Ed Fielden

Ooh! Look ... A new zoomable interactive Rail Map is online!

railmap.nationalrail.co.uk#/mapview

Portion of National Rail Interactive Map showing the stations around London Paddington. A multitude of multi-coloured lines with inconsistent spacing and some smooth, some sharp curves on lines. Station labels also rather clumsily overlap other features in places

Intriguing, if a little baffling. My inner cartographic designer is silently screaming at parts of it (inconsistent curvature radii, and dynamic station labels clashing with other lines etc.) I wonder who the intended audience are?
Oh and yet another configuration of Paddington on a rail map!

In my mind I like to imagine that after Reading week there are Basingstoke, Winchester and Southampton Airport Parkway weeks as well. But perhaps I have my wires Cross(Country)ed... 🙃

Interior of AC Cars Railbus no. W79978, showing refurbished red moquette bus-style seating

Maker’s plate inside AC Cars Railbus reading “Manufactured by AC Cars Ltd - Thames Ditton - Surrey”

Ed sitting at the controls of AC Cars Railbus no. W79978 as it sits alongside the platform at Cirencester Town.

A scale model of an AC Cars Railbus perched on the platform end wall in front of the real thing at Cirencester Town station.

The Railbus was hoped to be the saviour of the Cirencester branch line when introduced in 1959, but sadly it was not to be and the line closed in 1964 (thanks Dr Beeching!) It was quite the experience to sit on board one at the terminus of the line today!

Cirencester Town station building, a three-storey narrow Cotswold stone building, behind some parked cars in what’s now known as the “Old Station Car Park”. Beside the station building, alongside the small stub of the original platform, sits a green AC Cars Railbus no. W79978 on loan from the Swindon & Cricklade Railway

AC Cars Railbus no. W79978 in dark green livery with yellow “whiskers” on the front cab alongside the short stub of the original Cirencester Town station platform.

The first-floor boardroom in the original Cirencester Town station building. There are holes in the ceiling plaster and exposed brickwork on the western wall. The floorboards are also exposed. A picture of Isambard Kingdom Brunel has been placed on the wall

The view north from the first-floor boardroom of Cirencester Town station building. Through the distinctively arch-topped three-section windows can be seen the Old Station Car Park, Tetbury Road and the old museum building set into the wall of Cirencester Park

For the first time in decades, Cirencester Town station building was open for the public to visit this weekend. A Brunel original from 1841, and neglected for many years, it’s now undergoing some much-needed refurbishment by the new owner. On show was one of the original AC Cars Railbuses from 1959.

24th September 05:47 BST: Ed stands wearing a red shirt in front of blue, yellow and grey liveried Eurostar e300 number 373220 under the roof and dim lighting of Paris Gare du Nord platform 3.

24th September 08:32: St Pancras International's spectacular roof hovers over the Eurostar platforms. This is a still image from GoPro footage showing Ed's POV as he walks along platform 10 having just disembarked the blue, yellow and grey Eurostar on the left of frame. In the foreground is Ed's arm holding the stabilisation gimbal with the phone Ed is using to film himself.

After recovering from last week, I've collated the full rundown from my #TOCMarathon of 24-25 Sep, travelling on all 30 TOCs listed by the Rail Delivery Group in 36 hrs, 6 mins, 42 sec!
TOC 1/30: Eurostar 9007, dep Paris Gare du Nord at 06:06:44 BST, arr London St Pancras 08:31:25 (373219/373220)

25 Sep 18:16: Ed smiles as he walks down the platform alongside the Transport for Wales train that brought him to Manchester to complete the TOC Marathon

25 Sep 18:30: Ed holds his fist in the air in celebration outside the entrance to Manchester Piccadilly station

#TOCMarathon 25 Sep: And with that the TOC Marathon was done! 36 hours, 6 minutes and 41.7 seconds according to the overall timer. What a journey! But it could have been done 3 hours quicker! My travel wasn't over though: I had to get back to the North East for the Railway 200 events...!

