This blog is dedicated to a very special friend, Mr Tony Peters, who very sadly passed away whilst I was writing this blog.
Today I was going to be embarking on a very special, once-in-a-lifetime type, railway adventure. If you have read my last blog, then you might have some idea of what I was going to be experiencing today. If you haven’t then I will explain a little about what this journey will entail now.
A few months ago, Great Western Railway (GWR) very kindly offered me a trip on their fine dining trains, known as the Pullman. These trains are unique in Britain in the respect that it is the only train that operates daily, are publicly accessible and offer such an exceptional level of catering. I have known about this train for many years, and it has been something that was on my ‘to-travel’ list, so when GWR offered this experience, I certainly wasn’t going to turn it down.
GWR offer the speciality Pullman service on six of their services to and from Swansea, Plymouth and London Paddington. I spent a little while looking at all the various destinations and times before I settled on the 12:23 Swansea to London Paddington Pullman service. The plan was to travel as far as Swindon, which is one of the calling points on the 12:23 service, before heading back up towards Stonehouse (near Gloucester), and this way I avoided the hustle of travelling into London. I had also never alighted at Swansea before, so it would allow me to explore the station and city a little. We set a provisional date for the trip, Thursday 20th June 2024, and the preparation for the journey began.
If you would like to skip straight to where I start my Pullman Dining experience, then please click here!
In my last blog, I wrote in some depth about the steps I had been taking to readjust myself to travelling on the railways again. This trip felt like quite a large step up with there being several ‘firsts’ on this adventure. So, it took a marked effort from me and my parents to allow me to feel ready to undertake this trip. One of the biggest things that we did was to ensure I had as many options as possible for the journey to try and prepare me for as many scenarios as we could which would hopefully make me feel more in control (and as you will read some of these options had to be used when things didn’t go quite to plan). I also tried to gather as much information about the Pullman as I could about how it operates so I felt like I had some idea of how everything would likely pan out. These are just a couple of examples of the sort of things I did to try and prepare myself for my day out on the Pullman.
For the days leading up to the trip, I tried to manage the other things I was doing that week to avoid feeling overly fatigued before the trip had even started. I find it really important to weigh up all the things that are planned for a week and see which activities are ones I would really like to try and do, and which can be left for another week. This process is so vital to ensure I have enough emotional energy to undertake the things I like (and need to do!). The Pullman was most certainly something I really wanted to try and do, so I worked my week around it.
I kept an eye on the trains prior to the trip to check they were all still running as planned and there weren’t any unforeseen alterations. This was a task I would undertake pretty much daily (if not more) in the days leading up to the journey as I felt I would want to know as soon as possible if something wasn’t looking right with the trains we were planning to catch. Thankfully it was all looking good and the trains were all running as expected. Obviously, I wouldn’t know for sure that something wasn’t going to go awry until we were back home at the end of the trip, but it’s always a good start to an adventure when there are no advance changes to the train services.
Soon enough it was the evening before the day out on the Pullman, and I packed a rucksack with all the various things I needed. I always find packing bags a stressful ordeal as there’s the little (or quite actually quite large) voice in my head that is constantly saying; “Have I packed everything I need?”, “Do I know what have taken so I know if I have lost anything?”, “Do I need to take this?”, “What if need this?”, amongst numerous other pesky internal questions. After fighting the voice in my head, there’s the usual process of checking my bag multiple times until I am settled that I have everything I need.
Once I had taken some time to decompress and unwind a little, I headed up to bed. The alarm was set bright and early at 06:45 (which are hours I don’t usually see!) and I tried to get some rest before my trip the following day.
Promptly, as expected, at 06:45 I was woken with the noise of the relaxing yet awakening sound of my Alexa playing my chosen alarm tone. I began to gradually open my eyes and took a sleepy glance at the clock to see what time it was. It was just past 06:45, perfect! I spent a bit of time in bed, like I do most mornings, before eating breakfast and preparing myself for my exciting day ahead.
After my mum, dad, Bella (our dog) and I were all up and ready, we left the house, as planned, at 07:50. My dad drove us to Stonehouse station where my and my mum’s journey would begin. After navigating through the streets of Stonehouse, and making an impromptu stop at the local Co-Op for my dad to get his lunch, we arrived at the station at about 08:15.
My mum and I said goodbye to my dad and Bella, and we then walked up onto the platform. My dad dropped us off in the station car park, which is on the Platform 2 side of the station, so we needed to cross over the footbridge to Platform 1, where our first train of the day would be departing from. So, we duly crossed over the footbridge to access Platform 1 whilst admiring what a glorious day it was weather-wise; we hoped the weather would continue to be favourable for the duration of our trip to, a hopefully, sunny, Swansea.
Our train was due to depart Stonehouse at 08:26 to take us to Swindon where we would change trains for a service to Swansea; so, we had 5 to 10 minutes to wait before our train was scheduled to arrive into the station.
My mum and I took a speedy selfie on the platform to mark the start of our trip, before I took a few other photos of the station in the beautiful, cool morning sunlight. After I finished my photography, I had a look on my phone at the live train data, and I could see our train had left Gloucester and was making great progress, powering towards Stonehouse.
Extremely fortunately, we had been gifted tickets in first class to travel to and from Swansea which was brilliant as it pretty much ensured a quieter travelling experience which helped with my anxiety massively. I was so thankful and appreciative of GWR’s generosity.
I took a look at the departure board which shows you which numbered ‘zone’ on the platform you need for each coach letter. It is a very handy feature as it ensures you are standing in the correct place on the platform for the coach you need. Most of GWR’s stations have a similar zone system, which makes for a much less hectic experience when a train pulls into a platform, so you don’t find yourself standing in the wrong place! We were booked in the first class partition of Coach D, so we walked down to the London end of the platform (which are the lower numbered zones) and waited for the train to pull into the station.
