Esker-pades
Established Member
Thanks very much! Enjoy the pictures.
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Felix's Unstructured Trips
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Esker-pades
Established Member
Thank you very much. I didn't see him face-plant, so it'll have to stay in my imagination.
Kite159
Veteran Member
I agree with the level of service from Knottingley to Goole, reduced by BR due to a DMU shortage (like the limited served ones north of Morpeth on the Chathill). All four stations are near houses in sizeable villages and if there was even a trial 2 hourly service it might get some more use.
Although it will need an extra unit to run so file under the too difficult box
Although it will need an extra unit to run so file under the too difficult box
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #33: Finally going to Liverpool - Visited on the 8th of August 2019
Introduction
Yes, despite being in my 3rd decade of my existance (help), I have never been to Liverpool. In fact, I've explored very little of most of England. One only needs to look at my coverage map to see masses of track that I haven't covered. But, Liverpool was my target.
The Journey
With stuff in my bag, I shifted myself to Haymarket station to board the 06:56 down to Preston. A 10 minute change became a 5 minute one, but I still made my connection on to the Ormskirk train. It was a Pacer. Brum brum. The nickname "nodding donkeys" was very apt as the train bounced down the jointed track for 30 minutes. Ormskirk existed for 5 minutes as I changed from the diesel to the electric, and the 507 took me a couple of stops to Town Green. The bridge was crossed, I went one stop north to Aughton Park, I went all the way over back to the Liverpool platform, and got the next train down to Sandhills.
Sandhills was busier than I expected. I only had 10 minutes, thankfully, and spent it eating pasta as MerseyRail trains came and went, all of which had crew changes. Onwards to Kirkby, 20 minutes, onwards to Wigan Wallgate. A boy decided that the best thing to do with his bike was to get on the train at the opposite end to the dedicated bike storage. Intelligence.
I had a nice (not really) walk across to North Western to catch my next train. This one was to take me to Salford Central via Bolton. It managed to do this without dying. Good job. Salford Central to Salford Crescent happened, then I found a 156 to take me the full way to Southport. It didn't stop at many places, but it did take a long time. The crawl from Meols Cop to Southport was particularly tedious.
What noise did the train make? You'll find out after the break.
BREAK
<dramatic orchestral music>
Have you had an accident in the past three years? Of course you have. You live in the UK.
</dramatic orchestral music>
<jaunty ukulele music with whistling>
Why not buy a car? Or don't. I couldn't care less.
</jaunty ukulele music with whistling>
Previously on Trip#33
"...Liverpool was my target..."
"It was a Pacer. Brum brum."
"What noise did the train make?"
Back to the Journey
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH.
Worth the wait.
Back on MerseyRail, I settled down in the front compartment. 5 minutes later, about 10 staff got in the same space, and had loud discussions as far as Sandhills. Every few stations, one got off. Maybe it's a fun depot game. Moorfields was the next station, as it always is when going south from Sandhills, and I got off. I tripped across to the Wirral Line, and went, stop by stop (save for Lime Street), to James Street. I then got a train to Chester. This was very busy, and I spent most of my time being wedged between two blokes who insisted on displaying their crotch areas to the outside world. Possible they wanted to be kicked there.
"CHESTER CONFIRM YOUR STOPPING PATTERN" requested the signs at Hooton. Yes, I was. My experience of Chester was putting a crisp packet in the bin - 3 stars. Possibly the best TripAdvisor review for the city ever posted. Back through Bache ("ARE YOU STOPPING AT CAPENHURST?" - no) to Hooton, switch platforms, swelter in the heat as the urge to have a pee increased, then Ellesmere Port. Not the most inspiring place.
There was not enough time to wait the 3 hours for the service to Helsby, so it was back to Lime Street. My need to pee continued.
Interruption
"SIGNAL FAILURE AT LONDON EUSTON!" screamed my Facebook feed. My train from Wigan to Penrith hadn't left Euston, and my train from Penrith to Edinburgh had been cancelled. Whoop-de-do.
Back to the Journey
Now at Lime Street, I went up to the main station. It was half past 5, but the 16:47 to London Euston hadn't yet left. I was most amused as some people ran for it, hoping to save all of 15 minutes.
Back to my trains, and I had a requirement to catch the 17:59 to Wigan via Newton-le-Willows (my advance ticket started from Newton). In the mean time, I caught a fast service to Huyton. I tried to use the toilet on-board, but a large family made up of an unlimited quantity of small children was going in one at a time. Slowly. I bailed at Huyton, crossed back over, and got on another train to go 2 stops back to Broad Green.
A little more 319 mileage and a pee later, I got off at the most depressing station yet. Situated next to series of motorway flyovers and made of concrete and death, Broad Green is a perfect representation of what the Conservative Party member for North-East Somerset thinks train travel is like. (That's a Jacob Rees-Mogg joke - 'joke' used in its loosest possible form).
The train to Wigan via Newton-le-Willows turned up late. I settled down under the pantograph (but inside the carriage - don't worry), and spent the next 50 minutes enjoying the 319 noises. I've missed them since they left London, and I was glad to pick 3 more up.
Wigan North Western. I had 2 advance tickets: One from Newton-le-Willows to Penrith...
BREAK
TO BE CONTINUED...
...IMMEDIATELY
Back to the Journey
...and one from Penrith to Edinburgh. I was supposed to get the 19:01, but that had been cancelled. However, the 18:25 was running 50 minutes late. I spent the next hour or so enjoying the fact that I had an entire carriage to myself.
Penrith. My 20:49 to Edinburgh (originally shown as cancelled) was now 40 minutes late. I brought forward my visit to a chip shop by visiting a chip shop in Penrith, rather than waiting until I got back to Edinburgh. I last visited Penrith in 2007 on a family holiday to the Lake District, so I had a tiny bit of local knowledge. I walked down to a square, bought some fish and chips, and walked back up to the station. I spent the next hour sitting on the platform, eating food, and failing to get any good pictures of the passing freight and TransPennine Express services.
Only 37 minutes late, my train to Edinburgh arrived. There were no seat reservations, so I plonked myself down in one of the unoccupied groups that had a reasonable view of the outside world. Not that that mattered for more than 10 minutes. Sunset is a thing and I am yet to develop night vision. Maybe I'll evolve it at some point. (I know that's not how evolution works - don't write in.)
We clawed back 5 minutes between Penrith and Midcalder Junction, only to loose it all again by crawling through the suburbs of Edinburgh. Haymarket station, negotiate with the barrier attendents so I could keep my ticket for compensation, home, tea, bed.
My route coverage map now looks a lot less empty around Liverpool.
Introduction
Yes, despite being in my 3rd decade of my existance (help), I have never been to Liverpool. In fact, I've explored very little of most of England. One only needs to look at my coverage map to see masses of track that I haven't covered. But, Liverpool was my target.
The Journey
With stuff in my bag, I shifted myself to Haymarket station to board the 06:56 down to Preston. A 10 minute change became a 5 minute one, but I still made my connection on to the Ormskirk train. It was a Pacer. Brum brum. The nickname "nodding donkeys" was very apt as the train bounced down the jointed track for 30 minutes. Ormskirk existed for 5 minutes as I changed from the diesel to the electric, and the 507 took me a couple of stops to Town Green. The bridge was crossed, I went one stop north to Aughton Park, I went all the way over back to the Liverpool platform, and got the next train down to Sandhills.
Sandhills was busier than I expected. I only had 10 minutes, thankfully, and spent it eating pasta as MerseyRail trains came and went, all of which had crew changes. Onwards to Kirkby, 20 minutes, onwards to Wigan Wallgate. A boy decided that the best thing to do with his bike was to get on the train at the opposite end to the dedicated bike storage. Intelligence.
I had a nice (not really) walk across to North Western to catch my next train. This one was to take me to Salford Central via Bolton. It managed to do this without dying. Good job. Salford Central to Salford Crescent happened, then I found a 156 to take me the full way to Southport. It didn't stop at many places, but it did take a long time. The crawl from Meols Cop to Southport was particularly tedious.
What noise did the train make? You'll find out after the break.
BREAK
<dramatic orchestral music>
Have you had an accident in the past three years? Of course you have. You live in the UK.
</dramatic orchestral music>
<jaunty ukulele music with whistling>
Why not buy a car? Or don't. I couldn't care less.
</jaunty ukulele music with whistling>
Previously on Trip#33
"...Liverpool was my target..."
"It was a Pacer. Brum brum."
"What noise did the train make?"
Back to the Journey
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH.
Worth the wait.
Back on MerseyRail, I settled down in the front compartment. 5 minutes later, about 10 staff got in the same space, and had loud discussions as far as Sandhills. Every few stations, one got off. Maybe it's a fun depot game. Moorfields was the next station, as it always is when going south from Sandhills, and I got off. I tripped across to the Wirral Line, and went, stop by stop (save for Lime Street), to James Street. I then got a train to Chester. This was very busy, and I spent most of my time being wedged between two blokes who insisted on displaying their crotch areas to the outside world. Possible they wanted to be kicked there.
"CHESTER CONFIRM YOUR STOPPING PATTERN" requested the signs at Hooton. Yes, I was. My experience of Chester was putting a crisp packet in the bin - 3 stars. Possibly the best TripAdvisor review for the city ever posted. Back through Bache ("ARE YOU STOPPING AT CAPENHURST?" - no) to Hooton, switch platforms, swelter in the heat as the urge to have a pee increased, then Ellesmere Port. Not the most inspiring place.
There was not enough time to wait the 3 hours for the service to Helsby, so it was back to Lime Street. My need to pee continued.
Interruption
"SIGNAL FAILURE AT LONDON EUSTON!" screamed my Facebook feed. My train from Wigan to Penrith hadn't left Euston, and my train from Penrith to Edinburgh had been cancelled. Whoop-de-do.
Back to the Journey
Now at Lime Street, I went up to the main station. It was half past 5, but the 16:47 to London Euston hadn't yet left. I was most amused as some people ran for it, hoping to save all of 15 minutes.
Back to my trains, and I had a requirement to catch the 17:59 to Wigan via Newton-le-Willows (my advance ticket started from Newton). In the mean time, I caught a fast service to Huyton. I tried to use the toilet on-board, but a large family made up of an unlimited quantity of small children was going in one at a time. Slowly. I bailed at Huyton, crossed back over, and got on another train to go 2 stops back to Broad Green.
A little more 319 mileage and a pee later, I got off at the most depressing station yet. Situated next to series of motorway flyovers and made of concrete and death, Broad Green is a perfect representation of what the Conservative Party member for North-East Somerset thinks train travel is like. (That's a Jacob Rees-Mogg joke - 'joke' used in its loosest possible form).
The train to Wigan via Newton-le-Willows turned up late. I settled down under the pantograph (but inside the carriage - don't worry), and spent the next 50 minutes enjoying the 319 noises. I've missed them since they left London, and I was glad to pick 3 more up.
Wigan North Western. I had 2 advance tickets: One from Newton-le-Willows to Penrith...
BREAK
TO BE CONTINUED...
...IMMEDIATELY
Back to the Journey
...and one from Penrith to Edinburgh. I was supposed to get the 19:01, but that had been cancelled. However, the 18:25 was running 50 minutes late. I spent the next hour or so enjoying the fact that I had an entire carriage to myself.
Penrith. My 20:49 to Edinburgh (originally shown as cancelled) was now 40 minutes late. I brought forward my visit to a chip shop by visiting a chip shop in Penrith, rather than waiting until I got back to Edinburgh. I last visited Penrith in 2007 on a family holiday to the Lake District, so I had a tiny bit of local knowledge. I walked down to a square, bought some fish and chips, and walked back up to the station. I spent the next hour sitting on the platform, eating food, and failing to get any good pictures of the passing freight and TransPennine Express services.
