Kite159
Veteran Member
St Andrews Road used to be a request stop until a few years ago, I think it was around the same time Avoncliff & Freshford also lost their request stop status.
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Felix's Unstructured Trips
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Esker-pades
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Trip #27: Redcar British Steel/British Steel Redcar/British Redcar Steel/Steel Redcar of Britian (Least Used Station 2019)
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/least-used-station-2019-redcar-british-steel-redcar
Introduction
Yes, with 40 passengers using it in the last annual period, British Steel Redcar/Redcar British Steel (the two names appear to be used interchangeably) is the least used station in Britain. This is not surprising. It was built to serve the huge Teesside Steelworks in 1978, which has been closed at various periods in recent history (not surprisingly given the challenges of the British steel industry). It first closed in 2010, re-opened in 2012, and then partially closed again in 2015. Even when the plant was open, the station wasn't used very much. Between 2004 and the present day the highest recorded annual patronage was 1570 in the 2014/15 period. Although it is nearby the western parts of Redcar, the station itself is located inside the private property of the steelworks, thus meaning that it cannot be used by anyone, save for the now non-existent employees. The station itself is Network Rail property which means that anybody with a valid ticket can get off at the station, but they cannot leave the station area. The timetable is such that it is possible to alight from one train, spend about an hour on the station, and then get the next one. Departures are at 07:57, 08:24, 16:58 and 18:17 every day except for a Sunday where there is no service at all. Thus, visiting the station without breaking any rules is possible.
The Journey
I aimed to alight from the 16:58 service, and board the 18:17 from British Steel. However, they are slightly inconvenient as the 16:58 comes from the east, and the 18:17 goes back east, which means that I, as a traveller from Edinburgh, needed to double back on both the outward and return journeys. I chose Marske as the location to double back on the outbound journey, and Redcar Central on the return. I had booked far enough in advance for first class on the Edinburgh to Darlington part to be worth it. Having travelled up from London on LNER first class the day before, I had practically survived off their over-mayonaised sandwiches for two days. The advantage was that I had built up quite a collection of biscuits and muffins.
The train arrived in Darlington 10 minutes late, giving me 2 minutes to make my connection. However, my connection was 13 minutes late. And then 24 minutes late. 32 minutes late, the little train appeared. I boarded, along with a large number of others, and we departed. Because of the delay, the train had been cancelled beyond Redcar Central, meaning that I couldn't continue onto Marske. But, my main aim was to get to British Steel Redcar. I spoke to the guard about options, and she said that, on the way back from Redcar Central, she was the 16:58 service from British Steel Redcar. She also made sure that I knew I couldn't leave the station because the station was situated in private property.
“How do you envisage leaving the station?”
“There's a train at 18:17 that'll take me back.”
“That's OK. I just need to make sure that you know that you can't leave the station.”
At Redcar Central, the train reversed. However, the automatic departure boards at the station had not told passengers about the platform alteration. This meant that the guard and driver had to shout down most of Redcar in order to get people onto the train. Several people had problems with getting their pushchairs over the footbridge, whilst one passenger was in a wheelchair. It took 15 minutes for everyone to get on to the train. I felt that the guard and driver had rather been “hung-out-to-dry” by the management and technology.
After we departed from Redcar Central, it was only a 3 minute trip back down the line to British Steel Redcar. I got off, and thanked the guard. She had been very helpful during the delays and complications. I watched the train depart before I looked at the station.
(Redcar) British Steel (Redcar) Station
The station is a very barren 70s affair. There is a footbridge, two waiting shelters (one per platform), a large number of station signs, and a single chair for the entire station. There are no help points (although the National Rail website says there are) and no bins.
Just outside the station grounds there are signs which tell people in no uncertain terms that the land by the station is private.
The station looks rather like it has just been plonked in the middle of a wasteland. It does not have any paths linking to the roads; instead there are some mud tracks and a bricked up tunnel which was probably a path to somewhere at some point. The old steelworks as well as numerous other abandoned buildings are visible from the station. I would have liked to explore them, but both time and rules did not permit this.
The delays to the services through the station continued. Trains were passing me with delays between 5 and 15 minutes. My 18:17 service back to Redcar Central was 9 minutes late, a delay which took all 9 minutes off my connection time at Redcar Central. I was due to arrive at 18:21, switch platforms, and board the 18:30 back to Darlington. At 18:25, the train swung round into view. Although British Steel Redcar is not a request stop, there have been recent incidents where trains have not stopped. I held my hand out for a number of seconds, putting it away when I realised that the train was slowing enough to stop.
I boarded, spoke to the guard about what I was doing and where I was going, and readied myself for the tight connection at Redcar Central.
The Journey Back
Arriving at 18:29, I scampered across the footbridge to the opposite platform just as the 18:30 rolled in. I boarded and blocked out the sound of some very large, shouting people. They all got off at Middlesbrough.
I changed at Darlington without incident and continued onwards to Edinburgh, where I went home.
Notes
As I remarked at the start, it is hardly surprising that this station has such a low patronage. Since the steelworks closed, there is no reason (or indeed means) to visit, save for the enthusiast “I've-been-to-the-station” one. Some rail enthusiasts do visit the station and then leave the site without getting picked up by security, whilst others have reported being escorted out by security even though they were inside Network Rail property and waiting between trains.
I'm also not sure why Northern added two additional trains. Prior to the May 2018 timetable change, there were only two trains per day: one in the morning, and one in the evening. Given the situation about access that I had just described, that made it impossible to visit the station, unless one was an employee of the site, one broke the rules and gained access anyway, or waited for 10 hours between trains. The doubling of frequency for a declining station is an utter mystery to me, and to quite a few others.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/least-used-station-2019-redcar-british-steel-redcar
Introduction
Yes, with 40 passengers using it in the last annual period, British Steel Redcar/Redcar British Steel (the two names appear to be used interchangeably) is the least used station in Britain. This is not surprising. It was built to serve the huge Teesside Steelworks in 1978, which has been closed at various periods in recent history (not surprisingly given the challenges of the British steel industry). It first closed in 2010, re-opened in 2012, and then partially closed again in 2015. Even when the plant was open, the station wasn't used very much. Between 2004 and the present day the highest recorded annual patronage was 1570 in the 2014/15 period. Although it is nearby the western parts of Redcar, the station itself is located inside the private property of the steelworks, thus meaning that it cannot be used by anyone, save for the now non-existent employees. The station itself is Network Rail property which means that anybody with a valid ticket can get off at the station, but they cannot leave the station area. The timetable is such that it is possible to alight from one train, spend about an hour on the station, and then get the next one. Departures are at 07:57, 08:24, 16:58 and 18:17 every day except for a Sunday where there is no service at all. Thus, visiting the station without breaking any rules is possible.
The Journey
I aimed to alight from the 16:58 service, and board the 18:17 from British Steel. However, they are slightly inconvenient as the 16:58 comes from the east, and the 18:17 goes back east, which means that I, as a traveller from Edinburgh, needed to double back on both the outward and return journeys. I chose Marske as the location to double back on the outbound journey, and Redcar Central on the return. I had booked far enough in advance for first class on the Edinburgh to Darlington part to be worth it. Having travelled up from London on LNER first class the day before, I had practically survived off their over-mayonaised sandwiches for two days. The advantage was that I had built up quite a collection of biscuits and muffins.
The train arrived in Darlington 10 minutes late, giving me 2 minutes to make my connection. However, my connection was 13 minutes late. And then 24 minutes late. 32 minutes late, the little train appeared. I boarded, along with a large number of others, and we departed. Because of the delay, the train had been cancelled beyond Redcar Central, meaning that I couldn't continue onto Marske. But, my main aim was to get to British Steel Redcar. I spoke to the guard about options, and she said that, on the way back from Redcar Central, she was the 16:58 service from British Steel Redcar. She also made sure that I knew I couldn't leave the station because the station was situated in private property.
“How do you envisage leaving the station?”
“There's a train at 18:17 that'll take me back.”
“That's OK. I just need to make sure that you know that you can't leave the station.”
At Redcar Central, the train reversed. However, the automatic departure boards at the station had not told passengers about the platform alteration. This meant that the guard and driver had to shout down most of Redcar in order to get people onto the train. Several people had problems with getting their pushchairs over the footbridge, whilst one passenger was in a wheelchair. It took 15 minutes for everyone to get on to the train. I felt that the guard and driver had rather been “hung-out-to-dry” by the management and technology.
After we departed from Redcar Central, it was only a 3 minute trip back down the line to British Steel Redcar. I got off, and thanked the guard. She had been very helpful during the delays and complications. I watched the train depart before I looked at the station.
(Redcar) British Steel (Redcar) Station
The station is a very barren 70s affair. There is a footbridge, two waiting shelters (one per platform), a large number of station signs, and a single chair for the entire station. There are no help points (although the National Rail website says there are) and no bins.
The station looks rather like it has just been plonked in the middle of a wasteland. It does not have any paths linking to the roads; instead there are some mud tracks and a bricked up tunnel which was probably a path to somewhere at some point. The old steelworks as well as numerous other abandoned buildings are visible from the station. I would have liked to explore them, but both time and rules did not permit this.
The delays to the services through the station continued. Trains were passing me with delays between 5 and 15 minutes. My 18:17 service back to Redcar Central was 9 minutes late, a delay which took all 9 minutes off my connection time at Redcar Central. I was due to arrive at 18:21, switch platforms, and board the 18:30 back to Darlington. At 18:25, the train swung round into view. Although British Steel Redcar is not a request stop, there have been recent incidents where trains have not stopped. I held my hand out for a number of seconds, putting it away when I realised that the train was slowing enough to stop.
