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With the 313s soon to depart for scrap, I had been ticking them off slowly until last month when I managed to tick off a lot in two attempts. It left me, or so I thought, two needed for haulage: 313210 & 313121.
Bold = Haulage, Red = Winner, All others are sightings.
Originally the days plan was to go out with the wife and either go for a nice walk in the country or pop to Cambridge and have a look around.With her constant illness since November 2022 she decided to stay home. Given the choise of being sat at home watching TV rubbish or getting out and about I knew which looked more enjoyable.
A look on one of the systems showed that 313210 was out to play and on the East Coastway and it aligned nicely with leaving at a reasonable time. Quickly washed and dressed I was ready. THere were no local services from Selhurst to East Croydon but there was a half hourly main line service from Platfor 3.
1J10 Victoria to Southampton Central/Bognor Regis (Selhurst to Gatwick Airport) 377443, 377161 [16m 19ch] non winners
Once on this one I looked up what trains were doing the Kings Lynn services as I was still after 387302, 304 and 201. BINGO! 201 was possible.
A quick look on RTT and I decided that I'd rather do a 387 to Brighton than a 700. I managed to get 1W24 Victoria to Brighton (Gatwick Airport to Brighton) 387212, 387207, 387217 [24m 02ch] non winners.
After my purchases I still had time so I wandered up platform 8 and waited for the arrival of the 313210. Of course the nerves kicked in of 'what if its been swapped out?' started but these disappeared as in rolled my target.
2C18 Brighton to Seaford (Brighton to Lewes) 313210 [7m 77ch] WINNER and cleared for 5 miles and class cleared for haulage.
A happy dance was performed (in my head only as NO ONE wants to see that) and of course the obligatory photos taken.
Chatting with Midland London on twitter as he was down on the West Coastway doing 313s as well. You should check out his YouTube Channel a look as he has some really good videos on there.
I had a little time at Lewes noting a few other enuthsiasts on the platform. Lewes really is a totally individual station and one day I may take a trip there to take lots of photos and try to write something about it.
1F21 Ore to Victoria (Lewes to East Croydon) 377447, 377412 [39m 46ch] non winners. En Route I was tempted to change at either Haywards Heath or Gatwick but I stayed on it all the way to East Croydon.
Standing on platform 2 I awaited my next move. It arrived in the form of the bum numbing class 700.
9S22 Brighton to Finsbury Park (East Croydon to St Pancras International) 700149 [13m 40ch] Non winner. Some of the Thameslink trains were being terminated at Finsbury Park due to engineering works.
A look at Traksy gave me the info that my train was on platform 10. I went in to Kings Cross and straight through the barriers and up the plaform to the front set and boarded.
1T30 Kings Cross to Kings Lynn (Kings Cross to Cambridge) 387108, 387109 [59m 28ch] non winners. Reading a teweet from Coastway Will saying he was on a train on platform 3 about to leave Kings Cross. As his train left ... I gave him a wave ... Quite daft but fun. The Rail Enthusiast community are a good bunch.
I quite like Cambridge station. It does have interesting operations with Greater Anglia, Thameslink, Great Northern and Cross Country and I find the use of the various platforms really intriguing.
The train back was the red devil. 1T37 Kings Lynn to Kings Cross (Cambridge to Kings Cross) 387201, 387116 [59m 28ch] 201 a winner. The journey back was a carbon copy of the outward one and over the Herford North line.
Back in to St Pancras and 9T43 Bedford to Bright (St Pancras International to East Croydon) 700134 [13m 40ch] non winner.
Then can on to Southern for the 1C43 Southampton Central/Bognor Regis to Victoria (East Croydon to Selhurst) 377128, 377466, 377215 [0m 77ch] non Winners.
When I was looking through my haulage log I realised that I had actually got 313121 as haulage when it was 313021 back in the BR days.