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Techniquest wants to turn back time [Nostalgia]

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Techniquest

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Kristofferson:2217336 said:
The latest "experimental" report style is great - really helps keep track of where you are, which can sometimes be harder to follow in prose. No complaints from me if you go back to this!

Fantastic photo of the steam train (I've gained an appreciation for steam since adding a Flying Scotsman and Princess Royal class to my model railway!) :)

I'm glad it received positive comments from someone :) Agreed it makes it easier to keep track of movements, I'll give it a go on today's trip report and we'll go from there.

In other news, I hope to add some of the missing trip reports and hopefully photos for some of them too eventually, although it means looking through all my old notebooks to do that so it will be a considerable time until they get done.

I read my 2012 ALR trip report again yesterday, crikey the memories that brought back! It shall be shared in the coming weeks, full of editorial comments and photos!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Blindtraveler:2217016 said:
Nice reports there, look forward to more. Odly enough that last one happened at about the time I 2 had a ticketing issue with FGW!

Talk about strange coincidences there!

There's still tons to add to this thread eventually, as I'm on the rails today there won't be any more until Sunday at the earliest.
 
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Techniquest

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I know I've been very quiet on this thread lately, I've been working on various things all at once and time has not been on my side to post here. When I have had time, I've not had the patience!

Today however I got on with looking through some old notebooks. One in particular has been set aside as it has a trip report from a Heart of England 3 in 7 rover way back in 2005. It also has a good London bash in there from the same year, I can't believe it's been that long since I last did a HoE rover!

There's a lot of stuff I wanted to share from those years, but the trip report notes end half way through. I do have one from 2004 in one of the books though that's almost complete, so I will try and get that one done too. Then I find some trips where the notes go really bullet-pointed, as detailed as "313 to Woolwich" followed by something like "Networker Woolwich D.yard" which is really not terribly helpful. When it gets to that one, I might type it up word for word and you'll see what I mean!

The 2004 Ireland trip is sadly a trip report where it ended prematurely, but I might still read it fully again and post what I've got if it's worth it.

Finally for now, I've noted a lot of pages where ink is fading out significantly, and a ton of pages where damage has been taken, my 2013 notebook is literally falling apart. I also see I still have a lot of notebooks where I used some pages but more than half the book was never used. I have no idea why that may be!

As a result of the notes literally fading into history, I'm going to make the effort to both scan all the pages into the digital realm and type the notes up too, as some of it won't show properly in a scan. It is an enormous job however, so I predict this will be done in stages during the rest of the year and especially so during the winter months. Why make the effort? It's all important nostalgia to me, so worth it.

So yeah, no really interesting read this time I'm afraid gang, I'm off to have tea. If I still have the patience later I'll get to work on some of these old trip reports!
 

Techniquest

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Alrighty then, I have a bit of time to start work on the many, many missing trip reports. Sadly I still haven't been able to find photos for this lot, and this appears to be one of the many trips I will have had video footage from, but the pile of Mini DV tapes are still waiting to be dealt with. Eventually they will be dealt with, but don't ask me for an ETA on them as I simply haven't got one.

It should also be noted that I don't have a date for this trip report, but as it has 170/1s running with Central Trains, as far as I know it was 2004. This is reinforced by seeing in the notes later in the notebook a 73/2 on standby duties for Gatwick Express! This is where I really regret not dating my notes properly at the time, but let's just assume this was 2004 for now. Actually I've found some notes from October 2004 off a spotting session at Llansamlet, so it must have been 2004. Enjoy the look back in time all!

Heart of England Rover 2004, Day 1

The day starts very early, due to a failure to sleep properly, and I plan the routes I'd be using during the 3 day adventure. The plans go out of the window [as was often the case at the time! - Ed], apparently I describe the reasons later in the trip report.

I get the 0650 bus to town [now 0645, and at the time this run was notorious for leaving late, 10 minutes delay was not uncommon - Ed] and we leave at 0652, a record! Even though we leave earlier than usual, we still don't arrive until approximately 0740, missing my hoped-for connection onto the 0738 [now leaves at 0734 to Birmingham New Street - Ed].

I proceed to buy my Heart of England 3 in 7 rover, which the ATW staff find hard to find on the system. I eventually leave the ticket office and proceed to see 158854 on the 0750 to Manchester, as well as 158s on the 0819 and 0820 to Milford Haven and Chester respectively. I also pity those on the the 0843 to Nottingham [oh my, that's a bit of nostalgia there, through trains to Nottingham and no reliance on XC beyond Birmingham! - Ed] as it's run by 150019! Later on I see it running a Nottingham to Cardiff Central service! Obviously years later I'd love such a long run on a 150, anyone got a time machine I can borrow?

Finally after future planning [I don't mention what I was planning sadly - Ed] and sorting out of timetables, along with a coffee and bacon roll, the 0908 to Manchester rolls in 3 minutes early, and I apparently noticed the driver's fast running later, although I have no mention of how so.

I finally arrive at Crewe after about 4 months since my last visit. I see plenty of locos and carriages about, getting as many numbers as possible. I go on to see 390s, Voyagers, 323s and a couple of 153s. The time to get the 1108 comes, after a ham and cheese baguette [oh my lordz, I'd forgotten the tradtional Upper Crust visits at the time and those baguettes! - Ed] and Diet Coke. To my horror, only 153354 was on it. Plans get further changed [I assume the presence of the 150 on the Nottingham earlier also caused a change of plan - Ed]...

Before I flick the page over in my notebook, anyone else have sort-of fond memories for those old TV screens used for passenger information around the country at the time? I'm not talking about the more modern ones still in use in places like Maidstone West and without a doubt in many other places still, these used grey text. I would show you what I mean but I have no photos. The announcements at Crewe for the Skegness trains were also of note, they were all manual back then and the amount of stations had the poor staff giving up listing every station call by Grantham! Back to it...