25 Sep 18:01: Transport for Wales black-liveried DVT 82201 leads the train into Stockport station. The sun is clearly getting low in the sky as long shadows are cast over the platform

25 Sep 18:13: Ed holds up the phone at the window of the Transport for Wales train as he stops the timer as the wheels stop turning on arrival at Manchester Piccadilly. The timer reads 36 hours, 6 minutes, 41.70 seconds

#TOCMarathon 25 Sep: Finally it was time to pick up the last TOC. After an anxious wait outside Stockport on the TPE train, we were eventually let into the station in front of TfW, thank goodness!
TOC 30/30: Transport for Wales 1W61, dep Stockport 18:03:15, arr Manchester Piccadilly 18:13:26 (67010)

25 Sep 16:36: TransPennine Express light blue, purple and white liveried 185116 leads the service in to Doncaster. Bright sunshine and fluffy clouds are in the sky

25 Sep 16:44: View from on board the TransPennine Express service showing the blue and grey seats, as the train takes the junction south of Doncaster station that will take us towards Sheffield. A couple of high-rise buildings are visible on the left

25 Sep 17:30: A view of Lords Seat and the edge of Mam Tor as the train passes Edale in the Pennines

#TOCMarathon 25 Sep: Changing at Doncaster it was time to head across the Pennines to pick up the troublesome Transport for Wales again. To do so I hopped on board
TOC 29/30: TransPennine Express 1B85, dep Doncaster 16:42:48, arr Stockport 17:59:50 (185116/185147)

25 Sep 14:37: Northern's 158903 sports a special blue Railway 200 livery, "Celebrating 200 years of railways across the North" with images depicting infrastructure and trains through the past 200 years

25 Sep 15:27: Ed stands in bright sunlight in front of the Selby station sign board

25 Sep 15:44: Two Hull Trains Paragon units in the dark blue livery arrive at Selby in opposite directions beneath bright sunshine and the station footbridge

25 Sep 15:55: Knowing the challenge should have been completed by now, Ed sits on the blue seats of the Hull Trains service with a half-smile as the end is almost in sight!

#TOCMarathon 25 Sep: At York I hopped on another Northern train to get me to the next Open Access Operator. Northern 2R97, dep York 14:42:59, arr Selby 15:06:56 (158903) So it was on to
TOC 28/30: Hull Trains 1A95, dep Selby 15:47:15, arr Doncaster 16:02:43 (802301/802302)

25 Sep 12:39: Ed watches as the blue and white Northern train he had just stepped off departs Eaglescliffe. The new long grey footbridge being constructed at Eaglescliffe station hovers above

25 Sep 13:13: Grand Central's black and orange livery contrasts with the bright blue sky as 180106 arrives into Eaglescliffe. On the left is a hoarding hiding some of the construction on the platform and reads "We're investing more than £15million in your station"

25 Sep 13:30: On board the Grand Central train, with grey and orange seats as the North Yorkshire whizzes by outside

25 Sep 14:10: Grand Central's 180106 in orange and black livery sits underneath the curved roof of York station waiting to continue its journey.

#TOCMarathon 25 Sep: The theme of today is slack connection times, thanks to the irregular nature of the services run by the three Open Access Operators on the ECML. A good wait at Eaglescliffe until
TOC 27/30: Grand Central 1A65, dep Eaglescliffe 13:15:40, arr York 14:08:26 (180106)

25 Sep 11:31: Ticket machines and information desk at Darlington station, adorned with red "Railway 200" flags

25 Sep 12:06: Ed poses in under Darlington station roof, in front of a yellow banner celebrating "Stockton & Darlington Railway 200" with a picture of Locomotion No 1. Ed is holding up a phone with a timer showing almost exactly 30 hours

25 Sep 12:15: Northern blue and white liveried 156496 sits in the bay platform 2 at Darlington station, the impressive curved roof framing the image. In the foreground an empty flowerbed sits behind the bufferstops

25 Sep 12:20: Passenger information display aboard the Northern service showing stops on the way to Saltburn: Dinsdale, Allens West, Eaglescliffe, Thornaby, Middlesbrough and Redcar Central

