03/03
Yes, I know I'm still missing the previous weekend, truth be told I'm still a tad embarrassed at how it ended up, but nevertheless, it was half past five as I was walking up to the trams, this time up to Gleadless Townend as I went to wait for the 0550 ex-Herdings service. It's amazing the difference that the first tram being eight minutes earlier in the new timetable makes to me having to leave at 5 for a half 5 bus into town the last time I did this!! Tram 102 was the chariot for the three and a halfish miles into town through the snow, though still arriving punctually. No time to look at the trams though, as it was down to the trains as I boarded dud 222003, after spending a couple of minutes on the footbridge debating whether I'd rather take this or the adjacent 185 on a run down the MML. Onboard, it was much quieter than last time, even though the reservations decided not to download, but an uneventful run as far as Leicester followed. After Leicester, it was clear we were struggling, with the train not getting far past 100 at any point, and following the ex-Derby stopper from Bedford, into St Pancras for a ten minute late arrival.
With minimal time to waste, it was down to the tube, with the first moves being made on winning pair 11093/11094 as far as Oxford Circus. Here, a connection was made down to the Bakerloo once more, as winners 3244/3531 were taken to the Elephant & Castle (LU) with this move making the Bakerloo my first completed Tube line for track. I was now in a good mood as we made our way over to the mainline station of, erm, Elephant & Castle, where upon arrival we found two things;
1) Thameslink was down the creek without a paddle once again
2) There was zero passenger information. At all.
Eventually, a train actually called (even after a last minute platform alteration - literally!), and we boarded winner 700040 on a Sutton service, as far as Mitcham Junction. The wait here was short, as we made our way (the long way round, for some reason), onto the adjacent tram platforms to board 2564 the, erm, one stop down the line, to Beddington Lane, before hopping back onto 2548 as far as Waddon Marsh for a couple of photos, and then boarding 2536 into Croydon town centre, alighting at the required stop of Wellesley Road, before making our way to Wetherspoons for some food, and some more photos of the trams.
Eventually, our time in Croydon was over, as we made our way down to East Croydon and boarded winner 455801 to the winning shack of Balham, before heading down to my last two required (in their entirety) tube lines, the first of which being the Northern. Winners 51708/51546 were the "chosen" pair to be my first set of 95 stock, as we weaved our way around to Bank, (I'm sure I'd been there before but not according to the spreadsheet) before getting lost trying to find the "forgotten" tube line. Eventually, it was discovered as winning pair 65506/65505 were taken across to Waterloo, where it was back up to the Northern line to take winners 51619/51620 the excessively long distance to the end of the line at Edgware. A plan was formulated on this trip to compare the 95 stock to the very similar 96 stock, which sadly required a bus move, which was taken in due course, with the driver evidently suffering from a bout of road rage - mind you, if I had to drive around anywhere in London for a living, I probably would too!
We reached Canons Park station, as we went to board winners 96031/96006 - which thanks to my incompetence on my first trip to London meant that I now had three 96 stock half sets in the book. The pair were taken to West Hampstead where the trip down the road was taken to, erm, West Hampstead and onto 378223 as far as Gospel Oak. Whilst on this trip, the hard decision was made as to whether it was the 95 or 96 stock that was the most interesting, with the eventual conclusion being they were equally as good as each other, with the excessively similar Alstom traction packages (with just the traction equipment) making the decision far too hard to make. Also on this trip, whilst updating Railmiles, I found that this 378 was down as TOPS unit 998, which got me rather similarly excited at what was about to come - but not before the connection at Gospel Oak (which, for some reason I keep thinking is Goblin Oak), onto winner 172004. A quick decision was made as to what unit 1000 should become, and when factoring in the evening's plan with the tube closures, plus the better units, it was off the Turbo at Blackhorse Road, down to the Victoria line once again to take winners 11017/11018 to Seven Sisters. Unit 1000 was now in sight, as 315805 rolled in, and promptly rolled back out again, except this time with myself onboard. This was taken to Liverpool Street, for a quick walk across to Moorgate, and down to Great Northern, where in true GTR style, the service had flushed itself down the toilet once more. No matter, as winners 313029/313060 were taken back in time to the 1980s at the winner shack of Essex Road, before hopping onto 313048/313039 for the slog through to winning shack Winchmore Hill. The return units arrived relatively promptly on an eight minute connection, as 313031/313123 were taken back to Finsbury Park. I wasn't even aware GTR still had any 313/1s, and was rather amused by its original seating.
Once off the PEPs for the last time today, it was once more back down underground to take winners 11049/11050 through to Kings Cross St Pancras, where some crossover gricing moves were about to take place on the sub-surface. 21055/21056 were taken to Euston Square, running off the eastbound platform, whilst on the return 21406/21405 were taken back into the westbound platform. And as if like that, it was up to Thameslink, which was running slightly better by this time, with winners 700027 and 700036 were scored on a leap to City Thameslink and return.
Since it was now nearing the end of the day, two final moves were made, with 11085/11086 being taken across to Euston, to bid farewell to my mate, and then it was up to me to make my way back to St Pancras.
I was weighing up the options in my head - I could do a trip on LO up the Watford DC, and back before making the tube, but that would put me back into Euston at 2035, with my train from St Pancras being at 2056, and with it being the last of the day I couldn't afford to miss it, so I gave myself another three options.
1) Walk - this was quickly discounted as I still had almost an hour before the train
2) Northern line
3) Victoria line.
Weighing up my haulage requirements as I went back underground, I made my way to the 95 stock and boarded winners 51554/51555 back to KCSP, wasting the next fifty minutes before boarding dud 222006 to head back home. In hindsight, since I usually use the half an hour or so before the train arrives into St Pancras to get some food but I wasn't actually hungry, I could've made a couple of leaps to and from Euston on the tube to bag a few more winners, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and of course this didn't happen.
We arrived into Sheffield three minutes late, which meant that my new +3 from train to tram had vanished, however following an attack up at Herdings the previous night, I managed to board tram 119 for the four miles back to White Lane stop, on a Birley Lane short - wonderful! Home and in bed a whole 12 minutes earlier - what could be better.
Tata for now!