507021's Merseyrail days out

[fowler9]

Good reads mate. Enjoyed that. I can confirm that the North Western is more expensive than he RJB, it is a bit nicer inside to be fair. They all do what they say on the tin.

I should probably start recording what I go on again. I have a Trio ticket so after work I hopped on a 350/2 at Parkway to Lime Street. Got a 156/158 combo back to South Parkway. Waited a bit for a pair of 158's to Lime Street, same pair back to Parkway. Another 350/2 back to Lime Street and finally a 185 back to Parkway. Ended up having to get a bus 5 mins down the road there as I'd messed up my timings and there wasn't a Northern service back to mine for some 40 mins. Not bad for 2 1/2 hours just for something to do. (I'm not going to try and pass that off as a trip report by the way, ha ha).

 

[507021]

Your slowest knocking down the merseyrail fleet, plus some other DMUs from Northern

Any extra winners are always a bonus! It makes a nice change to have a 142, 150 or 156, considering I seem to spend most of my time on 507s, 508s or 319s at the moment.

Crikey you're getting through the MerseyRail fleet fast! hock:

Only 9 left already!

The problem is with so few units left needed for haulage, it'll probably take me a while to get them, although it's the first time I've needed less 507s than 508s which makes a change. Hopefully if I leave Merseyrail for a short while the units I need (which I haven't even seen since I started recording my haulage) will produce for me.

Good reads mate. Enjoyed that. I can confirm that the North Western is more expensive than he RJB, it is a bit nicer inside to be fair. They all do what they say on the tin.

I should probably start recording what I go on again. I have a Trio ticket so after work I hopped on a 350/2 at Parkway to Lime Street. Got a 156/158 combo back to South Parkway. Waited a bit for a pair of 158's to Lime Street, same pair back to Parkway. Another 350/2 back to Lime Street and finally a 185 back to Parkway. Ended up having to get a bus 5 mins down the road there as I'd messed up my timings and there wasn't a Northern service back to mine for some 40 mins. Not bad for 2 1/2 hours just for something to do. (I'm not going to try and pass that off as a trip report by the way, ha ha).

Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed my trip reports. Thanks for the North Western confirmation too, although I suppose if it's a bit nicer inside then it's worth paying a little bit extra. If I think on I'll give it a try next time I've got half an hour spare while I'm in the city centre!

Not bad at all, always good to make use of passes. It certainly passes the time too, before I started recording I used to make quite a few trips between Lime Street and South Parkway to make use of a SaveAway. In hindsight, I wish I had recorded those journeys because I'd probably need a few less 158s, 185s and 350s for haulage than I do now!

 

[55013]

I must get to Merseyrail this summer!

 

[HA25322]

507021’s Merseyrail Days OutI decided to see if the 6-car working which leaves Central at 16:29 (and Moorfields at 16:25) had a winner, however it wasn’t to be as duds 507001 and 507004 arrived as a pair five minutes late. I decided to take 507004, seeing as I’ve had more rides on 507001. !

Can I borrow one please. Never had 507001 and everytime I go for it, it is never in traffic. In fact I was under the impress that it was stood down. Not sure when it last worked in fact.

Can any one else help and confirm it is still out and about. And on another point I note that 150275 has been in works since April. Another winner sat getting fixed hopefully.

 

[507021]

Can I borrow one please. Never had 507001 and everytime I go for it, it is never in traffic. In fact I was under the impress that it was stood down. Not sure when it last worked in fact.

Can any one else help and confirm it is still out and about. And on another point I note that 150275 has been in works since April. Another winner sat getting fixed hopefully.

507001 is definitely still in service, as are all of the remaining 507s and 508s.

150275 is one of Northern's 150/2s I don't need for haulage, although I wouldn't turn it down if it turned up after it has returned from Kilmarnock. One unit that's away at the moment that I do need for haulage is 158752, so I'm looking forward to ticking that 158 off my list once it's back in service.

 

[HA25322]

507001 is definitely still in service, as are all of the remaining 507s and 508s.

150275 is one of Northern's 150/2s I don't need for haulage, although I wouldn't turn it down if it turned up after it has returned from Kilmarnock. One unit that's away at the moment that I do need for haulage is 158752, so I'm looking forward to ticking that 158 off my list once it's back in service.

Went up yesterday & today and still no sign of 507001. I will have to come looking for you 507021. [emoji13] anyway managed to get 11 winning units in the book over Manchester way including a couple of 155s which was nice as well.[emoji1303]


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[HA25322]

Found out the reason 507001 is not currently out is due to it being on overhaul. Not sure when it will be back out but that's good news that it will still be used. Will just have to keep checking.


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[507021]

Thought I’d do a diary of my All Line Rover for 2016, detailing my day-by-day coverage. As my ALRs are focused on gaining new coverage, I haven’t made a note of the unit numbers for the purpose of this diary. My friend Tony has, but at the time of the report he hasn’t had time to sort his notes out yet. I met Tony last year whilst staying at a hotel in Hereford (we got talking about trains as I mentioned where I was headed that day), and we’ve been firm friends ever since then.

There was a plan to do North Wales, but we changed our minds at the last minute so we could focus on coverage further afield. Where did we go? Read on and find out!

Day 1:
The original plan was to meet Tony in Birmingham, but we then changed our minds a couple of days before and decided to meet at London Euston instead. I bought my ALR from Lime Street and board a VTWC service down to Euston, arriving over half an hour late. Prior to getting there, I let Tony know I was going to be late and got my head down to pass the time. Once I get there, we’ve got time for a quick catch up before we decide to get a taxi to drop our things off at the hotel (the Holiday Inn on Welbeck Street) and then onto London Waterloo for our first move together on our ALRs. We would have got the bus or The Tube, but we decided to stick with the taxis as expensive as they are! At Waterloo, we had already planned our first move to be the 14:35 SWT service to Weymouth. It was a long trip, but it was an enjoyable one nevertheless.

