Despite good intentions to plan ahead, I'd left much of the thinking-out of today's order of play until last night. In my slightly uncomfortable but perfectly adequate hotel room I'd pieced together a few bits of planning I'd done into an itinerary, and realised I needed a much earlier start than I'd reckoned on. So I found myself waiting for a platform for the 06:35 to Newton on an unusually almost deserted Central Station concourse. Finally a coffee stall opened and I was much happier. It was cold and frosty, but still no snow here. Still very pleased to see the train announced however, so I could settle into a warm 314 for the trip out via the Inner Rail of the Cathcart Circle and via Kings Park to Newton.

Not much to see in the dark, but I'd be doing much of this route several more times in order to get everything I hoped to cover. Noted the pleasant little wooden station buildings on most of the island platforms around the circle. No such luxury at Newton though, where we we deposited on a bleak platform with a trudge down some treacherously salt-covered stairs into a deep concrete chasm to access the exit, or in my case to head for the other platform to catch the same unit returning the same way once it had run into the turnback siding. Strange look from the guard on boarding the train which is always the risk when bashing branches! I had meant to get a service back which covered the diveunder at Cathcart North Junction, but this would have to wait.

Next up was the short branch to Paisley Canal. This branch was not electrified as part of the original schemes, and was actually closed for some time - I understand as a means to push through cost-cutting measures in the face of a union which called the PTE's bluff in the 1970s. Now reopened, the branch seemed busy - with brisk business from a range of new halts. Our pair of 156s was almost full on the return journey, and I was struck that in general the commuter services here were well planned in terms of both frequency and capacity - in very sharp contrast to the treatment we are receiving in the South West from the very same parent company.

As my next journey wouldn't commence until after 09:00, bought an SPT Daytripper ticket which presented a good value way of getting around all of the rest of the planned track. Struck again by the joined-up approach - if only Greater Bristol had a PTE to manage things! Found more coffee and some breakfast before heading onto the 09:20 to Neilston, which took in the Outer Rail of the Cathcart Circle before plunging into fairly open country after Muirend. With the sky finally light, I was able to see the way this part of Glasgow is a cluster of small towns and villages with often large expanses of quite wild space between them. Arrived at Neilston, which still showed evidence of not always having been the end of the line as our unit trundled into a headshunt to reverse.

On arrival back at Central Station, made my first exit of the weekend via the main Gordon Street frontage, and plunged into the busy city morning. A quick walk over to Queen Street Station and underground to the Low Level platforms to finish some track I half-heartedly started to use a few years back when staying in Elmbank Terrace and travelling to High Street to access The 13th Note each evening! Had to wait for a couple of eastbound trains to pass before the half-hourly Drumgelloch service arrived, again in good time. Once out in the open and beyond High Street, the line passes some very bleak and rather run-down territory including the infamous Easterhouse area - now seemingly not quite the forbidding place it once was. Steady business again, much of it heading for Airdrie. The short eastern extension of this line left us in the midst of a huge housing estate at Drumgelloch. There are many rumours of a new through route to Edinburgh to be created by linking Drumgelloch and Bathgate. Given thought, it could be a fairly successful project.

Waited for the turn around at Drumgelloch and made the short hop back to Airdrie in the hope of a toilet being available. No such luck. Boarded my next unit for Balloch on the shores of Loch Lomond, way out west from here. Oddly, reading a discarded copy of The Lennox I discovered that Balloch Station had recently benefited from construction of an expensive new toilet facility. Thanked my lucky stars that nature was not hopefully to further interrupt the plan, and waited to enjoy more new line west of Charing Cross. Much of this track is familiar from West Highland jaunts, and it was pleasant to scud along beside the Firth of Clyde, before turning north just before Helenburgh. Arrived at Balloch to find the much-trumpeted new toilet closed, but found a strange and cocoon-like modern portaloo over the street which served it's purpose wonderfully! No time to find refreshments however, which was disappointing.

Next part of the plan involved changing to the Argyle Line - which plunges deep under Central Station and heads east and south. Should really have changed at Partick, but it's escalator only access makes me deeply nervous should there be a problem. So hopped off at Hyndland for the short wait for a train via Hamilton to Larkhall, on the recently completed extension to this line. I confess some slight nerves on passing Central Low Level too, because I've wanted to catch a service here for many years, but have always been too concerned about the access! Some fairly swift running on this - partly due to the limited stops on the city outskirts, and partly because it needs to slot between West Coast Mainline services as far as Newton, where it follows the River Clyde to Hamilton.

Reversed once again at the apparently pleasant little town of Larkhall, where I understand the railway is on a slightly different alignment to it's original and long-closed predecessor. Certainly there seem to be deep earthworks around the simple station platfroms. Retraced my steps as far as Anniesland (the return trip being Milngavie bound, giving some idea of the complex movements necessary to provide a fifteen minute service on these busy lines!). At Anniesland, hoped to do the next bit of 'reopened' line in Scotland, being the short extension from here to the Northern Suburban Line to Queen Street which once terminated at Maryhill. Found the 15:56 cancelled as I arrived, which was perhaps the first real setback of the whole complex plan I'd devised! Not really a problem since I'd planned to make this the last leg, and there was another train 30 minutes later. Wandered briefly around Anniesland, before returning for the 16:26 to Queen Street. Arrived just before the throngs of city workers descended on Queen Street for their trains home.

