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Railways not as interesting?
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Having travelled from Swansea to Paddington overnight on a train with only one passenger coach, the rest were parcels vans, in 1965 I agree it was oddball. I was 17 at the time, I certainly wouldn’t want to repeat it today. The 5 am arrival in the smoke was not a highlight either.
Such services would be incredibly useful today, especially coming back from a concert or such.
Peter Sarf
Established Member
Indeed newspaper trains, parcels trains etc - all with a passenger coach or two in the consist but now all gone. Good job I moved to London - I think !.
RedPostJunc
Member
I have to agree with that. Having been to Latvia, Poland, Budapest and Czech Republic in the last few years, their railways have much more of interest than UK Railways. A lot more loco hauled trains and freight services were also far more varied, not just containers and stone trains. I'll never forget watching a massive oil train crossing the river in Riga. Twin diesels on the front and at least fifty tanks - and those tanks are a lot bigger than UK TEAs.
Last year in Prague main station, the vast majority of trains were electric loco hauled (with the occasional diesel!). Stock formations varied and there were two shunters to add/remove coaches occasionally. To add interest, there were also workings with OBB 1100 and various Slovak locos.
Sun Chariot
Established Member
Imagine the journey:
4 compartments,
12 tanked up blokes from a stag night in Cardiff,
2 over-amorous teens,
1 decidedly sinister sort,
And 1 toilet for the duration.
Especially a mk1.
Imagine the journey:
4 compartments,
12 tanked up blokes from a stag night in Cardiff,
2 over-amorous teens,
1 decidedly sinister sort,
And 1 toilet for the duration.
At least the toilet wouldn't lock itself out of use !
Peter Sarf
Established Member
+Imagine the journey:
4 compartments,
12 tanked up blokes from a stag night in Cardiff,
2 over-amorous teens,
1 decidedly sinister sort,
And 1 toilet for the duration.
Don't forget these Mk1s had windows that would open - drop lights at the doors. And no tank to get full - very erm interesting if you are on the track or leaning out of the window when one comes the other way
.
Sun Chariot
Established Member
I could tell a story about getting caught short for a number 2 in Stirling station, when my best plan (use carriage's toilet as my Inverness train departed) was thwarted by 47541's arrival with an engine room fire - and a consequential 90 minutes of delay in the station, whilst the loco fire was extinguished and another 47 brought to take the train forwardDon't forget these Mk1s had windows that would open - drop lights at the doors. And no tank to get full - very erm interesting if you are on the track or leaning out of the window when one comes the other way
To any Stirling staff of summer 1990 - station or track - I am truly sorry for the one-foot that fell into the four-foot....
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+
Don't forget these Mk1s had windows that would open - drop lights at the doors. And no tank to get full - very erm interesting if you are on the track or leaning out of the window when one comes the other way
Strictly speaking, one ought not to be leaning out of the window in the first place !
Belfastmarty
Member
Family holidays during my childhood in the 1970s inevitably started with the Larne - Stranraer ferry. By the time the ferry turned in to Lough Ryan I would be incoherent with anticipation, and would insist staying on deck as along as possible so I could see what was in Stranraer Harbour station. Usually I would be rewarded with a 47 with 5 or 6 mk1s attached, or a 126 DMU, and, more often than not, a 08 with vans or car carriers too. The last time I was in Stranraer the station was a windswept wasteland with a solitary 2-car 156 present. Whilst the modern railway does have it's interest, for me the power to excite is lost, I'm afraid.
I think this is a subject one could write a whole book about!
To begin with, in response to the original post, one factor is - less interesting to who?
As noted above, in the 1970s I met enthusiasts - who I thought were absolutely ancient but were probably only in their 30s or 40s - who bemoaned that things just weren't the same since the demise of steam, while I thought things were fantastic!
One thing I notice today is that it is still possible to watch what are now vintage locos in action, but unless one lives near a few select parts of the network, it takes a lot of time and effort to just go and see a class 37 on an engineer's train or a class 47 pulling a couple of barrier vehicles. However, there are enthusiasts prepared to do that.
In addition magazines such as Railways Illustrated are full of images of locos on such duties.
