Why I travel by train

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

It'll be interesting to watch the complaints roll in on social media. There are only 254 connections available on any one router, I think

They already are, such as - impossible to get connected, when I do it's so slow it's useless etc etc....

[LiskeardRich]

For the first time in my life I actually caught a train to and from Maidenhead station one day this week. Whilst waiting for my train back I was standing on the platform in the sunshine and I thought it would be so nice to get on a train a go exploring on lines that I have never travelled on before armed with my trusty DSLR

Maybe on day

I do this quite often but I'm lucky to live away from the rush of London, where there is always seats and a lot more relaxed travel.

[Thatcham Crossing]

Tc, I am extremely envious of your forthcoming trip and hope you may create a TR (trip report).

I could be persuaded to do so, I'm sure  Really looking forward to it, I have to say.

Not sure where you've been by train, but whilst it will be bread and butter to many on this forum, the ride from Exeter to Plymouth is really worth doing if you never have. You're next to the sea at Dawlish one minute, then climbing the Devon banks to skirt Dartmoor the next.

[BerkshireBugsy]

Tc, I am extremely envious of your forthcoming trip and hope you may create a TR (trip report).

I could be persuaded to do so, I'm sure  Really looking forward to it, I have to say.

Not sure where you've been by train, but whilst it will be bread and butter to many on this forum, the ride from Exeter to Plymouth is really worth doing if you never have. You're next to the sea at Dawlish one minute, then climbing the Devon banks to skirt Dartmoor the next.

I had the "pleasure" of giving up a days Cornish holiday to come back up to newbury for a meeting and I did the journey up from Cornwall and back by train. It is a stunning journey and I totally agree with you TC^‡(resolve). There are some other journeys I would like to do at leasure and they include

1) Cardiff to ebbw vale (I don't think you can do it from Newport yet)
2) servern beach line
3) some of the spurs from the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) including windsor , Henley and Marlow
4) the oxenholm line in the lakes

And that's just for starters

[Thatcham Crossing]

I believe the "Northern Belle" is going to take us as far as Oxenholme, and we will proceed from there for a cruise on Lake Windermere by road. There is a branch line from Oxenholme to Windermere, but it's single track AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) and I'm assuming that sending a charter down it would cause issues for regular services.

It's a pity that I don't believe we will go further north, as the line from Oxenholme to Penrith (through Tebay and Shap, paralleling the M6 for much of the way) is also a great trip.

[grahame]

There is a branch line from Oxenholme to Windermere, but it's single track AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) and I'm assuming that sending a charter down it would cause issues for regular services.

Windermere station is a bit limited, according to Wikipedia ...

The station was at one time bigger, with four platforms and an overall roof. Three tracks were taken out of use when the branch was reduced to a one-train operated single line in 1973 as an economy measure. The single track was cut back to a new truncated station in 1986

[BerkshireBugsy]

It's a pity that I don't believe we will go further north, as the line from Oxenholme to Penrith (through Tebay and Shap, paralleling the M6 for much of the way) is also a great trip.

Yes, it is (IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion)) I've done that on a Pendelino once - thankfully one of the journeys was in the daylight and very memorable

[PhilWakely]

Mentioning all of these scenic routes reminds me of the one thing I miss the most on scenic rail journeys ............ the rush to the front seat behind the drivers cab of a 'proper' DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) in the hope that the driver has not pulled the blind down so that you can enjoy an unhindered view of the landscape!  It is alright for those of you who actually get to drive the 'modern' stuff, but us mere passengers can't even pull the slam-door window down, let alone stare out through the cab these days 

[Thatcham Crossing]

Only the DLR^▸ (Docklands Light Railway) (that I know of) affords the opportunity to sit at the front and get the "driver's eye view" these days (except that most of the time there isn't a driver!).

At times it seems to me a bit like a slow rollercoaster - descending west-bound from overground to underground on the way into Bank being a good example.

[BerkshireBugsy]

Mentioning all of these scenic routes reminds me of the one thing I miss the most on scenic rail journeys ............ the rush to the front seat behind the drivers cab of a 'proper' DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) in the hope that the driver has not pulled the blind down so that you can enjoy an unhindered view of the landscape!  It is alright for those of you who actually get to drive the 'modern' stuff, but us mere passengers can't even pull the slam-door window down, let alone stare out through the cab these days 

I had so forgotten about this! I seem to remember when I used to travel from Banbury to Oxford on DMUs in the 1970s I used to try and do this. I can't remember what class of DMU it was though.

[chrisr_75]

Mentioning all of these scenic routes reminds me of the one thing I miss the most on scenic rail journeys ............ the rush to the front seat behind the drivers cab of a 'proper' DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) in the hope that the driver has not pulled the blind down so that you can enjoy an unhindered view of the landscape!  It is alright for those of you who actually get to drive the 'modern' stuff, but us mere passengers can't even pull the slam-door window down, let alone stare out through the cab these days 

I had so forgotten about this! I seem to remember when I used to travel from Banbury to Oxford on DMUs in the 1970s I used to try and do this. I can't remember what class of DMU it was though.

I think some of the German ICE trains have this feature, but less sure if they're used on any particularly scenic routes.

[Rhydgaled]

Only the DLR^▸ (Docklands Light Railway) (that I know of) affords the opportunity to sit at the front and get the "driver's eye view" these days (except that most of the time there isn't a driver!).

I've thought of that in the past for a new 'scenic sprinter' DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) design. The driver would unlock the desk (which I assume has the controls under it) at whichever end was leading, allowing passengers to look out of the back of the train but the driver would have one of the front seats. In these days of riot screens protecting bus drivers and unruly passengers it sadly would likely not be permited, the few unruly ones ruin it for the rest of us. The driving vehicles could look like a Devon Belle Observation Car.

[Bmblbzzz]

It seems this is a good thread on which to say hello to everyone who's already here, so that's how I'll use it. Hello!

Now, why do I travel by train? I've always enjoyed train travel. I think in large part this goes back to when I was a child and train was always our transport for going on holiday - so just turning up at the station meant fun and excitement! At the same time though, trains were something ordinary - we lived by the railway line (not the station!) so seeing passing trains, of all sorts, was a normal event. I could never understand the attraction of train spotting. Beyond that, there are practical reasons. Train travel is usually relatively fast and stress-free, as well as comfortable for various distances.

And what journeys do I typically make by train? From Bristol (Temple Meads or Parkway, sometimes one is more convenient, sometimes the other) to Didcot or Reading, occasionally London; Bristol to Gloucester, Ashchurch or Malvern; to Chepstow and Cardiff; as well as occasional Severn Beach line trips. Oh, and in a couple of weeks I'll be travelling from Pewsey via Westbury, but that's very much a one-off!

[JayMac]

A very warm welcome to the forum Bmblbzzz!

Hopefully you don't have a sting in the tail and maybe I'll bump into you sometime at Temple Meads. If you see a portly bloke with a big nose and a grey flat cap it's probably me. 

[bobm]

A very warm welcome to the forum Bmblbzzz!

Hopefully you don't have a sting in the tail and maybe I'll bump into you sometime at Temple Meads. If you see a portly bloke with a big nose and a grey flat cap it's probably me. 

If you see him - don't claim your five pounds, get him to buy you a pint in Bonapartes.