Monday 25 November - Nottingham than Manchester

We left Birmingham early today to spend some time in Nottingham. It has been a soggy day and it never really became light all day.

The trams now go right over the railway station which makes interchange very simple. There are two branches to the north and two to the south. The northern line runs through the town center than branches. We went up to Hucknall.

At the station stop

One of the earlier Bombardier trams

There were many wheel chairs which had easy access

The system runs quite frequently and the trams are crowded at times. They must be very busy in the peak periods.

Nottingham Market Square

I wonder how much demand there is for drinking horns

Back in town we had fish and chips at a pub and then went to Clifton South. The weather was not too inviting and so we took an earlier train to Manchester, through Sheffield and Southport, mostly in the dark.

Our hotel is very close to Manchester Piccadilly station
Click here to see all pictures taken at Nottingham

Saturday and Sunday 23 and 24 November - Warley Model Railway Society Show

We spent both days at the show at the National Exhibition Centre at Birmingham International . The hall is enormous but this show must have been eclipsed by another Motor Cycle show which was in three halls.

This is the major model railway show in the UK and there were lots of dealers present and a great number of amazing layouts. Paul and I were able to purchase most of the items we need for our models which are difficult to find in Canada but we were also able to speak to many experts  and learn from them. There were several people doing hands on demonstrations.

The hall way full right from the start on Saturday and it was difficult to get around and see the more popular items.  It was also difficult to find a place to sit down to eat from the many stalls which had everything from salads to fish and chips as well as pasties. Things got quieter in the afternoon.

Sunday was quieter and it was easier to get around and see the things we had missed the previous day.

It would have been impossible to see everything on one day and Sunday was as worthwhile as Saturday.

It is difficult to single ot any particular item that was special so I will just include a selection of the pictures I took.

Click here to see all pictures taken at Warley Model Railway Show

Friday 22 November - Clun Castle

Breakfast this morning was at an ethnic place close to the tram stop at new Street station. The food was good and they were very attentive.

We had an interesting walk through the markets in the Bull Ring area

We bought our tickets to Tyseley at Moor Street and caught an earlier train which was a good move. We found the locomotive works alright and were lucky enough to meet a lady volunteer coming out who explained that Matthew Self was not available this morning as he had been called away but made a phone call and gave us the code to get into the place. Turned out the code had been changed but we eventually found our way in and were given a very warm welcome. 

Bob Meaney took a lot of time going over what they were doing at the works. He has a wealth of wonderful stories.

We walked through the works past a number of locomotives in various stages of restoration or rebuilding. One of the most interesting was a Grange 4-6-0 which was being reconstructed from various donor locomotives – the Granges were all scrapped by British Railways.

Clun Castle, 7029, which I had come specially to see was not in steam and we spent some time in the cab. It brought back memories of the one time in 1965 when I rode on Clun on the 1615 Paddington.

It was an impressive visit and we happily made our way back to Tyseley station only to find that there had been an incident of some kind and there were no trains running back to Moor Street.  However, our tickets were accepted on local bus no. 4 and we made it back into New Street.

After a drink we made our way in the rain past the canal basin and took a look at the Public Library. Another drink at a pub close to the canal then back to New Street for a snack.

The trams are being tested on the new section from New Street to the Public Library.  This section is wireless and the trams were working on battery.

The Polar Express was running this evening using a Class 5  (54304) The staff let us on to the platform without a ticket and we watched a large number of small children, many in their pajamas having a good time. They all get a mug of coco, a cookie, Santa visits and they are told the story of the Polar Express

 Walked 21500 steps today

Click here to see all pictures taken at Tyseley

Wednesday - Thursday November 20-21. Travel Ottawa to Birmingham

We left Ottawa late because the plane had to be de-iced but made up the time for an n time arrival at Heathrow. The first surprise was that our passports (both UK and Canada) are biometric and we could go through UK border services on the machine which took a few seconds – quite a bit different from having to wait in line for 45 minutes.

We just missed a bus into Reading but only had to wait 20 minutes for the next one and knew we could buy our tickets on the bus so that saved a long wait.

We validated our rail passes and went into the Fullers Restaurant, formerly the stationmaster’s office at the station. The full English breakfast was a monster and set us up for the day.

Cross Country trains now run a train every 30 minutes to Birmingham but the trains are still only four cars. However, this time we were smart in getting first class. The economy was very, very, full but there was plenty of room in first.

The countryside is wet and soggy.  Temperatures are not particularly low but the damp makes it uncomfortable.  Several areas are flooded much to the delight of the local gulls.

We got into Birmingham New Street and found the hotel is very close. It is adequate but nothing more.

The area is a nicely appointed German style Christmas Market with all the normal kitsch that one has come to expect. Lots of beer and sausages and the smell of sweet stuff. We found Moor Street station which we will need tomorrow.  It seems to be pure Great Western.

We took a ride on the West Midland tram from New Street to Wolverhampton and back.  They are five unit trams built by CAF. All but four of the fleet run on battery power which is environmentally sound and allows the removal of overhead wires. They are still using the wires but presumably to charge the batteries. Top speed is 70 km/hr and they are quiet in operation. They seem wider than Ottawa and the floors are low and completely flat. A day ticket costs 4 pounds which seems good value. 

Click here to see all pictures taken at Birmingham

Saturday 7 September - Returning Home

While we were waiting for the train at Yverdon-les-Bains we could see the sparrows were having a good time eating the crumbs from the lady's baguette

We set out n good time for Geneva Airport.  The ICN from Yverdon-les-Bains ran well. It was a bright sunny day and there were several deer in the fields around Chavornay.  Further on there were some impressive views of the French Alps across Lake Geneva and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time.

