Alex's trip reports (ft. Least Used in Scotland)

[Blindtraveler]

Oo loveley, 14x's with Welsh Accents, approval there!

I must make an effort to introduce my overly large rear end to a non collapsed richmond train seat, did you really find one? Amazing if so and would be good if it is just a haymarket thing!
Enjoyable veriety of moves and traction there.

 

[rg177]

It had to be that your first ATW 142 of the day was one of the last 3 I require Though I do believe that 142072 is still slightly charred somewhere.

Sounds like a good day in the Valleys though, but admittedly you went for basically all of the lines I didn't do (Cadoxton, Queen Street leaps and the line to Bargoed were the weirdest bits) so it does give me hope that my weird experience won't be repeated in September!

 

[Blindtraveler]

Doubt 072 will ever bounce again in anger as given that they must be withdrawn by 2019 such heavy repairs most likely arnt practicle.

 

[Kite159]

Sounded like a couple good days. Good to note that about the seated sleeper for the Night Rivera as I'm booked to do it next month from Reading towards Exeter. Agreed, bay seats are not the best if you have someone sat opposite you.

 

[alexf380]

142072 has been sighted heading in a general westerly direction over the past couple of days, so there is hope yet!

And Kite, there were quite a few unreserved seats to be had on this one (and there appeared to be two coaches?) So if you don't like the seat you've got there shouldn't be much of a problem in changing.

 

[Kite159]

I suspect it will be busier on a Friday than it is during the week

 

[Blindtraveler]

Interesting about that 142, I am surprised ATW/the ROSCO thought fettling it up again viable. Naturally I'm happy as a devoted Pacer enthusiast!

 

[alexf380]

Tuesday 6th June 2017

And so I awoke from my slumber at the hour of seven, after a very rateable night's sleep. I was also thankful that I could partake in the use of one of God's greatest creations - a shower. I then decide that I shan't be paying Travelodge's £8 odds for breakfast, and I instead head across the road to the same Spoon's as yesterday, and order the same food. It was lovely, after all.

My plan for the day (and actually a few days of this rover) was using bits and bobs from an ALR plan I had seen on the "Frequently requested diagrams & updates" thread on here quite a few months ago. I forget who originally posted it so forgive me, but if I had been following it religiously, yesterday would have been a Greater Anglia Class 90 hunt but I'm not all too fussed by them, so I didn't bother. Today, however, was a Chiltern Cat thrash extravaganza, and I reworked the plan to use the current diagrams but still managed to cover all 5 diagrams throughout the day.

I take some time to have a wander around Bristol city centre, stopping by the old dockyard type area, before heading back to Temple Meads for one more time this trip. I had changed my plan last night to head out on the 09:00 departure, rather than my originally intended 09:30 but as I had spent longer than intended wandering about the place it was the latter that I fell onto. Double winning (obviously) 43192+43196 are taken for a much more comfortable journey than the previous morning, passing through the likes of Bath Spa and Swindon to reach Didcot Parkway a little over an hour later.

I stand and watch the plethora of freight pass by in the twenty or so minutes I fester here, before "The Red Dragon" arrives, powered by 43086+43017 and it must be one of the high density sets, as there next to no tables in this coach, and it's packed! We crawl past some very grey railway architecture on our way to Reading, where I jump through WHSmith to buy a sandwich for later before joining a reversing 221122 for the crawl up to Banbury.

Only, it wasn't to be. Due to some reason or another, we had managed to accumulate about 14 minutes of delay, meaning that my connecting Chiltern service had been put in front. I decide, instead, to head to Casa del Quinn after discovering I can recover my plan almost imminently if I alight at Leamington Spa. My first taste of Thames Turbo thrash is enjoyed aboard 165013 up to my planned shack score of Solihull. I'm very relieved to see that we have an island platform on our hands, as I ended up with just a +3 here. Soon enough, I see the front end of a DVT winding its way into the platform. The pushing loco stops practically right next to me and it's 68010 that is providing power.

My haven't Chiltern done a grand job in refurbishing these carriages. There were no stains on the seats or carpets, no obtrusive lighting or decor. Very classy. Very classy. I only take this one as far as Warwick Parkway, as the following working is also, I believe, a 68. I take the opportunity of solitude to eat lunch and try my best to avoid the wind, before 68012 purrs in, and I board. I return to Leamington Spa with the intention of taking the 40 minute wait for the next cat working in the waiting room. However, a train had hit something just north of Oxford, and so XC services were heavily delayed, meaning nothing was moving through Banbury and Leam.

