CHAPS on Tour –April 2019
In early April I had a day out exploring the pubs in Matlock. Yet again 323231 was my steed from Cheadle Hulme to Stockport where 66413 trundled north with a load of empty flats. Duds 158858 and 854 were my transport to Sheffield and were only 3 minutes late – usually these Liverpool- Norwich trains are much later having got stuck in Castlefield corridor. Unusually there were no wagons at Earles which allowed 66602/20/22 to be identified stabled by the trees.
At Sheffield I let a horrible and crowded XC Voyager go, preferring lightly loaded EMT 222008 a few minutes later to take me to Derby. Whilst I waited there for the Matlock train, my original last GBRF 66 for sight (778), appeared along with 760 on separate freights. Double dog-box dud 153372 and 381 was the haulage for my first trip up the valley since the route to Manchester was closed all those years ago.
If you are going to do a comprehensive crawl of Matlock pubs there are a few very steep hills to negotiate, so some sustenance was taken on at the local Spoons, the Crown early on. During the afternoon it started raining which spoilt the trip a bit as it had been pleasant early on. Sadly torrential rain later during the summer caused the river to burst its banks and flood some of the town including some of the small bars near the station, a few of which have still to re-open as I start to write this in December.
The line from Matlock is single track all the way to Ambergate and features good views of the valley when not in tunnels. There’s only an hourly service and dud 156403 arrived at the terminus to take me back to Derby where 67023 and another unid Colas 67 were noted passing through on a test train as we arrived. The next Sheffield train was dud 222012, so I swerved that and waited for the HST coming up behind. Don’t need any of EMT HSTs for haulage but I would prefer a ride on one of these to a Meridian. 43047 and 081 did the business and got me to Sheffield for my connecting TPE (185143) to Stockport where I managed to make a snappy connection onto 150128/150142 on a slightly late Wigan – Alderley service.
I’m ashamed to say that I had never travelled on the East Lancs Railway extension from Bury to Heywood. I hadn’t been to Heywood’s pubs either and the Wetherspoons there (The Edwin Waugh) was my last one to visit in Greater Manchester, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. On a Saturday. 323236 took me into Manchester and 142044 was noted at Stockport operating the parliamentary to Stalyvegas. A Bury tram (3050) came into the undercroft at Piccadilly seconds after I arrived and I took it all the way up to Bury, grabbing a front seat for the journey.
There was time to sample one of the many beers at the Trackside before winner Hoover
50015 rolled up for the short and slow journey to Heywood. After watching the loco run round and the train depart, I had just set off for the town and when the front end of a Black 5 passed on a lorry just too far away to identify. I gathered from ELR staff later it was 45407, one of the Riley locos coming back to Bury after a winter overhaul.
My timing for the return wasn’t good as the Hoover returned for the last train of the day and the theme continued with the next tram for Piccadilly being 3050 again. There 150116 and 142056 took me home; naturally I travelled in the 142.
April is the time when the local CAMRA branch run a mild challenge called Mild Magic. A number of pubs round Manchester still sell mild, a rare type of beer in most parts of the country. I went to visit some of the pubs on the trail to the west of Manchester. Dud 156429 was unusually working a Crewe – Piccadilly service vice a 319 or 323 and from Piccadilly I caught Tram 3064 to Cornbrook, changing to 3091 for the journey to the terminus at Eccles. Whilst at Cornbrook 66710 passed on a freight for Trafford Park.
You will find the Lamb, a wonderful Holt’s pub opposite the tram stop. It’s got an historic interior, is a real community pub and serves a tip-top pint of mild. The Eccles Cross Wetherspoons is yards away for Spoons tickers. A bus then took me to Patricroft for another couple of mild stickers and then I walked to Monton, passing the historic Queens Arms pub by the station which was built in 1828 for the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. It only opens in the evening during the week, so no opportunity to visit on this occasion. The road then follows the banks of the Bridgewater Canal for a short distance, but time to observe some of the antics of the ditch-crawling community as my yachty friend the Beer Snob would say.
A bus to Eccles saw me board Tram 3068 and alight at Deansgate-Castlefield for some more mild magic pubs in Manchester before 323239 took me home from Piccadilly noting 37606 on a test train at Longsight.
