I remember during Covid watching videos of Stratford and I was fascinated by the variety. Slightly off-topic but the South Western lines near me are also soon to see the end of variety with the 701s coming in, though the transitional period has been quite interesting with 450s, 455s, 458s (both refurbished and unrefurbished), and the 701s all on metro services.
Enjoy while you have it. I wish I'd got out and recorded some videos of local places with the old trains trundling along even just in the background adding to the atmosphere of the place. I took them for granted, just as I took the old slamdoors for granted. Though admittedly some of our classic traction disappeared during lockdown, there was no way I could have envisaged my Dec 2019 trip behind a Class 90 followed by the Class 360 connecting train would have been the last time I'd have either for traction.
Yes it’s strange how perception changes. I remember during my cranking days in the early to mid eighties, the dismay and disappointment when a Highland Line express rolled in with a 47/4 on it, or getting restless doing Norwich to Peterborough with a 31 gurgling away on the front of the train. But, hey, I’d readily trade the modern rubbish we have now to get those back. I’d even take a MTU HST over a Hitachi GWR Cucumber or a nice Class 310 out of Euston instead of a 350!
I'll never forget one of my last trips on a non-Renatus Class 321. For whatever reason, we had a rather spirited driver, and arrived into Shenfield a good two or three minutes ahead of schedule, the thing was bouncing around and lurching about all over the place the whole journey, and we can't have hit a single yellow from Stratford. Windows all open on the coach, and the doors shaking and rattling the whole way. In practical terms, it was a truly awful passenger experience, that journey, but I had a grin on my face the entire time
