Let's get this section of the forum started!

Ok, my first trip I can remember taking by rail was a cheap n cheerful holiday with my parents to Paignton in the summer of 1983.

I remember leaving Paddington, being a bit dissapointed not to be aboard a HST (well I was only 7!!!), but enjoying watching the world go by aboard a comfy carriage (probably Mark 2 non-air-con), watching the many telegraph poles whizz-by and watching the next track most of the way.

Then arriving at Paignton, walking to the front of the train and seeing this massive beast called Neptune (50006) before standing at the level crossing watching another Class 50 haul a service towards Newton Abbott.

Whizz forward a few years .... and the same trip in 2007 would involve a HST and many-many-many airline style seats with 2 or os tables per carriage thanks to First's refurbishment! Progress!

My first train trip would have been a family trip from our local station Algarkirk, to Cleethorpes. I was very young and remember nothing about it, apart from being very excited! If only I could go back and savour it all again, all those wonderful steam locos. which I would have seen!

Although not my first rail trip, I will always remember our first 'Caledonian' up to scotland, 86 hauled, real coaches, served meals..... train journeys were 'proper' back then!

I can also remember cathing 86235 in its special 'large logo' rainhill celebration livery from Northampton, with a full rake of lovely Mk1 corridor stock. I think we took the train to Manchester, and then went our seperate ways across to York.

I must try and find my old note books, I`m beginning to forget things....

Stop it, you are making me feel old. My 1st trip was when my dad took me to see Burnley play Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The train left Nelson behind a steam loco (the name "Goliath" rings a bell, but I cannot find any reference to which loco it could possibly be). The run to Stockport took as long as the run from Stockport to London, simply because we got an electric loco to Euston

Can't remember my first time on a train but do recall by first railtour. It went from Dublin to Derry to Belfast and back to Dublin and had many unique features. From Drogheda to Lisburn it was double-headed NIR Class 111 locos. from Lisburn to Derry to Belfast Great Victoria Street it was double headed Irish Rail class 121s. From GVS to Belfast Central it was newly reinstated Hunslet No. 102, the oldest loco owned by NIR. From Central to Portadown it was double headed NIR 201 class locos (actually it was also their entire fleet! No's 208+209). Finally to Dublin it was only one of the 201 Class locos. The coaching stock was Cravens from the 1960s and retired from service last year.

The trip was unique because the 111's, which are the same as Irish Rail 071's never operate in multiple. Before the 201's these were the most powerful locos in Ireland, coming in around 2750 hp I think. The 121's are now all but gone except for 124 and 134, the oldest locos on the Irish Rail network and the the first type of GMs to be bought, well over 40 years ago. Finally the double heading of 208+209 has never been repeated with any 201 class loco unless one is dead in tow. The combined horse-power was about 6,600 and I heard rumours that they damaged the couplings on the Craven carriages. Irish Rail refused to allow them to run on its network which is why one uncoupled at Portadown. I do have pictures of the event but they will have to wait until I can get my scanner to work.

My first rail journey was from Sheerness (my home town) to Sittingbourne on a Class 508. They had just been brought in from Merseyside to replace the 3Ceps on the Sheerness Line (my line), Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge to London Bridge (via Redhill) and the Medway Valley Line (Strood to Tonbridge).

I can't remember much about it, I was very young (about 9 or 10 at the time) and I thought it was better than a car! Recently, I started to travel on the line everyday, and soon realised that a car was better than the horrible excuse of an EMU! Long live the 466s!

It's a bit hazy but I think my first memory of a rail journey was in Holland! I lived in southern Holland for 3 years and remember going off to Amsterdam (in the north) on special occasions. Even back then I remember there being double decker passenger trains, all in the distinctive yellow and blue Dutch railways livery. My first significant rail journey I remember in the UK was coming over from Holland on the ferry and travelling up to London and on to Doncaster and Cleethorpes to visit relatives, just a couple of years before Network Southeast and Intercity came along.

On the subject of 466's - its annoying that every time I go to London Bridge I always see the same 42 over and over. The 43rd and final one for me; 466011 eludes me to this day....

I think I've seen it a few times on the Sheerness line.
Also I understood that 466017 was made to have 2+2 seating like in some 465s (/2s possibly?) but IMO it looked the same as any other 466.

