Today should have been simple - every summer a couple of trains each Saturday go all the way from Liverpool Street to Great Yarmouth. Along the way, at Norwich, a diesel engine normally reserved for working freight trains is attached to the front. This drags the train along the non-electrified twenty miles between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. The Yarmouth Drags have become a bit of a magnet for enthusiasts over the last few years, and I'd finally found a free weekend at the right time to have a spin myself. Of course, any trip out to East Anglia is a bit of a trek - so it meant a start on the retimed 05:59 to Weston. Oddly, many more people were waiting than when it was the 05:48. Have those ten minutes cause a psychological shift from the "five something" to the "six o'clock" which has persuaded more users? In any case, it still made a decent connection with the 06:24 from Weston to Paddington, and meant breakfast could be enjoyed in relative quiet before the train busied up a little on route. Had a very relaxing journey, in turn enjoying bright sunshine and threatening black clouds. Got some listening done, and amassed a new list of bands to investigate - and also had a fair bit of catch-up sleep which I must have needed.
At Paddington, with the Circle out of action for one of it's regular weekends of engineering work, some quick footwork was needed to get onto a 205 bus and underway for the trip to Liverpool Street as soon as possible. After seconds at the stop, one sailed up and we were heading along Euston Road in pleasant morning sunshine. Fairly confident that the 10:00 connection would be made easily, I was able to sit back and watch the city pass by, a favourite passtime. At Liverpool Street, made a beeline for coffee and then straight onto the waiting train. Found a seat right at the end of the train next to the locomotive. As 90006 was pushing as far as Norwich, the Class 47 would be added to the rear of the train and we'd get the full effect of it's noise and smoke as we headed for the seaside. It's the little things you see! We were soon off, and thundering through Bethnal Green and into Essex, watching unfamiliar local trains passing by. This journey has always been a quiet and rather relaxing one, so sat back and enjoyed the views as we entered Suffolk and passed through the small towns which dot the map here. It didn't seem long before we were creeping into Norwich, with 47790 waiting to join the train. Lots of enthusiast activity here and a bit of an exodus into First Class too. Right on time, the 47 roared into life and produced a huge cloud of black smoke as we took the curve around the back of Crown Point depot and headed for Great Yarmouth. I've done both routes into Yarmouth before on local units, but this was a rather special way of making the trip. We soon diverged, taking the line via Reedham rather than Acle - though I'm told the later dragged train does use the other route. This meant passing the incredibly remote Berney Arms station, subject of some legend - as it seems only to serve a pub and a windmill!
Our first farce of the day occurred on arrival at Yarmouth. The driver slammed on the brakes as we entered the long platforms, and we stopped rather short. The Train Manager seemed to think we'd be pulling up further and the doors remained locked. Then we heard 47790 fire up and draw forward. After some time, they let us out onto the platform with a half-hour layover reduced by a good few minutes. The marooned 90006 and coaches were well back from the buffers, and a bunch of orange-jackets seemed to be tugging the points of the shunt-release line by hand to let 47790 run around! Watched and grabbed some rather poor shots - partly because the sunshine had disappeared behind black clouds, and partly because some fellow enthusiasts seemed to be incapable of avoiding my attempts to get a picture. Finally gave up and headed onto the concourse. No time to make the walk into town, so sampled the fairly good burger van which sits in the station building. Ate whilst queuing to get onto the return working of the train, which 47790 had pushed back into the station a little way. Soon into the same seats we'd used on the run up, and able to watch 47790 clagging around the curve out of the station, looking not unlike a steam engine!
Another timely departure from Norwich once 47790 was detached, and we began retracing our steps to London. Somewhere during this journey a plan was hatched which was to be our undoing. Having noted that c2c services were departing from Liverpool Street as Fenchurch Street was closed, I suggested we could take one as far as Barking which would cover the unusual track from Forest Gate Junction to Woodgrange Park Junction and the flyover at Barking. This became an even more ambitious undertaking when it was also noted that new unit 172004 was undertaking it's first trips in passenger service today - the first for the entire class in fact. If we could possibly get a Barking to Gospel Oak service we might just encounter it. Did some calculations and there were a couple of options - one solid connection involving a quick dash on arrival at Liverpool Street, and one later one which left little margin for error. With renewed interest in the day's events, we pressed onward towards London. Somewhere around Colchester, things began to unravel a little. Some slow running, seemingly because the driver was inspecting either the line or the overhead line equipment, left us running about ten late. Throughout the journey we made up a little and lost a little more. The early option wasn't lost though if we made a set-down only stop at Stratford as many expresses do....but not, alas, this one. We sped through, arriving at Liverpool Street with about ten minutes to make the slightly later option - so we dashed for platform 18 and boarded the busy Class 357 - a rare visitor to this station aside from a couple of late night workings. Set off on time, and as planned used the Forest Gate to Woodgrange Park line. Just before we traversed the flyover at Barking, we paused. As we waited to get into the station, 172004 chugged past in the opposite direction. Had all gone to plan, we'd have easily made it! Cursed myself, and the bumbling idiots who meandered about as I tried to get over the bridge for the next Gospel Oak train, a shuddering, filthy and close-to-expiry 150148.