I board the 153 [which I know I have a photo of somewhere, but that could be anywhere! - Ed] but decide I can only handle as far as Stoke-on-Trent, which I wanted to visit anyway. Here disaster strikes, as my camera batteries die! However, new ones from the shop on the London platform were to cost £5.20, which I wasn't prepared to spend. After a rest, the batteries decide to work thankfully. A shot of the running-in board is grabbed before jumping on the delayed 1140 Voyager to Wolverhampton. The radio soon goes on [this was the at-seat entertainment system, still a long way from being made redundant at the time - Ed], despite being in the Quiet Zone! I don't particularly like the songs, but it was better than silence [not sure I'd agree with that nearly 11 years later! - Ed]

At Wolverhampton, I alight and am instantly impressed by the bridge [the one linking the then-new platform 4 to the rest of the platforms at the west end of the station - Ed] and the First Class lounge on platform 4. I have a look around, and find the delayed 1149 is due, so back to platform 4. I board and find a seat, discovering no working radio, darn. It's only a short distance to Birmingham New Street anyway [or as I was short-handing it at the time, BNS! - Ed]. I'm dismayed at having not waited longer at Wolverhampton though, I would have got an 87 and MK3s, D'OH!

We get the 'New Street Effect' before arrival [being held outside the station for a platform - Ed], after which I note a couple of numbers, then get the 1249 to Nottingham, with the idea of alighting at Wilnecote. I change my mind and alight at Burton-on-Trent. Taking on a Mars and two cans of pop from the shop next to the station entrance, as well as a few leaflets to read on the way home, I then await the 1341 to Nottingham, which had got caught behind 66002 and some wagons. It's only a 5 minute delay though.

I note no proper ticket check still by this point [without a date box check I can only assume - Ed], I move onwards to Derby with 170517 [yes, I finally noted what I travelled on, something I hadn't got the hang of back then! - Ed], and all the numbers I gathered up were already had! We depart Derby at 1409 whilst I get only 2 new numbers from Etches Park, grr! The current plan was to bail at Long Eaton from 170517, wait 10 minutes for a 222 from Derby and take that to Loughborough. Thankfully I achieve all this whilst seeing an HST fly through Long Eaton and 158792.

I alight at Loughborough to try and see 43009 in next door Brush Works. After a walk around I give up and return to the station, discovering there is a 1510 HST to Leicester, which I wait for. I have finally started MML seat diagrams [oh yeah, I'd forgotten I used to mark off the seats I travelled in. Thank Goodness that stopped! - Ed] and enjoy a free coffee en-route to Leicester.

That's a trip down Memory Lane too. MML doing free tea and coffee from their buffets on HSTs. I don't remember their logic at the time, and the cups were rather small, the coffee not great but considering we weren't paying for it there were no complaints. There is something else MML-related I would share nostalgic views on, but until I find that card, if I do, then I can't remember the name of it for sure. Besides, that and the FGW scheme are two very different things to discuss at a future time! Thanks to the free coffee, MML will always live on in my memory as a much-missed TOC!

When we arrive at Leicester, I discover a late-running Central Trains service via Nuneaton to Birmingham New Street, so instead of getting carriage numbers I get this, after seeing 222019 arriving. The trip back to Birmingham was OK, having got a table seat. I consider alighting at Nuneaton, but this can wait for another day. We get the dreaded 'New Street Effect' again, and chaos has struck. The 1559 Central Trains service to Hereford has not shown up, and another train is awaiting a driver. I try and decide what to do next, and settle for the 1633 to Shrewsbury, an ATW service, and would get a Misery Line [oh my yes, I'd forgotten my dislike of the Marches line at the time! Not a huge fan of it these days mind to be fair - Ed] train to Hereford. I manage to get through the crowds, somehow, and grab a seat on a train that proved to be rather busy. Although that was nothing compared to the loading out of Shrewsbury!

I highlight the service in my timetable [not sure why, but I used to mark in the relevant timetables which services I had travelled on - Ed], then find my connecting train to Hereford, the 1748 which would allow me to get an earlier bus home. I get a drink in Shrewsbury but alas, no decent food to eat, so I decide on a chippy visit when I get to Hereford. I nearly made it for a trip to Craven Arms on the 1729 to Swansea, but I was 30 seconds too late. I go to get a packet of Malteasers from the vending machine on platform 7, and a Twix comes out! During the interlude, I crack on with writing the trip report up into my notebook, consuming the drink and Twix. 153321 arrives off a stopper from Crewe, then does an ECS out of platform 7. The 1748 is 4 minutes late leaving and is 158853.

I enjoy a rest and a drink on the way to Hereford, noting that I now have 10 services travelled on on this line. Back in Hereford, after a rather boring and no-ticket-check trip, I go for my chicken curry and chips from Mr Chips, quite possibly the nicest anywhere I note. Worth noting that Mr Chips closed down some months ago, although whether just for a massive refurbishment or permanently I have yet to find out.

I get the 1907 bus home from the bus station, and I start thinking about how to best use the next couple of days. Sunday was an option but so was Friday. That pretty much wraps up Day 1, arriving home at 20xx. A long day really, especially when it all starts again in a few hours! [I shake my head when I look back at that comment, such a day would be considered ridiculously easy now, compared to the more intense days I've done since then! - Ed]

Heart of England Rover 2004, Day 2

My second day is nearly put off, thanks to awakening rather late. I manage to get a lift into town though, and get to the station for around 0924. I soon discover the service from Nottingham is 21 minutes late [you can see why the service was split in Birmingham, timekeeping did eventually improve! - Ed] which means the 0943 is certain to leave late. Once again, my plan goes officially out of the window, and I consider the possibility of getting the 0948 to Shrewsbury, then get to Wolverhampton or Birmingham New Street that way, as I also get to go past Oxley then! [this was of course still in my early days of the hobby, so I needed tons of everything for sight - Ed] After a spot of breakfast, 156403 arrives at 0943 from Nottingham. I decide it to be best to go up the Misery Line to Shrewsbury and go from there.

