ryan125hst
Established Member
This is the first trip report Ive posted on here in over a year. I have actually got two I need to write: Barrow Hill Roundhouse East Coast Giants (which I started writing and never finished) and The Cathedrals Express to York. Due to having A Level work to do, I didnt even get around to writing one, although I did do some video recording on the day and have posted about an hour and a halfs worth of footage on YouTube! I will try and write these reports and post them soon if I can remember enough detail, but I thought I would write this one while it is fresh in my head.
This would be my first trip to Nottingham by train and also my longest solo train journey I have ever completed- over three hours in total. While many of you regularly travel by train, I dont spend nowhere near as much time as I want/should do. This is down to the fact that I dont have a job (hopefully Ill find one once I start Uni), and also because my parents have cars. As a result of this, I have only ever travelled by train with mates or with my family other than when I went to Barrow Hill where I travelled alone as far as Worksop.
Anyway, enough rambling and more to the point! The purpose of this trip was to meet up with two flat mates who I will be living with when I go to Sheffield Hallam University from September. Our plans had changed a few times- meeting in Nottingham, then Sheffield, then Nottingham again! While it would have made sense to meet in Sheffield, one of my new flat mates lives in Nottingham, and the other lives in Hertfordshire so would have to travel a long distance regardless. I was pleased we settled on Nottingham as it meant I could travel on two lines I hadnt before.
After being dropped off at Retford station by my Mum at about 9:45, I purchased an Off Peak Day Return to Nottingham for £13.20 which is good value in my opinion given the mileage involved, especially considering I dont yet have a 16-25 railcard so have to pay full price. I walked down to platform 3 and was pleased when the train (albeit a Class 144 Pacer!) showed up on time at 10:02. The train was surprisingly quiet for the time of day. My ticket was checked shortly after departure (it was on all four trains I travelled on) and I saw a West Burton or Cottam power station bound coal train a few minutes into the journey. Before long, we arrived in Worksop a few minutes early where I alighted and crossed to the other platform (platform 2) to wait for the Nottingham train to arrive.
The 10:14 to Lincoln, a Class 153, was running a few minutes late, but soon arrived and quickly departed, leaving me with the smell of bacon from The Railway Café as I waited for my train (it smelt good!). Its the first time I have actually alighted at Worksop station and it isnt bad at all. The information displays are now of the LED type (there were definitely CRT screens until recently) and there are vending machines and a ticket machine. As well as a café, there is also a pub at the station. I believe there are also toilet facilities, but according to National Rail Stations Made Easy, you need to show staff your ticket. I didnt go and check this out, so I dont know if anyone can confirm if they are still open and if this is still the case? Speaking about staff, this is probably the most disappointing thing about the station. There are no platform staff, just staff in the ticket office, and they are only there between 07:00 and 17:00 in the week, and leave at 13:30 on a Saturday! All in all though, it is a nicely kept station and I had a pleasant twenty minute wait in the sun.
No freight trains passed while I waited- the Cottam Power Station to Humber International Terminal train ran but was running late so passed the station after I left. This meant that the next train I saw was the inward working from Nottingham arriving five minutes early at 10:27. I was disappointed to see that it was a single Class 153 as I thought it would have been a Class 156- a unit fault perhaps? I boarded the train and was pleased by the refurbished interior of the unit. They are miles better than Northern Rails units!
We left for Nottingham on time and crawled wrong line to the cross over where the slow running continued until after we were well onto the Robin Hood Line. We were soon accelerating up to 60 mph before slowing for Whitwell. Theres not an awful lot to report station by station, so Ill just give general information. Scenery wise, its not great- the first half of the journey in particular. I sat on the left hand side of the train and saw mostly trees, although the right hand side only got a few small fields from what I could see, so no great views either. I was impressed by the state of the stations on the route though. While all but Mansfield are unstaffed, they are in great condition and appear to have been refurbished recently- all stations had waiting shelters and electronic information boards. As mentioned earlier, the Class 153 was a lot better than a Northern Rail example and just sounded a lot smoother, although there was a strange continuous but quiet squeaking sound after the gear change at 45 mph!
