First of all, a disclaimer. This is not supposed to be a political or analytical thread, it's supposed to be light-hearted and perhaps based on 'feelings' rather than logic.
To get the small bit of politics out of the way. 'Brexit Britain' is often described by its adherents as a return to the good old days of Britain, but it could be argued that modern-day Britain of the late 2010s and 2020s is less interesting and less characterful than that which existed in the late 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s... and for those that remember it, the 60s and early 70s.
Public transport comments are OK but this is not supposed to be a trains thread. So the odd comment on trains is fine but there must be non-PT comments too.
So I'll start. Will get the PT things that I miss out of the way first: CIGs, VEPs, HAPs, EPBs, Cross Country services changing locos from diesel to electric and v.v at New Street, HSTs, 86s and 87s on front-line IC services, peak additionals, Saturday summer specials, and interesting diagramming. Leyland Nationals, Bristol VRs and sensible bus numbering systems where the same regional bus company would use unique route numbers for all routes.
On to the non-PT things. Please note that the emphasis is supposed to be on 'feelings' and 'nostalgia' rather than the rights and wrongs of any of these things. Anyway I miss:
Unpretentious country pubs in almost every small village in the back of beyond. IMX these existed as recently as the late 90s.
Sodium lights on our streets. I used to love the warm, comforting orange glow of these and the atmosphere at twilight of them switching on, at first bright red, and then yellow.
Ornate wrought-iron lamp stands on suburban streets. Built perhaps in the early 20th century, the actual light fitting was changed several times in their lifetime, but the stands remained. Since 2010 these have sadly become an endangered species.
I know this is probably not the 'right' thing to say - but signs of gritty industry. Much of this has gone recently and makes the modern day UK much more anodyne than previously. I know large power stations like Fawley and Didcot are polluting, but their presence on the landscape lent the area a certain type of gritty industrial 'character' and to be honest, as politically incorrect as it sounds, I miss them. Maybe the ideal solution would have been to 'green them up' but keep the industrial architecture in place.
Travelling from one part of the UK to another (also applies to some other countries such as France) along A roads, rather than whizzing along motorways. The old A34 route from Oxford to Birmingham had great character and took you through the heart of countryside, making you feel you were 'there'. Whizzing along the M40 just doesn't have the same character - just like on the train, the old 47-and-coaches ICs on the parallel XC rail route always had the most character for me.
Anyway, there are mine. As I said, this is not supposed to be a political or logical thread - it's one to abandon politics or logic and just let your raw feelings flow.
To get the small bit of politics out of the way. 'Brexit Britain' is often described by its adherents as a return to the good old days of Britain, but it could be argued that modern-day Britain of the late 2010s and 2020s is less interesting and less characterful than that which existed in the late 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s... and for those that remember it, the 60s and early 70s.
Public transport comments are OK but this is not supposed to be a trains thread. So the odd comment on trains is fine but there must be non-PT comments too.
So I'll start. Will get the PT things that I miss out of the way first: CIGs, VEPs, HAPs, EPBs, Cross Country services changing locos from diesel to electric and v.v at New Street, HSTs, 86s and 87s on front-line IC services, peak additionals, Saturday summer specials, and interesting diagramming. Leyland Nationals, Bristol VRs and sensible bus numbering systems where the same regional bus company would use unique route numbers for all routes.
On to the non-PT things. Please note that the emphasis is supposed to be on 'feelings' and 'nostalgia' rather than the rights and wrongs of any of these things. Anyway I miss:
Unpretentious country pubs in almost every small village in the back of beyond. IMX these existed as recently as the late 90s.
Sodium lights on our streets. I used to love the warm, comforting orange glow of these and the atmosphere at twilight of them switching on, at first bright red, and then yellow.
Ornate wrought-iron lamp stands on suburban streets. Built perhaps in the early 20th century, the actual light fitting was changed several times in their lifetime, but the stands remained. Since 2010 these have sadly become an endangered species.
I know this is probably not the 'right' thing to say - but signs of gritty industry. Much of this has gone recently and makes the modern day UK much more anodyne than previously. I know large power stations like Fawley and Didcot are polluting, but their presence on the landscape lent the area a certain type of gritty industrial 'character' and to be honest, as politically incorrect as it sounds, I miss them. Maybe the ideal solution would have been to 'green them up' but keep the industrial architecture in place.
Travelling from one part of the UK to another (also applies to some other countries such as France) along A roads, rather than whizzing along motorways. The old A34 route from Oxford to Birmingham had great character and took you through the heart of countryside, making you feel you were 'there'. Whizzing along the M40 just doesn't have the same character - just like on the train, the old 47-and-coaches ICs on the parallel XC rail route always had the most character for me.
Anyway, there are mine. As I said, this is not supposed to be a political or logical thread - it's one to abandon politics or logic and just let your raw feelings flow.
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