Reverse Psychology

Photo by Hyperen

I think there has been a bit too much reverse  psychology going on recently and for once Robbie got the better of me! I suppose I have to let him win once in a while, but he needn't think he is going to make a habit of it.


A week or so ago Robbie announced that he wanted to go to a steam rally on Saturday, he was absolutely determined and he completely ignored my protests. I don't cope well with noise and my asthma has been dreadful recently (oil seed rape season always sets it off) so I really didn't fancy trailing around all day being expected to admire noisy, smelly engines so I came up with a cunning plan. I told him that I would really love to see the sea and I would like to travel along the sea wall at Dawlish again, we haven't done that for ages. Robbie jumped at the chance to play trains all day, so I thought it was a case of mission accomplished. Maybe I was distracted by the referendum and the local government elections, but I didn't spot that Baldrick Burgess was hatching his own cunning plan.


He was late home on Friday (due to computer problems at work) so by the time we talked in detail about our plans for Saturday it was very late and I was tired. I asked what time we needed to get up and he told me some crazy time even before the birds get up! I told him that there was no way that I was getting up at that time on a Saturday, I asked for a train at a more reasonable time but he said there wasn't one. I knew he was being evasive and he was not happy about being questioned because he had the look (you know the one with the lip and folded arms). Eventually I dragged the truth out of him, he wanted to go early because he wanted us to go to Plymouth on an HST rather than a Voyager, but he didn't want to tell me because I prefer Voyagers.


Saturday dawned and I was wide awake, but not too keen to leave my nice warm bed. Robbie was sound asleep and my feeble efforts to wake him failed miserably (as planned) and before long it was too late to get to Birmingham in time for the HST. We got up and got ready at a more leisurely pace, in fact Robbie seemed to be dawdling which seemed a bit odd to me. All went well, we caught the train at Northampton with enough time to buy a coffee and a bacon roll and we had a slow but adequate journey to Birmingham. Robbie raced off to buy some sandwiches and we caught the train without having to do the usual sprint between platforms. It was then that it became clear that I had been double crossed - it was an HST! I know some people like them but I find them uncomfortable, but at least it made Robbie happy. It was an OK journey but unusually for CrossCountry we had very poor service. No one checked our tickets for the whole journey and we had to go from Birmingham until way passed Bristol without a drink. When I finally got a cup of tea it was diabolical, I really don't know why CrossCountry can't make a decent cup of tea. The   RSM looked like a descendent of Fred Flintstone, he lacked any conversation skills, he had no belt, no tie, the wrong shirt and he was in dire need of a shave. However it wasn't a bad journey and the sea wall was as wonderful as ever.


Robbie was a cunning little devil because he had even worked out for us to come back by HST but after negotiations we got off at Totness and caught a Voyager back to Birmingham. It was a really good journey, the two RSMs (they changed during the journey) were fantastic, the tea on a Voyager is moderately better than on an HST (but it still tastes like pond water).  It was a lovely day out and even our journey back to Northampton on London Midland was good, the train manager was very friendly and he had a lovely accent. 

Robbie's Favourite Advert

My favourite advert is the one celebrating 25 years of Virgin Atlantic. Robbie loves it too but unfortunately it makes him get all nostalgic about Wimpy food and that gets a bit boring after a while. However that is not his favourite advert, his favourite is the CrossCountry advert when it comes on we all have to be quiet (except Robbie who makes little moans of extacy). It is quite good, but I can't work out why it seems to be snowing in the advert, after all when it snows trains usually grind to a halt!

Bedtime Reading

Robbie and I had both had a busy week and by Friday evening we were worn out. Emily was working, and Mum's taxi was booked for 10pm, but she was out on time and we were home again by 10.30pm. After finishing a couple of jobs I headed off to bed. I was just settling down when Robbie announced that he had something that I would really enjoy. I wondered whatever he could mean - but life with Robbie is never predictable so I waited patiently while he rummaged through his bag and proudly produced the April edition of Railways Illustrated. I hadn't planned to spend an early night with my husband reading railway magazines and my quizzical expression elicited more information from Robbie. He said, "it has an article about Chris Gibb (Virgin Trains MD), you know how much you like him, but they haven't got his feet in the photo". I am used to translating 'Robbie speak' into English but that sentence took more effort than most.

It is not possible to like someone I have never met, but Chris Gibb does sound like a decent bloke. As someone who observes the railways from a distance, I like the fact that he speaks in plain English that everyone can understand and as far as I can tell he does what he says he will do. The straight answer seems as rare in the railways as it is in politics, so it is refreshing when you find someone capable of saying what they mean and when necessary calling a spade a spade. In the article he was eloquent about the farce at Rugby over the new year period "it was totally avoidable. It was a shortage of key people at the right time and Network Rail will be getting a bill from us for long term damage to growth".