As always when catching the train from Stonehouse you can just about hear a faint sound of the train’s horn as it passes a local foot crossing so that signifies that the train is only a matter of minutes away. And today was no exception!
The train’s nose cone was soon peering around the corner, whilst brushing against some overgrowth, and the sleek class 800 Intercity Express Train was arriving into Stonehouse station right on time. For the train enthusiasts amongst you, this train was number 800 034 and it was working 1L66 the 07:25 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington.
The train came to a smooth and gradual stop before the doors on the coaches simultaneously beeped and hissed and then slid open. We boarded the train at the front of Coach D and found our reserved seats 17 & 20 which were positioned on either side of a single table. The coach was relatively quiet when we boarded at Stonehouse; however, on the digital reservation screens, it indicated there were several seats in our coach that were booked from the succeeding stations of Stroud and Kemble.
Our Intercity Express Train departed Stonehouse on time and, as the Intercity Express Trains are infamous for, sped away from the station. I started to settle into my seat and began to feel safe and comfortable in my surroundings.
The line between Stonehouse and Swindon is known as the Golden Valley Line, which is renowned for being very picturesque. However, between Stonehouse and Stroud, the railway line is sandwiched between houses, schools and industrial buildings which, as you will see, is a complete contrast to that of the landscape once you pass Stroud.
The distance from Stonehouse to Stroud is a mere two miles by rail which sped by whilst travelling at a good speed. So before too long, we were pulling into, what looked like, a bustling Stroud station. The train glided through the platform before coming to a smooth stop. The doors opened and our coach began to fill a little. The coach now looked to be about half-occupied and as if on cue, once all the newly boarded passengers had settled in their seats, the train departed.
Thankfully, even though the coach was now relatively busy the ambience in the coach stayed consistent with just the soothing, gentle noise of chatter between the passengers.
We were now speeding towards the next station call of Kemble and as I alluded to earlier there was a drastic change in the scenery surrounding the train. The train line was now in a valley and there were beautiful views of The Stroudwater Canal, which is gradually being restored, and the quaint cottage-like houses and industrial buildings on either side of the railway line.
By the minute the surroundings became noticeably more rural and after a little while of winding through the still somewhat inhabited areas, we soon found ourselves just travelling past what looked like endless fields, with the occasional inquisitive cow, sheep or horse for company.
My viewing of the stunning scenery was briefly interrupted as we were now pulling into Kemble station. Kemble station is definitely in keeping with its beautiful Cotswold surroundings. The station opened in the 1800’s and, as such, was designed in the traditional and iconic Great Western Railway style. The station features an impressive, preserved water tower, at the far end of Platform 2, which stands proudly over the station. The water tower has certainly seen the evolution of the railway from its heyday in the steam era, to the classic diesel locomotives, to now these sleek highly advanced and technical multiple-unit trains. I wonder what it will see next in the coming years of railway evolution?
Putting those rather deep and meaningful thoughts to one side for a minute, our train drifted into Platform 1 at Kemble and a sea of passengers boarded the train. The first class coaches got a little busier, but still at a manageable level for me.
Once all the passengers boarded, and of course also alighted, I could hear the gentle beeping of the train doors and then the click of them sealing closed.
The train sped away from the platform and after a few minutes, we were once again immersed in the serene Golden Valley scenery. The view was made all the more idyllic by the splendid weather which really made the ‘Golden’ in ‘Golden Valley’ live up to its name!
As we were leaving Kemble there was an onboard announcement that stated that there was unfortunately no catering on this service today. I was already aware of this as the GWR website and app show you whether there is a scheduled trolley service of light refreshments on any particular service. So, I brought a small bottle of water with me to pre-empt this, with the view of purchasing some more water and snacks at Swindon station.
However, when we were about 10 minutes out of the next station stop of Swindon the train manager passed through our coach to check tickets and very kindly informed passengers that they would be bringing around some bottled water and snacks. That news was visibly very well received by the passengers, and I really appreciated the train manager going above and beyond to deliver an exceptional level of service to their passengers.
After a few more minutes, the automated announcement played out in the coach saying we would shortly be arriving at Swindon. As this was where we were leaving this service today my mum and I started to gather our belongings together. I’m very familiar with the Golden Valley line so I’m well-versed in the best point to start walking towards the carriage doors to prepare to alight the train at Swindon to avoid standing for a prolonged period.
So right on cue, as we were passing some of the out-of-town industrial parks, we left our seats and started to walk towards the doors. I did my usual check of the seats to make sure we hadn’t left anything behind; this check can be a bit on the compulsive side, so I always have to try and settle myself to agree in my head I have indeed not left anything.
We spotted the train manager handing out water and snacks in the first class coach in front of ours and they very kindly offered us some cold water and legendary Pullin’s fruit cake. I was really appreciative of that very kind gesture as it would save us having to source some more water at Swindon station for me to take my medication. My mum and I thanked the train manager very much and we made our way out to the vestibule to await the train’s imminent arrival into Swindon.
We passed the very familiar site of the Swindon Designer Outlet shopping centre which signified the fact we were pretty much now within the station’s bounds. The train once again coasted into the platform before coming to a gentle pause. The doors opened and we duly alighted the train.
At Swindon, the GWR ‘bi-mode’ Intercity Express Trains coming up the Golden Valley towards London change from diesel to electric. Given our train was one of GWR’s Intercity Express Trains, as we stepped onto the platform, I heard the distinctive thud of the pantograph rising and making contact with the overhead electric wires to power the train to London Paddington.
My mum went and took a seat on one of the sets of metal benches between Platforms 1 & 3 whilst I took a few photos of the train we had just arrived in on as it was leaving Swindon, making a break for the capital.
There was a steady flow of trains coming through Swindon this morning, so I took the opportunity to add to my ever-growing collection of railway photographs whilst waiting for our connecting service to Swansea. One of the more notable trains I saw was a Freightliner class 66 diesel locomotive (66 598) hauling a rake of, what I presume were, JNA-type wagons from Whatley Quarry in Somerset to Oxfordshire working under the headcode 6A16.
