D6130
Established Member
A great day out and some fine photos. Yes the mark 5 stock has an appalling ride and I would always seek to ride in the middle of the coach where possible.
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Iskra's Odysseys
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Iskra
Established Member
I'm sure I will do it again, so that's a good idea. They are eventually supposed to end up serving Sheffield so that should be fun when they do!
Iskra
Established Member
Thank you! Yeah, I found it rough on the CS Mk5 lounge car over the bogies last year, but wasn't sure if that was a good indicator of the ride or just an exception, but yesterday's ride confirmed that they aren't the best and the ride quality seemed to deteriorate further on the Scarborough branch so perhaps the track quality is a factor too.
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Yes I was recently wondering when that was going to happen. A 68 along the Hope Valley would be fun, and more accessible for me than currently
Iskra
Established Member
12th-13th June. The journey to Italy.
For regular readers: This is the journey I make each year down to Southern Italy, with slight variation. More interesting and varied international travels will come at the end of the month on my very circuitous journey home, which also takes in a new country, so stay tuned for that
- - -
I started the journey with the 0630ish Stagecoach bus down to Sheffield station, which was already becoming stiflingly warm with the current heat and the sun on the windows.
I then grabbed a quick espresso at the Costa at the station, which was busier than I expected given the warm weather.
I then saw the rarest of things- a TP class 68+Mk5 set actually in passenger service on Transpennine South. So momentous was this occasion that I took a picture of 68023 Achilles on the 0709 to Cleethorpes. I look forward to a run across the Hope Valley on one of these fine machines in the near future.
I then headed around to P5 to pick up my service to Manchester, the 0729 to Manchester Piccadilly. I’d opted for an EMR service today, as I didn’t trust TP to actually run and I’m a bit bored of the Northern stopper having used it a lot recently. I expected 4 carriages-worth of Sprinter units, but I was completely wrong with that. It was a 2-car 170. I like the. 170’s as they provide a good passenger saloon and effective air con, I was also appreciative for the novelty as I’ve never had a 170 over the Hope Valley. 2 carriages was however totally inadequate for this service, with many passengers having luggage like myself. I got one of the tip-down seats which was adequate but I couldn’t really see much of the glorious views as the vestibule was crammed full. But, it was a train and it actually ran, which is the main thing you want when heading to the airport.
We arrived a few minutes late due to long dwells to get folk on and off, and we left a small number of passengers behind at some stations. The other benefit of using this service, was the easy cross-platform interchange at Manchester Piccadilly.
My connecting service provided by Northern was a pair of 331’s but these arrived into the platform and the train terminated there. The next airport service due was a TFW one run by a pair of 197’s which would be a new class for me, but this also got delayed, so another pair of Northern 331’s arrived first to whisk me to the airport.
Passage through the airport was incredibly swift, having missed the early morning chaos. After another trip to Costa, it was time to board my Ryanair flight to Bologna, but unfortunately after getting as far as the steps to the aircraft, we were then turned away and told to go back inside and that our flight would now be on a different aircraft. As directed, we trudged over to our new gate in a long line, number 49. Then, halfway there, we were told the gate had changed again and it was now 52 and we needed to turn around. The boarding procedure was repeated once more and we got on the aircraft.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the messing around, as we’d now missed our slot, so we sat on the apron for around an hour in the heat, before finally being pushed-back. I’d not bothered to select a seat, so I ended up with a middle seat towards the back of the aircraft. This wasn’t too bad actually as the people either side of me were sound, and I wasn’t bothered about missing any views as I’ve seen it all many times before. My destination airport today was Bologna. This was chosen as it was a flight to Italy that left late enough in the day for me to safely brave public transport to the airport, leaving enough slack for things to go wrong. Additionally, Bologna is a city Ive not visited before and the station there has good rail links.
Arriving at Bologna was easy and the route to the monorail station was well advertised. The Bologna Marconi monorail receives a 1.5 star rating from Tripadvisor, and with good reason. There was a long queue that moved very slowly due to the small size of the monorail compared to the size of incoming aircraft. I think I lost around 45mins waiting here. It’s also 13 euro for a journey of under 10minutes. The thing sets off at the speed of a spaceship and has the ride quality of a rollercoaster. Positives; the air con was great and the monorail provided great views of the vast rail depots. After already being delayed arriving, the further delay and faff of the monorail is enough to deter me from using Bologna airport again.
Bologna station is a bit of a maze until you suss it out, which luckily I’d left plenty of time to do so. At this point I’d not eaten all day, so I headed to RossoPomodoro an Italian chain cafe/restaurant which I enjoy last year at Milan Airport. I had a nice calzone and a drink in the cafe section (cheaper) which was filling and inexpensive. Next, it was to the DelSpar to stock up on provisions for the train as the catering on my journey would be sparse: beer, water and a chocolate/vanilla wreath cake were procured- the cake as it would survive not being refrigerated for the duration of my journey. Next I spent some time in the waiting room, which is vast, cool and has a very peaceful atmosphere due to a security guard at a booth who watches over the room like a librarian would, giving the same atmosphere and enjoyable peaceful tranquility. I passed a couple of hours before deciding it was time for dinner. I did something really terrible here. Knowing that my next couple of weeks would be filled with wonderful, fresh Italian cooking, I decided that I needed American junk food in my life and that this could be my last opportunity to indulge in this for a while. So, I went to BK. I enjoyed it, even more so because BK does beer in Italy.
Once my meal had settled and the sun started to set, I heard for a brief wonder around the city to see what was going on knowing it would now be cooler. Bologna seemed pleasant, but unremarkable. However, I don’t believe I saw the best bits so I will wait until another time to explore it more when I’m not encumbered with a suitcase.
After my walk, I decided to do some Italian train watching on the platform ends, where there was also a nice breeze. I was happy to see home locomotive hauled IC services and also one of the troublesome high-speed sets which have a funny nose to them.
I then headed over to the platform for my night train down to Taranto, where an OBB service to Munich arrived on the opposite track. My service arrived right on time, with electric locomotives at each end and the driver flashing the middle headlight at me on seeing me taking a photo of his loco.
I was in one of the deluxe, air conditioned rooms, which are fantastic value for money too at 88 Euro including my connecting IC service the following day.
Water, snacks and an amenity kit are provided. I slept really well, mainly because I was exhausted. On the occasional times I woke, it was noteworthy that the train was driving hell-for-leather, reaching high speeds. There’s no dawdling around on this night train. To the credit of the driver’s they were stopping and starting gently at the stations so the fast running wasn’t a disturbance. We also seemed to change directions a couple of times in the night. I woke up at Bari, where a light breakfast of much-needed, espresso, croissant and toast with nutella is loaded and wasn’t long in being delivered to my room. The espresso hit the spot. I then got ready, lifted the blind and opened the window for the last part of the journey into Taranto, which has a lot of industrial and railway interest on the approach. Arrival was on time, so I made the connection via the underpass comfortably into my Intercity train.
The D445 on my IV service, with the night train carriages in the background.
I had a reservation in Carriage 1, but that seemed to be where all the reservations were, so on seeing that the Capotrenni was young (normally more relaxed), I went and sat in the virtually empty carriage 3 right behind the loco. It’s a 5 hour trip from here to Locri, but it’s very comfortable in these carriages and there’s plenty of scenic interest. I drank my Messina beers and ate my cake, using the paper plate and cutlery provided for my breakfast on the night train. At Sibari, the railway police boarded, and asked for mine and everybody elses ID. It’s the law to carry your ID at all times in Italy and it’s not unusual to be asked for it by bored police at stations. This was the first time actually on a train though and unusually the officer started by introducing himself and then saluted me, which was a first from an Italian police officer! They asked for my passport, where I was going and what I was doing, I explained that I was on holiday, where they lost interest and they headed off. We dropped a bit of time as we headed around the coast as some preparatory work for electrifying the line beyond Sibari to Crotone seems to be underway, with some masts erected, track being relayed and station layouts being revisited. At Catanzaro depot, as well as the old Aln railcars, more of the new bi-mode ATR units seem to have appeared so hopefully more of the local services are upgraded to run with these. They aren’t perfect but they are way better than a single car railcar with no air conditioning. And with that, I arrived into Locri around 10 minutes late and with another D445-hauled service passing us here due to the line being single on either side of the station. I took a quick video and then headed off.
Reports of more interesting travels in a couple of weeks time
For regular readers: This is the journey I make each year down to Southern Italy, with slight variation. More interesting and varied international travels will come at the end of the month on my very circuitous journey home, which also takes in a new country, so stay tuned for that
- - -
I started the journey with the 0630ish Stagecoach bus down to Sheffield station, which was already becoming stiflingly warm with the current heat and the sun on the windows.
I then grabbed a quick espresso at the Costa at the station, which was busier than I expected given the warm weather.
