Ooh I had forgotten about the Royal Welsh Show extras, I shall investigate that nearer the time. Shame it won't be a 37 on the extras like last time I did them...
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I was originally going to post this last night, but time was not on my side. Better late than never...
29/02/2016 - Tech's Toxic
No, I'm not a Britney Spears fan, it's one I heard back in the day and I still remember the video. Not as much as I remember the video for another of her hits of course...The reason for choosing this for a musical reference? One part of the chorus, "I'm addicted to you, don't you know that you're toxic?" which somehow felt appropriate for how I'm addicted to the railway and, just as importantly, red penning stuff! I have 6 more hashtags lined up, all musical references of course, and they're all saved in a memo file on my phone. A couple of them might sound familiar when we get to them, some of them are references to Nightcore tunes I have on my phone. I'll link to them, don't worry. One in particular is being kept for my next London clearout...
After a tough couple of days at work before this one, I was more than ready to get out on the rails for a big session. I had originally planned to do some more Welsh shacks, but changed my mind when I found some Advances to Manchester. I had also considered going to London, but I wanted to avoid hotel ching so as to provide extra cash to bang onto the magic plastic, which is still a long way off clear and won't get there until about a year's time as it stands. Anyone who's got a magic plastic will understand the need to clear it as fast as possible [sorry Fishquinn, backontrack and no doubt others, you'll appreciate this in years to come! - Ed] to avoid silly amounts of interest!
So to Manchester, and I couldn't decide between a major Metrolink shack and tram red penning session or doing some Northern DMUs. The decision is to be left until I get there I decide, although chasing my last 6 185s and last 2 350s was beyond tempting! It's up early [not as early last Monday! - Ed] for the 0720 bus, and I join my sister in The Walk Cafe for a bit. Tickets collected and I'm on the 0908 to Manchester Piccadilly, today it's 175004. Today is also the first day of brand new trainers, sourced on Saturday ready to be worn in a little before New York, so I'm expecting aching feet tonight! It dawns on me that in just one week's time I'll be heading to the USA for the first time, scary! Just one week, oh my fellow colleagues won't like me by the end of this week! Pumpkin coffee sourced, and I have gen on my last 2 350s so it's a Rail Ranger for me today after all. I owe someone even more favours now!
Unusually we have two RPIs joining at Hereford, and even with a well loaded train it was all done in less than 8 minutes, impressive. I crack on with updating my 13th edition Baker finally,and I get quite a long way before I have a break. No visible 68s but plenty of flithy 57s on the DRS depot! It's a slow run from Wilmslow to Stockport,must be behind something. Here I meet D841 Roebuck at long last, and after sourcing my Greater Manchester Rail Ranger for £5.40 it's to Metrolink. Winner 3010 is first for a leap to Piccadilly Gardens, closely followed by double duds 3089+3081 back to Piccadilly, D841 needing one of them. Double winners 3054+3008 take us to my first shack score of the day at New Islington, and a 2 minute fester has us on winner 3079 back to Piccadilly, as 3016 was on the Piccadilly reversal siding. I score 3016 a few minutes later for a leap to Piccadilly Gardens.
A nice surprise next with winner for everything 3098 to New Islington, the leap back resulting in the return of 3008+3054. A wait for something required would make us miss a key move, so it's back to Piccadilly on the pair of fresh duds and up in the lift to access platform 14. 350408 is in before we know it [thankfully, that wind was cold! - Ed] with winner 350404 on the back. One more to go then, and it's off to Wigan North Western. We get on RTT to plan the onward moves, and after a right ol' stagger we eventually get to Wigan. I source a can of Monster Khaos for £1.19 vice coffee in a local shop and we make our way downstairs at Wallgate to await the next train forward.
