Having done some absurdly early starts lately, it was a comparative luxury to rise late and make my way the short distance to Birmingham New Street for this trip. Pathfinder's annual Christmas 'spin and win' has become a bit of a tradition for me too - and in the past has seen me struggle through freezing Swindon streets or paddle across drenched Reading city centre. The tours are generally organised around the plan of a southern start, picking up at a fair number of stops before heading somewhere unusual and further north, with the obligatory changes of traction along the way. Having toyed with an early morning slog down to Cheltenham Spa to get more mileage behind 59204, our first loco of the day, I decided on the later start as we'd have the 59 with us until Kettering in any case. Thus, a little after the due time we made a start from New Street, staying close the the wall as we negotiated the tunnel and then crossing onto the Derby lines at the last moment. Only a few minutes of movement before we came to a halt in the Up & Down Lawley Street Through Siding, where 56312 waited to join the rear of the train before we pressed on via Water Orton towards Nuneaton. Much of the early part of the trip was spent mopping the condensation from the stock windows - another age-old tradition when the temperature outdoors drops! Amazingly, as we travelled east and then turned south onto the Midland Main Line, the sun managed to creep out from behind a blanket of grey cloud which seemed to be covering the West Midlands, and aside from a shower during our brief stop at Kettering, managed to stay with us for much of the day.
At Kettering, the train changed direction which meant 56312 leading us north while 59204 was left at the station to rejoin the train later back at Birmingham. However, with a fair few carriages at the front being off the platform, achieving a photograph wasn't going to be easy. Once the entire contents of the front two coaches had tramped by, used the opportunity to visit the grill car and enjoy a slightly later than planned breakfast. Soon off once again, heading through the new station at Corby and crossing the Harringworth Viaduct on route to Manton Junction. Here, we continued north towards East Midlands Parkway and the complex of junctions at Trent. Our booked route was via the High Level Goods lines, passing over the Nottingham line and descending into Toton Yard where one of the fast-dwindling fleet of Class 60s was due to be added. Pleased to see celebrity 'Army' liveried 60040 running and ready to be hooked onto the train. Some concern though, as this manoeuvre took place on the goods lines and we'd been booked to head onto the Mapperley Goods Branch. After a history of 'paperwork issues' with these rare sections of line, many of us onboard for the track began to fear the worst. However, things turned out exceptionally well for the connoisseur of unusual track. Firstly, once the 60 was safely attached we began to head along the Mapperley Goods Branch as planned, making slow progress alongside the main running lines, pretty soon, the train began to curve away to the west, the rarely used track creaking and protesting. On we travelled, under the motorway, with a couple of brief stops for the traincrew to clear debris from the line ahead. Eventually, we came to a halt at an open crossing not far from Stanton Gate Pipe Works. No-one had expected to get quite this far along the branch, and there was much congratulation for the driver who had pushed the loco right to the traversible limits of the line. After a further change of ends, the 60 began hauling us slowly back to the mainline. We had to slip into Toton Depot now to reverse, and the Loco Arrival Line was the booked point. Again, we didn't expect to get far into the depot - and again we had a surprise. The train slowly crossed into the complex, passing lines of stored Class 60s along with a few other interesting locos in varying states of decay. Still we pressed onwards, the line curving to allow further sightings in the compound and behind the depot buildings, before coming to rest right at the buffers. Another success, some slightly disparaging remarks from the non-track oriented among us, and a bit of a delay as we once again set off northwards!
After saluting a Peak waiting with it's train on the Midland Railway Centre's line at Ironville Junction, we curved east again at Pye Bridge, taking the line leading to Kirby-in-Ashfield and the Robin Hood line. I hadn't done this for link years, and possibly not in daylight if I recall correctly, so rectified that with a pleasant trundle through Nottinghamshire countryside. At Shirebrook we noted the part-demolished former Depot, before taking the line to Welbeck familiar from the Branch Line Society tour in July. The original plan had been of course to progress all the way to High Marnham and the new Rail Vehicle Development Centre. As it happens, the reversal would now take place at Tuxford, a little shy of the end of the line - but still further than I'd managed before. As the afternoon sun sank below the horizon we made incredibly slow progress towards Tuxford, with a large delay mounting. No-one seemed to mind too much, except for those who had onward travel issues. Noted that a couple of gents near us hailed from Bridgwater and had driven up to Bristol Parkway. Not sure now if I was more envious of them getting home albeit somewhat late, or pleased that I had a warm, comfortable hotel waiting in Birmingham!