The Journey Back
Arriving at 18:29, I scampered across the footbridge to the opposite platform just as the 18:30 rolled in. I boarded and blocked out the sound of some very large, shouting people. They all got off at Middlesbrough.
I changed at Darlington without incident and continued onwards to Edinburgh, where I went home.
Notes
As I remarked at the start, it is hardly surprising that this station has such a low patronage. Since the steelworks closed, there is no reason (or indeed means) to visit, save for the enthusiast “I've-been-to-the-station” one. Some rail enthusiasts do visit the station and then leave the site without getting picked up by security, whilst others have reported being escorted out by security even though they were inside Network Rail property and waiting between trains.
I'm also not sure why Northern added two additional trains. Prior to the May 2018 timetable change, there were only two trains per day: one in the morning, and one in the evening. Given the situation about access that I had just described, that made it impossible to visit the station, unless one was an employee of the site, one broke the rules and gained access anyway, or waited for 10 hours between trains. The doubling of frequency for a declining station is an utter mystery to me, and to quite a few others.
Last edited:
Kite159
Veteran Member
In the past (before May 18), it was 'easy' enough to leave the station [less than 5 minute walk to the main steelworks exit] but nobody could enter to board. That chair must have been introduced by another visitor who left it there as a gift.
But the doubling of services last May certainly was an extremely unusual situation, when I heard the service levels were changing I was expecting to see the station reduced to a token weekly call (just to keep it open). A shame Northern can't follow Scotrail's lead in 'mothballing' the station (IBM style).
But the doubling of services last May certainly was an extremely unusual situation, when I heard the service levels were changing I was expecting to see the station reduced to a token weekly call (just to keep it open). A shame Northern can't follow Scotrail's lead in 'mothballing' the station (IBM style).
Esker-pades
Established Member
I'm still not convinced on the legality of what happened with IBM. "Mothballing" is not really a thing in legal terms. Esentially, IBM was closed without the proper procedures.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #28a: Saturday Scottish Stuff (Part 1)
When ScotRail announced their "free travel with season tickets" thing, I couldn't do most of the dates because my university work precluded fun. However, when my exam timetable was released, I realised that I could make the final weekend, my last exam being on the 10th of May, and the final weekend being the 11th - 12th. I split the days up into line-bashing on Saturday, and a focus on a lst used station for my blog on the Sunday. I bought a Greenfaulds to Cumbernauld season ticket on a chance visit to Edinburgh Park (I had to pick up some post from the Royal Mail depot nearby) earlier in the week. This is the Saturday part:
Dawn. And the sun rises on a scene of devisation. The sleep deprived person has to wake up on the day after an exam (at 6am).
I hadn't had a chance to get organised with food, so my provisions for the day consisted of two plain sandwiches and a large number of tangerines. No matter, I could buy stuff en-route.
My first move was from Haymarket to Glasgow Queen Street, on the normal Falkirk High route. A pair of 385s whisked me there in 42 minutes. Some people dislike the 385s. These people are wrong.
I completed the short walk between Glasgow stations, bought some pastry things, and boarded the double 156 that was to take me to Stranraer via Kilmarnock.
But, that was a false alarm. The guard came through the train to say that there had been a platform alteration. Whoop-de-do. I shuffled round to my new double 156 and settled for the journey.
We were soon moving through the suburbs of Glasgow. After Barrhead, the guard checked my ticket. He stared at me until I explained what was going on and why I thought that a season ticket from Greenfaulds to Cumbernauld was valid via Stranraer. He then spent 5 minutes scrolling through the webpage I provided on my phone. This was cut short when the train arrived at another station (Kilmaurs?) and he had to attend to other duties.
At Kilmarnock, the train reversed. I spent the 12 minutes watching the uncoupling procedure and looking at the station.
The line from Kilmarnock to Troon is rather boring, but perfeclty pleasent. The real fun (scenery wise) started when the train hit the Ayshire coast. Tokens were exchanged with various signalmen at various points along the line. The train rarely stopped to exchange tokens, instead slowing very quickly to a few miles per hour, before the power was slammed back on. The only place that this didn't occur was on the return journey at Glenwhilly. The cutest signal box of them all was at Barnhill.
I spent the final half hour between Barnhill looking at the fabulous moors, and listening to a history lecture given by some ex-Glasgow university professor to a group of mainly elderly tour participants. The only young member of the group was scampering around the trains taking pictures of the group as if there was no tomorrow. (Insert your own joke about old people dying.)
Stranraer station isn't in the town, instead it is most of the way down a quay. The ferries don't depart from here anymore. I could see the newer port further out where two very large boats to Ireland squatted.
The train from Stanraer was quite crowded. All the seats were occupied by Girvan, so people were standing as from Maybole to Ayr. At Ayr, I popped across to the adjacent platform to board a train north. My next goal was to clear the whole of the Ayrshire Coast. I had planned to do the bus from Largs to Wemyss Bay, but I decided against this. However, this meant my plan had a lot of padding built in due to the long wait for an Ardrossan Harbour at Kilwinning. Thus, I decided to tick off a few shacks.
To be continued.....immediately.
When ScotRail announced their "free travel with season tickets" thing, I couldn't do most of the dates because my university work precluded fun. However, when my exam timetable was released, I realised that I could make the final weekend, my last exam being on the 10th of May, and the final weekend being the 11th - 12th. I split the days up into line-bashing on Saturday, and a focus on a lst used station for my blog on the Sunday. I bought a Greenfaulds to Cumbernauld season ticket on a chance visit to Edinburgh Park (I had to pick up some post from the Royal Mail depot nearby) earlier in the week. This is the Saturday part:
Dawn. And the sun rises on a scene of devisation. The sleep deprived person has to wake up on the day after an exam (at 6am).
I hadn't had a chance to get organised with food, so my provisions for the day consisted of two plain sandwiches and a large number of tangerines. No matter, I could buy stuff en-route.
My first move was from Haymarket to Glasgow Queen Street, on the normal Falkirk High route. A pair of 385s whisked me there in 42 minutes. Some people dislike the 385s. These people are wrong.
I completed the short walk between Glasgow stations, bought some pastry things, and boarded the double 156 that was to take me to Stranraer via Kilmarnock.
But, that was a false alarm. The guard came through the train to say that there had been a platform alteration. Whoop-de-do. I shuffled round to my new double 156 and settled for the journey.
We were soon moving through the suburbs of Glasgow. After Barrhead, the guard checked my ticket. He stared at me until I explained what was going on and why I thought that a season ticket from Greenfaulds to Cumbernauld was valid via Stranraer. He then spent 5 minutes scrolling through the webpage I provided on my phone. This was cut short when the train arrived at another station (Kilmaurs?) and he had to attend to other duties.
At Kilmarnock, the train reversed. I spent the 12 minutes watching the uncoupling procedure and looking at the station.
The line from Kilmarnock to Troon is rather boring, but perfeclty pleasent. The real fun (scenery wise) started when the train hit the Ayshire coast. Tokens were exchanged with various signalmen at various points along the line. The train rarely stopped to exchange tokens, instead slowing very quickly to a few miles per hour, before the power was slammed back on. The only place that this didn't occur was on the return journey at Glenwhilly. The cutest signal box of them all was at Barnhill.
I spent the final half hour between Barnhill looking at the fabulous moors, and listening to a history lecture given by some ex-Glasgow university professor to a group of mainly elderly tour participants. The only young member of the group was scampering around the trains taking pictures of the group as if there was no tomorrow. (Insert your own joke about old people dying.)
Stranraer station isn't in the town, instead it is most of the way down a quay. The ferries don't depart from here anymore. I could see the newer port further out where two very large boats to Ireland squatted.
The train from Stanraer was quite crowded. All the seats were occupied by Girvan, so people were standing as from Maybole to Ayr. At Ayr, I popped across to the adjacent platform to board a train north. My next goal was to clear the whole of the Ayrshire Coast. I had planned to do the bus from Largs to Wemyss Bay, but I decided against this. However, this meant my plan had a lot of padding built in due to the long wait for an Ardrossan Harbour at Kilwinning. Thus, I decided to tick off a few shacks.
To be continued.....immediately.
Last edited:
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #28a: Saturday Scottish Stuff (Part 2)
Previously in part 1:
Dawn. And the sun rises on a scene of devisation. The sleep deprived person has to wake up on the day after an exam (at 6am).
Part 2:
First up, Lochwinnoch. It looked like the most rural station on the Ayrshire Coast line. It sits adjacent to an RSPB site. I observed a class 66 on an intermodal service passing, and a class 380 running at full tilt towards Ayr. I managed to grab a picture of the latter.
Other passing trains were managed with lesser degrees of failure, but not much actual success. The only time I got a decent attempt was 15 minutes later when my train south arrived.
Next up: Dalry. I had a short time to wait for my Ardrossan service again here. I had passed the intermodal in the loops just north of the station, so I managed to get another snap of the class 66 here.
The driver helpfully put the power on just after I had taken the picture, so instead of an atmospheric shot showing the fumes chundering out of a diesel train, I got a faceful of combusted petrol. This is not an experience I had on my bucket-list.
No matter. Another 380 was here to take me to Ardrossan Harbour. I sat at the front, grumbling as a group of Stevenston's most obnoxious teenagers crammed into the area to take the one stop journey to Saltcoast before getting off. For whatever reason, I seem to attract small idiots when on trains. I refer people to my previous experience when travelling from Cardross to Helensburgh. Anyway, back to the train. I was deposited at the end of the line, where I experimented with different angles of shot during the 30 minutes layover.
Without a boat to take people beyond Ardrossan this hour, there were very few people taking the train all the way to the end of the line. I was one, and a group of confused women trying to get to a spa hotel (not in Adrossan) were the others. They spent the time being tourist-y next to some boats.
