Buying advance tickets tomorrow

[whole diary]

[James158]

Me and my mum is going to Bristol Temple Meads tomorrow to get the advance tickets to Dawlish for the airshow on Thursday 19th August 2010. I have looked up the price on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and it costs ^13.60 altogether with the F&F Railcard. We are catching the direct 11:15 CrossCountry service there for ^8.50 and the 20:02 FGW service back for ^5.10 changing at Exeter St Davids which totals ^13.60.

We are catching the CrossCountry service up as we do not like the FGW HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s as the seats are horrible and have hardly any tables. The seats are too close together making it more packed in and the lights are too bright.

We have not got much choice coming back as we are catching the last train so we will be on a FGW HST coming back. I will try to reserve a table seat in the quiet zone if they have not already gone.

[vacman]

ummm FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s may not be perfect but compared to a Vomit Comet they are like Pullman carriages! Also every train of Dawlish on carnival day will be full and standing anyway!

[devon_metro]

Voyager seats are far closer together than HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), plus they only have 2 tables per coach since XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) changed the seat layout. So on a 4 car vomit thats 6 tables in cattle class. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) has either 10 or 20 tables dependant on whether its low or high density. If you travelled on the 0944 from Bristol or 1244 then it would be a XC HST, which are by far the nicest of the lot.

[inspector_blakey]

Perhaps slightly controversially, I beg to differ... Leaving aside the general crank preciousness about how "it's not a train unless you're sitting at a fixed table, how can you possibly expect families and groups to travel without them?" (which as I've posted before in my opinion is absolute garbage), have you ever tried sitting in the "airline" seating on the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train)? Horribly cramped compared to FGW^▸ (First Great Western). And the tray tables aren't up to the job so many of them droop past horizontal and stuff slides off. Vastly over-rated!

[James158]

ummm FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s may not be perfect but compared to a Vomit Comet they are like Pullman carriages! Also every train of Dawlish on carnival day will be full and standing anyway!

True. I just think FGW have ruined them by ripping out all those lovely comfortable seats. Every train will be packed but I think FGW may lay on Loco-Hauled trains running between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot as they did last year which would ease overcrowding a little.

[inspector_blakey]

Hmm. The lovely comfortable seats where you had to perform acrobatics to slide across a fixed arm-rest and get into a window seat, where the cushions were so old and squashy you sank about two feet when you sat down, and where in the airline seating someone of my height had their knees jammed against the seat in front?

Think we'll have to agree to disagree here 

[James158]

Hmm. The lovely comfortable seats where you had to perform acrobatics to slide across a fixed arm-rest and get into a window seat, where the cushions were so old and squashy you sank about two feet when you sat down, and where in the airline seating someone of my height had their knees jammed against the seat in front?

Think we'll have to agree to disagree here 

Ok. Everybody has there own views. I must admit we did sink when we sat down (but we loved it). I don't know what the airline seating was like on them as I always had a table.

[James158]

Voyager seats are far closer together than HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), plus they only have 2 tables per coach since XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) changed the seat layout. So on a 4 car vomit thats 6 tables in cattle class. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) has either 10 or 20 tables dependant on whether its low or high density. If you travelled on the 0944 from Bristol or 1244 then it would be a XC HST, which are by far the nicest of the lot.

What train do you suggest we book for? We are undecided whether to go with FGW or CrossCountry. I would imagine the train would be packed whatever TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) we decide to go with. We think CrossCountry are more comfortable and is a smoother journey. The FGW HST's are cramped. But the tea on CrossCountry is cheaper! Is it true they have done away with all the buffet cars? Would a trolley definately pass up and down the train or would I have to find it? Would it be a XC HST on the 11:15 from BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) to Dawlish and 20:50 from Exeter St Davids to BTM?

Thanks for your help Devon Metro.

[inspector_blakey]

Is it true [CrossCountry] have done away with all the buffet cars?

Yes.

Would a trolley definately pass up and down the train

No.

or would I have to find it?

Possibly, assuming you wanted a cup of tea that badly*

Would it be a XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) on the 11:15 from BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) to Dawlish and 20:50 from Exeter St Davids to BTM?

No and no.

When all's said and done, it's your choice which train company you want to take. It sounds like you've used CrossCountry Voyagers and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HSTs before so take a crazy risk and make a decision on that basis If you're using advance tickets then you could also decide based on what trains have the cheapest tickets available, since you can only use those tickets on the train you are booked on.

*_{But remember that if all the trains are very crowded due to the Dawlish airshow (which they will be) then a trolley probably won't be able to get through the aisle and neither will you. In that case, it doesn't make much difference whether there's a buffet counter or a trolley, you ain't getting a cup of tea either way. Thermos...?}

[devon_metro]

Personally I'd go with the cheapest option which probably isn't Cross Country. I always try and avoid Cross Country like a barge pole simply because I dislike the lack of tables/lack of legroom/lack of decent catering/annoying toilets/unsavoury smell that are found on Voyagers.

I don't find the refreshed HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) bad, legroom is ample, the buffet serves a wide range of goods and the enthusiast in me prefers the mk3 with droplight etc.

On balance I'd travel on the 1114 Paignton service simply because it is direct and negates the use of a packed unit betweenExeter and Dawlish. On the return however I'd travel on the 2042 FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST from Exeter, which is usually fairly quiet so chances are you will get a table, plus FGW advance fares to Bristol are dead cheap.

[JayMac]

For ^15.75 Advance Purchase each way (I'm assuming 1 adult 1 child F&F) you can go 1st class on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) 0913 from Bristol TM^‡(resolve) to Exeter SD and return on the FGW 2044 from EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains)-BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains). Then ^3.25 for an Off Peak Day Return from EXD-Dawlish. Does mean a unit from EXD though. Tis only 15 mins though.

Total ^34.75. With better comfort levels on the legs to/from Exeter, complimentary refreshments, served at seat in the morning, collect from buffet in the evening.

[readytostart]

Point to note is that when booking a ticket through the CrossCountry website you can pick the seat you want from an overview of the coach, rather than just a request for preferences on other sites. Book for a table seat in coach F and you wont have far to go in search of the trolley if it can't make it through the train.

Also worth noting is whenever a five car XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) voyager rolls up, all the seats in coach B are unreserved and B also has more tables.

I personally think that replacing diabled access toilets in coaches C and B (five car Voyager only) with smaller ones, and keeping some sort of reduced size buffet would have been a more effective solution than ripping out the shops and moving the cycle storage, but then that was a decision above my pay scale.

[inspector_blakey]

Point to note is that when booking a ticket through the CrossCountry website you can pick the seat you want from an overview of the coach, rather than just a request for preferences on other sites.

That's neat, didn't know about it. Does the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) website only offer that facility for XC trains or is it available on other operators as well?

[JayMac]

Only available on XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services. They also offer e-ticket (print at home) for journeys wholly on XC.

[Cornish Traveller]

For ^15.75 Advance Purchase each way (I'm assuming 1 adult 1 child F&F) you can go 1st class on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) 0913 from Bristol TM^‡(resolve) to Exeter SD and return on the FGW 2044 from EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains)-BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains). Then ^3.25 for an Off Peak Day Return from EXD-Dawlish. Does mean a unit from EXD though. Tis only 15 mins though.

Total ^34.75. With better comfort levels on the legs to/from Exeter, complimentary refreshments, served at seat in the morning, collect from buffet in the evening.

F&F railcard not valid for 1st class tickets AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) ?