Only 37 minutes late, my train to Edinburgh arrived. There were no seat reservations, so I plonked myself down in one of the unoccupied groups that had a reasonable view of the outside world. Not that that mattered for more than 10 minutes. Sunset is a thing and I am yet to develop night vision. Maybe I'll evolve it at some point. (I know that's not how evolution works - don't write in.)
We clawed back 5 minutes between Penrith and Midcalder Junction, only to loose it all again by crawling through the suburbs of Edinburgh. Haymarket station, negotiate with the barrier attendents so I could keep my ticket for compensation, home, tea, bed.
My route coverage map now looks a lot less empty around Liverpool.
Last edited:
Kite159
Veteran Member
Sounded like a good trip to the Liverpool area, other than the need for the loo & the delay at the end of the day.
Esker-pades
Established Member
It was a good day. The loo thing was fine really. The delay was only bad because of the really long wait at Penrith.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #34: Balmossie, Barry Links and Golf Street (The Angus Trio – Properly Visiting Them) - Visited on the 12th of August 2019
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.co...isiting-balmossie-barry-links-and-golf-street
Introduction
Yes, in December 2017 I visited both Barry Links and Golf Street in the dark, took some awful photos, and didn't actually get the train to or from Golf Street. Such was the quality of the blog nearly 2 years ago.
The Edinburgh to Aberdeen line has quite a collection of little stations, especially between Dundee and Carnoustie. Of the 5 stations between the 2, 3 have an annual patronage that regularly falls below 1000 per year, 2 often fall below 100. Until 2019 they were served by only 1 train per day each way, but this was doubled to two per day at the May timetable change. This makes it possible to visit all three of them. I chose the evening because I have no way to get up to Carnoustie for a 6am departure from Golf Street. The only problem is that the evening departures come 40 minutes apart, which is tight for a proper visit of a least used station (I tend to allow at least an hour per station as a rule). However, I'd already visited Barry Links properly, so I allowed myself to do it in the 40 minutes.
The Journey
I used 7 tickets for the journey, which required a lot of patience with the fairly awful touch-screen ticket machines that exist at Haymarket station (and indeed most other stations in the UK). But, I completed the transaction with plenty of time to spare, and decided to board a delayed service which took me as far as Dundee. It was a very crowded LNER service from London, so my timeliness (and their lack of it) didn't pay off that much. Instead of hanging around at Haymarket, I hung around at Dundee station, the one which had its station piano smashed by some absolute planks. I stayed on platform 4 for my train to Monifieth.
Monifieth is another station that lies along the Edinburgh to Aberdeen line which has a low patronage (below 10,000 per year). This doesn't qualify it for the list proper, and it is not of sufficient interest for it to be covered as part of the blog (frequent readers may remember stations such as Chathill, Angel Road and other stations which have an annual patronage well above the 1000 per year limit have been covered due to limited service or other reasons of interest – see individual blog posts for justifications). Balmossie station is about 1 mile south of Monifieth. The walk between the two is a very pleasant one: a tarmac cycle and walkers route runs along the side of the Tay estuary.
Balmossie Station
Of the three, Balmossie is the most inconvenient to navigate. The platforms are staggered: the down platform (towards Carnoustie and Arbroath) is directly east of the footbridge, but the up platform (towards Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh) is further east along the line. One has to walk up a mud track after crossing the footbridge to get to it. Although the platforms are pretty much wooden skeletons, they have all the basic facilities: benches, signs, bins and electronic departure boards. The up platform even has a wooden shelter (the luxury).
I had about an hour at the station, which I used trying to take pictures of the outside of the station without too many locals questioning my sanity, and taking pictures of the trains which passed occasionally.
My train onwards to Barry Links was showing as on-time, but was held at Dundee for a late-running express to Aberdeen. That meant it arrived 15 minutes late. Nobody got off, but I got on (slightly obviously).
Barry Links Station
7 minutes and 1 intermediate stop (Monifieth – remember that one?) later, I was deposited on the Barry Links platform along with 2 other people. The train departed, and the level crossing barriers remained down for another 5 minutes as other trains passed through. Some of the cyclists waiting at the barriers were getting quite irate by the end of it, something which I had no sympathy for as they could have used the bridge. They didn't and must have lost about 10 minutes.
Slight idiots aside, Barry Links station has 2 normal platforms, none of that skeletal stuff that Balmossie and (spoiler alert) Golf Street have. Its shelter is also an upgrade on Balmossie's: some metal and see-through plastic affair on both platforms. That must mean Barry Links has a higher patronage. But, it doesn't. Barry Links has been the least used station in Scotland for years (alternating with Breich) and has at times been the least used in the whole of the UK (it was for 2018). The signs, bins and electronic departure boards exist as expected. Except they don't. Someone has managed to get the departure boards the wrong way round, so my train onwards to Golf Street was advertised on the wrong platform. Top marks to Transport Scotland.
The 40 minute wait had been eaten down to 25 minutes with the delay, but increased to over 30 because the Edinburgh to Arbroath service that I was to catch to Golf Street was 6 minutes late. That meant I saw a few trains passing through.
Slightly too soon, my train to Golf Street arrived and I boarded (but only after taking a quick snap).
Golf Street Station
2 minutes down the line, the train arrived at Golf Street. Only the very front door was to open. Again, 2 people got out as well as me. They left, and I surveyed the station.
The station has very short platforms. They can just about fit 2 coaches on, so most trains have to use selective door opening (SDO). The platforms are skeletal (as alluded to earlier), with the same facilities. There is only one shelter: situated on the down platform. This seems very silly to me: more people are going to be waiting for trains at Golf Street to go to Dundee and further south/west rather than to go the 1 or 2 stops north to Carnoustie (1000 yards further along the line) or Arbroath.
I spent just over an hour taking pictures and doing some 'proper' trainspotting. During that time, the friendly Carnoustie locals had things to say about my existence. Well, 2 people (and I don't know if they were all locals). The first pair were in a car, and, once they saw me, said “it's not an actual station” as they drove off. I know this to be false for a number of reasons:
1. There is a structure
2. It is next to a railway line
3. Trains stop there
4. People can get on and off when the trains stop
I may not be an expert in many things (or anything really), especially definitions and spellings of words (just check all the typso that I've made in the previous posts), but I'm pretty confident that I can identify railway stations.
The second was a man. He came out of a house I assume that he had a right to be in to make sure that I didn't think that I was at Carnoustie station. I thanked him and said I was just taking pictures of trains. Apparently a lot of people are idiots, because they think that the 8 signs that all have “Golf Street / Sràid a' Ghoilf” printed on them, they actually have “Carnoustie / Càrn Ùstaidh” printed, when this is clearly not the case. (Exceptions made if the person is blind/partially sighted, perhaps obviously.)
After a short intermodal service had passed through, I decided it was time to walk to Carnoustie station (the actual one) to catch my train home. This happened.
Notes
All three stations are hardly rural or remote. Therefore, their patronage could increase significantly if they got a reasonable level of service. An argument could be made that some are too close to other, more established stations. However I would only make that argument for Golf Street really. Barry Links could have a more reasonable patronage (not that high, but not stupidly low) if it had a more regular service. Ditto with Balmossie. Perhaps my previous suggestion of introducing a shuttle between Golf Street and Barry Links (the stations being at either end of Carnoustie Golf Links) to transport the rich golfing lard-tubs about the links, could work. (It couldn't.)
Frequently Asked Questions
My typo on the word “typso” was deliberate. Don't write in.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.co...isiting-balmossie-barry-links-and-golf-street
Introduction
Yes, in December 2017 I visited both Barry Links and Golf Street in the dark, took some awful photos, and didn't actually get the train to or from Golf Street. Such was the quality of the blog nearly 2 years ago.
The Edinburgh to Aberdeen line has quite a collection of little stations, especially between Dundee and Carnoustie. Of the 5 stations between the 2, 3 have an annual patronage that regularly falls below 1000 per year, 2 often fall below 100. Until 2019 they were served by only 1 train per day each way, but this was doubled to two per day at the May timetable change. This makes it possible to visit all three of them. I chose the evening because I have no way to get up to Carnoustie for a 6am departure from Golf Street. The only problem is that the evening departures come 40 minutes apart, which is tight for a proper visit of a least used station (I tend to allow at least an hour per station as a rule). However, I'd already visited Barry Links properly, so I allowed myself to do it in the 40 minutes.
The Journey
I used 7 tickets for the journey, which required a lot of patience with the fairly awful touch-screen ticket machines that exist at Haymarket station (and indeed most other stations in the UK). But, I completed the transaction with plenty of time to spare, and decided to board a delayed service which took me as far as Dundee. It was a very crowded LNER service from London, so my timeliness (and their lack of it) didn't pay off that much. Instead of hanging around at Haymarket, I hung around at Dundee station, the one which had its station piano smashed by some absolute planks. I stayed on platform 4 for my train to Monifieth.
Monifieth is another station that lies along the Edinburgh to Aberdeen line which has a low patronage (below 10,000 per year). This doesn't qualify it for the list proper, and it is not of sufficient interest for it to be covered as part of the blog (frequent readers may remember stations such as Chathill, Angel Road and other stations which have an annual patronage well above the 1000 per year limit have been covered due to limited service or other reasons of interest – see individual blog posts for justifications). Balmossie station is about 1 mile south of Monifieth. The walk between the two is a very pleasant one: a tarmac cycle and walkers route runs along the side of the Tay estuary.
Balmossie Station
Of the three, Balmossie is the most inconvenient to navigate. The platforms are staggered: the down platform (towards Carnoustie and Arbroath) is directly east of the footbridge, but the up platform (towards Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh) is further east along the line. One has to walk up a mud track after crossing the footbridge to get to it. Although the platforms are pretty much wooden skeletons, they have all the basic facilities: benches, signs, bins and electronic departure boards. The up platform even has a wooden shelter (the luxury).
I had about an hour at the station, which I used trying to take pictures of the outside of the station without too many locals questioning my sanity, and taking pictures of the trains which passed occasionally.
My train onwards to Barry Links was showing as on-time, but was held at Dundee for a late-running express to Aberdeen. That meant it arrived 15 minutes late. Nobody got off, but I got on (slightly obviously).
Barry Links Station
7 minutes and 1 intermediate stop (Monifieth – remember that one?) later, I was deposited on the Barry Links platform along with 2 other people. The train departed, and the level crossing barriers remained down for another 5 minutes as other trains passed through. Some of the cyclists waiting at the barriers were getting quite irate by the end of it, something which I had no sympathy for as they could have used the bridge. They didn't and must have lost about 10 minutes.
Slight idiots aside, Barry Links station has 2 normal platforms, none of that skeletal stuff that Balmossie and (spoiler alert) Golf Street have. Its shelter is also an upgrade on Balmossie's: some metal and see-through plastic affair on both platforms. That must mean Barry Links has a higher patronage. But, it doesn't. Barry Links has been the least used station in Scotland for years (alternating with Breich) and has at times been the least used in the whole of the UK (it was for 2018). The signs, bins and electronic departure boards exist as expected. Except they don't. Someone has managed to get the departure boards the wrong way round, so my train onwards to Golf Street was advertised on the wrong platform. Top marks to Transport Scotland.
The 40 minute wait had been eaten down to 25 minutes with the delay, but increased to over 30 because the Edinburgh to Arbroath service that I was to catch to Golf Street was 6 minutes late. That meant I saw a few trains passing through.
Golf Street Station
2 minutes down the line, the train arrived at Golf Street. Only the very front door was to open. Again, 2 people got out as well as me. They left, and I surveyed the station.
