More hastily booked leave today and Monday. Hadn't really planned much beyond using the remaining day of my Rover ticket. Set out late for Bristol, and hopped onto the 1252 for Brighton behind 31454. Lots of conversation on board about our experiences at Southwick a couple of weeks back. Interesting to see how it had become a sort of 'urban legend' among the cranks already! The train was also worked by my favourite buffet trolley attendant ("ice-creams, eggs, breads, thats two-hundred-and-twenty lucky pennies!"). He managed to have a huge and rather public argument with a passenger about making an older lady walk a carriage-length to get off the train instead of moving his trolley. All a bit strange, but entertaining.
Left the Brighton train at Fareham and travelled back to Eastleigh and then Romsey via the recently reopened Chandler's Ford station, getting a couple of tricky bits of virgin track into the bargain. The Romsey to Bristol was wedged solid throughout, leading to me having a less-than-prime seat in the vestibule facing the accessible toilet - people PLEASE close the toilet door on a 158 when you've finished!
Desperately planning activities for the weekend and beyond now. I notice we are entering a period of extended engineering works between Weston and Bristol next weekend. That's going to be frustrating.
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