Yes, I too am screaming at such a bizarre bit of logic! In one week I'd turned down a 150/0 on my local route and then a 156 as well, I need to go back to 2004 and find out what on Earth I was thinking at the time! Especially when I see what I write next in the notebook...

To my surprise, 156403 comes in first with a fast turn-around for a change. However, I don't like 156s [what was wrong with me back then?! I've since grown to love 156s, and Sprinters in general - Ed] so I stick to the plan to get the 0948, which leaves 4 minutes late, thanks to the 156. I have to settle with an airline seat, as I wasn't quick enough to get a table seat. I update my trip report, and decide not to buy a coffee from the eccentric-sounding refreshments trolley guy. I highlight the service in the timetable, then start work on my 158 seating diagram, creating an irritance in my wrist already! Diagram done, I sit back and enjoy a nicely cold Diet Coke [I can't remember when I finally got off that stuff, I sure don't miss that tasteless stuff! - Ed] whilst formulating a new plan. If it is loco-hauled, I plan to get the 1306 Wolverhampton to London Euston, as far as Milton Keynes Central. However I discover it doesn't call at Rugby, so a more expensive Coventry to Milton Keynes Central ticket will be required!

I leave 158842 at Shrewsbury, arriving a couple of minutes late, which results in missing the number of a 60 on a southbound freight. 170638 is joined from platform 6, and a PNB is had before I do a seating diagram. I'm off at Wolverhampton, unfortunately I wasn't ready for Oxley so don't get many numbers after all. I note that Wolverhampton is an excellent location for spotting [not sure how I concluded that! - Ed], then board the 1141 Voyager to Birmingham New Street. My batteries go on charge, and the on-board radio doesn't seem to have got a signal sadly. A seating diagram for coach C of 220s is done, and I fail to positively note any 323s on Soho depot. We're slightly early into New Street, and I go for my Burger King meal, where there was surprisingly no queue! I go for the 1203 Voyager to Bournemouth, which I note left at 1221. I'm on for the leap to Birmingham International, where I miss a loco-hauled service, but get most of the carriage numbers. My spotting notes suggest this will have had 87002 on it, and I also note 221107 and some 321s on Central Trains services [the days when 321s were up in the Midlands seems like an eternity ago! My notes suggest 321405, 321418 and 321428 were the ones I noted, with more later on - Ed]. The 1240 was 20 minutes late and loco-hauled, which I had wanted a 390 on [for battery charging purposes! - Ed] but join anyway for a trip to Coventry because, as I put in the notebook "I find the MK3s more fun". I did have a bit of common sense at the time! Spotting notes suggest this was 87012 on it [87002 is also in the same notes but with different carriage numbers, hence confusion - Ed], which I know is one I never recorded in my books for haulage, but until I have some confirmation I'm not adding it as had just yet.

I attempt to get my ticket to Milton Keynes Central in time to re-board the train, but no amount of rushing helps, and I end up seeing the train off. The most annoying thing was it was the loco-hauled set I saw in Oxley, and I could have got it, should I have waited for the 1206 from Wolverhampton...D'OH! Whilst at Coventry I see the loco-hauled rake return from Birmingham New Street, the same one I saw at International earlier. I get the rest of the carriage numbers [reasonable to assume this ran fast Coventry to Watford Junction or Euston, hence not boarding - Ed], note 221121 then a second PNB. I then see 321438 and 390024 before the 1350 to Euston, calling first at Milton Keynes Central, turns up. I silently hope for a loco-hauled rake, which I'm sure it will be, but a nasty feeling makes me feel it'll be a 390. If it is, I guess it'll be OK, as I've wanted to go to Milton Keynes Central for some time. Bonus is that I get a free can of Diet Coke from a promotion at the station!

Watching 390024 leave Coventry, I start crossing fingers, and I'd be touching wood if I could reach some, in the hope it won't be a 390. An announcement then comes on to tell us the train left New Street 15 minutes late, the screens now showing an ETA of 1404. Grr, another new plan formulates. Guess what? After all the hoping, 390017 pulls in at 1403. I find coach C and move to B to find a table seat. My camera batteries get put on charge, the radio working too! I soon start chatting to the enthusiast sat at the other side of the table, which has the time flying by. My love of the tilting on 390s was born here too, and before I know it we're at Milton Keynes Central.

Upon alighting, the strong smell from the brakes is very noticeable, before I grab a shot of the running-in board. Whilst here, I noted down Silverlink [remember them? Quite the nostalgia factor there on its own! - Ed], ex-First Great Eastern 321s [they've gone back to Anglia since, and FGE is not nostalgic for me as I never went there under their operations - Ed], a few 390 numbers although most flew by too fast to ID, a loco-hauled rake I'd seen earlier and 90045 on a northbound freight. A surprise was 57316 hauling 90033 and MK3s towards Rugby!

I'm pleasantly surprised when the expected 390 was instead 87033 on the 1511 to Wolverhampton. We leave at 1514 and I enjoy the delights of what appears to be the last few weeks of loco haulage on Virgin Trains. I find a seat before another PNB at Coventry, and I then open one of my 3 cans of free Diet Coke from earlier, before continuing the trip report. International soon crops up, and the dreaded 'New Street Effect' is only endured for a few seconds. A photo is taken of 87033 and a MK3, as well as the nameplate [I wish I knew where these photos are! - Ed], before I join the 1624 Cross-City service as far as University, where I plan to get the 1659 New Street to Hereford. However, the Cardiff service comes along first, so this is joined and taken to Bromsgrove. A seating diagram is done on 170113 [I need to check this lot out on RailMiles at some point, should Tom ever be kind enough to reply to my email - Ed] although it needed double-checking. A half hour wait is made less boring by the fact I can finally tick off University and Bromsgrove, which is done following a 4-car 221 flying through and the trip report update.

