The Juniper Factor
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photograph by Simon Jeffs (above) Getting to Aldershot from Guildford used the route plied by Guildford - Ascot services. Aldershot was the second reversal and the one which turned the train for the remainder of the tour. Here only six minutes was allowed which meant it was tight for time to take pictures. Platform 3, the Down Loop, is not the best place from which to take photographs anyway! (below) From Aldershot the tour took the Up Alton line to Pirbright Junction, onto the Up Slow and into Platform 1 at Woking for the third reversal. From Woking 8006 lead the formation to Poole. photograph by Colin Duff |
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photograph by Simon Jeffs (above) Having started the day at the country end of the formation, from Woking and for the remainder of the tour, 8014 was at the London end. Platforms 2/4 can be seen here in the middle of the station. At the London (i.e. this) end of these is a relatively new long narrow extension - Platform 3 - which is used for terminating local services. To be in the front car of an 8 car train departing from Platform 3 involves a very long walk from the station entrance! (below) On the Down Slow the railtour is pictured west of Winchfield. The middle bridge in "the stack" caused by the perspective is the M3. photograph by Justin White |
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photograph by Colin Duff Unfortunately south of Winchester the railtour encountered a long series of ambers and double ambers making the tour, which up until then had been on time or just an insignificant amount behind time, run appreciably late. A pathing stop of fourteen minutes at Brockenhurst in the Up Loop to allow a Down fast train to pass (as regularly done by Poole stopping services) was cut to eight minutes. Brockenhurst was the first destination for the tour, but it is not known if anyone left the train here. As expected for a Saturday, a Class 450 Desiro unit was running the Lymington Pier shuttles. (above) The legendary feature at Brockenhurst is the pivoting baggage trolley bridge between the station building and the Up platforms. This is no longer in service as the new footbridge (which can be seen behind the bridge) also has lifts. Most photographers ignored this and concentrated on the train! This photographer has plenty of pictures of it taken in the past, but none with a Class 458 unit in the same picture.... (below) The magnificently restored overall roof at Bournemouth Central and the railtour. Bournemouth was the second destination and despite the station being some way from the centre of the town and seafront the train partially emptied here. photograph by Adrian Willats |
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photograph by Colin Duff The station stop at Bournemouth was due to be ten minutes however it was only just long enough to allow passengers to de-train, or in this case just nip off to take a quick photograph from the centre of the train. The railtour had been held outside of the station whilst a ten car Class 444 formation was split, the front portion leaving for Weymouth whilst the rear portion was shunted into the Middle Sidings. |