GB Railrover 2024

Notes:
As before my thanks to Real Time Trains for the material in the links.

Operations on the Day

My initial journeys are not covered by the Rover – I have to get from home to London Euston so take the 20:40 Sandhurst to Guildford (2O90) and then the 21:15 Guildford to London Waterloo (1P72) and the Northern line.  Buying the right ticket proves impossible as neither guard has the right sort of machine to produce a ticket allowing TfL travel.  So I buy a ticket to Waterloo and then use my Oyster card which needs topping up – so debits my account with £20 – it all adds up.

SWR have a points problem at Woking and a freight train waiting a driver at Clapham Junction which leads to a significantly late arrival, although it is questionable if I would succeed with a delay/repay claim.  The train unusually uses the Windsor Line Shed (the old International station) and terminates in platform 23 so we snake across numerous points to reach this destination – and it will depart as a train to Reading.

The sleeper is sitting on platform 1 at Euston and is ready to board once I get to the station.  I find my cabin (sole occupation) and dump my bags before heading back to the club car for a glass of red wine and coffee.  I return to the cabin by departure and try to sleep  but the noise seems oppressive and I can sleep on most trains!  After nearly 30 minutes we rumble to a halt – at Watford Junction.  Hmmm.

I settle down again and this time sleep for about an hour and overall I reckon I get around five and a half hours, with the alarm going off at 06:20 shortly before breakfast – ordered last night is delivered to the berth.

As the linked times reveal there appears to be plenty of slack in the booked times as we are running late at one point and yet easily recover to arrive on the working time which is a chunk earlier than the public times.

Rolling Stock

Class 92 top and I assume tailed as the one at the rear at Euston took my portion onwards to Edinburgh after the train was split at Carstairs – I woke to find the train at rest there – and so it was an early awakening.  It was light and so I could watch the world pass by as we headed in to the capital city.

This is the relatively new Mark V coaching stock which had a torrid time at introduction and on which I believe a lot of money has been spent to achieve decent service quality since delivery.  Certainly having slept reasonably well and not been uncomfortable I did not have a problem.  Trying to sort out one or two things between bags is not easy given the limited space but all essential needs are met and the noises seemed less of a problem once we were running smoothly.

There was water on the floor of the toilet, source not immediately obvious and some of the initial clunking noises did not give the right impression, although not preventing sleeping once I became used to them.  I did not find the bar stools in the club car at all comfortable.  Service was generally friendly and it is a convenient way to get from the south to Scotland.

Ticket Checks

Absolutely none – the sleeper berth booking was checked a couple of times by the sleeper staff as it is bought separately from the all line rover but the physical ticket was not checked at all.

Summary

Well apart from the delays into Waterloo a very solid start to the rail rover – ending up in the right place at the right time, breakfast consumed and ready for the day ahead.

Notes:
As before my thanks to Real Time Trains for the material in the links.

Operations on the Day

Today I have my first opportunity to travel the Borders line to Tweedbank closed in 1969 and re-opened in September 2015 and once we get off the Edinburgh main line the first few stations are close together.  Noticeably the car parks along the line (and at many other Scotrail stations) are very full.  As we get further along the line the stations are more widely spread and I know from driving through the Borders Country the much touted extension towards Carlisle passes through many sheep but no real conurbations which will provide traffic.  A pity it was not constructed as electrified line and my understanding is that spare capacity for additional services is limited – but decent patronage.

Highlight on the return journey is to spot a deer in an adjacent field which seems unsure if it should runaway.

My next journey is westwards on the line to Helensburgh Central via Bathgate  on a line previously either part closed or freight only which was reinstated in 2010 as an electrified line and now attracts significant passenger usage through the main Central Belt of Scotland.  West of Glasgow it eventually joins the line to the West Highlands before reaching Helensburgh Central.

Retracing my steps slightly I am now going to visit a pair of branch termini – Balloch at the southern end of Loch Lomond and Milngavie where I suddenly realise that my incoming train does not form the outgoing connection which is pawing the ground awaiting a green signal at the other platform.  I was already at the front pair of doors and walk around the end of the two trains and onto the rear doors of the unit which is ready to depart.

That was scary!