#TOCMarathon 25 Sep: At Darlington they're proud to be celebrating 200 years of the railways and the line that started it all: the Stockton & Darlington Railway. Next, a ride along part of the original S&DR route!
TOC 26/30: Northern 2D34, dep Darlington 12:23:53, arr Eaglescliffe 12:39:08 (156496)

25 Sep 10:55: LNER's red and white liveried Azuma 801222 arrives at Newcastle platform 3 under the curved trainshed roof. Many passengers are waiting to board

25 Sep 10:59: Ed sits on the red seats of the LNER train watching out of the window as the train departs Newcastle

25 Sep 11:00: The bridges over the Tyne make for some interesting geometry, the blue girders of the QEII bridge almost hiding the double-level "High Level" Bridge and the arched girder Tyne Bridge behind

25 Sep 11:26: Ed stands underneath the roof of Darlington station having just stepped off the red and white LNER Azuma train behind

#TOCMarathon 25 Sep: Arriving at Newcastle it was a simple enough change to a service following a few minutes behind, and on changing my plans the night before I booked a seat with LNER online.
TOC 25/30: LNER 1E09, dep Newcastle 10:58:42, arr Darlington 11:25:01 (801222)

25 Sep 09:01: Under the glass roof of Edinburgh Waverley, with sunlight reflecting off a glass wall of an interior building, Lumo's all-over light blue 803002 waits for departure

25 Sep 10:00: Ed sitting on a blue seat on board the Lumo train, while outside the window the coastline of the border area between Scotland and England flies past, tufty grassland giving way to the deep blue North Sea, illuminated by bright sunshine

25 Sep 10:00: The sign marking the border between Scotland and England alongside the East Coast Main Line. Two flags and symbols of the two countries - a thistle and a unicorn, and a rose and a lion - are displayed along with "British Railways" and "Across the Border". Unfortunately the sign displaying the name of "Scotland" seems to have fallen off! Behind is the North Sea and bright sunshine

25 Sep 10:02: A view crossing the River Tweed at Berwick, the "Old Bridge" and the Royal Tweed Bridge picked out almost in silhouette against the bright sun. On the north bank of the wide river it is mostly lined with trees, with the clock tower of Berwick Town Hall poking above the tree line, and on the south bank there are many houses

#TOCMarathon 25 Sep: Next it was time for the first of three Open Access Operators on the East Coast Main Line, this one along one of the most scenic stretches of railway in the whole country!
TOC 24/30: Lumo 1E82, dep Edinburgh Waverley 09:24:05, arr Newcastle 10:51:07 (803002)

25 Sep 07:41: After a few hours sleep, Ed manages a half-smile as he walks through Glasgow Central station concourse, the departure boards and many waiting passengers in the background. A "Welcome to Glasgow" sign is displayed above the departure boards, declaring the city is "celebrating 850 years"

25 Sep 07:48: An exterior view of the frontage of Glasgow Queen Street Station, looking quite impressive with its angular gold-coloured roof and glass frontage

25 Sep 07:57: Scotrail dark blue-liveried 385121 stands at the end of platform 4 at Glasgow Queen Street ready to depart with the 08:00 service to Edinburgh. Queen Street station's overall roof and the bridge carrying Cathedral Street are visible behind

#TOCMarathon 25 Sep: Arriving in Glasgow not long after sunrise it was time to get going again, knowing a longer day than planned was ahead. A short walk from Central Station to Queen Street for
TOC 23/30: ScotRail 1R22, dep Glasgow Queen St 08:00:28, arr Edinburgh Waverley 08:57:23 (385121/385119)

24 Sep 23:23: Locomotive 92028 in GBRf dark blue with orange highlights sits at the head of the Caledonian Sleeper train on platform 1 at Euston in the darkness

24 Sep 23:27: Caledonian Sleeper coach M with its silver and dark green livery - my home for the next 8 hours or so - in the darkness on platform 1 at London Euston

24 Sep 23:36: Ed sits on the bottom bunk bed in the Caledonian Sleeper cabin. Reflected in the door mirror you can see the small window giving a view of the darkness outside, and in front of it the stabilisation gimbal and phone Ed is using to take this picture of himself

