Broken Viking
On Moderation
Hail all! 
Earlier today I decided to take a quick trip into Nottingham as I was staying nearby, and I'd also been wanting to explore the city's tram system for quite a while as well. For the curious, here's a quick run-down of how I got on...With a bit of an emphesis on Der Straßenbahnen in view to this being a railway forum! 8)
Rather than catch the bus straight into Nottingham, I decided to save both time and the fare by changing at Phoenix Park and entering Nottingham by tram. This was not only faster, but also meant that I had a good excuse for doing a bit of tram bashing on the way back to the bus stop as well.
<Tram froth - Part I>
The first thing that struck me about the trams themselves was their accelleration. Although I'd read up on the system the previous night - And I'm all too aware that they have a very low max speed of only 50mph - The actual accelleration to that 50mph was quick enough to catch me quite off guard (Despite my being a veteran of the Vehrkerswerbund Rein-Ruhr, A.K.A "VRR") and though I can't quite place my finger on why it is, something about those trams makes 50mph feel a lot faster than it is. I suppose that this could be due to the low floor being close to rail level, but that's a pure guess. To be honest I don't care either...As long as I can someday experience one of these things doing 125mph or more!
Another thing that struck me about them as we were passing The Forest was the trams capability on rather sharp gradients. Although I'd guess that the Sheffield SuperTram climbs steeper hills, I'm not aware of the NET trams having any modifications done to allow this, whereas the Sheffield trams IIRC use specially re-engineered gearboxes and/or motors. Either way though, the NET vehicles certainly proved quite adept at hauling 50+ ton of gross weight up Forest Hill without any reduction in performance...And as ye all know already, even I can stand vehicles with low speeds if they have some good "S*** off a shovel" accelleration to make up for it! 8)
Shifting off of the vehicles themselves, I notice that NET chose to use the German principle on their system, with trams calling at stops on request much in the same way as buses. Am I right in thinking that Nottingham CC might've done a fact-finding week on the VRR (Or some other German system) when they were looking at existing systems to base theirs around?
</tram froth>
Upon arriving at Station Street, I decided to have a quick peek around Nottingham Midland station just to see what was there, and was pleasantly surprised to see 43060+43066 standing in the station, ready to work 1B43 down to St. Pancras.
Now this is a set that I've been curious about for a while, as it is the only set I'm aware of that still bears it's previous MML livery - Also being the MML set that I'd caught in a rush during my ALR a while ago, but had not been able to note down - So being able to make a belated stock note was a good thing in itself. 8)
I have also long suspected that this set may still be running Valenta's (Although they're probabally VP185's and I'm a crap HST spotter!
) and I tried to double-check by dashing to the eastern end of the platform to listen to the engines as it left the station. Now I don't know how things work at Nottingham Midland nowadays, but would someone mind telling me how on Earth a train bound for St. Pancras (South East of Nottingham) ends up departing the station to the west?
I'd thought I was in a relatively good spot, only to see the train pull out away from me. Scratch another mark for crappest enthusiast of the year then!
After this interesting (And rather embarassing) sighting, I decided to cover the line to Hucknell to make the most of my NET day pass. Again the journey out of town was pretty fast and enjoyable on it's own, but once we'd passed onto the reclaimed P-Way on the Robin Hood line the tram felt more like a Pendo without the tilty bit! 8)
<Tram froth - Part II>
It's a shame that the line only currently goes between Hucknall and Station Street. Although I'm already aware of the current plans for two new lines running south of Midland station, I'd just love to experience one of those trams being over-thrashed on a non-stop run between Hucknell and Clifton, right in the middle of the night, with the tram not stopping or slowing for anything...Just imagine how many chavs and rood-bois we'd be scraping off of the underbody afterwards!
Another slight shame for me during the day was not being able to get one particular tram on my runs through the city, as - Though I did see this certain tram in my travels - It was sadly parked at the spare platform at Forest, festooned with "Not in Service" notices, and evidently experiencing a few operational difficulties.
Now I happen to be a major fan of BAL-SAGOTH, whose front-man - Byron, by name - Is oft referred to as "Lord Byron" simply because of his truly immortal way with words. Coincidentally, NET tram 205 is also named "Lord Byron"...Although the naming of said tram might refer to the famous poet of c.1790CE, and not the Immortal Metal God of c.1990CE. That's assuming that none of the managers at NET are strong fans of Epic British Metal, though!
</tram froth>
My trip to Hucknell was followed up with some other stuff, mainly taking a peek at the blight that is the Victoria shopping centre (Which once used to be a truly magnificent station on the GCR before the modernistwbankers of the 1960's got hold of it! 
