Trains and Boats and Planes - share your travel disasters!

[merry]

To continue the tale of merry's Train Troubles, on Saturday Juliet and I were going to Woolwich... as we do.

We set out at 11am.

the 11.54 which we were booked on - cancelled ("fire on track")

the 12.51, the next available train (after a long expensive wait in Moreton, as we went to Ask for food) broke down at Oxford, so we all had to get off and wait for another train to Paddington

Train 3 - managed to get a little way - "damage to overhead electricity lines" meant it sat for a very long time before it crawled off again and for a short while it looked as if all would be well (as it was the weekend, we were in first class, and jolly good thing too as even FC was full and the rest of the train had people standing all the way - not easy to get to the toilets and no trolley for THEM :(

At a place called West Drayton we were told 'this train is going no further' as there had just been a 'passenger on the lines' (suicide) ahead.

We were told to move to another train which was coming on the 'relief line' (it would have been Train 4)

It never turned up and the final announcement was 'there will be no further journeys from this station today. Find alternative routes'.



It was left to one poor lone attendant (all the others had vanished) to explain over and over that we really had been left in the lurch, in the middle of nowhere. 200-plus passengers (more and more had been joining each failed train)

To be honest, I wasn't even sure where we were! still less how to get onwards (or even backwards!) from here. It was all rather daunting. I suddenly felt I needed someone to Take Charge!

I was re-downloading the Uber app which I ditched long ago and Juliet was calling STPD for route advice , when a lovely angel lady overheard our somewhat anxious discussion, and picked us of all the thronging melee to offer a FREE ride in her taxi (to Ealing Broadway where she lived) - it had to be free as I had not a penny on me, I tend to travel cashless these days! lesson learned!

Oh the kindness of strangers!

She really saved our bacon and she was a lovely lady too. We had the most interesting conversation in the cab, and the Uber driver joined in too, so it was quite a jolly ride, though I was watching the clock - we had now been travelling nearly six hours.

She got the driver to take us as close to Ealing Broadway underground as she could. I only know her first name; I wish we could thank her!

At Ealing B our troubles were not over... the Elizabeth line was down (unsurprising as it uses the same tracks as the Paddington-Reading train, and presumably there was still splatter on the rails) so we had to go Jubilee to Canary Wharf, only this wasn't easy either as it was PACKED on the platform and I couldn't push onto a crowded carriage with my suitcase, though Jay managed, so now - joy of joys - on top of all our other troubles - we were split up!

I assumed she would wait for me at CW, but it wasn't a stress-free ride as the train I eventually got into was packed and I was seriously worrying I wouldn't be able to get off the train, people were clustered 10 or more deep around the doors. I did manage though and set out to look for J.... to find a message saying she had 'gone on ahead' (!!!)

Canary Wharf must be the most confusing place in the world. It's not my first visit there but the signage is terrible and I always get lost. Today was no exception - I asked several people where the DLR station was (we had to take the DLR as the Liz was down) and no-one knew. Then I spotted - JAY - who had also been unable to find it - which was lucky really - so at least we were reunited.

FINALLY we made it and were on a train to Woolwich Arsenal, with one change, which we nearly missed, being unfamiliar with the route!

We arrived at 7pm (eight hours of travel, a journey which should take no more than 2.5 hours, ran to the Premier Inn, shwoered and were at The Burnt City by 7.25, with 5 mins to spare.

So, here is a home for all of our Travel Troubles big and small, since we all have so many!

[dianakc]

To continue the tale of merry's Train Troubles, on Saturday Juliet and I were going to Woolwich... as we do.

We set out at 11am.

the 11.54 which we were booked on - cancelled ("fire on track")

the 12.51, the next available train (after a long expensive wait in Moreton, as we went to Ask for food) broke down at Oxford, so we all had to get off and wait for another train to Paddington

Train 3 - managed to get a little way - "damage to overhead electricity lines" meant it sat for a very long time before it crawled off again and for a short while it looked as if all would be well (as it was the weekend, we were in first class, and jolly good thing too as even FC was full and the rest of the train had people standing all the way - not easy to get to the toilets and no trolley for THEM :(

At a place called West Drayton we were told 'this train is going no further' as there had just been a 'passenger on the lines' (suicide) ahead.

