Round Trips

[Trident 4194]

5/8/17

NXWM 1906, 52, Hassop Road to Birmingham.
NXWM 6103, 9, Colmore Row to Halesowen Bus Station.
Diamond 30492, 4H, Halesowen Bus Station to Blackheath.
NXWM 4240, 127, Blackheath to Colmore Row.
NXWM 7020, 52, Birmingham to Hassop Road.

Glad to see you travelled on 6103, the best mmc in the PN fleet. 30492 is also a powerful bus.

[Jack]

Glad to see you travelled on 6103, the best mmc in the PN fleet. 30492 is also a powerful bus.

6103 is always a fast one. 30492 felt quite slow.

[Jack]

7/8/17

NXWM 7023, 52, Hassop Road to Birmingham.
NXWM 2215, 37, Birmingham to Poplar Road.
NXWM 6853, X2,  Poplar Road to Birmingham.
NXWM 4932, 60, Birmingham to Cranes Park.
NXWM 4449, 60, Cranes Park to Birmingham.
NXWM 1792, 17, Birmingham to Tile Cross.
NXWM 1789, 17, Tile Cross to Hob Moor Road.
NXWM 4226, 73, Hob Moor Road to Heartlands Hospital.
NXWM 1863, 28, Heartlands to Jaguar Chester Road.
NXWM 4913, 67, Jaguar Chester Road to Birmingham.
NXWM 1928, 52, Birmingham to Hassop Road.

[Kevin]

Round trip to Reading for a gig this last weekend - without using Cross Country, because of reasons

Sat 5th
LM 170501 - 07:11 Hamstead to New Street
LM 170507 - 07:49 New Street to Bromsgrove
--- Day working at scout campsite nearby ---
LM 170510 - 15:10 Bromsgrove to Worcester Foregate Street
GWR "253001" (heritage livery power car 43002 no idea what was on the back) - 16:04 Worcester Shrubb Hill to Reading

Sunday 6th
GWR 165114 - 10:32 Reading West to Maidenhead
GWR 165135 - 11:35 Maidenhead to Marlow
Arriva The Shires 3007 - 800 - 13:04 Marlow to Henley-on-Thames
GWR 165129 - 13:48 Henley-on-Thames to Twyford
GWR 165128 - 14:03 Twyford to Reading
GWR 43021/020 - 13:50 (40 mins late) Reading to London Paddington
Bakerloo line - Paddington to Oxford Circus
Victoria Line - Oxford Circus to Euston
LM 350373 - 15:50 London Euston to Rugby (completely forgot the previous Birmingham train would still be waiting at Northampton so watched it leave....)
LM 350123 - 18:17 Rugby to Birmingham New Street
NXWM 4859 - 19:12 Bull Street to Scott Arms

[Jack]

30492 is also a powerful bus.

I remembered you said 30492 was the only sluggish 4/4H branded bus in the Passenger Reviews thread. When I rode it was slow and sluggish. So how have your opinions changed? @Trident 4194

[Kevin]

12th August 2017 - Pilgrimage to Berney Arms...

NXWM 4866 - 51 - 04:40 Scott Arms to City Centre
XC 170116 - 05:22 Birmingham New Street to Peterborough
--- wetherspoons breakfast ---
EMT 158846 - 08:58 Peterborough to Norwich
GA 170272 - 11:36 Norwich to Berney Arms
--- walk along the broads to Great Yarmouth ---
GA 68028/005 - 13:55 Great Yarmouth to Norwich
GA 156412 - 14:58 Norwich to Lowestoft
GA 156419 - 16:07 Lowestoft to Ipswich
GA 170204 - 17:58 Ipswich to March
XC 170398 - 19:32 March to Stamford
XC 170116 - 21:05 Stamford to Birmingham New Street
--- out for a couple of drinks so I could manage the first and last bus on the same day ---
NXWM 4857 - 51 - 01:02 City Centre to Scott Arms

[Jack]

Yesterday - 12/8/17

NX 7021, 52, Hassop Road to City.
NX 4938, 63, City to Longbridge.
NX 4901, 45, Longbridge to City Markets. (Great bus!)
NX 4287, 16, Markets to Hamstead Village.
NX 763, 54, Hamstead Village to One Stop.
NX 4853, 33, One Stop to City.
NX 4629, 14, City to Chemsley Wood Shopping Centre.
NX 4481, 94, Chemsley to City. (My baby!)
NX 7033 , 52, City to Hassop Road.