My next stop was Stevenston. This was purely to tick off shacks as I waited for my train to Largs. There is not much to say about Stevenston, save for the fact that it continues to exist.
Next up: Saltcoats. I had set aside 30 minutes to get lunch, but I didn't feel hungry at this point. I walked around the perfectly reasonable town centre before returning to the station to get to Largs.
The journey to Largs is lovely. Once out of Ardrossan, there are brilliant views over the water on one side, and of the collaposed and semi-demolished Hunterston coal terminal at the other. Sadly, no pictures. I do have a boring picture of 380114 at Largs, which I will share for reasons.
Back to Kilwinning. This station has a very silly layout. In order to get from platform 1 (trains from Ardrossan and Largs) to platform 4 (trains to Ayr), I had to cross a footbridge, walk through a car park, walk half way up platform 3, and across another footbridge. I can see evidence of building work to provide one big footbridge that allows step-free access between all platforms without having to walk 30 miles in the process. I took a train (yes, another 380) to Irvine, swapped platforms, boardeda 156 (no, it was a 380) and went to Glasgow. It was a fast service, calling only once between Irvine and Glasgow.
My original plan had been to get the 18:09 to Dalwhinnie, wait there for an hour and a bit, and return from there to Haymarket. However, once I had bought possibly the most over-priced burrito in history (£7.25), I wasn't feeling as full as expected. I did like the idea of getting a HST to Aberdeen though. The 17:41 was the perfect opportunity.
Coming up in part 3:
The phrase "the next station is Montrose" was positive enough to warrant a cheer from the carriage. This is not the correct reaction.
Previously in part 1:
Dawn. And the sun rises on a scene of devisation. The sleep deprived person has to wake up on the day after an exam (at 6am).
Part 2:
First up, Lochwinnoch. It looked like the most rural station on the Ayrshire Coast line. It sits adjacent to an RSPB site. I observed a class 66 on an intermodal service passing, and a class 380 running at full tilt towards Ayr. I managed to grab a picture of the latter.
Other passing trains were managed with lesser degrees of failure, but not much actual success. The only time I got a decent attempt was 15 minutes later when my train south arrived.
Next up: Dalry. I had a short time to wait for my Ardrossan service again here. I had passed the intermodal in the loops just north of the station, so I managed to get another snap of the class 66 here.
The driver helpfully put the power on just after I had taken the picture, so instead of an atmospheric shot showing the fumes chundering out of a diesel train, I got a faceful of combusted petrol. This is not an experience I had on my bucket-list.
No matter. Another 380 was here to take me to Ardrossan Harbour. I sat at the front, grumbling as a group of Stevenston's most obnoxious teenagers crammed into the area to take the one stop journey to Saltcoast before getting off. For whatever reason, I seem to attract small idiots when on trains. I refer people to my previous experience when travelling from Cardross to Helensburgh. Anyway, back to the train. I was deposited at the end of the line, where I experimented with different angles of shot during the 30 minutes layover.
Without a boat to take people beyond Ardrossan this hour, there were very few people taking the train all the way to the end of the line. I was one, and a group of confused women trying to get to a spa hotel (not in Adrossan) were the others. They spent the time being tourist-y next to some boats.
My next stop was Stevenston. This was purely to tick off shacks as I waited for my train to Largs. There is not much to say about Stevenston, save for the fact that it continues to exist.
Next up: Saltcoats. I had set aside 30 minutes to get lunch, but I didn't feel hungry at this point. I walked around the perfectly reasonable town centre before returning to the station to get to Largs.
The journey to Largs is lovely. Once out of Ardrossan, there are brilliant views over the water on one side, and of the collaposed and semi-demolished Hunterston coal terminal at the other. Sadly, no pictures. I do have a boring picture of 380114 at Largs, which I will share for reasons.
Back to Kilwinning. This station has a very silly layout. In order to get from platform 1 (trains from Ardrossan and Largs) to platform 4 (trains to Ayr), I had to cross a footbridge, walk through a car park, walk half way up platform 3, and across another footbridge. I can see evidence of building work to provide one big footbridge that allows step-free access between all platforms without having to walk 30 miles in the process. I took a train (yes, another 380) to Irvine, swapped platforms, boarded
My original plan had been to get the 18:09 to Dalwhinnie, wait there for an hour and a bit, and return from there to Haymarket. However, once I had bought possibly the most over-priced burrito in history (£7.25), I wasn't feeling as full as expected. I did like the idea of getting a HST to Aberdeen though. The 17:41 was the perfect opportunity.
Coming up in part 3:
The phrase "the next station is Montrose" was positive enough to warrant a cheer from the carriage. This is not the correct reaction.
Last edited:
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #28a: Saturday Scottish Stuff (Part 3)
Previously in part 2:
I spent so long on 380s that I forgot what other trains looked like.
Part 3:
The train was quite crowded. Not full and standing, but each group of seats was occupied. It didn't thin out until well north of Dundee. My new track coverage here was Perth to Dundee. It was a lovely journey along the banks of the river Tay (?) and meant that I didn't have to do it on the Sunday.
The journey from Dundee to Aberdeen was spent chasing a rainbow. Eventually, it was discovered that at the end of the rainbow is not a pot of gold, but the sea north of Arbroath.
The phrase "the next station is Montrose" was positive enough to warrant a cheer from the carriage. This is not the correct reaction.
Aberdeen was reached, and, because it was Aberdeen, I didn't want to stay very long. A HST on the 20:44 departure to Glasgow was a good excuse to leave quickly, so I did.
Knowing that I could change at Montrose, Arbroath or Dundee for another HST back to Haymarket, I chose Montrose. This turned out to be an excellent choice.
I snapped the 43125 (important because a friend goes nuts whenever he sees that powercar)...
...and then took in the lovely scenery. It was twilight time (comment if you get that reference), and the bay was looking rather brilliant.
Another HST stopped bound for Aberdeen, crossing at the north signal box with my HST back south. The journey was uneventful. A group of loud people got on at Dundee, but got off at Cupar (good), and somebody else got confused about how to open the doors, despite the guard reminding everyone how to do it over the announcement system at every station.
Haymarket was reached 9 minutes late, and I bought supper on my way home.
Tomorrow: A Least Used Station.
Previously in part 2:
I spent so long on 380s that I forgot what other trains looked like.
Part 3:
The train was quite crowded. Not full and standing, but each group of seats was occupied. It didn't thin out until well north of Dundee. My new track coverage here was Perth to Dundee. It was a lovely journey along the banks of the river Tay (?) and meant that I didn't have to do it on the Sunday.
The journey from Dundee to Aberdeen was spent chasing a rainbow. Eventually, it was discovered that at the end of the rainbow is not a pot of gold, but the sea north of Arbroath.
The phrase "the next station is Montrose" was positive enough to warrant a cheer from the carriage. This is not the correct reaction.
Aberdeen was reached, and, because it was Aberdeen, I didn't want to stay very long. A HST on the 20:44 departure to Glasgow was a good excuse to leave quickly, so I did.
Knowing that I could change at Montrose, Arbroath or Dundee for another HST back to Haymarket, I chose Montrose. This turned out to be an excellent choice.
I snapped the 43125 (important because a friend goes nuts whenever he sees that powercar)...
...and then took in the lovely scenery. It was twilight time (comment if you get that reference), and the bay was looking rather brilliant.
Another HST stopped bound for Aberdeen, crossing at the north signal box with my HST back south. The journey was uneventful. A group of loud people got on at Dundee, but got off at Cupar (good), and somebody else got confused about how to open the doors, despite the guard reminding everyone how to do it over the announcement system at every station.
Haymarket was reached 9 minutes late, and I bought supper on my way home.
Tomorrow: A Least Used Station.
Kite159
Veteran Member
A varied day using the season ticket 'offer'
Whistler40145
Established Member
Very interesting and amusing reading about your adventures
I would've loved to have seen the Guards face on the Stranraer service with the Season Ticket.
I would've loved to have seen the Guards face on the Stranraer service with the Season Ticket.
Esker-pades
Established Member
The normal Scottish "what are you doing pal" grumpy expression.
Iskra
Established Member
Sounds a good trip. I love that last photo.
Esker-pades
Established Member
I really enjoyed the short time I had at Montrose. One of the best views I've had from a station.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #28b: Falls of Cruachan (West Highland Line Journey #2)
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/west-highland-line-journey-2-falls-of-cruachan
Introduction
Falls of Cruachan is the only request stop on the Oban branch of the West Highland Line. It is also one of two stations in the UK to be seasonally open: it is closed from November to the end of March. The other station is Dunrobin Castle on the Far North Line, one which I will visit for the blog at some point. The annual patronage only really reflects just over half of a “normal” station which isn't shut over winter. That patronage remains stable at about 700 people per year. Falls of Cruachan doesn't serve any settlement as such, instead it is built for the nearby power station and waterfall. It is mainly used by walkers and visitors.
The Journey
Falls of Cruachan is one of the stations on the least used stations list that has a reasonable Sunday service. In fact, with 6 trains per day on a Sunday, it has a better service on its least frequent day than most stations have on their most frequent day. That meant I could get up quite late, and aim for a 12:20 departure from Glasgow to Falls of Cruachan. The journey time was about 2 and a half hours, most of which was through the scenic beauty of Argyll and Bute. The West Highland has a reputation as being one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world, a reputation well deserved.
My 6 car train was going to Oban and Mallaig, dividing at the village of Crianlarich. I sat in the “wrong half” of the train until then, because the 2 Oban carriages were very crowded, but the Mallaig passengers had 4 coaches to sprawl across, so was less stuffed. At Crianlarich I swapped halves, and continued towards Oban.
