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Creation of class 230 DEMUs from ex-LU D78s by Vivarail

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DarloRich

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There looks like some time is opening up in my busy diary for the next month and I would like to spend one of the days in June doing the Marston Vale again but with the new 230s. The railway enthusiast in me is quite excited about this, and I might try and knock out a lot of the intermediate stations inbetween. Mostly aimed at DarloRich and Bletchleyite as local experts, what is there to do for an hour in Bow Brickhill and Ridgmont whilst waiting for the next train? Any interesting things or local landmarks?

How far away from the station?

located in the former station house on the Bletchley direction platform

From Bow Brickhill there's a pub up the road towards the village, or you could go for a walk around Caldecotte Lake which is pleasant enough.

The Heritage centre and cafe at Ridmont is on the platform in the old station house on the Blethcley bound side. It is terribly pleasant and well worth a visit. They do a good tea and cake and the sandwiches have good reviews. It also has a small museum about the line and loads of old pictures of the station, the people and trains on the line over the years.

However there is nothing else at Ridgmont other than the signal centre , the M1 and the Amazon warehouse!

Fenny Stratford has the Red Lion by the canal with a nice beer garden which is a two minute walk from the station ( and about 25 to the main station in Blethcley ). It also has the Chequers which is quite close by

From Bow Brickhill I would suggest a walk around the lake. You could always walk from there back to Fenny Stratford station via the lakeside paths. It will take a half an hour. Time for a pint at the red lion as the path brings you out opposite ;)
 

adc82140

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For what it's worth I recommend reading the chapter on the Marston Vale line in Michael Williams' book "on the slow train again" before you go.
 

700007

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The Heritage centre and cafe at Ridmont is on the platform in the old station house on the Blethcley bound side. It is terribly pleasant and well worth a visit. They do a good tea and cake and the sandwiches have good reviews. It also has a small museum about the line and loads of old pictures of the station, the people and trains on the line over the years.

However there is nothing else at Ridgmont other than the signal centre , the M1 and the Amazon warehouse!

Fenny Stratford has the Red Lion by the canal with a nice beer garden which is a two minute walk from the station ( and about 25 to the main station in Blethcley ). It also has the Chequers which is quite close by

From Bow Brickhill I would suggest a walk around the lake. You could always walk from there back to Fenny Stratford station via the lakeside paths. It will take a half an hour. Time for a pint at the red lion as the path brings you out opposite ;)
That's multiple recommendations for the Ridgmont museum, tea, cake and Bow Brickhill lake and pub - I have my agenda sorted. Really appreciate this DarloRich, you alongside others have been a great help!
Oh, one warning if you'd call it that - the Ridgmont cafe is I believe cash only.
Thanks for the heads up!
 

bluegoblin7

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That's multiple recommendations for the Ridgmont museum, tea, cake and Bow Brickhill lake and pub - I have my agenda sorted. Really appreciate this DarloRich, you alongside others have been a great help!

Make sure you have cash with you. Myself and three fellow travellers were turned away last week due to not having cash. It was actually quite disappointing as there's not much else to do, and we'd been looking forward to it. Not accepting card isn't a healthy way to do business in 2019, particularly so close to London.
 

Bletchleyite

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Make sure you have cash with you. Myself and three fellow travellers were turned away last week due to not having cash. It was actually quite disappointing as there's not much else to do, and we'd been looking forward to it. Not accepting card isn't a healthy way to do business in 2019, particularly so close to London.

I believe the Red Lion is also cash only, by the way, or it was last time I went there which was a few months ago. It's a traditional drinkers' pub, I don't think it does food at all (other than crisps, nuts and the likes).

If you want food the pub in Bow Brickhill might do it (years since I went there) or the Caldecotte Lake "windmill" pub is a steakhouse type place, or there's a very large 'Spoons (the quite cleverly[1] named "Captain Ridley's Shooting Party") in Bletchley town centre.

[1] Some Fennyites, if you call them that, object to the use of a Bletchley rather than Fenny-based name as it's at the Fenny end of things. However they omit to recall that it was called the Bletchley Arms before.
 

Gathursty

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On Tuesday, I had a ride on 230005 and was impressed with what they have done: fitting in a Virgin/XC-like toilet, adding in plug sockets and USB ports. I now look at a Pacer and think we are severely short-changed up North!
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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On Tuesday, I had a ride on 230005 and was impressed with what they have done: fitting in a Virgin/XC-like toilet, adding in plug sockets and USB ports. I now look at a Pacer and think we are severely short-changed up North!

Pacers, it must be remembered, were "the solution of the 1980's" and have had more than their day. Class 230s are the solution in a different century.
 

anamyd

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On Tuesday, I had a ride on 230005 and was impressed with what they have done: fitting in a Virgin/XC-like toilet, adding in plug sockets and USB ports. I now look at a Pacer and think we are severely short-changed up North!
Virgin / XC-like toilet...? or just a standard PRM-TSI 2020 compliant accessible toilet with vacuum flush and retention tank, which have been fitted in several Northern 150s, 156s and their 155s...?

