You never (as I always say) read about the good journeys!
You do sometimes read about the good journeys, Jim - but not as often as you and I would like.
Let me tell you about a marvellous chap who goes (or alas, more likely went as he will be 100 by now if he's still around) by the name of Percy Danks. Percy worked for the old British Rail and my memories are of a long time ago - post steam, though, so it must have been in the 1970s when there was still stock around that was utilised in morning peaks only - or on Summer Saturdays. Percy made use of that stock during offseason weekends, arranging special trips on the London Midland region from Euston, St Pancras and Marylebone to - well - all sorts of places.
My memory of detail has faded a little - but I can come up with so many destinations we visited. To Llandudno and Llandrindod Wells, to York and Carlisle, to Grange-over-Sands and Christmas shopping to Birmingham. Trips to places off the railway too, with coach connections; via Ruabon to Llangollen, via Northanpton to Stoke Bruerne, and even via Mallaig to Portree. And Mystery excursions too where we never knew quite where we would end up. St Pancras to Southport, to Newport and to Margate. Marylebone to Morcambe, and others since forgotten.
Merrymakers were comprised for the most part of 10 cars or so, mostly side corridor Mark 1s ... and they set out from the London termini sometime between 07:30 and 08:30, picking up at a variety of suburban stations on their way out. And that early start meant that the loyal customer base from south of the river had to be up really early. It was nothing unusuakl to get on the 06:03 from Petts Wood to Victoria - a 4 car, slam-door EPB, predawn.
There was always Percy - or another host as he was running 3 and 4 trains some weekends - waiting to greet his customers in London; rarely the newest of stock but always well cleaned and usually warm - sure, we had our "events" - our delays caused by vandals near Shrewsbury or failed train heating somewhere in November - but usually tre trains reached their destinations at around lunchtime. Of course a lot of the pleasure was in the journey - seeing the countryside through wide, nontinted windows that were pitched the same as the seats. Rattling over the track that made the diddly-dumb noises that told you that you were moving. And on Euston trips seeing the loco change at Wolverhampton, or Crewe ...
Arrival at destination - around lunchtime - but the seasoned Merrymakers had already eaten on the train and were off to explore the Orme, the city walls, or find the best Haggis stall in England in the market. Six to eight hours was just right to see a city or a resort that you had never seen before, see a museum in a far flung town, or enjoy a river trip. Memories are of always-sunny days but there were, I think some sodden trips with macs dripping all over the train floor when we dragged to the station, got back in and headed home. And my pictures are black and white print film - home processed it was so long ago.
The journey home and the train was more like a party that a regular run; everybody talking to everyone - seeing presents bought, learning life stories until we dragged back into London at around 10:30. Often not quite on time - occasionally very early, rarely very late. Indeed - the last trains back to Petts Wood were from Blackfriars at 00:20, 00:23 and 01:00 and I NEVER found myself on the 01:00.
I googled for Percy Danks and for Merrymaker before I wrote this and I drew a sad blank - perhaps in time this post will come up for people and they can add on to this thread, write more memories. I know we always look back through rosy tintend spectacles at these trips but there were good - they must have been - otherwise we wouldn't have gone on 10 or 12 every year, and waited excited for the new schedule each winter to plan our year ahead.