OK, I did once say that he was easier on the eye than some of his counterparts from the other TOC's, etc. I wasn't commenting on his looks as much as his ability to smile and to look approachable. There are a number of faces in the railways that could have made convincing gargoyles! While on the subject of confession, Robbie is right that I did once say that Chris Gibb had very expressive legs. Back in the old days when he was MD of Cross Country I noticed that when he was photographed his feet seemed to be working to their own agenda. The photo with the Railways Illustrated didn't show his feet and was cropped oddly leaving people to wonder about his hands, but it had the trademark cheerful smile.

The article was a good read, clearly Virgin has some interesting plans for the future. I learned a little more about Chris Gibb too, apparently he has a passion for punk rock music, that didn't seem to fit with the photo of him in a fleece; but when I looked closely at his shirt and tie it was clear that there is a streak of anarchy within him. Not many people would be brave enough to combine a shirt with vertical stripes and a vivid red tie with crazy diagonal stripes. It seems that his role is to be known as Chief Operating Officer, a rather grim sounding title, I wonder who he will be operating on first - Network Rail Perhaps?

Timetable Trauma! 09.12.07

On Saturday we had to get up very early to make the long trip by rail from Northampton to Plymouth (via Birmingham). I don't like getting up in the middle of the night especially on a Saturday, but by 6.55am we were on the train and heading towards Birmingham. We had a very tight connection at Birmingham but we made it and finally we could sit back and relax. I like long journeys because I have plenty of time to relax and read my magazines without feeling guilty. The first part of the journey passed with Robbie lost in the latest edition of Rail, Sam in his own little world reading a film magazine and me reading my family history magazine. I reserved the last section of the journey for looking out of the window and enjoying the coastal views, I love the section around Dawlish where the track runs so close to the sea that the waves batter the trains on rough days. Some very rowdy football fans joined the train at Newton Abbot, but they were at the other end of the train and they didn't bother us. When we arrived in Plymouth the police were there in considerable numbers, they took the fans off the train and out of the station with the minimum of fuss, it was a bit scary but it was a very well organised operation.
We delivered our Christmas presents and had a happy few hours in Plymouth before heading home again. The journey home was not exactly tranquil. Some rowdy foul mouthed people travelled back as far as Bristol Temple Meads, they had been to Plymouth to see Argyle play Bristol Rovers and while perhaps not drunk enough to fall over they were far from sober and still drinking (they brought a huge pack of cans onto the train). It made the journey very unpleasant.
I managed to wrestle the Rail magazine away from Robbie. I have to admit that I enjoy reading the 'fare dealer' column by Barry Doe. I always have to read it more than once because it makes my brain hurt, but I have the sort of mind that enjoys that sort of detail. I was in my element this week because it seemed as if Barry Doe had taken over the magazine, as well as his usual column he popped up in various other places. His contribution included a whole page criticising the Cross Country timetable. I am not sure that he intends his writing to be funny, but he had me laughing out loud much to Robbie's annoyance. He is not a fan of Barry Doe, but I am unable to share his opinions with you because it would almost certainly get me sued! Robbie had one of his famous rants which lasted all the way to Cheltenham Spa, I bet Barry Doe's ears were burning! To be fair he made some very reasonable observations about the timetable and I am sure by next time it will be more user friendly. I have to agree when he says that 'green on green looks worse than it sounds' hopefully next time they will choose colours that don't induce nausea. To be fair to Cross Country if the nit picking about the timetable is all he can find to criticise Cross Country are not doing so badly. I think they have made a fairly good start all things considered.

All Change 22.11.07

One of my jobs today involved sorting out Robbie's piles. Don't panic, I'm not talking about haemorrhoids! He deposits piles of magazines and assorted clutter all over the place. I found myself leafing though his railway magazines looking at the articles marking the end of Virgin Cross Country. The thing I am going to miss most is the uniform, I particularly liked the long coats the men wore in the winter, they looked really good. Robbie showed me some pictures of the interim Cross Country uniform, there is nothing especially wrong with it but it is so uninspiring. I hope they will eventually come up with something with a bit more personality. Silverlink also bit the dust a couple of weeks ago, those of you with long memories will remember that I once described their uniform reminiscent of the austerity and menace of the old Soviet Union. Our local station was run by Silverlink and it is now the responsibility of London Midland. As far as I can tell the only thing to have changed so far is the name badge, but we live in hope! I feel a bit sorry for London Midland because some of their employees have frighteningly lugubrious faces and however splendid their uniform they will still look like boarder guards!

