Out to the station for 0915 in good time for the arrival of 5051 "Earl Bathurst" leading The Torbay Express from Bristol to Kingswear. Intention was to grab a quick snap of the train arriving, then hop straight onto the 0930 for Bristol. Managed to do so, by virtue of the 0930 being a stock positioning move made up of a 158, a 150 and a 153 - this long train putting the front doors right next to my vantage point. Snapped rather randomly and boarded, not a fantastic shot but resolved to get the return working tonight.

Alighted at Temple Meads only to realise that the front unit was due to form the 1015 Cheltenham Spa train, minus the attached extras. Boarded again, having decided a little shopping in Gloucester was in order. On my previous visit, I'd found the city centre on a Sunday reasonably quiet, easy to navigate and generally pleasant to wander around. Reminded that Gloucester was one of my early targets when I first began travelling around on the railways many years ago. Set off on time, but ominously halted several times on the bank up to Bristol Parkway due to congestion in the station - spotted a couple of 60s passing each other on freight or engineering duties.

On arriving at a packed Parkway, it was announced that a major signal failure near Charfield had closed the line northwards. Nothing moving in either direction. Eventually, our train was cancelled, and disappeared off back towards Filton empty. A London service arrived, discharging hordes of holiday bound (and somewhat inebriated in some cases) passengers from South Wales. Further anxious crowds arrived heading for the Test Match at Edgbaston and the Gloucester vs. Kent match. As more and more services were delayed or cancelled, the place became increasingly tense, and members of staff seemed to be getting quite violently abused in some quarters.

Finally things started moving. First northbound train was a Virgin service - slipped aboard and enjoyed much needed air-conditioning as far as Cheltenham. Changed and headed back towards Gloucester on a Central 170, shuttling back and forth between Birmingham and Gloucester due to engineering works at both ends of its usual run! Straight into the city, and the shops. As before, a quick dash into the record shop and bookseller. Time for a coffee break, then back to the station. Quiet, but far too warm run back to Bristol. Again managed to get off the train, only to reboard the same unit which then formed a Penzance service.

Later, headed out to the station again, with a rather glorious sunset in view. The return leg of the Torbay Express was reported running to time, and again there was a good turnout of photographers at the station. Still getting the hang of the Olympus camera, but even attempted a short movie. 5051 departed with a huge blast of black clag and a volley of camera flashes.


It just remains to attempt to get a day off during the week to use up the last day of the Wessex Rover. Hardly epic travels this weekend, but plenty of variety. England also won another test match.

Another sort of vague and directionless, and also extremely hot, day - the problem is with Summer Saturdays and holiday specials, that there is a lot going on locally. I considered travelling further afield, but laziness and curiosity got the better of me once again, and out 'skipping' I went...

In an effort to get out earlier however, decided to try to get the Class 31s heading for Weymouth, for at least part of their journey, and as a result decided on a Wessex Rover. Out of Weston on the 0809 and onto the 0858 Weymouth as far as Bath, with 31128 leading and a respectable amount of racket as we went! Planned to stay on to Westbury but it became apparent that getting back for the next move would be impossible, so hopped off at Bath having just spotted a professional acquaintance on board too!

Back to Weston via nice cool First Great Western 180 in time for 67001 on 1E99. This was 67001's first outing for some time, having been out of service for around a year. Lucky to get it too, as it seems it later failed at Sandal & Agbrigg on the outskirts of Wakefield. Just a short hop to Bristol, but another 67 ticked off.

Lingered at Bristol to see the Virgin HST arrive, then off to Newport for a nose around and a spot of lunch. Not much doing at all - a single 66 on Godfrey Road in fact, so soon back heading for Bristol with a quick glance into Barton Hill where both a Class 73 and 5051 "Earl Bathurst" were present, the later for tomorrow's Kingswear trip. Watched the borrowed GNER HST pass by, before hopping onto 67014 on 1V19 heading back to Weston, and the inevitable photo call - producing one of my better efforts, which is reproduced below!



Used the rover to fund a quick visit to my parents in Highbridge, the return leg of which was delayed by a late running Virgin HST from Newquay which seemed to storm through at an incredible speed. Said goodbye to the guard at Weston, leaving him with a trainful of reasonably drunken passengers boarding for Bristol after a day in Weston. Normally, I get annoyed at guard's who do not check tickets during the journey. This one had my blessing!

