RMweb Premium melmerby Posted June 1 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 1 19 hours ago, woodenhead said: Terrible cramped trains, yet their sister trains on the lines from St Pancras to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield were so much better laid out, so it's not the trains per se but how they were delivered with too few coaches for the services they were going to be utilised on. The problem with replacing 1 long train once an hour, with a short train half hourly. Ridership went up but no room for expansion. Blame Beardy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 17 hours ago, AY Mod said: If he can stay here for a bit after 4th July he can team up with Binface and sort the place out. We don't care where people were born and we don't give the job to convicts. Well, that leaves us Aussies out, then! 🙃 😉 1 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 5 hours ago, The Stationmaster said: ... you could at least get to/from Paddington. AH - but there's a school of thought that considers Paddington a little peripheral to London ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold franciswilliamwebb Posted June 1 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1 1 minute ago, Wickham Green too said: AH - but there's a school of thought that considers Paddington a little peripheral to London ! You can get a train to London from there, I’m told😉 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 2 minutes ago, franciswilliamwebb said: You can get a train to London from there, I’m told😉 Possible since 1863 ! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 43 minutes ago, franciswilliamwebb said: You can get a train to London from there, I’m told😉 Though some would want us to believe that Old Oak is now central London! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 a Common misconception ! 13/10/23 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Gilbert Posted June 2 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 2 (edited) On 31/05/2024 at 16:00, rapidotrains said: First Class in loco-hauled MK IVs to Cardiff - that is on my bucket list! Maybe next time. The trouble is that on these UK visits I like to visit the office, and the office is about as far from Cardiff as you can get while still being in England. It's a great ride. I did Newport to Shrewsbury and return yesterday...great to get a 67 and coaches but the failure to provide catering of any sort on either service was a major disappointment! Edited June 2 by Gilbert 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold franciswilliamwebb Posted June 2 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 2 48 minutes ago, Gilbert said: Blimey! It looks like first class even includes a small cameo layout to play with these days😍 1 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Gilbert Posted June 2 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 2 1 minute ago, franciswilliamwebb said: Blimey! It looks like first class even includes a small cameo layout to play with these days😍 They think of everything... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Mind you, that Welsh word for 'First' looks a bit rude to me ! ( From what I know of Welsh pronunciation.) 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rapidotrains Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Well today was interesting. I'll start with Friday. We successfully made it from London to Birmingham via Manchester. A lot of people complain about the new layout at New Street and how difficult it is to change trains. I get that. However, having lived in Brum during the "New Street is a Dingy Coal Mine" era I have to say I much prefer the new station. I miss the John Lewis, though. During its brief sojourn at New Street I managed to buy an 11th Doctor jacket on one occasion and a suitcase on another because I had bought too much crap in England that I had to somehow get home. I do my very best to support the British economy, especially the Doctor Who segment of it... It seems that every time I come to Birmingham, the buses have a new livery - or liveries. The bus in the distance is... green. While these are quite nice, I'll take an Arab IV or a D7 any day of the week... Birmingham is a lovely city, and I find the people that knock it either have never been there or were last there when the buses in the photo above were still in service. I've told this story before, but I'll tell it again. I was at lunch with some Londoners once - this was in Canada, by the way - and a lady at the table said that the best view she had of Birmingham was in her rearview mirror. I asked her when she was last there. "1969," she answered. I tried to explain that it was a lovely city that has had lots of investment and things to do and see. She wrote me off because she "obviously" knew it better than I did because she was English. So I threw her out the second floor window. Who needs a 1000-year-old cathedral when you can have a 300-year-old cathedral? It's, like, brand new! Today we have to get to London to board the Caledonian Sleeper. So we decided to go via Yorkshire (as one does). The 09:03 Voyager from New Street was the first Avanti 221 in service for CrossCountry, according to the train crew. They got on and were surprised to find that there was nothing in the galley - no trolleys, no food, nothing. All they had was tea, coffee, UHT milk packets and sugar packets. At one point I saw an attendant walking through with packages of serviettes