shredder1
Established Member
West Midland Day Rover. Saturday 29th May 2021.
Another early start and I was driving into Manchester for the 05.11 Cross Country voyager down to Birmingham. Pennine Cat class 68031 “Felix”, was on the buffers ready for the first trip of the day.
The ticket office was again closed at Manchester Piccadilly, so apart from buying a return to Crewe from the ticket machines on the station, no one could work out how to buy a West Midland Day Rover ticket, so I was told to see the train manager on the 05.11 again, I caught up with someone who said he was the train manager and he told me to jump on the train and buy one in Birmingham, so I jumped on the train. Just to be on the safe side I also jumped out at Crewe to try and buy one, but that ticket office was also closed, so I got back on the same train and decided to ride through to Birmingham, shortly after leaving Crewe however, the ticket inspector came along and I explained the situation and told her that the train manager said he couldn’t issue a West Midland day rover ticket and told me buy one in Birmingham. She however told me she was the train manager and that the guy who said he was the train manager was actually an assessor? She also said she could issue a ticket, but went on to say that they are not supposed to discount a railcard when you buy a ticket on the train and told me in such cases you are supposed to buy your ticket on line the day before, she was alright though agreed it wasn’t right and issues me a ticket with normal railcard discount, which was fine, but I don’t think the information she gave me was correct. Not everyone can buy tickets on line; some old people simply wouldn’t know how to do it anyway, and secondly how can you predict a ticket office will be closed when its listed as opening at 04.30?
On arrival into Birmingham New Street, I walked over the Moor Street station and caught a train though the tunnels into Snow Hill and moved over to the tram stop, as Id noticed the West Midlands trams have now adopted a new blue and white livery, which looks quite smart, so I wanted to take a few photographs of them. Returning to Snow Hill station I was in time to see Chiltern Cat class 68010 “Oxford Flyer”, on its way to London Marylebone.
I next boarded a class 172 DMU bound for Kidderminster and walked across to the Severn Valley Railway station, who are now running a limited service. On the blocks were class 40106 “Atlantic Conveyor Cunard Lines” and class 50 “Ark Royal”, while arriving to take the first train out was ex GWR Pannier tank, class 5700, 7714 in BR black livery. Returning to Kidderminster BR station I caught another class 172 to Worcester Foregate Street, returning to Birmingham New Street on a class 170 via the Lickey Incline, and just in time to see a Cross Country HST passing through 43285 and 43303 on a northbound working.
I next had a run up to Walsall on a class 350/2, a class 60 was sighted at Bescot and I was just in time for two freight workings through the station. Southbound was GBRf class 66749 and Northbound was DB Schenker class 66135. I return on a class 350/2 to Birmingham New Street, noticing the work being done around Curzon Street on HS2 as we passed.
From New Street I caught a class 350/1 through to Rugby, sat in the sidings was preserved class 86259 “Les Ross”, it seems to live here, and on Thunderbird duties was DRS class 57304 “Pride of Cheshire” parked in the bay platforms. I returned from Rugby to Coventry and then back to Birmingham International and later back to New Street, leaving the station for a tram ride up to Centenary Square and then back into the shopping district for a Subway tea. Returning to Birmingham New Street for another class 350 up to Wolverhampton with a change for a Cross Country Voyager back into Manchester Piccadilly and another good day out and with plenty of locos for a change.
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Another early start and I was driving into Manchester for the 05.11 Cross Country voyager down to Birmingham. Pennine Cat class 68031 “Felix”, was on the buffers ready for the first trip of the day.
The ticket office was again closed at Manchester Piccadilly, so apart from buying a return to Crewe from the ticket machines on the station, no one could work out how to buy a West Midland Day Rover ticket, so I was told to see the train manager on the 05.11 again, I caught up with someone who said he was the train manager and he told me to jump on the train and buy one in Birmingham, so I jumped on the train. Just to be on the safe side I also jumped out at Crewe to try and buy one, but that ticket office was also closed, so I got back on the same train and decided to ride through to Birmingham, shortly after leaving Crewe however, the ticket inspector came along and I explained the situation and told her that the train manager said he couldn’t issue a West Midland day rover ticket and told me buy one in Birmingham. She however told me she was the train manager and that the guy who said he was the train manager was actually an assessor? She also said she could issue a ticket, but went on to say that they are not supposed to discount a railcard when you buy a ticket on the train and told me in such cases you are supposed to buy your ticket on line the day before, she was alright though agreed it wasn’t right and issues me a ticket with normal railcard discount, which was fine, but I don’t think the information she gave me was correct. Not everyone can buy tickets on line; some old people simply wouldn’t know how to do it anyway, and secondly how can you predict a ticket office will be closed when its listed as opening at 04.30?
On arrival into Birmingham New Street, I walked over the Moor Street station and caught a train though the tunnels into Snow Hill and moved over to the tram stop, as Id noticed the West Midlands trams have now adopted a new blue and white livery, which looks quite smart, so I wanted to take a few photographs of them. Returning to Snow Hill station I was in time to see Chiltern Cat class 68010 “Oxford Flyer”, on its way to London Marylebone.
I next boarded a class 172 DMU bound for Kidderminster and walked across to the Severn Valley Railway station, who are now running a limited service. On the blocks were class 40106 “Atlantic Conveyor Cunard Lines” and class 50 “Ark Royal”, while arriving to take the first train out was ex GWR Pannier tank, class 5700, 7714 in BR black livery. Returning to Kidderminster BR station I caught another class 172 to Worcester Foregate Street, returning to Birmingham New Street on a class 170 via the Lickey Incline, and just in time to see a Cross Country HST passing through 43285 and 43303 on a northbound working.
I next had a run up to Walsall on a class 350/2, a class 60 was sighted at Bescot and I was just in time for two freight workings through the station. Southbound was GBRf class 66749 and Northbound was DB Schenker class 66135. I return on a class 350/2 to Birmingham New Street, noticing the work being done around Curzon Street on HS2 as we passed.
From New Street I caught a class 350/1 through to Rugby, sat in the sidings was preserved class 86259 “Les Ross”, it seems to live here, and on Thunderbird duties was DRS class 57304 “Pride of Cheshire” parked in the bay platforms. I returned from Rugby to Coventry and then back to Birmingham International and later back to New Street, leaving the station for a tram ride up to Centenary Square and then back into the shopping district for a Subway tea. Returning to Birmingham New Street for another class 350 up to Wolverhampton with a change for a Cross Country Voyager back into Manchester Piccadilly and another good day out and with plenty of locos for a change.
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