caravanman
Engineer
A Trip to York Train Museum.
After the extended lockdown, my first train trip was last week, to Liverpool.
Wanting to keep up the momentum this week, I took a rail trip up to York, to view the train museum. I spent one night in Sheffield en-route, to make it seem more of a mini break than a day trip. Just so nice to spend a day or two away from home again!
All the trains I took this week had many more passengers than last week. Folk were still social distancing, but some passengers had to stand in order to maintain the “no seating companion” expectation. A choice of train operating companies, I mostly rode on the cheapest options, which took longer with stops at more minor stations along the way. Mask wearing was a bit hit and miss, one can tell that folk are now simply not seeing it as important enough to do properly, if at all on the trains.
A short “East Midlands Trains” ride of just over an hour brings me to Sheffield. A former heavy industrial city, famed for steel manufacture and steel cutlery particularly. Virtually all the steel industry has closed, but there are still some small niche manufacturers operating.
I once visited the decommissioned site of the Steel Mill at nearby Rotherham. Now a science centre, the place is simply huge, once the world’s largest electric arc furnace site, it was said that when the electric furnace operated, folk could hear the dragon's roar 10 miles away!
My visit today is just to the town centre, but the steel history is still celebrated just outside the train station. A steel fish sculpture, and, while not the scale of the “Chicago Bean,” a shiny wall of steel snakes and shimmers nearby.
A pleasant hotel stay overnight, and so back to the station for the ride up to York itself. A “Northern Rail” train this time, only two cars long. Quite a crowd waiting to board, felt lucky to get a pair of seats to myself!
Arriving into York, I was impressed by the station itself. York has many ancient buildings, so as I was too early for the train museum, I took a short walk up to see York Minster, and also viewed the other old buildings and streets in the area.
The river Ouse runs through York, and it was busy with pleasure craft conducting tourist trips today.
One is obliged to pre-book a time slot on line for (free) admission, and that went smoothly. A lot of family groups visiting, not just “sad old men” train fans…
I liked the locomotives and the old rolling stock, saw quite a few surprises.
I used to operate the Brush type loco pictured when I worked for B.R. back in the day. We called it a “toffee apple” Brush, as the cab change-ends key was hefty, and looked a bit toffee apple shaped!
Interested to see a GWR futuristic railcar, didn’t know that existed at all.
Cut away of the workings of a real steam engine, and the Mallard Loco, holder of the Steam speed record.
I loved the decorations, the clock and the whole roof span of York station too, so snapped a few shots while waiting for my train home to Nottingham.
Many more pics, of course, but one can over egg the pudding, as they say...
my next week's train trip is already booked, so "watch this space"! Thanks for reading!
After the extended lockdown, my first train trip was last week, to Liverpool.
Wanting to keep up the momentum this week, I took a rail trip up to York, to view the train museum. I spent one night in Sheffield en-route, to make it seem more of a mini break than a day trip. Just so nice to spend a day or two away from home again!
All the trains I took this week had many more passengers than last week. Folk were still social distancing, but some passengers had to stand in order to maintain the “no seating companion” expectation. A choice of train operating companies, I mostly rode on the cheapest options, which took longer with stops at more minor stations along the way. Mask wearing was a bit hit and miss, one can tell that folk are now simply not seeing it as important enough to do properly, if at all on the trains.
A short “East Midlands Trains” ride of just over an hour brings me to Sheffield. A former heavy industrial city, famed for steel manufacture and steel cutlery particularly. Virtually all the steel industry has closed, but there are still some small niche manufacturers operating.
I once visited the decommissioned site of the Steel Mill at nearby Rotherham. Now a science centre, the place is simply huge, once the world’s largest electric arc furnace site, it was said that when the electric furnace operated, folk could hear the dragon's roar 10 miles away!
My visit today is just to the town centre, but the steel history is still celebrated just outside the train station. A steel fish sculpture, and, while not the scale of the “Chicago Bean,” a shiny wall of steel snakes and shimmers nearby.
A pleasant hotel stay overnight, and so back to the station for the ride up to York itself. A “Northern Rail” train this time, only two cars long. Quite a crowd waiting to board, felt lucky to get a pair of seats to myself!
Arriving into York, I was impressed by the station itself. York has many ancient buildings, so as I was too early for the train museum, I took a short walk up to see York Minster, and also viewed the other old buildings and streets in the area.
The river Ouse runs through York, and it was busy with pleasure craft conducting tourist trips today.
One is obliged to pre-book a time slot on line for (free) admission, and that went smoothly. A lot of family groups visiting, not just “sad old men” train fans…
I liked the locomotives and the old rolling stock, saw quite a few surprises.
I used to operate the Brush type loco pictured when I worked for B.R. back in the day. We called it a “toffee apple” Brush, as the cab change-ends key was hefty, and looked a bit toffee apple shaped!
Interested to see a GWR futuristic railcar, didn’t know that existed at all.
Cut away of the workings of a real steam engine, and the Mallard Loco, holder of the Steam speed record.
I loved the decorations, the clock and the whole roof span of York station too, so snapped a few shots while waiting for my train home to Nottingham.
Many more pics, of course, but one can over egg the pudding, as they say...
my next week's train trip is already booked, so "watch this space"! Thanks for reading!
. I suppose with most mainline trains having doors at the ends of cars it isn’t usually an issue these days.
