Paddington Station Flooded
 

Yesterday afternoon in London there was a rain storm - well it was
raining a little bit anyway.

Now Paddington Station has always had a leaky roof or plural. Even the
brand new multi-million pound restoration of arch 4 hasn't cured that.

It's leaks along the length of platform 12 are a disgrace. The dinky
buckets with gauze over the top are a trip hazard, as are the creased
up trip mats (sorry anti-slip) mats, placed over strategic wet areas.
They even employ guys in orange overalls to sweep up the drips!!

But Paddington excelled itself yesterday. The leak between arch 2 and
3 was so great that the HEX ticket office was closed. The HEX ticket
machines and Heathrow check-in machines were unreachable. The water
dripped - well more likely cascaded down - causing a puddle stretching
from the HEX office to the food outlets including Burgher King, and
threatened to swamp the Lebara sim-card marquee on the concourse. The
water also blocked the entrance to the HEX platforms 7 & 8 - welcome
to drippy London you tourists from Heathrow.

So whilst millions has been spent on arch 4 (grossly inflated due to
Railtrack's & Network Rail's prevarication over the last 15 years to
actually restore the damn thing rather than to demolish it for an
office block), it appears that the money has now run out to keep
arches 1 / 2 / 3 watertight.

Expect more floods and dripping water at Paddington in days to come.
At least today is sunny.

CJB.

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:20:55 -0700, CJB wrote:

tl;dr: there was a lot of rain in a short period, some buildings that
cover a lot of area don't have enough drainage on their roofs to cope.

Roofs are generally designed such that normal levels of rainfall are
carried away by pipes. However, these pipes have a capacity limit, and
can be blocked by all sorts of debris that ends up on the roofs.

When that happens, and you then get an unusually high level of rainfall
over a short period, it's not unusual for certain types of roof to start
letting in water, as it arrives faster than it can be removed.

For example, any tiled type roof with a gully between adjacent slopes
will leak if the water level in the gully rises far enough above the
gully lining.

This is just as true when the "tiles" are 8' x 4' sheets of corrugated
material as it is when they're 18" x 8" of slate.

Rgds

Denis McMahon

Paddington Station Flooded
 

"Denis McMahon" wrote in message
.com...
On Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:20:55 -0700, CJB wrote:

tl;dr: there was a lot of rain in a short period, some buildings that
cover a lot of area don't have enough drainage on their roofs to cope.

Roofs are generally designed such that normal levels of rainfall are
carried away by pipes. However, these pipes have a capacity limit, and
can be blocked by all sorts of debris that ends up on the roofs.

The area in question, above platform 12, isn't really a roof, it's the
underside of the old parcels deck, (the London St deck) which is currently
undergoing major work to convert it into the new taxi rank. To look at from
below it is more like the underside of an old style railway bridge, with
arched brick infill between girders. Perhaps the work on the deck above has
progressed to the stage where whatever waterproofing there was has been
removed - and they've been caught out by the heavy rain?

Paul S

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Aug 19, 3:30*pm, "Paul Scott"
wrote:
"Denis McMahon" wrote in message

.com...

On Fri, 19 Aug 2011 01:20:55 -0700, CJB wrote:

tl;dr: there was a lot of rain in a short period, some buildings that
cover a lot of area don't have enough drainage on their roofs to cope.

Roofs are generally designed such that normal levels of rainfall are
carried away by pipes. However, these pipes have a capacity limit, and
can be blocked by all sorts of debris that ends up on the roofs.

The area in question, above platform 12, isn't really a roof, it's the
underside of the old parcels deck, (the London St deck) which is currently
undergoing major work to convert it into the new taxi rank. *To look at from
below it is more like the underside of an old style railway bridge, with
arched brick infill between girders. *Perhaps the work on the deck above has
progressed to the stage where whatever waterproofing there was has been
removed - and they've been caught out by the heavy rain?

Paul S

Platform 12 has been dripping for years - even in dry weather. The
installation of a waterproof membrane seems to be beyond NR and its
contractors to install. Instead they seem to employ a gang of guys
with Rajneesh-cult-like orange overalls to sweep away the pools of
water. The trip mats are scattered along the platform, along with
numerous buckets with gauze over the top. And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Aug 24, 10:11*am, CJB wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Neil

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On 25/08/2011 00:52, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?