The single carriage train started off from Worksop fairly quiet but slowly started to get busier. A few stations had quite a crowd of people waiting and I started to worry about how they were all going to get on. In fact, Im sure I overheard someone near me saying how there are normally two carriages, so clearly a 156 had a fault. We passed a double 153 between Shirebrook and Mansfield Woodhouse, and I was annoyed to see (as by now all seats had been taken and a few people were standing) an empty Class 156 pass us at Kirkby in Ashfield. If only we could have swapped trains! (although I realise that that Class 156 might have been full later in the diagram).
The scenery was a bit better from Hucknall, particularly as we overtook a Nottingham bound tram and later passed another 156. The last part of the journey also seemed faster and a bit more exciting than the first as a result. After Bulwell, a man that had been sat next to me for a considerable length of the journey left, so I took the opportunity to use the toilet. Surprisingly, I was quite impressed with it! It was refurbished and reasonably clean. The best thing though was the hot water from the tap as normally the water seems to be cold on trains. Top marks for East Midlands Trains for that one!
Before long, we slowed for the final approach into Nottingham, and the guard (who, by the way, seemed to be accompanied by a manager. I couldnt work out who was who, but a woman was doing the announcements and a man was checking tickets. After the first ticket check, the woman walked to the front of the train to the man, but she later returned to the back cab. I can only assume that she was the manager, although I couldnt understand why she did the announcements as I thought she would want to test him? Maybe they just do it to help each other out?) announced that the train was terminating. I got off the train and looked around to see if any of my flat mates had arrived. It turned out that the one who lives in Nottingham had only just got on the bus after missing one and another driving past her! This gave me an opportunity to take a photo of a Class 222 and a Class 170.
With my other flat mate approaching on an ex London St Pancras Class 222, I headed over to platform 5 and saw a 222 leave for London. Shortly afterwards (and after taking a photo of a HST), I met the first flat mate, and by now, the Class 222 with the other flat mate on board was pulling in! Once we had all met, we headed off into town for lunch and to organise what we each need to bring to the accommodation (we dont want to end up with three toasters and no kettle!).
It ended up getting to around half past four by the time we had finished chatting and walking around the city, which meant I didnt have time to make the train I originally intended. Fortunately, they are trains home until well into the evening so I didnt need to worry. We headed back to the station together as I dont know Nottingham very well (despite living in Nottinghamshire!) so I could return home (the flat mate from Berkhamsted was then meeting a friend before returning home later).
On arrival at the station, I headed down to the departure boards between platforms 1 and 3 before finding a bench to sit on while I used my phone to plan my return journey. I wanted to return via Sheffield but was a bit worried that my ticket wasnt valid now as it would be after 5pm when I intended to board. I tried searching for the following day, and this showed that the ticket was valid. Even still, I was a bit worried so was unable to enjoy my time at the station and watch the trains as I was panicking about ticket validity! I checked the platform that my train was due to depart from (7B) before buying a Double Decker chocolate bar and a bottle of Fanta Orange from the Pumpkin Café before heading over to platform 7.
Annoyingly, the only bench was on the 7A side of the platform, which was right beside a CrossCountry Class 170 to Birmingham New Street. The doors were unlocked and I hadnt been sitting on the bench long when a member of staff informed me that is was the train to Birmingham, so I told him I didnt want that train and thanked him! The engines were started up shortly after (I think one was still running though, but the rear coach definitely did start up). I was still concerned about my ticket, so I Tweeted East Midlands Trains, but then saw a dispatcher who I checked my ticket with. As I thought, he said it was valid, and we had a laugh that I was a rail enthusiast but was having to check the ticket validity. Shameful! Its better to be safe than sorry though!
As I finished speaking to him, my train pulled into the platform, which I boarded. We departed on time and set off towards Langley Mill. I couldnt believe how new the infrastructure looked: New track, new ballast, new LED signals and new permanent speed restriction signs. In a way, its sad that the old infrastructure is being gradually replaced, as the old filament signals, cut out speed restriction signs and weathered track does have character, but I also like new technology, which is bound to be more reliable, so trains are more likely to run on time. In fact, the whole line to Sheffield felt like it had had a lot of investment which was good to see. We soon called at Langley Mill and it wasnt much further to Alfreton. The train seemed to be going a bit faster along this section of the line and we soon met up with the Midland Main Line, and quickly crossed over to the fast lines. A woman with a catering trolley boarded at Chesterfield and made her way through the train as we made a fast run to Sheffield. I definitely found this section of the line more scenic, with more buildings to see and several rail junctions passed as well. This, combined with the comfortable Class 158 meant that I was pleased I chose to return on this route.
