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A Summer trip to St Ives around 5-10 years ago

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voyagerdude220

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When me and my Dad were travelling on a 158 combo between Crewe & St Erth a few years ago, I wasn't really enjoying the journey, with duff air con, and the prospect of beng on the train for aproximately 7 hours.

We wern't going to arrive at St Erth in the same 158 combo which we boarded at Crewe however, as my Dad had other ideas..

He tried to jump off at Hereford, to get something from the shop on the platform, and jump back on before the train departed.

*Train Departs from Hereford*

Because I didn't properly know where he was going, I assumed he had got stuck behind a big group of brownies joining the train, and was at the other end. I gave him a call on his phone, to find out he hadn't made the train, and that I should lug the few suitcases off the train (on my own) at Abergavenny, where he'll get a taxi to.

In the end, we got on a 158 Abergavenny-Newport, then a DMU between Newport & Bristol Temple M. At least we ended up jumping on 221 118 between Bristol & St Erth, which I enjoyed, knowing the fact I could have been on the 158 between Crewe and St Erth for a VERY long time, If the journey had gone smoothly. My Dad also treated us to weekend first, which
allowed me to relax on my favourite kind of train.

All in all, It was quite hectic for me, to get the suitcases off the train, as I was trying to be as quick as possible, to reduce the dwell time in the station. The suitcases were also very heavy. I did tell the friendly TM between Hereford & Abergavenny that I would throwing alot of luggage onto the platform, and he asked me to give him a little wave once I had finished getting everything off.
 
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Dennis

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I do regret not doing more of the really long unit trips that were possible just a few years ago but which no longer exist - just to say I had done them....
 

Jim

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I do regret not doing more of the really long unit trips that were possible just a few years ago but which no longer exist - just to say I had done them....

Penzance - Pompey
Penzance - Crewe/MH (latter used a 153 quite a lot:razz:)
Waterloo - Fishguard (which then went on to Liverpool!)

then when it was still Wales & West we had:
Pompey - Liverpool
Brighton - Milford Haven
Pompey - Barry Island

etc
 

paul1609

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Penzance - Pompey
Penzance - Crewe/MH (latter used a 153 quite a lot:razz:)
Waterloo - Fishguard (which then went on to Liverpool!)

then when it was still Wales & West we had:
Pompey - Liverpool
Brighton - Milford Haven
Pompey - Barry Island

etc

Penzance to Pompey still exists on Summer Sundays, presumably this will be the last year to get the saturday Paignton to Brighton train.
 

devon_metro

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I have travelled on a 158 from Newton Abbot - Manchester picc between Newton Abbot and Paignton, a totally unsuitable journey for the unit as it was 2 car and therefore wedged by Exeter. Good job I had reservations.
 

Coxster

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I have travelled on a 158 from Newton Abbot - Manchester picc between Newton Abbot and Paignton, a totally unsuitable journey for the unit as it was 2 car and therefore wedged by Exeter. Good job I had reservations.
Wouldn't have enjoyed the London Euston to Blackpool North 158s then? :razz:
 

Galvanize

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Pwlheli/Aberystwith-Stanstead Airport/Nottingham/Grimsby (class 156 and/or 158 )
Waterloo-Manchester Piccadilly via Salisbury, Westbury, Bristol TM, Maindee curve and the marches (class 158 )
Manchester Airport-Glasgow/Edinburgh dividing at Carlisle (class 158 )
London Euston-Manchester airport (class 322)
London Euston-Rochdale (class 158 )
Crewe-Carlisle (class 309, doesn't count because the service never ran in 1998 due to the units not having CDL)
Brighton-Rugby (class 319)
Norwich-Basingstoke (class 170)
etc...:lol:
 

NSEFAN

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What happened to the Waterloo - Penzance services, formed of a 2 car class 158 unit...

Why on earth scrap such a service??? ;)
 

voyagerdude220

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What happened to the Waterloo - Penzance services, formed of a 2 car class 158 unit...

Why on earth scrap such a service??? ;)

Isn't that FGW's strategy to reducing overcrowding on its Paignton/ Penzance to Paddington route?

Substitute an 8-car HST with 2/3-car units has a potential to reducing the overcrowding- Putting people off using the train ;)
 

devon_metro

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What happened to the Waterloo - Penzance services, formed of a 2 car class 158 unit...

Why on earth scrap such a service??? ;)

SWT did this last Saturday...