After amost an hour here (and after identifying 68014 as the loco that avoided me earlier) my train is finally next in line. 68015 is taken right to the end of the line at Birmingham Moor Street where, due to the delay, I miss my outbound 168 by a matter of seconds. I question why I didn't bail at Solihull before going off in search of some coffee, finding a Costa in the Bullring not too far away.

A short while later and I return to the station and to 68015 and pick the pair of seats closest to the back. I'm on board for about an hour now, as I have Banbury in my sights for a shack score. The rain re-starts here just as I step out onto the platform to join 168325+168217. Again, I think that Chiltern have done a reasonable job with the interior on these Turbostars and I enjoy my short journey along to Haddenham & Tame Parkway.

Half an hour in the sun provides me with a solo and very busy 168329 to take me for a bus stop bash to Princes Risborough.I spy a Turbo coming off the Aylesbury branch and terminating before 68011 arrives with the slam door commuter set which has recently been given a lick of paint out of the blue and grey I had thought it was in.

I'm in the company of this one until it terminates at Bicester North. Oddly, it doesn't leave empty immediately. In fact, it was still sitting there 33 minutes later after I departed on 168001, having blocked the line and forced the next northbound service to use the southbound platform. I think it was given the signal to go just as we set off, however. I take the doyen of the class right the way to Marylebone. I really quite liked the approach into MYB in the fading light, steadily getting more and more built up as we progress.

I waste no time in finding some food here and the always reliable Burger King shall do nicely. In fact, I spend a lot longer than I had wanted to here and before I know it, it's gone 8:30. I've a sleeper to catch! I can't hang around any loner so after paying a visit to the nice loos here (decorated in a Monopoly type fashion) I hot foot it down to the underground.

Not too much later I emerge at Euston, and the platform has already been announced for the Northbound Highlander tonight, so I make my way up to platform 1, taking my seat in the very first coach far, far to the back of the train. I make my request to the TOPS requests thread to see what shall be taking me up to Edinburgh tonight, and I'm informed it's 92018. Score! 6 more of GBRf's 92s remain on my wants list now. I can just hope for another tomorrow.

Sleep isn't too bad actually on this one, and I think I fell into unconsciousness about Rugby, waking again at both Crewe and Preston. Arrival into Edinburgh is a few minutes early, and that's where I'll leave it for now.

Stay tuned for day 6!

 

[Blindtraveler]

Sounds like a lot of fun there, bring on the cats!

 

[Kite159]

165/0s are better known as "Chiltern Turbos" rather than "Thames Turbos"

(Also you might want to check your notes for 168011 as that doesn't exist, it be 001 or 111)

Apart from some hassle regarding vehicle striking bridges and late running voyagers, sounded like a productive Cat filled day

 

[Techniquest]

An exciting day, most certainly. Kite is correct, down south we generally call them Chiltern Turbos for the 165/0s, or just Turbos as a more general name to also cover the GWR 165/1s and 166s. Thames Turbo is a more official name.

 

[alexf380]

Indeed it be 001. Thanks for the heads up re: Chiltern Turbos.

 

[alexf380]

Wednesday 7th June 2017

With a bang and a clunk I was awoken at Edinburgh, unsurprisingly in the pouring rain that I had become accustomed to the past few days. It was also incredibly cold, as the heating was off due to the loco change. Eventually we get moving again and I drift off back to sleep, surfacing as we depart Gleneagles. I begin to gather my stuff and prepare to depart at Perth. We were now at the very front of the train, so identifying our loco was no trouble. After saying bye to a Guard I recognised from his Scotrail days, I see that 67007 has produced as hoped. Happy days!

I had quietly been wishing that the cafe would be open at 05:30, but alas it was not to be, so I'll have to wait until we get to Edinburgh for breakfast. I observe the various shunt movements in and around the station, and I'm astonished at the amount of units that are stabled here overnight. 170408+158786 roll in from the carriage shed and are unlocked with a few minutes before departure. I take a seat in the 170 (sorry!) as I needed to use the charging points for my phone.

