Random Stuff!!

[Jerry]

So I'm now back home in Cardiff after my trip to Heathrow to do some planespotting! I returned this time using the train. I caught the Heathrow Express to Paddington and the GWR from Paddington. Total journey time from the platform for the Heathrow Express to my house 4 hours and 15 minutes with an hour layover in paddington become I caught the 13.20 departure instead of the 14.05 I was supposed to from Heathrow. From Paddington to Cardiff central it took 2 hours. Overall the one way journey cost me £72 and a lot of lost calories at Heathrow! Now I know why I like Cardiff so much Heathrow is like it's own city! And I also think that the journey is a reminder why airports like Cardiff will struggle to attract certain long haul and short haul routes.
I was able to take lots of photos many of which I posted on social media and I'll post them here as well!
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[TheLocalYokel]

Excellent pics as usual, Jerry. How busy was the train out of Paddington at lunchtime today?

Paddington brings back a lot of memories. I still use it about once a year (up and back) but when I began work nearly 60 years ago I spent a lot of time working nearby and used to regularly travel through the station as a weekly commuter. That was in the days when steam was being replaced by diesel and a lot of the WR steam locos found their way to Woodham's breaker's yard at Barry Docks. Fortunately, some were rescued before being broken up and still operate on heritage lines and some on 'main lines' hauling special trains.

Incidentally, what happened to your car if you began your trip at BRS? Just being nosey.

 

[Jerry]

Excellent pics as usual, Jerry. How busy was the train out of Paddington at lunchtime today?

It was busy but wasn't rammed. It was a nice journey back. The station was busy but i don't know why but i expected Paddington to be bigger i don't why, maybe because it's a London station?

Incidentally, what happened to your car if you began your trip at BRS? Just being nosey.

I didn't take it, i was kindly dropped off by my dad, he's done that a few times now usually with CWL, it does save me a lot of money in parking charges and if they go on holiday and need picking up i repay the favour.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Thanks for the info re the train load. My wife and I invariably use Paddington to come home at teatime/early evening when we return via Eurostar and St Pancras. Then the station is a chaotic mass of heaving bodies and the trains are full to overflowing. It's a waste of time relying on a seat reservation at such times because people sit anywhere and then stand in the gangway when all the seats have gone. Ticket collectors (or train managers or whatever they are called these days) rarely manage to get through the densely packed bodies to check tickets.

Your home-grown taxi service sounds a good system. I dropped off our son and his wife at BRS a few weeks ago. It was a lunchtime flight. I might not have been so keen if it had been as early as your flight this week.

 

[Jerry]

hanks for the info re the train load. My wife and I invariably use Paddington to come home at teatime/early evening when we return via Eurostar and St Pancras. Then the station is a chaotic mass of heaving bodies and the trains are full to overflowing. It's a waste of time relying on a seat reservation at such times because people sit anywhere and then stand in the gangway when all the seats have gone. Ticket collectors (or train managers or whatever they are called these days) rarely manage to get through the densely packed bodies to check tickets.

The station was busy but it wasn't manic. I did book a seat reservation and no one tried to steal it. I did notice that when the platform was announced there was literally a stampede of people practically racing each other to get on the train , i'm guessing to get to their seats.

Your home-grown taxi service sounds a good system. I dropped off our son and his wife at BRS a few weeks ago. It was a lunchtime flight. I might not have been so keen if it had been as early as your flight this week.

Yes it is good of him to do it that early in the morning like that and some of the late night CWL pickups as well. I'm lucky that i have a good family.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The Rugby World Cup will soon be upon us and I have no doubt that a thread will be created in the Sports section of F4A.

However, I'd be interested in Jerry's response to this question.

I know that he is a big Cardiff Blues fan and wondered whether he would prefer them to win the European Champions Cup or Wales to win the World Cup. Can't have both for the purpose of this exercise.

I used to post to some football message boards - I no longer do - and it was surprising to me how many football fans were far more interested in their clubs than in the England national side. Many said they would take promotion for their club or an outperformance in the Premier League over England winning the football World Cup any time.

Only last week I was chatting to a bloke staying at our hotel who turned out to be a Liverpool Football Club season ticket holder. I mentioned that England were playing in the Euro qualifiers this week and, although he was English with a Scouse accent as well, he retorted that he didn't follow England and had little interest in them.