I then saw the rarest of things- a TP class 68+Mk5 set actually in passenger service on Transpennine South. So momentous was this occasion that I took a picture of 68023 Achilles on the 0709 to Cleethorpes. I look forward to a run across the Hope Valley on one of these fine machines in the near future.
I then headed around to P5 to pick up my service to Manchester, the 0729 to Manchester Piccadilly. I’d opted for an EMR service today, as I didn’t trust TP to actually run and I’m a bit bored of the Northern stopper having used it a lot recently. I expected 4 carriages-worth of Sprinter units, but I was completely wrong with that. It was a 2-car 170. I like the. 170’s as they provide a good passenger saloon and effective air con, I was also appreciative for the novelty as I’ve never had a 170 over the Hope Valley. 2 carriages was however totally inadequate for this service, with many passengers having luggage like myself. I got one of the tip-down seats which was adequate but I couldn’t really see much of the glorious views as the vestibule was crammed full. But, it was a train and it actually ran, which is the main thing you want when heading to the airport.
We arrived a few minutes late due to long dwells to get folk on and off, and we left a small number of passengers behind at some stations. The other benefit of using this service, was the easy cross-platform interchange at Manchester Piccadilly.
My connecting service provided by Northern was a pair of 331’s but these arrived into the platform and the train terminated there. The next airport service due was a TFW one run by a pair of 197’s which would be a new class for me, but this also got delayed, so another pair of Northern 331’s arrived first to whisk me to the airport.
Passage through the airport was incredibly swift, having missed the early morning chaos. After another trip to Costa, it was time to board my Ryanair flight to Bologna, but unfortunately after getting as far as the steps to the aircraft, we were then turned away and told to go back inside and that our flight would now be on a different aircraft. As directed, we trudged over to our new gate in a long line, number 49. Then, halfway there, we were told the gate had changed again and it was now 52 and we needed to turn around. The boarding procedure was repeated once more and we got on the aircraft.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the messing around, as we’d now missed our slot, so we sat on the apron for around an hour in the heat, before finally being pushed-back. I’d not bothered to select a seat, so I ended up with a middle seat towards the back of the aircraft. This wasn’t too bad actually as the people either side of me were sound, and I wasn’t bothered about missing any views as I’ve seen it all many times before. My destination airport today was Bologna. This was chosen as it was a flight to Italy that left late enough in the day for me to safely brave public transport to the airport, leaving enough slack for things to go wrong. Additionally, Bologna is a city Ive not visited before and the station there has good rail links.
Arriving at Bologna was easy and the route to the monorail station was well advertised. The Bologna Marconi monorail receives a 1.5 star rating from Tripadvisor, and with good reason. There was a long queue that moved very slowly due to the small size of the monorail compared to the size of incoming aircraft. I think I lost around 45mins waiting here. It’s also 13 euro for a journey of under 10minutes. The thing sets off at the speed of a spaceship and has the ride quality of a rollercoaster. Positives; the air con was great and the monorail provided great views of the vast rail depots. After already being delayed arriving, the further delay and faff of the monorail is enough to deter me from using Bologna airport again.
Bologna station is a bit of a maze until you suss it out, which luckily I’d left plenty of time to do so. At this point I’d not eaten all day, so I headed to RossoPomodoro an Italian chain cafe/restaurant which I enjoy last year at Milan Airport. I had a nice calzone and a drink in the cafe section (cheaper) which was filling and inexpensive. Next, it was to the DelSpar to stock up on provisions for the train as the catering on my journey would be sparse: beer, water and a chocolate/vanilla wreath cake were procured- the cake as it would survive not being refrigerated for the duration of my journey. Next I spent some time in the waiting room, which is vast, cool and has a very peaceful atmosphere due to a security guard at a booth who watches over the room like a librarian would, giving the same atmosphere and enjoyable peaceful tranquility. I passed a couple of hours before deciding it was time for dinner. I did something really terrible here. Knowing that my next couple of weeks would be filled with wonderful, fresh Italian cooking, I decided that I needed American junk food in my life and that this could be my last opportunity to indulge in this for a while. So, I went to BK. I enjoyed it, even more so because BK does beer in Italy.
Once my meal had settled and the sun started to set, I heard for a brief wonder around the city to see what was going on knowing it would now be cooler. Bologna seemed pleasant, but unremarkable. However, I don’t believe I saw the best bits so I will wait until another time to explore it more when I’m not encumbered with a suitcase.
After my walk, I decided to do some Italian train watching on the platform ends, where there was also a nice breeze. I was happy to see home locomotive hauled IC services and also one of the troublesome high-speed sets which have a funny nose to them.
I then headed over to the platform for my night train down to Taranto, where an OBB service to Munich arrived on the opposite track. My service arrived right on time, with electric locomotives at each end and the driver flashing the middle headlight at me on seeing me taking a photo of his loco.
I was in one of the deluxe, air conditioned rooms, which are fantastic value for money too at 88 Euro including my connecting IC service the following day.
Water, snacks and an amenity kit are provided. I slept really well, mainly because I was exhausted. On the occasional times I woke, it was noteworthy that the train was driving hell-for-leather, reaching high speeds. There’s no dawdling around on this night train. To the credit of the driver’s they were stopping and starting gently at the stations so the fast running wasn’t a disturbance. We also seemed to change directions a couple of times in the night. I woke up at Bari, where a light breakfast of much-needed, espresso, croissant and toast with nutella is loaded and wasn’t long in being delivered to my room. The espresso hit the spot. I then got ready, lifted the blind and opened the window for the last part of the journey into Taranto, which has a lot of industrial and railway interest on the approach. Arrival was on time, so I made the connection via the underpass comfortably into my Intercity train.
The D445 on my IV service, with the night train carriages in the background.
I had a reservation in Carriage 1, but that seemed to be where all the reservations were, so on seeing that the Capotrenni was young (normally more relaxed), I went and sat in the virtually empty carriage 3 right behind the loco. It’s a 5 hour trip from here to Locri, but it’s very comfortable in these carriages and there’s plenty of scenic interest. I drank my Messina beers and ate my cake, using the paper plate and cutlery provided for my breakfast on the night train. At Sibari, the railway police boarded, and asked for mine and everybody elses ID. It’s the law to carry your ID at all times in Italy and it’s not unusual to be asked for it by bored police at stations. This was the first time actually on a train though and unusually the officer started by introducing himself and then saluted me, which was a first from an Italian police officer! They asked for my passport, where I was going and what I was doing, I explained that I was on holiday, where they lost interest and they headed off. We dropped a bit of time as we headed around the coast as some preparatory work for electrifying the line beyond Sibari to Crotone seems to be underway, with some masts erected, track being relayed and station layouts being revisited. At Catanzaro depot, as well as the old Aln railcars, more of the new bi-mode ATR units seem to have appeared so hopefully more of the local services are upgraded to run with these. They aren’t perfect but they are way better than a single car railcar with no air conditioning. And with that, I arrived into Locri around 10 minutes late and with another D445-hauled service passing us here due to the line being single on either side of the station. I took a quick video and then headed off.
Reports of more interesting travels in a couple of weeks time
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Yikes to the delays with Ryanair, I'm absolutely not envious of that at all! Other than that, it sure sounds like an excellent journey, and that cabin looks amazing!
Iskra
Established Member
Yeah, the Deluxe Sleeper Cabins are really nice to travel in
- - - - - -
Italia in Tour 5-day pass- 49 Euros- June 2023
After a traditional holiday in Calabria, Southern Italy, I met up with a small group of fellow enthusiasts to explore the railways of the region. The main ticket used was the Italia in Tour pass, which is available in 3 or 5 day versions and costs roughly 30 Euro or 50 Euro respectively. This pass allows unlimited travel on all Regional and Fast Regional services so is an excellent ticket, although the value gained probably varies by region- it will be less useful in regions served with more IC or Freccia Trains.
Day 1
Locri-Sibari
This train was a little delayed in arriving and while I waited on the platform, some railway police took an interest in the family dog. I then boarded the short IC loco-hauled train and took up my reserved seat behind the loco. Notably, for the first few stations the air conditioning wasn't working, but luckily it started working after that. The railway police who I'd engaged with on the platform then filed through the carriage asking everyone for their ID- it is the law in Italy that you must carry your ID with you at all times. They inspected my passport and then carried on. The journey is fairly scenic, with a mixture of coastal and mountain views, plus plenty of historic towns seen too. There's also a brief hilly inland section on the approach to Crotone. The rolling stock used is very comfortable, so it was a pleasant journey, also representing good value at around 10 Euros for around 2 hours of loco-hauled travel. The D445 is seen below leaving Sibari.