The 06:15 Edinburgh train turns right at Markinch and runs down through Glenrothes and Dunfermline, and utilises the little used platform 2 at Glenrothes, so a couple of good wee bits of track covered for me as we able on through the Fife countryside, arriving into Edinburgh more or less on time just after 8 o'clock. I realise a mistake has been made in my planning, as I misread the times of the next southbound XC service. I only have 10 minutes here to grab something to eat, and the line at Costa is massive (I can't wait for Pret to open) so Upper Crust it is for an expensive coffee and pastry thing that will have to do until later. 220010 is on the Dundee starter this morning, and I settle down into a free pair in the rearmost coach for the pleasant run to today's first shack score, Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Twenty minutes in the warm waiting room provides me with 43312+43315 down to Newcastle, where I bail for a PNB. I also swing by Sainsburys to purchase copious amounts of food before heading up to Platform 1 for the 10:24 service to Carlisle. Today it is in the hands of 156484, which departs with a very healthy load.

A lovely run through the very picturesque Tyne valley follows, spotting Corkerhill's most wanted along the way, before arriving once again into Carlisle. Not a lot of time to fritter away here, as I want to be on the next southbound Pendolino, and 390122 does a very smelly job of doing just that. Lancaster is chosen as the place to alight, as I can fall quite happily onto the one following us. That also turns out to be one of my many required 390s in the form of 390135, this time taken to Warrington Bank Quay.

I worry that I am not going to make my next train and be faced with an hour's fester here as we are running more than a few minutes late, however my fears were to be dumbfounded as just as the Pendo leaves, my onward Hippo arrives. Very heavily loaded 175007 arrives and I resort to sitting on one of the fold down seats in the vestibule. I'm only going a short distance so it's no big deal, and I alight at Helsby.

What a nice station it is. Very quiet, a nice signalbox, not very many people around at all. In fact, the only thing to break the silence was the reason behind the title of this part of the trip report. I have a soft spot for the 67s, and as there is a ridiculously small chance that I will ever actually clear the class, I want to try and get as many as possible before they are all placed into storage. 67022 on the North Wales turn makes it 3/3 winning 67s on this trip, and I ride all the way to its journeys end at Manchester Piccadilly.

I have only minutes to run across the footbridge and ignore the idling 142s on the New Mills and Marple line services, heading onto the awaiting dud 220027 for a quick Stockport leap. I fall back onto 185101 for my first Diesel Dez of the week, and it's absolutely heaving. I eventually locate a reserved seat that the occupant obviously hasn't showed up for, so I park my bum for the run through to Sheffield.

With only ten minutes or so until my next train out of here, I swiftly source some dinner before climbing onto 222001 for the journey to Leicester. Nothing to complain about, they're just like a voyager except a lot more orange. Quite nice, actually. I alight at Leicester to find that my next move is very delayed, meaning my planned shack scores shall have to be changed. i observe a late running Sprinter arrive, terminate, then depart before a loud and thrashy 43061+43049 power me away to East Midlands Parkway, and I grab a quick photo underneath the shadow of the cooling towers before my attention turned to the aforementioned Sprinter.

156406 becomes my first EMT version of the class to hit my book, and it's enjoyed up to Beeston. A double Meridian set is let go (as I mistakenly thought it would form my move out of Nottingham) before 170104 arrives from Birmingham. Nottingham was indeed my destination, and I take a few minutes to peruse the platforms, noting that the BTP were being called to the Skegness train, before finding 222013 idling away. My seat for the next couple of hours was decided upon once the reservations had been downloaded and i throw my phone on to charge.

I enjoy the Meridian's company for its entire journey to St Pancras, where I make a beeline for the Underground. Surprisingly, I make it there before my 21st birthday (it's such a long walk!) and I take the first thing I can along to Euston, because I'm lazy. I head up to the mezzanine level to make a quick call home, and then to my other half, before joining the Lowland sleeper where I'm in luck as coach H is apparently out of use tonight. Coach P is, instead, where I'll be spending the night and so after identifying the loco as 90042, I am lead to my berth. No one has joined me by the time we get the off, so I head to the buffet car to purchase an adult beverage or two to celebrate the forthcoming last day of the trip.

Nothing exciting happened on the sleeper tonight, so I'll leave it there. See you for day 7 later!

 

[Kite159]

A varied day there

 

[Blindtraveler]

Nice bit of luck the seats being out, far nicer for you.

Lucky you got a 170 with sockets, still to few of these about and interesting that at least 1 Scotrail guard has gone over to Serco.

Too many vommiters that last day, the 222s I like much better. Looking forward to day 7.

 

[fishquinn]

It sounds like your having a great trip! I won't mention you skipping a day though...

I'm honoured to get a mention too!