The class 66 paused in the Swindon Up Main; which is a through line, meaning there isn’t a platform, in between Platforms 3 & 4. After all the freight train’s brakes had stopped their ear-piercing squealing (which made a fair few passengers look up in surprise from their phones!), I looked at the departure board above me and noted it was now about 09:15. Our next train to Swansea was due to depart at 09:41, and after consulting my phone’s live departure data, I spotted the 09:41 service was due to depart from Platform 4. At Swindon, Platform 4 is directly opposite Platform 3 (the one we were positioned on) so to access it you need to walk through an underground subway. I spotted on the live data that our train had been started short at Reading instead of London Paddington. This would hopefully not affect our trip to Swansea, but when I saw the update on our train saying it was part-cancelled, I did have a moment of panic!
Once I took a moment to calm a little, I decided I would take my medication and have a quick bite to eat. I also tasted the aforementioned Pullin’s fruit cake, which is a GWR staple catering offering, and it didn’t disappoint. This certainly wouldn’t be the last of my sampling of GWR’s splendid catering today, but it filled a gap in my stomach and after taking my last bite we put our bags back on and headed towards the stairs to the subway.
Swindon station was actually quite busy this morning with commuters and leisure travellers alike all heading off to their various destinations of choice. So we made our way through the sea of passengers and started the decline down the steps.
We traversed the short subway and once we reached the stairs on the Platform 4 side, I checked that we were on the right platform for the 09:41 to Swansea on the departure board – which confirmed we most certainly were. We climbed the steps and were greeted by a pretty much deserted waiting room. We were still quite early for our train, so we wandered out onto the platform to make the most of the cool, summer’s day.
The class 66 freight locomotive still remained idling proudly in the centre through line, so I walked up to the far end of the platform to take a couple more photos from an alternate angle. As I was reaching the platform limit, I could hear the train’s engine starting to tick up and the brakes gradually being released. I slightly upped the pace of my walk to ensure I reached the front of the train before it departed. Luckily, as I reached the end of the platform the locomotive was just starting a leisurely crawl. Similar to earlier, the train’s brakes all squealed and clunked in unison as the wagons started to move. There were a couple of other fellow rail enthusiasts who were all admiring the magnificent locomotive and taking their own photos and videos.
After a minute or so the train left the station and was slowly moving away from Swindon, heading for Oxfordshire. As soon as the train left my line of sight, I walked the short way up the platform to where I could see my mum patiently waiting. She found another bench and was waiting for me to return. By this time, it was nearly 09:30, and I could see on the live train map on my phone that our train had passed Didcot Parkway and was now heading non-stop to Swindon. I could see our service was progressing nicely, so I started to think about what part of the platform we would need for the coach we were booked in, Coach K.
Like Stonehouse, Swindon has a similar zone system so my first call was to take a look at the departure boards and see if I could identify our coach letter and reference it to a zone. Unfortunately, that didn’t help too much as all I could see on the departure board was the train’s layout (i.e. where the cycle/wheelchair spaces were, and which ends standard, and first class were). To add to this the 09:41 service looked to be formed of a 10-coach Intercity Express Train (i.e. two 5-coach trains coupled together) which means you are unable to walk through the full 10 coaches once you are onboard.
My mum spotted a member of Swindon’s platform staff and asked them whether they knew which part of the train Coach K would be. They weren’t 100% sure given the train could be in reserve formation, so we decided we would wait somewhere central on the platform where we could hopefully see as the train was pulling in which end of the train we would need.
I took another look at the live train map on my phone and noticed that our train to Swansea was just a matter of minutes out of the station. When I looked up, I could see a set of dazzling, crisp, cool white headlights on the horizon which signified the imminent arrival of our train.
After what felt like just a few seconds the train was gliding into the platform. As the front of the train passed us, I suddenly spotted that the frontmost coach was where Coach K was located. My mum and I started to walk up the platform to gain access to the front 5 coaches. The train continued to speedily coast into the platform whilst we were still walking. The train’s brakes were gradually applied before the unit came to a gentle and smooth halt.
As the train stopped, I noted that we were still walking past the rear 5 coaches, so we picked up the pace of our walk. I always forget how lengthy a full 10 coach Intercity Express Train is, but soon enough we had passed the noses of both of the coupled together trains which meant we had now reached the front set.
The train manager of this train was standing proudly on the platform by the rear doors of Coach G waiting for all their passengers to board and alight. We confirmed with the train manager that this was the right section of the train for Coach K, which as expected it was, so we promptly boarded the train.
Given we had boarded at the very rear of the 5 coach train we needed to navigate our way through pretty much the entirety of the train to reach our booked seats. The train was relatively busy, but there were certainly still some unoccupied seats. As we had just walked through the first coach the train began to take power and move away from the platform here at Swindon. We continued our gentle and careful walk through the train and before too long we reached Coach K.
This coach is known as a ‘composite coach’ which means it has both standard class and first class seating in just one carriage. There are a set of opaque sliding doors which partition the coach effectively. So, we made our way through the internal doors, and it soon became apparent how quiet the first class section was, with just a couple of other passengers seated.
We were booked in seats 18 & 19 which are neighbouring seats around a traditional double table. I noticed that both seats on the opposite side of the table were marked as available so we decided that my mum would sit in one of those, so we were facing each other.
As I briefly touched on earlier, the digital reservation screens on the Intercity Express Trains show whether a seat is currently reserved, reserved from later in the journey or available for the full trip. These states of booking are accompanied by a red, amber or green LED light respectively. So as the seat my mum was planning to sit in was marked with a green available light, we could be fairly sure that there were unlikely to be any concerns later on in the journey.
My mum and I stowed our bags away before taking a seat. By this time, we were passing the Swindon suburbs and were making positive progress towards our next calling point of Bristol Parkway.
