Yesterday passed me by in a blur of agony. Clearly I insulted my flu bug by referring to it as 'just a cold' on the blog on Thursday, and it decided to show me exactly who was boss. By Thursday evening everything ached and my thermostat had gone mad, and by Friday morning I was ready to curl up and die. It is now Saturday evening, I am still feeling fragile and breathing is a bit of a challenge, but at least I can face the bright lights of the computer again. So rather than dwell on my aches and pains I will write about something completely different instead.
Last week Robbie took me to Birmingham for the evening. This may not sound very exciting but it is a big event for me because it involves passing through that God forsaken place known as New Street Station – I really hate it and I avoid it at all costs. Our journey started at Northampton Station, it is a while since I have been there and it will be a while before I go there again, the parking charge is a rip off! I hoped it would be a more pleasant experience than when it was in the hands of Silverlink. The best thing about the station was the hot chocolate from the coffee shop. The station staff seemed a little more cheerful and they has swapped the severe 'border guard' look of the Silverlink uniform for the 'slept in look' of what must be the most boring uniform ever. The station itself looks more unloved and shabby than ever, I'm not sure anyone could love a building that looks and feels like a farm shed, but I feel sad that this is the first impression that travellers get of my home town. Oh well, it could be worse, Coventry station takes 'grim' to a whole new level.
The journey to Birmingham was good, we travelled on a 350, it was surprisingly comfortable and it was a pleasant journey. I can't complain, but however perverse it sounds I miss the good old 321's and I miss the Silverlink livery that always reminded me of a Cadburys Dairy Milk wrapper. So there you are you have proof that Robbie is not the only weird one in our family when it comes to trains. All good things come to an end and all too soon I found myself in New Street Station. It didn't seem to have changed, there were the usual announcements about platform alterations and breathless and confused passengers with a demented look in their eyes sprinting from platform to platform in search of their trains. I know they have to announce platform changes, delays and assorted misery, but why do thy choose someone with such a grating voice that it sounds like nails being dragged over a blackboard?
We made our escape from the gloom of the station to the grim reality of the street. I never feel safe in Birmingham and I struggled to keep pace with Robbie, nothing would slow him down because he was heading in the direction of food. He took me to The Big Wok because he was sure I would like it – I didn't really, but to be fair I was probably coming down with the flu by then. Robbie made up for my lack of enthusiasm, in the interests of good taste I will not detail all that he ate but I can't resist mentioning the beef curry. I watched him polish it off incredibly fast, it looked as if he was melting like an ice cube in the sun, but he said he enjoyed it. I am sure that man would eat absolutely anything!
We enjoyed our evening out at the theatre, but afterwards we had to head back to the glories of New Street Station. The 'welcoming committee' defending the ticket barriers looked distinctly unapproachable and uninterested. Their uniform also had that 'slept in look' - obviously London Midland are a bit lacking in the imagination and style department! We had a while to wait for our train but I was happy enough on the platform watching the train dispatcher (he was rather nice) and having a good look at the 323 that was waiting to depart. The London Midland livery was hideous, the world should not have to endure that much green, but as soon as the engine started I cold tell that under all that war paint it was still the loveable, quirky 323. I love the way it sounds like a slot machine when it pulls away, you can hear it best from inside the train, but even from the platform there was no mistaking the sound.
Finally our Pendolino arrived and we were safely settled on board. For the first time that evening I felt safe, I'm not sure what it is about Virgin, but I love travelling on their trains. Unfortunately we had to abandon the Pendolino at Rugby in favour of a smelly old coach. Virgin failed to announce that passengers for Northampton needed to leave the train at Rugby, but at least they had a couple of friendly looking 'care bears' on the platform to point us in the right direction. Rugby Station looks like a bomb site, hopefully it will all come good in the end, but it is hard to imagine it happening in my lifetime! The coach journey was cramped, uncomfortable and scary, the driver threw it around as if his sole intention was to scare us to death. We arrived at Northampton safe but shell shocked, and I can honestly say I have never been so glad to see my car and to feel in control once more.