I don't seek the number of a 4-car Voyager at 1706, as 60011 is heading south and far more interesting. A score for sight makes it even better! A horrendous smell is in the air after it passes though. 170109 comes along to take me home to Hereford, and the seats in the middle carriage [former First Class area on 3-car 170s when they were with MML - Ed] are very unusual but rather a nice change! The trip home is uneventful, especially as I've done this route so many times. More future trips are planned, as is another load of ideas for Day 3. The current plan is to go from Worcester via Stourbridge is still kept though. We leave at 1806 from Great Malvern, according to my watch which had been adjusted to Swansea station's time, and the timetable said 1808 from Great Malvern!

Back at Hereford, we arrive bang on time at 1836, grabbing some Malteasers from the vending machine on platform 2 [it has been many a year since I last used a vending machine on the railway! - Ed], then check out the route of the 1856 to Dorridge. 175107 is noted with a new style of numbering on the front [I don't note the details of this sadly - Ed] on the 1851 to Holyhead. A timetable alterations booklet for the weekend is sourced here for FGW, and I find something more fun than Sheffield to do on the 15th [hmm, maybe this was early 2005 after all, I can't tell! - Ed]. I decide to tell RML888, who is now heart-of-wessex on this forum, as it appears to use his local line.

The 1907 bus home finally arrives, and I have yet to make decisions for the weekend, but it was considered to take advantage of diverted Voyagers to avoid a lengthy journey otherwise. I am assuming they were on diversions via Lichfield that weekend. The CD player [don't they seem like ancient technology these days? - Ed] keeps me rather occupied for the rest of the journey home, as does the dire need of food and drink! I finally get home at 2010, and I again get no date box check. Which I see had me considering taking advantage, but I was returning to Swansea that weekend according to my notes. So the mystery deepens as to when I would have done this trip!

Heart of England Rover 2004 [or was it 2005? - Ed], Day 3

The day starts off wet and windy, and I nearly turn around and go back home. However I quickly revise that and carry on for the 0725 [now 0720 - Ed] bus to town. The usual route is closed unexpectedly in one part, so we take a diversion via a route that buses are never normally seen. We only arrive 2 or 3 minutes late, not bad considering. I had planned around arriving later and not making the 0843, instead planning to do the 0913 to Shrewsbury. However, due to the cold weather in Hereford, I board the 0843 and pass on breakfast for now. The journey is uneventful until we get held between Five Ways and Birmingham New Street, where we get told of a signalling failure at Birmingham New Street. Groans all round, with eyes rolling from me too, and we all go back to sit down again. 1032 and we're off, finally arriving at 1034.

At this point, I'm desperate for credit to text a forum member, AlexS [I believe he still lurks here now and again - Ed], to let him know I'm going to be late. No luck sourcing such a thing currently, but I do source 2 new pens, a bottle of Diet Coke [I seem to have lived on the stuff at the time! - Ed] and a pork pie, which formed my breakfast. The 1106 all-stations to Wolverhampton is noted, but instead find 170517 on the 1057 to Shrewsbury which I take instead. En-route a 170/5 seating diagram is done and I finally note 390001, a couple of 323s and some 170s, before I know it I'm in Wolverhampton. Some spotting is done here before I eventually manage to contact AlexS to arrange our meeting point. After some time, he departs on the 1158 towards Shrewsbury on 150109, whereas I get the 1202 to Birmingham New Street, which was a pair of 158s with ATW. The Voyager option was declined as it was unknown when it would arrive.

At New Street, I make my way to platform 6 and join a 390 which the screens said was the 1230 to London Euston, but someone tells me it was actually a Manchester service. I quickly hop off and get the 1233 Voyager bound for Reading, going to the southern boundary station at Oxford. Well, I was the plan, it was first announced as not stopping at Reading, then it was was, then eventually we're told it's cancelled. Back to platform 6 where the 1230 eventually arrives. Another gentleman joins my table, who I discover used to live in Leominster, and he tells me about my old local line as well as some other bits and bobs. Coventry is my next port of call, which I had hoped to get a 390 from that was on diversion to Stafford. I discover through the timetable [remember when Virgin did seperate timetables for each of their routes, and were in the big fold-out style? Boy weren't they awkward to plan moves with! - Ed] that the diversions follow the usual route through the Midlands, not the non-passenger track from Stetchford I had hoped for. Nevertheless, I join a 390 and head for Wolverhampton, with yet another seating diagram done, also devouring a bacon roll from the on-board shop and a Diet Coke [as I put in the notes: "Virgin brand, tis well nice", I'd forgotten about Virgin Cola, memories! - Ed] and the battery charger didn't work on this one sadly.

I bail for a Voyager to Leamington Spa at Wolverhampton, which gets me the route covered between New Street and Leamington Spa. I see 168002 en-route before alighting 220022 at Leamington Spa, then catch the slightly delayed 1517 to Birmingham Moor Street with Chiltern. 165033 and 168217 are on this, and guess what, another seating diagram is done! I then proceed to update my coverage map, which I'm considerably impressed with at the time, although as I also note I'm aware much more needs to be done. After a photo stop at Moor Street, I grab some leaflets on the way back to New Street. I can hear the announcements before I even enter the station, and I visit WHSmith for some chocolate, the usual Diet Coke, a copy of RAIL and a copy of Railways Illustrated [where did I find the money for such things at the time?! - Ed], before reaching a Redditch service 30 seconds too late to board. I instead board a Longbridge service to tick off Five Ways and to see more 323s. The latter proves to be a fruitless attempt to get new numbers, then I head to University, where I score only 323218 for sight.

170106 pulls in to take me back to Hereford. 150102 is seen [according to my notes, I don't remember it personally ever running with that number - Ed] just before we leave, and I have yet another seating diagram to do. After that, I enter what I would now call TPP Mode [Trip Planning Process Mode - Ed] for the next visit to London. It's more complicated than I thought to come up with a plan, and more than 10 years later it's still difficult to decide what to do, despite having done an absolute ton of stuff! The remainder of the journey is uneventful, and I get a lift home. The day after I was going home to Swansea by road.

