Best trainset I had ever ridden in the UK. Took one set (powered by 90005) from Witham to Norwich back in 2016. (There was engineering works on the London LS to Witham Section of the GEML.)
I love the journey down to Norwich from Yorkshire.. Scenery starts off hilly and slowly gets flatter the further towards Norfolk you get.... I've also realised I've been over as well as under Trowse railway bridge
The Class 90s Have Found More Use Elsewhere 13 Left Greater Anglia After Being Replaced By The Class 745s and Went To Freightliner To Replace The Class 86s Whilst The Other 2 Class 90s Went To Locomotive Hauled Services Limited And The Some of The MK3 Coaches and DVTs That Were Also Used By Greater Anglia Went To Locomotives Hauled Services Limited As Well With One of The Ex Greater Anglia DVTs Preserved at The Colne Valley Railway Along With Some MK3 Coaches As Well As a Few Other Railway Museums Have Also Got Them With The Rest Being Either Stored Or Scrapped
6:00 Remnants, I think, of the line over the old swing bridge, which was replaced in the mid '80s for electrification. The old bridge had two tracks over it, the current one has only one. I've read that it's a bit of a bottle neck but only around 8 trains per hour use it. You can just see the base of the old swing bridge at 6:04 . I've kayaked under here a few times now. The trains make a very loud noise when travelling over it ! 6:49 I think that the Mid Norfolk Railway hosted storage for many of these newly-arriving trains. I caught a 744 down to London from Norwich the other month. I wasn't that impressed really. Seating was tight, ride quality was acceptable but nothing special. I was thinking that it worse worse than the Mk3s but I was comparing my (perhaps rose-tinted) memories of travelling on Mk3s on Valenta HSTs from Paddington in the early-mid '90s.
As a regular user of these trains, I can’t really say they’re very comfortable. The seats are far too leant back, so they make you slouch forwards, which then makes the seat cushion come out. Alongside that, the poor legroom and the tables which rest on your knees make an EMU preferable imo.
It’s a shame as a decent refurb would make them 10 times better, as ever since the legroom was reduced by national express’ refurbishment. I honestly find the seats at the end to be the most comfortable, and I choose them over the regular ones. It’s a shame as the first class is brilliant. Anyway, I’m rambling, but good review!
It was a shame that Greater Anglia didn't do a Farewell Rail Tour to give the the Class 90 MK3 Loco Hauled Intercity trains a proper send off and of course we had the COVID19 Pandemic and a Full National Lockdown started in the UK in March 2020
Nice trip report unfortunately all have these have been replaced and now it's all new 745s I never got to ride a class 90 but I always remember seeing them at Stratford and also zipping past Romford and Shenfield
@@SuperalbsTravels that's good I also wish to ride them they look good and bigger capacity than the 90s but thankfully the 90s would be used on freight or some other TOCs in the future
Hello Superalbs Travels, I would like to inform you that the Mark 3A TSO (Tourist Standard Open) Standard Class carriages, featuring Intercity 70 seating, date from 1976 and the BREL/GEC Class 87 AC Electric Locomotives date from 1973 for the West Coast Main Line electrification extension north of Crewe to Glasgow Central. Meanwhile the Mark 3B FO (Open First) First Class carriages, featuring Intercity 80 seating (the interior is based on the ill fated APT), date from 1985. Best wishes and take care. Kind regards, Peter Skuce. St Albans. Hertfordshire.
1:39 Colchester _North_ ? I was just going to pick you up on that but according to Wiki, it is also known as Colchester North even though I never knew that. _"Locally, however, it is also known as Colchester North to distinguish it from Colchester Town station. Buses also use this unofficial name."_ You'd think they'd call it Colchester Main or something.