Great Western Coffee Shop

How are things going so far, and will you keep us updated on your travels, swlines?

I will do indeed. No-one is using the internet on this train that I can see so I've got a bloomin quick internet connection going at the moment!

So far today I've had a ride on CrossCountry, Great Western, East Midlands Trains and now on National Express East Coast. Doing Hull Trains later.

Mostly going fine at the moment, had a wait at Wakefield Westgate for about 10 minutes due to huge amounts of slack... same at Leeds!! Great Western was pretty impressive earlier - I do like the leather seats. Free The Times too, on a bank holiday. I am impressed!  :)

East Midlands Trains were useless, nothing complimentary in first class  >:( so I bailed out at Chesterfield to get a drink on XC  ;D. As my posts are saying, I'm currently behind a Valenta (PC 43051 IIRC) on an unrefurbished set with WiFi. Free drinks and biscuits are available. It really shows the different levels of service that TOCs provide on bank holidays. I'm writing bits up for day by day and I'll post each bits and bobs when I can.

(posting on board a unrefurbished Mk3 HST on NXEC to Newcastle - running 17 minutes late approaching Darlington in about 4 minutes ;))

Thanks swlines. The comparisons (good or bad) with FGW will certainly be interesting.

Have fun  :)

I must say that FGW First class has really impressed me. Although there was no trolley service the seats were very nice and having a copy of The Times was quite good too. :)

Of course, if they had wireless internet access, as well as perhaps a trolley service (there probably is one operating now, I was on the 0642 off Weston-super-Mare from Reading) they would be winning. Unfortunately the Valenta and unrefurbished (and mighty padded) seat on NXEC has won so far. Not to mention the biccies!  :D

Tomorrow (if Grand Central are running properly, if not I'll modify the plan) I will be going to Sunderland on their HST set. Back to London then I will be on a Pendolino Primo service to Glasgow from London, diverted due to engineering works. Then onto a seated sleeper.

Wednesday I'll be down west in Plymouth for about 10 minutes  ;D ;D ;D - then bashing a class 90 hauled set from London to Birmingham.

(posting on board a unrefurbished Mk3 HST on NXEC to Newcastle - now 16 minutes late at Ferryhill South Jn)

Nearly day over for me now - I'm on board 1A46 from Grantham to Kings Cross having had dinner on board 1H06 1850 Kings Cross to Hull. Free, and very nice!

I'm happy. :)

Now it's off to do District line bashing on 455s.

(TC posting on board 1A46 just approaching Potters Bar at 100mph)

Erm ... thanks, Tom!

Are you being sponsored to do this rather extensive bash, by any chance?

 :D

No, I'm not being sponsored by First Group.... ;)

I'm making my thoughts clear.  ;D

The dinner that Hull Trains provided was amazing. I'd ordered within 10 minutes of departure from the Cross. Food was served by Huntingdon. Fantastic food too. Marinaded chicken with new potatoes and peas - and a brown bread roll.

Fantastic food.

Update!

Am sitting in Kings Cross first class lounge at the moment - free shortbread biscuits!  ;D

I shall be sampling the NXEC breakfast in a bit...

Will that be Full English, sir?

Yes... and it is very lush!!

(on a train to EDB departing Newcastle)

Err I mean Peterborough

---

Finished my brekkie now - full Great British breakfast as they call it. ^15.95 so not particular cheap, but that will keep me going until dinner which I will get for free  ;) ;D - can you tell I've purposely made my plan around food?  8)

It's only costing ^61 a day for a 14 day First Class All Line Rover. If anyone ever has a chance to do it, do it. It is well worth it - free drinks and food. I've brought about ^200 extra with me and so far over 2 days I've spent ^16.75 - and I'm not likely to spend any more today....

Wow, that is one mega bash!
Just out of interest where are you sleeping!
Got anywhere paticuarly nice lined up to go to?
And I am very surprised you like FGW first class so much. The service is good but I have found the Leather seats very uncomfortable ccompared to the old Green Ones.
This is fascinating stuff swlines, keep up the reports.

You know I could buy a Mac with that money  :D

I've got one D_M!  ;D

qprrule, I'm mainly travelling on sleeper train services. Tonight I'm doing the sleeper service from Glasgow Central to London Euston in standard seated - tomorrow night I'm doing the London Euston to Inverness first class berth.

At the moment I'm sitting in London Euston First class lounge waiting for the 1739 to Glasgow.

I am a convert

Initially I hated the refurb seats

BUT.......


The fact that the arms now lift up means (1) I can sleep across 2 of a morning and (2) I can sit comfortably at a diagonal at the table

of course this assumes normal loading

Sitting in normal posture facing table is uncomfortable but you have ore degrees of freedom to configure your position now

Are you doing this for any proper reason or just for the hell of it

By proper I mean - is there a purpose other than to sit on a train

Hello all!

Update from on board 1C04 0730 London Paddytoon to Penzarnce. Running 3 to 5 minutes late at the month due to 'slow running due to maintainance in the Slough area' when it was really the 0721 running late. 12 late off reading, 3 late off Bristol TM!

Shall be going on a CrossCountry service in a bit. If anyone wants to PM me can they email me at tubechallenger (that ickle at symbol) instantemail (dot) t (hyphen) mobile (dot) co (dot) uk - apart from Lee who could please kindly send emails to both addies!

