Tesco Freight on the Rails
Returning from Ipswich on Saturday, I took this picture.
A Tesco-Branded Train
It shows a one container of a trainload branded by Tesco.
Pushed By Roger and Pulled By Isambard
On Saturday on my journey to Ipswich the Class 90 engine pushing the train to Ipswich was named.
Class 90 Named Roger Ford
So who is Roger Ford? Roger is a respected writer on the railways of Britain and writes extensively in the magazine, Modern Railways. On Wikipedia, there is a link between the magazine and these engines.
Through 2006 and 2007 reliability has improved greatly: in 2007 the whole fleet won the ‘Silver Spanner’ from Modern Railways for the most improved main line fleet reliability in the UK.
I doubt that Roger would have allowed his name to be used for the engine, if it was anything to do with the award! The story is here on the National Express East Anglia web site. I wonder what will happen, when the company loses the franchise in the next few months. But then they inherited the engine and its name from Virgin, so hopefully for Roger’s sake, he’ll continue to push the Ipswich/Norwich expresses up the hill to East Anglia.
On Day 37, coming back from Swansea, I was pulled by another named engine. This time a Class 43.
Class 43 Named Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Whether the pusher at the other end of the train was named, I didn’t know. But surely the Brunel nameplates, are the only ones that feature a top hat!
92 Clubs – Day 37 – Swansea
This was one that I thought would be simple. Just a return on a Sunday to one of the furthest clubs from London; Swansea.
But I knew there would be problems because of engineering works on both the Underground and the trains to South Wales. So I decided to start early and just took a Super Off Peak Return to Swansea, having booked a seat on the 08:00 from Paddington. I had elected to take my chances about getting a seat on the return journey. But I thought I’d have a reasonable chance, as the train started its return journey in Swansea and I knew there was an unreserved coach.
So it should have worked out well and mostly it did.
Because there was no Underground trains to Paddington, I had to take a couple of buses. Which wasn’t too much of a hardship, but the journey wasn’t as easy as it would have been on say a Monday.
When I got to Paddington, Marks and Spencer wasn’t yet open, so I couldn’t buy any sandwiches for the trip. As they are the only place to buy any gluten-free food in stations and there is nothing on the trains, I would have to wait until Swansea.
The journey was uneventful except that it took just over four hours instead of just under three. This was because it had to go via Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway, rather than straight through, because of the engineering works.
On arriving in Swansea, I walked straight to the Liberty stadium in about half-an-hour. There were no signposts for either walkers or drivers until you could see the stadium.
Swansea share the ground with the rugby club; The Ospreys, as you can see from the picture.
The Liberty Stadium, Swansea
I think I caught the remains of a car boot sale, so I thought I’d get back to the city centre and try and locate some food.
I did get a bus, but of course I had to pay for it, as English bus passes are not valid in Wales. Are we a United Kingdom or not? I don’t mind paying incidentally and feel that a UK wide scheme with perhaps a small charge outside your home are, would be the fairest way to do it.
But I couldn’t find any food. Marks & Spencer told me, that they had no gluten-free sandwiches, although they do stock them. but they are not the best of sellers! In the end I get some EatNakd bars from Holland and Barrett. They may be nice, but coffee and chocolate bars isn’t the best diet, even if it is gluten-free!
So I got back to the station and took the 14:00 train home. Paddington was in chaos because of the Underground engineering works, so it was buses to Oxford Street and then the Central line and another bus to Islington for supper in Carluccio’s.
All I say is roll on CrossRail, as this will make getting to Paddington so much easier; engineering works or not!
As an aside, I took this picture of the stadium from the train from London.
The Liberty Stadium from the London Train
It strikes me that this is a ground that could benefit from its own station.
It was a day though that showed me the problems of travelling as a coeliac unless you plan ahead and take your lunch with you!
92 Clubs – Day 36 – A Day Off
The real reason was to see Ipswich play at home to Doncaster, but I also had to go to have a blood test taken before the match.
92 Clubs – Day 35 – A Day Off
I had to go to the doctor, so I took this day off. I also wanted to see a debate on the media in the evening in the local church.
We were all sitting drinking glasses of wine in the nave.
92 Clubs – Week 5 – 13 Clubs – 26 Trains, 6 Trams, 2 Metros
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7
Day 29 Day 30 Day 31 Day 32 Day 33 Day 34 Day 35
I can start to see the end now, as there are only fourteen clubs to go.
So where are the awards this week?
Hero of the Week
This has to be the Scottish Nurse, who sat beside me all the way from Newcastle to London on Day 34, as I coughed my way home. Not for one moment did she complain either about that or my incessant chatter, as I tried to keep quiet.
Most Surprising Stadium of the Week
It has to be Sunderland‘s Stadium of Light, as the weather was so bad and it was about five in the evening , you couldn’t see it in the dark. Seriously though, it hasn’t put me totally off the place. And I’d certainly go if Ipswich were drawn away in a cup.
Best Stadium of the Week
Some will say that because it has an athletic track, it shouldn’t be used for football. But then the Don Valley Stadium that Rotherham use, is a well-designed stadium, with good transport links everywhere. Not having seen a match there, I can’t tell how it works, but it shows that it might be possible to design a smaller stadium for both football and athletics. After all, experience in the UK of dual-use stadia is generally memories of the old Wembley or Stamford Bridge, which featured a greyhound track. Neither were an experience to be treasured. Unless you were a real masochist!
Best Signposted Stadium of the Week
The only way is Essex on this one!
I arrived at Prittlewell station for Southend, in the rain, when it was dark, but still found getting to the stadium easy, as there were signposts all the way. So I give it my award.
