ABB125
Established Member
NEW REPORT - go to post 12
I thought I would start a trip report thread, because why not?
Apologies if you find this long-winded; it's over 3000 words!
First trip: West Midlands Day Ranger, 06.05.19
This was my first WM Day Ranger; I have been on plenty of trips using a Network Daytripper ticket, but this has a much smaller area of validity, so I fancied a change. As it was a bank holiday, there were some amended services on the WCML:
Virgin Trains:
3tph northwards from Northampton, two of which ran into Birmingham at 20/40 minute intervals, and one to Crewe via the Trent Valley and Stoke.
All other routes were running pretty much as normal.
First I got 800020 from a station on the Cotswold Line to Worcester. The seat reservation system appeared to be working (all the lights were on (and green)), not that there would have been any issues had it not been as the coach was very quiet. The coach windows were a bit steamed up (or looked like it from the outside) but could be seen out of. The interior was airy and spacious, with excellent legroom (although I was in a priority seat); however, the pillar that holds up the seats in front (there are two, I’m referring to the one next to the side wall) was in the way a bit of my feet – could they not have screwed the seats into the wall and done away with the support on the floor? Speaking of seats, I found them perfectly adequate for the journey I was making, but perhaps a tad hard for a journey of many hours.
Reservations working!
Upon departure, acceleration was brisk, with a slight EMU-style whine; the engines were unnoticeable. The coach felt a bit wobbly side-to-side at speed, although that may have been the track. The ride felt, at times, rather bumpy, as if there was no suspension on the bogies, because it felt like most of the bumps encountered on the track were being transmitted directly to the passengers.
Passing Worcestershire Parkway station, I noticed that, in addition to the main glass footbridge, there was a second one, only accessible by stairs, of the kind that you might see at a relatively quiet rural station. Does anyone know why it is there?
When the guard was dispatching the train from the vestibule behind me, the buzzer seemed very loud, easily the loudest I’ve heard. The guard then came in to check tickets: I had an e-ticket printed off, and the little laser scanner he used to check it with was rather temperamental; it took many attempts and about half a minute for it to read the QR code. I asked the guard if he was able to sell me a West Midlands Day Ranger – he wasn’t sure, having never sold one before, but checked on his machine, and thus sold me one. This was on the approach to Worcester Shrub Hill station; he was still dealing with my transaction as we pulled into the platform, which remarkably hadn’t disappeared just because the driver, not guard, opened the doors. This was a good example of the benefits of the driver opening the doors, as the guard was able to finish with me without having to worry about the doors.
I stayed on the train to Worcester Foregate Street (it’s an extra 50 chains!), whereupon I alighted and waited for the second train of the day, to Birmingham New Street via a reversal at Shrub Hill (another extra 50 chains!). 153371 and 170508 duly arrived; I got on the 153, which was very noisy (I think I was sat on top of the engine). Announcements were also very loud. At Shrub Hill, I decided to move into the 170, but it turned out to be rather full, so back onto the 153 for me! I sat at the other end this time, and it was much quieter. Interestingly the passenger information screen showed ‘Class 153’, presumably something to do with the reversal procedure. Shortly before departure it resumed it normal display. My ticket was not checked on this journey.
Around Droitwich, I decided to change my plan and take a class 323 up the Lickey Incline to see what it was like. Thus I alighted at Bromsgrove, my first visit to the station. It was a bit desolate and bleak. One thing I noticed was the unused platform areas by the stairs and lifts: the platforms extend right to the far side of the lift towers, but from the start of the stairs one side is fully gated off, on the other the gap between the stairs and platform edge is wider so as to allow access to the lifts. A fence right on the platform edge is installed, presumably to stop people from falling off the platform. Rather amusingly, none of the gates I saw in these areas had locks on, so you could just slide the locking bar back and enter these presumably non-public areas.
Unlocked gates!
After two voyagers had passed through, 323242 arrived, annoyingly not one of the ones I need for ‘rideage onage’ (you can’t really say ‘haulage’ if there isn’t a locomotive). We duly departed on time and ran up to about 30mph or so, performed a running brake test (I think) and then powered up the incline at a good pace. Once at the top the driver really got some speed up (the Sectional Appendix says 90mph here, and that is the maximum speed of a class 323), I actually found it quite exhilarating. We rocketed through Barnt Green, but soon had to slow down to actually call at some stations.
