FAO Haulage Chasers

[The_Train]

Hi guys, I'm just looking for a bit of information regarding the way that those who chase haulage as part of the hobby log their outings.

In particular, with the recent changes on the West Coast Mainline (WCML) do you reset a unit back to being required for haulage (obviously not dismissing previous mileage) if a unit moves to another TOC or if it undergoes any other changes such as livery or name? Or is it all about the train number, irrelevant of the operator or livery etc?

To simplify what I've asked above (because my explanations of what I'm looking for are not always clear to me let alone those reading it haha) - as of Saturday night did all of the ex Virgin stock become required for haulage once again irrelevant of whether you've travelled on the unit previously?

Thanks in advance

 

[Iskra]

It's your hobby, so it's your rules! Do whatever you want.

 

[sftfan1909]

I'm interested in the trains I travel on, not the TOC that operates them. So no, I would not reset anything. What I do look for again is anything that changes formation and number, so for example I had all the GWR 158s as 3 cars but am chasing those that have been reformed since they have been renumbered and are a different formation. For something like the 450/5s being renumbered back to 450/0s, I couldn't really care less.

Hope this helps

 

[The_Train]

It's your hobby, so it's your rules! Do whatever you want.

Apologies, I should have added that I'm not looking for the information to assist me with how I approach things (I have a way that I'm more than happy with). I'm asking more for a project that I'm currently working on

 

[The_Train]

I'm interested in the trains I travel on, not the TOC that operates them. So no, I would not reset anything. What I do look for again is anything that changes formation and number, so for example I had all the GWR 158s as 3 cars but am chasing those that have been reformed since they have been renumbered and are a different formation. For something like the 450/5s being renumbered back to 450/0s, I couldn't really care less.

Hope this helps

That's great. Formation changes and unit number changes is not something I'd considered so that really helps, thanks very much

 

[ash39]

TOC changes make no difference as far as I'm concerned.

Renumberings are a pain. If a unit is totally reformed, like the GWR 158 example used above, then in my opinion it has to be required again as it's a newly formed unit with a new number (even if you've previously had all the vehicles as part of the sets they were in previously). What muddies the waters even further is if the same number is used twice for two different units on different occasions...

Where I struggle is with oddities like the ex-TPE class 170's. They transferred to Chiltern, even have entirely new class numbers, but as the vehicles are essentially the same, can I say I've already had 168321 when it was 170301??

 

[sftfan1909]

Where I struggle is with oddities like the ex-TPE class 170's. They transferred to Chiltern, even have entirely new class numbers, but as the vehicles are essentially the same, can I say I've already had 168321 when it was 170301??

I would probably chase them again. It's all on a case-by-case basis I suppose

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If it's the exact same vehicle but simply with a different number, I wouldn't chase again for haulage but I would for photo.

 

[87electric]

I’ve mentioned the Class 175 units many times on this subject. Their formations have changed quite a few times.
I have had the 2 car 175004 for haulage with two different formations.
50704/79704 - the original formation
AND
50759/79759 - coaches from 175109 (that was in 2018)

So you have to be aware of not just noting the set number for sight or haulage. Look at the side coach numbers. Otherwise you’re marking off something in a book that you haven’t actually seen. IMHO.

I’m all for everyone making their own rules on what counts, I do it myself. But the OCD in me has me chasing the fine details for my satisfaction.

 

[xotGD]

As I've never bothered with units then sets being reformed isn't an issue. However, I would always advocate counting the individual vehicles rather than doing them by set numbers.

With locos, the only real issue is when you get a reclassification such as 47s to 57s. I remember that I decided that I needed the 57s for sight and haulage even though I'd seen them all as 47s. 73/9s really ought to have been given a new class number, but as I didn't have any of them for haulage pre-rebuild and don't do stuff for sight these days I can ignore that complexity!

 

[Techniquest]

I'm not sure if I've ever heard of anyone doing a class for haulage again due to a TOC change. I'm failing to see any logic in that idea.