This runs through to Glasgow Queen Street Low Level and I ascend into the modern main station.  Here I have time for a cup of coffee before joining an I7C (HST stock) for a train to Inverness.  For the first time today I am in real comfort in some well maintained and recently updated rolling stock and with decent power these units are providing some real quality for travellers as we head up to the Highlands.  This is very definitely the way to travel.

The line to Tweedbank is mainly agricultural as we get away from Edinburgh whilst even the Central Belt line via Bathgate is not entirely devoid of some open fields, although more industrialised than earlier.  West of Glasgow the line runs along the Clyde river – largely mud on this tidal area but later in the week it will be passed covered with water.  Once heading towards the Highlands the landscape starts changing significantly as we travel towards Inverness especially as we parallel the A9 for a large chunk of the journey and are typically moving faster than the road traffic as we traverse the Cairngorms National Park which covers the line from around Killiecrankie until a little way short of Tomatin.  Lovely to watch the world go by!

Lunch was easily obtained when I first arrived at Edinburgh this morning and consumed whilst using the Bathgate line.  Pre-planning meant that dinner was booked for the Mustard Seed in Inverness and this is located along the river front and is recommended.  Many mussels and followed by an some excellent venison.

The four branch termini (Tweedbank, Helensburgh Central, Balloch (sadly the onward length Balloch Pier is long gone) and Milngavie have not previously been visited so quite a bit of new track covered today and one of the most interesting changes was Westerton where I caught a train once before and remember it being a little bit of a wasteland.  It is now developed all around, with relatively modern developments showing a huge increase in residential development in the area.

Trains were generally all well used and time keeping was generally excellent throughout the day.

Rolling Stock

On the Borders line Class 170 with first class accommodation is used, although it was not clear that first class tickets are available and indeed there seems to be a war on first class on many journeys – one wonders why operators are so keen to forego revenue from first class (probably slightly warped view as I was travelling on a first class ticket ahead of a particular journey later in the week).

The electric operations are a variety of class 334, 318 and 320 units notably one of each of the latter two paired up and this must be deliberate to run the two types together for some reason.  All workmanlike and varying degrees of dirt.  Heavily used workhorses and nothing wrong with that.

The I7C units are a class apart of course and have the benefit of a lot of spare power (compared to the weight) to get trains moving rapidly and then to hold decent speeds on the main lines.  Very comfortable seating and inevitably a snooze or two happened as we headed northwards.

Ticket Checks

I found Edinburgh rather strange – a ticket was needed to get through the barrier off of the sleeper but joining the train to Helensburgh later did not mean passing through barriers as I recall.  On train the trip on the Class 170 there were ticket checks on the train and the same was true on all of the electric services where the checking was regular.  Given that there are often two units coupled on these services I have to assume that both units are each carrying revenue staff which means three people on a train – a long way from Thameslink services!

Summary

An excellent day – not the best of weather but that matters little when on a train and it improved in the Highlands.  The excellent time keeping and rail activities made it all straightforward with little worry or concern.  A solidly boring and reliable railway today.

Notes:
As before my thanks to Real Time Trains for the material in the links.

Operations on the Day

An early start this morning as it takes a long time to get to the Far North!  As far as Dingwall I am on previously explored track having travelled to Kyle of Lochalsh and over to Skye using the ferry (long before the bridge was constructed).  However the onward route to Thurso and Wick is all new ground.

I have been this way since that trip by car – but the rail line takes a very different route particularly north of Helmsdale where the road stays close to the coast and my route today goes inland.  Rail is now at a huge disadvantage to road in journey time as the rail route has to go inland first to Beauly whilst the road traverses the Kessock Bridge and again near Dornoch where the road has a bridge whilst the trains go inland to Bonar Bridge to cross the Kyle of Sutherland.  The former is perhaps less of a problem than the latter which adds a lot to the journey time.

Weather is much improved this morning and there are decent loadings on the service as we head North.  With the request stops on the line now having modern facilities to alert train crew to waiting passengers we go through most of them at close to line speed so easing the pressure on the driver.  Dunrobin Castle is an exception as a number of passengers alight there to visit the castle.

Train crews exchange at Lairg with those on the southbound unit taking us onwards and our crew taking charge of the unit heading towards Inverness.

