High Dyke
Established Member
No not the former bus company...
A windy but sunny day greeted me as I set off. Forsaking East Coast services saw me on the 09:10 EMT Norwich service to Peterborough. The scenery of South West Lincolnshire and Rutland sped by as we headed towards Cambridgeshire on 158865.
At Werrington Junction we burbled passed 153385 on the Up Slow, as it approached from Spalding; only to be promptly overtaken by it as we suffered a signal check approaching Peterborough station. A number of GBRf class 66s were present, but no Class 20s. Construction work on the new platforms at Peterborough is well underway, and peeping from behind the hoardings we can see two 365 units.
Departure from Peterborough is on 170116 working the 09:52 XC service to Birmingham New Street. Travelling along the Midland line towards Leicester sees us enter the world of real signal boxes, and in some cases semaphore signalling. The train is quite busy but that one common element amongst the travelling public is noticeable despite vacant seats people choose to stand rather than have to sit next to someone.
Arrival at New Street becomes an adventure... We arrive on platform 12 and the only access is the stairs at the far end of the old part of the station; it being the transition from the old to the new at the moment. Once we get down to the old barrier area access to the old concourse and Palisades at this point blocked off we find an army of Travel Champions to assist with any queries passengers may have and ensure passage through the area is achieved relatively smoothly.
I check in at the Travelodge across from Moor Street station and so to the main feature of the day, class 67 haulage to London. Ticket purchase at Moor Street was speedy and efficient the clerk having no qualms about splitting the tickets to achieve a cheaper price (Moor Street Banbury, Banbury Marylebone). The throbbing whine of the loco was obvious and once through the barriers a photo of 67013 was duly taken. The ride was good and announcements unobtrusive. My only criticism of the Mk3s is that they retain the fixed armrests which can make the seating a little uncomfortable for larger sized people. Arrival into Marylebone was on time, a few more photos, a quick PNB and then down to the Bakerloo line for the journey to Waterloo.
At Waterloo I grab a tea and something to eat for the next part of my journey whilst I wait for the platform allocation of the train to be announced. The 15:33 SWT service to Guildford (via Cobham) is shown as being on platform 3, we enter through the barriers and join the waiting pair of 455s for a steady meander through the London suburbs and out into Surrey; still its new track for me in part!
Passengers joining / alighting dwindle the nearer we get to Guildford, a place I havent been to for many years. After a wait of about half an hour Im off again; this time to Ascot via Aldershot more new track covered. With the frequent service between Waterloo and Reading I arrive earlier than planned so have time to see the transformation underway at this station. The first signs of GWML electrification are also evident; time to retire to the local spoons for beer and food (i have some discount beer vouchers to use.)
After a sustaining meal I take the short walk back to the station, its only about 5 minutes away, where I have time to photograph the 21:46 XC service to Birmingham before I join this train, easily finding a seat. This service is routed via Foxhall Junction and Didcot West Curve (according to PSUL) more required track. I wasnt disappointed either, as we passed through Didcot Parkway and came to a stand just across from the power station. Once underway again we pass the other side of the Thames Valley Signalling Control Centre (TVSCC) and on towards Oxford. Now the fun begins...the on-train auto announcer bursts into life: We are now approaching.... (pause). Please take care when leaving the train. We hope you had a pleasant journey. If only she had said which station we were approaching! The train had been stood at Oxford for a couple of minutes before she decided to tell everyone it was Oxford! :roll:
Being one of the last services of the night in the area quite a few passengers alight at Banbury, where 67014 is stabled with its rake of Chiltern coaches. We gain and lose a few more passengers at the remaining stations we call at. And now more new track for me; what normally would be a six or seven minute journey from Stechford to New Street becomes a 20 minute sojourn around the suburbs taking the direct route to Aston, on through Witton and Perry Barr before rejoining the main line at Soho and arriving at New Street from the west. Having already negotiated New Street once I easily manage to navigate my way out of the station, back to the Travelodge and a well earned rest.