Ta!!

Tom

Will do.

Very nice trip down on 1C04 I must say. Better than I expected, we were back to right time at Plymouth so all is good. :)

Sitting on a Voyager to Bristol Parkway at the moment.

And now in Bristol TM FC lounge about to get the 1400 out of here.

Nice breakfast though: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a5/tubechallenger/IMG00019.jpg

Only ^6.95. That Brasserie Platter is good.

That's a big mushroom.

Good to see the "On Tour" tradition alive and well  ;D

He's doing the "Grice" as we are having a small competition of who can gain the most miles be rail this year. Also, he just likes traveling by train, just like you like drinking Wine and going by FGW :P ;)

Yes. I am doing it for the absolute hell of it.  ;D

The Route Director for 'West' of FGW was on the 1400 BRI to PAD as far as Swindon.

Anyway, I'm off to platform 18 to catch a class 90 to Birmingham ;)

Back from Wick. Nice place up there. Not a bad train either - had 158 716 all the way and back. Seats were a bit dodgy but doesn't worry me.

Off to Holyhead today and a free Virgin Trains brekkie.

Been to Holyhead - oh, and Hull. I bashed a nice class 86 and mk3 train on the way back, free food. Thank you Hull Trains!!

Now at Paddington awaiting the (very now late ECS) 2345 to Penzance - in a berth of course.

Free brekkie again????  :D :D :D :D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Where are you going this morning?

Penzance I believe.

I think he would already be there getting the sleeper.

Me and SWLines did the 08.03 Penzance - PAdd.

... and is he putting on weight, eating all those cooked breakfasts?  :D

Lol, I was in standard class on that train.

You didn't come and say hello :P. We were the 2 at the VERY front of Coach H..

I was actually looking at every First Class seat as the train went past and I do remeber two people sitting right at the front of Coach H as I got on at Camborne.

It's not good enough you know - we don't bite - we had allready been on the free biscuits!

Well to be fair I didn't know you were on there.
So I sat in Coach A with the carriage to myself.

I blame Mr. swlines for not posting his plan.......

Yeh!  ;)

So apart from the fact that he was probably travelling SC and didn;t know you were there or what you look like? :P

In all fairness I'm sure two desperate mileage cranks could be found quite easily. *runs*

You are right I was travelling and also right I was not forking out a tenner considering I was on a Cornish Day Ranger.
But it would have been hard to miss them.  :D

Well we weren't that crank like!

I'd watch what you are saying ;)

Take some advice from that yourself ;)

There were two TM's on that train, tickets checked quite often! must be a first for a Saturday HST!!!

Well where else would you see a fiteen year old in first class at eight o'clock in the morning. ???As I was in Coach A, I got checked as soon as I got on by the TM who was doing doors.

I dunno but I was :P 15year olds are permitted and can be well behaved - despite the fact it's a minority :o :P

Things change quite a bit in a week then.

Travelling from Paignton - Westbury last week, I was not checked until passing through Castle Cary. On the return I got checked approaching Newton Abbot (on LA79 which is sadly leaving FGW land tomorrow) and then just after leaving Torre.

As for 15 year olds in FC. Can't say the buffet staff have every liked my presence on bargain Daily Mail fares before. Not once had a friendly buffet person and they are mostly over-weight grumpy women  :(

I;m sure everyone who was on it would vouch for the buffet women before Plymouth on the 08.03 being nice a friendly.

I would say they are more fussy about fifteen year olds in the quiet carriage.  ::)
Was it a distinctaly foreign lady?

No - she seemed quite english to me!

OK, just I met a very foreign lady later in the day and she was very freindly despite the fact I couldn't understand her very well.

Just arrived in Wimbledon off the 20 something to Paddington.

Tomorrow I shall be going to Sunderland... - then a late Paddington to Plymouth to connect into the up beds.

Hello all

posting from fort William in the rain... The keyboard on my ipod isn't great so its a short update today.

Down to ldn in a bit then sleeper to Carlisle. I'm rather getting bored tho!!!

At Edinburgh...
Now departing... byeeeee!!!

Update to all who knew about my mahoosive sleeper delay (1h30) on London to Inverness. Claimed for it... now bear in mind an ALR is only ^860 and it works out to about ^42 a day or something like that.

^141 in rail travel vouchers arrived this morning! \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/

Sleeper trains are fantastic, besides being possibly the Most Civilised way to travel, thay are also in one respect the fastest form of transport.

Leave PZ at 22.00 hrs asleep in berth by 22.20 awake in Paddington at 06.30.
 
307 Miles in 20 minutes!!!! Lovely.

Strange things happen to sleepers, like once I woke up for call of nature and thought strange No Air Con running, found up sleeper was Dumped in Frome station with No engine, yet still we arrived Pad ON TIME.

Mind when things go wrong, they sure go wrong.

Best I know off Inverness-London Euston sleeper due in at 6.30ish arrived St Prancras just gone 8.

This was back in the 1960's oh sorry forget to say due 6.30ish am arrived St Prancras 8PM only 13 1/2 hrs late!

How on earth was it so late?  Surely would have been cancelled by then?

Sleeper service - you sort of can't cancel them. ;)

No trains to really delay either. We were 3 hours late off Watford Junction (failure there) and 1h30 late at Inverness.

Had another letter in the post this morning...

Containing ^196. :)