Great Western Coffee Shop

Musings from somebody who might be regarded as an 'average' user of our rail service.

Thursday 14th July 2016 - A Day Out At The Cricket
1L26 0650 PIN > 1019 WAT
Class 159 DMU 6-Car
For trips to London I would normally get the 'local' from Digby & Sowton and travel to Paddington via Exeter St. Davids. On this occasion, even with a Senior Railcard, I was unable to secure a ticket on that route at what I regarded as a reasonable price. Travelling from Pinhoe to Waterloo for £14.35 + £8.00 taxi fare was much more cost effective. The journey itself was not without issues, being 'full & standing' all the way from Salisbury to Waterloo, and suffering a 15 minute delay into WAT due to signalling problems (something that seems to be increasingly common at that location). I can't help but wonder if South West Trains policy of specific train, rather than seat, reservations is the best way of serving their customers on the West of England route; or, being a complete cynic, is it purely designed to avoid compensation claims?

1C96 1945 PAD > 2217 EXD + 2F59 2231 EXD > 2243 DIG
HST 8+2 and Class 143
An on-time end to end journey. The service from PAD was 'full & standing' as far as Newbury. Departure from Pewsey was, as per usual, delayed because alighting passengers couldn't be bothered to shut the doors after themselves. Still it gives the train manager something to do! Unusually for this route there was no ticket check until after the train had departed Castle Cary. Splitting tickets at Westbury reduced the price to £20.80 (from the E2E £29.70 originally offered). 

Quite interesting that the 1945 was full and standing as far as Newbury - was the Test match a contributory factor?

I know the 1903 is always the train from hell, massively and quite often dangerously overcrowded on Thurs/Fri but I thought the 1945 tended to be quieter - the need for additional capacity on that route and at that time is absolutely critical.

There were certainly some pax on the 1945 who were identifiably cricket watchers but I couldn't say whether the number was significant.
1L26 on the morning run to Waterloo was however very much affected; I noticed a lot of passengers wearing cricket regalia of one sort or another - the 'bacon & egg' tie seemed to be favourite - and 3 passengers to whom I spoke said that they used the specific service regularly and it was 'never this busy'.

Saturday 16th July / Sunday 17th July 2016 - A Weekend At Lord's
Sat 2T08 0734 DIG > 0747 EXD + 1A76 0754 EXD > 1010 PAD + 1D71 1921 PAD > 1937 SLO
Class 143 x 2 and HST 7+2
An on-time end to end journey. The local train was about half full. There was no ticket check prior to my leaving the service at EXD. A bit surprised about the London service as I thought these were exclusively 8+2 consists - somebody will undoubtedly know different. £29.70 fare for the whole journey which was booked on 22nd May. I would estimate the train was 80-90% full.

I used 1D71, which was formed of 5 165/166 cars, to get to my overnight accommodation (HI Express next to Slough Station) which was chosen because the £12.20 return fare, 2 x Anytime Day Singles, was much more cost effective than paying an inner London premium for a room. The service was on-time but I now know how unpleasant travelling on a train with inoperative air-con can be!

Sun 1P18 0843 SLO > 0903 PAD + 1C96 1957 PAD > 2235 EXD + 2F30 2248 EXD > 2300 DIG
While waiting for 1P18, 5X17 the Class 800 x 2 test train whizzed past on the up relief. Impressively quiet was my immediate thought, followed by how much I hate that Hitachi 'Inspire the Next' strapline. Inspire the Next what? ???
GWR managed to find 9 165/166 cars for 1P18 which was just as well because it was nearly full leaving Slough. The service ran to time virtually all the way but was then held immediately outside PAD waiting for a platform.
1C96 reached EXD 6 minutes late having been delayed by an unexplained signal check near Midgham. The Train Manager was, I thought, being a bit slack; virtually his only PA announcements were 'the next stop is...', although he did manage a request for alighting pax to close doors at Tiverton Parkway, and no ticket check was performed prior to my leaving the train at EXD.
2 x Class 143 on 2F30 was probably a little unnecessary and, again, no tickets were checked. On the plus side the ticket was only £18.15 - bargain.

And due to inept / amateurish batting in both their innings England contrived to lose to Pakistan by 75 runs!  :'( 

There was a 9+2 on a Newquay service a few weeks ago. Unsure if that's the norm but possibly stealing a coach from a 8+2 for services more in need

I know 43002, (the yellow and blue power car) has been running with only 7 coaches recently, not sure how many others though.

Just a thought could you have changed at Reading the Oxfords you caught both ways are fast Reading Slough? You could ahve saved around 30 minutes both ways.

   Yes I thought that, especially on the way home, surely quicker/easier to go Slough-Reading & change there rather than going to Paddington & doubling back?

Would have been difficult to see the cricket doing that!





Edit note: Minor typo corrected, for clarity. CfN.  :)

Yeah.......doh! 😉 the heat is making me malfunction, I'm going to paint myself white to see if that helps





Edit note: Minor typo corrected, for clarity. CfN. :)

At least one poster on the WNXX forum follows that strapline with 'trip on the M4, ' list of A roads ' etc.'

Friday 2nd September / Friday 30th September 2016 - Why Take A Car To The Airport?
02/09/16 0912 DIG > 0925 EXD + 0958 EXD > 1224 PAD + Heathrow Express
Paddington service held at Royal Oak waiting for a platform due to a 7 minute early arrival - no timetable padding there then! Previously I would have used the RDG Railair bus but the relatively cheap Heathrow Express advance fares make travelling via PAD so much more convenient. Split the EXD > PAD tickets at WSB and saved quite a bit.
30/09/16 Heathrow Express + 1006 PAD > 1206 EXD + 1216 EXD > 1229 DIG
1C77 departed PAD 6 minutes late, apparently due to emergency engineering work disruption, but arrived EXD on time. Very good. The service was VERY busy - we were in coach D and there were only 2 unoccupied seats. The DIG connection was also very busy.The PAD > DIG tickets were booked at the end of July and, with a 2Together Railcard, only cost £18.15 each.

Thursday 20th October
1820 DIG > EXC & 2235 EXC > DIG
4 cars (2 x 143) & 3 cars (1 x '150')
Both services on time but no ticket check on either train (and the EXC gates were open on the way home).

Friday 21st October / Sunday 23rd October 2016 - To Belfast For The Rugby

NB. The obvious travel solution should have been the direct Exeter > Belfast City FlyMaybe service but that was not an option because:
1) Flybe are still on my blacklist as a result of previous appalling service failures, and
2) anyway I wouldn't have paid the £400+ they wanted for a return ticket - as soon as the Ulster v Exeter fixture date was confirmed Flybe increased the price from the more usual £90-£100. A pox on them for such blatant profiteering!
Going train + plane via Bristol would also have been much more expensive.
 
Fri 2T15 1242 DIG > 1255 EXD + 1S51 1324 EXD > 1556 BHM + 9M55 1610 BHM > 1619 BHI
Class 150 x 1 & HST & Pendolino
An on-time end to end journey, although the initial local service was delayed at EXC for no obvious reason. The local train was about half full. The XC service left EXD a little late because it was VERY busy, and the BHM>BHI train was full & standing seemingly because the passengers had been told to keep off the reserved seats (I got my allocated pew).

Sun 2C36 1823 BHI > 1842 BHM + 1V66 1912 BHM > 2139 EXD + 2F29 2148 EXD > DIG 2200
Class 350 & Voyager 4 Car & Class 150/2 x 2
3 minutes late at my final destination which, under the overall circumstances, wasn't too bad!
The LM train ran a few minutes down but there were plenty of seats. The fun started at BHM; 1V66 arrived 27 mins late and left 23 late. The station PA announced that this was due to 'a problem currently under investigation'. I would guess that the service being very overcrowded had something to do with it. I was not able to get my allocated seat, until BRI, due to the the presence of a 'Bristolian' knuckle dragger who refused to move. Had the train not been so 'ram-packed' - although I didn't see Jeremy Corbyn aboard ;D - I would have gone to the Train Manager but that was not an option. I did have a conversation with the TM, who had been busy dealing with an ill passenger, between BHM & CNM when she came through the train but the information provided didn't tell me anything of which I was not already aware. I will be claiming the appropriate compo and be asking XC a number of questions about their service provision so this journey may resurface shortly on a separate thread.
Anyway the upshot was a 9 minute late arrival at EXD and somebody very kindly decided it would be appropriate to hold 2F29 for a couple of minutes to collect transferring passengers.

All the train travel was covered by a £61.20 Senior Railcard Off-Peak Return.

Just a shame Exeter lost by a point....

Indeed...but it was a brilliant game to watch and both the Ulster supporters and the wider population of Belfast were extremely friendly and helpful. I also took in Titanic Belfast and the Giant's Causeway so it was still a very good weekend.

Friday 4th November 2016 - BSO Concert At The University
2T26 1821 DIG > 1829 EXC
Class 143 x 2
I would guess 30% loaded although +/-30 pax boarded at DIG. Service departed EXM on-time but then ran 2-3 mins down on my journey; leaf fall?

2F59 2235 EXC > 2243 DIG
Class 143 x 1
143603 with a fairly obvious wheel flat! Service just about ran to time. About 80% loaded from EXC. Nice to see the EXC gateline still in operation that late. It is noticeable that on occasions the PA at DIG is not synchronised with actual arrivals/departures; this evening the '...next train to arrive...' announcement was still going when the service departed towards EXM.

Fare: Senior Railcard Off-Peak Return £2.00; bargain - the bus costs £3.70 (Exeter Dayrider) with an E2E journey time of 50 minutes.   

Thursday 17th November 2016 - Quick Shopping Trip
2B74 1012 DIG > 1018 EXC
Class 143 x 1
Service, very close to full, ran 9 mins down after being held at Topsham waiting for the late 2F15. TVM at DIG 'Out Of Service' again; I informed the EXC gateline staff.

2F21 1120 EXC > 1128 DIG
Class 143 x 2
Service on time. Another 'clunking' ride, this one due to a wheelflat on 143612.

Tuesday 29th November 2016 - Abortive Dental Appointment
2B73 0912 DIG > 0920 EXC
Class 143 x 1
Slightly delayed service about 90% loaded.

2F15 0953 EXC > 0959 DIG
Class 153 x 2
Service ran 5 mins late. Very lightly loaded.


Thursday 1st December 2016 - Too Icy For The Bike
2B73 0912 DIG > 0920 EXC
Class 150 x 1
Service 6 mins late. About 90% loaded. TVM at DIG Out of Service.

2F17 1020 EXC > 1028 DIG
Class 143 x 2
Service 5 mins late. Lightly loaded. TVM at DIG was back online. The CIS & PA at EXC specified that 2F17 was reported to be 'full & standing', something that proved to be entirely correct. However the same information was delivered on arrival at DIG when it was obviously not the case as a large number of passengers alighted at EXC. Lack of attention to detail in the delivery of customer information.

TVM at DIG Out of service

Did you all have snow shovels ? Or could you have called on a passing snowplough for service ?

Monday 9th January 2017 - A Quick Trip To Town
2B74 1012 DIG > 1018 EXC
Class 150/2 x 1 - actually the fully refurbished 150248 which delivered a very pleasant travelling experience.
TVM at DIG not available as it was being attended to by a couple of GWR bods; not sure if this was cash collection or fault rectification. Service on time. About 95% loaded. On-board ticket purchase very easy.

2F21 1120 EXC > 1128 DIG
Class 143 x 1 - although the CIS showed 4 coaches until very shortly before arrival at EXC.
Service 5 mins late; RTT showed the service initially delayed on the approach to NTA. Given the late departure of the subsequent 1L44 from EXD I wonder if the other 2 coaches of 2F21 were detached there. Lightly loaded. 3 Guard/Conductor staff on-board - revenue protection or training?

PS. Tweeted @GWRHelp to highlight the out-of-date poster at DIG advertising pre-fare rise prices for EXC & EXM CDR tickets - GWR still frequently failing on the 'attention to detail' front.

Thursday 19th January 2017 - Too Icy To Cycle
2T08 0843 DIG > 0852 EXC
Class 143 x 2
Service essentially on time. Full & standing (but tickets were still being checked).

2F13 0920 EXC > 0928 DIG
Class 143 x 1
Service on time. About 60% loaded. Tickets checked.

...and later:

Thursday 19th January 2017 - BSO Concert At The University
2T26 1821 DIG > 1829 EXC
Class 143 x 2
Service 10 minutes late having waited at TOP for the delayed 2F47. However the short journey was much improved by my first encounter with 'Conductor David' who regaled us with such gems as '...change at Exeter Central for the city centre and the exquisite Exeter Prison...' & '...don't forget to take your belongings, and your own partner...'.

2F59 2235 EXC > 2243 DIG
Class 143 x 1
Service on time. About 30% loaded. Tickets not checked.

Thursday 9th / Saturday 11th March 2017 - A Couple Of Days In London
Thu 2B74 1012 DIG > 1023 EXD + 1A16 1056 EXD > 1340 PAD
Class 150/1 + HST
On-time (actually 2 mins early at final destination) E2E journey although 1A16 left EXD 5 mins late having been delayed by 'safety checks' in Cornwall.

Sat 1C86 1448 PAD > 1731 EXD + 2F47 1745 EXD > 1758 DIG
High Speed Train (HST) + Class 150/1
Another on-time E2E journey.
Tickets checked on all 4 services.

A couple of random observations:
1) On the return High Speed Train (HST) the Great Western Railway (GWR) WiFi worked well enough to allow me to keep fully up to speed with the rugby score; on all previous appropriate journeys WiFi speed has been similarly acceptable. So what exactly is the problem?
2) Appropos the proposed installation of 'pretty' Over-Head Line Equipment (OHLE) gear through the Bath Sydney Gardens area I would have more respect for the opinions of the local NIMBYs & council representatives if they got off their hypocritical high horses/backsides and did something about the mass of graffiti (or 'street art' for those of you who prefer the PC approach  ;D) currently despoiling the location.

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

Re wifi...speeds are fine until the train gets busy....usually shoulder-peak/peak services. Then its bandwidth thats the problem & slso possibly the number of connections. I'm not surprised it was fine on your off-peak services

Thursday 16th March 2017 - BSO Concert At The University
2T26 1821 DIG > 1829 EXC
Class 143 x 2

2F59 2235 EXC > 2243 DIG
Class 143 x 1
Both services on time. No ticket checks on either train. I may be imagining things but the 150/2's seem to have temporarily vanished from the Exmouth branch.

