Это видео недоступно.
Сожалеем об этом.
Stranraer to Glasgow - no longer the boat train
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 22 дек 2022
- What is Stranraer like now the ferries have gone? I decided to stay over and then get the first train out of the day so I could have a look.
The station at Stranraer is a decent walk from the town at the end of the now defunct ferry harbour. There's been no ferries for over 10 years, but there's also been no redevelopment of the site and the station is still stuck in its "end of the pier" position. I thought I'd go and have a looksee.
The scenery from Stranrear to Ayr is beautiful as the train wends its way up and down the glens, although today, with all the rainy weather it was a little harder to appreciate. And from Ayr, I stayed on this train as it meandered across to Kilmarnock taking the "slow train" route into Glasgow.
Come and join me as we ride the "no longer a boat train".
Departure: Stranraer, UK
Destination: Glasgow Central, UK
Distance: 159 km / 99 miles
Duration: 2 hrs 39 mins
Cost: Adult off-peak single £15.00 / €17,50 (£10.00 w/railcard discount)
Date of Travel: September 2022
Operator: ScotRail
Motive power: Class 156 diesel multiple unit. Built: Metro-Cammell (1987-1989)
Thank you to everyone that supports the channel by subscribing, liking, commenting or just watching these videos. I really appreciate it!
Thank you for covering this journey, I’m from the area and we’re terrified they’re going to cut this service completely. We are so isolated and the wee train is a lifeline for many of us Wigtownshire folk. Much love ❤
Yes, I do not think with current warming global temperatures that we should ever be cutting back on railways... and what's more it is a lovely line, even in the rain!
Thank you so much for the kind comment and just for watching my stuff 👍
This video saddened me. Taking the boat train between Stranraer and Glasgow was a regular part of my university life. The Stena boat docked right next to the station and, at the beginning and end of term, there was always a rush of students running off the boat to get the best seats on the Class 156 train, which was usually in orange, called a Sprinter and run by Strathclyde Passenger Transport. It is depressing to see the current desolate state of Stranraer station and I'm sorry for the local residents. I remember the journey as slow but beautiful. At first we headed east through farmland, stopping at Dunragit, before starting the journey north through beautiful but bleak moorland to the sea again at Girvan which took an hour for a coastal road journey of just 30 miles. Back then the train would stop at Ayr and then continue non-stop to Paisley and then Glasgow. It was always a culture shock after such a peaceful journey to be offloaded at a busy Central station, often in rush hour.
Thank you. What great memories. You paint a beautiful picture of what I could only imagine when departing in 2023. At the least the journey to Ayr remains very much unchanged from your recollections.
Thank you so much for this comment 👍
Hi Johnny. Another great video. I have a drivers eye view DVD of this lovely journey which is narrated by the TV presenter Paul Coia. The weather on the DVD was much better than on here but I hope you enjoyed the trip.
Yes it was great. I love getting up early and getting an early train. Would have preferred better weather but the rain failed to dampen my spirits 😀
Thanks for watching 👍
It was a terrible day when the Stenaline decided to more to Cairnryan. It was believed that the moved was because P&O Cairnryan to Larne had the upper hand, time wise, as the journey Cairnryan to Larne was shorter and faster. When stenaline was actually docking at Stranraer the Seacat Catamaran ferry ( faster vessel) was also on the same route Central Belfast to Stranraer. However as usual it disappeared also. until the 90 Stenaline also had the HSC Stena Voyager. Nice vessel also. yet again it too disappeared. Its sad to see that Streanraer has suffered. Ferry and train links from the harbour to London Euston. Disembarking and walking across the road to get a huge breakfast. Now its all about who! can do it faster. Vehicle price are skyhigh and outrageous compared to Dover and the like.
Thank you for the interesting reply. And yes, it is truly a shame that the port/station at Stranraer is so bleak and unloved. I do hope that something will change at the harbour in the next ten years.