Persons with Reduced Mobility - Technical Specifications for Interoperability
 

Gathursty

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I get that Pacers are being phased out and replaced by trains with chargers and sockets but it really is a very long, long time coming.

As for the toilets, I'm only familiar with the curved toilet room on Virgin and XC. I've not been on those classes you mention.
 

pdeaves

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There's a lot of posts to root through, so please forgive these questions is they have already been asked/answered:
  • Do the 230s run on Saturdays?
  • Are all trains booked to use 230s?
Thanks!
 

Bletchleyite

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Virgin / XC-like toilet...? or just a standard PRM-TSI 2020 compliant accessible toilet with vacuum flush and retention tank, which have been fitted in several Northern 150s, 156s and their 155s...?

Persons with Reduced Mobility - Technical Specifications for Interoperability

Yes, that. The later design that doesn't have the bowl so close to the sink that tall people can't sit down.
 

DarloRich

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I believe the Red Lion is also cash only, by the way, or it was last time I went there which was a few months ago. It's a traditional drinkers' pub, I don't think it does food at all (other than crisps, nuts and the likes).

If you want food the pub in Bow Brickhill might do it (years since I went there) or the Caldecotte Lake "windmill" pub is a steakhouse type place, or there's a very large 'Spoons (the quite cleverly[1] named "Captain Ridley's Shooting Party") in Bletchley town centre.

[1] Some Fennyites, if you call them that, object to the use of a Bletchley rather than Fenny-based name as it's at the Fenny end of things. However they omit to recall that it was called the Bletchley Arms before.

the Red Lion is under new management and MAY have started to offer food. I trend to drink in the Chequers and go to the Red Lion to sit in the beer garden next to the canal and watch the world go by. The Spoons is a Spoons.
 

samuelmorris

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A bit off-topic but wasn't it established that the PRM toilets on some stock (I believe Northern 158s were cited) are too small for wheelchairs to fit inside and thus almost entirely pointless?
 

anamyd

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A bit off-topic but wasn't it established that the PRM toilets on some stock (I believe Northern 158s were cited) are too small for wheelchairs to fit inside and thus almost entirely pointless?
158s had accessible toilets from new, so the original "rooms" are used for the PRM toilets. They can of course fit wheelchairs but only ones up to a certain width. In the ATW/TfW 158s it's 580mm IIRC but not familiar with Northern 158s
 

krus_aragon

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Pacers, it must be remembered, were "the solution of the 1980's" and have had more than their day. Class 230s are the solution in a different century.
In a similar way, first generation BR DMUs could be said to be the solution of the 1950s, or railmotors that of the turn of the 20th century.
 

DarloRich

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A door issue on 230003 ( leading to a set swap) led to some delays first thing today but everything seems back to normal now. First train issue for a couple of days................

( we have had delays over the past few days but due to "signalling problems" not train problems)
 

Neen Sollars

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No posts on this thread for over a week. Does that mean the 230`s have been performing flawlessly on the Marston Vale line for seven days?
 

Peter C

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Apologies if this has already been discussed, but is there a chance that Class 230s will be used on other lines, e.g. the Cotswold Line or maybe some rural routes in Cornwall? I can see how they could be used to support trains in the busier times of the day.

-Peter
 

700007

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Apologies if this has already been discussed, but is there a chance that Class 230s will be used on other lines, e.g. the Cotswold Line or maybe some rural routes in Cornwall? I can see how they could be used to support trains in the busier times of the day.

-Peter
No orders as such right now. The Cotswold line has just taken a new order of 800s so I definitely don't see that happening especially as I imagine they want to retain their direct link to London Paddington.

The services in Cornwall have just gotten a number of 150s and 158s to help boost capacity. If I was a betting man I would probably see the 165s in the long run (post Chiltern franchise replacement) being moved out onto these lines.

My eye for the next order of 230s would be from South Western Railway for the Isle of Wight as these are realistically the only trains they can order for a good cheap price. As that line loses a lot of money they need to make sure any new trains pay for themselves very quickly.
 

Peter C

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No orders as such right now. The Cotswold line has just taken a new order of 800s so I definitely don't see that happening especially as I imagine they want to retain their direct link to London Paddington.

The services in Cornwall have just gotten a number of 150s and 158s to help boost capacity. If I was a betting man I would probably see the 165s in the long run (post Chiltern franchise replacement) being moved out onto these lines.

My eye for the next order of 230s would be from South Western Railway for the Isle of Wight as these are realistically the only trains they can order for a good cheap price. As that line loses a lot of money they need to make sure any new trains pay for themselves very quickly.
OK. Thanks.
I thought that Island Line could only run with tube trains, not sub-surface ones? Isn't that why they went for the 1938 tube stock?

-Peter
 
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