Spotted several times today is a new countryside adornment.  About three or four times today a digger is randomly “abandoned” in the corner of a field adjacent to the line.  All of them seem left with no obvious digging work to undertake and no staff anywhere near.  Quite why or what they represent remains a mystery.  It seems like a lot of expensive machinery to leave almost lying around – although with the low level of population they are unlikely to go anywhere.

The route is far more rural and heavily populated by sheep (and some cows).  In nearly every case the low service frequency means that we are given a display, particularly by lambs and calves, of how fast they can run from the noisy machine which might be about to enter the field and chase them around.  Older ewes are less prone to run, staring at the mad antics of their offspring as they make a run for it.  Needless to say the ewes have seen it all before – probably yesterday.

Once the line has turned inland at Helmsdale much of the route is over the Flow Country which is new to me.  it is an extensive blanket bog system of peat which acts as a significant way of addressing the climate change and is currently seeking World Heritage site classification – a decision is awaited.

At the far end of the line the train reverses at Georgemas Junction before heading to the furthermost north station of Thurso and then heading back to Wick where lunch is acquired in a very conveniently located Coop.  An hour after arrival a new train crew starts us up with a journey to Thurso before again reversing at Georgemas Junction and retracing our earlier steps.

On the return journey we have a long period where it appears a TSR has been imposed since our outward journey and we lose time.  We steadily recover the time as our journey continues until we reach Connell Ferry where the time is largely lost as a large coach party leaves us and we are late into Inverness.

Jump off near the front of the train and run around to the departure platform for the train to Aberdeen and jump on the first door where the guard is standing.  A two minute connection and I make it.  Quite why the train leaves at that time I am not sure as a couple of stations down the line it has to await a working in the other direction before entering a single line section.   Another I7C  unit so very comfortable for this run.

Lovely countryside through here and in addition to the other wildlife there is a hare which runs briefly and then sits upright with huge ears in a ploughed field.  More deer too.  It looks like good farming country.

The hotel in Aberdeen is immediately outside the station and is at the very least convenient.

Rolling Stock

The lack of refreshments both ways to Wick is a slight problem and something on the service to Aberdeen would have been welcome – a huge coffee deficit today.  No first class on the Far North line – but a decent loading particularly on the southbound journey with the coach tour of pensioners who had presumably gone north on the coach so were making a one way journey on 158.  As already mentioned the I7C to Aberdeen was very comfortable.

Ticket Checks

The crews on the Far North line carried out checks plus there was a check on the way to Aberdeen.  Scotrail are good at regular ticket checks.

Summary

An absolutely wonderful day for the scenery – nine hours on one unit with a brief break in Wick was somewhat boring – but apart from the resulting tight connection in Inverness it was a lovely day to see the scenery.

 

Notes:
As before my thanks to Real Time Trains for the material in the links.

Operations on the Day

The day starts well – breakfast on the Penzance Quay at Sullivans – and even though it is 6:30 in the morning the sun is shining and they have outdoor seats and it is a great way to start the day!  A couple of weeks later even Rishi Sunak is using it after using the sleeper!

First up is the little line to St Ives – the first service of the day uses the through connection and then the unit gets locked into the branch for the rest of the day until the final working in the evening with the token being collected from the signal box briefly after serving St Erth station.  Whilst the beach at Carbis Bay is unoccupied this early the train is seeing a number of users besides myself.

The timetables work fairly well at this point and re-joining main line after the branch perambulation means that I can take first class to Truro where I disembark for the second new branch line of the day to Falmouth Docks.

Picking up the main line service again at Truro is straightforward and there are then announcements that there are possible problems in the Weston-Super-Mare area and I am conscious that the service to Severn Beach sometimes interworks to and from Weston and therefore that my timings may be disrupted.  In addition I remain aware of the possibility that the Cross Country planned to Bristol Temple Meads would be heavily loaded after the experience yesterday.

So a further replan of the next part of the journey is undertaken.