Falls of Cruachan is advertised as a request stop. However, by the time my train had arrived at Loch Awe station (the stop before), the guard had not been down. Being the nervous person I am, I went up the train to catch him before he retreated into the rear cab again. I made sure that the train was stopping at Falls of Cruachan (the train crew had decided to make it a compulsory stop), and returned to collect my things. It is only a 5 minute run from Loch Awe station, which is a very short distance in rural Scotland. The train approached quickly, but stopped and I alighted. The train departed, and I was left on the platform of a surprisingly modern-looking station.
Falls of Cruachan Station
I say surprisingly modern because of the large shelter in the middle of the platform. This wasn't the usual little wooden or plastic thing. There are also two wooden benches, the normal series of signs, a number of flower pots, a bin, a help point, a departure board and a plaque which commemorated the re-opening of the station in 1988. On the gate, there is a plaque which states that the station is the most improved station in the Highlands in 2011.
One gains access to the station from a set of steps up from the main road. There are also some signs at the bottom of these steps. However, I didn't turn down to the road when I left the station, I turned up towards Ben Cruachan. This brought me face-to-face with a very low bridge. After the bridge, the path ascended steeply up through the trees alongside the Falls of Cruachan.
Originally, my aim was just to get to the top of the waterfall. But, this was abandoned when I caught a glimpse of the top of a set of railings over the horizon. Interests peaked, I continued alongside the stream towards what I now know to be the Cruachan Dam, a large hydroelectric power station.
The Cruachan Dam
A rather spectacular structure, and doubly-so when I had not expected it. This trip had been planned at fairly short noticed, so my level of research had not gone far enough. It stands about 400 metres above the station and the Loch at the bottom of the valley. Its height and location means that it has some rather spectacular views across the mountains of Argyll and Bute.
I had originally planned to have 2 hours at Falls of Cruachan station, but the discovery of the dam had meant I had pushed back my departure train to the one 2 hours later. That gave me nearly 4 hours in total, which meant I could enjoy the views from the dam whilst eating my sandwiches.
I then walked back down the mountain, making sure not to bust my ankles on the rocks and steepness of slope.
Back at the Station
I had about an hour before my train. This time was spent taking more pictures and waiting for my train.
The signals that you can see in the background of some of the photos are to alert drivers to rock falls.
The station is located on the Pass of Brander (which runs from Loch Awe to Taynuilt stations) where rock falls from the mountains above are more common. They were originally installed in 1881, 1 year after the railway opened following a (surprise, surprise) rock fall. The system has not changed since. Along the roughly 4 miles of Pass, there is a wire fence which, if any of the wires are broken, will cause the signals to fall to “danger”. That alerts the driver to a possible obstruction on the line, and they will act as appropriate (slow down so they can stop within sighting distance). This system isn't fool-proof. Most recently, a rock fall occurred below the fence, meaning that a train hit a boulder shortly after departing Falls of Cruachan. It derailed, but nobody died. The year was 2010.
Back in 2019, no rocks had fallen. The train arrived 1 or 2 minutes late, and I hailed it down and I boarded it. The return journey was negotiated without difficulty.
Notes
The station is actually pretty poorly used. About 50,000 people visit the power station each year, which, even if all 700 passengers at the station went to the power station, adds up to a 1.4% share of the traffic from the railway. Of the many walkers I saw, all appeared to have used their cars. There were about 10 parked directly underneath the station, and all the walkers I saw at the bottom got into cars and drove away. This is bad, especially for a country which has declared a climate emergency. Perhaps a better service on the railway line as a whole would encourage more people to use public transport.
Overall Weekend:
For £7.10, I managed to travel 857m46c over the 11th and 12th of May.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/west-highland-line-journey-2-falls-of-cruachan
Introduction
Falls of Cruachan is the only request stop on the Oban branch of the West Highland Line. It is also one of two stations in the UK to be seasonally open: it is closed from November to the end of March. The other station is Dunrobin Castle on the Far North Line, one which I will visit for the blog at some point. The annual patronage only really reflects just over half of a “normal” station which isn't shut over winter. That patronage remains stable at about 700 people per year. Falls of Cruachan doesn't serve any settlement as such, instead it is built for the nearby power station and waterfall. It is mainly used by walkers and visitors.
The Journey
Falls of Cruachan is one of the stations on the least used stations list that has a reasonable Sunday service. In fact, with 6 trains per day on a Sunday, it has a better service on its least frequent day than most stations have on their most frequent day. That meant I could get up quite late, and aim for a 12:20 departure from Glasgow to Falls of Cruachan. The journey time was about 2 and a half hours, most of which was through the scenic beauty of Argyll and Bute. The West Highland has a reputation as being one of the most scenic rail journeys in the world, a reputation well deserved.
My 6 car train was going to Oban and Mallaig, dividing at the village of Crianlarich. I sat in the “wrong half” of the train until then, because the 2 Oban carriages were very crowded, but the Mallaig passengers had 4 coaches to sprawl across, so was less stuffed. At Crianlarich I swapped halves, and continued towards Oban.
Falls of Cruachan is advertised as a request stop. However, by the time my train had arrived at Loch Awe station (the stop before), the guard had not been down. Being the nervous person I am, I went up the train to catch him before he retreated into the rear cab again. I made sure that the train was stopping at Falls of Cruachan (the train crew had decided to make it a compulsory stop), and returned to collect my things. It is only a 5 minute run from Loch Awe station, which is a very short distance in rural Scotland. The train approached quickly, but stopped and I alighted. The train departed, and I was left on the platform of a surprisingly modern-looking station.
Falls of Cruachan Station
I say surprisingly modern because of the large shelter in the middle of the platform. This wasn't the usual little wooden or plastic thing. There are also two wooden benches, the normal series of signs, a number of flower pots, a bin, a help point, a departure board and a plaque which commemorated the re-opening of the station in 1988. On the gate, there is a plaque which states that the station is the most improved station in the Highlands in 2011.
One gains access to the station from a set of steps up from the main road. There are also some signs at the bottom of these steps. However, I didn't turn down to the road when I left the station, I turned up towards Ben Cruachan. This brought me face-to-face with a very low bridge. After the bridge, the path ascended steeply up through the trees alongside the Falls of Cruachan.
The Cruachan Dam
A rather spectacular structure, and doubly-so when I had not expected it. This trip had been planned at fairly short noticed, so my level of research had not gone far enough. It stands about 400 metres above the station and the Loch at the bottom of the valley. Its height and location means that it has some rather spectacular views across the mountains of Argyll and Bute.
I had originally planned to have 2 hours at Falls of Cruachan station, but the discovery of the dam had meant I had pushed back my departure train to the one 2 hours later. That gave me nearly 4 hours in total, which meant I could enjoy the views from the dam whilst eating my sandwiches.
I then walked back down the mountain, making sure not to bust my ankles on the rocks and steepness of slope.
Back at the Station
I had about an hour before my train. This time was spent taking more pictures and waiting for my train.
The signals that you can see in the background of some of the photos are to alert drivers to rock falls.
Back in 2019, no rocks had fallen. The train arrived 1 or 2 minutes late, and I hailed it down and I boarded it. The return journey was negotiated without difficulty.
Notes
The station is actually pretty poorly used. About 50,000 people visit the power station each year, which, even if all 700 passengers at the station went to the power station, adds up to a 1.4% share of the traffic from the railway. Of the many walkers I saw, all appeared to have used their cars. There were about 10 parked directly underneath the station, and all the walkers I saw at the bottom got into cars and drove away. This is bad, especially for a country which has declared a climate emergency. Perhaps a better service on the railway line as a whole would encourage more people to use public transport.
Overall Weekend:
For £7.10, I managed to travel 857m46c over the 11th and 12th of May.
Iskra
Established Member
Liking the photo's again. Not sure I'll be rushing to falls of Cruachan though!
Esker-pades
Established Member
It's quite a hard climb, but worth it for the views.
Kite159
Veteran Member
It isn't a request stop
It might have been one once upon a time but these days it isn't.
Esker-pades
Established Member
It had the little arrow on the list of calling points.It isn't a request stop
It might have been one once upon a time but these days it isn't.
Iskra
Established Member
Did my own version of that this weekend...
Attachments
Esker-pades
Established Member
Iskra
Established Member
Yes it is, from the top of Ingleborough, making the viaduct look tiny. Might turn up in Guess the station one day
Kite159
Veteran Member
Nothing showing on the timetable for the West Highland Line saying it's a request stop (no little x in the timings like some of the more remote stations towards Mallaig), just the little symbol to tell you it only opens after March
Esker-pades
Established Member
The paper list on the side of the train had arrows at Locheilside, Lochailort, Beasdale and Falls of Cruachan. I assume that those arrows meant request stops, given that the former three are.
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Wow those are some beautiful views! I am now adding it to my list of places to visit, I'm not afraid of the walk. Not since that adventure through Blue Mountains National Park in Australia, the stairs up to the top were brutal! The walk sounds easy compared to that!
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #29: The Brigg Line (Saturday's Only)
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.co...-briggkirton-lindsey-and-gainsborough-central
Introduction
This is a line which runs from Gainsborough to Barnetby, providing a reasonably direct route from Sheffield to Cleethorpes. However, it only gets passenger services on a Saturday*. This leads to very low annual patronages for the 3 stations on the route: Brigg, Kirton Lindsey and Gainsborough Central. Brigg has the highest of the 3, with ~1700 passengers last year. The other two have patronages below the 1000 mark, although Gainsborough Central has an additional 200 “interchanges” (probably people who walk to the station in the centre of town, look at the timetable, sigh, and then have to walk for a mile or so to Lea Road, which has more trains but is located outside Gainsborough).