Now this is interesting. The next page shows some observations from Godfrey Road, Newport, on 10th January 2005. Was this rover trip therefore December 2004? Maybe it was in the very first part of January 2005? Most frustratingly, the London trip report doesn't have a date either, but the spotting notes do show a North of London Eurostar set at Kings Cross, so definitely some time in 2005. That trip report will be done in the near future, it's taken me around 2.5 hours to do this one as it is.

Hopefully you'll enjoy the read and dive into the past!
 

Techniquest

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Oh I know, I was a bit mad on Voyagers at the time! I avoid Coke and all its variants like the plague these days, it's all about the squash and Pepsi Max!
 

Kristofferson

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A good read... I'd forgotten how long ago 2004 actually was. I was 15! Definitely the time of dialup, CD players and radios on trains. Pendolinos were an unseen luxury at the time as I lived on the West Anglia line - 317s and very little else :(

No idea how you managed to fill in a seating diagram on each train, sounds painful. Diet Coke is just horrific, I'm all about Coke Life or Pepsi Max at a stretch.
 

55013

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You can add me to the ranks of Pepsi Max drinkers.
Diet Coke is foul.

As for 2004, it seems like last week to me :)
 

Techniquest

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Kristofferson:2261531 said:
A good read... I'd forgotten how long ago 2004 actually was. I was 15! Definitely the time of dialup, CD players and radios on trains. Pendolinos were an unseen luxury at the time as I lived on the West Anglia line - 317s and very little else :(

No idea how you managed to fill in a seating diagram on each train, sounds painful. Diet Coke is just horrific, I'm all about Coke Life or Pepsi Max at a stretch.

Same, 2004 is a very long time ago in my eyes!

I seem to recall that I had an idea to mark off different seats on a class of train, thankfully that didn't last long!

Diet Coke is indeed horrific, I think "Poor soul" when I see someone buying it. I actually tried some recently on my last trip, for about a second it was a nice change after a ton of squash, but the novelty wore off in the next second and I was glad to see it go! Coke Life I liked upon first release, but I've gone off it rather rapidly. I will still have it, just not too often.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
55013:2261769 said:
You can add me to the ranks of Pepsi Max drinkers.
Diet Coke is foul.

As for 2004, it seems like last week to me :)

I never had you down as a pop drinker. Don't know why!
 

fowler9

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A good read... I'd forgotten how long ago 2004 actually was. I was 15! Definitely the time of dialup, CD players and radios on trains. Pendolinos were an unseen luxury at the time as I lived on the West Anglia line - 317s and very little else :(

No idea how you managed to fill in a seating diagram on each train, sounds painful. Diet Coke is just horrific, I'm all about Coke Life or Pepsi Max at a stretch.

Oh god, I turned 30 that year. You sound so young. Ha ha. I mean that in a nice way. I remember spending over half of my life with no mobile phone, no dial up or any kind of internet, no CD's, no DVD's, no Pepsi Max and certainly no Coke Life. A different time. God knows how I got my gen on what loco was pulling what train but I managed it. I will dispute Pendolinos being an unseen luxury at any point in history. :D
 

55013

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I never had you down as a pop drinker. Don't know why!

Oh yes, it's soft drinks all the way for me.
I can take or leave alcohol.
I'm diabetic and alcohol doesn't go well with that, so I leave it.
I eat enough crap without adding booze to my intake :)
 

Kristofferson

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Fowler9 - the TV adverts ("Big Train") made the pendolinos sound epic to my younger self! Didn't ride one til 2012 mind.
 

fowler9

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Fowler9 - the TV adverts ("Big Train") made the pendolinos sound epic to my younger self! Didn't ride one til 2012 mind.

Cool, don't take what I said as an insult by the way, I am of an age whereby I will always think what went before was better. Ha ha. They are good trains, I think the interior design could have been better. :D
 

Techniquest

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55013:2262564 said:
I never had you down as a pop drinker. Don't know why!

Oh yes, it's soft drinks all the way for me.
I can take or leave alcohol.
I'm diabetic and alcohol doesn't go well with that, so I leave it.
I eat enough crap without adding booze to my intake :)

Fair games, I don't drink alcoholic beverages even a quarter as much as I used to. An absolutely excellent turn of events for sure, especially for my bank balance!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
fowler9:2262427 said:
A good read... I'd forgotten how long ago 2004 actually was. I was 15! Definitely the time of dialup, CD players and radios on trains. Pendolinos were an unseen luxury at the time as I lived on the West Anglia line - 317s and very little else :(

No idea how you managed to fill in a seating diagram on each train, sounds painful. Diet Coke is just horrific, I'm all about Coke Life or Pepsi Max at a stretch.

Oh god, I turned 30 that year. You sound so young. Ha ha. I mean that in a nice way. I remember spending over half of my life with no mobile phone, no dial up or any kind of internet, no CD's, no DVD's, no Pepsi Max and certainly no Coke Life. A different time. God knows how I got my gen on what loco was pulling what train but I managed it. I will dispute Pendolinos being an unseen luxury at any point in history. :D

I honestly don't know how I coped without a mobile phone, let alone a smartphone. It says a lot about this generation of mobile users who use them for almost everything but a phone call. I can't complain mind as I rarely call anyone!

I've got to be honest, I wouldn't want to go back to a time when we all relied on cassettes [seriously ancient version of a recordable CD kids - Ed], or bought music on vinyl or when the internet didn't exist! The trains of that time, yes I'll have those but not the rest of it!

I'm definitely not young, I'll be 31 in 4 months time!
 

Techniquest

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Oh I'm not saying there's owt wrong with it, just in moderation. Which wasn't the case for a while here, but that's been fixed thankfully. 4 pints a night 3 nights a week was getting a bit much!

