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What a GREAT Summer!

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yorkie

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The last 6 weeks have been superb, I've travelled up and down the country with various people from RailUK (I daren't try to list them all as I'd probably miss someone out!)

I'd like to thank everyone who went on the highly enjoyable trips. :D I hope, and am sure there will be many more to come. Of course, anyone is welcome to join us for these.

Here's just a few of my photos from the past 6 weeks.

The Summer Holidays got off to a great start with the amazing value (£10) Flush D'Ore SET Slam-door farewell railtour on 23 July.


I finally got to North Berwick on a Class 90


On 2 August we travelled up to Inverness on the GNER Highland Chieftain, seen here at Inverness alongside the Caledonian Sleeper


Some of the views in the Highlands are very impressive.


I took this photo at Euston after one of my arrivals on the Caledonian Sleeper.


We took a few trips on the Class 90 hauled Birmingham-Manchester service.


And a couple of trips on the Class 37 hauled Fort William Sleeper


You can't tell by the photo but there were millions of midges flying around at Rannoch. It was difficult to get a photo that wasn't blurry. I managed to get back on the train without being bitten, amazingly! Doing heads-out along Rannoch moor behind a Class 37, seeing no sign of civilisation and the only animals you see are wild deer was an experience that just cannot be beaten IMO.


And several trips on Mk1 Slam-Door EMUs in their final weeks


A trip to Great Yarmouth was a bit disappointing when the Class 47 service was cancelled, but that was the only downer.


Many of my trips involved late evening connections being made at Leeds...


..which is a very different station at night compared to the busy day time!


We travelled on the North Yorkshire Moors railway as part of an East Country Rover week.


As soon as the Gerrards Cross tunnel re-opened we took a trip on Chiltern's Class 121 "bubble car"..


...after a trip on a Metroplitan 1960s 'A stock'.


Saturday 27 August was like going back a couple of decades, it was a great day of loco haulage from Manchester to Cardiff and of course the Rhymney services. 47847 seen here at Rhymney. I had earlier seen it depart Manchester for Cardiff.


Amazingly a Class 37 operated a stopping service from Cardiff to Crewe. Some of the 'normals' joining at intermediate stations were rather surprised to say the least!


One of the loco hauled specials was badly delayed into Manchester.... by a faulty Pendolino in front! (Seen here at Crewe)


There were also several 'drags' on Virgin services between Nuneaton and Birmingham and, as seen here between Crewe and Liverpool, as the WCML upgrade works continue.


At the end of August we took a trip on the Cambrian Coast to Porthmadog where we travelled on the Ffestiniog narrow guage railway


Returning via Blenau Ffestiniog


We travelled around the West Midlands (150213 is seen here at Stratford-upon-Avon)


Class 350 'Desiros' are now a common sight on the WCML


We saw plenty of freight, the best locations were places like Doncaster and Camden Road (below)


Photography is difficult at Euston, but not impossible..


The sun sets at Wakefield


We managed to travel up and down the WCML on loco-hauled trains, but there's no getting away from these...


...while on the ECML many of my journeys home were on these...


Once again thanks for a great 6 weeks, you can see more of my photos at http://yorkie.fotopic.net/ :)
 
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jd

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Yeah, the three I went on (Class 90 BHM-MAN, Festiniog, and West Mids) were really great. I met loads of new people, too many to list. Looking forward to next summer!!! And will be celebrating end of GCSEs too!
 

yorkie

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Yeah so am I, last Summer was great too, and I remember thinking 'next Summer won't be as good' but if anything it's been better. Of course there is the worry that 37s may be gone, and the Slam Door EMUs will be gone too. We won't have the specials to Cardiff either. But on the other hand we may have 31s to Skegness, and 101s on the Heart of Wales.
 

Max

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It's my first summer of Rail UK meets and I have enjoyed them all very much. I went on the North East Rover, WY Day Rover and Class 47 Manchester-Cardiff meets, meeting loads of new faces, not to mention some casual days out with members of this forum.

I think we all owe a lot to Yorkie, who is great at organising these meets - the itineries, prices and tickets. He can always find a cheap ticket at the shortest of notice ;)

And of course, thanks to everyone else who organises meets, and to the people that go one them. A meet wouldn't be a meet without people :)

I'm looking forward to going on many meets in the future.
 

Jordy

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laverack222 said:
I think we all owe a lot to Yorkie, who is great at organising these meets - the itineries, prices and tickets. He can always find a cheap ticket at the shortest of notice Wink

Yeah we certainly do! Thanks yorkie!

yorkie said:
we may have 31s to Skegness, and 101s on the Heart of Wales.

That would be great - the return of the 101s!

Heres to next year :D

Jordy
 

The Gricer

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Excellent photos there Yorkie. You can just 'feel' the atmosphere in some of them.

I know many of the younger members appreciate you organising these meets and are always looking forward to the next one, so well done and keep up the good work!

