Great Western Coffee Shop

First train trip since my birthday on March 14th. I was living in a very different country back then.

No idea what the number signifies. It's 12 too many to be the answer to life, the universe and everything. And 10 too few to reference a Beatles song.

Where be?
(https://i.ibb.co/55VY03j/15972646864230.jpg)

Could it be part of Frome station?

Asking, or answering?  :P

And I've had one private message response asking whether it's related to my waist size...  ::) ;D

It looks slightly Signaling related, though perhaps not on the national network, and the paint colours look like midland, could be a signal 54 'off' indicator, though quite a high number for most heritage railways. perhaps transport, but not railway, ferrys....

Lots of speculation there, but nothing I can really answer without providing clues. Too soon for a clue.

No idea where it be but looks like a signal repeater for signal operated by lever 54 in the signal box. When the lever to clear the signal is pulled the word ' OFF ' illuminates to let the train driver signal 54 is clear to proceed when the driver cannot see signal 54. Another form of this is a round array of white LEDs which look like a road side speed delimiter sign of which there is one on the down platform at Bath. If there is a black horizontal line next signal is other than a green. In brief an aid where a signal has a sighting problem.

It's in a small cobweb collection somewhere 😉

Is it Platform 54 at the newly-expanded Pilning Station?

I suspect that this is not on the national network.
Looks like a common type of cheap bulkhead light fitting, coated black apart from the cut out for the number.

Network rail would probably have an expensive bespoke item.

Let's see ... how many platform tracks are there at Grand Central?  How many carriages on The Ghan?

Few more hours, then a second picture.

Only just twigged when editing this second pic that '54' in first pic is obviously signal related. I now think '54' is a repeater for station staff/conductor.

Same location:
(https://i.ibb.co/q1dzVkY/15973450714230.jpg)

I know, but will see if anyone else works it out.

I've had a rethink and I'll have a guess at Didcot Railway Centre although I have to admit that I don't actually recognise it from my visits.

Frome is under Westbury, so signals are prefixed with W, and the two platform signals are W195 and W214. from https://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/westbury#T_FROME

Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Rly

ML on the signal does not (some might think rather confusingly) mean Main Line but refers to the maker ML Engineering of Plymouth who made a lot of signalling equipment for BR in the 1970/80s if not more recently.

Yes indeed, that was my guess too. helped by this pic.

Plymouth but never seen a signal like that a single searchlight lens with a shunt / calling on aspect.

Sorry, no.

We have a winner. My first ride on the rails since March was Paignton to Kingswear. Lovely day out with my (rail enthusiast in training) nephew Hugo, and Finn of course. Bit hot mind. So on our return to Paignton we drove round to Goodrington for a swim. Well, Hugo and Finn swam. I paddled.

I'll post up some pictures and a fuller trip report tomorrow.

Not a trip on GWR to get there, why? looking at doing a poll to find out why public transport is so quiet, an ex work colleague of mine went on the coach with 3 others from Dorset to London, then train from Euston, about the same 2 or 3 others in the carriage.

Wouldn't have got there easily by train from Templecombe! Trains run to Exeter only every two hours and there were flash floods at Feniton and Cranbrook yesterday, blocking the railway for quite a while.