I managed to get into New Street in time to view the Didcot train but this was of little consequence so we took the Holyhead train for a short wait at Wolverhampton and a class 82 back. It looked like I might be stranded at New Street for the whole night but I thought I'd try my luck with a move to Worcester at 0300hrs! Thanks to a couple of friends from Leicester I was able to get a seat on the way down but coming back I had to stand but needing the 47 on the train made it a little less unwelcoming. One of the bashers had a little too much to drink so I went out of my way to avoid him once we got to Derby.

My move was to take the NB 47 on the Weymouth train to Tamworth and wait for the DMU to get me back to Long Eaton for the start of the day's biggies, 25s on the Llandudno and Yarmouth trains followed by a required Peak on the Leicester – Skeg to Nottingham and another Peak back to Derby. Well that wasn't a great set of moves but now things improved with a class 37 on the York – Tenby to take me down to New Street for the 25s on the Abers. As usual our arrival at Wolverhampton saw us doing a mad rush over the bridge to get an 81 straight back to New Street but all this activity was for naught as we limped through the tunnel into New Street behind a succession of red signals. The reason for this became apparent as we entered the station, a 47/3 had run wrong line and straight into an incoming DMU from Longbridge thereby blocking the southbound tunnel. Activity at New Street had ground to a halt but fortunately for us there was still a Nottingham bound train to escape on. It left late but actually arrived at Leicester on time as its correct route was also blocked and it had to go the short way, saving us over thirty minutes.

We could listen to the activity (or lack of it to be more truthful) going on at New Street via a radio, Leicester station staff not having a clue what the problem was. Eventually I caught a Peak to Derby where I picked up a required 47/3 on a Long Eaton move. I just 'escaped' with my life as I my insult aimed at the arriving 'Wagon' was overheard by the King Peak basher leaning out of the front window of said train. He leapt off the train and threatened to do me in! Wow, the thin skin that some of the “wagoneers” and “duffheads” have is something to behold. I waited for the 25s, with a more sedate crowd of people, to get back to Derby and then set off south to cover the bankers.

At New Street the train I planned to catch was held for 25 minutes whilst they ran the loco on to the other end. New Street was still in chaos with all trains late. What had been on paper an enormous connection time was slowly drifting away. No one knew the reason for the delays but we could have a good guess having witnessed what had happened much earlier that day. I was with one of the bashers from Leicester who was heading north later to go to Scotland and he was in a bit of a flap. We went for it and made it with a plus ten so I got my banker 37. We also got an empty compartment by 'frightening' the girl occupying it with all our railway chat. (Well that's what my diary says but it was simply that she didn't feel safe sitting in a compo with two men and I hope she found somewhere else to sit that night).