Day 7 of FOSW - 27th January

So for my seventh box I headed for Cardiff. I would meet Peter later on. I went up via Salisbury so caught the Cardiff train there. My reason may seem a bit mad but basically I could use my FOSW from Exeter to Salisbury on the 0726. All i needed to do was get to Exeter so i bought a £3 advance ticket. This got me to Cardiff effectively an hour earlier than if i waited for the 0925 off Plymouth.

So in Cardiff we went up and down the hill a few times, down to the bay and back (another 153 unit) and between Newport and Central. There was emergancy engineering works in the Severn Tunnel so all FGW trains were being delayed or cancelled which made things a little tricky.

Biggest dissapointment of the day (and to be honest incredibly frustrating) was the WAG. Earlier in the week it was 57315 which i need. But for whatever reason they changed it and i got 314. I was not happy.

After that i headed home via Swindon, Westbury (for new route via Melksham) and Bristol.

Winners in red

1A74 (0553) PLY - EXD 43016
1L28 (0726) EXD - SAL 159005
1F10 (0941) SAL - NWP 158954
1V75 (1137) NWP - CDF 175114
2M26 (1156) CDF - CDQ 150284
2V21 (1201) CDQ - CDF 142085
2T22 (1206) CDF - CDQ 150229
2P43 (1211) CDQ - CDF 143604
2R10 (1216) CDF - CDQ 143610
2Y41 (1221) CDQ - CDF 150242
2M28 (1226) CDF - CDQ 143622
2V23 (1231) CDQ - CDF 143614
2B70 (1336) CDQ - CDB 153312
2S70 (1342) CDB - CDQ 153312
2F40 (1346) CDQ - CDF 142010
1F19 (1330) CDF - NWP 158950 (late)
2L59 (1452) NWP - CDF 150227
1W88 (1520) CDF - NWP 175005
1V83 (1537) NWP - CDF 175108
1W91 (1615) CDF - NWP 57314
1L76 (1639) NWP - BPW 43151
2O97 (1722) BPW - BRI 150246
2D26 (1745) BRI - BPW 150259
1L82 (1801) BPW - SWI 43122
2O00 (1844) SWI - TRO 153372
2C24 (1928) TRO - WSB 158885
1V96 (1941) WSB - BRI 158749
1V66 (2047) BRI - PLY 221128

Total miles travelled 555.

25th January - Trip to Bristol using FOSW

For my wifes birthday we went ot bristol and met her mum, her partner and brother. I used one of the boxes on my FOSW as i would struggle to use them all. Nothing major happened. Trip to Bristol Temple Meads, ended up in Clifton so to get back to Temple Meads caught a train from Clifton Down and then back to Plymouth. I did see a Network Rail train in Temple Meads which was being hauled by 31459 and was a winner for sight. Both the HSt up to Bristol and Voyager back were winning haulages.

1A16 (1048) PLY - BRI 43125
2K39 (1913) CFN - BRI 143611
1V64 (1944) BRI - PLY 220025

Total miles 258 for the day.

Day 5 FOSW - 21st January

For my final day of the week I didn't know exactly where i was going to end up. I was just going to see where it took me. I started out on the 0925 off Plymouth met Peter for what i thought was going to be until Tiverton Parkway. I questioned why he didn't attempt to move as the train approached and rumbled him! He had got a FOSW! So with that we headed to Cardiff! Plentry of winners today as we did a few runs up and down the hill. I also got a bonus Class 153 in. The ATW bubble must be in for maintenance as 153367 was running the bay line. It was my final ATW 153 for sight. All i have now left to complete the class is 317! Hopefully i'll catch that on my FONW in Feb! 

We got slightly sidetracked during the day however and visited 5 Wetherspoons! Good day! 

