Review of 2019 : A year of rail travel

At the start of the year i decided to keep a spreadsheet of all the different types of train i was going to travel on in 2019. I recorded the type of rolling stock and the company operating it. In total i travelled on two hundred and forty trains in 2019, plus a couple of score more if you include preserved trains and the likes of the tube.

If we are to analyse the journies taken (unfortunately) there are few surprises. The railway companies used are pretty much as you expect for someone who lives in Birmingham! The top four companies were West Midlands Railway, Chiltern Railway, Cross Country and London Northwestern.

Similarly the types of train also holds no surprises with the types used locally like the Class 323 and 170 dominating. I will create another spreadsheet for 2020 and in a year's time we will see if there are any changes!

Review of 2019 : December

And so the end of the year and the final month of the 2010s. December began with a trip to Ratcliffe-on-Soar. Trips to Rugby and Stafford mid-month and in the Christmas holidays a busy schedule of trips to Codsall, Langley (including the Titford Canal), Seer Green and finally Redditch yesterday!

It was a packed year of travel which included travelling on two hundred and forty mainline trains, you can add a few more score for preserved lines and the tube! There will be more analysis on this later this week. The travels were mapped, you can see that here.

It was a quiet month on the model railway but Bear returned to action.

Song of the month was "china shop" by St Lucia, artist of the year was Trevor Something. And that was 2019!

Review of 2019 : November

The rains continued, early November was as moist as late October yet for some perverse reason i decided to do a lot of canal walks along the muddy towpaths! My first trip was to Burton-on-Trent which included a walk along the Trent & Mersey Canal though this had to be quickly curtailed due to conditions. Next up was a trip to Tanworth-in-Arden and two stations (Wood End and Danzey) either side of it.

Wilnecote and Fazeley was also visited to finally walk the Fazeley end of the canal which passes my house, and the Coventry Canal (though more mud of course). I returned to Aylesbury and spent some time in the town instead of just walking the canal and staying on the station as i have on previous visits, though i did do a canal walk too! The final trip of another busy month was to Warwick.

Model railway highlight of the month was the return of Ruby the shunter to the active fleet.

Song of the month was "1000 lights" by Fury Weekend featuring Megan McDuffee.

Review of 2019 : Music A-Z

One of our end of year traditions, an A-Z playlist of the pop groups and solo artists we have liked this year. However as usual the A-Z is incompete if we didn't listen to anyone who started with a particular letter. This year A is missing incredibly. Q is missing as always.

Review of 2019 : October

October is when we feel Autumn is here, and also when i celebrate my birthday! I visited the SVR again, for it's Autumn Diesel Gala in early October and the Engine House in Highley. I also had time to visit the pretty village of Upper Arley. I returned to Loughborough and this time fully explored the Great Central Railway visiting every station on the preserved line.

Mid-month saw a visit to Manchester, including the Ashton Canal and the railways and trams of the city. I also went to Leicester to see the tomb of King Richard. The end of October saw the start of an extended spell of wet weather but i did manage to visit Derby station.

BGLR highlight of the month was the arrival of the third (and maybe final) coach for the heritage train. I also managed to get around to doing some ballasting!

Song of the month was "the hanging gardens (Ice Choir remix)" by Pinkshinyultrablast.

Review of 2019 : September

Well that was a very busy Summer how can you follow it, well by keeping going obviously. September began with a return to London and a Hidden London tour (the only one we did this year) to Piccadilly Circus. The next trip was a bit closer to home, Solihull which is where i work but seldom do i ever go into the town centre itself so i thought it was time.

Later in September i finally made it to Colwall (earlier in the year my trip there had had to be cancelled at the last minute due to a train issue). I also visited Market Harborough and finally a trip to Bicester and Islip.

Highlight on the BGLR was the arrival of the first two coaches for the new heritage train.

Song of the month was "strange telepathy" by Night Drive.

