What's the best way of getting from Bristol to Birmingham without using 
a Virgin Voyager? Do any other companies do the route, or is there a 
different way to go?

N.I.B. wrote:

> What's the best way of getting from Bristol to Birmingham without using
> a Virgin Voyager? Do any other companies do the route, or is there a
> different way to go?


You could get Wessex Trains to Cheltenham Spa & Central Trains from
there, but Im not sure  how often the CT service is.

N.I.B. wrote:

> What's the best way of getting from Bristol to Birmingham without using
> a Virgin Voyager? Do any other companies do the route, or is there a
> different way to go?


Maybe Wessex to Cheltenham Spa or Gloucester, then the Central service
from there?  The latter's hourly to Brum (from Cardiff Central - a 170
is the usual booked unit), but the local service from Bristol is
semi-fast at best & isn't close to being clock-face (something like 8
or 9 each way - 143 or 150 usually).  It'd be possible to go via
Newport also, but it's indirect and I don't know whether or not it's a
permitted route.

N.I.B. wrote:

> What's the best way of getting from Bristol to Birmingham without using 
> a Virgin Voyager? Do any other companies do the route, or is there a 
> different way to go?


If on summer Saturday you could get the one virgin HST.

Wessex to Worcester and then Central via Kidderminster or Bromsgrove is
another alternative. AFAIK both permitted routes

I don't know if FGW run to London via Bristol Parkway from Temple Meads
but if they do an HST or Adelante would be another way of starting.

"Tom Cumming"  wrote in message 
news:de2bfs$64p$1@inews.gazeta.pl...

> N.I.B. wrote:
>> What's the best way of getting from Bristol to Birmingham without using a 
>> Virgin Voyager? Do any other companies do the route, or is there a 
>> different way to go?
>
> If on summer Saturday you could get the one virgin HST.


Except that there are three HSTs: 1032 Paignton - Newcastle, 0940 Newquay - 
Newcastle and 1522 Newquay - Manchester.

On 18 Aug 2005 08:45:40 -0700, "GMac"  wrote:


>Maybe Wessex to Cheltenham Spa or Gloucester, then the Central service
>from there?  The latter's hourly to Brum (from Cardiff Central - a 170
>is the usual booked unit), but the local service from Bristol is
>semi-fast at best & isn't close to being clock-face (something like 8
>or 9 each way - 143 or 150 usually). 


Bristol to Gloucester is normally a 150 or 158 now. Occasionally a 143
or a 153 appear on selected workings.

Wessex seem to be having some stock problems at present and anything
could happen. The 0630 Gloucester to Penzance is normally worked by a
2-car 158 and can get quite full. This morning a 153 turned up, people
were not pleased although arrival at Bristol was a few minutes late
and every seat was taken. Similar problems have been occurring with
the 1642 ex-Bristol. There must have been in excess of 30 people
standing on a 153 a few weeks ago. Enough to put anyone off commuting
on this route. :o(

Several times recently we have been treated to a 3-car 158, quite a
luxury for these parts.
-- 
Paul White

John Tattersall wrote:


> Except that there are three HSTs: 1032 Paignton - Newcastle, 0940 Newquay - 
> Newcastle and 1522 Newquay - Manchester.


OK, one of the three HSTs then ;)

"N.I.B."  wrote in message 
news:I5udnVG6Gt35PJneRVnysQ@pipex.net...

> What's the best way of getting from Bristol to Birmingham without using a 
> Virgin Voyager? Do any other companies do the route, or is there a 
> different way to go?


The M5.

KW

N.I.B. wrote:

> What's the best way of getting from Bristol to Birmingham without using
> a Virgin Voyager?


The best solution is to avoid being in the unfortunate position of
having to
go to Birmingham.

On 18/8/05 22:02, "malc"  wrote:


> N.I.B. wrote:
>> What's the best way of getting from Bristol to Birmingham without using
>> a Virgin Voyager?
> 
> The best solution is to avoid being in the unfortunate position of
> having to go to Birmingham.
> 


Agreed... Stay in Bristol and come up to Clifton for the afternoon; it's
gorgeous here today ;-)

In message <BF2D0696.59F5%stimpy1997uk@yahoo.com>, Stimpy 
 writes

>Agreed... Stay in Bristol and come up to Clifton for the afternoon; 
>it's gorgeous here today ;-)

What's gorgeous about Clifton?
-- 
Clive

In message , Clive 
 writes

>In message <BF2D0696.59F5%stimpy1997uk@yahoo.com>, Stimpy 
> writes
>>Agreed... Stay in Bristol and come up to Clifton for the afternoon; 
>>it's gorgeous here today ;-)
>What's gorgeous about Clifton?


