Great Western Coffee Shop

With HSTs now consigned to history as far as Paddington is concerned it will mean the end of sights like this as the water tanks are refilled at the platforms.

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/hsttank.jpg)

But what about these - will there be any rush to remove HST stop boards? 

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/hststop1.jpg)

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/hststop2.jpg)

Good photos bobm. My hope is that now the mainline HSTs have ended, perhaps we won't see repetitive posts comparing the IET's facilities unfavourably with the HST again. It seems like it's a good moment to move on?

As the stop signs at Tilehurst on the main line platforms are still the Network Southeast ones, I wouldn't have thought there would be any hurry to get rid of them. ;D

"The buffet is now closed." :'(

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/Pad17_zps1warr5m6.jpg)

Are IETs not going to be watered at Paddington ?
In view of the number of toilets that are locked out of use, presumably some of them for want of water, replenishment at Paddington seems a good idea.
Or are only Hitachi allowed to fill them.

We will no longer see people struggling to figure out how to open the door to leave the train. We will also no longer see the guard or platform staff walking alongside the length of the train to close a door not closed by the last to get on or off.

I was queuing to get off an IET at Newton Abbot recently, whilst the person at the door waited for the door to open automatically. Only when the person behind them reached over to push the button did they realise that they still had to do something to open the door!

We may for a short while as classics wait to be converted to castles ... but those LONG stops of the "Down Dawdler" to Westbury / Frome as the guard walks 8 coaches at Hungerford, Kintbury, Bedwyn and Pewsey are gone.

People are strange.

A few years back a gentleman in his 70's (well practiced with slam door stock you would have thought) came into the vestibule I was dwelling in on the Cornish train and exclaimed he was getting off at Bodmin Parkway, the next stop. As the train came to a standstill he looked at me and said
"Is this it?"
"Yep this is the one."
Then he stood there against the door
"Well, are they going to let me off?"
"You will have to let yourself off" I told him and then opened the door for him.
"Not a very good service" he said and off he went without even a thank you!
I noted that he was the only person to get off at Bodmin from that carriage and wondered how the scenario would have turned out had I not been there. How some people get through life I will never know.

I think they'd be in the cess if he/she walked all 8 at any of those locations  ;)

It certainly did lead to some long stops though.

The second picture of the HST stop signs in the opening post was taken at Hungerford.

PhilWakely:
Maybe they lived in London and used the Underground where all doors are opened(by the driver).
For me personally when using the Underground  
I wish that only doors that open are the ones to be opened by the passenger.
Thus keeping the heat in during the winter months
Having said that I presume that the Underground has an "all door all opened" policy
so that you know you have to get off when the doors open

Yes I recognised it, a quite different view since the recent "vegetation management" that has been taking place in the area.

The bacon baguette. The sausage one went some time ago. Real milk in the tea.

I am reminded of the occasions a few years ago when T & T coaching stock was used by FGW as it was on some services between Cardiff and Taunton and the train manager has a script to read over the PA on how to open the carriage doors as for many years previous the service had been in the hands of sprinters and pacers.

Things we may not see again on local and Inter-City services - comfortable seats.  Are what we have now an improvement?  Really?  The DFT wonk who specified them should be forced to sit in them until retirement (if they haven't already gone)   >:(

Obviously no mistake was made, and it will be too expensive to change them.

An interesting letter on the subject of seats in the next edition of Rail, out tomorrow I won't go into the details but it is all down to fire safety regulations.

Hiding behind "regulations" is a well established cop-out.  It should not be beyond the whit of man to develop a comfortable seat which resists fire.

Quite. And I also seem to remember that this Health & Safety argument has been comprehensively demolished already.

All that said, I was on the last HST out of Paddington last Saturday and, although it may be that the seats on those were getting a little tired and worn by now, they didn't actually feel that much more comfortable to me than those on the IETs!

But none of them are a patch on Mk1 compartment stock. Who needed a sleeper when you had those on an overnight trip? :)