight movements which started with 66510 taking containers to Basford Hall and was quickly followed by did OTM DR98912. Not looking good so far but after a dud Pendolino flew past it was time for the loco move to come past and as I eagerly strained my neck to see what would appear under the Castle Street bridge and rumour as it that my groan was heard as far away as Beijing when a red DB 90 showed it's face......but wait, there is more....the 90 is not alone......
90036 & 92015 by The_Train, on Flickr

Yes it was accompanied by winner 92015 which, despite them heading up the fast line which made my photo more awkward, made the short hop worthwhile.

Here's all I saw in my short stint:

66: 66510
90: 90036
92: 92015
221: 221113
350: 350108
390: 390050
MPVs & MMUs: DR98912

Part 2 - A long stint, with little reward (27/06/10)

With the sun shining and little else to do I decided to grab my book and head to the local to bask in the warm weather and see if I could nab a winner or 2. There was little to get excited about though and the duds soon started to mount up, in fact there was nothing but duds for the entire 3 hours I was there and to sum up how poor the showing was, a de-branded 350 was up there amongst the most interesting things to see
350123 by The_Train, on Flickr

We did also get the most unusual sight of a HST, albeit just the NR Flying Banana set as it conducted a crew change before heading towards Crewe
NR HST 43013 by The_Train

Other than that though, I managed to grab a few pics of various units that I needed pics of (these are on my Flickr) but there was nothing else to shout about.

Here's all I noted down during this stay:

37: 37884
43: 43013, 43014
57: 57308
66: 66117, 66147, 66504, 66534, 66555, 66564, 66735, 66761
70: 70020
220: 220020, 220024, 220026
221: 221101, 221103, 221104, 221105, 221109, 221116, 221117, 221124, 221127, 221130, 221131, 221134, 221137, 221141, 221142, 221143, 221144
350: 350101, 350109, 350110, 350114, 350120, 350121, 350123, 350125, 350126, 350128, 350130, 350232, 350237, 350239, 350243, 350247, 350251, 350255, 350257, 350259, 350265, 350266, 350372
390: 390005, 390006, 390009, 390013, 390016, 390043, 390044, 390047, 390049, 390103, 390121, 390125, 390127, 390128, 390129, 390132, 390136, 390141, 390151, 390152, 390153, 390154

Summary for these 2 mini visits are below:

For Sight

Winners: 1
Coaching Stock Winners: 0
Classes completed: N/A
Sub classes completed: N/A
TOCs completed: N/A
TOC sub classes completed: N/A

I do have a couple of more worthwhile outings to catch up with and I hope to get cracking with these tomorrow, I just thought I'd get these out of the way first

Blimey that 350 looks wierd !

Oh well I never, a DB red 92. Is that the one and only one too. Cant say I've seen any other pics of one.
I feel your pain with duds. Least were getting new stock up here to keep it a bit interesting but once they're in full service, the novelty will soon wear off as soon as they're all in the bag.

47403 said:

Oh well I never, a DB red 92. Is that the one and only one too. Cant say I've seen any other pics of one.

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I actually thought it was my first sighting of a red 92, but turned out that I'd previously seen 92042 which is in the same livery. According to my new homemade database, there are also the following in the same livery which are in store at Crewe Electric:

92009
92016
92031

I think the reason we don't see them much is because they work along HS1 and through the Tunnel so don't venture North very often. I just happened to luck in with one being moved back home having been in Crewe Electric for maintenance

433N said:

Blimey that 350 looks wierd !

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Yeah it really threw me at first. I'm impressed I managed to get a pic because I certainly wasn't waiting to take one of a 350 considering how many of them I see

The_Train said:

Yeah it really threw me at first. I'm impressed I managed to get a pic because I certainly wasn't waiting to take one of a 350 considering how many of them I see

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I was similarly surprised when it turned up at Euston this morning. As it was required I decided a trip to Watford Jct was in order!