Once again for the train enthusiasts amongst you, the train we were travelling on were unit numbers 800 015 & 800 028 and the train was working the altered 1B07 the 09:13 Reading to Swansea
After a short while of settling in my seat, I took my laptop out of my bag to continue typing my previous blog which I had started at home. I usually just look out of the window and take in the surroundings when travelling, but I had completed the journey between Swindon and Cardiff just a few weeks prior on a trip to South Wales with my dad; so, I was familiar with this part of the trip and thought that I could tick a task off my to-do list. There is something quite soothing about writing onboard a train, I found periodically taking breaks from writing was considerably easier than being at home and the view out of the window provided a level of inspiration for language to use. I did pre-decide that I would only work on my blog until we reached Cardiff and then I would just fully immerse myself in the journey.
I set my laptop up and whilst doing so I heard the unmistakable clatter of the at-seat refreshment trolley making its way into our coach. I previously mentioned how quiet the coach was, so it was only a short time before the trolley reached our seats. The customer host asked my mum and me if we would like any refreshments from the trolley. I opted for a glass of apple juice and my mum had a still water, we were also offered a range of snacks so I thought I would try a slice of Pullin’s Apricot Flapjack. The apple juice and flapjack were both very enjoyable and kept my energy levels up for this part of the journey.
Once the trolley had passed through the coach, I connected my headphones to my phone and listened to some music to keep my brain occupied and as relaxed as possible. I recently discovered the country pop artist Shaina Twain, after GWR carried out a stunt with Radio 1 to name a train the ‘Shania Train’ which I just so happened to also be involved with; so, Shania’s music was my music of choice today.
Before too long, we were approaching our first stop at Bristol Parkway. There are a few ‘landmarks’ that you can see from the train that always indicate our upcoming station call. The first of which was travelling over Westerleigh Junction, this is where the line from Gloucester and The North joins the South Wales Mainline to allow trains to continue their journeys to The South West. After Westerleigh, the train passes over the 11-span Huckford Viaduct before continuing onto yet another bridge structure that passes over the M4 motorway. There was a lengthy traffic jam on the M4 today (like there is the majority of the times I have passed over it) which I found somewhat amusing whilst we were speeding above them at potentially 100 times their speed! Finally, the train travels through a steep cutting and that is when you know you are on the final approach to Bristol Parkway.
As we were pulling into Bristol Parkway, I was keeping my eyes peeled for any freight locomotives that might be parked up in Stoke Gifford yard which is directly parallel to the station. Unfortunately, there weren’t many, if any, locomotives that I could see from the train today. It’s always a bit of a lucky dip as to what trains you might catch a glimpse of at Bristol Parkway.
The train came to a gentle stop before opening its doors to allow passengers to board and alight. The station was relatively busy this morning but there were no other passengers who joined us in Coach K. After the train crew performed their platform duties the train departed and continued to make its way towards South Wales.
Right after leaving Bristol Parkway on the left-hand side of the train, you can see the entrance to the Hitachi Stoke Gifford depot which is one of the sites where the GWR Intercity Express Trains are maintained. It is a large site and is a key passenger depot on the Great Western network. I only got a very brief view of the depot today, but I did spot a couple of trains awaiting their next movements.
Continuing past Stoke Gifford depot, the train sped through the stations of Patchway and Pilning, the latter of which is in the top 30 of the least-used stations in Britain, measured by station exits, entrances and interchanges, in the last reporting year (2022/23). I did visit Pilning station for the first time earlier this year and I can confirm there is very little at the station, which is probably to be expected given it only receives two train services a week!
After just a couple minutes of passing Pilning, our train was plunged into complete darkness which signified our entry into the Severn Tunnel. The Severn Tunnel opened to rail traffic in 1886 at a total underground distance of 4.35 miles. The tunnel is built below the Severn Estuary and is one of the key rail links between England and Wales with it safely conveying over 130 passenger trains every weekday. The Severn Tunnel is a major feat of engineering and as such it held the title of the longest underwater tunnel in the world until 1987 and the longest tunnel in the UK until 2007.
We travelled through the tunnel at the line speed of 75mph so it only took about 3 minutes to be back out of its confines and return to the glorious sunlight. After climbing up the gradient out of the tunnel we speedily passed our first station of the day in Wales, Severn Tunnel Junction.
Our train was still making great progress and before too long, the onboard announcement played out to inform passengers that we would shortly be arriving at our next station call of Newport. On arrival into Newport, we passed over the impressive River Usk, where you can catch a clear view of the city. I consistently keep an eye out for the Transporter Bridge which I find fascinating as it quite simply acts as a suspended ferry for passengers to cross the river. It is just one of those landmarks that I always enjoy seeing and pointing out to the people I’m travelling with.
After passing over the river, we were pulling into Newport station. The station actually seemed somewhat sleepy today with very few people milling about. I guess passengers have a wider choice of trains they can catch to advance with their journeys into Wales rather than at the preceding stations in our journey, where people are limited to just one or two trains an hour. The train doors soon were closed and locked shut before our train took power to proceed with its journey towards Swansea.
By this stage in our journey, I had settled into my surroundings and felt somewhat safe. The quietness of the coach helped immensely and kept me from becoming overwhelmed with everything that might ordinarily be going on around me. I had made some good progress on the blog that I was writing, and I was still enjoying listening to my chosen Shania Twain playlist.
Promptly after leaving Newport, we passed Alexandra Dock Junction Sidings which had a number of freight wagons with the accompanying vibrant red and grey painted DB Cargo class 66 diesel locomotives.
The train carried on making its way towards our next stop at Cardiff Central. The distance between Newport and Cardiff is just over 11 miles by rail (which takes about 12 minutes). So, it wasn’t too long before the flat, grassy surroundings gradually gave way to townhouses, and soon, both sides of the train were fully enclosed by the cityscape of Cardiff, the Welsh capital.
