UK based rail traveller & enthusiast. 00 gauge modeller.
#TMRGUK
. Views my own. When I'm not travelling on trains, you'll find me making videos about them 👇
As of today,
@Midland__London
is no more… introducing my new handle,
@OMtheRails
!
I made a launch video for the brand, and have provided a detailed explanation on my community page, feel free to check it out!
Nothing to see here, just one of Greater Anglia’s brand new and totally reliable trains being rescued by a 60 year old diesel locomotive after failing 🙃
📍 Liverpool Street
🗓 11/07/22
I still say the FLIRTS have to be one of the most smartest-designed trains this country has… should any line be electrified in the future, just remove the diesel power pack on the 755 and it becomes a pure EMU! 🤯 Would be incredibly useful when more lines get electrified 👍
It’s over…
680 miles
37 stations
13.5 hours
5 regions
2 countries
One single train journey
1V60 Aberdeen to Penzance, the UK’s longest railway journey CLEARED ✅✅✅
221120 rests at the very end of the UK after it’s mega trek… time I did the same 👍
📍 Penzance
🗓 16/07/22
Well that’s it - the final 365 has now left for Sims this morning, meaning bar the 3 carriages at EKR, the class is now extinct. Here’s 502 not long after I moved to the Big Smoke 2 years ago - smiling until the very end ❤️
📍 Kings Cross
🗓 15/10/20
📍 Crewe
Welcome on board the inaugural journey of
@AvantiWestCoast
’s brand new Class 805! This was meant to start at Chester, but the track defect means it’s now starting at Crewe. 2 hours to London, so let’s go! ✌️
Morning all 👋
Guess the cat’s finally out of the bag - it’s time to ride the VERY FIRST DB ICE service from London to Köln! It’s been a long time in the making to get to this stage given Brexit etc, but DB’s finally made it to the UK to compete with Eurostar… now let’s go!
Caught me by surprise but whilst waiting for my train back,
@AvantiWestCoast
newly liveried 221115 seen at Watford Junction working a Euston service! Looks great in the new livery!
30/01/21
7 months from now the XC HSTs will be withdrawn… with no replacement. Honestly boggles the mind what goes on behind these decisions sometimes.
One from the last long-haul run I did with them, ft. 43184’s infamous “wonky line” 😅 Whether I do the full PLY-EDI route is TBC…
Well look what’s finally graced us with its presence!
@LNER
’s new Intercity 225 livery looks absolutely fantastic and can’t wait to see it rolled out to the rest of the fleet in the coming months 😍👍
📍 Kings Cross
🗓 13/07/22
Hard to believe today marks the end for CrossCountry’s HSTs - I’ve had great fun with these over the years, from using them to come home from Uni to days out, and it’s certainly the end of era. Still boggles the mind XC’s 7 coach trains are going with no replacement! DfT hey 🤷♂️
I did it, I survived over 8 hours on an Azuma…
📍 Kings Cross
That’s LNER’s longest route, “The Highland Chieftain” cleared ✅ Strikes halted this plan last summer, so good to finally have this red penned. Time for a well deserved rest now 😅
It’s Eurostar’s anniversary, so here’s some trivia - the 1st train(s) to traverse the Chunnel was in fact a pair of Class 319s! 008 & 009 ran a trip through the Chunnel to France & back with invited guests on 10/12/93, with both being named “Cheriton” & “Coquelles” respectively.
Third time’s the charm… I managed to secure one of the £20 London to Edinburgh fares with Lumo for today, so decided to give them another go - good to see they’re taking the luggage situation very seriously this time 🙃
It’s finally time to ride the Nightjet New Generation! The inaugural ride runs up to Hamburg from Vienna tonight and I’ve booked myself a solo ensuite cabin. Looking forward to this… 🤩
Welcome to London Euston! The Evero arrived perfectly on time.
Despite the horribly rocky start, quite enjoyed my ride on the 805 (even if it is just an 80X with better seating). Was a pleasure to meet
@87027wolf
on board too!
Did I time travel back to 2015?
Yes, not only did GWR send two 166s to London from Exeter, one of them was a FGW liveried one too! Now we just need a HST back here again… 😉
📍 Paddington
🗓 19/08/22
Oooohhh look what’s just turned up! 67008 leading an ex-GC Mk4 set on a training run from Crewe, ready for regular services from the North West to South Wales in December.
📍 Manchester Piccadilly
🗓 30/09/22
My connection timed well enough to see 221143 in the flesh over a year and a half since it was stored - preparing to work the Grand Central service to Wakefield from Kings Cross. There certainly is a lot more variety here now than post-2019!