Sunday 19th March 2017 - Anglo-Welsh Rugby Cup Final At The Twickenham Stoop (Yes, Exeter Lost Again  :()
2T10 0929 DIG > 0942 EXD + 1A78 0956 EXD > 1225 RDG + 2C38 1258 RDG > 1356 TWI
143 & 153 + HST + 450 x 2
On-time E2E journey. Obviously plenty of timetable padding for the diverted 1A78 which apparently made up 8 minutes between YVJ & YVP! From memory my first ever trip along the YVJ>CLC section of diversionary route; I hadn't realised that YVP was such an absolute technological backwater from a railway perspective.

2C53 1749 TWI > 1847 RDG + 1C95 1932 RDG > 2120 EXD + 2F59 2148 EXD > 2200 DIG
450 x 2 + HST + 143
An on-time E2E journey despite both TWI>RDG & RDG>EXD services running slightly late throughout.

Tickets checked on all 4 GWR trains. Very surprised, given their reputation, that neither SWT service included any ticket checks; according to my son, who lives in Reading and uses the RDG<>WAT route on a regular basis, this is quite normal.

And finally...which twit decided to change the CIS description for LYC from Lympstone Cmdo(x) to Lympstone Comma(x)?

Saturday 27th May 2017 - A Day Out At Twickenham For The Rugby Premiership Final

Victory at last! Brilliant game and atmosphere at HQ.

Outward
2B73 0912 DIG > 0925 EXD
Class 153 + 150/2
Service pretty well loaded and on-time. Given the potential passenger traffic on a busy sporting weekend for Exeter it was good to see ticket sellers at both POL & SJP.

1A78 0954 EXD > 1147 RDG
HST 8 Coach
Service full & standing from EXD. 9 late into RDG due to passenger (un)loading delays at both TVP & WSB. No ticket check.

2C36 1212 RDG > 1311 TWI
Class 450
Service full & standing all the way to TWI; pax (un)loading delays at various stations along the route.

Return
2C55 1810 TWI > 1915 RDG
Class 450
Train 21 mins late into RDG due to following the delayed preceding 2Z75 after FEL(tham). Service full & standing from TWI and significant additional pax at VIR & SNG from the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

1C96 2035 RDG > 2235 EXD
HST 8 Coach
Service arrived RDG on-time but departed 8 mins late due to loading delays. Full & standing as far as WSB. 11 late into EXD. Some of this additional delay undoubtedly due to inconsiderate alighting passengers not closing doors at unstaffed stops - the new power door equipped stock cannot arrive soon enough!

2F61 2309 EXD > 2321 DIG
Class 150/2
Service 4 late due to following delayed 1L88 as far as Exmouth Junction. The excellent guard started ticket checks/sales before departure from EXD.


I cannot help thinking that on days like this the relevant TOC's should seriously consider reintroducing reservation only 'sport special' services; given appropriate publicity via the clubs involved I believe they could be run on a commercial basis. And the travelling experience for other 'ordinary' passengers would be significantly improved.

But more trains would be needed to shift pax unable to be carried on those 'reservation only' trains?....

Sunday 2nd July 2017 - Dawlish In The Sunshine

Outward
2F05 1129 DIG > 1147 EXM
Class 143
Service lightly loaded. Ran 3 mins down having left EXC late.

(Stroll around Exmouth followed by 1240 ferry to Starcross and a very pleasant walk to Dawlish interrupted by an excellent (seafood) lunch at the Anchor Inn, Cockwood - try it if you ever get the chance.)

Return
2F17 1624 DWL > 1658 DIG
Class 143 x 2
Lightly loaded service ran around 5 mins down throughout due to the developing signalling failure between EXD & TVP. Disappointed to report a 'free' trip because the DWL TVM was OOS and no attempt was made to check/sell tickets on board (despite a non-stop run from DWW>EXD).

An appropriate juncture to resurrect this thread (?)

Wednesday 17th October 2018 - My First Conveyance By An IET
2B80 1643 DIG > 1655 EXD
Class 150/2 + 153
Service ran a few minutes late due, not unusually*, to waiting a late running Exmouth-bound service at Topsham. Conductor not doing proper ticket checks (the fact that I had one was deemed sufficient) because, he explained, the revenue protection team had taken up residence at Polsloe Bridge. I failed to see the connection between these two events.

*Perhaps Sir Tom Jones could be persuaded to catalogue the many failings of our railway system in a song.

1A93 1702 EXD > 1920 PAD
Class 80x 9-Car
The wrong type of IET! 9 cars instead of the apparently rostered 10 so no reservations (not that it mattered as there were plenty of spare seats). I found the seats to be acceptable in terms of comfort and the increased legroom was a welcome improvement. I thought overall ride quality was a slight step up from the HST and background noise was noticeably reduced. The positioning of the power socket information panels (partly obscured under the lower window frame) was obviously the work of an imbecile and I found that my 3-pin plug (a USB adapter) would not seat fully into the sockets and it was a struggle to get the juice flowing. I have never had the same issue with this adapter anywhere else.
Pedant Alert: I dislike the internal scrolling displays because I find the repetition of the final destination as a calling point annoying unnecessary.
And, finally, the really poor bit: Service arrived at Paddington 17 minutes late following a delay in the Lydford area (c. 5 miles west of CLC) due to a cow on the line. Why the hell is this still allowed to happen? 

#Hold on, I'm coming...#

On a recent 3 in 7 FoSW I had my tickets checked 3 times in my 3 days.... twice was by the same guard on a round trip to Barnstaple.

Tuesday 18th / Wednesday 19th June 2019 - Personal Business In London
Outward
2B74 1012 DIG > 1022 EXD
Class 150/2
5 minutes late due to waiting a late running Exmouth-bound train at Topsham (again!). Very poor (33 minutes) connection into: 

1A81 1055 EXD > 1315 PAD
Class 800 x 2 - 10 Cars
Service a little late arriving at EXD due to the Teignmouth signalling issue. Platform PIS indicating electronic reservations not posted, although the system miraculously burst into life shortly after departure from EXD (this of course created more problems than it cured at Taunton - perhaps a lesson for the future?). Front unit trolley not able to provide hot drinks, not impressed.

Return
1C92 1803 PAD > 2016 EXD
Class 800 - 9 Cars
On time. Reservations provided by both electronic system & paper cards (I assume GWR / Hitachi still do not entirely trust the former). Excellent advertising of the Pullman Dining Service (last PA stated only 1 place remaining).

2F55 2034 EXD > 2046 DIG
Class 143 x 2
On time.
   

Saturday 13th July 2019 - A Quick Shopping Trip Not Possible By Bike

Outward
2B75 1114 DIG > 1120 EXC
Class 143 x 2
On time. Presence of ticket checked but sight of railcard not requested.

Return
2F23 1153 EXC > 1158 DIG
Class 150/2 x 2
Late departure from EXD. No ticket check.
In the same carriage as me was a passenger who was intending to travel to WAT but, because the 1130 SWR service to London was delayed (35 mins), he had boarded the wrong train. This despite a number of quite specific PA announcements at EXC regarding the order of train arrival.
My question is: Can the PIS displays be manually overridden to reflect the actual situation so passengers don't receive conflicting information? The displays at EXC are of the type which display full details of the 1st train and a summary of the 2nd & 3rd services - 1L44 was always shown as the first departure.
(It probably didn't help that the passenger concerned was 'Eastern European' and possibly not that familiar with UK rail travel.)

There must be an insider on here somewhere who can answer this question definitively, but from my own experience I don't think that they can be overridden locally.

They can, however be changed somewhere in the system. There is a standard train pattern at Bath where something southbound (ie. to Westbury and usually beyond) departs at 9 minutes past the hour, and the London comes in shortly behind. I have been at Bath on at least two occasions when one the southbound service has been delayed and runs behind the London, and the departure boards (both the one-line summary board and the detailed one) have been changed. On one recent occasion they changed more than once, as it became clear that Control was having a difference of opinion on which one to send out from Bristol first :)

Manual PA announcements were made in all cases.

On another occasion some years ago I was on a St Pancras to Dover - non stop to Ashford then all stations. We were held for 20 minutes at STP because of an idiot trespasser, and the decision was taken to skip the intermediate stops between Ashford and Dover (I believe this was a DOO service as I never saw another staff member on the train). A manual announcement was made before Ashford that passengers to intermediate stations should change, but the automated announcements kept going. On departure from Ashford the driver came on to tell passengers to ignore the automatic announcements, so he clearly couldn't shut the thing off.

Needless to say, however, there were a number of irritated passengers on that train who ended up unexpectedly at Dover because they took no notice of the manual announcement.

If passengers insist on not listening to announcements made over a PA system (such as at EXC as indicated above), nobody can be blamed but the passengers themselves if they end up on the wrong train or at the wrong station. But that said, the display boards should have been updated and that certainly didn't help. I won't go into the Eastern European issue because exactly the same thing could have happened to a deaf white bloke from Honiton who was waiting for that train.

Ideally they shouldn't need to be overridden as they rely on the signalling system to identify where each train is.

However Exeter Central's close proximity to Exeter St David's means the information may not be available until the last minute when whichever train is coming first departs (or perhaps fractionally before that when the signaller sets the road).

I have often seen it at Swindon where a service from Bristol and one from South Wales jockey for position until one gets to go in front at Wootton Bassett Junction.

Thursday 15th August 2019 - Bicycle Is OOU For A Major Transmission Repair

Outward
2B73 0912 DIG > 0920 EXC
Class 150/2 x 2
I am pleased to report the much more frequent appearance of 4 car services (except 143 x 2 obviously) recently. Noticed that this service departed DIG at 09:11:17 (according to the PIS clock) leaving at least one extremely p*ssed-off intending passenger on the platform. Is this a bit naughty or are the clearly displayed notices concerning 'early' closing of the train doors sufficient?
Also the train PIS was stuck on '...next station is Lympstone Village...'; there isn't much point in having these if the TM can't be bothered to ensure they are providing accurate information.

Return
2F17 1020 EXC > 1028 DIG
Class 143 x 2
2 late from EXC, 4 late at DIG. Additional delay at SJP due to detraining family group with pushchairs through the single front door. POL also very busy with pax heading for a day at the seaside.

Thursday 9th January / Sunday 12th January 2020 - A Rugby 'Weekend' In Scotland

Yes, I could have made these journeys much quicker, and possibly cheaper, by flying between Exeter & Glasgow but Flybe are the only route service provider and they remain on my blacklist for previous appalling customer service failures.

Yes, I could have done this slightly quicker, but certainly NOT cheaper without a significant amount of mucking about with split ticketing, by using the more direct 'cross country' route via Birmingham. Each E2E journey cost me around £47 - GWR £16, Avanti £30 plus Oyster.

Outward
2T11 0913 DIG > 0926 EXD : 1 x 150/2 + 1 x 143
1A77 0941 EXD > 1209 PAD : IET 9 Car
Tube Paddington > Euston Square + Walk
1S69 1330 EUS > 1759 GLC : Pendolino
The journey to London was a tad late due to a short hold immediately outside Paddington - still did RDG>PAD start to stop in 25 mins. The IET electronic reservation system was not activated until after departure from EXD. There was some extremely rough riding east of Somerton tunnel - I assume the 14/03-27/03 CLC<>TAU line closure will deal with this; it would be interesting to know why the diversionary route via Yeovil is not being used during this blockade.
Arrival in Glasgow was 11 late due to slow running through Bletchley, Crewe, on the approach to Oxenholme and over Beattock. RTT seems to show 1S69 behind a late TPE Edinburgh service at the final location.

Return
1M07 1038 GLC > 1518 EUS
Walk + Tube Euston Square > Paddington
1C88 1603 PAD > 1815 EXD : IET 5 Car
2F22 1840 EXD > 1901 DIG : 1 x 150/2 + 1 x 143
Arrived home at the expected time but...1M07 never recovered from a short complete stop immediately north of Crewe and arrived at EUS 6 down. During the tube trip I checked RTT which initially had 1C88 leaving from platform 3 at PAD but this subsequently changed to P10. When I arrived at PAD (1545) there was a 10 car IET in P10 but no departure advertised. At about 1550 the departure boards listed the 1600 BRI service leaving from P10 while 1C88 continued to show as 'Preparing'. There was no indication that 1C21 was only the front 5 coaches, or that 1C88 the rear 5, and the concourse staff had absolutely no idea what was happening. Utter chaos. At 1558 1C88 finally showed as a P10 departure. Unsurprisingly the electronic reservation system was not in use but the TM did not make a 'sit anywhere' announcement. Shortly after a delayed (5 mins) departure the customer host announced that refreshments would only be available from a static trolley; is this due to the trolley water supply not having been pre-heated? 1C88 ran late throughout but due to a timetabled 6 minute dwell at TVP arrived at EXD only 4 mins down! And now the really annoying bit; the line towards Plymouth was closed so all Avocet line services were starting from/terminating at EXD but no attempt had been made to adjust the schedule of what had essentially become a 'self-contained' service to provide better connections. There were however extended - up to 11 minutes - stops at EXC in the EXM services.

Friday 7th February / Monday 10th February 2020 - Yorkshire For The Weekend

Again both out and back via London as it was cheaper than travelling via Birmingham

Outward
2T11 DIG 0913 > EXD 0926  : 1 x 150/2 + 1 x 158
1A77 EXD 0941 > PAD 1209 (+11)  : IET 9 Car
Tube Paddington > Piccadilly Circus + Leicester Square > Kings Cross/St.Pancras (Chinatown Shopping!)
1D18 KGX 1433 > WKF 1631  : 2 x 801/1
For some unknown reason both PIS & PA at Digby insisted that 2T11 only had 2 coaches.
After Taunton timekeeping on 1A77 was poor and the service was then additionally held at Southcote Junction due to the congestion caused by the Basingstoke points failure. I noted freight trains waiting on both Up line from BSK and the Reading West Curve (from Tilehurst). 14 late from RDG and 11 down at PAD. On the plus side the refreshment trolley was double 'manned' and made two runs through the train.
Just for the hell of it I travelled 1st Class on the LNER Azuma; the food & drink service (at no extra charge over the £38.95 ticket price) was in my opinion exceptional with a brilliant selection of both hot & cold options. The Azuma provided a significantly better ride quality than the IET but I will leave the experts to decide whether that was down to the train or track or a combination of the two.