someone had bought at a shop and loaded on board at Derby! Even the WiFi had not been changed yet! Mind you, it didn't actually work... The plan was to get off at Leeds and head to Keighley, where we would catch the K&WV to Howarth. My wife and I spent part of our honeymoon wandering around Howarth and I remember it very fondly. But there was a problem. The train from Leeds arrives at Keighley at 11:38. The K&WV leaves Keighley at 11:40. Even in the topping days of British Rail, I would not trust that connection. Am I supposed to have my K&WV tickets handed to me while running for the train? So we would have to sit around in Keighley for almost an hour. It gets better. The train back to Leeds leaves at 15:40, but the K&WV train is scheduled to arrive at... 15:40. I'm 100% certain we couldn't make a 0 minute connection. So we would have to wait around at Keighley AGAIN. Is this scheduling silliness due to a new National Rail timetable? Or has it always been like that? So we looked where our train was going, and we decided to spend the day in York. When we arrived in Leeds, pandemonium broke out. The entire population of Leeds boarded our train. Apparently there was some problem on the line... somewhere. This is why we always get the first class rail pass: I took this photo from the first class doorway. It was not physically possible to get to the bathroom. The entire train was that full. I told the people I was taking a photo and nobody seemed to care, so I'm sorry if this is your ex-girlfriend or something. This was our train, 221116: We asked a couple of constables standing on the platform where we could find Left Luggage. "None here, I'm afraid," was the reply. "You'll need to go to the Minster." Not wanting to schlep our big bags across town, I checked The Google and discovered there was a Left Luggage department 300 feet to my right. Thanks, Officer Plod! I saw this sign at a tourist shop in the Shambles, and that's when I realized that all wives must have the same brain. My phone used to have a picture of Sidura on the lock screen. Then I saw that she had a picture of the dog. Then I saw that, even after I'd discreetly shown her the picture of her several times over a number of weeks, her lock screen still had a picture of the dog. So now my lock screen has a picture of some Cybermen. Take that, wife. She doesn't care. I didn't buy the sign. OK. I think I can admit that York has a slightly - and only slightly - nicer cathedral than Birmingham. We went to the NRM to discover that big room with all the passenger cars was CLOSED! What a shame! I had told Boaz all about it. I wrote the story here a long time ago about how I was sitting in the Mk II coach in that hall and observing the silly comments people were making as they walked in. The best was when the old guy and his wife walked in and he says "Oh it's a modern one" and they promptly walked out! The coach was over 50 years old at the time! Even without the passenger cars you could sit in, the NRM is worth a visit. The best thing for us train nerds is the north shed full of old random stuff. Then there was this thing: What a neat-looking engine! I think it only has two big driving wheels! It must have gone very fast in the 1950s or whenever it was built. I didn't catch what type of engine it was, but I did see that Bachmann has made one in OO so everyone should go buy that. All week I was a bit anxious about this jaunt to Yorkshire. I was concerned that there might be a meltdown on the ECML and we'd be stuck in York. My Spidey Senses must have been recently serviced as, sure enough, there was a meltdown on the ECML today. Many trains were very late or cancelled, so we boarded the next train that pulled into platform 3: I've always wanted to ride Grand Central, and I'm glad that I did. This Class 180 is a fun little speedster, and it was made in Birmingham! Boaz was concerned that the catering is not as fancy as LNER, but I pointed out that a seat on a train is better than a seat in the bush. Or something like that. Despite the standees in standard class (is that why it's called standard class?), Boaz and I have four seats to ourselves in first! (That's another reminder to fellow foreigners coming the the UK: always get the first class pass!) Provided we arrive safely at King's Cross, we're headed to Euston next to board the sleeper. More to come... -Jason 10 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 Welcome to UK train travel in the 2020s @rapidotrains. Mrs W refuses to use them anymore and I now tend to drive unless it’s a very very long way or I am on expenses. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 1 hour ago, rapidotrains said: What a neat-looking engine! I think it only has two big driving wheels! It must have gone very fast in the 1950s or whenever it was built. I didn't catch what type of engine it was, Are you trying to blend in with people like the irate woman I saw at Bridgnorth a few years ago, who, with two very disappointed-looking young boys in tow, accosted a member of Staff on a normal service day & asked him why none of the steam 'trains' had faces on them..??!! 