TBF out and about

[TBirdFrank]

As there was a meeting in Glasgow to attend, the chance was taken to do a northern circular on Friday 15th Saturday 16th February.

We took a taxi to Stalybridge as there are never any free spaces after about seven thirty and it is impossible to do an overnight pay and display in the TMBC car parks nearby. Equally parking overnight on Metrolink in Tameside attracts a £100 fine so there's a great incentive to use public transport - NOT!

A pint of Timmy Taylors saw us on a refurbed 185, complete with Wifi, direct to York - which TPE are removing from Stalybridge in two months time - thank you DfT and TPE! A complimentary coffee and biscuit was enjoyed en route.

At York we took a VTEC Edinburgh train running an hour late instead of the Chieftain due to a jumper at Peterborough. Curry, crisps, drinks etc soon arrived and there was a second drinks run around Morpeth - but that was it - acceptable - but hardly expansive, and the curry was excellent but such a small portion that it was hardly worth it!

At Edinburgh we caught a Scotrail 170, and given the short change over, and journey, didn't even bother to seek out the first class, as the variance in experience is so slight it makes no difference. It also makes you realise that the new Edinburgh tramway might as well have been rail slow lines for much of the way to the airport!

On Saturday morning, we left our hotel and crossed the road to Central - over £100 difference now in the overnight rate between it and the "Grand Central" so we forewent the old place! the ten o clock bendyleano was, as usual, almost empty out of Glasgow in first, and the usual parsimonious offering was delivered - coffee, juice, cake and fruit. We arrived in Carlisle five early after an unremarkable journey and where we had a three quarter hour change onto a 37 hauled run to Lancaster the long way round.

The DRS stock it has to be said does show its age - but - at some fifty years old it is still clean, comfortable, the lights, air con, and loos, all work and with the 37 shoving there was little sensation. Jointed track makes itself felt along the way but four hours passed in a very acceptable fashion - better than any DMU or underfloor engined unit, and all that was really missing was a trolley. I always regard it as a source of self pride that DRS have a presence in Carlisle. That is directly down to me in 1997 discovering the Marie Celeste of the railway world at Kingmoor and offering the depot back to the industry rather than swinging a wrecking ball at it - and DRS stepping up

This was the first time I had done all of this route and I had forgotten just how scenic it is. Dawlish eat your heart out - this line runs for mile after mile on the seashore, across estuaries and over viaducts. In fact it is so good I would have thought it would be an ideal for evening dinner trains.

I think the next time we do it we will take a hamper and make a special occasion of it!

The only surprise was, having been offered a lift back from Barrow permitting us to take the half past five back along the Furness peninsular line, to then find out that if you aren't on the 19.30 back to Lancaster you can't get south until Sunday - public transport - shocking!

Accordingly we ate in Spoons and roaded it to Preston where we caught a "Northern" 185 to Piccadilly, noting a 390 slide into Oxford Road alongside us to rub salt into my contention that with electrification there should be a true inter city London Manchester Scotland / London Manchester Lime St service.

Metrolink to Ashton and a £16.50 cab ride back home due to the aforementioned parking situation saw us in by midnight.

The vista that is Durham, the Angel, the Royal Border Bridge and the cliffs around Grantshouse; the views across the Forth and then the snowy run past Abington and Beattock topped off with a brilliantly sunlit run around the coast to Barrow - an excellent couple of days. Let's hope the loco hauled trains continue for a long long time!

 

[55013]

Interesting stuff, especially the bit about your role in the current use of Kingmoor.
Thanks for posting.

 

[Kite159]

Agreed about the no overnight parking rule not really being useful for those wanting a weekend away and using the tram.

Sounded like a good little trip to Glasgow & back via the coast

 

[Cowley]

Really enjoyed reading that Frank. Thanks for posting it.

 

[TBirdFrank]

Another little jaunt over the past few days.

Sunday afternoon Bendyleano to Euston with the usual parsimonious attitude to staff food on board, and a chinese at the Wong Kei followed by the Highlander from Euston to Newtonmore. Some twenty years since my last sleeper trip. This one went via Wembley sidings and up the ECML. No sleep until after Newcastle but a very pleasant trip in the lounge car before then. Woke up at Perth and had a cold wash and then a porridge breakfast offering before being collected for a 2055 club bash and breakfast at the big house with a trip behind 828 on the Strathspey and a visit to see Black Five 45025 which had hauled us 50 years and two days ago on the last Belfast Boat Express.

Return was by a standard class only 158 to Edinburgh, wedged to the doors and then VTEC from Edinburgh to York and 185 back to Piccadilly at 21.30. As this was a bank holiday parking the car only cost us twelve pounds - so all in all a good, on time trip, but it would have been so much better with traditional levels of hospitality, and not intermittent sandwich packs and soft drinks.