Three trains each way run on Saturday between Sheffield and Cleethorpes via Brigg, so it is possible to visit all three stations in one go, and travel to and from Edinburgh. This is what I did.
*Gainsborough Central, the first station on the line, now has services every day since the May 2019 timetable change. I visited the stations the day before the timetable change.
The Journey
My first station to visit was Kirton Lindsey, the station with the lowest patronage of the three, at fewer than 300 passengers per year. My train from Edinburgh was early, but not extreme, so I was almost awake as it spun through Northumberland and Yorkshire to York. At York, I had my first change. This train would take me the 20 minutes to Doncaster. A man sat opposite me, and started eating what I can only describe as processed baby sick (milky and lumpy) on which he drizzled something dark and red. Doncaster approached (because the town of Doncaster is now mobile) and I alighted and the station, switched platforms, and boarded the train to Barnetby.
Barnetby station has 4 platforms but a lack of passenger services. A lot of freight passes through, as I saw.
Shortly afterwards, my train to Kirton Lindsey arrived. It was some form of refurbished Pacer (bus on train wheels), and it trundled along through the Lincolnshire countryside.
The Brigg Line is very much a trundle-y line, the sort of railway that Ian Hislop would travel down during a documentary on Dr. Beeching. Brigg station comes first, followed by Kirton Lindsey 10 minutes later. None of the stations are request stops, so, as the train screeched to a halt, I could walk to a door of my choice and leave, giving a wave to the conductor.
Kirton Lindsey
Kirton Lindsey is a single platform station located next to an industrial estate near the town of Kirton-in-Lindsey. It continues the tradition established that railway stations don't quite have the same name as the place where they are.
The facilities are fairly basic: there is a shelter, a bin, some signs, a bench and a car park. Lights also exist, but they weren't on when I was around, because it was daytime. The old station building, like so many others, is now a private house.
I took a stroll out of the industrial estate to an A road, where there was a big sign showing the existence of the station. I only had an hour, so I decided not to venture further. Returning to the station, I experimented with different lighting levels before my train to the second station of the day arrived.
Brigg
The most well-used station on the line, Brigg has two platforms. When I had passed through it the first time, there had been a reasonable number of people boarding. This time, I was the only one to get on or off the train.
Brigg station has 2 platforms linked by a footbridge. On one side of the station is a big car park and the town, and the other is surrounded by fields. Each platform has a shelter, signs and a bin. The town-side platform also has a BT payphone.
With 2 hours before the next train, I decided to take a walk into and around the town. After a 30 minute stroll around the central area, I bought some chips from the local chippy. “There's a lot of aspects about a town that one can gain from visiting the chippy” is the kind of bollocks that some travel writers come up with. I try not to, because I find that sort of vacuous rubbish screamingly tedious. The only thing one can gain from a chippy is obesity if one visits too often.
Back at the station, the wildlife was coming out. A pony was wandering around the yard by the station, and a number of rabbits were scampering along the outer platform.
After I had eaten my chips, my train to Gainsborough arrived, along with more bunny action.
Gainsborough Central
Bunny action aside, I had a train to catch. It went back through Kirton Lindsey, where a man got off, took a picture, and then got back off (b*st*rd), and then Gainsborough Central. None of the trains had kept time particularly well, and we were 15 minutes late when I got off at Gainsborough Central. It is the most modern of the three stations, with more facilities, step free access, a bin which actually had rubbish in, multiple signs, and a socking great car park for a nearby shopping area. The semaphore signals and signal box keeps the slightly disused/old feel.
40 minutes later, another service back to Barnetby and Cleethorpes approached. I didn't board it, but took a picture. It was early, and some people were waiting for it on the wrong platform. They hurried across when they realised it was the Cleethorpes train.
As mentioned (in passing) earlier, Gainsborough has a second, much better used station. This is Lea Road, which is a mile from Central. I did this walk, noting the roundabout, dual carriageway and small residential street which was the route between the two stations.
As I waited for the train to Sheffield (where I could then get back to Edinburgh), another member of the “confused people in Gainsborough” community, who wanted to know what platform the train to Lincoln departed on. It was the other platform, and it had departed 5 minutes ago, with the electronic announcement speaking of the stopping point of “Sexilby” (there is a station called Saxilby between Gainsborough and Lincoln).
Notes
I'm surprised at the patronage for Brigg station. With trains for only 1 day of the week, it could well be more like Kirton Lindsey, which only manages a few hundred. What the high patronage does show is that it should get a more frequent passenger service, perhaps the novelty of a train on a day other than a Saturday would be beneficial. Gainsborough Central gained an hourly service for most of the week the day after I visited, and I expect the patronage to increase substantially, possibly at the expense of Lea Road. The position of Kirton Lindsey in relation to the town is probably a hindrance to that station. Then again, probably not as much as the lack of trains.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.co...-briggkirton-lindsey-and-gainsborough-central
Introduction
This is a line which runs from Gainsborough to Barnetby, providing a reasonably direct route from Sheffield to Cleethorpes. However, it only gets passenger services on a Saturday*. This leads to very low annual patronages for the 3 stations on the route: Brigg, Kirton Lindsey and Gainsborough Central. Brigg has the highest of the 3, with ~1700 passengers last year. The other two have patronages below the 1000 mark, although Gainsborough Central has an additional 200 “interchanges” (probably people who walk to the station in the centre of town, look at the timetable, sigh, and then have to walk for a mile or so to Lea Road, which has more trains but is located outside Gainsborough).
Three trains each way run on Saturday between Sheffield and Cleethorpes via Brigg, so it is possible to visit all three stations in one go, and travel to and from Edinburgh. This is what I did.
*Gainsborough Central, the first station on the line, now has services every day since the May 2019 timetable change. I visited the stations the day before the timetable change.
The Journey
My first station to visit was Kirton Lindsey, the station with the lowest patronage of the three, at fewer than 300 passengers per year. My train from Edinburgh was early, but not extreme, so I was almost awake as it spun through Northumberland and Yorkshire to York. At York, I had my first change. This train would take me the 20 minutes to Doncaster. A man sat opposite me, and started eating what I can only describe as processed baby sick (milky and lumpy) on which he drizzled something dark and red. Doncaster approached (because the town of Doncaster is now mobile) and I alighted and the station, switched platforms, and boarded the train to Barnetby.
Barnetby station has 4 platforms but a lack of passenger services. A lot of freight passes through, as I saw.
Shortly afterwards, my train to Kirton Lindsey arrived. It was some form of refurbished Pacer (bus on train wheels), and it trundled along through the Lincolnshire countryside.
The Brigg Line is very much a trundle-y line, the sort of railway that Ian Hislop would travel down during a documentary on Dr. Beeching. Brigg station comes first, followed by Kirton Lindsey 10 minutes later. None of the stations are request stops, so, as the train screeched to a halt, I could walk to a door of my choice and leave, giving a wave to the conductor.
Kirton Lindsey
Kirton Lindsey is a single platform station located next to an industrial estate near the town of Kirton-in-Lindsey. It continues the tradition established that railway stations don't quite have the same name as the place where they are.
The facilities are fairly basic: there is a shelter, a bin, some signs, a bench and a car park. Lights also exist, but they weren't on when I was around, because it was daytime. The old station building, like so many others, is now a private house.
Brigg
The most well-used station on the line, Brigg has two platforms. When I had passed through it the first time, there had been a reasonable number of people boarding. This time, I was the only one to get on or off the train.
Brigg station has 2 platforms linked by a footbridge. On one side of the station is a big car park and the town, and the other is surrounded by fields. Each platform has a shelter, signs and a bin. The town-side platform also has a BT payphone.
Back at the station, the wildlife was coming out. A pony was wandering around the yard by the station, and a number of rabbits were scampering along the outer platform.
Gainsborough Central
Bunny action aside, I had a train to catch. It went back through Kirton Lindsey, where a man got off, took a picture, and then got back off (b*st*rd), and then Gainsborough Central. None of the trains had kept time particularly well, and we were 15 minutes late when I got off at Gainsborough Central. It is the most modern of the three stations, with more facilities, step free access, a bin which actually had rubbish in, multiple signs, and a socking great car park for a nearby shopping area. The semaphore signals and signal box keeps the slightly disused/old feel.
As mentioned (in passing) earlier, Gainsborough has a second, much better used station. This is Lea Road, which is a mile from Central. I did this walk, noting the roundabout, dual carriageway and small residential street which was the route between the two stations.
As I waited for the train to Sheffield (where I could then get back to Edinburgh), another member of the “confused people in Gainsborough” community, who wanted to know what platform the train to Lincoln departed on. It was the other platform, and it had departed 5 minutes ago, with the electronic announcement speaking of the stopping point of “Sexilby” (there is a station called Saxilby between Gainsborough and Lincoln).
Notes
I'm surprised at the patronage for Brigg station. With trains for only 1 day of the week, it could well be more like Kirton Lindsey, which only manages a few hundred. What the high patronage does show is that it should get a more frequent passenger service, perhaps the novelty of a train on a day other than a Saturday would be beneficial. Gainsborough Central gained an hourly service for most of the week the day after I visited, and I expect the patronage to increase substantially, possibly at the expense of Lea Road. The position of Kirton Lindsey in relation to the town is probably a hindrance to that station. Then again, probably not as much as the lack of trains.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Sounded like a good trip to the Brigg line 
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #30: Bearley and Claverdon (Warwickshire's Least Used) - Visited on the 20th of June 2019
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/warwickshires-least-used-bearley-and-claverdon
Introduction
Stratford-upon-Avon is not very usefully located on the railway. It sits at the end of two branch lines, one which runs (slowly) to Birmingham, and the other (again, slowly) to the Chiltern Main Line at Hatton, which is near Warwick, itself near Leamington Spa. It has no southern connection: that was severed in the 1960s by (you've guessed it) Dr. Beeching. (He didn't personally remove the track, but his report condemned the line from Stratford south to Cheltenham.)
