“Change here for the bus and the ferry to England.” This announcement gets me every time.
Welcome to this early spring trip. In celebration of the Channel tunnel’s 30th anniversary, I shall be taking the boat tonight, because it was fifty euros cheaper and is way more fun.
Good morning from the Essex coast where I just found out there’s no trains today between Ipswich and Ely. So it’s either two hours by bus (Yikes!), go via Lowestoft and Norwich (I did that last time), or go down to London town (okay, then.)
(Also, how is Ipswich to Ely two hours? For fifty-ish miles?)
There’s a direct train from the ferry terminal to London, but it is using Greater Anglia’s awfully cramped commuter trains, so I decided to jump off at Colchester. And since it is such a fine morning, I skipped the next express and walked into town. Which turned out to be on top of a feckin’ mountain. But there’s a pretty castle and an even prettier park so no complaints.
Wow. The ride quality of this Stadler train (class 745) is shocking! It’s rattling and shaking and quite noisy. Is it just this unit or are they all this bad?
The best thing about the Purple Train* is that you can now cross London with your Interrail.**
Sometimes also referred to as the Elisabeth Line.
** At least for some routes.***
*** They really should open Stratford International for Eurostar trains now, for a convenient connection to Paddington.
@25kV@partim What are the arguments against? A new study to increase capacity at St Pancras was announced this week and yet how can there be anything to do there that is cheaper and quicker than commissioning Stratford International?
Took a seat all the way to the front, forgetting that the British train protection systems beeps and plings and sirens pretty much permanently. Naturally, this is the quiet zone.
(Why does it need to go pling when you are approaching a green signal? It’s clear. No reminder required. — The German system is the other extreme: It quietly and with no prior warning hits you with the emergency brake if you do something wrong. Maybe some middle ground?)
@partim
Historically, I think the bell on a "clear" aspect was linked to signal repetition in fog, and the requirement that the driver should know exactly where he was at all times (the old arguments of "route" vs "speed" signalling)
@andrewprice Now I want to write a book (or something) about the various philosophies of train protection systems. Like all railway things it sits at a fascinating intersection of many fields.
Birmingham Moor Street at the other end of the train service is at bit lost between all the asphalt and concrete. And so am I, trying to find the way to New Street station, where all the other trains leave from.
Took me a while to figure out what was weird with the announcements on this West Midlands train: They start with the SBB jingle. Guess I haven’t been to Switzerland enough recently.
@tml I only noticed because I wanted a picture with semaphore and castle walls so head to walk down towards the “right” end. Didn’t have a clue it was here.
Wrexham has a second train station. Because it is called Wrexham Central I wasn’t expecting a nondescript building on a strip mall parking lot. The rest of it doesn’t exactly feel central station either.
The real main railway station is called Wrexham General.
Shotton is just two halts on two lines that cross here connected with a footpath. The guard, who knew I had an Interrail pass, was very concerned that I was trying to get off.
Turns out, one of the lines crosses the River Dee right after and you can do a quick walk there. Better yet, just north of the river is Hawarden Bridge station and it is just a ten minute walk across the bridge to Shotton. So if you ever consider changing here and need to kill some time, just go there.
Good morning from Llandudno where on Sundays the first train leaves quarter past ten. So I have plenty time to explore the wondrous charms of yet another British seaside town.
I considered changing my not-actually-a-plan and stay in Wales but the Ffestiniog railway only starts their season in two weeks and the Great Orme Tramway here in Llandudno only in April. So I have to come back anyway and might as well aim north today.
At Llandudno Junction, this “early morning” train continues to Blaenau Ffestiniog. As I was alighting to change to the Chester train, a man arrived handing the token to the driver. The world is still alright around here. (With the exception of these god-awful CAF trains. Even the rattly old 150 yesterday provided a better ride.)
This token is a sort of key on a two foot wire key ring that gives the driver the authority to enter into a section of track. If you don’t have the token, you are not allowed to go.
Along the journey there will be “token exchange points” where the driver hands their current token back to the signaller and in exchange receives the token for the next section. The key ring makes this possible without stopping.
If your branch line train slows down for a signal box, this may be the reason.