We were told to move to another train which was coming on the 'relief line' (it would have been Train 4)

It never turned up and the final announcement was 'there will be no further journeys from this station today. Find alternative routes'.



It was left to one poor lone attendant (all the others had vanished) to explain over and over that we really had been left in the lurch, in the middle of nowhere. 200-plus passengers (more and more had been joining each failed train)

To be honest, I wasn't even sure where we were! still less how to get onwards (or even backwards!) from here. It was all rather daunting. I suddenly felt I needed someone to Take Charge!

I was re-downloading the Uber app which I ditched long ago and Juliet was calling STPD for route advice , when a lovely angel lady overheard our somewhat anxious discussion, and picked us of all the thronging melee to offer a FREE ride in her taxi (to Ealing Broadway where she lived) - it had to be free as I had not a penny on me, I tend to travel cashless these days! lesson learned!

Oh the kindness of strangers!

She really saved our bacon and she was a lovely lady too. We had the most interesting conversation in the cab, and the Uber driver joined in too, so it was quite a jolly ride, though I was watching the clock - we had now been travelling nearly six hours.

She got the driver to take us as close to Ealing Broadway underground as she could. I only know her first name; I wish we could thank her!

At Ealing B our troubles were not over... the Elizabeth line was down (unsurprising as it uses the same tracks as the Paddington-Reading train, and presumably there was still splatter on the rails) so we had to go Jubilee to Canary Wharf, only this wasn't easy either as it was PACKED on the platform and I couldn't push onto a crowded carriage with my suitcase, though Jay managed, so now - joy of joys - on top of all our other troubles - we were split up!

I assumed she would wait for me at CW, but it wasn't a stress-free ride as the train I eventually got into was packed and I was seriously worrying I wouldn't be able to get off the train, people were clustered 10 or more deep around the doors. I did manage though and set out to look for J.... to find a message saying she had 'gone on ahead' (!!!)

Canary Wharf must be the most confusing place in the world. It's not my first visit there but the signage is terrible and I always get lost. Today was no exception - I asked several people where the DLR station was (we had to take the DLR as the Liz was down) and no-one knew. Then I spotted - JAY - who had also been unable to find it - which was lucky really - so at least we were reunited.

FINALLY we made it and were on a train to Woolwich Arsenal, with one change, which we nearly missed, being unfamiliar with the route!

We arrived at 7pm (eight hours of travel, a journey which should take no more than 2.5 hours, ran to the Premier Inn, shwoered and were at The Burnt City by 7.25, with 5 mins to spare.

So, here is a home for all of our Travel Troubles big and small, since we all have so many!

What an epic! Poor you

[OurCreature]

That journey was the stuff of nightmares, Merry; well, some of my nightmares, anyway. I sometimes dream that I am travelling on an old-fashioned train from the 1950s, and I suddenly discover at a most unfortunate moment that the train has no toilets................ Or at the train station I can't find a board which has all the details about departures - platforms, destinations etc. I even had one nightmare where Mum and I were stuck at a station which had no buildings or facilities at all............just two platforms in the middle of nowhere and the next train wasn't due for another 3 hours or so.

Your journey shows how basic infrastructure in this country is packing up and breaking down after decades of underinvestment.

[Furby]

Always there were things disrupting trains. Even 100 years ago in the railway children it was trees and children in red petticoats on the tracks. But in the olden days they still had keep calm and carry on mentality these days it's any excuse to stop everything for at least the rest of the day. One excuse we get on our trams is a medical emergency which stops the trams for several hours and depending which bit of tram line it is can stop entire city travel because of the design of travel being into and out of city to get anywhere. In the railway children they didn't even close the station when the spy collapsed on it did they never mind stop all trains for rest of the day.

How do the merries get about London with no money is it all digital now anyway and you have to buy a day ticket in advance. Was in the news mayor is stopping day tickets because too many people are getting cheap fares with them.