Both Bearley and Claverdon sit on the Leamington to Stratford Line, which is now the most southerly connection that Stratford has. They are the only two intermediate stations which aren't on other railway lines: The section from Leamington to Hatton is on the Chiltern Main Line, and the section from Wilmcote to Stratford is shared with the Birmingham to Stratford Line. Bearley has the lower patronage of the two, with it hovering around the 1000 mark in recent years. Claverdon's patronage is quite a bit higher (around 2500), but given that it is only 5 minutes down the line from Bearley, I thought it was worth a visit.
The Journey
In the May timetable change, Stratford-upon-Avon now has regular-ish direct services to London Marylebone. However, these are quite slow and get overtaken by the Birmingham express services. Therefore, it is nearly half an hour faster to change at Leamington Spa.
I had an entire day in the Chiltern area, so I didn't go directly to Bearley to begin with. The description starts at Warwick, where my train to Bearley arrived. It had 2 coaches, and is the slowest type of train that Chiltern Railways runs. I settled down for the short journey along to Bearley. This type of train is not one I would want to spend a great deal of time on, certainly not the full 2 hours and 20 minutes from London to Stratford. Once one leaves the main line at Hatton, the journey is very much a trundle through rural Warwickshire. Claverdon station came and went (I visit it later – don't worry), and Bearley came into view 5 minutes later. Although used by few people, neither station is a request stop on most services One very early morning service treats Claverdon and Bearley as request stops, but the rest stop as normal.
My train came to a halt, and I got off. I gave the guard a wave, watched the train depart towards Stratford, and looked around the station.
Bearley Station
Bearley is a single platform station located just off a main road about 3/4s of a mile outside the village of Bearley. The station itself has the normal facilities: shelter, help point, signs, a BT payphone, and an electronic departure board which seemed to think that all the trains were 2 minutes later than they actually arrived.
I had an hour at the station, which I spent mainly wandering up and down the short platform, and failing to get decent pictures of passing trains.
Bearley is one of those stations which is managed by a different Train Operating Company (TOC) to the one which stops more often. It is managed by West Midlands Trains, which only serves it once per day. Chiltern Railways serve much more frequently (about 10 times per day), but don't manage the station. To be fair, I doubt there is much management to such a small station.
Just under 1 hour after I'd arrived, the train returned to take me one stop back to Claverdon.
Claverdon Station
Claverdon is rather similar to Bearley. It is located below the road rather than above, and its platform is significantly longer. I'm not quite sure why Claverdon has such a long platform given that the longest train that could use the station is 6 coaches, and even that would be rare. Like Bearley, Claverdon station is located quite a distance from Claverdon actual (closer to 1 mile this time). Claverdon station is also not served by any buses, unlike Bearley.
One person used the station whilst I was there: a female got on the train that I got off. Otherwise, only passing cars disturbed me (there were quite a lot of them though). Other than humans, a small cat decided to explore the railway line near the station. At one point I got slightly nervous as a train was due to pass the station, and cats have no knowledge of railway timetables. Thankfully, the cat left the railway before the train passed.
Another hour had passed, and another train arrived. This one was to take me to Stratford-upon-Avon. The journey was uneventful, and the train even arrived early. Then again, Chiltern had sent out an 100mph max train on a service which is usually covered by a 75mph max unit.
Notes
Neither station is ever going to have a very high patronage. However, the fact that they are located a fair distance from the settlements they are supposed to serve, and the sparse service, means that they don't help themselves gain any more patronage. For the residents of Bearley and Claverdon, it may well be far easier to get a bus or drive to their destination rather than walk out to the station and wait for the next train.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/warwickshires-least-used-bearley-and-claverdon
Introduction
Stratford-upon-Avon is not very usefully located on the railway. It sits at the end of two branch lines, one which runs (slowly) to Birmingham, and the other (again, slowly) to the Chiltern Main Line at Hatton, which is near Warwick, itself near Leamington Spa. It has no southern connection: that was severed in the 1960s by (you've guessed it) Dr. Beeching. (He didn't personally remove the track, but his report condemned the line from Stratford south to Cheltenham.)
Both Bearley and Claverdon sit on the Leamington to Stratford Line, which is now the most southerly connection that Stratford has. They are the only two intermediate stations which aren't on other railway lines: The section from Leamington to Hatton is on the Chiltern Main Line, and the section from Wilmcote to Stratford is shared with the Birmingham to Stratford Line. Bearley has the lower patronage of the two, with it hovering around the 1000 mark in recent years. Claverdon's patronage is quite a bit higher (around 2500), but given that it is only 5 minutes down the line from Bearley, I thought it was worth a visit.
The Journey
In the May timetable change, Stratford-upon-Avon now has regular-ish direct services to London Marylebone. However, these are quite slow and get overtaken by the Birmingham express services. Therefore, it is nearly half an hour faster to change at Leamington Spa.
I had an entire day in the Chiltern area, so I didn't go directly to Bearley to begin with. The description starts at Warwick, where my train to Bearley arrived. It had 2 coaches, and is the slowest type of train that Chiltern Railways runs. I settled down for the short journey along to Bearley. This type of train is not one I would want to spend a great deal of time on, certainly not the full 2 hours and 20 minutes from London to Stratford. Once one leaves the main line at Hatton, the journey is very much a trundle through rural Warwickshire. Claverdon station came and went (I visit it later – don't worry), and Bearley came into view 5 minutes later. Although used by few people, neither station is a request stop on most services One very early morning service treats Claverdon and Bearley as request stops, but the rest stop as normal.
My train came to a halt, and I got off. I gave the guard a wave, watched the train depart towards Stratford, and looked around the station.
Bearley Station
Bearley is a single platform station located just off a main road about 3/4s of a mile outside the village of Bearley. The station itself has the normal facilities: shelter, help point, signs, a BT payphone, and an electronic departure board which seemed to think that all the trains were 2 minutes later than they actually arrived.
Bearley is one of those stations which is managed by a different Train Operating Company (TOC) to the one which stops more often. It is managed by West Midlands Trains, which only serves it once per day. Chiltern Railways serve much more frequently (about 10 times per day), but don't manage the station. To be fair, I doubt there is much management to such a small station.
Just under 1 hour after I'd arrived, the train returned to take me one stop back to Claverdon.
Claverdon Station
Claverdon is rather similar to Bearley. It is located below the road rather than above, and its platform is significantly longer. I'm not quite sure why Claverdon has such a long platform given that the longest train that could use the station is 6 coaches, and even that would be rare. Like Bearley, Claverdon station is located quite a distance from Claverdon actual (closer to 1 mile this time). Claverdon station is also not served by any buses, unlike Bearley.
Notes
Neither station is ever going to have a very high patronage. However, the fact that they are located a fair distance from the settlements they are supposed to serve, and the sparse service, means that they don't help themselves gain any more patronage. For the residents of Bearley and Claverdon, it may well be far easier to get a bus or drive to their destination rather than walk out to the station and wait for the next train.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Sounded like a nice little trip
The platform length at Claverdon is probably historic from days of old.
The platform length at Claverdon is probably historic from days of old.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #31: Whitley Bridge (Near a Bridge, less near Whitley) - Visited on the 2nd of July 2019
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/whitley-bridge-near-a-bridge-less-near-whitley
Introduction
Whitley Bridge is one of 4 stations on the Pontefract line which only receives 3 trains per day (not Sundays). It is the 2nd busiest of those 4, with a grand total of 1,236 passengers last year. This is the highest it has been for years. Whitley Bridge itself is in the village of Eggborough about 1 mile walk from the village of Whitley. There is a bridge nearby. Hence the name Whitley Bridge (I think). The Knottingley to Goole section of line has not always had such a limited service, although it has generally been more infrequent than the rest of the Pontefract Line. Timetables from the '70s and '80s see 5 or 6 trains per day in each direction, and not clumped together either. This gradually reduced down to the current 3 trains per day (in total) by the mid 2000s.
The Journey
Whitley Bridge has 2 trains just over an hour apart in the evenings. This sounds perfect for boarding/alighting. Sadly, the 2nd of these services is just too late to enable me to get back to London, so I had to get a bus to Eggborough (which is the village where Whitley Bridge actually is) and get the first train of the evening back.
I arrived at Kings Cross station for my train to Leeds. It was one of LNER's new InterCity Express Trains (marketed as the “Azuma” by the ever-successful Virgin Trains East Coast). Although quite busy, there was enough room for people not to sit next to me. I consumed food and drink to prevent death, and arrived at Leeds station on time. I had a half hour change for my train to Selby, which I spent hanging around on platform 12 observing the coming and goings from the very busy station. It was busier today because there had been an electrical failure somewhere on the Airedale which meant that no electric train could leave Leeds bound for Bradford, Skipton or Ilkley. That is a significant portion of the Leeds commuter network, and so there were a large number of miffed commuters and other travellers standing around the departure boards looking with annoyance(?) at the word “delayed” next to their train.
My train to Selby wasn't delayed. It rocked up on time, and the entire population of Yorkshire attempted to cram onto the three carriages provided. This didn't work. I managed to get a seat for the 25 minute journey, but many others did not.