On the approach to Sheffield, I noticed someone who I used to go to school with, so I walked to the front of the train to speak to her (she was also getting off there). We were booked into platform 8, but we ended up in 7 for some reason (a CrossCountry Voyager did pull in as we walked down platform 8 towards the footbridge). We checked the departure boards and headed onto the footbridge before parting ways as I headed down to platform 3 and she went off to platform 1. Its strange because I always end up bumping into someone I know when Im out. In fact, the first time I went on holiday abroad, someone from my primary school (which I was attended at the time) was there! Does this happen to anyone else?
I boarded the Class 142 Pacer (great!) and waiting for it to depart. As with all my other trains today, it departed on time for an uneventful run back to Retford. I dont recall seeing any freight trains at all, but we did pass a Pacer just outside Sheffield and another (definitely a 144) at Worksop. Shortly after leaving Worksop, I saw a Class 158 in Stagecoach colours, which must have been an East Midlands Trains unit. I was a bit surprised at first to see a 158 between Worksop and Retford, but once I got home and checked Realtime Trains, it became apparent that it was just the Nottingham service leaving Manton Wood sidings. While 156s seem to be the usual traction, 153s (as I found out!) and 158s can also be found on the line from time to time.
The sun was low in the sky for most of the way from Nottingham, and it made for good views out of the window as my train headed back to Retford. My train arrived back on time, concluding a good day out on the railway and meeting my new flat mates. I was impressed with the fact that all trains were on time, that my ticket was checked on every train and the presence of a trolley service on the EMT 158. The only disappointment was the single coach 153 on the Robin Hood Line. Sure, it was fine for at least half the journey, but it would have been a more pleasant journey had there been a second carriage! Finally, getting out of Retford stations short stay car park was interesting: My Mum came down to pick me up to save me walking home, but before I got to the car, a man had parked his car by a house directly behind us, preventing us and another lady parked next to us from reversing out of the park. Fortunately, he returned from the house and drove off five minutes or so later, but he was completely oblivious to the disruption he cause (another family had returned to their car which was park next to us on the other side, so he delayed three cars in all).
I hope you have enjoyed reading this report. I really must get round to writing the two others that I had hoped to do months ago! Comments, complements and criticisms welcome.
Ryan
This would be my first trip to Nottingham by train and also my longest solo train journey I have ever completed- over three hours in total. While many of you regularly travel by train, I dont spend nowhere near as much time as I want/should do. This is down to the fact that I dont have a job (hopefully Ill find one once I start Uni), and also because my parents have cars. As a result of this, I have only ever travelled by train with mates or with my family other than when I went to Barrow Hill where I travelled alone as far as Worksop.
Anyway, enough rambling and more to the point! The purpose of this trip was to meet up with two flat mates who I will be living with when I go to Sheffield Hallam University from September. Our plans had changed a few times- meeting in Nottingham, then Sheffield, then Nottingham again! While it would have made sense to meet in Sheffield, one of my new flat mates lives in Nottingham, and the other lives in Hertfordshire so would have to travel a long distance regardless. I was pleased we settled on Nottingham as it meant I could travel on two lines I hadnt before.
After being dropped off at Retford station by my Mum at about 9:45, I purchased an Off Peak Day Return to Nottingham for £13.20 which is good value in my opinion given the mileage involved, especially considering I dont yet have a 16-25 railcard so have to pay full price. I walked down to platform 3 and was pleased when the train (albeit a Class 144 Pacer!) showed up on time at 10:02. The train was surprisingly quiet for the time of day. My ticket was checked shortly after departure (it was on all four trains I travelled on) and I saw a West Burton or Cottam power station bound coal train a few minutes into the journey. Before long, we arrived in Worksop a few minutes early where I alighted and crossed to the other platform (platform 2) to wait for the Nottingham train to arrive.
