Great Western Coffee Shop

Went to London yesterday for a 15.30 funeral. normally only travel on Saturdays to football so used the same trains albeit the new timetable.

Took the 8.51 Newton Abbot (ex Penzance) to London. 2x 5 802's. The Torbay MP was on the platform and he's quite an expert on the railway. We chatted while waiting for the train and he showed me an app that he upgraded his ticket to first class for £20. At his own expense he added.

Anyway the train came in dead on time and we went our own ways. The train had plenty of seats available and the trolly passed through three times and had sandwiches. On Saturday you are lucky to see it once or it is stationary between two carriages. It arrived in Paddington 1 minute early. The train was consistently early in that we were slowed up by a train in front going into Westbury. In fact it was held outside Paddington for a few minutes.

The return was the usual IC92 18.04 (18.03 Saturday) 2x 5 802's. They offered Pullman dining as soon as the train left. It was packed to Reading and Newbury but then there was plenty of room and the trolly again passed through a number of times. One oddity was the computer announcing the train would split at Plymouth and the rear half would proceed to Cornwall. The train manager had to correct this every time. The train was 10 late at Newton Abbott having lost time between Paddington and Reading stuck behind IC26 and IC27 and could not make it up.

So it appears they are splitting the trains now and the train manager said there is built into the timetable at Plymouth time to uncouple and for passengers to get into the correct portion. I did think the morning train started out from Penzance as a five car and picked up a another unit from how we were bunched at front end of the train to get on.

All in all not a bad journey.

"A satisfied customer. We should have him stuffed!" - Basil Fawlty.  :P ;) ;D

Glad to hear you had pleasant IET journeys. They're not really all that bad.