On the rails again... #Interrail #CrossBorderRail
Today, @wendy and I are going to Cardiff, with a stop for lunch with @seabass in Birmingham New Street
Today’s Itinerary: https://moof.space/trip/2026-11-08
This first leg is in a slightly dilapidated class 220 Voyager, a DMU that was put into service in 2001 as a replacement for the iconic Intercity 125. As such, it is rated for up to 125mph (200km/h) and it does seem to be going at a fair clip down the East Coast Main Line right now.
This train is rattly and, whilst not quite at Talgo levels of vibration, it’s definitely noticeable. And being diesel, it’s inevitably a loud unit.
Unlike other British long distance trains, Cross Country don’t offer a complimentary meal in first class. So I’m munching along on some fruitcake that I brought along, and hoping to get a cup of tea in a bit.
This trip I’ve been experimenting with a new toy: I’ve created a dedicated ticket carrier. I call it Ticky.
This is a reTerminal Sticky, a relatively cheap eink display run with an ESP32. The company openly encourages you to hack and replace the firmware.
I then upload my passkey or PDF tickets to an app I have on my server, that recreates them as an image the right size to display on the screen. For Interrail, I use a second device, either my iPad or my laptop, to scan the barcode off my phone, as they’ve disabled screenshots.
When I push the top button on the device, it hooks up to the hotspot on my phone and downloads the new images.
I’ve also put a summary of the next few trips on trainlog onto it, as well as a map of today’s trip and the journey as a whole.
It’s worked so far, Ryanair have accepted it, and all the British trains I’ve been on have too.