Plan Dep	Headcode	Route	Plan Arr	NRT miles
09:53	1A82	Truro to Tiverton Parkway	12:29	122.25
12:40	1S49	Tiverton Parkway - Bristol Parkway	13:43	65.75
14:05	1B15	Bristol Parkway - Cardiff Central	14:37	33.5
14:50	2Y55	Cardiff Central - Barry Island	15:24	9.25
15:26	2M42	Barry Island - Barry	15:30	0.75
16:05	2E40	Barry - Bridgend	16:38	19.0
16:58	1B19	Bridgend - Swansea	17:30	27.25
18:19	2M12	Swansea - Llandrinod	20:48	69.75

NRT only provides distances via Weston-super-Mare (presumably because there are no stations on the avoiding line).  The loop line is about four miles and the avoiding line is less so the above mileage is slightly overstated, subsequent digging in the Sectional Appendices identify that the direct route is physically a mile shorter than the loop via the town so not overly significant.

So I lose the mileage to Severn Beach and add the rather modest distance to Barry Island from Barry having passed over this route before it was added back into the passenger network in June 2005.  It also eases a slightly tight connection at Swansea which might have been problematic.  I did not subsequently check the trips I would have taken – but better safe than sorry.

I therefore stay on the GWR service to Tiverton Parkway and then pick up a Cross Country service to Bristol Parkway (which I had planned to catch at Exeter but decided to stay put to minimise time on Cross Country).  The Cross Country service is well laden again and we are held for a few minutes before coming to a rest at Bristol Parkway.

My train westwards is delayed by a slow freight which has been pathed in front of the service and we lose a few more minutes on the journey through the Severn tunnel and into Cardiff Central.  The various perturbations seem to have hit GWR again today.

TfW class 150 for the journey down to Barry Docks where the adjacent fun fair is undergoing pre-season maintenance.  There is a large multi-generational family traveling together from Cardiff on this service and they disembark en masse and seek to exit the station – except that they don’t and they rejoin the service (as do I watching closely).  Once we get back to Barry they all disembark again and this time the leave the station.  Looks like they went a stop too far.

I have time to walk to the far end of the platform and observe the new trains currently stabled in the new stabling point at Barry having recovered the site from the former preservation railway.  The trains are due to enter service in the near future as the local valley lines are upgraded.

A further 150 takes me onto Bridgend along the line re-instated to passengers in 2005 and using terminal platform 1A at Bridgend (avoiding the hated platform 0 designation used elsewhere).  The next service is running late and loses time all the way from Swindon as it heads to Bridgend.  I had hoped to use the time in Swansea to find something hot to eat as a takeaway on the next journey as I fear that dinner at my destination will be limited.  Quickly poking my nose outside the station shows no obvious take aways and with time now limited I return to the station – but cannot join the waiting train as the crew are not there.

A celebrity is spotted on the service into Swansea – the actress Sian Phillips is identified leaving the train and heading off along the platform – she comes from South Wales originally.

It is a long time since I last traversed the Heart of Wales line but I do recall some stunning scenery – it is still there but much of the line now runs through an effective tree-lined route and the scenery is therefore hard to see – the trees have been allowed to grow here (and elsewhere) so the views are simply impossible to see.

The service on this line is thin and is to be reduced in December – and yet the trains are well loaded and one wonders if running a more frequent service might raise more revenue than the marginal costs.  Unfortunately these days such approaches are rare.

All is going well until we get towards Llanwrtyd Wells where these days the two crews swap over with the Shrewsbury crew returning home and the Swansea crew doing likewise.  Except that tonight each crew has decided that they want to take their own train home and all the passengers on the two trains have to walk along the train, over the foot crossing and join the other unit.

The unit on which I arrived heads off happily back to Swansea.  However we remain stationary.  And now the potential impact on my ability to get anything to eat is starting to worry me.  The northern set of points had been reset to allow the other unit to depart north after our arrival and apparently nothing would now change them to enable us to move off to the north.  If the decision to swap units had been conveyed to the signalling team the points need not have been changed after our arrival (although possibly they had to to permit the other unit to enter the loop).  So until permission is obtained to hand crank the points and that has been done we cannot leave.  Over 30 minutes late.  In the December timetable change the crossing point will move to Llandrinod Wells because there is a larger population and it is not so remote – so one wonders just how often this happens.

Going downhill we recover some time but the only place to get food has already stopped cooking fish and there are a couple of fishcakes.  Why do the Welsh give up so early?

At least I am able to book into my hotel, eat the fishcakes (not particularly palatable either), and catch up on the score as Southampton are playing the second leg of the play offs which they win.