An STP to Peterborough - Friday 28th June 2019

Part 1

I'd been considering my next move for a bit of time when I recalled how busy Peterborough seemed to be as we passed through on my recent trip to Anglia. So I made a last minute decision to head down that way a week or so ago and having secured some very nicely priced tickets it was off to the local once again. As this was all about the one place, it allowed me a later start than I would normally on a day out so it was to be dud for everything 350117 that would take me down to Nuneaton at just after 0830. The journey down the Trent Valley threw up the first winner of the day as DR73947 was sat in the sidings just North of Lichfield station but that was my only joy (used to pick up the odd WMT winner at Rugeley but no such luck now it's mainly 350s). Nuneaton wasn't much kinder either with a couple of dud track machines being worked on in the sidings but I did think this luck was changing when the newest member of the WMT fleet pulled in to P1. Unfortunately though it was just 172002 which I'd spotted previously whilst it was say at Tyseley being refurbished - did allow me to grab a pic of it though....
172002 by The_Train, on Flickr

I saw that as my cue to head over to P7 for my Stanstead bound unit and after spying a couple of dud sheds - 66545 and 66160 to be precise - it was over to 170106, yet another dud for everything, to offer that good old 170 thrash through to Peterborough. Despite it being a busy service, I was able to bag a seat and no-one seemed to want the seat next to me throughout the journey - must have chosen the wrong aftershave today. With little to see between Nuneaton and Leicester I immersed myself in my latest book - another one by David Baldacci, who I recommend to anyone who enjoys a thriller - but arrival into Leicester was met with an EMT HST set which only added to the list of duds already growing so early in the day. There was the usual plethora of locos in Leicester L.I.P with 50008 and 47813 on show along with the usual line of 56s which allowed me to nab 56060, the one I'd missed last time out. Not much else on show for the remainder of the journey but during our stops in the Leicestershire suburbs, a group of lads who looked to be heading off on their first lads holiday boarded in, shall we say, high spirits so it was away with the book and back to earphones in and music on until we arrived into Peterborough where I was able to spy 66780, 66732 and winner for sight 66707 sat in the GBRf yard. FLR 66516 was sat awaiting a path North as I stepped off the train but it was the 700 that caught my eye over in P2 so I had a wander across to chalk off 700109 which became my first of this class into the book
700109 by The_Train

Having completed the 91s at the Crewe Open Day, these weren't of great interest to me (except for the awesome noise they make as they power up) but the LNER coaching stock was. Unfortunately the first rake I saw was fully dud but I did manage to see my first 800 in LNER livery as 800113 was ticked off as it arrived ECS from Retford before heading back
800113 by The_Train, on Flickr

I decided to have a roam around to get my bearings and decide where to base myself and after picking up a lovely vanilla latte I ventured to the south end of P4/5. 700108 was the first success from this vantage point as it completed another working from Horsham, before I bagged a full rake of coaches. One of the units I'd not even considered when deciding to head to the southern end of the ECML was the 180s and having bagged 9 of the 14 at Donny last year, it was nice to see 180106 head into the book. Just 4 of these to go and it was quickly followed by a bonus success in the form of EMT 158857 working the Norwich to Liverpool diagram. 800103 became my first sighting of an Azuma with passengers aboard as it headed North and after 66782 crawled by I was able to chalk off another rake of coaching stock which had 82205 sat at the rear in its Flying Scotsman livery
82205 at Peterborough by The_Train, on Flickr

I'm on the hunt for quite a bit of the HST Mk3s as well but there was little chance of nabbing any of those on the first one I saw as 43367 and 43302 powered the set quickly through P3 towards Kings Cross. Better luck with the next electric set as 91119 brought me yet another batch of required Mk4s but my luck with the sheds wasn't changing as 66773 became the next to go onto the dud list as it ground to a halt just inside the south end of the station where it remained for a good while. With the GB shed ticking over in the background, 800104 glided in with minimal fuss and noise (seriously, what fun is that?) before GWR 43010 and 43020 flew by. I initially thought it might have been an ECS move to Ely before I quickly remembered that Hull Trains had a set on loan. It wouldn't be the last time I saw this set working today!