Many years ago nfa got stranded on a train journey from Hampshire to Lancashire and the train company had to pay for taxis they didn't just abandon passengers and say make alternative arrangements. So the problems occured just that now problems are pushed back onto customers so we feel it more.

I used the contactless tickets the other day on one of my rare local tram trips and got fined yet again. That's it now it's buying a proper paper ticket until they get discontinued which I expect will be very soon. You have to tap in and out at every station and it counts up so I must be missing some and there's a fine for every time they think you didn't. I think is very unfair the fines are more than a complete day ticket because wherever you went it cant be more than travelling all day.

At least merry had a happyish ending and got to her show in time even if it was very last minute.

[eccles]

Good grief Merry. You must have been totally frazzled at the end of all that.

I had to get to Park Street yesterday to pick up the final lens in my new camera gear. This was the Big One. After being bitten by the Bus Gate Fine last time I used the Brislington park and ride and took my big shopping trolley in which to carry the lens home. The buses in both directions had IT problems with their card readers but both drivers waived me aboard when my Diamond card was rejected. There was a brief moment of panic in the shop when I found that the new lens in its huge box didn't fit in the shopping trolley. The shop manager hit on the bright idea to tape the box to the outside of the trolley which he did with reams and reams of blue sticky tape.
So not a disaster at all. After some preliminary testing snapping a pigeon yesterday evening the new lens is excellent too.

[eccles]

I recall one near disaster years ago.

After a successful three week fly-drive to the USA West Coast in the early 80s, my brother was keen to do it again a few years later. This time however he was a military man, an RAF corporal to be exact, serving in West Berlin, and two of his RAF buddies decided that they'd like to come too. This time we'd do the East Coast, travelling from Buffalo NY down to Orlando FL. Because there were four of us we could afford to splash out on a bigger more luxurious car.
We had a short connect flight from JFK New York to Buffalo but there were delays due to foul weather and we arrived at buffalo too late to pick up the hire car. We ordered a taxi to take us to our first night's lodgings. It was pouring down so when we got out, three of them said they'd get the luggage and sent me on to book in at the motel. When they arrived with the luggage, I asked "Where's my holdall?"
I got blank stares.
My cash, travellers checks, camera, lenses, credit card and passport were in the holdall. It had been put on the back window ledge by the taxi driver.
The taxi had gone.
<gulp>
We found a Yellow Pages and tried to remember the name of the taxi company. I think we tried ringing three or four with me getting into increasing levels of panic, then eventually we got lucky. The company said the driver had found the holdall but he wanted a fare to return it.
Fair enough. I got my holdall back with everything intact. Thank goodness for an honest cab driver! I forget whether I paid the whole of the second cab fare; I probably did but I was just relieved to get the bag back.

After that little scare we had quite a fun trip. We were Brother Alan, Red Snapper Steve (ginger with a bit of a temper), Bill the Scot, and me. The car, a Ford Taurus, was very comfortable and went well, especially when Steve who had the heaviest right foot was driving.

There was the time we did the Empire State Building, went up to the very top looked at the view, took photos and came down again only for Bill to find that the film in his camera (pre-digital days) had stuck and went up again while the rest of us waited for him while eating at McDonalds on Fifth Avenue.

Then there was the time we discovered that while we were chipping in for our food at restaurants and including a 15% tip, Bill the Scot was adding his contribution last and only making up the sum for the food less tips. When we found that out we made sure that Bill the bloody Scot paid up first.

There was the time when we ate at a seafood restaurant where red snapper was on the menu. Oh how we laughed. Steve was not amused.

The jazz quarter in New Orleans had lots of pop combos but there were still one or two real jazz venues. We just took in the ambience. It was hot and humid.

We saw an alligator in the Everglades and wanted a shot with Bill in it. We kept saying "Back a bit more Bill" as he edged closer to the reptile. I think we chickened out before he did. It wasn't a monster, about five feet long. I liked the great white egrets - they've been breeding in the UK now for many years so I've got far better photos now than I took in Florida.

