Who actively prefers the "slow" train?

[61653 HTAFC]

Certainly not guaranteed for much of the day on Saturdays. I’ve found these 2 carriage trains full and standing from Leeds right through to Sheffield and Nottingham.

Also depends which Northern service you mean. The semi-fast (Lincoln or Nottingham) is busy all day, you might get the odd free table between the peaks... the stopper (which departs Leeds first, and reverses at Casvegas) can be a fair bit quieter outside of the peaks.

One example I neglected to mention in my earlier post was the former Wales&West Alphaline service from London Waterloo to Manchester Piccadilly via Salisbury, Bath, Severn Tunnel, Newport avoider, Hereford, Shrewsbury and Crewe. Took this once heading from Kingston to Huddersfield just to say I'd done it, it was a long slog but a bit more interesting than the usual ECML or WCML. Can't recall if it called at Temple Meads or used the avoiding curve though.

 

[Mat17]

If going from Penistone to Manchester, I'll drive to Glossop and catch the train from there rather than use Standedge or the Hope Valley. I don't use TPE.

 

[Mat17]

Also depends which Northern service you mean. The semi-fast (Lincoln or Nottingham) is busy all day, you might get the odd free table between the peaks... the stopper (which departs Leeds first, and reverses at Casvegas) can be a fair bit quieter outside of the peaks.

There's the via Rotherham service too, usually 3 car 150s. Always seats available.

 

[Mat17]

When doing the Hope Valley from Manchester to Sheffield, I always aim for the Northern stopper over the TPE or EMT fast services, stopping at all the small, rural stations really adds to the atmosphere...

I do miss the Pacers though, the big windows and low seating really amplified the view.

The 101s were fantastic on the Hope Valley line, much better than the Pacers.

 

[Russel]

The 101s were fantastic on the Hope Valley line, much better than the Pacers.

Sadly they had not long been phased out when I first did the Hope Valley.

 

[yorksrob]

Difficult site to get to needing extended platform to be cantilevered out across a road, repositioning signal gantries, probably moving points and signalling. That costs.

See Google aerial view.

View attachment 166871

Needs to be done for electrification - which is why wiring through places like Leicester, Sheffield and Bristol has been delayed.

If you stand on the end of platform 17, you can see that the viaduct continues at the same width as the section with the platform before it widens out. For that reason, as long as we're satisfied with the width of the current platform, there's no need to cantilever anything.

 

[Killingworth]

If you stand on the end of platform 17, you can see that the viaduct continues at the same width as the section with the platform before it widens out. For that reason, as long as we're satisfied with the width of the current platform, there's no need to cantilever anything.

Excuse foreshortening in this telephoto shot, but I'd say there's a section by the current fire exit that would not easily be wide enough to meet modern minimum platform width requirements. If it was I'd have thought they'd have done it.

Of course it's the supports and catenary combined with points and signalling across the whole station approach that make it all so difficult. 17 is only part of that.

 

[Egg Centric]

Another similar thing occurred to me - when it comes to preserved railways in the UK, ceteris paribus I'd rather take the "slow railway", that is I actively prefer narrow gauge and/or industrial ones. Why? Due to the pernicious effects of the ubiquitous 25mph speed limit! I want the locos to be worked hard. Highlight of my Saturday this weekend was behind the oldest (arguably) diesel electric still running, all 130 horse power (or whatever it is) of it, working two coaches up a relatively steep grade.

Hanging around in 6 Mark 1s being pulled by Flying Scotsman or Britannia at 15mph (I'm exaggerating for effect but I bet this has happened) is fine as far as it goes but it's a bit like buying a Veyron and driving it around Knightsbridge imo. Let's either do 230mph or drive around in a trabant!

Was at the RH&DR this weekend and another variation on this theme occurred to me. This is a gross oversimplification, and I'm obviously not talking about YOUR favourite heritage line dear reader, oh no... but the story behind the majority of full size heritage lines goes like this:

1. Beeching (or earlier if we're a total basket case!) announces closure
2. A few of us get together in the pub
3. After enough pints we've raised enough to buy it off BR for a pittance
4. We've been gently haemmoeriging money ever since.

Once again, narrow/minature railways - like the RH&DR - tend to have far more varied and interesting origin stories than the above, generally speaking.

 

[Leogilbert007]

Booked a journey from SE London to Totnes for the beginning of December. It was £12 cheaper (and will in my opinion be more exciting) to do Clapham Junction>Reading>Totnes than to go via Victoria and Paddington, so that’s what I did.

 

[JonathanH]

It was £12 cheaper (and will in my opinion be more exciting) to do Clapham Junction>Reading>Totnes than to go via Victoria and Paddington, so that’s what I did.

A journey on the Waterloo to Reading line is never more exciting than the other ways of getting there.

 

[miklcct]

Booked a journey from SE London to Totnes for the beginning of December. It was £12 cheaper (and will in my opinion be more exciting) to do Clapham Junction>Reading>Totnes than to go via Victoria and Paddington, so that’s what I did.

Why don't you take the SWR all the way to Exeter? Isn't it more direct?

 

[Tetragon213]

I remember booking a journey from Basingstoke to Cardiff Central. This was on "company money", so to speak, so price was less of an issue (business travel).

Having been subjected to the torture racks on the IET before, I deliberately went out of my way to book the slow route with a ticket via Salisbury. It was cheaper for the company, so they didn't mind! Rolling stock makes a big difference when it comes to comfort, and if the choice is between a 158/159 combo or an IET, the 158/159 wins out every time.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Having been subjected to the torture racks on the IET before, I deliberately went out of my way to book the slow route with a ticket via Salisbury. It was cheaper for the company, so they didn't mind! Rolling stock makes a big difference when it comes to comfort, and if the choice is between a 158/159 combo or an IET, the 158/159 wins out every time.