[Cheese]

12th August 2017 - Pilgrimage to Berney Arms...

NXWM 4866 - 51 - 04:40 Scott Arms to City Centre
XC 170116 - 05:22 Birmingham New Street to Peterborough
--- wetherspoons breakfast ---
EMT 158846 - 08:58 Peterborough to Norwich
GA 170272 - 11:36 Norwich to Berney Arms
--- walk along the broads to Great Yarmouth ---
GA 68028/005 - 13:55 Great Yarmouth to Norwich
GA 156412 - 14:58 Norwich to Lowestoft
GA 156419 - 16:07 Lowestoft to Ipswich
GA 170204 - 17:58 Ipswich to March
XC 170398 - 19:32 March to Stamford
XC 170116 - 21:05 Stamford to Birmingham New Street
--- out for a couple of drinks so I could manage the first and last bus on the same day ---
NXWM 4857 - 51 - 01:02 City Centre to Scott Arms

Bizarrely, I did 68028/005 on Saturday as well, on the 1155 from Great Yarmouth to Norwich, having had GA 156407 from Ipswich to Lowestoft, then FEC 32062 W422SRP on the 1 from Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth.  Great bit of thrash from that pair, hope it was a good walk along the Broads, good day for a walk, not too hot in that part of East Anglia on Sat.

[Kevin]

Bizarrely, I did 68028/005 on Saturday as well, on the 1155 from Great Yarmouth to Norwich, having had GA 156407 from Ipswich to Lowestoft, then FEC 32062 W422SRP on the 1 from Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth.  Great bit of thrash from that pair, hope it was a good walk along the Broads, good day for a walk, not too hot in that part of East Anglia on Sat.

Was indeed a cracking day for a walk, not an easy walk though some of that footpath was fairly overgrown . Was a toss up between up to Great Yarmouth or the other way back to Reedham, but I figured I'd just about make the 13:55 to ride the 68s

[2206]

A few trips I had this week while in Cornwall.
6/8/17 -
AG 11C - 4509 - to Yardley Swan.
BC X1 - 6843 -  Yardley Swan to Birmingham Airport.
Flybe - Birmingham Airport to Newquay Airport.
Taxi to Portreath.
First Kernow A4 -  33422 - 15:15 Portreath to Hayle Towans.
First Kernow A4 - 33422 - 16:32 Hayle Towans to Portreath

8/8/17 -
First Kernow A4 - 33173(?) - 11:15 Portreath to St Ives.
First GWR - class 150 - st ives to st erth - supposed to be the most scenic line in the country, according to a leaflet I picked up while down in St Ives.
First GWR - class 431 - st erth to Penzance.
First GWR - class 431 - Penzance to St Erth (15:59 to London Pandington) - same train.
First GWR -  Same class 150 - St Erth to St Ives.
First Kernow T2 - 33454 - St Ives to Hayle Towans.
First Kernow A4 - 32200 - 18:32 Hayle Towans to Portreath.

9/8/17 -
First Kernow A4 - 33173 - Portreath to St Ivea.
First Kernow A2 - 32202 - St Ive to Marazion.
First Kernow A2 - 32104 - Marazion to St Ives.
First Kernow A4 - U1/U2 Branded E400 MMC - I think it was 33470.

10/8/17 -
First Kernow A4 - 33173 - 11:13 Portreath to St Ives.
First Kernow A4 - 33173 - 16:15 St Ives to Portreath.

Evening of 11/8/17 -
First Kernow A4 - 33173 - 17:05 Portreath to Perranporth.
First Kernow 87 - 33176 - Perranporth to Truro.
First Kernow 47 - 42558 - Truro to Portreath.

12/8/17 -
First Kernow A4 - 33172 (A5 Branded President bodied Trident)  - 09:13 Portreath to St Ives - Lovely route!
First Kernow A4 - 32759 (East Lancs Bodies Trident) - 16:15 St Ives to Portreath

13/8/17 -
Taxi to Newquay Airport.
Flybe - Newquay Airport to Birmingham Airport
AG X12 - 6709 - Birmingham Airport to Bromford, Farmhurst Road.

