When was your first railway journey alone?

[JDi]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum, but have been a reading as a visitor for a few years now.

I'm quite a young rail enthusiast, so delighted to be joining the forum.

I'll try to break the ice with a discussion thread to introduce myself:

I was thinking earlier today of my first railway journey alone. For me, it was 5 years ago now, just before my exam results were published. I travelled from Manchester to Milton Keynes alone, whilst my parents caught home an earlier train that day.

That was a big journey for me - I have taken many more since,but that was the real start of my independence, as a traveller, and as a person.

Can you remember your first railway journey alone?

 

[N228PF]

2015, I think, at age 19 Moved away from London at age 10 to a place without trains. Was visiting a city and got a train to a football match by myself. Didn't realize it until now...

 

[yorksrob]

I must have been about eleven or twelve. But it was only Ashford to Pluckley

 

[sprinterguy]

September 7th 2002, on the Tyne and Wear Metro from my local station of Stadium of Light to Newcastle at the age of 12 to watch "Union of South Africa" pass through on a railtour.

The tour itself descended into something of a farce on the way up through County Durham though, so I was very lucky to see it at all before I was expected to return home: A repeat visit the following weekend to view the reciprocal working was not so fortunate!

I soon became familiar with the Transpennine services from Sunderland Central station so that I could make the journey to Newcastle in greater comfort.

 

[EM2]

At the age of 12, I was often getting the train two stops from St. James Street to Wood Street.
Later, aged 14, I travelled from Maidstone East to Victoria, to go to the International Model Railway Exhibition in Westminster.

 

[Wivenswold]

Nothing exciting for me, almost certainly District Line D stock in 1984. The R stock had gone by the time I was allowed out to play on my own sadly, though the yellow engineering one was still about then.

 

[J-2739]

September 7th 2002, on the Tyne and Wear Metro from my local station of Stadium of Light to Newcastle at the age of 12 to watch "Union of South Africa" pass through on a railtour.

OMG, that was the day of my birth...hock:

I'm yet to go on a train by myself, but when I do, I'll hit you guys up about it! Can't wait!

 

[D365]

Can't remember when it was, but my first journeys alone would have been either on the Great Northern or in Munich.

 

[PeterC]

I was travelling to school by train from age 11. Before that I had been put on a train to visit my aunt and collected at the other end but at 11 was the first totally independent journey from door to door.

From 13 I was going on bus spotting trips in London with friends from school with red rover or twin rover tickets.

 

[Cowley]

I think I would have been about 12, Topsham to Exeter on a class 118 DMU around 1985. Topsham still had a working signal box which I found fascinating.

 

[6Gman]

Crewe to Llandudno Junction, aged 12 (just!).

I think.

 

[headshot119]

Age 14, Wrexham General to Torquay with a change at Wolverhampton.

 

[Oxfordblues]

It was the hot summer of 1962 and I was just 10 years old when I travelled alone from Lytham to Rhiwbina to holiday with my grandmother. My mother took me to Lytham station for the Britannia-hauled London train and asked the guard to look after me until Crewe. Alighting there I was on my own with a hour to spare before the arrival of the Manchester-Cardiff express. It came in behind an AC electric but this was soon replaced by a Royal Scot. I spent most of the journey leaning out of the window: an exciting experience for one so young! At Hereford (or was it Pontypool Road?) the Royal Scot was replaced with a Castle for the last leg to Cardiff General, where my grandmother awaited me. She seemed quite relieved that I'd made it in one piece!

These days you'd probably be arrested for parental neglect if you sent your son on such a journey unaccompanied, but it was a different era and a good lesson for me in self-assurance and independence. Happy days!

 

[Cowley]

It was the hot summer of 1962 and I was just 10 years old when I travelled alone from Lytham to Rhiwbina to holiday with my grandmother. My mother took me to Lytham station for the Britannia-hauled London train and asked the guard to look after me until Crewe. Alighting there I was on my own with a hour to spare before the arrival of the Manchester-Cardiff express. It came in behind an AC electric but this was soon replaced by a Royal Scot. I spent most of the journey leaning out of the window: an exciting experience for one so young! At Hereford (or was it Pontypool Road?) the Royal Scot was replaced with a Castle for the last leg to Cardiff General, where my grandmother awaited me. She seemed quite relieved that I'd made it in one piece!

These days you'd probably be arrested for parental neglect if you sent your son on such a journey unaccompanied, but it was a different era and a good lesson for me in self-assurance and independence. Happy days!