 

[alexf380]

Thursday 8th June 2017

The last day was finally upon us, and as I sat in my cabin drinking my free Cally Sleeper tea on the approach into Glasgow Central, I started to reflect on the week that had been. I'd had a stormer of a great time and I would heartily recommend to some of the younger generation of bashers that once they reach the appropriate age, just do it. You'll love it. Yes, it's a tad on the expensive side up front but with a 16-25 railcard it works out at just £46.39 per day for free rein of the country! Certainly, I want to do another as soon as I can. I've already got ideas floating around for next summer

Anyway, back to reality. Today was to be another half day adventure as, not only was it election day, I also had a social obligation at college in which my peers were performing Shakespeare's "King Lear" and I couldn't really miss it.

I didn't catch the loco that was taking on the Edinburgh portion this morning, but on arrival at Glasgow, I see it's 92010 that is due to take the empties back to Polmadie. My first port of call is the showers, and after feeling much more refreshed I head over to Pret for a coffee and a bacon roll. The bacon roll is actually pretty good (Ha! Pret-ty good. Get it? ) and I make a note to return there for breakfast if and when I can. The 08:00 Euston train calls my name and I wander over to an awaiting 390001 for a quick spin over familiar rails to Carlisle. The sun even starts to break through on the approach to Citadel station where it is brought to my attention that the 09:33 TP service is running with the rear 4 coaches locked out of use. Interesting...Little did I know that will cause me all manner of headaches later in the day.

It arrives a few minutes late and is formed of 350402+350403, both winners but as 403 was OOU I can't count it for haulage. I take the pair to the first of only two shack scores today, in the form of Oxenholme Lake District. By this point the sun has completely gone and the heavens have practically opened, so I elect to wait in the waiting room for my next train, which happens to be running about ten minutes late.

Eventually, and after letting a dud Pendo go, 221143+221115 arrive on the 08:51 starting from Edinburgh. It's good to see that this service has been doubled up, as in the past it has been just a single Voyager. I'm glad it has been as well, as it's got a healthy load of people heading to the "Download" festival in the Midlands. I'm on this train for a little over an hour and I use the time to charge my phone one more time. We slow to a practical crawl after Warrington and I begin to worry that my connection isn't going to make later on. Thankfully, we arrive into Crewe with about 90 seconds to spare.

After absolutely hot footing it over the footbridge, I make it to 390009 before the doors are even unlocked. I take a seat in the unreserved coach (which is practically empty, surprisingly) and I sit back and relax, as we wind our way one again towards the border city. I had judged that I wanted to be on the 14:11 TP up to Edinburgh, with the 15:01 VW service being a backup if that went wrong. Well, it looked a lot like it was going to go wrong.

That 350 that I caught south earlier? Yeah, it left Manchester about 20 late after being terminated at Piccadilly, presumably so it could go to Ardwick depot for attention. It just kept getting later and later, it looked like it was picking up some time, however, and dud from earlier 350402 rolled into Carlisle 24L, totally wedged. The VW Pendo was now only half an hour behind us and ordinarily I would have waited for it, however I was at that stage where I'd waited enough and just wanted to get moving again.

I jump off at Edinburgh 17L, having made up a bit of time thanks to some considerable padding around Slateford and grab a photo before searching for something to eat in Sainsburys. All that is left was to head over to 380106 on the 16:33 Dunbar (calling only at Musselburgh on the way, hence why I left my car there) to take me home, being sure to head via my local Polling station to exercise my democratic right before a quick shower and a cup of coffee were enjoyed.

King Lear was also excellent, and as much as I had wanted to join the cast at the after party, I respectfully declined. It was probably for the best, anyway!

 

[Techniquest]

A farceful day but a nice end of the trip

 

[47403]

Alex, just caught up with your thread, cracking read.

Im am so jealous, 37424/558, is the only current mainline 37/4 I'm after for haulage. However, how can I be bitter about that and the fact that you saw 156457, heading towards Newcastle via the Tyne Valley, You may have read "spotting one of Corkerhill's most wanted" reference. Alex, kindly sent me a PM, about its appearance, on said working, unfortunately I was at work and had no chance whatsoever of getting anywhere near seeing it. The Gen and thought, was still very much appreciated though Alex. Many thanks mate.

That bouncing bomb & dogbox combo on the Cumbrian Coast, caught me out, 142035, with a knackered dogbox 153353 attached(doors were knackered, I know because despite the light being on to open said door and me keep pressing said button like a desperate lunatic, the doors wouldn't open) meaning, I had to sit on the damn 142, suffering it, bouncing down to Maryport, I was far from happy. I'm almost sure, that was the 12.52 Carlisle-Lancaster turn too. I did soften the blow by getting get a 37 back, though which one, eludes me, at the minute but it was one of either, 37401-37403.