🙄🙄🤔🤪🤪 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rapidotrains Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 The journey continues. We walked to Euston and boarded the Caledonian Sleeper, with 92020 Billy Stirling on the point. I have rarely met a train crew more gracious and generous than those on the Caledonian. They were all so eager to help, and I did not encounter a single Jobsworth. And I definitely needed help... The last time I rode this train was in Mk III sleepers, and there was a luggage rack at the end of the car. I (incorrectly) assumed that would be the case aboard the Mk Vs. Apparently I can lock my big case in the lounge car... to Aberdeen. Not very helpful. Again, I have to sing the praises of the crew. They gave us the accessible room which was large enough for my case. They even helped me move everything over there. These are great people who love their jobs. About these Mk V sleepers.... I like to travel in the top bunk on a sleeper and I am curious to know if the people who designed them had ever actually done this ever. The ladder rungs to the top bunk are so narrow and sharply radiused that the ladder actually hurts to use with bare feet. When getting down from the top bunk in the accessible room there is nothing, and I mean nothing, to hold on to or brace against. I actually had a panic attack as I got stuck and Boaz had to help me down. On later attempts I used the table as a step. There is nowhere to store your book, glasses, pills, water bottle, etc. on the top bunk; there is just a holder for your phone. Because, of course, middle-aged people and seniors don't need ANYTHING at their bedside apart from a phone. And for the lower bunk: There is no way to comfortably sit up in the lower bunk parallel to the rails because there is a honking great thing where your back is supposed to go. I think it was designed to be a backrest but requires absolutely perfect posture to use. No relaxing allowed! The top bunk can't be put away, even if you are travelling alone, so the room always feels cramped. The best thing about the sleepers is the Scottish lady who tells you when the bathroom door is opening and when it's closing. She's so nice! The sleeper experience is still worth doing because of the crew and the lounge car. But I won't take the Caledonian again unless I am travelling alone. I'm guessing everyone loves these new sleepers and I will be maligned as a spoiled, grumpy old man. Well maybe I am. Canada is in the process of ordering new long-distance passenger cars; I sincerely hope they do a better job. As I said, the crew were lovely. It turns out the On Board Host, Erin Rose, grew up in Toronto, about ten miles from my house! She recognized the GO Transit logo on my shirt. The one day I wear a Canadian T-shirt in the UK I get Canucked. That's when someone recognizes you're from Canada rather than "America," which is where everyone who is not Canadian or American thinks we hoseheads are from. The lounge car is lovely, and the scenery is to die for. The Fort William section is hauled by a pair of Class 73s. It was really cool to see these vintage beauties still at work after almost 60 years! These engines were built when the Beatles were still together! How groovy is that? We had very important Rapido business to attend to in Fort William, namely the Ben Nevis distillery. Rapido is seriously considering making distillery models in O gauge. This was a valuable research trip. The sign on the door of the stillhouse could apply to most model railway discussion forums: According to our guide, Connor, I was one of the only people who has ever noticed the wagon turntable remains in the parking lot... Later, when he told the group that the barley now comes by truck because it's a more modern and convenient method, I threw him into the Mash Tun. I am now banned from going within 100 metres of Ben Nevis distillery or any place that sells Ben Nevis whisky. Actually, that was all a lie and the whisy was most excellent! I love Scotland. You all sound kind of Canadian. At the Costa, there was an Indian student working there who didn't speak English all that well, but he kept on saying "That's fine!" in a perfect Scottish accent! We headed for Glenfinnan. Last time Bill and I were there, we were the ONLY people there. Harry Potter has made it hugely popular, and there were hundreds of tourists taking selfies. So we took a selfie. The Jacobite we had come to photoraph was cancelled, but some fighter jets were kind enough to come in its place. Is there an RAF base nearby? I was hoping they would target the "Van Life" milliennial influencers who were parked beside us. This was a very difficult photo to get with an iPhone... We're now waiting for our sleeper back to London. So far, to get from Toronto to Hamburg, I've been: Toronto-London-Crewe-Chester-London-Staplehurst-London-Manchester-Birmingham-York-London-Fort William and soon London... again. I am seriously considering firing my travel agent. Jason 8 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators AY Mod Posted June 3 Administrators Share Posted June 3 39 minutes ago, rapidotrains said: Rapido is seriously considering making distillery models in O gauge. Tax deductible diversion and reference material. ✅ 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kylestrome Posted June 3 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 3 (edited) 44 minutes ago, rapidotrains said: And for the lower bunk: There is no way to comfortably sit up in the lower bunk parallel to the rails because there is a honking great thing where your back is supposed to go. I think it was designed to be a backrest but requires absolutely perfect posture to use. No relaxing allowed! The top bunk can't be put away, even if you are travelling alone, so the room always feels cramped. I made the exact same journey, a couple of weeks ago, and agree with everything you said about the 'new' sleeper coaches. Sleep is also almost impossible, but it is still a great way* to start a holiday in the highlands. Did you try sitting on the crazy swivelling seats in the club car? 