Easter saw me make my regular trip to Egham Beer Festival, staying as usual at the Feltham Travelodge. My preferred routing to London is on the Pendolino via Crewe, joining the train at Wilmslow. However this means that the Wigan-Alderley service must be on time; it usually isn’t and today was no exception. So 156440 and 150120 took me to Stockport to catch the following Pendo via Stoke which was 390137. All the locos at Wembley went unidentified this time due to being bowled by a down liner and 710262 was identified at Willesden. After walking to Euston Square the first train that came was winner for everything
21066 which I took to Harrow on the Hill, logging lots of Metropolitan and Jubilee line units, a good number of which were winners.
After visiting the three pubs in the centre including a Spoons, the trip continued westbound courtesy of haulage winner
21094 to Rayners Lane where the only pub close to the station is the Village, another of Mr Martin’s establishments. Dud 21044 took me to visit Eastcote and the single pub there before continuing to Ruislip Manor on winner
21006 for the JJ Moons pub, where tea was taken courtesy once again of Spoons. Another haulage winner,
21084 provided the transport to Ickenham where one of the two pubs near the station is also a Wetherspoons (The Tichenham Inn).
Yet another winner was my steed to Hillingdon
21086 where the pub by the station produced a rotten sample of Hobgoblin, so it was quickly on to Uxbridge on winning Piccadilly unit
238 where there was only time for a couple of half pints in each of 2 pubs including the Wetherspoons (the Good Yarn).
Winner
21105 took me back to Rayners Lane and then a series of linear leaps took me via Acton Town to Hatton Cross; this involved winners
367, 356, 415, 138, 361, 134. I often used Piccadilly line trains when travelling in from Heathrow years ago when it was the only way but never used to note numbers, so there is plenty of potential for sights and haulage here. A bus then took me to Feltham and my lodgings for the night.
On the Wednesday after a hearty Spoons breakfast I went by bus to investigate the Spoons in Hayes, a place that is otherwise useless for cask beer. Returning to Hayes and Harlington I caught haulage winner
360201 to Hanwell. Whilst waiting there, 345008 was not in service in the bay, but the doors were open and passengers were piling in despite the PIDS saying not in service. Every so often one of the station staff had to go through the train and everyone got off. This process was repeated several times during my fester as they couldn’t lock the doors. Meanwhile a mix of HSTs and IEP-thingys raced through on the fasts along with colourful Hex units and a few Turbos with 59006 and 66610 on the slows on stone and a liner respectively in between numerous 387 units.
An extended linear walking leap of pubs then took place from Hanwell to Ealing taking until early evening; my step count was rather high that day! By early evening enough was enough and I made my way to Ealing Broadway to go back to Feltham. The station was very busy and again a variety of traction was noted as well as lots of LUL units. My first trip was on District winner
21324 to Ealing Common and then another attack on Piccadilly units involving winners
421, 874,363, 452,419, 395,410, 874 and 170 back to Hatton Cross. 421, 874, 363, 452 and 395 were all time winners.
Thursday saw me go to Egham where many familiar faces were to be found and much banter ensued. The winning
707015 and 006 combo on a Windsor service took me to Staines where duds 458828 and 829 were the traction for the short hop to Egham. Arriving back at Egham station mid-afternoon, the same combo appeared so I took them back to Staines where haulage winner
450101 with dud 450124 returned me to Feltham. Next up was winner
707028 with dud 707001 which took me to Richmond where I decided to bale for pub investigations to the north of the centre as I had a couple of hours to kill before my off peak ticket from Euston was valid.
Eventually haulage winner
458807 pitched up with dud 812 to convey me to Waterloo and then a series of linear leaps on the Northern Line saw me pick up haulage winners
51584 and 51665. I caught the 1900 Manchester service (390137) which is the first off peak service but it wasn’t very busy as I guess many had already started their Easter break. 710262/5 were noted in Willesden and 66710 at Wembley but a 37 and 92 went begging due to being bowled by another Pendo. An on time arrival at Stockport saw 319374 provide my local service home after a productive few days of trains, beer and socialising.
The end of the month saw a trip out to be based in Swindon for a couple of nights. I will try and avoid XC Voyagers at all costs; horrible, rattly, smelly and always full to bursting, so it is the traction choice of last resort. First train of the journey was 142017 and 156459 on a just for once on-time Wigan - Alderley service; naturally the Donkey was the chosen unit to travel in. At Wilmslow 66547 trundled past towards Guide Bridge with 2 empty flats. 390039 rolled up to take me to Crewe and that annoying announcement about something ending in “Ah that’s better” made me think the person had just passed wind…
Anyway the next stage of the Vomiter-less trip was dud 350237 to Wolverhampton followed by winner
170505 to Sandwell with 66014 and 056 noted in the Steel Works. Winner
350262 then took me to the Bat Cave.