This excitement was followed up by yet another dud shed, this time FLR throwing up 66529 on a Lawley Street to Felixstowe turn
66529 by The_Train

Another Azuma, in the form of 800108, came and went and I caught sight of a dogbox arriving on the Lincoln shuttle so I ventured down to the other end of the platform only to find that it was dud 153318. To top this dud off no sooner had I made it down the opposite end, a 700 was arriving at the end I had vacated. So a quick wander was made to ID 700133 but I decided to head back to my new vantage point at the north end of the station from where I was able to see 66773 finally departing
66773 by The_Train

It was also a nice place to view 800106 heading fast towards the capital to become the latest Azuma into the book before it was back to the dud sheds, this time courtesy of DB as 66128 passed by heading towards Scunthorpe
DB 66128 by The_Train

More joy with the next set as 91124 powered another required set of coaches into P3 before 43308 and 43309 brought me the opposite as their set was dud
The LNER old guard stand strong at Peterborough by The_Train, on Flickr

Another success for the 180s though as 180101 took my requirements of these down to just 3. Just maybe there would be a klaxons being sounded today. 800110 also found it's way into the book as well when it passed through fast....
800110 by The_Train

....but still little luck with the sheds as 66051 became yet another dud. It used to be easy chasing these things when I required hundreds of them
DB 68051 by The_Train

Another wander down the platform was required to grab 700142 - I guess this hobby can have some health benefits! A 20 minute run of duds was ended by the arrival of a set of Mk3s that were chalked off but more duds ensued after this, with the only interesting occurrence being an icon of BR being met by its predecessor
The old and the new by The_Train

And talking of icons of BR it was 43290 which ended a lengthy run of duds when it arrived into P2 with 43295. My next winner came soon after as 700111 was next in the book before yet another HST was chalked off as 43296 and it's coaching stock also went into the book. Would have been nice to take a full set but 43312 was dud. There had been a steady flow of winners throughout the day thus far and that was continued when 43310 crawled through P3 with a service from Newark
LNER 43310 by The_Train

This may well have been a dud but it's take of Mk3s certainly wasn't, and more importantly neither was it's partner as 43274 was marked off. The sheds, however, continued to be those I'd seen previously - being down to single figures from the FLR fleet does make things more difficult and that was proven when dud 66523 came by. A full rake of Mk3 duds with accompanying dud power cars for good measure were followed by another GB dud, in the form of 66776 which was heading to the new railport at Doncaster
66776 by The_Train

I was going to try and get this report done in one go but I think I will take a break there having made a decent start in Peterborough with 21 all important winners to go with the good chunk of rolling stock I'd managed to add to them.

Andy Pacer said:

I was similarly surprised when it turned up at Euston this morning. As it was required I decided a trip to Watford Jct was in order!

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Definitely! Got to take advantage of these little anomalies. I assume it will return to Long Marston at some point for rebranding?

Sounds like a productive day in the first part at least

Those Azumas just look so much better in that livery than the IETs do in GWR green. Admittedly I like the GWR green because it looks smart, but it doesn't give off the impression of a fast train like the LNER livery does!

Techniquest said:

Sounds like a productive day in the first part at least

Those Azumas just look so much better in that livery than the IETs do in GWR green. Admittedly I like the GWR green because it looks smart, but it doesn't give off the impression of a fast train like the LNER livery does!

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I have to agree about the LNER livery Tech. The way I see the respective liveries on the IET is that the GWR green says 'we are going to get you there in a classy way' whereas the Azuma says 'we are going to get you there in a fast way'

The_Train said:

I have to agree about the LNER livery Tech. The way I see the respective liveries on the IET is that the GWR green says 'we are going to get you there in a classy way' whereas the Azuma says 'we are going to get you there in a fast way'

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Quite a good way to look at it fair dos

Aside from the concluding part of your Peterborough trip, I must confess to being curious as to where you're off to next. I've nothing on the rails planned until early-ish September, when I do the 0642 HFD-PAD throughout as part of a positioning move to Luton for Budapest. Using the 1922 PAD-HFD throughout on the return leg, and I'll probably use GWR to get to Heathrow in November for my Japan trip. Other than that, there's no train trips currently lined up.