Sounded like you had a great time, thanks for sharing.

 

[37038]

Alex, just caught up with your thread, cracking read.

Im am so jealous, 37424/558, is the only current mainline 37/4 I'm after for haulage.

Absolute pile of dog dirt is 424. Minimum mileage leap recommended as it
a) sounds abysmal
b) will probably fail...

 

[47403]

Absolute pile of dog dirt is 424. Minimum mileage leap recommended as it
a) sounds abysmal
b) will probably fail...

I'm not likely to get it anytime soon anyway 37038.

 

[alexf380]

The gen really is not a problem, I just saw it and thought "I should probably say something". Glad you enjoyed the read.

37038, it's the only 37 I've had so far, so I look forward to some of the better machines

 

[Techniquest]

Need 424 myself, so I can't comment on it, but I recommend 402. Absolute ANIMAL!

 

[37038]

Need 424 myself, so I can't comment on it, but I recommend 402. Absolute ANIMAL!

At Crewe on repairs with 2 knackered TMs.

Tbf last time I had it, it was a bit tame unfortunately. I did worry it would do what 423 did and slowly get worse as it built up to exam due date.

Shame 409 was stored, rather loud.

37069 is just silly though, shame it failed on Saturday

 

[alexf380]

All the Stations - Challenge accepted!
Saturday 5th August 2017

Time to dig this thread out of the bowels of the trip reporting section of the forum with another tale of a short evening out. This time I had decided to do something different. For those of you who haven't been following Geoff and Vicki travel around the UK on the "All the Stations" project, the recently set the "challenge" to their viewers to travel to somewhere new, somewhere they'd never been to before. So that's just what I did, I went to Scotland's least used station.

Barry Links sees just one train in each direction, Monday to Saturday, with no service on Sundays. The evening train calls at just after to past 7, but I had wanted to make an evening of it, so I devised a plan to score a couple more stations while I was up there.

Three o'clock came knocking and I headed out into the rain for the short-ish drive to Musselburgh station as I could utilise one of the Dunbar services. On Saturdays, this is one single 158 shuttling between Edinburgh and Dunbar all day (I must take it for a spin up to Dunbar one day, purely to get some good thrash off of it) and today it was 158734 doing the honours. It had picked up both a healthy loading and a few minutes of delay along its journey, however I need not have worried as I had at least twenty minutes still at Edinburgh before my train north.

A quick coffee and bite to eat is sourced from Pret before I join super-dud 170454. I climb aboard the front coach, thinking it'll be quieter but I was surprised to see a ton of reservation labels in most of the seat backs. Upon closer inspection, however, I see that these are for its inward journey from Aberdeen earlier. A cleaner comes through and duly clears them all away before we set off up the Fife coastline.

Some lovely views of the bay around Inverkeithing and Burntisland, before some more countryside as we continue our journey calling at most of the "principal" stations. Crossing the Tay bridge is a bit of a slog under the grey skies but we soon arrive and terminate at Dundee station. I have another twenty minute fester here before my train forwards and I note that the train I just arrived on will call at another limited service shack on its way back to Edinburgh. Yes, it was the Springfield stopper and upon inspection of RTT, I see that its northbound counterpart had left Edinburgh a few minutes late, raising the usual +0 connection to a much more doable +3. I ponder this thought for a moment before snapping back to reality and deciding against it.

The 17:47 from Dundee (16:11 from Glasgow) is shown as being formed of three coaches, so that'll be some more 170 mileage for me tonight! 170457 shows and I add another 6 miles to its total before I alight (along with no-one else) at tonight's first shack score, Monifieth. Not much on the platforms themselves, although there were some out of use PIS displays.

I head to the Tesco right next to the station for a quick loo break before purchasing the requisite meal deal. That'll do nicely for my fester, I think, and I go off to catch the bus. There is a Stagecoach service 73A due imminently, and I shall take me it to Barry village for the price of just £1.60. The conductor lady has trouble in finding a fare to Barry (evidently not a very common journey) but eventually she finds it and I purchase a ticket.

