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Thread: Train Company Special Offers and General Rail Travel Discussion

  1. #51
    This Space For Hire Aqualung's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sheffield hatter View Post
    No, I went via Doncaster and the ECML to Peterborough, that well known border town, because it can be quite a bit cheaper that way, then the slow train via Ely to Norwich.
    I'm not surprised to hear that, the East Midland advance fares to Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield are a lot more expensive than the WCML.


    Quote Originally Posted by sheffield hatter View Post
    I've used those Direct Rail Services trains on the Cumbrian Coast - they run them between Carlisle and Barrow in Furness sometimes. They're great - love those old carriages, though the step up to the guard's van can be awkward with a laden bicycle. And those Class 37s! (Though they only use one at a time on that route - pulling going north and pushing on the return journey.)
    I ended up on one of those things when doing the Lake District coast Spoons and you're right about the push pull aspect. I didn't like it as much as you because I was travelling to Dumfries!


    Quote Originally Posted by sheffield hatter View Post

    Yes, the heart sinks when a Pacer comes into view from the platform. Are they really not much more than 30 years old? Hard to credit.
    They were first introduced in 1980 so none of them are 40 yet but they are all over 30. The most important thing is that they were supposed to be a stopgap.

  2. #52
    Old & Bitter oldboots's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aqualung View Post

    However, nothing is worse than the Pacers used widely in the North , less so in the S Wales valleys and a few around Exeter. These are described as "railbuses" and were introduced by BR as a stopgap over thirty years ago and were intended to last for just twenty years. They are truly awful!
    The secondary Leeds - York line has now got a few Class 170s, we're being spoiled as they're only 20 years old.

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    Yes the Pacers should all be gone within 2 years but be careful what you wish for! There are vast numbers of new trains on order for many areas of the country, sadly rather too many too quickly and including a lot of new design stuff from manufacturers who have hardly or not at all supplied the UK before. Adding in the lack of resources for testing and approving new trains, this is a recipe for significant chaos for a couple of years while bugs and teething problems are sorted out, not to mention problems caused by late introduction (as we have already seen). And while there will (eventually) be more and much needed carriages on many lines and with more features like air conditioning, USB charging etc, most new seat designs are truly appalling and incredibly uncomfortable compared to older ones. This is often claimed to be due to meeting fire regulations, but is actually more about packing in as many as possible.
    On leaving the bar, I felt a strong blow to the back of my head. Turning round, I discovered it was the pavement

  4. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldboots View Post
    The secondary Leeds - York line has now got a few Class 170s, we're being spoiled as they're only 20 years old.
    Is this evidence of the Northern Powerhouse? I don't think so. The whole HS2 project is a joke and a total waste of money when you take a look at the appalling state of the railways in the North. There is no need at all for a new line from London to Brum. If it ends up at Leeds then it's going a long way round and I rather doubt that it will be that much quicker than the current service from KX. I've used the 08:43 from Euston to Edinburgh many times and it is never overcrowded, in fact many people just use it to go to Milton Keynes on weekdays.
    If you think the WCML is overstretched then try getting the 09:07 from Euston to Lime Street where more than once I've fond the carriage almost to myself.

  5. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pangolin View Post
    Yes the Pacers should all be gone within 2 years but be careful what you wish for! There are vast numbers of new trains on order for many areas of the country, sadly rather too many too quickly and including a lot of new design stuff from manufacturers who have hardly or not at all supplied the UK before. Adding in the lack of resources for testing and approving new trains, this is a recipe for significant chaos for a couple of years while bugs and teething problems are sorted out, not to mention problems caused by late introduction (as we have already seen). And while there will (eventually) be more and much needed carriages on many lines and with more features like air conditioning, USB charging etc, most new seat designs are truly appalling and incredibly uncomfortable compared to older ones. This is often claimed to be due to meeting fire regulations, but is actually more about packing in as many as possible.
    On the day when we were told that a test train brought down the power lines at Hanwell I was travelling back from Bath on a train which slowed down past Slough and eventually ground to a halt at Ealing Broadway where they let passengers off. No explanation was given as to what the problem was and the delays started around 20:00 two hours before the Hanwell incident. I'm sure there is some sort of cover up going on here about what really happened that evening.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Aqualung View Post
    On the day when we were told that a test train brought down the power lines at Hanwell I was travelling back from Bath on a train which slowed down past Slough and eventually ground to a halt at Ealing Broadway where they let passengers off. No explanation was given as to what the problem was and the delays started around 20:00 two hours before the Hanwell incident. I'm sure there is some sort of cover up going on here about what really happened that evening.
    I know nil about trains but on a another site they talk about kettles and vomitters. Any gen?

  7. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by london calling View Post
    I know nil about trains but on a another site they talk about kettles and vomitters. Any gen?
    Kettles is the derogatory term for steam locos used by people who are too stupid to appreciate them. I had to look up vomtters and it appears to apply to the more commonly described Voyagers used on many Cross Country services, East Midlands services from St Pancras and some of the Virgin services on the WCML. During the process of finding this I was also delighted to discover that the ancient and once ubiquitous Class 47 diesels were once called Spoons.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Aqualung View Post
    On the day when we were told that a test train brought down the power lines at Hanwell I was travelling back from Bath on a train which slowed down past Slough and eventually ground to a halt at Ealing Broadway where they let passengers off. No explanation was given as to what the problem was and the delays started around 20:00 two hours before the Hanwell incident. I'm sure there is some sort of cover up going on here about what really happened that evening.
    Not sure what the first problem was, although does seem to be unrelated, but they had just got everything running again when the wires came down. Where Network Rail is concerned, I'd go for cock-up over conspiracy any day!
    On leaving the bar, I felt a strong blow to the back of my head. Turning round, I discovered it was the pavement

  9. #59
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    LNER (old 'East Coast') specials, book by 22Nov for travel 04Jan-01Mar, but weekdays only.

    https://www.lner.co.uk/sale/?utm_sou...WT.mc_ev=click

  10. #60
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    Default Inspector Sands

    Have you been at a station and heard a repeated tannoy announcement along the lines of "Would Inspector Sands come to the control room". The name can easily be heard as Inspector Sams. I heard this a few weeks ago at Paddington and it dawned on me that I had heard it before at other locations. It turns out he doesn't exist and this is a notification to staff that there is a fire alert usually a false alarm. They use this to prevent causing panic but now you know you can whip up a bout of mass hysteria when they use the announcement.

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