The approach into Cardiff Central station tends to be quite gripping as nine times out of ten there is a local Transport for Wales train passing over the flyover originating from Cardiff Queen Street, making its way down into Cardiff Central station. Today was no exception to that statement and there was one of Transport for Wales’ two-car class 150 trains running parallel to us. It was almost like a little race to see which train would arrive at the station first.
In contrast to Newport, as we pulled into Cardiff Central it became clear just how busy the station was today. There was a sea of passengers on most of the platforms all waiting for their next train services to any of a number of destinations. There were also the obligatory train enthusiasts at the far end of the station, who always seem to be present whenever I pass through the station. Funnily enough though, there were relatively few people waiting to board our train to Swansea, which was a positive for me to see, and hopefully meant our coach would stay quiet. That was definitely true, and if anything, our coach became even quieter when someone alighted the train here.
The train paused at Cardiff for a brief three minutes, and in that time the train lowered its electric pantograph and started up the diesel engines. Once you pass Cardiff Central on the South Wales Mainline towards Swansea, there aren’t any overhead electric lines so trains are purely reliant on their diesel engines. This is once again somewhere on the Great Western network where the Intercity Express Trains’ bi-mode capabilities really shine through.
After the train had switched power modes it departed the Welsh Capital and was making its way on the final leg of its journey towards Swansea. At this point, I put my laptop away and took my headphones out so I could fully appreciate and absorb the journey now that the coach had pretty much emptied. I was settled with the progress I had made on my last blog, which I had almost completely finished on the train today.
Straight after leaving Cardiff Central station, we pass Cardiff Canton Depot which is the hub of Transport for Wales’ train operations in South Wales with over 20 roads (rail lines) within the depot. It is a huge site, and you really can’t appreciate the sheer scale of it from any one view of the depot.
Whilst we were passing the Transport for Wales’ depot, on the opposite side of the train we travelled alongside the equally vast Principality Stadium. Given my love of Taylor Swift’s music, I remarked to my mum that Taylor Swift had actually played in the stadium, during her world concert tour (The Era’s Tour), just a matter of days before.
Once we had navigated our way through the suburbs of Cardiff, the journey to the next stop at Bridgend was very pleasant with just trees, bushes and expanses of fields for as far as the eye can see. Livestock occupied a number of the fields and were seemingly unbothered by our train’s presence. Trains passing their fields at all times of the day and night must be just their ‘normal’!
We sped through a trio of stations, Pontyclun, Llanharan and Pencoed, which are stations GWR don’t serve, before we made a timely arrival at Bridgend. The train pulled into the station, and one other fellow passenger joined us in our carriage. We made a very short pause at Bridgend and then the train departed to continue with its journey.
After leaving Bridgend, we passed through the station of Pyle at speed and then we travelled adjacent to yet another freight yard, Margam Knuckle Yard, which was filled with more wagons and freight locomotives. I only managed to catch a brief glimpse of the depot, before we sped past.
Only a matter of about ten minutes elapsed, before we were arriving at our next stop at Port Talbot Parkway. Directly on approach to the station, we caught a prolonged view of the Tata Steel Works. There were many towering smokestacks with steam billowing from each tip. There was a noticeable smog in the air with steam filling the skies. It felt like something you would see in a steampunk film series! A truly magnificent sight!
Our train made a brief stop at Port Talbot Parkway before it departed. The train was now only 15 minutes out of Swansea and continued making good progress. We made our penultimate stop at Neath and then we were on approach to Swansea. The last time I had ventured this far west into Wales was in February 2020, over four years ago! So, it was nice to be back in somewhat uncharted territory.
As we were pulling into Swansea the train manager on our service made a very informative announcement concerning the various rail connections at Swansea, giving the times and platform numbers of the next departures which was brilliant! We didn’t happen to need that information today as we would be reboarding the train we were currently onboard to complete our return journey, once the train had been cleaned and restocked.
Our train was now gliding into Swansea station platform 3 and came to a gentle, controlled stop. We started to gather our belongings together and prepared to vacate our seats. There was no immediate rush to alight the train as it terminated here, however, my mum and I had a couple of tasks we had planned to undertake in Swansea.
Once I had checked we had everything we came with, we made our way to the vestibule. All the doors on the train’s carriages beeped and hissed in unison for one final time and carefully slid to the open position. We took the step down onto the platform and felt a sudden rush of warm summer air. As always with Intercity Express Trains our unit was exceptionally well air-conditioned which made the process of stepping onto the platform from the train feel like even more of a temperature surge.
The platforms next to ours (Platforms 2 & 1) were both occupied by Transport for Wales trains. On Platform 2, the one closest to where our train arrived, a two-coach class 197 ‘Civity’ train occupied the platform and on Platform 1 two, one-carriage class 153 ‘Super Sprinters’ were awaiting their imminent departure towards Shrewsbury (via the renowned Heart of Wales line). Several passengers from the train we arrived in on were making a hurried dash to the Shrewsbury train as the train was ready for departure. The platform staff did a splendid job guiding all the slightly stressed passengers to their connecting train service.
I also spotted a couple of onboard food trolleys (the technical term being Atlas Carts) being loaded onto the train we had just arrived in on. I had an inkling that they might be containing the food for the Pullman Dining restaurant, but we would have to wait and see.
After meandering the short way through the passengers on the platform, I took a couple of photos of our train alongside the Transport for Wales units. After I had finished my photography session, my mum and I made our way through the ticket barriers and walked out of the station frontage, into the streets of Swansea.
Once we had assessed our bearings, and consulted the trusty Google Maps, we started to walk towards where we thought we needed to head to reach a much-talked-about corner shop. To the uninformed passer-by this very typically British ‘Nisa Local’ corner shop probably isn’t particularly noteworthy. However, one of my good friends, Tony Peters, would regularly chat to me about this shop. Within the Nisa Local, there is a very much loved concession; a Welsh bakers named CK’s Foodstores and they supposedly sell some legendary custard slices.