@partim If the driver acquires the token at the start of the section of track, and hands it back at the end of the section, how does the token get back to the start of the section so that a following train can enter the section?
@tristan Either a train in the other direction has to take it back or there are multiple tokens locked into a device each on either end of the section with a communication mechanism forcing both signallers to agree on releasing one. (This is very close to a block interlocking system without a token in use elsewhere – I suppose the token is supposed to make the authority more tangible to the driver.)
@smveerman I would like to have more helpful operational announcements that actually help people and fewer construction announcements without any actual information.
What’s bad in the UK is all those completely pointless safety and security announcements. They were playing those basically non stop at Lime Street. You start to wish someone is going to cancel a train so there is something useful to say.
(All of this is in two languages in Wales for extra noise pollution.)
Sheffield. The good bits are just a tad too far away and the weather just a tad too shite to go for a wander during the half hour transfer. But I did nip out the back for a quick look at the Supertram!
Did I go to yet another seaside town? You bet I did. This one’s Cleethorpes at the mouth of River Humber all the way on the other side on the East coast.
@tml It tends to be around two or three in the afternoon. I generally come up with a rough plan on the first train of the day and during early afternoon it usually becomes stable enough to actually commit.
Exceptions are busy days or areas with scarce accommodation. Then I’ll book in the morning already.
The Cleethorpes to Doncaster line is so flat and slow that the driver has cut the engine in at least one of our three carriages. There’s quite a lot of goods traffic, though.
Apparently, the toilet facilities at the Frenchgate shopping centre next to Doncaster station are called The Harper Suite, or so the golden Right Honourable Opening Sign claims.
(Imagine that: Being asked to open shopping mall toilets.)
More importantly, Doncaster has a platform 0. But it is miles away – good thing my train is a bit late. Wouldn’t have managed to walk there and back in time otherwise.
Pretty it is plenty; endless valleys, rolling hills that suddenly get cocky and turn into mountain ridges.
If you are heading north and have an hour or two to spare, I can very much recommend going this way: Up the East Coast to Leeds (you might catch an Intercity 225 that way), across to Carlisle and then onwards on the West Coast Main Line.
Sleek ten minute transfer at Carlisle onto this old Scotrail class 156 for Part Two of Project Main Line Avoidance and to Glasgow via Kilmarnock. Bit late in the day, but hopefully a good portion will still be in daylight.
Five Scottish ladies on an uitje have decided to pick the seats around me. If I get beaten up in Glasgow because I’m unconsciously speaking with a very bad imitation of a Scottish accent, it will be their fault!
As it is getting dark, too dark to see, a verdict on Part Deux and the Carlisle Kilmarnock & Glasgow railway.* The line is quite varied. It starts out running across flat plains, then strays into lonely mountain land for a bit, before getting into ever more busy yet always pleasantly hilly and interesting rural lands.
It is an extra ninety minutes or so over the West Coast Main Line, though, which is also quite lovely on this stretch. So traveller discretion is advised.
Glasgow. Been here less than an hour and already found a lovely neighbourhood pub where everyone knows everyone else. No idea what anyone is saying. Loving it.
Glasgow Central: the railway station you walk past because it looks like just another insurance office building. (Is Glasgow doing insurances? Probably.)
The subway loops around the western city in two lines, called the Inner and Outer, which requires some mental gymnastics to translate into clockwise and counter-clockwise. We really should have shorter terms for those so they can be used as line designators.
Access to the line from the depot is in a wye so that trains have a different wheel on the outer rail in each direction. If you have them go Inner one day and Outer the other, the uneven wear from only turning one way cancels out.
A couple minutes beyond Perth, at a place once called Stanley Junction, the speed drops, the line turns left and we enter what was once the empire of the Highland Railway. Soon the line sheds its second track and at Duckeld & Birnam we first have to wait for an oncoming train.
Inverness is already the second station after Glasgow Queen Street that charges for the toilets. I am very disappointed in you, Scotland! Doesn’t help that they only accept coins when I am actively trying to avoid having to have any.
In Inverness the secret reason for this trip awaits. This train will travel the Far North Line all the way to the top of the country – and then a wee bit down again to the town of Wick.
