Advent Quiz - December 2022

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

EXTRA. The final day of SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) services between Bristol and London Waterloo, 10th December 2021.

[grahame]

EXTRA. The final day of SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) services between Bristol and London Waterloo, 10th December 2021.

Yep! ... and my post in another thread shows just how (over)crowded the trains that run between Bristol and Westbury were today.  Not just an issue today - regular reports of shortforms and people being left behind.

It would seem that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) and SWR did not do a proper analysis of the effect of train reductions.   Did they take the "two short planks bully" approach of not listening to logic and local inputs, but rather shouting and screaming the it WOULD work with just GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on the basis that is you say something loudly and often enough, it will come to pass!

[grahame]

Where is this ... 11 December 2022 ...

[bobm]

Looks like the station cafe at Liskeard.

[grahame]

Looks like the station cafe at Liskeard.

It is indeed - lovely, light, airy setting!

[grahame]

[eightonedee]

It's Christmas! It's got to be Bath!

[grahame]

It's Christmas! It's got to be Bath!

It is indeed, taken on 25th November.

My train was a few minutes late ... so a dirty dash for the bus home failed (it is really irritating being able to cross in front of it, but not join it!)



Though of course every cloud has a sliver lining and it did give me a chance to look at the available bus information.   Bath Bus Station has an air of being unloved ...











Good news is that service 11 from Bay 9 - has resumed since I took the picture.  Operated by Big Lemon, I have a picture of their electric bus in the bay, supplied by a third party so not my copyright.   And magnificent and yellow it looks too!

[Mark A]

My train was a few minutes late ... so a dirty dash for the bus home failed (it is really irritating being able to cross in front of it, but not join it!)

No idea how to bring it about, but the Devizes/Chippenham buses need to call at the stop the 620 Stagecoach service uses in Manvers Street stop by that ex-Debenhams collonnade, which would allow the sidestepping of a lot of 'slightly late connection' accidents.

At the same time, Bath's Larkhall and Fairfield Park sixes and sevens need to be returned to serve the bus station. Anything else drives a modal shift to car, or impoverishes those with no car and poor mobility.

In terms of the bus station looking cared for, there's been progress in that someone gave the glazing a clean. The unstaffed and guidance free information desk is really poor though: people regularly wait hopefully at it before tackling the various staff on their way to and from buses, which must drive everyone bonkers.

Mark

[grahame]

No idea how to bring it about, but the Devizes/Chippenham buses need to call at the stop the 620 Stagecoach service uses in Manvers Street stop by that ex-Debenhams collonnade, which would allow the sidestepping of a lot of 'slightly late connection' accidents.

That seed of an idea has already been sewn in some key places, with a logical case being put forward.  I also have some idea of the background / history to why they do not stop the time moment on the way out, even though they stop across the road on the way in and routinely disgorge a significant number of passengers.

[grahame]

13th December 2022 ...

[brooklea]

Looks like a fine specimen of a First Great Western blue liveried bench. I also note some original-looking Great Western Railway spear fencing through the window hole in the wall.

No idea on the precise location, but I am intrigued as to what the bench is chained to. Presumably there to prevent it from being thrown on to the running line, rather than to stop someone from thieving it...!

[PrestburyRoad]

No idea on the precise location, but I am intrigued as to what the bench is chained to. Presumably there to prevent it from being thrown on to the running line, rather than to stop someone from thieving it...!

Also no idea, but the bench itself looks bolted to the floor, so perhaps something was chained to the bench - in an unsuccessful attempt to to stop someone from thieving it.

[Jamsdad]

Looks like the Up Waiting room at Liskeard.

[grahame]

Looks like the Up Waiting room at Liskeard.

Oh ...you have me worried.  I might have mislabelled it.  It wasn't supposed to be. Typical for 13th for something like that to go wrong.  Help,  anyone - the images this week have been pre-prepared and I'm allot sea over this (and literally too!)