I had a bit of time to kill at Sibari, which is an odd place. It's a railway junction and presumably a crew depot, with a once-a-day Frecciarossa service to/from the North, but has a 3-hour gap in the timetable mid morning, a horrendous evening service, only two trains a day Eastbound to Taranto, but offers a reasonable service Westbound towards Catanzaro and North to Cosenza. Sibari is also where the electrification begins, with only the line that I'd just come off not electrified. Anyway, I had a bit of time to kill so I went for a wander and found a kebab shop/bar that served bottles of Peroni at 1.50EUR, which I found very acceptable. I then headed back to the station to meet up with the rest of the group that were arriving on the Westbound loco-hauled Intercity service. Another drink was then had at the bar before our regional train to Cosenza.
Sibari-Cosenza
This train was formed of one of the new fangled units, that are quite pleasant to travel on but have some odd design features, such as a general lack of doors. This line was new coverage to me, so I took interest in it. It was a really fast run along a plain with mountains in the distance, with some long dwells at stations to meet trains coming in the opposite direction or caused by the rapid acceleration capabilities of the modern unit compared to the push pull electric loco hauled sets that also ply this route. Being a plastic unit I neglected to take a decent picture of it as we had a short turnaround, but it was the one on the right in the rushed picture below:
I then headed over to the Ferrovie Della Calabria ticket office to procure 4 tickets for our onward journey on the Narrow Gauge network that runs into the mountains. These trains run from a series of bay platforms next to the Trenitalia platforms. There were two units parked in the bays and it wasn't clear at all which ours was. It turned out we'd chosen the wrong one, as after passing through two request stops our train terminated after a 3-minute journey at the station at the old town in Cosenza.
This wasn't a problem however, as the unit we were meant to be on passed through the same station so we could just jump on that then and it gave us an opportunity to have an ice cream at the station cafe.
Our actual train then pulled in and off we went:
I've previously described this journey on this thread somewhere, so I'll keep it brief and just attach a video of the run below if anyone wants to see what the route is really like. The line is steeply-graded, heavily engineered and features pleasant scenery. The railcars used can be a bit rough on the outside, but inside they are much better maintained and this type also has opening windows. Best of all, this journey cost a mere 3 Euros.
The hotel in Rogliano was pretty good, and the elevation gave great views of the sunset. After exploring more deeply into the town I discovered that it has more amenities than I'd previously given it credit for and a fantastic pizza restaurant was enjoyed, which I'd happily return to
Day 2 will be along in the next couple of hours...
Iskra
Established Member
Day 2
Rogliano-Soveria Mannelli
After a hearty Full Italian breakfast, it was time to head down to the station for the 0850 service to Soveria Mannelli. This was the leg of the journey that concerned me the most. The railway line between Rogliano and Soveria Mannelli was severed by a landslide a few years ago, so this journey is actually served by a Rail Replacement Bus. The Ferrovie Della Calabria is a very relaxed operation, so I was a little concerned as to whether this bus link actually existed and if it would run at all. I headed to the booking office and the friendly clerk seemed a bit surprised to sell 4 tickets to Soveria Mannelli, but he helpfully directed me towards the buses parked outside the station building. There was a bit of confusion about which of the two buses with engines running would be ours, as one carried the destination display for Rogliano (where we were) and the other Consenza. After asking both drivers, we were directed and eventually boarded the bus which said Cosenza on the front.
The bus was quite smart actually and had effective air conditioning. There was a little concern at the start of the journey as the first 10-15minutes of the bus to Soveria Mannelli were spent heading in the opposite direction back towards Cosenza, where we'd come from the night before. But, this turned out to be the bus just heading back down to join the motorway, before then heading in the correct direction. Some of the scenery from this bus journey was stunning. We did seem to omit the intermediate stations before arriving at a town around 20 minutes early. Here, I could see the railway line down below and the ballast looked neat, clean and good order and the rails looked fine too, just slightly rusty. We then departed the small town, where I saw a railway engineering depot with large stocks of new concrete sleepers and some modern, well-maintained Permanent way equipment, so hopefully they are cracking-on with getting the damaged line re-opened. We then joined tortuous mountain roads, with tight bends where the driver would beep his horn on every corner to warn any oncoming traffic that we would be traversing their side of the road to make the corner. We then gained elevation and were soon in dense woodland interspersed with tended-Alpine style farmland. One novelty was that in this area, the driver pulled over at a natural spring to refill his water bottle and invited us to do the same- that's a new one for me! This journey was also new coverage for me, filling in the gap between the two bits of railway, but I hope that one day I can cover it on an actual train.
We had a bit of time to kill at Soveria Mannelli, so I wandered around the yard looking at some of the abandoned rolling stock.
Soveria Mannelli-Catanzaro Citta
We were back on the rails for the next leg. Again, I've described this journey before so I'll keep it brief and just include a video. Basically, this line is stunning. It starts in Alpine Meadows before delivering incredible mountain views.
Catanzaro Citta-Catanzaro Lido
With that journey done, it was time for another replacement bus from Catanzaro Citta to Catanzaro Lido. They are rebuilding the line here on a new alignment with new stations, which should be finished by the end of this month. This was a bit of a disappointment, as although I've done it before the line is rack & pinion around the inside and outside of the large hill which the City of Catanzaro sits on, so it's a really interesting bit of railway and I've not really encountered a regular passenger railway anything like it anywhere else. The bus was air-conditioned and functional, but that's about all that can be said for it.
We then had some time at Catanzaro, so lunch was had, followed by ice cream before our IC service.
Catanzaro-Sibari
Our train had picked up a delay en route so was a little late. This line involves a lot of single track and passing loops, so it is really easy for trains to pass delays on to each other; especially when the IC trains have such a long journey.
This was another excellent journey on very comfortable rolling stock, although the delays did make it a little nerve-racking as to whether we would make our connection or not at Sibari, which would be fairly grim due to the infrequent evening service. It was one of those where you get a little worked up for no reason at all, as there was evidently plenty of pathing time and our connection was made easily in the end.
Sibari-Castiligione Cosentino
This was the same service we'd travelled on the day before on a similar unit, although we alighted a stop earlier to make our connection.
Castiglione Cosentino-Lamezia Terme
I was happy to see a loco-hauled set pull in when it arrived, but onboard the air conditioning wasn't keeping up with the demand so it wasn't a comfortable journey. Luckily, the first bit of the journey is in a long tunnel, before the train reverses at Paola and heads back down the coast to Lamezia Terme.
At Lamezia a very nice burger restaurant was visited near the station, before a brief walk to look at a local plinthed steam locomotive.
Day 3 in the next hour or so
Rogliano-Soveria Mannelli
After a hearty Full Italian breakfast, it was time to head down to the station for the 0850 service to Soveria Mannelli. This was the leg of the journey that concerned me the most. The railway line between Rogliano and Soveria Mannelli was severed by a landslide a few years ago, so this journey is actually served by a Rail Replacement Bus. The Ferrovie Della Calabria is a very relaxed operation, so I was a little concerned as to whether this bus link actually existed and if it would run at all. I headed to the booking office and the friendly clerk seemed a bit surprised to sell 4 tickets to Soveria Mannelli, but he helpfully directed me towards the buses parked outside the station building. There was a bit of confusion about which of the two buses with engines running would be ours, as one carried the destination display for Rogliano (where we were) and the other Consenza. After asking both drivers, we were directed and eventually boarded the bus which said Cosenza on the front.
The bus was quite smart actually and had effective air conditioning. There was a little concern at the start of the journey as the first 10-15minutes of the bus to Soveria Mannelli were spent heading in the opposite direction back towards Cosenza, where we'd come from the night before. But, this turned out to be the bus just heading back down to join the motorway, before then heading in the correct direction. Some of the scenery from this bus journey was stunning. We did seem to omit the intermediate stations before arriving at a town around 20 minutes early. Here, I could see the railway line down below and the ballast looked neat, clean and good order and the rails looked fine too, just slightly rusty. We then departed the small town, where I saw a railway engineering depot with large stocks of new concrete sleepers and some modern, well-maintained Permanent way equipment, so hopefully they are cracking-on with getting the damaged line re-opened. We then joined tortuous mountain roads, with tight bends where the driver would beep his horn on every corner to warn any oncoming traffic that we would be traversing their side of the road to make the corner. We then gained elevation and were soon in dense woodland interspersed with tended-Alpine style farmland. One novelty was that in this area, the driver pulled over at a natural spring to refill his water bottle and invited us to do the same- that's a new one for me! This journey was also new coverage for me, filling in the gap between the two bits of railway, but I hope that one day I can cover it on an actual train.
We had a bit of time to kill at Soveria Mannelli, so I wandered around the yard looking at some of the abandoned rolling stock.
Soveria Mannelli-Catanzaro Citta
We were back on the rails for the next leg. Again, I've described this journey before so I'll keep it brief and just include a video. Basically, this line is stunning. It starts in Alpine Meadows before delivering incredible mountain views.
Catanzaro Citta-Catanzaro Lido
With that journey done, it was time for another replacement bus from Catanzaro Citta to Catanzaro Lido. They are rebuilding the line here on a new alignment with new stations, which should be finished by the end of this month. This was a bit of a disappointment, as although I've done it before the line is rack & pinion around the inside and outside of the large hill which the City of Catanzaro sits on, so it's a really interesting bit of railway and I've not really encountered a regular passenger railway anything like it anywhere else. The bus was air-conditioned and functional, but that's about all that can be said for it.