White House helipad.

--
Graeme Wall
This account not read, substitute trains for rail.
Railway Miscellany at www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.
Gardermoen.
Copenhagen's pretty good, too.
Tromso, of course.

Hmm. A pattern starts to emerge..

--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Aug 25, 1:11*am, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, *wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.
Gardermoen.
Copenhagen's pretty good, too.
Tromso, of course.

Omaha, NE is not bad.

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On 25/08/2011 09:11, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.

Don't they rig the train service so you have to use airport trains at
inflated prices?

Gardermoen.

Not done that.

Copenhagen's pretty good, too.

OK, I guess so.

Tromso, of course.

Not done that.

Hmm. A pattern starts to emerge..



--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:23:25 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 25/08/2011 09:11, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless
airline tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.

Don't they rig the train service so you have to use airport trains at
inflated prices?

Dunno. The prices didn't seen at all unreasonable when I last went through
there (admittedly, about 6 years ago now.. I've not been getting up into
..se, .no or .fi nearly enough recently...). The airport was clean, pleasant,
pretty quiet, the station was well signed, good to use, the trains into
Stockholm comfortable. I dare say I could have found a way to slum it and
save a little bit, but at a bit less than the mid-point of a long journey
that would have been a silly thing to do.

Gardermoen.

Not done that.

Architectually amazing. If only /any/ railway stations were as handsome
inside..
I last went through there when it was new (most of my Oslo travel had been
via Fornebu), and it may have accumulated clutter since then, but I liked
it a lot.
I'm told the train service into Oslo is good. I didn't use it. Passing through.

Copenhagen's pretty good, too.

OK, I guess so.

Certainly my first choice of long-haul departure point.

Tromso, of course.

Not done that.

It's probably developed and expanded (it was pretty basic when I first
used it), but it had turned into a really nice airport to use by about
10 years ago. Missed my chance to sample it again last year, dammit. Had
to cancel on the morning of the flight. Grr.

Yes, I have, in the past, gone to Tromso not-flying. Drove there twice,
twice got the train to Narvik and the bus on from there. Flying it was
easier. I do plan on getting there by Hurtigruten one of these days,
though. That's the proper way to do it.

--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On 25 Aug, 21:36, Andy Breen wrote:
.. I do plan on getting there by Hurtigruten one of these days,
though. That's the proper way to do it.

--

Indeed, and very highly recommended.

John

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Aug 25, 9:11*am, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, *wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.
Gardermoen.
Copenhagen's pretty good, too.
Tromso, of course.

Hmm. A pattern starts to emerge..

--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

Hmmm, where have I been by air (relatively) recently?

Vancouver's not bad. When I went there in 2004, you had to get an
(expensive-ish) bus from the airport to downtown, but the area you
went through was quite pleasant.

Madeira airport's probably on the least attractive part of the island.

The train from Barcelona airport to the city centre goes through some
of the less-attractive suburbs.

The area you go through from New York JFK to Manhattan wasn't too bad,
if nothing special.

Can't comment on Vienna, as I went there by train - and the approach
from the W through the Wienerwald was rather nice.

Nick

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:39:57 -0700, JohnW wrote:

On 25 Aug, 21:36, Andy Breen wrote: . I do plan on
getting there by Hurtigruten one of these days,
though. That's the proper way to do it.

--

Indeed, and very highly recommended.

Thanks.

I really must do it while the old Lofoten is still in service, too. I'd
much rather to the trip in a ship that looks like a ship (old romantic
that I am.. with many things I just want them to be functional, but ships
are special..) than the more recent stuff, more comfortable though they
certainly will be. Besides, Lofoten is the same age as I am..

--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Aug 25, 1:44*pm, Nick wrote:
On Aug 25, 9:11*am, Andy Breen wrote:





On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, *wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.
Gardermoen.
Copenhagen's pretty good, too.
Tromso, of course.

Hmm. A pattern starts to emerge..


