With the major operator's Summer programmes out, it looks like a rather lean season for the traditional enthusiast railtour. Aside from the open days and galas which seem to be springing up, it's going to be a case of making your own entertainment it seems. So today, despite a nagging toothache which necessitated serious medication, I dusted off my plan to cover as much light rail track as possible during the year, and headed for Nottingham. As ever, took a roundabout route travelling first up to London. A nice, quiet ride up on the direct train from Highbridge, too early to be bothered by FA Cup Final crowds. The Circle Line was predictably sluggish in getting us to St Pancras International, and this meant only time for a cursory glance at the station. This was my first departure from the refurbished shed, and as on my first walking visit a couple of months ago, it didn't fail to impress. Found the statue of Sir John Betjeman too, staring in awe at the roof right at the front of the concourse where the entrance used to be.

Onto a busy Meridian unit for Nottingham. Managed to get an excellent fare for this, possibly due to passengers flagging this for the next, faster service. No particular concern for us, as we sped along the Midland Mainline, now under the auspices of East Midlands Trains. A timely, easy run. Recalled at Bedford that I'd been here before with a serious toothache, and that I was heading for Nottingham that time too. Arrived at a fairly busy Nottingham station and headed for the NET platforms at Station Street. The plan was to cover the network in a few moves, and then seek refreshment. Surprised at first by the clean and tidy look of the stops and the trams.

First onto a Hucknall tram, winding through the city centre and needing to readjust my bearings as we encountered familiar places from different angles! Impressive but sad to see the viaduct crumbling away at Weekday Cross, signalling a bygone age of railway. The tram pressed on into the suburbs, curving sharply to descend alongside the Robin Hood line to Mansfield and Worksop. We gathered speed here and soon arrived at the shared tram/rail station at Hucknall. A swift change of ends in order to double back to David Lane, a rather quiet stop with nothing nearby. However, this enabled us to take the next branch train to Phoenix Park using the alignment of a former freight-only branch to access the Park and Ride stop. Another change of ends, and a chance to note the surprising gradients on the branch as we headed back towards the city. Also figured that as there were two trams in the depot, we'd managed to see the entire fleet in our brief visit!

Hopped off at Old Market Square, an early memory of Nottigham for me, and headed away from the shoppers and towards the castle. My target was of course Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem. An absolutely must-visit pub didn't disappoint with it's signature beer still very good despite a change of brewery. Then a wander back to the station, with a chance to watch a freight pass and have a bite to eat before heading back to Derby. Lots of interesting things lurking at the RTC, including the not-yet-ready for traffic 56311 belonging to Fastline. Interesting to hear a couple of passengers beside us heading from Bristol conversing about Highbridge pubs, and indeed my local on the journey back! Despite the toothache, a good day out with plenty of interest. I remain really impressed with the tram system in Nottingham, and it will be interesting to see it develop and grow.

Despite a tiring day and a late night, I was up and about early enough to visit my folks then head out with my nephew and brother-in-law to see the Duke of Gloucester pass by on a charter. As we were all heading out in the car, plumped for Crooked Lane which would certainly give an interesting photographic location. It soon became apparent that all was not well, and messages from up the line were not positive - as it looked like a diesel locomotive might haul the train, the small crowd of onlookers departed. We stayed, with nothing to lose and my nephew enjoying his time out, watching local trains and HSTs pass under the bridge.

Out patience was finally rewarded around an hour later when a light in the distance and a small plume of smoke heralded the appearance of the Duke. In apparently light steam, and the diesel pushing quite a bit tucked inside the train, it sped by saving it's whistles for Springfield Road.

Really good to pass an hour or so with my nephew just watching trains go by, something I rarely end up doing these days!

It was all going to be so efficient - companies would compete on key routes, and impartial regulator would decide on services for the good of the network and user, and new rolling stock would pour into the market. Well, finally, fifteen years after the Railways Act promised a bright future of competition - and despite the meddling of DfT and others, this week saw the third Open Access operator begin to run trains - Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railways. It's been an eventful first week, and today wasn't going to be any different, as I decided to try out the new service. The first challenge was fitting a trip into the Saturday timetable, with four awkwardly timed (for us) trains from London to Wrexham and back. Settled for a later than usual start at 08:16 with a run up to Paddington, fairly uneventful and mostly early running meant time for breakfast, to chat and generally to enjoy the promising morning. It also allowed time to make the transfer to Marylebone - although this wouldn't have been necessary. Arrived to find the service shown as delayed almost an hour before it was due to leave! A locomotive breakdown had necessitated fueling a substitute loco, and as time slipped by it was touch and go whether the train would leave with the new loco and stock, or with that of the next incoming service. Time slipped by, and so did the alternative option to travel on a Chiltern unit to Leamington and change a couple of times for Wrexham. However, a small core of us stayed firm - we'd come for the loco-hauled service and we'd wait for it to run. A few knowing smiles from the gateline staff showed they knew our game, and we were left alone by the large British Transport Police presence at Marylebone due to football, and this being the only place Birmingham trains were arriving.

