Nottingham to Nailsea & Backwell (1^st April 2010)

Story

The spring term at university had ended, and I decided to go home for a fortnight or so, luckily the signallers' strike was called off. My stated intention was to get home by as interesting a route as possible, and preferably a fairly cheap way. Admittedly "cheap" is relative - it cost me £40 one-way, versus generally around £35 return, but it was cheaper than going via London. I left university fairly early, and en-route one of the wheels on my (heavy) bag broke, leading to somewhat of an afternoon of misery dragging it. I picked up my five single tickets, which of course you need to pick up separately, and then found I couldn't get through the ticket gates, because you're only allowed on a train with a young person's railcard before 10am if your ticket is over £12, and my ticket (the first of them) was £8 - Nottingham to Tamworth. While waiting in the concourse I got a pigeon crapping on my backpack, which really helped improve my mood. I finally got onto the platform at around 9:45, and due to my bag really couldn't go far, so I just stood waiting, trying to get decent photos under the road bridge. Generally failing. EWS 66021 turned up while my back was turned, and then when I again turned my back tooted its horn very loudly, scaring the crap out of me. Eventually CrossCountry 170107 with the service to Cardiff Central turned up, and so I got on, just about managing to push my bag into one of the overhead racks. Derby was not particularly interesting - I've been through it too many times for that - but Tamworth I enjoyed. I'd always wanted to be able to see over the wall when we stopped there previously, but it's rather too tall. Now, I was finally able to see it.

Tamworth is a cross-over - the Cross-Country Route crosses over the West Coast Main Line, which is my second-favourite Coast Main Line. Lots of Pendolinos blowing through at high speed. I wandered around the lower level a bit, then got on London Midland 350117 with the slow service to London Euston, and had my first bit of new track for the day. I got off again at Rugby, which I'd visited in 2009 and quite liked. I was meant to stay for about 25mins, but found there was a second service on to Coventry about 20mins later, so let the first service go. I'd managed to have lunch on the train to Rugby, so scrapped my "lunch at Coventry idea" in favour of more time at somewhere I knew to be interesting. That was good as Coventry turned out to be boring. I got my first ride on a Class 390 Virgin Pendolino between the two stations, and I have to say I wasn't impressed - the windows are small, the cabin is cramped and it's all rather dark. It also has ridiculous amounts of first class - almost half the train in fact. Though intriguingly the platform area for First Class passengers was the only bit not under cover.  As noted, Coventry was boring - dull, grey, damp and boringly boxy. I saw a few 350s, some 390s and after 20 minutes got on CrossCountry 221127 with the service to Bournemouth, and my second section of new track.

I got off the train at Leamington Spa, a nice GWR-style station, and started talking to a fellow trainspotter. I'd intended to take the Chiltern Railways service as far as Banbury, but a Wrexham & Shropshire service which I didn't know about turned up, so I got on that, with the Chiltern train waiting just outside the station. 67014 hauled the train, which seemed quite well-appointed, and as it was an old carriage had the advantage of having windows you can stick your head out of. I thoroughly approve. I left the train at Banbury, which was another quite depressing station - fairly 60s, uninspiring and damp. I saw CR 165014 in the sidings, and then 168217, which I had meant to take originally, passed by, honking its horn at us as we waved. I decided to leave quickly rather than wait, and took CrossCountry's service from Edinburgh Waverley to Reading, made up of 220013. It wasn't a particularly busy train, and I got off as soon as we reached Oxford, which appeared to have a load of sidings for Class 165 and 166 DMUs for Thames Valley services. I wasn't very impressed - it seemed quite dull, although very busy with hordes of people on the northbound platform. I took the next train out of there, made up of First Great Western's 166220. We passed by Didcot Parkway, and then eastbound along the Great Western Main Line until we reached Reading, racing 165102/165132 from Tilehurst. As we passed by Reading TMD I saw 165109 missing the front carriage, which is an unusual look.

We arrived into Reading at about half past three, 166220 carried on its way to London Paddington and I started wandering around platforms 5, 6, 7 and 8. My train from Banbury, 220013, was sitting in the bay platform and I had a quick chat to the driver. He suggested that I was wasting my time taking photos of it as it was horrible to be in, horrible to look at, and horrible to drive. I can't say I've ever had a particular dislike for Voyagers. For the overcrowding they tend to suffer, sure, and I agree they aren't that good to look at, but they're not too bad. Our chat was cut short when he had to go back to train driving, and so I went down to the London end and looked over to the third rail electrified platforms, which had 458006 and 458013 sitting there. I do like 458s. The darkness and rain started drawing in, so after around 45 minutes in Reading I got on the 1613 First Great Western service to Swansea, hauled by 43070 and tailed by 43150. I sat down and read a book for most of the journey, heading through Tilehurst, Goring & Streatley and Cholsey for the second time that day, and, from Wootton Basset onwards, on what was for me new tracks until Westerleigh Junction with the Cross-Country Route. For the first time I changed at Bristol Parkway, on to First Great Western 150233 with the service to Weston-super-Mare. The final new experience of the trip was at Bristol Temple Meads, where Network Rail's 950001 was sitting at one of the Great Western Main Line platforms. Twenty minutes later I got off the station at Nailsea & Backwell, and finally got a hand with my stupid broken bag, and then home. My longest single rail journey ever. I feel that my new section from Coventry to Reading was a bit disappointing, but overall it was quite fun. Just it would have been more fun if my bag had two working wheels.

Route

Nottingham  ·  Beeston  ·  Attenborough  ·  Long Eaton  ·  Spondon  ·  Derby  ·  Peartree  ·  Willington  ·  Burton on Trent  ·  Tamworth (change)  ·  Polesworth  ·  Atherstone  ·  Nuneaton  ·  Rugby (change)  ·  Coventry (change)  ·  Leamington Spa (change)  ·  Banbury (change)  ·  Kings Sutton  ·  Heyford  ·  Tackley  ·  Oxford (change)  ·  Radley  ·  Culham  ·  Appleford  ·  Cholsey  ·  Goring & Streatley  ·  Pangbourne  ·  Tilehurst  ·  Reading (change)  ·  Tilehurst  ·  Pangbourne  ·  Goring & Streatley  ·  Cholsey  ·  Didcot Parkway  ·  Swindon  ·  Bristol Parkway (change)  ·  Filton Abbey Wood  ·  Stapleton Road  ·  Lawrence Hill  ·  Bristol Temple Meads  ·  Bedminster  ·  Parson Street  ·  Nailsea & Backwell

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