), drifting around town to build-up some local route knowlege, taking a good look at the statue of Robin Hood and his completely smashed merry men before Notts CC get half a chance to remove them, and also taking a gander at the Castle and it's sandstone plinth from the outside.
After a while, ancient curiosity and nostalga got the better of me as I was passing Games Workshop on the way back into town, and I took the opportunity to update myself on news from the Imperium after not having played Warhammer 40,000 for the best part of ten years. As to be expected, prices have gone up a lot since I last played. Both genres of Warhammer are now on version V (I never played Fantasy, but stopped playing 40K shortly after the release of ver III), and the Black Library now churn out enough print each year to keep even major booksellers like Amazon busy.
I was also reminded by another customer - And only the Gods Themselves know how I could have forgotton - That Games Workshop HQ/Warhammer World was only just down the road in Lenton. Best of all, he was on the way down there to use the larger gaming space available, and was happy to show me the way to a place that only ten years ago I would've literally jumped at the chance of visiting! 8)
Anyhow...I have to say that Warhammer World is well worth a visit - Even if ye don't have any interest in tabletop battle gaming whatsoever, and don't know/care what a "D6" is. Aside from the massive amount of paraphenalia for gamers and collectors, there's a truly engrossing fantasy world attached to the whole that could easily catch and enthrall the mind of just about anyone. For those who like intricate artworks, the Citadel showcase room on the top floor is well worth a visit (Showing many minatures featured in White Dwarf over the years). The central floor has a Games Workshop store, a mahoosive gaming area with some seriously impressive battlegame scenery to hand, staff on hand who are happy to explain the rules and teach the games to anybody who's interested (GW games aren't just for teenagers; There were a few groups of 40-somethings, and even an OAP group playing today!) and for those who like nothing more than to have their Ale served properly in a decent tankard insted of one of those strange "glasses" that taverns use nowadays, ye'd be hard pressed to find a better bar than Bugman's!
At this point however, the Sun was starting to hang low in the sky and - Knowing that "Nottingham", "safe" and "night" seldom fit in the same sentance - I decided to return home whilst I sill had the chance, and had as equally enjoyable a journey home as I had arriving in Nottingham. 8)
Incidentally; On one of the first trams that I used (I think it was the 11:49 ex Phoenix) someone greeted me completely out of the blue just as they were alighting at Old Market Square. Now I know that several RailUK members live in Nottingham, so was it someone from here who recognised me...Or was it just a random friendly greeting?
Farewell for now, and many thanks to NET for showing me that we English can run a tram system just as well as the Germans!
>> Death <<
Earlier today I decided to take a quick trip into Nottingham as I was staying nearby, and I'd also been wanting to explore the city's tram system for quite a while as well. For the curious, here's a quick run-down of how I got on...With a bit of an emphesis on Der Straßenbahnen in view to this being a railway forum! 8)
Rather than catch the bus straight into Nottingham, I decided to save both time and the fare by changing at Phoenix Park and entering Nottingham by tram. This was not only faster, but also meant that I had a good excuse for doing a bit of tram bashing on the way back to the bus stop as well.
<Tram froth - Part I>
The first thing that struck me about the trams themselves was their accelleration. Although I'd read up on the system the previous night - And I'm all too aware that they have a very low max speed of only 50mph - The actual accelleration to that 50mph was quick enough to catch me quite off guard (Despite my being a veteran of the Vehrkerswerbund Rein-Ruhr, A.K.A "VRR") and though I can't quite place my finger on why it is, something about those trams makes 50mph feel a lot faster than it is. I suppose that this could be due to the low floor being close to rail level, but that's a pure guess. To be honest I don't care either...As long as I can someday experience one of these things doing 125mph or more!
Another thing that struck me about them as we were passing The Forest was the trams capability on rather sharp gradients. Although I'd guess that the Sheffield SuperTram climbs steeper hills, I'm not aware of the NET trams having any modifications done to allow this, whereas the Sheffield trams IIRC use specially re-engineered gearboxes and/or motors. Either way though, the NET vehicles certainly proved quite adept at hauling 50+ ton of gross weight up Forest Hill without any reduction in performance...And as ye all know already, even I can stand vehicles with low speeds if they have some good "S*** off a shovel" accelleration to make up for it! 8)
Shifting off of the vehicles themselves, I notice that NET chose to use the German principle on their system, with trams calling at stops on request much in the same way as buses. Am I right in thinking that Nottingham CC might've done a fact-finding week on the VRR (Or some other German system) when they were looking at existing systems to base theirs around?
</tram froth>
Upon arriving at Station Street, I decided to have a quick peek around Nottingham Midland station just to see what was there, and was pleasantly surprised to see 43060+43066 standing in the station, ready to work 1B43 down to St. Pancras.