Annoyingly, our plan to get back to London didn’t work out. Our train to Weymouth arrived eight minutes late, meaning the train we were going to get to Basingstoke (to get Basingstoke to Reading for coverage) had already left. A quick look around the station produces a GWR service to Bristol Temple Meads, which would get more new coverage for me and also a section (between Weymouth and Castle Cary) that Tony needed. It was a good idea, as we both enjoyed the trip and would still get our mandatory HST move back to London from Bristol Temple Meads, and not Reading as was the original plan.

We get to Bristol nine minutes late, but fortunately this time our planned connection wasn’t due to leave until 20:30, so we weren’t worried about missing our Plan B connection back to London. Our HST left Temple Meads on time, and we arrived a minute or two early back at Paddington. After that it was in a cab and back to the hotel! Not a bad first day at all, but Day 2 was one I was really looking forward to.

Day 2:
I wasn’t excited to get up today as I had a dreadful sleep of around an hour (no fault of the hotel), but nevertheless I get up when our alarms go off so we can get a shower and some breakfast, before grabbing some supplies for the day and heading to Liverpool Street. Tony wanted to get the Chingford and Hertford East branches, and as I needed those as well I was more than up for that. Prior to leaving, I filled my trusty flask with some coffee which I will no doubt need today!

We leave Liverpool Street on the 08:34 London Overground service to Chingford, arriving there on time and deciding to wait for the next set back so we have time to eat our breakfast. The time soon passes and Tony and I boarded the 09:27 back to Liverpool Street. Once we get back there, a short wait sees us board the 10:12 Abellio Greater Anglia service to Hertford East. We did debate going on Crossrail again after we sampled it last year, but we decide to do that another day and stick to our original plan, which was going well so far. At Hertford East, we again decide to wait and enjoy a walk around just outside the station before heading back to the station for the 11:39 back to Liverpool Street, arriving there on time. We have a quick PNB break before we plan our next move.

It was my turn to decide what line we did next, so I opted for the Thameslink service to Sevenoaks which was a line I needed, Tony didn’t, but he didn’t mind as neither of us mind covering track we’ve already covered if the other still needs it. We get a cab to Blackfriars, and wait for the next service to Sevenoaks. We didn’t have to wait too long, even with a 4 minute delay which saw us leave Blackfriars at 13:16. We get to Sevenoaks ten minutes late, but that doesn’t matter, as we decide to stay on the same unit (which leaves Sevenoaks on time at 14:29) and head back to the Thameslink core to save time. Once we’re back at Blackfriars (on time), it’s another cab ride to London Victoria so we can both get the Caterham branch for coverage. They’re starting to get quite expensive, but at least a taxi is direct and it can take a quicker route if need be!

After we pass the time by talking about our moves from the day so far, we depart on the 16:13 Southern service to Caterham. We get to Clapham Junction on time, but end up leaving 9 or 10 minutes down. We arrive at Caterham 10 minutes down at 17:19, and we wait for another train back to Victoria due to needing a PNB and a stretch of the legs. We get the slightly delayed 17:54 off Caterham, arriving at our destination at 18:48, two minutes late. We decide to get a cab to Paddington and have a walk around there for a bit, seeing as we didn't really want to walk too far with our bags and we could always go and book ourselves back into the Holiday Inn if we needed to.

The plan was to visit Cornwall on Day 3; however Tony suggested with a time saving solution a week before we started our annual ALR. Instead of having two nights in Central London (one was dear enough as it was), Tony suggested going on the Night Riviera so we can have more time to tick off Cornwall’s branch lines. So on the way there, we got ourselves a McDonalds. It was a Chicken Legend and a share box of chicken nuggets for me, with Tony having a Big Mac and some chicken nuggets for himself. After we eat our meals we head for the train, and upon checking in we opt to go halves on the extra supplement for a cabin (seeing as our rovers don’t cover a cabin), so we can get a good night’s sleep and be refreshed ready for the next day.

We weren’t very impressed with the wait, and when 23:45 arrived (when it was supposed to leave) we were still sat waiting with no sign of our train! It finally arrived at the platform over 75 minutes late, and we finally departed Paddington at 01:17 (92 minutes late). At least we were aboard and on the way to our destination, and my initial impressions were very good, but the real test would be how well I slept that night!

Day 3:
Waking up on Day 3 whilst on a train was definitely a new experience! I slept well, the bed was very comfortable with plenty of room for me to move around (well, I am only 5’9”), but the journey was terminated short at Truro due to a lineside fire, and I got even less sleep than I’d hoped for, so that was that!

Seeing as we were in Truro, we decided to explore for an hour or so seeing as Tony hadn’t visited the city before and it’d been a long time since I had. Whilst there, we do a supply run at the nearby Sainsburys before having a walk though the beautiful city. Our first train of the day was the 08:51 Truro to Falmouth, although it left at 08:59. We waited for the next train at Falmouth, as we had a much needed PNB break and a cup of coffee each and missed the same train straight back to Truro. Back to Truro, we get the delayed 09:50 which gets us to our destination half an hour later at 10:20. When a delayed service to Penzance arrived, we decided that was our next train as it would get me the Truro-Penzance section I still needed. We left Truro at 10:55, 13 minutes late. We decide to stay on the same unit so we can get back up to the Newquay branch, as time had already started to run away from us!

It probably didn’t help we did some sightseeing in Truro, but never mind! We take the train to Par, where we alight at 12:45. Another delayed train is the story of our lives, and we end up waiting over an hour at Par for our next train to Newquay. We were starting to feel our plan to cover Cornwall’s branches in a day was quite ambitious (and that’s without the St Ives branch), and we may need to eat into the next day’s plans for lines around London, potentially having a knock on effect on the last three days, to get it finished.