Saturday 8th February - A Day Trip To York
1D03 WKF 0901 (+1)  > LDS 0914 (+4)  : Azuma
1E27 LDS 0927 > YRK 0955 (+2)  : Nova 3
Lots of service disruptions, in particular congestion on the approach to LDS, due to the early stages of Storm Ciara. The essentially brand new TPE Nova 3 unit rattled continuously on the journey to York; it seems there might be some build quality issues with these trains.
(Returned to Wakefield by road)

Sunday 9th February - Accommodation Move
2805 WKF 1134 (+10) > FZW 1144 (+11) : Class 331
A short trip at the height of Storm Ciara, but the ride quality & internal layout and appearance of the Class 331 created a very good impression with me.

Return
1A28 WKF 1158 (+1) > KGX 1402 (+3) : Azuma
Tube Kings Cross/St. Pancras > Paddington
1C86 PAD 1504 (+17) > EXD 1715 (+21) : IET10
2F27 EXD 1741 (OT) > DIG 1755 (+4) : 1 x 150/2 + 1 x 143
We travelled on through WKF > DIG Advance Singles at a cost of £37.95 which I reckon is extremely good value.
Given the conditions - very strong SW winds & intermittent downpours - a very impressive run down to London.
Followed by (the not uncommon) chaos at Paddington! - late arrival of the train at platform, late notification via PIS & PA and, quelle surprise, no seat reservations. And as mentioned above I don't fully understand why the LNER Azuma feels like a significantly better train than the GWR IET given that they are, I assume, the same basic design.
As luck would have it, because of the extended EXD > EXM connection times introduced by the December timetable change, arrival at home was only a tad later than scheduled due to waiting for a late running 2T28 coming off the Exmouth branch.

Thursday 20th February 2020 - Bike Replacement Train
On time trips in both DIG-EXC directions but I did think that the 'Passengers for St. James Park should only travel in the front coach of this service' PA announcement AFTER departure from EXC on the return leg qualified as slightly less than helpful given that it was the usual 150/2 + 143 combo.

Thursday 27th August 2020 - First Post-Lockdown Rail Journey
The 'Reasonably Frequent' part of the thread title still being somewhat optimistic!
0843 DIG>EXC which, going by a few previous journeys on the same service, would normally be full and standing was carrying about half-a-dozen pax in each of the four carriages. Some things however seemingly do not change - the DIG TVM was 'Out Of Service'!
0955 EXC>DIG return also lightly loaded.

Thursday 10th September 2020 - Return Home From Lunch In Town (Outward By Other Means)
2F25 1651 EXC > 1700 DIG
We should, from past experiences, have known better but some delightful early-Autumn sunshine prompted a post-prandial stroll around the Exeter Quay area and we ended up catching what has become known as the 'Exeter College Chucking Out' train. Prior to departure both main EXC platforms were quite crowded (there is a same time service to Paignton). Repeated PA appeals for passengers to move away from the stairwell areas, and essentially socially distance themselves along the platforms, were ignored and many individuals only donned face coverings when instructed to do so over the tannoy. On the subject of on-train distancing you would, as they say, be having a laugh - in some parts of our carriage it would have been difficult to swing a gerbil never mind a cat. And in the middle of this an unfortunate wheelchair passenger wishing to alight at EXC was completely forgotten until one of her companions collared a member of platform staff. Happy days!  ::)

Quick DIG<>EXC return trip a couple of days ago; good to see that work on the SJP Platform 2 (Up Waterloo) extension has finally started. And my return 1054 EXC>1100 DIG (2F13 PGN>EXM) disgorged something like 50-60 pax on arrival at EXC which I thought was encouraging.

Tuesday/Wednesday 13th/14th October 2020 - The Metropolis That Is Basingstoke!
Helping one of our children move into their new home. Tickets split at EXC saving ?11.55 over the SVR fare.
Outward
DIG 0743>EXC 0752 (2T08 EXM>PGN) + EXC 0827>BSK 1055 (1L32 EXD>WAT)
Both services on time and lightly loaded. Local connection only 2 coaches despite station PIS saying 4 (again). Waterloo service 6 coaches to Salisbury and 9 thereafter, definitely optimistic!

Return
BSK 1507>EXC 1737 (1L41 WAT>EXD) + EXC 1745>DIG 1755 (2F27 PGN>EXM)
Again both trains on time at destination but the SWR service was slightly delayed leaving SAL I think due to an issue with dropping the rear 158 (8 coaches before SAL, 5 from there to EXD). I travelled in 1st with SWR - at ?12.85 with a crinklies card it would have been daft not to - which was a very pleasant experience. And busier than I expected. Only issue was the train PIS showing '...Next Station Is Tisbury...' all the way to EXC; I dislike such laziness on the part of the TM.

SWR have still not reinstated the catering trolleys on their services, and the information was not particularly easy to find on the website, but given all the Covid-19 precautions I think this is very poor.

Friday 18th December 2020
Quick Shopping Trip
Outward
DIG 0913>EXC 0922 (2T11 EXM>PGN)  -  2 x 150/2
At DIG 4 pax on / 1 off which under normality would be unheard of on the first Off-Peak service. Weather probably didn't help!

Return
EXC 0955>DIG 1000 (2F11 PGN>EXM)  -  1 x 150/2 + 1 x 143
Shock, horror! Rumours of the complete demise of the Class 143's were obviously exaggerated. 143603 (I think) alive & bouncing on this trip.
Also noticed that both SJP Platform 2(Down WAT) ramp ends have been replaced with the fence / gate / steps arrangement. This work might explain the apparent lack of activity on the P1 extension.

The last planned workings were last weekend, but not much this week has gone to plan!  Good to have them for emergencies for a short while longer!

I was under the impression that two units were being retained at Exeter - one for route learning purposes (Okehampton??) and the other for spares, so it makes perfect sense for them to be used for emergencies at the moment.

Thursday 24th / Sunday 27th December 2020 - Well That Was Fun, Perhaps Staying At Home Would Have Been Better!
Only Joking - I Have Experienced Much Worse When Travelling By Train

Outward
DIG 0943>EXC 0955 (2T12 EXM>PGN) : 1 x 150/2 + 1 x 143
Rail Replacement Bus EXD>TVP>TAU
TAU 1112>BRI 1211 (2U14 Cancelled BRI>CDF Due To No Crew) : 1 x 158 (2-Cars)
BRI 1235>WKF 1546 (1S47 BRI>EDB) : 2 x 220 (8-Cars)

We were actually booked on the 1027 XC train from EXD but that was cancelled prior to departure from PLY due to the flooding north of Exeter. On the plus side the bus was already waiting when 2T12, which was conveniently switched to Platform 1, arrived at EXD. I had never used a replacement bus to/from or via TVP before but this trip indicated to me that the road access at TVP for larger vehicles needs some serious attention. Amusingly, despite the presence of numerous large signs indicating it's closure (building work), the bus driver decided it would be a really good idea to drive into the south side access at Taunton station and then spent quite some time very carefully reversing back out. Briefing of replacement bus drivers is evidently sometimes inadequate - or are some of them just a bit thick. The local service connection train to Brizzle was, not surprisingly, quite busy. Pleased that the XC train from BRI had a static refreshment trolley in each unit - GWR please take note! Wakefield arrival only an hour later than intended but a full refund is expected. 

Return
WKF 1103>STP 1409 (1C43 LDS>STP) : HST (8-Cars)
TfL Underground STP>PAD Hammersmith & City Direct Service
PAD 1637>EXD 1857 (1C89 PAD>PLY) : IET (9-Cars)
EXD 1952>DIG 2004 (2F24 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 158 (2-Cars)

A very much showing its age EMR HST on the run down to London made somewhat more agreeable by the use of Spanish Inquisition style seats in 1st Class which was only ?5 each more than Standard. We followed, very slowly, a late running Northern stopper nearly all the way to Sheffield and the delay was never completely recovered which, with a further noticeable check on the approach to Bedford, led to a 6 late arrival at STP. No major damage done though. The tube was, as expected, very quiet; in our immediate vicinity I could only see 3 other pax. And then the fun really started - shortly after arrival at PAD our 1603 booked service to EXD changed on the departure boards to terminating at TAU, then to finishing at TVP, then back to TAU and finally, with PA confirmation, to a complete cancellation due to flooding (Staffords Bridge again?) induced line closure. On RTT it states 'This service was cancelled due to a delay not investigated (OU). Lack of a driver with 'via Yeovil' route knowledge or just no point in running two services within 35 minutes of each other with so few passengers around? The diversionary run of 1C89 between CLC and EXD (it took 83 minutes) was, it seemed to me, very well handled; we had a brief stop at YVP to allow a London-bound IET to pass but then a clear run all the way. I think the South Western Railway 1Z49 heading to Exeter was held at Sherborne while Salisbury-bound 1Z82 was similarly treated at Axminster East to allow this to happen. Interestingly the original intention to de-train TAU passengers at CLC onto a replacement bus service seems to have been abandoned as there were calls for Taunton-bound passengers on our arrival at EXD.

And finally; during the awful Xmas-period weather the previous flooding blackspots of Cowley Bridge and Hele & Bradninch LC seem to have held up pretty well (the latter location was completely clear when we passed it on the M5 on the 24th) so is it now time to properly sort out Staffords Bridge?     

Tuesday 18th / Wednesday 19th May 2021 - 1st Post-Lockdown Trip, Offspring Requiring Help With Some Decorating

Outward
DIG 0843>EXC 0852 (2T10 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2
EXC 0930>BSK 1155 (1L36 EXD>WAT) : 2 x 159

Earlier train from DIG than was strictly necessary so I had time to buy a drink in the vicinity of EXC as SWR had still not reinstated on-train refreshment services. Both trains were pleasingly busy - on 2T10 I had to sit next to another passenger (shock,horror!)

Return
BSK 1607>EXC 1838 (1L45 WAT>EXD) : 2 x 159
EXC 1850>DIG 1858 (2F29 PGN>EXM) : 2 x 150/2

Tickets not checked on 1L45, which was fairly busy until Tisbury/Gillingham with lots of school traffic.

All trains ran to time.
Total trip cost: £24.55

BTW, The withdrawal of on train catering by SWR is intended to be permanent and not a short term measure.

The latest NRT (National Rail Timetable) shows a trolley service on long distance services from Waterloo

Just picked up the links to the .pdf files of the NRT, Roger ... will be uploading them to our station navigator!

This thread suggests that withdrawal of all SWT catering is intended to be permanent http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=24340.0 (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=24340.0)

Yes, permanent as far as I know.

SWT's web site currently says:

No mention of alterations due to Covid on that page, but if you follow a further linke you get:

That phrase "subject to availability" always leaves me a bit uneasy - availability of what? You'd think in that case it was "enough stock", but apparently it's "any catering service". I know that ralways move with glacial slowness, but even so you'd think they might do better!

...and in the Covid-19 section of the SWR website it says 'Unfortunately, we are currently not offering onboard catering on our services.' which to me implies that catering could/will be reinstated.

Given that the various statements appear to be contradictory I have emailed SWR asking for a definitive answer and will post any response in the appropriate thread.

I doubt that you will get a clear answer from SWT. More likely to be something like "we keep on board services under continual review" which sounds vaguely hopeful but without actually promising anything.

Well played, sir!

Herewith a copy of (most of) the SWR reply:
'I understand why you're disappointed that we’re no longer providing catering on our trains. However, the contract with Elior wasn't proving to be financially viable. We were heavily subsidising the arrangement. The sharp reduction in passenger numbers, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, has made on-train catering services even more unsustainable.

The pandemic has caused a significant drop in our current passenger numbers but also in expected growth.  We're currently being subsidised by the taxpayer so that we can continue to provide a safe and reliable service. Therefore, it is more important than ever that we spend money carefully,

Following discussions with the Department for Transport, we took the difficult decision to terminate our contract. We appreciate that this will have an impact, particularly on those travelling longer distances. However, we’ll continue to provide refreshment outlets at stations where it is safe to do so.'

Reading between the lines it is clearly a permanent withdrawal of on-board catering services. Unless of course they change their minds! My original question, couched in terms understandable by a five-year-old, contained the words 'temporary' & 'permanent'. Was it really beyond the nous of SWR Customer Relations to choose the appropriate option and include it in the reply? Perhaps that was deliberate obfuscation just in case passenger numbers go through the roof.

BTW at no point in my original missive did I express any sense of disappointment over this issue. I might be absolutely delighted and anyway I can survive quite happily without the faux empathy.

That seems like a pretty clear answer to me, even if the word permanent wasn’t used.

Thursday 27th May 2021 - Post Lockdown 'Retail Therapy' For SWTSMBO

Outward
DIG 0943>EXD 0955 (2T12 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2
EXD 1015>RDG▸ 1201 (1A78 PNZ▸ >PAD) : 2 x 5 Car IET
RDG 1218>OXF 1242 (1W02 PAD>HFD) : 1 x 5 Car IET
OXF 1304>BIT 1321 (1Y44 OXF>MYB) : 2 x 168

Slightly late departure from EXD following an earlier delay near Ivybridge exacerbated by a train that was non-stop between TAU & RDG being routed via WSB Platform 3 rather than the avoiding line. I would estimate that 1A78 was about 30-35% full between Exeter & Reading. A mobile catering trolley, with 2 staff - 1 serving and the other taking payments - was available in our set. Disappointed that the coffee was served as a cup of hot water with a DIY sachet of Nescafe but better than nothing. No on-train PA announcements until the RDG arrival - GWR keep up the good work!
1W02 left PAD 17 minutes late due to an unspecified fault on the train, and had made up no time on arrival at RDG, but a clear non-stop run to OXF reduced the delay by 5 minutes so the connection to Bicester Village was made comfortably rather than it being a mad dash. 1W02 also carried a double-crewed refreshment trolley and was almost full.
Tickets were only checked on 2T12.

Return
On 28/05 by road via Basingstoke which proved to be misguided as the A303 was an absolute nightmare even at 10pm!


Tickets: 2 x Railcard SSS (Super OffPeak Single) DIG>BIT @ £31.70

Thursday 17th June 2021 - Shopping By Train Instead Of Bike Due To Approaching Thunderstorms

DIG 0943>EXC 0951 (2T12 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2
EXC 1054>DIG 1100 (2F13 PGN>EXM) : Class 166 3-Car

Pleased to report that both services were pretty busy; I would estimate that the return train was around 60% full. 

