Great Western Coffee Shop

Mentions elsewhere ... rather than wrap it deep in another thread, here's the map for this weekend:

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/bri_easter2018.jpg)

Note - LONG weekend. No trains on Tuesday either!

Links / https://www.facebook.com/travelwatchsouthwest/posts/748391915372086 and https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/bristol2018

Couple of silly questions

1. how will GWR handle things without access to St Phillip's Marsh? Thoughts of trains being trapped in or running out of fuel as hey can't get back to base

2. Severn Beach and the line closed, but Pilning open ... any sense in running Avonmouth - Stan Drew's Road - Severn Beach - Pilning bus (but then the "stopping" service though the Severn tunnel doesn't go into Bristol, which is people's main destination anyway!)

Firstbus CS based in Southampton/Norwich are advising 72/73 bus  passengers to  the bus stops outside The Reckless Engineer. Well, they can search in vain ..its gone from a spit n' sawdust to a bistro and is now called The Sidings. So much for local knowledge and boots on the ground. Where will First CS locate to next ? Heligoland ??

5/2 Cheshire
4/1 Mumbai
7/1 remain in Norwich
7/1 back to Southampton
10/1 Aberdeen
20/1 bar

But it's entirely traditional for bus stops to go on being named after landmarks, usually pubs, for years or even decades after those establishments have changed their names or even been demolished. Bus companies and their timetable generally twig what's happened after several years, but the general public mostly never do.

There are certain pub names that become politically incorrect ... not right in these times to suggest that an engineer might be reckless, and I noted that "The Gay Calavlier" in Devizes became "The Cavalier" a while back.   Having said that, it is indeed traditional for bus stops to retain old names, old company logos, and old data way, way past it's sell-by date.  And while customers of the buses remain the same regular (if not frequent) travellers for years and decades, it might not be financially worthwhile for the bus operators to invest too much in updating their stops.   The number of bus stops in the UK makes the number of railway stations pale into insignificance - my local list for Melksham is over 100 strong, whereas we just one railway station.  Having said which, the NaPTAN database lists stops each side of a road as 2 stops, where that would be a single entry with two platforms if it were done railway style

National Public Transport Access Node

Oh no.  The Reckless Engineer used to do a very nice pint of Butcombe............

Fairly recently the Black Boy pub near Reading dropped plans to change its name after local opposition

https://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/black-boy-name-remain-unchanged-12477127 (https://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/black-boy-name-remain-unchanged-12477127)

It is a pub I know well.  As a child I vividly remember it losing a lot of its garden to make way for the construction of the M4 and the huge diggers which were brought in to build the road.

As for buses, Reading Transport (as was) starting using pub names (The Bear and the Three Tuns to name a couple) during the war to avoid assisting the enemy should an invasion happen.   The Bear Inn was dropped a few years ago after the pub closed and is now identified as the Water Tower.  The Three Tuns survives.

I was looking for an example in Reading, but they don't list many stops on their routes these days, at least not in online timetables. But on route 6 they do replace the Engineers Arms with Engineer's Court, built when the pub was knocked down about eight years ago.

Reading Borough do, however, list stops on http://www.reading-travelinfo.co.uk/bus/services/6.aspx . And I guess they should know what buildings still stand where too - but they list Engineers Arms. On the same route there's the Post House, which became a Holiday Inn about twenty years ago. And up Basingstoke Road there's the Four Horseshoes, knocked down last year. It had been boarded up for years, but ten years ago it was the Eastern Pearl (Vietnamese, I think) and had been for some time. And that's just on one route!

But that does suggest one thing that may be the reason - the bus stops are put there by the borough (or equivalent) council, who tell bus operators where they can stop. So while the bus operators may have the right names, and use them to register routes, those may not be the official names of the stops. As I say, being the local council is hardly an excuse for not knowing which pubs have closed - quite the opposite - but managing the data lists is a desk job. I'd have thought it justified going on paid official pub crawlsfact-finding missions, but maybe today's cash-strapped councils wouldn't wear that.

At least we concluded (26 to 0) that our members know what a siding is!

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=19470

Mind, I'm at a bit of a loss to know how "low-speed sections [of line] used for storing, loading and unloading trains" becomes somewhere to get a drink and food.