Selby station started to exist outside the train, so I got off, pausing only to give someone their keys back, which they had kindly left on the table. The Selby to Whitley Bridge section of travel was to be done by bus. Brum-brum. Except it was more of a purr because the bus had a hybrid engine. Whatever noise the bus made, it moved, and I arrived at Whitley Bridge at the time I expected to.
Whitley Bridge
Although being poorly used, Whitley Bridge is certainly not situated in the middle of nowhere. On the south side there are a large number of warehouses. There seemed to be an endless stream of lorries to and from them. To the north is the village of Eggborough, so there are houses. The road by the station is also well-used. Thus, I didn't get the normal solitude of a least used station, which I found disappointing.
The station is a normal 2 platform one. Both platforms have a shelter, various notices a bin and a salt bin. The salt-bin to service ratio is a very high one.
Although the line has a very infrequent passenger service, there is a good deal of freight. In the one hour I was at Whitley Bridge, I saw three freight services. They were mostly operating trains to/from Drax Power Station.
Back to London
Quite a long train arrived to take me to take me to Goole. By “long” I mean three coaches. I was one of two people in the front carriage. My route from Whitley Bridge to London involved two changes: at Goole and at Doncaster. This isn't the most direct route, but the only one possible given the lack of trains from Whitley Bridge. My train from Doncaster to London was very uncrowded, but somehow someone had managed to sit in my reserved seat. I decided to ask him to move, which he did: first to the opposite side of the carriage, and then he walked off. I was pleased that he did because he was bleating down his phone.
Notes
Whitley Bridge falls perfectly into the category of least used stations which could have a much higher patronage if there was a railway service to speak of. Although there is a train for commuters into and out of Leeds at peak times, there are no trains at any other points. Clearly, a station with only 3 trains per day is never going to have a very high patronage, because there are other transport options which are more frequent, as my bus journey demonstrates. Really, Whitley Bridge should have 1 train every other hour. However, this is unlikely to happen in the short or medium term. The reason for the service reduction is because Northern doesn't have enough rolling stock. Although Northern is getting new rolling stock, they are scrapping their Pacers and any additional rolling stock will be used on already overcrowded routes. The Knottingley to Goole part of the Ponefract Line is very low down on the list of rolling stock priorities for Northern.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/whitley-bridge-near-a-bridge-less-near-whitley
Introduction
Whitley Bridge is one of 4 stations on the Pontefract line which only receives 3 trains per day (not Sundays). It is the 2nd busiest of those 4, with a grand total of 1,236 passengers last year. This is the highest it has been for years. Whitley Bridge itself is in the village of Eggborough about 1 mile walk from the village of Whitley. There is a bridge nearby. Hence the name Whitley Bridge (I think). The Knottingley to Goole section of line has not always had such a limited service, although it has generally been more infrequent than the rest of the Pontefract Line. Timetables from the '70s and '80s see 5 or 6 trains per day in each direction, and not clumped together either. This gradually reduced down to the current 3 trains per day (in total) by the mid 2000s.
The Journey
Whitley Bridge has 2 trains just over an hour apart in the evenings. This sounds perfect for boarding/alighting. Sadly, the 2nd of these services is just too late to enable me to get back to London, so I had to get a bus to Eggborough (which is the village where Whitley Bridge actually is) and get the first train of the evening back.
I arrived at Kings Cross station for my train to Leeds. It was one of LNER's new InterCity Express Trains (marketed as the “Azuma” by the ever-successful Virgin Trains East Coast). Although quite busy, there was enough room for people not to sit next to me. I consumed food and drink to prevent death, and arrived at Leeds station on time. I had a half hour change for my train to Selby, which I spent hanging around on platform 12 observing the coming and goings from the very busy station. It was busier today because there had been an electrical failure somewhere on the Airedale which meant that no electric train could leave Leeds bound for Bradford, Skipton or Ilkley. That is a significant portion of the Leeds commuter network, and so there were a large number of miffed commuters and other travellers standing around the departure boards looking with annoyance(?) at the word “delayed” next to their train.
My train to Selby wasn't delayed. It rocked up on time, and the entire population of Yorkshire attempted to cram onto the three carriages provided. This didn't work. I managed to get a seat for the 25 minute journey, but many others did not.
Selby station started to exist outside the train, so I got off, pausing only to give someone their keys back, which they had kindly left on the table. The Selby to Whitley Bridge section of travel was to be done by bus. Brum-brum. Except it was more of a purr because the bus had a hybrid engine. Whatever noise the bus made, it moved, and I arrived at Whitley Bridge at the time I expected to.
Whitley Bridge
Although being poorly used, Whitley Bridge is certainly not situated in the middle of nowhere. On the south side there are a large number of warehouses. There seemed to be an endless stream of lorries to and from them. To the north is the village of Eggborough, so there are houses. The road by the station is also well-used. Thus, I didn't get the normal solitude of a least used station, which I found disappointing.
The station is a normal 2 platform one. Both platforms have a shelter, various notices a bin and a salt bin. The salt-bin to service ratio is a very high one.
Back to London
Quite a long train arrived to take me to take me to Goole. By “long” I mean three coaches. I was one of two people in the front carriage. My route from Whitley Bridge to London involved two changes: at Goole and at Doncaster. This isn't the most direct route, but the only one possible given the lack of trains from Whitley Bridge. My train from Doncaster to London was very uncrowded, but somehow someone had managed to sit in my reserved seat. I decided to ask him to move, which he did: first to the opposite side of the carriage, and then he walked off. I was pleased that he did because he was bleating down his phone.
Notes
Whitley Bridge falls perfectly into the category of least used stations which could have a much higher patronage if there was a railway service to speak of. Although there is a train for commuters into and out of Leeds at peak times, there are no trains at any other points. Clearly, a station with only 3 trains per day is never going to have a very high patronage, because there are other transport options which are more frequent, as my bus journey demonstrates. Really, Whitley Bridge should have 1 train every other hour. However, this is unlikely to happen in the short or medium term. The reason for the service reduction is because Northern doesn't have enough rolling stock. Although Northern is getting new rolling stock, they are scrapping their Pacers and any additional rolling stock will be used on already overcrowded routes. The Knottingley to Goole part of the Ponefract Line is very low down on the list of rolling stock priorities for Northern.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #32: Tonfanau (Cambrian Coast Line Journey #1) - Visited on the 17th of July 2019
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/cambrian-coast-journey-1-tonfanau
Introduction
Like many other long, rural railway routes, the Cambrian Coast Line has numerous small stations which serve little hamlets that wouldn't otherwise get a railway service. Most of these are request stops. Tonfanau itself is 5-10 minutes north of Twywn (by rail). Although it used to serve a military training and refugee camp, this no longer exists. Only a few houses and multiple abandoned and derelict buildings exist now. In fact, British Rail (BR) attempted to close the station in the mid 1990s because it didn't serve anything anymore. This request was declined.
Given the above, you would be forgiven for thinking the annual patronage for Tonfanau fell under 1000 passengers per year. However, it doesn't. It was used by over 3000 people last year, one of the highest figures in this series. I can only estimate the reasons for this, but it may have something to do with the 4 annual Tonfanau Road Races which take place near the station (hence the name).
The Journey
Being based in Scotland means getting to any part of Wales takes a long time. The previous day, although brilliant, had resulted in a very late night, so I got barely any sleep before I had to be up for the 06:52 service from Edinburgh. This took me as far south as Warrington, the jewel of Cheshire. There, I changed onto one of the “new” services operated by Northern: the Leeds to Chester service. I took this to Chester, where I made my second change of the day to my service all the way to Shrewsbury. Both these changes were quite tight (>10 minutes).
At Shrewsbury, my 14 minute change became twice as long because the service from Birmingham that I would take to Tonfanau was just over quarter of an hour late. This turned out not to matter, because there was sufficient allowances in the timetable to mean that, by the time it departed Tywyn, it was only 2 minutes behind schedule. But, at Shrewsbury, Tywyn was still 2 hours away and I had the single track Cambrian Coast Line to admire. Although pleasant, the views only really get going after Dovey Junction, where the line to Aberystwyth splits off south, and the line to Pwllheli works north. Tonfanau is on the Pwllheli branch, and I was on the Pwllheli part of the train (services divide at Machynlleth with one part going to Aberystwyth and the other to Pwllheli). The line between Dovey Junction and Aberdovey hugs the cliffs round Dovey Estuary (that may not be the official name of the area, but it works as a description), just above the water. This produces some excellent views.
Aberdovey came and went, as did Tywyn shortly afterwards. Tonfanau is only a few minutes north of Twywn, so I prepared myself for getting off the train. I made sure that the train was stopping at Tonfanau (it is a request stop), and stood by the door for the remainder of the journey.
Tonfanau Station
Having watched the train depart, I had to put on my coat because the rain had just started to fall. This is typical of British weather: Indoors for half the day then the moment when one leaves shelter, the rain starts.
Although Tonfanau station is remote, a new build house has been built directly next to the platform. There were also a number of cars parked up by the level crossing, so the place felt quite crowded. I decided to walk to the beach and derelict military buildings first.
The Surrounding Area
The derelict military buildings are visible from the station. There are a small number of them standing, with numerous other patches of concrete which signify where other buildings or installations once were. One of the sets of buildings had a caravan parked right next to it, a caravan which contained more people.
Further on is the beach and mouth of the River Dysynni. I thought here, at least, I would be able to enjoy the wind-and-rain-swept delights of the Cambrian Coast alone. But, as has become the theme of today, a single human in a black kagoule was also on said beach. I had a short wander down to the sea, enjoying the fact that my shoes were (and still are) waterproof, before going back to the station.
Back to the Station
After my antics (and I use that word in its loosest possible form), I had an hour to look at the station before my train that would take me back ultimately to Edinburgh arrived.
