I recently had to travel from Portchester to Dumfries to collect a car id purchased (<<<that one over there) train from Portchester to Winchester was a 12 car 450 unit, there was'nt that many people on it and it was a pleasant trip, from Winchester to Wolverhampton was a Cross Country Voyager, it was ram packed on arrival at Winchester and i stood by a toilet (never noticed a smell) from Winchester to Reading then i got a seat by a window pillar for the remainder of the trip to Wolverhampton, the view was rubbish and i was so pleased to get off the dam thing at Wolverhampton, i consoled myself that the trip up from Wolverhampton to Carlisle would (i assumed) be a Pendalino and would be an experiance as ive never been on a 390, imagine my horror to find out the trip would be in a Virgin Voyager, i inadvertantly sat in a resevered seat but when the seats owner came along they sat in another resevered seat and the owner of that one found a free seat that was unreserved, i found them horrible to sit in, did'nt like the seats with little leg room, the train eventually arrived at Preston where it was cancelled due to a broken rail somewhere up north, after an hours wait most of us were then put onto an already packed Trans-Pennine service (380unit? had 4 coaches?) and i sat on the floor in a door way (when enough people had got off to allow me to sit down) for the trip to Carlilse, the trip from Carlilse to Dumfries was on a Scot-rail 150 unit and i think was probably the best bit of the trip! Needless to say i collected my car and drove home without incident. From now on (and bear in mind i am a rail enthusiast) i think i will drive everywhere as the experiance of the cross country and virgin voyager was to be frank, sole distroying!
