Anastasia the Ambassador at Paddington
First Great Western have been one of the better train companies on this journey. On my way to Hereford yesterday, I was accosted by, Anastasia, one of their Customer Ambassadors at Paddington, whilst waiting for the train.
I said how pleased I was with the company, adding that I hope it wouldn’t upset the journey I was about to do. It didn’t! We then got talking about Inter City 125’s and how she and the customers preferred them. She also said, that quite a few people booked so they travelled in one.
All those proponents of the IEP would not have warmed to the conversations.
THe Inter City 125s will be replaced on the main line, but they’ll outlive most of us!
92 Clubs – Day 17 – Hereford, Huddersfield, Hull
This day wasn’t as difficult as it could have been. The start wasn’t too early in that I left on the 8:22 direct train to Hereford. I had two choices at Hereford.
- Walk to the ground at Edgar Street and then have lunch before catching the 13:08 to Manchester.
- Get a taxi and hope I could get back in time for the 11:53 to Manchester. This was only eleven minutes.
I chose the latter and made it with a couple of minutes to spare, as the outgoing train was four minutes late. The picture of the ground also wasn’t one of the best.
Edgar Street
But I was now on my way. The change in Manchester was a bit chaotic, but I arrived in Huddersfield with sufficient time for the shortish walk to and from the ground in time to get the 16:16 train to Hull.
Details at the Galpharm Stadium
Hudderfield’s Galpharm stadium is impressive and is certainly architecturally and structurally more interesting than many of the new grounds like Coventry, Southampton and Leicester. I had my picture taken in the club shop.
In the Shop at Huddersfield Town
Perhaps that is a bit of a cop-out, but I was in a hurry and the weather was rather fresh.
It was then on Hull.
I did take a taxi to the stadium.
Walking Back from the KC Stadium
But the picture was taken as I walked back. The walking route is easy and the railway tracks are well bridged.
I caught the 19:10 train back from Hull and it was on time in Kings Cross.
But then of all the trains I have taken, only one has been late by more than four minutes. And the Hereford to Manchester train, which was late by four minutes was to my advantage.
The Travelling Chef on First Great Western
Some First Great Western services out of and into Paddington now have a travelling chef, who prepares meals to order.
I didn’t try it on my journey to Exeter, but next time I come across one, I’ll find out if they can do anything gluten-free. From the menu it appears they might.
Comings and Goings at Derby Station
I took these pictures at Derby station on Wednesday.
It just shows how good design can create a proper transport interface. I only walked out the back to see Pride Park and I was back a few minutes later to take a train to Doncaster.
What No Corporate Branding
Pewsey station must be unusual, in that it still has the old GWR signs.
Pewsey Station
But I can read the large sign easily.
I wonder if the thought police of corporate branding know about this?
A Two-Way Station
Exeter St. Davids station is unusual in that the two London services to Paddington and Waterloo leave in opposite directions.
When the two companies; GWR and LSWR were racing to get the mail from America to London, that had been dropped off at Plymouth, the trains used to pass through in opposite directions.
We sometimes wonder why things are not logical on British trains. But often, it’s down to what happened in the 19th century.
A Ground With Its Own Station
Exeter play at St. James Park.
St. James Park Station
It’s even painted in the club colours.
Getting Between Kings Cross/St. Pancras and Euston
London’s three major stations that serve the North and of course the Continent; Kings Cross, St. Pancras and Euston, are all close together on the Euston Road.
The first has been superbly rebuilt, the second is approaching the end of a major redevelopment and they now share probably the best Underground station in London. But Euston is rather isolated from the other two, with several ways to get between them.
- You can take a rather unpleasant walk along the busy Euston Road.
- You can use the Metropolitan or Circle lines, but this means a walk to or from Euston Square at the Euston end.
- You can dive into the Underground and take the Victoria or Northern lines, but it is not step free at the Euston end, and not recommended with a heavy case. Both deep stations are also easy places to get lost or confused.
- Going from Euston to Kings Cross or St. Pancras is quite easy by bus 30, 73, 205 or 476, which you catch in front of Euston station, but the reverse journey means you have to cross Euston Road twice.
- There are of course taxis. But not everyone can afford them.
As I had time to spare at Kings Cross, before I caught my train to Hartlepool, I decided to investigate and found a map which showed there was a fairly simple direct walking route that avoided the pollution and traffic of the Euston Road.
I started by walking through St. Pancras station and exited by the cab rank onto Midland Road, with the intention of going down Brill Place.
Crossing Midland Road
There is a light controlled crossing, but it is rather blocked by badly placed railings and the cab rank. Brill Place, which is the start of the road to Euston is on the left.
Brill Place is flanked on one side by the new Francis Crick Institute and on the right, there is a small pleasant park, which could provide an oasis from the crowds in the stations.
Brill Place
Brill Place itself, is not a grotty dusty road lined by parked cars, but a wide tree-lined avenue that leads on to Phoenix Road.
Towards Pheonix Road
At the end of Phoenix Road, you just cross Eversholt Street on one of the two pedestrian crossings and you walk down the road to Euston station.
The advantages of the route are as follows.
- The route is virtually flat.
- It would be easy trailing quite a large case.
- There are only two major roads to cross and both have light-controlled pedestrian crossings.
- There is the park, which would as I said before, be a better place to eat a packed meal than the station.
- You do pass a few shops and a reasonable-looking pub.
But there are disadvantages.
- The route is not signposted.
- The barriers at the St. Pancras end are wrongly placed.
- The side entrance to Euston station could be better.
So how would I make it better, so that in effect we had one super station for the north.
- I’d start with sign-posting. The posts are there at the St. Pancras end already.
- Perhaps, it should be marked on the ground, as a Kings Cross/St. Pancras to Euston walking route.
- You might even provide some eco-friendly transport along the route, like an electric shuttle bus or bicycle rickshaws.
- A couple of suitably placed Boris bike stations would help too.
- Shops and cafes should be developed along the road. There are some already.
To me though, this is one of those things that will happen. But probably first in a very unofficial way, as how many of those that work in the Francis Crick Institute will commute into Euston and walk there? It won’t be a small number.
It took me about fifteen minutes to do the walk and I just got a 205 bus back to Kings Cross for my train from the front of Euston station.
92 Clubs – Every Station Needs More of These
This is only one of the standard railway information boards you get on British stations all over the place.
Information Display at Hartlepool Station
The difference about this one is that it is in the carpark at Hartlepool station and easily visible to anybody rushing to get a train. In this case, it might just give you a chance to get a swift half in at the Rat Race Ale House, if you are early or your train is running late.
The London Overground and some stations have some of these remotely placed displays, but surely a few more in strategic places might well take a bit of the strain out of the train journey. If I take Ipswich station, which I know well, one on the walking route from the town centre and some of the car parks would very much be welcomed by me, as I rush to the train after a home game.
The further I get into my trip around the UK, the more I find that maps and information are variable. In Bournemouth, Bury, Exeter and Hartlepool, they are excellent, but in Blackpool, they are absolutely non-existent.
They Don’t Make Pubs Like This Anymore
In Hartlepool station, there is the Rat Race Ale House micropub.
The sign says it all. Note the barrels and the absence of the bar. As I said before, every station needs one of these.
The Anonymous Widower 