Thus the tedious stops at every station into Birmingham. Perhaps the spurt of speed had made the train early, because we stopped at Longbridge for quite a long time (at least a minute). At Northfield I noticed that the island platform on the fast lines was very scruffy. Not much else of note happened, although the announcements were inaudible. My ticket was not checked.
Sruffy Northfield
I had now lost half an hour compared to staying on the train from Worcester, but happily there was a convenient train to catch, 390134 heading for Manchester. I boarded coach E, and there was a rather strong toilet smell, but either it disappeared quickly or I got used to it! My phone wouldn’t connect to the now-free wifi annoyingly. Initially upon departure there was a very faint but high-pitched buzzing noise that stopped when the air conditioning went off (neutral section perhaps?) and didn’t come back when the air con came on again. The train was very quiet (in terms of passenger numbers) and my ticket was checked fairly swiftly. The journey to Wolverhampton felt like it was really slow (we were crawling along at an infuriatingly dismal pace). Departure from Wolverhampton took ages too, and at Stafford, where I alighted, departure was 5 minutes late.
I then took 350264 to Crewe. Departure from Stafford was 2L, presumably because of 390134 running late (same platform and both trains coming off the same route). Good speed was achieved by the new(ish) flyover at Norton Bridge and we were 2 minutes early at Crewe. The journey was uneventful and the train quiet; my ticket was not checked.
This was my first time at Crewe in daylight, and there was plenty of stuff about, but I had no time to enjoy it as there were only 5 minutes before the departure of my next train: 350122 to Stoke (and continuing to Northampton). The seats looked rather worn, and the ride was a bit bumpy at speed. The train was relatively busy and my ticket was nearly checked (but there wasn’t quite enough time).
From Stoke I then caught 153379 and 153355 back to Crewe. As I was sat at the engine end it was rather noisy. There wasn’t much legroom. My ticket was checked.
Lack of legroom!
Back at Crewe, I had a bit more time to take some photographs. Not much of interest happened: 175107 in new TfW livery arrived, and within a minute had gone back the way it had come to Wales; 68022 in TPE livery was in one of the bay platforms, but rather annoyingly, although it started up whilst I was there, I had to go and hop onto 390115 which had just pulled in. I got on, and 68022 left. My destination was Rugby, again a new station for me; there were few passengers on board, and the entire Trent Valley was basically empty of trains. I was in coach U, a letter I’ve not noticed before. The dryer in the toilet was powerful, but very sensitive to hand position: move just a few cm this way or that and it would turn off. Just before Nuneaton we slowed, and moved over to the slow lines; the guard mistakenly announced we were arriving at Rugby, but shortly after corrected himself. In no time at all, we arrived at Rugby. My ticket was not checked, and again my phone wouldn’t connect to the wifi.
Rugby is another rather bleak station in my opinion; there wasn’t much of interest there. I wandered down to the far (south) end of platform 5 and discovered 57304 parked in a siding. There was also a sign that caught my eye (see below). I think it takes the ‘don’t trespass’ message a bit too far! Upon wandering back up the platform, I noticed, tucked away behind some bushed to such an extent that I almost missed it, 86259.
Don't trespass, you risk decapitation!
Do I see a class 86?
350240 arrived, and I took it to Northampton, a new line for me. The train was quiet, the journey uneventful, no ticket check. A very quick (less than a minute) change at Northampton from platform 3 to 4 (I know this doesn’t sound hard, but they are at opposite sides of the station and about as far apart as is possible!) saw me taking 350120 back towards Rugby thence Coventry. The seats were rather grotty and one was broken (collapsed base), but otherwise a quiet, uneventful trip. No ticket check.
At Coventry I took 153354 on the Leamington shuttle. The train seemed incredibly busy for the time of day (1536), with most seats taken. Departure was 9L due to an issue which involved discussions between the driver, guard and platform dispatcher; at one point the driver revved the engine, which amused some passengers! Once under way, the guard announced that the delay was due to issues with the door. Again, the information display showed ‘Class 153’.
