Originally posted by mangerton
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And at Beamish you can get a ride (in an open truck, very authentic)
I keep hitting the Escape key, but I'm still here! -
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love steam trains! But why put something like this back? reminds me a bit like Jurassic Park!Don’t cry for me
I go where music was born
J S Bach 1685-1750Comment
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bbm: um, put what back? Flying Scotsman, a P2, another 8F, a Locomotion replica??Originally posted by Brassbandmaestro View PostI keep hitting the Escape key, but I'm still here!Comment
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Have people noted the re-broadcast of this tonight, in about 20 minutes from now in fact:
The Trains That Time Forgot: Britain's Lost Railway Journeys
Timeshift journeys back to a lost era of rail travel, when trains had names, character and style. Once the pride of the railway companies that ran them, the named train is now largely consigned to railway history.
Writer and presenter Andrew Martin asks why we once named trains and why we don't do so anymore. He embarks on three railway journeys around Britain, following the routes of three of the most famous named trains - the Flying Scotsman, the Cornish Riviera Express and the Brighton Belle. We reflect on travel during the golden age of railways - when the journey itself was as important as reaching your destination - and compare those same journeys with the passenger experience today.
Also retransmitted at 2.40am and on iplayer of course (last on in September, it seems)."...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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The blue Pullman diesels were built by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and used on the GWR man line to Bristol and S Wales and the Midland main line from St Pancras to Manchester when that line was open throughout. The ride was rather poor and the sets were a bit under powered. I remember a couple business trips in them and they were impressive in "business class" mostly because they were new!Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post
It was the unreliability of the tilting of the APT [among other less vital issues] that caused the withdrawal of its services between Euston and Scotland. Much of the technology developed, eg the braking systems necessary for the high speeds involved, were used in later designs. The prototype was at Shildon for a while but may now be at York and for a time there was a set at Crewe visible to the N of the station as one left. As usual they [probably the bean counters] gave up just as the technology was getting together, pioneers always have the arrows in their backs!! The licence for the tilting technology was eventually sold to the Italians who made it work and sold it back to us in the Pendolinos and in the Class 220/221's that don't actually use it although it would help with the Cross Country services that use lines that would benefit but, being relatively minor routes, the expense of the line-side equipment is probably prohibitive. I imagine that a GPS based system might work though? I suspect that other tilting trains in Europe use this technology too.
The HST technology as very successful - still going after several refurbs and re-engining - and was sold on to other countries including Sweden and Australia who have variants.Comment
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I remember the blue pullman Manchester set - very impressive to look at tho I never could afford a ride on them
One of the early (?prototype) APTs is still at Crewe heritage site as I pass it regularly going up for the boat tho I think everything in it was gutted.
The early Pendolinos induced more motion sickness than my Manx ferry - several times on journeys when they were first introduced there would be a passenger who felt so sick that the guard helped them off at the next stop and arranged a slower connection - their main problem apart from being cramped in cattle class is the stink from the toilet which feeds back into the carriage - tho the motion sickness is mostly solved I don't find them pleasant to ride in and always feel slightly sick when getting off tho for some reason the shorter Liverpool route is ok (the East coast route has some excellent comfortable high speed sets and if I were going to Scotland I'd choose these)Comment
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The Virgin pendolino sets don't seem too bad to me, and I've used the west coast line quite a number of times. The journey times are impressively short in some cases - e.g Warrington, Stafford. The suspension on some of the earlier trains up to Liverpool or Manchester didn't always give a comfortable ride, even if the trains didn't tilt. I'd say that most people can get used to the ride on the Pendolinos.Originally posted by Frances_iom View Post
The east coast services don't need to tilt, as the lines are much straighter. I think some of the trains operated along some east coast routes were converted Eurostar trains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_373 (up to York) though right up to Scotland the trains are either diesel electric HSTs or electric locomotive hauled train sets.Last edited by Dave2002; 15-01-16, 16:12.Comment
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In the pasxt five years or so I've travelled almost monthly on the West Coast service between Glasgow & London; the seats, while not exactly luxurious, are comfortable enough (especially if, being tall, I sit in the ones with extra legroom) although the quiet carriages are now getting very busy - probably enough to warrant making two carriages quiet. I've never experienced problems with motion sickness.Comment
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One of my rellies by marriage, a retired cop, devoted years voluntarily to restore The Duke Of Gloucester with a bunch of mates. I believe it was lying in a sorry state at Barry, and I seem to remember they worked on it at Bury. This was HEAVY engineering, and all done by volunteers. There was much fund-raising, and the setting up of a trust (The Duke Trust?) but I think the cost ran into a few hundred thousand...definitely not millions.
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recall that B coach was initially selected as the quiet coach - but was then switched to coach A which has fewer seats as the driving end also has space reserved as cycle storage + also the waste collected during the trip - I'm surprised that others haven't noticed the smell which is quite strong in coach A possibly masked by some form of disinfectant in the air-conditioning, I was told this was initially due to placing the exhaust ventilation from toilet very close to air conditioning inlet - the tilting was adjusted to be less aggressive and I've not seen the problems that were common at the start reappear - but there is actually less room away from the very few table seats than in the commuter services from Waterloo.Originally posted by Flosshilde View Post
The quiet coach has got very busy (tho with Scottish journeys north of Carlisle involving bus transfer very quiet at present) - at one time I noticed a regular group London-Preston had always booked the tables well in advance - possibly what older passengers on long journeys really want are child free carriages as the noise of a screaming child on a long journey in a restricted space is a right pain.Comment
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I think that in retrospect it would have been better to have plinthed Flying Scotsman and build a completely new A3. Unfortunately costs have a habit of escalating, and it is doubtless the case that when one item is renewed it throws strain on older components thus leading to unforeseen expense. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?Originally posted by ardcarp View PostMoney can't buy you happiness............but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery - Spike MilliganComment
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Originally posted by AmpH View PostGood to see that the Flying Scotsman should be venturing back on the rails shortly, following a protracted, costly and at times badly managed restoration process.
I shall look forward to seeing her in steam at some point and certainly at Shildon later in the year."...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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Worth copying this post here for steam fans, perhaps...
Departing King's Cross 07.40 arriving York 12.26
"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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I see Michael Portillo in eye dazzling green jacket was on board - his wallet or our licence fee?Originally posted by mangerton View PostComment
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