A train in Pompeii, Italy

An FE220 train on the Circumvesuviana railway network in Italy.

This is a train arriving at Pompeii railway station heading to Sorrento on the 13th May 2025.

Check out my Trains Playlist on YouTube for more.

A train at Sant'Agnello railway station in Italy

An FE220 train on the Circumvesuviana railway network in Italy.

This is a train arriving at Sant'Agnello railway station heading to Sorrento on the 13th May 2025.

Check out my Trains Playlist on YouTube for more.

The Stratford Flyer steam train passing through Adswood, Stockport

The Stratford Flyer steam train service from the Railway Touring Company passing through Adswood in Stockport, Greater Manchester at 7.47am on Saturday 8th March 2025.

The service was hauled by Black 5 locomotive No. 45212.

GBRf 66725 train passing through Reddish South station in Stockport, Greater Manchester

The GB Railfreight Class 66 locomotive No. 66307 was named 'Ipswich Town' this year.

Although when it passed through Reddish South station in Stockport, Greater Manchester on the 18th November 2024 it was quite mucky indeed!

The Peaks Express steam train passing through Shaw Heath, Stockport

The Peaks Express steam train passing through Shaw Heath, Stockport at lunchtime on Sunday 27th October 2024.

The service was pulled by LMS Stainer Class 5 4-6-0 No. 45212.

An "L" Train in Chicago, August 2024

A Chicago "L" Train passing above street level in August 2024.

MENTOR Overhead Line Test Train in Stockport

A MENTOR Overhead Line Test Train in Stockport on the 31st August 2023.

MENTOR stands for Mobile Electrical Network Testing, Observation and Recording.

Heritage Train passing through Edgeley, Stockport

Early morning train nerdery in Edgeley, Stockport on Saturday 24th August 2024.

This was the West Coast Railways Unadvertised Express from Crewe to Carlisle.

InterCity 125 Heritage Train passing through Edgeley, Stockport

Early morning train nerdery in Edgeley, Stockport on Saturday 24th August 2024.

This was the Hanson & Hall Unadvertised Express InterCity 125 from Crewe to Edinburgh.

It's really saying something when a Midland Mainline InterCity 125 that I used to commute into London from Luton on is considered a heritage train!

Mini Golf now open at Play2Day in Wisbech

There's a new Adventure Mini Golf course at Play2Day in Guyhirn, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

We heard about the plans for the new course back in 2021 and have seen photos of the new outdoor minigolf course on the Play2Day Facebook Page - and it's railway-themed!

It looks ace.

With an address of "The Old Station Yard" was the course going to be anything other than train-themed!

We often pass through Wisbech en route to see family and friends in East Anglia, and have driven past Play2Day before. We're looking forward to swinging by on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

You can find out more about the Adventure Golf / Mini Golf course on the Play2Day website and Facebook Page.

Checking out the info on the Play2Day centre they've also got a Lazer Tag! Another of my favourite sports.

The last train

I last travelled on a train a year ago today!

A train at Stockport railway station on the 11th March 2020

The journey was a short one - from Stockport to Manchester Piccadilly and back - as I was heading into town for the Marketing Show North at the Digital City Expo at Manchester Central. That was the last event I attended before the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

I wonder where my next train journey will take take me and when it'll be?

The Tyne & Wear Metro turns 40 today

The Tyne and Wear Metro light rail system is 40 years old today.

The The Tyne & Wear Metro system opened on this day in 1980. The network was opened in stages between 1980 and 1984 with the trains running on a mixture of old railway routes and new track to bespoke stations.

A Tyne & Wear Metro train crossing the Queen Elizabeth II bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne

The first route to open was Haymarket to Tynemouth.

A Tyne & Wear Metro service heading into Newcastle from Byker

Street art on the Tyne & Wear Metro

We were in Newcastle and Gateshead for the World Transplant Games last year and while in the area went Space Invader hunting. Three of the mosaic tile pieces by the French street artist Invader can be found at Gateshead Interchange Tyne & Wear Metro station.

Space Invader NCL_21 downstairs in Gateshead Interchange metro station

A closer look at Invader NCL_21

NCL_19 is above ground at Gateshead Interchange

Invader NCL_20 is deep underground at Gateshead Interchange

Adventure Golf Gutach in Germany

Spotting Adventure Golf Gutach in Germany.

My brother Christopher was recently on holiday in Germany and while driving through Gutach spotted the adventure golf course there.

There's an old train carriage at the course!

Check out the Adventuregolf Gutach website for more information and photos of the 18-hole course.

Christopher has now been to 29 courses in the UK and nine overseas countries. Prior to Adventuregolf Gutach the last course he visited was the Mini Golf at the Resort Horizont & Splendid in Pula, Croatia.

Emily and I have been to eight of those 29 too. We have visited 883 courses in the British Isles and 39 courses in eleven overseas countries for a total of 922 course visits. The combined total of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is now up to 943 courses since September 2006.