During the journey, as the guard was walking through, the woman sat in front of me asked how to get to Warwick Parkway; I had seen her ask the same of the dispatcher at Coventry, and it transpired that, somewhere to the south (possibly Banbury) she had been told to catch the train the Birmingham New Street, which she had got off of at Coventry, where she was told to go back to Leamington, where the XC train she had previously alighted from had called. Understandably she was slightly confused and wanted to know how to get to Warwick Parkway; unfortunately, the guard was newly qualified, this being her first day on the job, and as a result her knowledge of the railway network was somewhat lacking. I therefore felt it was best to provide some input, the result being a happy passenger and happy guard.
At the new station at Kenilworth, I thought it didn’t really look like very good value for the £14 million or so it cost to build, but it was well used by passengers from the train (relative to the number of people you can get on a class 153!). At the junction to the main line outside Leamington, we were held to wait for a southbound freight to pass; perhaps a short stretch of additional track should be added here to permit access to bay platform 4 that is independent of the main line. I returned to Coventry on the same unit, but in a different seat. Legroom was good, but there was a heater blowing hot air at my ankles. One of the seats’ armrest was rather bent out into the aisle. Again Kenilworth station appeared well used. My ticket was checked on the return journey but not outward.
From Coventry I returned to Rugby on 350233, with 350101 on the front. A quiet, uneventful journey with no ticket check.
Then on to Stafford on 390040; unsurprisingly the wifi wasn’t working again. The train was quiet and the journey uneventful. I was in coach C; presumably the reason the ceiling reduces in height at the coach end is due to the pantograph well? Also, there was a random luggage rack in between some seats with a plastic duct through the middle of it from floor to ceiling. The wire from the pantograph perhaps? There was no ticket check; the guard was sat in his office next to the shop for the duration of the journey.
After half an hour at Stafford, where amongst other things I witnessed two pendolinos pulling out of adjacent platforms in the same direction simultaneously (obviously the drivers weren’t trying to race each other; that would be irresponsible!), I headed for Rugeley on 350122, which was another quiet, uneventful journey with no ticket check. Having never been to Rugeley Trent Valley before, it immediately became my favourite Trent Valley station: a fairly long, straight run to the north, and a s-shape curve to the south, with Rugeley power station for additional photographic interest. Plus, there are no obstructions to the view in either direction, unlike at Lichfield.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to enjoy this brilliant station because 170517 and 153356 were departing imminently for Birmingham. This was a new line for me (at least as far as Walsall), and one thing that struck me about it was the potential extent of unpaid fares. I had a coach to myself as far as Rugeley Town, whereupon a small group of teenage girls boarded. I don’t know if they had tickets, although I did hear what sounded like money being counted, possibly to buy tickets with; however the guard never checked tickets, and I doubt that, if they didn’t have any tickets, those girls would have bought any at the station where they alighted (assuming facilities were available). This is just one case of potential fare evasion; I dread to think how much money is lost on this line.
Although he didn’t check tickets, the guard was visible to passengers in my coach because the toilet was broken, so he went and did some stuff to it. I think he stuck a sign on saying ‘toilet out of use’. Soon after calling at Tame Bridge Parkway, I noticed a teenage boy in the vicinity of the toilet looking slightly confused (presumably at the door not opening). He then disappeared. I wouldn’t want to accuse him of what happened next, but he did look slightly worried. At about this point, there was a sudden sharp brake application, and we stopped. As I was sat near the intermediate cab, I could hear a buzzing/alarm noise, and sure enough the guard sprang out of the cab (ok, maybe he didn’t quite ‘spring out’) and strode purposefully towards the toilet, whereupon he looked around, briefly looked into the other carriage, made some clattering noises, went back to the cab, returned, made some more clattering noises, and then went back to the cab again. Motion resumed, and an announcement was made, apologising for the delay due to the passcom being pulled. (This may be what happened, but is this a satisfactory explanation for a member of the public who doesn’t know what a passcom is? Perhaps ‘passenger alarm’ would be more suitable.) We then continued into Birmingham, going via Soho, in doing so giving me the satisfaction of now having traversed the Perry Bar-Soho line in both directions.