Now this is a set that I've been curious about for a while, as it is the only set I'm aware of that still bears it's previous MML livery - Also being the MML set that I'd caught in a rush during my ALR a while ago, but had not been able to note down - So being able to make a belated stock note was a good thing in itself. 8)
I have also long suspected that this set may still be running Valenta's (Although they're probabally VP185's and I'm a crap HST spotter!
) and I tried to double-check by dashing to the eastern end of the platform to listen to the engines as it left the station. Now I don't know how things work at Nottingham Midland nowadays, but would someone mind telling me how on Earth a train bound for St. Pancras (South East of Nottingham) ends up departing the station to the west?I'd thought I was in a relatively good spot, only to see the train pull out away from me. Scratch another mark for crappest enthusiast of the year then!
After this interesting (And rather embarassing) sighting, I decided to cover the line to Hucknell to make the most of my NET day pass. Again the journey out of town was pretty fast and enjoyable on it's own, but once we'd passed onto the reclaimed P-Way on the Robin Hood line the tram felt more like a Pendo without the tilty bit! 8)
<Tram froth - Part II>
It's a shame that the line only currently goes between Hucknall and Station Street. Although I'm already aware of the current plans for two new lines running south of Midland station, I'd just love to experience one of those trams being over-thrashed on a non-stop run between Hucknell and Clifton, right in the middle of the night, with the tram not stopping or slowing for anything...Just imagine how many chavs and rood-bois we'd be scraping off of the underbody afterwards!
Another slight shame for me during the day was not being able to get one particular tram on my runs through the city, as - Though I did see this certain tram in my travels - It was sadly parked at the spare platform at Forest, festooned with "Not in Service" notices, and evidently experiencing a few operational difficulties.
Now I happen to be a major fan of BAL-SAGOTH, whose front-man - Byron, by name - Is oft referred to as "Lord Byron" simply because of his truly immortal way with words. Coincidentally, NET tram 205 is also named "Lord Byron"...Although the naming of said tram might refer to the famous poet of c.1790CE, and not the Immortal Metal God of c.1990CE. That's assuming that none of the managers at NET are strong fans of Epic British Metal, though!
</tram froth>
My trip to Hucknell was followed up with some other stuff, mainly taking a peek at the blight that is the Victoria shopping centre (Which once used to be a truly magnificent station on the GCR before the modernist
), drifting around town to build-up some local route knowlege, taking a good look at the statue of Robin Hood and his After a while, ancient curiosity and nostalga got the better of me as I was passing Games Workshop on the way back into town, and I took the opportunity to update myself on news from the Imperium after not having played Warhammer 40,000 for the best part of ten years. As to be expected, prices have gone up a lot since I last played. Both genres of Warhammer are now on version V (I never played Fantasy, but stopped playing 40K shortly after the release of ver III), and the Black Library now churn out enough print each year to keep even major booksellers like Amazon busy.
I was also reminded by another customer - And only the Gods Themselves know how I could have forgotton - That Games Workshop HQ/Warhammer World was only just down the road in Lenton. Best of all, he was on the way down there to use the larger gaming space available, and was happy to show me the way to a place that only ten years ago I would've literally jumped at the chance of visiting! 8)
Anyhow...I have to say that Warhammer World is well worth a visit - Even if ye don't have any interest in tabletop battle gaming whatsoever, and don't know/care what a "D6" is. Aside from the massive amount of paraphenalia for gamers and collectors, there's a truly engrossing fantasy world attached to the whole that could easily catch and enthrall the mind of just about anyone. For those who like intricate artworks, the Citadel showcase room on the top floor is well worth a visit (Showing many minatures featured in White Dwarf over the years). The central floor has a Games Workshop store, a mahoosive gaming area with some seriously impressive battlegame scenery to hand, staff on hand who are happy to explain the rules and teach the games to anybody who's interested (GW games aren't just for teenagers; There were a few groups of 40-somethings, and even an OAP group playing today!
) and for those who like nothing more than to have their Ale served properly in a decent tankard insted of one of those strange "glasses" that taverns use nowadays, ye'd be hard pressed to find a better bar than Bugman's! At this point however, the Sun was starting to hang low in the sky and - Knowing that "Nottingham", "safe" and "night" seldom fit in the same sentance - I decided to return home whilst I sill had the chance, and had as equally enjoyable a journey home as I had arriving in Nottingham. 8)
Incidentally; On one of the first trams that I used (I think it was the 11:49 ex Phoenix) someone greeted me completely out of the blue just as they were alighting at Old Market Square. Now I know that several RailUK members live in Nottingham, so was it someone from here who recognised me...Or was it just a random friendly greeting?
Farewell for now, and many thanks to NET for showing me that we English can run a tram system just as well as the Germans!
>> Death <<
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