We then had some time at Catanzaro, so lunch was had, followed by ice cream before our IC service.
Catanzaro-Sibari
Our train had picked up a delay en route so was a little late. This line involves a lot of single track and passing loops, so it is really easy for trains to pass delays on to each other; especially when the IC trains have such a long journey.
This was another excellent journey on very comfortable rolling stock, although the delays did make it a little nerve-racking as to whether we would make our connection or not at Sibari, which would be fairly grim due to the infrequent evening service. It was one of those where you get a little worked up for no reason at all, as there was evidently plenty of pathing time and our connection was made easily in the end.
Sibari-Castiligione Cosentino
This was the same service we'd travelled on the day before on a similar unit, although we alighted a stop earlier to make our connection.
Castiglione Cosentino-Lamezia Terme
I was happy to see a loco-hauled set pull in when it arrived, but onboard the air conditioning wasn't keeping up with the demand so it wasn't a comfortable journey. Luckily, the first bit of the journey is in a long tunnel, before the train reverses at Paola and heads back down the coast to Lamezia Terme.
At Lamezia a very nice burger restaurant was visited near the station, before a brief walk to look at a local plinthed steam locomotive.
Day 3 in the next hour or so
Iskra
Established Member
Day 3
Lamezia Terme-Catanzaro
The day started with a regional railcar journey back over to the South Coast. These units don't look much, but in fact this one had a declassified first class section with comfortable 2+1 seating which we took advantage of. Air conditioning was also provided, so this was actually a great journey.
At Catanzaro, we had a bit of time to wait so coffee and a Brioce Con Gelato was enjoyed on the seafront. During this interlude, storm clouds appeared on the horizon and slowly crept towards us, so a decision was made to head back to the station before a downpour happened. This turned out to be a wise move, as once we were safely under cover at Catanzaro station, the rain started and soon became torrential thunder and lightning. Our IC train onwards then started picking up delays.
Catanzaro-Reggio Di Calabria
I've sussed out the reservation system on these IC trains. Reservations are allocated starting in coach 1 by default, and very few people seem to change their reservation. So basically, if you reserve in carriage 3 or just sit in there anyway regardless of your reservation; you essentially get the carriage to yourself. As we travelled the rugged coastline, we kept incurring further delays. Although, the train crew didn't seem overly concerned as they all jumped off at one station to pick up ice cream from the cafe! I suspect they knew that we had to wait to pass an oncoming train at a certain point anyway, so the ice cream stop wouldn't actually impact the arrival time of our train service. On rounding the coast, the Straits of Messina came in to view, revealing a distinctive Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer transiting the strait (I seem to see these quite a lot in the Med). Unfortunately, due to our late arrival we were destined to miss our connection, however the Capotreno authorised us to travel on the next service instead, which was a bit of an upgrade as it wasn't a Regional service.
Reggio Di Calabria- Villa San Giovanni
The short journey up to the port station was taken on a Frecciaargento, which are quite pleasant trains.
At Villa San Giovanni, inexpensive foot passenger tickets were bought for the fast catamaran ferry. These are interesting craft, almost a cross between an airliner and a ferry. It was quite busy, but the crossing was smooth as we'd left the thunder behind at this point. On disembarkation, I picked up a Peroni before heading for the next train.
Messina-Catania
This was quite a busy service, especially between Taormina and Catania as a lot of the locals appear to have had a trip to the beach. At Catania, I alighted while my fellow enthusiasts continued onwards to the airport for their journey home. I'd booked a hotel very close to the station for convenience, and it did the job and provided a nice breakfast.
Lamezia Terme-Catanzaro
The day started with a regional railcar journey back over to the South Coast. These units don't look much, but in fact this one had a declassified first class section with comfortable 2+1 seating which we took advantage of. Air conditioning was also provided, so this was actually a great journey.
At Catanzaro, we had a bit of time to wait so coffee and a Brioce Con Gelato was enjoyed on the seafront. During this interlude, storm clouds appeared on the horizon and slowly crept towards us, so a decision was made to head back to the station before a downpour happened. This turned out to be a wise move, as once we were safely under cover at Catanzaro station, the rain started and soon became torrential thunder and lightning. Our IC train onwards then started picking up delays.
Catanzaro-Reggio Di Calabria
I've sussed out the reservation system on these IC trains. Reservations are allocated starting in coach 1 by default, and very few people seem to change their reservation. So basically, if you reserve in carriage 3 or just sit in there anyway regardless of your reservation; you essentially get the carriage to yourself. As we travelled the rugged coastline, we kept incurring further delays. Although, the train crew didn't seem overly concerned as they all jumped off at one station to pick up ice cream from the cafe! I suspect they knew that we had to wait to pass an oncoming train at a certain point anyway, so the ice cream stop wouldn't actually impact the arrival time of our train service. On rounding the coast, the Straits of Messina came in to view, revealing a distinctive Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer transiting the strait (I seem to see these quite a lot in the Med). Unfortunately, due to our late arrival we were destined to miss our connection, however the Capotreno authorised us to travel on the next service instead, which was a bit of an upgrade as it wasn't a Regional service.
Reggio Di Calabria- Villa San Giovanni
The short journey up to the port station was taken on a Frecciaargento, which are quite pleasant trains.
At Villa San Giovanni, inexpensive foot passenger tickets were bought for the fast catamaran ferry. These are interesting craft, almost a cross between an airliner and a ferry. It was quite busy, but the crossing was smooth as we'd left the thunder behind at this point. On disembarkation, I picked up a Peroni before heading for the next train.
Messina-Catania
This was quite a busy service, especially between Taormina and Catania as a lot of the locals appear to have had a trip to the beach. At Catania, I alighted while my fellow enthusiasts continued onwards to the airport for their journey home. I'd booked a hotel very close to the station for convenience, and it did the job and provided a nice breakfast.
Iskra
Established Member
Day 4
Day 4 was another interesting one. It was either going to work, or go horribly wrong due to the infrequent service on one line, into another infrequent ferry service that had the possibility of a 2km walk in the hot sun to reach the ferry terminal!
I started the day early from Catania on another one of the Fast Regional units, which would be new track down to Siricusa and onwards from there. The line was a bit more inland than I expected.
Siricusa-Pozzallo
Siricusa was a little chaotic on arrival, some of which I'm putting down to having standard platforms 1-5, but also bay platforms numbered the same but then with 'O' after them to indicate West in Italian. I briefly explained this to some confused Australians, who appreciated the help. My train was formed of a pair of railcars, which is quite rare in Calabria where they seem to always run singly. They did have aircon, but everyone opened the windows instead which defeated the point of the aircon. This line has an abysmal service frequency, and to add insult to injury a short working along the line left only 20mins before our train. Why have so few trains and then group two together? The service itself was quite popular and the journey scenic with some lovely rocky limestone-looking hills on the right hand side, which had a bit of Yorkshire about them. After just over an hour we pulled in to the small port town of Pozzallo. The station here gets really bad reviews online, mainly for being on the edge of town and lacking any connecting transport whatsoever. I had a potential ordeal of walking about 2km across the town in the heat, but I got lucky; two enterprising taxi drivers had turned up waiting for the train and I managed to negotiate a trip to the port. Another passenger joined us, also heading for the port. It was 15 Euros, but on seeing the busy roads, chaotic roads of this town and the route seeming long, I was very appreciative of the air conditioned taxi rather than having to drag my suitcase across the town, although I would have done it if I'd have had to. The driver dropped us off at a cafe within the port, where a cold drink was enjoyed.
The next leg of the journey was something a little different and would take me to a new country.
I'd booked on the (reputedly) second largest Catamaran in the world, to take me over to Malta. Overall, embarkation was really relaxed, although I was told off for taking the below photo (first time I've been told off for photography anywhere), although even the person who told me off was extremely chilled after I apologised and was quite nice about it.
I think it's quite a cool looking vessel. Onboard it was fantastic, it was air conditioned, reasonably well loaded but not chaotically busy. The cafe on board was reasonably priced and sold a good selection of food. I started the journey sitting on the front of the main lounge in a really comfortable leather swivel chair which offered great forward views of the voyage. Once I saw Malta appear on the horizon, I went to try find an outside vantage point for some photo's as we entered the harbour. Unfortunately, only the rear external deck is open to standard class passengers. Impressive views were enjoyed from there and the catamaran's wake alone was incredibly powerful. There is a better external deck which provides more all-round views but that's for club class passengers only and there were only a very small number of those. I thought my ticket expensive enough, without upgrading and I was happy enough with the standard class offering. For some reason I really like being at sea, I find it relaxing, so I really enjoyed this element of the trip and was glad I tried it.
