Most Interesting, Most Nostalgic, Most Boring, Most Hated

[Mikey C]

The Voyagers are poorly designed, but most of the hate is surely due to them being too small? Personally I prefer sitting inside one to a Pendolino, at least the windows are a decent size.

 

[QQQ]

The Voyagers are poorly designed, but most of the hate is surely due to them being too small? Personally I prefer sitting inside one to a Pendolino, at least the windows are a decent size.

Yes, the main problem is that they are too small. There are other problems, but if they'd all been built as 6 car units I think they'd be a lot less unpopular than they are.

Let's try to answer the original question:
Most interesting: West Highland (Glasgow QS to Mallaig) shades it for me.
Most nostalgic: Hard to answer. HSTs maybe?
Most boring: Somehow I've always found Birmingham to Derby a bit dull. The southern ECML is also a candidate (but the line as a whole isn't, because from Durham northwards it's anything but boring).
Most hated: Repetitive uninformative recorded announcments at stations. Especially "See it say it sorted" but also "Due to today's wet weather" (which I've heard several times at Sheffield on days when it is not remotely wet) and most of the others.

 

[CBlue]

Most Interesting: WAML as you enter Greater London and head along the viaducts. There's quite the variety of things to see out the window of your train, and that ties into.....
Most Nostalgic: Class 317's. Grew up travelling on them whenever I went to London with my parents on the Liverpool St line, so got a bit of a soft spot for them even if they're totally worn out these days.
Most boring: I'll be honest, the handful of times I've travelled on a Mk4+Class 91 set I didn't really get why people liked them. They're nothing special.
Most hated: Thankfully gone from the Liv St - Norwich service, but the Mk3 + Class 90 sets. Almost two hours of gangway squeaks and seating springs digging into your back isn't fun, the FLIRT's can only be an improvement.

 

[Strathclyder]

Most Interesting: Any station with architectural merit: Glasgow Central, Paisley Gilmour Street, Dumbarton Central, Helensburgh Central & Wemyss Bay all being prime examples on the Strathclyde network.
Most Nostalgic: The SPT Carmine & Cream livery, finally removed from the national network with the last 314s being withdrawn back in December. Some may have considered it to be dowdy, perennially burdened with 'one foot stuck in the past'-syndrome and/or just outright boring, but having grown up with it (so no bias whatsoever lol), I personally thought it was a simple, restrained & dignified beacon in the ever-broadening kaleidoscope of 'busy' privitastion liveries. Special mention has to go to the old Glasgow Central tannoy tone here.
Most boring: The Argyle/North Clyde Lines between Clydebank/Singer & Hyndland. Only boring 'cos I've done that section of those two lines in each direction so many times over the years, the scenery tends to blur together for me as a result.
Most hated: Right off the top of my head, the overall state the heavy rail underground stations in Glasgow (namely Anderston, Central Low Level, Argyle Street, High Street & Bridgeton) are in. Anderston in particular is atrocious heading down to and at platform level. Yes, I'm acutely aware the M8 runs right overhead, but even with that in mind, it's pretty poor. And the contrasts between Central High Level and Low Levels could not be more marked.

 

[MrEd]

Most interesting: definitely a trip from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh in autumn or early winter (Oct/Nov/Dec) when the light and the colours of the landscape are at their most dramatic- a huge variety of scenery and weather conditions (east coast, mountain and moorland interior, west coast) combined with much in the way of interesting Highland Railway infrastructure and a few quirky request halts which serve cute wee crofting townships/remote communities (it’s always interesting seeing which halts will be used on a given trip), as well as some great craic from the Inverness and Kyle conductors who are always enthusiastic and fun to travel with, and a truly incredible view of the Isle of Skye and other islands at the end. For some reason I’ve always preferred this route to the Isles to the Mallaig line (although that is absolutely amazing too).

Most nostalgic: definitely Mk2 and Mk3 stock with drop lights (particularly on HSTs, the Caledonian sleeper and the Norwich push-pull sets). I miss these and find them a lot more comfortable than the modern stock that replaced them (although I can see why a lot of commuters and casual travellers, and probably staff too, were glad to see the back of them).

Most boring: struggling to think of one, as I find most aspects of rail travel interesting, but (the views of Ely Cathedral and the Great Ouse at Ely and Littleport aside) I’ve never found the stretch of line between Ely and Kings Lynn to have much of note (whether from a scenic or infrastructure point of view, and the Class 387s, functional though they are, don‘t exactly do much to make it memorable).