Still, the line is one of my favourites and I was happy enough scudding over the rooftops of Leyton and Walthamstow. We were making good time, and should - at a push - get back onto the earlier (and safer) schedule via a +5 at Gospel Oak. All again went well, until a little before the curve into Gospel Oak station we came to a halt. Checking the journey planner revealed that the 172 was very late getting in. We waited around six minutes to let it clear the platform before heading in ourselves. As we headed back to the main station from the outlying platform 3, we saw our train arrive - leaving just as we made the steps for the platform. Now near incandescent with even more pathetic behaviour at the station, I propped myself against a pillar and watched the Barking platform close as the service ended to let engineering take over once again as I waited for the next service to Willesden Junction. This arrived bang on time, and the connection into a Clapham Junction train worked flawlessly too. The Overground is becoming a fairly reliable workhorse, and building on the useful North London Line with thankfully more capacity and frequency. At West Brompton, switched onto the District Line platforms with a Paddington train due in three minutes. It had been tight, but we should make the 19:00 booked train home without problems.
And then it all went wrong...
First, the driver announced that due to a points failure and signalling problems, the service was going to terminate at High Street Kensington. Some quick re-planning indicated we could get a No.27 bus from the station front. Of course the first challenge was getting out of the station - as we'd terminated in platform 4 which has the tiniest, single width staircase. A whole train unloading, along with some fools trying to get down the stairs pointlessly as the train had terminated, made for a very slow exit indeed. Told fellow travellers they were on their own from here...I couldn't keep doing the 'responsible adult bit' as my own plans unravelled. Found the stop, flagged a first packed double-decker, and got a seat on a near empty one following. The connection now looked unlikely, but it was worth a shot! Until we came to a halt behind the packed bus I'd just flagged somewhere in Notting Hill. A drunken passenger had been taken ill, so the entire contents of the bus decanted into ours taking precious minutes, and making stops much longer as people struggled to get on and off. We passed the ambulance heading for the bus as we headed towards Westbourne Grove and I silently cursed the unfortunate drunk. Finally made it into Paddington about 10 minutes after the 19:00 had left.
A minor battle followed with the Ticket Office staff who just couldn't comprehend my Oyster Card record. Eventually found one who understood that I'd boarded the bus at 18:24 because I'd been booted off the train, and not because I'd left it too late to get to my train. With permission to travel on the 19:30, I slumped into my cool, comfortable seat and relaxed. It meant a longer break at Bristol - but it could have been worse! Got a coffee, listened to more music, wrote a little and enjoyed a fantastic sunset over Wiltshire as we sped westwards. Spent the break at Bristol people-watching, always a fascinating pass-time at a railway station - and moreso in the evenings perhaps, when a really unusual mix of people can be found on the platforms! My woes weren't over though, as not only was the 21:55 unit home late arriving, it also managed to get stuck at Uphill Junction awaiting engineers attention to a points failure. Finally struggled off the train at 23:10, tired, still rather agitated, but having had a strangely entertaining day out!
Of course, things don't always go to plan on the real railway. You'd think that, given the many thousands of miles I do, I'd encounter more trouble than most - but I can honestly say I don't run into much in the way of peturbation. However, today it seems that lots of little incidents conspired to cause an incredibly frustrating situation. I managed to keep my temper - just about - when all around me seemed to be turning into gibbering idiots. Lets hope this has used up my quota of frustration for a while!