Hmmm, where have I been by air (relatively) recently?

Vancouver's not bad. When I went there in 2004, you had to get an
(expensive-ish) bus from the airport to downtown, but the area you
went through was quite pleasant.

Madeira airport's probably on the least attractive part of the island.

The train from Barcelona airport to the city centre goes through some
of the less-attractive suburbs.

The area you go through from New York JFK to Manhattan wasn't too bad,
if nothing special.

Can't comment on Vienna, as I went there by train - and the approach
from the W through the Wienerwald was rather nice.

Very few airports are pleasent places to be. But, I regularly utilize
two that must qualify as the word's worst, LHR and LAX.

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Aug 26, 8:46*am, 1506 wrote:

Very few airports are pleasent places to be. *But, I regularly utilize
two that must qualify as the word's worst, LHR and LAX.

I don't find them massively unpleasant places - they can be good for
people watching and buying a book before your flight. But nothing
quite beats the atmosphere of a railway station in the evening,
particularly when what's left of the night trains is due.

I changed at Lausanne at about 10:30pm last Tuesday, and on the route
of the real Orient-Express I still got to see a Solari proudly
proclaiming something like "2235 - EuroNight - Lyon Dijon BARCELONA" -
had me sad to be taking the delayed stopper to Puidoux and on to
Vevey, and wanting a proper international adventure...

Neil

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On 25/08/2011 21:36, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:23:25 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 25/08/2011 09:11, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless
airline tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.

Don't they rig the train service so you have to use airport trains at
inflated prices?

Dunno. The prices didn't seen at all unreasonable when I last went through
there (admittedly, about 6 years ago now.. I've not been getting up into
.se, .no or .fi nearly enough recently...). The airport was clean, pleasant,
pretty quiet, the station was well signed, good to use, the trains into
Stockholm comfortable. I dare say I could have found a way to slum it and
save a little bit,

I'm pretty certain I couldn't figure out a way, at least withing the aim
of getting into Stockholm by rail. There is no Gatwick style option to
get a "normal" train - at least one other person tried asking as well.

And the bog was broken on the train I got.





--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:02:17 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 25/08/2011 21:36, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:23:25 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 25/08/2011 09:11, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless
airline tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of
arriving by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.

Don't they rig the train service so you have to use airport trains at
inflated prices?

Dunno. The prices didn't seen at all unreasonable when I last went
through there (admittedly, about 6 years ago now.. I've not been
getting up into .se, .no or .fi nearly enough recently...). The airport
was clean, pleasant, pretty quiet, the station was well signed, good to
use, the trains into Stockholm comfortable. I dare say I could have
found a way to slum it and save a little bit,

I'm pretty certain I couldn't figure out a way, at least withing the aim
of getting into Stockholm by rail. There is no Gatwick style option to
get a "normal" train - at least one other person tried asking as well.

I refer you to:

http://www.arlanda.se/en/Information...m-the-airport/

and to the map of transport links, which suggests that airport coaches,
buses, SJ commuter trains and long-haul trains and Tagkopaniet trains
all provide a service between Arlanda airport and the centre of Stockholm.

http://www.arlanda.se/upload/dokumen...Eng_110613.pdf

For the SJ commuter trains, you'd need to change at Upplands-Visby. That
option was certainly in place when I went through Arlanda in '05 on
my way to Kiruna, but as I said it seemed silly to make life more difficult
for the sake of saving a small amount.

Plenty of airport coaches and buses too - and were even back then. See above
point about not being silly.

The Tagkopaniet service is new, mind, but there are only two departures/day,
which doesn't really make a lot of difference to anything.

And the bog was broken on the train I got.



--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On 26/08/2011 21:11, Andy Breen wrote:
On Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:02:17 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 25/08/2011 21:36, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:23:25 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 25/08/2011 09:11, Andy Breen wrote:
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless
airline tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of
arriving by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.

Don't they rig the train service so you have to use airport trains at
inflated prices?