This two car set is quite busy! I wonder where people will get off. There’s 23 stops (including six request stops) on this almost four-and-a-half hour long trip to Wick.
G’day! Because I am one Interrail day short, I’ll be travelling on a regular ticket down to Inverness. And because the first vacation friendly train is half twelve, I have plenty time for a stroll along the coast. And would you believe it: a friendly wind is blowing away all the clouds.
The Advance Single ticket I bought includes a seat reservation. So I told the booking site I would like to have a window seat. Needless to say, it reserved an aisle seat in a bay of four with two other reserved seats. There’s plenty unreserved space in the train.
But, to be honest, I was pretty certain I wouldn’t use the reservation, anyway.
I considered continuing to the Orkneys, but the boat north was quarter to nine from Scrabster, a 45 minute walk from Thurso. And I’d have to return with the overnight ferry from Kirkwall to Aberdeen which leaves quarter to midnight and didn’t have any cabins available any more.
Remember when we talked about tokens the other day? The modern version (sort of, it was developed in the 1980s) of this is the radio electronic token. Instead of being a physical thing, the token is just data radioed to an instrument in the cab. This means you don’t need people to hand over tokens. And with spring-loaded points that fall back to their normal position, you don’t need local interlocking equipment either. Perfect for a low traffic line running through sparsely settled lands.
@partim I love the graphical design of that sign. Simple and functional. (Sadly I am not able to immediately identify the typeface. Perhaps @kupfers ? )
Beauly may only have enough platform for one door, but it still has a proper passenger information display. Just in case anyone from Deutsche Bahn is following along …
I once again underestimated the length of this island. I figured I could easily make it from Inverness to Harwich in time for dinner. Well, no. So now I am up at this ungodly hour so I can at least go via Aberdeen.
The 08:20 Cross Country from Aberdeen is suffering from a last minute change to the timetable. Luckily, I will still make my connection in Edinburgh with the next train. Luckier yet, now I have time for breakfast here in Aberdeen (which I can already hear sizzling away in the kitchen).
It happened again! I asked for a windows seat and got an aisle seat. Only this train is packed to the gills even in first class. This isn’t going to be enjoyable at all. And I don’t have the time to take evasive action.
I’m at the station that looks like they forgot to put the roof on, it is 16 degrees, and my train out of Liverpool Street station is only in an hour. Let’s see if I’ll make it on foot.
Why I was rushing, you ask, when the boat isn’t even boarding until nine?
Well, here is my advice if you take Stena to Holland: Take the five o’clock out of London, overshoot and go to Harwich Town, have dinner (and a final cask ale, if that’s your thing) at Alma’s* and then take the 21:28 back to Harwich International.
There seem to be more options outside the Dovercourt stop between International and Town, if you’re not into British food.
Good morning from Hoek. With the metro line finally complete, the old legendary train station is now completely unused. Word has it that Stena bought it to extend their operations.
Next I need to get into Germany. I was thinking to go via Belgium, but it all takes flippin’ ages. Eindhoven – Venlo doesn’t have trains this week either, so I’ll have to route around that. I could use the ICE from Utrecht, but meh.
The train to Roermond had a hickup in Eindhoven and is now running twelve minutes late. Not ideal for a four minute connection. Now on the train to Heerlen instead which hopefully will be on time enough for the seven minute connection to Aachen.
This is the latest generation of DB’s passenger information display for smaller stations. Fairly poor visibility, it can’t show both the line number and destination of the next train and there’s no status, while the second line is wasted for showing the current time.
Maybe they should have just talked to their colleagues at Network Rail and bought whatever they have had for, what? thirty? years.
Final travel day of this trip. I just need to get home but it gets complicated by both westbound lines out of Hengelo being closed and the ICE being marked as having “exceptionally high demand.” Not sure what I’m going to do. Bielefeld first and then we’ll see.
It’s a great day for travelling from Germany into the Netherlands. Bad Nieuweschans: engineering works, closed. Bad Bentheim and Enschede: engineering works down the line, closed. Venlo: engineering works down the line, big detour. So only Zevenaar and Herzogenrath are available.
