Great Western Coffee Shop

Picture taken at dusk ... delighted to see that the TransWilts is up and running and plenty of evidence of use.

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/mkm_20190202_1.jpg)

One question though - what's in the yellow box?  I had been lead to believe it was salt to spread on the platform but there's no evidence of it being used ... perhaps it's being used as a none-obvious place to store Rembrandt's "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Storm_on_the_Sea_of_Galilee)

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/mkm_20190202_2.jpg)

Or perhaps just like Pilning it's full of a very special Severnside Sea Salt that is so precious it needs to be kept under lock and key and stored inside the waiting shelter !..

Saw on twitter someone complaining to GWR about another station where a grit bin was on the platform but nothing had been spread from it, and the bin was padlocked so no one could do it 'voluntarily' (presuming there was something inside).

Those yellow boxes at Patchway contain bags of grit/salt and 2 shovels (Down Platform) and the yellow boxes at Severn Tunnel Junction are just filled up with grit out of the bag. Not padlocked at either of those two stations.

The box MIGHT contain salt or grit and be locked to prevent persons from sh1ting in the box in the absence of toilet facilities.
Or it might be locked to prevent terrorists placing a bomb therein.
Or it might contain an emergency barbecue set in case of sudden industrial dispute.

"Keep calm and open the yellow box."  :D

Yellow boxes are usually ok it's the yellow Snow that you need to stay clear of !..

Salt isn't generally used as it's too corrosive and can destroy the surface of a platform very quickly, particularity a concrete one.  Usually products from Kilfrost (either in liquid or solid form) are used on platforms.

From my observations, platform treatment at the smaller unstaffed stations has improved considerably in the last ten or so years.  Surprising to see Melksham hadn't been treated.

Yellow snow ? Frank Zappa, this could end up anywhere. St Alphonso's?

As an example Radley station had been cleared of snow by 08:30 on Friday.

There was a GWR livered vehicle in the car park that was similiar to the vehicle often parked at Oxford so I assume the workers had come from there.

There is one that apparently Mark Hopwood lives in at Swindon. He pops out when he hears the media talking good about GWR!  :D