I don't know if this is mainly a football thing or whether many rugby fans also tend to put club before country.

 

[Jerry]

I don't know if this is mainly a football thing or whether many rugby fans also tend to put club before country.

I think in English rugby many fans have a club first mentality whereas in Wales it's definitely the other way round. From a personal point although i would like them to win both, i would pick Cardiff Blues winning the Champions cup because it would be the much bigger achievement and as a fan i feel they never get credit for being the only welsh team to win 2 european trophies, would be very nice to win the big one.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I think in English rugby many fans have a club first mentality whereas in Wales it's definitely the other way round. From a personal point although i would like them to win both, i would pick Cardiff Blues winning the Champions cup because it would be the much bigger achievement and as a fan i feel they never get credit for being the only welsh team to win 2 european trophies, would be very nice to win the big one.

I think with the club v country situation, whether rugby or football, winning the World Cup is a one-off and in itself doesnt really make much difference to the winning country going forward. Whereas if a club team wins promotion or wins a championship that can have a more lasting effect on the club and its fans in terms of where their club is.

 

[Jerry]

20 year's since the Britannia crash.

The plane that crashed after leaving Cardiff with 236 people on board

Miraculously, no one died as a result of the crash, though some passengers have suffered psychological trauma as a result

www.walesonline.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

20 year's since the Britannia crash.

The plane that crashed after leaving Cardiff with 236 people on board

Miraculously, no one died as a result of the crash, though some passengers have suffered psychological trauma as a result

www.walesonline.co.uk

Thanks for that, Jerry. It was certainly a miraculous escape for those on board after the aircraft broke up. It's clear that some have suffered long term repercussions.

20 years - where does that time go?

 

[superking]

Jerry do you know which route the Welsh rugby team travelled to Japan. Looking at BBC breakfast this morning they were saying Wales had the biggest support for watching a training session.

 

[Jerry]

Jerry do you know which route the Welsh rugby team travelled to Japan. Looking at BBC breakfast this morning they were saying Wales had the biggest support for watching a training session.

I'd have thought that they used Heathrow. I'm pretty sure that they didn't use Cardiff as it would've been on the airports social media feed. Sad really that the nations rugby team refuses to use the long haul options available at Cardiff.

 

[mathers_wales_uk]

I’m pretty sure I heard them say they travelled from Heathrow

 

[superking]

The Welsh assistant head coach sent home for betting infringments.Coach howley arrived back in England Monday for investigation by the Welsh rugby board.

 

[Jerry]

South Wales Metro: Lack of toilets tram-trains 'dehumanising'

South Wales Metro: Lack of toilets tram-trains 'dehumanising'

Passengers will be forced to wait to use facilities at stations on the new South Wales Metro.

bbc.in

So finally people in Southern Wales will get new trains, which will be tram like, and investment into the train network except of course for eastern Cardiff but the main headline is people complaining about no toilets despite most Metro networks that I know of not having toilets on the trains/trams.

 

[Jerry]

South Wales Metro: Lack of toilets tram-trains 'dehumanising'

South Wales Metro: Lack of toilets tram-trains 'dehumanising'

Passengers will be forced to wait to use facilities at stations on the new South Wales Metro.

bbc.in

So finally people in Southern Wales will get new trains, which will be tram like, and investment into the train network except of course for eastern Cardiff but the main headline is people complaining about no toilets despite most Metro networks that I know of not having toilets on the trains/trams.

Is an hour long train journey too long for a train without a toilet? As that seems to the general complaint about the new trains.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Is an hour long train journey too long for a train without a toilet? As that seems to the general complaint about the new trains.

People go on longer journeys on buses with no toilet.

 

[Jerry]

People go on longer journeys on buses with no toilet.

Yes but apparently can't on a train!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Yes but apparently can't on a train!

Perhaps one gets a better class of passenger on a train who go to the loo rather than to the bog and don't expect to have to hold their water.

 

[Jerry]

The Welsh government has sent a trade mission to Japan during the Rugby world cup. 20 strong and apparently they did not use KLM or Qatar Airways from Cardiff.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1175038587181703168