Saturday 26th / Sunday 27th June 2021 - Watching Exeter Chiefs Relinquish Their Rugby Premiership Title At Twickenham

Outward
DIG 0914>EXC 0922 (2T11 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2
EXC 0930>BSK▸ 1155 (1L36 EXD▸ >WAT) : 2 x 159
(Break Of Journey)
BSK 1335>CLJ 1411 (1W58 WEY>WAT) : 2 x 444
CLJ 1428>TWI 1442 (2C41 WAT>RDG) : 2 x 458
(Break Of Journey)
TWI 2007>RMD 2011 (2Z74 SHP>WAT) : 2 x 707
(Break Of Journey-Dinner)
RMD 2142>CLJ 2150 (2Z80 SHP>WAT) : 2 x 707
CLJ 2212>BSK 2250 (1B73 WAT>POO) : 2 x 444

1L36 was well loaded-I would say 60-70%. A couple of things caught my attention; a female who had joined the train at Sherborne asked the TM if she could move to the front 3-car unit because she felt the 'crowding' in the rear 159 was (Covid) unsafe but was told that this would be pointless because the front unit was busier than her existing position. There were a few rugby fans on board but the majority seemed to be travelling for other reasons.
A gentleman sat 2 rows in front of me was relieved of a significant amount of moolah when the TM discovered he was travelling on a 'GWR Only' ticket.
1W58 was delayed leaving BMH and never recovered the time; at BSK a station PA announcement blamed this on a late running XC service but I can't see anything obvious on RTT.
One of the station staff at RMD had no clue about the 'Break Of Journey' rules; fortunately his colleague was more knowledgeable.

Return
BSK 1307>EXC 1537 (1L33 WAT>EXD/BRI) : 3 x 159 WAT>SAL, 2 x 159 SAL>EXD + 1 x 159 SAL>BRI (1V33)
EXC 1555>DIG 1601(2F16 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 166 (3 Cars)

A well loaded 1L33, on which my ticket was not checked, departed SAL 5 minutes down so that the 20mins late running GWR 1V00 PMH>CDF did not conflict with 1V33. The 2F16 TM allowed a couple of teenagers sat opposite me to travel EXC>DIG on their EXC>PIN seasons. And my 'Crinklies' Railcard has still not be checked since I bought it on 03/10/20 - some TOC's seem to have given up on Revenue Protection; I wonder why that could be?  ;D 

Total rail cost: £56.55 (2 x DIG>PIN CDS @ £2.20 + 1 x PIN<>BSK SVR @ £36.45 + 1 x BSK<>TWI SOH @ £15.70)

Staycation - Along Part Of The Leeds-Liverpool Canal From Silsden To Hapton And Back

Outward Thursday 15th July 2021
DIG 0943>EXD 0955 (2T12 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2
EXD 1015>PAD 1229 (1A78 PNZ>PAD) : 2 x 5-Car IET
TfL Underground Paddington>Kings Cross St.Pancras
KGX 1433>WKF 1631 (1D18 KGX>LDS) : 9-Car Azuma

Once again I chose to travel via London because XC will still not offer the direct service at a reasonable price even when I tried to book a couple of months in advance. And the LNER 1st Class offer is still pretty good despite being cut back somewhat due to jolly old Covid. No at destination delays on this trip but the run from EXD to PAD was notable for TSR's at Blatchbridge, Fairwood & Southcote Junctions with the latter being at, I think, 20 or 30 mph which resulted in a late RDG arrival.

(Overnight Hotel / Dinner in Wakefield)

Intermediate Journey Friday 16th July
WKF 0842>FEA 0858 (2A07 LDS>KNO) : 1 x 150/2

First trip on a 150/2 with the 2-3 seating arrangement for years. The Wakefield>Streethouse section of this line desperately needs some TLC-the line speed is pathetically slow. Meeting up with a family member in Featherstone to do some pre-holiday shopping, principally at Farmer Copley's - if you are ever in this area don't miss it!

(I had hoped to travel directly from Exeter to Steeton & Silsden (SON) on the 16th but our departure time from the boatyard did not allow this).

Return Friday 23rd July 2021
(Road transport from Silsden to Wakefield)
WKF 1428>KGX 1634 (1A34 LDS>KGX) : 5-Car Azuma.
TfL Underground Kings Cross St.Pancras>Paddington
PAD 1804>EXD 2014 (1C92 PAD>PNZ) : 9-Car IET
EXD 2040>DIG 2055 (2F32 EXD>EXM) : 2 x 150/2

1A34 was timetabled to start from Harrogate but the HGT>LDS sector was cancelled apparently due to a TCF (Track Circuit Failure). The train travelled to KGX with the front coupler nosecone open presumably due to a fault.
1C92 was 5 minutes down at RDG according to the TM due to speed restrictions. Train was about 40% loaded judging by the carriage I was in.
2F32 was held for a short while at Exmouth Junction to allow the late running 2T34 off the branch.
 

Rugby Weekend - Glasgow Warriors v Exeter Chiefs 18/12/21

Ticket splitting reduced the journey cost from a default £148.95 (E2E OffPeak Return with Crinklies Railcard) to £116.30. Flying options - which I wouldn't have done anyway - were somewhat reduced by the recent winter withdrawal of all Saturday Loganair services between Exeter and Glasgow/Edinburgh/Newcastle; a Friday/Sunday return Glasgow flight would have cost around twice the train fare.  

Outward Friday 17th December 2021
Booked Itinerary:
DIG 1242>EXD 1254 (2T18 EXM>PGN) : 1 x 150/2 + 1 x 158 (4 Cars)
EXD 1327>BHM 1556 (1S51 PLY>EDB) : 1 x 221 (5 Cars)
BHM 1615>OXN 1822 (9S80 EUS>EDB) : 2 x 221 (10 Cars)
OXN 1834>GLC 2041 (1T81 PRE>GLC)

All went well as far as EXD (!) because the 1S51 coach identities did not match the actual seat reservations and, in the absence of an official reservation suspension, it got a bit messy. XC adopted the GWR onboard service model and parked the trolley at one end of the train. On time arrival at BHM. The substitution of the diagrammed Pendolino by a 'double Voyager' on 9S80, again without a formal reservation suspension, was not very clever. The train arrived at BHM 8 minutes down, didn't recover much from the extended stop, and hit Preston 12 late just in time for me to glimpse 1T81 disappear into the gloom. Not sure if this was other factors or whether it is just not possible for a 221 combo to keep to Pendolino timings. BTW 1T81 was originally 1S81 from MIA (?appropriate) but TransPennine were apparently seriously suffering with Covid-19 staff absences. Also, in another example of the railway deciding to make itself look idiotic, the 9S80 onboard crew announced on departure from BHM that catering facilities were, quote, 'nothing in the rear unit and a static trolley in the front unit as far as WVH'; perhaps 'unfortunately there are no onboard catering facilities on this service today' would have been a more sensible idea! Having quickly checked for later connection options at OXN - none - I stayed put on 9S80 as far as Carlisle and picked up 1S82, arriving in Glasgow only 20 minutes later than scheduled at 2101. 1S82 was the only train on which I had my tickets checked and, according to the TM, Avanti had been accepting 'TPE Only' tickets, which is what I had for OXN>GLC, pretty much all day.

Saturday 18th December 2021
A return trip between Glasgow Central & Scotstounhill, in thick fog, for the game which Exeter proceeded to lose 22-7. It seems doubtful if the players could see the ball, or indeed each other, most of the time! Previously we had travelled to Scotstounhill from Queen Street but that service was suspended also apparently due to Covid-19 related staff shortages.

Sunday 19th December 2021
Booked Itinerary:
GLC 0934>WBQ 1226 (1M05 GLC>PRE) : 390 (11Cars)
WBQ 1240>WVH 1332 (9A53 LAN>EUS) : 2 x 221 (10 Cars)
WVH 1342>BHM 1358 (1O18 MAN>BMH) : 2 x 221 (9 Cars)
BHM 1412>EXD 1644 (1V56 EDB>PLY) : HST (7 Cars)
EXD 1651>DIG 1701 (2F18 PGN>EXM) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)

1M05 was scheduled to go all the way to Euston but crew shortages resulted in it being terminated, in advance, at PRE. Whilst en route the TM announced that all West Midlands-bound passengers could change onto 9A53 at Lancaster if they wished. So I did, as LAN is a little less manic than PRE when things aren't running smoothly, and in any case my booked change at WBQ was no longer an option. 9A53 was another double-Voyager vice Pendolino substitution, with the time-honoured no reservations or catering, and this also lost time between PRE and WVH. The resulting 12 minute late arrival at Wolverhampton prevented me from taking advantage of an earlier arrival at BHM using 1O18, and the slightly late arrival at BHM aboard 9A53 made getting 1V56 a bit of a struggle but I made it with about 90 seconds to spare. Queue an uneventful onward journey to the South West and an on time home arrival. No ticket checks for the entire journey and both 9A53 & 1V56 were 'full but no visible standing' between PRE/BHM and BHM/BRI.

Doing it again, accompanied by SWTSMBO, on Thursday 23/12 & Monday 27/12 with another Exeter>Wakefield>Exeter jaunt, via London, courtesy of SWR & LNER. Can't wait!  

Blimey what an odyssey!

I admire your commitment - shame about the result though.

I am heading up to Scotland (LHR - Glasgow Friday pm/return Sunday pm) for the Calcutta Cup match with a train journey to/from Edinburgh on 5th Feb.

Flights (BA) about £120 return.

That's the plan anyway - I fear that most likely it will be postponed or at best played behind closed doors thanks to COVID - a pity, as the Calcutta Cup away match is always a great experience.

Christmas In Yorkshire 23-27/12/2021

Once again we opted to travel via London because Cross Country were much more expensive and I had grave doubts about their ability to provide a decent service. Tickets were split at TAU on the return journey because GWR were mickey taking with the through PAD>DIG fares.

Outward: Thursday 23rd December 2021
Booked Itinerary:
DIG 0743>EXD 0756 (2T08 EXM>PGN) : 1 x 166 (3 Cars)
EXD 0823>WAT 1156 (1L32 EXD >WAT) : 2 x 159 (6 Cars)
(TfL Underground Waterloo>King's Cross/St.Pancras via Warren Street)
KGX 1303>WKF 1459 (1D15 KGX>LDS) : 2 x 801/1 (10 Cars)

Journey Cost (2 Pax): £84.20 (SWR DIG>WAT £37.00 + LNER KGX>WKF £47.20 (£6.20 LNER Perks Discount)). Tube Oyster charges not included.

An excellent start - NOT! 2T08 was cancelled between EXM & EXD due to the Exmouth-bound service, 2F05 BRI-EXM, being terminated at Taunton 'due to the train operator's request'. I don't know what this actually means in this instance so any clues/suggestions would be welcome; could this have been a Bristol driver who was only route qualified as far as Taunton? A substitute 2Z05 EXD>EXM did appear on RTT but was cancelled pretty much immediately. Rather than potentially delay the entire journey we decided to taxi it down to EXD and pick up the SWR service from there. Praise be - a few minor delays en route but an on time arrival at WAT. The Tube was comparatively quiet. Another pretty good run up to Wakefield with LNER - we do like the Azumas - with a minor arrival delay due to a late running Plymouth>Aberdeen XC service.

Friday 24th December 2021
Shopping day in Leeds. Up to LDS on one of Northern's newish Class 331's which I found to be very comfortable with a good quality internal fit out (e.g. eye level PIS screens). Late afternoon return to WKF on a very lightly loaded 9 Car LNER Azuma.

Return: Monday 27th December 2021
Booked Itinerary:
WKF 1128>DON 1146 (1A26 LDS>KGX) : 2 x 801/1 (10 Cars)
DON 1155>KGX 1338 (1E08 EDB>KGX) : 1 x 801/2 (9 Cars)
(TfL Underground King's Cross/St.Pancras>Paddington)
PAD 1436>EXD 1659 (1C85 PAD>PGN) : 1 x 802/1 (9Cars)
EXD 1715>DIG 1728 (2F26 PGN>EXM) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)

Journey Cost (2 Pax): £65.05 (LNER WKF>KGX £30.20 + GWR PAD>DIG £34.85). Tube Oyster charges not included.

Fun and games on the trains! We got as far as Doncaster OK but already knew that 1E08 was around 30 minutes down north of York - signalling problems north of Berwick being part of the explanation - and would inevitably be delayed further by a points failure at York itself. Perhaps these announcements could be made by somebody who can mimic Reginald Perrin's voice? A 44 minute late departure from DON became +54 at PBO and +57 (1433) at KGX largely, I assume, a result of the London-bound fast line traffic jam. 1E08 had very few spare seats. Not surprisingly the Tube from King's Cross was extremely busy but we got to PAD at around 1500, expecting to have to wait for the 1C88 1604 Penzance service once our Advance tickets had been endorsed for an alternative train, only to discover that the 1C86 1504 train was delayed. Got that with plenty of time to spare - it eventually left PAD 18 minutes late and was very lightly loaded. Arrival at EXD was 28 late at 1743 - additional lost time at the RDG stop and then on the approach to Reading West - which allowed us to get home on 2F28 EXD 1815>DIG 1828 (a 158 +150/2 combo) exactly 1 hour later than scheduled.

And I nearly forgot...on 1C86 the customer host announced that 'the Standard class at seat trolley service has been suspended due to the lack of mandatory face mask wearing'. ?????

Did you buy the LNER tickets from their website?  I was pretty impressed with the semi-automatic delay repay refund I got from them on a disrupted journey recently.

Semi-automatic in that I just had to click on an email link they sent me unprompted.

The catering trolley person presumably objected to serving unmasked passengers

Yes. I then get the 2% LNER Perks 'cashback' benefit.

but unmasked passengers could still walk to the static trolley location and get served so the decision seems pretty daft.

.....and the catering staff could refuse to serve them, and would be quite justified in doing so.

I think not, in view of the fact that individuals have been permitted to self-certify mask exemptions and we are repeatedly told that questioning of said individuals over this is verboten.
Personally I think that this self certification was a government own goal and mask wearing exemptions should only have been available via an appropriate clinician.

All very well if we had an abundance of such clinicians with plenty of spare time for these extra duties. 

I think this has been said before, but sunflower lanyards and exemption badges are freely available to purchase on the internet with no checks whatsoever.

Indeed they can - no need to purchase, free from gov.uk or TfL.