Tonfanau has the normal facilities that I have come to expect. There are a number of signs, a basic shelter, a bench, a salt bin (but no litter bin), a bike rack (one hoop only), a BT payphone, a digital information screen and an automatic announcement system. The automatic announcement system was fairly awful, in that it couldn't pronounce the word 'operated' properly, instead going for “approted”. You can imagine how awful the pronunciation of the more complicated Welsh place names were.
I left the platform for a bit to get some pictures from the other side of the track. As I did this, more people arrived. They went onto the station platform. Another person also arrived in a truck. All the people (so many people) were now on the platform. However, only the couple were hand-in-hand. If you get that reference, you win the prize of slightly understanding my weird brain.
I went back onto the platform, and was asked by the man if one could buy tickets on the train. I told him that he could. I continued to wander up and down the platform for the remaining time until the 15:16 service arrived. As it rounded the corner, the driver gave a toot. I spun round and stuck my arm out to flag it down. The driver responded with another blow of the horn, and I put my appendage away so as not to annoy him.
The Journey Home
The train did stop, and the couple and I got on. My ticket was checked and I settled down for the ride back to Shrewsbury. There were long waits at Machynlleth (timetabled) and at Talerddig (not timetabled – we were waiting for a delayed eastbound train). We arrived at Shrewsbury 10 minutes late.
In the 6 hours between visits to Shrewsbury a points failure had occurred near Chester. A lot of trains were quite late, but my service to Manchester was mostly unaffected. It was only 7 minutes late. An almost perfect run to Manchester was brought to a stuttering halt outside Cheadle Hulme. We were stuck behind a train which was having some problems with its doors for a few minutes, causing the delay to run up to quarter of an hour by the time I arrived at Manchester Piccadilly. Getting stuck behind delayed services turned out to be a theme of my return journey.
With an hour to wait for my train to Edinburgh, I decided to leave Manchester Piccadilly station and walk to a take away to get myself an overpriced burger and chips.
I consumed most of the food back at Piccadilly, watching a fare dodger vault the barriers and run away from staff. The British Transport Police officer looked on and said “I'm not running after that” to the staff when they shouted for help. The tracksuit-based fare-dodging clot got away. I hope he face-planted into the escalator.
Re-focusing on my burger, I finished it before my train to Edinburgh arrived on platform 14. I boarded it and settled down in my reserved seat for the 3 hour journey. I spent the journey tracking trains, listening to podcasts and watching the light fade outside until there was a dark nothingness, much like Alexander “Boris” Johnson's conscience.
This dark nothingness turned out to be a field near Lockerbie, a field which I got rather too acquainted with over the next 70 minutes. The train ahead was experiencing the Great British Tradition of a drunken Wednesday night fight. This meant the police and ambulance service had to be called, statements taken from passengers, and associated administration and problems. That train was 90 minutes late getting going, and we finally moved 70 minutes behind schedule.
The train skipped Haymarket station where I had hoped to get off because it was so late that Haymarket had shut down for the night. Instead I was deposited at Waverley at quarter to one in the morning. I boarded a night bus (which cost £3 – great price Lothian Buses(!)) and got home at gone 1:30am.
Notes
I may not have mentioned this before, but there were too many people at Tonfanau. I like going to least used stations (partly) for the solitude, something that didn't exist when I was there. For a station that looked so remote on a map, it felt overcrowded when I got there. Worth the 18 hour round trip though.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/cambrian-coast-journey-1-tonfanau
Introduction
Like many other long, rural railway routes, the Cambrian Coast Line has numerous small stations which serve little hamlets that wouldn't otherwise get a railway service. Most of these are request stops. Tonfanau itself is 5-10 minutes north of Twywn (by rail). Although it used to serve a military training and refugee camp, this no longer exists. Only a few houses and multiple abandoned and derelict buildings exist now. In fact, British Rail (BR) attempted to close the station in the mid 1990s because it didn't serve anything anymore. This request was declined.
Given the above, you would be forgiven for thinking the annual patronage for Tonfanau fell under 1000 passengers per year. However, it doesn't. It was used by over 3000 people last year, one of the highest figures in this series. I can only estimate the reasons for this, but it may have something to do with the 4 annual Tonfanau Road Races which take place near the station (hence the name).
The Journey
Being based in Scotland means getting to any part of Wales takes a long time. The previous day, although brilliant, had resulted in a very late night, so I got barely any sleep before I had to be up for the 06:52 service from Edinburgh. This took me as far south as Warrington, the jewel of Cheshire. There, I changed onto one of the “new” services operated by Northern: the Leeds to Chester service. I took this to Chester, where I made my second change of the day to my service all the way to Shrewsbury. Both these changes were quite tight (>10 minutes).
At Shrewsbury, my 14 minute change became twice as long because the service from Birmingham that I would take to Tonfanau was just over quarter of an hour late. This turned out not to matter, because there was sufficient allowances in the timetable to mean that, by the time it departed Tywyn, it was only 2 minutes behind schedule. But, at Shrewsbury, Tywyn was still 2 hours away and I had the single track Cambrian Coast Line to admire. Although pleasant, the views only really get going after Dovey Junction, where the line to Aberystwyth splits off south, and the line to Pwllheli works north. Tonfanau is on the Pwllheli branch, and I was on the Pwllheli part of the train (services divide at Machynlleth with one part going to Aberystwyth and the other to Pwllheli). The line between Dovey Junction and Aberdovey hugs the cliffs round Dovey Estuary (that may not be the official name of the area, but it works as a description), just above the water. This produces some excellent views.
Aberdovey came and went, as did Tywyn shortly afterwards. Tonfanau is only a few minutes north of Twywn, so I prepared myself for getting off the train. I made sure that the train was stopping at Tonfanau (it is a request stop), and stood by the door for the remainder of the journey.
Tonfanau Station
Having watched the train depart, I had to put on my coat because the rain had just started to fall. This is typical of British weather: Indoors for half the day then the moment when one leaves shelter, the rain starts.
Although Tonfanau station is remote, a new build house has been built directly next to the platform. There were also a number of cars parked up by the level crossing, so the place felt quite crowded. I decided to walk to the beach and derelict military buildings first.
The Surrounding Area
The derelict military buildings are visible from the station. There are a small number of them standing, with numerous other patches of concrete which signify where other buildings or installations once were. One of the sets of buildings had a caravan parked right next to it, a caravan which contained more people.
Back to the Station
After my antics (and I use that word in its loosest possible form), I had an hour to look at the station before my train that would take me back ultimately to Edinburgh arrived.
Tonfanau has the normal facilities that I have come to expect. There are a number of signs, a basic shelter, a bench, a salt bin (but no litter bin), a bike rack (one hoop only), a BT payphone, a digital information screen and an automatic announcement system. The automatic announcement system was fairly awful, in that it couldn't pronounce the word 'operated' properly, instead going for “approted”. You can imagine how awful the pronunciation of the more complicated Welsh place names were.
I went back onto the platform, and was asked by the man if one could buy tickets on the train. I told him that he could. I continued to wander up and down the platform for the remaining time until the 15:16 service arrived. As it rounded the corner, the driver gave a toot. I spun round and stuck my arm out to flag it down. The driver responded with another blow of the horn, and I put my appendage away so as not to annoy him.
The Journey Home
The train did stop, and the couple and I got on. My ticket was checked and I settled down for the ride back to Shrewsbury. There were long waits at Machynlleth (timetabled) and at Talerddig (not timetabled – we were waiting for a delayed eastbound train). We arrived at Shrewsbury 10 minutes late.
In the 6 hours between visits to Shrewsbury a points failure had occurred near Chester. A lot of trains were quite late, but my service to Manchester was mostly unaffected. It was only 7 minutes late. An almost perfect run to Manchester was brought to a stuttering halt outside Cheadle Hulme. We were stuck behind a train which was having some problems with its doors for a few minutes, causing the delay to run up to quarter of an hour by the time I arrived at Manchester Piccadilly. Getting stuck behind delayed services turned out to be a theme of my return journey.
With an hour to wait for my train to Edinburgh, I decided to leave Manchester Piccadilly station and walk to a take away to get myself an overpriced burger and chips.
I consumed most of the food back at Piccadilly, watching a fare dodger vault the barriers and run away from staff. The British Transport Police officer looked on and said “I'm not running after that” to the staff when they shouted for help. The tracksuit-based fare-dodging clot got away. I hope he face-planted into the escalator.
Re-focusing on my burger, I finished it before my train to Edinburgh arrived on platform 14. I boarded it and settled down in my reserved seat for the 3 hour journey. I spent the journey tracking trains, listening to podcasts and watching the light fade outside until there was a dark nothingness, much like Alexander “Boris” Johnson's conscience.
This dark nothingness turned out to be a field near Lockerbie, a field which I got rather too acquainted with over the next 70 minutes. The train ahead was experiencing the Great British Tradition of a drunken Wednesday night fight. This meant the police and ambulance service had to be called, statements taken from passengers, and associated administration and problems. That train was 90 minutes late getting going, and we finally moved 70 minutes behind schedule.
The train skipped Haymarket station where I had hoped to get off because it was so late that Haymarket had shut down for the night. Instead I was deposited at Waverley at quarter to one in the morning. I boarded a night bus (which cost £3 – great price Lothian Buses(!)) and got home at gone 1:30am.
Notes
I may not have mentioned this before, but there were too many people at Tonfanau. I like going to least used stations (partly) for the solitude, something that didn't exist when I was there. For a station that looked so remote on a map, it felt overcrowded when I got there. Worth the 18 hour round trip though.
John Griffiths
Member
A very entertaining account as ever - thank you Felix. Look forward to opening the pics on my proper computer.
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