Rolling Stock

A real mixture today with modern inter city stock and class 150 units at the other extreme.  Services generally well loaded – even the Heart of Wales line unit is well loaded on the departure from Swansea and Llanelli as it takes passengers home up the line having had a day out.

Ticket Checks

Very mixed – obviously checked on the branch lines but little evidence on the main line trains.

Summary

Not a good day for time keeping.  Obviously the initial cancellation of the planned Cross Country service which was the planned highpoint of the entire trip.  Then GWR seemed to have a problem in the Swindon area delaying trains and then the problem with TfW / Network Rail at Llanwtryd Wells which is presumably down to equipment failure – but it took the edge of the good running enjoyed over the other days and indeed on the decent times on other trains today.

 

Notes:
As before my thanks to Real Time Trains for the material in the links.

Operations on the Day

A bacon sandwich in the hotel where they kindly arrange to open the kitchen early and I am on the platform ready for the train onwards to Shrewsbury which started some hours earlier at Swansea.  Any points problems have been fixed as it rolls in on time.

New track never previously covered from here to the junction with the line to Craven Arms.  Shrewsbury to Wrexham has been covered previously but the Borderlands line between Dee Marsh Junction and Bidston is probably new track (I certainly cannot remember covering it).  There is some uncertainty about how and why I might have visited this area previously which will need some more research.

At Bidston I am briefly on a third rail network into Liverpool Lime Street where it is a long walk upstairs to take new track (again) to Wigan NW where I join the WCML and an Avanti service for the trip to Lancaster.  I cannot be bothered to walk to the back of the train and instead join one of the Standard Premium coaches – which are also marked first class.  This is an uninspiring bodge up – which the train staff are seeking to market and yet on ECML they are filling first class.  It is unclear what Avanti are trying to achieve by re-introducing a “second class” – deliver a proper first class solution and garner the additional revenue – many other operators could do that too simply by providing some better seating for first class.  The apparently forced removal of first class on many trains is hard to fathom.

At Lancaster I have a few minutes before the Cumbrian Coast line service to Barrow in Furness so can pick up a coffee once I find the relevant outlet as the place seems to be covered in scaffolding hiding all signage.  The onward train is running late and the guard offers advice on where to be to access the subway at Barrow in Furness to catch the train onto the rest of the Cumbrian Coast – but he is pretty certain that the connection will be held as they are used to delays.

As ever the journey along the coast through Grange-over-Sands is stunning – yet another supremely picturesque view available from the trains in this country – especially with the sun shining on it as it is today.

My previous visit used the cut off from Dalton Junction to Park South Junction so going through Barrow-in-Furness station is a first.  At Ravenglass the L’il Ratty is in evidence and thereafter it is new track for the rest of the day.  We subsequently cross West Country Braunton leading a railtour and the conductor gives fair warning.

The trip north along the coast to Maryport not only has attractive scenery – the hills of the Lake District on one side and the sea on the other make for some lovely views although the bulk of the former nuclear station at Sellafield which is now the centre of decommissioning of the first generation of nuclear power stations is perhaps less attractive.

Beyond Maryport we turn inland to Carlisle.  Some of the route is single track north of Sellafield but with many level crossings and ancient signalling systems  the line remains expensive to operate.  Loadings are good on this train all the way to Carlisle.

In the original plans the connection at Carlisle was around five minutes into the next service but this has eased and I was easily able to shift across the station in time for the onward journey through Northumberland.  Again this is attractive countryside as we head through Haltwhistle and Hexham to reach Newcastle where a hotel and dinner await.

Rolling Stock

More or less from the sublime to the ridiculous – a class 153 to start the day, an almost new class 777 on the third rail, Pendolino on the WCML and Northern units around the Cumbrian Coast and across Northumberland.  Most of the trains seemed to have decent loading and apart from odd minutes here and there generally running pretty close to time.

The Class 777 units are now working a good proportion of the Merseyrail network and my brief experience shows that they are capable of doing a good job.  There is a problem with the battery units because no-one could work out how to extend the third rail – a sad reflection on the inability of the modern railways to stand up for themselves with no-one even attempting a safety case for the extension to Headbolt Lane.

It was also a brand new 197 unit on the Borderlands line – it should be former A stock / Vivarail conversion but these are not achieving the required level of reliability as yet.