🙄😁 *For a die-hard rail enthusiast Edited June 3 by Kylestrome 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium acg5324 Posted June 3 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 3 You should have popped round to see us at Monkbar Modelshop when you were in York, only two mins away from the Minster….and I’m half Canadian! Looking forward to the next instalment of your journey. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 (edited) 2 hours ago, rapidotrains said: The journey continues. We walked to Euston and boarded the Caledonian Sleeper, with 92020 Billy Stirling on the point. I have rarely met a train crew more gracious and generous than those on the Caledonian. They were all so eager to help, and I did not encounter a single Jobsworth. And I definitely needed help... The last time I rode this train was in Mk III sleepers, and there was a luggage rack at the end of the car. I (incorrectly) assumed that would be the case aboard the Mk Vs. Apparently I can lock my big case in the lounge car... to Aberdeen. Not very helpful. Again, I have to sing the praises of the crew. They gave us the accessible room which was large enough for my case. They even helped me move everything over there. These are great people who love their jobs. About these Mk V sleepers.... I like to travel in the top bunk on a sleeper and I am curious to know if the people who designed them had ever actually done this ever. The ladder rungs to the top bunk are so narrow and sharply radiused that the ladder actually hurts to use with bare feet. When getting down from the top bunk in the accessible room there is nothing, and I mean nothing, to hold on to or brace against. I actually had a panic attack as I got stuck and Boaz had to help me down. On later attempts I used the table as a step. There is nowhere to store your book, glasses, pills, water bottle, etc. on the top bunk; there is just a holder for your phone. Because, of course, middle-aged people and seniors don't need ANYTHING at their bedside apart from a phone. And for the lower bunk: There is no way to comfortably sit up in the lower bunk parallel to the rails because there is a honking great thing where your back is supposed to go. I think it was designed to be a backrest but requires absolutely perfect posture to use. No relaxing allowed! The top bunk can't be put away, even if you are travelling alone, so the room always feels cramped. The best thing about the sleepers is the Scottish lady who tells you when the bathroom door is opening and when it's closing. She's so nice! The sleeper experience is still worth doing because of the crew and the lounge car. But I won't take the Caledonian again unless I am travelling alone. I'm guessing everyone loves these new sleepers and I will be maligned as a spoiled, grumpy old man. Well maybe I am. Canada is in the process of ordering new long-distance passenger cars; I sincerely hope they do a better job. As I said, the crew were lovely. It turns out the On Board Host, Erin Rose, grew up in Toronto, about ten miles from my house! She recognized the GO Transit logo on my shirt. The one day I wear a Canadian T-shirt in the UK I get Canucked. That's when someone recognizes you're from Canada rather than "America," which is where everyone who is not Canadian or American thinks we hoseheads are from. The lounge car is lovely, and the scenery is to die for. The Fort William section is hauled by a pair of Class 73s. It was really cool to see these vintage beauties still at work after almost 60 years! These engines were built when the Beatles were still together! How groovy is that? We had very important Rapido business to attend to in Fort William, namely the Ben Nevis distillery. Rapido is seriously considering making distillery models in O gauge. This was a valuable research trip. The sign on the door of the stillhouse could apply to most model railway discussion forums: According to our guide, Connor, I was one of the only people who has ever noticed the wagon turntable remains in the parking lot... Later, when he told the group that the barley now comes by truck because it's a more modern and convenient method, I threw him into the Mash Tun. I am now banned from going within 100 metres of Ben Nevis distillery or any place that sells Ben Nevis whisky. Actually, that was all a lie and the whisy was most excellent! I love Scotland. You all sound kind of Canadian. At the Costa, there was an Indian student working there who didn't speak English all that well, but he kept on saying "That's fine!" in a perfect Scottish accent! We headed for Glenfinnan. Last time Bill and I were there, we were the ONLY people there. Harry Potter has made it hugely popular, and there were hundreds of tourists taking selfies. So we took a selfie. The Jacobite we had come to photoraph was cancelled, but some fighter jets were kind enough to come in its place. Is there an RAF base nearby? I was hoping they would target the "Van Life" milliennial influencers who were parked beside us. This was a very difficult photo to get with an iPhone... We're now waiting for our sleeper back to London. So far, to get from Toronto to Hamburg, I've been: Toronto-London-Crewe-Chester-London-Staplehurst-London-Manchester-Birmingham-York-London-Fort William and soon London... again. I am seriously considering firing my travel agent. Jason The wife and I took the sleeper last year from Aberdeen to London and return. It was an experience. Overall I loved the scenery, being able to lounge with a beer and food and watch the scenery go by… wake up in a new place… Bit some aspects were farcical which at the price charged makes it unlikely I could persuade the missus to do it again. 