More about trains ...

I like travelling by rail.

I always have.

Here is how I used to travel to school on a 101 class DMU:

(OK, that image is just of a model, but it is in the correct livery for the time …

and - just admire the immaculate track-work!)

I did not need to be at high speed.

Today I listened to a discussion on The Jeremy Vine Show.
(BBC, Radio 2.)

The proposed high-speed link between London and Birmingham will have a journey time of 45 minutes.

Wow, that’s impressive!
But the train won’t stop anywhere between the two termini.
“What use is that to someone who lives in the Chilterns?” asked one subscriber.

Anyway, why do people need to travel between two modern cities so rapidly?
In this age of advanced communication technology, who needs to go anywhere?
What about the telephone, fax, email and internet-based video links that facilitate near-instantaneous communication?
I accept that face-to-face meetings are sometimes necessary, but how many such meetings won’t wait until tomorrow?
Perhaps there are precious things/objects/documents that need to be delivered from hand to hand, and signatures required.
Fine, but what’s the rush?

Naturally, there will be the occasional wedding, funeral or family gathering that you feel obliged to attend.
You don’t have to do ‘day-return to Birmingham, please,’ do you?
(Particularly if the event is in some remote corner of Essex.)
You do your research, factor in your journey-time, and, if necessary, book a room at Premier Inn:

I live in a village on the outskirts of a provincial city on the South coast of England.
There is a railway station in the village, but half the trains don’t stop there, so we have an hourly service throughout the day, and two-hourly in the evening.
Here’s my magnificent local station:

It is worth visiting Bosham just to admire this fine architecture.

Occasionally I need to visit my dentist whose premises are in another village - three stations down the line. That train journey takes 14 minutes, and the timetable is usually reliable. Of course, because of an hourly service, I usually arrive at my dentist well before the appointment.

I don’t find that a problem because my dentist has a delightful receptionist who offers me coffee:

Oh, look, it's Tracey again - if she plays her cards right, she can have me!

Then I have to get home, and that often involves hanging around a drafty station, (that has no facilities,) for a bladder-challenging period of time.

I don’t need to go to London at the speed of sound.

I need a local transport system that operates frequently, on time, and stops where I need to be.

I don’t really care how long it takes

… as long as there’s a loo!

Using a Senior Railcard ...

There are some advantages to being of advanced age.

Recently, at a small cost, I acquired my Senior Railcard. This entitles me to substantial discounts on off-peak rail travel.

On Monday I plan to travel from Chichester to Didcot, a distance of 88 miles.
The return rail journey will cost me less than £25.00.
That’s only about 7p. per mile.
(Perhaps not many people want to go to Didcot.)

I do!

I even booked my tickets on-line and was able to collect them from my local station.
Isn’t that remarkable?

For years I have wanted to visit The Didcot Railway Centre which houses a collection of Great Western Railway locomotives and rolling stock. I acknowledge that such an excursion may not have widespread appeal, but if you’re over 60, admission costs only £4.50 instead of £5.00. This just gets better!

What more could a senior citizen want?

Here’s a train journey, a piece of industrial heritage and respite from housework, all for less than £30.

Perhaps I’ll repeat the expedition on Tuesday!

(For a slide-show of my visit click Didcot slide-show)