Greece 06/03 to 13/03 2003 "Musical Chairs with the Pilgrims"


A non-Easter trip to the Peloponnese narrow gauge, joining up with Shovel, Flossie & Howie plus at least 1 other perhaps Dan Cross? Apologies to whoever but I know we could all fit into a taxi. The downside of the current Alco diagrams were they started & finished at Pirghos (a bit of a dump) so a hotel in nearby Olympia was used for the duration.
No winning locos or new track on this trip - just a meeting of the "Pelly Alco's Appreciation Society".

Thursday 06/03/03

A day travelling down to Luton Airport, via a couple of beer stops, for the overnight flight to Athens
144008   Doncaster - Sheffield  1310 Bridlington - Sheffield 18m
43082)    Sheffield - Derby  1527 Sheffield - St Pancras 36m
43064)
Beers in Derby, almost certainly in the Alex.
170111   Derby - Leicester  1820 Derby - St.Pancras 30m
A couple more in the Barley Mow, an Everards pub 5 minutes from the station.
170007   Leicester - Luton 1920 Derby - St.Pancras 69m
G-EZJS  Luton Airport - Athens     2255 Luton - Athens
I think at least some of the others were also on the flight!

Friday 07/03/03

As the day train now didn't depart Pireaus until 1202 a leisurely morning to get from the Airport to Piraeus, I'm sure a pre-lunchtime beer would have been partaken of in a harbour-side bar.
A9107 at Pireaus on the 1202 to Pirghos which I took for the full 330km's
A great start to the trip - the Beast that was "Pelvis"! Deafening thrash guaranteed.

A9107  Piraeus - Pirghos 1202 Piraeus - Pirghos 330km 

Although the moves were limited the countryside and pace of life hadn't changed - it was always a joy travelling on the Pelly. I couldn't tell you which hotel in Olympia we were staying at, for a change someone else had done the honours. An evening meal & beer were of course beckoning.

Saturday 08/03/03

A9112 on standby duties at Pirghos with A9107 steam heating its stock for the day train to Athens & a Mitsi waiting its next duties 
A9107 at Pirghos on the 0956 to Pireaus

A9107  Pirghos - Kiato  0956 Pirghos - Piraeus 210km
A9108  Kiato - Pirghos  1202 Piraeus - Pirghos 210km

The other downside of one day train each way is that it makes it a long bash with no break in the middle, followed by evenings doing the same thing as the night before. I always travelled with a couple of bottles of Mythos beer in a carrier to drink on the journey, much to Shovels amazement, "how can you drink beer that must be about 25 degrees C" easy - it's still beer!
It's a good job these Alco's were Monsters!

Sunday 09/03/03

And Repeat! or not?

A9108  Pirghos - Diakopto  0956 Pirghos - Piraeus 153km
A9108 waits at Diakopto for the southbound service to pass.The large number of waiting passengers shows the route was well patronised

I wandered back from getting my photograph to find Shovel in animated conversation with the station Redcap - it turned out he was giving us the gen on a Pilgrimage-Ex running from Patras to Piraeus the next  day - departing at 0340! Shovel worked out a move to minimise the fester in Patras while still enabling us to do the full Alco move.
A9107  Diakopto - Pirghos  1202 Piraeus - Pirghos 153km
There was much debate on our way to Pirghos as one thing was obvious - there would be little or no sleep if you went for it! This was balanced by the fact that, due to the loading, it would be A9109 & A9101 in a pair. Desperate you say? No sleep you say? Right up mine & Shovel's street!!
The others flagged it, the men of steel leapt.
6470      Pirghos - Kipparissia  1920 Pirghos - Kipparissia 63km
IC Cart  Kipparissia - Patras     2342 Kipparissia - Patras 160km
Still the move was pretty rancid! I think there was time for a beer in Kippy but I might be wrong. I do know we immediately walked down to the stock in the sidings & tried to get a bit of sleep before the ship arrived in Patras bringing all the Pilgrims.