Winners in red

1S39 (0925) PLY - BRI 221137

1F12 (1154) BRI - NWP 158954

1V79 (1337) NWP - CDF 175001

2H34 (1337) CDF - CDQ 142069

2V29 (1356) CDQ - CDF 142074

2T30 (1401) CDF - CDQ 150283

2P59 (1411) CDQ - CDF 142075

2R14 (1416) CDF - CDQ 150259

2Y53 (1421) CDQ - CDF 143608

2D46 (1431) CDF - CDQ 143623

2B80 (1436) CDQ - CDB 153367

2S80 (1442) CDB - CDQ 153367

1W91 (1615) CDF - NWP 57316

1L76 (1639) NWP - SWI 43094

1C22 (1730) SWI - BRI 43139

1V62 (1844) BRI - PLY 221140

Total miles was 408 and I finished the week on 2581! Very pleased with the week overal. Got plenty of winners and only Tuesday was slightly frustrating. I really enjoyed myself and am really looking forward to my next big one, the Freedom of the North West in February as part of my holiday to Lake District with my wife.

Day 4 West Midland Day Ranger - 20th January

I wanted to get the most out of this ticket so it was an early start. With two advance purchase tickets I was able to get Bristol Parkway cheaply before my FOSW kicked in and then the Ranger from Cheltenham. 

Once I got to New Street I headed south to Rugby. From here I caught another train to Crewe via Nuneaton and then Stoke-on-Trent to get the Kidsgrove line to Crewe in. The bonus was that I saw two sorry looking 86s but I needed one of them. Another bonus at Crewe was the appearance of more 47s and I saw one the few remaining ones I need for sight. I then headed back towards Birmingham with the intention to pick up the Pretendolino at International. I had already seen it out earlier as it thundered through Rugby but it was worth the wait for haulage! 90047 was doing the honours and did a fine job on he short 8 miles I was behind her! There wasn't a lot more exciting to report but every single train I caught today (with the exception of the three XC ones I used to get to the west midlands and back) were winning ones for haulage. I also nearly managed 700 miles! 691 to be exact! 


Winners in red.


1S33 (0625) PLY - TAU 220022
1M29 (0812) TAU - BHM 220015
1B34 (1050) BHM - RUG 390014
1V31 (1204) RUG - CRE 350129
1L97 (1349) CRE - WVH 350121
1G38 (1436) WVH - BHM 170634
1B62 (1530) BHM - BHI 390011
1G27 (1553) BHI - BHM 90047
1S80 (1620) BHM - WVH 221105
1B72 (1645) WVH - BHM 390027
2C80 (1716) BHM - BHI 350112
1B74 (1740) BHI - COV 390043 
2Y74 (1801) COV - RUG 350241
2Y79 (1816) RUG - COV 350254
1G36 (1842) COV - BHM 390013
1V67 (1942) BHM - PLY 221141

Day 3 Southern Daysave Ranger - 19th January

Today was going to be a really good as I would have been using my Southern Daysave ticket. Apart from within zones 1-6 in London and the Southampton - Portsmouth line all route covered by Southern Trains would be new to me. The ranger doesn't kick in until 1000 so I used the FOSW to get over to Portsmouth and Southsea. From there I headed along the coast towards Littlehampton. I then caught a different train to Brighton. Both trains were slow stoppers so it was a relief to get the fast Brighton to London Victoria. I really enjoyed this line (recently covered on Great British Train Journeys on the BBC) and we were soon in London. I had 20 odd minutes before the return to Brighton so time for a quick pint.

Once back in Brighton I caught a diesel unit up to Lewes. Then a swap of train up to Haywoods Heath before catching a train to Hove. This was the start of me long trip home to Plymouth. I caught a train to Chichister and then to Southampton. I hopped onto the Cardiff train and decided to stay on it until Bristol. Glad I did as I saw the HOBC roll through with a winning 66 for sight. My final leg was direct to Plymouth. 

I really enjoyed my day. Lots of new route and curves at 3 junctions covered. Next time I will do this ticket from London and explore the rest of the area. Nice as the route from Southampton is, there are too many stops and slows the train down. One final thing, class 313s! Some of the newly refurbished units are running the Brighton stoppers along the coast. Quite a nice job has been done on them. I caught one from Hove to Chichester and a friend said he wouldn't like to be one for that long. Well I felt it was much more comfortable than a Pacer which have been used on long routes (e.g. Cardiff - Taunton!).