The station has very short platforms. They can just about fit 2 coaches on, so most trains have to use selective door opening (SDO). The platforms are skeletal (as alluded to earlier), with the same facilities. There is only one shelter: situated on the down platform. This seems very silly to me: more people are going to be waiting for trains at Golf Street to go to Dundee and further south/west rather than to go the 1 or 2 stops north to Carnoustie (1000 yards further along the line) or Arbroath.
I spent just over an hour taking pictures and doing some 'proper' trainspotting. During that time, the friendly Carnoustie locals had things to say about my existence. Well, 2 people (and I don't know if they were all locals). The first pair were in a car, and, once they saw me, said “it's not an actual station” as they drove off. I know this to be false for a number of reasons:
1. There is a structure
2. It is next to a railway line
3. Trains stop there
4. People can get on and off when the trains stop
I may not be an expert in many things (or anything really), especially definitions and spellings of words (just check all the typso that I've made in the previous posts), but I'm pretty confident that I can identify railway stations.
The second was a man. He came out of a house I assume that he had a right to be in to make sure that I didn't think that I was at Carnoustie station. I thanked him and said I was just taking pictures of trains. Apparently a lot of people are idiots, because they think that the 8 signs that all have “Golf Street / Sràid a' Ghoilf” printed on them, they actually have “Carnoustie / Càrn Ùstaidh” printed, when this is clearly not the case. (Exceptions made if the person is blind/partially sighted, perhaps obviously.)
After a short intermodal service had passed through, I decided it was time to walk to Carnoustie station (the actual one) to catch my train home. This happened.
Notes
All three stations are hardly rural or remote. Therefore, their patronage could increase significantly if they got a reasonable level of service. An argument could be made that some are too close to other, more established stations. However I would only make that argument for Golf Street really. Barry Links could have a more reasonable patronage (not that high, but not stupidly low) if it had a more regular service. Ditto with Balmossie. Perhaps my previous suggestion of introducing a shuttle between Golf Street and Barry Links (the stations being at either end of Carnoustie Golf Links) to transport the rich golfing lard-tubs about the links, could work. (It couldn't.)
Frequently Asked Questions
My typo on the word “typso” was deliberate. Don't write in.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #35 - Glasgow Challenge (17th of August 2019)
Yes, by popular demand (2 people), I have decided to write up the day of the Forum's Glasgow Challenge. The aim of the day was to visit as many stations in the Strathclyde Daytripper area in the agreed time (11 - 17:30). With my multiple attempts at making a suitable plan failing, former local and current human being @Mag_seven provided a suitable one for the team. @ForTheLoveOf was the 2nd member, I was the 3rd.
The day didn't start well, as I had difficulties actually getting to Glasgow from Edinburgh because of a signalling problem around Haymarket. I was 30 minutes late, and made the start of the challenge by 5 minutes. Having scratched off the dates of Strathclyde Daytripper, the groups dispersed, and my team went down to Central Low Level for the first challenge train.
As timekeeper and trip writer, I made a right hash of the timings of the first few stations we visited. Pro tip #1: Always look at a clock as the timekeeper.
13 stations later, we were at Whifflet. We had a short wait there before our next train pulled up. We took it the whole way to Dalmuir (15 stations), discussing fares, mileage and other random things. A few minutes of delay gave us a rather short change at Dalmuir to our next service. This took us back to Hyndland via the other route. Our next move was going to be one stop back to Anniesland, and then the Maryhill Line over to Queen Street. However, our train from Hyndland to Anniesland was 7 minutes down, and we had a 5 minute change at Anniesland. Re-planning kicked in, and we spent the way back to Hyndland working out what the best move was to be.
The Argyle Line has some recovery time built into the services, so our train was 4 minutes late by the time we arrived at Hyndland. A 1 minute change at Anniesland is tight, but we decided to risk it. Scampering over the footbridge, the doors to our Maryhill Line train closed, but the guard saw us and left his local door open for us to board. We were very grateful.
7 stations, and Queen Street. With our next service also delayed to the extent that it severed a connection, we decided to risk another swift change to the Low Level platforms (I shouted something and we walked very briskly) to a limited stop service to Airdrie in the hope that we would be able to make up some stations on the way back. This turned out to work very well. A very leisurely walk over the footbridge to the stopping service back to Queen Street meant we were 10 minutes ahead of our plan when back at Glasgow with another 10 stations in the bag.
Glasgow Central, and our 10 minute bonus played well as we picked up a semi-fast Gourock service all the way to Gourock (rather than the originally planned Greenock West). As we returned on a stopping service, we were 2 stations above the original plan. Hunger had set in, and the return to Glasgow was spent debating whether or not I should eat some pizza. I did. Yum. A lack of water on the train meant I offered a mobile hand-cleaning service, one which was politely declined. To be fair, I don't think a water bottle and a can of shaving cream counts as washing hands.
Back at Glasgow Central, 15 more stations in the bag, and 20 minutes before our final move. Food was obtained, toilets were desposited into, and we settled onto the 380 for a trip around the Cathcart Circle. I still hadn't managed to abduct any children (context: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/do-i-have-to-abduct-children-to-make-my-ticket-valid.189245/), and thus had failed to please the random guard who I probably won't ever see again.
32 minutes and 10 stations later, we were back at Central and met up with the other teams.
75 stations was the winning score, and our prize was free food. Yum.
Yes, by popular demand (2 people), I have decided to write up the day of the Forum's Glasgow Challenge. The aim of the day was to visit as many stations in the Strathclyde Daytripper area in the agreed time (11 - 17:30). With my multiple attempts at making a suitable plan failing, former local and current human being @Mag_seven provided a suitable one for the team. @ForTheLoveOf was the 2nd member, I was the 3rd.
The day didn't start well, as I had difficulties actually getting to Glasgow from Edinburgh because of a signalling problem around Haymarket. I was 30 minutes late, and made the start of the challenge by 5 minutes. Having scratched off the dates of Strathclyde Daytripper, the groups dispersed, and my team went down to Central Low Level for the first challenge train.
As timekeeper and trip writer, I made a right hash of the timings of the first few stations we visited. Pro tip #1: Always look at a clock as the timekeeper.
13 stations later, we were at Whifflet. We had a short wait there before our next train pulled up. We took it the whole way to Dalmuir (15 stations), discussing fares, mileage and other random things. A few minutes of delay gave us a rather short change at Dalmuir to our next service. This took us back to Hyndland via the other route. Our next move was going to be one stop back to Anniesland, and then the Maryhill Line over to Queen Street. However, our train from Hyndland to Anniesland was 7 minutes down, and we had a 5 minute change at Anniesland. Re-planning kicked in, and we spent the way back to Hyndland working out what the best move was to be.
The Argyle Line has some recovery time built into the services, so our train was 4 minutes late by the time we arrived at Hyndland. A 1 minute change at Anniesland is tight, but we decided to risk it. Scampering over the footbridge, the doors to our Maryhill Line train closed, but the guard saw us and left his local door open for us to board. We were very grateful.
7 stations, and Queen Street. With our next service also delayed to the extent that it severed a connection, we decided to risk another swift change to the Low Level platforms (I shouted something and we walked very briskly) to a limited stop service to Airdrie in the hope that we would be able to make up some stations on the way back. This turned out to work very well. A very leisurely walk over the footbridge to the stopping service back to Queen Street meant we were 10 minutes ahead of our plan when back at Glasgow with another 10 stations in the bag.
Glasgow Central, and our 10 minute bonus played well as we picked up a semi-fast Gourock service all the way to Gourock (rather than the originally planned Greenock West). As we returned on a stopping service, we were 2 stations above the original plan. Hunger had set in, and the return to Glasgow was spent debating whether or not I should eat some pizza. I did. Yum. A lack of water on the train meant I offered a mobile hand-cleaning service, one which was politely declined. To be fair, I don't think a water bottle and a can of shaving cream counts as washing hands.
Back at Glasgow Central, 15 more stations in the bag, and 20 minutes before our final move. Food was obtained, toilets were desposited into, and we settled onto the 380 for a trip around the Cathcart Circle. I still hadn't managed to abduct any children (context: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/do-i-have-to-abduct-children-to-make-my-ticket-valid.189245/), and thus had failed to please the random guard who I probably won't ever see again.
32 minutes and 10 stations later, we were back at Central and met up with the other teams.
75 stations was the winning score, and our prize was free food. Yum.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Sounded like a good challenge in Glasgow 
And also a good trip to Tayside
And also a good trip to Tayside
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Kite159
Veteran Member
Sounded like a good challenge in Glasgow
Struner
Member
Thank you Felix
Esker-pades
Established Member
Thanks very much. I enjoyed both the trips.Sounded like a good challenge in Glasgow
And also a good trip to Tayside
No problem!
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #36: Gilfach Fargoed (Least Used in The Valleys) - Visited on the 30th of August 2019
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/gilfach-fargoed-least-used-in-the-valleys
I'm afraid that I can't attatch any images from my trip this time. The forum has deemed them too large to upload, so you'll have to visit the link above to see the pictures.
Introduction
The Cardiff Valley Lines are a number of railway lines which run from Cardiff up the Welsh Valleys around the city. Given the commuter status of the lines, and the continued need for additional capacity due to the large demand for the railway, it is surprising that a least used station would be found. Gilfach Fargoed sits just south of Bargoed on the Rhymney Line. It was used by just over 5000 people in the past year, a figure which is very high for the station (usually it manages around 3,500 people per year). So, although not in the least used stations list proper, it does have a patronage significantly lower than other stations in the area. Thus, I decided it warranted a visit.
The Journey
From Edinburgh, the journey is not a complicated one, but it is long. I already had cause to visit Cardiff, so I decided to go earlier than I needed to in order to visit Gilfach Fargoed.
The now normal alarm for a 06:52 train woke me up. I had quite a full rucksack to lug down to the station, but a much longer train journey where I didn't have to carry it. My first train was to Crewe. I do like travelling on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), but I generally don't like doing it too far south. There are some fantastic bits of scenery along the whole route, but the Lake District and Borders section from Edinburgh/Motherwell to Lancaster is the best. South of Lancaster, the fabulousness of the scenery is punctuated by some utter abominations of towns and cities.
Crewe, or to give it its full name, Change at Crewe, arrived. I changed, and boarded the next train to Cardiff, running via Shrewsbury and Hereford. Providing a 2 car train for a Manchester to Carmarthen service is a seriously bad idea. The combination of long-distance and local passenger flows lead to a crowded service. All the seats were taken and quite a few people had to stand. Not fun.
But, 3 and a half hours later, I was in Cardiff. It was late lunch and I had 30 minutes before my train to Gilfach departed. Gilfach has a regular hourly service. That may sound good for a least used station, but there are 4 trains per hour which run on the line in question.
A Pacer turned up to take me to Gilfach. The train wasn't very crowded, but then the real crowds join the train at rush hour. That's why Transport for Wales have felt the need to introduce class 37 loco-hauled sets of mark 2 coaches (for non-rail enthusiasts: 60s locomotives and slam-door coaches) to deal with the rush hour passengers. Anyway, the journey up the valley was a rather good one. I hadn't expected the Welsh Valleys to be so lovely (I apologise to the people of the Valleys for underestimating their local area). It was also quite a long slog up, given the frequent stopping and the 13 mile distance.
The train departed Pengam (the stop before Gilfach) and the conductor came down asking if anyone wanted to get off at Gilfach Fargoed. I was the only one. She asked me to come to the front set of doors because of the short platform. Not even a whole coach could fit on the platform. As I got off, I thanked her, watched the train depart, and then looked at the tiny station.