Without a doubt that will change, but given I realised earlier this evening I've not flown since late March I'm keen to get back in the air as a priority. Just over 2 months to go, so I may use some trains as a positioning move for some planespotting soon, who knows!

An STP to Peterborough - Friday 28th June 2019

Part 2

Having made a decent start to this little outing, it got that little bit better in the early afternoon when a warm but overcast day turned into a very sunny and very hot day. The coat came off just in time for another wander down the platform to check out the latest offering on the Horsham run and it turned out to be another winner, this time 700138 heading into the book. My return back to the North end was met with a winning dogbox as 153302 became another bonus EMT sighting before 800102 was also added to the list of winners. No such luck with the next entry though as 158856 came by on route to Norwich but I was happy to snare another batch of coaching stock that 91109 brought in
158856 by The_Train

A 30 minute spell of duds arrived including 66752 heading to Chesterton Junction and 66767 working a Middleton to Goole Glassworks turn before yet another 700 broke the barren spell with 700112 doing the honours this time around. This wander up the other end resulted in me staying up there (it was too warm for all this roaming around) but the move failed to change my luck with sheds as yet another dud FLR 66 came by with 66414, in the powerhaul livery, being the offending machine this time around
66414 by The_Train

700128 was anything but a dud as it became the next 700 to fall but it was around this time that delays on the ECML started to develop thanks to an Azuma deciding it didn't fancy it and sitting down in the Grantham area. For nigh on 45 minutes no LNER made it to Peterborough so I was relying on other units for entertainment. Unfortunately none impacted on the winner count and yes, yet another shed went onto the dud pile as GB 66740 ventured South towards Felixstowe. Soon enough though, the LNER sets started to filter their way back through and 91132 was kind enough to bring through a rake of required coaches before we finally had a miracle as 66728 trundled into the station with a container train destined for Masborough
66728 by The_Train

More coaches were nabbed shortly afterwards but winners of any sort were becoming rarer as the day wore on, until my patience with the sheds was rewarded when a pair of DB 66s arrived with winner 66188 leading 66063 on a working from Bow Depot to Heck Plasmor. These trundled into P4 just as an LNER service crawled along the through line and as I tried to get all the numbers I missed out on a photo of the double header 66s. That was until I realised they were doing a crew change so a dash down the platform allowed me to not only build up a sweat but also grab a quick pic
A pair of sheds by The_Train

After returning back up the platform, I was allowed a break to recover whilst a spell of duds occurred for half hour or so but it was the ever reliable 700s that brought me back into the game as 700119 was chalked off but again that would be as good as it got for 30 minutes until 91122 arrived with more of my needed rolling stock. 66728 was still sat in the station on a lengthy layover when another shed snuck down the inside of it. This required yet more walking to ID dud 66770 which was heading to the GB maintenance shed but this time I decided to remain at the north end from where I was faced with another dud shed as 66765 joined all of its relatives on my dud list
GBRf 66765 by The_Train

For the final time, I headed back up the island platform housing P4 and 5 but it was slim pickings until around 1800 when a service consisting of 3x 387s arrived. Each was a winner as 128, 109 and 102 all went into the book before the units were shunted into the sidings for overnight stabling. This good fortune continued into the next arrival as I bagged another set of Mk4s late in the day before 66768 decided to bring me back to earth with a bump. There was one final HST for me to watch before heading across to P7 for my train home but it was full of duds as 43316 and 43317 worked their way to London
43317 by The_Train