Ticket Checks

Nothing on Avanti West Coast at all but at least one check on most services – although I am pretty sure that some other travellers underpaid on the Borderlands line – and they only paid to Bidston but were apparently going on into Liverpool for the football judging by the discussion!

Summary

Hugely attractive scenery particularly around the Cumbrian Coast and then across Northumberland.  The sun shone most of the time so it was actually quite warm on some of the trains.

Notes:
As before my thanks to Real Time Trains for the material in the links.

Operations on the Day

Having spent the night in Newcastle an Azuma soon has me back in Edinburgh; it is misty this morning so the views are not so good as earlier in the week.   A very early plan for the week had me spending an additional night in Edinburgh to cover some local services – and this return allows those to be covered.

I leave Edinburgh in the direction from which I arrived as I am heading to North Berwick for a little section of new track down the branch line before re-visiting Edinburgh once again and I then take two trips over the Forth Bridge as I circumnavigate the Fife Circle – there are few trains around the circle during the week but are common at the weekend and so I cover the curve into Glenrothes-with-Thornton.  This section re-opened to passenger traffic in 1989 with the station being constructed in 1992 with the oddity that the two platforms are both capable of bi-directional operation.  A return visit to this area will be required from June 2024 when the branch to Leven is re-opened to passenger traffic but these are to be routed by the coastal route so not covering the west to north curve at Thornton Junction.

Dodge of the day when planning the detail was to detrain at Haymarket and consequently make a connection onto the next service without having to run around like a headless chicken – simply up to the concourse and down the other side – if I had thought about it I might even have had time for a cup of coffee but better safe than sorry!

I leave Edinburgh (Haymarket) for the last time on this holiday by another one of the routes to Glasgow – this time via Shotts which is less developed than the route via Bathgate take earlier in the trip.  The train rolls into Glasgow Central and originally my plan was to use my time here to traverse the Glasgow subway and see the new trains  currently being introduced.

However I will be arriving in Oban far too late to eat.  The meal last night was poor – and I have not had a really decent meal since Inverness.  A little review of restaurant possibilities throws up a branch of the Gaucho chain conveniently half way between Central and Queen Street stations!  As it is mid-afternoon the absence of a booking is not a problem (earlier visits to Scotland had taught me that without a booking you can rapidly be turned away from many restaurants so care is needed).  An excellent steak (far better than one in the Station Hotel Aberdeen) and a glass of Rioja are very welcome given my travels.  I sit and reflect on how excellent most of the time keeping has been over recent days and a decent meal is far better than travelling around the Glasgow Subway – so another return visit is needed – also to cover most of the rail lines south of the Clyde.

Never having previously been outside a station in Glasgow it is a pleasant walk through the City Centre and the distance between the two main stations is perhaps less than anticipated.

A hugely disappointing event then happened.  The unit for the Oban working is obviously standing on platform 5 for the 18:21 departure.  The gates and announcement are made at about 18:19 – so there is a mad dash of passengers with a fair degree of luggage, bikes and so forth.  And finally at 18:21 the train doors are opened.  Given that there are signs indicating that doors will be closed 30 seconds prior to departure this treatment of passengers is simply wrong.  There is mad panic as people scramble aboard and try to find seats.  I guess incorrectly and sit on the “wrong” side of the train in the rush.  Departure happens at 18:23.

Scotrail this is the second time today when doors open too close to departure time (the train to North Berwick being the other one).  It cannot aid running off on time services and is far from best treatment for passengers.  If you cannot ensure staff are in the right place to allow earlier door opening at terminals then you are not planning correctly.

We again depart out through the north west districts of Glasgow which were visited earlier in the week and then take the line the north-west.  So again I run past the northern edge of the River Clyde and it then passes alongside Gare Loch and Loch Long for an extended distance.  The views then switch to the other side as are running along Loch Lomond, with a slightly different viewpoint to the road which is right on the edge of the Loch.  At Crianlarich the line splits and we head off to the left and running close to the A85 Old Military Road and the River Lochy which we follow until we pick up the River Orchy which feeds Loch Awe.  We then turn up to Loch Etive which we track to Connel Ferry, long replaced by a bridge, before running southwards and then north to run into the much simplified Oban station.  We pass the Royal Scotsman train running away from Oban.

Oban is much reduced and my hotel resides on the former freight depot – but allows bags to be dumped before a drink in an adjacent public house.