A windy but sunny day greeted me as I set off. Forsaking East Coast services saw me on the 09:10 EMT Norwich service to Peterborough. The scenery of South West Lincolnshire and Rutland sped by as we headed towards Cambridgeshire on 158865.
At Werrington Junction we burbled passed 153385 on the Up Slow, as it approached from Spalding; only to be promptly overtaken by it as we suffered a signal check approaching Peterborough station. A number of GBRf class 66s were present, but no Class 20s. Construction work on the new platforms at Peterborough is well underway, and peeping from behind the hoardings we can see two 365 units.
Departure from Peterborough is on 170116 working the 09:52 XC service to Birmingham New Street. Travelling along the Midland line towards Leicester sees us enter the world of real signal boxes, and in some cases semaphore signalling. The train is quite busy but that one common element amongst the travelling public is noticeable despite vacant seats people choose to stand rather than have to sit next to someone.
Arrival at New Street becomes an adventure... We arrive on platform 12 and the only access is the stairs at the far end of the old part of the station; it being the transition from the old to the new at the moment. Once we get down to the old barrier area access to the old concourse and Palisades at this point blocked off we find an army of Travel Champions to assist with any queries passengers may have and ensure passage through the area is achieved relatively smoothly.
I check in at the Travelodge across from Moor Street station and so to the main feature of the day, class 67 haulage to London. Ticket purchase at Moor Street was speedy and efficient the clerk having no qualms about splitting the tickets to achieve a cheaper price (Moor Street Banbury, Banbury Marylebone). The throbbing whine of the loco was obvious and once through the barriers a photo of 67013 was duly taken. The ride was good and announcements unobtrusive. My only criticism of the Mk3s is that they retain the fixed armrests which can make the seating a little uncomfortable for larger sized people. Arrival into Marylebone was on time, a few more photos, a quick PNB and then down to the Bakerloo line for the journey to Waterloo.
At Waterloo I grab a tea and something to eat for the next part of my journey whilst I wait for the platform allocation of the train to be announced. The 15:33 SWT service to Guildford (via Cobham) is shown as being on platform 3, we enter through the barriers and join the waiting pair of 455s for a steady meander through the London suburbs and out into Surrey; still its new track for me in part!
Passengers joining / alighting dwindle the nearer we get to Guildford, a place I havent been to for many years. After a wait of about half an hour Im off again; this time to Ascot via Aldershot more new track covered. With the frequent service between Waterloo and Reading I arrive earlier than planned so have time to see the transformation underway at this station. The first signs of GWML electrification are also evident; time to retire to the local spoons for beer and food (i have some discount beer vouchers to use.)
After a sustaining meal I take the short walk back to the station, its only about 5 minutes away, where I have time to photograph the 21:46 XC service to Birmingham before I join this train, easily finding a seat. This service is routed via Foxhall Junction and Didcot West Curve (according to PSUL) more required track. I wasnt disappointed either, as we passed through Didcot Parkway and came to a stand just across from the power station. Once underway again we pass the other side of the Thames Valley Signalling Control Centre (TVSCC) and on towards Oxford. Now the fun begins...the on-train auto announcer bursts into life: We are now approaching.... (pause). Please take care when leaving the train. We hope you had a pleasant journey. If only she had said which station we were approaching! The train had been stood at Oxford for a couple of minutes before she decided to tell everyone it was Oxford! :roll:
Being one of the last services of the night in the area quite a few passengers alight at Banbury, where 67014 is stabled with its rake of Chiltern coaches. We gain and lose a few more passengers at the remaining stations we call at. And now more new track for me; what normally would be a six or seven minute journey from Stechford to New Street becomes a 20 minute sojourn around the suburbs taking the direct route to Aston, on through Witton and Perry Barr before rejoining the main line at Soho and arriving at New Street from the west. Having already negotiated New Street once I easily manage to navigate my way out of the station, back to the Travelodge and a well earned rest.