Sadly it's Super Dud 156452, red pen move denied! We take it to winning shack Hag Fold, one we both need. More planning of moves is in place with the help of Maps, and we get winner 156427 one stop west to Daisy Hill, a winner shack for me. Next up is a walk, which we do to The Robert Shaw Wetherspoon, a winner for both of us. My stout was a winner too, and a beautiful one at that! All too soon it's time to move on, and we continue the walk suitably refreshed to Westhoughton station, a winner shack for me. After advising some Polish passengers that they needed the other side for Manchester, 150271 rolls in in all its dudness, with this move back to Wigan qualifying it for membership of the Super Dud Club.
Annoyingly after the short walk from Wallgate to North Western, we see a Freightliner 70 on a northbound train [about 1452 if anyone can help! - Ed] but can't ID it! Further planning of moves, with a dodgy +2 available at Fairfield. We're back here now for the other key move today, thanks to Kite159 for the times gen. As booked, 350409 rolls in and once we get moving it becomes the last 350 in the entire class to get for haulage, happy days! We decide on this move to pass on Fairfield, as if we miss the train back it'll proper bowl me out for my booked train home. Tram bashing becomes a more interesting idea, as we both need a fair few yet [me more than D841, that's for sure! - Ed] and we bail at Manchester Oxford Road.
66415 is photted on an eastbound container train, and we're waiting on the Norwich service in case D841's last EMT 158 is on it. Sadly for him it's not, but we take 158773+158813 to Manchester Piccadilly anyway. We're in luck quite quickly here, as dud 3074 leads winner 3076 for a leap to Piccadilly Gardens. Winner 3088 is very close behind and is taken to Victoria. We've not long missed a tram to Exchange Square and the next one isn't for a while, so we walk there instead. Sadly 3109 [winner for sight, the 5th tram score for sight today - Ed] goes 30 seconds before we get there, and the next tram is 13 minutes away. As this would almost certainly put my booked train at risk of being missed, it's flagged and I score the shack anyway. The track will have to wait until the rest of the Second City Crossing opens! At Shudehill we just miss 3073 so end up on very busy and fresh dud 3016. As we approach Piccadilly Gardens though, something worth bailing for is coming in from Altrincham...
Double winners 3095+3096 roll in and become the 9th and 10th tram scores for today respectively, off to Piccadilly of course. I see the Sainsburys has indeed changed, for the better in my eyes. No good deals on soft drinks that I could find, so I bail on the place and race over to Costa next to platform 12. Thankfully there's no queue, and happily get my large americano nice and quick, rejoining D841 on platform 4 [we had this one earlier, it's not a common platform for ATW in my experience - Ed] and joining 175115 on the 1630 to Milford Haven. I spy D841's last EMT 158, 158863, on its way to Liverpool so another lot of planning of moves was had. I don't know as I post this if he went for it indeed, but we part ways at Wilmslow where he alights for a meal break. Speaking of, I hadn't eaten since around 0645 this morning, so I bust out my sandwiches and devour them after updating some memo files.
Having silenced the stomach, I then spend the majority of the trip home updating the trip report. Which takes until around Craven Arms, where we passed through rather late, having been held up in congestion between Manchester and Wilmslow, and then we were running slowly due to the train normally 30 minutes in front of us being held up. The incredibly helpful guard [I meant to note his name - Ed] informs us it's late due to emergency services attending an incident in the Wrexham area, so we may well incur more delay. This journey reminds me why I don't go to/from Manchester too often, delays are rife in the afternoon and evening.
I don't honestly remember the last time I had an on-time journey southbound on the Marches, it's way too long ago! After arrival in Hereford, I make fast paces across town to meet my mate James, as I'm staying there tonight to do the final paperwork bits for New York. Hence getting the 1630 vice 1730 home! Let's get some stats going on:
Winners: 13
Shack scores: 5
New sights: 5
Rail fares: £52.40
Bus fares: £4.10
General expenditure: £5.07 [thanks to bringing stuff from home! - Ed]
Total: £61.57
Many thanks to D841 Roebuck for the company and the pint, my turn next time! Hope your evening went well!
hock:
