Cheers Roebuck, Kris, much appreciated lads.
Day 2- Lets get the FoSS outta Here
So I'm up at 7.15, Breakfast is at 8, so I jump in the shower, get my bag ready for todays fun, make myself a cuppa and I sit in the chair by the window for 5mins and watch the world go by. About 10 to 8, I go downstairs and make for the terrace to have a quick ciggy, here I hear two older Gentleman talking with a very familiar accent, fellow Geordies. I say morning and for a while were asking where each other are from. Turns out its a bowling clubs annual trip away, they go sight seeing, shopping and play a few local clubs in friendly matches, enjoying the hospitallity at the club houses and each others company. In fairness they were damn good laugh and one of the ladies among the party, jokingly threatened to punch me, for calling their game, ole farts marbles. At 8o'clock sharp, it was if someone had rang the school dinner bell, they might've been retired but by god they could shift when it came to breakfast time. I followed down and my plate was filled high with a mighty English breakfast, with fried bread and toast, washed down with apple juice and a pot of coffee. I was stuffed but I had to crack on, I said my goodbyes, good luck, hope you's win and was out of there just after 8.35.
I called in at Tescos and got a meal deal for later, a large bottle of fanta and a chunky kit kat. I walked over to the Station where a unit was already waiting, so without checking the number, I just jumped on, I'd find out soon enough. The plan for today was Cardiff and Westbury, as well as explore a bit, so I may as well go to Shirley's first.
On the way up to Bristol theres a small container terminal, next to Parson Street Station, whats the place called? Whatever its called, 66541 was there as I passed. We arrived into Shirley's Temple, I put on twitter I'd had 158768, going by the side number, which was wrong, when I looked at the front it was
158956, which was an all round winner, not a bad start if I say so myself, I ambled round Shirley's platforms, picking off the units, the majority all copped,
150925 and
150926 side by side in the same bay platform, was a huge bonus, well for me at least it was anyway I walked through the underpass over to Platforms 12 & 13, to get the HST stock and had a bit of a eureka moment, on the way over yesterday, I saw one of kites rides,
159003 in the bay at Swindon, which was a cop by the way. I thought I haven't had one of those yet, maybe nows as good a time to get one. So I hopped aboard the next one out to Paddington, which had double winners
43170 &
43070, I got a table seat put the phone on charge, before pouring myself a coffee and devoured my chunky kit kat and settled in for the ride out to Swindon.
Now the last time I was at Swindon Station was at silly o'clock in the morning, I was on a coach trip, we'd came here for the shunter and it wasn't there, in fact absolutely nothing was, so it was turned into a half an hour break, to stretch your legs, if indeed you were awake it was anyhow, then as we got on the bus a 47 rumbled through with a speedlink or some intermodal. Wonder what chance there is of one of them today?
We arrive at Swindon and I look across to the bay and sure enough theres a SWT unit in there, I thought, oh get in, I disembark said trams, without a second glance and march towards the bay platform, unfortunately its not a 159 but a cop nontheless in
158882. I didn't know where it was going but I knew it was going to have me aboard. As it turned out it was going to Cheltenham. I stood at the Bristol end of the platform, taking more HST stock, when an intermodal came through, alas it wasn't one of LSGs favourite machines but bloody 66541, for the 3rd time in 2 days, in my head I told it to go away, well not quite in them words but the sentiment was the same.
A driver came out and opened the 158, I followed on pretty much seconds after him, the 158 was boiling, it was like walking into the kitchen, when your Mams got the Sunday lunch cooking, I thought of techs saying, winner winner chicken dinner, however I tweeted, winner winner, gonna make me into a chicken dinner. I opened a few windows but it barely done anything till we got moving, I'd got a table seat and settled in with a massive glug of Fanta. I nipped to the loo and on returning to my seat, the guard was hovering over where I'd put my bag, epecting a tickets please, he asked, is this your bag? I said, whey aye, is there a problem? he said oh no, just take it with you if you nip to the loo, I had an incident on a train the other week, where a woman done the same and she had her I-pad and purse stolen, just I'd hate to see anything of value taken, I said, thanks for the heads up but they'd have been sadly disappointed, my phone and wallets in my pocket, mind you, I'd have been slighly narked if they'd taken my pork pies, we both laughed. I showed him my Rover and not for the first time on this trip, issued at Newcastle made him have a second glance, before adding, by thats some rover. I told him its for round this neck of the woods, just got it at Newcastle.
The route to Gloucester was a new line for me, not that I'm a quail or baker man but it's always nice to add a new string to your bow. Wasn't a great deal to see of interest but it was a pleasant enough journey, in what seemed to be a line of very remote places. The young woman who got on at Stroud, was certainly the highlight of the trip.
I bailed 158882 at Gloucester and was looking for any sign of the sidings where 97653 used to stabled, unfortunately I could see nothing, maybe thats gone too, however in fairness, when I did see it, it was pitch black and I only ever saw it on the stabling point, so never saw it move. Maybe 55013 or KJ can shed some light on its movement in and around Gloucester?