I then caught 158823 and 158820 to Smethwick Galton Bridge, departing 2 minutes late. Rather impressively, the free wifi worked in the tunnel just outside New Street heading towards Wolverhampton. The train was quiet, and not surprisingly there was no ticket check over the short distance to Smethwick. From here I caught 172211 and 172218 to Stourbridge Junction. The train was quite busy, but again no ticket check. I found the seats more relaxing than those on a pendolino. Some of the interior trim was a bit rattly when idling in stations. The automated announcements at every station were incredibly long and tedious: ‘…and please step onto the platform before removing large luggage or pushchairs’.
At Stourbridge I took the shuttle on the branch line, and, in a reversal of Sod’s Law, 139001 was in use, the one I needed for rideage onage. My ticket was checked this time (first time in about 4 hours), and on the return journey I was the only passenger. The ride was rather bouncy and enjoyable with some quite significant sideways motion.
I then took 172219 and 172217 to Worcester Shrub Hill. Interestingly, at Stourbridge the trains arrival time went from being on time to 1L to 2L to on time, all before the train had arrived. Actual departure was 1L. Again the seats were very comfortable. My ticket was checked.
Finally back to my local station, this time on 802101, my first ride on a class 802. It was very empty; I walked through 3 carriages, with 2, 0 and 1 passengers. The lighting was perhaps a bit bright, but personally I didn’t have an issue with it. There was an annoying squeak when the carriage underwent sideways movement. The reservation system wasn’t working (or wasn’t turned on), as all the lights and screens were off. The engines were inaudible, except during acceleration. My ticket was checked, and again the guard struggled to scan the QR code on it.
So to summarise:
I thought I would start a trip report thread, because why not?
Apologies if you find this long-winded; it's over 3000 words!
First trip: West Midlands Day Ranger, 06.05.19
This was my first WM Day Ranger; I have been on plenty of trips using a Network Daytripper ticket, but this has a much smaller area of validity, so I fancied a change. As it was a bank holiday, there were some amended services on the WCML:
Virgin Trains:
- 1tph Milton Keynes-Liverpool, calling at Rugby, Stafford, Crewe and Runcorn
- 1tph Milton Keynes-Carlisle, calling at Rugby, via Birmingham, then Crewe and onwards (not Stafford)
- 1tph Milton Keynes-Manchester, via the Stafford avoiding line (is that the right name) at Colwich Junction, first stop Stoke on Trent
- 1tph Birmingham International-Manchester, calling at New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Stoke and onwards
3tph northwards from Northampton, two of which ran into Birmingham at 20/40 minute intervals, and one to Crewe via the Trent Valley and Stoke.
All other routes were running pretty much as normal.
First I got 800020 from a station on the Cotswold Line to Worcester. The seat reservation system appeared to be working (all the lights were on (and green)), not that there would have been any issues had it not been as the coach was very quiet. The coach windows were a bit steamed up (or looked like it from the outside) but could be seen out of. The interior was airy and spacious, with excellent legroom (although I was in a priority seat); however, the pillar that holds up the seats in front (there are two, I’m referring to the one next to the side wall) was in the way a bit of my feet – could they not have screwed the seats into the wall and done away with the support on the floor? Speaking of seats, I found them perfectly adequate for the journey I was making, but perhaps a tad hard for a journey of many hours.
Reservations working!
Upon departure, acceleration was brisk, with a slight EMU-style whine; the engines were unnoticeable. The coach felt a bit wobbly side-to-side at speed, although that may have been the track. The ride felt, at times, rather bumpy, as if there was no suspension on the bogies, because it felt like most of the bumps encountered on the track were being transmitted directly to the passengers.
Passing Worcestershire Parkway station, I noticed that, in addition to the main glass footbridge, there was a second one, only accessible by stairs, of the kind that you might see at a relatively quiet rural station. Does anyone know why it is there?
