Right, I have made it to good old London, England for the second time this year, but this time unaccompanied and with a free afternoon/evening (which alas follows on from a 12-hour flight which arrived around 8pm body time).
Nevertheless I hot-footed it from Heathrow to the hotel then to Wheels of Steel (as suggested in this thread (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=23622.0)), which had... nothing of any interest to me. The small amount of N-gauge stuff in stock was mainly European; the proprietor said he has quite a high turnover so it varies from day to day.
So Plan B, the Ian Allan bookstore in Waterloo, which in a classic act of foresightful planning I'd neglected to write down the address for and having a vague idea it was next to Waterloo Station (and not having any mobile internet access) I eventually found it after resorting to the old-fashioned method of peer-to-peer interlocutory enquiry, aka asking someone. I was expecting to see only OO stock there, which I duly saw, and only after doing a round of the shop did I notice I'd overlooked a display case with a random assortment of Bachman/Graham Farish models at surprisingly reasonable prices, as an upshot of which I now own a BR blue Deltic and a weathered blue class 25. And a couple of coaches. And some magazines'n'stuff :bounce: They do have a test track available to test the locos, which is important to me as it would be annoying to find I've bought a dud and have to return it from oriental parts.
(Anyone heading along there to snap up a 25 should be aware that they still also have at least one of the old ones on display at the same price level).
By the time my new possessions were safely esconced in a plastic bag it was pushing midnight body time, but I've no idea when I'll come this way again so decided to recoup some of the investment in an off-peak travel card and check out the East London Line northern extension. Well it's not the East London Line anymore but you know what I mean.
On the way back from the Ian Allan shop I passed through the Waterloo concourse and had an unexpected bout of nostalgia, as I remembered it was here 23 years ago I stopped to have a cup of tea and a sandwich on my way to Germany for a "gap year" (from which I never returned and which lead me to parts even further east). The concourse is much changed since then of course; I'm not particularly enamoured with the elongated advertising screens above the ticket gates, which distract from the grandeur of the station and the train shed beyond. I do see the old Eurostar platforms appear to be being put back into use.
Anyway, down the "Dr. Who" tunnels to the Jubilee line, changing at Canada Water for the underground overground line. I like this station - nice wide platform on the Jubilee line directly under the ELL platforms, very easy interchange. Unfortunately it was pretty dark by then so I couldn't see much of the extension itself, but if the former factories/warehouses now converted to playpens-cum-offices are anything to go by, this silicon roundabout digital economy thing is taking off pretty well. The terminus, Highgate and Islington, needs some serious rethinking - even though the trains are only 4 cars and weren't full, the stairs at the platform end were hopelessly overcrowded.
Makes for interesting reading :thankyousign:
I trust you have a camera with you so maybe we can expect some pics of your travels please? :camera:
Pity about the weather really...been pretty wet and miserable all day; typical UK weather I suppose...
Oh yes, keep an eye out for the latest Continental Modeller...due out in all descerning retailers tomorrow. It has a Japanese layout in it... ;)
Hope you enjoy your visit to Europe.
Quote from: newportnobby on October 15, 2014, 09:53:25 PM
Makes for interesting reading :thankyousign:
I trust you have a camera with you so maybe we can expect some pics of your travels please? :camera:
Yup. My brain was plastered over several timezones yesterday so didn't take much, but will endeavour to engage in visual as well as verbal documentation :D
Quote from: Claude Dreyfus on October 15, 2014, 10:24:57 PM
Oh yes, keep an eye out for the latest Continental Modeller...due out in all descerning retailers tomorrow. It has a Japanese layout in it... ;)
I did actually take a look in the current edition which appeared to be Orient-free. I will be sure to include a newsagent on my perambulations today.
From Highgate and Islington I took the Victoria line, intending to head back to my hotel near Paddington via the Bakerloo, but the next stop was Kings Cross, and it occurred to me I like the section of Circle/Metropolitan line so got off there. I was surprised to find a giant wine bar/yuppie emporium called "St Pancras" which is located beneath a huge arching roof, and they've even got some 1:1 scale trains in there.