The 10:14 to Lincoln, a Class 153, was running a few minutes late, but soon arrived and quickly departed, leaving me with the smell of bacon from The Railway Café as I waited for my train (it smelt good!). Its the first time I have actually alighted at Worksop station and it isnt bad at all. The information displays are now of the LED type (there were definitely CRT screens until recently) and there are vending machines and a ticket machine. As well as a café, there is also a pub at the station. I believe there are also toilet facilities, but according to National Rail Stations Made Easy, you need to show staff your ticket. I didnt go and check this out, so I dont know if anyone can confirm if they are still open and if this is still the case? Speaking about staff, this is probably the most disappointing thing about the station. There are no platform staff, just staff in the ticket office, and they are only there between 07:00 and 17:00 in the week, and leave at 13:30 on a Saturday! All in all though, it is a nicely kept station and I had a pleasant twenty minute wait in the sun.
No freight trains passed while I waited- the Cottam Power Station to Humber International Terminal train ran but was running late so passed the station after I left. This meant that the next train I saw was the inward working from Nottingham arriving five minutes early at 10:27. I was disappointed to see that it was a single Class 153 as I thought it would have been a Class 156- a unit fault perhaps? I boarded the train and was pleased by the refurbished interior of the unit. They are miles better than Northern Rails units!
We left for Nottingham on time and crawled wrong line to the cross over where the slow running continued until after we were well onto the Robin Hood Line. We were soon accelerating up to 60 mph before slowing for Whitwell. Theres not an awful lot to report station by station, so Ill just give general information. Scenery wise, its not great- the first half of the journey in particular. I sat on the left hand side of the train and saw mostly trees, although the right hand side only got a few small fields from what I could see, so no great views either. I was impressed by the state of the stations on the route though. While all but Mansfield are unstaffed, they are in great condition and appear to have been refurbished recently- all stations had waiting shelters and electronic information boards. As mentioned earlier, the Class 153 was a lot better than a Northern Rail example and just sounded a lot smoother, although there was a strange continuous but quiet squeaking sound after the gear change at 45 mph!
The single carriage train started off from Worksop fairly quiet but slowly started to get busier. A few stations had quite a crowd of people waiting and I started to worry about how they were all going to get on. In fact, Im sure I overheard someone near me saying how there are normally two carriages, so clearly a 156 had a fault. We passed a double 153 between Shirebrook and Mansfield Woodhouse, and I was annoyed to see (as by now all seats had been taken and a few people were standing) an empty Class 156 pass us at Kirkby in Ashfield. If only we could have swapped trains! (although I realise that that Class 156 might have been full later in the diagram).
The scenery was a bit better from Hucknall, particularly as we overtook a Nottingham bound tram and later passed another 156. The last part of the journey also seemed faster and a bit more exciting than the first as a result. After Bulwell, a man that had been sat next to me for a considerable length of the journey left, so I took the opportunity to use the toilet. Surprisingly, I was quite impressed with it! It was refurbished and reasonably clean. The best thing though was the hot water from the tap as normally the water seems to be cold on trains. Top marks for East Midlands Trains for that one!
Before long, we slowed for the final approach into Nottingham, and the guard (who, by the way, seemed to be accompanied by a manager. I couldnt work out who was who, but a woman was doing the announcements and a man was checking tickets. After the first ticket check, the woman walked to the front of the train to the man, but she later returned to the back cab. I can only assume that she was the manager, although I couldnt understand why she did the announcements as I thought she would want to test him? Maybe they just do it to help each other out?) announced that the train was terminating. I got off the train and looked around to see if any of my flat mates had arrived. It turned out that the one who lives in Nottingham had only just got on the bus after missing one and another driving past her! This gave me an opportunity to take a photo of a Class 222 and a Class 170.
With my other flat mate approaching on an ex London St Pancras Class 222, I headed over to platform 5 and saw a 222 leave for London. Shortly afterwards (and after taking a photo of a HST), I met the first flat mate, and by now, the Class 222 with the other flat mate on board was pulling in! Once we had all met, we headed off into town for lunch and to organise what we each need to bring to the accommodation (we dont want to end up with three toasters and no kettle!).
It ended up getting to around half past four by the time we had finished chatting and walking around the city, which meant I didnt have time to make the train I originally intended. Fortunately, they are trains home until well into the evening so I didnt need to worry. We headed back to the station together as I dont know Nottingham very well (despite living in Nottinghamshire!) so I could return home (the flat mate from Berkhamsted was then meeting a friend before returning home later).
