Great Western Coffee Shop

Geoff Marshall, of 'All The Stations' and 'Londonist' fame, has just posted on YouTube lamenting that it's 57 days since last he caught a train. I miss trains too, Geoff!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0IC8uWGrVU

Yes... I have managed to see at least one train a fortnight, I reckon!

(and, err, diversion but... highly tokenistic PPE alert about 50 seconds in!)

Oh and, "You can go to a random station just for the sake of it, and that can give you a mental lift."  :D

Living in Reading I get to see trains most days. I find it depressing that my indicator of the economic health of the nation, number of containers on a train, suggests we are in a pretty bad way. Possibly lower numbers than after 2008. But my sample is always small and probably not statistically reliable.

But even more depressing is not being to get on a train and get out of Reading.

Over 13 weeks since I was last on a main line train although I did manage a trip on the GWSR the week before its closure

17th March. Liskeard to st Austell to collect a car,

9th March for me.  We had the Devon Rail Forum in Exeter that afternoon.

I reckon this is now the longest gap between train trips for me since I was 11!  Let's just say the trains in my then Surrey patch were 4SUBs and 4EPBs when I did go on one. 

13th March on an evening trip into Paddington and return to Thatcham.

Arrived at Paddington thinking it was a bit quiet for a Friday evening at around 5pm, but bet it was a lot busier than it is now.

2nd March for me, to Taunton for TWSW

16th March - inevitably on a Pullman.

27th February to London and back

Not sure, think it was a trip to Poole from Hinton Admiral, in March, to use my Wetherspoons beer vouchers, as I could see what was coming. did not use them all, they were recycled.
The talk is that there will only be 30% of pubs left trading this summer.

20th March = last commute by train to Guildford

Seems a long time ago now......

18th March 17:45 Newton Abbot to Polsloe Bridge

who knows when the next will be!

17th March Didcot to Oxford and back.

26th February Pershore to Gloucester via Worcestershire parkway.

Have seen a few trains since including some class 37s going to Long Marston heard the TFW class 230 on test this week but could not see it.

Saturday 14th March. Trip to Worcestershire Parkway from Swindon on my birthday, then Moreton-in-Marsh for lunch.

February 22nd, Bristol Parkway to Oxford for the day or perhaps a few days later a short hop from Clifton Down to Sea Mills.

I think my last day of train travel was 2nd March - went to the TravelWatch SW meeting in Taunton. They were putting up signs advising people not to shake hands because of you-know-what as we arrived...

Same for me Tim in fact we traveled back on the same Castle.

I wonder, do we miss the 'normal' rail experience, a nice relaxing trip, looking out at the passing view, a wander round our destintion, or a longer change point, for a tea/beer, then a return back to home with another tea/coffee/beer stop.
The new normal may be even at the first stage, why am I even thinking about doing this, we have posters up now at Hinton Admiral to wear a face covering, Wetherspoons pubs are saying staff will be wearing face covering and eye protection, do we really want to do this as a form of relaxation, a good long walk/cycle ride, and a pint in a rural pubs's garden over the summer and autumn perhaps.

My last train was 17th March. I couldn't get a battery for my thermometer in Wokingham, so went to Reading for one (and also visited my sister, not seen since). It was already hard to buy a thermometer, and the backup mercury-in-glass one lacked something important (though most of the glass was still intact).

Obviously trains were chosen on the basis of being almost empty - so long SWR ones rather then shorter GWR ones. I'd already decided to stop going to pubs or restaurants, after a week of looking in and asking "this isn't a crowded indoor space, is it?" (wry smile from behind the bar). I did use the two takeaways by the station later, and last on Monday 23rd, while carefully considering the infection risks in each case. Both shut immediately after that but reopened about a month ago, without visibly having any customers in person.

The car also got its MOT on the 23rd - a bit of a surprise in itself - and then stuff got weird, as we all know.

11 months, and counting, pretty sure i will make the year, looking at how things are at present.