Twenty four hours later we set off for Ulster but this time not by train. Twelve Quays at Birkenhead is only a short distance away but the ferry industry attitude to foot passengers has to be experienced. Last on, last off, connections into arrival cities slow to the point of unusability. Last time we didn't catch the 1922 off Lime St from an 18.00 tie up. So we drove - passed Lime St at 21.30 inbound - not a lot better.

The following morning we went south from Whitehead to Dublin behind 1932 Beyer Peacock 4-4-0 No 85 a truly superb machine returning north on the IarnRod Eirann Enterprise to collect our wheels. This train has been fully refurbished recently and is a treat to ride on with at seat service, reasonable food and drink and of course - the black stuff. Arriving back at Belfast Central in the rush hour it was good to find that a semi fast and following slow was the order of the day getting us out of town quickly and clearing the crowds.

Infrastructure difficulties seems to be affecting railtours even in Ireland now and although the railtour was called the Cork and Kerry it never made it to the far south. In fact much of the Saturday run was diesel hauled, totally unacceptable on a steam tour in my book.

We made it back north and reversed the plan for Monday only to find we had No 85 again due to firebar problems with No 4. No complaints here but we had problems with fellow passengers who had partaken of a little too much and actually assaulted a fellow passenger as they changed from the RPSI southern to northern stock. The RPSI stewards worked their socks off. They do not deserve or need to have to handle behaviour like this.

The following day was the return of 1920 4-4-0 No 131 after 50+ years. It transpired that we had transgressed the 12 hour rule so departure had to be a full hour later - no return to Lisburn later in the day. When we got onto the old road however we found that although it had been flailed mercilessly, it had not been trial run that morning and in some places the grass about six inches higher than the rail. A clear impossibility to avoid wheelslip and Antrim was only gained by hand sanding. NIR now pulled Bangor. That in my book is a foul blow. NIR offered the line as fit for traffic when it wasn't and the RPSI should be compensated.

We got back to Whitehead a full hour early after en enforced late departure - a real shame and NIR needs to understand that it does not own the railway - it operates it on behalf of its owners the public of Ulster and thatif a route is offered it must be available for traffic. Return to Birkenhead was by Stena the following morning - excellent as usual. My recommendation £10 each way special offer on foot and advance cabin at £20 each way - superb!

We got back a bit late for a Standedge route protest meeting with reps from Northern TPE and TfGM at Mossley - waffle waffle waffle!

 

[TBirdFrank]

Fifty years since the end of steam - time for a visit to the galas at the Severn Valley and GCR.

Chose to go by train to both - when will I ever learn??? fifty years since we had decent length loco hauled and Mk1 and 2 trains to travel on, comfortable seats and you could trust timetables.

Turned up at Piccadilly - four coach Voyager to Paignton instead of five - crammed by Stockport. Reservations supposedly effective but God knows how with four coaches instead of five and just so glad we were getting off at New Street. Usual restricted range of complimentaries on offer - even less when you are retired staff as you can't buy from the list either. Changed for a Snow Hill to Kiddy unit - comfortable - icy aircon. If things have got better over the last fifty years - and I am far from convinced - this is one example. The walking route from New St to Snow Hill isn't very well signposted though.

We spent the day on a very busy SVR - so much for enthusiasts not spending money - and a reminder of what rolling stock design and comfort was all those years ago! On recommendation we came back via Smethwick. We soon learnt why we had gone out via Central Birmingham as the 350s heading north kept flashing up delayed while fast trains flashed past us - you can't be flexible when only one type of train calls - but there again- when you are a normal your ticket and route are probably fixed anyway!

Then onto the GCR on the 11th - What a mistaker to mekker! National Rail Enquiries for some reason had given me an itinerary that didn't exist that day! It is in the national timetable but there was no 10.00 from Sheffield to St Pancras - let alone Lugaboruga! That cost us almost an hour! And of course when the 222 Voyager look alike arrived it was crammed due to the lack of the previous working! No at seat service! Welcome to fifty years of progress on the Midland Main Line.

The GCR was crammed and it soon became clear that the only way to enjoy this gala was to have come by car so that you could deal with the gaps in service and especially the diesel haulage that polluted this fifty years after the end of steam event. If you wanted any sort of photo record you could only get it when services were finished. Somehow the day was utterly lacking in atomsphere to the general attendance.

So - back to Loughborough main line - again no direct service back to Sheffield as timetabled - routed via Leicester we arrived for a twenty minute connection that became a fifty minute connection in fact, as the platform indicator added minutes of lateness at almost the same rate as the clock was advancing. After the morning's experience of EMT customer care we had self helped - just as well - you want your freebies? - get up and walk to get them back to your seat.

The only consolation was a timetabled almost an hour's change at Sheffield onto a TPE 185 coming in from Cleethorpes being reduced to about twenty five minutes - a cold wet Sheffield when everything is shut on a Saturday night and you are only 27 miles from home is not a place to spend a long time.

The UK railway has a lot of soul searching to do if it is ever to be competitive and value for money - it certainly isn't now!