25 Sep 06:41: Half an hour before sunrise, as the train passes the village of Carstairs, the dark Tinto Hills some 7 miles distant rise above the surrounding area. Low-lying mist hangs in the valley and over the fields in the middle distance

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: Time to grab a few supplies from Sainsbury's and board the sleeper train. I had to re-plan tomorrow and so didn't get to sleep until after 1am, but the bed was very comfy!
TOC 22/30: Caledonian Sleeper 1S26, dep Euston 23:45:29, arr Glasgow Central 07:20:44 (hauled by 92028)

24 Sep 21:27: Avanti West Coast Pendolino 390107 in dark turquoise livery arrives at Birmingham International bound for London Euston, watched on by an Avanti member of staff and a few assembled passengers.

24 Sep 21:31: Ed looks resigned to his fate as he sits on board the Avanti service to London, alongside a Railway 200 teddy bear on his rucksack

24 Sep 22:54: The "Welcome to London Euston" hoarding looks down on passengers leaving the train and making their way to the concourse

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: Needing to be back in London in time for the sleeper train, I cut my losses and got the next fast service back to Euston. Without TfW tonight, the 33-hour target was now unachievable!
Avanti West Coast 9M60, dep B'ham International 21:29:58, arr London Euston 22:52:18 (390107)

24 Sep 21:05: Ed about to board the maroon and silver CrossCountry train in the darkness of Birmingham New Street after a last-minute change of plan

24 Sep 21:19: Ed smiles a weary smile in front of CrossCountry SuperVoyager 221144, standing in the darkness at Birmingham International station

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: Abandoning the idea of picking up Transport for Wales tonight I walked back from Snow Hill to New Street to leave for London, deciding to bag a CrossCountry as it was running late!
TOC 21/30: CrossCountry 1O34, dep B'ham New St 21:11:01, arr B'ham International 21:19:13 (221144)

24 Sep 20:40: Chiltern Railways 168001, the pioneer of the "Clubman" fleet in dark blue and white livery, arrives into Birmingham Moor Street in the darkness of the evening

24 Sep 20:44: Ed looks slightly fed up as he sits on board the Chiltern Railways train and comes to terms with the fact that he will likely have to abandon the idea of picking up Transport for Wales for the night and re-plan tomorrow around picking TfW instead. The grey upholstery of the train's interior and the darkness of the Snow Hill tunnel of course not helping lift the mood!

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: At Moor St I spent some time considering options but the Transport for Wales service which runs to/from B'ham International was turned at Wolverhampton due to the disruption.
TOC 20/30: Chiltern Railways 1G55, dep B'ham Moor Street 20:42:47, arr B'ham Snow Hill 20:45:23 (168001)

24 Sep 20:18: West Midlands Railway's 172219 in orange and purple livery waits for departure time on platform 3 at Birmingham Snow Hill. It's going to Stratford-upon-Avon but I will only take it as far as Birmingham Moor Street.

24 Sep 20:21: Ed looks pensively out of the window of the West Midlands Railway train as it departs Snow Hill station, thinking about how to fit in all the TOCs from the original plan before needing to head back to London

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: Birmingham plans disrupted, I caught a tram - dep Gd Central 20:10:14, arr Bull St 20:04:48 (tram 57), and made my way to Snow Hill station to improvise a new plan
TOC 19/30: West Midlands Railway 2S15, dep B'ham Snow Hill 20:20:57, arr B'ham Moor Street 20:23:10 (172219/172340)

24 Sep 18:24: London Northwestern Railway's 730212 in green and white livery arrives at Liverpool South Parkway.

24 Sep 18:30: A view from the train looking towards the arched formation of the Silver Jubilee Bridge over the Mersey at Runcorn. To the right of the picture the sun is falling towards the horizon

24 Sep 19:00: Sunset on the boundary between Cheshire and Staffordshire, the mottled clouds coloured pink, orange and dark blue as the green countryside whizzes past

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: Time to leave Liverpool behind. However problems on the line at Dudley Port meant that my train got diverted after Wolverhampton and arrived 15 mins late into Birmingham...
London Northwestern Railway 1G64, dep Liv. Sth. Parkway 18:25:19, arr Birmingham New St 20:04:48 (730212)

24 Sep 17:58: One of Merseyrail's new Class 777 units waits at Liverpool Central with a service to Hunts Cross. The bright yellow livery and striking black front with wide "M"-shaped lights make these trains very distinctive indeed!