Something of a directionless weekend, having had an incredibly packed week here. Decided that it would be interesting to chase the Class 67s hauling the Holidaymaker Specials again. Particularly eager to get 67005 since I'd been denied the chance to get this from Cardiff to Gloucester back in May when a late Great Western service scuppered things. Since 'Queens Messenger' is expected to earn its keep when not hauling the Royal Train, I figured as a subject (however unwillingly) I was entitled to some haulage too.

Arrived at the station to find a huge slow-moving queue. I was just getting tickets when 67005 rumbled in - mercifully a few minutes early. Brisk trot to the front of the train for a seat behind the loco and a short run to Bristol Temple Meads.

The service lingered until 1204 at Bristol to relieve a following Voyager which was dangerously overcrowded. The specials were certainly more populous this time than on my journeys a couple of weeks back. Refreshments and pictures, then a wait for the 43094 on one of the late running, southbound Virgin HST specials. Despite ditching these workhorses for Voyagers, Virgin have hired back a couple for the summer. Soon enough onto the 1248 to Exeter and 67003.


Plan from here got a little hazy. Had heard all kinds of tales about 1V19 - that it had failed at Preston, that 47851 was hauling it to Warrington, and that the elusive 67001 had taken over. As it was running so late, there had seemed a possibility of scooting back up to Bristol, and using it for a return to Weston. Soon enough however, the screens at Exeter showed the 1548 as cancelled. Decided to hop onto the next northbound service.


Firstly however, had to wait for a late running Paddington HST. Noticed my pet tram, 43130 on the back of the packed ex-Newquay service so I went for the photo opportunity.


With 'Sulis Minerva' safely off to London, the 1420 Penzance-Glasgow arrived. The crush of surfboard wielding boys and bikini-clad girls was overwhelming. Happily flagged this, for a trusty pair of 143s on the 1436 to Cardiff. Never thought I'd be so happy to see a Donkey on a reasonably long distance service!

Glad to see that the Summer Saturday traffic remains busy, but not convinced the Voyagers are helping to solve the capacity problems from Cornwall to the North. Can't help but feel that more, longer locomotive hauled trains would fare better...

Whilst I have many obsessions, niggling irritations and obsessive compulsions, I don't really have many ambitions. Getting to Fishguard Harbour on a real train has become all of the above. People who know me in real life will know the frustration this has caused me, and regular readers will have seen my previous attempts fail.

So today, having little else planned and wishing to make a quick escape. I decided to try again. After hearing last week of 37417 failing and the train being cancelled completely, I figured that the law of averages pointed to things working out today. To be safe, bought a day return to Cardiff Central for starters. Changed swiftly at Bristol onto a Wales-bound 158. Just prior to departure a veritable armada of Spanish students swamped the train, providing an uncomfortable, cramped and noisy ride to Cardiff.

Arrived at Central to find the station in some disarray due to flooding overnight. The ticket office was closed completely, having suffered a torrent of water which worked its way through the trackbed above and into the building due to the persistent heavy rain. Purchased provisions and then got a day return to Fishguard from the solitary man with a ticket machine who was deputising for the entire booking office today!

Approaching 1016 and still the display showed Platform 7, there were no obvious replacement units on the station, and the growing crowd of notable faces indicated it might just happen. At just a minute or so past the alloted time, trusty 37419 rumbled in.

There isn't much more I can write about the journey to and from Fishguard which I haven't covered before, except perhaps to clarify the route of the return leg. It isn't booked via The Vale of Glamorgan at all - in fact the service runs via the South Wales Mainline to Leckwith Junction, then sits around outside Canton Depot for almost 45 minutes before heading into Central and thence to Rhymney. As we pressed on westward, the rain ceased and the sun came out. A pleasant run all-in-all. Its a pretty poor photograph, but for the sake of completeness here is a shot of 37419 having arrived, taken from as close as possible to the same spot as the previous picture of 158826.

Sleepy ride back, including a change at Bridgend - a long fester at Canton might have been interesting but I just wasn't in the mood for it today! Noticed my occasional presence but relative silence has made me an object of note and some ridicule, but not unduly bothered. Pleased just to have managed to get this journey under my belt!