This was my first time to Malta, and after walking from the port to my hotel, I dropped my bags off and went exploring Valletta. I thought Malta might be overly British, but actually it was great and offered the best of British and Italian cultures, with of course Maltese culture too. I really enjoyed my evening in Valletta, and found it reasonably priced. I'd happily visit again, it's a place with some great architecture and history.
I flew home the day after with Easyjet to Manchester, then picked up a Northern 331 to Manchester Piccadilly and a pair of EMR 158's back to Sheffield before catching the bus home from there. The journey home was all very smooth.
The end!
Day 4 was another interesting one. It was either going to work, or go horribly wrong due to the infrequent service on one line, into another infrequent ferry service that had the possibility of a 2km walk in the hot sun to reach the ferry terminal!
I started the day early from Catania on another one of the Fast Regional units, which would be new track down to Siricusa and onwards from there. The line was a bit more inland than I expected.
Siricusa-Pozzallo
Siricusa was a little chaotic on arrival, some of which I'm putting down to having standard platforms 1-5, but also bay platforms numbered the same but then with 'O' after them to indicate West in Italian. I briefly explained this to some confused Australians, who appreciated the help. My train was formed of a pair of railcars, which is quite rare in Calabria where they seem to always run singly. They did have aircon, but everyone opened the windows instead which defeated the point of the aircon. This line has an abysmal service frequency, and to add insult to injury a short working along the line left only 20mins before our train. Why have so few trains and then group two together? The service itself was quite popular and the journey scenic with some lovely rocky limestone-looking hills on the right hand side, which had a bit of Yorkshire about them. After just over an hour we pulled in to the small port town of Pozzallo. The station here gets really bad reviews online, mainly for being on the edge of town and lacking any connecting transport whatsoever. I had a potential ordeal of walking about 2km across the town in the heat, but I got lucky; two enterprising taxi drivers had turned up waiting for the train and I managed to negotiate a trip to the port. Another passenger joined us, also heading for the port. It was 15 Euros, but on seeing the busy roads, chaotic roads of this town and the route seeming long, I was very appreciative of the air conditioned taxi rather than having to drag my suitcase across the town, although I would have done it if I'd have had to. The driver dropped us off at a cafe within the port, where a cold drink was enjoyed.
The next leg of the journey was something a little different and would take me to a new country.
I'd booked on the (reputedly) second largest Catamaran in the world, to take me over to Malta. Overall, embarkation was really relaxed, although I was told off for taking the below photo (first time I've been told off for photography anywhere), although even the person who told me off was extremely chilled after I apologised and was quite nice about it.
I think it's quite a cool looking vessel. Onboard it was fantastic, it was air conditioned, reasonably well loaded but not chaotically busy. The cafe on board was reasonably priced and sold a good selection of food. I started the journey sitting on the front of the main lounge in a really comfortable leather swivel chair which offered great forward views of the voyage. Once I saw Malta appear on the horizon, I went to try find an outside vantage point for some photo's as we entered the harbour. Unfortunately, only the rear external deck is open to standard class passengers. Impressive views were enjoyed from there and the catamaran's wake alone was incredibly powerful. There is a better external deck which provides more all-round views but that's for club class passengers only and there were only a very small number of those. I thought my ticket expensive enough, without upgrading and I was happy enough with the standard class offering. For some reason I really like being at sea, I find it relaxing, so I really enjoyed this element of the trip and was glad I tried it.
This was my first time to Malta, and after walking from the port to my hotel, I dropped my bags off and went exploring Valletta. I thought Malta might be overly British, but actually it was great and offered the best of British and Italian cultures, with of course Maltese culture too. I really enjoyed my evening in Valletta, and found it reasonably priced. I'd happily visit again, it's a place with some great architecture and history.
I flew home the day after with Easyjet to Manchester, then picked up a Northern 331 to Manchester Piccadilly and a pair of EMR 158's back to Sheffield before catching the bus home from there. The journey home was all very smooth.
The end!
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Quite the variety of routes and motive power there! Some beautiful weather too, but the delays and confusion would have driven me nuts!
Thanks for sharing the tale, and curiosity has the better of me but was there a rush to finish the homeward journey off? I'd have liked to know more about Malta!
Thanks for sharing the tale, and curiosity has the better of me but was there a rush to finish the homeward journey off? I'd have liked to know more about Malta!
50002Superb
Established Member
Really interesting read, thanks for sharing
Iskra
Established Member
I feel like delays when you're on holiday don't seem to matter that much as long as you don't get stranded of course
It was more a case of, that I thought I'd written quite enough for anyone to read already by that point!
I did only have the one evening in Malta; I basically explored, had a few beers and got some Mexican food (I did want to eat Maltese, but the first menu I came across started with Rabbit and Horse, so I changed my mind).
I would say it is definitely worth visiting, a very historic place, basically a giant fortress in the Med and happily I'd go back. I think while difficult, arriving by sea is a great way to do it since it's a place built around a grand harbour and steeped in history.
I'll drop some more pictures of Malta into this post for you in a minute
Attachments
Iskra
Established Member
Thank you!
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Fair enough on accelerating the pace of the trip report at the end. I have to be honest, Italy's not really my favourite place (same for Spain) so while I enjoyed reading about the experience I guess I was just hoping for more from Malta and the UK trains!
Rabbit and horse on a menu would, even in my meat-eating days, have put me off going anywhere near such a restaurant, so I agree with your decision not to do it!
The photos you've shared from Malta do have me eyeing up some walking expeditions, I've not yet been there as I seem to recall when I had the opportunity in the 'before times' I had deemed it not interesting enough. Quite, I seem to recall when I booked the USA earlier this year I could have featured Malta in a European adventure. With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps I'd have been better off sticking with Europe!
It's fair to say that those photos have ignited a fire, that they've inspired me to try and get my wings again and go exploring. I'd take your recommendation to arrive on a ferry, however I'm going to fly to/from Malta. I think I'll end up on BA as it's been a while since I last visited Heathrow and that needs changing!
Rabbit and horse on a menu would, even in my meat-eating days, have put me off going anywhere near such a restaurant, so I agree with your decision not to do it!
The photos you've shared from Malta do have me eyeing up some walking expeditions, I've not yet been there as I seem to recall when I had the opportunity in the 'before times' I had deemed it not interesting enough. Quite, I seem to recall when I booked the USA earlier this year I could have featured Malta in a European adventure. With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps I'd have been better off sticking with Europe!
It's fair to say that those photos have ignited a fire, that they've inspired me to try and get my wings again and go exploring. I'd take your recommendation to arrive on a ferry, however I'm going to fly to/from Malta. I think I'll end up on BA as it's been a while since I last visited Heathrow and that needs changing!
Iskra
Established Member
I’ve not really explored Spain for some time, it’s a place I need to revisit in more depth, but then there are so many new places to explore instead. Why aren’t you a fan of Spain or Italy?
I have eaten both those meats before, without really being given a choice, but I wouldn’t choose them from a menu.
I think Malta has a lot going for it, and I barely scratched the surface really. There is a round the island ferry/boat so if you’re arriving by air, you could always do that.
Techniquest
Veteran Member
The boat around the island sounds like fun!
I'm not too sure why I don't like Italy and Spain to be honest. If I was to guess, I'd say the laidback lifestyle and the obsession with animal products and wine!
Iskra
Established Member
Haha, that’s quite funny. Although I would point out that the Italian diet is probably one of the more vegetarian-friendly out there!
I went to Malta once on a Mediterranean cruise. I was there with my wife and kids who were 7 and 9.
We had 6 hours and they wanted to go to a beach, as it was hot, and the day before had been at sea, so we went to a taxi booth at the port. It had a tourist map showing locations. The closest beach looked to be "Pretty Bay", so we chose that. It was a half hour drive. We got there and saw a nice sandy beach, with palm trees, which would have been quite pretty if it wasn't directly across from a container port. We got the taxi driver to take us to the other side of the island, to a beach which had less sand, but fewer container ships.
It was 2007 so I had got used to using the internet rather than guidebooks. However, we had been at sea for 36 hours, when internet access was £50 a MB.
Iskra
Established Member
Haha, well that’s a unique beach! Was it popular? And yes I don’t blame you for changing beaches!
Iskra
Established Member
As documented on this very forum, this is the last week of planned class 68 operations on the Manchester-Cleethorpes route. Living close to the line it made sense to squeeze a trip in for the novelty value and possibly score a winning 68 at the same time. I thought I'd also turn my journey into a triangular one in order to sample some other classic traction in the region at the same time, although how much of it would actually produce on the day remained to be seen.
Unfortunately, ahead of the trip there was a bit of a spanner in the works- my tickets never came in the post for this journey. Thus, I called the number that Transpennine provide on the email for you to ring if your tickets don't turn up- it just goes to call failed every time, which isn't very helpful. Having tried that, I thought I'd arrive at the station early and ask the ticket office to print them, but although they were helpful enough they also were unable to print them, so advised to board the train and speak to the guard.
