---

Day 5 : Thursday 30 August 2001

Grey and wet this morning. We're put on the slow line before Watford Junction. A couple of 67's are moving in Willesden yard. We slow a few times before arriving in Euston at 07:06. The Victoria Line is busy. The 08:02 to Brighton is announced at 07:52, on platform 15. It's Connex liveried 1865. Slam doors and opening compartment windows. There's a new Gatwick Express 460001 next to us on platform 14 and the old order on platform 13.

Streams of commuters arrive. There's a last minute rush for our train. Over the river past the unmistakable Battersea Power Station. The rain has almost stopped. Over the lines from Waterloo, and then down next to them at Clapham Junction. Lots of trains, lots of people waiting. A pair of 37's on the LSW lines. The Gat-Ex's are split about 50/50 - a new unit had passed us just before Clapham Junction, a 73 passes us at Streatham Common. Another series of junctions and flyovers at Selhurst - I see two stationary trains. Our first stop is East Croyden - lots of people waiting for London trains. Whistles blow frantically, London trains depart. Only a short blast on the whistle for us.

Terraces and high-rise flats start to give way to semi's. We take the Quarry line at Stoats Nest Junction. One the Redhill line, the trees have been cut down and the cutting sides covered with netting just south of where we cross over. A long stretch of rail on the up line catches my eye - it's not shiny all across the top surface - just in a narrow strip along the middle. Presumably, it's not been in too long. Earleswood and we're back alongside the Redhill line. We come to a stand north of Horley, but are soon moving again. A plane (737?) lands just as we pass the end of the runway at Gatwick Airport. The runway lights shine brightly. 66066 is on a train of EWS box wagons just south. Derelict sidiings and wagons at Three Bridges. Over the impressive balustraded viaduct south of Balcombe.

After Hassocks, a steep ridge marks the South Downs. A couple of tunnels then dropping down past Preston Park to Brighton. 47750 "Atlas" is on the back as 09025 brings in the 09:20 VT departure. Another impressive overall roof. Here the colour scheme is blue ironwork and white wood. A jolt and a smoky departure from Brighton. Back again to arrive at Gatwick Airport at 09:45. A 460 is held on the down fast waiting for the Edinburgh train to depart. It's 460005. I wait to see what's on the 10:20. It's another 460 - 007. I decide to catch the earlier train at 10:05. There's not as much legroom on the 460 as on the 175 that I travelled on yesterday. And, why don't the seats line up with the windows? I guess that train designers have decided that most people don't want to see out. 60072 and a blue/grey 59 at the stone terminal at Purley. East Croyden is still busy. We come to a stand on Grosvenor Bridge. A boat heads down river and a plane (for Heathrow?) comes across almost directly overhead. 73210 heads south. We move up one signal, and move on again to arrive at 10:37. I head for Motor Books near Leicester Square. I don't find anything, so I head for Waterloo.

At Waterloo, there is scaffolding under the platform canopy, making it dark and gloomy. The London Eye turns slowly, visible over the roof of the Eurostar terminal. Freshly painted 159006 and 020 are the 12:35 to Exeter. Only 006 is going past Salisbury though. Trains arrive and depart, almost all in the same SWT livery. The exceptions are the 442's, the 159's and the 158 on the Milford Haven (!) service, which is still in Regional Railways livery. We depart on time, and arrive at Clapham Junction (on the slow lines this time). Past Wimbledon and Surbiton. The line here is paired by direction. 442421 is in the bay at Woking with 73109 "Battle of Britain" attached. A number of railtrack MPV's and track machines are in the yard.

A couple of 458's are stabled outside Basingstoke. A Virgin HST arrives as we depart. The sun is almost breaking through the clouds, but it's still quite grey - I can only just make out the hills to the south. We curve eastward under Battledown Flyover. I've not travelled on this line before. Whitchurch - I don't see any sign of the DNS line. Lots of cars in the station car park at Andover. On to jointed track - we clatter through the rolling countryside at a fair pace. Through Salisbury Tunnel and to Salisbury station where 159020 will return to Waterloo. A 66 and a 58 head east on a short tank train. The interconnecting doors and the train doors are shut. There's a clonk and we're uncoupled. We're off a minute or so later.

We leave the line to Westbury and start the singled section. The signalman watches as we leave Gillingham. There are windowboxes under the box windows. Templecombe - the platform is more a well-tended garden. Back onto double track after the station. A 159 passes us heading east just before Yeovil Junction. There are a couple of brake vans at the South West Main Line Steam Company's base and a number of rusty small diesel shunters on the othe side of the station. A few boats moored on the lake behind the dam, a number of canada geese on the shore. Dark grey clouds threaten rain as we approach Honiton. A Hercules is flying slowly overhead. Another 159 waits for us to arrive. The scenery has changed as we've headed west - from gentle, rolling hills to wider valleys with more pronounced lines of hills. More buildings are stone rather than brick too.

The train has emptied out as we travelled west. A each station, more people get off than get on. By the time we reach Exeter Central, there are only a handful on board. There's not much at Exeter Central - a large station with an air of abandonment and decay. Steeply down, through the tunnel and we arrive at St. Davids on time at 15:43. 159013, on the 15:45 to Waterloo, is receiving fitters' attention. It doesn't seem too serious, as the train leaves at 15:51. There are a lot of mail bags on trolleys on platform 5. At 16:11, 67017 arrives with a mail train. It seems compact and is quiet when idling. There's a level crossing at the north end of the station. It's wide enough that people can't walk across before the barriers are down, so there are pedestrian gates that don't lock. Because of this, a Railtrack man guards the crossing. However, people cross between trains while the barriers remain lowered.

43131 "Sir Felix Pole" and 43169 "The National Trust" are stabled in platform 6 - this will be the 17:30 to Paddington. I originally planned to catch this, but I decide to catch the 16:57 to Leeds instead, as it arrives behind 47817 "The Institution of Mechanical Engineers". I take the last photo on the film of 47817, but I don't realise that it doesn't rewind properly, so I open the back of the camera on the film. Annoying! I check train times and decide to catch this train to Birmingham for the 20:00 to Paddington (from Liverpool). Across the flat lands, through Taunton and Tiverton. The hills get nearer as we approach Bristol, where we arrive 7 minutes before our departure time. The HST that pulls into the opposite platform also stands for a while. We move off first. There's bright sunshine to the south, but it's very dark to the north, as we come down onto the Midland line to Birmingham. It's raining heavily by Cheltenham Spa. We get a signal check just before the Lickey, so we have a slow run up. The train comes in via Bourneville and University, running alongside the canal.

The 20:00 arrives behind 86222 "Clothes Show Live". A Voyager comes in on platform 9 to form the 20:00 to Brighton. 47841 "Spirit of Chester" arrives (presumably from Saltley - it wasn't sitting in the station) and is coupled on. We're 6 late leaving Reading (we lost most of that between Birmingham and Leamington) but we still arrive on time at 22:38. 47814 "Abertawe Landore" is on the rear of the sleepers, but there's nothing on the front. 47709 "Dionysus" (Fragonset) finally arrives at 23:47. We're away at 23:56, but we don't have any ETS.

---

Day 6 (Friday)

---

Introduction Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Timetable Mileages

---

Text and photographs Copyright J.D.Coleman 2001.

---