For a bit of background about CK’s; during the Coronavirus pandemic, Tony (and several members of railway crew) would frequent the shop to sample these custard slices. It became a bit of a standing jest that every time someone visited Swansea they would go and purchase a custard slice! Given I had never travelled to Swansea before, this was my first opportunity to taste these Welsh delicacies (which I promised I would share with my dad when I returned home from today’s adventure!).
So, we made our way into the shop and very swiftly located the custard slices. We picked up a pack and carried on our wander around. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a pack of Welsh cakes on a rack, and well it wouldn’t be right to venture to Wales and not go home with some of their tasty cakes. Before we found any other sweet treats, we headed to the tills to pay for our acquired goods!
We left CK’s and headed back in the direction of the railway station, which is only a stone’s throw away. It wasn’t quite time to return to the station yet though. My mum and I had one other, hopefully quick, task to undertake in Swansea.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have limitless time before we needed to catch our return Pullman train, so we would be unable to reach the seafront and back, within our allotted 40 minute turnaround time. If you have been reading my blogs for a while then you might be aware of my mum’s affinity with the sea and the beach, so what’s the next best thing? A river, I suppose! And Swansea has one of those (the River Tawe) that seemed to be near to the station.
I consulted Google Maps again which indicated that we needed to take a left out of the station and make our way towards the A483, a major road between Swansea and the Northwest of England, and then we should be within a short distance of the River Tawe.
As we left the station behind us, we crossed over a bridge which led into a multi-story car park. The bridge was quite a way above the road below and it was unclear how we would reach the street level. Google Maps wasn’t being particularly helpful, but we assumed that we needed to navigate our way through the car park which would hopefully lead us to the road below.
That assumption was correct and after navigating through the entirety of the multi-story car park, we successfully found our way to the road level. The next part of the walk was fairly straightforward, and after passing a few out-of-town industrial buildings, we safely crossed over the A483. It soon became clear that we had arrived where we had intended when we caught the welcome sight of the river.
My mum and I took another selfie, and I captured a few other photos of the riverside. The weather was still beautiful and made the River Tawe look even more delightful. In the distance, we could just about see the Swansea Marina which looked like it was well and truly filled with watercraft.
I took a look at my watch and noted it was now about 11:55, which meant we had about 25 minutes until our return train departed at 12:23. So we waved goodbye to the river (metaphorically of course!) and headed back towards the station to ensure we had ample time to catch our train. We couldn’t miss it after all this!
Given we were familiar with the route now, the meander back to the station was considerably more straightforward. We arrived back at the station at 12:00 and I asked my mum if she could take a photo of me standing next to the Swansea station totem; which she duly completed. We made our way back through the station concourse and passed the ticket barriers with ease.
Our return train was already patiently waiting for us. As I mentioned earlier our return service is formed of the same trains as on our outbound journey, so it has just been stood at the platform for the duration of our Swansea exploration. There was planned to be a swap of the front Intercity Express Train, but for an unknown reason that did not occur today. So, our return train was formed of exactly the same trains (800 015 & 800 028) but now working the 1L20 the 11:27 Carmarthen via Swansea to Swindon.
I took a walk up to the end of the platform to have a look at the front of our train and to be able to fully appreciate Swansea station. I took quite a number of photos at Swansea that captured the full scale of the station and train. Our ten coach Intercity Express Train occupied the full length of the platform which just goes to show how lengthy the platforms are here at Swansea. When I reached the end of the platform, I took a look back towards the station and admired the ornate and pleasing station roof which followed the curvature of the platform beautifully. It definitely had the 1800’s Great Western-esque look about it.
After I had taken in all the sights of Swansea station, I walked back up the platform towards the concourse. I found a bench where my mum and I could sit prior to boarding our train. By this point, I was rather warm, so my mum suggested I take my jumper off, which I quickly did and that helped to start to cool me down. I struggle to know when I am warm, or cold for that matter, and often need prompting to help me to remember!
Whilst we were sitting on our bench, I noticed a train pulling into the platform next to ours. It was another GWR Intercity Express Train that had just arrived from Carmarthen (in Southwest Wales). This service was formed of the train that should have been swapped with the front unit of our train back to Swindon. The departure boards stated that this train from Carmarthen terminated here, so all the passengers wishing to travel onwards towards London Paddington had to swap trains. It sounds more complicated than it is! Admittedly there weren’t many passengers on the newly arrived train so very little inconvenience was caused!
If you have made it this far, very well done! I don’t quite know how I have written a short book of nearly 8,000 words and we haven’t even made it to the Pullman yet! I hope you have enjoyed the read so far, and hopefully, you’ll continue to appreciate the next part of the blog.
If you’ve just joined us here, welcome! So far, my mum and I have travelled from Stonehouse (near Gloucester) to Swindon and then on to Swansea. We also took a little walk around Swansea, purchasing some tasty treats and wandered down to the river. This is where I am just about to board the Pullman train back towards Swindon.
I spotted a member of our train’s catering crew standing on the platform welcoming and guiding passengers onto the train. I, therefore, made the inference that the train was now ready for boarding.
My mum and I had been provided with our Pullman seat reservation numbers, but we weren’t 100% sure which coach we needed. It soon became clear though when we walked up to the very friendly customer host and through the window spotted the tables dressed in white linen cloths. It looked truly magical! After confirming with the host that we were in the right place for our Pullman reservation, which we were, the Pullman crew welcomed us onboard and guided us to our seats. It really felt like you were in a five-star restaurant.
We were walked to our seats (54 & 57 in Coach L) and handed two leather-cased menus. The menus were engraved with the words ‘GWR Pullman Dining’. That’s when I started to fully take in our new surroundings. Along with the linen tablecloths adorning the tables, there were place settings, with the appropriate cutlery for every course. Two wine glasses were also present on the table, above the perfectly placed silverware. The ordinary Intercity Express Train carriage had truly been transformed into something extraordinary! It was magnificent!