Finally the service was called, and we walked out to the new platform 4 to wait for it's arrival. The staff waiting for the train were clearly relieved and pleased to be running, and there was a fine atmosphere as the recently repainted 67014 slipped into the bay, with three immaculately turned out blue and grey coaches bearing Wrexham and Shropshire branding. Taking us forward would be 67024 - the replacement engine we'd waited for. Until the modified Driving Van Trailers are ready, these services will continue to use pairs of 67s. Soon on board, settled into a comfortable coach and away from London, well over an hour late. As we moved through the suburbs, alternating bursts of good running with slacks due to speed restrictions or local units ahead, tried to recalculate the journey ahead? Once we'd called to pick-up at Banbury, we had a better idea of timings. Should we leap and Tame Bridge Parkway and risk a couple of hours at New Street, or could we press on into Shropshire? It was clear we were now unlikely to make it to Shrewsbury, where we'd originally planned to turn for home. The staff onboard made up for this with excellent free coffee, friendly service and a genuine interest in what they were doing. A promising start for this new company.

At Leamington Spa we took the line for Birmingham rather than the single-track via Kenilworth. A number of these services, and reportedly all of them at weekends, run fast through Birmingham New Street - making a mockery of the idea of fair competition. We crawled through the southeastern suburbs of the city, passing Tyseley and travelling via Small Heath South Junction and Bordesley Junction to reach Proof House. We came to rest in platform 9 of New Street for some minutes, the driver out of the cab and showing some dismay at the signal check. The doors, of course, stayed locked. Off again, taking the line for Bescot at Soho and reaching our next stop at Tame Bridge Parkway. Calculations showed Telford Central was possible, so we nervously sat tight as we pressed on, getting inevitably stuck at Crane Street Junction before our next pick-up only stop at Wolverhampton. On the move again we passed Oxley, teeming with stored Adelante units, until recently working locally for First Great Western. Stuck behind another local service we crept into Telford with eleven minutes to spare before our train back to New Street. Time for a quick picture in the afternoon sun, then over the bridge to head home via a packed and stiflingly hot Voyager ride which left me tired and cranky.

The restrictions which cynically ensure that Wrexham and Shropshire's service isn't a competitor for Virgin and Arriva are going to make this operation a challenge, and technical issues like today's failure won't help either - but while the staff retain their air of genuine concern for service and interest in customers' needs, this operator will be winning the battle by other means than short journeys. The popularity of the much missed South West to North West trains shows that for many people a direct train with no changes is often as attractive as an early arrival. If Wrexham and Shropshire keep their spirits and level of service high, they'll become popular and well used.

It seems the railtour market has divided in two these days - the summer is filled with high-end trips to the Eden Project and the like, while the good old fashioned enthusiast trip is consigned to the darker days of Autumn and Winter. So it was good to find myself on the platform at Crewe in near daylight this morning for an early start to what promised to be an interesting day. There had been much speculation about which of the dwindling fleet of EWS Class 37/4s would be capable of hauling our train today, and as it turned out 37401 and 37417 has the honour. The outsider bet of recently returned to service 37670 being due out of repair on Monday. Despite looking fairly tired, both locos sounded fine. Particularly good to see 417 again - which I remember chasing around South Wales on the day of it's naming. It's been a stalwart of railtours these past few months, and it's good to see it returned to service again.

Firstly, after an on time departure we made a dash down the West Coast Main Line to pick-ups at Stafford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street. The timings didn't seem to stretch the locos, and we were consistently early. Out of New Street and a further pick-up at Coleshill Parkway - the first time I've called at this new station. Via Whitacre Junction now, we headed northwards again to call at Burton-on-Trent, before taking the freight-only line from Stenson to Sheet Stores Junction - as covered rather unexpectedly on the Sunday of an All Line Rover a few years back! After negotiating the tangle of junctions at Trent, via Loughborough and Syston - taking the North to East curve - and onwards towards Melton Mowbray.