Have you *been* there?   Parts (most) of it are some of the most 
gloriously beautiful parts of any British city I know!
-- 
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

In message , Ian Jelf 
 writes

> Parts (most) of it are some of the most gloriously beautiful parts of 
>any British city I know!

Which bits?
-- 
Clive

In message , Clive 
 writes

>In message , Ian Jelf 
> writes
>> Parts (most) of it are some of the most gloriously beautiful parts of 
>>any British city I know!
>Which bits?


Well how about the views of the Bridge and the terraces just above the 
Avon Gorge Hotel, for a start?

-- 
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

In message , Ian Jelf 
 writes

>>> Parts (most) of it are some of the most gloriously beautiful parts 
>>>of any British city I know!
>>Which bits?
>
>Well how about the views of the Bridge and the terraces just above the 
>Avon Gorge Hotel, for a start?

So that's about 100 sq. yds.   Bristol is a city with half a million 
people in, and you're talking about a bit of grass.   As a Bristolian, I 
think the CC has done irreputable harm, shutting off the traffic through 
Queen Sq. and doing away with what was a very efficient one way system 
around the centre to the abomination that's there now.   Also what's 
happened to the mooted tram from Portishead?   Hit on the head by one of 
Bristol's M.P.s.   I don't know of another Bristolian of my generation 
that likes the changes.   Of course it pretty for the tourists and the 
University students that are only there for three years, how about the 
proletariat?
-- 
Clive

In message , Clive 
 writes

>In message , Ian Jelf 
> writes
>>>> Parts (most) of it are some of the most gloriously beautiful parts 
>>>>any British city I know!
>>>Which bits?
>>
>>Well how about the views of the Bridge and the terraces just above the 
>>Avon Gorge Hotel, for a start?
>So that's about 100 sq. yds.

No that's just one place I was suggesting.   (And it covers a *lot* more 
than 100 square yards!)   but Clifton is full of the most delightful 
Cityscape. If - as I suspect - your tastes are different to mine then, 
well, it's a free world and this *is* Usenet.


>   Bristol is a city with half a million people in, and you're talking 
>about a bit of grass.   As a Bristolian, I think the CC has done 
>irreputable harm, shutting off the traffic through Queen Sq. and doing 
>away with what was a very efficient one way system around the centre to 
>the abomination that's there now.

That the City Council of the 1930s even *thought* that it can have been 
a good idea to put the Inner Ring Road through a beautiful 18the century 
square defies belief.   The Millennium restoration of the Square to its 
tranquil present state is one of the best bits of modern planning I've 
seen.

If you are seriously suggesting that the Square should still have a dual 
carriageway running through it then plainly you want to see a very 
different kind of City to the one I do.

As for the Centre, I too preferred that with grass and flower beds, so 
our tastes do at least converge there!   :-)


>   Also what's happened to the mooted tram from Portishead?

To return to something on topic for uk.railway <grin> I wonder about 
that, too.

Only this weekend I was looking at public transport between Bristol and 
Weston, Clevedon and Portishead.   The peak journey times by bus are - 
in my view - appallingly slow and must send thousands flocking to their 
cars and the long Ashton (or Portway) Park & Rides.   In any case, 
improving rail transport around Bristol is of limited use as Temple 
Meads is so badly placed for so much of the City.

If ever an area was crying out for a Metro, it's Greater Bristol.


>   Hit on the head by one of Bristol's M.P.s.

Politicians do strange things sometimes.   But then so do electorates, 
it must be said.


>   I don't know of another Bristolian of my generation that likes the 
>changes.   Of course it pretty for the tourists and the University 
>students that are only there for three years, how about the proletariat?

Well, those tourists are of course my bread and butter, so I do tend to 
see things from an aesthetic point of view.

There is much to be done in Bristol and public transport is an area with 
a great deal of room for improvement.   But a sunny day on the heights 
of Clifton looking down still makes me think that Bristol is one of the 
loveliest cities in the world.......
-- 
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

"Stephen Hughes"  wrote

>
>    Did Virgin HSTs ever get up the WCML?


There used to be a Euston - Blackpool HST


> And do MML get to Leeds with
> HSTs, or do GNER use a HST for Skipton,


There are MML Leeds HSTs, and GNER use a HST to Skipton, as the power supply
is inadequate for a Mk4 set.

Of London termini, Paddington, St Pancras and Kings Cross retain HSTs.
Euston has lost them, though it only had the Holyheads and Blackpools, plus
the occasional Manchester services which were part of the Holyhead and
Blackpool diagrams. Waterloo gets occasional visits if there are 4 track
engineering blockades between Reading and Paddington. It also for a time had
the E* NoL connections to Manchester and Edinburgh. AFAIK no other London
terminus has ever had scheduled HSTs.