Aye I feel ancient, but at least I'm not as old as you Dave :-P
 

Techniquest

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Sorry to keep you all waiting for so long for more entries on this thread gang! I've been so ridiculously busy for ages, but I do promise more ancient trips will be getting dragged back to life in the coming months. Once the silly season finishes, there will be plenty of time to do so again, as after that the overtime will disappear out of the window. As will the need for so much money, I frigging hate December! Frothmas started 3 months ago for us lot in retail, once the Frothmas stock started arriving, so we're all sick of the sight of it now! I'm on 3 cans of Monster a day at the moment just to get through work, which is the sign the silly season is truely well engaged!

Anyway, enough of that. I've been delving deep into the memory banks, enjoying a trip down Nostalgia Avenue before branching off into Memory Lane, and decided I should post it all here, rather than hijack Lord Quinn's thread any further! So here we go:

Memories of 47s from the good ol' days

Lord Quinn was suggesting 47402 and 47403 were no 47786 in terms of performance on his trip report thread, which led me to point out a few 47s I've had. I don't remember ever seeing 47786 performing, but I still raise him 47810 in 2004.

So it was still under Virgin Trains, and heart-of-wessex and I had it from Crewe to Holyhead. The racket from the front vestible, right behind the 47, oh my days. You'll all know I'm not exactly a Spoon Goon, but it was one amazing performance.

My favourite memory of that trip mind was heart-of-wessex popping to the gents just before we took off from Colwyn Bay, and I was obviously at the droplight. Fortunately I was on the right hand side so had a perfect view of the clag. Jeez those towers of super dark grey clag were crazy, quickly turning into clouds of it above my head. Not to mention the racket, PHWOAR! <D

Such a shame we weren't getting it back, safe to say the 175 back out of Holyhead on the 0110 to Birmingham New Street was one heck of a letdown! Sadly I have no dates for this trip, or any videos or photos, but I do remember it being cracking!

47828 Crewe to Chester in August 2004 on the TTF meet in Liverpool (and I still remember seeing a 47 heading south on a freight that morning just before Dinmore Tunnels, only time I ever saw that on my turf) was also great but I don't have any photos etc sadly.

47843 on a RugEx in 2007 (I think!) from Bristol Parkway to Cardiff Central was good too, but 47839 on another RugEx (which I could have got from Hereford, if I'd known at the time!) in September 2005, this time just between Newport and Cardiff Central was better. Obviously all these 47s were claggable, but this one I was at a droplight for near or at the front, and we'd been held on the bank into Cardiff Central. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what happened next, but I will anyway. The clag, the racket to pull a load 5 or 6 up the bank into the station was just awesome, still not a patch on 47810 mind! Even so, this was brilliant! <D

47853 from Bristol Parkway to Swindon on a RugEx on the same day as 47843 (and we were lucky to get on it, to be fair!) put in a decent performance too, I think that one was in XP64 livery at the time (2007, so don't hold me to that) as well which made it slightly more special. I think I do have video footage on a MiniDV tape somewhere, one day I'll have it shared on here!

Oh yes, I forgot 47854 on the Rhymney loco-hauled farewell in December 2005! From memory of the moves (bear in mind this was a shade over 10 years ago now, 4th December 2005 I think this was, so excuse the memories not being clear) we started on the first train of the day, and it was rammed solid in the front coach unsurprisingly. How the grip got through to sell tickets I don't know, but it was 47854 kicking off the event. Now don't forget this is the Valleys, so the gradients become quite decent after a while. So it was a good test for 47854 even on just a load 4 or 5 and dead 33 on the rear. I don't remember the sights too well but I do remember the entire group of us was very impressed indeed at the time. Of course, we've all moved on to other stuff since, and I barely hear from any of the group now. It's worth pointing out I was an HST man at this time, so to enjoy a 47 was a bit strange! Granted, I preferred the 37s that day, and even the 33 was hellfire!

Those are certainly my strongest memories of 47s from the good ol' days. Don't get me wrong, 47818 and 47841 in June 2014 were also good but the above lot have held special places in my memory for a long time.

I've sure enjoyed this trip down Memory Lane, down Nostalgia Avenue, I didn't realise I had such powerful, numerous and fond memories of 47s! I have had the help of some old tunes too that always invoke memories to be fair, even so it's been a while since I delved into the memory banks this much!
 

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Sorry to keep you all waiting for so long for more entries on this thread gang! I've been so ridiculously busy for ages, but I do promise more ancient trips will be getting dragged back to life in the coming months. Once the silly season finishes, there will be plenty of time to do so again, as after that the overtime will disappear out of the window. As will the need for so much money, I frigging hate December! Frothmas started 3 months ago for us lot in retail, once the Frothmas stock started arriving, so we're all sick of the sight of it now! I'm on 3 cans of Monster a day at the moment just to get through work, which is the sign the silly season is truely well engaged!

Anyway, enough of that. I've been delving deep into the memory banks, enjoying a trip down Nostalgia Avenue before branching off into Memory Lane, and decided I should post it all here, rather than hijack Lord Quinn's thread any further! So here we go:

Memories of 47s from the good ol' days

Lord Quinn was suggesting 47402 and 47403 were no 47786 in terms of performance on his trip report thread, which led me to point out a few 47s I've had. I don't remember ever seeing 47786 performing, but I still raise him 47810 in 2004.

So it was still under Virgin Trains, and heart-of-wessex and I had it from Crewe to Holyhead. The racket from the front vestible, right behind the 47, oh my days. You'll all know I'm not exactly a Spoon Goon, but it was one amazing performance.

My favourite memory of that trip mind was heart-of-wessex popping to the gents just before we took off from Colwyn Bay, and I was obviously at the droplight. Fortunately I was on the right hand side so had a perfect view of the clag. Jeez those towers of super dark grey clag were crazy, quickly turning into clouds of it above my head. Not to mention the racket, PHWOAR! <D

Such a shame we weren't getting it back, safe to say the 175 back out of Holyhead on the 0110 to Birmingham New Street was one heck of a letdown! Sadly I have no dates for this trip, or any videos or photos, but I do remember it being cracking!