24 Sep 18:08: One for the Red Dwarf afficionados - the Aigburth station sign, with yellow Merseyrail logo

24 Sep 18:13: With a toot from the driver, yellow Merseyrail 777009 departs Liverpool South Parkway bound for Hunts Cross. The Merseyrail platforms are in a cutting here, trees lining the opposite side and the large covered footbridge hanging over the tracks

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: A short walk from Lime Street station via the very lively Great Charlotte Street brought me to Liverpool Central, Merseyrail's underground station in the heart of the city.
TOC 18/30: Merseyrail 2U47, dep Liverpool Central 17:59:14, arr Liverpool South Parkway 18:12:44 (777009)

24 Sep 17:19: EMR's 158810 in the old red white and blue livery pulls in to Liverpool South Parkway, the sun beginning to get a little low in the sky. Behind, but not visible, is 158774 in the newer purple and white EMR livery at the rear of the train

24 Sep 17:21: Passenger information display inside EMR Class 158, reading "This train is for Liverpool Lime Street". The old-style red upholstery of the interior is visible in the foreground

24 Sep 17:36: Low sun illuminates Ed's face as he walks down the platform at Liverpool Lime Street alongside the EMR train in two different liveries

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: One of rail's many quirks is just how far outside their "home turf" some TOCs operate. Case in point is EMR whose service to Liverpool was very handy for me!
TOC 17/30: East Midlands Railway 1R72, dep Liv. Sth. Parkway 17:20:26, arr Liverpool Lime Street 17:31:23 (158810/158774)

24 Sep 16:57: Ed watches London Northwestern Railway 730235 in green and white livery arriving at Runcorn station

24 Sep 16:59: View across the train carriage and through the windows to the Silver Jubilee Bridge over the River Mersey, with its green-coloured structure

24 Sep 17:06: Ed stands on Liverpool South Parkway station having just arrived on the green and white train behind. The station sign is on the right of the picture and a signal-post telephone is in the middle of the platform

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: I changed trains at Runcorn in order to pick up some of the multiple TOCs serving Liverpool South Parkway. So it was on to
TOC 16/30: London Northwestern Railway 1F62, dep Runcorn 16:59:10, arr Liverpool South Parkway 17:06:01 (730235) - quite a comfortable new train!

24 Sep 14:37: The rush at London Euston platform 6 as a large number of people board the 14:41 Avanti West Coast service to Liverpool Lime Street. It's a new Evero train, visible in blue colour behind the mass of people! The departure screen shows the train's calling points of Milton Keynes, Crewe, Runcorn and Liverpool Lime Street

24 Sep 15:46: Tiredness clearly starting to set in on the 2-hour trip from London to Runcorn, Ed's eyes are having a hard time staying open as the countryside whizzes by outside

24 Sep 16:34: A glimpse of what the past thought the future would look like - the Advanced Passenger Train prototype (APT-P) living out its retirement at the Crewe Heritage Centre alongside the West Coast Main Line.

24 Sep 16:51: Avanti West Coast 807005 departs Runcorn to continue its journey to Liverpool. The train is in striking dark turquoise with a black nose. Runcorn station's footbridge and the assortment of overhead line equipment hang above the scene

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: Time to escape London! It was important that I made this connection at Euston as the trains to Liverpool only run every 30-60 minutes, which could have significant knock-on effects!
TOC 15/30 (halfway!): Avanti West Coast 1F26, dep Euston 14:45:30, arr Runcorn 16:49:38 (807005)

24 Sep 14:06: Ed sits on West Ealing platform 4 as the Elizabeth line service to Abbey Wood pulls in. Bright sunshine is beating down and the purple roundel is prominent on the wall

