WOS to PAD Trains to avoid on a Sunday and back again

[whole diary]

[Btline]

I find one of the great pleasures of rail travel is that it gives me the chance - sometimes - to relax and see the countryside and - other times - to think, to work, to have a meeting with friends or colleagues travelling with me.   Half a lifetime ago, I spent 10% of my waking hours on a train - many people still do - and being able to mix and match all the activities was really good news.  And if I had had to relax every time, it would have been a real issue!

These days ... I will quite openly do my "real" work on the train sometimes.  Actually I always could - it was just pencil and paper in the past whereas now it's laptop based. A business meeting in London ... so an opportunity to read up / write one final example for it on the way in to town, and to then document the meeting and record my thoughts on the way out.

I agree. Lot's of people take the train BECAUSE they can make use of the time. Others, to relax and let someone else to the driving.

complaining about the staff, lack of ice....the list is endless

Yawn. Sorry, but can you keep your differences to a dedicated thread please?

[Mookiemoo]

Well I have to say - I had an ok journey down on arriva and Virgin but on the way home.......

The most relaxing and pleasant journey home on Wrexham and Shropshire

Fully fed and watered en route - the ride on the old stock was to an extent far better than on a modern train hurtling at bullet speed - and no godamn tannoy announcements every five minutes - questioned the train crewe and got - we cant be bothered - we stop so few places and there are only three carriages - people can find us and we know whose on it

A couple of points that I'll start a new thread on - just queries of mine

I never had any real feelings for the trains but I think, unless time is of the essence, I will be going wrexham and shropshire where possible. 

[eightf48544]

OU work is an excellent way of filling  a train journey, I did a lot of my degree on the old 117s on my daily commute. Fine for doing the background reading but you couldn't write on them! Good luck with your studies Mookiemoo hope you'll enjoy doing your degree as much as I did.

One of the best courses I did was Human Factors in Systems Design. It was basically a study of system failures including Three Mile Island, Hixon Level Crossing and the Staines air crash etc. One of the things that it taught me was to look out for non disastrous precursor. EG The 6th SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger - very bad!) at SN109 on 4th Feb 1998. 

I must confess I did very occasionally do some paid work on trains usually notes of any meeting, but it was usually in a Mark 2 or 3 loco hauled with a table.

 

[Btline]

Well I have to say - I had an ok journey down on arriva and Virgin but on the way home.......

The most relaxing and pleasant journey home on Wrexham and Shropshire

Fully fed and watered en route - the ride on the old stock was to an extent far better than on a modern train hurtling at bullet speed - and no godamn tannoy announcements every five minutes - questioned the train crewe and got - we cant be bothered - we stop so few places and there are only three carriages - people can find us and we know whose on it

A couple of points that I'll start a new thread on - just queries of mine

I never had any real feelings for the trains but I think, unless time is of the essence, I will be going wrexham and shropshire where possible. 

I must try and use them at some point (but I am not sited well to use their route).

Don't forget their bargain ^55 First Advance single! (and you actually get First Class service and a First Class seat, unlike FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and FGW on the Cotswold Line.)

On the subject, I am going to be trying Virgin First Class in the Summer. About ^25 Birmingham to Euston with a railcard, no Thames Turbos, and free alcohol & food!