Trivia: Railway Journey Confessions

[backontrack]

When travelling on UK Railways, have you ever misinformed anyone? Or got on the wrong train? Maybe you're a serial Voyager complainer yet have never ridden on one, or got away with using an invalid routeing.

Mine is utterly shameful, but here goes:

I have never been on a Pacer.

 

[Dhassell]

Do you have any embarrassing secrets about trains?

Mine is utterly shameful, but here goes:

I have never been on a Pacer.

Wait..... WHAT!?!?!?!?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Post #5 in this thread http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=34855 for my major egg on face moment...

 

[backontrack]

Wait..... WHAT!?!?!?!?

Yes, despite being Yorkshire-based for quite a long time.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Post #5 in this thread http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=34855 for my major egg on face moment...

Ha ha, at least you had good intentions!

 

[alexl92]

Do you have any embarrassing secrets about trains?

Mine is utterly shameful, but here goes:

I have never been on a Pacer.

I cannot express my envy adequately

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Ha ha, at least you had good intentions!

I've wondered ever since whether or not it was a coincidence that the "hold" rule was abolished not long after that...

Are there any long-serving members of SWT / retired SW Division staff on here who remember the incident?

 

[backontrack]

Also, never any Coradias (which I'm unhappy about) and 450s (which I'm not ).

My whole list of classes used is embarrassingly short.

 

[dave12435]

Couple times been on the wrong half of splitting trains once at Ashford and ended up in Canterbury West and once at Barnham and went back to Chichester which is where I had came from in the first place

 

[fishquinn]

I have never been on a pacer, voyager, meridian, 159 or 313. And I am very glad about that!

 

[backontrack]

I have never been on a pacer, voyager, meridian, 159 or 313. And I am very glad about that!

I went on a 159 or two yesterday. They're OK.

As for Meridians, I thought they were considered good? I've never been on one either.

Voyagers I have experienced, but not 313s.

 

[fishquinn]

Some people might consider them good but for 159s taking over the 47s/50s on the mule was enough to get me not to travel on them. As for 222s, to much like voyagers so that is also a no. And 313s. I wouldn't be surprised if the only passengers on the train were rats (and the driver of course). No offence to anyone who likes these classes though.

 

[backontrack]

Do you have any confessions?

EDIT: You do, you just said.

 

[Harlan Cage]

I remember once being on Class 166 that had air conditioning that worked!

HC

 

[backontrack]

Also, HOORAY! I'M PAST 300 POSTS!

If the Quiz Forum counted...

Back on topic. Any railway confessions?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I remember once being on Class 166 that had air conditioning that worked!

HC

I had crammed 165 once from London to Oxford and back. It was absolutely boiling onboard, the train being destined for Great Malvern. :roll:

 

[EM2]

Unless I have to (e.g. for work), I rarely travel by train.

 

[alexl92]

I don't think I've ever travelled on a train hauled by a 37 or a 47...

 

[thenorthern]

I am the one who moans on twitter all the time yes thats me you have found me out Virgin Trains.

Also I have never been on any designated as a Class 4xx (Southern Electric) train.

 

[pitdiver]

Thinking I was on the wrong half of the train at Dovey Jct so got off and onto the other half. Then finding out my original choice was correct. Sounds simple but with two kids and luggage it was a bit of a chore.

 

[Welshman]

My most embarrassing moment occurred when I was a youth and was touring round Yorkshire on a "Day-Line Diesel" ticket.

I'd boarded a train from York to Ferrybridge for Knottingley on the North Eastern line to Sheffield, intending to catch a 15 minute connection from Knottingley for Ferrybridge on the Lancashire and Yorkshire line to Wakefield Kirkgate, and, for some reason, assumed the two stations were the same one.

I did not realise there was a big hill between the two, but a ten-minute sprint along a main road saw me boarding the second train, sweaty,panting and exhausted, with minutes to spare.

I often think of that when I drive through the M62/M1 complex around there today,

 

[PeterY]

I never ridden on a pacer either but that may change next year when I have my ALR for a week. Then I'll be along then and asking forum members for a guaranteed pacer journey of about 1/2 hour in duration.

I was lucky on Friday I had my first ride in a 221 Voyager. Sat I'm guessing just above the engine.

 

[507021]

Unless I really have to I absolutely refuse to use an accessible toilet after the first (and only) experience I had of using one. Having locked the door a couple of minutes previously (and the light illuminated to confirm that it was locked) the door decided to open of its own accord. Just as well the train was quiet!

 

[moogal]

I actually liked the Silverlink livery...

 

[alex17595]

A HST is the oldest non steam 'Train' I have been on.

 

[Taunton]

1. Left office (Liverpool Street) at lunchtime to go by Central Line to bookshop at Tottenham Court Road. Bought book. Fascinating. Set off back to office, reading book on platform and sat in train. Glanced out at a station name. Holland Park .... :roll:

2. Old 4-CEP/411 in 1980s, Charing Cross. Open saloon, longitudinal luggage racks above seats. Swing heavy bag up with decided aplomb up onto rack in one great curving movement to impress girl. Alas slightly silly interior designer had put bare, protruding tungsten lightbulbs only about 6" away from edge of the rack. https://www.flickr.com/photos/74009/4790961207 BANG! Bulb scythed right off the bayonet fitting, glass fell onto seats. Kicked glass onto floor and under seat. Mr Chris Green, I owe NSE for one light bulb (apparently in 4-CEP they were full 750 DC voltage and needed a CMEE fitter to replace them).

 

[asylumxl]

While out with friends years back, I convinced one of them to scoot along on the floor on his bum like a dog. He did so up and down the length of an Electrostar carriage leaving Bedford.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Two entries from Richmond Commuter:

Nowadays I try to avoid travelling on loco hauled stock because I can't be bothered messing about with the manually operated doors. So much easier just to press a button. I am of course aware that Chiltern have by all accounts done a marvelous job of refurbishing their Mk3's but I've had no reason to travel on them.

Back in the late 1980's, having recently started a new job / life in London I was sharing my cousins flat in Woking whilst saving for my first flat. One hot summers evening, with my cousin away for the weekend I pulled a girl who agreed to go back to the flat. No sooner that we were on the last train back to Woking I made it pretty clear that we should go to the toilet for some fun. Said girl was clearly game. Unfortunately the young lady forgot to lock the door behind her and we were soon interrupted by a gentleman. We carried on with our fun having both consumed a fair amount of alcohol. On departing the train at Woking the same gentleman with a wink wished us a good night, before saying "I'm sure you will"!

I'm happy to admit that we were damn lucky and things may well have been very different if the gentleman had taken a dim view of our drunken activities.

 

[fairysdad]

I actually liked the Silverlink livery...

I quite liked the 'one' livery... (although will agree that it was a pretty carp name...)

 

[Starmill]

222s are about as unlike Voagers as you can get, insofar at least as passenger experience goes. 159s are nicer than 158s, certainly those horrid EMT ones anyway!

 

[ainsworth74]

I have never used Birmingham New Street. I have travelled through it on a train that called there but I have never alighted from a train or joined a train at Birmingham New Street.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I quite like the 'tombstone' seats on FGW HSTs and EMT 158s