Most hated: the extent of overcrowding on many long-distance services (LNER, CrossCountry and also Scotrail between Edinburgh and Inverness were the main culprits here in pre-virus days). Sometimes (before lockdown) the overcrowding on these services at peak times was so bad you couldn‘t even get to a reserved seat in first class.

 

[Statto]

Most interesting North Wales Coast line from Chester through to Holyhead, especially on a fine sunny day.

Most nostalgic tricky to answer, i don't have anything nostalgic

Most boring Moorfields to Hunts Cross, mostly it's either going through tunnels, or high embankments when your not in the tunnels then going through the cutting LPY to Hunts Cross, at least journey time is around 15 minutes. Add Borderlines Bidston to Wrexham to scenery is drab & painfully slow especially Shotton-Bidston section

Most hated Pendolinos, i feel claustrophobic on them, interior is drab & in need of a refurb, the feeling of wanting to spew up when they tilt. Also the constant bombardment of health & safety & security announcements

 

[Purple Orange]

Most hated Pendolinos, i feel claustrophobic on them, interior is drab & in need of a refurb, the feeling of wanting to spew up when they tilt. Also the constant bombardment of health & safety & security announcements

Interesting choice of avatar you have there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Most interesting: Conwy Valley. The variety of scenery is amazing on such a short line, and while I feel we sadly will lose it at some point soon due to the repeated flooding it is worth a ride while it's still here. Hopefully it will at least be retained as a cycle path even if it is closed (wouldn't be as susceptible to damage in that form, as sections of embankment could be dropped to ground level to let the water through), as it would be as worthy of a bike ride as a train ride.

Joint award: The WCML as a whole, ideally via the West Midlands. A line that tells the story of the UK during a pleasant (ideally in 1st) trip from Euston all the way to Glasgow, containing pretty much all the types of scenery, and carrying pretty much all the types of people, you will get in the UK. From bustling London, to the rolling Chilterns, to Britain's "Ruhrgebiet", the industrial Midlands, to more rolling hills of Cheshire, to the beauty and industry of the North West (a diversion via Manchester and Chorley well advised), to the mountains of the Lakes and Dales, the borderland city of Carlisle (I still recall getting off there once and being welcomed with an announcement worded like that with a real sense of pride that the "big train" had come to visit) and on to Scotland's second city which has its own charm.

Most nostalgic: Euston, not changed all that much from the excitement of trips down to London as a kid. Apart from the "Euston scrum", I just don't share the disdain people have for this station and its "Great Hall", something missing from many other stations and much needed.

Most boring: The entire ECML, apart from a very short section north of Newcastle. Flat, drab and boring throughout. Might as well go ride around the Netherlands. Yawn.

Most hated: Despite growing up with them and them having a certain nostalgic charm, the PEP EMU. It must have taken a good deal of thought, and a heavy measure of sheer malice, to design a vehicle in which no seat whatsoever has a good view through the window. An utterly idiotic piece of design, even if they are reliable workhorses.

Second prize: any 20m Mk3-derived EMU or DMU for the same problem, albeit not quite as bad because the windows are a bit wider.

 

[Parallel]

Most interesting: I haven't travelled on all lines in the country but the most interesting would probably have to be Newcastle to Aberdeen on the East Coast Mainline. A good mixture of coast, countryside, cities and bridges. GWR from Exeter to Penzance is also quite varied/interesting for similar reasons.

Most nostalgic: The Heart of Wessex Line from Bristol to Weymouth. It reminds me of many childhood summer weekend trips to the beach. The rolling countryside, the feeling of being on a rural line, tiny request stops, full carriages of lively beach goers. Air blowing in through the hopper windows and down the carriage and a beach at the end. Nice!

Most boring: I'm very fortunate that my commute to work is through countryside that never gets dull. I can't really think of that much that's boring about the railway really. Sections of lines that are underground and have no view at all, maybe!