Thank you for posting your journeys, I enjoy reading them  ;D

A Day Out At The Rugby - 29/01/2022 - London Irish v Exeter Chiefs

A first taste of the (dubious) delights of Brentford and the relatively new Community Stadium.

Tickets
Senior Railcard Advance Single DIG>PAD £22.20
Senior Railcard Advance Single KWB>DIG £11.15 (Bargain, but I had to use a 'via Addlestone' parameter in the GWR booking engine to get it)

Outward
Intended Itinerary:
DIG 0845>EXD 0857 (2T10 EXM>PGN) : 166/2 (3 Cars)
EXD 0916>PAD 1129 (1A76 PNZ >PAD) : 2 x 802/2 (10 Cars)
(Break For Lunch At Paddington Basin & Walk To TfL Warwick Avenue Station)
TfL Underground Bakerloo Line Warwick Avenue>Willesden Junction & TfL Overground WJ>Gunnersbury
(Walk Gunnersbury>Brentford Community Stadium)

All went well as far as EXD (I think that I may have written the same words before!); I assume due to laziness / incompetence on the part of GWR, and possibly RTT, the online system was still showing 1A76 as a 5-car service even after departure from EXD. How difficult is it to ensure this data is accurate? And just before the train arrived at EXD the platform PIS screens started to display a 'No Seat Reservations' message. On boarding the TM apologised, blamed the omission on a system failure (rather than some herbert forgetting to run the download), and advised passengers to use any available seats as 'there are plenty to go around' - famous last words as after TAU the train was busy enough to prompt musical chairs when pax travelling together insisted - quite rightly in my opinion - on occupying their reserved seats. On the plus side GWR did manage a full ticket / railcard check shortly after leaving EXD and provided two full out & back catering trolley runs during the journey. Pleased to note that Taylors No4 Italian Roast now seems to be the default coffee offering - at least it tastes something like. Arrival at PAD was 4 late due to a number of slow running episodes after an initial short complete stop immediately west of Somerton Tunnel.
After some lunch we (I met my son at PAD) trotted round to Warwick Avenue tube station intending to take a service to Willesden Junction but soon encountered severe delays at Queens Park (QP) resulting from a failed train in the Harrow & Wealdstone area. This part of the journey was completed on a TfL Overground service after a 25 minute wait at QP. The TfL train from WIJ>GUN does the job but it is SO SLOW.

(Another disappointing rugby result - Irish 18:14 Chiefs - and the first game I recall watching in person where neither team scored any points during the second half, although not for the lack of effort.) 

Return
Intended Itinerary:
KWB 1720>WOK 1815 (2S51 WAT>WOK) : 2 x Class 450 (8 Cars)
WOK 1846>EXD 2142 (1L57 WAT>EXD) : 2 x Class 159 (6 Cars)
EXD 2217>DIG 2229 (2F36 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 150/2 (2 Cars)

The return journey was completed pretty much as booked although there were inconsequential arrival delays at WOK (12 mins) & EXD (5). Fortunately I still had time to visit the Woking Station M&S and obtain a supply of my normal evening travelling companion, their rather lovely ready mixed G&T.
And just to liven things up on Woking Station and the journey home, some of them as far as CKN, there was a contingent of inebriated Yeovil Town football supporters for company. The staff at WOK were having to work hard to keep them away from the platform edge. Idiots.
Then when the TM finally managed to get the on-train PIS system working he 'pressed the wrong button' and lots of very confused, and possibly worried, passengers were informed that the service was going to Yeovil via Westbury & Castle Cary. A system reset and apology followed.
Also, and I know I shouldn't laugh about this, just as we were pulling into BSK one of two young European women who also joined the train at WOK and sat next to and across from me initiated the following conversation (some of it via a mobile phone translation app):
Her: Where is this train going?
Me: Exeter
Her: Quizzical look
Me: A quick show of relative locations via Google Maps
Her: Even more quizzical looks
Me: Where are you trying to get to?
Her: Guildford!
Obviously I just told them to get off the train and, as there was no time for a proper explanation, ask the BSK station staff for help; I hope they got home safely.

At no time on this entire return journey was my ticket/railcard properly checked; I'm unconvinced that the lady on the WOK gateline really knew what she was looking at (I was using m-tickets) as I went to & from M&S.   

Very disappointing result for the Chiefs - do you like the new branding?

The best comment I've heard is that it's like a cross between Jimmy Hill and Genghis Khan!  :)

Disappointing but not surprising given the Chiefs were without all their England internationals plus a few other sick & injured senior players.

I am largely ambivalent about the branding change - I do not engage with advertising & marketing guff - but it may be to the club's advantage since it could activate commercial sponsorship offers, which are currently on hold, from firms who worry about that sort of thing. Covid disruption has seriously affected club revenues.
A little more physicality from the team, in the style of GK but without the gratuitous killing, might improve results.  :)

I'm a Brentford FC season ticket holder and was there on Saturday last week.  Another route for if you go again is to travel via Ealing Broadway.  The 65 bus goes straight from there to the London Museum of Water & Steam (Kew Bridge Steam Museum), a short walk from the ground.   If you get off at the University of West London stop, not far out of Ealing town centre, over the road are the Castle and New Inn pubs.  Both very decent.  The Castle's menu is mainly burgers, the New Inn is a Youngs pub so more varied - the fish and chips is always good.   It's also only a max of 15 mins walk from Ealing Broadway station to these two pubs.  The bus journey Ealing Broadway to Kew Bridge is about 15 mins unless you are very unlucky.  Can be 10 with a clearish run.

I've been going to Brentford games for many years and, while I miss the old Griffin Park, they've done a really good job with the new stadium and the atmosphere with a good sized crowd in is great.   Up the Bees!

And if you've already done the Steam and Water museum, I can recommend for another occasion the Musical Museum (just two or three minutes further walk). Of course, it probably depends on what sort of music you like - there is no rap section -yet!

The stop before the Steam and Water Museum on the 65 if coming from Ealing.

Just returned from a Calcutta Cup weekend in Glasgow - Edinburgh.

6 of us got the train/Tube to Heathrow on Friday, flew to Glasgow, picked up the 500 bus right outside Glasgow airport into The City Centre, Scotrail to/from Edinburgh Saturday, taxi back to Glasgow airport today, Glasgow-LHR, TfL T5 to Hayes and Harlington, then Hayes and Harlington to Taplow.

Just goes to show how transport can be integrated and that there is a place for all kinds.

It was a seamless experience..........more than can be said for England's performance, but we won't say any more about that...... >:(

And now for something completely slightly different...

Several trips between DIG & EXC over the last couple of weeks during two of which I noticed a very disappointing issue with the Class 150/2 on-train PIS / PA.
On both occasions, at EXC and SJP, there was evidently an issue with closing the doors which required the process to be repeated, several times in the second instance (I vaguely recall reading somewhere that the doors are fitted with a sensor which, when activated by proper door closure, allows the train brakes to be released).
This revealed that the PIS / PA software is very poorly constructed as these problems caused the system to skip to subsequent stations, despite the trains not having moved, evidently because once a train has come to a halt and the doors opened no further GPS location checks are performed until correct door closure and/or train movement is detected.
As I have said several times before there is no point in presenting customers, especially those who may be in unfamiliar territory, with information that is incorrect.

OT but class 150s currently on a service from Exeter to Reading? Not sure how the announcements will handle that.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:14087/2022-02-20/detailed

Was trying to find out what the 6 cars of traction was so thanks for that Mark. Their 75mph top speed won’t be an impediment today with the 50mph speed restriction in place.

Video of something similar passing Melksham courtesy of one 25Kv. Not sure if any passengers aboard, mind.

https://twitter.com/25kV/status/1495497305935745026

Doesn't look busy - mind, late in the day service for a long journey on a nasty night it wasn't likely to be crowded.

It does provide a reminder of how useful the line through Melksham is for long distance diverted trains.sss

Our First Ever Trip To Portugal - 12-22/09/2022

Tickets
Senior Railcard Advance Singles DIG>PAD & PAD>DIG £20.90 x 4
Heathrow Express Day Singles £7.50 x2 & £10.00 x2

Outward
Intended Itinerary
DIG 1114>EXD» 1124 (2T15 EXM>PGN) : 150/2 (2 Cars)
EXD 1142>PAD 1407 (1A81 PGN >PAD) : 1 x 800/3 (9 Cars)
PAD 1425>HXX 1440 (1T61 PAD>HWV) : 2 x 387 (8 Cars)

2T15 ran 6 late having been held at TOP for the late running 2F13 which was delayed at both NTA & EXD. The other two services ran to time. Tickets were not checked on either GWR service. The refreshment trolley on 1A81 did not appear until halfway between WSB & PEW. Since I last used the HEx ticket checks have changed from on-train to gates at both ends.

(BA flight from LHR > OPO late due to a delay on the incoming aircraft from NAP)

14/09/22: Day trip by train from Porto Sao Bento to Pinhao and back. Outbound service 865 held at Regua for 60 minutes while a rockfall was cleared. Eventually we were all moved to the similarly delayed 21861 service to complete our journey. The return 21860 1621 from Pinhao was terminated short at Porto Campanha due to a delay at Regua to pick up some additional coaching stock left there during the morning disruption. It was obvious from the amount of steel mesh & rock anchors seen on some sections of the line that rockfalls are a significant issue. Still a thoroughly enjoyable day out despite the delays and not entirely clement weather.

15/09/22: CP IC720 Porto Campanha 1038 > Lisbon Santa Apolonia 1400. Travelled 1st Class and the train had a proper 'cafe bar' which brought back some good memories! Arrival in Lisbon was around 35 minutes late resulting mainly from slow running through the massive engineering works immediately south of Porto. Quite a few new or replacement stations and some significant 4-tracking were evident.

21/09/22: Day trip from Lisbon to Sintra. A 40 minute ride each way on a CP Class 2400 EMU. Very comfortable.

(BA flight from LIS > LHR landed early but we then had to wait 30 minutes for our assigned T5 gate to become available and our 1 checked bag took around 45 minutes to appear). 

Return
Intended Itinerary:
HWV ---->PAD ---- (Wasn't concentrating on the time!) : 2 x 387 (8 Cars)
PAD 1704>EXD 1915 (1C90 PAD>PNZ) : 2 x 802 (10 Cars)
EXD 1948>DIG 2000 (2F31 BNP>EXM) : 2 x 158/9 (3 Cars)

We got back to PAD earlier than expected (we have had very few on-time arrivals with BA over the years) so rather than change the tickets for an earlier service we decamped to the Mad Bishop & Bear for a late lunch. The food - fish & chips - was very good.

An on-time E2E journey. On 1C90 there were problems with the rear unit trolley which did not surface until after departure from PEW, and we had Superman as the Train Manager; although he was in disguise I know it was really Superman because he was able to read the details of our tickets from a distance of 6 feet! On 2F31 the guard was obviously too busy with other stuff.

BSO Concert At The University - 10/11/2022

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.55
Something that had escaped my notice until now, Off-Peak tickets are seemingly no longer available for DIG<>EXC journeys but can still be had if travel is from NCO or further down the Avocet Line. Anybody know the reason for this apparent anomaly?

Outward
DIG 1815>EXC 1823 (2T29 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
Journey was delayed 3-4 minutes as a result of 2T27 coming off the branch 8 down earlier. Unusual for such a minor delay to not be recovered more quickly than this.
The Asian individual (?student) sat across the aisle from me was not able to produce a ticket to the guard, explaining that his phone had no power. The guard let it go. On a train fully equipped with mains & USB charging points I would not have been so forgiving.
A minor curiosity with this service is that it drops one of the units at EXD and this is used for the 2K13 train to OKE.

Return
EXC 2246>DIG 2255 (2F36 PGN>EXM) : 158/9 (3 Cars)
Service on time.

On both journeys my eTicket was properly checked (scanned) but not my Railcard. Both services were reasonably well loaded for a mid-week evening.

Maybe not directly related but the concert audience was much larger than for the previous two events. I believe that many more people are returning, post-pandemic, to normal life and this seems to be borne out by recent reports such as https://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2022/11/04-passenger-figures-continue-to-recover.html (https://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2022/11/04-passenger-figures-continue-to-recover.html)

Price rise by the back door - generally used only for values of under a few quid that the difference in fare is usually less than than £1 or so. Simplification, innit.

BSO (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, not an old coach!) Concert At The University - 24/11/2022

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.55

Outward
DIG 1815>EXC 1823 (2T29 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
My pre-travel check using RTT showed that the prior Exmouth-bound service (2F26) had been cancelled at NTA (Newton Abbot) due to an unspecified train crew issue. Wouldn't have been a problem as the subsequent EXM>PGN service, 2T30, would still have allowed me to arrive at the venue in time albeit having to forego my usual pre-performance refreshment! However 2F26 reappeared on RTT as an EXD>EXM 'VST' service and when 2T29 arrived at DIG it became obvious the original unit had run ECS from NTA to EXD and then proceeded as scheduled.
From DIG I was sat behind a group of three youths, one of whom was boasting, quite audibly, to his mates that he was travelling without a valid ticket.

Return
EXC 2246>DIG 2255 (2F36 PGN>EXM) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
Service on time.

No ticket / railcard checks on either leg of this journey save for the EXC New North Road entrance exit barrier.

A (Somewhat Disrupted) European Rugby Weekend - 09/12-12/12/2022 - Castres Olympique v Exeter Chiefs
A welcome return to the Occitanie region of France but which was extended by a day due to weather disrupted transport. I had intended to make the trip entirely by rail but even trying to book well in advance proved prohibitively expensive - thanks Eurostar! - so it was partly ‘par avion’. This trip was undertaken with my eldest son, which proved very useful later on!

Tickets
Senior Railcard Advance Single DIG>PAD» £20.90
TfL Oyster Single Paddington>Heathrow T4
TfL Oyster Single Heathrow T4>Heathrow T5
Toulouse Tram/Metro Single Airport>Matabiau Station €1.80 
SNCF Walk-Up Single Toulouse Matabiau>Castres €10.00
SNCF Walk-Up Single Castres>Toulouse Matabiau €10.00
Toulouse Metro/Tram Single Jean Jaures>Airport €1.80
TfL Oyster Bus Single Heathrow T5>WDT 
Senior Railcard Super Off-Peak Single WDT>DIG £35.80 (Originally dated Sunday 11th December but amended online to 12/12 at no extra cost.)