DRS Open Days are a lottery...you punch your email in each year, and maybe a ticket will arrive in due course. It never has for me. This time around, by buying a copy of their actually very classy looking calendar, I assured myself of the chance to get into Gresty Bridge Depot. Even then, there was no word from DRS until a couple of weeks before the event - and a speculative booking to Crewe looked like it might need to be extended elsewhere. However, eventually the ticket arrived and I found myself boarding the early train today with a bunch of locals all heading the same way. There was a sense of occasion which harked back to the last open day at Crewe Works in some ways - and though this was on a much smaller scale, there were a good few familiar faces heading north. Changed onto the quiet and thankfully cool Voyager at Bristol, and had breakfast and a chat with some cohorts before another change at New Street. A few among us hadn't experienced the Class 350 before and were pleasantly surprised as modern units go. Like always when large groups of cranks are in one place, the atmosphere became a strange mixture of humour, extreme seriousness and plain oddity. Enjoyed the ride up through Stafford to Crewe very much.
At Crewe, decided to wait for the Swindon-Llandudno charter to pass through before heading for the Depot. This had 47270 at the helm, and I was keen to get a shot as the last time I'd seen this loco it had been very dark indeed! A fair crowd was in evidence which signalled a busy day at the Depot. Had already decided to walk if the heritage bus service was busy, but on heading out of the station found one waiting with plenty of seats available for the short run down Gresty Lane to the gates. The bus used the entrance to Freightliner's side of Basford Hall Yard as a turning circle too, giving a tempting glance over the sidings! A short walk into the depot, and charitable donation made, we were greeted with a small site teeming with DRS locos. The crowds and the lack of space made moving around without getting in someone's shot fairly challenging, but most people managed to be fair and polite about it - certainly an improvement on some open days I've attended.
One of the highlights of the day was the naming of refurbished 37409 as "Lord Hinton" by the grandson of this pioneer of the nuclear power industry. As 37409 will play a part in the final MAGNOX decommissioning programmes, it seems fitting that the loco should be named after the man who started it all. Will be good to see 37409 out on a tour soon too, as the loco looks and sounds fantastic. Also in attendance was a line up of four out of the five 66/3s, latterly owned by Fastline until the liquidation of Jarvis, their parent company. These locos formed the boundary of the site, and there were frequent dashes to the ends of the line of engines to see what was happening on the mainline, with some interesting Freightliner manoeuvres happening. Given the recent lack of Class 20s on tours, it was notable that only two were in evidence, a very tidy looking 20308 and a rather forlorn 20306 marked up as "on decision". With the commitment to provide locos to TfL for Underground stock moves, trips behind these venerable locos will become something of a rarity. It will be interesting to see what happens to the upcoming multi-traction tour on 31st July in fact...
In conjunction with the DRS event, the Heritage Centre at Crewe was also offering reduced price entry to ticket-holders. So, after a quick lunch and a final wander around the now very busy and very hot site, we boarded the bus once again. I hadn't been to what was formerly known as "The Railway Age" for a good many years, and it was great to see the prototype APT-P still on display. The interior of a number of the coaches seemed to have been tidied up somewhat - but I don't think some among us realised quite the effort this had taken, with the project literally dumped by BR and the preservation a seeming impossibility back then. Thought a bit about how we'd got into the strange mess of imported vehicles, cancelled orders and complicated railway politics, before moving on to look at 87035 'Robert Burns' resplendent in BR Blue - another age of West Coast motive power, which had outlived the APT and only gave way almost 30 years later when we imported a train which built on our own work in the field of high speed travel.
Shook off the gloom with a turn on the break van rides, hauled by 03073 along the short stretch of track near the relocated Exeter West signal box! Then, had spell on the viewing platform at Crewe North Junction, and a pleasant walk back to the station. Arrived to find 47826 and 47851 passing through for a crew-change, before watching the loco-hauled Holyhead arrive and detach it's loco. Plenty of activity and a chance to sit and watch the station go about it's business. At this point our little group parted - some booked on different trains, others deciding to take a different route home. So, I settled into my seat on a pleasantly cool Virgin service back to Birmingham, and caught up with some listening as we sped south. It had been a good, old-fashioned open day with plenty to see and a chance to catch up and chat with people. A welcome diversion from the strange situation I find myself in at work too. DRS put on a fine display and I hope I can somehow find a way to the next one too.
