Great Western Coffee Shop

A huge personal "Thank You" from me to the team of moderator and administrators who help me keep this forum running, and the dedicated researchers, volunteers and ambassadors who help here on the forum and at TransWilts.  Without you, this forum simply wouldn't exist, and without you we would probably be looking at a "parliamentary" train service on the TransWilts, with Melksham Station being mentioned in the same breath as stations such as Gainsborough Central, Brigg and Kirton Lindsey.

Scrolling through my admin's pages today, I noted latest logins for the moderator and admin team - "today", "today", "yesterday" ... everyone's been here since 20th, and the majority have visited on Christmas Day.   For me, the forum and TransWilts are a part of daily life not a chore, the people here (and on the trains) are friends and contacts who are in my life some 365 days a year, and I know it's that same 'part of life' for others too.  I'm privileged to enjoy what I do which - though in may ways a hobby - is now something that effects people's daily lives and livelihoods.

I have been a member of a number of online forums and social media groups, and so often I feel that they are over-controlled.  An admin or a moderator is fulfilling that role right if they're not noticed fulfilling that role. The bookkeeping of thread as they wander so that they form a useful archive, the assistance of members who loose their logins and have forgotten to replace an old email address, the amendment of quoting tags to help make a post readable.  The feeding of technical articles from a wide variety of sources into our boards, the hand of support for members for whom such support is helpful, and the gentle note to the occasional member who posts something that could be misread in an unfortunate way.  Quite a list, isn't it, when you put it all together?

There are - inevitably - a few occasions on any social media platform where a flag of caution has to be waved, and I thank goodness that such events here are rare in the extreme.  That's down largely to the maturity (in the nicest sense) of our members, to our clear philosophies and posting guidelines, and our policy to be as all-embracing as possible, looking behind any little glitch that crosses the line and quietly resolving it,  rather than blasting the forum with repeats of rules in big bold type and banning members for something as silly as asking why a particular rule or guideline exists, or asking for clarify on one.   I suspect we're also successful because we have excellent communications between the team, who can give a consistent response no matter who's around.

So - an appreciation of the admin and moderator team - thank you, ladies and gentlemen!

....and a big thank you to you as well Grahame.  Without your perserverance the forum wouldn't be what it is.

As my colleague bobm on the admin team pointed out to me yesterday, I have now been a member of this forum for ten years.  :o

It has been a fascinating, informative and enjoyable experience, and I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of it.

My own thanks go to my fellow admins and moderators, for all the work they do, 'behind the scenes', to make this Coffee Shop forum such a success.

Chris from Nailsea.  ;)

Against most expectations, this forum has become a way of life for so many of us - and a fascinating, informative and enjoyable one to quote Chris. I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of it too - and indeed I don't want to miss a future here either.  2017 has been a year of massive changes in the Ellis household, but a number of things remain broadly unchanged for the future, and it's no mistake than included the Coffee Shop, TransWilts and close associated activities.

Thank you and congratulations on your ten years.   Let's look forward to how we celebrate longer, more reliable trains, electrics in the Bristol area, additional stations and services and perhaps even a simpler fare system, enough staff and buses that connect with trains!

Indeed it has become a way of life for many of us, not always to the delight if those around us.  ;D

Congratulations to Chris on his anniversary.  Back in 2007 few of us could have predicted the changes which have been catalogued on the pages here.  It provides a really useful reference with input from those in the industry as well as interested observers on the outside - some sadly no longer with us.

Seasons Greetings and looking forward to 2018 already.