47828 Crewe to Chester in August 2004 on the TTF meet in Liverpool (and I still remember seeing a 47 heading south on a freight that morning just before Dinmore Tunnels, only time I ever saw that on my turf) was also great but I don't have any photos etc sadly.

47843 on a RugEx in 2007 (I think!) from Bristol Parkway to Cardiff Central was good too, but 47839 on another RugEx (which I could have got from Hereford, if I'd known at the time!) in September 2005, this time just between Newport and Cardiff Central was better. Obviously all these 47s were claggable, but this one I was at a droplight for near or at the front, and we'd been held on the bank into Cardiff Central. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what happened next, but I will anyway. The clag, the racket to pull a load 5 or 6 up the bank into the station was just awesome, still not a patch on 47810 mind! Even so, this was brilliant! <D

47853 from Bristol Parkway to Swindon on a RugEx on the same day as 47843 (and we were lucky to get on it, to be fair!) put in a decent performance too, I think that one was in XP64 livery at the time (2007, so don't hold me to that) as well which made it slightly more special. I think I do have video footage on a MiniDV tape somewhere, one day I'll have it shared on here!

Oh yes, I forgot 47854 on the Rhymney loco-hauled farewell in December 2005! From memory of the moves (bear in mind this was a shade over 10 years ago now, 4th December 2005 I think this was, so excuse the memories not being clear) we started on the first train of the day, and it was rammed solid in the front coach unsurprisingly. How the grip got through to sell tickets I don't know, but it was 47854 kicking off the event. Now don't forget this is the Valleys, so the gradients become quite decent after a while. So it was a good test for 47854 even on just a load 4 or 5 and dead 33 on the rear. I don't remember the sights too well but I do remember the entire group of us was very impressed indeed at the time. Of course, we've all moved on to other stuff since, and I barely hear from any of the group now. It's worth pointing out I was an HST man at this time, so to enjoy a 47 was a bit strange! Granted, I preferred the 37s that day, and even the 33 was hellfire!

Those are certainly my strongest memories of 47s from the good ol' days. Don't get me wrong, 47818 and 47841 in June 2014 were also good but the above lot have held special places in my memory for a long time.

I've sure enjoyed this trip down Memory Lane, down Nostalgia Avenue, I didn't realise I had such powerful, numerous and fond memories of 47s! I have had the help of some old tunes too that always invoke memories to be fair, even so it's been a while since I delved into the memory banks this much!

Well this Spoon Goon loved every minute of that and any spoon goon, will tell you the Generators (401-420) were very highly regarded among the 47 brethren. Thanks for sharing this, I think I need a cold shower now:lol::lol::lol:
 

fishquinn

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I loved the read! Vote brush! But it sticks that the ones that you mentioned are still no 786 ;)
 

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I've had 402 on the ELR, must admit it was a decent performance all things considered, would have been better up the ski jump!

Glad you enjoyed the read!

Lord Quinn, you had to be there for 810. Remember, this was when the 47s weren't being super well maintained so the noise and clag was more epic!
 

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Wish I could recall more of my Spoon hauled journies. They just used to drop on everything and I was normally gutted when one turned up in lieu of a class I would have preferred, even if it was a new spoon for me. They just turned up on everything. You don't know what you've got till its gone. Cracking locos and I took them for granted.
 

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Wish I could recall more of my Spoon hauled journies. They just used to drop on everything and I was normally gutted when one turned up in lieu of a class I would have preferred, even if it was a new spoon for me. They just turned up on everything. You don't know what you've got till its gone. Cracking locos and I took them for granted.

I think those of us old enough, took all loco hauled for granted and since the voyagers arrived, when I've been unfortunate enough to be hauled by one, I've often thought to myself, god, even a wagon would be better than this.
 

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I think those of us old enough, took all loco hauled for granted and since the voyagers arrived, when I've been unfortunate enough to be hauled by one, I've often thought to myself, god, even a wagon would be better than this.

Well said. I think of some equivalent services to those operating out of Lime Street today, what is the most excitement I can expect on a London Midland service? Perhaps a 350/3. Back in he day it was generally a spoon or on odd days you got something like 56015 (Which I may have mentioned before :D). Had a pair of 20's from Huyton to Lime Street once (Took a mad dash after school from my part of Liverpool to get to Huyton to catch them, pre mobile phone and internet). Would get a Network Northwest Day Ranger on days off school and go all over the place on all kinds of stuff. Anyway, I've done this to death, ha ha. I miss it, nuff said, it really isn't the same now.
 

Techniquest

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Funny that, I say the same about how things are now, compared to what they were 10 years ago.

You just don't the same feeling when an HST goes charging through Didcot or Slough (if they even go fast through there now!) as you would back then. Don't get me wrong it's still good to see but you don't get the scream now. Let's not mention the seats either...Oh and watching an HST fire up is about as much fun now as watching a Ford Focus start. Whereas back then the noise was much more enjoyable, not to mention the clag factor!

Of course back then we also still had 37s on loco hauled jobs in South Wales as well, and RugExs regularly and ones that were worth going out for. Over the sea in Ireland the 2700 Class were still going strong too, fantastic beasts for sure. Much missed :cry:

I could go on for ages...
 

fowler9

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Funny that, I say the same about how things are now, compared to what they were 10 years ago.

You just don't the same feeling when an HST goes charging through Didcot or Slough (if they even go fast through there now!) as you would back then. Don't get me wrong it's still good to see but you don't get the scream now. Let's not mention the seats either...Oh and watching an HST fire up is about as much fun now as watching a Ford Focus start. Whereas back then the noise was much more enjoyable, not to mention the clag factor!

Of course back then we also still had 37s on loco hauled jobs in South Wales as well, and RugExs regularly and ones that were worth going out for. Over the sea in Ireland the 2700 Class were still going strong too, fantastic beasts for sure. Much missed :cry:

I could go on for ages...

