Great Western Coffee Shop

Just had a look at the site and noticed that they have had a bit of an update to their site

Looks much better than before

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/

Details of what has been updated can be found here https://blog.realtimetrains.com/2019/10/the-new-realtime-trains/

But the maps have gone though.

Am I missing something? I thought that RTT didn't do maps - isn't that is opentimetrains ??

They used to have them for the SW main line and Basingstoke to Exeter, along with Salisbury area.
I managed to find them some time ago but recently they were taken down. They were very basic but had the advantage of having the whole Exeter line on one page.

I must congratulate Tom Cairns on the latest update to Realtime Trains which is an excellent way to find out train times both now and in the future which quite frankly puts to shame the rail industry with their mostly pathetic excuses for journey planners.

I add my thanks to that - it really is useful, especially when things aren't going to plan. I have told railway staff at Temple Meads things they didn't know, in a helpful way of course, all courtesy of RTT. And I do like the new format.

Not sure if we've discussed this on here or not, but RTT now has formation and unit numbers for CrossCountry services having joined LNER, Northern and a few others in providing the data.  This is the first operator that crosses our patch though.

https://blog.realtimetrains.com/categories/know-your-train/

I haven't heard whether GWR plans to join in, but it's a very useful service for the minority of passengers that are interested in such things.

You would be surprised ... no, perhaps you would not be ... at the significant minority of passengers who are pretty clued up (very clued up!) and interested in the features, fares, options, tiny stock differences, etc, of the services they use or see (or get in the way of their train) regularly.

Real Time Trains is one of a number - and one of the 'best' in providing and presenting the data from an operations angle; different users have different preferences.  Watch (!) this space for something of an improved gateway to them and the data from our little cancellation and display map.   

It's trainspotting from home for the lockdown era. No anorak and lunchbox needed.  ;D

One big flaw for the anoracs is that it does not allow for last minute set swaps.

I?m in that minority obviously.  

Saw the XC allocations a couple of weeks back when I was in Penzance and low and behold there was the named unit waiting to come off Long Rock as I passed.

Very pretty!

SWR have now joined in with allocations on RTT:

https://blog.realtimetrains.com/2020/12/south-western-railway-join-know-your-train/

Avanti West Coast have now joined in:

https://newsdesk.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/news/avanti-west-coast-customers-to-benefit-from-partnership-with-live-journey-website

And, better late than never, Chiltern Railways allocations are now showing. 

So you can now all marvel at why 75mph Class 165/0s are so often allocated on the Marylebone<>Oxford services these days.