A Tornado to Southend - Saturday 12 April 2014

An early start today, up at 05:00 to catch the train to whisk me off to London Bridge on route to Kings Cross to catch up with the A1 Pacific Tornado which is on a charter trip 'The White Rose' to York. scheduled to leave at 07:48. My early start rewards me with a marvellous sunrise.

Sunrise over Falconwood Fields

My plan is to get close up to the engine at Kings Cross and then catch the 07:26 to Alexandra Palace where I can film the engine steaming through the station.

I visit one of the adjacent platforms so that I can get a good shot of the engine and coaches resplendent in Crimson and Cream, whilst the Tornado is lined out in a very catching Blue Colour, I expect it has a proper name! Behind me are a couple of East Coast Mainline Class 91's - 'The Power and the Glory' to use the title of a Eddie & the Hot Rods song.

I had time to visit the platform were the train was 'parked up', with the Class 67 at the back of the train where it had brought in the coaches meant that the Tornado was off platform so not ideal for photos but I managed a couple.

A1 Pacific Tornado at Kings Cross Station

I was quite surprised at how few people were there, maybe the early hour, mind you not many people had boarded the train at this time either. I've promised my wife a trip on one of these charter trip, First Class of course, one day dear, one day. Interesting to note that one of the Royal Train liveried Class 67's was on Thunderbird Duty

Ok off to platform 11 for the train to Alley Pally (Alexandra Palace) I arrive in plenty of time to find a good spot, there's a handful of 'enthusiasts' present, there 's a bit of sun haze but given the time 07:45 it's pleasantly warm. Whilst wandering up the platforms I spy a Class 08 in the East Coast depot adjacent to Platform 1, so I dash off to get some footage but end up going the wrong way and
by the time I get there it's disappeared, damn a missed opportunity, but I get my reward later in the day.

Tornado is scheduled at 08:01 but steams through ahead of schedule at about 07:59. The excitement is over in 38 seconds. See my video here.

12 minutes until my return trip to Kings Cross, film a couple of East Coast and Capital Connect trains and chat to an 'enthusiasts' who travelled down from Wellingborough at 05:15 this morning. He tells me Tornado was 8 minutes early passing Barnet, oh and he got some photos of the 08!

I arrived back home at about 09:30 ready to leave again at 11:15 for part two of my day - Southend
here I come!

AFC Wimbledon are away at Roots Hall home of Southend United, currently my least favourite ground. But first I need to meet Ron, we meet on the 11:37 at Falconwood make our way to London Bridge where I go into auto mode and end up going to the tube when in fact we want a bus!

First a couple of pints in the Merchant of Bishopsgate on Liverpool Street Station, quite a pricy pub but with my bite card I get 20% off which makes it cheaper than Kingsmeadow, sorry Cherry Red Stadium!

The Merchant of Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street Station

Then it's the 13:29 from Platform 14 to Prittlewell, ETA 14:30, after all I don't want to spend too much time in Southend. We meet up with Erik at Stratford. On route we pass the re-vamped Queen
Elizabeth Park aka the Olympic Park, apparently it's very impressive, so much so that Diamond 
Geezer has done almost a whole weeks worth of blogs!

The future home of West Ham United

As for the football, AFC gain a great 1-0 victory thanks to a Jack Midson penalty midway through the second half and we hold out for a very welcome victory in our fight to avoid relegation, although almost three quarters of the league are in the same position. The defeat puts a dent in Southend's play-off hopes. Even if they make the play-offs, which I expect they will, I don't think they will get promoted as they are not that good based on today's performance. So a return to Southend looks on the cards again, although Southend are hopeful of moving grounds. Already a number of buildings around the ground are bricked up in anticipation of re-development.

Jack Midson hits the back of the net - 1-0!

So it was a return to London on 17:32 a and I parted ways with Ron and Erik at Startford as I progressed to Liverpool Station Station