Dunno. The prices didn't seen at all unreasonable when I last went
through there (admittedly, about 6 years ago now.. I've not been
getting up into .se, .no or .fi nearly enough recently...). The airport
was clean, pleasant, pretty quiet, the station was well signed, good to
use, the trains into Stockholm comfortable. I dare say I could have
found a way to slum it and save a little bit,

I'm pretty certain I couldn't figure out a way, at least withing the aim
of getting into Stockholm by rail. There is no Gatwick style option to
get a "normal" train - at least one other person tried asking as well.

I refer you to:

http://www.arlanda.se/en/Information...m-the-airport/

and to the map of transport links, which suggests that airport coaches,
buses, SJ commuter trains and long-haul trains and Tagkopaniet trains
all provide a service between Arlanda airport and the centre of Stockholm.

http://www.arlanda.se/upload/dokumen...Eng_110613.pdf

For the SJ commuter trains, you'd need to change at Upplands-Visby. That
option was certainly in place when I went through Arlanda in '05 on
my way to Kiruna, but as I said it seemed silly to make life more difficult
for the sake of saving a small amount.

It was after 2005 that that I went. I didn't find a local train option,
and the airport information desk explicitly denied that it was possible
- it was airport shuttle trains or road.


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:52:38 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 26/08/2011 21:11, Andy Breen wrote:

For the SJ commuter trains, you'd need to change at Upplands-Visby.
That option was certainly in place when I went through Arlanda in '05
on my way to Kiruna, but as I said it seemed silly to make life more
difficult for the sake of saving a small amount.

It was after 2005 that that I went. I didn't find a local train option,
and the airport information desk explicitly denied that it was possible
- it was airport shuttle trains or road.

So you asked about trains to Upplands-Visby, then?

The Swedes are wonderful, but they do tend to give you the answer to the
question you've asked :-) "Are there trains to Stockholm" = N. "Can
I get a train which will take me to somewhere I can get a connection to
Stockholm" = Y..

I do like Sweden.

--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On 26/08/2011 22:09, Andy Breen wrote:
On Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:52:38 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 26/08/2011 21:11, Andy Breen wrote:

For the SJ commuter trains, you'd need to change at Upplands-Visby.
That option was certainly in place when I went through Arlanda in '05
on my way to Kiruna, but as I said it seemed silly to make life more
difficult for the sake of saving a small amount.

It was after 2005 that that I went. I didn't find a local train option,
and the airport information desk explicitly denied that it was possible
- it was airport shuttle trains or road.

So you asked about trains to Upplands-Visby, then?

Probably something like "is there a way to get to central Stockholm by
train which is cheaper than the Arlanda Express?". Which would in theory
cover going via Narvik and pogo stick connection to Bodo, should that be
an option.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:00:50 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 26/08/2011 22:09, Andy Breen wrote:
On Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:52:38 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 26/08/2011 21:11, Andy Breen wrote:

For the SJ commuter trains, you'd need to change at Upplands-Visby.
That option was certainly in place when I went through Arlanda in '05
on my way to Kiruna, but as I said it seemed silly to make life more
difficult for the sake of saving a small amount.

It was after 2005 that that I went. I didn't find a local train
option, and the airport information desk explicitly denied that it was
possible - it was airport shuttle trains or road.

So you asked about trains to Upplands-Visby, then?

Probably something like "is there a way to get to central Stockholm by
train which is cheaper than the Arlanda Express?". Which would in theory
cover going via Narvik and pogo stick connection to Bodo, should that be
an option.

It's quite possible that going via Upplands-Visby wasn't/isn't cheaper.
Not sure how SJ was doing their ticketing then. But it's been there
as an option for a while.

If you want cheap, get the bus. That certainly existed then, too, but as I
said I didn't feel like being silly for the sake of a small amount of money.
The Arlanda Express was there, convenient and did the job. What more do you
want?

--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On 27/08/2011 11:14, Andy Breen wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:00:50 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 26/08/2011 22:09, Andy Breen wrote:
On Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:52:38 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 26/08/2011 21:11, Andy Breen wrote:

For the SJ commuter trains, you'd need to change at Upplands-Visby.
That option was certainly in place when I went through Arlanda in '05
on my way to Kiruna, but as I said it seemed silly to make life more
difficult for the sake of saving a small amount.