Back in the late 80's I would dart home from school on the bus. Get whatever to Lime Street from West Allerton then get the 17:14 Cardiff back to West Allerton behind 37... (Whatever turned up, 4's or none eth) going passed my bedroom window to West Allerton just by my house. As it left Lime Street from Platform 5 there was a Preston from Platform 1 that let at 17:15. They often left at the same time and would go up the cutting together and the noise was incredible. The Preston was a 31 or sometimes a 47. I could do that every day on my school travel pass.
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I know every generation thinks what they had was the best but in the age of privatisation and units the rail fan looses out although it is of course a business. I am talking purely as a train buff. Back in the 80's and 90's if the loco died something mad might drop on the front. Now if your London Midland 350/2 dies you all get kicked off and get on the next 350 whatever. There is next to no chance the train will be something mad you never expected. If 390 whatever dies it won't get dragged as far as Crewe by whatever is knocking around in Edge Hill (59003), you are just on the next 390.
 

Techniquest

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Too very true, there's no opportunity to be rescued by anything interesting these days.

I wouldn't say what I had was the best, but it was the HSTs that got me into the hobby 12 years ago, so losing them will be an enormous loss to me when it happens. It sure was when the FGW lot got Germanised, oh the memories...
 

fowler9

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Too very true, there's no opportunity to be rescued by anything interesting these days.

I wouldn't say what I had was the best, but it was the HSTs that got me into the hobby 12 years ago, so losing them will be an enormous loss to me when it happens. It sure was when the FGW lot got Germanised, oh the memories...

Things just change. I reckon we should just enjoy them for what they are. I am thinking of actually keeping a record of what I travelled on for the first time in two decades, purely because it interests me and I like travelling on trains. I started thinking why not keep a record again. Who knows.
 

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Thanks for the memories, Tech. :)

I know that I've mentioned it before, but this seems to be the right place for it so I'll say it again: My favourite memory of class 47 haulage would be travelling behind 47845 "County of Kent" (now running around as 57301) between Newcastle and Durham, which rolled into Newcastle from the High Level Bridge one Saturday lunchtime in 2001 atop a full West Coast rake, complete with mark 3 DVT tucked behind the locomotive. I remember the driver chucking it into the tight bends between Chester-Le-Street and Durham, the loco making a right old racket (fully audible from maybe five carriages back) and throwing vertical black streams of clag sky high! The performance of the locos on the railtour I went on from Sunderland to Stirling in 2008 (47787 and 47826 provided) seemed very tame in comparison, and that would have been on something like load ten with the loco on the rear just idling to provide train heat.

Though not at anywhere near the same level, I also felt privileged to travel behind "Royal" loco 47798 at a North York Moors diesel gala in, I think, 2005; though of the two royal engines, I used to see a lot more of 47798 than ever I did of 47799: Even when the Queen came to Sunderland for her Golden Jubilee and the opening of the Metro extension in 2002, it was royal "spare" loco 47787 "Windsor Castle" sharing the duties with 47798.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
You just don't the same feeling when an HST goes charging through Didcot or Slough (if they even go fast through there now!) as you would back then. Don't get me wrong it's still good to see but you don't get the scream now.
Gawd, that brings back memories, too. I remember long summer days spent on Durham station mainly to witness the spectacle of GNERs' HSTs screaming through on the centre road at speed (Though class 60s - they were all still in service then - thundering through on the Hardendale cement and Jarrow tanks were equally impressive). They would be taking power immediately after coming off the speed restriction on the viaduct, too. The MTU engines really don't provide the same sort of presence.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Funny that, I say the same about how things are now, compared to what they were 10 years ago.
In the modern climate, I think we've actually got it pretty good in terms of loco haulage at the moment. We've got:
Brand new diesel locomotives working push-pull rakes under Chiltern,
The reappearance of daily timetabled loco hauled workings on the North Wales Coast with Arriva Trains Wales,
Classic traction working around the Cumbrian Coast on a regular basis (and set to stay for a good while if today's Northern franchise announcement is anything to go by),
As well as more limited loco hauled operations with DRS in East Anglia and Fife (and in the latter case the loco hauled workings are currently being pushed to the fore to contend with the temporary closure of the Forth Road Bridge).
Not to mention the electric push-pull services that ply their trade daily on the Anglian and East Coast main lines.

Plus, and although it's not quite the same, you can still travel all the way from Penzance to Inverness by HST, although it'll take you more than a day for maximum variety.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I think those of us old enough, took all loco hauled for granted and since the voyagers arrived, when I've been unfortunate enough to be hauled by one, I've often thought to myself, god, even a wagon would be better than this.
Purely from an enthusiast's point of view, I do regret that I couldn't have arrived in Birmingham a decade earlier than I did, when the vast majority of my journeys would have taken place behind 47s and on HSTs under the Virgin Crosscountry banner, and also behind 86s and 87s on the West Coast.

From a regular travelling passengers' perspective however, I am thankful for the regular frequency, improved reliability and reduced journey times that the Voyagers have brought with them. I'm also thankful that the longest I can remain comfortable on one is about two hours, as this gives me the perfect excuse to break my journey for a trip to the York Tap on my semi-regular forays up north! :D

Something I am disappointed that I never got to experience was the class 37 hauled trains on the North Wales coast, but, as a minor growing up in the north east of England, the distant North West wasn't anywhere on my radar at the turn of the millennium.
 
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Techniquest

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Very true with the loco haulage options around the country, we certainly have got it good!

I anticipate some more historical trip reports soon, although it could well be January before it's ready :)

Glad you've all enjoyed the read!
 

fowler9

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Well the loco hauled scene certainly isn't all bad but it is a far cry from back in the day when on a Network Northwest Day Ranger the only multiple units I would travel on would be my first train from West Allerton to Lime Street in the morning and my last one back there at night (If I didn't finish early on the 17:14 Liverpool to Cardiff). Ha ha. There was even a short spell where some of the stoppers through West Allerton were 31's. Whole days with not one unit.
 
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