Posts

GWR vs National Express

Image
 Recently I went to Cheltenham to make the most of the 4-day Easter weekend, and to save costs I decided to take a Coach on the return journey. This also allowed me to try National Express for the first time in quite a long time, so I thought that it would be interesting to compare the train against the coach. Great Western Railway (Train): My train at Cheltenham Spa The first advantage of the train was the ability to make free reservations, which guaranteed that I would have a seat on the train. Unfortunately, I was travelling in standard class on a GWR IET. The first issue was the platform, which was not announced till less than 10 minutes before departure, which was a big issue since the train was at the other end of the platform, requiring a dash to make sure I didn't miss it. This specific train was quite cheap at £18.50 for a standard class ticket, although most services are more expensive, ranging from £20-40. This journey would take 1 hour and 59 minutes, faster than the co...

Why are Double-decker buses so rare outside the UK?

Image
 As a transport enthusiast, whenever I go on holiday, I always check out what the buses are like. The variety between all of them is quite interesting. For example, Brussels doesn't have as many buses thanks to its excellent tram system whereas Hong Kong, despite having a large Metro system still has an expansive bus network which is quite competitive with the MTR. But the question which often bugs me is this: Why are double-decker buses so rare outside the UK? To help answer this question, I've set up a list of pros and cons for double deckers. But First... I'm aware that there are other places that use double deckers, most notably Singapore & Hong Kong. However, most places prefer articulated buses (such almost all of Europe).  Advantages: One of London's many Double-Decker buses  - Double Decker Buses have more seats than articulated buses which have a larger proportion of standing passengers at full load  - Double Decker Buses have a smaller length than artic...

JR San'yo Shinkansen Line Diagram

Image
  Click here for a larger image and here for the Tennessine link (Interactive & Editable)

Chasing the Class 455 farewell tour

Image
On Sunday the 21st December 2025, South Western Railway ran two farewell tours for the Class 455 which were soon to be retired. They initially planned to only have one railtour but tickets for that sold out in 15 (fifteen!) seconds, so they ran a second service one hour behind it. This would be perfect for chasing. To make things even better, there was another 455 in passenger service that day, which I could ride. 09:47 - East Putney Station I arrive on the platform. Its a lot busier than I expect and I recognise some transport-related youtubers there. The best spot at the front of the platform has already been taken up by about 5 people, so I awkwardly try to slot myself into the emptiest section. Everyone's in quite a good, relaxed mood until we hear the tones as the 455 passes... Wandsworth town station. After a few minutes of silence (with the exception of District line trains), the train slowly rumbles round the corner, giving off some tones. After that, its a quick walk to Pu...

Welcome to my website

  Hi there! Welcome to this weird website where I dump a bunch of train photos. They will all be organised into neat sections (e.g by railway operator), which can be found at the top of this page. So why did I choose to use Blogspot/Blogger for this? Firstly, I want to have blogging functionality so that I can use this for blogging whenever I feel like it Secondly, I want to have a URL that doesn't sound bad (I don't want to have a URL that ends in sites.google.com for example) Third, I want a free service that doesn't have pop ups (so no Wordpress or Wix). Hopefully by the end of this I will have lots of photos from Japan, Canada, the UK & more on this website, all of which are conveniently organised. But that will take a very long time, so bear with me.