Gilfach Fargoed
The platforms are 16 metres long. This is not long enough for the coaches of most trains (these tend to be 20 – 23 metres long). The facilities are fairly basic, as one can imagine. Both platforms has electronic departure boards with the comically awful automatic announcements that I am used to from Welsh stations. Yes, Ebbw Vale Parkway is pronounced “eee bee vee”, and one doesn't actually have to pronounce “Ystrad Mynach” at all. Just go up to a Welsh person, say nothing, and they'll immediately understand that you mean “Ystrad Mynach”. There are also the normal station signs, ramps up to the road bridge, and a shelter on each platform. These shelters look as if they have been set on fire numerous times.
Just over 30 minutes later, a train back to Cardiff arrived. I decided that I had seen everything I needed to, so I got on it.
Notes
Gilfach Fargoed is arguably one of the cutest little stations I have visited. If it was well-maintained with little wooden shelters and a couple of baskets of flowers, I'd properly love it. But it isn't, so I don't.
I'm not sure if there is a way to boost patronage for the station. Bargoed has quite a healthy patronage, so stopping 2 trains per hour may encourage people who live further south to use Gilfach rather than Bargoed. The length of the platforms poses some problems too. The loco-hauled commuter trains that I mentioned earlier can't stop at Gilfach Fargoed because of the short platforms. In fact, Gilfach Fargoed has a gap of 90 minutes between trains from Cardiff from 16:43 to 18:18 (16:01 to 17:31 from Cardiff). That does leave a gap at the start of the PM peak where the station gets no service. Although there are departures at 07:04 and 07:18 to Cardiff in the AM peak, there isn't a departure from 07:18 to 08:18, which leaves a gap of arrivals into Cardiff between 8am and 9am. A train from Gilfach arriving into Cardiff at about 08:30 would be very useful.
Other than the length of the platforms, quality of facilities and level of service, Gilfach Fargoed is a perfect station.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/gilfach-fargoed-least-used-in-the-valleys
I'm afraid that I can't attatch any images from my trip this time. The forum has deemed them too large to upload, so you'll have to visit the link above to see the pictures.
Introduction
The Cardiff Valley Lines are a number of railway lines which run from Cardiff up the Welsh Valleys around the city. Given the commuter status of the lines, and the continued need for additional capacity due to the large demand for the railway, it is surprising that a least used station would be found. Gilfach Fargoed sits just south of Bargoed on the Rhymney Line. It was used by just over 5000 people in the past year, a figure which is very high for the station (usually it manages around 3,500 people per year). So, although not in the least used stations list proper, it does have a patronage significantly lower than other stations in the area. Thus, I decided it warranted a visit.
The Journey
From Edinburgh, the journey is not a complicated one, but it is long. I already had cause to visit Cardiff, so I decided to go earlier than I needed to in order to visit Gilfach Fargoed.
The now normal alarm for a 06:52 train woke me up. I had quite a full rucksack to lug down to the station, but a much longer train journey where I didn't have to carry it. My first train was to Crewe. I do like travelling on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), but I generally don't like doing it too far south. There are some fantastic bits of scenery along the whole route, but the Lake District and Borders section from Edinburgh/Motherwell to Lancaster is the best. South of Lancaster, the fabulousness of the scenery is punctuated by some utter abominations of towns and cities.
Crewe, or to give it its full name, Change at Crewe, arrived. I changed, and boarded the next train to Cardiff, running via Shrewsbury and Hereford. Providing a 2 car train for a Manchester to Carmarthen service is a seriously bad idea. The combination of long-distance and local passenger flows lead to a crowded service. All the seats were taken and quite a few people had to stand. Not fun.
But, 3 and a half hours later, I was in Cardiff. It was late lunch and I had 30 minutes before my train to Gilfach departed. Gilfach has a regular hourly service. That may sound good for a least used station, but there are 4 trains per hour which run on the line in question.
A Pacer turned up to take me to Gilfach. The train wasn't very crowded, but then the real crowds join the train at rush hour. That's why Transport for Wales have felt the need to introduce class 37 loco-hauled sets of mark 2 coaches (for non-rail enthusiasts: 60s locomotives and slam-door coaches) to deal with the rush hour passengers. Anyway, the journey up the valley was a rather good one. I hadn't expected the Welsh Valleys to be so lovely (I apologise to the people of the Valleys for underestimating their local area). It was also quite a long slog up, given the frequent stopping and the 13 mile distance.
The train departed Pengam (the stop before Gilfach) and the conductor came down asking if anyone wanted to get off at Gilfach Fargoed. I was the only one. She asked me to come to the front set of doors because of the short platform. Not even a whole coach could fit on the platform. As I got off, I thanked her, watched the train depart, and then looked at the tiny station.
Gilfach Fargoed
The platforms are 16 metres long. This is not long enough for the coaches of most trains (these tend to be 20 – 23 metres long). The facilities are fairly basic, as one can imagine. Both platforms has electronic departure boards with the comically awful automatic announcements that I am used to from Welsh stations. Yes, Ebbw Vale Parkway is pronounced “eee bee vee”, and one doesn't actually have to pronounce “Ystrad Mynach” at all. Just go up to a Welsh person, say nothing, and they'll immediately understand that you mean “Ystrad Mynach”. There are also the normal station signs, ramps up to the road bridge, and a shelter on each platform. These shelters look as if they have been set on fire numerous times.
Just over 30 minutes later, a train back to Cardiff arrived. I decided that I had seen everything I needed to, so I got on it.
Notes
Gilfach Fargoed is arguably one of the cutest little stations I have visited. If it was well-maintained with little wooden shelters and a couple of baskets of flowers, I'd properly love it. But it isn't, so I don't.
I'm not sure if there is a way to boost patronage for the station. Bargoed has quite a healthy patronage, so stopping 2 trains per hour may encourage people who live further south to use Gilfach rather than Bargoed. The length of the platforms poses some problems too. The loco-hauled commuter trains that I mentioned earlier can't stop at Gilfach Fargoed because of the short platforms. In fact, Gilfach Fargoed has a gap of 90 minutes between trains from Cardiff from 16:43 to 18:18 (16:01 to 17:31 from Cardiff). That does leave a gap at the start of the PM peak where the station gets no service. Although there are departures at 07:04 and 07:18 to Cardiff in the AM peak, there isn't a departure from 07:18 to 08:18, which leaves a gap of arrivals into Cardiff between 8am and 9am. A train from Gilfach arriving into Cardiff at about 08:30 would be very useful.
Other than the length of the platforms, quality of facilities and level of service, Gilfach Fargoed is a perfect station.
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sftfan1909
Member
This is unlikely to happen as TFW plan to close the station
Esker-pades
Established Member
All the possible improvements I suggested in the "Notes" section are unlikely to happen. Would be good if it happened though.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Close outright, or reduce the levels of service to a token daily/weekly train to avoid the paperwork issues of attempting to close a station?
sftfan1909
Member
Outright come the Dec 2023 timetable change I believe
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #37: Acklington (Least Used in Northumberland) - Visited on the 3rd of September 2019
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/least-used-in-northumberland-acklington
Once again, I am limited in the number of pictures I can add because most of them are too large for the forum. Please see the original post on my blog for those pictures.
Introduction
Acklington is one of 3 stations on the Northumberland stretch of the East Coast Main Line (ECML) that only have 3 trains per day. About 2 years ago, I visited Chathill (the terminus of the services), but Acklington is the least used station, both in Northumberland and on the entire ECML. It was one of the few minor stations on the ECML to survive both pre-Beeching and Beeching cuts. However, its service was cut substantially, due to electrification and associated faster InterCity services, and rolling stock shortages.
The Journey
Although two return trains run (one in the morning, one in the evening), the northbound morning service does not stop at Acklington. Thus, the only way I could visit it by train was using the northbound evening service, and then picking up the southbound evening service on the way back. This suited me well; although I am prepared to wake up very early for the railways, I generally like a lie in. I didn't lie in all the way to my 4pm train because I'm not a hibernating brown bear. I'm also not an awake brown bear, or a brown bear of any sort. Just in case you were confused.
With tickets that were not valid via Newcastle, I had to get off at Morpeth. With apologies to all for bringing up politics, this was the notice that greeted me on the ticket machine at the station.
Sharpie written political commentary aside (those last two words used in their loosest possible sense), I had a train to catch. I switched platforms and sat for an hour on a bench, occasionally managing to get semi-competent pictures of the passing trains. I continue to be amused at the fairly awful pronunciation of places by computers. This time, it was Alnmouth's turn to be called “Olma” for no reason. I have heard many variations (Alan-mouth, Alnn-mouth, An-muff etc.) but never “Olma”. (For those interested, I think the way to pronounce “Alnmouth” is “Alnn-muth” - no “Alan” and not emphasising the “mouth”.)
Linguistics (if this even counts) aside, my train arrived late and managed to regurgitate the entire population of Newcastle from its 2 coaches. I got on, had my ticket checked by the conductor, and observed passengers getting off at the other 2 stations that see such a limited service (Pegswood and Widdrington). A handful of passengers got off at each. I was surprised that 2 other people got off with me at Acklington. They left the station quickly, and I stayed to have a look round.
Acklington
As would be expected, the facilities are fairly basic. There are all the normal signs and lights and a bin. The stationhouse on the northbound platform is now somebody's home, and there is a shelter on the southbound platform which is the same as the one that was at Chathill: small, wooden, and rather sweet.
The top third of the northbound platform is pointless because the yellow line is so far back that it makes actually walking on it nigh on impossible.
It's also fun to play a game of “spot the way out” on the southbound side. I don't think the signs give too much away.
The way from one platform to another is via the road bridge. This is actually a fair distance because the entrance to the northbound side is at the other end of the platform. There's about 200m of walking to get from one platform to the other, 150m of it on road. The village is located half a kilometre to the east. I didn't visit it.
With the pictures and exploration finished, I spent the remaining 20 minutes in the shelter, popping my head out when trains passed. Like the top third of the northbound platform, the yellow line comes so close to the shelter that walking along the platform behind it becomes difficult. Like a tightrope, but with unenforced gravity.
Back Home
My train back to Morpeth arrived. It was the same one as before. The conductor checked my ticket, but queried my route (I don't think they were aware where Haymarket was). Once I explained, they ticked the ticket off with their pen and went back to their other duties. Nobody else got on or off at Widdrington or Pegswood on the way back.
Morpeth arrived and I changed. I didn't have too much of a wait before my train back north to Edinburgh. When I got on, quite a few got off, and I had an entire carriage to myself. Or, I thought I did. A rather imposing walking cane accompanied me. I reported it to the train manager when she came around, and she took it to her office.
The rest of the journey did not involve any other walking sticks.
Notes
Acklington station was never going to be used well, but its patronage will still be throttled somewhat by the infrequent service and the odd destination in the north. Few people will want to go to Chathill, and even though one can change at Alnmouth, the connections to Berwick aren't great from there. One of the major gripes of railway users in Northumberland is that, although there are quite a few trains from Newcastle to Edinburgh, most of them only stop at one or two stations between the two cities. Thus, there is a very infrequent service between the various stations in Northumberland. There is no train from Alnmouth to Berwick-upon-Tweed from 10am to 4pm; no train from Morpeth to Alnmouth for over 6 hours (06:38 to 12:57); and no train from Morpeth to Berwick for nearly 7 hours (11:51 to 18:49). If Northern could use electric rolling stock capable of 100mph, then there could well be space in the timetable for an hourly or bi-hourly local service from Newcastle to Berwick-upon-Tweed calling at all the stations en-route. Some enhancements are planned, but they are still only in the planning stage and could well be pulled/deferred.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/least-used-in-northumberland-acklington
Once again, I am limited in the number of pictures I can add because most of them are too large for the forum. Please see the original post on my blog for those pictures.
