The Trade Connections Switzerland grinds on in Euro Truck Simulator 2 – We’re getting there slowly… On TV, we have The Tour de France and Wimbledon to distract from the business of watching trains. And then there was the General Election on Thursday. I like to vote early so I decided to use the visit to the polling station to kick off a short day out on the rails.
Having cast my vote, I hopped on the 232 to New Southgate. Frustratingly, I just missed the 9:55 Moorgate service due to roadworks that delayed my bus within spitting distance of the station. Never one to let an opportunity pass, I decided to grab some photos from the end of the platform. Here’s LNER’s 800209 heading north with a King’s Cross to Lincoln service…
The plan from there was Moorgate-Liverpool Street-Stratford. I wasn’t planning on staying out late – There was a Sprint Stage in the Tour and I wanted to be home in time to watch the finale of that (of which more later).
Stratford is still quiet by normal freight standards. Network Rail had hoped to fully repair the damaged tracks at Felixstowe by July 2nd but it seems they have missed that target and around half of the usual intermodal services are cancelled. Those that are running seem to be starting from Felixstowe Creek. Here’s one such service…
…90015 with 90004 head for Trafford Park in Manchester, passing 720581 on a Southend Victoria service. Being down that end of the platform, I turned the long lens back to platform 10 to get a shot of 720121 on a Liverpool Street to Braintree service…
I decided to complete my outing by getting a new type for haulage – catching a Norwich-London service. I boarded a 5 minute late 745008 at 12:44 for the short run back to Liverpool Street. Here’s my ride parked up at the end of its journey next to sister unit 745004…
…If you look closely you can see that both units have suffered bird strikes. From the colour of the feathers on 004, I’m guessing either Gull or Wood Pigeon.
Time to head home: 113 logged of which I needed 8. I picked up 5 for haulage. I settled down to watch the Tour de France when I got home and had the pleasure of watching Mark Cavendish create history by winning the sprint, taking him to 35 Stage Victories, one more than Eddy Merckx!
Friday brought a new dawn in the shape of a change of government. It also brought heavy bursts of rain. I probably would have decided it was a stay dry and drive the truck day except that Epi couldn’t find her mobile phone and went to work without it. Of course, I then found it. Knowing that Epi usually goes for retail therapy on a Friday afternoon, I then had to go out in the rain and take it down to her place of work. Sounds like a good excuse to do some London Underground spotting!😅
After dropping off the phone in Knightsbridge I popped over to Barons Court to see if I could get some of the Piccadilly Line 1973 stock trains that I still need. It was pretty wet – Here’s unit 129 leading an eastbound train arriving during a downpour…
…It was quite a successful visit as I caught eleven 1973 stock units that I need. There are only 13 left to see now but time is running out.
I made my way from Barons Court via Victoria out to Clapham Junction for an hour or so’s spotting before heading home via Waterloo, where I caught a shot of 159107…
…and Waterloo East, where I caught 707005 arriving from Charing Cross…
…Then on to London Bridge, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road and back to East Finchley. I logged 213 of which I needed 12. It was a good day for haulage with 9 new rides😎
Back home I was able to catch up with the individual time trial in Le Tour and then watch a great Tennis match between Emma Raducanu and Maria Sakkari. Much more interesting than the European Football has been😅
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