trainman74
Conductor
Sorry this trip report is so late -- about 6 months! I've seen that it's even gone out of date, because what was "East Coast" back then is now "Virgin East Coast."
Four friends and I made plans to rent a vehicle and drive around Scotland in September 2014. One of my friends -- not me! -- suggested one of our activities be a steam train she'd heard about.
I decided that I'd add a solo trip to London, where I hadn't been in 30 years. It seemed obvious that what I would do is fly into Edinburgh, then take the train to London and back. I also discovered that the National Railway Museum in York would be an easy stopover.
The tourist train had its own website with online booking, and I booked my other train trips on the National Rail website. Tickets are much cheaper if you reserve a specific train, but I wasn't able to do that for the Edinburgh-London and York-Edinburgh legs of my trip (didn't know exactly when I'd make it to the station in Edinburgh, and didn't know how much time I'd want to spend at the National Railway Museum).
For convenience, I reserved a hotel in London near King's Cross station, from where I'd be arriving and departing. Tune Hotels is an Asian/European chain of no-frills hotels -- no-frills enough that they have extra charges for towels, hair dryer, TV, etc., although if you book through a third-party site (I used Hotels.com), that rate includes all their extras. It turned out to be a particularly good choice because the room was air-conditioned -- it was an unusually warm mid-September week in London.
Edinburgh Airport has both express bus service and a tram line to the center of town. Of course I opted for the tram, which had opened earlier in 2014. The tram ticket machines only take coins or credit cards, and wouldn't work with my "chip-and-signature" card. However, there were customer service agents at the station who had a handheld credit card machine for just this situation.
The tram was a standard modern light-rail service, on a private separate right-of-way for much of the route, and then in the middle of the street in the center of town. A little oddly, the nearest stop to the train station is still a couple of blocks away, although that was okay because I needed to stop and get a U.K. SIM card for my phone anyway.
The ticket machines in Waverley Station (equivalent to the Amtrak Quik-Trak) had no trouble with my credit card and I easily collected my tickets.
East Coast Railway had a train every half hour on the half-hour from Edinburgh to London, so I just boarded the next departure. I didn't have a seat reservation; all the reserved seats had a seat check attached already, so I just took a seat without a check, which wasn't too hard to find.
My first thought after I sat down -- there definitely wasn't as much leg room as Amtrak has! It was more along the lines of a U.S. commuter train.
Soon after departure and ticket checking, I went to the snack car to get lunch. I asked for a hot sandwich, but was told that hot food wouldn't be available until after (I forget which station), so I settled for a cold sandwich and a Coke.
The train arrived roughly on time at King's Cross, about 5 hours after leaving Edinburgh. King's Cross had exit turnstiles, but they were unlocked, so I managed to keep my ticket.
My hotel was easy to find, about 3 blocks from King's Cross. After checking in, I went back to King's Cross, this time to the Underground station, where I bought an Oyster card with a 7-day travel card for Zones 1 and 2. I was only going to be in London for four full days, but it appeared that the 7-day unlimited-ride card would be cheaper than using pay-as-you-go.
The best thing about the Underground system is that the trains run frequently. I think the longest I ever had to wait was about 6 minutes for a Docklands Light Railway train at Greenwich. But then there was one time when I was trying to board the Northern Line at King's Cross, and couldn't cram onto the first train... and 90 seconds later, couldn't cram onto the second train... and finally, 2 minutes after that, managed to squeeze myself onto the third train.
The worst thing about the Underground system is that, since it was warm while I was in London, the non-air-conditioned tube trains got a bit uncomfortable, especially when full.
And the creepiest thing about the Underground system was the station under renovation on the Bakerloo line, where the train crawled past the dimly lit platform -- where all of the signs with the actual station name had been covered over by signs of the exact same size and style reading "STATION CLOSED." Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture, but trust me, it was extremely eerie.
I of course went to the London Transport Museum, where I'd been 30 years ago. I know this is a rail forum, but the most interesting exhibit was on the buses that were "commandeered" to transport troops during World War I. The only downside was that their only ticket option is an annual pass, which isn't much good for overseas visitors.
My last night in London, before going back to the hotel, I went back to the ticket office at the King's Cross Underground station to turn in my Oyster card in exchange for the return of a deposit. The official "rules" say that, in order to get the deposit put back on a credit card (as opposed to into a bank account), you need to prove you're not a U.K. resident. However, the ticket agent waved off my attempt to present my passport -- I think my voice gave me away as an American.
My reservation the next morning was on the Grand Central Railway's 7:51 train to Sunderland. I checked out of the hotel with plenty of time to get breakfast in the small upstairs food court at King's Cross. Once the track for my train was announced, I headed out and boarded (I was secretly hoping for Platform 9¾, but no such luck). This time, the entry turnstiles were unlocked.
Since I had reserved a specific train, I had a reserved seat, which turned out to be at a table with a Cluedo (Clue) board printed on it. The man with a laptop sitting opposite me didn't look particularly interested in playing, and I didn't know how to get the game pieces anyway.