When the guard was dispatching the train from the vestibule behind me, the buzzer seemed very loud, easily the loudest I’ve heard. The guard then came in to check tickets: I had an e-ticket printed off, and the little laser scanner he used to check it with was rather temperamental; it took many attempts and about half a minute for it to read the QR code. I asked the guard if he was able to sell me a West Midlands Day Ranger – he wasn’t sure, having never sold one before, but checked on his machine, and thus sold me one. This was on the approach to Worcester Shrub Hill station; he was still dealing with my transaction as we pulled into the platform, which remarkably hadn’t disappeared just because the driver, not guard, opened the doors. This was a good example of the benefits of the driver opening the doors, as the guard was able to finish with me without having to worry about the doors.
I stayed on the train to Worcester Foregate Street (it’s an extra 50 chains!), whereupon I alighted and waited for the second train of the day, to Birmingham New Street via a reversal at Shrub Hill (another extra 50 chains!). 153371 and 170508 duly arrived; I got on the 153, which was very noisy (I think I was sat on top of the engine). Announcements were also very loud. At Shrub Hill, I decided to move into the 170, but it turned out to be rather full, so back onto the 153 for me! I sat at the other end this time, and it was much quieter. Interestingly the passenger information screen showed ‘Class 153’, presumably something to do with the reversal procedure. Shortly before departure it resumed it normal display. My ticket was not checked on this journey.
Around Droitwich, I decided to change my plan and take a class 323 up the Lickey Incline to see what it was like. Thus I alighted at Bromsgrove, my first visit to the station. It was a bit desolate and bleak. One thing I noticed was the unused platform areas by the stairs and lifts: the platforms extend right to the far side of the lift towers, but from the start of the stairs one side is fully gated off, on the other the gap between the stairs and platform edge is wider so as to allow access to the lifts. A fence right on the platform edge is installed, presumably to stop people from falling off the platform. Rather amusingly, none of the gates I saw in these areas had locks on, so you could just slide the locking bar back and enter these presumably non-public areas.
Unlocked gates!
After two voyagers had passed through, 323242 arrived, annoyingly not one of the ones I need for ‘rideage onage’ (you can’t really say ‘haulage’ if there isn’t a locomotive). We duly departed on time and ran up to about 30mph or so, performed a running brake test (I think) and then powered up the incline at a good pace. Once at the top the driver really got some speed up (the Sectional Appendix says 90mph here, and that is the maximum speed of a class 323), I actually found it quite exhilarating. We rocketed through Barnt Green, but soon had to slow down to actually call at some stations.
Thus the tedious stops at every station into Birmingham. Perhaps the spurt of speed had made the train early, because we stopped at Longbridge for quite a long time (at least a minute). At Northfield I noticed that the island platform on the fast lines was very scruffy. Not much else of note happened, although the announcements were inaudible. My ticket was not checked.
Sruffy Northfield
I had now lost half an hour compared to staying on the train from Worcester, but happily there was a convenient train to catch, 390134 heading for Manchester. I boarded coach E, and there was a rather strong toilet smell, but either it disappeared quickly or I got used to it! My phone wouldn’t connect to the now-free wifi annoyingly. Initially upon departure there was a very faint but high-pitched buzzing noise that stopped when the air conditioning went off (neutral section perhaps?) and didn’t come back when the air con came on again. The train was very quiet (in terms of passenger numbers) and my ticket was checked fairly swiftly. The journey to Wolverhampton felt like it was really slow (we were crawling along at an infuriatingly dismal pace). Departure from Wolverhampton took ages too, and at Stafford, where I alighted, departure was 5 minutes late.
I then took 350264 to Crewe. Departure from Stafford was 2L, presumably because of 390134 running late (same platform and both trains coming off the same route). Good speed was achieved by the new(ish) flyover at Norton Bridge and we were 2 minutes early at Crewe. The journey was uneventful and the train quiet; my ticket was not checked.
This was my first time at Crewe in daylight, and there was plenty of stuff about, but I had no time to enjoy it as there were only 5 minutes before the departure of my next train: 350122 to Stoke (and continuing to Northampton). The seats looked rather worn, and the ride was a bit bumpy at speed. The train was relatively busy and my ticket was nearly checked (but there wasn’t quite enough time).