Introduction
Acklington is one of 3 stations on the Northumberland stretch of the East Coast Main Line (ECML) that only have 3 trains per day. About 2 years ago, I visited Chathill (the terminus of the services), but Acklington is the least used station, both in Northumberland and on the entire ECML. It was one of the few minor stations on the ECML to survive both pre-Beeching and Beeching cuts. However, its service was cut substantially, due to electrification and associated faster InterCity services, and rolling stock shortages.
The Journey
Although two return trains run (one in the morning, one in the evening), the northbound morning service does not stop at Acklington. Thus, the only way I could visit it by train was using the northbound evening service, and then picking up the southbound evening service on the way back. This suited me well; although I am prepared to wake up very early for the railways, I generally like a lie in. I didn't lie in all the way to my 4pm train because I'm not a hibernating brown bear. I'm also not an awake brown bear, or a brown bear of any sort. Just in case you were confused.
With tickets that were not valid via Newcastle, I had to get off at Morpeth. With apologies to all for bringing up politics, this was the notice that greeted me on the ticket machine at the station.
Linguistics (if this even counts) aside, my train arrived late and managed to regurgitate the entire population of Newcastle from its 2 coaches. I got on, had my ticket checked by the conductor, and observed passengers getting off at the other 2 stations that see such a limited service (Pegswood and Widdrington). A handful of passengers got off at each. I was surprised that 2 other people got off with me at Acklington. They left the station quickly, and I stayed to have a look round.
Acklington
As would be expected, the facilities are fairly basic. There are all the normal signs and lights and a bin. The stationhouse on the northbound platform is now somebody's home, and there is a shelter on the southbound platform which is the same as the one that was at Chathill: small, wooden, and rather sweet.
It's also fun to play a game of “spot the way out” on the southbound side. I don't think the signs give too much away.
The way from one platform to another is via the road bridge. This is actually a fair distance because the entrance to the northbound side is at the other end of the platform. There's about 200m of walking to get from one platform to the other, 150m of it on road. The village is located half a kilometre to the east. I didn't visit it.
With the pictures and exploration finished, I spent the remaining 20 minutes in the shelter, popping my head out when trains passed. Like the top third of the northbound platform, the yellow line comes so close to the shelter that walking along the platform behind it becomes difficult. Like a tightrope, but with unenforced gravity.
Back Home
My train back to Morpeth arrived. It was the same one as before. The conductor checked my ticket, but queried my route (I don't think they were aware where Haymarket was). Once I explained, they ticked the ticket off with their pen and went back to their other duties. Nobody else got on or off at Widdrington or Pegswood on the way back.
Morpeth arrived and I changed. I didn't have too much of a wait before my train back north to Edinburgh. When I got on, quite a few got off, and I had an entire carriage to myself. Or, I thought I did. A rather imposing walking cane accompanied me. I reported it to the train manager when she came around, and she took it to her office.
The rest of the journey did not involve any other walking sticks.
Notes
Acklington station was never going to be used well, but its patronage will still be throttled somewhat by the infrequent service and the odd destination in the north. Few people will want to go to Chathill, and even though one can change at Alnmouth, the connections to Berwick aren't great from there. One of the major gripes of railway users in Northumberland is that, although there are quite a few trains from Newcastle to Edinburgh, most of them only stop at one or two stations between the two cities. Thus, there is a very infrequent service between the various stations in Northumberland. There is no train from Alnmouth to Berwick-upon-Tweed from 10am to 4pm; no train from Morpeth to Alnmouth for over 6 hours (06:38 to 12:57); and no train from Morpeth to Berwick for nearly 7 hours (11:51 to 18:49). If Northern could use electric rolling stock capable of 100mph, then there could well be space in the timetable for an hourly or bi-hourly local service from Newcastle to Berwick-upon-Tweed calling at all the stations en-route. Some enhancements are planned, but they are still only in the planning stage and could well be pulled/deferred.
Kite159
Veteran Member
*brings back memories of around this time last year when I was aiming to do Acklington, alight from the train at Pegswood for a bus to Morpeth (and XC to Edinburgh) only for said train from Chathill to be delayed meaning I had to ditch the bus move*
I would say it has the potential of demand, but like you mentioned the village is a fair walk away so hasn't got the catchment.
In a silly world, the services north of Newcastle would pass to TPE to operate using the 802s, getting looped if necessary. Hourly to the main stations, 2-hourly for Pegswood/Widdrington with maybe 4 hourly for Acklington. But I better put my crayons away
I would say it has the potential of demand, but like you mentioned the village is a fair walk away so hasn't got the catchment.
In a silly world, the services north of Newcastle would pass to TPE to operate using the 802s, getting looped if necessary. Hourly to the main stations, 2-hourly for Pegswood/Widdrington with maybe 4 hourly for Acklington. But I better put my crayons away
Esker-pades
Established Member
Honestly, I don't think I would want to start faffing around like that. I try to avoid buses where possible.
In my mind, it would be better for Northern to use some EMUs to run Newcastle to Berwick stopping services, perhaps running bi-hourly (alternating with the freight path?). My knowledge of that part of the ECML is really not detailed enough to work out possible runnings.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #38: Springfield (Least Used in Fife) - Visited on the 11th of October 2019
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/springfield-least-used-in-fife
Introduction
Springfield is another minor station located on an otherwise busy main line. This time, the line in question is the Edinburgh to Aberdeen line. It serves the village of Springfield, and not much else. Along with the small population, it also gets a very limited service. Only 5 trains per day stop (2 up, 3 down) for 6 days of the week. There is no Sunday service.
The Journey
Along with the limited service, there is also no convenient gap between services. Both the evening services call at 6pm (northbound at 17:59, southbound at 18:00). The next one is the 23:21 service to Dundee. Luckily, there are 3 bus routes, which work to give 2 buses per hour to Ladybank (south) or Cupar and St Andrews (north). I decided to get the train out from Edinburgh to Springfield, then take a bus to Ladybank and take a train back to Edinburgh from there.
I don't often travel during rush hours because the trains are crowded and tickets (often) more expensive. However, with the university and railway timetables the way they are, I had to get a train just after 5pm to get to Springfield from Edinburgh. It was quite crowded, although not as rammed as I'm used to down in London. It thinned out quite a lot, and after Kirkcaldy I was able to spread slightly.
Springfield Station
The train was on time, and I was the only person who got off at the station. There were quite a few people on the opposite platform waiting for the train back into Edinburgh. This was slightly late. I watched it depart before I surveyed the station.
The first thing that hit me was the absolute stench of manure. It was very overpowering, to the point where I had to bring up my polo neck and use it as a mask to protect my nose. The station itself is quite an odd one. It has the normal 2 platforms, linked with a footbridge. There are signs, departure boards, a smartcard reader, benches, a bin, and a shelter on one platform. The other platform has shelter provided by a canopy from the old station house. This is now a private house, the owner of which closed their curtains when I was walking around taking pictures of the station. I hope they knew why I was taking pictures, and didn't think I was some creepy old thing in a long coat.
The weirdness comes from the platform. For whatever reason, the up platform has a section that is much lower than the rest of it (the section that runs alongside the house). Therefore, trains can't stop at that bit; instead they have to run all the way to the other end. I'm not quite sure why the station was designed like that, but there we go. The platforms are therefore slightly staggered. Although they are roughly the same length, the ends do not map onto each other in the way that one expects.
Signs continue to be a problem. This time, they suggest that one can get direct trains to Aberdeen and the North. Trains only continue as far as Arbroath. There are no trains beyond there to Aberdeen.
Back Home
It was getting very cold, and I had forgotten my gloves. Darkness was also drawing in. This is all normal for Scotland in October. Therefore, once I had taken all the pictures I needed, I escaped to a nearby bus stop, as I realised that there was one due within 5 minutes. I'd rather leave than hang around for another hour. I boarded the bus, paid the rather expensive fare (£3.60 for the single) and settled down for the short journey to Ladybank.
By rail, Springfield is 3 miles and 22 chains from Ladybank (there 80 chains in a mile). Because of the way the roads work, the shortest distance between the two is 5 miles by road. The bus route makes this distance even longer. I've mentioned before how mad bus routes can be (see my posts on Polesworth and Hopton Heath), and the route 94/94A also makes a healthy detour via Kettlebridge and Kingskettle (an additional 1.5 miles). Not the worst (another bus route, the 64 goes all the way to Letham, and increases the distance to 8.5 miles), but slightly anxiety inducing as I tracked our progress, only to see us “missing” the turning up to Ladybank.
Anyway, the bus reached Ladybank station, and I got off (along with another human being). I navigated my way over to the Edinburgh platform and boarded my train home, making sure I avoided the family with multiple children and even more suitcases who also wanted to get on.
Notes
Spingfield is one of those stations which I thought would be quite well used. I did not expect to be the only person to get off the rush hour train because I thought that the majority of the annual patronage would be commuters from Fife to Edinburgh and back. Perhaps the fact that the village gets 4 buses per hour (2 to Cupar & St Andrews, 2 to Ladybank) demonstrates that, if the village railway station was to get a broadly clockface hourly service, it would be used better. From a timetabling perspective, it may work to give Springfield a bi-hourly service, where the hourly Edinburgh to Arbroath service serves Springfield on the hours that it doesn't serve Monifieth (another station further down the line with a low-ish annual patronage that gets a bi-hourly service). Like with so many least used stations that actually serve a reasonably sized settlement, the lack of service throttles the patronage.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/springfield-least-used-in-fife
Introduction
Springfield is another minor station located on an otherwise busy main line. This time, the line in question is the Edinburgh to Aberdeen line. It serves the village of Springfield, and not much else. Along with the small population, it also gets a very limited service. Only 5 trains per day stop (2 up, 3 down) for 6 days of the week. There is no Sunday service.
The Journey
Along with the limited service, there is also no convenient gap between services. Both the evening services call at 6pm (northbound at 17:59, southbound at 18:00). The next one is the 23:21 service to Dundee. Luckily, there are 3 bus routes, which work to give 2 buses per hour to Ladybank (south) or Cupar and St Andrews (north). I decided to get the train out from Edinburgh to Springfield, then take a bus to Ladybank and take a train back to Edinburgh from there.
I don't often travel during rush hours because the trains are crowded and tickets (often) more expensive. However, with the university and railway timetables the way they are, I had to get a train just after 5pm to get to Springfield from Edinburgh. It was quite crowded, although not as rammed as I'm used to down in London. It thinned out quite a lot, and after Kirkcaldy I was able to spread slightly.
Springfield Station
The train was on time, and I was the only person who got off at the station. There were quite a few people on the opposite platform waiting for the train back into Edinburgh. This was slightly late. I watched it depart before I surveyed the station.
The first thing that hit me was the absolute stench of manure. It was very overpowering, to the point where I had to bring up my polo neck and use it as a mask to protect my nose. The station itself is quite an odd one. It has the normal 2 platforms, linked with a footbridge. There are signs, departure boards, a smartcard reader, benches, a bin, and a shelter on one platform. The other platform has shelter provided by a canopy from the old station house. This is now a private house, the owner of which closed their curtains when I was walking around taking pictures of the station. I hope they knew why I was taking pictures, and didn't think I was some creepy old thing in a long coat.
The weirdness comes from the platform. For whatever reason, the up platform has a section that is much lower than the rest of it (the section that runs alongside the house). Therefore, trains can't stop at that bit; instead they have to run all the way to the other end. I'm not quite sure why the station was designed like that, but there we go. The platforms are therefore slightly staggered. Although they are roughly the same length, the ends do not map onto each other in the way that one expects.
Back Home
It was getting very cold, and I had forgotten my gloves. Darkness was also drawing in. This is all normal for Scotland in October. Therefore, once I had taken all the pictures I needed, I escaped to a nearby bus stop, as I realised that there was one due within 5 minutes. I'd rather leave than hang around for another hour. I boarded the bus, paid the rather expensive fare (£3.60 for the single) and settled down for the short journey to Ladybank.