I made my move across to P7 although my train home was running slightly late. I made use of the facilities one final time and as I wandered out of the door I could hear that familiar sound of a shed which was having a crew change in P6. A winner to close the day out? Nah, dud 66544 working containers up to Donny. All was not lost though as there was also a fleet of 365s over in P2 and although I couldn't ID the front unit I was able to bag 365511 and 365530 just before they headed back South. The delay to my service also allowed me the chance to see one extra HST working and this one gave me a full rake of required Mk3s which was a nice little extra. Eventually though my steed home arrived in the form of dud for everything 170117. My journey home would take a route via Birmingham New Street instead of the normal change at Nuneaton as XC were offering 1st class tickets at a hell of a cheaper rate than any standard prices available so who was I to refuse a first opportunity to experience 1st class travel. It was a fortunate thing too as the service out of Peterborough was incredibly busy with standing room only except in 1st class where there was plenty of space. I took my seat, made use of the plug sockets to get some juice back into my phone. The downside to 1st class was that I missed out on much of what was in the GB yard because I was too busy ordering a coffee. Ah well, it was to my book once again as we headed towards the UK's 2nd city with little on offer for me to see on route. However, the stop at New Street did allow me to grab a few WMT units as 323240 was chalked off along with 170516 and also 158822 from the TfW fleet. Brum threw up nothing else to add to the book of sights so it was left to 220034 to take me home after a very good outing.

Summary of the day is below:

For Sight

Winners: 37
Coaching Stock Winners: 121
Classes completed: N/A
Sub classes completed: N/A
TOCs completed: N/A
TOC sub classes completed: N/A

For Haulage

Winners: 0
Total Mileage: 227 miles 38 chains
Classes completed: N/A
Sub classes completed: N/A

Ooh, First Class on a XC 170 is not something I've tried. Goes to show it's worth a look sometimes!

Despite a boatload of duds, it was still clearly a good day!

Techniquest said:

Ooh, First Class on a XC 170 is not something I've tried. Goes to show it's worth a look sometimes!

Despite a boatload of duds, it was still clearly a good day!

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It was new to me as well. Worth it just for the seat and plug socket if nothing else.

And yeah I anticipated the duds as I've broken the back with regards to the ECML. The next time I'll experience a day of winners is when I finally venture into the London area

Techniquest said:

Quite a good way to look at it fair dos

Aside from the concluding part of your Peterborough trip, I must confess to being curious as to where you're off to next. I've nothing on the rails planned until early-ish September, when I do the 0642 HFD-PAD throughout as part of a positioning move to Luton for Budapest. Using the 1922 PAD-HFD throughout on the return leg, and I'll probably use GWR to get to Heathrow in November for my Japan trip. Other than that, there's no train trips currently lined up.

Without a doubt that will change, but given I realised earlier this evening I've not flown since late March I'm keen to get back in the air as a priority. Just over 2 months to go, so I may use some trains as a positioning move for some planespotting soon, who knows!

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Budapest certainly sounds more appealing than Peterborough station. Don't blame you for prioritising a bit of air travel to be honest.

In terms of my next moves it really depends on funds. My Peterborough outing has stretched me financially so I may have to let things settle before I start planning my next outing. I need to catch up with reports and entries into my ICRS book which I'm well behind with so a break from the platform might give me a chance to do that.

That said, the obvious trip for me next would be to the London area.....maybe making use of the Southern Daysave.....as it's pretty much untouched so will yield plenty of winners. I also want to get back into Merseyrail to delve deeper into my needs on their network before the new stock appears.

Fair game on the finances thing, I know the feeling as I'm stretching mine beyond previously known limits at the moment. Worth it long-term though!

You're going to love London when you get to do it! I still love going there, and I've been many times. Liverpool sounds like a sensible priority for you next, given how close we're getting to the new order coming on MerseyRail. I might have to make an appearance up there before the 507s and 508s go too!

Nice outing to Peterborough, Train. A place I've always enjoyed going, when the sun is out it's a wonderful spot to watch the world, and its trains, go by. Only slight mark against its name is that it's an absolute shed-fest, no variety on the freight side of things. Nice to see a few of the Azumas out as well, whisper it quietly but I prefer the LNER paint job to that drab block colour GWR have chosen.