Outward
Itinerary 09/12-10/12/22
DIG 1514>EXD» 1524 (2T23 EXM>PGN) : 166/2 (3 Cars)
EXD 1540>PAD 1807 (1A89 EXD >PAD) : 1 x 802/0 (5 Cars)
(Break For Dinner Near Paddington)
TfL Elizabeth Line Paddinton>Heathrow T4
(Overnight Stop at Heathrow T4 Premier Inn)
TfL Piccadilly Line Heathrow T4>Heathrow Central (Change)>Heathrow T5
(BA0372 LHR>TLS)
Toulouse Tram Line T2 Airport>Arenes + Metro Line A Arenes>Marengo-SNCF
SNCF TER #872406 Toulouse Matabiau 1344>Castres 1351 - 6 Cars (2 x 3 Car Hybrid Units) - Arrival 25 minutes late.
 
The trains up to London ran pretty much to time although 1A89 arrived 4 late because of delays (?congestion) after Old Oak Common. Even when GWR check tickets they are still seemingly not asking to see railcards. There was some very rough riding on the approach to WSB. As this was my first trip to London for some time I attempted to have my Crinklies Railcard ‘attached’ to my Oyster card; at the new Elizabeth Line station it was ‘sorry mate we don’t have the access to do that, try the guys at the Bakerloo Line entrance’. There the one person on duty told me only his mate could do it but he was on a break and his return time was not known. UK customer service at its best!
BA372 arrived into Toulouse 50 minutes late; the delay was caused by 1) the aircraft being parked at the wrong airfield location overnight and having to be towed to the terminal, 2) the loaders managing to jam one of the large metal baggage containers on the loading ramp and presumably having to go and fetch a bigger sledgehammer, and 3) waiting for the plane to be de-iced. Which is obviously absolutely essential so I reckon Heathrow need to have a look at the efficiency of this service.
Travelling between TLS (Toulouse Airport) and Matabiau, or vv, best avoid the dedicated bus service which currently costs €8.50 single - the Tram/Metro journey mentioned above is quicker and much cheaper.

Return
Itinerary 11/12-12/12/22 (This was supposed to be a one-day journey but we were stuck in Toulouse for any extra day due to the snow induced closure of Heathrow airport.
SNCF TER TER #872458 Castres 1051> Toulouse Matabiau 1201 - 4 Cars ) - Ran about 60 minutes late throughout.
(Break For Lunch In Toulouse City Centre)
Toulouse Metro Line A Jean Jaures>Arenes + Tram Line T2 Arenes>Airport
(Enforced Extra Overnight Stop At Toulouse Airport Pullman Hotel - Fortunately courtesy of British Airways)
(BA0379 TLS>LHR + TfL Bus 350 Heathrow T5>West Drayton
WDT 1955>SLO 2004 (9N12 ABW>MAI) : 1 x Class 345 (9 Cars)
SLO 2004>RDG 2017 (1W05 PAD>HFD) : 1 x Class 800/3 (9 Cars)
RDG 2029>EXD 2228 (1C96 PAD>PLY) : 1 x Class 800/3 (9 Cars)
EXD 2240>DIG 2256 (2F36 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 150/2 (2 Cars)

Timekeeping on the Toulouse-Castres branch seems to have deteriorated and on our return to Toulouse tickets weren’t checked which is unusual for France in my experience.
While having lunch in Toulouse we were advised by BA that their 379 TLS>LHR flight had been cancelled due to fog at Heathrow (I have seen the pictures and they weren’t joking)).
Because we were unable to travel back to the UK on Sunday as scheduled due to the fog & snow at Heathrow BA provided written details of what could be spent on a hotel and food if we decided not to accept their default offer. Under the circumstances the BA staff in Toulouse did pretty well.
There was a thought that BA were going to be able to bring a plane down to TLS either later on Sunday or early Monday morning but it proved impossible. We therefore spent most of Monday in the airport lounge courtesy of my son’s BA Executive Club status; a wander around the centre of Toulouse would have been nice but it was too bloody cold!
The ‘shortcut’ route to Reading via WDT isn’t for everybody - depending on the bus / train schedule it can take longer than going via Paddington. In this case we were fortunate that 1W05 was running a bit late so a quick dash change at SLO was possible.
1C96 lost time after Castle Cary to the extent that what should have been a comfortable connection into 2F36 at EXD was pretty tight. No obvious reason for the delay.

For future trips to the south of France I will be reverting to E2E rail travel!

Weekly Exeter Farmers Market Trip - Too Icy & Cold For The Bike - 15/12/2022

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.55 (Via GWR App)

Outward
DIG 0943 (On Time)>EXC 0951 (On Time) (2T12 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
The Avocet Line is only being provided with an hourly service today. The train was therefore pretty busy with some passengers standing - but only because seated passengers were not being asked to move bags off otherwise vacant seats. Plenty of pax with suitcases obviously taking the opportunity to travel elsewhere on a non-strike day; I have never seen that many people waiting to board a train at SJP (students returning temporarily to the hotel of mum & dad!).
 
Return
EXC 1054 (1059)>DIG 1103 (1108) (2F13 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 166/2 (3 Cars)
2F13 was held at DWW to allow the late running 2U14 to pass hence the delay. Judging by the number of passengers disgorged on arrival at EXC it must have been absolutely rammed.
It had to happen eventually - the TM checked tickets and railcards.

Post Christmas Trip Into The City - 29/12/2022
Accompanied by our two sons so used the train rather than the bus (which is slower & more expensive than the train).

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.55 (Via GWR App)

Outward
DIG 1342 (On Time)>EXC 1350 (1354) (2T20 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
Service delayed by a signal check at Exmouth Junction to allow the late running SWR 1L29 to clear the line. Train was very well loaded with plenty of suitcase laden passengers. No ticket/railcard check.
 
Return
EXC 1554 (On Time)>DIG 1600 (On Time) (2F23 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 150/2 (2 Cars)
Unsurprisingly with only 2 coaches service was full and standing at least as far as DIG. No ticket/railcard check.

At least one member of GWR train despatch staff at EXC is now using a 'wireless' microphone to make passenger announcements. Very useful innovation.
On Wednesday 28/12 the full EXM<>PGN half-hourly service ran with no cancellations and only a couple of late running instances. On Thursday 29/12 the only cancellation seems to have been last train of the day 2F36 from EXD to EXM and the return 2E39 back to EXD. 

To make platform announcements, but query what sort.
The usual platform announcements are "Next train is xxxx to abc", etc, but those are automated.

In this instance to encourage intending passengers, who were crowded around the stairway access of Platform 3, to move along the platform to where the 2 coach train was actually going to stop; to this end he specified the two defined platform zones that the train was going to occupy. NB. The delivery of this basic information via the overhead PIS screens at EXC P3 has become intermittent, to say the least, but is almost always provided on P2. System fault, staff laziness, or something else?

Bicycle Replacement Train (Due To Heavy Rain!) - 12/01/2023
Weekly trip to the Exeter Farmers Market

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.55 (Via GWR App)

Outward
DIG 0913 (On Time)>EXC 0922 (0924) (2T11 EXM>PGN) : 1 x 166/2 (3 Cars)
12 pax boarded at DIG. Service held briefly at SJP for no obvious reason. Ticket & railcard checked.
 
Return
EXC 1055 (On Time)>DIG 1100 (On Time) (2F13 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 166/2 (3 Cars)
Service very lightly loaded. Tickets & railcards were being checked but the guard had already passed the section of the train where I boarded. Given that 2F13 is one of the hourly limited stop trains that runs non-stop EXC>DIG I did not expect to see the guard because EXC is obviously fully gated.

Bicycle Replacement Train (Due To Ice On Untreated Cycleways (AKA All Of Them)) - 19/01/2023
Weekly trip to the Exeter Farmers Market

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.55 (Via GWR App)

Outward
DIG 0843 (On Time)>EXC 0852 (On Time) (2T10 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
30+ pax boarded at DIG. On boarding I noticed that the guard was obviously in the process of taking the details of a ticketless - either no or invalid ticket - ('young adult') passenger. Details were being recorded with the aid of a notepad & pen; is it not about time this process was updated to use some form of digital kit? The service was probably about 80% full. Ticket & railcard checked. I will mention that post-pandemic I have only ever had my railcard checked on any GWR service by a female member of on-train staff. Curious?
 
Return
EXC 1019 (On Time)>DIG 1027 (On Time) (2F12 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 166/2 (3 Cars)
Service very lightly loaded. No sign of the guard on this trip.

BSO Concert At Exeter University - 19/01/2023
In an ideal world I would use my (free) Bus Pass for such journeys but the evening schedules do not provide usable timings.

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.55 (Via GWR App)

Outward
DIG 1815 (1814)>EXC 1823 (On Time) (2T29 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
Service very lightly loaded, as would be expected on a freezing cold January evening. Famous last words!; Ticket & railcard checked by a male guard thereby, at least partially, invalidating my recent implication that GWR's female guards were possibly more diligent in respect of revenue protection than their male colleagues. 
 
Return
EXC 2247 (On Time)>DIG 2256 (On Time) (2F36 PGN>EXM) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
Disappointed that I had to challenge an intending passenger who thought it was OK to leave their bag unattended on the station concourse while they nipped outside for a fag. Invisible guard again when, given that the EXC ticket gates were open, revenue protection should obviously transfer to the on-train staff.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Concert At Exeter University - 02/02/2023

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.55 (Via GWR App)

Outward
DIG 1815 (1816)>EXC 1823 (1824) (2T29 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
About a dozen pax boarded at DIG. Very minor delay due to the alighting of a passenger on a mobility scooter - the platform at DIG is only just wide enough to allow deployment of the portable ramp so for any and all new stations this needs to be better dealt with during the design phase. Ticket & railcard checked. This service was, encouragingly, carrying two on-train staff - possibly because they knew in advance about the aforementioned disabled passenger? At DIG 2T29 is advertised as dividing at EXD with the rear unit going forward to PGN and the front unit terminating whereas it actually forms the 2K13 1845 service to OKE. Is there a specific reason why this information is not included in the public timetable (both portions depart from P3)?
 
Return
EXC 2247 (On Time)>DIG 2256 (2257) (2F36 PGN>EXM) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
Ticket, but not railcard, checked. Held for a short time at Exmouth Junction while the late running 2T38 cleared the branch.

A Few Days In West Yorkshire - 09/02/2023 > 12/02/2023

The main event being the initial suit fitting for a wedding in May (not mine!).

Tickets
2 x Senior Railcard Advance Single DIG>PAD £20.90
2 x TfL Railcard Oyster Card Fare PAD>KGX £1.65
2 x Senior Railcard First Advance Single KGX>LDS £31.85
2 x Senior Railcard Advance Single LDS>GLH £3.00
2 x Senior Railcard Advance Single GLH>LDS £3.00
2 x Senior Railcard Advance Single WKF>LDS £1.45 (Booked less than an hour before boarding)
2 x Senior Railcard First Advance Single LDS>KGX £31.85
2 x TfL Railcard Oyster Card Fare KGX>PAD £1.65
2 x Senior Railcard Advance Single PAD>DIG £20.90

Outward: 09/02/2023
DIG 0843 (On Time)>EXD 0856 (On Time) (2T10 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
The service was very busy with lots of Exeter College students and, presumably, shop/office workers heading into town so it cleared out significantly at EXC.

EXD 0915 (On Time)>PAD 1129 (1136) (1A76 PNZ>PAD) : 1 x 800/3 (9 Cars)
Noted some significant engineering / track relaying at the eastern end of Newbury Racecourse station.
Delayed after Slough having caught up with the late running 1P22 - GMV>PAD - and arrived at PAD 7 minutes late.
While at Paddington we finally found a member of staff who was able to connect our National Railcards & Oyster Cards.

(TfL Hammersmith & City Line Paddington>King's Cross/St. Pancras)

KGX 1303 (1302)>LDS 1516 (On Time) (1D15 KGX>LDS) : 2 x 801/1 (10 Cars)
Service delayed / platform changed for Peterborough arrival but the time was all made up by Retford.
The LNER 1st Class Advance fares have increased somewhat but we still think the service provided is worth the extra cost.

LDS 1558 (On Time)>GLH 1623 (1622) (2F21 LDS>KNO) : 1 x 158/7 + 1 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
Not the speediest train journey we have ever had!

Local Journey - 10/02/2023
GLH 1226 (On Time)>LDS 1255 (1253) (2F54 KNO>LDS) : 1 x 150/2 (2 Cars)
Although both the PA & PIS at GLH were insisting that the service was formed of 4 cars; I don't understand how this sort of thing happens if the TOC staff are paying attention.
We returned to our Glasshoughton hotel by road.
 
Return: 12/02/2023
WKF 1109 (On Time)>LDS 1124 (1121) (1D07 KGX>LDS : 1 x 801/2 (9 Cars)
Service was full & standing when it arrived at WKF due to the large number of pax travelling to the Leeds v Manchester United game. All very well behaved.

LDS 1305 (On Time)>KGX 1527 (1526) (1A31 LDS>KGX : 1 x 801/2 (9 Cars)

(TfL Circle Line King's Cross/St. Pancras>Paddington)

PAD 1701 (On Time)>EXD 1912 (1915) (1C90 PAD>PNZ) : 1 x 802/1 (9 Cars)
Judging by the coach we were in the train was about 90% full from PAD. The service was routed into P10, rather than the usual P7, at RDG at the last minute and the TM had to make a series of PA calls to ensure that all the confused London-bound pax had got back off the train. Tickets & railcards all checked but the Standard Class trolley service was 'static' due to a staff shortage. Service was signal checked just west of CLC as it caught up with 1C89 (1C90 was running 4 minutes early) at which time the TM announced that we were running 8 minutes late; perhaps he would benefit from some of Mr. Sunak's extra maths tuition. Late departure from TAU - Tom Jones has a song about this - and a further slight delay at TVP resulted in a 3 minute late arrival at EXD.

EXD 1953 (On Time)>DIG 2005 (On Time) (2F24 PGN>EXM) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)

So as far as the rail travel was concerned a pretty good trip with just a few minor and/or inconsequential delays.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO▸ ) Concert At Exeter University - 16/02/2023

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.55

Outward
DIG 1815 (1816)>EXC 1823 (1826) (2T29 EXM>PGN) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
A reasonably healthy +/- 20 pax boarded at DIG. When the train arrived at DIG the brakes on 150221 were making an awful high-pitched screech. There was a further delay at POL which I guess could have been related. No ticket/railcard check.
 