Rolling Stock

The Azuma gave a good ride back across the border and the only real question is if they are worth what they have cost as they are expensive.

Scotrail units are not overly clean – hence some photos showing light streaks from the muck on the windows.  Internally they are not too bad given the usage.

All generally in good order with class 156 units to Crianlarich and a single unit to Oban.  Generally good loadings on most services – the early Azuma to Edinburgh was lightly loaded but to my slight surprise the train to North Berwick was well loaded as were the other local trains.  It looked like the majority of passengers on the Oban service were actually going all the way with few leaving at intermediate stations.  I remain of the opinion that ensuring trains can be accessed a few minutes before departure from the commencing terminal so that people can be seated before the journey commences is a good thing.

Ticket Checks

A little sparse today compared with some of the ticket checking undertaken earlier in the week by Scotrail – but still in evidence.

Summary

This turned out to be an excellent way to pass a Sunday avoiding any delays due to engineering.  Inevitably wonderful scenery on the line to Oban – even being sat on the wrong side for the best of it.  The evening sun lighting up the Highland hillsides beautifully.

 

Notes:
As before my thanks to Real Time Trains for the material in the links.

Operations on the Day

I suppose a die-hard enthusiast would (like the Heart of Wales line) have taken the very early service out of Oban – I am too old for such action.  The light does not work so well on the surroundings as it did last night but it  remains another attractive landscape through which to travel which of course retraces all the way to Glasgow Queen Street.

An unusual way to reach Glasgow Central is to take the local service to Anniesland using a chord which closed in 1985 and was lifted in 1988.  By 2005 the tide had turned and the chord was relaid and the line re-opened.  For me a wander along the platform to the other face and I can catch a train into Glasgow Central Low Level.

320321 at Anniesland

Here there are a large number of people waiting with queues on the far side for main line services and what appears to be standard operating practice of not opening platforms to passengers until the very last possible moment.  This might have been compounded by a late platform change.  RealTime Trains was advising (until after we departed) that we would be leaving from Platform 7 – but at a very late stage the train is advertised from platform 6 so for some reason I suspect a unit swap was undertaken.

Travelling on an overnight service many years we were routed via Kilmarnock I was told subsequently – but knew nothing of it, so I am taking the opportunity today to do it in daylight as a different way of reaching Carlisle.  We head through the southern outskirts of the City and then into the countryside – the stations are well spaced in the countryside and we head through an area of the Borders country which I have never visited – more new attractive countryside.  A number of stations along the line were re-opened in 1994 adding to the usage but even now given the paucity of the population the usage remains low.

At Carlisle I walk to the front of the incoming train and board first class for the high speed journey into London Euston.  We are more or less to time until just before Watford Junction when we come to a stand and then run 8 to 9 minutes late until we arrive at Euston.  It is highly disappointing that my travel time is not a meal service – just light bites – I had hoped I might get something decent to compare with my LNER experience earlier in the holiday.  It remains a pity that these units are hobbled at 125mph and are not running at their design speeds of 140mph.  And in Europe similar units are running at even higher speeds.

The Northern line soon delivers me to Waterloo and I am able to catch a train 15 minutes earlier than planned and then the onward hourly service home – where unusually I am able to travel first class.

Rolling Stock

The Pendolinos have undergone a fairly heavy mid-life refurbishment and the units are in generally good order and the fleet is looking good and generally performing well.

GWR (unusually as I rarely like much of what they do – my local line timetable is the evidence of my hatred) is a prime example of how other operators should work.  A small bay adjacent to the cab with a small number of better seats isolated from the remainder of the train provides a better and branded first class environment.  Why can other non-metro operators not do this on longer time services – four hours is NOT a metro service, why not fit a few first class seats and take the extra money?  Why throw money away?

As an example the line via Kilmarnock and Dumfries is through a lot of countryside – so why no first class on the trains.

Ticket Checks

Travelling first class from Guildford home I was a little surprised not to have a ticket check but otherwise checks again a little thin – but then I was on some trains for some distance.

Summary

Another day when there was a small amount of late running – but the delays did not knock onto causing delays to reaching the eventual destination on time.  Again today has gone well and the last 569 miles (plus the Underground) and many people have made it all work extremely well.