When I was a teenager more or less all one had to do was go to one's local station or at least not far afield to see these and much much more in action daily and of course you could ride behind them without giving it a second thought.
To begin with, in response to the original post, one factor is - less interesting to who?
As noted above, in the 1970s I met enthusiasts - who I thought were absolutely ancient but were probably only in their 30s or 40s - who bemoaned that things just weren't the same since the demise of steam, while I thought things were fantastic!
One thing I notice today is that it is still possible to watch what are now vintage locos in action, but unless one lives near a few select parts of the network, it takes a lot of time and effort to just go and see a class 37 on an engineer's train or a class 47 pulling a couple of barrier vehicles. However, there are enthusiasts prepared to do that.
In addition magazines such as Railways Illustrated are full of images of locos on such duties.
When I was a teenager more or less all one had to do was go to one's local station or at least not far afield to see these and much much more in action daily and of course you could ride behind them without giving it a second thought.
Hence the small notices in the appropriate spot; sometimes "amended" by naughty kids, to "Do not clean soup off the window".
Justin Smith
Established Member
Justin Smith
Established Member
I spent many happy hours as a lad with my head out of the door drop lights watching and hearing the C47 (and it was usually so, it was only a Deltic if I was lucky) hauling the train. When I restarted getting Rovers back in the late 90s you could still do that, even on HSTs, and it took me back to my youth...... No longer though, you can't even do it on mainline steam specials ! Which begs the question what's the point of them if you can't even look at the engine !Don't forget these Mk1s had windows that would open - drop lights at the doors. And no tank to get full - very erm interesting if you are on the track or leaning out of the window when one comes the other way
I did especially enjoy, and have particular nostalgia for, my formative railway years in the 1980s. However, I kept up my interest long after that.
For me, the real killer of my interest has been the aftermath of Covid and the swingeing cuts that have occurred as a result, particularly regarding the peaks.
On SWR there are virtually no peak extras these days, and for a commuter railway, that's really enough to kill the interest. Much of the interest of commuter railways revolves around the intricate diagramming and stock allocations to ensure that peak trains are formed of appropriate stock.
The post-Covid cuts are more significant, for me, than the renewal of stock. While I remain nostalgic for the CIGs and VEPs of my youth, and the days of loco-hauled and HST on Cross Country, I still enjoyed the early Desiro era on SWT - the fact that we had both 444s and 450s provided the same kind of variety that having a mix of CIGs and VEPs (plus the occasional HAP) formerly had.
The post-Covid era, for me, is by far the least interesting period since I started using the railways in 1982, and probably since before the start of the 20th century (it probably goes without saying that the steam era was interesting!)
A lot of it comes, I think, from living in SWR territory - SWR is perhaps one of the worst for post-Covid cuts and features a "timetable with holes" rather than an imaginative recast. I think if I lived on say Chiltern my interest would have been maintained. They still have peak extras, plus a reasonable variety of stock (well, 3 types, at least, including almost the last loco-hauled on the network). SouthEastern still has its charms, too, and is moving in the right direction - though Southern is also mostly dull these days.
For me, the real killer of my interest has been the aftermath of Covid and the swingeing cuts that have occurred as a result, particularly regarding the peaks.
On SWR there are virtually no peak extras these days, and for a commuter railway, that's really enough to kill the interest. Much of the interest of commuter railways revolves around the intricate diagramming and stock allocations to ensure that peak trains are formed of appropriate stock.
The post-Covid cuts are more significant, for me, than the renewal of stock. While I remain nostalgic for the CIGs and VEPs of my youth, and the days of loco-hauled and HST on Cross Country, I still enjoyed the early Desiro era on SWT - the fact that we had both 444s and 450s provided the same kind of variety that having a mix of CIGs and VEPs (plus the occasional HAP) formerly had.
The post-Covid era, for me, is by far the least interesting period since I started using the railways in 1982, and probably since before the start of the 20th century (it probably goes without saying that the steam era was interesting!)
