What are CrossCountry's Classic InterCity 125s like?
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- čas přidán 25. 11. 2021
- Up this week, we take a ride aboard one of CrossCountry's Intercity 125 HST sets from Bristol to Leeds. These trains typically have a good reputation in the UK but be prepared to pay out of your ears for this one!
Date of Travel: September 2020
Class of Travel: Standard Class (2nd Class)
Rolling Stock: Intercity 125 (2x Class 43 locomotives with Mk3 coaches)
Type of Service: Express Passenger
Train Number: 1S51
Origin: Bristol, United Kingdom (England)
Destination: Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom (England)
Cost of Ticket: £82.65 ($110.65, €96.45; including railcard discount of ⅓)
Menu: www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/...
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CrossCountry's fares are absolutely scandelous. It was quite a bit cheaper for me to travel from Keighley to Penzance going via London and then on the Night Riviera sleeper than it was to come back on XC using split tickets with a very short detour to Newport.
CrossCountry are generally useless at fair pricing. On another note, being in Keighley, what do you think of the KWVR? I’m from Ilkley and it is easily one of my favourite heritage lines in the country.
@@chbmckie I love it. I work close to Oakworth Station so I get to see the trains go past outside the window. Have you ever been to their beer festival? It's incredible.
Agreed. I live in Cornwall and there is a direct train to Alnmouth, where I have friends. I always go via London as it's so much cheaper - and quicker! Such a shame.
Yes I know , never get a cheap advance ticket. Try living in Southampton with xc only way north . Cheaper to go via London but buy separate tickets
This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone on CZcams from Keighley
The covered car park seen from the side entrance of Bristol Temple Meads is the original train shed built by Brunel. The original train shed is also longer than it appears here as half of it is now an exhibition space. There were plans to reuse these platforms with the oncoming electrification but I think those plans have been shelved by the Treasury.
Did Brunel also design Bournemouth Station? The architecture looks very similar
Thanks for the info!
@@oeman7363 no he didn't, Bournemouth was part of an entirely different railway company (LSWR) that Brunel had no involvement it.
The car park is the original London terminus. The plans to reopen have a small problem...the building on the left (0.24) houses the signalling for the Bristol TM area!
The plan to reopen the original trainshed is in Phase 4 of the electrification programme which also includes electrification of the line from Didcot to Oxford. It's current postponed awaiting confirmation.
that's one hell of a life getting all these experiences at your age
1:04 That station arch was once the original Bristol Temple Meads station, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the 1840s
0:59 that is the old original Brunel station! Amazing history in that car park area!!!
As well as being used as a Park & Ride for the city centre, Bristol Parkway is more useful for people living in the suburbs of north/east Bristol travelling further afield, allowing them to get onto _long-distance_ trains without having to get to Temple Meads. It's also a handy interchange point between XCountry trains from the Midlands and GWR trains from South Wales.
Also useful for many people for a larger surrounding area because it is near the M4/M5 interchange, so easily accessed.
Is the parking expensive if your away for a few days.
@@s125ish It isn't cheap - over £40 for a week - but that's cheaper than city centre car parks, and may be easier/cheaper to get to by bus, taxi or getting a lift than Temple Meads would be.
Only a few minutes in and I’m already loving this video. I lived for a time in Bristol 20 years ago (😬) and this, along with the HSTs, is bringing back many wonderful memories. Thanks so much Dylan; keep up the brilliant work.
Lots of TOC’s seem to have massively scaled back the amount of Advance fares offered. It’s a good way for them to claw back some money without making negative headlines through fare increases…
PS Another great video Dylan, getting close to 100k subscribers now!
Thanks!
I know hardly any advances now. While advances are great to save money, for day trips I prefer flexible tickets
I am 53. In the late 1970s I travelled all over the country in these as a child. There used to be a deal that if adults bought a ticket kids could go for 1 pound each return. My parents took 5 of us children to Liverpool, Plymouth, Swansea and a few other places. We used to drop the window that opened in the door at the end of the carriage and stick our hands out at 125mph. Those were the days.
Great video, Dylan. Bristol has the only car park designed by IKB and what's more it was erected many years before cars were invented. In the interim, it was used as a terminus for trains arriving from London. I caught a train to Newcastle from that part of the station in 1959 before it was so woefully abandoned as a railway station.
I was a fireman at Severn Tunnel Junction in the late 1950's, and I am pretty sure that Midland trains used the old station. Of course there was no Bristol Parkway, and the trains ran to Gloucester Eastgate and then on to the Midlands ( hauled by Black Fives or Jubilees.) Of course the memory could be playing tricks!
Thanks for the info 😁
Note to Fact Checkers: It's called dry wit 👀
@@RAFchurchlawford4469 Because fact checkers are usually half wits
Always a pleasure to see these lovely HST sets. Great video thank you. And well done "Matt" for leaving your mark! Clever!
They sounded amazing. Great trip report Dylan
Really enjoying these videos, keep up the great work and content!
Def. the best videos to watch when bored or travelling
I travelled Cross Country on one of these several years ago from Temple Meads to Birmingham. It was ram packed, felt like being packed in like cattle. The sooner these rail companies ditch the airline seats, invest in more rolling stock.., then maybe, just maybe, this passenger might feel like a valued customer, rather than a punter.
Rolling stock is decided by the DfT, not individual operators. CrossCountry have been crying out for new/additional stock for several years now, but seems to be at the back of the queue! Who knows, maybe they'll take on Avanti's Voyagers in the future.
Amazing review it's always nice to hear your voice when doing train reviews as it feels more real
Thanks!
Beautiful station!! Brunel knew his railway stuff
Love your videos. So informative. I grew up with the hsts so i love them
loved the old slam door 125's, used to take one to school every six weeks
The car park you show at the beginning is the original Brunel terminus station from when the station originally opened. They survived as platforms until the 1960’s, by which time because of the historic importance of the building they were retained as an exhibition space and the car park.
love these 43's I think they look and sound amazing
Great and informative as always Dylan
👍
So CrossCountry have solved the overcrowding problem on their trains by pricing everyone off of them. Genius.
Basically 😅
Thanks, Dylan! We learn a lot of things in your video.
Another outstanding video 👍🏴
Amazing video man👍🏻. Got to say do love seeing my local station looking fantastic… nice to see u In Bristol too hopefully you’ll be by again soon
A video i look forward to seeing every Friday :)
I did enjoy this. Thank you.
Fantastic video Dylan - I kind of felt like I was on the train. I love the creaking and squeaking on these. This is been the train of my childhood.
I'm impressed at how the interiors look practically spotless for 13 years old on a 40 odd year old Mark 3! The fares are because of the capacity provision on multiple services sadly.
My first Scotland (Edinburgh) trip hopefully during 2022 will be arriving on one of these from Birmingham New Street after a Voyager from Oxford 🙂!
Agree about the price. A few months ago I went from Taunton to Newcastle and it was cheaper to go via London on GWR and LNER than use Cross-country.
Incidentally I've just done a search for the cheapest price for a random day next week. The cheapest XC ticket for Bristol to Leeds is £94.45, you can get a coach (either National Express or Megabus) for less than £20. OK, it takes a couple of hours longer but surely that is a much more attractive option (for anyone wanting to make a similar journey)
Definitely, I never use the train for long distance trips myself because of the cost. The only trip I'll usually do by train is if I'm visiting London from the West Midlands for a day, as it's about £36 for a 'super off peak' travelcard ticket on Chiltern, which is valid all day on weekends and covers travel around London too. Granted, I work for one of the coach companies now, so I'm even more inclined to travel by coach when it doesn't cost me anything! I visited Bath over the weekend, and it cost me a grand total of £0 for the return trip, including the local bus from Bristol to Bath and back. You can't beat that for value!
Nicely shot video, great narration! Made me homesick as Bristol is my hometown. Ridden into and out of BTM on those 125's hundreds of times. Used to come back from London on friday evenings hanging out of the slam shut door windows as the train rattled its way across various rail junctions - those were the days!
I think the ticket price is ok, for such a nice comfortable clean train!
Another enjoyable and thought-provoking video, Dylan . I solidly endorse your disapproval of prices charged - a fact underlined by your wonderful trips around Europe .Scandalous !! No doubt Megabus will be laughing their heads off .
Great to see the car park being used as an entrance. It is Brunel's original Bristol Temple Meads station of the 1830s which predates all the current station. At that stage it was a terminus but when the line was extended westwards the new station had to be added to one side on a sharp curve. The old part was forgotten and neglected for many years but was mercifully saved. It used to be overlooked unless you knew about it and made a special detour (or used the car park) so it's good that it seems to be more prominent now.
Another brilliant video @ Dylan.
Cool ride, excellent narration... !
Well done! I use the same side entrance @ BTM...handy when staying at the Ibis across the canal...
Nice, if pricey trip. It seems to be worth it only if you're taking a round trip as the add-on fare you quoted was quite low. For me the highlight was the stunning Neo-Gothic Bristol Temple Meads Station. That clock tower is truly exceptional. Glad to hear that Birmingham plans to reopen their 1838 Curzon St. Station. I hope you go there when they do.
My partner dragged me onto a NSW TrainLink XPT service from Sydney to Melbourne once. The locos are derived from the HSTs but better adapted for much drier, dustier conditions. They’re also rated for 125mph but Australian railways are generally limited to only 160km/h because of level crossings. Most of the trip through NSW is pretty slow because the winding alignments haven’t changed since the steam era, but when it gets to the Victorian border and things are flatter and straighter, you can really hear those giant engines purr as it gets to top speed. They’re going to be replaced by a more efficient bimodal multiple unit fleet in 2023 but glad I got at least one trip on them, even if it took 11 hours!
Great video! I traveled the Leeds-Bristol TM route all the time for a year pre-COVID. It was always an adventure as you never knew what might happen. From the on-board seat reservation system not working every third journey, to hydraulic issues requiring a change of trains, no train crews, electrical issues, toilets being out of order, expensive fares and no legroom, Cross Country are possibly the worst operator in England.
Interesting video. I love the Leeds train station.
Another Great Video On Crosscountry
Thanks!
How could you pass Chesterfield and not take a shot of the amazing crooked spire?
What a nice station!
been through bristol a few times and really is a remarkable station
thank you
Great Trip, and yes on Legendary High Speed Diesel Train.
Nice trip !!!
I have been to Bristol and it is very good indeed
Nice video
never been on a XC IC125 before
Excellent trip report, I wanted to try it for sometime, but I learn it the hard way when I didn’t know they actually didn’t operate to Aberdeen. Instead I was on a voyager for 9 hours.
Nice video . Thanks
Good report Dylan and a nice appreciation of Temple Meads too. Leeds is a bit more functional in the train shed but there is quite a smart original hall area that has been smartened up a bit
I often travel from Derby to the northeast and always wait til later in the day and get one of the 2? remaining HST services, much better for a 4 hour journey than the voyagers.
Yes, I believe they're down to just 2 now.
I like taking this same train from Newcastle to Alnmouth in the summer when I'm in the UK. Lovely ride.
Regarding pricing - going from Alnmouth to Edinburgh we paid the princely amount of 12pounds with railcard 1 adult 2 kids! Single. 1 hour journey.
Excellent 👍👍👍
Awesome review! :)
Thanks 😁
Superb footage 💖💖💖💖💐💐💐💐👍👍👍🥳🥳🥳🥳🤩🤩🤩☀️☀️☀️☀️
WOW! GREAT!
Five star coverage
That car park was the original station Dylan
Nice! Cheers for the info.
A buffet car ? That's really good.
I live in Bristol the car park under this roof was once part of the original station so yes trains did arrive and leave into this section of the station 👍
I believe the indoor carpark in Bristol was Brunel's original terminus of the London & Bristol Railway. When the line was extended by the Bristol & Exeter Railway, today's station was built to accommodate through services.
A route i suggest you do is a scotrail Glasgow to Ayr one, it goes right along the western scottish coast on a Class 380 which is quite unique. Its also worth noting it passes two lochs on the way there
Looks a lot like the XPT we have in Australia, think our train was designed from this train or one like it. Great video, love your well spoken relaxing calm voice.
Yes, the XPT was basically an exported HST. Hopefully they have done as well for you as they have in the UK.
@@iankemp1131 they sure have, still running strong after nearly 40 years.
Been on the XPT many times, great trains.
That bit past the “small catering area” is a small standard class section of seating. I always head for this coach and section on XC HSTs
They gave me back and neck pains after bouncing around when I was on them from Edinburgh to Newcastle
dylan im sorry i do not have a train pic but i love your videos thanks for shering all thes videos
I'm going to Bristol on Friday 3rd December. So excited😁
Enjoy!
Before limiters in 1992, these trains would see not irregular speeds of 135mph and put to 140mph on rarer occasions in the '140mph club' of drivers that saw Great Western drivers use the 'billiard table' as it was called due to the level profile of track between Reading and Bristol Parkway. So too the ECML on 'the racetrack' between York and Darlington. My best timing was 1hr 39 minutes between London King's cross and York in 1990. Once limiters came in, the fun was over and trains never went that fast again. Further, timetables got clogged up and became slower too. An official timetable regularly saw London - York timings at 1hr 45 minutes. Newcastle 2hrs 39. First class meant first class unlike today's shambolic cheap, plastic looking interiors in the 800's that have no first class despite saying they do. Nothing first class there. Also the lighting in the older trains was warmer and environment plush. Finally, the staff had proper uniforms and Pullman first class staff in the morning and evening services wore proper attire and were like airline hostesses and the gentleman in suits and well spoken. Totally different world. What a different just 25 years or so makes. All down hill.
Been on that train I think it was the 15.00 dep from King's Cross Mon-to Fri ' still got the timetable booklet .
It was the 15.00 King's Cross Edinburgh 'first stop York 'then Newcastle '4hrs 'GNER 'it felt special.
Nice trains
This is a great trip report, I’m looking forward to my first class trip on this in just under two weeks time. I got an Advance First Class Single for £13.90 from York to Newcastle on this exact service which I think is a proper bargain
It certainly is, CrossCountry fares from Leeds to anywhere are always a total ripoff and way above any in same route.
By CrossCountry's standards, that's pratically a steal!
You are closing in to the 100k Dylan
Love the video- really informative- what speed recording app are you using out of interest too please? 👍
The car park I believe is the original Bristol Temple Meads station.
Just came back yesterday from Huddersfield via Leeds to Birmingham on a HST. I much prefer them to the Voyagers. The interiors are so much better. I didn’t see the onboard catering until after Derby. I know due to covid catering has been cancelled but if I had paid First Class fair and only got coffee and a flapjack k would want a refund. My Off Peak Return from Birmingham to Huddersfield via Leeds was £49.15 with my railcard. I’ve always thought travelling to and from Bristol that CrossCountry just thinks of a price and doubles it? I used split ticketing in the past to keep the costs down, Birmingham to Cheltenham & Cheltenham to Bristol Parkway, doing so saved me £40 on a return with railcard. Great video as usual!
More comfortable ride too!
That building at the start was a platform area but got changed into a car park as it wasn’t needed
I was on one of these from Bristol to exeter!
Great info, as always. Looks like a nice ride, even if a little bumpy at high speeds. As far as the price...perhaps 1/2 of what you paid, at most!
FYI, no link to the full menu in the description box.
Ah, I forgot again 😅 Thanks for the reminder!
Nearly at 100,000 subscribers!
Nice video can you do a GWR 158?
I’ve traveled on these trains many many times.
If your cross country train has audio 3.5mm jacks in the middle of the seat, then I believe these are extra Virgin carriages.
I love the squeak and noise of the HST.
Wifi is normally poor to mediocre.
Great video and I have done that journey myself on one the XC HST’s a few years ago. Interesting your comment about Bristol Parkway as I don’t really feel it serves as an encouragement when Bristol Temple Meads is like in an area of the city that time forgot and quite a walk to the the city centre!! You’re really right to mention XC’s prices and it’s been like it for years, no sales or anything, and I feel living in Leeds it really precludes the idea of city breaks in the South West or holidaying in Devon or Cornwall particularly along the English Riviera! I look at the prices and just think I’ll book London with LNER or Edinburgh with LNER or TPE with their cheap advance fares and ticket sales.
I agree! The idea of going to Cornwall for the weekend just isn't really possible from our neck of the woods!
I agree with you the legroom is inadequate in most seats. The are a few seats where it’s possible to stretch out a bit, without sitting sideways.
I would travel through London if it’s cheaper, it would also break up the journey.
i have been on a cross country 125 from Leeds to Wakefield Westgate when i did a fan meet up in 2018 but if im honest the seats are padded the carpet toilets seats and everything else on the train i really really enjoyed but i honestly miss having the slam doors with the sliding windows everytime i did a hst i pop my head out of the window just a little bit to look down the train wich i did when i did eastcoast back in the day but now i really miss the hsts
We have used Cross Country a couple of times between motherwell and Berwick-upon-Tweed (scotrail between Cumbernauld and motherwell) 2 adults and 2 kids - £90 return
Brilliant video as always ❤ but all I can think of is Cross-country (I believe you're aware of what to emphasise in that)
Thanks 😂🤐
There were still issues with the Slam Doors not locking properly either. we were waiting at Reading for 20 minutes before proceeding to Paddington.
I remember the problem in reverse, well sort of. I think it was at Slough in the early 1980s, when an HST I'd just got off was departing, and one of the station staff realise that one of the doors wasn't properly shut. A well aimed kick solved the problem.
As an aside, I notice the name of the Station at 12:42 is Tamworth. Sheesh - didn't the people in Australia invent ANY new names?
And they kept the through roads unlike York. The line at Western end of platform 15 has been truncated though. Until a few years ago they had illuminated St Andrews crosses dividing the platforms which you had to get permission to pass when leaving if you were behind them.
You missed at the top of the stairs a wonderful model of a King or Castle (can't remember), that is about 6ft long in a case. Put 20p in below and you can see the motion as turns on rollers.
The station is Bristol temple meads - Leeds stranded class
Good to hear you say 'railway station' and NOT 'train station'!😉
Before Cross Country got the franchise I used to travel 2 - 3 times a year and the prices were very cheap if you purchased very early. When the change came in I couldn't get any advance tickets so I went to the bus.
You missed the ferry landing stage by Temple Meads where you can get a boat down to the harbour
So ~ close to 100 K !!! S How so exciting !!! 😃👍👍💜🥁🐉🎤🚅🚈🎶💞
Greetings from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil! As always, great video, thanks so much for sharing. Rail trips made by Superalbs, Nonstop Eurotrip and Dylan's Travel Reports, in addition to being very well produced and with excellent levels of information, are great sources of inspiration for us, who one day intend to return to Europe after the pandemic - if that happens and if the Europeans accept us (Brazilians) again in their territory, even though we are fully vaccinated (like me, my wife and my daughter). Unfortunately we are living strange times, with so many restrictions. In my opinion, Europe is an excellent source of culture and one of the very few places in the world where I can travel safely by train, getting to know cities and ways of life. As many of you may know, there are no passenger trains in Brazil (except only two long distance routes from the private company Vale, which of course do not have the same standards as European trains and where we cannot even drink and/or take beer on board; and some commuter trains [which I do not recommend] in some cities). So, by now the only way for me to ride by train is to watch these excellent videos. All the best!
Tip for QR code scanners for e-tickets. If your phone has adaptive display brightness, turn it off and turn it up manually
6:07 Class 60! The only diesel locomotive on the UK network with a straight-8 diesel! WOOP!
Travelling in a coach facing backwards, all the way from Bristol to Leeds is barmy. C.W.
The old canopy was the original Gwr station before the current station opened
The CrossCountry Class 43 HSTs & Mk3 coaches have been completely improved with the sliding doors which have replaced the slam door on the Mk3 coaches. And Bristol Temple Meads is such a beautiful station that serves Bristol city centre. Great Western Railway and Network Rail should consider reopening the former Line.
Which went from Bristol Temple Meads to Portishead known as the “Portishead Line” and once the line is reopened and upgraded. GWR would use the Class 150 and Class 156 Sprinter DMUs to operate between Bristol Temple Meads and Portishead. As the Dartmoor Line is now reopened.