On arrival at the station, I headed down to the departure boards between platforms 1 and 3 before finding a bench to sit on while I used my phone to plan my return journey. I wanted to return via Sheffield but was a bit worried that my ticket wasnt valid now as it would be after 5pm when I intended to board. I tried searching for the following day, and this showed that the ticket was valid. Even still, I was a bit worried so was unable to enjoy my time at the station and watch the trains as I was panicking about ticket validity! I checked the platform that my train was due to depart from (7B) before buying a Double Decker chocolate bar and a bottle of Fanta Orange from the Pumpkin Café before heading over to platform 7.
Annoyingly, the only bench was on the 7A side of the platform, which was right beside a CrossCountry Class 170 to Birmingham New Street. The doors were unlocked and I hadnt been sitting on the bench long when a member of staff informed me that is was the train to Birmingham, so I told him I didnt want that train and thanked him! The engines were started up shortly after (I think one was still running though, but the rear coach definitely did start up). I was still concerned about my ticket, so I Tweeted East Midlands Trains, but then saw a dispatcher who I checked my ticket with. As I thought, he said it was valid, and we had a laugh that I was a rail enthusiast but was having to check the ticket validity. Shameful! Its better to be safe than sorry though!
As I finished speaking to him, my train pulled into the platform, which I boarded. We departed on time and set off towards Langley Mill. I couldnt believe how new the infrastructure looked: New track, new ballast, new LED signals and new permanent speed restriction signs. In a way, its sad that the old infrastructure is being gradually replaced, as the old filament signals, cut out speed restriction signs and weathered track does have character, but I also like new technology, which is bound to be more reliable, so trains are more likely to run on time. In fact, the whole line to Sheffield felt like it had had a lot of investment which was good to see. We soon called at Langley Mill and it wasnt much further to Alfreton. The train seemed to be going a bit faster along this section of the line and we soon met up with the Midland Main Line, and quickly crossed over to the fast lines. A woman with a catering trolley boarded at Chesterfield and made her way through the train as we made a fast run to Sheffield. I definitely found this section of the line more scenic, with more buildings to see and several rail junctions passed as well. This, combined with the comfortable Class 158 meant that I was pleased I chose to return on this route.
On the approach to Sheffield, I noticed someone who I used to go to school with, so I walked to the front of the train to speak to her (she was also getting off there). We were booked into platform 8, but we ended up in 7 for some reason (a CrossCountry Voyager did pull in as we walked down platform 8 towards the footbridge). We checked the departure boards and headed onto the footbridge before parting ways as I headed down to platform 3 and she went off to platform 1. Its strange because I always end up bumping into someone I know when Im out. In fact, the first time I went on holiday abroad, someone from my primary school (which I was attended at the time) was there! Does this happen to anyone else?
I boarded the Class 142 Pacer (great!) and waiting for it to depart. As with all my other trains today, it departed on time for an uneventful run back to Retford. I dont recall seeing any freight trains at all, but we did pass a Pacer just outside Sheffield and another (definitely a 144) at Worksop. Shortly after leaving Worksop, I saw a Class 158 in Stagecoach colours, which must have been an East Midlands Trains unit. I was a bit surprised at first to see a 158 between Worksop and Retford, but once I got home and checked Realtime Trains, it became apparent that it was just the Nottingham service leaving Manton Wood sidings. While 156s seem to be the usual traction, 153s (as I found out!) and 158s can also be found on the line from time to time.
The sun was low in the sky for most of the way from Nottingham, and it made for good views out of the window as my train headed back to Retford. My train arrived back on time, concluding a good day out on the railway and meeting my new flat mates. I was impressed with the fact that all trains were on time, that my ticket was checked on every train and the presence of a trolley service on the EMT 158. The only disappointment was the single coach 153 on the Robin Hood Line. Sure, it was fine for at least half the journey, but it would have been a more pleasant journey had there been a second carriage! Finally, getting out of Retford stations short stay car park was interesting: My Mum came down to pick me up to save me walking home, but before I got to the car, a man had parked his car by a house directly behind us, preventing us and another lady parked next to us from reversing out of the park. Fortunately, he returned from the house and drove off five minutes or so later, but he was completely oblivious to the disruption he cause (another family had returned to their car which was park next to us on the other side, so he delayed three cars in all).
I hope you have enjoyed reading this report. I really must get round to writing the two others that I had hoped to do months ago! Comments, complements and criticisms welcome.
Ryan