Anyway on the subject of coats, Robbie has been on a shopping spree. He has almost as many coats as he has shoes, but he didn't have one that offered sufficient protection from the arctic winds at Northampton station. That was his excuse anyway. He arrived home proudly wearing his new wool coat and I must admit that he looked very smart. We had to pop to the supermarket when he got home, and as I watched him walking across the car park in his new coat I realised that he bore a striking resemblance Paddington Bear. All that was missing was the hat!

Customer Service? 16.11.07

It was a surreal sort of day, as I drove Sam towards school I noticed that the all the girls heading for Laura's school were armed with large soft toys. Laura explained that to support Children in Need they were having a 'take your teddy to school' day. I asked why she did not have her teddy bear with her and she said that the sixth form were doing something different, they were having a 'wear your pyjamas to school day' but she had wisely decided that she would rather pay not to wear her pj's! It wasn't until I watched Children in need tonight that I realised that a number of companies were also doing a 'wear your PJ's to work' thing. Thankfully Cross Country have been too busy getting on with the first week of the franchise, so the travelling public were spared the horror of encountering Robbie in his PJ's on his way to work. You know what he's like, any excuse to take his clothes off, he would ha jumped at the chance to go to work in his pyjamas - scary! It has been so cold at Northampton station in the last few days that he would have had a serious case of frostbite - imaging explaining that at casualty!

Well, it didn't take long did it? we are still in the first week of the new franchises and there is already fighting talk from East Midlands Trains passengers at Kettering and Wellingborough. EMT found themselves on the TV news this evening, in their infinite wisdom they have withdrawn the option of seat reservation for season ticket holders and the passengers are furious. It seems obvious to me that people who pay an arm and a leg for a season ticket would expect something as basic as a seat, but apparently East Midland Trains didn't foresee the consequences of their action. Clearly they haven't got a clue about customer service, one traveller described the service as the worse she has experienced in 20 years. I am tempted to suggest that they may as well abolish the coaches and replace them with cattle trucks so that they don't need to bother with seats at all. The irony is that if they packed cattle in the train in the way that they pack people in, they would be breaking countless laws and regulations, it seems a shame that the welfare of passengers does not merit that much attention. Déjà vu, it could be FGW all over again. Another own goal for the chinless wonders at the DFT who make these batty decisions about franchise changes. My anger about this issue extends far beyond the Cross Country situation, I still haven't forgiven them for merging Wessex trains with FGW last year, the date they chose for the merger speaks volumes - 1st April!!!

The End - 2am 11.11.2007

If you chopped Robbie in half (and believe me there have been times when I've been tempted!) I think you would find the words Cross Country running through him like a stick of rock. He has loved working for Virgin and he was proud of all the achievements of Cross Country, so the end of the franchise is a big deal to him. He has spoken of little else for weeks - and if you know Robbie you will know that he can fit far more words into a minute than most people!

On Friday he went to a retirement event at Kidderminster where he met lots of old friends from the railways. He was late home - again, but when he got back he went on and on and on about the end of an era and all the people who were moving on. Finally he fell asleep, but as soon as he woke up he was droning on about it all over again. Distraction techniques worked for a while, but you can never stop Robbie talking for very long and in the end I gave up. He was still going full steam ahead on the demise of Virgin Cross Country and I was contemplating the bedroom ceiling thinking that a coat of paint was long overdue, not to mention a new lampshade and curtains. My silence must have lulled him into a false sense of security because I was dragged back to the subject of railways when he asked if I would drive to Coventry station to pick him up in the middle of the night. He must be mad, I wouldn't drive to Coventry station in broad daylight, it's the pits, and nothing on earth would induce me to drive there in the middle of the night! He wanted to travel on the very last Central train, but he couldn't get home from Coventry.

He got more twitchy as the day went on and in the end I had to let him out because he was driving me mad. I left him and his camera at Northampton Station where he intended to have a good look at two engines on a special charter. After that he headed to Birmingham to watch the last Virgin Cross Country services depart - sad crank! Of course he couldn't resist having one last ride so by the time he arrived home it was Sunday and I was struggling to stay awake! I stayed up because I knew he would be feeling sad when he got home. I listened to all his talk about the evening and I admired his photos, but in the end he made me sad - by announcing that he had to be at the station by 6am on Monday to see a special train. I will leave you to imagine my response, but I think I conveyed my feelings adequately!!

