ALR06/02 Day Four - Eastern Promises Kept

Posted in Railways on Thursday 12th October 2006 at 10:10pm

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Had an excellent night of sleep in Newcastle, and was loathe to get up and started on the day's itinerary. I reminded myself that the journey was the whole point of my trip, and reluctantly readied myself for an early start. Down to the station - only really a few steps away from my room at the Royal Station Hotel - in time for the 07:00 departure to Kings Cross, but decided to grab a quick breakfast and stick to my original plan of the 07:18 which stopped only at York. Found a seat and settled in to answer email, check any disruptions to my planned route, and catch up with some websites I try to monitor. A very quick run in the misty morning sunlight, arriving at the 'Cross a little before time. Despite being in the first coach, to the confusion of the staff, I wandered back the length of the train to have a look at the locomotive and see what was stabled near the old York Road part of the station. Down into the tube, which was unseasonably warm and sweaty. Waited a few minutes for a train to Liverpool Street, and was surprised to come face to face with Tony Benn, former parliamentarian and still perhaps the sharpest politician we have. He was plodding steadily out of the station, with the badge of an unidentified organisation attached to his red tie, and a thick tweed suit despite the pleasant weather. It was difficult not to admire a man who confronts the tube as the adventure it can undoubtedly become, trousers tucked into socks and ready for the worst!

My own short adventure to Liverpool Street went smoothly, and I had time to shop a little and enjoy a quiet cup of coffee before heading for my Lowestoft train. This was again, an act of pure vengeance. A couple of trips back I'd planned this for my first day, but things went wrong almost from the outset. This time, things seemed to be working out altogether better. The train left on time, and I had the First Class compartment to myself for much of the journey. We ground to a halt at Kelvedon however, and I noted a lot of orange jackets around. Cold sweat time - I had about 17 minutes at Lowestoft and we left around 20 down crawling by the emergency work site at a snail's pace. An hour stuck out on the coast could seriously delay my plans. Lots of nailbiting and calculating. Although there was catch up time at Ipswich, we were held outside awaiting a platform and lost all of it. There were odd minutes we could snatch on the way to Lowestoft, but it looked fairly grim. Despite enjoying the journey through rather picturesque East Suffolk countryside, found myself worrying about the onward journey.

It turned out I need not have been concerned. As we rolled into Lowestoft, with a few minutes made up and a bit of a sprint ahead of me, the guard announced that this train would now form the 14:50 to Norwich! Somewhat mistrusting my luck, I checked and he confirmed. I silently cursed him for not telling us earlier, along with many people who'd joined the train to make the same connection I suspect. I sat right back down and waited just a couple of minutes for our turnaround. After an uneventful journey over a series of interesting swing bridges across the broads, arrived on time in Norwich with this stretch of new track marked off at last. Not much time for self-congratulation however as I needed to take a Central Trains service to Peterborough next, and that meant hogging the doors of the unit until the guard arrived, just to ensure I got a seat. True to form, the guard appeared about 45 seconds before departure time, and after a bit of a scramble, I found myself a suitable spot to doze my way across the fens to Peterborough, right next to someone almost the same size as me - which is a fairly unlikely occurrence. Now I try hard to politely avoid intruding into others space if only to disprove the stereotype of obesity meaning ignorance. However, it's not so easy when two of you are trying to do the same. Otherwise, not much happens out here in the rather dull flat landscape. A strange highlight near Whittlesea though, where I spotted the curious sight of a man walking a single brown cow and appearing to stop and talk to it. I'm sure there was a rational explanation, but I began to wonder if I hadn't perhaps been on the train too long at this point? Having said that, this is where they annually make an effort to beat up people dressed as straw bears!

Glad to escape the packed unit at Peterborough. I try to avoid these Central services which are woefully inadequate for the journeys they make, but there was no escape from this one. A delight to settle into a good old fashioned HST on the 18:01 to Hull then - with excellent service, plenty of space, wifi and the opportunity to drop the window and listen to the roar of the engine through Doncaster, after which it went very dark indeed outside. Arrived a little early in Hull's impressive Paragon station - currently undergoing a facelift along with much of Ferensway and Paragon Square it seems - and made straight for the hotel, right on the platform. Noted that just like in last night's hotel, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had stayed here too. I'm beginning to feel like some sort of stalker of long-dead Royals - or perhaps in some strange time-bending twist, it's them stalking me? Like I said - I've been on the train for far too long.

Queued for far too long behind a strange foreign gent with a curious habit of listening intently to the receptionist, then repeating back her words with just one small but crucial detail misunderstood. He was leading a party of thirty or so souls, and I can only wonder about how they actually got to there destination! There was also a convention of Special Educational Needs staff at the hotel, and they appeared to be donning their glad rags and raising hell in the bar. Couldn't cope with drunk, militant educationalists tonight, so slunk out into the city centre. Not much had changed in the few months since I was last here. It's a fairly drab corner of the North East, but there are clear signs of regeneration and rebirth. Strolled around much of the central area, and felt fairly safe despite an individual who gleaned a great deal of pleasure from shouting "Mad Bastard!" at everyone he passed. He was generous enough to include me in this. Hull doesn't change quickly, but it's getting there.