Love them or hate them, the Voyagers have been earning their keep on UK intercity services for the past 20 years.
What’s your favourite Voyager livery? Mine is of course… 👇🥰
Half of a former C Stock driving trailer - this has been converted into a specialised work space by the company operating out of this building… quite spectacular if you ask me!
Nosying around the stations and there’s already an issue… Westbound services are now terminating at Tottenham Court Road due to an unknown problem - brilliant 😂
📍 Custom House
🗓 24/05/22
Finally seen 221142 in the flesh - looks fantastic, well the parts that are actually in GC livery. Never imagined that even a Voyager could wear this livery well!
Morning from Heathrow Airport 👋
No prizes for guessing why I’m out here today… welcome to the VERY FIRST Eastbound Elizabeth Line service from Heathrow to Abbey Wood through the core! Now let’s roll…
📍 Heathrow Terminal 5
🗓 06/11/22
Being based out here for the next 2 weeks is starting to pay off already! 91119 fresh out of its repaint in the iconic IC Swallow livery once again… great to see it reunited with its grill Swallow too! 😍
@LNER
@225groupuk
📍 Kings Cross
🗓 21/11/22
Was out with my friend in Stratford this afternoon, and the stars aligned in which the new DLR B23 stock was back out on test! This allowed me to get better photos than the first time I saw it…
Considering these things outlived almost all of Greater Anglia’s original fleet and the railway that replaces them is more or less finished, that’s pretty impressive tbh - driver also let me in the cab, decent result!
📍 Liverpool Street
🗓 25/05/22
tHE C2c 387S cAN’t rUn In muLTiPle wiTH Gwr’S 387S
False.
Paper work signed yesterday = enforced into action yesterday and today - 387301 preparing to return to Didcot with 387155.
📍 Paddington
🗓 24/03/22
And now actual photos of the unit…
180110 is one of two of the ex-EMR 180s GC are taking on temporarily whilst it sorts out its legacy fleet - funnily enough, it was almost 4 years ago that these 4 would be regular visitors at Kings X, albeit with Hull Trains vice GC!
And that’s it, my last SWR 707… ironically one of them also being the last member of the class. Still a shame SWR never kept the 30, retrofitted them with toilets and ordered 60 more - would’ve been more commercially viable than the 701s IMO.
Have fun at SE 👋
That’s a wrap for the TfW 175s, as they’re now withdrawn as leases have now expired. A brilliant workhorse for Wales and parts of England, just a shame about the thermal incidents on the run up to their withdrawal…
Last photo I took of one - 175103 at Cardiff Central, 07/04/23
And now… the moment you’ve all been waiting for!
The new Bank station looks very nice - naturally it’s quiet as the opening wasn’t publicly announced. The addition of calling points was a nice touch, but the software does still seem rather glitchy…
Well well! c2c’s first 720 has now made it to the metals of East London, and have to admit it looks really nice! Also pleased to report it has 2+2 seating, looking forward to trying these as they enter service over the coming months!
📍 Stratford
🗓 19/04/22
“The Class 91 is a state of the art diesel locomotive”…
I’m sorry I can’t even tweet this with a straight face, if you know you know 🤣
📍 Doncaster
🗓 19/12/21
Looks like the 315s survived the May TTC, potentially confirming the rumours of them lasting until September… think TfL may have to change their marketing next week as the railway isn’t necessarily brand new in this case 😬
📍 Stratford
🗓 16/05/22
Before Lumo does this, they really need to sort out their fleet first. 5x 5 car 803s is not enough for London to Edinburgh, let alone extensions to Glasgow…
Breaking:
@LumoTravel
has announced it is in discussions with
@transcotland
and
@networkrail
to extend some of its King’s Cross-Edinburgh services to Glasgow. It is currently finalising route options and timings prior to making an access rights application to
@railandroad
.
3 years ago to the day and still one of the most bittersweet days I’ve had as an enthusiast… the last HSTs to depart Paddington in regular passenger service on the GWML. Where has the time gone?
📍 Paddington/West Ealing
🗓 18/05/2019
Hold up… I thought these trains were meant to be new and purple?