Most hated: Not a fan of Voyagers, they're noisy, smelly and cramped. They're fine if they're light loaded but they rarely are from the journeys I've made. I'm also not a fan of drama caused by reservations, especially electronic reservations when the system fails and it leads to arguments and confrontation. Also, when TOCs seem to adopt a different policy by insisting everyone sits in their reserved seats when the system is not working. It's annoying waiting to be turfed out of a seat constantly as you can't tell where they've been reserved between. Once, I saw a lady who moved about 4 times due to this on a XC Voyager and when it happened a fifth time, she refused to move again. I would actually do away with automatic reservations for advance fares similar to what TfW/ATW do and only offer them on bookings of 4 people or more, those using senior railcards and those with disabled persons railcards. Yes, it might be positive discrimination but I'm not in any of these groups and feel like everyone would be far happier. Maybe have a limited number of reservations available for people who phone/e-mail and request one, but have the majority/ the default as counted spaces only. Also, make it a condition that reservations do not apply if they are not displayed in the carriage. Maybe also printed on the tickets too. Back to reality, I also don't like when IC or regional train services don't have an unreserved carriage.

 

[Sprinter107]

Most interesting: I haven't travelled on all lines in the country but the most interesting would probably have to be Newcastle to Aberdeen on the East Coast Mainline. A good mixture of coast, countryside, cities and bridges. GWR from Exeter to Penzance is also quite varied/interesting for similar reasons.

Most nostalgic: The Heart of Wessex Line from Bristol to Weymouth. It reminds me of many childhood summer weekend trips to the beach. The rolling countryside, the feeling of being on a rural line, tiny request stops, full carriages of lively beach goers. Air blowing in through the hopper windows and down the carriage and a beach at the end. Nice!

Most boring: I'm very fortunate that my commute to work is through countryside that never gets dull. I can't really think of that much that's boring about the railway really. Sections of lines that are underground and have no view at all, maybe!

Most hated: Not a fan of Voyagers, they're noisy, smelly and cramped. They're fine if they're light loaded but they rarely are from the journeys I've made. I'm also not a fan of drama caused by reservations, especially electronic reservations when the system fails and it leads to arguments and confrontation. Also, when TOCs seem to adopt a different policy by insisting everyone sits in their reserved seats when the system is not working. It's annoying waiting to be turfed out of a seat constantly as you can't tell where they've been reserved between. Once, I saw a lady who moved about 4 times due to this on a XC Voyager and when it happened a fifth time, she refused to move again. I would actually do away with automatic reservations for advance fares similar to what TfW/ATW do and only offer them on bookings of 4 people or more, those using senior railcards and those with disabled persons railcards. Yes, it might be positive discrimination but I'm not in any of these groups and feel like everyone would be far happier. Maybe have a limited number of reservations available for people who phone/e-mail and request one, but have the majority/ the default as counted spaces only. Also, make it a condition that reservations do not apply if they are not displayed in the carriage. Maybe also printed on the tickets too. Back to reality, I also don't like when IC or regional train services don't have an unreserved carriage.

I share your views. Most Hated for me is travelling with Cross Country. The overcrowded and down at heel Voyagers, which seem to be getting tattier every time i go on one, and that dreadful reservation sytem. On a recent journey, i was moved 3 times, each time the seat wasnt reserved when i sat there. You cant sit back and enjoy the journey, cos you are constantly worried about occupying a reserved seat.

 

[pieguyrob]

Most interesting: Any railway which runs by the sea WCML at Hest Bank, ECML between Berwick and Dunbar, the approach to Dundee along side the Tay, the GWML between Dawlish and Teignmouth.

Most nostalgic: The sound of 2 Paxman Valentia's on full throttle leaving a station. What a sound!

Most Hated: current health and safety announcements at stations. See it say it sorted. Stand back behind the yellow line, blah blah blah, and, over zealous staff members enforicing it, like you are going to hell if you don't.

Most boring: all modern multiple units. They are soulless. At least 1st generation units had character.

 

[Mat17]

Most Interesting: Birmingham Moor Street, certainly stands out with the Edwardian features. I also quite like Nottingham station, a grand piece of architecture. Manchester Picadilly has a spacious feel and looks good for a modern mainline terminus (certainly better than Leeds), Manchester Victoria the more traditional Victorian side I quite like.

Most Nostalgic: Slamdoor trains. Rolling into a station with the droplight down and the wind rustling through my hair. Back in January I was fortunate to land on an EMR service from Leeds to Sheffield operated by a HST. Now I miss the Paxman Valenta scream, but being able to enter the station and know your going to have to do something a little more tactile than press a button to open a door. I just really miss the whole etiquette/technique of slamdoor trains. Class 101 DMUs, gone but not forgotten. BR Blue/Grey.

