Eng274
Member
- Joined
- 19 Aug 2010
- Messages
- 796
Inspired by IVO’s trip logs, I’ve decided to write my own blog-esque story regarding possibly the highest mileage trip in one single day I’ve ever done. Being a native of terra Edina and a student, trips away are few and far between generally. I have had a flurry of trips recently through interviews in far-flung places though, including Coventry, Derby and Glasgow. The setting is a fairly sunny Thursday, and I’m dressed to the nines for an interview in London.
I arrived with 15 minutes to spare before departure at Waverley, and got a Boots meal deal to munch for breakfast. I walked to platform 2 to await the 08:00 East Coast service to London Kings Cross, calling at Alnmouth, Newcastle, Darlington, York, Doncaster, Retford, Peterborough and Kings Cross. It’s amazing how people fail to heed the A-boards on the platform which give advance warning of where your coach is likely to be; hence when the train arrived, the 60 or so people huddled at coach B area briskly moved on! I booked a seat in the quiet coach B, which only had around 15 passengers in it when we left Edinburgh.
Once settled in I tucked into my breakfast. Shortly after leaving Waverley, we came to a halt near Prestonpans, for what I can only assume was a delayed coal train bound for/from Cockenzie; nothing passed the train westbound, so who knows. We were up to speed again shortly after the five minute delay. The trip was fairly unremarkable until York, where it started to fill up. By then we were running only a minute or two behind schedule. I bought a cup of tea off the trolley when it passed, being served by a pleasant young Geordie lass. The service departed Doncaster with a pretty full train. Being the nosey bugger that I am, I took an interest in the legal papers of a very pretty corporate lawyer sat across the table from me. It’s hard to read upside down without getting caught or looking like you need a neck brace, so I stopped.
After Retford and Peterborough the train is now full to the gunwales, and London is not far away. I caught sight of a couple of FCC depots, with a mix of old and new AC stock, and some FCC services on the slow lines.
At 12:51 I reached Kings Cross. I saw that there’s a lot of redevelopment work going on; I forget which platform I arrived on, but platform 0 was adjacent. When there’s a narrow space to walk along and lots of slow people with luggage it is a heck of a trek to the concourse from coach B. With a tight itinerary I went straight to Kings Cross St Pancras tube station for a short trip to Piccadilly Circus. Having never been to London or used a tube before, I was astounded at how well organised and easy to use it was. The huge maps on the walls were definitely a help, and getting a tube ticket was a piece of cake.
I wandered to the platform and a Piccadilly Line train literally showed up in seconds; if the rest of the network is similar, London can indeed be proud of it. The proof would be in my return trip to Euston, requiring a change at Leicester Square. For this trip I found the tube train to be well presented and free of clutter. It is much smaller in height than it looks in pictures/TV, anyone over 6’3 would toil inside a tube train. It was not too busy, which meant I could be well-placed at the doors for my stop. The trip took around 8 minutes, and after that I wandered down Lower Regent Street to the venue for my interview.
From what little walking I did on the surface of London, it has a certain character that is hard to quantify; I am disappointed that I spent more time under the ground than on it, but a short weekend break to see the sights properly is definitely in order for the future.
My trip to Euston to catch the 15:30 Virgin Pendolino service up the WCML was again on the tube, first of all back on the Piccadilly line to Leicester Square, then a Northern Line to Euston itself. A moment of confusion meant I had to ask a member of staff at the Piccadilly Circus gates the exact route to Euston as I’d forgotten.. Again it was no more than 2 minutes wait for tube trains, which is unheard of on any metro systems I’d used before (Merseyrail, T&W metro) and my final opinion is that it’s excellent, though I’m sure regular users would argue that.
I reached the concourse of Euston at 15:06; I took that opportunity to find lunch, and so went to Burger King to ram a whopper meal down my throat before heading to the train in plenty of time. I had deliberated between eating it slowly and arriving closer to the departure time, but with hindsight, boy was I glad I didn’t! After ramming it down my throat, I headed for platform 14, to be met with a very long ticket gate check. I had no idea this was in place at Euston (despite its coverage on the forums) and I had to wait a good 7-8 minutes in line to get my ticket seen. Again I was in a far away coach (A) so a dose of power walking to ensure I boarded in plenty time followed. Once settled in a packed and roasting hot Pendolino, I breathed a sigh of relief.
The original plan was to change at Preston for a service direct to Edinburgh, but I made short notice plans to meet a friend in Glasgow for a few pints, so after a quick check with the TM that my super off-peak cheapskate return would be valid on the Edinburgh – Glasgow, I stayed on after Preston and hoped the person who had reserved the seat after Preston didn’t show up.
The service called at Warrington BQ, Wigan NW, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Carlisle and arriving at Central at 19:57. The service was noticeably quicker than the outward journey between the termini, it did not feel like 4 hours 27 minutes at all compared to the 4 hours 51 to Kings cross. From a previous interview day at Coventry, the train type clearly had influence too; from Coventry/Birmingham – Edinburgh on a voyager I was falling asleep by Penrith, but on the quieter, less vibrating Pendolino I was still refreshed when I got to Glasgow. If I could properly explain the reason for this I would – maybe there is some claim in the negative effects of underfloor engines on a passenger’s ride enjoyment.
After many pints in Glasgow, I finally headed for the final leg of my day; Glasgow Queen Street – Edinburgh Waverley on a 170 Turbostar. The scheduled departure was 23:30, but due to the driver running late on another service, it was delayed until 23:45. At this point, the rail-lag was catching up on me and mixing with the drink, so I was incredibly drowsy. I recall clearing the tunnel after Queen Street and passing the diesel depot, my next recollection was being woken up by the guard, just arriving into Edinburgh! I staggered wearily off the train and walked home, finally getting into the door at 00:55.