From Stoke I then caught 153379 and 153355 back to Crewe. As I was sat at the engine end it was rather noisy. There wasn’t much legroom. My ticket was checked.
Lack of legroom!
Back at Crewe, I had a bit more time to take some photographs. Not much of interest happened: 175107 in new TfW livery arrived, and within a minute had gone back the way it had come to Wales; 68022 in TPE livery was in one of the bay platforms, but rather annoyingly, although it started up whilst I was there, I had to go and hop onto 390115 which had just pulled in. I got on, and 68022 left. My destination was Rugby, again a new station for me; there were few passengers on board, and the entire Trent Valley was basically empty of trains. I was in coach U, a letter I’ve not noticed before. The dryer in the toilet was powerful, but very sensitive to hand position: move just a few cm this way or that and it would turn off. Just before Nuneaton we slowed, and moved over to the slow lines; the guard mistakenly announced we were arriving at Rugby, but shortly after corrected himself. In no time at all, we arrived at Rugby. My ticket was not checked, and again my phone wouldn’t connect to the wifi.
Rugby is another rather bleak station in my opinion; there wasn’t much of interest there. I wandered down to the far (south) end of platform 5 and discovered 57304 parked in a siding. There was also a sign that caught my eye (see below). I think it takes the ‘don’t trespass’ message a bit too far! Upon wandering back up the platform, I noticed, tucked away behind some bushed to such an extent that I almost missed it, 86259.
Don't trespass, you risk decapitation!
Do I see a class 86?
350240 arrived, and I took it to Northampton, a new line for me. The train was quiet, the journey uneventful, no ticket check. A very quick (less than a minute) change at Northampton from platform 3 to 4 (I know this doesn’t sound hard, but they are at opposite sides of the station and about as far apart as is possible!) saw me taking 350120 back towards Rugby thence Coventry. The seats were rather grotty and one was broken (collapsed base), but otherwise a quiet, uneventful trip. No ticket check.
At Coventry I took 153354 on the Leamington shuttle. The train seemed incredibly busy for the time of day (1536), with most seats taken. Departure was 9L due to an issue which involved discussions between the driver, guard and platform dispatcher; at one point the driver revved the engine, which amused some passengers! Once under way, the guard announced that the delay was due to issues with the door. Again, the information display showed ‘Class 153’.
During the journey, as the guard was walking through, the woman sat in front of me asked how to get to Warwick Parkway; I had seen her ask the same of the dispatcher at Coventry, and it transpired that, somewhere to the south (possibly Banbury) she had been told to catch the train the Birmingham New Street, which she had got off of at Coventry, where she was told to go back to Leamington, where the XC train she had previously alighted from had called. Understandably she was slightly confused and wanted to know how to get to Warwick Parkway; unfortunately, the guard was newly qualified, this being her first day on the job, and as a result her knowledge of the railway network was somewhat lacking. I therefore felt it was best to provide some input, the result being a happy passenger and happy guard.
At the new station at Kenilworth, I thought it didn’t really look like very good value for the £14 million or so it cost to build, but it was well used by passengers from the train (relative to the number of people you can get on a class 153!). At the junction to the main line outside Leamington, we were held to wait for a southbound freight to pass; perhaps a short stretch of additional track should be added here to permit access to bay platform 4 that is independent of the main line. I returned to Coventry on the same unit, but in a different seat. Legroom was good, but there was a heater blowing hot air at my ankles. One of the seats’ armrest was rather bent out into the aisle. Again Kenilworth station appeared well used. My ticket was checked on the return journey but not outward.
From Coventry I returned to Rugby on 350233, with 350101 on the front. A quiet, uneventful journey with no ticket check.
Then on to Stafford on 390040; unsurprisingly the wifi wasn’t working again. The train was quiet and the journey uneventful. I was in coach C; presumably the reason the ceiling reduces in height at the coach end is due to the pantograph well? Also, there was a random luggage rack in between some seats with a plastic duct through the middle of it from floor to ceiling. The wire from the pantograph perhaps? There was no ticket check; the guard was sat in his office next to the shop for the duration of the journey.
