PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks Thread starter
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1066 of 1107
Sat 22nd Jun 2024 1:44pm
I struggle to leave food out of any conversation hey, but Greggs for me are now steeling the show for reasonably priced convenience food. Their meal deals in particular. If you are ever at Wolverhampton station, try going out through the barriers to the end of the concourse, where on the right is a Coop, very convenient, normal prices including convenient travel food including meal deals.
Ok, happy days. |
Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks Thread starter
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1067 of 1107
Sat 22nd Jun 2024 2:15pm
Continuing the theme of casual bolt on tickets, I use TrainLine, it being universal for most operators, but please make sure that you look at the prices of peak & off-peak returns.
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday's are generally the most generally available off-peak. I didn't want to arrive in Shrewsbury & then find that my next off-peak return was very inconvenient. Being just a bit vigilant makes it so easy to get about.
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Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
Slim
Another Coventry kid |
1068 of 1107
Sun 23rd Jun 2024 3:51pm
I us the railways a lot, e.g. last week I was up the Smoke twice (on business, like); private business, actually, so had to book two days' leave off the day job. Anyway, Camberwell on the Tuesday, and central London on the Thursday.
I generally book in advance using Trainsplit. It is very solid, as opposed to the national Rail site which is flaky - very annoying when it says "there was an error", and you have to start all over again. Plus, more often than not it saves quite a few quid. And you can select the fastest train/s, as I did last week, and pay a bit more. Double, to be more accurate.
Just remember to tick that you've got a railcard, which gets you 33.333333333333333333% off all fares. |
Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks Thread starter
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1069 of 1107
Sun 23rd Jun 2024 7:08pm
Hello,
I can't help but emphasise what Sliim is saying about rail cards.
My "old foggy" railcard is encrypted into my phone, so I have to tick it out if I'm buying a ticket for someone else. I've done a sample on my phone you can see the price difference using a discount card.
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Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
Choirboy
Bicester |
1070 of 1107
Sun 23rd Jun 2024 8:12pm
I used to have a real plastic senior rail card but on exiting lockdown I renewed it via Trainline. I did not use it for several months but then booked via Chiltern's site for a day return, Bicester to Marylebone. An inspector on the train demanded to see my Rail Card but on starting the app I received a message telling me a new version was available and needed to be downloaded. The inspector continued checking other passengers' tickets and returned to me. On starting the updated app it requested my password. Since I had generated and saved a secure one of 14 random characters on my desktop I was unable to start the app and show my Rail Card. I was charged the full fare but after sending images via email to Chiltern Railways I eventually got a refund some months later.
Moral of the story: always check your phone is fully charged and the app works before leaving home. |
Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks Thread starter
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1071 of 1107
Tue 25th Jun 2024 8:16am
Hello,
Making sure the App is fully displaying & connected is paramount. I often observe bus passengers who have the same issue with their prepaid bus app, where they cannot get past the auto reader.
Occasionally, we can have a company operative who is not fully conversant with technology.
Thank you for your valuable info.
I wonder if our IT experts can contribute to this discussion? It's my experience that any app that's not been used for around twelve weeks, often goes to sleep.
My online eBay is case in point. Even if it's a minor item, I buy something at least once in three months, just to keep the works oiled.
Certainly, anything with a financial implication, starts to close up after no use in twelve weeks.
Anyone???? Question |
Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
Helen F
Warrington |
1072 of 1107
Tue 25th Jun 2024 11:37am
I haven't noticed that apps stop after 12 weeks. I did lose my first Ebay account but it was after years of not using it. I'm not at all happy with using apps on a phone for stuff. I had the forethought of printing out my code for getting into the Belgrade Plaza carpark and it was much easier waving under the reader than my phone. |
Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks Thread starter
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1073 of 1107
Fri 28th Jun 2024 8:25pm
Hello,
Slightly out of our area of Coventry (sob sob), the last scheduled coal train ran its journey this week to Ratcliffe power station. Trains & coal were synonymous with each other. In 1960 nearly 70% of all goods rail traffic was coal. British Railways was the national coal boards biggest customer.
Last Coal Train
The supply of coal might turn out to be the biggest stumbling block to preserved railways, as the small quantities of imported coal is so expensive.
When Pam & I had our gas central heating installed here in our home in 1976, the cost of gas in every day use, was over three times the cost of coal. Even the smokeless brickets from the Lurgi plant in Keresley was half the price of gas, which is what we used.
It saved Pam & I a lot of time in a morning.
We had an all-night fire, which only needed cleaning out every third day, but took about half an hour & I needed a bath after doing it almost! |
Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
Helen F
Warrington |
1074 of 1107
Fri 28th Jun 2024 10:33pm
As a kiddie I got to press the button to empty a coal waggon at a power station. Some of my earliest memories are of power stations and coal trains. |
Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
Dreamtime
Perth Western Australia |
1075 of 1107
Sun 30th Jun 2024 6:09am
There you go, you missed your vocation Helen. ![]() ![]() |
Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
Helen F |
1076 of 1107
Sun 30th Jun 2024 9:41am
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PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks Thread starter
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1077 of 1107
Tue 2nd Jul 2024 7:32pm
Hello
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Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
NeilsYard
Coventry |
1078 of 1107
Wed 3rd Jul 2024 12:20pm
Thanks to Hylton Holt on FB - I had no idea Great Western Railways ran an engine called Allesley Hall
- 4985 Allesley Hall. Originally built as Allersley Hall January 1931. First shed allocation Old Oak Common. August 1950 shed allocation Bristol, Bath Road. March 1959 shed allocation Taunton. Last shed allocation Neath. Withdrawn September 1964. Scrapped at Cashmore's, Newport. |
Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks Thread starter
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1079 of 1107
Wed 3rd Jul 2024 12:56pm
Hello,
I'm "Chuffed", that interest has arisen in this area.
The Halls class of Swindon built locomotives were on paper named from Halls, that were inside the routes of the former GWR. Such was the outstanding quality of the halls, so many constructed, that names were being used from outside of their range.
Until modification during the early part of WW2, Coventry platforms were unsuitable for GWR loading gauges, the Halls were prohibited from entering Coventry.
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Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry | |
PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks Thread starter
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1080 of 1107
Wed 3rd Jul 2024 2:23pm
Hello,
My chapel hall, is named Wycliffe Hall, not after the loco of the same name, but in memory of the Wycliffe bible translators.
Over the entrance to the Hall, is the left side nameplate from the locomotive, that in its working life, covered 2.1/4 million miles.
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Memories and Nostalgia - Railways around Coventry |
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