We have a stroll around Newquay station before boarding the same train to Liskeard, so we can get the Looe branch for coverage. How we’re going to get the St Ives branch is the topic of conversation, as we agreed it was preferable to get it while we had the tickets, and not have to wait till next year to get it. We can't decide, and decide to focus on the day at hand before we have another think about it later, but at the time I can't help but think that the St Ives branch will have to wait for another time.

Once back aboard our HST to Liskeard, Tony writes an email to GWR on his phone saying that whilst the service on board the train was excellent (and I agree wholeheartedly), the delay wasn’t a good thing as it effectively cost us over an hour’s sleep as we were sat waiting on the platform for it until after 1 o’clock in the morning, as we were planning to get to sleep more or less as soon as we got on board. The HST off Newquay thankfully leaves on time, and we sit back and relax for the long journey through to Liskeard, where we aim for the 16:41, so we can get a shift on for the Gunnislake branch. We were planning to go for the Paignton, Barnstaple and Exmouth branches whilst on our ALR, but we decide over a late lunch to leave those for another trip instead.

On our way to Liskeard, we try to decide on whether we should book a hotel as close to London as we can get or get the overnight train back to London. I decide to check with the very helpful GWR Help team if the eastbound Night Riviera (well, if you do it on one direction, why not the other?) was running that evening. With our plan to get to Gunnislake today, we still wouldn’t get to Penzance on time, so after confirming it is running, we decide to intercept it at Redruth (with a plus 19 connection providing everything was on time) instead and press ahead with our goal. Tony gets on the phone to reserve a cabin for us, whilst I press ahead with updating my diary.

We arrive a couple of minutes late at Liskeard, but we still have plenty of time for a quick PNB break and soon we’re on our way to Looe at 17:15, looking forward to our overnight trip back to London. At this point in my diary, I thought I’d mention how beautiful the scenery is in this part of the country, and why Tony was so keen for us to come to Cornwall as part of our ALR. Although I’ve been to Cornwall before (the Haven holiday camp in Hayle in October 2002), the parts we covered by going along the branch lines were areas I missed back in 2002, so I was pleased we agreed on Cornwall as a focus area for this year.

At Liskeard, we realise there’s a direct train to Gunnislake, so we head over for that one and go into the last of our supplies (a sandwich each) as we’re both hungry. One thing’s for sure, we both glad we bought our big hiking bags to fit all our clothes and supplies in (no idea how I’m getting any presents in it)! The journey takes an hour and twenty minutes, but we enjoyed it none the less. Next up was the journey to Plymouth, which was the same train departing two minutes late at 19:15.

We arrive at Plymouth on time, and although there’s a plus of just less than half an hour for our Night Riviera connection, we decide not to take a risk on going for a quick meal for dinner and decide to get some more supplies from the Sainsburys store on Western Approach instead. We get back to the station in time for our 20:26 departure, alighting at Redruth in plenty of time for our connection. When we get to Redruth, we’re pleased to discover our train is running more or less to time. As soon as we’re aboard, it’s more or less straight to our cabin, a quick drink and into our bunks after a very long and tiring day!

Hope you’ve all enjoyed the read so far, I apologise if it is a bit long!

Part 2 (Days 4 and 5, and maybe 6) will be coming very soon!

 

[Techniquest]

An epic adventure so far! Mega ouch on the bad sleep in the hotel, indeed same for the bad experience on the Night Riviera!

Good bit of coverage there, it's been over 4 years since I last went to Cornwall. I really must make an effort to return!

Top read so far, looking forward to the next instalment

 

[Kite159]

A productive couple days, bar the lack of sleep in the hotel on the first night

 

[507021]

Here it is, Part 2!

Also in addition, I managed to get winner 508117 on my way to the Chester meal last Thursday, leaving me with four 507s and four 508s still needed to complete both classes and the Merseyrail fleet for haulage. I hope to do this by the end of the year, but if not it gives me something to do next year.

Day 4:
So, I awoke from my sleep aboard the Night Riviera (feeling very refreshed!) at around 06:15, just in time for us to have a quick wash before breakfast which we had requested for 06:30. Tony and I have our breakfasts, both having opted for a coffee this time. A quick check of RTT confirms we arrived at Paddington at 05:01, 17 minutes early. Special mention here, as the attendant who served us our breakfast very kindly filled my flask with coffee (after I asked, being fully prepared to pay) free of charge, so an email will be sent to GWR once we get to our base in Cardiff to commend the service we were given.

We decide this morning once we leave the Night Riviera to abandon going for the St Ives branch this time, as the timing just isn’t on our side. Seeing as we were up and about early, we head over to Liverpool Street so we can get the Enfield branch for us both. We opt for The Tube this time, and Tony loads our Oyster cards. As I need some more coverage on the Circle Line (which Tony has completed for coverage), that’s the way we go. We depart at 07:17 and arrive just over 20 minutes later (I do like the S7 stock, I have to say). We leave for Enfield Town at 07:44, arriving half an hour later. We wait for the 08:38 departure, again arriving back at Liverpool Street half an hour later.

Once there, we’re off to Waterloo station to get some lines in the area that both of us need. We take a brief journey to Bank on the Central Line, where we’re onto the Waterloo & City Line to Waterloo. Once there, our first trip with SWT today is to Shepperton. We leave at 09:42 and take around 50 minutes to get there, returning on the same unit. Back at Waterloo, we opt to head to Reading on the 11:50, but first we top up our supplies at M&S.

Once at Reading, we work out we can get the Windsor branch if we get off at Staines, and we find ourselves on the way to Windsor & Eton Riverside at 14:07, arriving on time at 14:21. We leave at 14:23, and we decide to have our lunch on the way back to Waterloo, and I catch up again with my diary and Tony reads a book. Despite the busy day so far, and the early start, the coffee from the Night Riviera has kept us going well, although we’ll soon need some more. Back at Waterloo, we head to Costa and grab ourselves some much needed caffeine, as tonight is going to be a late one. Fortunately, Tony has booked us into a hotel close to Cardiff Central station, so we don’t have to worry about any expensive taxis or walking far.