By rail, Springfield is 3 miles and 22 chains from Ladybank (there 80 chains in a mile). Because of the way the roads work, the shortest distance between the two is 5 miles by road. The bus route makes this distance even longer. I've mentioned before how mad bus routes can be (see my posts on Polesworth and Hopton Heath), and the route 94/94A also makes a healthy detour via Kettlebridge and Kingskettle (an additional 1.5 miles). Not the worst (another bus route, the 64 goes all the way to Letham, and increases the distance to 8.5 miles), but slightly anxiety inducing as I tracked our progress, only to see us “missing” the turning up to Ladybank.
Anyway, the bus reached Ladybank station, and I got off (along with another human being). I navigated my way over to the Edinburgh platform and boarded my train home, making sure I avoided the family with multiple children and even more suitcases who also wanted to get on.
Notes
Spingfield is one of those stations which I thought would be quite well used. I did not expect to be the only person to get off the rush hour train because I thought that the majority of the annual patronage would be commuters from Fife to Edinburgh and back. Perhaps the fact that the village gets 4 buses per hour (2 to Cupar & St Andrews, 2 to Ladybank) demonstrates that, if the village railway station was to get a broadly clockface hourly service, it would be used better. From a timetabling perspective, it may work to give Springfield a bi-hourly service, where the hourly Edinburgh to Arbroath service serves Springfield on the hours that it doesn't serve Monifieth (another station further down the line with a low-ish annual patronage that gets a bi-hourly service). Like with so many least used stations that actually serve a reasonably sized settlement, the lack of service throttles the patronage.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #39: Achnashellach (Kyle Line Journey #3) - Visited on the 7th of November 2019
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/kyle-line-journey-3-achnashellach
Again, most of the pictures are too big for the forum to upload. Please see the original post for them.
Introduction
I feel as if I have neglected my favourite part of the UK railway network this year. The only downside to spending a lot of my summer trundling between Edinburgh and Aviemore to volunteer on the Strathspey Railway was that I didn't really feel like doing a 3rd or 4th weekly trip up the Highland Main Line to get to the North Highland Lines. The Kyle Line runs east-west from Inverness (west) to Kyle of Lochalsh (east). Although the settlements it links are fairly important (certainly in that part of the world), there is a lot of 'nothingness' in between. This 'nothingness' is essentially brilliant scenery and a few small settlements. That means there are a number of very small stations along the route which see few passengers. One of these is Achnashellach, a request stop between Achnasheen and Strathcarron which sees between 800 and 1000 people per year.
The Journey
I didn't have to get up as stupidly early as I normally have to for these trips. A train at the reasonable time of half past 9 took me up to Perth. I had been monitoring this for quite a while, as there had been problems on that line during the morning because of a broken down train. Luckily, the expected 15 minute delay did not happen, and the train arrived at Perth 3 minutes early.
Of course, while I had been on the train, a signalling fault had developed on the Highland Main Line at Carrbridge. Journey Check stated that the estimated fix time was midday. My train was due to pass through the area almost an hour after that, so I decided that my train was in the clear. Of course, I was wrong. That signalling fault meant that all the trains on the line were running out of course. Because the Highland Main Line is mostly single track, we had to wait at Stanley for 20 minutes for another train to pass us. We could have passed at Dunkeld & Birnam, but a rail had broken there.
3 faults and a near 30 minute delay meant by 11 minute change at Inverness was not going to happen. I spoke to the conductor, and he said that he would communicate with his control so that they could decide what would happen. 3 other people also wanted to change onto the 13:35 Kyle service at Inverness. As the train progressed, time was made up and then lost again.
Control decided that “a decision on whether to hold the Kyle service would be made at Moy [a passing loop 15 minutes south of Inverness]. If the train wasn't held, ScotRail would provide a taxi to Achnasheen [one of the stations on the Kyle Line] and we would be able to board the train there (the road being faster than the train).
The train wasn't held, and the 4 of us got into the large taxi for the sprint to Achnasheen. Just over an hour later, we all arrived at the station, and were 12 minutes ahead of the train. The train was also slightly late. Achnasheen, although being one of the bigger and busier stations on the Kyle Line, has some impressive views.
The train arrived, and 3 of us got on. The 4th was only going as far as Achnasheen anyway. I made sure I requested Achnashellach from the conductor as she came through. 19 minutes later, the train pulled up at the request stop. The automatic announcement system gleefully announced “We are now approaching Achnashellach. This is a request stop.” I've always had a problem with this last sentence, mainly because it is the first time that the system specifically states that the station in question is a request stop. Any passenger would have no time to alert a member of staff that they wished to get off. Guards on the route make up for the shortcomings of the computer by asking people where they are getting off.
Back to the journey, and my train had arrived at the station. I got off, thanking the conductor. The train departed, and I was left to look around.
Achnashellach Station
Yes, despite all the infrastructure failures attempting to prevent me from reaching my destination, I was at Achnashellach only 5 minutes late.
The station itself is nestled in a wood, with only a few farm buildings for company. It is a simple station, although it has quite a long platform. There are a large number of signs clustered at one end of the platform (by the level crossing) and a simple shelter in the middle. That's about it.
I had almost 3 hours before my train back to Inverness. I decided to have a walk down to a nearby Loch (Loch Dughaill) and observe it. On previous trips I have had a lot of enjoyment looking at Lochs. I was forced to spend 15 minutes walking along a country road to get there, but this walk was worth it. The pictures don't quite do it justice, but here they are anyway.
I spent an hour looking at the Loch, eating the last bits of my lunch, and talking to myself. It was lovely to be in proper solitude outside for the first time in a ages. I made sure to let off plenty of steam.
Of course, being November in Scotland, the sun had set before I had realised. The walk back along the road felt a lot shorter (because I knew where I was going), but I was kept on my toes because of the speed of the traffic and the light levels. I made it to the turning up to the station without any difficulties, and spend the remaining hour failing to take pictures of the station because of the darkness.
The Journey Home
The return train approached on time. I flagged it down, getting a toot in response. I boarded, and watched some stuff on my phone for the nearly 2 hour return journey to Inverness. I would love to have looked out of the window, but it was pitch black outside at this point.
I had ordered a pizza on the train, so when I got to Inverness I would only have to take a 5 minute walk to the shop, pick up the pizza, and then go back to the station. I always feel very pleased with myself when I'm able to do this. The Inverness to Glasgow train I boarded was lightly loaded (as normal), so I didn't annoy too many people by eating said pizza.
We lost a bit of time down the line waiting for late running trains coming the other way to pass us. The 15 minute delay leaving Perth was a problem, because I had a 6 minute change at Stirling for my train back to Edinburgh. Luckily, the guard made sure that the last train of the day back to the capital was held for us. I arrived back at Edinburgh at 20 past midnight. I was tired, but it had been worth it to actually visit Achnashellach.
Notes
For the record, the Strathspey Railway is brilliant. Visit it.
I was actually surprised that I managed to get to Achnashellach. The quantity of problems that were encountered (failed train at North Queensferry, broken rail at Dunkeld & Birnam, signalling failure at Carrbridge) en-route meant it was actually amazing that I got there. Serious credit to all the staff who kept stuff moving.
I don't really have anything to say about Achnashellach that I haven't already said before in other posts. Although it isn't used by many people, it is a very useful station for those that live in the area, and probably provides a lifeline for the rural communities nearby. One of the sad things about the huge cuts in the railways in the 1960s was the number of small places who lost their public transport altogether. I'm glad this isn't the case for the parts of the Highlands served by rail.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/kyle-line-journey-3-achnashellach
Again, most of the pictures are too big for the forum to upload. Please see the original post for them.
Introduction
I feel as if I have neglected my favourite part of the UK railway network this year. The only downside to spending a lot of my summer trundling between Edinburgh and Aviemore to volunteer on the Strathspey Railway was that I didn't really feel like doing a 3rd or 4th weekly trip up the Highland Main Line to get to the North Highland Lines. The Kyle Line runs east-west from Inverness (west) to Kyle of Lochalsh (east). Although the settlements it links are fairly important (certainly in that part of the world), there is a lot of 'nothingness' in between. This 'nothingness' is essentially brilliant scenery and a few small settlements. That means there are a number of very small stations along the route which see few passengers. One of these is Achnashellach, a request stop between Achnasheen and Strathcarron which sees between 800 and 1000 people per year.
The Journey
I didn't have to get up as stupidly early as I normally have to for these trips. A train at the reasonable time of half past 9 took me up to Perth. I had been monitoring this for quite a while, as there had been problems on that line during the morning because of a broken down train. Luckily, the expected 15 minute delay did not happen, and the train arrived at Perth 3 minutes early.
Of course, while I had been on the train, a signalling fault had developed on the Highland Main Line at Carrbridge. Journey Check stated that the estimated fix time was midday. My train was due to pass through the area almost an hour after that, so I decided that my train was in the clear. Of course, I was wrong. That signalling fault meant that all the trains on the line were running out of course. Because the Highland Main Line is mostly single track, we had to wait at Stanley for 20 minutes for another train to pass us. We could have passed at Dunkeld & Birnam, but a rail had broken there.
3 faults and a near 30 minute delay meant by 11 minute change at Inverness was not going to happen. I spoke to the conductor, and he said that he would communicate with his control so that they could decide what would happen. 3 other people also wanted to change onto the 13:35 Kyle service at Inverness. As the train progressed, time was made up and then lost again.
Control decided that “a decision on whether to hold the Kyle service would be made at Moy [a passing loop 15 minutes south of Inverness]. If the train wasn't held, ScotRail would provide a taxi to Achnasheen [one of the stations on the Kyle Line] and we would be able to board the train there (the road being faster than the train).
The train wasn't held, and the 4 of us got into the large taxi for the sprint to Achnasheen. Just over an hour later, we all arrived at the station, and were 12 minutes ahead of the train. The train was also slightly late. Achnasheen, although being one of the bigger and busier stations on the Kyle Line, has some impressive views.
Back to the journey, and my train had arrived at the station. I got off, thanking the conductor. The train departed, and I was left to look around.
Achnashellach Station
Yes, despite all the infrastructure failures attempting to prevent me from reaching my destination, I was at Achnashellach only 5 minutes late.
The station itself is nestled in a wood, with only a few farm buildings for company. It is a simple station, although it has quite a long platform. There are a large number of signs clustered at one end of the platform (by the level crossing) and a simple shelter in the middle. That's about it.
<They're all too big>
Of course, being November in Scotland, the sun had set before I had realised. The walk back along the road felt a lot shorter (because I knew where I was going), but I was kept on my toes because of the speed of the traffic and the light levels. I made it to the turning up to the station without any difficulties, and spend the remaining hour failing to take pictures of the station because of the darkness.
The Journey Home
The return train approached on time. I flagged it down, getting a toot in response. I boarded, and watched some stuff on my phone for the nearly 2 hour return journey to Inverness. I would love to have looked out of the window, but it was pitch black outside at this point.
I had ordered a pizza on the train, so when I got to Inverness I would only have to take a 5 minute walk to the shop, pick up the pizza, and then go back to the station. I always feel very pleased with myself when I'm able to do this. The Inverness to Glasgow train I boarded was lightly loaded (as normal), so I didn't annoy too many people by eating said pizza.
We lost a bit of time down the line waiting for late running trains coming the other way to pass us. The 15 minute delay leaving Perth was a problem, because I had a 6 minute change at Stirling for my train back to Edinburgh. Luckily, the guard made sure that the last train of the day back to the capital was held for us. I arrived back at Edinburgh at 20 past midnight. I was tired, but it had been worth it to actually visit Achnashellach.
Notes
For the record, the Strathspey Railway is brilliant. Visit it.
