Great Western Coffee Shop

Take a look:

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/raildetective.jpg)

and I would welcome opinions as to how often these lines see traffic.  Picture taken yesterday (in case recent weather has an effect on your answers)

Reason for "Smoke and Mirrors" will become clear if answers are along the lines I expect.

The paler brown coloured rails have probably last seen use in the previous few days to a week or so, partly dependent on what passed over them and also to a lesser degree the prevailing weather conditions. The darker brown I'd say you're looking at a month or more previous to the photo, possibly even years.

It could well be that this is a set of points leading from a loop back out onto the main line. If that is so then if the loop is unused even for a few days they will discolour. The darker rail is from the section of line going on from the loop towards a set of stop blocks or a throw off, in which case you would hope they have never been used!

Or, as there is what appear to be some point rodding in the background it is part of an emergency crossover operated from a rarely used ground frame, although it doesn't quite look right for that.

I take it we are talking NR rather than a preserved line somewhere which might change the colour of things.

We're looking at a set of sidings and wondering how often they're served.   Nothing in them at present, but when there is it's pretty hefty.  Not preserved; I think it's Network Rail though it becomes private in the sidings, I think.

The darker section is a shunting neck, I think.

Agree with Chris 75 that the light brown have been used recently I would suggest before the last rain.

Even the GW Main Lines go slightly rusty over the Christmas shutdown, but a couple of HSTs soon polished them up.

Be interesting to see how rusty the rails get between Didcot and OXford get during the blockade.

Hmmm - if it was a weekly (or even twice-weekly) freight service (ie one train in & out again), I don't think it would be sufficient to remove much discolourant....but it would still be a regular service

I have a sneaking suspision that might be the connection to Thingley Junction Up Sidings.  If it is then I guess its been used quite recently for storing traffic for the Box Tunnel and electrification works.  If I'm right then the dark brown will (hopefully) never be used as it is the trap point throw off and the light brown shows its been used but not since it last rained ::) :P ;D

I'll give the 'game' away. It's the MOD siding entrance at Warminster.

The Saturday train from Swidon to Westbury at 08:36 arrives at Melksham at 09:02 and Trowbridge at 09:11 - and that would be an ideal timing for the many flexitime works at a certain establishment near the station that has core hours from 09:30.  It gets to Westury at 09:20, ideal for a wide range of ongoing connections.

The Monday to Friday train from Swindon to Westbury runs at 08:49 and arrives Melksham at 09:15 and Trowbridge 09:32, which is too late for those same employees near the station.  And it pulls into Westbury at 09:42 which is just after that wide range of connections has left.

On Monday to Friday, this is the most disappointing train of the day as far as loadings are concerned versus what we anticipated.  On Saturday, it tends to be full and standing (and need a second carriage!).

The earlier timing has been looked at but, we understand, a 'runs as required' path to the siding pictured is preventing the adoption of the Saturday time for the rest of the week.  If that siding was brightly silver, I could (perhaps) be convinced that the path was needed ... as it stands (or as it rusts) it does seem that the priorities are rather odd ones. 

For comparison (but not at same angle) - Siding opposite Thingley Junction:

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/thingrust.jpg)

Well I did try....... :P

Indeed - and very close.   It may have come across as a guessing game, but I rather wanted to keep the exact location secret to avoid people factoring in my prior comments on how little used those sidings are.    When you mentioned Thingley, I found myself wanting to go out and compare - oh, and I'll admit to being on the train from Swindon anyway!

I had worked it out Graham, knowing your views on that service, but didn't want to steal your thunder.  I can't work out why the Mod train cannot take the path currently used by the trans Wilts.  It could wait on the through line at Swindon and would have a greater margin at Warminster before the next service.  No doubt someone in the know can give lots of reasons why it can't be done  ;)

Unlike other freight services that are shown as running "as required" I don't see this one listed on RTT. Unless there is an inside way of finding out how often it runs the only suggestion is to check every day whether it appears for a period of months.

I guess you need the support of GWR that it would be beneficial to retime the service if you are to have any leverage with the relevant freight company/MOD. But it does appear a nonsense that a service that rarely runs is able to block the optimal timing of a daily passenger service.

All three elements of the CRP (Council, TOC and community) are frustrated by this timing;  it's not a new topic issue and indeed it has been raised through the channels, but the answer (so far) has been "no".   It's a question of building up evidence and understanding why there's such a firm negative answer coming back. Watching for the train (to any trains to those sidings) to appear is one way or another.

Once we know more about the background of what appears to be a nonsense we can look for positive suggestions as to how to resolve to everyone's benefit.

Owing to security cincens, it really wouldn't amaze me to discover MID trains (or at least some of the more sensitive ones) don't appear on those sites

Thank you for that contribution to the discussion, Officer Crabtree.  ::)

Actually, I agree with you, ChrisB - I would like to think that most MoD rail traffic details are not made available to the general public - but have you tried using a spellcheck facility for your posts?  ;) :D ;D

And I would agree that sentiment too.   Yet at the same time, there are certain excuses reasons given sometimes for not doing things where the excuse reason given is selected to suppress discussion.

"It has to be that way for defence purposes"

"It's a health and safety issue"

"It has to be that way because of European Law"

"It's all to do with equality"

But - please - can we have the path!

... if World War III breaks out, they can have the darned path back (in any case, we would probably all be working so much harder that we caught the previous train - the 06:12 off Swindon)

... if needs must, I would be accepting of a timetable footnote that "this train may run up to 20 minutes later on up to 10 occasions per year. Please check with the journey planner 2 days before travelling".

Are there any similar issues for Ernesettle on the Gunnislake branch? 

There used to be a gap in the morning (0830 to 1000 if I remember correctly) to allow a service to access Ernesettle but that went a few years ago when the timetable was rejigged to make a regular two-hourly passenger service pattern.