We head for Hampton Court on time, deciding we’ll get the same unit back as we don’t want to risk missing our next train to Exeter St Davids, with Tony needing to get Salisbury to Exeter St Davids for coverage, and myself needing Basingtoke to Exeter St Davids. Arriving back at Waterloo at 5 o’clock, we head over to Burger King for our dinner. We eat that whilst we wait for our train to Exeter, which leaves at 17:20. Fortunately, we manage to get ourselves a table seat and we sit back to relax as the train sets off. I’ve caught up with my diary just as we arrive at Whitchurch, I take a leaf out of Tony’s book and try to get some sleep to pass the time.

I wake up just as we pull into Cranbrook, and I find Tony’s already awake and reading a book. We arrive in Exeter on time, with a short wait for our next train. We set off for Bristol at 20:52, arriving there at 22:10 ahead of our wait for our final train of the day to Cardiff. We eat the last of our supplies and analyse the day so far, which we think has been very successful as it went entirely to plan with no hitches. We finally get to Cardiff at 23:36, and head straight to the Travelodge by the station (on St Mary Street) where we’re straight into bed because we were absolutely exhausted!

Day 5:
We’re up at 7 o’clock today as our first train is to Milford Haven, and this is scheduled to depart Cardiff Central at 07:50. We both have a quick shower then go in search of some breakfast and other supplies. It’s decided that one of us should get supplies and the other breakfast, to save time, so I take a very quick walk up to McDonalds once I’ve had my shower, whilst Tony says that he’ll get some supplies from the station and wait for me there.

We’re soon on our way to Milford Haven, and with our breakfast eaten we sit back and relax to enjoy the scenery of the South Wales Coast. We get to Milford Haven a good 4 or 5 minutes early at 10:52, so we alight and go for a walk around the platform to stretch our legs before reboarding our train with the plan to alight at Whitland so we can get to Fishguard. We have an hour’s wait here, so we decide to find a café to get a cup of tea. We soon pass the time before heading for our train to Fishguard, which departs the platform at 12:46. We get to Fishguard on time at 13:22, and we’re soon waiting for our next train to Pembroke Dock back at Whitland. We have another hour’s wait in Whitland, so we decide to have a walk around and go to find another café for another cup of tea and a bite to eat.

We’re soon on our way to Pembroke Dock at 15:08, arriving there three minutes early at 16:11. Seeing as there’s a around an hour to wait for our train to Swansea, we decide to go for a beer in The Prince of Wales to pass the time, where I also decide to catch up with my diary. Tony suggested having an early dinner while we were in the area, but I had other plans that night, as while I was in Cardiff I wasn’t missing a trip to one of my favourite restaurants. I had heard Red Hot World Buffet was closing in a few locations, but I was happy to find out Cardiff wasn’t one of them.

We’re on our way to Swansea at 17:09, where after arriving at 19:18, we board our 19:51 connection to Cardiff Central. Although it was running late when it arrived, we leave on time, but end up getting curtailed at Port Talbot, no idea why, we just got told the train was terminating there! Once we’re finally back in Cardiff at 21:33 (around 45 minutes after we planned) after jumping onto a GWR service, we’re off to the Red Hot World Buffet (thankfully open until 23:00 on Fridays) in the fantastic Cardiff city centre for a much needed feast and a couple of pints of beer each. Great food (there’s so much food there it’s unbelievable), all you can eat for £13.99 per person! We finally get back to our hotel just before 11, and as we have another early start for Day 6, we make sure our bags are packed ready for the morning before bed.

I have to admit, I like Cardiff a lot, so I’ll no doubt be back before the end of the year. I used to live here for a few years in the early 2000s, and I do enjoy coming back.

Day 6 (Already?):
We wake up at 7 o’clock again to get to Swansea, this time Tony does the trip to McDonalds for our breakfast and I head to get supplies from Cardiff Central station. Tony arrives in plenty of time for our train to Swansea, which leaves on time and gets to Swansea on time. We have a short wait for our train to Shrewsbury, so we can both get the Heart of Wales Line for coverage. The scenery was spectacular (particularly going over the Cynghordy Viaduct), and the noise of the Sprinter going through the Sugar Loaf tunnel sounded very nice indeed. We thoroughly enjoyed this line, certainly one of the highlights of our trip.

We arrive in Shrewsbury on time for our connection to Birmingham New Street. There’s a wait to be had, so we decide to break out some sandwiches and have a cup of coffee each out of my trusty flask (which I filled that morning at the hotel in Cardiff). With a bit of time left over, Tony checks his emails and I get my diary up to date. Soon, the time passes and we’re on our way back south on our last full day travelling together. We leave Shrewsbury at 13:50 a few minutes down, arriving in Birmingham at 14:59 a few minutes late. We’ve still got time for our connection, the 15:10 Pendolino down to London Euston.

We get to Euston four minutes early at 16:30, and we’re headed for Paddington to get our next train of the day. We head for another trip on The Tube, and this time we don’t have to worry about “loading” our Oysters as we put money onto them last time were in the capital a couple of days ago. We arrive at Paddington in time for our train, having chosen the 16:57 to Didcot Parkway. We were going to do the Heathrow Express today, but decided with the money it would cost, we would be better leaving it for another trip.

We leave Paddington on time, and I have another quick catch up of my diary seeing as we have a table seat. It doesn’t take me long to catch up, and we’re soon talking about where to have our dinner that evening. As we’re staying in Slough (mainly because it’s fairly close to London so we have a decent launch pad for whatever we decide to do tomorrow before heading our separate ways), we have a look at pubs and restaurants near to the Holiday Inn by the station.