I was actually surprised that I managed to get to Achnashellach. The quantity of problems that were encountered (failed train at North Queensferry, broken rail at Dunkeld & Birnam, signalling failure at Carrbridge) en-route meant it was actually amazing that I got there. Serious credit to all the staff who kept stuff moving.
I don't really have anything to say about Achnashellach that I haven't already said before in other posts. Although it isn't used by many people, it is a very useful station for those that live in the area, and probably provides a lifeline for the rural communities nearby. One of the sad things about the huge cuts in the railways in the 1960s was the number of small places who lost their public transport altogether. I'm glad this isn't the case for the parts of the Highlands served by rail.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #40: Broome & Llangynllo (Heart of Wales Journey #2)
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/heart-of-wales-journey-2-broome-llangynllo
Introduction
Although I neglected Wales for the first 18 months of this blog, I feel that the past year as more than made up for it. Multiple journeys have been made to various parts of the country, and December felt like the perfect time to make another visit to some of the multiple least used stations that scatter the Heart of Wales Line. I chose the northern end of the line because that's the only end I can do as a day trip from Edinburgh. My plan was to catch a bus to Broome, catch a train south to Llangynllo from there, and then return a couple of hours later.
The Journey
I had a choice between an early start with a long wait at Ludlow for my bus, or a later start but a very tight connection at Ludlow for the bus. I decided to go for option one, and double-back via Hereford to reduce the amount of time I would be standing around a bus stop in the town. My train to Crewe was fairly normal; it was slightly late but not catastrophically so. I made the change onto my train to Hereford and settled down.
At Leominster, the train closed its doors but did not move. After a few minutes, the conductor made an announcement that the driver couldn't get power. With a 20 minute connection at Hereford, I decided to bail at Leominster and wait for the train there instead. The half hour was spent walking to a local shop to buy water.
I still had about quarter of an hour at Leominster before my train back to Ludlow arrived. I decided to look up my bus. The departure from Ludlow to Broome was the only one of the day, and so I wanted to make sure that it existed. At that point, I discovered that I had made a catastrophic error in reading the timetable. The timetable I thought read “Monday to Friday” actually read “Monday and Friday”. I was travelling on a Tuesday. No other buses serve Broome, so I was stuffed from a public transport point of view. I next decided to look up the walks from other stations. Broome is one stop away from Craven Arms, a station that is the junction where the Heart of Wales line branches off from the Welsh Marches main line that runs from Manchester to Cardiff. It turned out that the walk from Craven Arms to Broome was only about 3 miles, and I had more than enough time to walk that distance.
I boarded my train at Leominster, but continued past Ludlow to Craven Arms. Now armed with fish and chips, I started off to find the footpath that would take me to Broome. After a short detour when I misread the map and ended up in the wrong part of the housing estate, I found the muddy track under the railway that was my path. The path got progressively more muddy as I walked on. Crossing a road, I continued along a farm track until I could find an obvious path onwards no longer. I skirted around a field, through a gate, and then realised I was on the wrong side of a hedge. Luckily, a large gap with a broken gate was provided. I used this.
The path was fantastically muddy, except for the bits that were frozen solid. I was glad of my waterproof walking shoes. Eventually, the village of Broome came into view. It was very satisfying to be able to walk along stable ground that didn't sink by a few centimetres every time one put any pressure on the surface. I skirted past a group of old men and a dog at the village green, walked under the railway, and found the entrance to Broome station. My shoes and the lower half of my trousers were well caked in mud at this point.
Broome Station
The closest bus stops to the station are called 'Broome, Industrial Estate'. This is broadly correct. The station is located on an embankment, at warehouse-roof level. Some people were using one of the warehouses as I walked around the station taking the obligatory pictures.
The station facilities are fairly basic. There is a collection of signs at the bottom of a ramp which takes one up to the platform. An old wooden shelter sits about a third of the way up the platform, and a 'Harrington Hump' (raised ramp stuck onto a platform to give less of a step up to the train) another third along. There is a salt bin, some form of utilities cabinet, and an electronic display along the platform too. A payphone used to exist inside the shelter, but it doesn't anymore.
There were two visitors to the station while I was there. The first was a black cat who retreated when it saw me. The second was a woman who lived locally but didn't get the chance to use the train often. She expressed surprise at the existence of another human being at the station.
Picture
To Llangynllo
10 minutes later, the train arrived.
The journey to Llangynllo takes about 30 minutes. I bought a single from Broome to Llangynllo from the guard. This must be a ticket that is rarely bought given that it is between 2 stations with low annual patronages on the same line. Most people travelling from either will most likely be going to one of the bigger stations on the line (Llandrindod, Swansea, Shrewsbury etc.) rather than another tiny request stop.
After those musings, my train was at Llangynllo. The conductor made an announcement as we approached. I alighted, waved to the guard, watched the train depart, and had a look around.
Llangynllo Station
Llangynllo is actually a really sweet little station. If the houses right by the station weren't there, it would be one of my favourite in the country. It has one of the old wood & brick shelters that can be found on most of the Welsh stations on the Heart of Wales line. It also has the normal array of signs, a salt bin, an electronic display, more utilities cabinets, and a portable set of steps to help people get on and off trains. Llangynllo is also the location of the first snow of the season that I have been able to touch. I have seen snow already this season dusting the tops of various parts of the Highlands, but this is the first time I have been able to physically prod it.
The view of the station from the level crossing.
Given that I had over 2 hours to enjoy the station, I decided to go for a walk. The lane lead to a crossroads, which included a path up the hill. I followed this path for about 15 minutes, before it came to a field which I imagine would have had a lovely view were it not for the weather. And low! There were sheep grazing in the field. They scrammed when I walked into view. One didn't until I mooed at it.
Now freshly covered in mud and now sheep excrement, I decided I would rather freeze at Llangynllo station rather than atop a hill with no view. As I walked back to the station, a 4x4 passed me. This is a location where owning a 4x4 makes sense. Given that I have lived all my life in a city, most of the time I see 4x4s, the ownership of it makes no sense. You need a 4x4 if you live in a rural area or regularly have to travel to somewhere which has poor roads. You do not need one if your idea of rural life is your holiday home in the Cotswolds that is located at the end of a narrow road with a pothole the size of a credit card located part way down it.
Back Home
The train turned up a little late, but I was glad to be on something warm. When I got back to Crewe, I attempted to clean myself up a bit by scraping the mud off my shoes and trousers with the lid of a Biro I found by the bike racks on platform 11. Truly the height of glamour and sophistication.
My train to Lancaster was 15 minutes late, and I was worried that this would mean I would not be able to make the 15 minute connection to my Edinburgh train there. I need not have worried, because that Edinburgh train was also late.
Now onboard the final train of the day, I settled down for the 2 hour journey to the Scottish capital. As we left Lancaster, the conductor made an announcement telling people that the train was late and the estimated times of arrival for Oxenholme, Penrith, and Carlisle. She then made the ominous statement: “passengers for stations north of Carlisle: we are working on several plans of action and I will let you know what will happen as soon as I know”. It turned out that the driver who was supposed to drive the train to Edinburgh had 'gone missing', so the train ended up being diverted to Glasgow. The driver at the front of the train must not have had the route knowledge to drive the train to Edinburgh. Taxis were ordered to “where your car is parked or where you're staying for the night” given that there wouldn't be any trains or buses once people arrived in Edinburgh.
Several pre-booked taxis descended on Glasgow Central station once we arrived, and there was a little confusion as the conductor dashed around trying to work out which taxi was for which person. The taxi for me shouted my name and address, and I got in, glad that I could now be the victim of widespread identity fraud.
The taxi made its way to the Glasgow – Edinburgh motorway (via the garage to pick up fuel). I noticed part-way down the motorway that the car was rattling. As we approached the turning onto the bypass, the car started to slow down and there was a terrible crunching of gears. We stalled on the roundabout, and the driver just managed to get the vehicle off the roundabout as smoke started to come off the bonnet. We both got out of the car, and he went off to a nearby KFC drive-through to get some water to calm the engine down. After this, the car still didn't start.
Somehow, an empty taxi from the same Glasgow based firm was also going around this roundabout in Edinburgh, so it came and parked. After the drivers discussed what was going on, I was put in the second taxi to take me to my flat. His Sat-Nav wasn't working, so I had to give directions. I didn't do this very well, and he got more and more annoyed, until he took a wrong turn and I decided that this was where I lived, thanked him, and got out of the cab. I took the 5 minute walk back to my flat and collapsed in my bed, having taken my muddy clothing.
Notes
Although it sounds like my day was constantly in crisis thanks to broken down trains, missing staff, my own inability to read timetables, broken down taxis, mud, freezing temperatures, and sheep dung, I actually had a really good day.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/heart-of-wales-journey-2-broome-llangynllo
Introduction
Although I neglected Wales for the first 18 months of this blog, I feel that the past year as more than made up for it. Multiple journeys have been made to various parts of the country, and December felt like the perfect time to make another visit to some of the multiple least used stations that scatter the Heart of Wales Line. I chose the northern end of the line because that's the only end I can do as a day trip from Edinburgh. My plan was to catch a bus to Broome, catch a train south to Llangynllo from there, and then return a couple of hours later.
The Journey
I had a choice between an early start with a long wait at Ludlow for my bus, or a later start but a very tight connection at Ludlow for the bus. I decided to go for option one, and double-back via Hereford to reduce the amount of time I would be standing around a bus stop in the town. My train to Crewe was fairly normal; it was slightly late but not catastrophically so. I made the change onto my train to Hereford and settled down.
At Leominster, the train closed its doors but did not move. After a few minutes, the conductor made an announcement that the driver couldn't get power. With a 20 minute connection at Hereford, I decided to bail at Leominster and wait for the train there instead. The half hour was spent walking to a local shop to buy water.
I still had about quarter of an hour at Leominster before my train back to Ludlow arrived. I decided to look up my bus. The departure from Ludlow to Broome was the only one of the day, and so I wanted to make sure that it existed. At that point, I discovered that I had made a catastrophic error in reading the timetable. The timetable I thought read “Monday to Friday” actually read “Monday and Friday”. I was travelling on a Tuesday. No other buses serve Broome, so I was stuffed from a public transport point of view. I next decided to look up the walks from other stations. Broome is one stop away from Craven Arms, a station that is the junction where the Heart of Wales line branches off from the Welsh Marches main line that runs from Manchester to Cardiff. It turned out that the walk from Craven Arms to Broome was only about 3 miles, and I had more than enough time to walk that distance.
I boarded my train at Leominster, but continued past Ludlow to Craven Arms. Now armed with fish and chips, I started off to find the footpath that would take me to Broome. After a short detour when I misread the map and ended up in the wrong part of the housing estate, I found the muddy track under the railway that was my path. The path got progressively more muddy as I walked on. Crossing a road, I continued along a farm track until I could find an obvious path onwards no longer. I skirted around a field, through a gate, and then realised I was on the wrong side of a hedge. Luckily, a large gap with a broken gate was provided. I used this.
The path was fantastically muddy, except for the bits that were frozen solid. I was glad of my waterproof walking shoes. Eventually, the village of Broome came into view. It was very satisfying to be able to walk along stable ground that didn't sink by a few centimetres every time one put any pressure on the surface. I skirted past a group of old men and a dog at the village green, walked under the railway, and found the entrance to Broome station. My shoes and the lower half of my trousers were well caked in mud at this point.
Broome Station
The closest bus stops to the station are called 'Broome, Industrial Estate'. This is broadly correct. The station is located on an embankment, at warehouse-roof level. Some people were using one of the warehouses as I walked around the station taking the obligatory pictures.