While I awaited my planned train, there was an announcement on the opposite platform that a fast train was approaching, which turned out to be an XC HST which I enjoyed seeing at speed, flying through the station, which reminded me of watching their GNER cousins hammering through Doncaster in my youth.
Not long after, my train pulled into view from the opposite direction. I was very happy to see that it was indeed a Class 68 set, rather than the much more numerous class 185 that works the Cleethorpes route.
0715 Meadowhall-Cleethorpes. TP Class 68029
Winner 68029 Courageous lead the set into the station. I'd booked first class today to be behind the loco, and a few others had had the same idea. I'd also gone a step further and reserved the closest seat to the loco at the end of the carriage. A TP staff member was sitting there when I boarded, but he vacated when I arrived and offered me the forward facing seat instead of my rear one which was nice. This ticket was good value, at about half the price of a similar journey from Huddersfield to Scarborough earlier in the year, which made up for there being no refreshments offered on the journey. The guard was understanding about my ticket issue and said he'd come issue me a new one after Doncaster. The run to Doncaster was fairly fast and this route is really growing on me, with Conisbrough castle and viaduct being scenic highlights out of the window. We did grind to a halt outside of Doncaster and dwell for a while, which is sadly quite normal. Doncaster was its usual hive of railway activity with many locomotives sat around including a Colas 56 and HST. Most of the fellow enthusiasts and TP staff alighted at Doncaster, leaving the carriage pretty much empty. After Doncaster, we accelerated away quite quickly and the guard came back as promised, I showed him the evidence that I'd bought a ticket and had taken reasonable steps to sort the situation out, but he was still unable to do a ticket on the day, but was happy for me to continue my itinerary. I think the seat reservation system tallying with my itinerary helped my cause here. I sat back and enjoyed the ride- it's another quite interesting line passing many waterways, surprisingly pleasant countryside with bits of railway interest, industry and industrial decay too.
At Cleethorpes, I'd left a long dwell in case of cancellation, so I walked to the nearest Spoons and enjoyed a Full English and a Pint- is there a better way to start the day? After, that I headed back to the station and sat in the waiting room, which is also the ticket office. Sitting here and evaluating what customers were actually wanting at the ticket window was quite interesting considering the recent consultation on the topic.
1026 Cleethorpes-Doncaster. TP 6-car 185
I was quite happy with a 6-car set, and it was needed as the train was quite busy with a lot of holiday traffic. I was on a good-value first advance again and the compartment was busy. Although I like the 185's the seat backs in the first class compartment were starting to look a bit scruffy, although the actual upholstery on the seats was in good condition. Having just travelled this journey, and it not being my first time on the line, I just watched Youtube on the way back to Doncaster. Luckily, the guard on the way back was the same one as earlier and he remembered me so that saved another long-winded explanation.
At Doncaster there was some ongoing disruption and my onward train to Leeds was cancelled. I'd originally booked on what I expected to be a class 91 hauled service, but on the day was showing as an Azuma. This cancellation turned out to be fortunate for me personally, as platform staff allowed me to travel on a class 91 set that was delayed by around 40 minutes and thus would be departing at around the same time I should have left anyway. I took a picture of a Southbound 225 set mainly because of the novel livery. I've got to say it's impressive how clean these trains were both externally and internally.
Delayed 1143 Doncaster-Leeds. LNER Class 91/225 Set
As earlier, I sat right behind the locomotive (dud 91114) in Standard. I was expecting this train to be rammed due to the disruption on the line, so sitting as far away from where the entrance is at the originating station usually provides a better chance of a seat if a train is busy. To my surprise, the train was actually very sparsely populated. I also enjoyed that this was the quiet coach, mainly so I could hear the 91 accelerating away from the stations, which was a nostalgic experience.
For the next leg from Leeds back down to Sheffield, I'd booked a service that looked like it should have been a XC HST to have one final ride, but sadly realtime trains was showing it as a pair of Voyagers. At least it was a pair of Voyagers though, 8 carriages is a reasonable substitution for a 7-carriage train so I have to applaud XC for that at least. While waiting on the platform I was treated to a very different form of HST though, which turned a few heads:
LSL Midland Pullman HST pulls into Leeds station
1311 Leeds-Sheffield. XC 2x220.
The crew for my train back to Sheffield were waiting on the platform, so I ran my ticket situation by them and they were happy with it as apparently it's happened a lot recently. Onboard they issued me a new ticket for that train only and took my details to fill in a report to send to the issuer. I was offered light refreshments due to my short journey- I accepted an orange juice and a biscuit. The gentleman in the seat ahead was evidently travelling further, so he was offered a Bacon Sandwich, a vegan mozzarella panini and something else. I thought that a reasonable choice, so may try it in the future. It's good to see XC have improved their First class offer a bit. I neglected to photography the 220's as frankly, they just aren't that interesting to me as I travel on them fairly regularly up to Leeds.
1357 Sheffield-Meadowhall. Northern 170
Back at Sheffield, I quickly bought an E-ticket for the 1357 to Scarborough which was a Northern 170 to Meadowhall, where I picked up my car and headed home.
Overall, a nice and easy day out with a good breakfast, 2/3 locomotive hauled diagrams producing, one winning locomotive for haulage, 68 haulage on a line they are being removed from, a couple of HST's photographed and I travelled XC's first class again which I haven't done for a long time.
Unfortunately, ahead of the trip there was a bit of a spanner in the works- my tickets never came in the post for this journey. Thus, I called the number that Transpennine provide on the email for you to ring if your tickets don't turn up- it just goes to call failed every time, which isn't very helpful. Having tried that, I thought I'd arrive at the station early and ask the ticket office to print them, but although they were helpful enough they also were unable to print them, so advised to board the train and speak to the guard.
While I awaited my planned train, there was an announcement on the opposite platform that a fast train was approaching, which turned out to be an XC HST which I enjoyed seeing at speed, flying through the station, which reminded me of watching their GNER cousins hammering through Doncaster in my youth.
Not long after, my train pulled into view from the opposite direction. I was very happy to see that it was indeed a Class 68 set, rather than the much more numerous class 185 that works the Cleethorpes route.
0715 Meadowhall-Cleethorpes. TP Class 68029
Winner 68029 Courageous lead the set into the station. I'd booked first class today to be behind the loco, and a few others had had the same idea. I'd also gone a step further and reserved the closest seat to the loco at the end of the carriage. A TP staff member was sitting there when I boarded, but he vacated when I arrived and offered me the forward facing seat instead of my rear one which was nice. This ticket was good value, at about half the price of a similar journey from Huddersfield to Scarborough earlier in the year, which made up for there being no refreshments offered on the journey. The guard was understanding about my ticket issue and said he'd come issue me a new one after Doncaster. The run to Doncaster was fairly fast and this route is really growing on me, with Conisbrough castle and viaduct being scenic highlights out of the window. We did grind to a halt outside of Doncaster and dwell for a while, which is sadly quite normal. Doncaster was its usual hive of railway activity with many locomotives sat around including a Colas 56 and HST. Most of the fellow enthusiasts and TP staff alighted at Doncaster, leaving the carriage pretty much empty. After Doncaster, we accelerated away quite quickly and the guard came back as promised, I showed him the evidence that I'd bought a ticket and had taken reasonable steps to sort the situation out, but he was still unable to do a ticket on the day, but was happy for me to continue my itinerary. I think the seat reservation system tallying with my itinerary helped my cause here. I sat back and enjoyed the ride- it's another quite interesting line passing many waterways, surprisingly pleasant countryside with bits of railway interest, industry and industrial decay too.
At Cleethorpes, I'd left a long dwell in case of cancellation, so I walked to the nearest Spoons and enjoyed a Full English and a Pint- is there a better way to start the day? After, that I headed back to the station and sat in the waiting room, which is also the ticket office. Sitting here and evaluating what customers were actually wanting at the ticket window was quite interesting considering the recent consultation on the topic.
1026 Cleethorpes-Doncaster. TP 6-car 185
I was quite happy with a 6-car set, and it was needed as the train was quite busy with a lot of holiday traffic. I was on a good-value first advance again and the compartment was busy. Although I like the 185's the seat backs in the first class compartment were starting to look a bit scruffy, although the actual upholstery on the seats was in good condition. Having just travelled this journey, and it not being my first time on the line, I just watched Youtube on the way back to Doncaster. Luckily, the guard on the way back was the same one as earlier and he remembered me so that saved another long-winded explanation.
At Doncaster there was some ongoing disruption and my onward train to Leeds was cancelled. I'd originally booked on what I expected to be a class 91 hauled service, but on the day was showing as an Azuma. This cancellation turned out to be fortunate for me personally, as platform staff allowed me to travel on a class 91 set that was delayed by around 40 minutes and thus would be departing at around the same time I should have left anyway. I took a picture of a Southbound 225 set mainly because of the novel livery. I've got to say it's impressive how clean these trains were both externally and internally.