Review of 2019 : August

The Summer rolls on, August saw some long-range trips. The month began with a visit to Denham Green, mostly to walk the Grand Union Canal. Next up was a trip to Hagley in Worcestershire. I also visited Loughborough, for some reason I didn't realise the Great Central Railway is based in the town and only had time for a short visit. The GCR was to be properly visited later in the year...

Highlight of the month was a short holiday in Cardiff. As well as the usual touristy stuff like the castle I also did some rail travel around the city and walked Cardiff Bay and Penarth Marina.

At the end of the month came a short stay in London which enabled me to explore the Oxted Line, including Crowborough and the Spa Valley Railway.

Highlight of the month on the BGLR model railway was the arrival of two new wagons.

Song of the month was "left behind" by Michael Oakley.

Review of 2019 : July

Summer rolls on as we enter the second half of the year. July's adventures began with a trip to Merseyside which included some of the oldest railway stations around like Broad Green and Rainhill. To celebrate the tenth birthday of my canal blog (later in the year) i walked the Tame Valley Canal from Witton to Rushall.

Highlight of the month was my trip to Mail Rail in London which included a tunnel walk, this was one of the best things i have ever done on the railways. There was also time for some travelling to and fro across London including Little Venice. There was another canal walk at the end of the month when i walked the Stratford Canal from the edge of Stratford to Wilmcote.

On the BGLR it was a fairly quiet month but i relaid the back scene siding to allow for more locomotive storage.

Song of the month was "Art of doubt" by Metric.

Review of 2019 : June

We reach the Summer months, the pace of trips did not let up though the weather in June wasn't the best. The month began with a trip to Attenborough in Nottinghamshire. A week later came a visit to the amazing Statfold Barn Railway near Tamworth, despite the heavy rain a great time was had at this narrow gauge heaven.

On car MOT day i went to Crewe, soon after I went to Matlock Bath in Derbyshire which has an interesting mining museum. The Birmingham Railway Museum in Tyseley had one of it's open days which i attended. Finally i visited Penkridge in Staffordshire.

On the BGLR i continued building the tunnel section under the tramway extension which gave the left side of the layout a proper scenic ending.

Song of the month was "euphoria" by Fury Weekend featuring Michael Oakley.

Review of 2019 : May

May tends to be a busy month for preserved railway visits and galas and this year was no exception. It started with a visit to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway followed soon after by a return trip to the Crich Tramway Museum, truely one of the best transport museums around.

Mid month came one of the big events of the year, the Severn Valley Railway Diesel Gala, this one was tremendous as usual. I also visited the Railworld attraction in Peterborough.

It wasn't all railways though. I also walked the Coventry Canal in Bedworth, the Stratford Canal in Lapworth and Kingswood. I also visited the rather interesting village of Stewartby though the very heavy rain curtailed by exploration a bit.

On the BGLR i laid the board extension for phase 3 of the tramway. This later also became a second tunnel section on the layout.

Song of the month was "fantasy" by Jessie Frye.

Review of 2019 : April

As Spring arrives so does the opportunities for adventures and venues open up again after the Winter. April was a busy month which started with a visit to the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway for their diesel gala. I was also able to have a look around Chinnor itself this time. I returned to Hatton and explored more of the village (in the past I have only walked the canal and stayed at the railway station). Naturally there was time for a canal walk in Hatton too!

The main event in April was my third trip to Surrey, it has become a bit of a tradition and will likely be repeated again in 2020. I travelled around the county, also walking the Basingstoke Canal in Ash and the Wey Navigation in Guildford. A highlight was the FAST air museum in Farnborough. There was also time to visit some stations in Berkshire.

I also headed to the Marston Vale Line in Buckinghamshire / Bedfordshire to see the new Class 230, I visited Ridgmont and Kempston Hardwick.

On the BGLR there was some new rolling stock. A flat trailer for hauling HO scale wagons and a railcar.

Song of the month was "together" by High Desert.