Return
EXC 2247 (On Time)>DIG 2256 (2255) (2F36 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 158/9 (3 Cars)
No ticket/railcard check. It really is about time the on-train PIS font size was reduced so the messages are displayed in a sensible fashion.

04-05/03/2023: Rugby Big Game 14 Harlequins Women & Men v Exeter Chiefs Women & Men At Twickenham
Travel was originally supposed to be 03-04/03/23 until Harlequins put the KOs back by 2 1/2 hours. As noted elsewhere I had an issue amending my Advance EXC>BSK ticket from 04/03 to 05/03. First Delay Replay claim in 2023.

Tickets
Senior Railcard Anytime Single DIG>EXC £2.20 - Trainline App eTicket
Senior Railcard Advance Single EXC>BSK  £16.60 - GWR App eTicket (Amended to a Paper Ticket at EXC ticket office)
Senior Railcard Off-Peak Day Return BSK>TWI £20.50 - Trainline App Paper Ticket
Senior Railcard Off-Peak Day Single BSK>RDG £5.10 - Trainline App eTicket
Senior Railcard Advance Single RDG>DIG £17.00 - GWR App eTicket (Amended online from 04/03 to 05/03 at no extra cost.)

Outward
Itinerary 04/03/23
DIG 0744 (On Time)>EXC 0754 (0753)  (2T08 EXM>PGN) : 1 x 150/2 (2 Cars)
EXC 0828 (On Time)>BSK 1055 (1056) (1L32 EXD >WAT) : 2 x 159 (6 Cars) to SAL, 3 x 159 (9 Cars) thereafter
(Basingstoke stopover)
BSK 1155 (On Time)>CLJ 1235 (1236) (1L36 EXD>WAT) : 2 x 159 (6 Cars)
CLJ 1243 (On Time)>TWI 1256 (On Time) (2U33 WAT>WNR) : 2 x 450/0 (8 Cars)
TWI 2023 (On Time)>RMD 2027 (On Time) (2U64 WNR>WAT) : 2 x 458/5 10 Cars)
(Break Of Journey For Dinner)
RMD 2158 (On Time)>CLJ 2208 (2209) (2U70 WNR>WAT : 2 x 450/0 (8 Cars)
CLJ 2212 (2214)>BSK 2247 (On Time) (1B73 WAT>POO) : 1x 444 (5 Cars)
 
On 1L32 my ticket, but not Railcard, was checked after departure from AXM and manually on arrival at BSK when it was declined by the gate. Apart from operating the gate prior to leaving BSK on1L36 there were no other checks on any sector.
1L32 gradually became fairly well loaded on the run to SAL and was very busy after that even with the extra coaches.
1L36 was very busy. Not surprisingly 2U33 & 2U64 were full & standing.
1B73 was about 90% full.
 

Return
Itinerary 05/03/23
BSK 1028 (On Time)>RDG 1047 (1044) (1J30 SAL>RDG) : 2 x 158/8 (4 Cars)
RDG 1103 (On Time)>EXD 1313 (1320) (1C79 PAD>PLY) : 2 x 802/0 (10 Cars)
(Missed connection into 2F11 EXD>EXM @ 1318)
EXD 1350 (On Time)>DIG 1359 (On Time) (2F12 PGN>EXM) : 1 x 166/2 (3 Cars)

1C79 only had a refreshment trolley in the front unit - this was blamed on a ‘technical fault’ - and just prior to arrival at SWI the TM used the PA to  suggest any rear unit passengers desperate enough should transfer forward during the station stop.
Ticket, but not Railcard, checked while stopped at SWI.
Service started to lose time just prior to CPM and was 5 late passing Bradford Junction. It gained a little on the run to TAU (+3) but crawled through the Wellington crossovers and was 7 down on arrival at EXD. Not for the first time I saw my intended DIG connection depart from P1 as I was walking along P3/4 towards the footbridge. This was bloody annoying but at least the 1C79 TM warned intending passengers that 2F11 had been instructed to leave as scheduled. On the + side my Delay Repay claim was approved within 24 hours.

(PS. Given how well the Chiefs Women played in their game - a 54-25 win - they might have given the Harlequins Men a sterner test than the Chiefs Men managed!  ;D)

Monday 20/03/2023 - City Centre Dental Appointment
Another Bicycle Replacement Train due to inclement weather

Ticket
Senior Railcard Anytime Day Return £2.70
An increase of 5.88% - as expected - since my previous equivalent trip.

Outward
DIG 0813 (On Time)>EXC 0824 (On Time) (2T09 EXM>PGN) : 1 x 166/2 (3 Cars)
At DIG around 25 pax boarded and at least double that number disgorged. I would guess service about 70% full. Held briefly at Exmouth Junction to allow the slightly late 1L03 SAL>EXD to clear. Usual - at this time of day - scrum going up the P2 staircase and through the ticket gates.
 
Return
EXC 0957 (On Time)>DIG 1002 (On Time) (2F11 PGN>EXM) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
4 cars when even a Parry People Mover would still have had plenty of room!

Reading your "some trains busy, some quiet" story, I suspect that you're seeing a morning flow predominantly from Exmouth into Exeter ... that 4 car train that "could have been a PPM" was probably rather busier on its return trip into Exeter, and indeed if the incoming train had come up from Paignton I suspect it might not have been quiet.   This is a "classic" pattern for services into cities / unbalanced routes;  I suspect that morning peak trains to Severn Beach and to Gunnislake also arrive at destination carrying fresh air ...

While that is true there are also significant morning flows into EXC - for office staff, shop workers & Exeter College students - from the Torbay, Crediton/Okehampton and Honiton/Axminster directions. I have also noted the very healthy volume of passengers disembarking at DIG between 0800 & 0900, from both directions, and largely destined for either St. Peter's School or the Exeter College Devon and Exeter Construction Training Centre and other businesses on the Sowton Industrial Estate.

Given these morning passenger volumes at EXC the planned remodelling of the concourse / ticket gate area cannot happen quickly enough. 

On certain mornings, lucky fresh air though.

Mark

18/09-05/10/2023 : Singapore For A Family Wedding & West Malaysia By Train

18/09/23
DIG 1314 (On Time) > EXD 1324 (1326) (2T19 EXM>PGN) : 158/7 (2 Cars)
EXD 1342 (1346) > PAD 1616 (1629) (1A85 EXD>PAD) : 802/0 (5 Cars)
PAD 1640 (On Time) > HXX 1655 (On Time) (1T70 PAD>HWV) : 2 x 387/1 (8 Cars)

1A85 was effectively a 4 car train because Coach B was locked OOU due to an unspecified safety issue. This may have been the cause of the late arrival at EXD of the incoming service from PAD.

(18-19/09/23 Swiss International Airlines to SIN via ZRH.
19-25/09/23 In Singapore
25/09/23 Air Asia from SIN to LGK
25-28/09/23 In Langkawi
28/09/23 Ferry from Langkawi to Kuala Kedah, Taxi to Alor Setar Railway Station)

28/09/23
Alor Setar 1419 > Ipoh 1640 (Train 9277 Padang Besar>KL Sentral) : Class 93 EMU (6 Cars)
We chose to travel in the Platinum Business Class coach which had 2+1 seating and complimentary food & drink. Our tickets cost RM118 (£20.33) each.

(28-30/09/23 In Ipoh)

30/09/23
Ipoh 0936 > Pulau Sebang/Tampin 1418 (Train 9321 Butterworth>Gemas) : Class 93 EMU (6 Cars)
ETS (Electric Train Service) Gold Class. Tickets RM50 (£8.62) each

(30/09-02/10/23 In Melaka (Malacca). Melaka used to have a rail connection but the tracks were dismantled by the Japanese (using POW's) during WWII to be used on the infamous "Death Railway" from Thailand to Burma so a bus or taxi to/from Pulau Sebang/Tampin is necessary. The Grab App works very well in this context.)

02/10/23
Pulau Sebang/Tampin 1419 > Gemas 1452 (Train 9321 Butterworth > Gemas) : Class 93 EMU (6 Cars)
ETS Gold Class. Tickets RM15 (£2.58) each.
+
Gemas 1520 > JB Sentral 1945 (Train ES 45) : Diesel Loco + 3 Cars + Buffet Car)
Express Class. Tickets RM21 (£3.62) each
+
JB Sentral 2130 > Singapore Woodlands 2135 (Shuttle Tebrau Train 93) : Class 25 Diesel (Top & Tail) with 4 Cars & Generator Van)
Tickets RM5 (£0.86)

All the KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) services we used ran to time.

The ETS (Electric Train Service) & Express services are all reservation only.
If your journey involves a change of trains the purchase of 2 or more tickets is required as KTM only sell tickets for E2E journeys which can be completed without changing. One advantage of this is that the train manager is provided with a detailed passenger list which shows all the ticket start & end points. Alighting passengers are reminded that their stop is coming up and joining passengers have their tickets checked almost before they have taken their seats! Fare evasion is rendered well nigh impossible.
The tickets are encoded to prevent access through the platform gatelines more than 1 hour before departure of the service on which they are valid. In practice, at least in our experience, station staff implement their own variable platform access rules; this can be as little as 10 minutes prior to departure.
On these trains the air conditioning is invariably set to a ridiculously low temperature so If travelling with KTM make sure you carry a light jacket or pullover!
I have previously mentioned on this forum the complete rebuild that is being progressed between Gemas and JB (Johor Bahru) to allow the ETS to run over the entire route between Padang Besar & JB. This project is running significantly behind schedule - Covid lockdown is being blamed -  and from what I saw I doubt it will be finished much before 2025. What I didn’t know was that almost the entire ‘KL Down’ line between just south of UKM (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) and Seremban is being ripped up and relaid, presumably to allow higher line speeds. The existing signalling and OHLE is not being touched. Not surprisingly the train service south of KL is presently pretty thin.

(02-04/10/23 In Singapore
04-05/10/23 Swiss international Airlines to LCY via ZRH. Unfortunately our checked bags were treated to a short stopover at Zurich Airport, not a great surprise given the theoretical maximum 40 minute connection time between our two flights.)

05/10/23
Having reported our missing suitcases to the baggage desk at LCY we began the final part of our journey home; the intention was to take the DLR from London City Airport to Woolwich Arsenal and then walk to Woolwich Elizabeth Line station for the trip to Paddington. Our arrival at Woolwich was met by a huge crowd of p*ssed-off London commuters who were being advised by TfL staff that the EL was not operating westbound due to a broken down eastbound service preventing trains getting to the Abbey Wood turnback. So we turned back ourselves, along with hundreds of others, to the aforementioned DLR terminus and took a sardine-like service to Bank. From there it was a crush loaded Central Line train to Lancaster Gate followed by a very pleasant stroll in the sunshine to Paddington where utter chaos was evident, presumably the fallout from the previous day's ASLEF strike.
RTT showed our booked service (1C77) as being in P8 but if that was true it had been fitted with an invisibility cloak! Eventually a 9 Car IET (1C77 is booked as a 5 Car unit) rolled into P2 from OOC and off we went. A 13 minute late departure was compounded by being stuck behind a stopper between RDG & NBY and our EXD connection was missed.

PAD 1035 (1048) > EXD 1307 (1331)
EXD 1351 (On Time) > DIG 1400 (On Time) (2F19 PGN>EXM) : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
Should have been on the 1313 service (2F18). Got the automated DelayRepay notification early the following morning so well done GWR!

And as every story needs a happy ending: Our suitcases were delivered to our front door at 2345 on the same day (05/10). Excellent work by Swiss and their courier.

07-10/12/2023: A Rugby Weekend Away In Toulon
The best laid plans.....

I had intended to make this return journey entirely by rail but, even several months in advance, was unable to find any Paris > Toulon & return train fares at what I considered a reasonable price. Unfortunately therefore the main part of the journey, from the UK to the South of France, was done using BA flights between Heathrow and Nice. 

Tickets
Senior Railcard Advance Single DIG > PAD £22.10 - Northern Trains App eTicket : This ticket was refunded in full on 01/12 after the announcement of strike action by ASLEF made it obvious that it would not be possible to complete the journey.
Senior Railcard Heathrow Express Single PAD > HXX  - HEx App eTicket : It initially seemed that this ticket would be rendered unusable by the ASLEF strike action but in the event HEx were able to run a half-hourly service and rejected my refund request.  :( 
Senior Railcard Super Off-Peak Single EXC > FEL  £34.65 - SWR App eTicket : My intention had been to use the TfL 490 bus service from Feltham to Heathrow T4 but this ticket was also fully refunded after the Exeter > Salisbury line closure due to the Crewkerne landslip.
Plan C! National Express Single Exeter > Heathrow Central Bus Station £47.00
Senior Railcard Heathrow Express Single HWV > PAD - HEx App eTicket
Senior Railcard Super Off-Peak Single PAD > DIG £39.50 - Northern Trains App eTicket
 
Outward Journey 07/12/23
National Express Exeter City Centre 1345 (On Time) > Heathrow Central Bus Station 1740 (1800)
Service was delayed at Taunton Deane Services due to the 'late arrival of the driver from the local depot'. Our first driver had brought the coach up from Penzance so presumably was due a break.

(07-08/12/23 Overnight at a Heathrow T4 hotel, TfL Piccadilly Line trains to T5 in the morning, and BA342 LHR 0815 > NCE 1120. Shortly before arriving at NCE one of the flight crew used the PA to announce 'this is the first time I have had to tell you that we will be dropping you off at a place which is colder & wetter than where you have just come from!'. He wasn't joking - in Nice it was 4 degrees C and raining very heavily, not exactly what we were expecting from the Cote D'Azur. Took the tram into the centre of Nice to have a walk around and get some lunch before travelling to Toulon.)

Ouigo Train 7856 Nice-Ville 1502 > Toulon 1643. Upstairs on a double-deck TGV.

