Tomrrow I am departing on a trip to Penzance and three days riding the branches in Cornwall courtesy of First Great Western and The Railway Magazine .Last year I won a competition in The Railway Magazine for a free first class ticket and a Devon and Cornwall Rover and I have been looked after realy well by First Great Western.I shall add to this post at the end of my trip .
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to the West.
- Thread starter aylesbury
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Looking forward to hearing about it - when my exams are over for the year, I'm planning on doing a 3 days in 7 Freedom of Devon & Cornwall rover. Will be the first time I travel Westwards past Plymouth on the train, although I have done the St Ives branch on a family holiday when I was very young.
Enjoy!
MarkyMarkD
Member
Yes, well done on winning that - it sounds like it'll be a great trip. Enjoy yourself!
Well the trip is over,the weather helped in encouraging me to get out and about.The journey down to Penzance passed comfotably helped by the constant attention of the catering staff all the way and the Traveling Chef the breakfast rool is brilliant.Not a much frieght ,stone trains and a 66 outside a china clay plant in Cornwall .The train was pretty full all the way and was spotless,a mk3 beats any other coach on the network comfortable ride and plenty of room.Penzance is a small terminus and needs a refurb ,told its happenning in July.Next day I rode on the first unit on the St Ives branch from Penzance,this is a lovely line and skirts the sea all the way .The terminus is only one platform but is spotless and is staffed ,the guy was picking up rubbish and talking to passengers .I returned to St Erth and a train to Truro and Falmouth ,Truro still has GWR lower quadrant signals and ex GWR seats painted blue!!!! The connecting class 150 was full with many crossing to the Falmouth platform.Falmouth beckoned and a full unit passed through some stunning scenery over many high viaducts.I alighted at Falmouth Town and went walkabout and paid a visit to the lifeboat as I am a supporter and volunteer.Falmouth Docks is a dismal station overpowered by an office block but again it was clean.By the time we reached Truro the unit was full and standing,a passenger told me that now there is a half hour service people realy use the train.The next day I traveled to Par again on a full to bursting unit,crossing the platform I boarded a 153 with a reasonable load freindly crew and a FGWR boss talking about the line to a trainee.Arriving back at Par I waited at for my train at a staton that could have been still owned by the GWR.St Bazey depot looked forlorn and no freight about but did see a private deisel at the clay works it all looked very quiet.I had a chat with a member of staff at Penzance and he said that the Chinese had put a good bid in for the franchise what next ?The trip back was faultless and arrved spot on time with another full train.I think that the staff on FGW are excellent and very helpfull ,on many occasions I saw them offering assticance and advice to passengers.I would reccomend anyone to take a trip to Cornwall and at Bodmin I saw GWR prairy arrive so that was abonus.
Forgot to mention that on departure from Paddington saw the tunnel machine for Cross Rail very impressive piece of kit.Also saw a 66 at Theale on the oil tanks going down and when passing Oal Oak Common saw a class37 on a NR train ,also at Penzance saw a class 57 on the beds at Long Rock.AtEaling Common saw a Freightliner container train,a class 59 on the stone and several 59,s on other stone trains during the return journey.Westbury had a few empty stone trains parked in sidings that I could see as we passed on the bypass lines.Exeter yard was empty and Plymouth also was not busy.Saw a few Cross Country sets and two HST,s looking very grubby as did the Voyagers seen the livery on an HST is not attractive.Overall a brilliant trip and one that I would undertake again as you can get decent first class fares in advance .
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