24 Sep 14:26: Ed looks on as a northbound Northern Line underground train arrives at Tottenham Court Road station

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: I walked across Drayton Green itself and back to West Ealing station, picking up Elizabeth line 9U83, dep West Ealing 14:06:58, arr Tottenham Court Road 14:23:35 (345013), then changed to the Northern Line (train 123 trip 11), dep TCR 14:27:15, arr Euston 14:30:34 (51565/51566)

24 Sep 13:41: GWR Turbo no. 165127 in dark green pulls into West Ealing bay platform ready to form the next Greenford service.

24 Sep 13:45: Ed looks out of the window of the GWR Greenford service as it departs West Ealing. Part of a map of the GWR network is at the top-left of the picture. Passing by outside the window is a GWR Class 387 presumably heading for Didcot Parkway, Newbury or possibly Cardiff!

24 Sep 13:47: Ed smiles as he leaves the GWR train at Drayton Green station. At 1 minute 59 seconds, this is the shortest trip I'll make on any of the 30 TOCs during this challenge!

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: Soon enough the Greenford branch shuttle train pulled in to the bay platform at West Ealing. Running every 30 minutes it's one of the least-used services in the whole London area!
TOC 14/30: Great Western Railway 2G32, dep W. Ealing 13:45:05, arr Drayton Green 13:47:04 (165127)

24 Sep 13:10: Departure board at Heathrow Central, showing next departures from the London-bound platform. First is a Heathrow Express to Paddington in 6 minutes, second is an Elizabeth line train in 10 minutes, to Abbey Wood calling at intermediate stations

24 Sep 13:20: Elizabeth line train 345050 pulls in to the platform at Heathrow Central station. The purple, white and black train appears out of the gloom of the tunnel from the other Heathrow terminal stations

24 Sep 13:36: Ed cracks a half-smile after stepping off the Elizabeth line train at West Ealing. The station sign is visible in a reflection off the departing train, and the bay platform for Greenford branch trains is visible on the other side of the picture

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: A few minutes to wait at Heathrow Central, a rather unremarkable-feeling below-ground station, before heading back towards London again!
TOC 13/30: Elizabeth line 9U73, dep Heathrow Central 13:21:13, arr West Ealing 13:35:45 (345050)

24 Sep 12:32: View back on to the platform from northbound Bakerloo line train at Waterloo. The London Underground station roundel is prominent on the wall, and the "piano key" floor tiling points towards the "Mind the Gap" wording on the platform edge. Framing the image is the doorway of the underground train

24 Sep 12:52: Silver-liveried Heathrow Express unit 387137 stands in platform 6 at Paddington station, underneath the spectacular roof. People walk along the platform to board the train. Behind is a dark green GWR Class 800.

24 Sep 12:56: Interior of Heathrow Express train, with purple seats. The sunlight is streaming in through the window as the Great Western Main Line whizzes past. There are almost no passengers - at least in this part of the train!

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: 3 minutes behind schedule now it was a hop, skip & jump from Waterloo via the Bakerloo line (train 211 trip 8), dep W'loo 12:32:58, arr Paddington 12:48:01 (3559/3238) on to
TOC 12/30: Heathrow Express 1T55, dep Paddington 12:55:13, arr Heathrow Central 13:09:02 (387140/387137)

24 Sep 12:13: South Western Railway unit 444008 arrives at Clapham Junction station platform 7, under the vintage footbridge to the Windsor line platforms. The dark blue train has only a yellow front and grey doors to make it stand out

24 Sep 12:15: Ed sits on board the South Western Railway train in front of a large window. Through the window the station sign board of Clapham Junction is visible, and behind that a different white and dark blue liveried South Western Railway train.

#TOCMarathon 24 Sep: Clapham Junction - the busiest station in the country by number of services. Again my next train was a few mins late, and I found it by heading to its booked platform, no.7.
TOC 11/30: South Western Railway 1W54, dep Clapham Jn 12:15:32, arr Waterloo 12:23:31 (444008/444020)