Great Western Coffee Shop

Do you find it interesting to work out why things are done as they are?  To study any analyse the issues around service disruptions?  Do you have background experience and knowledge to share, but fear getting pulled down into a sea of explanations to a public that really wants to complain rather than learn?   Do you want to post about goings on on your local line and solicit views and comment, without giving the oxygen of publicity to what might be a very bad - but very rare - incident?

Until last month, the Coffee Shop hosted a board that was designed to give members an ability to post and discuss subjects such as those above - actually specific to the TransWilts line and service, and some very useful work was done there.   I am now re-launching such a board for use right across the area and topics covered by the forum.

If you wish to become a member of this "How Stuff Works" area, please send me or any admin a message and they'll add you in to the Transport Scholar member group.  Or - to make it even easier - simply like this post and I'll add you in next time I'm around.

Good to see so much interest in this new area I'm very much looking forward to seeing what it brings to light.

30 members in 30 hours  ;D  ... a first conversation striking up (sharing the subject title(s) in case it encourages others to join the area.

"The difficult balance between promoting public transport and protesting problems"

I think I'm still waiting to be joined to the How Stuff works' area??

Showing as a member on my system ... and I was careful to check I had added everyone who liked this thread as a member.   Perhaps you 'liked' in the few minutes I was actually going through and adding members?  And the another admin has just come in since you posted (above)?   Anyway - you are certainly showing as being there now, and welcome.

I suspect you have some excellent contribution to make on the compromises between promotion and protest at times of less-than-excellent provision!

Thanks - I can see it now. I will add a comment to that thread later.....

So am I.

Added to group

Bump ...

There are already about 40 members in "How Stuff Works" with some 30 message posted in 5 threads.

I am conscious that this is a hidden area - only available for other members to join if they know about it and ask, and that many of our regulars may have missed the first post in an incredibly busy first week of September.

Please 'like' this message ... or send me a p.m. ... if you would like to join!

Up from 5 to 11 threads (and I am going to be starting one on [subject to be revealed] this afternoon).  Now that the initial surge of 'joiners' is over, I may not notice extra "likes" on this thread to add members in - so please send me a p.m. to trigger me.

Bump of the month!

Recent subjects:
* Safe rail transport of munitions
* On the funding of useful small projects forward

Members who would like to be added - please p.m. me or like this post / I will come back from time to time until Sunday 18th add in any likers

Recent "Transport Scholar" topics at 17.2.2019 :
* Coming months, years, (and decades?) [27 projects - which will happen when?]
* What's this box/plate for?
* FAQ for complete novices ...
* Unfortunate name for day
* Seven questions from a cold Friday on the Chippenham platform
* First Eleven [Questions asked when someone suggests a new station]
* Correlation - house value to distance from station

43 members are "Transport Scholars" at present ... others welcome to join. If you are not already a Transport Scholar (not sure - see if you are allowed to see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=21067.0 ), please like this post or send me a personal message. I will monitor / add in "likes" until 23rd Feb 2019.   

Recent "Transport Scholar" board subjects include
* If it takes 30 minutes to drive ... how long by public transport
* Spare parts that are out of production for older trains
* Upcoming engineering

If you are not a member of our "Transport Scholars" area, please send me a personal message or 'like' this post - which I will monitor until the end of next weekend - and I will add you in.   The area is intended for more technical and less passionate discussions of subjects.

"Transport Scholar" board subjects include:

Cooling of LUL tunnels
Correlation - house value to distance from station
Developing community rail groups for a wider more effective future
Fare anomalies and reasons
High Speed in the 1970s
How far should a Community Rail persons go in assisting?
Loss of service frequency on peak shoulders
Public transport principles to ask our politicians to endorse and follow
Research questions - understanding provision and aspirations
Safe rail transport of munitions.
Spare parts that are out of production for older trains
Vandalism - against heritage trains
Who and how should community information and aspiration be co-ordinated?

Our "Transport Scholars" area is for members who wish to read and perhaps contribute to some of these more details topics. We keep it separate in order to reduce the risk of technincal and theoretic posts flooding out the feeds of members who don't want this stuff, and to allow a modicum of 'internal' discussion too.

If you are not a member of our "Transport Scholars" area, please send me a personal message or 'like' this post - which I will monitor until the end of next weekend - and I will add you in.   The area is intended for more technical and less passionate discussions of subjects.

I thought I was but can't see the topic heading so obviously not.  Please add me.

You are ... the topics listed in the post are in alphabetic order, and a few of them are on the second page rather than the front page of that board - have a look at page 2, please let me know if it's not there!

A good quick test - does http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/21658 take you to the thread on which I've seeded a discussion about the principles we should ask our politicians to adopt at any upcoming general election.  Words carefully written so they can be endorsed right across the political spectrum - i.e. stating common sense which isn't actually followed sometimes!

Ah.  My fault.  I thought it was a new heading, not the one you quoted here.  I can see that.  Appologies.