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Day 1 : Sunday 20 September

I leave Newcastle on time on the 09:41 Virgin Cross-Country Plymouth service. The whole train is in (somewhat dirty) Intercity livery. There's brilliant sunshine - I hope it lasts all week! 43065 "City of Edinburgh" (complete with buffers and drawgear) is on the front. Lots of white smoke is generated as we leave. I wave goodbye to my parents, who have kindly given me a lift to the station. Not much activity at Tyne Yard as we pass - a couple of 60's attached to rakes of MGR's are the only loco's visible. The (disused) concrete fly-over hides the remaining part of the yard from the main line.

Traveling through County Durham is very pleasant - the sun is coming up and there is mist in the valleys. Durham Cathedral and Castle look very impressive silhouetted against the sun. After Ferryhill, it becomes more misty - visibility is down to about a mile, with the sun trying to break through. This is familiar ground for me, as I've made many trips south from Newcastle in the past few years.

We are routed onto the up slow at Northallerton. There are signs of work on the fast lines. We pass a ballast train headed by 37058 on the up fast at Thirsk. Then, 37203 on another ballast working south of Thirsk station. A 56 on a sleeper train and a pair of 37's on another ballast flash past too quickly for their numbers to be read. The down fast is being relayed here.

We are checked by signals about 8 miles north of York and brought to a stand. Overhead wire failure is given as the reason. However, the signal remains red. After a 15 minute wait (it's now 11:00), we move forward and cross back to the up fast. We are brought to a stand again at Skelton Bridge Junction. A 225 is just visible moving slowly away from us ahead.

60041 and 60046 are on southbound coal in York sidings, a rake of new Thrall sliding hood wagons beside them. Another delay just north of the station (opposite the NRM) and we finally arrive at 11:22. The train I planned to catch out was the 11:08. This has left, so I opt for the 11:37 instead and take a photograph of 43065. When the train departs, I see that 43097 is on the rear. An enthusiast on the platform tells me that a power outage also affected the signaling - all the signals in the station area had gone to red.

158808 forms the 11:37 Northern Spirit Liverpool Lime Street train. It starts from the far end of platform 11 because most of the platform surface is being relaid. It is only slightly delayed by the power failure and departs at 11:40. Before we arrive at Colton Junction, we pass two 225's and 47807 (VT) heading north. It's misty again by the time we reach Church Fenton. West of Micklefield, we are running slowly under yellows - have we) caught up with a stopper?

225's, a Virgin HST and other units are stabled at Neville Hill. We pass an MML HST before we arrive at Leeds in bright sunshine at 12:10. A quick chat with the driver of the 158 confirms that we were following the 11:23 ex York stopper. He points it out as it departs.

My next train is the 12:19 Midland Main Line service to St. Pancras. 43077 is on the front and 43047 on the rear. I have the leading carriage to myself and there's no ticket check between Leeds and Sheffield. Lots of white smoke again when we turn southward and accelerate up the bank away from Leeds. I haven't travelled this line before. After a stop at Wakefield Westgate, we turn west at South Kirby Junction and join the Sheffield line. The track seems very rough south of Moorthorpe. After passing the dereliction of old industry, closed stations, and then the new Meadowhall complex, we arrive at Sheffield where the train pauses for 20 minutes before continuing to London.

I hope that the next Manchester Piccadilly service will be the green 101, as I had seen it on this service when I was en route to the open day at Toton. A 142 is on the 13:13 and another arrives to form the 14:02, so I decide to catch the 13:52 (which should be a 158) instead. I talk to a lad who is quite keen on 14x's - he asks me if I've seen them all, especially the Newcastle ones. I suppose that's pretty much all you get around here these days ...

Nothing much is happening at Sheffield, so I decide I might as well catch the Central Trains Norwich to Liverpool train, which leaves at 13:39 and maybe wait for the 13:52 at Stockport. 158849 and 862 form the 13:39. We wend our way through the trackwork south of Sheffield station and are soon taking the right-hand curve at Dore and into Totley tunnel.

We're back to semaphore land after we emerge from the tunnel. It's cloudy again too! I watch the pleasant Peak District scenery pass by. It gets more built up after we pass Chinley. After a short pause to join the main line, we pass the impressive signal boxes south of Stockport and arrive in the station. I decide to wait and catch the following train after all.

There's nothing much to see at Stockport either. The platform canopy supports have been repainted in blue and yellow. I catch the 14:33 NS service to Manchester Piccadilly. Virgin seem to be having problems with their DVT's, as 86227 "Sir Henry Johnson" is piloting 82150 on the 15:30 to Euston on platform 5. My train is on platform 7 - the 15:15 to Birmingham International, with 86231 "Starlight Express" at the head.

First class is at the front of the train and is a half-buffet (RFB?). Like the MML train, it's empty apart from me. Back out past Stockport. I notice the Trent and Mersey canal climbing, like us, towards its Harecastle Tunnel. At Kidsgrove, the orange water is clearly visible - the outflow from the old iron workings within the hillside. Just north of Stoke, a narrowboat is ascending the locks. More narrowboats are moored at Stone and again north of Wolverhampton.

We pass a Transrail-liveried 56 on a tanker train just north of Birmingham New Street. New Street itself is still the drab, depressing place that I remember. Luckily, we don't stay long, and we're soon at Birmingham International.

I consider catching the 17:16 Southampton train, but it is very crowded, so I opt for the 17:40 "Sussex Scot" (to Brighton) instead. This turns out to be a good idea, as it is not at all busy. 47839 is at the head. Tea is a spicy beanburger - not that spicy, but not too bad. My original plan was to take this train to Oxford and change there for a Paddington train but, because it's not busy, I decide to stay on until Reading and catch an HST into Paddington.

This train travels on the single track line between Coventry and Leamington Spa. I've not been this way before. There are more canal views between Leamington and Oxford - the Oxford canal this time. A pair of Tiphook piggyback wagons are in Didcot yard, along with 60's, 37's, 47's, a 58 and an 08. We are held up leaving Didcot Parkway for what looks like a train of car transporters to cross in front of us. We are held up again outside Reading, awaiting a free platform. When we arrive, the driver washes the windscreen using a brush and bucket.

There are lots of delayed eastbound trains shown. The 19:35 (ex Penzance) is shown as on time. It arrives with 43174 leading. However, it's full, so I opt to catch another train. The delayed 18:55 arrives shortly afterward (43141 leading) with lots of space. Presumably, most people traveling to London have caught the preceding train. I find a seat without any problems. We leave at 19:43, presumably after the 19:35 has got clear. The concourse at Paddington is impressive in the dark. Lots of people are there, even at gone 8pm on a Sunday evening.

I catch a Circle Line train to Euston. 90019 is at the head of the sleepers. It's a long train - load 16, I think. There's something about leaving a mainline terminus on the sleeper - a wonderful atmosphere. The walking down the long train and handing my reservation to the attendant, the fact that this is my first sleeper journey adds to the excitement. Plenty of time to stow my things before we leave. I look out of the door window as we depart - it's nice to be able to open the window. We are quietly overtaken by an EMU on a local service as we ascend Camden Bank.

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Day 2 (Monday)

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Introduction Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Timetable Mileages

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Text and photographs Copyright J.D.Coleman 1998.

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