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With the weather being so cold recently and this time oif year being a hard one I thought I'd venture out but not too far. And if I'm not going to far I shoud try and get a couple of line ticked off!
Brief Description.
Bold = Haulage, RED = Winner, All others are sightings.
With the alarm going off at the same time as a normal weekday I managed to crawl into the shower and get sorted enough for a cup of tea (Got to be Yorkshire Tea) and I left the house inorder to catch the first train of the day.
2B15 Selhurst to Clapham Junction 377133, 377415 non winner [6m 60ch]
At Clapham I went straight to platform 9 and the Costa to get a bacon roll and bottle of water. I can't recommend the bacon rolls in Costa! Hard roll and overly fatty bacon - a real disappointment.
Back on to the bridge to eyeball some of hte cl.701s that are frequently stabled there. Today tehre were the following: 701037, 701036, 701058, 701512, 701509.
Back to platform 9 for my train and only a short time to wait to catch 1L17 Clapham Junction to Salisbury 159003,159008 159003 a winner [79m 42ch]
I had forgotten just how great the cl.159s are and the seats are so much more comfortable that I remember. My only gripe is that they don't have power sockets but I always carry my power bank and leads with me in case.
For this trip I took my >a href="https://www.trackmaps.co.uk/railway-track-products/railway-track-diagrams/railway-track-diagrams-book-5-southern-tfl/" target="_blank">Track Maps rail atlas with me and followed my trip on it. Watching the ice ladened water made me appriciate the heaters on the train. We stopped just outside Salisbury to allow an outgoing unit pass before arriving in about 2 minutes late.
I manged to snatch a better photo of 159003 at Salisbury before hot footing it over to platform 6 (a new platform for me to travel from) to catch 2R34 Salisbury to Romsey via Southampton Central, Eastleigh and Chandler's Ford 158885 winner [42m 53ch]
Does anything use platform 5 at Salisbury I'm womndering?
Anyway, we set off nicely and the trip was ontime and very enjoyable. The class 158s Super Sprinters like their sister 159s are comfortable. Built back in the halcyon days of British Rail when trains were made with style, comfort and were a pleasure to travel on.
Between Redbridge and Millbrook there were a lot of stabled locos there:
Back at Romsey I had 50 minutes to wait for my next train so I decided to take a walk to find food. There is not a lot at the station and when you exit it there isn't anything much to see. However, I walked down the road (station approch) and at the lights turned left. If you walk along the road you will come across a mini roundabout and the enterance to a Waitrose. In less than 20 minutes I was there and back on the station.
If you are in Romsey why not visit the Romsey Signal Box?
I saw a poster in one of the windows of platform one and now I have had a look at the website it might be one to go back there to visit it myself. It does look interesting!
Next leg of the trip was 1F11 Romsey to Fratton 166212 winner [27m 49ch]
The train crosses over a number of points and passes through St. Deny's platform 3 as it heads for the coast. There are some lovely views long the line over various bodies of water. A lot of them did look pretty frozen in places.
St Deny's to JN
At Fratton I only had 20 minutes so I just got mself a drink and waited for my train. Of course a couple of Southern units appeared there to haunt me!
Eventually in case my train 1T46 Fratton to Waterloo 450090, 450089, 450049 non winners [93m 55ch].
I had expected this to be a 8 car so a 12 car was welcome. Also I had intended to bail out at Woking and catch the diesels that had started in Exeter to Clapham Junction but I had already had them earleir in the day. Also a track fault between Fareham and Botley meant we limped along at 5mph. This plus other residule dealys meant the trin arrived into Waterloo 9 late (it had been about 15 late at one point).
Fareham JN to Eastleigh via portsmouth Single Line
A quick dash at Waterlok saw me catch 2U47 Waterloo to Claham Junction 458831, 458836 winners (I have had them before they were cnverted in to 458/5s)( [3m 74ch]
Then on to 2B80 Clapham Junction to Selhurst 377107 non winner [6m 60ch].
A 4 care on that was packed!
All in all a really good day.