We’re in Reading on time at 17:50, and we head for our last planned new coverage (for both), the Reading to Basingstoke line. We depart Reading at 18:07, and upon arrival at Basingstoke a quick PNB break is had before we get back on our train for the 18:37 back to Reading. Back at Reading, we’re on our way to Slough at 19:03. We check in at our hotel at around half past seven before heading off for a meal at The Moon and Spoon on High Street. We then decide to grab a few beers from the massive (yes, it’s absolutely huge) Tesco Extra. It’s that big I had to phone Tony to find him again after I went to the toilet! He thought it was hilarious, although I saw the funny side myself so it wasn’t all bad.

Back at the hotel, we relax with a few beers and sum up the last six days and how much we’ve enjoyed it. We reckon we’ve easily covered 2,000 miles, even excluding mileage from when we travelled by ourselves to the meeting point at Euston on Monday. At the time of writing this update, I haven’t even started calculating our mileage, although I expect it will definitely be around the 2,000 mile mark once I’ve calculated it all.

Hope you’ve enjoyed Days 4 to 6, Day 7 and the summary will be up very soon!

 

[Kite159]

Sounded like a good few days boosting your route coverage

 

[507021]

Sounded like a good few days boosting your route coverage

It sure was Kite, but it was very tiring! Definitely worth it though.

 

[fowler9]

Brilliant read mate, sounds like you had an amazing time. I've done some amazing journies in my time but never done an ALR, it is on the list, possibly the year after next.

 

[507021]

Brilliant read mate, sounds like you had an amazing time. I've done some amazing journies in my time but never done an ALR, it is on the list, possibly the year after next.

Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it. We sure did, last year's was good but we had to finish our adventure after five days due to my friend (same one) needing to cut it short early, so I used my ALR to visit some places locally instead for the last two days. I don't think I got the full value of my ALR last year, but I'm sure I did this year.

I'd really recommend an ALR, it gives you so much choice and you can visit some amazing places.

 

[Techniquest]

Another fan of the ALR then! I loved mine in 2011 and 2012, even after 2 solid weeks of bashing in 2012 I was more than prepared to dive in and do another one starting the following day! 4 and a bit years later, I'm still wanting to use an ALR again. Yes I did very little coverage around the country (mostly PSUL moves now, not including preserved and non-passenger lines) but it would be incredibly good fun. I'm currently hoping things will work out well enough to do one in 2017, pending various circumstances in the meantime!

Anyway, sorry for going on a bit there. An incredibly good few days you had there, although I don't envy your hotel bill which must have been massive!

Glad you enjoyed the journey up the Heart of Wales, and that the Sprinter thrash produced up Sugar Loaf for you. A 37 is still the best I've ever had up that climb, followed by a 150 for noise and entertainment value!

Excellent amount of variety had during the trip too, which is better than what I'd be doing on one currently, many long distance HST, 90 and 91 journeys.

Looking forward to the final part when it's ready!

 

[fishquinn]

Certainly not what I'd do on an ALR but it sounds like a cracking time was had! Red hot is one of my favourite restaurants too - do you know what places it's closing in? I'm certainly looking forward to the next bit!

 

[507021]

Another fan of the ALR then! I loved mine in 2011 and 2012, even after 2 solid weeks of bashing in 2012 I was more than prepared to dive in and do another one starting the following day! 4 and a bit years later, I'm still wanting to use an ALR again. Yes I did very little coverage around the country (mostly PSUL moves now, not including preserved and non-passenger lines) but it would be incredibly good fun. I'm currently hoping things will work out well enough to do one in 2017, pending various circumstances in the meantime!

Anyway, sorry for going on a bit there. An incredibly good few days you had there, although I don't envy your hotel bill which must have been massive!

Glad you enjoyed the journey up the Heart of Wales, and that the Sprinter thrash produced up Sugar Loaf for you. A 37 is still the best I've ever had up that climb, followed by a 150 for noise and entertainment value!

Excellent amount of variety had during the trip too, which is better than what I'd be doing on one currently, many long distance HST, 90 and 91 journeys.

Looking forward to the final part when it's ready!

I know the feeling, we did want to go on and do another week but it wasn't possible unfortunately. As much as I'd like to do a 14 day ALR I think it'd probably get very expensive. Hopefully you can do one in 2017, I'm planning another one although it will probably a bit earlier in the year this time.

We went halves (more or less) on the hotels, but even then they were still very expensive. Still, at least they were decent.

Yeah I was really pleased with the variety that Tony came up with for us, we visited quite a few different places and managed to get a few different rolling stock types to go with it. I've got no idea where we're going to next year, more than likely it'll be the south coast and whatever we still need around London by then.

Certainly not what I'd do on an ALR but it sounds like a cracking time was had! Red hot is one of my favourite restaurants too - do you know what places it's closing in? I'm certainly looking forward to the next bit!

Oh it was great, we both really enjoyed it. As for Red Hot branches, I know the branch in Liverpool has definitely closed, and possibly the one in Leicester but other than those two I'm not sure unfortunately. I'm fairly sure the Red Hot in Manchester is still open, but again I'm not 100% sure.

Part 3 should be posted either tonight or tomorrow, just a few more calculations to do then it'll be ready for posting!

 

[fishquinn]

Thanks for the gen - Milton Keynes and Nottingham are the ones I've used.

 

[507021]

Well here it is, the final part!

Day 7 (Is it over already?)
So, we wake up on our last day. It had already arrived, and we both faced the fact we were going to be back to reality within 24 hours. Still, our tickets still had the rest of the day on them, so we decided to go for a short run-out before returning to Slough (The Moon and Spoon again) for a Sunday lunch prior to going our separate ways. We decided to go back to Basingstoke again, so we left Slough for Reading at 09:55, losing time on the way there. Still, at least we didn’t miss the connection to Basingstoke, arriving seven minutes down at 10:22.

We’re on our way to Basingstoke at 10:37, and leave at 11:06. We get back to Reading at 11:30 and we only have a short wait before we head back for Slough at 11:36. Just before midday, we’re alighting our train at Slough and heading for The Moon and Spoon. We were going to go back into London for lunch, but seeing as we liked The Moon and Spoon from the previous evening, we decided to change our dining plans. As we have a beer each before ordering our food, we try and decide which way to head to our respective homes.