And thank you for watching! 👍
I've watched this twice now. I really had to remind myself this time, to not take for granted the quality of your videos. Today the actual route was not exciting, but the level of info throughout was brilliant and, what I appreciate most, is your emotional involvement with everything you show us or comment on. The subscribers are growing I note!
Merry Christmas Colin! I think you get "Superfan" status for such a nice comment. And yes, subs are growing organically so who knows what the score will be this time next year?
And yes, I do this for fun, so it'd better be fun or else I could just stay at home. And it is fun!
Tbf I think on a sunny morning this would be a very photogenic run, so thanks for sticking with it in the rain.
Great video thanks. For info Troon station was burnt down earlier and is to be rebuilt.
Thank you for the kind comment. And yes, that makes sense!
Crazy just how impractical it is to get to Carlisle by train from Stranraer
Lunch in Glasgow or Kilmarnock? Yes, it would certainly feel a long way round!
Thank for watching 👍
Lovely video. Shsme you missed Troon station. It was still the original Victorian building until a catastrophic fire the other summer destroyed it. Best wishes.
Yes indeed. After making the video I have gone back and looked at old pictures. I'm sure it will be sadly missed around those parts.
Thank for the kind words and for watching 👍
Great (rainy) trip video :)
And I agree, Glasgow station is gorgeous!
Thanks for the kind comment.
Yes, I love Central too. I spend a lot more time there in one of my earlier videos and give it the respect it deserves!
ruclips.net/video/V2-K2piAn6E/видео.html
Thank you for this rainy train trip.
Greatings from Hull 😊
Thanks 👍
Warmest greetings for the Holiday Season and best wishes for the New Year 🎄 🎈 🍾
And warm wishes to you and yours too. May you have many exciting rambles in 2023.
Lovely video , I remember years ago travelling to Ayr from London on the "Paddy" that would then carry on down to Stranraer , I hope one day they will reinstate that train again it was a lovely journey.
Thank you. Very nice of you to be so kind about the video. 👍
Wrt the line, there's a lot of talk (post HS2 cancellation) that Dumfries-Stranraer might come back. I think this unlikely as is any kind of through train from London. I just cannot see a good business case myself, even though I love trains . In the end a fast Pendolino to Glagow, then a fast electric train to Ayr followed by bus to Cairnryan is efficient for the people that want to make the journey.
Part of the sadness of Stranraer is that it is no longer part of that through traffic.
@@JohnnyHooverTravels There was once a military railway that once ran from Stranraer up to Cairnryan so if that was reinstated along with the line to Dumfries then that may make it a viable proposition.
@keith800. You might be correct. I always knew the 21.15 Euston to Stranraer as the Stranraer Harbour Boat Train. I did it in 1984.
Sad to see the decline at Stranraer.
As a child in the 70s on quite a few occasions my mum and I would take the train at about midnight from Newcastle to Carlisle, where we changed to another train for Stranraer. We would find an empty cariage and lie down and try and get some sleep. It was normally easy for me, especially considering it was probably something like 02:30. The Stranraer to Larne ferry was our next mode of transport .. finally my uncle would pick us up at Larne and take us to Holywood .. HAPPY TIMES !
Sounds great. What a wonderful memory. Thank you so much for that 👍
The ticket office sells many tickets. It opens at 9:30am. The path at the top end leads to an old car park but the end of the pier has become unstable, that's why it's been closed off (I work out of Stranraer station). Thanks for visiting our wee town and station. In my opinion the Stranraer to Ayr line has some of the best scenery.
Ah yes, I was very early for the ticket office, so thank you for clarifying that. It was as most interesting to visit both the station and the town. I do agree the line is lovely and was sorry to ride it on such a rainy day.
Thanks for watching and best wishes to everyone on the line 👍
MartinSproule. The narrator told us that Stenna left Stranraer in 2011. I was wondering what was the story with the other carrier in Cairnryan, P&O. What year did they leave Stranraer ?