Winners in red 


1W96 (0859) BMH - SOU 444037
2E21 (0944) SOU - PMS 450020
2S60 (1056) PMS - LIT 377328
1H07 (1215) LIT - HOV 377436
2E56 (1254) HOV - BTN 313209
1A09 (1319) BTN - VIC 377430
1A12 (1436) VIC - BTN 377425
1G45 (1532) BTN - LWS 171722
1F41 (1550) LWS - HHE 377451, 377428 
1H32 (1637) HHE - HOV 377452
2W25 (1707) HOV - CCH 315215
1C86 (1805) CCH - SOU 377418 
1F32 (1910) SOU - BRI 158798
1V67 (2113) BRI - PLY 220015


502 miles travelled! 

Day 2 - 18th January

I headed to Exeter on the 0530 from Plymouth so I could catch the 0641 off Exeter (valid on the FOSW). A 50 minute break at Salisbuy (until my ticket became valid again!) meant I had a chance to grab breakfast at Wetherspoons. Then onwards to Portsmouth so I could get a train to Eastleigh to grab the tiny section between Fareham and Eastleigh. I expected this to be a winning train for haulage as it was 450 traction and thus far only had 9 of the possible 127. It wasn't. A quick break for lunch in the Whetherspoons felt needed. It was midday and not a single winning train.

After lunch I realised I could nab a trip to Hedge End and back before my train towards Brockenhurst was due. This produced two winners but my luck ended then. The next two Desiros were dud. It's worth bearing in mind it should be much harder to get ones I have had at the moment in this neck of the woods! My trip to Lymington Pier was dry, and for a change sunny and was a winning 158 but the rest of the day was hit and miss. My plans of staying out quite late went out of the window at 2030. I was fed up because I knew the next train I could catch would have been dud. Two other things had happened this day which didn't help. Someone got hit by a train in Pokesdown and a vehicle hit a bridge in the Portsmouth area. These incidents caused late trains and some being cancelled. 

So off home (a friends flat who kindly let me stay even though she was away) with a measly 369 miles travelled but I did get a little new in sight (an 09, four 66s and 5 new units including refurbished Southern 313s).



Winners in red.


1A75 (0530) PLY - EXD 43138
1L26 (0641) EXD - SAL 159009
1F05 (0932) SAL - PMS 158950
1T38 (1103) PMS - ESL 450018
1T29 (1228) ESL - HDE 444045
1T42 (1240) HDE - ESL 450027
2B31 (1300) ESL - SOA 450111
1W65 (1314) SOA - BCU 444009
1J33 (1412) BCU - LYP 158882
1J34 (1427) LYP - BCU 158882
1W62 (1W62) BCU - SOU 444008
1M58 (1515) SOU - SOA 221119
2S43 (1525) SOA - SOU 158883
2E45 (1544) SOU - PMS 450072
2N72 (1646) PMS - FTN 377324
2T92 (1659) FTN - HLS 158890
2N79 (1707) HLS - PMS 313215
1F30 (1727) PMS - SOU 158957
1W28 (1830) SOU - SOA 444036
1W35 (1839) SOA - SOU 444002
1M74 (1M74) SOU - SOA 221140
2S59 (2S59) SOA - SOU 158886
1W37 (1W37) SOU - BMH 444003

Day 1 - 17th January

Today I headed towards Cardiff and the Bristol area. I got a little bit more new route in (Bristol Parkway to Swindon) but i heard a rumour that the other bit I was going for (Swindon to Cheltenham) was shut due to falling masonry in Sapperton Long Tunnel. So rather than risk it I didn't attempt that bit. It was a good job because it meant I ended up back in Cardiff for some Loco haulage to Newport behind 57316. So day one ended with a small section of new route, 6 winning trains for haulage and 7 for sight (six of them 66s).


Winners in red.

1S39 (0925) PLY - BPW 221138
1B22 (1140) BPW - CDF 43021
1M99 (1245) CDF - CNM 170107
1V54 (1356) CNM - BPW 43384
1F18 (1454) BRI - NWP 158959
1V83 (1537) NWP - CDF 175114
1W91 (1615) CDF - NWP 57316
1V85 (1637) NWP - CDF 175104
2G66 (1712) CDF - NWP 158839
1L86 (1739) NWP - SWI 43197
1C25 (1900) SWI - BRI 43151
2C89 (1955) BRI - TAU 150123
1V66 (2119) TAU - PLY 221136

A total of 572 miles travelled. A good start.

