2024-09 - Blog Posts
A potential unfulfilled: the Intercity 225
As I had some time to wander around before catching the Eurostar back to France, I checked out the trains at King's Cross station. To my slight disappointment, there wasn't a huge amount of variety on display: Azuma, Azuma, Azuma... They're nice trains, don't get me wrong (built by Hitachi, using the same base as JR Kyushu's 885 series), but that's all there was. Still, I decided to check out all the platforms, and, at the far end, hidden behind an Azuma, there it was.
The star in train books during my childhood was the Intercity 125 or High Speed Train (HST), a 125 mph-capable Diesel-powered set, which, I think, still holds the world record for the fastest Diesel passenger service. I would have loved to see one when visiting England, but this was just as good. In fact, I had seen it out of the window while riding into London, taken a crappy photo and thought "oh well, never mind", only to see it had followed us in.
In the early 90s, the Intercity 225 was touted as the next big thing: all-electric, capable of running at 225... km/h (that's 140 mph, using different units was admittedly a bit disingenuous), designed to receive a tilting mechanism later on, completing the Advanced Passenger Train's redemption arc. What could go wrong?
Not long after the introduction of the Intercity 225, Britain's railways were privatised, with the typical lack of ambition for service that it brings. No private company was going to invest in the infrastructure and upgrades to allow the train to reach its full potential; meanwhile France and Germany were expanding their 250-300 km/h networks. Instead, these trains were limited it to 125 mph - the same as the HST, just on electrified lines. Worse still, it was one of these sets that met with the consequences of the privatised rail maintenance's culture of corner-cutting and outsourcing, on a broken rail at Hatfield in 2000.
From the outside looking in, I'm left with a bitter sense of "what could have been" for this train. Perhaps a rail fan from the UK could say more about what they feel the Intercity 225's legacy would be. At least its successor, the Azuma, has the fact that it's bi-mode (Diesel and electric) to shout about.
Still great to see one and its "so 90s" design in the flesh! LNER have also given the trains their original livery back, except with a burgundy main body colour instead of the original graphite grey, while the locomotive was in a special commemorative livery for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
For more on the Intercity 225: Ruairidh MacVeigh's video
Where I grew up (initially): Great Chesterford
Going back to Great Chesterford with my current eyes was quite interesting. I hadn't realised (as no 6-year-old would) how pretty the village centre was, with many charming houses and thatched cottages. The nearest town, Saffron Walden, is even better, but I'd need to go back and visit properly. This time, we just passed through there to go to the shops - and pick up a bunch of biscuits and sweets I remember from my childhood!
Said sweets and biscuits are very nice, of course, but also a tad underwhelming. I remember feeling disappointed by the size of Party Rings the last time I bought some, and I had a similar sense of underwhelming when passing near the school. The wall along the street was much higher in my memory, as was the hill at the back of the playground - in my mind, it was a proper hill! But take into account the fact that I was so much smaller back then, and it all checks out, really!
The old school building itself was apparently built by a single person between 1845 and 1849. Chesterford has a very rich history, dating back to Roman times (and if nothing else on the topic, I remember dressing up as a Roman at school once), and the church dates back to the 13th century. The village's biggest claim to fame is probably having been the home of Germaine Greer, a feminist author from the 1970s, for a few decades.
The Reality Checkpoint
In the middle of Parker's Piece (no relation to the Thunderbirds character) in Cambridge, stands a lamppost. The only lamppost on the common, a beacon and a reference for anyone walking there at night. A bit like the lamppost in Narnia. A lot like the lamppost in Narnia in fact, as it serves as a boundary marker between the university and the town, two worlds with distinct notions of reality. That's one theory behind the name, the Reality Checkpoint.
Another theory suggests one should use the checkpoint to assess their clarity when going back from the pub, and this view certainly calls reality into question... Not to worry, the Ferris Wheel is just being dismantled.
This ornate lamppost has been restored in recent years, and improved with a Dinky Door. Well, I say "improved", but the note on the door says "on holiday, please check reality yourself"!
First time in the Channel Tunnel!
Hard to believe, given that I have family on both sides of the Channel, that this month was the first time I used the Tunnel! For a long time, I've lived on the Western side of France and travelled in a car, so going to Calais to catch the shortest ferry links or LeShuttle never made sense compared to a relaxing six-hour crossing from a port in Normandy. Now I live in Eastern France and don't use a car, so the train is a no-brainer, and finally, I took the Eurostar from Lille to London.
On paper, the trip is amazing: just 90 minutes, roughly 30 on the French high-speed line, 30 in the tunnel, and 30 on High Speed 1 in England. Buuuuut... you need to get to the departure station around 60 minutes early for security and border checks, there's not a lot to do in the densely populated waiting area, and once on the train, I found it quite hard to relax in the hard, narrow seats under rather harsh lighting. While the ride was quick and operations felt reliable, the comfort of some regional trains has won me over more swiftly. That said, I've also been underwhelmed by the German ICE 3 (BR 407), which is the same Siemens Velaro D model as the Eurostar e320.
The Channel Tunnel turned 30 this year, with the French high-speed line connected to it upon opening and TGV-derived stock at the ready (now called the Eurostar e300, left), while the UK finished their high-speed line to London in 2007 (plaque at St. Pancras, right). Since then, it's been possible to go from London to Paris or Brussels in under two and a half hours (not counting security before boarding).
And there I was, starting to think I'd be riding the Seikan Tunnel before the Channel Tunnel!