In Cornwall the A4 has the most variety, this week i've seen, A5 Branded President bodied tridents, First liveried president bodied tridents, a U1/U2 Branded E400, a U1/U2 Branded E400 MMC, a open top atlantic coaster presiden bodied volvo b7tl, an atlantic coaster scania single deck and a east lancs bodied dennis trident, 33173 spent a large portion of the newquay board, with a mixture also turning up on there and the 09:15 Portreath to St Ives and 18:15 St Ives to Portreath, having a wide.
Apologies if some of those fleetnumbers got mixed up.

[DJ]

14/08/17

NXWM 1756 - WA13 - Tipton to Dudley Castle Gate
NXWM 6788 - WN126 - Dudley Castle Gate to Birmingham
NXWM 6847 - BCX1 - Birmingham to Coventry Pool Meadow

Had a look round the transport museum and then picked up a few things from CeX.

NXC E400 - CV12X - Somewhere in the city centre to Coventry Train Station

VTWC 390020 - Coventry to New Street
LM 170513+170515 - New Street to Sandwell and Dudley

NXWM Scania OmniLink - WA/PN4H - Sandwell and Dudley to Oldbury
NXWM 2104 - PN120 - Oldbury to Dudley
NXWM 1859 - WA11 - Dudley to Tipton

Wasn't a bad day out, to be honest. I really should catch the X1 more though, it's a lovely journey once you get out of Birmingham and into the country.

[Dylanbusboy45]

14/08/17

NXWM 1756 - WA13 - Tipton to Dudley Castle Gate
NXWM 6788 - WN126 - Dudley Castle Gate to Birmingham
NXWM 6847 - BCX1 - Birmingham to Coventry Pool Meadow

Had a look round the transport museum and then picked up a few things from CeX.

NXC E400 - CV12X - Somewhere in the city centre to Coventry Train Station

VTWC 390020 - Coventry to New Street
LM 170513+170515 - New Street to Sandwell and Dudley

NXWM Scania OmniLink - WA/PN4H - Sandwell and Dudley to Oldbury
NXWM 2104 - PN120 - Oldbury to Dudley
NXWM 1859 - WA11 - Dudley to Tipton

Wasn't a bad day out, to be honest. I really should catch the X1 more though, it's a lovely journey once you get out of Birmingham and into the country.

I agree with you there. The X1 is my favourite NX route, I especially like how varied the route is from frequent stopping out of Coventry to country lanes to fast running down dual carriageways

[Jack]

I agree with you there. The X1 is my favourite NX route, I especially like how varied the route is from frequent stopping out of Coventry to country lanes to fast running down dual carriageways

The buses on it are great beasts. That's why I like it most. I do like Meridan aswell.

[DJ]

I agree with you there. The X1 is my favourite NX route, I especially like how varied the route is from frequent stopping out of Coventry to country lanes to fast running down dual carriageways

The only part I disliked was coming out of Birmingham along the Coventry Road, mostly due to the poor condition of the road itself. I reckon the best part is going around the edge of the airport, since you don't usually get to go down there unless you're on a bus. I would've caught the X1 back but I would only just be getting home now if I did. It's a great route though, and it's made better by having free WiFi nowadays, so I just browsed here and Reddit on my iPad while watching the scenery.

The buses on it are great beasts. That's why I like it most. I do like Meridan aswell.

Yeah, they are pretty nice buses, both fast and comfortable, once you get out of Birmingham onto decent roads. Meriden looked really nice, I was tempted to get out and just sit by a pond I saw in the centre of the village, but I didn't have much time. :(

[Dylanbusboy45]

The only part I disliked was coming out of Birmingham along the Coventry Road, mostly due to the poor condition of the road itself. I reckon the best part is going around the edge of the airport, since you don't usually get to go down there unless you're on a bus. I would've caught the X1 back but I would only just be getting home now if I did. It's a great route though, and it's made better by having free WiFi nowadays, so I just browsed here and Reddit on my iPad while watching the scenery.

Yeah, they are pretty nice buses, both fast and comfortable, once you get out of Birmingham onto decent roads. Meriden looked really nice, I was tempted to get out and just sit by a pond I saw in the centre of the village, but I didn't have much time. :(

Yes the buses are quite beastly. Meridian is a very nice little village, there isn't many NX routes with places as nice as Meriden. For photographing I like Parkhill Drive. Yes that part which goes around the Airport is one of the best parts and even better if you are interested in planes