#MartinSproule. I remember the 21.15 boat train from Euston, which I did in 1984. As a fellow railwayman, I am now retired. Formerly, National Operations Standards Manager. Regular meetings in Glasgow, also worked at Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen, Fort William and Wick ! Not bad for a Cockney !!
Another great vid I am vicariously traveling with you I love the history of the stations the UK has a great heritage which sadly is not recognised as much as it should be keep up the good work!
Thank you so much. Your vicarious accompaniment doesn't seem to add any weight to my bag, so welcome along!
Troon train station was destroyed by a fire on Saturday 17th of July 2021 which resulted in full demolition of what was left of the building. As you saw,it is currently being rebuilt,with no completion date given yet.
Thank you for that clarification and thanks for watching 👍
It’s a sad looking site. I remember what it was like in late 50s, early 60’s when I used to travel on it as a young seaman. It was busy!
Yes, that's why I felt compelled to include that little picture of what it used to look like.
There's such a lot of land making up the old terminal, I'm not really sure how Stranraer can reinvent it as something else.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting 👍
I did’nt go to Glasgow, it was always to & from London Euston.
Cool! Tokens (berło in polish) are still in use in XXI Century Europe for regular transport.
Yes. There's still a lot in use on UK branch lines. There's also a shot of the driver collecting the token on my video of the branch line from Plymouth to Gunnislake.
ruclips.net/video/gfc2_Ylhr9A/видео.html
@@JohnnyHooverTravelsIf it’s not too much bother, could you explain how the tokens work. I know it’s got to do with safety, and access to the line. Thanks.
Thanks, this was enjoyable but shame about the weather.
Yes it was a shame. However, I suppose the brooding weather did reflect the kind of "line to nowhere" feel the line has, especially with the station stuck out on a pier that's got no ferries.
Thanks for watching and commenting - there's other trips where the sun shines!
@@JohnnyHooverTravels yep the whole of the region has went massively downhill in that last 30 years.
Daft Stranraer station, nowhere near the town, it's role long gone now the ferries have moved 5 miles up the coast to Cairnryan - the new ferry terminals are now connected to the rail network by buses doing the 44 mile run to Ayr! Seems there's no money or interest to rebuild Stranraer station to somewhere more sensible in the town - and as this line must now be losing millions, it's whole future is in doubt.
Maybe but the "HS2 billions" may just reopen the line across to Carlisle and pay for a new station at Stranraer. Mind you the people making those promises (a) have never ever kept them in the past and (b) are likely to be out of power in a matter of months!
So. We'll see... mind you, it was nice to see the old place before something happens to it.
Thank so much for watching 👍
Stranraer Town station was on the long closed route to Dumfries via Castle Douglas.
It is a shame that Stranraer Town station could not be reopened which would be a lot more convenient.
Indeed. I reckon one day it will move away from the quay. But it would have to be part of a £millions' redevelopment- so it could be many years
I am becoming a real fan of your videos. Plenty of information, good pace and the right length. Does the service from Stranraer also serve ferries to the new port with some sort of bus/coach connection? I agree with others that it’s a long way out for travellers from central Stranraer and must be a deterrent. £15 was a good price and that was without a railcard.
Last time I was at Stranrear station] they were still using semaphore signals.
I'd have to check, as my memory isn't great, but there may still be some on that line.
Thanks for watching 👍
I remember as a child in the early 90's we moved to stranraer from essex. I'm positive we got the intercity to carlisle and then a train from carlisle to stranraer. Would that have been the same line you was on or was it the line someone mentioned that went to dumfries? Unfortunately we moved to bury lancashire four years later as my nan took ill, but I have very fond memories of my time living in kirkcolm (5 miles outside of stranraer next to loch ryan) Thanks for a great video.
What lovely memories. Thank you so much for sharing them ❤️
And yes, my guess is that the old direct line from Carlisle was still open back in those days
In the 90s, the train from Carlisle to Stranraer would have routed via Dumfries, Kilmarnock and Ayr to Stranraer. The direct line Carlisle - Dumfries - Stranraer (the "Paddy Line") closed on June 14th, 1965. There is currently a campaign to have this line reopened, however.