A Fond Farewell 10.11.07

I feel that today's page should have black borders, because today is the very last day in the life of the Virgin Cross Country franchise. I have made my feelings clear about the stupidity and pointless expense of the present franchise renewal system, so if you missed me 'having a rant' you will need to go back to the entry for 10th July 2007. All I will say today about the re franchise process is that the biggest losers in all this are the staff and the passengers. The staff because they are robbed of choice and they have a new employer imposed upon them. Massive amounts of time and money have to be squandered on renegotiating contractual issues, pensions and working arrangements that were perfectly satisfactory under the old regime. It is considered an achievement to end up with the status quo, and when disputes arise we end up with strikes - as in the case Silverlink. Some individuals are massively disadvantaged and others endure months of worry until there concerns are addressed. The passengers lose out because while all this is going on it is diverting time, attention and resources away from the service. Sure, they are promised 'jam tomorrow' but tomorrow never comes! Look at the 'Worst Great Western' debacle not so long ago. They took over perfectly adequate companies and in the name of efficiency, provided a service so inferior that passengers were treated worse than cattle, causing many to permanently abandon the railways. Slowly the headlines subsided and the service struggled back to something that passed for normality, possibly the service is still worse than before FGW got hold of it, but has 'improved' because it is not quite as bad as when they hit the headlines!

Since the franchise announcement it has been like Lemming Year at Cross Country. Virgin made sure that they found posts at WestCoast for their best managers and other railway companies have got in on the act and snapped up some capable employees. Even Network Rail has enticed away some capable and knowledgeable employees - I'm not sure what good that will do but you can't blame them for trying!!! Even Robbie toyed with the possibility of a move to WestCoast, but he has been pleasantly surprised by top team at Arriva - so far, and after all WestCoast didn't become known as 'The Dark Side' for nothing!! So Monday will see a much changed team at Cross Country to mark the start of the Arriva era. No doubt there will be many frustrations and challenges ahead and there are bound to be teething problems, but there are still people who are passionate about their jobs and about Cross Country. However just to be on the safe side I think I ought to send Robbie to work with some 'happy pills' on Monday!

Big Ideas, Little Substance. 20.07.07

Robbie was in the dog house this morning, I was so cross with him. I was too tired to finish reading Rail last night so I hid it so that I could finish reading it this morning. I thought he had forgotten about it, but when I went to get it this morning he had already taken it!!

It is no surprise that the Arriva take-over of CrossCountry made the front cover of Rail this week. The news article inside makes grim reading. How can Arriva possibly have won the franchise when they are unable to explain how they are going to do many of the thinks that they promise. They are unable to explain how they will provide hot food to all passengers from a trolley. They say they are going to remove one disabled toilet from each set, leaving two toilets. As far as I know all toilets on Voyagers are classed as disabled toilets and they are all used by everyone. This will provide more seating and luggage space, fine but do the maths! These are not huge spaces so it will not create a huge amount of extra seating or luggage space. I have travelled on voyagers enough to know that the toilets are well used and removing a third of them will create a number of problems. When considering this we need to accept that it is fairly common for one or more toilets on a train to be out of order and this will put further pressure on an already reduced number of toilets. Even if the disabled seating is within easy reach of the remaining toilets, many people with disabilities are not in wheelchairs and may have to walk further to reach the toilet. Many people who are non disabled need to use the toilet more often than average including some elderly people, pregnant women, young children and a number of other groups. If they have to walk further to reach the toilet there is more potential to trip over luggage or stumble due to train movement. They may have to queue and will therefore be at risk of stumbling if they have to stand while the train is moving, there is also a risk of a different type of accident if insufficient toilets are available.

There are so many other issues where their promises lack substance, it gives me a distinct feeling of Alice in Wonderland when Iread about it, or maybe it is more like the Emperor's New Clothes, because it is all about impossible promises. It is all smoke and mirrors. Rail Magazine included a picture of Andy Cooper of Arriva and confidently announced that he is to be the Managing Director of Cross Country, but it seems that they were incorrect about that, it appears he is dealing with the transition. If that picture of Andy Cooper was of an aspiring politician seeking election, he would have lost my vote instantly. There was something of Tony Blair about him, all artificial earnestness and spin, and why ever did he allow himself to be photographed in that hand wringing pose - it is the CrossCountry employees who have every right to ring their hands in despair. Andy Cooper was at a CrossCountry meeting today and the word is that he didn't make much of an impression, apparently he has all the Charisma of a wet fish!