As soon as we sat down the attentive host came over to us and offered us a bottle of water for the table. We accepted the kind offer and within a matter of seconds, a tall, cool, glass bottle of water was brought to our table. After pouring a glass, I took a little sip and felt the chilled water very quickly cool me down.
I perused the menu, which I had already examined in quite some detail online. I struggle with trying new food, so I always like to look beforehand at what will likely be on offer so I can think about what I would like prior to actually being at (or onboard in this case!) the restaurant. The menu looked to be very comprehensive and had a number of differing options.
The brilliant Restaurant Manager, Marc, came over to our table and introduced himself to us. He explained a bit about how the Pullman service works and asked where we were travelling to today (I presume so the crew could gauge when they would need to cook the food). After telling Marc that we would be travelling to Swindon, he asked if we were ready for our order to be taken. And we most certainly were.
My mum ordered first, she opted for the ‘Pea and watercress soup’ for her starter and the ‘Prime fillet steak’ for her main. Marc went as far as to check with my mum how she would like her steak cooked and which accompanying sauce she would like, that’s some service for food cooked on a train! I followed her and ordered the ‘Pressed ham hock’ for my starter and the ‘Panko breaded salmon’ for my main. Marc additionally asked us if we would like any other drinks, and my mum and I both chose the lemonade. The order was then passed onto the kitchen and the amazing restaurant crew began preparing the food. This all happened before we had even left Swansea! Really impressive!
The train departed perfectly on time, and it soon became clear we were the only people onboard the Pullman leaving Swansea. It was lovely to have a quiet space to begin the journey.
As we were leaving Swansea one of the hosts brought around our flavoursome Jolly’s Cornish Lemonade; and after the host had carefully poured the drinks into the waiting glasses, I took a few photos of the stunningly laid-out carriage as a little memento from the day.
Our train was now arriving into Neath station and came to a gentle pause. A couple of fellow guests joined us in our carriage and the Pullman crew warmly welcomed them onboard. The train departed right on time, and we carried on with our journey.
I was completely mesmerised by the restaurant, so the journey just seemed to fly by and before I knew it, we were pulling into Port Talbot Parkway. The host came over to our table and brought out a steak knife in preparation for my mum’s main course.
Only a matter of minutes later the host delivered two beautifully warm, olive bread rolls with a portion of salted butter to our table. Then promptly followed our chosen starters presented on beautiful crisp white China plates. My mum’s pea and watercress soup looked lovely and was garnished with salad leaves. My order of the pressed ham hock very pleasantly surprised me. I had never had the opportunity to taste anything like this before, so I couldn’t be sure if I would like it. However, after taking my first mouthful, it was like a taste sensation with all these beautifully complementary aromas coming together to create a stunning flavour. The ham hock was accompanied by a sweet and smooth apple sauce which enhanced the flavour even further. The still-warm olive bread roll worked perfectly with both our starters and really added to the taste.
My mum and I had finished our starters just after we had left Bridgend. We both had completely clear plates, which is always a sign of a very enjoyable course. The great Pullman host returned our empty plates back to the kitchen and politely asked whether we liked our food, which we most certainly did!
We were now somewhere between Bridgend and Cardiff Central. I had lost track of our progress, so that just showed how much I was enjoying this experience as usually I would be following the train’s location in incredibly fine detail.
There were some mouthwatering scents of the delicate steak being prepared in the kitchen drifting down through the carriage; this indicated the near arrival of our main courses!
The scent of cooking intensified, and the host emerged from the kitchen with filled plates in their hands. I caught sight of our mains. And wow, didn’t they look good! The host mindfully placed our main course plates on our table. Along with the steak, there were dauphinoise potato, green beans, mushrooms, and shallots. In addition to this, there was an accompanying China jug containing my mum’s chosen cider and mustard sauce. It looked stunning! My main looked equally as amazing, the panko breaded salmon was complemented with green beans, crushed peas, pressed potato chip and a topping of fresh rocket, as well as a segment of lemon to finish.
At this point, we had just arrived into Cardiff Central station, and I did wonder to myself about what the passengers on the platform must be thinking when they saw us sitting in what is quite simply a restaurant on rails.
My mum asked the host if they would mind taking a photo of my mum and me sitting with our main courses, and of course, the host very kindly obliged. As soon as the host took the photo, I immediately took my first bite of my salmon. It tasted just as good as looked! It was perfectly tender and had a lovely texture. The pressed peas were really flavoursome. And the potato chips were delightful, they had a great soft taste to them.
There was something rather relaxing about travelling along at speeds up to 125mph whilst experiencing this exemplary food and service. And after every few bites, I would take a look out of the carriage window and just sit for a moment while thinking about what a magical train this is. It’s like nothing I have experienced before.
I was a bit cheeky and tasted some of my mum’s meal (and yes, she did try some of mine too!) and even though I am not a huge steak lover, it was most certainly enjoyable as were the mushrooms and potato. All in all, both our mains were wholly delightful, and we both once again had clear plates.
By this time, we were fast approaching Newport, and the host came and took our plates away. The carriage was actually quite busy now but the clatter of the cutlery and plates from our fellow guests was very soothing, it was a wonderful ambience.
Marc returned to our table to check whether we enjoyed our meals, which we most definitely did and enquired whether we would like any desserts. After little hesitation, we placed our order for dessert, I chose the ‘Sticky toffee pudding’ and my mum settled on the ‘Lemon meringue pie’. If these were to the same standard as our previous courses, which I could be pretty certain they would be, then we would be in for a real treat.
The train had a timely arrival into Newport and one other guest joined us here. The carriage now looked to be full, which was a great sign as it showed just how popular the GWR Pullman is.
