I received an email circular out of the blue from one of my friends announcing that his 40^th birthday was about to occur and I was invited to a party. This was however going to be a party with a difference. It was going to last all day, was going to be Class 56 hauled and operated by Pathfinder Tours. It was also going to relieve me of a large quantity of cash as we were to be going Fist Class.

This was going to be a good day out but I was not going to be able to take number one son as he is too young to visit drinking establishments. Shame!

I need to wait for the railtour times in order to be able to draw up a plan.

Saturday 26 June 2010

This year has been very dry with hosepipe bans being muted. The weather today was no different and steaming hot and sunny all day.

It was an early start and it was already getting warm. I had chosen to get an earlier train that I needed too to Bristol Parkway. There were four Railtours scheduled to operate to Penzance today:

• Pathfinder: Class 56 Tame Bridge Parkway – Penzance

• Spitfire: 2 x Class 37 Gloucester – Penzance

• UK Railtours: 2 x Class 67 London – Penzance

• Steam Dreams: Steam and D1015 London – Penzance

The running order was outward, Spitfire, Pathfinder, UK, Steam Dreams and Return Pathfinder, UK, Spitfire, Steam Dreams (Sunday).

This meant that the Spitfire tour was 20 minutes ahead of the tour I was travelling on and a 30 minutes earlier start would allow for photographs at Bristol Parkway before boarding the tour I was travelling on.

As it turned out this went as planned and a pleasant surprise to find 2 Class 56s at the head of the train. It was a glorious run down through Somerset, Devon and Cornwall and it appear the all the railway photographers in the country had turned out on the coastal section between Exeter and Newton Abbot. This is one of my favourite sections of line in the UK and even more so when you travel along it in these weather conditions. We had an extended stop at Dawlish Warren to allow other trains to pass. It was nice to get out and have a walk around. The ice cream seller next to the station did not know what had hit him and must have thought it was his birthday with all this additional clientele.

The journey continued west through Newton Abbot, Totnes and Plymouth before crossing Brunel’s spectacular tubular bridge across the river Tamar at Saltash and on into Cornwall. All was going well until we made the station stop at Truro or nearly didn’t in this case. The train was stopped before Truro by signals and then started to accelerate towards the platform and it was becoming clear the driver was not going to stop. The emergency brake was applied and the rear two carriages stopped in the platform. This meant a lengthy stop while the passengers who had intended to alight walked through the train. The arrival in Penzance was only 15 minutes late.

56311 + 56312 on arrival at Penzance 26/06/10

After the mandatory photographs had been obtained of both our tour and the others visiting today, then it was off to see what Mazey Day was all about. A walk up to the main street in Penzance revealed all. The streets were full of stalls and street entertainers it appeared that the shops had moved out onto the streets. After an hour or so looking round it was time for a rest and a further hour was spent catching the sun and watching the boats on the harbour.

Time was passing by and it was time to seek out hot food and head back to the station for the train home. Departure was prompt at 16:13 and we retraced out tracks back East and north. The good performance was halted at St Erth. It appears that a lineside fire as broken out between Camborne and Truro and Trumpton were in attendance. We sat just out of St Erth station for nearly two hours. This was better than the other tours as we knew people on them. The UK Railtours train was blocking the platform and the people for the Spitfire tour had no train at all as it was still stuck in the sidings. It might be a bit hot but at least we were sat down and had a large supply of beer. My getting home was not looking too good. Once underway progress was good as there were very few trains in front of us. Looking at the timings and the good progress the train was estimated to arrive in Bristol Parkway 3 minutes before the departure of the last train back to South Wales.

37218 + 37259 at Penzance 26/06/10

We continued to made good progress heading back East and the photographers en route were somewhat disappointed as by the time we reached the Devon seafront section of line it was in shade and the following tours over an hour behind us it would have been dark.

It was still looking good for getting home until the last signal before Bristol Temple Meads where we were held for 6 minutes waiting for a platform. I was now quite clearly not going to make it at Bristol Parkway. The next train heading to Cardiff was a 2 hour wait so I left the train at Temple Meads knowing I could not now get home by train but could at least still get to Cardiff.

When things go very badly wrong with train travel, as in this case, I have found that the frontline railway staff are fantastic and solve your problems by getting you home. I was to be sadly disappointed in this case by the “Customer Service” representative at Temple Meads. I explained my predicament that because of the 2 hour delay I could not now get home. He asked if I had travelled on the Charter Train to which I replied yes and he then explained they did not deal with charter trains. I enquired if he could direct me to who did. The people on the charter train being the answer. This was a little tricky as the train had already departed. I then requested if I could speak to the person who was in charge of the station and he said he was.

This effectively left me with a problem. I can’t get home and the normally helpful railway staff had left the building! I was up the creek without a paddle. Another first!

My personal view of this is that this position adopted by First Great Western is appalling. It is unfair to ask them to provide a taxi as they are not the train operator at fault but I would have at least expected to be treated like any other customer arriving on a delayed train. At least a call to DB Schenker as the train operator, to see if they are prepared to pay for transport. 

I have travelled many thousands of miles by train over the past 30 years and found most railway employees to be very helpful but this is by far the worst customer service I have experienced. I did not want to risk the same scenario later down the line so made that call to Mrs Track Basher. Will you drive 100 miles round trip (with 3 smaller potential Track Bashers, one in training) to pick me up at midnight in Cardiff?  I am still alive to tell the tale. My wife is a more wonderful that I can say as she came to get me, at midnight, with 3 children.

The 50 minute wait at Bristol Temple Meads was but to good use by firing off and email to First Great Western about their “Customer Service” from Mr Angry of South Wales. I await a response but very helpfully got a reply that said I will have a response within 5 working days. I will have to see what happens.

The journey between Bristol and Cardiff was quite colourful with group of 10 young ladies (well the probably were when the left home several hours earlier but had lost this image after several pints of WKD) graphically discussing their evening out.

I am very grateful to see Mrs Track Basher as she was there to pick me up as I arrived at midnight and arrived home at 1 a.m.

The tour was superb even with the delay, nice weather and good company what more could you ask for. Where to next?

Will probably have completed the trip by the time I get a reply from First Great Western.

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