Worse-Signposted stadium of the Week
In the taxi from the station to the ground, I didn’t see a single sign post.
Dump of the Week
Before I started, I thought that several towns and cities I visited thisweek would be contenders. How about Rochdale, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Stoke or Sunderland?
But in the end there was an easy winner; Stevenage. To say it was a town that was actually designed and didn’t grow organically, just shows how bad they did their job in the 1960s. Especially, as they had the examples of some nice garden cities nearby from just a few years earlier. So what is wrong about the town?
- It is not an easy place to walk anywhere. There are too many steps and lots of places where a pedestrian crossing might help.
- The buses seem numerous, but I didn’t see a map or information on a stop.
- The signage is not very good, even where it exists.
- I did find a map, but it was rather out of date.
I shan’t be returning.
But fro what I’ve said here, they’d probably ride me out of town on a rail, if I did return. Obviously, if I was in a train going to London, I wouldn’t care.
Gates of the Week
These just have to be those at Roots Hall, where Southend play. You can get a taste of them here.
Best Train of the Week
The Trans Pennine Express out of Scunthorpe.
Worst Train of the Week
The Pacer trains to Sheffield and from Sheffield to Scunthorpe.
At least from Manchester to Sheffield, I was on the Hope Valley line.
Hopefully over the next few days, I will not see any more Pacers on routes I need to take.
92 Clubs – Day 34 – Stevenage, Stoke, Sunderland
Stevenage should have been easier than it was, but the siugn-posting was a bit patchy and sent you the wrong way on the way from the station.
Stevenage Town's Lamex Stadium
Typically, too, as Stevenage is a new town, cars come first and pedstrians nowhere. I did see the odd bus stop and a few buses, but there was no information of any use. At how many places could I have said that? Perhaps, it would be better to ask at how many places were the buses understandable to a visitor?
I lost a few minutes waiting for the train back to London, but I made the time up by catching the 11:00 at Euston, which stopped en route at Stoke-on-Trent for Stoke City. I took a taxi to the Britannia Stadium, as I’d experienced Stoke’s buses before and only a local or a determined masochist would have enough knowledge or fortitude to attempt the journey by bus.
Outside Stoke's Britannia Stadium
I do hope they run a shuttle bus from the station on match days!
I struck it lucky on return to Stoke station, in that I was on another Virgin train immediately to Manchester. But as ever, I was let down in Piccadilly, by their stupid train display and missed the next train to Newcastle by about a minute. So it was change at Leeds, where they have displays that work.
Sunderland should have been easy from Newcastle Central, as it has its own station at Stadium of Light.
Stadium of Light Station
But as to the stadium it was out there somewhere in the dark.
The Stadium of Light is in the Dark Somewhere
As it was chucking it down, I decided that as it wasn’t signposted from the station, as far as I could see, that this would have to be the end of trying to find the Stadium of Light in the Dark.
Perhaps I should have risked pneumonia.
By 18:00 I was on the train going home Kings Cross. Sadly, it was half-an-hour late into the capital.
92 Clubs – Day 33 – Shrewsbury, Southampton, Southend
The easiest way to get to Shrewsbury is to go via Crewe and that is what I did.
Outside Shrewsbury's Greenhous Meadow Stadium
Coming back was a bit of a problem, as I had to wait an hour for my connection to Crewe. Normally, the frequency is two trains an hour, but at some times, there is only one. It was rather disappointing to have to spend an hour on the station, as I only missed the previous train by a minute or so.
The journey back to London wasn’t too bad, but my train to Southampton from Waterloo was a few minutes late due to traction problems becaise of the bad weather.
Outside Southampton's St. Mary's Stadium
You can see the rain outside the Southampton Megastore at St. Mary’s stadium in this picture.
The train back to London was almost an hour late and it was a rush to Liverpool Street to get the train to Prittlewell for Southend.
The Gates at Roots Hall
The picture shows the gates at Roots Hall.
of the three stadia today, only Southend was walkable, although I have walked Southampton in the past, but not in rain like we had on this day.
92 Clubs – Day 32 – A Day Off
Day 31 was rather tiring, so I needed it.
92 Clubs – Day 31 – Rochdale, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday
This was an ambitious day, but I managed it.
I took the 06:17 from Euston to Manchester and then took the tram to Victoria for a train to Rochdale. It was then a taxi to see Rochdale ‘s ground which is shared with Rochdale Hornets, as the picture shows.
Rochdale's Spotland Stadium
To get to Sheffield for Rotherham, who play at the Don Valley Stadium in that city, it was back to Victoria and then another tram back to Piccadilly for a train across to Sheffield.
Don Valley Stadium
The stadium is one of the more unusual football grounds in the country, and the only one with a still-used athletics track. It also has very good access from the Sheffield Supertram.
From there is was on to Scunthorpe on one of the awful Pacer trains, to view the worst stadium, Glanford Park, where I’ve watched a Championship match.
Outside Glanford Park
The picture of course doesn’t show the fact that it is one of the worst stadia to get to from the train station. At least I had a good taxi driver, who got me there and back efficiently.
I went back to Sheffield via Meadowhall on one of the Trans Pennine Expresses. I bougth the last gluten-free sandwich at Marks and Spencer there, before taking the tram to Granville Road for Sheffield United.
Bramall Lane
It was dark by now, as the photograph shows. After this it was another tram to Hillsborough for Sheffield Wednesday.
Hillsborough in the Dark
I actually went to the stop at Leppings Lane. In the end I was back at Sheffield station, with lots of time for my train to St. Pancras.
The Anonymous Widower 