Yes, the PEPs survived the changeover and are now part of the Elizabeth Line… if only these were allowed in the core 😭
📍 Shenfield
🗓 25/05/22
Sad news this morning as the first 379 (379027) was sent for scrap by road. These were originally destined for GN, but they’ve opted to take on extra GatEx 387s to cover the shortfall. 10 years old and let down by high leasing costs, what a waste…
The end of an era. Having grown up with these trains as the main MML workhorse, it’s sad to see them go. But as
@mattymidland
put it, don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened - ending where it all started ❤️
Sheffield - 15/05/21
#HSTonMML
#MMLmemories
@railcamlive
Adventuring with
@DispatcherStour
today and noticed something a bit interesting about the additional GX 387s that moved to Great Northern… 👀
Kings Cross - 24/07/21
So a major British train company announces what is undoubtedly the biggest ticketing cock up of the century… whilst on the same day Britain’s worse train company launches a £1 ticket sale across the North, both directly owned by the DfT.
You win some you lose some hey 😅
A LOT of talk about GC the past couple of days, but it appears the first of its Voyagers is entering passenger service today - 221143 doing a Wakefield - Kings X service and back…
Outbound:
Inbound:
The failure that is the Class 701 “Artery Clogger” - you’ll be going nowhere…
Wonder when someone’s going to update the Paul Tyreman GIF with these? 🤔🤨
📍 Clapham Junction
🗓 02/01/22
I’m not a huge fan of Kettles tbh, but this particular one is one I’d never thought I’d get to see run in my lifetime… the legendary Flying Scotsman finishes its long trek along the East Coast from Skegvegas - doesn’t it look stunning? 👍😍
📍 King’s Cross
🗓 25/09/21
A quick trip to/from Finsbury Park sees me returning home on 717001 - really must do a video on the Northern City Line at some point, it certainly is an interesting part of London’s railways!
📍 Highbury & Islington
🗓 31/07/22
Looks like the wibble community is at it again with the 455s to be replaced in May on SN services, so here’s one which we apparently won’t be seeing again 🤣
📍 Victoria
🗓 22/01/22
The real reason people should care about the HSTs leaving XC - yes they were old, but withdrawing them before their replacements are ready was a reckless decision!
The fact that XC were close to not even getting the 7 extra Voyagers they’e getting from Avanti is also worrying…
And it's started.
0935 Cross Country Newcastle to Plymouth.
Normally 8 car now 4 car.
Passengers been told by guard there is no more room and are being left behind, this is Doncaster at present.
@ShannonDennis1
@ecomarxi
@localnotail
@BarackObama
Israel has been committing ethnic cleansing & genocide of the Palestinian people for the past 76 years and counting - supporting that and using what happened on one particular day to justify past present and future acts contributing towards this is pretty damn evil if you ask me
The Class 379 - the mainstay of services along the West Anglia Main Line for 10 years, now facing an uncertain future stored across the Greater Anglia network as a result of TOC penny pinching. Here’s 4 examples in “warm” storage at Norwich Clown Point…
It’s unbelievable how much of a step change these Mk3 interiors are - looking at these photos alone, you’d think XC’s HSTs are younger than their Voyagers when in reality they’re just under 30 years older!
Well it’s certainly not unusual to see a 12 car 387/3 working… but it is to see a Green /1 in the middle! 2 of East Ham’s finest on a Didcot run - safe to say that’s my Western White 387 bucket list almost ticked off, and just in the nick of time too…
📍 Paddington
🗓 07/06/22
🇬🇧🤝🇺🇸
I also took the Subway to catch up with
@NYC_DOT
, where we discussed how the US and UK can work together and learn from each other to keep improving public transport for our citizens.
57306 doing the honours in hauling GWR’s supplementary stock in the form of c2c’s 387301, 387306 and 387302. Expect them out and about on the network soon...
Reading - 12/05/21
Welcome aboard this WMR service to New Street, which has been miraculously swapped for a 196 😉🤪 First impressions are VERY good, but how will it hold up for the 1 hour ride to Birmingham? 🤔
📍 Shrewsbury
🗓 17/10/22
“I stopped by my greatest enemy’s funeral, just to make sure it was dead” 🤪
9 and a 1/2 hours of 455 action now with no toilets AND no power sockets, so let’s see how much of the day we survive 😂
📍 Victoria
🗓 14/05/22
Today I just found out 18 car 345s are a thing… caught me off guard when I saw it so no photo of the rear unit 🙃
345022 leading another classmate to OOC from Gidea Park CHS.
Hearing reports that a certain account on here is once again playing the cancel culture card for no valid reason. Give it a rest you batshit looney 🙄🤨
Honestly with all the messed up stuff going on in this country, at least let people enjoy something on their morning commute…