Showing posts with label Silverlink. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silverlink. Show all posts
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
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!
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!
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Customer Service 01.07.07
We went to renew Robbie's season ticket today. What a performance, the first member of staff was friendly but quite new and wouldn't even attempt to issue a priv season ticket, the second was clearly part of the furniture, full of opinions but clearly there was nothing holding his ears apart. He didn't have a clue, he even asked why Robbie couldn't issue his own ticket if he worked for a railway company!!! The demise of Silverlink will be a huge relief to those of us who have to endure what they dare to call customer service.
On a lighter note, I met one of Robbie's women today - another one. He seems to have his own fan club with admirers stashed away in the most unlikely places, oh well, I have to admire his energy! He claims he just has a naturally friendly personality.
On a lighter note, I met one of Robbie's women today - another one. He seems to have his own fan club with admirers stashed away in the most unlikely places, oh well, I have to admire his energy! He claims he just has a naturally friendly personality.
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Off The Rails 21.06.07
So Silverlink lost the West Midlands franchise, I can't say I am too sad about that, they didn't exactly sparkle and they had some devastatingly miserable staff. On the other hand my 321's will go and I am pretty sad about that, I can't explain why I like them, I just do. The livery reminds me of the old style Cadbury's dairy milk wrapper and it seems comfortable and familiar. OK, 350's may be more comfortable, but it will not seem right not seeing the 'Dusty Bins' at Northampton.
Robbie came with me to pick Emily up from the Music Centre. On the way home we were chatting about the change of franchise when Emily said that she needed to tell me something. She told me that I was getting as bad as Robbie - that's impossible!
I see that First Great Western are still getting it spectacularly wrong in the South West. The latest fiasco defies belief. FGW produced and sent out a map indicating a direct rail link between Falmouth and Redruth, just one slight problem, no rails! There is no rail link between those towns so sending out the info as part of a cheap fares promotion was a bit of an oversight to say the least. No wonder their passengers call them Worst Late Western!!
Perhaps the fictional track was intended to complement the non existent seats and their fantasy timetable!
Robbie came with me to pick Emily up from the Music Centre. On the way home we were chatting about the change of franchise when Emily said that she needed to tell me something. She told me that I was getting as bad as Robbie - that's impossible!
I see that First Great Western are still getting it spectacularly wrong in the South West. The latest fiasco defies belief. FGW produced and sent out a map indicating a direct rail link between Falmouth and Redruth, just one slight problem, no rails! There is no rail link between those towns so sending out the info as part of a cheap fares promotion was a bit of an oversight to say the least. No wonder their passengers call them Worst Late Western!!
Perhaps the fictional track was intended to complement the non existent seats and their fantasy timetable!
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
.................08.05.07
what a strange day today.....you know I must have been through Long Buckby Railway Station 100's of times now, but I only just realised this morning that there is no disabled access anywhere from the ground to the platforms. I know some people would say oh well, its only a small station between Rugby and Northampton but that's not the point. Why is it that the DFT enforced the modifications to CIS displays on ALL class 458 units just because they where 3 mm short of the DDA rules, but they have not enforced Silverlink to make modifications to the station to ensure the station is DDA compliant?? Its just another indication of how perverse this country is getting ....on the note I will leave you all in peace...
Monday, 10 December 2007
Grand Ambitions! 05.01.07
Yesterday I came across a really good documentary on Discovery, it was called Trains and was presented by Pete Waterman. Of course being a kind and thoughtful person I saved it on sky plus for Robbie to watch later. Well that's my cover story anyway - I have to confess that I watched it 3 times yesterday, but don't tell Robbie! It was about the role of the railways in the war and it was really interesting. It certainly helped me to understand Silverlink and the way they manage our local station. My theory is that their absolute refusal to pass on any information to the public is because no one has told them the war is over! That probably explains those horrible austere uniforms too, they are still living in the days of rationing. It could even explain their miserable faces, I suppose they could just be a cruel freak of nature, but I think it has more to do with their policy of only employing failed undertakers, the ones who couldn't stand the pace. They have only one speed at Northampton Station - dead slow!