After seven weeks of charter trains which have all gone amazingly well, there was something strangely exciting about being on my own plan today. It seemed like a long time since I'd constructed an itinerary and decided where to stick with the plan and where to deviate. What better place to do this than London - and with the East London Line having reopened for business at the last timetable change, this was the obvious aim for today. I'd sketched out a rough plan and set off - a very familiar move to start, with the first train out and a change at Weston-super-Mare onto a cool, quiet HST bound for Paddington. The morning promised to be fine, and it was fantastic just to sit back and enjoy breakfast as we sped east, catching up on some listening along the way. It had been a tough week in lots of ways, and despite ending a little more hopefully than it started, there was plenty of stuff to try not to worry about which I almost achieved on the run in to London. I'd checked the status of the Circle Line and knew I'd be getting a bus for the next bit of the journey, so I deftly skirted the groups of meandering early tourists and found my way to a 36 heading for Victoria. Amazed at how hot the day was already, and also by the amount of early traffic. There were a number of events on in Central London today, which were probably contributing to this, but I also spotted some tell-tale incident tape sealing off a restaurant on Edgware Road - although the story hadn't surfaced as to why just yet. At Victoria, time to get a good coffee and still make an earlier train to Crystal Palace than planned. Onto the surprisingly quiet 09:36 which was soon scudding along the viaducts of South London, through Clapham Junction and the suburbs. Hopped off at one of the curved through platforms at Crystal Palace, and walked into the impressive main train shed, using the long staircase to reach Platform 5 which has been created as the current terminus of the East London Line. 378225 was just arriving as I did, and I managed a sneaky picture as it drew quietly to a halt.
A quick turn around, with the notoriously efficient air-conditioning providing a pleasantly cool atmosphere. I began to find the longitudinal seating frustrating almost immediately however, particularly as I was keen to see what had changed on the route. Once through New Cross Gate, we soared over the new bridge and descended beside the depot. For a brief stretch here I was on new track, as I'd left the East London Line undone south of Rotherhithe when I first visited. At Canada Water, noted that the Jubilee Line was closed today - another possibility, which would now have to wait. Instead pressed on under the Thames on more familiar track to Whitechapel. From here the line began to climb, away from it's former alignment which terminated at Shoreditch Station just east of Brick Lane, and into the new Shoreditch High Street in a concrete box high above the street. Once underway again, the line swung onto the alignment of the former lines to Broad Street, a generous four track brick viaduct now carrying our two lines. After a curve into Hoxton the line ran dead straight alongside Kingsland Road, flying over the Hackney rooftops before dipping down into the dark, cool box of the new Dalston Junction station. No time to explore the four platform terminus as we were encouraged to leave swiftly, and I soon found myself above ground in startlingly bright sunshine with the Dalston traffic whirling around me. Wandered up to Ridley Road to take some pictures and get some provisions, before heading back to the station.
I was determined to cover all the branches and routes on the new line, so I set off again this time heading south to New Cross, the other 'leg' of the original line. After retracing our steps to Surrey Quays, the line branched with a junction allowing further expansion for the planned extensions. The line curved away to run alongside the tracks from London Bridge, terminating at a platform on the eastern side of New Cross station. Out of the station briefly before heading back onto the same unit to return to Surrey Quays, and a dash over the bridge to get a West Croydon bound service. With the lines now complete, I decided to return to Hoxton, wanting to get some pictures of the line in operation. Found the station deserted, but was troubled by the thought of security cameras. Found my spot and in my haste, shot a blurred and unfocused image. With station staff starting to take notice of me, I decided to hop on the next train up to Dalston, and to return on the other platform. Finally got my shot of the train and the city, and headed south to Wapping. This was a visit I'd planned to try many years back - but which the long closure of the line delayed. The station here is an immense brick shaft, with a spiral staircase curving around lifts. Took the lift to street level and emerged in a peaceful and very hot Wapping High Street. Explored, and finally found St. Hilda's Wharf and a worn stone staircase to the Thames shore. Spent a little while in this quiet spot, watching the city around me. Sometimes London produces these strange, quietly magical moments - and this one made up for a week of pretty difficult stuff. I was sorry to leave the spot to the locals, but I needed to head back west.