I got off at York, the first stop on the train, about 2 hours after departure from London, and headed for the National Railway Museum. The museum is in a couple of old railroad shop buildings that are literally right next to the station -- there's a direct pathway from the back entrance to York station that involves a lot of stairs, but since I had a suitcase, I took the handicapped-accessible route out the front of York station and back under the tracks to the museum.
The museum is free with a suggested donation, and the women at the front desk were also happy to make change for the large luggage locker, which took 2 £2 coins (twice, because I screwed up the first time).
The museum had everything from steam locomotives to a first-generation Shinkansen car, supposedly the only Shinkansen equipment anywhere outside Japan; royal trains, mail trains, old signs and posters.
Eventually, I felt like I'd seen everything, so I got my bags out of the locker and went back to York station. My York-to-Edinburgh ticket was actually to Haymarket, the Edinburgh "suburban" station. I'd planned to take the next East Coast train to Waverley station and then change to another train for the one-stop ride to Haymarket, but then I noticed on the departure boards that CrossCountry service to Glasgow stopped at Haymarket.
I think I had to wait about 20 minutes for a CrossCountry train, which had originated in Penzance -- must be one of the longest train trips in the U.K., but there still wasn't Amtrak-style legroom. When I boarded, I didn't see any seat checks, so I took the first open window seat I saw. It turned out that this equipment had an electronic display above each pair of seats to show whether or not it was reserved. I think my seat may have had a reservation attached, but no one asked me to move.
This train had a snack trolley, but I'd eaten lunch at the museum and would be eating dinner in Edinburgh with my friends, so I only got a Coke.
The stop at Haymarket was a few minutes late due to congestion around Waverley. Here at Haymarket, the exit turnstiles were locked, so my York-to-Edinburgh ticket was eaten.
Aside from a couple more Edinburgh tram rides, that was the end of my modern train riding in the U.K.
The steam train my entire group took was The Jacobite, which runs between the towns of Fort William and Mallaig in the West Highlands, with about a 2-hour layover in Mallaig. It's a scenic line that's also served by four diesel trains a day. The reason my friend had heard about this train is because it portrayed the Hogwarts Express in the "Harry Potter" movies -- both the equipment and the line itself.
Unfortunately, the day we took the train was the worst weather we had on the entire trip to Scotland -- low clouds and rain. Still, I think everyone enjoyed it, even my non-railfan friends.
Incidentally, I turned 40 on this trip, but my actual 40th birthday was one of the days in Scotland where there was no train riding. (On that day, we did go to the castle where much of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" was filmed, though.)
Some of my photos follow; if you want to see all the photos from the trip, here's the full Flickr album.
Four friends and I made plans to rent a vehicle and drive around Scotland in September 2014. One of my friends -- not me! -- suggested one of our activities be a steam train she'd heard about.
I decided that I'd add a solo trip to London, where I hadn't been in 30 years. It seemed obvious that what I would do is fly into Edinburgh, then take the train to London and back. I also discovered that the National Railway Museum in York would be an easy stopover.
The tourist train had its own website with online booking, and I booked my other train trips on the National Rail website. Tickets are much cheaper if you reserve a specific train, but I wasn't able to do that for the Edinburgh-London and York-Edinburgh legs of my trip (didn't know exactly when I'd make it to the station in Edinburgh, and didn't know how much time I'd want to spend at the National Railway Museum).
For convenience, I reserved a hotel in London near King's Cross station, from where I'd be arriving and departing. Tune Hotels is an Asian/European chain of no-frills hotels -- no-frills enough that they have extra charges for towels, hair dryer, TV, etc., although if you book through a third-party site (I used Hotels.com), that rate includes all their extras. It turned out to be a particularly good choice because the room was air-conditioned -- it was an unusually warm mid-September week in London.
Edinburgh Airport has both express bus service and a tram line to the center of town. Of course I opted for the tram, which had opened earlier in 2014. The tram ticket machines only take coins or credit cards, and wouldn't work with my "chip-and-signature" card. However, there were customer service agents at the station who had a handheld credit card machine for just this situation.
The tram was a standard modern light-rail service, on a private separate right-of-way for much of the route, and then in the middle of the street in the center of town. A little oddly, the nearest stop to the train station is still a couple of blocks away, although that was okay because I needed to stop and get a U.K. SIM card for my phone anyway.
The ticket machines in Waverley Station (equivalent to the Amtrak Quik-Trak) had no trouble with my credit card and I easily collected my tickets.
East Coast Railway had a train every half hour on the half-hour from Edinburgh to London, so I just boarded the next departure. I didn't have a seat reservation; all the reserved seats had a seat check attached already, so I just took a seat without a check, which wasn't too hard to find.
My first thought after I sat down -- there definitely wasn't as much leg room as Amtrak has! It was more along the lines of a U.S. commuter train.
Soon after departure and ticket checking, I went to the snack car to get lunch. I asked for a hot sandwich, but was told that hot food wouldn't be available until after (I forget which station), so I settled for a cold sandwich and a Coke.