Anyway Robbie loved the program and when we had watched it he decided to watch one of his Christmas DVDs called Railway Diaries. I got to choose the station that we would start with and not surprisingly I chose Exeter because I love the route between Exeter and Plymouth. We watched trains coming and going through Exeter Station and we saw the same trains at other points along the route too, but at 1am I had to surrender to sleep. Robbie found the Railway Diaries DVD so exciting that I thought he would burst. He gave me the start and arrival time as well as the exact route of every single train he saw, not to mention providing the name and number of each one. Just a bit obsessive perhaps? It was quite interesting to watch and a much better option than sitting on a cold station in January.
Years ago Grandma suggested that Sam he would perhaps become a vet one day because he is very good with animals. Sam responded with folded arms and his most serious expression, he explained that he didn't want to be a vet because he liked animals from the outside, but he didn't think he would like them from the inside. Grandma was speechless and struggling to hid a smile, but Sam had warmed to his theme and declared that after university he planned to become a trolley pusher at Safeways! Thankfully he now has much grander ambitions. I have to agree with Sam's sentiments, because on cold wintery days I find that trains are much more appealing from the inside than from the outside!
Anyway Robbie loved the program and when we had watched it he decided to watch one of his Christmas DVDs called Railway Diaries. I got to choose the station that we would start with and not surprisingly I chose Exeter because I love the route between Exeter and Plymouth. We watched trains coming and going through Exeter Station and we saw the same trains at other points along the route too, but at 1am I had to surrender to sleep. Robbie found the Railway Diaries DVD so exciting that I thought he would burst. He gave me the start and arrival time as well as the exact route of every single train he saw, not to mention providing the name and number of each one. Just a bit obsessive perhaps? It was quite interesting to watch and a much better option than sitting on a cold station in January.
Years ago Grandma suggested that Sam he would perhaps become a vet one day because he is very good with animals. Sam responded with folded arms and his most serious expression, he explained that he didn't want to be a vet because he liked animals from the outside, but he didn't think he would like them from the inside. Grandma was speechless and struggling to hid a smile, but Sam had warmed to his theme and declared that after university he planned to become a trolley pusher at Safeways! Thankfully he now has much grander ambitions. I have to agree with Sam's sentiments, because on cold wintery days I find that trains are much more appealing from the inside than from the outside!
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
Silverlink Standard Pace
On Thursday Robbie went to a gig in London, to see a group called Bromhead's Jacket. His gig buddy Laura wasn't able to go with him, GCSE coursework deadlines kept her imprisoned in her bedroom. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise because rail services via Milton Keynes went pear shaped that day, the strong wind had brought the overhead wires down.
Robbie decided that nothing would prevent him getting to his gig and he travelled from Birmingham via Reading to Paddington, then across London to the gig. I was treated to a step by step progress report by text, that wasn't too bad, but the phone calls with station announcements in the background nearly burst my eardrums. Robbie enjoys his gigs and I am happy for him to go providing that I don't have to go too, I don't like noise and I can't cope with crowds so they are not really my thing.
He sent me a couple of texts during the gig, but I was already asleep when he rang to say he was heading home. He had to get a bus from Milton Keynes so it was close to 2am when he arrived home. He has never been able to come to bed quietly, when he sits down on the bed he practically bounces me onto the floor! This time he was not that subtle, he shook me awake - living dangerously! He wanted to know if the dog had been fed - of course she had been fed. He then gave me an in depth account of his evening, the journey, people he met, the venue, the merchandise, he went on and on and on. He bored me back to sleep, but he still didn't shut up and when he jolted me awake again I threatened that if he didn't shut up he would learn to sing so high that he could join the Bee Gee's . It must have worked because the next thing I heard was the alarm clock!