Anyway it's quite nicely done as these things go so I spent some time poking around before heading to the Metropolitan/Circle/H&C tunnels with their nice new trains. I'm not normally a fan something just because it's new, but I do like these trains - apart from being spacious and open they have excellent acceleration and I could almost imagine I was on a modern efficient metro network until the automated voice came on announcing that the train was stopped due to red signals ahead caused by congestion.
Which put me on the H&C platform at Paddington, which I'd evidently never been to before, and it turned out to be quite a slog from there to the main concourse, which meant I got to see a side of the station (literally) I never usually see. Long queue for taxis as it was raining heavily by then; interestingly there was one of those zigzaggy roped-off queuing sections by the taxi rank indicating the queues can get very long sometimes. Anyway by then it was 8pm, or 4am body time, stomach was demanding late dinner/early breakfast so I repaired to that fine dining establishment Pret A Manger, which is located on platform 1 and has some tables outside, so I was able to sit and watch the HSTs come and go while partaking of some breadilicious bounty, which was kind of nice.
Recap: in the space of 5 hours I travelled from Heathrow, checked out all the specialist railway model retailers in central London (both of them), kicked off my BR blue N-gauge collection, visited three major termini and "bashed" a new section of line. :thumbsup:
St. Pancras:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17418.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17418)
Paddington:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17419.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17419)
Cool! Keep 'em comin' please! :thumbsup:
My hotel room:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17424.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17424)
Excuse the mess. Very small single room in a place called "Hotel Omega" about 5 minutes walk from Paddington station. Bathroom is tiny and there's no lift; luckily I'm used to Japanese "business hotels" which come in similar dimensions, and lived for many years on the 5th floor of an old apartment building in Berlin with no lift, so no big deal for me. Fine for an overnight stay, unless you have lots of heavy luggage and/or are not up to the stairs. The building is a conversion of one of these old narrow townhouses (like most of the ones in the same terrace); it's evidently been recently refurbished - I can still faintly smell the paint. Incredibly, for a London hotel, hot water comes out of the taps on demand. Pressure could be higher, but certainly acceptable.
Verdict: would stay here again.
Yesterday's haul - some magazines'n'stuff:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17425.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17425)
and some rolling stock:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17426.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17426)
Cool Deltic!! (I'll ignore the colour :D)
I'm very definitely completing some unfinished childhood ambitions here, which focussed mainly on BR blue... Though I suspect the original Deltic (DP1?), if that's the one you mean, is the only Deltic I've actually ever seen with my own eyes, back when it was in the Science Museum (cool place, they have the pickled brain of an indirect relative in a jar there).
Not to mention Stephen's Rocket. :thumbsup:
Quote from: railsquid on October 16, 2014, 03:15:22 AM
Yup. My brain was plastered over several timezones yesterday so didn't take much, but will endeavour to engage in visual as well as verbal documentation :D
Ha, you're not kidding, seeing the time you posted this morning!
When do you move on from the 'Smoke'?
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...)
Yes... I've been chatting from Australia, thinking, heck what time must it be there? Night squid!! ;) ;D
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...
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 :thumbsup:
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.
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...).
Holy bicycle, the wifi even works in tunnels.
Thanks for the pics.
Do you have a 'formal' itinerary in the UK or are you just mooching?
WiFi in tunnels? Eek! You import Japanese tech! ;)
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.
Don't speak too soon, you haven't got there yet. :D
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.
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 (http://www.videoscene.co.uk/commuter-trains-of-the-21st-century-1-class-67s.-blu-ray.html) as a souvenir of your visit 8)
'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).
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:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17717.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17717)
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.
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17718.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17718)
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.
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17719.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17719)
A helpful reminder in the gents:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17720.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17720)
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).
Well, the Bull Ring Centre has been replaced by something that reminds me of this GDR-era department store (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Leipzig_Blechbuechse.jpg), looming over one side of the station:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17722.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17722)
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...)
All cool stuff! :thumbsup:
Also cool is seeing loco-hauled (or at least pushed) trains once again, like in the good old days:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17724.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17724)
Not sure about the loco itself, I presume the regular cab designer was on holiday so they just cut an angle off and slapped in whatever piece of rectangular glass they can find.
Or maybe the architect of this piece of butt-ugliness (the central library) was moonlighting in the rail industry:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17725.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17725)
Somewhere I read it had been replaced by a new building, but that must be somewhere else; the old one looks somewhat disused, so I guess they just haven't found a contractor able to nuke it from low orbit yet.