This not my photo but this used to live in these parts
Other than
170638, very kindly donating itself to my ever growing cops list, there was very little on offer, although with the glorious weather the ladies were looking rather fetching. However I couldn't dwell on that, especially as winner
150925 was heading back to Bristol and as I was now of the opinion, I think it's time I got heading for the Welsh capital.
I jumped aboard the front coach and took a seat right behind the cab, not that I took i the journey because after calling at Yate, I zonked out till I heard the guard say, we'll shortly be calling at Bristol Parkway, I quickly fired up RTT, to see when the next train to Cardiff would be, I saw that if I bailed at Filton Abbey Wood, I'd have a +10, cracking that'll do me and I bailed there. I crossed the foot bridge went out of the station had a quicky ciggy and a huge glug of Fanta, I went over to the platform and within a few minutes in came another AR winner
150243. On the way, we passed the new Hitachi Depot, it looks quite impressive and ready just to deliver the trains, the site looks massive and well away from being able to see anything, when locos are actually on the depot, although I'm sure will find a vantage point somewhere.
I certainly enjoyed the symphony of the 150 climbing the bank up towards and through the Severn Tunnel, the driver was certainly thrashing it's gut out. Now I sitting there thinking, imagine the racket a 37 thrashing away up this would make, the thought of a 47 doing it, would just give me the horn
Out the other side of the tunnel to another place I'd visited on a couple of coach journeys was Severn Tunnel Junction, there'd be a myriad of locos stabled there, especially at weekends, now I'm struggling to find the rails of where the stabling point actually was. Progress has really started to irritate me now.
Next stop was Newport, I was going to bail here, mainly because I wanted to try and get another winner in before the Welsh Capital and delay getting to Cardiff when Canton would push everything out for the peak.
I bailed at Newport and walked halfway up Platform 2 and took a seat, why you may ask? anyone who's read some of my nostalgic memories in the 47403 The Early Years, may remember a recount of one of my favourite railway memories, happened at Newport. Having had 47600 from Cardiff out to Newport in a hope of getting a 37/4 back, I know I'm telling an old tale here but bear with me, this was the first time I'd been back since that very day, so as I sat on that bench on Platform 2, looking up the line, it didn't feel right, so I got up walked over the bridge and meandered up to roughly a similar spot on the opposite platform and sat down, looking up the line, this was the spot or a damn sight near it, all of a sudden the memory came flooding back, I remembered us laughing and carrying on, hearing the horn and the 37 coming out of the darkness, Glen laughing wildly and shouting, woooaaahh and Glen, John, Maxy and I pegging it up the platform, to get a window nearest the 37. I sat day dreaming, probably with a silly smirk on my face, it was good to recall that memory and I have to say, it was good to be back.
Special mention must go to Newport Station, the only station in the entire FoSS area to accept my Rover ticket. My coffee in the flask, had gone to the warm, awful tasting stage, so I drained my Fanta instead. Today I wasn't getting a 37 over to Cardiff but I did get winner
175008 and this is when the cop fest began, I practically clicked every ATW DMU on sight, the 142s, began with
142081 and
142082 and they just kept coming, within an hour, I had all but 1 of the welsh 142's and numerous 150s. Athis time, I decided on a quick filler move, so when double winning trams turned up, I thought, yeah they'll do, especially with 43126, being in the enviro livery
I quickly bailed off at platform 3 and would simply climb aboard, whatever came next, 5mins later or so winner
43063 and dud 43003 turned up to take back to Cardiff
At Cardiff I had time to click another 4 ATW 150's but I was more concerned of finding the Platform for the 17.16 Cardiff-Holyhead loco hauled turn. Now I was in luck, I'd had some very accurate gen from a certain Techniquest, who'd seen 67001 on the previous days working, so I was looking forward to geting a) A winner and b)one of the blue skips. As I stood looking up the platform I saw said skip on its way, so I made my down the platform, to get the front window, as it got closer, firstly I wondered if I'd gone colour blind as the skip rolled in front of, me, I have to say....................
techniquest, was totally wrong, they changed it, not that I was complaining, as of February, I still required this skip for sight, now I've got
67013 for haulage.
A weird scenario, has emerged here, 67014 was my penultimate skip, guess which one was on the Manchester loco hauled set, when I done a FONW last October, yip 67014, also my last 185, was 185143, the first 185 I got on that very same Rover, was none other than 185143, certainly a weird set of coincidences that have emerged. I bailed off 67013 at Newport and was going to go for a ciggy but this turned up, so I thought I better get on even though I'd had it when it was named Top of the Pops, which co-incidentally I'd taken then, mainly because it was my last HST back then
this time with dud 43002 leading winner
43018 I was back off to Cardiff to hopefully find that last 142, 142069.
to be continued