After half an hour at Stafford, where amongst other things I witnessed two pendolinos pulling out of adjacent platforms in the same direction simultaneously (obviously the drivers weren’t trying to race each other; that would be irresponsible!), I headed for Rugeley on 350122, which was another quiet, uneventful journey with no ticket check. Having never been to Rugeley Trent Valley before, it immediately became my favourite Trent Valley station: a fairly long, straight run to the north, and a s-shape curve to the south, with Rugeley power station for additional photographic interest. Plus, there are no obstructions to the view in either direction, unlike at Lichfield.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to enjoy this brilliant station because 170517 and 153356 were departing imminently for Birmingham. This was a new line for me (at least as far as Walsall), and one thing that struck me about it was the potential extent of unpaid fares. I had a coach to myself as far as Rugeley Town, whereupon a small group of teenage girls boarded. I don’t know if they had tickets, although I did hear what sounded like money being counted, possibly to buy tickets with; however the guard never checked tickets, and I doubt that, if they didn’t have any tickets, those girls would have bought any at the station where they alighted (assuming facilities were available). This is just one case of potential fare evasion; I dread to think how much money is lost on this line.
Although he didn’t check tickets, the guard was visible to passengers in my coach because the toilet was broken, so he went and did some stuff to it. I think he stuck a sign on saying ‘toilet out of use’. Soon after calling at Tame Bridge Parkway, I noticed a teenage boy in the vicinity of the toilet looking slightly confused (presumably at the door not opening). He then disappeared. I wouldn’t want to accuse him of what happened next, but he did look slightly worried. At about this point, there was a sudden sharp brake application, and we stopped. As I was sat near the intermediate cab, I could hear a buzzing/alarm noise, and sure enough the guard sprang out of the cab (ok, maybe he didn’t quite ‘spring out’) and strode purposefully towards the toilet, whereupon he looked around, briefly looked into the other carriage, made some clattering noises, went back to the cab, returned, made some more clattering noises, and then went back to the cab again. Motion resumed, and an announcement was made, apologising for the delay due to the passcom being pulled. (This may be what happened, but is this a satisfactory explanation for a member of the public who doesn’t know what a passcom is? Perhaps ‘passenger alarm’ would be more suitable.) We then continued into Birmingham, going via Soho, in doing so giving me the satisfaction of now having traversed the Perry Bar-Soho line in both directions.
I then caught 158823 and 158820 to Smethwick Galton Bridge, departing 2 minutes late. Rather impressively, the free wifi worked in the tunnel just outside New Street heading towards Wolverhampton. The train was quiet, and not surprisingly there was no ticket check over the short distance to Smethwick. From here I caught 172211 and 172218 to Stourbridge Junction. The train was quite busy, but again no ticket check. I found the seats more relaxing than those on a pendolino. Some of the interior trim was a bit rattly when idling in stations. The automated announcements at every station were incredibly long and tedious: ‘…and please step onto the platform before removing large luggage or pushchairs’.
At Stourbridge I took the shuttle on the branch line, and, in a reversal of Sod’s Law, 139001 was in use, the one I needed for rideage onage. My ticket was checked this time (first time in about 4 hours), and on the return journey I was the only passenger. The ride was rather bouncy and enjoyable with some quite significant sideways motion.
I then took 172219 and 172217 to Worcester Shrub Hill. Interestingly, at Stourbridge the trains arrival time went from being on time to 1L to 2L to on time, all before the train had arrived. Actual departure was 1L. Again the seats were very comfortable. My ticket was checked.
Finally back to my local station, this time on 802101, my first ride on a class 802. It was very empty; I walked through 3 carriages, with 2, 0 and 1 passengers. The lighting was perhaps a bit bright, but personally I didn’t have an issue with it. There was an annoying squeak when the carriage underwent sideways movement. The reservation system wasn’t working (or wasn’t turned on), as all the lights and screens were off. The engines were inaudible, except during acceleration. My ticket was checked, and again the guard struggled to scan the QR code on it.
So to summarise:
- About 375 miles for £18 on the Ranger ticket
- Ticket check on 8 out of 21 trains
- Lots of new routes
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