Barry is reached swiftly and it looks like a nice enough place containing very little to pass the time, so Google maps is fired up to get me directions to the station. From the first bus stop in Barry to the station is just over 15 minutes' walk at a reasonable pace. Could do it in 10 if you really wanted to challenge yourself. I reach Barry Links in plenty of time, as there's 40 minutes or so until the train arrives. Time for dinner!

I pass the time by taking a couple of photos and reading my book, and I'm surprised that the rain held off until just 10 minutes of my fester here remained, and I retired to the seat-less shelter. I had expected the Carnoustie terminator to be a pair of 158s (as it is booked through the week) but on Saturdays, like everything else in this part of the world, that is not the case, as 170459 was to take me one stop up the line to the local door-only Golf Street.

Nobody else boarded or alighted with me at Barry Links, but at Golf Street a grand total of three (yes, three! Me and two others) alighted. The guard was surprised! I was now presented with a sub 12 minute walk along Links Parade to reach Carnousite station, or face over an hours wait. Needless to say I bolted along the road and made it to the station in just over 5!

The gods of bashing had obviously wanted to reward me for scoring three of Scotland's least used stations with a winner, as my chariot down to Dundee was no other than 170418. A very cheerful guard on this one, and he was more than happy to have a chat and a laugh with everyone as they headed out for a Dundee-based night on the town.

I alight at Dundee to await the following Edinburgh bound train (that one was a Glasgow express) and I see that there is a stopper leaving not too long after the express and I decide that if it is a winner then I'd join it at Leuchars. It wasn't to be as it turned out to be 170393. Never mind then! Tonight's second winner was about to produce as 170406 was on the slightly late 20:23 off Dundee to Edinburgh, calling only at Leuchars and Haymarket along the way.

It arrived into Dundee 4 late, which would have given me just 3 minutes to get from platform 16 to platform 7 at Edinburgh, and anyone who knows the layout of Waverley station will know that that just isn't possible. The driver emerged at Leuchars to ask the trolley lady for a coffee and honestly, I don't know what she put in it but we made up 8 minutes between there and Haymarket as we arrived 4 early! We didn't even hang around until our booked time and rolled into Edinburgh 3 early. Score! Time, then, for a photo before making my way over to 380106 on the 21:43.

It takes a couple of minutes longer than normal to reach Musselburgh as we are caught behind a set of empties heading to Craigentinny depot, but I reach the house without too much delay.

In case anyone is interested in doing something similar, they (Geoff & Vicki) recommend heading out next weekend (12th & 13th) and any photos sent to them will be used in a video montage at the end of the project.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Kite159]

Ah Barry of the Links, surprisingly a well kept station with decent platforms (compared to the basic platforms at Golf Street).

The new PIS displays were there in May, IIRC Monifieth is meant to be getting extra services at some point

 

[Blindtraveler]

Arg more 170s, but whats this I note? Late off DEE, early at EDB? Unusual and rare with that traction, I wonder in all seriousness if your driver was flagging somewhat and thought its coffee or cansle and so once supplied with the former set out to hammer the unit to death? Iether way the fans will have been on me thinks.

Nice shack scores too, my last Dundee Edinburgh run direct was on a Haymarket 158 on 1 engine so all stops wripped out and was rather fun despite the inevitable richmond seat failure.

 

[Kite159]

Arg more 170s, but whats this I note? Late off DEE, early at EDB? Unusual and rare with that traction, I wonder in all seriousness if your driver was flagging somewhat and thought its coffee or cansle and so once supplied with the former set out to hammer the unit to death? Iether way the fans will have been on me thinks.

Nice shack scores too, my last Dundee Edinburgh run direct was on a Haymarket 158 on 1 engine so all stops wripped out and was rather fun despite the inevitable richmond seat failure.

I think there is a booked 158 which goes non-stop from Dundee to Haymarket in the morning. 0453 Inverness to Edinburgh I think.

-----

As for Golf Street, I think when I visited it that Saturday in May there was 2 passengers who alighted as well. Similar the following Monday there was a couple passengers who alighted. I guess they must be locals and that station is nearer to their home with the backup option of Carnousite

 

[Mag_seven]

I think there is a booked 158 which goes non-stop from Dundee to Haymarket in the morning. 0453 Inverness to Edinburgh I think

About 4 years ago due to engineering work, I travelled on a diverted HST which ran non stop Dundee-Haymarket via Perth and Stirling!

 

[Kite159]

About 4 years ago due to engineering work, I travelled on a diverted HST which ran non stop Dundee-Haymarket via Perth and Stirling!

But you don't get much noise from a HST compared to a 158 running fast