It’s 29th September and I am up and ready for Day
4 of the Rail Rover. I have decided to trust the weather forecast saying it’s
going to be hot again and dressed appropriately. My first goal today is to get
to Lymington Pier, a place I have never been, and because it is on the map of
places I am allowed to visit with the Rail Rover I wanted to go there.
The 8.19am Sardine train arrived 150241 today, the
commuters, school children and other passengers shuffled to the doors all
hoping to get a seat, but some were to be unlucky has this was the service from
Bridgend and was nearly full to capacity on arrival. I tried to turn myself off to the surroundings on the journey
much like the regular passengers by reading a book, but the annoying clicking
from the numerous headphones kept my attention more than the book, and annoyed
me greatly.
Arriving at Cardiff Freightliner 66607 was on the blocks,
becoming a regular locomotive at Cardiff, but I have as yet failed to get a decent
photograph of it.
I decided on the usual 9am to Bristol Temple Meads, which
today, was to be 150249, I really cannot believe a Class 150 doing this long
journey to Plymouth every day.
The usual breakfast travelling the tunnels and a browse of
the book took most of the journey to Bristol, but something caught my attention glancing
out of the window, some sort of purple flowers everywhere along trackside. I peered and looked and eventually decided
they were Michaelmas Daisies, an unusual sight but very pleasing to the eye. These flowers were to be seen many times over and over the next few days travelling.
Bristol station was rather void of any train action
today, so I decided to just have a wander and take a few random photographs.
150239
158763
The Portsmouth Harbour train arrived today being 158959,
this is the one I remember the worse of the ones with closed up seats. There were lots of passengers with lots of cases,
so I presume there was a cruise ship in at Southampton. Everyone settled down but just before
Westbury there was an announcement, “This is an urgent message for passengers
travelling passed Westbury, and this train will terminate at Westbury due to a
fault on the train”. Now if that wasn’t
going to create panic nothing would, people running to their cases and getting
belongings together. Another
announcement” There will be a replacement train at the same platform within a
few minutes of this one arriving”, very odd I thought to myself they don’t have
replacement trains on standby at Westbury. Well we arrived and even more panic
set in, it seemed the replacement train was the one from Portsmouth going to
Cardiff, and they had received a similar message to change trains. You can imagine the panic of two three-car
trains actually swapping passengers all with a large amount of cases and
baggage to swap also. I took a slow walk
to the other platform to the toilets, trying to decide if I really wanted to go
any further on these trains, but then strolled back, the frantic change over
was still going on but I boarded the train and secured a seat. Considering the trains both gave out fault
on the train messages they both went back the way they had came hopefully with
the correct passengers on. I still have
not fathomed out the reasoning behind that exchange or which train did have an
actual if any problem.
I settled down again to watch the world and the
wonderful countryside views pass by.
The arrival at Southampton Central came very quickly and the same
frantic disembarking of passengers as was at Westbury, cases, baggage and coats
were going in all directions. Luckily I
knew that platform 4 was the departure platform for the fast service to
Brockenhurst, the station where I was to change for Lymington. I wasn’t in any rush unlike some so a stroll
over the walkway and to my surprise within minutes my next train was arriving,
for a change it was to be the 12.43pm Cross Country Trains 221140 Voyager
service to Bournemouth. The journey was
quick thirteen minutes to be precise, but passing through some wonderful New
Forest views. The next train to
Lymington was 13.12pm so a little wander around the station for a few
minutes
444045 at Brockenhurst with a service to Weymouth
The train to Lymington arrived in the shape of 158883, I
couldn’t help wishing it had been a year or so ago, has I think they were still
running the old 3 rail electric CIG slam door units on the route until May
2010 that would have been a nice experience. I think I would have probably done a few trips back and fore.
Another pleasant scenic route journey, viewed from a very
nice and spacious South West Trains class 158 slowly winding its way to its
destination.
We arrived at Lymington Pier and I was awe struck the
station was actually a pier, with the sea and marina to one side, the car park
for the ferry on the other. The Ferry
was in and just finishing loading passengers and vehicles, to my amazement one
being a Double Decker bus, before departing to Great Yarmouth. I checked on timings and sadly felt that
there was not enough time to take a trip on the ferry maybe another day. So instead I had a walk around this unusual
station and took some photographs.
158884
Never seen a station with a Lifebelt before
Getting restless to get more travel miles in, I returned to Brockenhurst on the next service the same 158884 so obviously this is a shuttle service. Again I was lucky and my next train was only a few minutes wait and was to be the 14.15pm South West Trains 444014 as far as Southampton, followed close behind by the 14.35pm South West Trains 158883 Southampton to Eastleigh. I planned a two hour stay at Eastleigh hopefully to get some decent photographs in the bag. I wasn’t to be disappointed there in full sun to greet me was GBRF 66705 “Golden Jubilee” just for starters, with some good photographs to follow.
66705 "Golden Jubilee"
450091
66572
66147
158885
An enjoyable 2 hours photography in warm sunshine came to an
end, has my next planned train was to be to Portsmouth Harbour and was to be
the 16.28pm South West Trains 450112.
My thoughts were now on something to eat has I had actually ran out of
munchies. On arrival at Portsmouth I
had a good half hour or more till my train so a brisk walk to the shoping precint and
specifically to the Pasty Presto shop, leek and bacon oh my yes please, I had
savoured one of these earlier in the year on a visit and just had to have
another. It was difficult not to eat
these lovely pasties straight away; yes I had bought two for the journey
back. The only obvious option was to
have an ice cream and sit and watch the boats and ferries till the time came
for my train to arrive.
The train arrived First Great Western 158952 and had to be
cleaned and water replenished in the flushing facilities before anyone was
allowed to board, I walked the train whilst waiting to board and planned my seat one with lots of leg
room.
The journey home was pleasant and disaster free
thankfully. The end of another
wonderful day, travelling with my Rail Rover Ticket.
My Collection of Railway Photographs Old and New
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