My first train journey, that I can remember, was when I was seven years old in 1957. Our local station was Aberaman, which was on the ex-Taff Vale Railway branch from Abercynon (on the former TVR main line between Cardiff and Merthyr) to Aberdare (Low Level). We were off for a family day out by the sea at Barry Island in South Wales. It was a beautiful summer Sunday morning and we walked the mile or so to the station which was in the next village. I was so excited about a train ride that I had hardly slept and was nearly sick! Our train was made up of about six maroon non-corridor coaches hauled by a 56XX class ex-GWR steam loco and we were routed via the old Barry Railway main line from Treforest to Cadoxton. We had a lovely day and got a bit sun-burnt. Aberaman Station where we started our journey closed on 17-03-64 with the passenger service between Aberdare (LL) & Abercynon and the line singled in 1968. It closed completely in 1973 when a diversion to the former Neath - Aberdare (HL) - Pontypool line was put in. Also the whole section we travelled between Treforest and Cadoxton closed in 1964. However there's a happy ending! In October 1988 Aberdare got its passenger service back and its much better. No more changing at Abercynon or Pontypridd. All trains now go through to Cardiff and some to Barry. The wheel turns full-circle.

Reading Taffchap's account reminded me that my first remembered rail journey would have been the same year as his - 1957. We took a week's holiday in Perranporth, Cornwall. The train from our local station, Charfield, on the Gloucester - Bristol line, was a three coach local behind ex-MR 4-4-0 compound 41123. This class, along with the inside cylinder 4-4-0 2P's) were common on our line at the time and often worked the locals. From Bristol we were on ex-GW metals behind a Hall (can't remember which) on a Summer Saturday working to Penzance. We left the train at what I seem to remember was a junction in the middle of nowhere - I think it was called Chacewater - and transferred to a train of ex-GW non-corridor coaches pulled by a 45XX Prairie.
Shortly after this I remember returning from Hartford, Cheshire on a winter Sunday. The train was (I think) the one Sunday Liverpool - Plymouth express. We caught it at the ex-CLC Hartford & Greenbank (now Greenbank) station and proceeded via Middlewich and Sandbach to Crewe diverted from the WCML. The next notable section traversed was from Rotherwas Junc to Gloucester Central via Ross-on-Wye and Mitcheldean Rd. This was the normal diversionary route for this train between Hereford and Bristol when the Severn Tunnel was closed. I remember distinctly holding my head out of the window at Fawley, Mitcheldean Rd and Longhope to watch the single-line token being dropped and collected using the old GWR lineside apparatus. I cannot for the life of me remember what the motive power was, though.

The first journey I can remember was a day trip to Littlehampton with my Dad when I was about 4 or 5.

We travelled from West Byfleet, on the SW main line to Havant on an old SR EMU, probably a Nelson.
I can't remember the train from Havant, but we changed trains somewhere where there was a junction with a loop line in the middle distance ( Ithink it must have been Ford ) I remember either a West Country or Battle of Britain running past light engine on this loop, covered in rust and filth and brilliantly lit by the sun.

Its an image thats still very clear in my memory to this day.

Thanks for the reminiscencies guys. And welcome to the forum, buxton4472.

96701 wrote:

The train left Nelson behind a steam loco (the name "Goliath" rings a bell, but I cannot find any reference to which loco it could possibly be).

Royal Scot 4-6-0 6136 (BR 46136) was originally named Goliath, later renamed The Border Regiment. The only reference I can find for the date of renaming is 1935/6, when a batch of Royal Scots were renamed. So that doesn't fit your date. Either the renaming happened very late in its life, or that's not your engine...

The first trip I remember was a Gloucester-London and return. 47484 Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the engine on one of the legs - the return I think. It was September 1979 and I was 7.

The next trip I recall was more memorable - a Merrymaker from Gloucester to York in March 1980, hauled by steam heat 47066. I can still remember certain things like yesterday such as seeing 87017 Iron Duke, my first sight of an electric. The Duke seemed to haunt me from then on, always saw it whenever I went near AC lines. Remained my fave 87 to the end. Also recall watching enthusiasts taking nameplate rubbings of Deltics at York station - the only four I ever saw in action before withdrawal (55002/16/17/22).

All I remember from my early days was that if ever we were travelling any distance we usually went by train. It was so commonplace we did not think about it. Even although we were lucky enough to have a car we would often go 30-40 miles by train. I suppose the first time I remember going on a train, Simply for the train ride, was going on the new "BLUE TRAINS" (as they were called then) which was the Glasgow suburban electric service. Where we went to I cannot recall but it was the first time we had gone on this new fangled electric train and my parents made this a day out family outing. Oh how times have changed. I also recall when I was very young riding the footplate from Stirling to Alloa, What the traction was I have no idea but the bug bit and is still biting
This was one of many footplate rides I had as a lad. Can you imagine the fuss that would happen if a young lad today, showing an interest in railways,was given a cab ride.