With the Circle Line out of commission, I decided to head back to Whitechapel, surfacing in the busy street to catch a 205 back towards Euston. Things seemed to go well until we became ensnared in traffic around Kings Cross. As time ticked by, I contemplated seeing the journey all the way through to Paddington just in case things didn't ease. However, I hit on a plan to use an old faithful route to get back - and the times worked pretty well too. So, in to Euston and onto the 16:04 train to Harrow and Wealdstone. Grabbed a drink from the now almost familiar newsagent and basked in the afternoon sunshine, watching trains from the platform. Flagged a Euston service back, and plumped for the next Milton Keynes train which retraced our steps past Willesden Depot, where a line up of new units - including several of the elusive new Class 172s - was in evidence. After diving under the mainline, we resurfaced to take the line via Acton Wells to West Brompton. A swift cross-platform change and I was soon squished into a District Line train back to Paddington, full of slightly jaded looking crowds just out of Wimbledon.
Reflecting over a quality coffee whilst waiting for the customary 19:00 back home, I realised that today was, in a sense, just what I needed. The last few weeks have been an amazing experience - and seeing vast swathes of the UK has been fantastic. But sometimes it's the unexpected twists that journeys take which make them all the more interesting. As ever, London offers more twists and turns than anywhere else - from teeming Ridley Road to the quiet beach at Wapping. The future feels terribly uncertain, but I hope I get the chance to continue with these travels.
I've always enjoyed wandering around Gloucester, and it was one of the first places I decided to visit when I started using trains to explore my independence many years ago. However, I was amazed to find how early everything seemed to shut up shop last night, leaving the city centre deserted and very quiet aside from the odd pub or club where people spilled out onto the pavement to smoke or enjoy the warm evening. I was in Gloucester because the last trip of my now near-infamous 'UK tour' started, rather unusually, here - perhaps because it was originally designed to be hauled by slower locomotives which prevented a start further north? In any case this meant a night in the rather tiny and very warm Station Hotel before creaking and hobbling the few feet to the station this morning. As I arrived, 37259 and 37218 were running around the stock in already very hot sunshine. Met some friends and found our seats before settling in for the leisurely trip down to Bristol, enjoying breakfast and coffee on route. I was determined that this fairly local trip by recent standards, was going to be a relaxed and enjoyable affair.
As we headed south, noted a number of local folks boarding, and was soon presented with a glass of bucks fizz by one of the patrons of my former local pub! This set the ball rolling on the real ale consumption, and I confess a fair few different brews were sampled on the journey down through Devon and Cornwall. The seawall at Dawlish was teeming with people out in the sun, and we sped past making a fair racket and causing quite a spectacle. As we crossed the Royal Albert Bridge I realised that this was probably the first time I'd crossed both the Forth and the Tamar in less than a week for many years! The party atmosphere on board continued as Mr Spinks changed into a lurid Hawaiian shirt for the festivities in Penzance! It seemed very soon that we were passing Long Rock Depot where a bunch of orange jackets were scratching their heads in genuine bewilderment at the sight of a derailed HST power car. Managed a snap at the depot shunter, rarely seen out and about, but patiently sitting at the end of a rake of stock today, likely trapped by the stricken power car.
Once into Penzance a few moments after time, we followed a plan devised by our resident Head Brewer, and visited a number of pubs. This took us right through the heart of the apparently good natured but clearly totally unhinged Mazey Day festivities. The highlight has to be when a large group of men crashed noisily into Wetherspoons wearing the uniform of the Life Guards and singing songs about Cornish independence. A surreal moment, topped only by standing in Chapel Street listening to a very loud Methodist Band whilst enjoying a pint of Sharps Own. Wandered back to the station much later than planned, with the first of the three railtours which had made the journey down to Cornwall today having already left. However, it hadn't managed to get far as a lineside fire near Camborne was holding up all services. Our own train had yet to make it back into the station from Long Rock. A long, but good natured wait followed from the mostly merry and tired crowd. Eventually our stock reversed in, squeezed between a string of late arrivals, and we boarded for home. Despite some fine effort by the driver, who was suffering with some power issues from 37259 too, we were very late and onward connections were in disarray. Made some calls to sort a fast car from Taunton and tried to help out where I could by offering the single spare seat. Everyone seemed eventually to find a way of getting home, so settled in and relaxed for the last bit of the journey to Taunton.
So my seven-week railtour odyssey is over, having run almost faultlessly despite the new computer system at Network Rail, some incredibly complex trips and the rule that railtours never really run to plan. I've travelled the length, and a fair bit of the breadth of the UK in the past few weeks, and not encountered too much delay - despite today's unavoidable snarl-up. Next week it's back to pottering around the network under my own steam for a while, and with the work and financial situation brewing into a storm, this might in itself end up curtailed. This last few weeks will be remembered for a long while though. Even the weather worked pretty well!
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.
