TT-ONR-NRN: Rail Days

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Have to agree they can be quite generous sometimes. One time coming back from King's Cross to Harrogate on the direct HST, I'd had a couple of beers with my evening meal, and the staff member came round just before Doncaster and asked if I'd like another. My response was "go on then, as I'm going through to Harrogate", to which he replied "you'd best have two then".

They are lovely on VTEC. On Saturday before doing the HC I popped to Inverkeithing with them, (then back down to N Queensferry to see the Forth Bridge) just from Edinburgh and I was sooo thirsty. The huge generous drinks offering happened later in the journey; Id not had anything since a not very thirst quenching hot chocolate three hours ago, and a coke and hour before that. (I know trains to London don't take six hours but I'd had a brief look around Edinburgh too) . The food came round, but the drinks were in an other carriage and the announcement that we were arriving in to Inverkeithing came on. I dashed to the FoodBar and showed my ticket ultra quick as the station appeared in view asking for a coke as the drinks trolley wasn't there. He took quite a while to get me a coke, but as I thankfully took the bag just as the doors were unlocked I realised it had two cokes, plus two bags of crisps! I'm going to end up so unhealthy from this Scotland trip - thankfully I never put on weight; I'm as skinny as a pole!

"Just to keep you going," he said.

I do love Virgin Trains East Coast

 

[rg177]

See you've had the well renowned Geordie and Scottish crews, who are known for being more generous with their offerings and their attitudes in general.

I've had one Yorkshire crew simply fail to serve me anything on a 70 minute journey then barge past me to get off the train, and another serve me as little as they could before sitting in the staff area swearing about how much they hate passengers. These were in the early VTEC days, and in a similar way to how I haven't had to deal with someone rude in Newcastle's ticket office in a good two years, I suspect that they've either left or management have cottoned on and retrained them.

Sent from my F3111 using Tapatalk

 

[Techniquest]

People like that don't last long in retail, especially not without a no tea and no biscuits meeting or two first...Believe it or not we're more brutal than catering at times...

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Wasp Attack!

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try and win a few GWR units, so with my Oxfordshire Day Ranger took winners 450041 and 450560 to Basingstoke and 166204 (winner) to Reading. Dud 220017 took me to Oxford, where I ate a Dominos Pizza and took winners 43193 and 43182 to Charlbury. Oxford and Charlbury are horrendously wasp infected! They tried in vain to attack me numerous times. Dud 180102 took me to Reading. I then went back and forth to Didcot Parkway on 43017 + 43151, 43165 + 43185 swallow livery, 43063 + 43069 and 43179 + 43088. 43198 + 43135 whisked me to Oxford again, with 43022 + 43087 going back to Reading. 165113 concludes the evening at Farnborough North.

 

[55013]

Looks like a nice day out, except the Domino's pizza - they always feel to me like someone's given them a fine dusting of sand.

 

[Cowley]

Looks like a nice day out, except the Domino's pizza - they always feel to me like someone's given them a fine dusting of sand.

They do taste like that!
Looked like a good 43 bash there. Good to get them in.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Thank you. The pizza wasn’t great actually, too much tomato purée. Then again, I don’t have mozzarella so I notice the tomato more.

Junk Overload

I can’t find my pad, so I’ll do an edit soon and add the unit numbers.

I felt like scoring some more HSTs, so today I got another Oxfordshire Day Ranger and took a 165 to Reading. Double 450 to Wokingham and 166 return then, back to Wokingham on double 450 and return on another turbo.

166 to Oxford, then XC took me to Banbury and back down to Oxford, took dud 180102 back to Reading.

HST to Didcot Parkway, returning on a 166. Back to Didcot again on an HST, planned to go back and forth all day but decided enough was enough. GWR Standard class is horrible; couldn’t take anymore of it, so took the Worcester HST and paid £7.50 for an upgrade from Didcot. Enjoyed first class travel through the Cotswolds as far as Evesham, got a very nice host who gave me a “Junk Overload” bag of Popcorn, Croissant, Fruit Cake x3, Golden Oat Crumbles x3, Peanuts, Tea, Coke, etc.

Then 166 to Oxford (diagrammed as an HST so disappointing grr), another to Didcot, an HST again to Reading and two car 165 to North Camp, where I drove to Farnham.

