Spotting 2024 – Week 33

As promised, this week kicked off with an away football match – On a Monday of all things! So I took the trip down to Carshalton on Thameslink from Brent Cross West station. It was clear early on that there were some issues after a vehicle struck a bridge on the Wimbledon-Sutton section causing delays while the track was being checked – delays that would drag on into the night. Additionally there was a signal failure in the St. Albans area to further complicate things. And as for the buses to get to Brent Cross West from Finchley – on divert via Hendon because of water works! And I came this way because it was easier in the baking hot weather?🤣

It was actually a good choice – the awnings at Brent Cross West provide good shelter from the sun and there’s a nice breeze across the platforms. I travelled south on 700026, a new one for me and was pleased to get to the ground in good time to have a couple of beers before kick off. Carshalton is not a good place for us – We’ve only won once in the 14 years I’ve been photographing Wingate & Finchley. This was their second goal with our new keeper, Prince, nearly getting to it…

…The ball evading his glove by inches. The game finished 3-2 to The Robins.

There is a plus side for those of us who enjoy trains – the journey home😅 While my fellow fans piled onto the Thameslink (700026 again) I waited for the Southern Service and picked up 377405 for haulage to Clapham Junction where I changed to a Waterloo service and rode 458529. Then I went down The Drain…

…Shout out to the gentleman in the green tee who spotted that I wanted to photograph the train and stepped back to let me do so – Deserves his place in my photo 😎👍Tally for the day: 40 logged of which I needed 1 and 3 new for haulage.

Tuesday & Wednesday were not good days – too much going on in every sense. We have too many family worries currently and I’m not sure when the issues will be under control. Thursday saw me cast aside the worries (or at least mask them) by going trainspotting. When I left the house I had no plan of action, I just needed to get out and about. The decision was made for me by the Northern Line – big gaps in the service causing crowded trains. I hopped on the first one and decided that rather than standing for too long I’d leap at Archway and walk down to Upper Holloway. That was the point when I knew I’d do another North London Line freight day.

Some days are straight forward and this one got off to a good start. I popped along to Willesden Junction and photographed 66431 ‘Kingmoor TMD’ on the Tescoliner…

…The shrubbery seems to be growing well on the Harlesden Chord😅 Then I headed back to Kensal Rise to catch 66613 on a Dagenham Dock to Wembley empty aggregates train…

…Popping on to Brondesbury Park, I was able to catch up with the first of the Wentloog intermodal’s on its way to Felixstowe…

…It’s all 66’s isn’t it… That’s the way of things currently on the NLL.

By this time I was ready for lunch and hitched a ride to West Hampstead where I walked across to West Hampstead on the Jubilee Line – yes, there are three West Hampstead stations within a few yards of each other… God help the tourists!

Down on West Hampstead, I photographed a pair of class 168 units with 168111 leading as they headed for Wembley depot…

It was a weird day on the Metropolitan and Jubilee Lines… There were lots of young ladies strutting about in barely appropriate modes of dress – It was not good for my blood pressure🤣 A Levels Results Day and a Taylor Swift Concert combining to bring together a tsunami of over excitement😂 I hope they got the results they wanted but I doubt those with tickets for the concert were bothered about the academic side by that time😅 After grabbing a wrap from Treats on Baker Street, it was back to the relative peace and quiet of the North London Line for me…

I had checked on Realtime Trains and knew what freights were due. I decided that I would go and get some more shots at Brondesbury Park – there’s a nice footbridge with a clock that is a relic of pre-nationalisation. I photographed 378204 there as it arrived…

…with what turned out to be the last westbound service for quite some time. I was expecting a Hitchin to Wembley train of empty hoppers at around 14:01 – It didn’t materialise. I decided to check its whereabouts and discovered it was sitting in a siding near Camden Road. I checked and the passenger train that should proceed it was also stationary at Camden Road. In fact, everything was stopped in that area. While I was aware of a problem, station staff and passengers weren’t until nearly 15 mins later when announcements finally started to filter through. The issue was a power failure in the Camden Road area – no juice to the fizzy knitting.

The station became very quiet – passengers came and went, choosing to take a different route. I loitered on – there’s a part of me that always wants to see the final minutes of the game. One train was still coming – A London Gateway to Garston intermodal. As it joins the North London Line at Gospel Oak, it wasn’t affected by the log jamb at Camden Road. I chose to catch 66414 in the cutting as it approached the station…

…running to time.

The power was restored after around 45mins and the first westbound train through was the unit in front of that freight I’d been expecting at 14:01. It wasn’t in service as the priority is to get trains to suitable locations to pick up the timetable again. It was followed not long after by the Hitchin to Wembley hoppers…

…With 66590 providing the power. It was running 42 mins late. Wembley yard is not the final destination for the wagons so with some good yard work to achieve a quick turn around it’s possible that the next stage of their journey began on time.

The couple in the photo bear all the hallmarks of drug users. However, when they got to where I was standing, we engaged in a friendly chat. I did have to remind the guy that the thing on the front of the train is a locomotive but apart from that it was a good conversation. I explained what I was getting out of the hobby and we chatted about the causes of delays while they waited for the next eastbound train. Appearances were not deceptive – the damage from addiction was visible on their faces. But the conversation was a reminder that it’s wrong to judge purely on appearance and prejudice. I hope I bump into them again👍

There were a couple more freight’s to see and then I headed home. Tally for the day: 104 logged of which I needed 10 and 5 new for haulage.

Friday was a day to buy some clothes for a wedding, so a trip down to Oxford Street was the order of the day. There and back on the Underground where I logged 18, all of which I’d seen before, and I got three new for haulage.

Today is a home game for Wingate & Finchley so no spotting but I started the day well with a very brisk walk – doing 3 miles in 43mins 56 seconds. First sub-44min 3-miler for me😀👍 I hope that bodes well for the team performance this afternoon!