Most boring: Sheffield-Leeds via Bolton on Dearne, nothing wrong with the route, but it just takes so much longer than going via Barnsley.

Most hated: Merseyrail Pacers, class 153. Cross Country routes via Birmingham, it just takes soooo long and Voyagers are just not built for such long journeys. They would have been better on Transpennine services. Those cold winter mornings at Penistone station, having ran from the bus and just missed a train (most days), watching it leave over the viaduct, then waiting 40 minutes for the next one, only to find it delayed and the Sheffield bound train then sent through onto the single track section instead, meaning yet another 30 minute wait. All the while wondering if the feeble heater would help distract me from the ice covering the inside of the waiting room windows, or the fact that some mornings I'd arrive to find the local miscreants had put the windows through the night before, much fun. Huddersfield/Sheffield stations in winter, so, so cold.

Special mention goes to Meadowhall, all of it.

 

[Bevan Price]

Most Interesting - Undecided, a bit hard to choose from so many.
Most Nostalgic - Probably Thatto Heath station, or the nearby park, where I used to spend many hours watching steam trains. And so much variety - a wide range of loco. classes., from lots of different depots.
Most Boring - (1) Being sat in a train with a brilliant view - of a plastic covered metal panel. (2) - Seeing the same batches of trains year after year.
Most Hated - Trains that are too small - even at off-peak hours.
Most Enjoyable - Travelling behind steam locos in good condition.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Most interesting - they are ever-decreasing in number but I love places that have a grandness and scale completely at odds with what purpose they now serve - places like Perth, Skegness, etc.
Most nostalgic - the West Coast Main Line, where my interest in all this started all those years ago!
Most boring - I really struggle with endless suburban scenery, especially when the train in question stops every 90 seconds!
Most hated - Impressive as they are, station refurbishments where the provision of actually using it to access trains seems to be secondary.
Most enjoyable - anywhere with a pleasant day, endless countryside and a window seat.

 

[NoMorePacers]

Most interesting - contrary to most, I find the humble Pacers and Sprinters (apart from one I have mentioned later on) that have served my local area for the past 3 decades to be my main interest. Certain types of late 1980s/early-mid 1990s EMUs interest me as well.
Most nostalgic - going up the Coast between Hull and Bridlington/Scarborough on a 158 in Serco-Abellio Northern spec. Have been doing it for a long time and I hope to do it once more before they all get ironing-boarded.
Most boring - something like the Mid-Cheshire Line. Painfully slow and nothing of real interest to look at.
Most hated - any 319 or 150 operated by Northern.

 

[Lampshade]

Most interesting: Lines south and east of Manchester and towards Sheffield/Derby - evidence of long closed routes e.g. Monsal Trail.

Most Nostalgic: Commuter lines into London Waterloo, first ever train journey was along this route.

Most Boring: 700s - just completely unremarkable units, like eating lard sandwiches on a rainy Tuesday in November.

Most Hated: 150s, I preferred Pacers to these, way too noisy, seat layout done by someone who didn’t know about seats, or layouts, heaters on all the time. The last bastion of a truly dreadful passenger experience on Britain’s rails. (Honorary mention to Pendolinos).

 

[Huntergreed]

Most Interesting - travelling through impressive infrastructure, past depots with countless tracks, over impressive bridges/viaducts, the impressive capacity of the lines out of major London stations.

Most nostalgic - the journey down from Glasgow to London on the WCML, the line begins travelling through incredibly rural and quiet Scottish countryside, gradually picking up in intensity until it’s 6 track from Watford, past the depot with 20+ tracks at Wembley, and finally the approach into Euston. My first ever train journey and I was remarkably impressed.

Most boring: Long stretches of nothing but fields with no major landmarks or points of interest. It just loses its appeal after a few minutes.

Most hated: Pacer/Sprinter trains. They’re very noisy, not very modern or appealing on the inside, and just feel very boring to me.

 

[route101]

Most interesting: definitely a trip from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh in autumn or early winter (Oct/Nov/Dec) when the light and the colours of the landscape are at their most dramatic- a huge variety of scenery and weather conditions (east coast, mountain and moorland interior, west coast) combined with much in the way of interesting Highland Railway infrastructure and a few quirky request halts which serve cute wee crofting townships/remote communities (it’s always interesting seeing which halts will be used on a given trip), as well as some great craic from the Inverness and Kyle conductors who are always enthusiastic and fun to travel with, and a truly incredible view of the Isle of Skye and other islands at the end. For some reason I’ve always preferred this route to the Isles to the Mallaig line (although that is absolutely amazing too).