Delayed 1143 Doncaster-Leeds. LNER Class 91/225 Set
As earlier, I sat right behind the locomotive (dud 91114) in Standard. I was expecting this train to be rammed due to the disruption on the line, so sitting as far away from where the entrance is at the originating station usually provides a better chance of a seat if a train is busy. To my surprise, the train was actually very sparsely populated. I also enjoyed that this was the quiet coach, mainly so I could hear the 91 accelerating away from the stations, which was a nostalgic experience.
For the next leg from Leeds back down to Sheffield, I'd booked a service that looked like it should have been a XC HST to have one final ride, but sadly realtime trains was showing it as a pair of Voyagers. At least it was a pair of Voyagers though, 8 carriages is a reasonable substitution for a 7-carriage train so I have to applaud XC for that at least. While waiting on the platform I was treated to a very different form of HST though, which turned a few heads:
LSL Midland Pullman HST pulls into Leeds station
1311 Leeds-Sheffield. XC 2x220.
The crew for my train back to Sheffield were waiting on the platform, so I ran my ticket situation by them and they were happy with it as apparently it's happened a lot recently. Onboard they issued me a new ticket for that train only and took my details to fill in a report to send to the issuer. I was offered light refreshments due to my short journey- I accepted an orange juice and a biscuit. The gentleman in the seat ahead was evidently travelling further, so he was offered a Bacon Sandwich, a vegan mozzarella panini and something else. I thought that a reasonable choice, so may try it in the future. It's good to see XC have improved their First class offer a bit. I neglected to photography the 220's as frankly, they just aren't that interesting to me as I travel on them fairly regularly up to Leeds.
1357 Sheffield-Meadowhall. Northern 170
Back at Sheffield, I quickly bought an E-ticket for the 1357 to Scarborough which was a Northern 170 to Meadowhall, where I picked up my car and headed home.
Overall, a nice and easy day out with a good breakfast, 2/3 locomotive hauled diagrams producing, one winning locomotive for haulage, 68 haulage on a line they are being removed from, a couple of HST's photographed and I travelled XC's first class again which I haven't done for a long time.
Iskra
Established Member
Pathfinder Railtours The Capital Deltic Reprise 29/7/23
Locomotives: Deltic 55009 Alycidon, WCRC 47826
Route:
-Willington-Derby-Chesterfield-Sheffield-Doncaster-Knottingley-Selby-Doncaster-Peterborough-Ely-Cambridge-Hitchin-London Kings Cross
-London Kings Cross-Newark-Lincoln-Cleethorpes
-Cleethorpes-Ulceby(reverse)-Doncaster-Sheffield-Derby-Willington
It was great to have a tour picking up in Sheffield for a change. I was also very happy to be seated in one of the Metro Cammell Pullman cars as I've been wanting to travel in one of these for a while, and it was indeed a great travelling experience rivalling the LSL Saphos Mk1's for interior design, quality and upkeep. There were some mechanical issues with the Deltic, but having two engines onboard the locomotive did at least mean we covered all the advertised track, if a little more cumbersomely than intended and with a little help from the 47 on the rear at times to keep the heavy consist on course. The stretch from Cambridge to Hitchin was new route for me, and I quite enjoyed it- it has a very rural feel and looked excellent in the sunshine (as did pretty much everywhere other than Grimsby). On a more disappointing note, the droplight enforcement levels seem to have raised a notch- to the point you couldn't even stand near one with it an inch open to listen to the locomotive noise, and the stop at Cleethorpes was withdrawn to passengers removing the opportunity to stretch legs and get a photograph at a less crowded station than Kings Cross. Winner 47826 hauled from Cleethorpes to Ulceby to turn the train where I also scored a rare bit of track. This was even more frustrating when we then sat in Cleethorpes station for a decent length of time. Overall, minus a few minor frustrations it was a decent summers day behind a classic locomotive that apparently drew a bigger crowd than the Flying Scotsman at Kings Cross!
Locomotives: Deltic 55009 Alycidon, WCRC 47826
Route:
-Willington-Derby-Chesterfield-Sheffield-Doncaster-Knottingley-Selby-Doncaster-Peterborough-Ely-Cambridge-Hitchin-London Kings Cross
-London Kings Cross-Newark-Lincoln-Cleethorpes
-Cleethorpes-Ulceby(reverse)-Doncaster-Sheffield-Derby-Willington
It was great to have a tour picking up in Sheffield for a change. I was also very happy to be seated in one of the Metro Cammell Pullman cars as I've been wanting to travel in one of these for a while, and it was indeed a great travelling experience rivalling the LSL Saphos Mk1's for interior design, quality and upkeep. There were some mechanical issues with the Deltic, but having two engines onboard the locomotive did at least mean we covered all the advertised track, if a little more cumbersomely than intended and with a little help from the 47 on the rear at times to keep the heavy consist on course. The stretch from Cambridge to Hitchin was new route for me, and I quite enjoyed it- it has a very rural feel and looked excellent in the sunshine (as did pretty much everywhere other than Grimsby). On a more disappointing note, the droplight enforcement levels seem to have raised a notch- to the point you couldn't even stand near one with it an inch open to listen to the locomotive noise, and the stop at Cleethorpes was withdrawn to passengers removing the opportunity to stretch legs and get a photograph at a less crowded station than Kings Cross. Winner 47826 hauled from Cleethorpes to Ulceby to turn the train where I also scored a rare bit of track. This was even more frustrating when we then sat in Cleethorpes station for a decent length of time. Overall, minus a few minor frustrations it was a decent summers day behind a classic locomotive that apparently drew a bigger crowd than the Flying Scotsman at Kings Cross!
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Withdrawing the leg stretch stop would have made me really annoyed, so I'm glad I wasn't on it! Good news on scoring some track though
D6130
Established Member
Great report and photos as usual. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the trip, despite the slight glitches.
87electric
Established Member
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2010
- Messages
- 1,243
There has been (on my loco hauled main line trips in 2023) plenty of vestibule knobbish behaviour from idiots, so I'm not surprised they notched up the monitoring on Alycidon's tour.
Gotta love me a Deltic on the mainline but unfortunately couldn't do this one. Brings back memories of bunking off school and racking up Deltic miles instead.
Gotta love me a Deltic on the mainline but unfortunately couldn't do this one. Brings back memories of bunking off school and racking up Deltic miles instead.
Iskra
Established Member
Thanks all for the comments
Due to missing out on a HST the other day and time running out to get one, I took an opportunity for a quick spin on a delayed one last night just in case I don't make another journey on them. Just a quick jaunt from Sheffield to Wakefield Westgate and return with the return journey being on a double Voyager. It was a very comfortable, but brief ride. I will miss these legendary trains and the capacity they provide. 43378 and 43366 did the honours.
There will always be an idiot, I think there's a balance to be struck, but I do resent paying approaching £200 to be treated like a naughty child, barely hear any Deltic noise and struggle to get a photo of the thing due to stops being withdrawn. It's the first tour in a long while that I've come away from questioning if it was really worth it.
Due to missing out on a HST the other day and time running out to get one, I took an opportunity for a quick spin on a delayed one last night just in case I don't make another journey on them. Just a quick jaunt from Sheffield to Wakefield Westgate and return with the return journey being on a double Voyager. It was a very comfortable, but brief ride. I will miss these legendary trains and the capacity they provide. 43378 and 43366 did the honours.
Iskra
Established Member
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway 19/8/23
Yesterday, I visited the Worth Valley as they had 3 loco's out, the amazing Vintage carriages which are a great attraction in themselves and I also wanted to try out the new Old Parcels Office restaurant, which is the sort of establishment that the railway has been crying-out for for years really. The weather was kind to us, with it being sunny and warm but with a strong wind. I drove to Oxenhope, arriving earlier than planned due to roadwork traffic not being as bad as expected, so we were able to catch an earlier train that was running late due to issues with the shunting of the rolling stock in the morning at Oxenhope. The railway was pretty busy overall, so it was hard to get good photographs without people in them, so I do apologise if the photo's aren't up to the usual standard on this one!
I did a video compilation that covers a fair bit of the day; it's pretty much the highlight reel if you'd prefer that format:
The first train was the 75078 Standard 4 on the regular Mk1's with the bar carriage and this was a very popular service due to the steam locomotive and a coach party filling one coach up. This was the locomotive that I was least enthusiastic for, but actually later in the day it did impress me with the noise it made on the climb out of Keighley.
For now though, we just travelled as far as Oakworth to change on to the day's diesel locomotive on the vintage carriage rake as this was only out in the morning, so we'd need to prioritise this. This would be D14 D9537 a class affectionately known as the 'Teddy Bear.' To my knowledge, this was my first trip behind this class of locomotive and I enjoyed the ride back up to Oxenhope. We sat in the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway club car for this leg, enjoying the quieter train. This carriage is sublime and one of the best, most comfortable and luxurious carriages I've enjoyed on a preserved railway. The longitudinally positioned armchairs are also fantastic for viewing the scenery too. This carriage was right behind the locomotive so we got some good sound from the locomotive.
