Spotting 2024 – Week 46

Two football matches to photo and the release of Farming Simulator 25 were the main obstacles to trainspotting trips this week. So I only got out and about on Thursday. However, I think I could describe that day with the thought – ‘Sometimes you get lucky!’

Monday was a nice sunny day and I took the camera with me on a lunchtime walk. This wasn’t a spotting trip although I did photograph TfL’s 1995 stock unit 51510 departing Finchley Central. I then picked a spot on Squires Lane to capture an autumnal view of the local 382 bus…

Luck didn’t go Wingate & Finchley’s way on Tuesday night when they played Tilbury in the Velocity Cup. The manager rested some players and gave others some minutes against a team that is pushing for promotion from the Isthmian North. The match was well contested…

…but ultimately Tilbury would run out 2-1 winners.

Thursday was my main opportunity for spotting. I could have rushed out early to photograph Clan Line once more but decided to give her a miss, instead timing a trip to Wandsworth Road to arrive just after she had passed in the knowledge that the ‘Steam in our time, Amen’ brigade would be leaving on the train I arrived on😅

I was planning on doing a bit of freight photography in the area. First up was 66727 on the Eastleigh to Hoo Junction engineers run…

…She’s been doing some Railhead Treatment work to get that grubby!

Wandsworth Road presents a nice view of the fast changing Battersea skyline as a backdrop to the trains. Here’s 465923…

…running with 465012. Most of the time I know what service I’m looking at because the information is there on Realtime Trains but this one didn’t appear on the listing for Wandsworth Road. I had to do a bit of digging around when I got home before I found the diagram it was running to; Victoria Grosvenor Shed to Gillingham Depot – An empty stock working and running around 15 minutes early!

Last freight photographed at the ‘Road’ was the Colnbrook to Grain fuel tanks, appropriately hauled by 66794 ‘Steve Hannam’…

…painted in Trainload Petroleum livery. With so much grey I guess I could say this train was ‘Ghosting’ through😅

From here I went to another Wandsworth station – there are three of them surrounding Clapham Junction! This time it was Wandsworth Common. I had hoped to photograph the Tolworth aggregates but wasn’t sure which line it would use. I gambled on the slow and lost out – never mind, at least it was a new sighting😅 I did get a couple of nice shots of the Southern 377’s plying their trade though…

…377608 for example on a Dorking-Victoria service that wasn’t stopping.

I had another target planned though the time looked very tight – I wanted to try to get over to Battersea Park where a bit of a mystery train was booked to reverse. 1Q76 Tonbridge West Yard to Seaford doesn’t tell me a lot. It could be a route learning trip. It might be a leaf-buster though that seemed unlikely as they usually have headcodes in the 3 series. Fortunately the Southern trains that do stop at Wandsworth Common also call at Battersea Park 👍

My train arrived at Battersea Park simultaneously with the 1Q76 – It was a Network Rail track survey train topped and tailed by 73962 ‘Dick Mabbutt’ and 73963 ‘Janice’. This is ‘962 bringing up the rear as they departed…

…And that’s the story behind my new mobile phone desktop as shown for Clare’s Share Your Desktop Challenge – A shot of 73963 waiting to depart.

There was also a leaf-buster booked to reverse at Battersea Park in around 20 minutes and I was planning on waiting to photograph that. However, fate was about to deal me an Ace! – 378142 arriving with a Clapham bound Overground service that had been diverted…

…I believe there is normally one very early morning trip that calls here and that’s it for the day unless there is some form of problem at Clapham Junction which forces a divert. I need this ‘terminal point’ for my Freedom Pass Project and I’ve never ridden the track between here and Wandsworth Road. Wow – What a stroke of luck!!!

So I rode 378142 from Battersea Park as far as Denmark Hill where I paused to photograph the RHTT ‘leaf-buster’ passing through…

…Formed of Windhoff MPV pairing DR98927 and DR98977 with ’77 leading. Then it was time to head home after a very enjoyable day in a very small area of south London. Tally for the day: 123 logged of which I needed 5 and I picked up 4 for haulage.

Friday saw me trying out FS25 for the first time…

…That’s something for its own post!

Saturday was a coach trip to Whitehawk where Wingate & Finchley secured a 2-0 victory with Ogo Obi scoring the second…

…his 16th of the season! – Getting congratulated by Ryan Lowe who lobbed in the corner the goal came from.

Another 2 match week ahead for me and I also hope to fit in a steam loco outing so, fingers crossed, I should have a fun Spotting post next week😎👍