Monday 10/03/03

Some of us, having done a few Greek Easters, were used to the "where are the normal's going to sit" lottery that was the OSE seat reservation system. The punters knew (or thought they knew) where their reserved seats were - but, on the Pelly at least, there was absolutely NO info on any reservations! 
If someone turned up with his dead Goat over his shoulder & said it's his seat you just had to move.
No dead Goats tonight (that's only for Easter Sundays roast) just hordes of young "Pilgrims", fortunately early 20ish Students not schoolkids!
The result was the same - we sat next to each other in the front coach "Oh it's your seat is it - we'll move" then "we'll move again" & so on. We both eventually ended up separated in single seats,sleep wasn't an option. Still the thrash through the night was hellfire!

A9109)  Patras - Pireaus  0340 Patras - Pireaus addl 230km
A9101)

Shovel was in a right old state, due to the lack of sleep. We went for breakfast & much needed coffee while we waited time for the day train. I then had a beer in the station cafe but Shovel was too tired to partake. I remember walking back up the platform and bellowing to Shovel as a pair was sat there (to balance the inward working and return a standby loco to Patras) only to find he'd already boarded the stock to try to get some sleep! 
A9108 & A9101 at Pireaus about to work the 1202 to Pirghos.

A9108)  Pireaus - Patras  1202 Pireaus - Pirghos 230km
A9101)         
No sleep for me as A9108 was my machine so the thrash was caned in all the way! (well I might have caught a few Zzzz's for about an hour of the journey.....). 
Mitsibushi A9420 on depot gronk duties on Patras shed.
A9108 was duly detached at Patras to go on Standby at the Depot, A9101 soldiered on.

A9101  Patras - Pirghos 1202 Pireaus - Pirghos 100km

Well what a day, I think I managed something to eat in Olympia before an early night to catch up on some sleep!

Tuesday 11/03/03

After many years of viewing the Mitsi & standby set stabled in Pirghos the AVP finally relented & let me cane in the Olympia branch ! 
I got up before breakfast "just in case" every day & today it produced vice unit. Our hotel was just out front of the station. 
9402 at Olympia on the 0722 to Pirghos
9402(winner!)Olympia - Pirghos  0722 Olympia - Pirghos 20km
9402               Pirghos - Olympia  0820 Pirghos - Olympia 20km

Flossie & co tut-tutted about my move when I came in late for breakfast - but were happy to do the 0926 themselves. All aboard!

9402      Olympia - Pirghos  0926 Olympia - Pirghos 20km
A9101   Pirghos - Lechena   0956 Pirghos - Piraeus 40km
A9101 at Lechena on the 0956 Pirgos - Piraeus
IC unit  Lechena - Pirghos  0604 Piraeus - Kipparissia 40km
Taxi      Pirghos - Olympia

We cut the moves short, unbelievably, to do the "normal" thing & go sightseeing around the ruins in Olympia - I expect Shovel was the ringleader for this idea !
I think we then started drinking about 1600, back to the hotel for a meal, then back out to continue the session!

Tuesday 12/03/03

6463     Olympia - Pirghos  0926 Olympia - Pirghos 20km
A9109  Pirghos - Elefsis  0956 Pirghos - Piraeus 294km

It was obvious, after coming up Corinth bank rather slowly, that assistance would probably be waiting at Elefsis. I had spawned this once before & a pair of Alco's were hellfire through to Piraeus - but the AVP saw the chance for a claw-back after me getting the Mitsi out of Olympia & provided an Alsthom. Even worse the Alco was shut-down rather than work in Tandem. Cheers!

A9207)  Elefsis - Athens  0956 Pirghos - Piraeus      27km
A9109 DIT)
           
A9207 at Athens Peloponnese after assisting A9109 from Elefsis.
      
An evening in Athens - no doubt a Schweinhaxe was eaten & various German style beers were imbibed at the up-market brewpub in the trendy part of the city.

Wednesday 13/03/03

Homeward bound and an early start to boot - no doubt there were some fuzzy heads in the taxi out to the Airport!

G-EZJV   Athens - Luton  0650 Athens - Luton
170397    Luton A.Pway - St.Pancras 0806 Barnsley - St.Pancras   30m
91112      Kings Cross - Doncaster      1205 Kings Cross - Leeds  156m

I cannot believe I didn't go drinking in London - there must have been something pre-arranged in Doncaster that evening.

Total KM = 2320                     Total Moves = 17

Daily Average = 386km           Average per move = 136km













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