Trivia: Railway Journey Confessions

[Searle]

On an absolutely packed train from Zagreb to Belgrade, with only three coaches going the whole distance. Managed to get two seats for me and my partner, and I thought I'd go and scout to the train to see if there is any other less packed areas for us to sit. Found an empty compartment, so got excited and got her to bring all the bags over. When she arrived, I tried to open it, to find it was locked shut, and I had forgotten to check in my excitement. Fortunately there were some other seats that we could find, so we didn't have to return to the original seats, but I was bright red for a few hours of the journey after that!

 

[Springs Branch]

I've lived outside the UK for many years, but about 10 years ago paid a visit to the ancestral manor-house in Wigan, accompanied by my wife (who's Italian) and niece (Australian).

During the visit, they wanted me to take them on a day trip into Liverpool to check out all the new tourist stuff there.

Mindful of the number of times my car had been broken into by those lovable scouse scallies whilst I was on business trips there in the 1980s, I was reluctant to leave our hire car parked down by the docks, so suggested doing Wigan/Liverpool by train. “It’ll be fine, the railways have been privatised now”, I said. “The trains are really good these days”.

We had a Merseyrail Pacer both ways.

Packed out on the way home too, when everyone was tired & grumpy, so my choice of transport was not popular!

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Come to think of it, although my own rail journeys have been generally satisfactory, whenever my wife has been with me, the trip has usually been a pain for some reason.

Whether it’s 2½ hours of claustrophobia on a Pendolino (in the seats with no window and hemmed in by piles of other peoples’ suitcases), a TPE 185 packed to the gunnels, Cambridge to F/Park in a Class 365 full of Arsenal fans, or bouncing and squealing along in a Northern Pacer, she hasn’t had much luck with UK trains. Especially when compared to our mostly enjoyable rail experiences in Italy, France & Germany.

Maybe this is why she complains about how much time I waste looking at Rail UK Forums.

 

[ValleyLines142]

I have never been on a pacer, voyager, meridian, 159 or 313. And I am very glad about that!

Hang on a second, you're very anti-Voyager, yet you've never been on one! How can you state this then?!

I haven't been on a 180, 350 or a 395 yet.

It also took me the best part of six months to hitch a ride on a newly painted ATW 150.

 

[blotred]

I was once travelling from Redhill towards Victoria on Southern, hoping to catch the Victoria line to St Pancras.
There were some issues with the Victoria line, so I decided to change at East Croydon for FCC to St Pancras Intl instead.

My Southern train arrived at Platform 1, and I saw a FCC 319 in Platform 2. My brain was all over the place, and I assumed the FCC train was heading northbound.
I ran across the platform, boarded (the platform PIDs were obscured by the footbridge works), and train started heading the wrong way

Had to get off at Gatwick, and head back....

 

[Taunton]

Well, that's two of us along the same lines.

Swing heavy bag up with decided aplomb up onto rack in one great curving movement to impress girl

Said girl was clearly game.

Looks like RichmondCommuter got the better result!

 

[adrock1976]

My confession is that I have not ventured south of the mighty Thames very often to sample third rail traction.

Although in fairness, I did the Southern Daysave a few months ago, and traversed most of the London, Brighton, & South Coast Railway metals. I am thinking of doing the Javelin Kent coast rounder in the near future.

In peace

Adam

 

[GatwickDepress]

Here's another railway romance disaster story.

A couple of years ago, I was out on the lash in London with friends and managed to get separated from them. Lady Luck smiled however and I pulled a drunk guy at Charing Cross instead - who, luckily for me, happened to be waiting for the same train I was. So we got the last train to the coast (the day the music died, etc etc) and made out as soon as we boarded. Later on as he was struggling to unhook my bra, a passenger walked into the empty carriage, so he panicked mid-fiddle, managing to somehow cut his finger on the hooks! So instead of a night of steamy romance, I got a drunk guy whining continuously about his poor widdle finger for the rest of the journey!

 

[Welshman]

Reading Taunton's post reminded me of the time in the early 1970s of travelling home at night with my then girlfriend, and, managing to secure a compartment to ourselves in the old Southern Region non-corridor stock, I used a handkerchief to remove the single bare light bulb in the ceiling, thus creating a more relaxing ambience in the compartment.

The journey passed far too quickly, but on alighting, I found to my embarrassment that the whole coach was in darkness!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Here's another railway romance disaster story.

So we got the last train to the coast (the day the music died, etc etc)

At least you didn't have to share the compartment with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

 

[GatwickDepress]

R

At least you didn't have to share the compartment with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Right in front of the three men I admire the most? Gosh, I'd have been far too embarrassed!

 

[Minilad]

My Voyager family (220,221,222) mileage stands at 544,122.34 as of last night!!

 

[ASharpe]

I once bought an off peak travel card to make a single journey from Guildford to London Victoria. I was new to Guildford and train fares and had to idea I could change at Clapham Junction.

 

[yorksrob]

Reading Taunton's post reminded me of the time in the early 1970s of travelling home at night with my then girlfriend, and, managing to secure a compartment to ourselves in the old Southern Region non-corridor stock, I used a handkerchief to remove the single bare light bulb in the ceiling, thus creating a more relaxing ambience in the compartment.

An idiosyncracy of the old class 405 4SUB units I understand

 

[Islineclear3_1]

An idiosyncracy of the old class 405 4SUB units I understand

Bah...you beat me to it regarding nicking the light bulb ....

Ok, so as I can't mention this again, I nicked the bog roll from a 2 Hap because I was hard up and couldn't afford to buy any...

