4 European countries in 7 days ~ 11 trains & 2 ferries

[caravanman]

I lived in Romford, I seem to recall you were in Brentwood?
We used to buy a return to Gidea Park, but instead would travel up to Stratford, cross the platform to the Central line tube, and ride around all over. Reverse when going home, and use the return ticket to exit at Romford. Happy days, but I think I was probably 11 or 12 rather than any younger.

 

[user 6862]

Brentwood is posh, or if not posh then well to do. We have never lived there but we often stay with Roise's cousin who does live there. That is only the last 7 or 8 years though since she lost her husband.

Romford was one of our home towns too, from the age of 5 to 10 years old for me. Really liked Romford but parents decided to move on... again.

At the same time we spent a lot of time in Dagenham, went over there to stay with our Grandma some weekends and during school holidays. Some of my uncles still lived at Dagenham family home or called in on a regular basis and they funded our trips into central London, or bought us an ice cream. Typical East End family who didn't worry about what you did providing you didn't get into trouble and got home before it was dark.
You must have experieced similar too.

Playing football (soccer) took over as we got older so fewer and fewer day trips after 10 years old.

Did you have a favourite place in London to go to?

 

[caravanman]

Maybe you started one of your train trips from Brentwood? Very familiar with Dagenham, had an uncle worked in Fords, a major employer at that time.
Good to read that you are visiting America in 2022, I hope to be able to do that next year also, fingers crossed.
We often visited South Kensington, for all the museums there. Makes me sound a bit of a "swot" but I think maybe we just liked pressing the buttons on the cabinets to activate the displays!

 

[MARC Rider]

"The Paris metro is a favourite and feels exotic after having grown up with the London tube system. Used to ride the tube with my brother at weekends and school holidays as children, we'd have passes that gave us the freedom of London. "

I well remember the "Red Rover" go anywhere London Bus passes, but I can't remember what the Tube pass "Rover" was called?
I agree that the Paris metro is often more interesting, with more upmarket buskers, etc...

In 1985, I bought something called a "Capitalcard" that was good for the underground, city buses and British Rail trains in the London metro area.

 

[Willbridge]

Constantly amazed at your breadth of knowledge of transport, in so many countries too, thanks for that background.

Like our South Platte River it's broad but not very deep.

 

[JontyMort]

I'll certainly try to document the Sail and Rail for you but leaving all the arrangements to cousin Bernie. We may travel from Longford to Dublin by train or car, then Dublin to Holyhead ferry. He has mentioned there is a direct train I think to Euston station in London but the majority of these journeys require a change somewhere, I'll write it up in Travelogues when we know.

It will be Euston. There used to be several through trains, but it seems to be down to one a day at present - possibly the pre-Covid schedule hasn’t been restored. If you have to change - at Crewe - the connections are usually OK. Whether the connection between ferry and train is as good is a different matter. The days when the Irish Mail was a key express have long since gone.

 

[caravanman]

The rail sail ticket is one I have used previously. It allows train travel from any train station to Dublin, via Holyhead. Depending on the Dublin destination selected, it can include a bus from the Ferry Port to the centre.
There is a similar ticket available to travel from Harwich to Holland, called the Dutch Flyer. (No flying involved)!
For someone like me who likes to go "the long way round", it is a fun way to travel.
And if any of the North American chums are having sleepless nights fretting about the name of the Underground Rover ticket I mentioned above, it was called a Twin Rover...

 

[slasher-fun]

Thanks for that, you have a great deal of detail on French rail, do you work in that area?

Thanks, but no I don't

 

[jis]

In 1985, I bought something called a "Capitalcard" that was good for the underground, city buses and British Rail trains in the London metro area.

Question for those who are familiar with today's London.... I know that Oyster works on everything TfL, and quite a bit of what used to be British Rail local service around London is now London Overground. But one can of course still travel on non Overground trains like say from Paddington to Southall (within the TfL territory. Is Oyster usable on these journeys?

I do have an Oyster Card, but the last time I was in London my iPhone was my Oyster Card, just like it is becoming the primary fare paying instrument on New York MTA too. Incidentally the system is New York is technically the same one used for Oyster in London.

 

[JontyMort]

Question for those who are familiar with today's London.... I know that Oyster works on everything TfL, and quite a bit of what used to be British Rail local service around London is now London Overground. But one can of course still travel on non Overground trains like say from Paddington to Southall (within the TfL territory. Is Oyster usable on these journeys?

I do have an Oyster Card, but the last time I was in London my iPhone was my Oyster Card, just like it is becoming the primary fare paying instrument on New York MTA too. Incidentally the system is New York is technically the same one used for Oyster in London.

You should be fine with Oyster on those type of journeys. As you say, you don’t actually need to get an Oyster card. Smartphones will work and the same applies to a credit or debit card with a chip in it also.

There must be thousands of Oyster cards sitting around the world with a few pounds on them. At Vancouver airport I noticed an excellent system where they invite you to put your Compass card in a box so that the unused balance goes to charity.