This leisurely journey allowed me to walk across to Moor St for some 68 traction action and I was pleased to note winner
68009 waiting in the bay to head south. I took this as far as Solihull and awaited the next Chiltern unit which was dud 168113 and this took me to Leamington. Next Marylebone service was dud 68012 which I took to Banbury. On the way I spotted winner 70816 looped and whilst at Banbury 66727 in Maritime livery passed through on a liner.
Next train was the every 2 hours stopper to Oxford with haulage winner
165133, changing there for the Didcot train formed of another winner –
165124. 70803 and 66199 were in Hinksey Yard and 66060 and 66740 were noted at Didcot along with numerous 387 and IEPs. Eventually one of these stopped – it was
800005 + 30 – both would be haulage winners but as I was only going 1 stop, I chose the one which stopped in front of me (005)
So I had managed to get to Swindon without travelling on a Voyager. It takes time and the difficult bit is the Banbury to Oxford link but I had plenty of time.
On the Friday, there was beery business to transact in and around London. With the help of posts here, I was able to take the last diagrammed HST from Swindon to Reading with 43098 leading and 071 on the rear. After a relatively short fester at Reading with all the things you would expect to see there keeping the notebook full, 43194 and 43155 came off the mid-Berks line to take me to Paddington. No haulage winners here but good to still have the old traction. Acton yard was full with 66012, 140, 161 and 59204 noted. After a quick wander round Paddington, I took all time winner
21392 to Kings X and after a quick look at St Pancras and Kings X main stations it was time to visit the Queens Head nearby for their small but excellent beer festival.
Next destination was the Kentish Belle micropub adjacent to Bexleyheath station. My journey there was disrupted by a fire alarm at Kings X and Euston underground stations which resulted in me having to go to Goodge St where all time winner
51628 took me to Charing Cross. Haulage winners
465034 and
465237 were taken to London Bridge, leaping from one unit to the other at Waterloo East. Being behind schedule now I jumped on the first train to Bexleyheath which was formed of duds 465903 and 465164.
The pub had a tap-takeover by a new local brewery, Tankleys, and after sampling a couple of their beers, I took duds 376020 and 018 to Barnehurst to visit the Bird & Barrel micropub there. Next stop was New Cross for the Ale House (sadly closed in the autumn) which was the only regular outlet for Headcorn Hop beers. The journey involved haulage winning Networkers
465029, 465929 and 465012.
Time to go back to Paddington now. This involved dud 376002, winners
465045 and 375307 to get to Charing Cross followed by a series of leaps on the Bakerloo which yielded haulage winners
3565, 3531 and 3333. It was too late for any more HST haulage, so my steed back to Swindon was winner
800028 coupled to 800013. I fell asleep, so the seats must be quite comfortable…
but woke up in time for my stop.
There was little railway action on the Saturday which involved visiting Chippenham pubs and their Beer Festival for the first time. I got to Swindon in time to see kettle 46233 passing through on the first leg of the big RTC railtour with 47746 on the rear. Haulage winner
166215 took me to Chippenham; in the evening my return was on all time winner
800313.
Sunday saw a return home avoiding Voyagers again. Winner
166218 took me from Swindon to Gloucester and from there I enjoyed a Donkey ride on 143604 up to Cheltenham where 43154 and 155 and coaches passed through northbound after being withdrawn and going for storage. A Voyager came and went and I waited for the Cardiff train to take me to Brum. It pitched up with 170639 and 170105 but unfortunately the latter was locked out, so it was a sardine can ride north although I did get a seat after asking someone to remove some bags. It all got a bit claustrophobic however, so I baled at University and a few minutes later got 323205 into New St.
This was all thirsty work, so a couple of Brums finest pubs were visited before winner
350247 conveyed me to Crewe. Interesting units noted in LNWR were 397001, 345023 and 710103. Arriva Wales 175108 took me back to Stockport where there was a comfortable connection back to Cheadle Hulme on 323236.
So that was April. I thought I could get up to date in the last couple of months but that has not been possible, so the next few reports will be more of summaries to help catch up. And if you got this far, thanks for reading.