LEAST favourite train

" said:

Trains with excessively loud door opening/closing beeps, especially the former - you don't need to deafen everyone to tell them that the conductor has finally woken up and released the door locks, the fact the buttons light up and the person who's been frantically pressing the button on the next coach finally gets the door to open are a hint.

Quite why you even need a door opening beep at all escapes me, just hold down the button until the door locks are released and it'll open right away.

I do believe the beep is for the benefit of any blind or visually impaired passengers.

Pendolinos and Voyagers - chlostrophobic, plastic and noisy (voyagers) - the 222s are what the 220s and 221s should have been.

Dogboxes (153s) - one useful feature (one only) - the emergency coolant supply for when the water pump top joint leaks (or hose bursts or any other common leak) - pull the valve to release the toilet header tank water into the cooling system.

Buses (Pacers) - well - I think we all know the issues.

Parry People Mover on the Town Cart - not sure if it's the trains or the track, but worse than a Pacer!

Sheds and Skips (66s and 67s) - as per my other post - rev themselves silly and vibrate themselves to pieces. Get a 4 stroke engine!

Probably the ugliest thing I see around home is the Amtrak AEM-7 electric locomotive. I suppose it qualifies as the second-fastest thing on rails in Massachusetts (and 125 mph from Stoughton to Attleborough is actually respectable!) but the HHP-8 is equally capable and much prettier. (Apparently both are getting replaced soon, which is impressive given the incredible politicalization of the US national passenger rail system, the perennial annual funding battles, and the weak leadership at the top.)

In terms of creature comforts, though, the entire MBTA commuter rail fleet (state-run service from Boston to Lowell, Worcester, Providence RI, and other destinations about an hour out of the city) is showing its age. The GP40 locomotives especially aren't pretty and are pushing 40 years in service; most of the coaches, especially the ones that seem to wind up in service out of North Station, are around 25. (The 200-series cars are even older, but actually got rebuilt in recent memory.) The trains are loud, the seats aren't comfortable, and while some new equipment is being ordered it's largely going to service new lines that are being (re)built...and did I mention that it's largely going to South Station service where, if I'm on the commuter rail, it's probably a North Station-based train?

having said that, if everyone agreed to everything I am sure life would be far less interesting.....

Im not so sure the 172s are all that comfortable to sit on for a long journey either.

Going from Smethwick Galton Bridge is painful enough before even getting on the train.

" said:

Going from Smethwick Galton Bridge is painful enough before even getting on the train.

Do ever have that feeling your going to get stabbed?