Robbie said train services were still messed up on Friday morning, but I didn't realise the severity until I went to the station on Friday evening. It was bedlam, there were coaches all over the place, and yellow coated men moving around at Silverlink standard pace, frantically waving their arms and talking on mobile phones. For those not 'lucky' enough to live near a Silverlink station, I need to explain Silverlink standard pace, I wouldn't call it slow, more funereal! In fact if you look at the lugubrious faces they possess, you could be forgiven for thinking that Silverlink was running a rehabilitation program for ex undertakers. You would be wrong, you have to take two other factors into account to get to the truth, the austere uniform and the absolute refusal to divulge any useful information to passengers. It then becomes obvious that the KGB was not disbanded, it has diversified! No wonder I hear so many eastern european accents in town these days!
Robbie decided that nothing would prevent him getting to his gig and he travelled from Birmingham via Reading to Paddington, then across London to the gig. I was treated to a step by step progress report by text, that wasn't too bad, but the phone calls with station announcements in the background nearly burst my eardrums. Robbie enjoys his gigs and I am happy for him to go providing that I don't have to go too, I don't like noise and I can't cope with crowds so they are not really my thing.
He sent me a couple of texts during the gig, but I was already asleep when he rang to say he was heading home. He had to get a bus from Milton Keynes so it was close to 2am when he arrived home. He has never been able to come to bed quietly, when he sits down on the bed he practically bounces me onto the floor! This time he was not that subtle, he shook me awake - living dangerously! He wanted to know if the dog had been fed - of course she had been fed. He then gave me an in depth account of his evening, the journey, people he met, the venue, the merchandise, he went on and on and on. He bored me back to sleep, but he still didn't shut up and when he jolted me awake again I threatened that if he didn't shut up he would learn to sing so high that he could join the Bee Gee's . It must have worked because the next thing I heard was the alarm clock!
Robbie said train services were still messed up on Friday morning, but I didn't realise the severity until I went to the station on Friday evening. It was bedlam, there were coaches all over the place, and yellow coated men moving around at Silverlink standard pace, frantically waving their arms and talking on mobile phones. For those not 'lucky' enough to live near a Silverlink station, I need to explain Silverlink standard pace, I wouldn't call it slow, more funereal! In fact if you look at the lugubrious faces they possess, you could be forgiven for thinking that Silverlink was running a rehabilitation program for ex undertakers. You would be wrong, you have to take two other factors into account to get to the truth, the austere uniform and the absolute refusal to divulge any useful information to passengers. It then becomes obvious that the KGB was not disbanded, it has diversified! No wonder I hear so many eastern european accents in town these days!
Monday, 3 December 2007
Pendolino to Carlisle
We went on a Pendolino to Carlisle today - just there and back to make sure that it is still in the same place! We went to Milton Keynes to catch the Carlisle service, we go there for the comedy value, they have the campest station announcer ever. He is so entertaining, the children find him absolutely hilarious.
I quite like train travel because it gives me a chance to indulge in one of my favourite pastimes - people watching. While Robbie bought the hot drinks at Northampton the men at the ticket barrier caught my eye. The Silverlink uniform is uninspiring and with their long dark coats and the white bands around their caps, they looked rather like St Johns Ambulance personnel, but the lugubrious faces that this 'cheerful' pair possessed had a hint of the Gestapo about them.
At Milton Keynes the Virgin staff had their long winter coats on as they stood next to the departing trains. They looked very smart and just a little sinister - like German border guards. Virgin obviously try hard to ensure that their staff look smart, but from my observations shoe cleaning is a lost art in urgent need of revival! The employee on our platform was frighteningly young (another sign of my advancing age), in his somewhat large overcoat he reminded me of Paddington Bear, he looked so cute and vulnerable.