It was after 2005 that that I went. I didn't find a local train
option, and the airport information desk explicitly denied that it was
possible - it was airport shuttle trains or road.

So you asked about trains to Upplands-Visby, then?

Probably something like "is there a way to get to central Stockholm by
train which is cheaper than the Arlanda Express?". Which would in theory
cover going via Narvik and pogo stick connection to Bodo, should that be
an option.

It's quite possible that going via Upplands-Visby wasn't/isn't cheaper.
Not sure how SJ was doing their ticketing then. But it's been there
as an option for a while.

If you want cheap, get the bus. That certainly existed then, too, but as I
said I didn't feel like being silly for the sake of a small amount of money.
The Arlanda Express was there, convenient and did the job. What more do you
want?

I'm from Yorkshire, so cheap. (I don't use the Gatwick or Heathrow
expresses either)

--
Arthur Figgis

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:35:12 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 27/08/2011 11:14, Andy Breen wrote:

Arlanda


If you want cheap, get the bus. That certainly existed then, too, but
as I said I didn't feel like being silly for the sake of a small amount
of money. The Arlanda Express was there, convenient and did the job.
What more do you want?

I'm from Yorkshire, so cheap. (I don't use the Gatwick or Heathrow
expresses either)

If you wanted cheap, then why on Earth were you in Sweden? It doesn't
seem to fit, somehow..

(and yes, I've done Sweden the cheap way - three in a car driving non-
stop apart from sleep-breaks in laybys all the way from Gothenburg
to Kiruna. Been there, done that, have no intention of ever doing it
again..)

--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On 27/08/2011 12:17, Andy Breen wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:35:12 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 27/08/2011 11:14, Andy Breen wrote:

Arlanda


If you want cheap, get the bus. That certainly existed then, too, but
as I said I didn't feel like being silly for the sake of a small amount
of money. The Arlanda Express was there, convenient and did the job.
What more do you want?

I'm from Yorkshire, so cheap. (I don't use the Gatwick or Heathrow
expresses either)

If you wanted cheap, then why on Earth were you in Sweden? It doesn't
seem to fit, somehow..

So I could colour it in on my Thomas Cook map. Saving money on the
trains allows it to be spent on frivolous stuff, like eating.


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Paddington Station Flooded
 

On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:48:04 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 27/08/2011 12:17, Andy Breen wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:35:12 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 27/08/2011 11:14, Andy Breen wrote:

Arlanda


If you want cheap, get the bus. That certainly existed then, too, but
as I said I didn't feel like being silly for the sake of a small
amount of money. The Arlanda Express was there, convenient and did
the job. What more do you want?

I'm from Yorkshire, so cheap. (I don't use the Gatwick or Heathrow
expresses either)

If you wanted cheap, then why on Earth were you in Sweden? It doesn't
seem to fit, somehow..

So I could colour it in on my Thomas Cook map. Saving money on the
trains allows it to be spent on frivolous stuff, like eating.

OK, I'll grant you that. There are places in Stockholm worth eating in
(though not cheap, but it's Sweden..). Further north it can be a bit more
basic, though Kiruna had a third pub (called "The third pub") by 2005..

Recommendation for uk.r people visiting the northern end of Sweden. Hotel
Jarnvagshotellet, which is not only one of the oldest buildings in Kiruna
but sits right on the station platform, with a fine view over to the LKAB
mine and its marshalling yards (complete with musical clashing couplings
in the morning).
For Sweden it's not expensive, either. Basic, but perfectly OK.
http://www.jarnvagshotellet.net/start.htm
No connection other than satisfied customer, etc.

--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

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"Andy Breen" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 24/08/2011 09:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Aug 24, 10:11 am, wrote:

And this is the main
platform for the Heathrow Connect - welcome to London hapless airline
tourists.

"You should have used Heathrow Express, you cheapskate"? :)

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.
Gardermoen.
Copenhagen's pretty good, too.
Tromso, of course.

Hmm. A pattern starts to emerge..

A sort of airport DNA ?

Jim Hawkins

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On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:01:37 +0100, Jim Hawkins wrote:

"Andy Breen" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.
Gardermoen.
Copenhagen's pretty good, too.
Tromso, of course.