Farewell Pacer Railbus 142005

The first of Northern's Pacer Railbuses retired from service today.

Pacer Railbus 142005 at St Annes-on-the-Sea station last August. It's the first Northern Pacer to be retired from service

They've been a 'popular' train up north for a fair few years and we quite often see - and hear - them squealing along the many lines in Greater Manchester.

Today the first of Northern's Pacer Railbuses retired from service, as 142005 made its final journey from Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge.

At the end of its run Northern stated that it had travelled 3 million miles in its 32 years of service!

The first Pacer Railbuses were introduced in 1984 and were designed as a short-term measure with a lifespan of twenty years. They've certainly been pushed beyond what they were originally intended for.

While I wouldn't necessarily want to travel on a Pacer Railbus on a long journey, nor would I much fancy using one for a daily rush-hour commute, there is something about them that makes them fun to travel on.

We saw Pacer Railbus 142005 a couple of times while on the Fylde coast last August

While modern trains may be sleeker and have more comfortable seating and air-con, there's a lot to be said for old diesel trains. Last week's large-scale power cuts showed that while new trains may be great when conditions are perfect, they were completely useless when the power went down.

Pacer Railbus 142005 connected to another old train - a Class 150 Sprinter

When we arrived in Stockport in 2016 we noticed that, although there are a lot of train lines and connections aren't too bad, the rolling stock itself is very old. In fact as we moved north so did a load of ex-Thameslink Class 319s that we'd been commuting into London on since 2003!

Having lived most of my life down south I didn't realise quite how poor the train services can be up north in comparison. And that's saying something as a long-suffering commuter on the 'Bedpan line' from Luton to London.

Pacer Railbus 142005 arriving at St Annes-on-the-Sea station en route to Preston

Prior to a one-stop journey in April 2017 I had only ridden on one Pacer Railbus. That first Pacer train trip was only one-stop too, going from Paignton to Torquay on our South West Minigolfing Roadtrip in 2015.

Transport for Wales are also withdrawing their Pacer Railbuses and have added public service announcements to the sides of the trains declaring it's "The start of a new journey"

On a recent trip to Carnforth we were lucky enough to see the first of the Pacer's replacements out on a test-run. While it was merely a brief encounter it was nice to see Class 195001 breeze through the station.

Related blog posts:
- Pacer Railbus
- Train Nerd
- Trains

Saltburn Miniature Railway

A visit to the Saltburn Miniature Railway.

A train called Prince Charles at Cat Nab Station

Last September we had a wonderful day out in Salturn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire and after playing the Saltburn Minigolf course on the promenade we headed along the seafront for a ride on the Saltburn Miniature Railway.

We followed the brown tourist sign to the Saltburn Miniature Railway

Always an encouraging sign 

Cat Nab Station 

A lovely looking bench  

The engine that pulled our train 

A view from the short journey 

Forest Halt - the terminus station

Visit the Saltburn Miniature Railway website for more information, opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
- Saltburn-by-the-Sea
- Miniature Railways

The smallest miniature railway?

This train ride at Pensarn Pleasure Beach in Abergele could be a contender for the title of smallest miniature railway!

The train is half the length of the track!

Network Rail Track Recording Train 950001 at Stockport station

Network Rail Track Recording Train 950001 passes through Stockport railway station on Tuesday 19th September 2017.

Pacer Face-Off at Manchester Piccadilly

What a sight for fans of Pacer Railbuses!

What a sight!

Disused railway stations - Felixstowe Beach in Suffolk

As a bit of a train nerd I recently joined the Disused Stations group on Facebook and last weekend found the perfect station location to take a photo of for the group while revisiting Felixstowe in Suffolk.

As we were driving over the level crossing on our way to the seafront we remembered there was an old platform to the left of us.

The disused Felixstowe Beach railway station on a sunny Sunday in May

Felixstowe Beach railway station taken closed to goods in 1966 and passengers in 1967. The station buildings were demolished in 2004.

Links:
- Disused Stations website
- Disused Stations Facebook Group

Lots happening this Saturday

'Three days in one' taking place this Saturday!

Saturday the 13th - anything but dull

So, this Saturday is National Miniature Golf Day, National Train Day AND National Windmill Day. Saturday 13th May will certainly be ticking a lot of my boxes!

'Driving' a little train at Falkirk High station

The floral train at Boscombe Chine Mini Golf course

  

The old Putting Course in Weston-super-Mare used to have a miniature railway running round the outside!

At one of the stations at the now defunct course in Weston-super-Mare

On the wrong side of the tracks!

The very BIG minigolf windmill at Oddballs Crazy Golf course in Cleethorpes

Playing the windmill hole at Prestatyn's Crazy Golf course

 

The old Windmill Theatre in Great Yarmouth is home to a very crazy minigolf course

Emily playing the windmill hole at Hastings Crazy Golf. The course is hosting the 14th annual World Crazy Golf Championships this June

End of the line...

Related blog posts:
- National Miniature Golf Day
- Trains
- Windmills
- Miniature Railways