But joking aside, this place played a crucial role in railsquid's early intellectual life, as it was there I first browsed through some ancient tomes on the Chinese language, which put me on the trajectory which eventually led me to Japan (no doubt those books have long been cast out as old-fashioned and obsolete and replaced by some sort of multi-media "learning hub").
Anyway, out with the old, in with the new, OMG WTF a tram line???!?!!
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17726.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17726)
And talking of "new", the station named after the eponymous thoroughfare is undergoing some long-overdue renovation:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/38/thumb_17727.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=17727)
though it really should be nuked from low orbit and a proper two-level station built in its place, e.g. with local lines on the lower level to reduce the number of conflicting movements (which IMHO is the kind of boring stuff which HS2 money could be better spent on).
If your in Birmingham for a while, check out the wonderful world of planes and trains. A new attraction which has opened not far from St Pauls Square near to the snow hill station.
Also Birmingham has an Ian Allan store with more N Gauge upstairs.
This is located within spitting distance of New Street Stn.
Links here:
http://wonderfulworldtrainsplanes.co.uk (http://wonderfulworldtrainsplanes.co.uk)
http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/our-shops.htm (http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/our-shops.htm)
Enjoy!
If you had gone to the old Library & then through the Conference Centre to the other side, you'd have seen the new award-winning (?) one.
As to Moor Street - about a year ago, they owners took back the old steamer that was on an unused track ... shame, it gave some character to the place. Let's hope it's in for a restoration !
Mike
Awesome stuff, though it makes me realise how I was probably better off growing up in the NE.....
Said he, waiting for the reports to flood in.... ;D ;)
Quote from: OwL on October 23, 2014, 08:27:23 AM
If your in Birmingham for a while, check out the wonderful world of planes and trains. A new attraction which has opened not far from St Pauls Square near to the snow hill station.
Also Birmingham has an Ian Allan store with more N Gauge upstairs.
This is located within spitting distance of New Street Stn.
Links here:
http://wonderfulworldtrainsplanes.co.uk (http://wonderfulworldtrainsplanes.co.uk)
http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/our-shops.htm (http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/our-shops.htm)
Enjoy!
Per my previous post, "
I had about 90 minutes before my onwards train to Hereford"... but I did manage to zip into the Ian Allan shop (that was one reason for the Birmingham re-routing). While they had a wider (Bachman/Grafar-only) N-gauge range than the London shop, they didn't actually have anything I particularly wanted, alas, so I comforted myself with some magazines and a copy of the latest Platform 5 locomotive trainspotting book (which is a sad wimpy thing compared to the ones I was buying back when there were 500+ class 47s).
You didn't miss anything in Planes&Trains ... while interesting to see what's going on, it won't really be worth a regular visit until they get more done (unless the shop has something you want) or there is a specific event on (like last Sunday)
Thanks, good to know... BTW these reports are somewhat delayed - I'm in Madrid right now - so it's safe to assume I'm no longer in the location being mentioned.
Thank goodness for that :sweat:
I thought you were using some kind of teleporter :goggleeyes:
Meanwhile, thanks to the power of teleportation and / or budget airlines, I am no longer in Madrid, while the narrative is still at Birmingham New Street. Where I was shortly to board this DMU:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18010.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18010)
which is presumably one of these new-fangled TurboElectroPacerStars or something. Anyway, while I've noticed that train operators no longer weather the exteriors of their 1:1 models as often as they used to, as they've transferred their energies to the interiors.
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18011.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18011)
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18012.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18012)
Presumably due to some kind of timetabling accident it departed on time, taking me along the Cross City line, which together with adjactent areas played quite a significant role in my younger life - though I must stress I never actually lived in Birmingham but somewhere far worse, the southern terminus of aforementioned line. Fortunately the train, bound for Hereford as it was, failed to take a left at Barnt Green and plunged down the Lickey Incline, passing through Bromsgrove (which has a much more substantial station than I remember) and Droitwich Spa (where I also lived for a couple of years) before rejoining my planned route at Worcester Foregate Street. I would have liked to to have taken a break there and look around, but time was of the essence and on to Hereford I went.
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18016.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18016)
A station sign, as viewed from a train.
