Drogba11CFC's travels

[Drogba11CFC]

Friday 3rd June

A long journey meant that it was an early start and 450046 and 450032 on 1A22 from Alton to Waterloo. A quick hop across London on the tube later and I found myself in the queue for the ticket office trying to get a North and Mid Wales Rover...which they didn't know of, forcing me to split a single from Birmingham International to Porthmadog. Then my train was announced, so there was no time to get food and it was onto 390107 on 9S60 as far as Birmingham International. Out of Euston I caught 390050, 710378 and 319457 as well as 70000 Britannia on a railtour. The train ended up losing time steadily to the point that I had to dash to Platform 1 to catch 1J15 with 158836, somehow managing to find an optimal seat for the Cambrian portion and eat the egg and cress sandwich I'd bought from the on-train shop. All went well until Talerdigg, where the train due to meet us was late, holding us up by 11 minutes. Things didn't improve after it became 2J15 at Machynlleth, as we ran into adverse weather and another late train at Tywyn. We continued up the coast past miserable-looking caravan parks and drab-looking self-catering accommodation, eventually reaching Fairbourne where a family group got on and one of them (a bloke who looked to be in his early 20s) tried to turf me out of my seat (he outright told another member of the group "I want his seat"). They got off at Barmouth and the world and his wife piled on, making for a very slow journey as we stopped at every request stop along the route, eventually reaching Porthmadog nearly half an hour late where I made my way to the Royal Sportsman Hotel, where I took in a three-course meal of garlic bread, shrimp linguine and a chocolate brownie.

 

[Drogba11CFC]

Saturday 4th June

After a cooked breakfast I made my way to the Harbour station to catch The Harbourmaster, with 87 as the motive power. At Rhyd Ddu we encountered 130 on The Snowdonia Star, reaching Caernarfon around noon. One failed quest for a crab sandwich later I was enjoying a sausage and red onion toastie, before returning to Porthmadog and the Royal Sportsman, where I watched England lose to Hungary before enjoying Fish and Chips followed by Lemon Tart with Raspberry Sorbet.

Sunday 5th June

Again it was to the Harbour station where the traction for the Mountain Spirit was Merddin Emrys. Meanwhile, Welsh Pony was spotted with the stock for the Woodland Wanderer, as were Prince, Princess and Palmerston at Boston Lodge Works. One return trip in a largely empty train later it was across to Porthmadog Station, where it was a brief wait for 158836 on 2I18 to Machynlleth. At Machynlleth, I checked into the Maenllwr guest house for the night, having supper at the White Lion.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

These are some lovely reports. What I wouldn’t do for shrimp linguine and garlic bread right now

 

[Drogba11CFC]

Monday 6th June

After another cooked breakfast it was up to Tywyn on a very late running 158834 for the Talyllyn Railway behind 4 Edward Thomas. A ride up to Nant Gwernol and back was augmented by the sighting of 3 Sir Haydn at Brynglas on the way back and fish and chips at Tywyn before boarding 158831 to Barmouth and a bus to Bala, where I turned in to the White Lion Royal Hotel for the night.

Tuesday 7th June

After a large breakfast it was back on board the very sparse bus service to the Bala Lake Railway, where Winifred was the motive power for my round trip. Despite a couple of delays I managed to catch the bus to Barmouth, and after fish and chips on the seafront I boarded 158838 to Shrewsbury. There, I checked into The Bull Inn - although it was not a pleasant experience; no en-suite bathroom (and no hot water in my shower) and people in the street having very loud conversations at stupid o'clock.

Wednesday 8th June

After a less-than-good night's sleep it was an early start for the Severn Valley Railway with 158826 the traction from Shrewsbury. 196006 and 196007 were both glimpsed at Wolverhampton, before a change at Smethwick Galton Bridge for 172343 as far as Kidderminster. After a stationmaster's breakfast it was 1501 to Bridgnorth and then back to Highley for lunch, followed by a return to Kidderminster on D1062 Western Courier disguised as D1040 Western Queen.

It was then all aboard 172333 as far as Worcester Shrub Hill where I boarded 802110 as far as Reading. At Reading, I boarded 450124 as far as Ascot, where 450110 and 450004 took me to Aldershot, and an unidentified 450 took me to Alton. Hopefully my trip up north next year (Dates yet to be decided, and not to be disclosed to the RMT) yields better pickings.