 

[Darandio]

where I drove to Farnham.

I hope you mean 'driven'?

It does sound you had a good day out though.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Thanks, but, um no.

“Where I driven to Farnham?”

That is not grammatically correct.

 

[Darandio]

Thanks, but, um no.

“Where I driven to Farnham?”

That is not grammatically correct.

"Where I was driven to Farnham"

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Oh. Yes.

 

[cactustwirly]

Thank you. The pizza wasn’t great actually, too much tomato purée. Then again, I don’t have mozzarella so I notice the tomato more.

Junk Overload

I can’t find my pad, so I’ll do an edit soon and add the unit numbers.

I felt like scoring some more HSTs, so today I got another Oxfordshire Day Ranger and took a 165 to Reading. Double 450 to Wokingham and 166 return then, back to Wokingham on double 450 and return on another turbo.

166 to Oxford, then XC took me to Banbury and back down to Oxford, took dud 180102 back to Reading.

HST to Didcot Parkway, returning on a 166. Back to Didcot again on an HST, planned to go back and forth all day but decided enough was enough. GWR Standard class is horrible; couldn’t take anymore of it, so took the Worcester HST and paid £7.50 for an upgrade from Didcot. Enjoyed first class travel through the Cotswolds as far as Evesham, got a very nice host who gave me a “Junk Overload” bag of Popcorn, Croissant, Fruit Cake x3, Golden Oat Crumbles x3, Peanuts, Tea, Coke, etc.

Then 166 to Oxford (diagrammed as an HST so disappointing grr), another to Didcot, an HST again to Reading and two car 165 to North Camp, where I drove to Farnham.

Sounds like a good day in my (sort of) local patch.
The GWR standard class is excellent (one of my favourite interiors), although the EMT interior is starting to grow on me (but don't tell fishquinn that!)
I can't see why you would prefer the horrid interior found in the 220/221/390s.
As for first, I've literally only been in first class once! I find that it's not normally worth the difference in price.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Sounds like a good day in my (sort of) local patch.
The GWR standard class is excellent (one of my favourite interiors), although the EMT interior is starting to grow on me (but don't tell fishquinn that!)
I can't see why you would prefer the horrid interior found in the 220/221/390s.
As for first, I've literally only been in first class once! I find that it's not normally worth the difference in price.

Mmm. Well it depends on what you like in first. I enjoy the complimentaries and leather upholstery.

 

[Techniquest]

As nice as GWR First Class is on HSTs, I wouldn't have paid that extra. Did I also read you went to Evesham, which is not valid on an Oxfordshire Day Ranger? I might have mis-read that given it was read before coffee...

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

The guard told me he would be fine with me going to Evesham so I wouldn’t have to worry about waiting at a deserted Moreton iM for ages

 

[fishquinn]

I agree about GWR HST standard class - absolutely rubbish. 1st class on the other hand...

Cactus - The EMT interior is excellent so it'd obviously grow on you

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

More to come. Big plans for Monday!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

“Oh my God it’s Faye!!!!”

Only a quick one today, although a big one tomorrow! I did a Thames Path walk from Marlow to Henley-on-Thames, returning by train.

165129 took me from Henley-on-Thames to Twyford - this had that new Janine voice. I then journeyed across to Maidenhead on 165122. After dinner at one of the restaurants 165136 was boarded and I was so surprised and excited to find that the old Faye Dicker announcements were played throughout the journey back to Marlow instead of the new Janine ones. I am unique in thinking this - but i think Faye’s announcements are much better - more entertaining. Sadly, I think that will be a one off and I’ll be back to hearing Janine tomorrow.

 

[cactustwirly]

“Oh my God it’s Faye!!!!”

Only a quick one today, although a big one tomorrow! I did a Thames Path walk from Marlow to Henley-on-Thames, returning by train.

165129 took me from Henley-on-Thames to Twyford - this had that new Janine voice. I then journeyed across to Maidenhead on 165122. After dinner at one of the restaurants 165136 was boarded and I was so surprised and excited to find that the old Faye Dicker announcements were played throughout the journey back to Marlow instead of the new Janine ones. I am unique in thinking this - but i think Faye’s announcements are much better - more entertaining. Sadly, I think that will be a one off and I’ll be back to hearing Janine tomorrow.

