A bit of Class 68 bashing 27th & 28th April 2016

Wednesday 27th April 2016

Having had a couple of 68’s in Scotland almost a year ago I was hoping for a better bash when I got round to having a day out on them again. Having never done the Chiltern’s 68’s I had an appointment in London on Thursday 28th May so decided to head down to the smoke the previous day and stay overnight. As I left my ticket booking so late it was actually as cheap to go via Birmingham and get an advance single on Chiltern’s from Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone as it was to head direct up the ECML! So with my tickets booked, off I set………………

With a single from Conisbrough to Sheffield, an advance single from Sheffield to Derby, another from Derby to Birmingham New Street and yet another from Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone, all these tickets brought back memories of travelling from Conisbrough back in the 1980’s to do the Cambrian 37’s but sadly those days were long gone and there was no other option should things go Pete Tong nowadays!

Having figured out that I could actually get four of the five turns in during the day I set about executing my plan; which I have to say worked a dream but cost a bomb! At Moor Street I was pleased to find standard DRS loco 67009 arrive to form 1H33 1055 Birmingham Moor Street – Marylebone and even more pleased when I heard my name being called from behind me; when I found the legend that is Mutley sat waiting for the same train! It was shame my initial journey was only to Warwick Parkway with ‘009 and I had to say farewell to Mutley all too soon; it would probably end up being another few years before our paths crossed again!

Regular Chiltern’s loco 68012 was about 15′ late arriving into Warwick Parkway with 1R21 1010 Marylebone – Birmingham Moor Street and was nearly 25’ late by Moor Street after staggering from Tyseley. This left a little less time that anticipated for lunch but it sufficed and 68012 was sat waiting to whisk me to Marylebone when I got back; with 1H45 1255 Moor Street – Marylebone. I was very pleased with the empty train all the way to London, the cleanliness of it and just the general sociability of the train. With the plug doors though, and the fact the loco was at the rear of the train there wasn’t really a way of attempting to sample the thrash but that would be rectified later that evening.

With nothing else better to do with myself I hung around at Marylebone all afternoon, with the only constructive thing I did being the purchasing of a return ticket to Oxford Parkway. I had initially intended to do the 1721 Marylebone – Banbury to High Wycombe and wait there for the 1929 Oxford Parkway – Marylebone returning. As it was only £5 more for a return to Oxford Parkway it seemed like a good idea to do the 1721 Banbury to Haddenham & Thame Parkway for the 1818 Marylebone – Oxford Parkway through to destination and back.

Having watched 68012 head back towards Birmingham with 1K45 1615 Marylebone – Kidderminster, it wasn’t long before sets started to arrive for the evening commuters. Chiltern’s liveried 68010 arrived into platform 1 to form 1K50 1715 Marylebone – Kidderminster and DRS liveried 68008 arrived into platform 3 with the opening window set to form 1U50 1721 Marylebone – Banbury. 68008’s train wasn’t super wedged, as i’d expected it to be and there were quite a few seats remaining vacant on departure from Marylebone; so I stood at the front window on departure to find out what all the hype was about. I wasn’t there long and soon figured out that the hype was about nothing and decided that 68’s were pretty dull very quickly. I really did struggle to understand what all the hype was about and found the “noise” that 68’s did emit to soon die down to noting other than a drone. It’s a little hard to explain but I got the impression that most of the noise was actually internal to the loco and was nothing more than the reverberations within the engine room, as though the noise was bouncing about inside the loco, looking for a way out; if that makes some form of sense? Despite my lack of appreciation for the so called thrash, I was impressed with the locos as a whole. They did what was asked of them, did it quickly and did give the impression they were putting the power out at rail! Still, they were a bit dull from the cranking perspective; but as someone else said, in this day and age there is nothing else to compare against on the main line so this is it, like it or leave it!

While waiting at Haddenham & Thame Parkway I expected to see DRS 68009 pass through with 1K54 1815 Marylebone – Kidderminster but Chiltern’s 68013 arrived first with 1T54 1818 Marylebone – Oxford Parkway and I was Oxford Parkway bound. It was standing room only to Bicester Village and the train emptied out a bit. The newly laid track on the branch to Oxford Parkway was a smooth ride but buffer stops firmly planted in the way beyond Oxford Parkway showed that the through route to Oxford wouldn’t be open in the immediate future; and until it was buses were operating between Oxford and Oxford Parkway.

The return journey to Marylebone was a quiet one, a fast one and an early arrival into London; which is always a bonus. Despite my lack of appreciation for the noise 68’s give out, or don’t, I would attempt to get the 5th turn in the following day during my time in London festering about waiting for a visa to be processed.

Gen for the day:

68008 – 1H06 0610 Banbury – Marylebone, 1U50 1721 Marylebone – Banbury

68009 – 1Y12 0724 Oxford Parkway – Marylebone, 1R15 0841 Marylebone – Moor Street, 1H33 1055 Moor Street – Marylebone, 1R33 1310 Marylebone – Moor Street, 1H62 1555 Moor Street – Marylebone, 1K54 1815 Marylebone – Kidderminster

68010 – 1H15 0609 Kidderminster – Marylebone, 1K50 1715 Marylebone – Kidderminster

68012 – 1H22 0705 Kidderminster – Marylebone, 1R21 1010 Marylebone – Moor Street, 1H45 1255 Moor Street – Marylebone, 1K45 1615 Marylebone – Kidderminster

68013 – 1H17 0638 Stourbridge Jn – Marylebone, 1T54 1818 Marylebone – Oxford Parkway, 1Y75 1929 Oxford Parkway – Marylebone

Thursday 28th April 2016

I was rather hoping that 68010, the one I’d missed the previous day, would drop out on the Stourbridge turn but unfortunately DRS 68009 worked 1H17 0638 Stourbridge Junction – Marylebone instead; which I didn’t find out until I was already en-route to Wembley Stadium so continued on my way anyway. A stroke of luck though revealed that 68010 would be working 1H45 1255 Moor Street – Marylebone, which meant that once I’d dropped my passport at the high commission in Shepherds Bush I could do 1R33 1310 Marylebone – Moor Street out to High Wycombe for it back in; and so I did, with 68013 producing for 1R33 on the way out. 68010 dropped me nicely back into Marylebone and gave me just enough time to get back to the high commission to collect my passport.

While I wasn’t overly impressed with the 68’s, my Chiltern’s bash had been long overdue; will I do it again? Of course, but when the locos had been swapped about a bit and it was worthwhile spending the money on tickets, with not being PRIV!

Gen for the day:

68008 – 1H06 0610 Banbury – Marylebone, 1U50 1721 Marylebone – Banbury

68009 – 1H17 0638 Stourbridge Jn – Marylebone, 1T54 1818 Marylebone – Oxford Parkway, 1Y75 1929 Oxford Parkway – Marylebone

68010 – 1H22 0705 Kidderminster – Marylebone, 1R21 1010 Marylebone – Moor Street, 1H45 1255 Moor Street – Marylebone, 1K45 1615 Marylebone – Kidderminster

68012 – 1H15 0609 Kidderminster – Marylebone, 1K50 1715 Marylebone – Kidderminster

68013 – 1Y12 0724 Oxford Parkway – Marylebone, 1R15 0841 Marylebone – Moor Street, 1H33 1055 Moor Street – Marylebone, 1R33 1310 Marylebone – Moor Street, 1H62 1555 Moor Street – Marylebone, 1K54 1815 Marylebone – Kidderminster

Photos from the venture: