On the rails: Rolling out the red carpet…

This week I’ve been down near Cardiff for a few days. My Mum was moving house and I offered to go and help with unpacking and setting up…

The journey down from Ruabon is always a lovely trip along the Marches, semaphore signals still persist and the hills and fields roll by - it’s beautiful, and just about long enough to spend on a Transport for Wales 197! The seats and ride on these modern units conspire to make things just a touch more uncomfortable than the older 158s… I know the 175s weren’t universally liked but they were much more comfortable.

The 197s seem to ride a bit like a cheap car, when it’s smooth you’re fine (until a corner) but any rough track or joints and you’re thrown all over. They’re quite distracting too, with all the automated announcements (I used to prefer the guard doing them) and the engine noise is intrusive in an annoying way, it’s much quieter than the 150/158s but the noise is at a higher frequency. The 175s were king though, much quieter and wonderfully comfortable… anyhow, I arrived in Cardiff on time. 

I had twenty minutes and enjoyed wandering around - seeing units I’m not familiar with up north! The GWR 158s and 165s, the Cross Country 170s and the GWR IETs… even a 66 on some steel. The Flirts were about in abundance along with the usual 197s - the Manchester train had left already so no 67. I strolled over to Platform 8 for my trip to Penarth and I was bowled over to see a Class 150/2 had been laid on - they must have known I was coming! My favourite… the train was quiet, so I recorded the audio of the ten minute journey. The climb up from the bay was great with the 150 sounding loud, sadly the windows wouldn’t open… flange squeal and high revs must be disruptive for residents but music to my ears on this aging but nostalgic unit.

Contrast on my journey home, the train was one of the Flirts which arrived almost silently on battery power. Hardly any flange squeal either and the ride was comfortable and almost silent, absolutely superb train!

So old and new, a great new experience, another single track terminus ticked off and a good moan about the ride quality of the CAF. Boxes ticked. Must be time for another coffee here, hope you all have a good weekend! Until next time, more soon…

Single track terminus completed:

• Cardiff Bay
• Milford Haven
• Penarth
• Wrexham Central

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