Most nostalgic: definitely Mk2 and Mk3 stock with drop lights (particularly on HSTs, the Caledonian sleeper and the Norwich push-pull sets). I miss these and find them a lot more comfortable than the modern stock that replaced them (although I can see why a lot of commuters and casual travellers, and probably staff too, were glad to see the back of them).

Most boring: struggling to think of one, as I find most aspects of rail travel interesting, but (the views of Ely Cathedral and the Great Ouse at Ely and Littleport aside) I’ve never found the stretch of line between Ely and Kings Lynn to have much of note (whether from a scenic or infrastructure point of view, and the Class 387s, functional though they are, don‘t exactly do much to make it memorable).

Most hated: the extent of overcrowding on many long-distance services (LNER, CrossCountry and also Scotrail between Edinburgh and Inverness were the main culprits here in pre-virus days). Sometimes (before lockdown) the overcrowding on these services at peak times was so bad you couldn‘t even get to a reserved seat in first class.

The kyle line is the one stretch of line in Scotland ive not done along with the Wick branch.

 

[route101]

Most interesting: I haven't travelled on all lines in the country but the most interesting would probably have to be Newcastle to Aberdeen on the East Coast Mainline. A good mixture of coast, countryside, cities and bridges. GWR from Exeter to Penzance is also quite varied/interesting for similar reasons.

Most nostalgic: The Heart of Wessex Line from Bristol to Weymouth. It reminds me of many childhood summer weekend trips to the beach. The rolling countryside, the feeling of being on a rural line, tiny request stops, full carriages of lively beach goers. Air blowing in through the hopper windows and down the carriage and a beach at the end. Nice!

Most boring: I'm very fortunate that my commute to work is through countryside that never gets dull. I can't really think of that much that's boring about the railway really. Sections of lines that are underground and have no view at all, maybe!

Most hated: Not a fan of Voyagers, they're noisy, smelly and cramped. They're fine if they're light loaded but they rarely are from the journeys I've made. I'm also not a fan of drama caused by reservations, especially electronic reservations when the system fails and it leads to arguments and confrontation. Also, when TOCs seem to adopt a different policy by insisting everyone sits in their reserved seats when the system is not working. It's annoying waiting to be turfed out of a seat constantly as you can't tell where they've been reserved between. Once, I saw a lady who moved about 4 times due to this on a XC Voyager and when it happened a fifth time, she refused to move again. I would actually do away with automatic reservations for advance fares similar to what TfW/ATW do and only offer them on bookings of 4 people or more, those using senior railcards and those with disabled persons railcards. Yes, it might be positive discrimination but I'm not in any of these groups and feel like everyone would be far happier. Maybe have a limited number of reservations available for people who phone/e-mail and request one, but have the majority/ the default as counted spaces only. Also, make it a condition that reservations do not apply if they are not displayed in the carriage. Maybe also printed on the tickets too. Back to reality, I also don't like when IC or regional train services don't have an unreserved carriage.

Got to agree with reservations. Had that a few times on XC and VT , punted out my seat. TPE 350s and 185s on WCML were bad , with no unreserved coach, once had a service with all seats with a ticket, might of been just the priority seats without them.

 

[Llandudno]

Most interesting - contrary to most, I find the humble Pacers and Sprinters (apart from one I have mentioned later on) that have served my local area for the past 3 decades to be my main interest. Certain types of late 1980s/early-mid 1990s EMUs interest me as well.
Most nostalgic - going up the Coast between Hull and Bridlington/Scarborough on a 158 in Serco-Abellio Northern spec. Have been doing it for a long time and I hope to do it once more before they all get ironing-boarded.
Most boring - something like the Mid-Cheshire Line. Painfully slow and nothing of real interest to look at.
Most hated - any 319 or 150 operated by Northern.

I quite like the Mid Cheshire Line a route of many contrasts :
Bustling Manchester Piccadilly
Scruffy outskirts of Manchester through Levenshulme
Stockport Viaduct
Single Track towards Altrincham with trams alongside
Snobby Hale, WAG heaven
Planes taking off and landing at nearby Manchester Airport
Plumley station with country pub
Knutsford, charming Cheshire set town
Salt mines and haulage depot at Lostock Gralam
Northwich viaduct over canal and Weaver
Delamere, Forest station
Mouldsworth, country station with pub then single track
Chester, Gateway to North Wales

A delightful journey, mind you if I had to use it everyday to get to work I would soon get fed up as it does seem to take an eternity!