Voyager dude, how you can moan at FGW when virgin ordered 5/4 car trains. At least FGW have 8 coaches and have extended a number of highspeed services to/from Paignton/Penzance/Newquay this year.

So get your facts right!
 

voyagerdude220

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Voyager dude, how you can moan at FGW when virgin ordered 5/4 car trains. At least FGW have 8 coaches and have extended a number of highspeed services to/from Paignton/Penzance/Newquay this year.

So get your facts right!

Well seeing VXC have somewhat increased the frequency of trains since they took over The XC franchise, e.g. Direct North West-South West services gone from 3, to 8 every weekday. (Soon to be undone by Arriva cutting Crewe to Glasgow)

Ok, their may not be as many seats on Voyagers, compared to HSTs, BUT the amount of seats available on each route, must have increased since operation princess, compared to the old pre-Voyager timetable, where big 7-car XC HSTs operated fewer, less frequent services.

Yes, Voyagers DEFINATELY shouldn't have been ordered with just 4/5 coaches, but it all falls down to money.

I'd much rather have the option of jumping on a busy Voyager, at 06:00,08:00,10:00,12:00,14:00 etc to my destination, than have just three options at say 09:00, 13:00 and 17:00.

So Liam, telling me to "get my facts right" isn't exactly correct is it? I'm sure your not perfect either.
 

devon_metro

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I was refering to you commenting on FGW cutting the number of seats from Penance/Plymouth/Paignton to London, when in fact there are more trains.

Before operation 'Vomitification' customers could enjoy nice journeys comfortable trains that didn't vibrate. They may have more dedicated direct services but it could have been done with Virgins older stock. New trains were needed but the arrival of the Vomits did not mean that Virgin could suddenly run more direct trains. Certain areas on the route have improved although not past Bristol. Trains used to run hourly to Plymouth with 7 coaches and the same happens now but with 4/5 coaches.

Progress....
 

87015

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Mr Voyagerfan, you are nicely forgetting all the destinations VXC have axed from their network after the Operation Princess fiasco then in your 'better service' ditty :lol:
 

Donny Dave

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Well seeing VXC have somewhat increased the frequency of trains since they took over The XC franchise, e.g. Direct North West-South West services gone from 3, to 8 every weekday. (Soon to be undone by Arriva cutting Crewe to Glasgow)

That isn't down to Arriva .....

That was agreed at the beginning of the year between the DfT, TPE and VXC. Arriva have to live with that.
 

Jim

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Mr Voyagerfan, you are nicely forgetting all the destinations VXC have axed from their network after the Operation Princess fiasco then in your 'better service' ditty :lol:

Aye, Weymouth, Brighton (Near Enough), Swansea, Ramsgate, Blackpool
 

87015

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But part of this (including Brighton) is being axed, because of the SRA's say-so, not VXC/ Arriva XC.
Maybe so, but the majority were not. That little place called Liverpool was axed by VT as a response to the Princess failings. Or is that not an important enough place for cross-country services to serve?
 

me123

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Am I not right in saying that Liverpool trains run about 2-hourly to Euston, with suitable interchanges onto XC?

I agree they shouldn't have been axed as Liverpool is a fairly big city, but the services operated are still good. Of course, Virgin's customers XC would have been with one TOC, but now they're with 2 so the problem becomes bigger...
 

87015

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Am I not right in saying that Liverpool trains run about 2-hourly to Euston, with suitable interchanges onto XC?

I agree they shouldn't have been axed as Liverpool is a fairly big city, but the services operated are still good. Of course, Virgin's customers XC would have been with one TOC, but now they're with 2 so the problem becomes bigger...
So what if you can change at Crewe. The idea of a cross-country franchise is, or at least should be, to operate infrequent services between multiple destinations, which build up to give regular frequencies on the core sections. No passenger wants to change, lugging stuff about and flapping over missed connections, especially when its built around the cesspits that is New St.
 

me123

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So what if you can change at Crewe. The idea of a cross-country franchise is, or at least should be, to operate infrequent services between multiple destinations, which build up to give regular frequencies on the core sections. No passenger wants to change, lugging stuff about and flapping over missed connections, especially when its built around the cesspits that is New St.

Agreed. Maybe Arriva will try and reinstate them? Doubt it, but you never know.
 

Spaceflower

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Concentrating services on 'key' corridors seems to be the prefered choice of todays train and bus operators
 
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