Hmm. A pattern starts to emerge..

A sort of airport DNA ?

Probably more "the Scandinavians are good at airports". Good design and
willingness to spend money on good-quality materials helps, as does an
ethos that public service is a good thing (and more important than
making a fast buck).

--
From the Model M of Andy Breen, speaking only for himself

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On 27/08/2011 17:20, Andy Breen wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:01:37 +0100, Jim Hawkins wrote:

"Andy wrote in message
...
On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:13 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

Arlanda.
Gardermoen.
Copenhagen's pretty good, too.
Tromso, of course.

Hmm. A pattern starts to emerge..

A sort of airport DNA ?

:)

Probably more "the Scandinavians are good at airports". Good design and
willingness to spend money on good-quality materials helps, as does an
ethos that public service is a good thing (and more important than
making a fast buck).

Which is why I was surprised to find that Copenhagen YHA is rather badly
designed.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

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On 27/08/2011 12:55, Andy Breen wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:48:04 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 27/08/2011 12:17, Andy Breen wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:35:12 +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

On 27/08/2011 11:14, Andy Breen wrote:

Arlanda


If you want cheap, get the bus. That certainly existed then, too, but
as I said I didn't feel like being silly for the sake of a small
amount of money. The Arlanda Express was there, convenient and did
the job. What more do you want?

I'm from Yorkshire, so cheap. (I don't use the Gatwick or Heathrow
expresses either)

If you wanted cheap, then why on Earth were you in Sweden? It doesn't
seem to fit, somehow..

So I could colour it in on my Thomas Cook map. Saving money on the
trains allows it to be spent on frivolous stuff, like eating.

OK, I'll grant you that. There are places in Stockholm worth eating in
(though not cheap, but it's Sweden..). Further north it can be a bit more
basic, though Kiruna had a third pub (called "The third pub") by 2005..

Three more than were open in Gallivare. The only life was a petrol
station selling pizza. And some random bloke who came up and criticised
us for eating pizza rather than Swedish food, but then admitted he
didn't actually know of any other available options.

Recommendation for uk.r people visiting the northern end of Sweden. Hotel
Jarnvagshotellet, which is not only one of the oldest buildings in Kiruna
but sits right on the station platform, with a fine view over to the LKAB
mine and its marshalling yards (complete with musical clashing couplings
in the morning).
For Sweden it's not expensive, either. Basic, but perfectly OK.
http://www.jarnvagshotellet.net/start.htm
No connection other than satisfied customer, etc.

The youth hostel at Gallivare was supposed to be left over navvy
accommodation from when the railway was built. Very basic, but affordable.

Tip for finding accommodation in Sweden - always check that your Inland
Railway spotting plan doesn't rely on finding accommodation in a town
which turns out to have a seriously major music festival happening on
the same weekend...

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

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On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 12:52:13AM +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

The Faroes. The Scillies. To haul us back on topic, probably Biggin Hill.

--
David Cantrell | Cake Smuggler Extraordinaire

What a lovely day! Now watch me spoil it for you.

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On 31/08/2011 12:46, David Cantrell wrote:
On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 12:52:13AM +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:

Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?

The Faroes. The Scillies. To haul us back on topic, probably Biggin Hill.

The interchange isn't great to whichever station it is that has signs
claiming it serves Biggin Hill.

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

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On Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 10:27:51PM +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 31/08/2011 12:46, David Cantrell wrote:
On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 12:52:13AM +0100, Arthur Figgis wrote:
Is there anywhere on the planet where the whole experience of arriving
by air gives a good impression?
The Faroes. The Scillies. To haul us back on topic, probably Biggin Hill.
The interchange isn't great to whichever station it is that has signs
claiming it serves Biggin Hill.

If you can afford the private aircraft needed to fly into Biggin Hill,
you don't care.

--
David Cantrell | semi-evolved ape-thing

[OS X] appeals to me as a monk, a user, a compiler-of-apps, a
sometime coder, and an easily amused primate with a penchant
for those that are pretty, colorful, and make nice noises.
-- Dan Birchall, in The Monastery