Peter

In message <mjkq0aiw3uo0$.ne6uc2hpp8lq$.dlg@40tude.net>, Chris Tolley 
 writes

>Clive wrote:
>
>> I am from Bristol, my wife from Newcastle (upon Tyne) why can their city
>> serve and mind be sunk by a political party?
>
>Eh?

They have a decent Metro, Bristol has an obstructive Dawn Primerola? Who 
opposed a Metro for Bristol
-- 
Clive

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005, Stephen Hughes wrote:


>    Did Virgin HSTs ever get up the WCML? And do MML get to Leeds with
> HSTs, or do GNER use a HST for Skipton, or is this always a 91? I guess
> Chester and the NWC lost them but might they come back if any spare ones
> can be found?


Leeds still has GNER HSTs - the Harrogate to/from London and Leeds to
Aberdeen services have to be HST (or at least diesel, and HSTs are the
only diesel trains GNER has).
-- 
 Chris Johns

On 22/8/05 19:11, "Clive"  wrote:


> In message , Ian Jelf
>  writes
>>>> Parts (most) of it are some of the most gloriously beautiful parts
>>>> of any British city I know!
>>> Which bits?
>> 
>> Well how about the views of the Bridge and the terraces just above the
>> Avon Gorge Hotel, for a start?
> So that's about 100 sq. yds.   Bristol is a city with half a million
> people in, and you're talking about a bit of grass.   As a Bristolian, I
> think the CC has done irreputable harm, shutting off the traffic through
> Queen Sq. and doing away with what was a very efficient one way system
> around the centre to the abomination that's there now.   Also what's
> happened to the mooted tram from Portishead?   Hit on the head by one of
> Bristol's M.P.s.   I don't know of another Bristolian of my generation
> that likes the changes.   Of course it pretty for the tourists and the
> University students that are only there for three years, how about the
> proletariat?


Well this member of the proletariat has lived and worked in the middle of
Clifton Village for well over 20 years and wouldn't want to live anywhere
else.  It's one of the most beautiful urban areas in Europe.

The view of the bridge and over to Leigh Woods from my office is truly
spectacular. The Village, Royal York Crescent and Victoria Square all get
honourable mentions as well

Admittedly, much of Bristol is a dump but then that's Bristol and not
Clifton!

N.I.B. wrote:

> What's the best way of getting from Bristol to Birmingham without using 
> a Virgin Voyager? Do any other companies do the route, or is there a 
> different way to go?


I got the Voyager in the end, they're not bad when they're half empty.

In message <k+C4OnFR+jCDFwRg@bluebadge.demon.co.uk>, Ian Jelf 
 writes

>> I don't know of another Bristolian of my generation that likes the 
>>changes.   Of course it pretty for the tourists and the University 
>>students that are only there for three years, how about the proletariat?
>Well, those tourists are of course my bread and butter, so I do tend to 
>see things from an aesthetic point of view.
>
>There is much to be done in Bristol and public transport is an area 
>with a great deal of room for improvement.   But a sunny day on the 
>heights of Clifton looking down still makes me think that Bristol is 
>one of the loveliest cities in the world

I am from Bristol, my wife from Newcastle (upon Tyne) why can their city 
serve and mind be sunk by a political party?
-- 
Clive

Clive wrote:


> I am from Bristol, my wife from Newcastle (upon Tyne) why can their city 
> serve and mind be sunk by a political party?


Eh?

-- 
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9632763.html
(09 024 at London Waterloo, 28 Mar 1981)

John Tattersall wrote:


> Except that there are three HSTs: 1032 Paignton - Newcastle, 0940 
> Newquay - Newcastle and 1522 Newquay - Manchester.


   Brings me to wonder how many places have 'lost' HST services in the 
recent past? I'd assumed Manchester had but seemingly not based on this, 
but of course Stockport has due to the fact we don't get any trains.

   Did Virgin HSTs ever get up the WCML? And do MML get to Leeds with 
HSTs, or do GNER use a HST for Skipton, or is this always a 91? I guess 
Chester and the NWC lost them but might they come back if any spare ones 
can be found?

> >
> >    Did Virgin HSTs ever get up the WCML?
> 


VXC HSTs used to run to Glasgow and Edinburgh

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 16:18:53 +0100, "N.I.B." 
wrote:


>I got the Voyager in the end, they're not bad when they're half empty.


They are quite good when half-full, as well:-)
-- 
Terry Harper
Website Coordinator, The Omnibus Society
http://www.omnibussoc.org