 

[glbotu]

I remember a while back I was in a rush to get to Putney, having arrived from the Southern side at Clapham Junction. Running over to the Windsor side and seeing a 455 waiting in platform 6, I hopped on just as the doors were closing.

Everything seemed grand until the guard announced that the train was fast to Fulwell.............

 

[bussnapperwm]

First time I organised travel on the railways, I used thesheepline to book my tickets

 

[ainsworth74]

Good lord you people need to get a room rather than a public train!

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

I hate it when a 153 replaces the Pacer on Saturdays as I find the ride more fun on Nodding Donkeys.
I also fail to understand the widespread hatred of Voyagers, they seam no different to the Meridians that EMT run to me.
I saw a young woman get her skirt stuck on a constantly opening and shutting door while she was rushing through, after her embarrassing skirt rip, I gave her some of my holiday clothes I didn't like that I were given as a present.
I got on a train to Grantham from Notts by accident when going to Newark Castle.
I collapsed from dehydration on a train once and someone said a 25year old needs water, I was only 20

 

[6Gman]

We were on a family holiday in Scotland making day trips from Inverness.

On this particular day we had ventured all the way to Thurso. I checked the timetable, and confidently announced that the return journey was at 17.30

I had misread the timetable. 1730 was the departure time of the train from Kyle; the Thurso departure was 1715 (or something similar.

Fortunately we returned to the train early, settled in a comfy Mk I compartment - and were a little surprised to pull out at 1715!

God knows what my parents would have said - or we would have done - had we returned at 1720 for a "1730" departure!

 

[Welshman]

Good lord you people need to get a room rather than a public train!

We DID have rooms - in London University halls-of-residence.
Single-sex citadels, with burly guards who patrolled regularly at 9pm, ensuring that all "guests" were out!

This was 1970, remember!

 

[ChiefPlanner]

circa 1972 - Barmouth - aged 13 , confidentally planned a trip to Portmadog for the FR.

Summer timetable had gaps for the MWF freight workings.....at train time rolled in a class 24 with half a dozen wagons. We went the next day .....

 

[Techniquest]

I like Birmingham New Street.

 

[zuriblue]

I've only been on a class 442 once.

I miss the Class 304s of my misspent youth in Manchester. (Mainly due to the combination of the
Motor Brake single compartments and a member of the Tender Gender)

As well as the 506s on the Glossop line.

 

[GWRjake]

I'm also one of the seemingly select (some might say lucky!) few who have never travelled on a pacer, are they as bad as I hear?

 

[ainsworth74]

Yes and no is the best answer to that. They are both as bad as you have heard but also not as bad as you have heard.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Good lord you people need to get a room rather than a public train!

Well to be fair my lady friend and I did have a room of sorts!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Here's another railway romance disaster story.

A couple of years ago, I was out on the lash in London with friends and managed to get separated from them. Lady Luck smiled however and I pulled a drunk guy at Charing Cross instead - who, luckily for me, happened to be waiting for the same train I was. So we got the last train to the coast (the day the music died, etc etc) and made out as soon as we boarded. Later on as he was struggling to unhook my bra, a passenger walked into the empty carriage, so he panicked mid-fiddle, managing to somehow cut his finger on the hooks! So instead of a night of steamy romance, I got a drunk guy whining continuously about his poor widdle finger for the rest of the journey!

You silly girl you should have made a bee line for the toilets! Plenty of privacy in there as long as one of the two of you locked the bloody door!

 

[backontrack]

I'm starting to wish I had never made this thread...

I've never done caught a train in Wales.

 

[FQ]

Hang on a second, you're very anti-Voyager, yet you've never been on one! How can you state this then?!

1. I hate what other people have said about them
2. The smell foul from the outside (smell coming from inside)
3. The sound horrible
4. They look horrible
5. All of my family hates them
6. They replaced loads of good stuff on the XC and VT stuff
7. From what I have heard, they are claustrophobic like the 390s
8. They have major overcrowding issues
9. VT run them on routes that have wires all the way (EUS-Scotland via Brum)
10. VT run them on routes which have 158 miles under the wires and then only 20 not under wires (EUS-CTR)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

222s are about as unlike Voagers as you can get, insofar at least as passenger experience goes. 159s are nicer than 158s, certainly those horrid EMT ones anyway!

I have heard that but I still don't fancy traveling on one. Also this post

I hate it when a 153 replaces the Pacer on Saturdays as I find the ride more fun on Nodding Donkeys.
I also fail to understand the widespread hatred of Voyagers, they seam no different to the Meridians that EMT run to me.
I saw a young woman get her skirt stuck on a constantly opening and shutting door while she was rushing through, after her embarrassing skirt rip, I gave her some of my holiday clothes I didn't like that I were given as a present.
I got on a train to Grantham from Notts by accident when going to Newark Castle.
I collapsed from dehydration on a train once and someone said a 25year old needs water, I was only 20

 

[Techniquest]

Despite looking forward to their use with Northern starting, I've been unable to get up to Liverpool to have a ride on a 319 in the North West.

Even though they've been running for a while now, I've still not been able to get up to the Chiltern lines and sample a Class 68. It is on the agenda, yes, but there's just so much to do!

(I suppose I have the fortune of travelling on every class and sub-class with at least 1 example to make up for it)

 

[FQ]

I suggest getting down to the Chiltern network soon as the cats are brilliant! I only need 68013!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

7. From what I have heard, they are claustrophobic like the 390s
8. They have major overcrowding issues

7 Is the one thing they aren't - at least not when compared to the 390s anyway.

8 Is very true, however - mainly a result of them only being 4 or 5 cars each instead of the planned 7 car formations. as I understand it the shorter formations were forced on VXC ( as it then was ) by the DfT in around 1998 / 1999 when the order was being placed.