I wish that had been my first solo journey, that sounds wonderful.

 

[43074]

My first* solo trip was between Leicester and Ely when I was about 13 travelling over to my grandparents. I was put on the train at one end, met at the other and was told in no uncertain terms that I wasn't to get off at Peterborough to see the various 91s and HSTs!

* I had done a few Loughborough to Leicester trips from when I started secondary school on the occasions that I had ''missed the school bus'' or ''the bus was late'', but they don't count as I generally don't mention those

 

[ld0595]

On my own I think I must've been 18 after I moved for university! I went to Inverkeithing from Dundee where my parents picked me up because I needed my washing done!! :P I didn't have a station close to where I lived so never really travelled around on my own - if I ever took the train I'd be with friends normally!

 

[contrex]

IN 1963/64, aged 11/12, I worked out that that a North Dulwich - West Norwood child single was, in effect, an after school rover ticket, as long as I exited at West Norwood.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

As a child I was catching buses from Helston to Camborne alone from as young as 8 but this was back in 1984. On Trains I was travelling solo at 12 from Truro to Tunbridge Wells with underground connections in 1989 without adult supervision. Today I wouldnt allow my kids to travel at 8 the way I did however at an older age depended on the mental ability of the child. My 14 yr old daughter has learning and anxiety disabilities and is home ed as a result yet can confidently travel from Durham to Stockport on 3 different trains and knows if it goes tits up calling me will give her a valuable heads up that avoids the crowding issue her disability causes. I would say the age limit depends on the capability of the individual however and only the parent can rightfully judge the ability of the child. That said if an adult approached me with an age or otherwise welfare concern first thing i would do is find an unoccupied 1st class seat. Easier to keep a safeguarding eye on them then...

 

[Quakkerillo]

When I was 11 or so, a journey Breda - Rotterdam Central, which is similar to a Huddersfield - Manchester Piccadilly. A journey I had frequently before with either or both of my parents.

 

[roversfan2001]

Barring Leyland<>Preston runs; probably October when I went to Coventry.

EDIT: I tell a lie! It was September when I went to Liverpool.

 

[RichmondCommu]

In 1976 aged 10 traveling from Duffield to Crewe. My Mum and Dad thought I was only traveling from Duffield to Derby! After checking off my many cops (pretty much everything I'd seen that day) I tore up my note book so my Dad would never find out. I only confessed on the day I got married!

 

[rg177]

Would have been 11 and travelling on the Tyne and Wear Metro from Haymarket to Gateshead.

My first sojourn on the mainline would have been when I was 12 and probably from Newcastle to Sunderland, my first proper run down a mainline being from Newcastle to Darlington at age 14.

I'm now 17 and last year i spent 6 nights on the Night Riviera and did 7100 miles on a 2 week ALR so I've come on fairly quickly!

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[yorkie]

First journey alone would have been on the Met in Year 6.

 

[Class172]

For myself, it would have been a trip between Birmingham New Street and Coventry in 2006.

 

[yorkie]

I would say the age limit depends on the capability of the individual however ....

Very true.

I am sure we've had threads on this topic before!

 

[Cambus731]

I think it was when I was 15. I think I caught a train from Liverpool St to Chelmsford on my way home from Boarding School. I bought a ticket at Liverpool St using a Traders Warrant issued by Essex County Council

 

[Bletchleyite]

Just a local journey on Merseyrail, probably somewhere involving Aughton Park and Ormskirk!

More further afield my first "exploring" trips on my own involved the erstwhile 50p-a-go-for-anywhere-on-the-Merseyrail-map deal they used to offer at Christmas. Wigan and Chester were favourites for being a nice long trip.

I also recall as a 15 year old Scout Patrol Leader taking my Patrol up to the Lakes on the train for a day hike (Aughton Park to Windermere via Liverpool and Preston) - I'd be amazed if any parents allowed a 15 year old to take a group of 11-13 year olds to do that on their own these days!

 

[alxndr]

I'd guess 14 or 15, although only Halesworth-Lowestoft, although might have done Lowestoft-Norwich before that with a group of friends without adult supervision.

 

[noddy1878]

When I was 11, between Truro and Perranwell for school! 1st gen DMUs until the 155s eventually came down. Annoyingly I have no record of what I went on but I probably had a large chunk of the class before they were disbanded!

 

[Dhassell]

Mhm, When I was 14 I did Weston-S-M to Yatton, followed a few months later by Weston-S-M to Newport.
The furthest I have been (15 now) was down to Eastleigh to see Flying Scotsman back in May!