After another couple hours we pass by having our food and a couple of beers in The Moon and Spoon and then looking around Slough’s town centre (not that exciting to be honest, but it was something to do!), we decide to call time on our epic trip and head for home, especially as Tony is due in work the next morning. We leave Slough at 15:49, with our train delayed by 5 minutes upon departure. We arrive at Paddington at 16:20, four minutes down. Tony decides to go for the 16:27 direct train to Hereford, so we head for his platform and say our goodbyes before I see his train off. He departs on time and I reluctantly make my way over to Euston to begin my journey home.

I use what’s left on my Oyster card to get on the Underground (first time I’ve used it by myself) over to Euston, deciding to go for the direct route back to Liverpool on a Pendolino. I quite like the Class 390s to be honest, and it was much easier than going via two or three places to get home from Paddington. I board my second to last Tube train of the trip at 16:38, then my last as I leave the train at Oxford Circus to board another to get to Euston. When I get to Euston, a quick check on my phone tells me the next train to Liverpool is at 17:05, so not long to wait. Once I’m aboard, I find myself a table seat and set my laptop up for the journey to type up today’s (and the last) diary entry for my 2016 ALR just after we depart at 17:04. I feel sad that it’s ended already and of course, to say goodbye to one of my closest friends.

We leave on time, and I get to work working out with my mileage total with the use of my mobile broadband (although the signal wasn't great, so I gave up after half an hour), with haulage statistics to be done when Tony has had time to sort out his notes. The journey soon flies by, and I arrive back in Liverpool at 19:20, two minutes early. One of my friends is waiting for me to give me a lift home, and once home I get myself a cup of tea and sit down to relax before finishing this report off. I was sad to be home, but on the plus side plenty of new memories were created, and it certainly won’t be my last ALR!

Review:
This year's All Line Rover saw me (and Tony) cover a lot of new track around the South West, as well as a number of branch lines around London. Compared to last year's ALR, this year's was a lot more productive for coverage and mileage, especially as we were out travelling for all seven days this time around. There's a fair few highlights, mainly the branch lines of Cornwall, the Night Riviera and the Heart of Wales Line, which were all outstanding. I'm headed for Cornwall again at some point, seeing as the St Ives branch was closed when I was there and I was unable to travel on it, a disappointment as we were both looking forward to that particular branch. A shame really, but it's something else for us to do another time!

I've posted reviews of our hotels in the accommodation reviews thread, all favourable reviews and I'd recommend all of them if anybody was looking for a hotel in those areas. The Night Riviera is a great experience, as I've said earlier, if you've not been on it before then I really recommend that you do. I probably won't be on it again until next year though, when I go to get the St Ives branch for coverage.

Miles covered:
3,087 miles, 46 chains.

Spending:
ALR: £318.80 (with 16-25 railcard)
Food and drink: £84.25
Hotel share: £170 (give or take a few pounds)
Other costs: £70 (two halves on the Night Riviera)
Friendship: Priceless

I want to thank Tony (hopefully he’ll be reading this, as I did send him the link!) for joining me on one of the most memorable, if not the most memorable week of my life so far. It was certainly the much needed holiday that I needed and I can’t wait to join Tony for my ALR next year. Last but not least, I’d like to thank you all for reading my 2016 All Line Rover diary. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I look forward to writing my 2017 All Line Rover diary.

As my partner's paid for us to go to Blackpool for a couple of nights this weekend, I've decided that I'll update my mileage total in the Mileage Competition once I've returned from that!

 

[fishquinn]

It must have been awful ending the ALR after a fantastic week away. Good to hear that you had a good time though!

 

[Kite159]

I bet that service to Liverpool would have been a bit empty from Euston, it being a super peak train afterall

 

[Techniquest]

A nice and easy end to the week, looks like you really enjoyed it! The end of an ALR is always sad, a week or two weeks of heaven is hard not to suffer a comedown from.

I've always done my ALRs solo, but it does look like it could be fun in the company of someone else!

 

[cactustwirly]

Well here it is, the final part!

Day 7 (Is it over already?)
So, we wake up on our last day. It had already arrived, and we both faced the fact we were going to be back to reality within 24 hours. Still, our tickets still had the rest of the day on them, so we decided to go for a short run-out before returning to Slough (The Moon and Spoon again) for a Sunday lunch prior to going our separate ways. We decided to go back to Basingstoke again, so we left Slough for Reading at 09:55, losing time on the way there. Still, at least we didn’t miss the connection to Basingstoke, arriving seven minutes down at 10:22.

We’re on our way to Basingstoke at 10:37, and leave at 11:06. We get back to Reading at 11:30 and we only have a short wait before we head back for Slough at 11:36. Just before midday, we’re alighting our train at Slough and heading for The Moon and Spoon. We were going to go back into London for lunch, but seeing as we liked The Moon and Spoon from the previous evening, we decided to change our dining plans. As we have a beer each before ordering our food, we try and decide which way to head to our respective homes.

After another couple hours we pass by having our food and a couple of beers in The Moon and Spoon and then looking around Slough’s town centre (not that exciting to be honest, but it was something to do!), we decide to call time on our epic trip and head for home, especially as Tony is due in work the next morning. We leave Slough at 15:49, with our train delayed by 5 minutes upon departure. We arrive at Paddington at 16:20, four minutes down. Tony decides to go for the 16:27 direct train to Hereford, so we head for his platform and say our goodbyes before I see his train off. He departs on time and I reluctantly make my way over to Euston to begin my journey home.