Frank
 

Coxster

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Very nice! Just a shame I couldn't attend more of them.
 

matt

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Ive been on three meets and have had a great time :D
 

bunnahabhain

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yorkie said:
But on the other hand we may have 31s to Skegness, and 101s on the Heart of Wales.

The 31's are likely but the 101's are unlikely, none of them are modified with the new Fire Extinguisher System, and none of them are certified for the Main Line anymore, a lot of them arnt in the best condition, both internally and externally, so unless some Restoration Groups get their fingers out and make them a little better it's unlikely that the 101's will be on that line.

Now other Railcars is a different matter..... ;)
 

joy54.gen

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I've done nearly all of the meets and have had a great summer. I've been on the West Highland Line loads doing the 37s, Rhymney 47s TWICE and Rhymney 37s, 47s to Cardiff from Hereford and Newport, Virgin Summer HSTs, North East Rover meet, Ffestiniog Railway, Anglia Mainline 47s, Loads of WCML 90s, Holyhead 47s, Edinbrugh- Leuchars Golfexs 47s, Flush D'or Railtour, South Eastern and Southern Slammers, Last Gatex 73s, Chiltern Bubble Car, 47s between York and Doncaster and the Bluebell Railway and finally the 37s between Cardiff and Newport heading to Manchester.
I only became an enthusiast last summer and I have Yorkie to thank for that, I just hope next summer there will be some of the great specials we have had this summer.
 

Gareth Hale

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Great photo's :D, I wish I could travel the UK by train :cry: anyway, that road in the Highlands, the sign and stuff look very familuar 8)
 

Jim

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Next year... real trains? how many will there be?
 

Techniquest

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I don't think I've been on many meets that yorkie has organised or been on, the only one that springs to mind in 2005 is the Fort William and Mallaig trip. Couldn't make the others. :cry:

Still, I reckon Summer 2004 was better so far. That said, I did things no-one else did...43004 naming, Llandrindod Wells 37s, Pembroke Dock HST (which nearly no-one showed up for), Rhymney 37s more often than not...
 

yorkie

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FGWFan said:
I don't think I've been on many meets that yorkie has organised or been on, the only one that springs to mind in 2005 is the Fort William and Mallaig trip. Couldn't make the others. :cry:
If you're talking 2005 as a whole, yes there were those but more such as HST to Hereford, and a trip to Rhymney. But these were before the 6-week Summer holidays so won't appear in the photos above. I did see you at Cardiff among all that loco-hauled action though before you had to dash off (Hope you caught that HST! ;) )
 

Techniquest

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Forgot to say, absolutely awesome pictures there yorkie.

jonb has a rival...

My pics just look like snapshots compared to these...Time to hunt down the angles better at stations!
 

Techniquest

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yorkie said:
FGWFan said:
I don't think I've been on many meets that yorkie has organised or been on, the only one that springs to mind in 2005 is the Fort William and Mallaig trip. Couldn't make the others. :cry:
If you're talking 2005 as a whole, yes there were those but more such as HST to Hereford, and a trip to Rhymney. But these were before the 6-week Summer holidays so won't appear in the photos above. I did see you at Cardiff among all that loco-hauled action though before you had to dash off (Hope you caught that HST! ;) )

Good point, they wouldn't have been included. Malverns HST was good though, before the kids played up...Screwing up the Coach A door...

I did see you there, that was why I had to run like mad for it, I had been waiting specifically for you guys to arrive, but I could not contact you to check where you'd be on it! At least I have pictures of all the 47s! Was nice to see a Northerner or two come down to Caerdydd Canalog, always is.

Turned out the queues for the HST were HUGE in SC, so I decided to screw that, forced my way through the crowd by Coach E, boarded in Coach F and went onwards to BP. Technically I shouldn't have been able to upgrade on a rover, but they never even checked the tickets!
 

HSTfan!!!

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for what I have attended it has been a brilliant year, for sure I didn't expect to see class 47's in South Wales again after having seen their demise from the EWS fleet! All in all though keeping this short, thanks to everyone who made this year brilliant! bring on next summer! :D
 

Techniquest

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True, but what will be left then? (I seem to remember asking this last year) No more 37s to Rhymney that's for sure. No more slammers, no more LHCS with VXC/VWC. 60s may be gone at this rate, bar a handful.

I'm not looking forward to a summer with just bog units, HSTs and Yingers. Naturally I've be happy with HSTs, but that'll be the only interesting thing left!
 

evil_hippo

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Late evenign connections at Leeds sime rather nice, which is more than can be said for my countless late buses from Penrith.
 

yorkie

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Craig said:
Some good photos there :)

Are you using a different camera now?
Thanks.

Yeah, I am.

Last year ago the camera I was using was (then) 4 years old, but since June I've been using a Fujifilm Finepix F610.
 

Craig

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yorkie said:
Thanks.

Yeah, I am.

Last year ago the camera I was using was (then) 4 years old, but since June I've been using a Fujifilm Finepix F610.
Ah, Fujifilm. Good choice ;)
 
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