The railway from Minden to Hamm is quadrupled. But for some reason instead of running goods trains and regional trains – which have a fairly similar average speed – together and leave the other two tracks for fast long distance services, it is regional and long distance trains that have to share a track pair – and frequently get into each others way.
Figured I give the reportedly overbooked ICE a try. Turns out at least in First it definitely isn’t. Are they just sticking the note on it to block people from booking tickets for it?
And a final tip from this journey: If you are travelling with a barcode ticket in the Netherlands (like, say, an Interrail pass) make sure to bring some cloth so you can wipe the rain water from the bar code readers of the entrance barriers … and get out of the station.
@partim I didn't realise they'd done away with physical tokens!
In the 1989 or 90 I took the train from Inverness to Kyle - an absolutely stunning journey through beautiful landscape - and the use of tokens seemed such a neat and simple idea. Having to wait for the oncoming train to pass and exchange the token was like a little ceremony.
(Similar to using passing places on single track roads: a little bit of skillful choreography to get it perfectly right!)
@patrickhadfield Wikipedia says they switched to radio electronic token block in 1984 on the Kyle of Lochalsh line and over the following years on the Far North line. If that is correct, then there should already have been radio tokens in 1989.
@partim curious! There was definitely an exchange of something physical! Maybe the stream wasn't working and they had to use a physical backup. Or perhaps they just had more faith in the old ways...!
@partim@patrickhadfield I remember the driver and station master swapping tokens in the early 1980s, quite skilful as the train was moving.
But I never understood how the system could cope with a second train in the same direction. Surely the token would be at the wrong end of the section of single track after the first train. 🤔
@Outinthehills@patrickhadfield There’s more than one token but they are locked away in machines on each end which are connected and make sure there’s only ever one token away.
This is the other reason why radio tokens are so much cheaper: You can do away with all this stuff.
Could also do away with the need for a station master (and family) at each station. That's why a lot of station buildings suddenly became bunkhouses or cafes, they had to find a new career.
@partim There's something weird with UK seat reservations - I got a couple via GWR, telling the system explicitly window seat only, and all of them were aisle. Didn't use them in the end as enough window seats free on the same train...
@patrick For some reason, the Cross Country service tomorrow morning cannot be reserved right now. But the GWR site still made of “reservation only” booking with reference number and everything. It just doesn’t contain any seat reservations.
(I’m just hoping they aren’t going to make a short notice change to the timetable.)
@tml@jbenjamint The route is 175 miles (it takes a couple fun detours) which comes out at pretty much exactly 40 mph on average. Which isn’t all that bad.
@partim@tml It is that bad if you don't want to have to drive. I live on the other Highland line where the drive end to end is 2.5 hours, the train over 4 hours. Similar to the northern line, it is because of the huge detours inland.
@BillJelavich Somewhere on the Ffestiniog Railway there is a request stop for a cottage you can rent and otherwise have to walk to. That’s obviously on my list.
I believe the Great Orme Tramway is the only cable car (in the San Francisco sense) left in Europe?
@partim@duncanbourne second one is right AFAIK... the sound starts with the edges of your tongue pressed against your upper molars and then push air through the gap in the centre (if that makes sense!)
@partim it's a great little station! But it is also kind of a backwater serving few destinations, particularly compared to the other mainline stations in London.
@patrickhadfield That’s probably why it was nearly closed in the eighties. But people just kept pouring out of the train from Birmingham. So it certainly gets used now.
@partim Have you been to IWM Duxford? Worth a visit if one is interested in (military) aviation. Walkable from Whittlesford Parkway station, and there is also a bus (that doesn’t run very often, though).
@tml Interesting! I don’t think I’ll be going up this way this time, but I sure will be arriving in Harwich in need of heading in a new direction again soon enough.
@partim Ely Cathedral is worth a visit if one is into that kind of architecture. A bit of a walk from the station, though.
(Or actually now that I check, to refresh my memory, it is just like 15 minutes. Seemed longer. Probably was a warm day and I had too warm clothes and a bit too much luggage?)
@mirjamsterdam@partim@patrick Wait. I thought from the name that that would be some truly monstrous modern lock, for ocean-going ships. But it is just a small lock in the town?
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