Straight after leaving Newport, the host came around to see whether we would like any more drinks. My mum and I both opted for a top-up of the delicious lemonade, which was duly brought to our table. Just a couple of minutes elapsed before our desserts were presented in front of us. They looked equally as amazing! The sticky toffee pudding was dripped in a sweet butterscotch sauce and another China jug was placed on the table, this time containing warm dairy-free custard. My mum’s lemon meringue pie was also carefully lowered onto the table. The desserts all had a garnish of a fresh lush mint leaf, which added to the food’s brilliant presentation.
My mum and I decided to split our desserts and have half each. I do have a bit of a sweet tooth after all! Both of the desserts were delicious. The sticky toffee pudding had a seamless balance of sweetness and richness. The warm custard and the pudding paired faultlessly together. The lemon meringue pie was the complete contrast to the toffee and had the perfect level of sharpness whilst still retaining a fragrant flavour. You might have seen a theme with this food, it was all impeccable!
We finished our desserts whilst speeding through the Severn Tunnel and promptly the ever-wonderful host came and cleared our empty plates away for the final time. That wasn’t quite the end yet though!
The host kindly offered us some more drinks. I had another lemonade (which I was slightly hooked with at this point), and my mum had a coffee. After a few minutes, one cup of coffee was brought over to us, with my lemonade, and some delicate chocolate mints.
Marc came back over to our table to check we were all okay one last time, which was so lovely of him. Marc, and all the Pullman crew, truly went above and beyond on our service today.
I opened one of the chocolate mints and took a small nibble. It was extremely refreshing after our preceding meal. I often struggle with eating lunch and find myself not feeling very hungry, and I was worried I was going to feel like that today, but as you have seen that most certainly was not the case. It was one of the nicest and most enjoyable lunches I have had in a long while. I was pinging photos back and forth to my dad at home, and I think he was somewhat envious that I was having such amazing food! It truly was a brilliant experience!
After making a brief stop at Bristol Parkway, we were on the final stretch back to Swindon. Whilst I was savouring the last of my Pullman experience, we came to a pause just before Wootton Bassett Junction. An informative announcement played out in the coach saying that we had to change over power modes from electric to diesel as there had been an isolation of the overhead electric lines. We were only stopped for a matter of minutes before we were back on the move, albeit with our diesel engines powered up.
Before too long we were approaching our final stop on our Pullman adventure at Swindon. The Pullman hosting crew were all congregated in the vestibule ready to thank and say farewell to any passengers who were alighting the train at Swindon. My mum and I graciously thanked them all so very much for their expectational hospitality today and wished them a safe journey to London. We thought it would be nice to have one final photo of our trip, and what better reminder of the journey than a photo with all the wonderful crew! They all very kindly agreed to the photos, and my mum snapped a few pictures of me with the Pullman staff.
The train was now gliding into Swindon station, and just a few seconds later the train doors all released and slid open. We bid farewell to the Pullman and stepped down off the train. The weather was still beautiful, and we wandered over to the adjoining platform to wait for our train back to Stonehouse, or so we thought.
A matter of minutes after leaving the train, I found out a major incident had been declared after there was a concern for someone on a railway overbridge. This meant all trains in the area had to be stopped and couldn’t proceed past Didcot Parkway (the station before Swindon). And our train home was one of the trains that had been ordered to stop to ensure everyone’s safety.
We waited for about 30 minutes, and as the station was becoming considerably busier and there weren’t any train movements we decided that we would head to my grandparents who very handily live in Swindon. Following a quick phone call to my Nonna and Grandad to confirm they were home, which they were, we headed out of the station. I wasn’t a fan of the busyness and the general hustle of the station, and I was getting noticeably more overwhelmed, so this felt like the best plan.
My mum and I walked over to Swindon Bus Station to hopefully find a bus that would take us to my grandparent’s house. As if it was timed to perfection a bus was waiting for us, so we hopped on board, and I tried to relax a little on the journey. It’s only a brief trip and before I knew it, we were arriving at our stop. We thanked the bus driver and walked the very short distance to my grandparent’s house.
Once we arrived, I filled my grandparents in on my amazing action-packed day whilst keeping an eye on the trains. There wasn’t any real improvement to the train service, so I made countless phone calls to my dad trying to brainstorm alternate plans for him to come to pick us up. After we had some dinner, I was informed the line had reopened, so we thought we would try and head back to the station.
My Grandad drove us back to the station and we waited for a train towards Stonehouse. It took a couple of attempts before we found a train that had some free space for us to board, but we did eventually find a train back heading in the right direction that was possible to travel on.
I won’t sugarcoat it, I did become very overwhelmed at Swindon, and everything just felt too much. But thanks to some amazing people (including my mum) who kept me calm and provided me with as many options as possible and some much-needed distraction, we did get home safely, even if we were a few hours delayed.
There was a bit of a tearful moment at Swindon station before we found a train home that I think links nicely to this last part of my blog, the dedication to Mr Tony Peters.
Whilst we were at Swindon station, an incredibly special Great Western Railway train glided into the platform. It was no other than the ‘Pride’ of the GWR’s fleet, Trainbow! This train has a very special place in my heart and is very emotive. It also just so happened to be one of Tony’s most favourited trains, which he affectionally named ‘Pom Pom’ (that’s a long story!).
Tony was a much respected and loved member of our Railway Family. There weren’t many people who didn’t know of Tony! So, I was incredibly fortunate to have had such a wonderful friendship with him. Tony had such a huge part in my life and provided me with unbroken support in the four special years I knew him.
During the Coronavirus pandemic Tony quite literally kept me alive and ensured I stayed connected with the railways even when I couldn’t travel. That support continued post-pandemic, with meet ups, train trips, phone calls and messages whenever I needed them the most. Tony truly was a one in a million kind of person and someone who I, and the entire Railway Family, will miss dearly. Thank you, Tony, for everything. Green signals all the way Mr P 💔
I would like to say a special thank you to everyone at GWR who made today possible, in particular the brilliant Communications team and all the amazing Pullman crew. And of course to all the people who supported me on my special journey, you all know who you are!
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