After a reversal, and with the Class 56 once again in charge, we returned to Shirebrook, turning north and now very much in the dark as we headed for Sheffield and a brief unplanned set-down for some passengers who would otherwise struggle with the delay of over an hour we were now carrying. We pressed onward, onto the Erewash Valley line and once again towards Toton. At this point, a railtour regular piped up from the end of the carriage "y'know what? This tour hasn't really BEEN anywhere!". Understood what he meant as a spin via Trowell Junction, Radford Junction and the Lenton Curve once again found us facing north and stopped outside Toton Depot while a further loco joined our train. This time it was impeccable rail blue 47270 which topped 56312 and led us via Trent Junction to the freight-only line via Castle Bromwich back onto the main line at Burton-on-Trent for a final run into Birmingham New Street.
Again, the long train stretched beyond the platform and way into the dark at New Street, so photography was limited as it always is on such trips late in the year. Watched as the 47 and 57 roared off into the night, and wandered back along the platform as those travelling back south remained onboard awaiting 59204's return. Despite 'not going anywhere' we'd managed some interesting track, a rare view into Toton, and had a decent day out in good weather and fine company. As I await the 2010 programmes from the major railtour operators, and contemplate the cancellations which seem to be cropping up everywhere, I can only hope there are more of these journeys. For now though, I was happy to get back to my warm, dry room after a successful day's travel.
There are some unusual people in London termini first thing in the morning. I'd made my way to Victoria via an early train from Southampton Airport and a quick change at the ever busy Clapham Junction. With time to spare I stopped and purchased coffee, planning to watch the station wake up while I drank it. I've trudged around bits of London which are probably not terribly safe or secure, and I've blundered my way through enough contested territory in my time to know when I'm out of my depth. This place, however, surprised me. Oddly, it wasn't the shivering, twitching man with damp legs and an inability to insert coins into the ticket machines which finally made me slink out of the station - it was the well-turned out middle class woman who sat a few benches away reading a furniture store flyer from the newspaper. After a while spent intently studying the document, she very carefully and precisely tore it into pieces and flung them to the floor before dashing out of the station in a state of apparent distress. I decided to move on....
Today was always going to be a little odd - a replacement for another cancelled trip. This year has seen its fair share of this, and many of them have fallen seemingly at the last hurdle - victims of the economic downturn or perhaps just too many choices for too few potential travellers? Today's trip however was cancelled because the stock provider had overstretched themselves - so no Lincoln Christmas Market for me - but then again I was going for the route and the track, and not the overpriced shacks selling things people would never buy at any other time of year. Instead, made my way around a deserted underground, via the Circle to Liverpool Street. I'd allowed plenty of time for this, and strolled with a degree of leisure onto the concourse to find - in railway terms at least - all hell breaking loose! Cable thieves had been at work overnight near Chelmsford, and the entire mainline service on the Great Eastern was in disarray. Mostly, things were cancelled. The occasional train was struggling out to Shenfield, jammed with people hoping for a vaguely promised connection to points east. More coffee, and a retreat to a safe distance to watch events and asses the situation. Mildly diverted by the absent minded woman who didn't spot that the sloped fascia of an ATM wasn't a sensible place to rest a full cup of coffee! As cancellations stretched the length of the iconic Liverpool Street departure board, I began to doubt my plans...
But my generous allowance of time here eventually paid off. The 09:30 service on which I was book appeared - initially late based on an incoming working, but then on time as there were several sets already in the station from cancelled earlier services. Finally boarded after a bit of an internal debate - after all, delays were still predicted and whilst my advance ticket out would be honoured I couldn't really guess what would happen on the way back. The first train of the day to make it through to Norwich was predictably busy, but it was easy to ignore as we sped east into amazing winter sunshine which lit the Olympic Stadium in a way which almost made the folly seem impressive. Despite a couple of additional station calls, we made good progress until a little outside Chelmsford we ground to a halt. We didn't really move for around 45 minutes in fact, as a slow procession of trains slunk slowly by on the opposite line. Eventually we too began to move, carefully from signal to signal. My short stay in Norwich was getting shorter!