Once upon a time I'd have cared so much more about the little details, but those days are long behind me. I don't keep track of much whatsoever these days, although I must admit to being slightly fussy when it comes to S stock sets. When I was in London last month, I noted a S7 pair in advance in my notes for a leap I was making, saves time on the short journies. I think I had put it as 21497+21498, whereas the set had 21498 leading. So I found myself annoyed at myself and quickly changed the order of the numbers in my notes before boarding. It was the exact same train, the exact same journey, so it made no difference whatsoever! So I guess the little details do occasionally get noted.

I don't bother these days noting which part of the train I travelled in either, that stopped a long time ago, nor do I bother with mileage, noting the departure and arrival times or similar. I don't have a moves book, or spotters books, and haven't since June 2018. I have got a bit of a needs list on my phone, but it's hardly super up-to-date. I have a separate list for GWR IETs, which for some reason when I started it also keeps track of where I've travelled to/from on each train, which I reckon is what kept me 'in the game'. Something new to chase in my part of the world, although with very few 5-car sets coming my way I've kinda stopped bothering so much lately. It's a lot of effort to chase 4 802/1s, one day I'll get them but for the time being there's more important things to do!

I'm getting off-topic quite a bit here, so very quickly now this is all I record these days:

Date
Number (it followed by a 'w' if it's a winner)
Journey origin
Journey destination

 

[ash39]

When I was in London last month, I noted a S7 pair in advance in my notes for a leap I was making, saves time on the short journies. I think I had put it as 21497+21498, whereas the set had 21498 leading. So I found myself annoyed at myself and quickly changed the order of the numbers in my notes before boarding. It was the exact same train, the exact same journey, so it made no difference whatsoever!

Have to say I'm guilty of this too. If there's more than one unit in the consist, they have to be logged by order of the leading set. Same for HST power cars.

 

[Bevan Price]

It is all a matter of personal opinion. I only consider something "new" if it is completely new. So a change of engine, or adding extra coaches into a multiple unit would not require me to have it again, if I had already had that loco. or unit.
So, for example, no chasing 390s again when they added extra coaches in the middle, and no chasing those 47s that were re-engined to Class 57s. If someone else does things differently, that is up to them.

 

[Techniquest]

Have to say I'm guilty of this too. If there's more than one unit in the consist, they have to be logged by order of the leading set. Same for HST power cars.

I'm sure you may have the same issue as me then, trying to understand why it's important to note the formation in the correct fashion. It just makes sense, obviously, but when it comes to figuring out why it causes frustration if it's not noted correctly I'm at a loss!

What I do find slightly interesting is that I couldn't care less about noting headcodes on the railway, or indeed any other amount of service information, but I do make more of an effort with my flights. For flights, my primary log records:

Date
Flight number
Origin airport
Destination airport
Mileage

In the notebook, it's a bit more detailed:

15/11/2019 - BA8 0945 Tokyo Haneda-London Heathrow, arrive 1225

G-STBF HND (gate 145)-LHR (0945,4d,arrive 1204,21u)

Pushback 0949, 4d (GMT+9)
Takeoff 1005 (GMT+9)
Landed 1159
Arrived 1204, 21u

I also note the seat number as well, thanks to Flightdiary having it as an option. The above is simply all listed here to demonstrate the huge difference in recording journeys, compared to the detail I record for my rail journies there's so much more for my flights.

Going further back to topic, a TOC change would make no difference to me. Formation changes, I don't pay a ton of attention to them, but if a new number was added to something then it becomes required again. It would be the case if, for example, the 9-car 390s got extended and therefore renumbered from 390/0s to 390/1s or any other sub-class.

Same applies to planes, if a registration changes then it's required again.

 

[87electric]

Saving journey info from RealTime or OpenTime Trains as PDF files is my ideal way of collecting the data. Couple of clicks and done. Also a real space saver in my books when doing a TravelCard or Rover bashes as that potentially uses up too many pages and red ink.