2005 Update
We visited the UK in May, 2005. Though we were able
to do a fair amount of photography in the North of England (which we'll
be posting elsewhere) we did get to take our first extensive Pendolino
trip, going from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street and return. Our
overall impression of the trains has not changed. They are sleek,
modern, more like an airplane than traditional train and still frought
with bugs -- all the toilets on our Lime Street to Euston train shut
down around Crewe, which was bad for beer business and more than a few
passengers. Both of our trains were crowded. Because I was doing
relatively little rail travel I did not purchase a first class
railpass. Second class travel was not uncomfortable, but, being tall, I
did feel somewhat cramped and would have been very much more so if I
had a companion in the adjacent seat.
The first photos were taken at London Euston.
Next, we see a Pendo at Lime Street, has had a roughly $35,000,000
rebuild of its trainshed, and photos of a Pendo coach section, and the
on-train shop, which efficiently sells everything from food and drink
to magazines and cd's.
Below is a Virgin Pendo crossing the Runcorn bridge, near Liverpool.
The photo was taken from my seat.
We end with a shot of an 'almost Virgin look alike', what British
correspondent Paul Hutchinson tells me is a Southwest 2
class 458 electric, taken from my
Virgin Airways 747 at about 10,000 feet, somewhere near Windsor. Oh
well, I thought it was a Voyager, but since it's a fun picture I'm
including it. Like Virgin Trains, the airline
provides friendly service and seems very customer focused (though I'm
sure some of my UK friends would question that
observation as applied to Virgin Trains!).
We'll be posting many more photos from our recent UK travels, so check
back often.
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