What train journeys have you done recently and what rolling stock did you travel on?

[PacerTrain142]

For me:

Journey 1

Colne to Ashchurch for Tewkesbury

Colne to Preston - Northern Class 156 Sprinter

Preston to Birmingham New Street - Avanti Class 390 Pendilino

Birmingham New Street to Cheltenham Spa - Cross Country Class 170 Turbostar

Cheltenham Spa to Ashchurch for Tewkesbury - Great Western Railway Class 166


Journey 2

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury to Weston-Super-Mare

Ashchurch for Tewkesbury to Cheltenham Spa - Great Western Railway - One of the newer class 800/IET trains (I think)

Cheltenham Spa to Bristol Temple Meads - Cross Country Voyager

Bristol Temple Meads to Weston-Super-Mare - Great Western Railway Class 166


Journey 3

Weston-Super-Mare to Ashchurch for Tewkesbury

Weston-Super-Mare to Bristol Temple Meads - Great Western Railway Class 166

Bristol Temple Meads to Cheltenham Spa - Cross Country Voyager

Cheltenham Spa to Ashchurch for Tewkesbury - Cross Country Class 170 Turbostar


Also, when planning a train journey involving changes, what do you prioritise? Faster journey time? Cheaper fare? Fewer changes? Preference of TOC/Rolling stock?

It was quite interesting when planning my journey from Ashchurch to Weston Super Mare using the national journey planner that it is actually quicker to change at Cheltenham Spa and again at Bristol rather than just get a train to Bristol and then change.

I’ve noticed the voyagers are widely disliked on this forum but I personally don’t find them any worse than other intercity trains like turbostars, pendilinos or an IET.

 

[Dave1954]

Last week we went riding on a Devon Rover £15.50p Exeter St Davids/Plymouth and versa on the soon ending Cross Country HST 125 , I hear the one Leeds/Plymouth is September the 18th.

Dave .

 

[ivanhoe]

Well I did Loughborough to Marseilles on Tuesday, via St Pancras and Lille, if this counts. All First Class (Interrail Pass) except we had to slum it in economy on Eurostar.
Class222 EMT
Class E320 Eurostar
Class TGV Lille to Marseilles.
Fabulous journey.

 

[D6130]

I did Hebden Bridge to London Kings Cross and return on Tuesday (05/09):

2I07, 10 14 Hebden Bridge-Leeds via Dewsbury: 158 752
1A26, 11 15 Leeds-Kings Cross: 91 109 + Mark 4 set.
1D23, 17 03 Kings Cross-Leeds: 91 110 + Mark 4 set
1D74, 19 43 Leeds-Hebden Bridge via Halifax: 195 117

Then yesterday (Wednesday 06/09) I visited a friend in Poynton, Cheshire:

2I10, 10 12 Hebden Bridge-Manchester Victoria: 158 789 +158 817
2K12, 11 46 Manchester Piccadilly-Poynton: 323 231
2H82, 17 28 Poynton-Manchester Piccadilly: 323 235
1E72, 18 21 Manchester Victoria-Hebden Bridge: 195 104

Tomorrow I'm starting a 14 day All-Line Rover....but that's for another thread!

 

[12LDA28C]

Most recent journey was on Monday 4th September from Inverness to Stevenage via Perth, Stirling, Edinburgh and ECML. Class 47 on load 8, stock was Mark 2 FO.

 

[PacerTrain142]

Most recent journey was on Monday 4th September from Inverness to Stevenage via Perth, Stirling, Edinburgh and ECML. Class 47 on load 8, stock was Mark 2 FO.

Nice. I’m surprised they still use class 47’s for passenger runs. I was on a heritage railway the other day and they used a class 47. The carriages were the typical mix of first/second class and compartments with lovely springy seats. I’m guessing they were mark 1’s. This was on the Gloucester and Warwickshire Steam Railway, travelling the full line between the racecourse and broadway. It was a steam engine on the outward journey.

 

[12LDA28C]

Nice. I’m surprised they still use class 47’s for passenger runs. I was on a heritage railway the other day and they used a class 47. The carriages were the typical mix of first/second class and compartments with lovely springy seats. I’m guessing they were mark 1’s. This was on the Gloucester and Warwickshire Steam Railway, travelling the full line between the racecourse and broadway. It was a steam engine on the outward journey.

It was on a charter train of course, not a timetabled service train. I'm part of the owning group of the 47 you saw at the GWSR.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

My most recent outing was Saturday 19th August - Merthyr Tydfil to Shrewsbury and back.

0908 Barry Island service (150267) to Cardiff Central, arrived 1010. I could have got the 0938 from Merthyr but didn't trust a 12 minute connection into the 1052 Manchester Piccadilly service.

The 1052 was propelled by 67025 - my first experience of them on the Marches route and a proper train made a nice change from the half-expected 150. Arrived Shrewsbury on time at 1250.

Return journey was scheduled for 1744 (a Swansea service) but although it had only come from Manchester it was 38 minutes late with no reason given. At least it was another proper train, with 67014, and had an open buffet counter. I did wonder at one point if the lateness was due to some mechanical defect but we only lost another two minutes to Cardiff Central, arriving 40 minutes late at 2037.

As that meant I missed the 2027 to Merthyr I had to wait until the 2127 service (from Barry Island - 150230). Typically, it left a minute late and arrived in Merthyr two minutes early at 2228.

My Delay Repay claim was paid quite quickly, so good service there.