The airport was crowded but as we had our boarding passes on our phones we were able to take our time. There was a small hiccough going through security when I had difficulty calling up my boarding pass on my phone. Afterwards Paul taught me to take a screen shot of the pass which is much easier.

The ground staff at Geneva seemed very off hand. There were six of them at times who were more concerned with chatting than boarding passengers.  We boarded by bus and were not ready at the planned departure time. The Captain then announced there would be a delay while they took off some baggage as a result of passport problems with some intending passengers.  We left over an hour late in the knowledge that our flight would be over eight hours because we were being diverted around the heavy storm which was centred around Nova Scotia.  With a very tight connection in Montreal we were resigned to missing the flight to Ottawa.

However, we made up a little time and here the fun began. We had about 45 minutes to get off the aircraft, get through Immigration and find the connecting gate. It is amazing to say that we made it in about 35 minutes.  Montreal Immigration has a special section for connecting passengers and the new machines worked well. We were then directed to a newly opened corridor which allowed us to get to the gates without having to go through Security. Part way down our tickets were scanned and we were told the departure gate - which was at the other end of the airport. We walked fast bur started to run when we heard our names being called out over the PA.  We reached the gate, were given fresh boarding passes and greeted on the small plane by a smiling steward.  The scheduled departure was 1620 and we arrived at 1610. The plane was full and we left a little early. With a short 22 minute flight we arrived home in Ottawa about 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

So how was the trip?

In a word FANTASTIC

The highlights are too numerous to mention

Miniatur Wunderland was worth spending two days and the DB didn't mess us up both coming and going.

In Switzerland we saw a lot of the railway system including many new features that have been implemented since we were there last year.
Standard Gauge - SBB, BLS, TPN, SZU, Rigibahn (including to Vitznau)
Narrow Gauge -
Jura, TPN (Les Brenets), Aare Seeland, Appenzellerbahn (new tunnel, Gais rack), Mont Blanc Express, Tverdon-Ste. Croix, Lausanne-Echellens-Bercher, MBC (including gauge transfer), TPC Aigle and Bex (rack), Vevey-Les Pleiades (rack), BDWM, Zentralbahn (rack), MIB (innertkirchen), Blonay-Chamby.
Tramways -
Bern (steam tram), Basel, Zurich, Lausanne, Forchbahn, Schnitznach Garden Center, Emosson

We saw a lot but there is still more to see - ah well, next time.

Friday 6 September - The Jura

We always enjoy the Jura with its wide green valleys mixed in with some wild rugged scenery.  The center of rail operations is La Chaux de Fonds which has many different railway companies running in:
Standard Gauge - SBB; Trans N.: BLS; SNCF
Narrow Gauge - Jura; Trans N.
These all manage to work together and all trains arrive within five minutes before the hour and leave within 5 minutes after the hour so the interconnections are perfect.

At Le Locle - the Trans N connection from La Chaux de Fonds is on the left. The Italian built railcar to Les Brenets is on the right

We were sitting in the railcar for Les Brenets, it was quite full with locals who were all chatting. A small dog was wandering around being petted by many. A man stood up and whistled and the dog ran into the drivers compartment followed by the driver.  At Les Brenets he told me the dog was no trouble and it was better than leaving him alone in the house.

The driver and his dog

Les Brenets

Les Brenets

A preserved steam engine is inside this glass case. It is well preserved but not good for photography

The deer farm is one of the features of the short trip

WE returned to Le Locle and La Chaux de Fonds and took the Jura Railway all the way through to Glovelier, a very pleasant ride, including the hairpin bend and reversal at Combe-Travelion.

Jura train at Glovelier

Dual gauge ties/sleepers laid in the main line at Glovelier. The result of an abortive scheme to run narrow gauge trains to Delemont

From Glovelier we went on to Porrentruy and planned to go on to Delle but the announcement said that there would be a full customs inspection with passports examination and declarations. We decided to get out at Boncourt and found a Coop which provided sandwiches. We left Boncourt as soon as possible and eventually arrived at Biel/Bienne where we boarded the Aare Seeland narrow gauge for an enjoyable ride to Ins.

An orange Re 4/4 ex Trans Europe EXpress at Biel

At Ins there is a lot of construction going on. Passengers have to cross here to get to the BLS station on the right.

The BLS took us to Neuchatel and the SBB brought us back to Yverdon-les-Bains.

Thursday 5 September - Aigle

 Aigle is a delightful town just to the west of Lac Leman. It has three narrow gauge railways all, now under the same management and all now on the same voltage (1500v DC) and same rack system (Riggenbach). It also has an impressive castle situated in the vineyards.  We always like to make a visit here.

We went to Lausanne using a Re 4/4/ hauled commuter train originating in Neuchatel.

11199 reached a maximum of 147 km/hr. Although it rattled a bit not bad for a 1960s era locomotive.

We took a look around Aigle after trying unsuccessfully to get pictures of the Leysin train heading its way to the station down a narrow one way street heavily filled with cars.

THis heritage car and trailer are kept under a bridge at the west end of the station

Aigle

Aigle - Leysin train arriving in front of the station

There is a steep climb up to Leysin but the area is not particularly ispiring and we caught a post bus over to Le Sepey,

Leysin

Train for Diablerets arriving at Le Sepey

Sawmill at Le Sepey

Like many Swiss towns and villages, Le Sepey abounds in flowers

Le Sepey

We took a train back into Aigle and admired the chateau.

Finally we took the opportunity to go to Monthey and Champery on the third line out of Aigle. This is now equipped with new trains following the conversion to the 1500v DC voltage and the change to the Riggenbach rack (from Strub)

Monthey

Champery

At Monthey we took the opportunity to view an SBB switcher at the standard gauge station

All in all it was a pretty long day. We encountered a little rain at Leysin but the weather was not too bad. The sun came out on the way back so tomorrow in the Jura looks to be promising.