Shame the franchise committed 2 trains per hour service with one being semi-fast appears to have been shunted into the long grass!

 

[Trainfan2019]

Most interesting: Travelling past train depots and being able to see what trains are parked up there.

Most nostalgic: Travelling through or visiting closed stations.

Most boring: Constant repetitive announcements at larger stations and onboard most trains.

Most hated: Passengers and overcrowded trains.

 

[route101]

The Voyagers are poorly designed, but most of the hate is surely due to them being too small? Personally I prefer sitting inside one to a Pendolino, at least the windows are a decent size.

Feel a lot more airy . I prefer the seating layout to pendos on them

 

[Mat17]

In my opinion there's nothing wrong with voyagers per say, simply they are used on completely the wrong routes, don't have enough carriages and were unfortunate in that they replaced HSTs which were far better designed and far better suited to the routes they were used on. I'm afraid you just can't compete with an HST.

Voyagers would have been great on something like Transpennine.

 

[RichJF]

Most interesting: Blackfriars - St Pancras. Myriad of tunnels, old Moorgate connection, steeped in railway history.
Most nostalgic: Redhill station - Used to love watching the freight, slam doors, GatEx Intercity's & postal trains bustling about. It's what got my railway interest piqued as a child.
Most boring: St Pancras - Ebbsfleet tunnels.
Most hated: Thameslink (even though I love the City Widened Lines).

 

[faltskog36abba]

Most interesting-Railway architecture such as original features found as St pancras, Also station facades like Man Victoria, Huddersfield.
Most nostalgic-Man Victoria in the 70s and 80s, It was a huge place and fond memories I had running down the ramp to the subway with my sister on our jollies to Blackpool.
Most boring-A train that stops at every station.
Most hated-Out sourced revenue staff, Some of them haven't a clue about working with the public-Everyone is a fare dodger.

 

[MrEd]

The kyle line is the one stretch of line in Scotland ive not done along with the Wick branch.

I’ve never ever travelled the Far North Line north of Dingwall (though I’d like to one day- perhaps that might be a nice wee post-lockdown adventure once it’s safe). I heartily recommend the Kyle line and it’s a fantastic journey in any weather and at any time of year. Plockton and Duirinish are lovely wee villages to explore too, and are definitely worth a visit (there are some great wee pubs and cafes for you to visit too and the views of Loch Carron are incredible). If you get a crisp day in autumn or winter, you really will see it at its absolute best (and the trains will be quiet then). Just remember to pack a few snacks with you as there’s usually no catering on the Kyle trains between October and March.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Far North isn't super-scenic, but it's beautiful for just how desolate it is.

 

[QQQ]

In my opinion there's nothing wrong with voyagers per say, simply they are used on completely the wrong routes, don't have enough carriages and were unfortunate in that they replaced HSTs which were far better designed and far better suited to the routes they were used on. I'm afraid you just can't compete with an HST.

Voyagers would have been great on something like Transpennine.

Wouldn't they have struggled for capacity on Transpennine as well? A 4 car 220 barely has more standard class seats than a 3 car 185.

 

[Mat17]

Wouldn't they have struggled for capacity on Transpennine as well? A 4 car 220 barely has more standard class seats than a 3 car 185.

Probably but less acute than on a Cross-country service where even the old seven coach HSTs were usually fairly busy, sometimes packed to standing. A four coach replacement train was just an insult.

 

[py_megapixel]

Most interesting: A bit tricky to answer. I'm going to say Leeds station for its massive range of rolling stock as well as quite a strange layout, with a train departing from somewhere every few seconds at times

Most nostalgic: A 323; I know they're not particularly old but they were what I was travelling on regularly when I properly became interested in trains and their motor sound makes them very memorable

Most boring: London Overground. It stops every couple of minutes so the trains never really get up to speed, there's nothing particularly interesting about the rolling stock

Most hated: Any station which makes it difficult to get to the platform in good time for one's train; this can be acheived by having too few ticket gates (e.g. Manchester Oxford Road), opening the gates very soon before departure (e.g. London Euston), or having inadequate signage for passengers (e.g. Meadowhall).