Mozzies were a nuisance. Alan wanted a closer look at some egrets and we stopped at a car park to wait for him. When he got back he was surrounded by mosquitos. We wouldn't let him in the car until someone briefly opened a window to hand out the insect repellant so he could spray himself before we'd let him back in. Oh how we laughed. Alan was not amused.

I've drifted a bit from the near disaster haven't I.

[Furby]

There was a brief moment of panic in the shop when I found that the new lens in its huge box didn't fit in the shopping trolley. The shop manager hit on the bright idea to tape the box to the outside of the trolley which he did with reams and reams of blue sticky tape.

That's a brilliant idea.

[merry]

I sometimes dream that I am travelling on an old-fashioned train from the 1950s, and I suddenly discover at a most unfortunate moment that the train has no toilets................ Or at the train station I can't find a board which has all the details about departures - platforms, destinations etc. I even had one nightmare where Mum and I were stuck at a station which had no buildings or facilities at all............just two platforms in the middle of nowhere and the next train wasn't due for another 3 hours or so.

I get SO MANY travel-trouble dreams very similar to that!!

Eccles, fab story - I am glad you got your holdall back (another nightmare scenario) -loved the Alligator Moment - "Back a bit more Bill"

GWR have given me back the full cost of that journey - in the end(they talk a LOT about delay-repay, then make it almost impossible to claim with many hoops to jump through.)

[Wildrover]

Too many to write in detail.
1. 2010 - flying back from Delhi on December 20 telling Mrs WR that was plenty of time to get sorted out and drive up to Lancashire for Christmas Eve. Half way through our flight we got diverted to Barcelona as Heathrow remained snowbound. 60 of the passengers got put in the same hotel as me and we didn't arrive till gone midnight by which time they would only take cash. As the only person on the flght with any Euros - I always carry £200 in dollars and Euros - ended up having to buy a drink for practically everyone. Heathrow remained close for two more days and we eventually got back on the 23rd and had to drive up north on Christmas Eve which took 8 hours of constant earache.

2. 2014 - arriving at Frankfurt railway station to visit a new customer and waiting for an hour to be collected by our rep and calling him to find he didn't mean the city with a million people that is Germany's financial hub that I'd visited a dozen times before, he meant a little town also called Frankfurt in former East Germany.

3. 2005 - As VP of Europe I gave the keynote presentation to around 200 sales people in Rome on a Tuesday morning at 8 a.m., got a call just before the speech to tell me my counterpart in Asia had got amoebic dysentry and had been hospitalised so couldn't give the same keynote to the 200 Asia guys. I was on a plane to Kuala Lumpur at 1 p.m. and got to the venue by 10 a.m. the next day, gave the presentation and got the midnight plane back to London. Why was this a disaster? Duty free is really cheap in Malaysia so bought Mrs WR loads of her favourite Clarins stuff, a litre of nice whisky and 200 cigs - And was so damn tired I left the lot at the airport.

4. 2003 - the disaster that wasn't. After a kick off meeting in Los Angeles in January I was due to go skiing in Zell Am See which meant arriving at Heathrow at 9 a.m. and getting a flight from Gatwick to Salzburg at 1 pm. The shuttles from Heathrow to Gatwick took just over an hour so I reasoned that even if the plane was a couple of hours late I'd still make it. This was before the LA flight was delayed for 4 hours. I belatedly looked at my alternatives and the best was the same flight to Salzburg one day later and I knew the earache would be substantial. I ended up drinking a lot of gin at the airport! Woke up with one hour to go to London and the captain announces he has some good news and some bad news. The good news was that with the tailwinds he had picked up 2 hours of the 4 we'd lost and I thought if I got really lucky I might just make it but waited for the bad news. The 'bad news' was that due to some industrial dispute we had been diverted and would be landing at Gatwick instead of Heathrow. I nearly did a victory lap round the plane however as every other passenger was moaning I thought discretion was the better part of valour. I even had time for a beer before the Salzburg flight!

I could add many more but some are quite sad and some are gruesome so not really appropriate here..