Overall, I'm astounded how smoothly things run given the density and complexity of the timetable. The trains are well patronised and fairly easy to understand, which seems to attract particularly the younger and older elements of the population. Still amazed at how well it had all gone, went again in search of food and beer to celebrate.

Over the last couple of days I've been pottering around the house and generally enjoying being on leave and having nothing to do. Because I had a fairly substantial trip planned for the coming weekend I was content not to do too much else. Then, sometime yesterday, things started to conspire against my trip! With a prediction of bad weather, the transport networks were expected to fall to pieces and in true British fashion, we were all supposed to stop doing anything non-essential and just panic-buy bread and milk from our local supermarkets. I was led to expect to wake this morning to a generous carpet of snow and ice, capable of stopping trains and causing chaos. It didn't sound good at all.

In the event, I woke today to a cold and damp morning with no sign of the promised weather. In fact the trail of salt left to melt a path to the station proved more treacherous than the predicted conditions! However, not missing a chance to use a good excuse First Great Western had already cancelled the 06:19 to Bristol. With the earliest departure replaced in part by a bus which had already left to meet the train at Weston, I was stuck hoping that Virgin would honour my ticket on a later train. Then, rather oddly the service appeared to be reinstated on FGW's website, but not on National Rail Enquiries. Decided to set out and chance the 06:19 anyway. The passenger information system at the station was reporting the train running, but bizarrely missing out Bristol Temple Meads and Bedminster on route to Filton. I suspect someone pressed the wrong buttons, because eventually the train terminated at Bristol and didn't go forward to Filton at all. Anyway, the good news was that despite a guard who was rather slow to operate the doors, the rather reluctant sounding 153305 struggled into a slightly white underfoot Temple Meads only a few minutes late.

A fairly swift change onto the 07:29 which was to take me all the way to Glasgow. Found my seat and was almost immediately served fresh coffee. Happily settled in for the longest journey of the year so far. Surprised as we were leaving Bristol by the site of 33025 in the loco spur, apparently on snow-related duties! The journey northwards was fairly uneventful as far as the Midlands, but it was fairly clear from the drivers footprints when he left the cab to telephone at a faulty signal near Barnt Green that the snow was deeper here, and was likely to stick around for some time. With the signal fault and general weather-related slowness, we arrived around 20 down at New Street, where astonishingly another Class 33 (this time 029) was awaiting action!

Not having to worry about a connection, I was happy to let things rumble on at their own pace, and the train became a little busier as we headed north - mostly with people advised to join this as following trains were either late or cancelled. We sat at Crewe for a fair while, as Network Rail tried to decide whether to send us via Manchester to avoid a failed freight at Winsford. Eventually the train limped into a loop and we passed slowly by, now around an hour late. Once North of Weaver Junction the snow had all but disappeared, and we made fair progress northwards. As we crossed the border at Gretna, a slight glow in the sky indicated there was some sunshine up there somewhere, and by the time we were crossing the Clyde we were blessed with bright winter sunshine in the already way too hot carriage!

Having decided to make the most of my time up here, I speedily checked into my hotel for the weekend which was located a couple of doors from the Union Street entrance of Central Station, and was back and rebooked in time for the 14:45 to Largs. The plan was to spend today and tomorrow covering as many as possible of the branches we wouldn't touch on the McBuffer Puffer tour on Saturday. Set out on familiar track via Paisley as far as Kilwhinning, where we headed for the coast via Ardrossan South Beach. Made a mental note I needed to do the branch to the harbour at some point. More pleasant sunshine as we passed the coal loading point at Hunterston and finally arrived in Largs just in time for school finishing. Tried and failed to get an unobscured picture of the unit on the blocks, but found no convenient spot to do so which I could get to quickly, grabbing a fairly poor effort through the catenary.

With a train almost full with a rather uncomfortable mix of pensioners and school pupils, we set off back towards Glasgow. Most of the passengers disembarked at either Ardrossan or Saltcoats and again I had a quiet and speedy run back to Central. With the first branchline of the week ticked off and the evening peak about to start, decided to grab something to eat then wander out to The 13th Note to celebrate. Whilst strolling along Argyle Street towards Trongate the 'click' into the Glasgow mindset occurred and I felt just as comfortable as ever in my adopted home-away-from-home City. Really glad to be here given a shaky start to today!

Planning a lazy weekend before next week's Scottish excursion, I stumbled out of bed much later than planned. Started to pick through some email, and noted entirely by chance that there were a couple of message mistakenly flagged as spam which were about last night's 1C99 down Night Riviera. It turned out that 57604 had failed at Dolphin Junction, a 60 had been sent from Acton to push it back to Paddington, and 57602 was heading our way with the 06:15 1C02 additional service to get the stock back into Cornwall.

Made some swift enquiries and let a few people know what was afoot before wandering down to the station at a leisurely pace. Whilst waiting, I was kept entertained by 66551 storming through light engine heading for Fairwater Yard. About 34 minutes late as advised, the sound of a horn at the foot crossing signalled 57602's approach.

Made some calls to those further down the line and headed into town to get a haircut. A fine way to start the day, and a rare sight to see sleepers moving around in daylight!