Very much a matter of opinion there. 15x rattle my ears - 4 hours' worth is torture. Also more legroom on the IET.

I do however sometimes use the Trent Valley LNR service in preference to Avanti even when holding an interavailable ticket. Did it yesterday in fact, it was a bit quieter than usual as they were spinning at MKC due to the 2 track timetable being in place for engineering works.

 

[185143]

Catching a Northern service from Leeds to Sheffield is usually a more relaxing experience than the faster Cross Country service.

It certainly is. Especially on the semi fast, it's not a huge amount slower I don't think.

I very much prefer catching WMT down to London from Crewe, only a 40 minute penalty over Avanti and significantly cheaper for walk up tickets. And the train starts at Crewe rather than being rammed already from Manchester/Liverpool/Scotland. Given the choice between advances on Avanti or a walk up on WMT, unless the Avanti is significantly cheaper (which if I only want a single it can be at times to be fair, particularly Northbound) I'd take the WMT fare every time.

There was a brief period a couple of summers back where most Manchester-Sheffield stoppers were 6 car 195s. The rear coach of those was by far the best way to travel between the two cities, maybe with the exception of TPE 1st class on a 6 car. The reason for that was it was only accommodated at Marple in the Manchester direction only. So plenty of space and peace. Minus the usual CAF rattles of course!

 

[richw]

Why don't you take the SWR all the way to Exeter? Isn't it more direct?

Via Salisbury nearly always has very cheap non flexible advance tickets

 

[Farigiraf]

Tried Southeastern and Thameslink from central London to Sevenoaks this weekend. On the way out I departed from Charing Cross on an SE stopper. 3+2 seating, worn seats, and the air lock by the door was broken so there was a constant blowing sound for about 40 minutes. Views were: 1. Trees, 2. Residential housing.
On the return trip, I decided to use Thameslink to Blackfriars. It's about 20 minutes slower, but the Darent Valley and Kent hills around Otford were stunning (compared to Knockholt and Orpington's semi-detached homes, that is ), there were plenty of seats, and the WiFi was working in the declassified first class. Definitely worth taking a bit of a detour every now and then.

 

[Leogilbert007]

A journey on the Waterloo to Reading line is never more exciting than the other ways of getting there.

It was to me, the furthest towards Reading I’ve been on that line is Egham so I’m quite excited to ride it to the end

 

[Leogilbert007]

Why don't you take the SWR all the way to Exeter? Isn't it more direct?

I should’ve done that in hindsight, but I really like the Waterloo-Reading line… Tickets are advance singles so it’s too late but will check for my return journey

 

[MrJeeves]

I should’ve done that in hindsight, but I really like the Waterloo-Reading line…

Next you'll be asking for Pacers on intercity routes!

Last time I did it, though, was during Ascot Races so I might be a tad biased...

 

[Leogilbert007]

Come to think of it, pacers on intercity routes would be very fun…

Don’t give me ideas

 

[yorksrob]

Come to think of it, pacers on intercity routes would be very fun…

Don’t give me ideas

I used to get them quite frequently between Carnforth and Lancaster !

 

[eastwestdivide]

I used to get them quite frequently between Carnforth and Lancaster !

The long descent into Leeds on a Sheffield-Dearne Valley stopper was almost fun too.

 

[yorksrob]

The long descent into Leeds on a Sheffield-Dearne Valley stopper was almost fun too.

Oh yes, and from Skipton as well.

 

[High Dyke]

Sadly they had not long been phased out when I first did the Hope Valley.

I'm showing my age. It was diesel hauled when I first travelled it.

This afternoon I'm on the slower train from Nottingham to Grantham. It's a 3-car and I've currently got a whole 18 seats to myself (only using one though). Meanwhile the two-car Norwich service ahead of us is rammed. Sometimes, slower is better.

 

[BazingaTribe]

My experience is mostly in Europe unless you count the 'Sci-fi Slingshot' around Woking (War of the Worlds) and Guildford (where Ford Prefect claimed he came from in H2G2) that I have to do every so often when a freight train gets stuck on the Reading to Basingstoke line. (Seriously, why is a major trunk line so vulnerable to blockages?!) I kind of enjoy going round the houses but because I mostly encountered it on my commute it lost its novelty after a while.

I do this all the time, particularly on holiday in Europe. I even managed to do a bus trip in Lithuania from Klaipėda to Kaunas around the southern border with Russia -- as an obvious tourist it was a surprise to the driver that I actually wanted to go the scenic route but I insisted. The sun setting over the road to Kaliningrad, the abandoned forest railway tracks presumably torn up to prevent the Russians getting too comfortable with their old vassal state and the colourful murals on the bus stops were much more fun than some of the most boring road signs in Europe. (Once a transport nerd, always a transport nerd.)

Also it's a well known life hack that students doing interrail etc will get sleepers from one distant city to another. Even if they have to purchase a supplement, it's often much cheaper than static accommodation and allows them to see more of the continent than they might otherwise get to. I always preferred staying still while asleep (even on cruises it can be like trying to sleep on one of those mechanical rodeo bulls), but I used to go to Prague during holiday weekends in Poland and it was very convenient to bounce between Warsaw and the Czech capital without spending too much usable time travelling.

I don't just get on a train or bus for the sake of it, but one of the reasons to travel is the journey. I'm not going to say that John Ruskin's contempt for passengers who just read on the train was a good thing (each to their own, and I've read quite a bit myself) but I do like to see where I'm going and journeys through interesting places can be as enjoyable as stopping off there on breaks where I just can't fit everything in.