The station facilities are fairly basic. There is a collection of signs at the bottom of a ramp which takes one up to the platform. An old wooden shelter sits about a third of the way up the platform, and a 'Harrington Hump' (raised ramp stuck onto a platform to give less of a step up to the train) another third along. There is a salt bin, some form of utilities cabinet, and an electronic display along the platform too. A payphone used to exist inside the shelter, but it doesn't anymore.
There were two visitors to the station while I was there. The first was a black cat who retreated when it saw me. The second was a woman who lived locally but didn't get the chance to use the train often. She expressed surprise at the existence of another human being at the station.
Picture
To Llangynllo
10 minutes later, the train arrived.
After those musings, my train was at Llangynllo. The conductor made an announcement as we approached. I alighted, waved to the guard, watched the train depart, and had a look around.
Llangynllo Station
Llangynllo is actually a really sweet little station. If the houses right by the station weren't there, it would be one of my favourite in the country. It has one of the old wood & brick shelters that can be found on most of the Welsh stations on the Heart of Wales line. It also has the normal array of signs, a salt bin, an electronic display, more utilities cabinets, and a portable set of steps to help people get on and off trains. Llangynllo is also the location of the first snow of the season that I have been able to touch. I have seen snow already this season dusting the tops of various parts of the Highlands, but this is the first time I have been able to physically prod it.
The view of the station from the level crossing.
Back Home
The train turned up a little late, but I was glad to be on something warm. When I got back to Crewe, I attempted to clean myself up a bit by scraping the mud off my shoes and trousers with the lid of a Biro I found by the bike racks on platform 11. Truly the height of glamour and sophistication.
My train to Lancaster was 15 minutes late, and I was worried that this would mean I would not be able to make the 15 minute connection to my Edinburgh train there. I need not have worried, because that Edinburgh train was also late.
Now onboard the final train of the day, I settled down for the 2 hour journey to the Scottish capital. As we left Lancaster, the conductor made an announcement telling people that the train was late and the estimated times of arrival for Oxenholme, Penrith, and Carlisle. She then made the ominous statement: “passengers for stations north of Carlisle: we are working on several plans of action and I will let you know what will happen as soon as I know”. It turned out that the driver who was supposed to drive the train to Edinburgh had 'gone missing', so the train ended up being diverted to Glasgow. The driver at the front of the train must not have had the route knowledge to drive the train to Edinburgh. Taxis were ordered to “where your car is parked or where you're staying for the night” given that there wouldn't be any trains or buses once people arrived in Edinburgh.
Several pre-booked taxis descended on Glasgow Central station once we arrived, and there was a little confusion as the conductor dashed around trying to work out which taxi was for which person. The taxi for me shouted my name and address, and I got in, glad that I could now be the victim of widespread identity fraud.
The taxi made its way to the Glasgow – Edinburgh motorway (via the garage to pick up fuel). I noticed part-way down the motorway that the car was rattling. As we approached the turning onto the bypass, the car started to slow down and there was a terrible crunching of gears. We stalled on the roundabout, and the driver just managed to get the vehicle off the roundabout as smoke started to come off the bonnet. We both got out of the car, and he went off to a nearby KFC drive-through to get some water to calm the engine down. After this, the car still didn't start.
Somehow, an empty taxi from the same Glasgow based firm was also going around this roundabout in Edinburgh, so it came and parked. After the drivers discussed what was going on, I was put in the second taxi to take me to my flat. His Sat-Nav wasn't working, so I had to give directions. I didn't do this very well, and he got more and more annoyed, until he took a wrong turn and I decided that this was where I lived, thanked him, and got out of the cab. I took the 5 minute walk back to my flat and collapsed in my bed, having taken my muddy clothing.
Notes
Although it sounds like my day was constantly in crisis thanks to broken down trains, missing staff, my own inability to read timetables, broken down taxis, mud, freezing temperatures, and sheep dung, I actually had a really good day.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Sounded like a good day other than for the mud, cancelled trains & dodgy taxis
87electric
Member
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2010
- Messages
- 1,023
I’m glad I’m not the only who has those kinds of days. That was a great read.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Thank you very much! It was certainly an experience. I'm glad I did it, but I'm not sure I would want to repeat it anytime soon.
Esker-pades
Established Member
Trip #41: Broomfleet & Wressle (A Visit to Humberside)
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/a-visit-to-humberside-broomfleet-and-wressle
Introduction
The Selby Line runs from Leeds to Hull via Selby. Although it links a number of fairly large settlements, there are a number of smaller stations on the line which have low patronages. 2 of these are Broomfleet and Wressle. Broomfleet's patronage tends to hover around 1500. Wressle's has diminished significantly from 1500 to 370 in the most recent set of statistics. That makes Wressle the least used station in the area. Broomfleet has a limited service, but gets roughly 1 train every 2 hours in each direction (Hull to Doncaster). Wressle gets 7 trains per day: 3 between 6 and 9:30am, 3 between 5:30 and 8:30 pm, and another one at lunchtime. I had also wanted to visit Eastrington and Saltmarshe stations which are also in the area, but the sporadic timetable that all these stations receive meant that such a plan was impossible to do, certainly in one day from Edinburgh.
The Journey
A semi-early train from Edinburgh took me to Doncaster. At Newcastle, some bloke got on bellowing into his phone about “meeting you later mate”. 5 minutes later, he was on the phone to somebody else on speaker. Tinny versions of the other end of the conversation aurally stank up the carriage. Bear in mind that this was the quiet coach. At one point, he was asked to move or end the phone call, and responded “you do you and I'll do me”. In much the same way as a toddler being sick on somebody else's bag is just the toddler “being the toddler”. Essentially, he was going to keep bleating down his mobile in earshot of everyone else. Absolute tit.
At Doncaster, I changed trains. I moved over to platform 0 to board my train to Broomfleet. The train departed slightly late, and lost 20 minutes on the journey to Goole. I got off at Broomfleet, and settled down to enjoy the 2 hours in the grey, wet station.
Broomfleet
Broomfleet station is a fairly standard 2 platform station directly adjacent to a level crossing. There is an old signal box at the level crossing. Paths lead from the road that crosses the railway to the platforms. Each platform has a shelter, a bench, a bin, and various signs.
Trains pass through the station quite regularly. There are about 5 trains per hour each way, plus some infrequent extra services. The level crossing went up and down quite often and stayed down for extended periods of time.
Because I had a couple of hours, I decided to take a walk down to the Humber estuary nearby. It was very grey and very wet, so the pictures were fairly awful.
Back at the station, I sat in the shelter and ate some pasta before my train arrived.
Messing Around to Wressle
I had about 3 hours between my train from Broomfleet and my train from Selby to Wressle. That meant I had a bit of time to mess around. I took the train from Broomfleet to Goole. There, I swapped platforms and took another very late train back to Hull. Because of the delay, it ran non-stop. I sat in a coffee shop by the station enjoying a hot drink and sandwich. Eventually, I decided I should go to the platform to catch my train to Selby. It arrived quite late, and then another train arrived at the same platform. We had to wait for 10 minutes for the first train to leave before we could. Once that happened, the train charged to Selby. I got off, switched platforms, and waited for the service that would take me one stop back to Wressle.
Wressle
Wressle is another standard 2 platform station. It is made of bricks, gravel and concrete rather than the skeletal timber affair that is Broomfleet. The old station house sits on the Selby-bound platform. All platforms have a shelter and the usual array of signs and bins.
Again, I had 2 hours between trains. I decided not to go for a walk because it was still wet and had got dark. Instead, I sat around in the shelter listening to music and podcasts.
Slightly late, at 19:30, my train to York arrived. I changed at York and Newcastle to get me back to Edinburgh.
Notes
Broomfleet station is a fair distance outside Broomfleet village. The village is fairly small, and so it wouldn't get a particularly high patronage anyway. The fact that the station is a walk from the village reduces it and the very limited service reduces it still further. Wressle is much the same, although the station is in the village. It has almost the same population as Broomfleet (~300) and has 4 fewer services per day. Why the patronage is so low must purely be down to the lower level of service. Given that the population is almost the same, and that Wressle station is actually in the village, it would follow that the patronage would be about the same, if not slightly higher for Wressle. I'm always supportive of small stations serving small settlements that wouldn't otherwise have public transport.
Original Post: https://felixunstructured.weebly.com/lusblog/a-visit-to-humberside-broomfleet-and-wressle
Introduction
The Selby Line runs from Leeds to Hull via Selby. Although it links a number of fairly large settlements, there are a number of smaller stations on the line which have low patronages. 2 of these are Broomfleet and Wressle. Broomfleet's patronage tends to hover around 1500. Wressle's has diminished significantly from 1500 to 370 in the most recent set of statistics. That makes Wressle the least used station in the area. Broomfleet has a limited service, but gets roughly 1 train every 2 hours in each direction (Hull to Doncaster). Wressle gets 7 trains per day: 3 between 6 and 9:30am, 3 between 5:30 and 8:30 pm, and another one at lunchtime. I had also wanted to visit Eastrington and Saltmarshe stations which are also in the area, but the sporadic timetable that all these stations receive meant that such a plan was impossible to do, certainly in one day from Edinburgh.
The Journey
A semi-early train from Edinburgh took me to Doncaster. At Newcastle, some bloke got on bellowing into his phone about “meeting you later mate”. 5 minutes later, he was on the phone to somebody else on speaker. Tinny versions of the other end of the conversation aurally stank up the carriage. Bear in mind that this was the quiet coach. At one point, he was asked to move or end the phone call, and responded “you do you and I'll do me”. In much the same way as a toddler being sick on somebody else's bag is just the toddler “being the toddler”. Essentially, he was going to keep bleating down his mobile in earshot of everyone else. Absolute tit.
At Doncaster, I changed trains. I moved over to platform 0 to board my train to Broomfleet. The train departed slightly late, and lost 20 minutes on the journey to Goole. I got off at Broomfleet, and settled down to enjoy the 2 hours in the grey, wet station.
Broomfleet
Broomfleet station is a fairly standard 2 platform station directly adjacent to a level crossing. There is an old signal box at the level crossing. Paths lead from the road that crosses the railway to the platforms. Each platform has a shelter, a bench, a bin, and various signs.
Because I had a couple of hours, I decided to take a walk down to the Humber estuary nearby. It was very grey and very wet, so the pictures were fairly awful.
Messing Around to Wressle
I had about 3 hours between my train from Broomfleet and my train from Selby to Wressle. That meant I had a bit of time to mess around. I took the train from Broomfleet to Goole. There, I swapped platforms and took another very late train back to Hull. Because of the delay, it ran non-stop. I sat in a coffee shop by the station enjoying a hot drink and sandwich. Eventually, I decided I should go to the platform to catch my train to Selby. It arrived quite late, and then another train arrived at the same platform. We had to wait for 10 minutes for the first train to leave before we could. Once that happened, the train charged to Selby. I got off, switched platforms, and waited for the service that would take me one stop back to Wressle.
Wressle
Wressle is another standard 2 platform station. It is made of bricks, gravel and concrete rather than the skeletal timber affair that is Broomfleet. The old station house sits on the Selby-bound platform. All platforms have a shelter and the usual array of signs and bins.
Slightly late, at 19:30, my train to York arrived. I changed at York and Newcastle to get me back to Edinburgh.
Notes
Broomfleet station is a fair distance outside Broomfleet village. The village is fairly small, and so it wouldn't get a particularly high patronage anyway. The fact that the station is a walk from the village reduces it and the very limited service reduces it still further. Wressle is much the same, although the station is in the village. It has almost the same population as Broomfleet (~300) and has 4 fewer services per day. Why the patronage is so low must purely be down to the lower level of service. Given that the population is almost the same, and that Wressle station is actually in the village, it would follow that the patronage would be about the same, if not slightly higher for Wressle. I'm always supportive of small stations serving small settlements that wouldn't otherwise have public transport.
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