This isn't a favourite stretch of line for me, but its one I rarely visit. In the brightening morning, the views were pleasant enough - particularly around the attractive town of Stamford. Also recalled much from Iain Sinclair's Edge of the Orison which digs deeply into the topography of this area. We swung into line with the East Coast Main Line at Helpston, running parallel to Peterborough where a fair few locos were on the shed. Much surprise and delight from the normals to see a 'proper train' in the station! Still in Sinclair's orbit we departed via Whittlesea (to coin the railway spelling of the town's name rather than the more accepted -sey ending) and soon enjoyed stunning views across the fens to Ely.

Passing Ely slowly we seemed to slip into the gravity of London, as we waited at Cambridge for a few city-bound services to depart before we took the Liverpool Street lines, once again drifting into the countryside as we passed provincial Bishops Stortford and Harlow, where we managed a brief leg-stretch in the warm Spring sun. Soon back on the train, and passing through the mess of works which make up the Olympic site in the Lea Valley, to Temple Mills where we waited for the leading locomotive to run around to the rear beside the new Eurostar depot.

From here, it was just a short hop to Fenchurch Street, but it involved a bit of track I'd wanted to cover for a long time. The line from Bow Junction to Gas Factory Junction links the lines from Liverpool Street to those from Fenchurch Street, and is one of the few connections remaining from the former London, Tilbury & Southend Railway into the wider network. This link sees empty stock and the odd diversion, and as I recall used to see an absurdly early or late working to retain driver knowledge. I always wondered how I'd ever cover it - so today was a treat. As we screeched around the rusty curve, the train came to a halt at a signal allow access to the mainline near Limehouse. The residents are obviously resigned to the line having very few trains, as one of them was enjoying the midday sun topless on her roof. Credit to her, after a brief moment of surprise at the sight of a train full of frothing track-bashers she simply positioned a towel judiciously and carried on enjoying the rays! We were soon on the move, and arrived at the unlikely railtour destination of Fenchurch Street. This odd little station is such a strange backwater at weekends, in a prime City location it's business is done mostly in the weekday peak - and it seems eerily quiet despite the presence of two noisy locomotives. A dash for refreshments and pictures, and a young lady is heard to say to her boyfriend "Why are they taking pictures of those trains?". He thoughtfully replied "Because they're perverts". I can't quite summon the energy to complain at his lazy thinking, or defend my fellow gricers, bashers, frothers and friends. Needless to say, perversion - whatever that actually is in 21st century society - occurs at pretty much similar rates in the enthusiast population as it does in the wider world. If the perpetrator of this odd remark is reading, then "Yes, I was looking at your girlfriend!". Does that make me a pervert? I wonder!

After a wander out into the city, just to see the area in wonderful sunlight after a long period of not visiting, I rejoined the train for the run out through more Sinclair-infested country. Through sinister Purfleet, marshes and container ports enclosing the line, to Tilbury - the once important Riverside station still visible but barred by gates - we speculated about the chances of Gas Hill and the BLS effecting entry sometime? A little short of Stanford-le-Hope we curved to the right and took the branch to Thameshaven. A slow, trudge though the marshes, almost like we were being dragged back by the humid, fly-infested air we crawled along. The huge gas plant dominated the view to the north, while the estuary and it's ships filled the windows on the southern side. Eventually we crept around a sharp curve, passed by the signaller's cabin and entered the traffic centre. All was silent, some derelict gas tanks and a few discarded Channel Tunnel wagons all the evidence of this soon to be redeveloped port. Another run around, and again time to move on and leave the marshes to their silence.

A familiar swing across North London took us homeward, leaving the Gospel Oak line at Canonbury as on a recent tour, and traversing the Hertford loop. Our lateness due to the slow traversal of the Thameshaven branch was compounded by a broken down train, but we were soon underway and heading for Peterborough once again. Our timings had been good all day, and this was really the only significant delay. Chatted a great deal with a gentleman who'd had a similar career to me, which passed the time as dusk fell over our route back to the Midlands. Bailed at New Street, mere minutes after the train to Redditch and had to wait half-an-hour. Time to amuse myself by watching the local drunks stumbling dangerously around the platforms. A fine day out, some interesting track and another stirling performance by the 37s.