Great Western Coffee Shop

A lovely story ... and a reminder of how important even the shortest train in to its community

Arigato Grahame most interesting thank you 🚄

I am looking forward to the day when the Portishead line reopens with brass bands on the platforms and  hundreds of kids waving Union Jacks in celebration of the £1.58 million a mile spent to reopen it ! :o

How about the original 153's, the original GWR AEC railcars. I remember travelling on them when my brother and sister were babes in prams, we used to walk down Muller Road to Ashley Hill station, purchase the tickets and then cross the line on the barrow crossing to await the train. If it was one of the AEC railcars AND the Guards/Luggage accomodation was at the front end I would stand on tip-toe and peep through the glass to see where we were going and tap on the glass and wave to the driver. I learnt a trick, most drivers waved back and many opened the door to the cab and let me sit on the secondmans seat for the journey to Lawrence Hill where we got off to go to grans. Not quite DOO in those days but still a single manned 'loco'.

On occasions a single coach would be attached to the rear of the railcar, a scene which I saw repeated on a visit to Melbourne, Australia. The Met, the name of Melbournes Metropolliton rail network, ran to a place called Stony Point but for some reason this particular branch was operated by V-Line, Victorias Railways, the Australian states railways in which Melbourne is located and at each end of the journey the single railcar 'ran round' the single coach. Very quaint with the guard acting as shunter.

.........Union flags, (with apologies for pedantry!)  :)

Stony Point line still runs but no running round nowadays.  Looks an interesting trip  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stony_Point_railway_line

The BBC say they now use the term 'Union Jack' most of the time as it is widely accepted and understood.  Sadly I can't find the reference to support this but I am sure it was given in a reply to a similar pedantic complaint in either the Radio Times or on air.  I was not happy with another erosion of meaning in language, but alas the older we get the more annoying usage can become when rules that were drummed into us at school are no longer rules.

On the subject of the thread: I very much enjoyed the video.

I do sympathise - see Stephen Fry, struggling with the contestants at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duqlZXiIZqA&t=26s  ;) :D ;D