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[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Our local train line is the South Western Trains Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo, and it's pretty good to be honest. Although expect to pay £85-95 for a day return to Waterloo.  

Doesn't seem long ago that it was about £25!     

Under the tutelage of British Rail the line was downgraded to single track from Salisbury down, and trains used to run every other hour either way and they were always late as they had to wait in a siding somewhere for the train coming the other way to pass. After privatisation, the line was re-dueled, stations were upgraded and restored, and the trains now run every hour on the hour each way. 

South Western Trains was recently nationalised, so I fully expect the service to decline, prices to go up even more and the sandwiches will be stale. Sigh... 

British Rail was well known for it's sandwiches......for all the wrong reasons.

[TheBoy]

But the modern trains are also a great way to travel long distances

In general, a car is similar cost (or cheaper if London bound), and faster. Plus you are guaranteed a seat.  Plus your return journey can be guaranteed, unlike rail.

[TheBoy]

Our local train line is the South Western Trains Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo, and it's pretty good to be honest. Although expect to pay £85-95 for a day return to Waterloo.  

Doesn't seem long ago that it was about £25!     

Under the tutelage of British Rail the line was downgraded to single track from Salisbury down, and trains used to run every other hour either way and they were always late as they had to wait in a siding somewhere for the train coming the other way to pass. After privatisation, the line was re-dueled, stations were upgraded and restored, and the trains now run every hour on the hour each way. 

South Western Trains was recently nationalised, so I fully expect the service to decline, prices to go up even more and the sandwiches will be stale. Sigh... 

As I'm sure Tunnie will confirm, after the Chiltern Mainline had the 2 single track sections dualled back around 20 years ago, BIcester North to London was 32 minutes, and the station was so busy they had a multistorey and 2 other onsite carparks.

Now they have slowed* all trains to just under and hour, and they have mothballed the 2 other carparks, and removing all but the ground floor of the multistorey.

*Makes HS2 look slighlty more viable

[tunnie]

Oh wow, big changes then. I did see a YouTube doc on the good days of Chiltern was around the time I was using it.

I suspect Covid and WFH has dropped off quite a bit of traffic as well, no longer Mon-Fri needed.

I try and use the bus, there is one from Camberley to Heathrow and it's just £3 for a one way fare.

[tunnie]

I'll also add the Flightline bus had excellent WiFi, joined some meetings on the bus and was a flawless connection.

Leg room was acceptable, could be quicker but they appear to limit these full size coaches to 56mph as well and don't do 70mph down the M3/M25.

[Lizzie Zoom]

I have a lifelong love for trains, since 1958, especially those pulled by a steam engine, or a Deltic diesel!

But the modern trains are also a great way to travel long distances, which I have done for work and pleasure over many years.  However, have had no need to use them in recent times  as I just do not need to travel far, and using the Omega is so easy for most journeys.  Only used steam preservation trains in the last 3 years.  I have now no idea on the costs of going by train, even to London, and can only remember that my season ticket for commuting from the Midlands to London, which I did for two years, in the early noughties, cost about £3,500 per annum.  Bet it is far more than that now!

Was this iconic loco also a 2 stroke?

Well, I am not a diesel enthusiast as such, but these great engines had "opposed pistons", with no cylinder head, and with two huge engines were very powerful.  Their official top speed was 100 mph, but they regularly exceeded that.  I just know that they sounded great, with an unforgettable roar when pulling out of stations, or out on the line when accelerating.  They may not have been as impressive, for me, as the Gresley A4 pacific steam engines they replaced on the East Coast main line, but we love those that are preserved now!

[TheBoy]

I suspect Covid and WFH has dropped off quite a bit of traffic as well, no longer Mon-Fri needed.

Probably less than some of us might believe.  I think people drive in now, or use one of the coaches, or use WCML instead, again playing into HS2's plans with their claims about capacity issues there.

That and the £100 a day by the time you have paid for parking at a Chiltern station.

[tunnie]

I suspect Covid and WFH has dropped off quite a bit of traffic as well, no longer Mon-Fri needed.

Probably less than some of us might believe.  I think people drive in now, or use one of the coaches, or use WCML instead, again playing into HS2's plans with their claims about capacity issues there.

That and the £100 a day by the time you have paid for parking at a Chiltern station.

Even back in 2007-10 era, I was paying around £600-700 a month to go into Londinium all in

[Marks DTM Calib]

I have a lifelong love for trains, since 1958, especially those pulled by a steam engine, or a Deltic diesel!

But the modern trains are also a great way to travel long distances, which I have done for work and pleasure over many years.  However, have had no need to use them in recent times  as I just do not need to travel far, and using the Omega is so easy for most journeys.  Only used steam preservation trains in the last 3 years.  I have now no idea on the costs of going by train, even to London, and can only remember that my season ticket for commuting from the Midlands to London, which I did for two years, in the early noughties, cost about £3,500 per annum.  Bet it is far more than that now!

Was this iconic loco also a 2 stroke?

Well, I am not a diesel enthusiast as such, but these great engines had "opposed pistons", with no cylinder head, and with two huge engines were very powerful.  Their official top speed was 100 mph, but they regularly exceeded that.  I just know that they sounded great, with an unforgettable roar when pulling out of stations, or out on the line when accelerating.  They may not have been as impressive, for me, as the Gresley A4 pacific steam engines they replaced on the East Coast main line, but we love those that are preserved now!

They are two stroke and until the class 68 arrived (about ten years ago), were the most powerful passenger diesel Loco in the UK

[cam.in.head]

im with you on this one . the deltics sound great and they regularly have them
m in use in howarth near me . fantastic to hear and feel the engine roar !
otherwise not much into the modern trains (or much modern anyway ) and dontoften use trains much nowadays due to the prices .
buses however we do use. many times we buy a day ticket and spend a saturday just riding around wherever the next bus goes to . sound wise theyre ok ish but no match for the fantastic sounding gardner 6lxb found in many 80's buses like the olympians and also the leyland engines found in the 70's atlanteans . fantastic times .
same with modern cars i suppose . older cars and engines you could recognise by their sound but not now !

[Mr Skrunts]

I'm find all this fascinating.  out of interest what sort of power out do these have.

[TheBoy]

I have a lifelong love for trains, since 1958, especially those pulled by a steam engine, or a Deltic diesel!

But the modern trains are also a great way to travel long distances, which I have done for work and pleasure over many years.  However, have had no need to use them in recent times  as I just do not need to travel far, and using the Omega is so easy for most journeys.  Only used steam preservation trains in the last 3 years.  I have now no idea on the costs of going by train, even to London, and can only remember that my season ticket for commuting from the Midlands to London, which I did for two years, in the early noughties, cost about £3,500 per annum.  Bet it is far more than that now!

Was this iconic loco also a 2 stroke?

Well, I am not a diesel enthusiast as such, but these great engines had "opposed pistons", with no cylinder head, and with two huge engines were very powerful.  Their official top speed was 100 mph, but they regularly exceeded that.  I just know that they sounded great, with an unforgettable roar when pulling out of stations, or out on the line when accelerating.  They may not have been as impressive, for me, as the Gresley A4 pacific steam engines they replaced on the East Coast main line, but we love those that are preserved now!

They are two stroke and until the class 68 arrived (about ten years ago), were the most powerful passenger diesel Loco in the UK

Chiltrn use some Class 68's.  Not that it improves the service, obviously

[Marks DTM Calib]

I'm find all this fascinating.  out of interest what sort of power out do these have.

Class 55 (Deltic) is 3300bhp (two engines rated at 1650bhp each)

The 680s on my little project are a mere 150bhp each (four fitted)