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18014.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18014)
Cider country, although I do wonder why they insist on labelling stuff in Welsh - surely Polish would be more appropriate?
Leaving the station, and after finding a short cut through the Morrisons car park of which I was previously unaware, I stumbled by freaky coincidence on an establishment called "Hereford Model Centre", which was not, as I originally thought, some sort of support establishment for those plying their business as photographic subjects, but a retailer of tiny little trains, and I thought it would be impolite to leave without helping to stablize their shelving units.
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18015.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18015)
Never mind the pics - I'm loving the narrative.
TurboElectroPacerStar made me laugh out loud :smiley-laughing:
:thankyousign:
Still running two countries behind here... Anyway at this point we leave urbane downtown Hereford for the sheep'n'bracken-infested wilds of Wales, although being literally just on the other side of Offa's Dyke the Welshness extends to misspelling the made-up Welsh version of the clearly English village name on road signs (though I believe this was corrected as soon as the shipment of additional "L"s arrived).
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18063.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18063)
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18064.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18064)
Tragically, the nefarious plans of the infamous Dr. B had long since removed any chance of seeing real trains in the vicinity, but this had not prevented the Royal Mail from delivering a shipment from Liverpool to the parental homestead consisting of a green steamy thing (BR standard class 5MT if you must know) and a couple of crimson and cream coaches, which may seem somewhat out of character but it is an attempt to replicate my first OO trainset and the 5MT was on offer and I also picked up an industrial-size vat of Rule 1 Lotion to apply to my layout so nehneh (sticks tongue out).
It also turned out that I wasn't the only N-gauge modeller in the village, so introductions were made and I spent a pleasant hour or two talking gibberish (at least that's how it was described by outsiders) to a nice bloke who had not long moved there and was just starting out on his layout. I did receive a short practical introduction to the world of DCC, and I fear I may have to go down that route.
The rest of this report was eaten by sheep so the narrative will resume in sunnier climes.
Wonderful stuff. :thumbsup:
From wet and woolly Wales our protagonist is swept southwards by aerodynamic forces to warmer climes... Which involved a re-acquaintance with the kind of airline which paints its domain name in big bright bold letters on the fuselages of its aircrafts, and which I had not used for a number of years, leading me to forget just how blatantly one is treated as "Self-Loading Freight". It does seem some sanity has prevailed - seat numbers are now pre-allocated, reducing boarding chaos, but on-board baggage restrictions have been dialled up to "Fascist" and I was bluntly ordered to squeeze the sturdy plastic bag I was carrying (full of delicate choo-choos) into my rucksack (full of delicate computer bits). It was tight, but by skilfully draping my coat over my laptop bag I was able to smuggle everything on board without further sanctions. (In the meantime I've acquired a cabin-baggage-sized suitcase as for some reason - heat expansion? - my collection will no longer fit into the rucksack; it's probably to the detriment of the airline in question as by having two smaller bags than a large-ish suitcase I'd use the available space more efficiently, but hey, their plane, their rules).
And now back to a proper mode of transport.
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18068.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18068)
Purpose of my trip to Madrid was a work-related conference (and a most successful one it was; the company I work for is small but globally distributed, and it was also an excellent chance to meet many of my co-workers, many of whom had not met each other in person before. Nice bunch of people). But there was some time for some sightseeing:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18067.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18067)
and some souvenirs:
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18069.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18069)
which I acquired from this little shop (http://matey.com/):
(http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/37/thumb_18070.jpg) (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=18070)
(location here (http://matey.com/donde-estamos/)). Nice little shop, split 50/50 between trains and car models. A fair selection of N, mainly European with some American and a bunch of Kato Shinkansen packs. The young lady who assisted me quickly realised I my selection was random Spanish-looking wagons which got me a nice smile. I was going to go for a locomotive as well, but alas in contrast to pounds, Euros are something very real to me and the prices were not doing my nervous system any good. As it is, I'm still trying to work out how a single wagon can cost 50DM in old money (total damage was 75 Euros, which is over 10,000 yen in real money, even though two of the wagons were on special offer). Still, you only live once, and all that.
Unfortunately my railway-related activities were restricted to that and a few trips on the metro, which is quite nice and reliable but all the trains in all the stations on all the lines seem to look pretty much the same, so nothing much to report there.