17th to 21st January - Freedom of the South West

Well I have a week off work thanks to lieu days I have accrued so have decided to get an 8 in 15 FOSW. I will be able to use 7 of the 8 days so at £90 is exceptional value. I have also decided to extend the boundaries of it with a Southern Daysave ticket and West Midland Ranger for two of the days. Both areas have route I haven't done and it's the cheapest way for me to do it. To maximise the times and bearing in mind the FOSW isn't valid in most cases until 0900 I have got cheap Advance tickets to get me further from home thus maximising my rangers. It might seem complicated but it's not and like I said, the cheapest way to do it! 

15th January - Day trip to London with friends

Nothing major to report. Went to Reading for the weekend and went into London with friends. With the short trip from Winnersh station to Reading and then Paddington and back plus London Underground managed just over 93 miles. Managed to bag a new power car and four class 458 units for haulage, whilst for sight a new Class 66 (saw at Hayes) and one for the Class 458s was new.

Winners in red. Underground in blue.

2C11 WNS - RDG 8025, 8011 
1L20 RDG - PAD 43005
Circle Paddington - Edgware Road 5519
Circle Edgeware Rd - Tower Hill 5530
Northern London Bridge - Bank 53601
Central Bank - Holburn 93462
Circle Westminster - Paddington 5501
1C33 PAD - RDG 43053
2C80 RDG - WNS 8024, 8010

Total miles so far this year is 872. Bring on the rest of this week when my Freedom of the South West starts!

11th January 2011 - Devon Day Ranger

Today I stayed local and did my first Devon Day Ranger of the year. A rather successful day, as the things I require starts to dwindle in the area. There was one thing that I really wanted and that was my final Cross Country HST for haulage. It had been down quite a bit over the last few weeks but i kept missing it so today was the day! As usual I started on the 0925 and met Peter at Newton Abbot. The day took us to Exeter, Honiton, Paignton and Plymouth. In total I did 299.5 miles which leaves me on 779 for the year so far. Three winners for haulage including my last XC power car. No winners for sight though. A request will show my moves in my blog too. Winners highlighted in red.

1S39 221139 PLY - EXD
1V44 43207 EXD - PLY
1S51 43304 PLY - EXD
1L52 159022 EXD - HON
1L29 159002 HON - EXD
1V52 220007 EXD - NTA
2T20 153318 NTA - PGN
2F45 142063 PGN - NTA
1A91 43148 NTA - EXD
1C86 43031 EXD - PLY

Total miles 299.5 Year Total 779

4th January 2011 - Heart of Wessex Day Ranger

What an excellent start to 2011! I managed to get cheap advance tickets to Westbury and back so it enabled me to experience a new Day Ranger, the Heart of Wessex. This enabled me to get some new route in (between Westbury and Bath Spa), rack up some miles and hopefully some new winners which don't venture to Devon ie 158s (although as it turns out 158952 did make an appearence in Devon today!).

After arriving at Westbury I did a cheeky trip to Warminster and back to get a winning 153 in before heading to Bath Spa. Until my return to Westbury I travelled between Bath - Swindon and Bristol Temple Meads. One thing that did surprise me today was the amount of Frieght in Bath and Swindon. I was under the impression that this was non existant almost now! During the course of the day i managed to see nine Class 66s and one Class 59. Six of the 66s were new for sight and the 59 was new for sight. Brilliant! I also saw 158884 on hire to FGW from SWT which i also needed for sight! I also bagged a new 158 for haulage and 4 new HST power cars for haulage!

So six new winners for haulage, 8 new winners for sight and 468 miles in the bag! Year total so far 479! Good start!

2nd January 2011 - Poole - Christchurch - Pokesdown

Well my 2011 travels started with an unexpected short journey with friends with a trip down memory lane. The new year was spent in Bournemouth and over the course of the 3 days there we visited many of the pubs we used to go to when I lived there. This involved a short journey from Poole to Chirstchurch and then later in the evening back to Pokesdown, Boscombe. A small total of 11.38 miles, but it is a start. Both trains were haulage winners and to top it off 444017 (the 1B64 from Poole to Christchurch) was a winner for sight which now means i have completed the Class 444s for sight!