Nice! Those are my favourite 2 branch lines, the walk along the Thames path is quite scenic.

I believe there are a few turbos floating around with the old announcements, I too prefer Faye.

Feels really wierd, reading about turbos when my local stock is now 156s, 158s, 170s, 222s & HSTs, instead of turbos. It also feels weird that Twyford is no longer my local station (technically it is my legal address, but I'm there for less than half the year).

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I know the ticket office man at Twyford, the older one - not the famous Norman someone who retired, but the one who’s still there. Less of the Turbos, more of the HSTs today. Setting off in half an hour; returning at 18:30 - report will hopefully come tonight

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Whoops, didn't have time to write the report. I can now though.

"I'll take the platter, please,"

Monday the 23rd October commenced my first ride on a 800 and also my first time experiencing the upgraded first class menu.

450020 and 450120 took me from Farnborough Main to Basingstoke, where I changed onto 166207. I'm warming to the voice of Janine...

43016+43129 chugged in and whisked me away to Didcot Parkway, returning on 165109. I was annoyed about that, I was going to go on an HST but it was cancelled. Grr.

Bought another ticket to Parkway, this time in first class. Took 43040 and 43014 there, enjoyed a platter of chicken salad sandwiches with cake and croissants. (The other option was Ploughmans but as I strongly dislike cheese I declined).

800006 returned me. The guard was apparently a forum member!
I wonder if I can get compensation for my first class ticket if I show them a photo of my leaflet titled "What you get in GWR First class" and the part where it promises leather seats, and then say I got on an 800? Oh dear, is that bad of me? It probably is, oh well.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

HST to Oxford, back on winner 180106. Back to Oxford on 221119 and across to Parkway on 168207.
Chiltern 165028 was met with a scowl as it arrived into Parkway - the one scheduled turbo to Oxford and it had to be my train, didn't it! Not fair - prefer Clubmans by far.

165111 was on the stopper to Paddington, took it to Didcot and returned to Reading on 43139 and 43094. An unidentified 165 returned me to Farnborough North, where I got a lift back to Farnham.

 

[Starmill]

There is some sort of sickly sweet smell in the vestibules, sort of like an air freshener, but that's a good thing I suppose.

I think it's toilet cleaner.

 

[Techniquest]

Someone preferring 168s to 165s on Chiltern? I am appalled! Much tutting, finger pointing, shaking of head and getting my pitchfork ready...

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Pitchfork? Sounds alarming, and yes I prefer clubmans (or should I say clubmen) to Chiltern Turbos.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Don’t like the exTPEX ones though, the seats are different and hard.

 

[Techniquest]

Pitchfork? Sounds alarming, and yes I prefer clubmans (or should I say clubmen) to Chiltern Turbos.

It's not an actual pitchfork, it's a metaphorical one, don't worry!

Oh dear! Oh dear, oh dear! is all I'll say, and many of us will realise that's a Chuckle Brothers reference. The rest of you will have to Google it. I can't bring myself to travel on a 168 or 170 when I have the choice!

 

[Starmill]

I mean, I can see why someone would be a fan of a Turbo and I wouldn't criticise that, I quite like to bounce along on one every now and again myself, (although some GW ones cosmetically nasty). However I completely fail to understand what's wrong with a Turbostar to the point that you couldn't travel on one.

 

[cactustwirly]

I mean, I can see why someone would be a fan of a Turbo and I wouldn't criticise that, I quite like to bounce along on one every now and again myself, (although some GW ones cosmetically nasty). However I completely fail to understand what's wrong with a Turbostar to the point that you couldn't travel on one.

I don't think the GW ones are that bad, they're just a bit tired. They're much better than anything operated by Northern, or the ATW 143s & 150s

Sure the turbostars are drony and rattly as hell, but they're much better than say a 150 or 142, and the seats are very comfortable.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I plan to get a 7 day season ticket in first between Reading and Didcot (although I can only do 3 days with it) travelling first on 32x HSTs and 9x IETs. I will write up about it if this happens - although it won't be that interesting going back and forth. Might type up the given complimentaries though.