1. leaving Aberdeen we were first passengers into the lounge car where we were asked if we were dining. On confirming we were we were advised there were only 2 meals on the train - not 2 choices but 2 total meals. We bought both and everyone after us was offered a bag of crisps. The food was pretty Ok to be fair. 2. we had no hot water in our en-suite shower room. Absolutely freezing… 3. your comments on the bunks I agree with but I managed to have a comfortable night sleep which is more than could be said of old sleeper. you didn’t mention the lounge sofas which look lovely but they must have mistakingly installed wood where the padding should be… maybe they don’t want you to stop there too long! 4. The cooked breakfast served was quite possibly the worst I have ever tasted. I don’t know how you can mess up a cooked breakfast but it was vile. 5. return journey saw a finely stocked buffet car and we stuffed ourselves to help ensure southbound passengers next eve had same experience as us (we were advised they don’t restock in Aberdeen so if demand high northbound then southbound go wanting). 6. no hot water in our en-suite again on return and it wasn’t same carriage! 7. for breakfast on return we both opted for veggie option this time and it was the second worst cooked breakfast ever. Much better than non veggie option but… As you experienced the staff were lovely and looked after us and despite the issues above I did enjoy the experience. To be fair the sleeper franchise was shortly changing hands which might have been part of the issue - cannot comment if things have improved since. I genuinely hope so - some fairly easy to fix things could make this service really good - often getting good people is half the battle! edit - one other amusing aspect. On our return there were engineering works so we left earlier. About 30 mins into journey we stopped for a while before running slowly back in direction we had come from. After a few minutes there was an announcement to the effect of “this is a passenger announcement. The driver is aware we are travelling backwards as planned due to the engineering works. We would like to thank passengers for pointing this out” Edited June 3 by Matt Add anecdote 3 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erixtar1992 Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 When the west coast is closed we depart Euston, go into Wembley Yard and reverse, via Camden onto the east coast 🙂 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 By my calculation, Wembley's somewhat more than thirty minutes from the Fort ! 🙄 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Decorum Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 I’m put off having a go at the sleeper because of all the poor reports. A long time ago, I travelled on a sleeper with Mk. IIIs. It was extremely comfortable. From the sound of things, we should be building Mk. IIIs again but with properly spaced windows in standard class. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium E100 Posted June 4 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 4 Great thread as it's especially interesting to get a Canadian perspective on UK trains. 1st in a 221/220 is quite a world apart comfort wise from standard. On other trains such as class 80x's it's much less noticeable. The problem is the cost of first on a 221/220 is often extortionate! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 On 28/05/2024 at 12:37, rapidotrains said: Mr. Slurhiswords was using quite colourful language in his discussion with Mr. Angryattheworld It's great to have confirmation that these authentic time honoured British characters are still in circulation. You probably never saw 'The Fast Show'; a fine representation of the first of these in character as 'Rowley Birkin Q.C.' will be available on Youtube. On 02/06/2024 at 17:36, rapidotrains said: OK. I think I can admit that York has a slightly - and only slightly - nicer cathedral than Birmingham. Which wasn't even a place, when a man from York strode off to become emperor of Rome. On 02/06/2024 at 17:36, rapidotrains said: What a neat-looking engine! I think it only has two big driving wheels! It must have gone very fast in the 1950s or whenever it was built. So perceptive! This design established the correct layout as the template for development of maximum power express locos in the UK, and the last examples were built in the 1950s. Having waved my RTR OO model around a a few locations, I have been informed it was made by Hey Man!, Horny, Duplo etc. but I am pretty sure it was Streako what done it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted June 4 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 4 On 02/06/2024 at 17:36, rapidotrains said: OK. I think I can admit that York has a slightly - and only slightly - nicer cathedral than Birmingham. 12 minutes ago, 34theletterbetweenB&D said: Which wasn't even a place, when a man from York strode off to become emperor of Rome. But Birmingham existed before York had it's Minster.🙂 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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