After whizzing on the Victoria Line Euston - Tottenham Hale we connected onto an @greateranglia service to a short hop to Enfield Lock (first time B’s seen a proper level crossing!) where we’re now in a Premier Inn for the night. Baxter’s excited for tmw! #OffDutyTrainDriver #MumAndSonTime #Enfield

And we’re off… 730222 (+730229) doing the honours of taking us from Lichfield to London. Nice to see the 730/2 on this line. First time I’ve properly been a passenger on one.
Got a different view of the high level platform with 730017 waiting to depart for Bromsgrove #OffDutyTrainDriver #Travelling

Today is all about the #MidlandPullman
A comfortable trip on the best traction ever #HST in style to #Edinburgh
I’ve wanted to travel on the ‘Blue Banana’ for ages…. Today is that day!
#OffDutyTrainDriver #RailTour #TravelByRail

It would have been rude not to catch another ‘proper train’ again… Off to #Shrewsbury we did go!
#OffDutyTrainDriver #DayTrip #RailTrip #DayOnTheRails

Croeso y Cymru! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
After a short 20 mins at #Cardiff our onward train pulled in - it was the one we were hoping for! Now chilling out in the comfy seats for our journey to #Manchester
#OffDutyTrainDriver #DayTrip #RailTrip #ProperTrain

Good Morning! Following our railtour sadly being cancelled for today, my friend & I found ourselves needing to make alternative plans. Currently onboard an XC 170 heading for #Cardiff - let’s see how our day pans out…. #OffDutyTrainDriver #OffDutyGuard #DayOut

Yesterday I found myself back on the coast for a short while. And yes I had a little paddle in the sea. In November. Crazy how mild the weather is for a “ber” month. #OffDutyTrainDriver #Coast #Dawlish #Devon

As the time to head home has come, I decided to take a little walk to the River Exe this morning for some fresh air & leg stretch. A sunny & warm Exeter morning. I’m always sad to leave but I’ll be back! #OffDutyTrainDriver #Exeter #Devon #TrainTravel

/1 Yesterday, I went for lunch at one of my fave spots - The Anchor at #CockwoodHarbour - it’s a 20 min walk from Starcross. Despite the inclement weather I sat outside mostly but when the rain became Biblical I retreated inside to a cosy snug. The food & beer were excellent. #OffDutyTrainDriver

One of my happy places is the coast - so I have escaped to Devon for a couple of days. I will never tire of this view and listening to the sound of the sea. Coastal air is so uplifting.
#OffDutyTrainDriver #AnnualLeave #Dawlish #SeaAir #Seaside

8 years ago, at 12.05, this boy was born, making me a Mum. As we celebrate your 8th birthday today, you make me very proud of the boy you have become with an amazing smile & so kind/caring. Let’s hope #Spurs win tonight #COYS Have an amazing birthday Baxter! #OffDutyTrainDriver #Mum #BirthdayBoy

After the school run today I decided to pop down to #SuttonColdfield for a coffee & bagel in #Folklore on the station…. Mostly because there is a gorgeous cat in residence called Betty. She helped me with my crossword! #OffDutyTrainDriver #CoffeeWithACat #StationCat

Scooting/Biking with the kids today to #StowePool #Lichfield - nice walk/scoot around Stowe Pool & play park for the kids.
Appears I’m not as competent on a scooter as I am driving trains! 🤣 #OffDutyTrainDriver #FamilyDay #GetOutdoors

After breakfast, we went to #BubblePlanet #Wembley an immersive experience. We spent about 75 mins going through the various ‘rooms’ in a ‘one way’ route & I paid extra for the VR bit. The kids loved it! I might have had fun too! 😉 #OffDutyTrainDriver #ImmersiveExperience #FamilyFun

And on to the main event… @Starlightlondon what a truly exhilarating, energetic & superbly choreographed show! We all loved it. #Rusty was the kids favourite engine. #OffDutyTrainDriver #StarlightExpress #Musical #Trains

When you have a couple hours to kill before the main plans of the day… what else is there to do but bumble about on the #underground? Firstly we popped to #Uxbridge as my dad had some time based there in the RAF & then we saw the ends of the line #OffDutyTrainDriver #Tube #MetropolitanLine

And we’re off again…. This time we’re travelling with @chilternrailway.bsky.social from Birmingham Moor St to Wembley Stadium. Just a couple of nights this time - just me & the minis. Lunchtime now… and coffee for me! #OffDutyTrainDriver #ChilternRailways #HaveTrainPassWillTravel #FamilyTravel

Today p2: After we pulled the kids away from playing trains we walked the Chester Walls, before stopping for a late lunch. A little shopping & then back to the station for our journey home. #OffDutyTrainDriver #Chester #ChesterWalls #WalkTheWalls #RomanCity #GettingOurStepsIn

Today we spent the day Chester Zoo - my little monkeys fit right in… could have left them with their friends! Such a brilliant day out, so many animals to watch & learn plus the kids loved the playgrounds to run off some final energy. #ChesterZoo #OffDutyTrainDriver #FamilyDayTrip

We’re now in #Chester & after storing our luggage at the hotel we headed to Grosvenor Park for a ride (or 3) on the #MiniatureRailway & the kids had the play park then after checking in we headed down to the hotel’s pool for a swim & a splash. #OffDutyTrainDriver #FamilyHoliday

We had a little train trip out to Manchester this afternoon, a different route each way - because you know, why not? Got a glimpse of a #GBRf #Class69 Travelled on #MerseyRail #class777 #Northern #Class331 & #Class195 #TPE #Class185 not a bad mix! #OffDutyTrainDriver #BusmansHoliday #TravelByTrain

Well, we just had to…. ride the @merseyferries.bsky.social Ferry ‘cross the Mersey, We did the 50 minute cruise & had great views along both sides of the river. It was a tad breezy & the sun was MIA.
(How many of you are now humming the song? ☺️) #OffDutyTrainDriver #Boat #RiverCruise #Liverpool

Well, we just had to…. ride the @merseyferries.bsky.social Ferry ‘cross the Mersey, We did the 50 minute cruise & had great views along both sides of the river. It was a tad breezy & the sun was MIA.
(How many of you are now humming the song? ☺️) #OffDutyTrainDriver #Boat #RiverCruise #Liverpool

#Liverpool - Meredith wanted to go straight on the wheel - some super views of the City. Onto the carousel & then we had a late lunch before ambling around. We then checked into our @pullmanhotels.bsky.social room & relaxed before dinner. #OffDutyTrainDriver #FamilyTime

And we’re off! The kids wanted to go to different cities! I’m taking M to Liverpool & B is going to Manchester with Daddy & then we’ll meet in Chester! Of course, we can’t stop in Crewe without having a coffee with the awesome Sarah @sydneybridgetmd.bsky.social #OffDutyTrainDriver #BusmansHoliday

We spent the rest of yesterday making a dent in the #BullsInTheCity Trail - we got a lot of the further afield ones done with an “outside in” approach. We’ve done about 2/3 of them now. Some absolutely brilliant designs - talented people out there. #OffDutyTrainDriver #MumAndSon #FamilyTime

After an unsuccessful attempt y’day to find an elusive feline we find ourselves back on a train to #StourbridgeJunction in hope of finding George. We are armed with treats too! At least the #Class139 was the right one - 139002 (named George!) #OffDutyTrainDriver #MumAndSonDay #CatHunt #FindGeorge