 

[Techniquest]

Epic ouch to the poor sleep in Barmouth, definitely a good reminder that staying in a room above a pub/near one is to be avoided where possible! Considering everything, I'd say you had a pretty decent trip really, and who knows that might be the last time you have a 158 on the Cambrian!

 

[Drogba11CFC]

Saturday 2nd July

It was the Bluebell Railway's model railway weekend, so an early start yielded 450027 and an unidentified 450 from Alton to Clapham Junction, with 707014 sighted at Wimbledon and 455851 at Earlsfield. After a Chorizo Benedict at Jack's, Clapham Junction yielded 377609, 455912, 377438, 377116, 377453, 377468, 377602, 377321 and 377315, before boarding 377128 and 377153 for East Grinstead, with 455905 being spotted on departure. After an encounter with the tissues scam, East Croydon yielded 700141, 700133, 377207 and 377131, with Lingfield yielding 377162. At East Grinstead, having braved a colossal queue, I caught sight of 377441 in the siding before 6989 Wightwick Hall steamed in, as I rode behind it as far as Horsted Keynes. Shortly afterwards, I boarded a train behind 73082 Camelot to Sheffield Park, where a rather disappointing Chicken Kyiv was followed by a slice of Mango and Passionfruit cake. I then got in the cab of 80151 and checked out the layouts in the Sheffield Park area before rejoining Wightwick Hall to haul me back to East Grinstead, where I boarded the same pair of 377s that had taken me there. 377148 was spotted at South Croydon, with East Croydon yielding 700106, 377705 and 387221. At Selhurst, 377317 was spotted, along with 377608 at Thornton Heath as well as 377214, 377407, 377427, 377471 and 377457 in the Streatham area, with 377408 and 377614 at Balham and 377114 at Wandsworth Common. An unidentified pair of 450s was boarded at Clapham Junction, with 455707, 450082 and 450120 sighted at Woking. Finally, 450054 was seen at Farnham.

 

[Drogba11CFC]

Saturday 16th July

Winchester City were playing in a mini tournament at Worthing, so it was 450060, 450026 and an unidentified 450 on 1A28 from Alton to Farnham, where I changed onto 2J17 with 450085 in command. At a crowded Guildford I jumped aboard 1P25 with 450109 and 450077 as far as Havant, with 455852 glimpsed at Guildford. At Havant, several dud 450s and 444s were interspersed with 377138, 377401, 313201 and 377143 before 377106 showed up on a somewhat busy 1S19, which took me to Worthing. At the level crossing, I saw 377473 and 377410.

Worthing 1...Winchester City 3 (Starkey 10; Obeng 19, Bertie 31, Herbert 34)

Winchester City 2...Whitehawk 2 (Hill 21, 30; Trialist 6, O'Toole 13; Splatt m/pen 7)

On the way back 377120 and 377101 were seen at the crossing as well as 377104 before 377418 arrived on an equally busy 1N24. At Havant, I saw 377108, several duds, and a group of kids trying to ride the doorsteps of the 17:45 to Waterloo as it departed. Idiots! 450100 and an unidentified 450 soon arrived on 1P62 and unlike on the run down, we weren't held up by the Southsea Slowcoach and had a fast run to Guildford. At Guildford, 455731 and 455874 were seen before boarding 450020 on 2J52 as far as Aldershot. At Aldershot, 450045, 450126 and an unidentified 450 rolled in on 1A57 before 450066 was seen at Alton.

 

[Drogba11CFC]

Saturday 23rd July

AFC Totton was today's opposition so it was a 64 from Alton to Winchester before seeing 3 dud 444s and a dud 220 which would have been a winner for haulage had it not been rammed. Instead I waited an extra six minutes for another pair of dud 444s. However, I did manage to see 66766, 66776 and 69004 at Eastleigh, before reaching Southampton Central where, after going via Red Dog Saloon and Krispy Kreme, I caught a bus to Totton.

AFC Totton 2...Winchester City 3

After catching a bus back to Southampton Central, I caught sight of 158885, before a pair of dud 444s took me back to Winchester and a bus back to Alton.