@@briannettlefold5484 thanks for that clarification 👍
many train services in ireland and britain years ago coincided with times of ferries, now because most travelling on ferries go by car or truck there's no need for train
Yes, I sometimes feel a bit of a second class passenger when travelling as a foot passenger. Although I'd stress that feeling comes from the processes (as you say) like waiting long times cos the ferry and train do not match or the sometimes fiddly boarding process. Not by the way I've been treated. People who work on the ferries have been lovely to me, without exception 👍
@@JohnnyHooverTravels it's a shame as a lot of the train times are nowhere near ferry times aside from 1 train a day where i am
@@shutup2751 Yes. When the ferry arrived in Fishguard from Rosslare recently, I had about 90 minutes to wait for the next train out... not great..
Sorry m8 but where did you get "the ships got bigger and more automated..." from?-3 reasons why Sealink left. 1-they desperately wanted the Shortest sea crossing to Ireland tag 2) The wash from the Seacat was enough to swamp a small fishing boat and as a result 5 men died as a result and 3) apparently there were rare seabirds nesting on the Scar (look it up ).How do I know all this well I lived in The Toon from 1970 to 1985 and me dad ran the ferries until he retired in 93.
Thank you so much for that extra information. Much appreciated 👍
I'm sorry to hear about the deaths. I can see why you would then want to move the ferries elsewhere.
Another great video, shame about the weather. Out of interest how does one now get from Stranraer station to the ferries?
Thanks again!
There's ordinary service buses that run past the ferry terminals that can get you to/from Stranraer. But the way into Scotland for most foot passengers is to just get the bus from the ferry terminal to Ayr or the Hannons bus all the way to Glasgow. No need to even go to Stranraer anymore... unless, like me, you're actually interested to see the place!
My wife sent me a link to an article by Simon Calder on scenic rail routes, in which he said:" Stranraer to Glasgow to Fort William to Mallaig is world-class, as are the lines running north, east, south and west from Inverness.
This prompted me to view the video again. The weather didn't help , but would you put it up in that group?
I could. Is there a link?
@@JohnnyHooverTravels
Yes.
www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/rail-best-scenic-train-networks-uk-b2431264.html
Be nice to see Class 385 to Stranraer using battery power and switching from AC 25kv OHLE at Ayr to battery power. Or ScotRail to order new Bi-mode trains.
Maybe. But the switch over from Ayr to Kilmarnock is a sensible use of diesel power over what is essentially two non-electrified routes. Granted that means Stranraer passengers in a hurry being obliged to change at Ayr.
Bi-mode does have the designed inefficiency of an electric train having to lug a diesel engine everywhere it goes.
@@JohnnyHooverTravels I totally agree with you what you said about Ayr to Kilmarnock and to use diesel powered trains. I do think that ScotRail could benefit from CAF, Stadler, Alstom etc to manufacture Bi-Mode trains that would be optional for those lines in Southwest Scotland.
@AndrewG1989. Be careful what you wish for. That might CLOSE the line permanently. The current Class 156 are RA1 (9 or 10 tons axle limit) and hence can run without speed restrictions on fragile track. A bi mode train would be far heavier. If permitted to run at all, it might incur speed restrictions that would increase journey times and make the line even less used.
Wow they still do a Token ex
Indeed they do!
Thanks for watching 👍
The line is signalled by Electric Token Block.
No its a crap service that connects with nothing and Stranraer needs to be reconnected to Dumfries directly.
Well I suppose it means Stranraer people can get to Ayr and Glasgow, so in that sense it isn't entirely crap.
However compared to the previous service taking you within yards of the ferry and, as you say, options to route to Dumfries and eventually England, you could say the present day service is... a bit crap...
Thanks very much for watching and commenting 👍