Eventually we made it through the affected area, and began to speed into the east once again. Amazed by the sheer variety and number of DRS locos stabled at Stowmarket as their duties on this autumn's Rail Head Treatment Trains had now finished. Eventually over the bridge at Trowse and into Norwich station with more DRS locos evident tucked away in the sidings. Any hope of getting a picture though, were dashed by another bit of stupidity - the new ticket gates at Norwich. As the entire contents of an exceptionally packed London train decanted into the area between the platforms and the gates, a single member of National Express staff manned a wide-aisle gate and a couple of bored looking British Transport Police officers looked on. The crowd became a crush, and then with other trains departing, a contest between incoming and outgoing flows. Still the gates remained closed, with just two of them dedicated to those heading out of the station. I wanted to complain, to point out how this had made a once rather grand and proud station into a glorified cattle-pen. I wanted to tell the BTP officers how irresponsible and dangerous forcing the crowds back onto working platforms was. But of course, I had absolutely no time to waste! As I burst out of the barrier, my first instinct was to dash for the gents conveniences - only to find that inexplicably they were on the railward side of the gates!
So my visit to Thorpe Station, once full of pleasant memories of exotic excursions on All-line Rovers, was brief. It lasted long enough to get a coffee and a snack, before forcing my way through the gates once again - unbelievably with some people still struggling off the incoming service over 20 minutes later! Found myself boarding the same carriage of the same train which was being hastily prepared for a return to London with a predicted delay of an ominously wide-ranging "30 to 90" minutes due to the continuing signalling problems. However, we were away on time - and as we gathered speed into the sinking sun all seemed fairly positive. It was of course a good few hours since the cable theft had been discovered, but it must have been serious as we slowed once again around Chelmsford with a sea of orange jackets working furiously beside the line. My contempt for the thieves deepened and darkened and I struggled with the competing desires either to bitterly complain about Norwich station's foolish gating, or to show solidarity with my beloved railway in this unfair situation. I wanted to correct people who were tutting about how "ridiculous" the service was...did they not understand that this wasn't some poor excuse - grasping, careless thieves had taken something provided essentially for these very passengers safety! I seethed back into London, pausing to enjoy the sunset over Bishopsgate before we plunged into Liverpool Street again.
Progress on the return had been better, and I found myself around 35 minutes down. Had I not blundered about looking for a bus stop which I knew couldn't be in the direction I walked, I could probably have avoided lots more trouble. However, I finally stumbled out into a damp, dark London to find a bus over the river to London Bridge. After a swift journey, found myself arriving on the concourse just as the train to Brighton was departing - I could have made it if I'd been sharper at Liverpool Street. Noted a following service a few minutes later, and consoled myself with more food and coffee - time lost and pounds gained perhaps, once again? Luck it seemed, had deserted me this morning at Victoria as once again my train began to show a delay. With the Thameslink service split by engineering, drivers were being taxied from St Pancras to London Bridge - and ours got stuck in traffic. Soon off, but some out of path running through the busy junctions here made for around 15 minutes delay once we were on the mainline. The train was busy, noisy and the darkness outside made the trip rather dull. I also noted that this meant reorganising my next couple of trains too - with my iPhone battery edging into the red, made hasty plans to get a Portsmouth train and find my way back to Eastleigh via a change at Cosham. Memories of the Class 31 trips of nearly six years ago flooded back at this change of plans. Back to the worn and gum-flecked seat of my railway travelling pants once again! As it happened, the Portsmouth train was late too - and once again I found myself reorganising things swiftly and hoping I could squeeze enough life out of my gradually expiring 'phone. Having toyed with various options, I decided that the best (though perhaps not strictly Routing Guide compliant) option would be to stay on the stopping service as far as Fratton, then to get a Cardiff bound service - which would be diverted to Eastleigh due to the works on Southampton Tunnel. Stepped off the train in Fratton in a deluge of cold, heavy rain. Trudged over the leaking footbridge and waited for the familiar unit. Rather pleased to see it arrive pretty much on time, and settled in for a short dark ride back to Eastleigh, with now only a very short wait on the same platform for the train back to Southampton Airport Parkway. A bit of rare track to end the day too, crossing over south of Eastleigh and runnning wrong line to the Airport.
Not sorry to see my hotel room again after an entertaining but frustrating and long day. Can't help but think the railtour would still have been a far more sociable and fruitful alternative in terms of track - but it's good to know I can still take off on these epic cross-country jaunts when I feel the need.
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.