I use what’s left on my Oyster card to get on the Underground (first time I’ve used it by myself) over to Euston, deciding to go for the direct route back to Liverpool on a Pendolino. I quite like the Class 390s to be honest, and it was much easier than going via two or three places to get home from Paddington. I board my second to last Tube train of the trip at 16:38, then my last as I leave the train at Oxford Circus to board another to get to Euston. When I get to Euston, a quick check on my phone tells me the next train to Liverpool is at 17:05, so not long to wait. Once I’m aboard, I find myself a table seat and set my laptop up for the journey to type up today’s (and the last) diary entry for my 2016 ALR just after we depart at 17:04. I feel sad that it’s ended already and of course, to say goodbye to one of my closest friends.

We leave on time, and I get to work working out with my mileage total with the use of my mobile broadband (although the signal wasn't great, so I gave up after half an hour), with haulage statistics to be done when Tony has had time to sort out his notes. The journey soon flies by, and I arrive back in Liverpool at 19:20, two minutes early. One of my friends is waiting for me to give me a lift home, and once home I get myself a cup of tea and sit down to relax before finishing this report off. I was sad to be home, but on the plus side plenty of new memories were created, and it certainly won’t be my last ALR!

Review:
This year's All Line Rover saw me (and Tony) cover a lot of new track around the South West, as well as a number of branch lines around London. Compared to last year's ALR, this year's was a lot more productive for coverage and mileage, especially as we were out travelling for all seven days this time around. There's a fair few highlights, mainly the branch lines of Cornwall, the Night Riviera and the Heart of Wales Line, which were all outstanding. I'm headed for Cornwall again at some point, seeing as the St Ives branch was closed when I was there and I was unable to travel on it, a disappointment as we were both looking forward to that particular branch. A shame really, but it's something else for us to do another time!

I've posted reviews of our hotels in the accommodation reviews thread, all favourable reviews and I'd recommend all of them if anybody was looking for a hotel in those areas. The Night Riviera is a great experience, as I've said earlier, if you've not been on it before then I really recommend that you do. I probably won't be on it again until next year though, when I go to get the St Ives branch for coverage.

Miles covered:
3,087 miles, 46 chains.

Spending:
ALR: £318.80 (with 16-25 railcard)
Food and drink: £84.25
Hotel share: £170 (give or take a few pounds)
Other costs: £70 (two halves on the Night Riviera)
Friendship: Priceless

I want to thank Tony (hopefully he’ll be reading this, as I did send him the link!) for joining me on one of the most memorable, if not the most memorable week of my life so far. It was certainly the much needed holiday that I needed and I can’t wait to join Tony for my ALR next year. Last but not least, I’d like to thank you all for reading my 2016 All Line Rover diary. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I look forward to writing my 2017 All Line Rover diary.

As my partner's paid for us to go to Blackpool for a couple of nights this weekend, I've decided that I'll update my mileage total in the Mileage Competition once I've returned from that!

did you manage to get any 150/0s on your run to Basingstoke?

There are more interesting adjectives that I can use to describe Slough's town centre than "not that exciting"

Reading would have been much more exciting

sounds like a good trip though!

 

[507021]

It must have been awful ending the ALR after a fantastic week away. Good to hear that you had a good time though!

It was, but at least it won't be the last ALR I ever do, especially as I still need so much of the network for coverage. At least a bonus was I was off the week afterwards too, so it wasn't straight back to work for me!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed reading the reports.

I bet that service to Liverpool would have been a bit empty from Euston, it being a super peak train afterall

I was just happy to have a table seat to myself, it makes a change! Usually every time I get on a long distance train by myself, all of the table seats are taken, so I can't get my laptop out to watch a DVD or listen to music.

A nice and easy end to the week, looks like you really enjoyed it! The end of an ALR is always sad, a week or two weeks of heaven is hard not to suffer a comedown from.

I've always done my ALRs solo, but it does look like it could be fun in the company of someone else!

Oh for sure, we didn't want to rush anything on the last day because Tony was heading back to work the next day, although I was off for another week afterwards. I didn't do that much on my second week off, most of it was spent catching up with things at home!

I don't mind travelling alone, but as we were visiting areas of the network I wasn't sure of, it was good to have Tony join me for the company as well as his superior knowledge.

did you manage to get any 150/0s on your run to Basingstoke?

There are more interesting adjectives that I can use to describe Slough's town centre than "not that exciting"

Reading would have been much more exciting

sounds like a good trip though!

Yeah, Slough wasn't great if I'm honest, but at least the food in the Wetherspoons and the hotel were both nice. I wouldn't go there again unless it was for use as a base camp, as there wasn't all that much to do even in the town centre. I've been to worse places, but I've been to more interesting places too.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
507021’s Merseyside Challenge.

Having decided to participate in this when it was first proposed, I waited patiently for the day to arrive where I’d finally get to enter one of the forum’s challenges right on my doorstep. Armed with my SaveAway on the morning, I board Arriva North West’s 4622 (SN15 LME) to make my way into the City Centre for 11 o’clock. I arrive ahead of time, so I decide to go for a quick look around town before making my way to Lime Street. I had a plan in mind, but of course, this could still change.

Sure enough, it did. My three bonus stations were easy to reach, but I opted to go for maximum station numbers and potentially knocking off more Merseyrail units and stations that I still needed. Once the station clock reported it was 11:30, I made my way down to the Merseyrail platform for my first train of the day to Chester, in the hope of bagging a bonus point by stopping at Capenhurst. I watched me123 board 507007 on his way to New Brighton whilst I patiently waited for my train, which was running eight minutes late when we finally left at 11:51. 507001 did the honours, and who’d have thought a delayed train to Chester would become my favourite move of the year so far?

After leaving Hamilton Square, the announcement over the tannoy came that 507001 would not be stopping between Birkenhead Central and Hooton. Yes, just over six and a half miles of 507 thrash, that’ll do me nicely! Before long, we arrived in Hooton and after being ten minutes down at Hamilton Square, we arrived in Chester a minute early. I stay on 507001 with the intention of alighting at Moorfields (after deciding to drop Ellesmere Port from the plan), however I bail at Hamilton Square for a much needed PNB break. I dash back down to the platform and join 507010 for the short hop to Moorfields.

