Today was to be my first tour for the complete length. Starting at Eastleigh it was going to Llandrindod Wells and then back.
We caught the 0512 service off Southampton Central to Eastleigh and waited for our train. We had a message that the train doing the honours was 66006 about 10 mins before it turned up. Obviously a winner for haulage (I haven't had any DBS 66s yet) but also a winner for sight.
The route that the train would take too Llandrindod was via these main stations and junctions (in brackets).
Eastleigh - Southampton Central - Salisbury - Bath Spa - [Feeder Bridge Junction] - [Dr Days Bridge Junction] - Bristol Parkway - Gloucester - Cheltenham Spa - Birmingham New Street - [South Soho Junction] - [East Soho Junction] - [Perry Barr South Junction] - [Perry Barr North Junction] - Bescot -Wolverhampton - [Abbey Foregate Junction] - [English Bridge Junction] - Craven Arms - Llandrindod Wells.
This was 271 miles and the red bits were new route for me. Note the black dashes are bits that are not new. eg from Perry Barr North Junction to Bescot is not new but beyond Bescot to Wolverhampton is new.
A fourty minute waits was planned for Llandrindod Wells before continuing down the Heart of Wales line before swinging back round towards Cardiff and then back to Eastleigh.
The route was
Llandrindod Wells - [Hendy Junction] - [Grovesend Colliery Loop Junction] - [Flying Loop Junction] - Cardiff Central - Gloucester - Bristol Parkway - [Dr Days Bridge Junction] - [Feeder Bridge Junction] - Bath Spa - Salisbury - Southampton Central.
This was 272 miles. Again red is new route. We also passed Cardiff and Newport on the through roads. We got off at Southampton Central as the train was running about 20 minutes late.
I really enjoyed the tour. Very scenic and obviously a lot of new route and curves I would struggle to get under normal circumstances. I also saw several new shunters, 66s and a 59 en route.
Not train related but the day finished off with a visit to two Wetherspoons in Southampton (The Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis and The Standing Road).
450082 (0512) 2B14 SOU - ESL
66006 (0552) 1Z90 ESL - LLO
66006 (1430) 1Z92 LLO - SOU left 29 late though.
550 miles travelled
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