The train arrived roughly on time at King's Cross, about 5 hours after leaving Edinburgh. King's Cross had exit turnstiles, but they were unlocked, so I managed to keep my ticket.
My hotel was easy to find, about 3 blocks from King's Cross. After checking in, I went back to King's Cross, this time to the Underground station, where I bought an Oyster card with a 7-day travel card for Zones 1 and 2. I was only going to be in London for four full days, but it appeared that the 7-day unlimited-ride card would be cheaper than using pay-as-you-go.
The best thing about the Underground system is that the trains run frequently. I think the longest I ever had to wait was about 6 minutes for a Docklands Light Railway train at Greenwich. But then there was one time when I was trying to board the Northern Line at King's Cross, and couldn't cram onto the first train... and 90 seconds later, couldn't cram onto the second train... and finally, 2 minutes after that, managed to squeeze myself onto the third train.
The worst thing about the Underground system is that, since it was warm while I was in London, the non-air-conditioned tube trains got a bit uncomfortable, especially when full.
And the creepiest thing about the Underground system was the station under renovation on the Bakerloo line, where the train crawled past the dimly lit platform -- where all of the signs with the actual station name had been covered over by signs of the exact same size and style reading "STATION CLOSED." Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture, but trust me, it was extremely eerie.
I of course went to the London Transport Museum, where I'd been 30 years ago. I know this is a rail forum, but the most interesting exhibit was on the buses that were "commandeered" to transport troops during World War I. The only downside was that their only ticket option is an annual pass, which isn't much good for overseas visitors.
My last night in London, before going back to the hotel, I went back to the ticket office at the King's Cross Underground station to turn in my Oyster card in exchange for the return of a deposit. The official "rules" say that, in order to get the deposit put back on a credit card (as opposed to into a bank account), you need to prove you're not a U.K. resident. However, the ticket agent waved off my attempt to present my passport -- I think my voice gave me away as an American.
My reservation the next morning was on the Grand Central Railway's 7:51 train to Sunderland. I checked out of the hotel with plenty of time to get breakfast in the small upstairs food court at King's Cross. Once the track for my train was announced, I headed out and boarded (I was secretly hoping for Platform 9¾, but no such luck). This time, the entry turnstiles were unlocked.
Since I had reserved a specific train, I had a reserved seat, which turned out to be at a table with a Cluedo (Clue) board printed on it. The man with a laptop sitting opposite me didn't look particularly interested in playing, and I didn't know how to get the game pieces anyway.
I got off at York, the first stop on the train, about 2 hours after departure from London, and headed for the National Railway Museum. The museum is in a couple of old railroad shop buildings that are literally right next to the station -- there's a direct pathway from the back entrance to York station that involves a lot of stairs, but since I had a suitcase, I took the handicapped-accessible route out the front of York station and back under the tracks to the museum.
The museum is free with a suggested donation, and the women at the front desk were also happy to make change for the large luggage locker, which took 2 £2 coins (twice, because I screwed up the first time).
The museum had everything from steam locomotives to a first-generation Shinkansen car, supposedly the only Shinkansen equipment anywhere outside Japan; royal trains, mail trains, old signs and posters.
Eventually, I felt like I'd seen everything, so I got my bags out of the locker and went back to York station. My York-to-Edinburgh ticket was actually to Haymarket, the Edinburgh "suburban" station. I'd planned to take the next East Coast train to Waverley station and then change to another train for the one-stop ride to Haymarket, but then I noticed on the departure boards that CrossCountry service to Glasgow stopped at Haymarket.
I think I had to wait about 20 minutes for a CrossCountry train, which had originated in Penzance -- must be one of the longest train trips in the U.K., but there still wasn't Amtrak-style legroom. When I boarded, I didn't see any seat checks, so I took the first open window seat I saw. It turned out that this equipment had an electronic display above each pair of seats to show whether or not it was reserved. I think my seat may have had a reservation attached, but no one asked me to move.
This train had a snack trolley, but I'd eaten lunch at the museum and would be eating dinner in Edinburgh with my friends, so I only got a Coke.
The stop at Haymarket was a few minutes late due to congestion around Waverley. Here at Haymarket, the exit turnstiles were locked, so my York-to-Edinburgh ticket was eaten.
Aside from a couple more Edinburgh tram rides, that was the end of my modern train riding in the U.K.
The steam train my entire group took was The Jacobite, which runs between the towns of Fort William and Mallaig in the West Highlands, with about a 2-hour layover in Mallaig. It's a scenic line that's also served by four diesel trains a day. The reason my friend had heard about this train is because it portrayed the Hogwarts Express in the "Harry Potter" movies -- both the equipment and the line itself.
Unfortunately, the day we took the train was the worst weather we had on the entire trip to Scotland -- low clouds and rain. Still, I think everyone enjoyed it, even my non-railfan friends.
Incidentally, I turned 40 on this trip, but my actual 40th birthday was one of the days in Scotland where there was no train riding. (On that day, we did go to the castle where much of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" was filmed, though.)
Some of my photos follow; if you want to see all the photos from the trip, here's the full Flickr album.
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