17-MAY-2013
Shepley was the starting point. My travelling companion Mr Geoff Naylor points out the stations well maintained sign which, along with a bus shelter, is just about everything there is to see at Shepley.
A mid morning Penistone Line flyer to Huddersfield, courtesy of a Northern Rail Class 144 got the journey off at last. It has been quite a long gestation period planning the route and stopovers so at last finally on our way.
Just what can you say about this train.....not much really.
The guard was friendly
The ride bouncy
We got a seat
It was on time....something that was maintained over the whole trip...punctuality was exemplary from all of the operators we travelled with.
Lived up to the then "current" expectations which were not high and the short trip rated.............. 6/10 at the time.
Would not see the inside of a Northern Rail train again until the very last train ride of the trip thankfully, as you will see later.
17-MAY-2013
While waiting for the TPEx to York we took our time to solve all of Huddersfield's operational issues!
1. Open up a bridge/subway from the "old goods yard" car park to the station to provide some decent parking for the station
2. Give some thought to getting a pedestrian link to the bus station or use the current car park for a free shuttle bus to pick up and drop off bus passengers to make the connection easier. Buses and trains run by First, can't be beyond the wit of man or even TOC directors to manage that!
3. Re-instate the through line to allow (in rush hour only) some TPEXs to run thru Huddersfield without needing a "platform" and then utilise the platform to have a fast shuttle to run on behind the non stop TPEx with a call at Dewsbury. Just what is the point of full trains from Manchester stopping to pick up a platform full of passengers at Huddersfield....bonkers.
4 Buy some extra carriages/trains with all the money the full trains generate and run proper trains...express trains do not comprise of just 2 carriages....bring back the doubled headed Black 5s on the Liverpool>Newcastle run with 8 carriages in tow.
Huddersfield station gets 7/10, mainly for the catering and station facade. It lost marks because the widened platform in the shot now gets wet when it rains as it now is under the opening in the canopy!
17-MAY-2013
With a long week ahead the first stop, some 30 minutes (7 miles) into the trip, was the station buffet at Huddersfield.
Coffee, bacon and egg (otherwise known as..."salad" )sandwiches get us fueled to go.
The buffet is a lovely place with old images and photos of railway related items on the wall.
Good service/good food ............... 9/10 Well worth a visit as it is totally different from the other catering outlets on the station which are clones of every other railway station.
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This and the two pubs in the station make Huddersfield a place worth a trip!
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An improving start.
17-MAY-2013
TPEx franchise has a big problem with over crowding. Especially on the Leeds/Huddersfield section that we have most experience of. Even at mid day the train arrived to see a large number of passengers wanting to board. Fortunately our ticket was for 1st class and we had seats which is novel on this route. TPEx first class travel is hardly 3 stars never mind 5. Positive point the guard did throw out the interloper and did come back to make sure he didn't sneak back in. Negatives? On the 42 mile journey the complimentary drinks never materialised and in fact when the trolley did appear, just outside York, we were totally blanked by the staff member even though we were the first row of seats in the compartment. Walked straight passed us to serve others who had already had refreshments. 0/10 for that then.
And will the couple who were on board cease from the lady putting her shoeless feet in the lap of her husband sat opposite for a quick foot massage! Very off putting to grumpy old men like us.
As a first class experience its only saving grace was the fact a seat was available....it has very little else to offer............6/10... would have made 7 if we got that coffee.
Running mileage total now 49 miles.
17-MAY-2013
Time to spare whilst we waited for the "Highland Chieftain" to arrive. We had our coffee and bun which our friends at TPEx failed to supply and the lady in the cafe gets a bonus mark for offering to put an ice cube in the black coffee to assist in cooling it to a drinkable temperature...small gesture that was very welcomed by the older and more experienced grumpy one. I personally like my coffee white :-)
Again why did they remove the thru lines here as well....it means some big old dirtyfreight trains have to rumble along the platform lines if passing thru the station. Thankfully most are diverted around the avoiding lines giving the spotters(sorry enthusiasts) something to see in the distances from the south end of the station.
So what did we have to be grumpy about here.....well the big one was the very late platform change for the 125 we were expecting. Even as the train was visible in the distance the boards were showing our platform which was free of any waiting train. Then the quick switch and all the passengers, many elder or struggling with luggage had to leg it to the new platform. Some people had been waiting a long time in the right spot to ensure they could get on first to bag their seat...all plans now abandonded in the scrummage to just get on.
6/10.......would have been 5 without the ice cube but no platform change would have made it "seven"
17-MAY-2013
Well due to the platform change we never did get the photo of the 125 coming into York, too busy legging it across the station to the new platform. So you'll have to make do with a Mallard class image. Once again this was a very full train so grateful for the reserved seats which we claimed after having to turf out the "businessman" occupying both seats with his laptops (2) and multiple blackberry and iphones(3). He sat opposite us till Newcastle, which was a blessing as he could have had him all the way to Inverness our next stop. Non stop on the phone telling the same tales of his woes to anyone who was decent enough not to hang up on him. The crux of his troubles was as a salesman he had invited "seven" clients to a big do...and all "seven" had turned him down.....poor sad old "Billy no mates"....made us smile after he got off. Am I glad I have retired!!!! Just why do businessmen make business calls in earshot of all and sundry....must make them feel important but it also breaches business confidentiallity.
