09 March 2024 , 14:14
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Britain's 'dullest' train fan travelled 18 hours and caught two planes to ride a shuttle service which took just six minutes.
Neil Hughes, 62, literally took planes, trains and automobiles to get from his home on the west coast of Scotland to Stourbridge in the West Midlands. He embarked on his epic journey to ride a Parry People Mover on Europe's shortest branch line. The line connects Stourbridge Junction to the town centre and is just 0.8 miles long and takes three minutes to ride each way.
Neil was determined to try it out and last Tuesday (February 27) he covered a whopping 1,127.2 miles to get there and back in the same day. On completing his mad mission, Neil said: "I didn't really have high expectations, I just wanted to do it and now I have. It was a fun thing to do and I'm glad I did it. My only regret is that I didn't meet the station cat called George but maybe next time I will."
The retired air traffic controller has been fascinated by train and plane travel his whole life and enjoys experiencing different types of transport. He read about the Stourbridge Shuttle in a magazine and decided he had to see it for himself. He said: "It's reportedly the shortest branch line in Europe and the Parry People Mover shuttle is run on flywheel technology.
Class 139 Parry People Mover arriving at Stourbridge Town Station (Neil Roberts/SWNS)"That part of it stirred my curiosity and I just wanted to see it and ride on it myself. It was a comfortable ride and I filmed the entire journey. I also filmed the shuttle coming in so I missed the first one but I caught the next one." Neil says he spent around £90 on travel which started with an early morning car ride from Troon to Glasgow Airport.
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He then flew for 27 minutes from Glasgow to Belfast before a three-hour wait to board the next plane to Birmingham International Airport. From there, Neil had a 30-minute train trip to Stourbridge Junction before the short three-minute single to the town. He then travelled all the way back, finally getting home at around 11pm after catching a direct flight from Birmingham to Glasgow.
Neil, who has two grown-up children, said: "Some people may find it a dull thing to do but I had to do it. I'm certainly glad I did it because it is unique. I'd been wanting to do it for a number of years and I finally got my chance I like oddities and strange things - I'll travel places to go up funicular railways and things like that."
The Stourbridge Shuttle's route is the shortest branch line in Britain and is also thought to be the shortest in Europe, according to Network Rail. A branch line is secondary railway line that usually comes off from a larger main line. It was originally built in 1879 to connect Stourbridge's canal basin and the mainline rail network at Stourbridge Junction.
Neil Hughes onboard a West Midlands train approaching Stourbridge Junction (Neil Roberts/SWNS)Neil is already planning his next trip, a train journey to Paris with his long-suffering wife Elaine, 61, to visit an aviation museum before flying home. Elaine, who has been married to Neil for 38 years, said: "To most people an 18-hour trip to travel on something for just six minutes sounds barmy but that's an average day out for Neil."
Neil's dull day out
5am: Troon Glasgow Airport by car (53 miles)
7am: Glasgow Belfast by plane (132 miles)
10.40am: Belfast Birmingham by plane (347 miles)
11.34am: Birmingham International Airport to Stourbridge Junction by train (30 miles)
12.10pm: Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge by Shuttle (0.8 mile)
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12.13pm: Stourbridge to Stourbridge Junction by Shuttle (0.8 mile)
TOTAL: 1,127.2 miles return (563.6 miles each way)