Our journey was interesting, I think I prefer Voyagers because they have nicer toilets, but pendolinos are quite nice. Our train manager's announcements were incredible, I didn't understand a word he said, but I have never met anyone who could manage as many words per minute before. May be someone had accidentally set him on fast forward. It is good to see that Virgin are doing their bit for diversity, our train crew was like the league of nations. The chap who served our breakfast was rather cute and he had a gorgeous South African accent. I lost Robbie on the train, he claimed it was an urgent trip to the toilet, but I wasn't born yesterday, we were near Crewe and he was in the vestibule doing a bit of cranking!
The train manager had a sex change at Preston and acquired an impenetrable Scottish accent. After a lot of beautiful countryside and regular time checks from Robbie as he traced the route on his Quail map, we arrived at Carlisle. It is an interesting little place, we had a look around for an hour or two. Unfortunately it seemed to be geriatric day, there were millions of them with their shopping trolleys, plodding around the shops with no sense of urgency whatsoever. We spotted one man wearing a kilt and a deerstalker hat, very scary! I was struck by the diversity of accents and the complete absence of manners - it was almost like being in France! I managed to keep Robbie out of Marks and Spencer's and as a reward I bought him a really nice book about GWR.
We had a pleasant journey back, Robbie started doing the speaking clock thing again, but I managed to distract him by explaining the reproductive arrangements for sheep. We saw a lot of sheep. Considering Robbie grew up in a rural area he doesn't know much. We enjoyed the day and I saw lots of interesting railway stuff, my favourite was a Class 37 DRS Tractor, it has a cute little face. I also saw some freight as it thundered through Milton Keynes, I am quite interested in freight trains.
I quite like train travel because it gives me a chance to indulge in one of my favourite pastimes - people watching. While Robbie bought the hot drinks at Northampton the men at the ticket barrier caught my eye. The Silverlink uniform is uninspiring and with their long dark coats and the white bands around their caps, they looked rather like St Johns Ambulance personnel, but the lugubrious faces that this 'cheerful' pair possessed had a hint of the Gestapo about them.
At Milton Keynes the Virgin staff had their long winter coats on as they stood next to the departing trains. They looked very smart and just a little sinister - like German border guards. Virgin obviously try hard to ensure that their staff look smart, but from my observations shoe cleaning is a lost art in urgent need of revival! The employee on our platform was frighteningly young (another sign of my advancing age), in his somewhat large overcoat he reminded me of Paddington Bear, he looked so cute and vulnerable.
Our journey was interesting, I think I prefer Voyagers because they have nicer toilets, but pendolinos are quite nice. Our train manager's announcements were incredible, I didn't understand a word he said, but I have never met anyone who could manage as many words per minute before. May be someone had accidentally set him on fast forward. It is good to see that Virgin are doing their bit for diversity, our train crew was like the league of nations. The chap who served our breakfast was rather cute and he had a gorgeous South African accent. I lost Robbie on the train, he claimed it was an urgent trip to the toilet, but I wasn't born yesterday, we were near Crewe and he was in the vestibule doing a bit of cranking!
The train manager had a sex change at Preston and acquired an impenetrable Scottish accent. After a lot of beautiful countryside and regular time checks from Robbie as he traced the route on his Quail map, we arrived at Carlisle. It is an interesting little place, we had a look around for an hour or two. Unfortunately it seemed to be geriatric day, there were millions of them with their shopping trolleys, plodding around the shops with no sense of urgency whatsoever. We spotted one man wearing a kilt and a deerstalker hat, very scary! I was struck by the diversity of accents and the complete absence of manners - it was almost like being in France! I managed to keep Robbie out of Marks and Spencer's and as a reward I bought him a really nice book about GWR.
We had a pleasant journey back, Robbie started doing the speaking clock thing again, but I managed to distract him by explaining the reproductive arrangements for sheep. We saw a lot of sheep. Considering Robbie grew up in a rural area he doesn't know much. We enjoyed the day and I saw lots of interesting railway stuff, my favourite was a Class 37 DRS Tractor, it has a cute little face. I also saw some freight as it thundered through Milton Keynes, I am quite interested in freight trains.
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