A lot of it comes, I think, from living in SWR territory - SWR is perhaps one of the worst for post-Covid cuts and features a "timetable with holes" rather than an imaginative recast. I think if I lived on say Chiltern my interest would have been maintained. They still have peak extras, plus a reasonable variety of stock (well, 3 types, at least, including almost the last loco-hauled on the network). SouthEastern still has its charms, too, and is moving in the right direction - though Southern is also mostly dull these days.
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And the penalty for improper use of the communication chord being only £50. That's inflation !
Can't resist the tale, from about a century ago, about W. B. Yeats and his friend the renowned doctor, author, and wit, Oliver St. John Gogarty. They happened to be travelling by train through a particularly beautiful part of the west of Ireland. Yeats remarked that he'd give a fiver to be able to stop and look at the view; so Gogarty carried out the appropriate pulling procedure, and Yeats got his wish.
I started commuting in 1969 and there was definitely a decline in trackside interest over the years mailny due to ge liss of small goods yards and private sidings.
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Was it worth the telling off from the guard though, I wonder !
Two bards and wondrous wordsmiths and -- among other attributes -- stalwarts of the recent struggle to get free of Britain: I much suspect that he'd just have said, "ah sure, gents, forget it -- have this one on the Great Southern and Western Railway".
"Obstructing the doors causes delay and can be dangerous" became "Obstruct the doors cause delay and anger us"
Sun Chariot
Established Member
A "tweak" of that I saw about 15 years ago - with, seemingly, TippEx & black pen - was:
poO st uc in the loo can anger us
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Topic-drifting dreadfully -- and belonging properly in the "international Transport" sub-forum: but I love the "don't lean out of the window" notice in Italian rail passenger vehicles: e pericoloso sporgersi . I know virtually no Italian; just find this wording delightful. Brings to my fancy, a possible sidekick of Al Capone in the USA in the Prohibition era -- you really did not want to get on the wrong side of old E. Pericoloso ...
I think some high-speed lines in Europe are fenced but otherwise the only fencing I've seen is that put up by landowners. On the other hand sound barriers are much more common on the continent and these restrict the view more, although the top deck of double-deck trains give you a better view.
Totally agree with this. Hence my position on all-reservation trains where you might end up with the "dud" seats above!
I certainly feel mainline UK rail is not as interesting as some European countries.
Take Germany for instance, there's a fair amount of modern electric and diesel multiple units with some poor seating layouts, true, but they also have masses of loco hauled trains, not just intercity but regional stuff including double deckers.
There's an interesting array of high speed train types (ICE), and plenty of EC trains running to/from neighbouring countries.
Masses of freight, including plenty of four wheel wagons still in use, and then there are dozens of old depots still more or less intact with any number of disused derelict stock including steam engines, diesels and rolling stock.
I even saw several private sidings with private locos shunting goods stock (last week). You don't see that very often in the UK.
I find it so interesting travelling around Germany so much to see out of the window that's rail related.
Take Germany for instance, there's a fair amount of modern electric and diesel multiple units with some poor seating layouts, true, but they also have masses of loco hauled trains, not just intercity but regional stuff including double deckers.
There's an interesting array of high speed train types (ICE), and plenty of EC trains running to/from neighbouring countries.
Masses of freight, including plenty of four wheel wagons still in use, and then there are dozens of old depots still more or less intact with any number of disused derelict stock including steam engines, diesels and rolling stock.
I even saw several private sidings with private locos shunting goods stock (last week). You don't see that very often in the UK.
I find it so interesting travelling around Germany so much to see out of the window that's rail related.
I would hope that Sir John Betjeman would have been afforded similar leeway on account of being a stalwart of the struggle to get free of Beeching and the disastrous closure programme. I suspect not though, sadly.
I feel that we really are onto the last knockings of Britain’s railways having any interest to the enthusiast.
Once the last 37s, 56s, a handful of 47s and 20s end, presumably in the next 15 years, possibly with all loco-hauled passenger services, that really is the end of the road.
Once the last 37s, 56s, a handful of 47s and 20s end, presumably in the next 15 years, possibly with all loco-hauled passenger services, that really is the end of the road.
Peter Sarf
Established Member
Maybe there are already more passenger services operated with a locomotive by the preserved sector than by the normal national rail operators. Possibly even ignoring steam, if not now then how soon !.
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