Newcastle to Edinburgh we had a nice couple of which the lady worked for East Coast...in our discussions she asked to be updated on the East Coast performance against the rest of the TOCs we would be using hence this blog came into being. I hope the cycling event went better than East Coast's performance :-))
17-MAY-2013
East Coast performance.
This is written with the hindsight of other TOC's performance so it gives my view of the relative performance not just a stand alone impression.
1. My seat locking mechanism was broken and so the seat had the ability to slide but not lock until we were north of Edinburgh when I could relocate opposite. Seat was OK but not the best we had by a long way.
2. The initial food service (York>Edinburgh) was good, selection of well filled sandwiches, soft drinks, hot drinks and wines and beer. Good sized slug of drinakble red washed down the BLT sandwiches, crisps and biscuits. Crew efficient but busy and so little "interaction"....just get the job done which is to be expected on a Friday PM service
3. However after Edinburgh, the "menu card" changed but the selection remained the same...BLT or cheese sandwiches offered again. Fine if joined at Edinburgh but not so good if travelling thru from the south...a bit repetative and boring to say the least. And even though the train was less busy it was efficient but impersonal service.
4. The 10 mins late running was made up the train crew and we arrived in Inverness on time having seen some wonderful scenery en-route in the Highlands. So good effort from them.
The old grumpy one really doesn't like the livery of East Coast and I have to say when in "used" condition ( weathered as the modellers say) it does lose some of its impact. Also some of the fleet is still in GNER livery...how long have they had to paint them?
Overall 7/10 let down by the catering selection and wonky seat...they have no influence over who they transport so that will not count against them!
17-MAY-2013
So 9.5 hours after leaving Shepley we arrive in Inverness. The 392 miles from York makes a running total of 440 miles on day 1. Cold and gloomy on arrival, wonderful weather for mid May! Was expecting sunshine until midnight this far north in the middle of the year...ah well that's what makes life interesting.
This was the only image of our 125 we got so make the most of it!
The caledonian sleeper was in and we even thought about a 600 mile overnight run to London but the hotel and Jimmy Chungs buffet were calling.
So Day 1 mileage stopped at 440 miles.
17-MAY-2013
New town for both of us so no knowledge of where to eat but we did pass this Chinese Buffet whilst walking to the hotel. Gave it a try and found it to be very pleaseant, plenty of choice and good quality food. All washed down with a nice pint of Guinness...a good end to our first day.
Jimmy C's gets 8/10. We later found out this is a chain of restaurants as we passed one in Edinburgh
Inverness is quite a nice town, seems to have everything you need along with big bouncers on every door....Fridays must get lively later on!
Inverness first impressions 8/10.
Glen Mhor Hotel. They did a selection of apartments and we chose one of those for our first night. Nicely furnished, two bedrooms, lounge, kitchen area and bathroom all for the same price as two normal hotel rooms.
Little gripes....couldn't get any of the 3 TVs to work...whilst they leave coffee and tea there's no milk sachets....the entrance door is a split single door and a struggle to get thru with bags and 60 years of girth....the steep stairway to the first floor appartment is not suitable for those with access difficulties, something not made clear at the booking stage. Not an issue for us surprisingly, but could be for others.
However these are minor gripes. Clean, warm and tidy and I would stay again.
I'll give Glen Mhor 7/10.
18-MAY-2013
Day 2. Breakfast was taken in the station Buffet. A preprepared breakfast in a bun and coffee. Unfortunately the warming process was not efficient and the hash brown potato in the bun was cold....too much fuss to return for reheating so that bit discarded. The buffet had little or no character compared with our favourite at Huddersfield but was larger and airy...the bun was an issue though so only 6/10 from me.
The station itself was light and airy also...plenty of space clean and tidy. Seemed to operate efficiently and was centrally located not much to fault really........8/10
So having been fed and watered time to join the morning train courtesy of Scotrail to the Kyle of Lochalsh.
18-MAY-2013
Some of the stations north of Inverness have very short platforms! This was Conon Bridge I believe.
The weather was not good until we crossed further west passed Achnasheen.
Train comfortable, power point for charging cameras and phones etc so this was above expectations.
To continue you need to click onto page 2...............
18-MAY-2013
When the weather picked up the views as the train trundled down Loch Carron were excellent. This is Loch Carron near Plockton.
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One question asked was the train runs down the south side of the Loch but the majority of inhabited villages seem to be on the north side. Was this a flaw in the great Victorians cunning plans or was the train there mainly for the goods traffic from the fishing at Kyle of Lochalsh?