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It's quite enlightening that may of my reports stat with "I was up at stupid O'Clock! In fact in my younger days 7am was too early.
Yet here I am in my 50s getting up at an unGodly hours!
I'd recently been talking to a mate about train lines and the dicussion evolved to the Trams routes in the UK. I've done most of the Croydon Tramlink, which is surprising considering it's pretty much on my doorstep. So my plan was to do at least two other networks by the end of the year. And each one a day on their own.
First I considered which was the shortest and fesible to do in a day. Shortest/least Complicated was problably the Edinburgh Trams but that's a long trip just to do that. Maybe next time.
Next choice was Birmingham but I had been there recently and decided against it. The answer was the Nottingham Express Transit system.
There are basically just two lines.
9R02 East Croydon to St Pancras International 700045 Non Winner
The first train of my day. At St Pancras I had a little time so I visited Greggs and boarded my train with a bacon and Sausage roll.
1D08 St Pancras International to Nottingham 222013 Non winner.
Another trip up the Midland Mainline aboard a cl.222 Faraday cage. Literally that line has little coverange and I seem to struggle to get any connection aboard one.
At Nottingham I stopped long enough to purchase an all day ticket on the NET App on my phone. To me full use of the tram network all day for the price of £5.30 seems like really good value. I certainly made use of it. Note: All trams were winners.
Nottingham Station to Pheonix Park 218
Pheonix Park to David Lane 213
David Lane to Hucknall 230
Hucknall to Wilkinson Road 207
At Wilkinson Road I alighted and walked across the large carpark and had a look at teh depot though the fence. There were a fair few trams visible as well.
Wilkinson Road to Clifton South 237
Clifton South to Nottingham Station 228
Nottingham Station to Toton Lane 214
It was here that I decided to take a walk to Toton Bank Top from the tram stop. Whilst it was good to visit there again it was a bit of a mistake too!
Google maps told me to take this alleyway. It wasn't too bad at first but soon became rather muddy. Not a prblem as I was able to circumnavigate the worst bits. Then there was the field. Slippery in places. But it was the footpath between the field and some housing that was terrible. Thick mud, big puddles and razor sharp thorns. Lets just say there was rather a lot of swearing involved.
At the Bank Top the view over Toton Depot is great. I do recommend havig a 300mm lens to get the numbers of some of the locos on depot. A greater lens, i.e. over 300mm, would be a God send to be honest.
The stored class 60s are a sorry sight there. Three lines of locos that in their day were quality and strong machnes. It's such a sahme to see them rotting away.
In total there were 78 locos noted down but there were many others there that I couldn't get:
At the Trams stop I scrapped some of the mud off my trainers and trousers! nd boarded the next leg of my trip.
Toton Lane to Lace Market 223
Here I sought out a Wetherspoons for a late lunch before heading back.
Lace Market to Nottingham Station 220
1B61 Nottingham to St Pancras Internaional 222005
Back on a class 222 Faraday cage and back to London.
9J45 St Pancras International to East Croydon 700104
2J48 East Croydon to Selhurst 377307, 377311