So; after a very long, hectic day I can say I enjoyed my brief trip to London and the train time that came with it. I couldn’t do it EVERY day, but has not done my enjoyment of long rail journeys any harm.
I arrived with 15 minutes to spare before departure at Waverley, and got a Boots meal deal to munch for breakfast. I walked to platform 2 to await the 08:00 East Coast service to London Kings Cross, calling at Alnmouth, Newcastle, Darlington, York, Doncaster, Retford, Peterborough and Kings Cross. It’s amazing how people fail to heed the A-boards on the platform which give advance warning of where your coach is likely to be; hence when the train arrived, the 60 or so people huddled at coach B area briskly moved on! I booked a seat in the quiet coach B, which only had around 15 passengers in it when we left Edinburgh.
Once settled in I tucked into my breakfast. Shortly after leaving Waverley, we came to a halt near Prestonpans, for what I can only assume was a delayed coal train bound for/from Cockenzie; nothing passed the train westbound, so who knows. We were up to speed again shortly after the five minute delay. The trip was fairly unremarkable until York, where it started to fill up. By then we were running only a minute or two behind schedule. I bought a cup of tea off the trolley when it passed, being served by a pleasant young Geordie lass. The service departed Doncaster with a pretty full train. Being the nosey bugger that I am, I took an interest in the legal papers of a very pretty corporate lawyer sat across the table from me. It’s hard to read upside down without getting caught or looking like you need a neck brace, so I stopped.
After Retford and Peterborough the train is now full to the gunwales, and London is not far away. I caught sight of a couple of FCC depots, with a mix of old and new AC stock, and some FCC services on the slow lines.
At 12:51 I reached Kings Cross. I saw that there’s a lot of redevelopment work going on; I forget which platform I arrived on, but platform 0 was adjacent. When there’s a narrow space to walk along and lots of slow people with luggage it is a heck of a trek to the concourse from coach B. With a tight itinerary I went straight to Kings Cross St Pancras tube station for a short trip to Piccadilly Circus. Having never been to London or used a tube before, I was astounded at how well organised and easy to use it was. The huge maps on the walls were definitely a help, and getting a tube ticket was a piece of cake.
I wandered to the platform and a Piccadilly Line train literally showed up in seconds; if the rest of the network is similar, London can indeed be proud of it. The proof would be in my return trip to Euston, requiring a change at Leicester Square. For this trip I found the tube train to be well presented and free of clutter. It is much smaller in height than it looks in pictures/TV, anyone over 6’3 would toil inside a tube train. It was not too busy, which meant I could be well-placed at the doors for my stop. The trip took around 8 minutes, and after that I wandered down Lower Regent Street to the venue for my interview.
From what little walking I did on the surface of London, it has a certain character that is hard to quantify; I am disappointed that I spent more time under the ground than on it, but a short weekend break to see the sights properly is definitely in order for the future.
My trip to Euston to catch the 15:30 Virgin Pendolino service up the WCML was again on the tube, first of all back on the Piccadilly line to Leicester Square, then a Northern Line to Euston itself. A moment of confusion meant I had to ask a member of staff at the Piccadilly Circus gates the exact route to Euston as I’d forgotten.. Again it was no more than 2 minutes wait for tube trains, which is unheard of on any metro systems I’d used before (Merseyrail, T&W metro) and my final opinion is that it’s excellent, though I’m sure regular users would argue that.
I reached the concourse of Euston at 15:06; I took that opportunity to find lunch, and so went to Burger King to ram a whopper meal down my throat before heading to the train in plenty of time. I had deliberated between eating it slowly and arriving closer to the departure time, but with hindsight, boy was I glad I didn’t! After ramming it down my throat, I headed for platform 14, to be met with a very long ticket gate check. I had no idea this was in place at Euston (despite its coverage on the forums) and I had to wait a good 7-8 minutes in line to get my ticket seen. Again I was in a far away coach (A) so a dose of power walking to ensure I boarded in plenty time followed. Once settled in a packed and roasting hot Pendolino, I breathed a sigh of relief.
The original plan was to change at Preston for a service direct to Edinburgh, but I made short notice plans to meet a friend in Glasgow for a few pints, so after a quick check with the TM that my super off-peak cheapskate return would be valid on the Edinburgh – Glasgow, I stayed on after Preston and hoped the person who had reserved the seat after Preston didn’t show up.
The service called at Warrington BQ, Wigan NW, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Carlisle and arriving at Central at 19:57. The service was noticeably quicker than the outward journey between the termini, it did not feel like 4 hours 27 minutes at all compared to the 4 hours 51 to Kings cross. From a previous interview day at Coventry, the train type clearly had influence too; from Coventry/Birmingham – Edinburgh on a voyager I was falling asleep by Penrith, but on the quieter, less vibrating Pendolino I was still refreshed when I got to Glasgow. If I could properly explain the reason for this I would – maybe there is some claim in the negative effects of underfloor engines on a passenger’s ride enjoyment.
After many pints in Glasgow, I finally headed for the final leg of my day; Glasgow Queen Street – Edinburgh Waverley on a 170 Turbostar. The scheduled departure was 23:30, but due to the driver running late on another service, it was delayed until 23:45. At this point, the rail-lag was catching up on me and mixing with the drink, so I was incredibly drowsy. I recall clearing the tunnel after Queen Street and passing the diesel depot, my next recollection was being woken up by the guard, just arriving into Edinburgh! I staggered wearily off the train and walked home, finally getting into the door at 00:55.
So; after a very long, hectic day I can say I enjoyed my brief trip to London and the train time that came with it. I couldn’t do it EVERY day, but has not done my enjoyment of long rail journeys any harm.