 

[user 6862]

We used to buy a return to Gidea Park, but instead would travel up to Stratford, cross the platform to the Central line tube, and ride around all over. Reverse when going home, and use the return ticket to exit at Romford. Happy days, but I think I was probably 11 or 12 rather than any younger.

Now that was a smart idea. Is it Gidea Park with a large station car park?

Good to read that you are visiting America in 2022, I hope to be able to do that next year also, fingers crossed.

It's all a gamble isn't it, but unless we try we won't know.

We often visited South Kensington, for all the museums there. Makes me sound a bit of a "swot" but I think maybe we just liked pressing the buttons on the cabinets to activate the displays!

Yes, us too and for the same reasons. Bet you're not a swot either.

It will be Euston. There used to be several through trains, but it seems to be down to one a day at present - possibly the pre-Covid schedule hasn’t been restored. If you have to change - at Crewe - the connections are usually OK. Whether the connection between ferry and train is as good is a different matter. The days when the Irish Mail was a key express have long since gone.

Thanks for that, but having rellies that use this service several times a year I expect or hope they are up to date. Although maybe not as since they all moved to Ireland this fairly relaxed section of our family are so laid back now they are almost horizontal, so who knows how the day will go. But should be fun...

 

[PaulM]

We were collected at Jenbach, Austria station by friends from Germany and brought to this chalet at Achensee at the upper end of the lake, our home for the next 3 days.

Too bad you missed this:

Achenseebahn Dampzahnradbahn (steam cog wheel railway) in Jenbach. Climbs about 5 miles from Jenbach on the main rail line in the Inn River valley in the Tyrol to Maurach am Achensee that lies on Achensee (a high Alpine lake).

 

[user 6862]

Too bad you missed this:
View attachment 25126
Achenseebahn Dampzahnradbahn (steam cog wheel railway) in Jenbach. Climbs about 5 miles from Jenbach on the main rail line in the Inn River valley in the Tyrol to Maurach am Achensee that lies on Achensee (a high Alpine lake).

I knew of it as it came up in research, but we spent our time with friends who had little interest in trains. We don't get to see these people so often now so we all compromised on what to do and see in that short time. One of their compromises was travelling on the lake ferry which we were very keen to do, maybe next time it will be the train.
Here's a photo I managed almost by accident, it pulled out of Jenbach just as our train arrived and had to scrabble for Rosie's camera while keeping an eye on our incoming train.



At first with so much rail equipment in front of it I thought not to bother, although I knew even though we are not extra interested in steam that some on this forum were. So took this blurred obscured photo anyway, then jumped on our train in a hurry. It is such a poor photo that I didn't think it should be included.

Have you ridden this train?

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

It is such a poor photo that I didn't think it should be included.

I have no art training, but “I know what I like,” and I think this is a wonderful photo.

Its composition is attractive parallel rows—the tracks, the train equipment, and whatever those tall things are sticking up.

And it’s almost like a metaphor for the barricades we’ve all faced this year—a simple ride on a steam train is, in this picture, a hazy dream in the background and almost impossible to reach through the barriers.

 

[PeeweeTM]

Have you ridden this train?

Just as a small correction, but it seems you took a picture of the 'other' steam train in Jenbach, the Zillertalbahn.
Different type of gauge (760mm Zillertalbahn, 1.000mm Achenseebahn and 1435mm ÖBB gauges available in Jenbach) and some other steam locomotive details.

 

[user 6862]

I have no art training, but “I know what I like,” and I think this is a wonderful photo.

Its composition is attractive parallel rows—the tracks, the train equipment, and whatever those tall things are sticking up.

And it’s almost like a metaphor for the barricades we’ve all faced this year—a simple ride on a steam train is, in this picture, a hazy dream in the background and almost impossible to reach through the barriers.

That is a beautiful description, thanks for the encouragement.

 

[user 6862]

Just as a small correction, but it seems you took a picture of the 'other' steam train in Jenbach, the Zillertalbahn.
Different type of gauge (760mm Zillertalbahn, 1.000mm Achenseebahn and 1435mm ÖBB gauges available in Jenbach) and some other steam locomotive details.

I don't have experise on any rail equipment so happy to accept your conclusions, they are obviously big on 'steam' in Jenbach.

Having written that I will also add that Jenback was the most industrialised town that we passed through in the entire Tyrol, maybe there is a connection?

 

[PeeweeTM]

I don't have experise on any rail equipment so happy to accept your conclusions, they are obviously big on 'steam' in Jenbach.

Well, on the picture PaulM shows, you can see the boilers are mounted 'funny' on the frame to keep tubes ducting the hot fumes under water while riding the rather steep slope. If the water doesn't cover and cool the pipes (making steam as a bi-product, or the other way around...), those tubes would melt, releasing the steam via the smook stack bypassing the steam engine.

And for being able to move at the wanted speed on that steep sloop between Jenbach and the Achensee, you can see parts of the 'cog-drive'(?) at elbow height of the man facing the fotographer.

I never drove steam locomotives that little and under those demanding circumstances, but the logic behind the components I can recognize and hopefully explain.