There's probably provision for ECS moves to get stock in and out during the blockade.

The possession details suggest that isn't the case this time, as they include:

Access is still possible to Stoke Gifford so IETs can run which takes some of the pressure off.

Would HSTs be allowed to visit Stoke Gifford for a drink?

Looking at the replacement bus service it seems all buses from Taunton to Bristol Parkway will go via Bristol Temple Meads.  I'm surprised they are not running anything direct to Parkway since going via Temple Meads will take considerably longer due to Bristol's traffic, relatively poor road access from the south and the time taken in dropping off and picking up passengers at Temple Meads.  This is one reason I believe why when the line is closed west of Exeter buses run direct from Tiverton Parkway to avoid Exeter's traffic so I did expect something similar to be done here.  I guess it would require more buses and therefore cost more though if a direct service was run from Taunton (or even Tiverton Parkway to avoid Taunton's traffic) to Bristol Parkway.

I had a look at that and indeed all going via Temple Meads.  But it does seem that Cross Country have some excellent fast buses - I took a random look at Tuesday morning at their 10:00 bus from Taunton arrives at, and leaves, Temple Meads at 11:10 and makes it to Parkway for 11:30 - pretty good going I think without even being able to use the Metrobus lanes yet!    Great Western's buses around that time take 25, 35 and 47 minutes from Temple Meads to Parkway.

A clue here?


No reason given on journey check.   Following 3 trains on the same diagram also 5 cars not 10, so I suggest it's not a crew shortage issue.

Stable a couple of re-fuelled HST sets at Stoke Gifford with a temporary shore supply provided from a hired in generator from Aggecko. Likewise on the Up Loop and Platform 4 lines at Parkway.
Stable the last down service to Taunton at Taunton like they did when Whiteball Tunnel was closed a few years ago.

There's more that on way of skinning a cat, it just needs a bit of thinking.

And I'm sure that thought has gone into it ... whether in the way you suggest or in another way.

Wonder how many ticket buffs will be out over this period buying a Patchway to Parkway return for a keepsake.

Gives plenty of time to catch up with all those sets parked up at SPM 'NOT TO BE MOVED' due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time and repair them ready for next Tuesday. Oh dear that means GWR will have to concoct a new excuse for services being cancelled from next Tuesday.

For next WEDNESDAY ... Bristol Temple Meads remains shut on Tuesday.

That'll be a relief for GWR management then, not having to pay the fitters double time for a Bank Holiday working day, I did read that if the work overruns then BTM will remain shut on the Wednesday until the work is complete.

Well, time to vent ...

This morning I had the the choice of getting First Bristol or GWR bus. Like a fool I chose GWR bus replacement service.

I assumed a replacement bus service would provide services that start at Bristol Parkway, and try and provide service that pass through as best as possible. More fool I! The bus replacement service can be described as Ad Hoc, not replacement.

The only busy service at Bristol Parkway this morning where taxis.

This evening at Bristol Temple Meads, bus services were in adequate. An accident on the M5 did not help, nor did Bristol's traffic.

At least this should happen one working day only!

Interesting that from WSM they seemed to be offering three alternatives
   -  Stopping service at all stations to BTM
   -  Fast to BTM and then onto BPW
   -  Fast to BPW

Cross Country were running an hourly service between Taunton & Bristol Parkway direct. Published journey time was 90 minutes. On Good Friday the driver of the 1000 TAU-BPW service which I used got lost in Filton and the journey took 110 minutes. My return that evening only took 60 minutes.

If both Cross Country and GWR were running replacement  buses were tickets interchangeable?

AIUI the TAU><BPW bus service was entirely the work of Cross Country so difficult to know. However I can say that on my two Good Friday bus trips at no point were I or fellow passengers asked to produce a ticket.

The two buses I used on Tuesday,

• Bristol Parkway -> Bristol Temple Meads
• Bristol Temple Meads -> Filton Abbey Wood* -> Bristol Parkway

did not require any tickets, just told the GWR helper where I was due to go, and told which bus to board.

Interestingly, the return bus from Bristol Temple Meads to Bristol Parkway was supposed to be direct, but decided to go to Filton Abbey Wood to wait five minutes, as you do!