We took this train up to Oxenhope, where the loco runs around. We then covered the full line down to Keighley, but this time we switched ends into the Lancashire & Yorkshire compartment brake carriage, which was also finished to a great standard and a totally different travelling experience altogether.
The vintage carriage rake:
At Keighley, we headed up to the new 'Old Parcels Office' restaurant on the overbridge heading over to the Northern Rail platforms. We arrived just in time to be served Breakfast (1130 cut-off), which we decided we'd both prefer. The food was excellent, as well as reasonably priced. A Full English included coffee, tea or juice. I chose a black coffee but I am of the opinion that the perfect accompaniment to a Full English is a Pint of beer, so I had a Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker's from the nearby brewery which just happens to be my favourite- top marks! The food was very good and the staff were also fantastic, accommodating, friendly and helpful. The decor was nice, but also there's a good amount of natural light and it was peaceful. I hope this venue prospers, as I think this is what the KWVR has been missing for years. It also gives something to do in Keighley in between trains, and even a good place to start the day if you're catching a normal Northern service train too.
While we were eating, the D14 departed and the Standard 4 returned, so we took that for a ride up to Ingrow West. I really enjoyed this loco pulling the slightly heavier train up the gradient, with the sound reverberating around the valley (see video). At Ingrow we quickly visited the Bahamas (Jubilee Class steam locomotive) Trust museum which is new to me. It's very nice inside and has some interesting exhibits- I'd happily return for a more detailed visit. Also at Ingrow West is the Vintage Carriage Trust Museum, but we didn't visit it as I've done it many times before.
Next, it was a quick trip back to Keighley with the Lancashire & Yorkshire Class 25 'Ironclad/Green Dragon' steam locomotive having now replaced the D14 on the Vintage Carriage set. We rode in the Lancashire & Yorkshire Club Car which you can ride in for no extra charge although dogs and food are not allowed in that coach, which is reasonable considering the presentation of the coach but something some visitors may need to be aware of. The interior is pictured below:
The steam locomotive, then ran around and took on water:
It was great to see a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway locomotive paired with some Lancashire & Yorkshire carriages, even if the current loco livery doesn't quite match the coaches:
It was a great journey back up the Worth Valley and we sat on the opposite side this time for a different perspective. At Oxenhope, the train was greeted by the Haworth Brass Brand which was popular and seemed to fit the scene very nicely.
After that, we had a quick look around the open shed at Oxenhope to see what locomotives were in there. I've reached the 9 photo limit for this post now, so refer to the end of the video above if you'd like to see those stored locomotives that have previously operated on the line and may do so again in the future.
Overall, a great day out with a decent variety on a nice line, thanks for reading
Yesterday, I visited the Worth Valley as they had 3 loco's out, the amazing Vintage carriages which are a great attraction in themselves and I also wanted to try out the new Old Parcels Office restaurant, which is the sort of establishment that the railway has been crying-out for for years really. The weather was kind to us, with it being sunny and warm but with a strong wind. I drove to Oxenhope, arriving earlier than planned due to roadwork traffic not being as bad as expected, so we were able to catch an earlier train that was running late due to issues with the shunting of the rolling stock in the morning at Oxenhope. The railway was pretty busy overall, so it was hard to get good photographs without people in them, so I do apologise if the photo's aren't up to the usual standard on this one!
I did a video compilation that covers a fair bit of the day; it's pretty much the highlight reel if you'd prefer that format:
The first train was the 75078 Standard 4 on the regular Mk1's with the bar carriage and this was a very popular service due to the steam locomotive and a coach party filling one coach up. This was the locomotive that I was least enthusiastic for, but actually later in the day it did impress me with the noise it made on the climb out of Keighley.
For now though, we just travelled as far as Oakworth to change on to the day's diesel locomotive on the vintage carriage rake as this was only out in the morning, so we'd need to prioritise this. This would be D14 D9537 a class affectionately known as the 'Teddy Bear.' To my knowledge, this was my first trip behind this class of locomotive and I enjoyed the ride back up to Oxenhope. We sat in the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway club car for this leg, enjoying the quieter train. This carriage is sublime and one of the best, most comfortable and luxurious carriages I've enjoyed on a preserved railway. The longitudinally positioned armchairs are also fantastic for viewing the scenery too. This carriage was right behind the locomotive so we got some good sound from the locomotive.
We took this train up to Oxenhope, where the loco runs around. We then covered the full line down to Keighley, but this time we switched ends into the Lancashire & Yorkshire compartment brake carriage, which was also finished to a great standard and a totally different travelling experience altogether.
The vintage carriage rake:
At Keighley, we headed up to the new 'Old Parcels Office' restaurant on the overbridge heading over to the Northern Rail platforms. We arrived just in time to be served Breakfast (1130 cut-off), which we decided we'd both prefer. The food was excellent, as well as reasonably priced. A Full English included coffee, tea or juice. I chose a black coffee but I am of the opinion that the perfect accompaniment to a Full English is a Pint of beer, so I had a Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker's from the nearby brewery which just happens to be my favourite- top marks! The food was very good and the staff were also fantastic, accommodating, friendly and helpful. The decor was nice, but also there's a good amount of natural light and it was peaceful. I hope this venue prospers, as I think this is what the KWVR has been missing for years. It also gives something to do in Keighley in between trains, and even a good place to start the day if you're catching a normal Northern service train too.
While we were eating, the D14 departed and the Standard 4 returned, so we took that for a ride up to Ingrow West. I really enjoyed this loco pulling the slightly heavier train up the gradient, with the sound reverberating around the valley (see video). At Ingrow we quickly visited the Bahamas (Jubilee Class steam locomotive) Trust museum which is new to me. It's very nice inside and has some interesting exhibits- I'd happily return for a more detailed visit. Also at Ingrow West is the Vintage Carriage Trust Museum, but we didn't visit it as I've done it many times before.
Next, it was a quick trip back to Keighley with the Lancashire & Yorkshire Class 25 'Ironclad/Green Dragon' steam locomotive having now replaced the D14 on the Vintage Carriage set. We rode in the Lancashire & Yorkshire Club Car which you can ride in for no extra charge although dogs and food are not allowed in that coach, which is reasonable considering the presentation of the coach but something some visitors may need to be aware of. The interior is pictured below:
The steam locomotive, then ran around and took on water:
It was great to see a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway locomotive paired with some Lancashire & Yorkshire carriages, even if the current loco livery doesn't quite match the coaches:
It was a great journey back up the Worth Valley and we sat on the opposite side this time for a different perspective. At Oxenhope, the train was greeted by the Haworth Brass Brand which was popular and seemed to fit the scene very nicely.
After that, we had a quick look around the open shed at Oxenhope to see what locomotives were in there. I've reached the 9 photo limit for this post now, so refer to the end of the video above if you'd like to see those stored locomotives that have previously operated on the line and may do so again in the future.
Overall, a great day out with a decent variety on a nice line, thanks for reading
Last edited:
D6130
Established Member
Great report and nice photos/video. One small point....the number of the class 14 diesel-hydraulic loco is D9537 rather than D5973 (I think....but I may be wrong, as they keep disguising it as other members of the class! In one of your photos it's clearly D9520! Very confusing!
Iskra
Established Member
Ah thank you, I think that was a typing mistake, but yes looking at the photos it is carrying two different numbers, one on each side
xotGD
Established Member
- Joined
- 4 Feb 2017
- Messages
- 7,823
Looks like you had a great day on the KWVR, and thanks for sharing the photos and video. A pity you didn't get to sample the 'Old Gentleman's Saloon' - I see that it is back in traffic today.
I can confirm that the real identity of the Teddy Bear is D9520. It was carrying an industrial number on one side previously.
What with Deltic 9 pretending to be No. 13, Galetea carrying a variety of numbers and nameplates, it is all getting a bit confusing!
I tucked in to a large breakfast in the Old Parcels Office a couple of Sundays back, although it was a bit early in the day for me to wash it down with Boltmaker! Although to be fair, I had been in for a pint between trains the day before. I agree that it is a good venue and a decent plate of grub. A few bits of railwayana dotted about too, as you might expect.
I can confirm that the real identity of the Teddy Bear is D9520. It was carrying an industrial number on one side previously.
What with Deltic 9 pretending to be No. 13, Galetea carrying a variety of numbers and nameplates, it is all getting a bit confusing!
I tucked in to a large breakfast in the Old Parcels Office a couple of Sundays back, although it was a bit early in the day for me to wash it down with Boltmaker! Although to be fair, I had been in for a pint between trains the day before. I agree that it is a good venue and a decent plate of grub. A few bits of railwayana dotted about too, as you might expect.