Return Journey 10/12/23
Ouigo Train 7851 Toulon 1215 > Antibes 1339. TGV
SNCF TER 86055 Antibes 1352 > Nice Saint-Augustin 1410. As posted elsewhere this was a useful way of getting to Nice Airport without having to go into the city centre. We did the 10 minute stroll from Saint-Augustin to the airport but the tram can be used (for free on this journey).
(BA345 NCE 1635 > LHR 1745)
HWV 1857 (On Time) > PAD 1919 (1927)
PAD 1903 (1940) > EXD 2112 (2210) (1C94 PAD > PLY) : 2 x 802/0 (10 Cars)
EXD 2258 (On Time) > DIG 231 (On Time) (2F29 PGN > EXM)

A somewhat disrupted, to say the least, journey home. In the aftermath of the Acton OHLE failure, compounded I presume to some degree by the continuing ASLEF work-to-rule, HEx were only running a half-hourly service my train was delayed once it joined the GWML at Airport Junction partly due to running on the relief line after Southall. However a serious delay to the incoming service allowed me to catch 1C94 as scheduled albeit with a c.40 minute late departure. Further time was lost en route due to extra stops at Pewsey, Westbury, and Castle Cary so my 2205 Avocet Line connection at EXD was missed. On the plus side this should lead to a full refund.

 

......but you did get to see a cracking match and a great result!  :)

.....couldn't you have flown Easyjet to Nice from Bristol?

Toulon v Exeter Chiefs was the 'lunchtime' match on Saturday. SleazyJet's Saturday flight would not have got us there in time and at this time of year they do not fly the route on Fridays.

18/01/24 - 22/01/24 A Rugby Weekend Away In Bayonne
A good time was had - just don't mention the war result!

Tickets
Senior Railcard Advance Single DIG>PAD £25.05
TfL NR Railcard Oyster Off-Peak Single £1.75
Eurostar Single STP>PBN £44.00
RATP Metro Single €2.15
SNCF 1st Class Single Paris Montparnasse>Bayonne €77.00
SNCF 1st Class Single Bayonne>Paris Montparnasse €88.00
RATP Metro Single €2.15
Eurostar Single PBN>STP £44.00
TfL NR Railcard Oyster Off-Peak Single £1.75
Senior Railcard Super Off-Peak Single PAD>DIG £39.50

Outward - 18/01/24
DIG 1643 (1644)>EXD 1655 (1656) : 2T26 EXM>PGN : 1 x 150/2 (2 Cars)
EXD 1715 (1718)>PAD 1922 (1939) : 1A92 PNZ>PAD : 1 x 800/3 (9 Cars)
TfL H&C Line Train PAD>KGX

Around 30 pax boarded 2T26 at DIG, many from the Construction Industry Training Board site on the adjacent Sowton Industrial Estate, and plenty more at both POL & EXC. A 2-car train probably doesn't cut it at this time of day - RTT indicates that 3 or 4 cars are usually provided on this service.
1A92 ran to time up to the Dawlish area, lost time slowly being 10 late passing WSB and then suffered a more significant delay through the points issue at NBY which meant the train was routed via the Up platform loop. A 17 minute late arrival at PAD so I received an automated DelayRepay notification from GWR.  During the journey the coach environment was 'polluted' 3 times by a fairly unpleasant odour. Which, despite no actual proof, I am blaming on the small, extremely whiney, spaniel (?) that was occupying the seat opposite me.
This being my first trip to central London for a while I got my Senior Railcard attached to my Oyster Card at the TfL Circle / District / Bakerloo line gateline. In the past I have tried and failed to get this done at both the H&C and Elizabeth Line entrances and been advised by the staff there that they can't do it; no access or just not bothered? - I have no idea.
Travelled from PAD to KGX using an H&C line service - avoids an Edgware Road change.

(Overnight stay at the Euston Road Premier Inn which is very convenient for anybody taking an early international train service.)

Outward - 19/01/24
Eurostar 9004 STP 0701 (On Time)>PBN 1019 (1040)
RATP Paris Metro Line 4 Gare du Nord>Montparnasse-Bienvenue
SNCF TGV INOUI 8541 Paris Montparnasse 1211 (On Time)>Bayonne 1603 (On Time)

The Eurostar was very busy - it took around 30 minutes to get through Security & Immigration - at least our esteemed Border Force are now scanning passports, something that should have been being done from the start of this service. On reaching the continent there was a PA announcement to the effect that arrival in Paris would be subject to a delay of 20-30 minutes due to the severe icing across northern France necessitating a maximum speed reduction from 300 to 230 km/hour.
On arrival in Paris there were the usual Gare du Nord massive queues at the ticket desk/machines; I always buy my tickets from the Eurostar cafe bar, there is a small price premium, to avoid having to join the scrum.
Since I last made this trip Metro Line 4 has been refurbished, had platform screen doors fitted, and been supplied with new trains - a much improved travel experience.
There is still the fairly long walk from Montparnasse-Bienvenue to the Main Line station but the longest level section of the route has now been fitted with new travellators. And Gare Montparnasse is no longer a building site!

Return - 22/01/24
SNCF TGV INOUI 8534 Bayonne 1014 (On Time)>Paris Montparnasse 1416 (1413)
RATP Paris Metro Line 4 Montparnasse-Bienvenue>Gare du Nord
Eurostar 9043 PBN 1612 (On Time)>STP 1741 (1744)
TfL H&C Line Train KGX>PAD
PAD 1904 (On Time)>EXD 2115 (2120) : 1C94 PAD>PLY : 1 x 802/1 (9 Cars)
EXD 2152 (On Time)>DIG 2203 (2202) : 2F35 PGN>EXM : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)

The 'cross-Paris' component of this trip requires a minimum time allowance of 40 minutes.
A largely uneventful journey - until setting wheels back in the UK! On emergence from the Chunnel it seemed obvious that the Eurostar was not moving at full speed, this being confirmed by the onboard digital speedometer which indicated c.100mph. There was no on train PA announcement (cf. the outbound journey). I do not know but assume that Network Rail had imposed a weather related speed limit. No matter, arrival at STP was only 4 minutes down.
The tube train from KGX was absolutely rammed - maybe WFH is not as widespread as people would have you believe.
When it was displayed on the station PIS screens I trotted over to Platform 8 and was surprised to find an IET with external indications of EXD as the final destination. On the train the TM was using the PA to confirm that both external & internal PIS screens were wrong and the train was definitely going to Plymouth ('because that is where our driver lives'). The TM also expressed a hope, rather than expectation, that the information would be corrected at some point during the journey. I completely fail to understand why he could not do that himself pretty much straight away.
1C94 essentially ran to time until just after passing CLC where we were brought to a complete stand (presumably) by a signal check - I guess 1C94 had 'caught up' with the late Running 1C93 - and was 5 late getting to EXD. So the really annoying, and to me inexplicable, thing is that on the 'normal' schedule 1C94 should arrive at 2115 while the EXM connection (2F34) leaves at 2118. This just looks like crap timetabling.
BTW the issue with the incorrect final destination indications was only resolved just as the train left TVP.
 

Sadly Hommes v garcons on this occasion!  :(

12/02/24 - 16/02/24 Visiting The Family In Yorkshire
A varied portfolio of problems, but some good stuff.

Tickets
2 x Senior Railcard Advance Single DIG>PAD £73.20
2 x TfL» NR Railcard Oyster Off-Peak Single PAD>KGX £2.50
2 x 1st Class Senior Railcard Advance Single KGX>LDS £70.30
2 x Senior Railcard Anytime Day Single FZW>LDS £7.30
2 x Senior Railcard Off-Peak Day Single HGT>KNA £5.00
2 x Senior Railcard Off-Peak Day Single LDS>YRK £24.20
2 x Senior Railcard Advance Single LDS>GRA £26.50
2 x Senior Railcard Advance Single GRA>DIG £43.50

While in Yorkshire we made extensive use of our ‘crinklies’ Bus Passes; many of the services we used ran every 10 minutes.

Outward - 12/02/24
DIG 0943 (0942)>EXD 0955 (0955) : 2T12 EXM>PGN : 2 x 150/2 (4 Cars)
EXD 1015 (1040)>PAD 1229 (1338) : 1A78 PNZ>PAD : 1 x 800/0 (5 Cars)
TfL H&C Line Train
PAD>KGX
KGX 1333>LDS 1545 - Booked Connection Missed, Rebooked On:
KGX 1433 (On Time)>LDS 1652 (1658) : 1D18 KGX>LDS : 1 x 800/1 (9 Cars)

The 2T12 trip was largely uneventful although I did notice that the on-train PIS was out of step by +1 stop (e.g. Next Station SJP rather than POL). While at DIG however I checked RTT and discovered that our PAD service had departed PNZ 24 minutes late. This was later ascribed to a road vehicle hitting the level crossing at HYL although online info is almost entirely lacking. Anyway 1A78 was delayed by a further 6 minutes between PAR & LOS and reached PLY 31 minutes late. I assume because of this delay the scheduled addition of a 5 coach IET was cancelled (nice work GWR!). Not surprisingly on reaching EXD the service was already very busy and both reservations & catering were binned. Further time was lost at TVP & TAU getting pax off & on the rammed train and then after NBY we followed the late running 2K35 all the way to RDG where 1A78 arrived 56 minutes down. And the icing on the cake? Some slow running on the way to PAD after a Passenger Assistance Alarm was tripped and arrival at our destination was 69 late.
We just missed the 1403 LNER train to LDS but got a rebooking on the 1433 service from an extremely efficient and helpful ticket office rep. 1D18 ran to time, or early, as far as OUT after which congestion on the approach to LDS resulted in an 8 minute late arrival. The area in front of Leeds Station is one massive building site!

Local Trip - 12/02/24
FZW 2146 (On Time)>LDS 2213 (2210) : 2B86 DON>LDS : 1 x 331/0 (3 Cars)
The 331’s provide a very pleasant travelling experience.

Local Trip - 13/02/24

HGT 1605 (1606)>KNA 1614 (1615) : 2C46 LDS>YRK : 1 x 170/4 (3 Cars)
We were going to catch the preceding 1535 train but that was terminated at HGT due to a crew issue. The Knaresborough railway viaduct, and the rest of the River Nidd gorge, is definitely worth a visit.

Local Trip - 14/02/24
LDS 1116 (1120)>YRK 1147 (1149) : 2T13 LDS>YRK : 1 x 195/1 (3 Cars)
We had intended to use the 1108 XC train (to EDB) but on arrival at LDS that service was full & standing. Just as well we didn’t bother as that train hit YRK 47 minutes late due to congestion resulting from a fatality on the line near Durham. When we got to YRK I don’t think there were any clear platforms.



Return - 16/02/24
LDS 1115 (1148)>KGX 1328 (1408) : 1A26 LDS>KGX : IC225 (9 Cars)
TfL H&C Line Train KGX>PAD
PAD 1436>EXD 1659 - Booked Connection Missed, Rebooked On:
PAD 1503 (On Time)>EXD 1715 (1717) : 1C86 PAD>PNZ : 1 x 802/1 (9 Cars)
EXD 1739 (On Time)>DIG 1757 (1756) : 2F27 PGN>EXM : 1 x 150/2 (2 Cars)

At LDS the inbound service - 1D06 from KGX - was delayed by 53 minutes due to a landslip south of Grantham. It took LNER only 10 minutes to turn the service around - an excellent bit of work - so we departed 33 minutes late. Lost some time en-route, particularly on the approach to KGX where we arrived 41 down. Had to wait for the 2nd tube train at KGX - first one was to Uxbridge - which then also had an extended stop at Edgware Road so we missed the 1436 by 2 minutes. Got rebooked on the next train OK but the GWR rep who processed the change seemed like they wished they were somewhere else.
On 1C86 the reservation info was activated late (after departure) and there was no Standard Class catering (crew shortage, aka not coming to work ‘cos it’s half-term!). Arrived at EXD 3 minutes late because although the service was 7 minutes early at East Somerset Junction it then lost all that time and more following the preceding 1C85 which ran late after NBY.
Had things run to plan we would have caught the 1715 train to DIG; I don’t think GWR get any plaudits for having an Exmouth connection leaving at exactly the same time as the London train arrives especially as the local service then waits at EXC for 5 minutes.

I think my abiding memory from the rail aspects of this trip will be the contrast in the demeanour of the LNER & GWR ticket office reps involved. 

07/03/24 - 10/03/24 Visiting Family In Hampshire
Rail travel is wonderful when it works properly!

Tickets
2 x Senior Railcard Off-Peak Day Single DIG>PIN £5.10
2 x Senior Railcard Super Off-Peak Day Return PIN>BSK>PIN £50.10
2 x Senior Railcard Off-Peak Day Single PIN>DIG £5.10

Outward - 07/03/24
DIG 1214 (1213)>EXC 1220 (1219) : 2T17 EXM>PGN : 1 x 150/2 (2 Cars)
EXC 1230 (OT)>BSK 1455 (OT) : 1L48 EXD>WAT : 1 x 159/0 + 1 x 159/1 (6 Cars EXC>SAL), 2 x 159/0 + 1 x 159/1 (9 Cars SAL>BSK)

Tickets were checked on a very lightly loaded 2T17 despite it being a DIG>EXC non-stopper.
There was a 3 minute delay at PIN waiting for the late running 1L21 to clear the single line but the time had been recovered before we got to CKN.
On 1L48 tickets & railcards were checked shortly after departure from HON.
Just after leaving GIL the guard walked through the train checking that TIS pax were in the correct (front) unit. Opposite us the guard encountered a passenger, whose 1st language was not English, who was travelling from GIL to SSD via CLJ and clearly wasn’t entirely sure about their itinerary. He took some time to explain that a change at CLJ onto a VXH service followed by a transfer onto the TfL Victoria Line to Tottenham Hale was required and printed out a detailed journey plan. And also made sure the individual was aware that they needed to move to the (attached) front unit after SAL to permit alighting at CLJ. Top work!

Return - 10/03/24
BSK 1307 (OT)>EXC 1538 (OT) : 1L33 WAT>EXD : 1 x 159/0 + 2 x 159/1 (9 Cars BSK>SAL), 2 x 159/1 (6 Cars SAL>EXC)
EXC 1555 (OT)>DIG 1600 (OT) : 2F16 PGN>EXM : 1 x 166/2 (3 Cars)

Checking RTT before leaving for home saw that Exeter-bound services were being significantly delayed by a signalling fault between TMC & SHE but fortunately this had cleared before we got to the area. The only effect was a brief hold at Wilton while 1L44 cleared the single line section and a couple of minutes delay at Tisbury Loop waiting for 1L48 to pass.

A couple of observations; it really is about time SWR reintroduced some level of on-board catering service on the West of England Line services. And Network Rail need to at least investigate the possibility of reinstating the 2nd platform at TIS - it would require the extension of the Tisbury Loop by c.350-400m - to obviate the nonsense of trains having to stop twice within 1-2 minutes.