railsquid's 2014 European tour

railsquid · October 16, 2014, 07:39:23 AM

In a couple of hours, assuming FGW's signalling problems don't result in further cancellations.

({deity of choice} will someone just give the entire railway system to Japan already...)

Bealman · October 16, 2014, 07:48:15 AM

Yes... I've been chatting from Australia, thinking, heck what time must it be there? Night squid!!

Claude Dreyfus · October 16, 2014, 08:07:01 AM

Well, there was a rumour a little while ago JR East were looking at the Southern franchise. Sadly t'was not to be. Says he, currently enjoying the charms of the morning commute on a Southern train, wishing it was something a little more exciting than a class 377...

railsquid · October 16, 2014, 09:15:20 AM

Right, well I am now on a Chiltern train at Marylebone, as I have had enough hassle with FGW on previous trips to not make it worth the risk going the direct route, so will go via Birmingham, which will take me past some old stomping grounds I haven't been through in a while, which will be nice.

Happily Chiltern also has free wifi and power sockets

Meanwhile it's 2014 and the railway ticketing system is as bizarre as ever. The ticket machine quoted me a single ticket to Birmingham at about 49 quid, but not being sure what weird peak/offpeak rules are in place I queued at the ticket office and it turned out to be only 28 quid.

railsquid · October 16, 2014, 09:17:24 AM

And while I was waiting, not one but two loco-hauled (or loco-pushed) trains rolled in, which is kind of nice. Though it was bizarre to see one of the locomotives in bright red DB livery (this after observing that the RATP seems to run London's buses now...).

railsquid · October 16, 2014, 09:17:56 AM

Holy bicycle, the wifi even works in tunnels.

Newportnobby · October 16, 2014, 09:40:18 AM

Thanks for the pics.
Do you have a 'formal' itinerary in the UK or are you just mooching?

Bealman · October 16, 2014, 09:49:59 AM

WiFi in tunnels? Eek! You import Japanese tech!

railsquid · October 16, 2014, 09:53:47 AM

Quote from: newportnobby on October 16, 2014, 09:40:18 AM
Thanks for the pics.
Do you have a 'formal' itinerary in the UK or are you just mooching?

I'm actually on my way to Madrid for a work-related conference, but taking a couple of days to go and visit my parents while I'm on the same continent. Just taking the opportunity to get some rail-related stuff in on the way. Apparently a friend of my parents is an N-gauger as well so a meeting has been arranged.

Anyway I must say I liked Chiltern Railways when I occasionally used them in the late 90's / early 2000's, and so far I have no reason to change that opinion. BTW Is it me or do they do seem to have speeded up the Birmingham trains? I'm sure it used to take well over 2 hours.

Malc · October 16, 2014, 10:19:30 AM

Don't speak too soon, you haven't got there yet.

railsquid · October 16, 2014, 10:24:48 AM

Hence the "so far" qualifier

I fully expect to be turfed out at the next station, or as this is now Leamington, for the train to dramatically break down and have to wait 5 hours to escape.

tutenkhamunsleeping · October 16, 2014, 10:41:28 AM

Are you on a DMU or relaxing in Mark 3 splendour behind a Chiltern Class 67? If the latter, I'd strongly recommend http://www.videoscene.co.uk/commuter-trains-of-the-21st-century-1-class-67s.-blu-ray.html as a souvenir of your visit

railsquid · October 16, 2014, 11:02:18 PM

'Twas a DMU; I did see two Mk3 rakes pull in to Marylebone as I was about to depart (one of them appeared to be in something akin to BR blue/grey livery), and another at Moorgate. If I'd known about them earlier, I might have planned my journey differently. (Actually I barely planned the journey at all).

railsquid · October 23, 2014, 12:06:16 AM

OK, so where were we? Oh yes, on a train to Birmingham which I'd diverted myself onto due to an alarming number of FGW cancellations and delays due to the wrong kind of signalling works or something. The one on the right, to be precise:

My grandparents used to live in Princes Risborough so I am kind of familiar with the line, although the trains are much nicer and they zoom through Princes Risborough without stopping.

I am sure I glimpsed an olde-style "bubble car" in the bay platform for the Aylesbury line, but maybe that was my imagination?

Anyway I wanted to go to Birmingham, and they couldn't have taken me on to Crewe due to the fundamental lack of connectedness between this ex-GWR line and London-Midlandy northwards-pointing bits, so I alighted at Moor Street which is looking pleasingly station-like these days.

A helpful reminder in the gents:

I had about 90 minutes before my onwards train to Hereford, so took my suitcase on a quick walking tour of the city centre to see what had changed in the last couple of decades (last time I remember being there, I emerged from Moor Street to find that the old Bull Ring Centre had been turned into a very satisfying hole in the ground).

railsquid · October 23, 2014, 12:18:23 AM

Well, the Bull Ring Centre has been replaced by something that reminds me of this GDR-era department store, looming over one side of the station:

but which provides a nice pedestrianised extension to the main shopping area, especially as the ring road there, which I vaguely remember as a multi-lane thing crossable only by passage through grotty subways seems to have been built over or diverted or something.

(to be continued...)