My train to Southport soon arrived, formed of 507004 leading 508126. I opt for the latter to get my 508 numbers up, and we leave on time at 13:27, arriving in Southport two minutes early at 14:07, where I decide to join another pair for the journey south (507006 and 508136). I go for the 507, and we leave on time at 14:12. I’m not worried about losing time here, as my connection at Sandhills is a +12. I helped myself to one of my sandwiches that I made in the morning, having only eaten a cereal bar a few hours before. Soon, my journey aboard 507006 is at an end. I alight at Sandhills and go over to the timetable to work out if I can fit in another journey or two before the 16:45 deadline. It turns out that I can, much to my delight. 507023 rolls in with the 15:03 to Ormskirk, and I have to admit I enjoyed this journey as it’s been a good while since I’ve been on this branch.

I return from Ormskirk on 507023, and we leave on time at 15:35. The time soon flies, as I opted to get off at Walton and dash around to Rice Lane to get a connection to Kirkby, so I can at least get some bonus points for visiting all three of the northern Northern Line termini. I have a +8 connection, which is easily made. Doing the honours was 508117, departing for Kirkby at 16:02. After working out I will be back well before the 16:45 deadline, I relax and enjoy the journey back to Moorfields, where I arrive on time at 16:28. In a mad rush to get to the Wirral Line to get back to Lime Street, I get a bit lost trying to find it, but thankfully a kind guard shouts over the directions I need. With a thank you given to the guard, I’m soon on the Wirral Line platform. 507007 rolls in with my final journey back to Lime Street, arriving there at 16:33. After counting my score, I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped, but at least I managed to visit a new station.

I opted to go to the after challenge meal in The Crown, which was really enjoyable. I really enjoyed the company of fowler9, Y961 XBU, me123 and Robinson amongst others. After the meal, Y961 XBU and I were the last two to leave, so with me in no rush to get home, we opt to head out and make some more use of our SaveAways.

We head down to Liverpool One, where we board a Stagecoach Merseyside Enviro400 (can’t remember which one) to South Parkway on the 86. I really enjoyed this ride, and I have to admit I do like these buses. Once at South Parkway, I need another PNB break before we decide to try and get a connection at Hunts Cross to potentially get one or two DMUs that we may need. Unfortunately, a late running East Midlands service means we miss it, but we still board 150215 to Hunts Cross and alight there. We decide to join a Merseyrail service back to South Parkway, this being the 21:21 to Southport formed of 507005 and 508139. We go for 507005, and alight at South Parkway to see if anything else on the mainline is due. There is, but it’s delayed, and there’s a Merseyrail service due before then.

Back on the platform, I am extremely pleased when I see 507016 lead in my favourite unit 507021 “Red Rum” onto the platform, meaning I can finally tick it off my reset Merseyrail rolling stock needs list. We leave at 21:39, and after a short delay en-route, we’re back in Central on time at 21:57. We stop briefly at McDonalds so Y961 XBU can get a drink, and I decide to head home and relax after a long day. Doing the honours was Arriva North West’s 4671 (SK15 GZH). I finally get home at around 22:45, after a very long day indeed!

Winner units: 1
Winner stations: 1
Mileage: 108.5 miles.

 

[fishquinn]

Good to hear what you were up to! I thought of you when we saw 507021 at Liverpool Central earlier in the day - why is it your fave?

 

[Techniquest]

Never done one of these challenges, but I have the badge of honour for having visited all Heart of Wales shacks, so can't complain. Won't mention the TOC fleets cleared

Looks like it was a good day, although E400s aren't my thing. Now a good quality Volvo product, yes please!

 

[507021]

Good to hear what you were up to! I thought of you when we saw 507021 at Liverpool Central earlier in the day - why is it your fave?

Thanks! It's my favourite unit because I remember travelling on 507021 back in 2008 not long after it had been named, and the name plates were what made me remember it more than the unit number (as I didn't pay attention to the unit numbers at the time). I went on 507021 a few times after that, and I've always had a fondness for it. As well as that, 507021's name has a special significance for a member of my close family.

Never done one of these challenges, but I have the badge of honour for having visited all Heart of Wales shacks, so can't complain. Won't mention the TOC fleets cleared

Looks like it was a good day, although E400s aren't my thing. Now a good quality Volvo product, yes please!

It was great, although I went by myself and didn't win (wasn't that bothered if I did or I didn't), I still had a good day out and I managed to get some more miles, a new station and bag a ride on my favourite unit. I'll complete all the stations and units on Merseyrail before long, and I'll almost certainly get the new station at Maghull North before you do!

Seriously though, there's some achievements to be proud of there. I'll just be happy to have all of Merseyrail's stations visited and the current fleet completed for haulage before the new fleet starts to arrive.

 

[fowler9]

Thanks! It's my favourite unit because I remember travelling on 507021 back in 2008 not long after it had been named, and the name plates were what made me remember it more than the unit number (as I didn't pay attention to the unit numbers at the time). I went on 507021 a few times after that, and I've always had a fondness for it. As well as that, 507021's name has a special significance for a member of my close family.



It was great, although I went by myself and didn't win (wasn't that bothered if I did or I didn't), I still had a good day out and I managed to get some more miles, a new station and bag a ride on my favourite unit. I'll complete all the stations and units on Merseyrail before long, and I'll almost certainly get the new station at Maghull North before you do!

Seriously though, there's some achievements to be proud of there. I'll just be happy to have all of Merseyrail's stations visited and the current fleet completed for haulage before the new fleet starts to arrive.

Brilliant read mate. Was boss to meet you and others. I really enjoyed the day, never expected to win but got a new station, Town Green. I was quite happy with my score, 47 I think, not bad given I screwed up my understanding of the scoring. Ha ha.

 

[Techniquest]

I keep forgetting about Maghull North, hopefully it'll be announced on here soon and I'll go get it. Same for that new stop in Blackpool, and the new trams!