Reminds me  of the posh boy who was evacuated to the countryside in 1939/40. His horrified Mother when visiting, heard him shout down the lane to the herd .'Come on you F*****s, get a move on! When his mother remonstrated with him, he replied . 'well, the farmer calls 'em effers, but I know what he means really.....

I expect the reports were all a load of old bullocks don't you

Thank you grahame for your very thoughtful and insightful comments ..it is almost an cri de couer type of editorial, which I hope is read, and more importantly, acted upon by those in FGW^▸ (First Great Western) who can make all the difference!

Perhaps we could persuade them to become MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)'s ... the start of a Parliament of Crows ??

Did they find that the pantograph wouldn't fit a 142 ??

More than can be said for some of the rest of the nations services under Bob Crowe of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)!

More about those tiles at Shrub Hill ..anyone got more up to date information?

 Waiting room
 On platform 2b is the old ladies^ waiting room which extends onto the platform. It is a cast-iron structure cast at the Vulcan Iron Works at Worcester. This was a subsidiary of the MacKenzie and Holland signal manufacturing company about 200 yards from Worcester Shrub Hill station . The exterior is decorated with classical pilasters and covered with ^majolica^ ceramic tiles made by Maw and Company of Broseley.
 
Maw was originally a Worcester company founded in 1850 when they bought the old Chamberlain tile factory. However in 1852 they moved to Broseley to be nearer their source of clay. In the main they made encaustic tiles rather than the ^majolica^ ceramic tiles used to decorate the Shrub Hill waiting room.
 
Wojtczak writes that in 1873 there was Ladies^ Waiting Room Attendant called Mrs Dale who earned 10s and that this was the same rate of pay as a Mrs Spencer who was the Office Cleaner.
 
It is Grade II* listed and English Heritage placed it on the ^Buildings At Risk Register^ in 2003. The official records record that the waiting room was added c1880. In 2005 the register records ^The cast iron frame is in need of structural repair. The front wall is leaning out and currently shored up. Preliminary investigative work has been carried out, but repair works have been delayed due partly to problem of locating specialist contractors." In April 2005 Network Rail applied for listed building planning consent to restore the waiting room to bring it back into use before the end of 2006. The application gave detail of the work to be carried out including restoration of the cast iron work and the sourcing and replacement of the missing ceramic tiles but as at May 2006 no work had commenced and English Heritage reported that the building will be on the 2006 ^Buildings At Risk Register^ to be published in June 2006.
 

Many thanks for that info on Heenan and  Froude. As they were the major contractors for the Blackpool Tower and the Great Northern rail warehouse complex in Manchester, it would explain why they constructed such an imposing building as their HQ^▸ (Headquarters) on their move to Worcester in 1903. I do hope it has 'listed' status.

As a student at Worcester College of Education 1972-76 I returned the other day and walked down from Shrub Hill to the City Centre. They are still trying to fix the rare tiles on the platform at Shrub Hill ....can anyone shed any light on what these are please ...and I was staggered by the beauty of the imposing large factory building with the clock tower in Shrub Hill road  lit up by the  late afternoon sun.a A  few local enquiries in Lowesmoor which had not changed one bit in 40 years, proved fruitless. I guess the buiding has had some restoration clean up work done  in the last 40 years, which is why i had never really noticed it my student days....

Perhaps BTline is esconced in one of those Chinese escape pods after reading about the end of the world due to take place on Friday. Just rememeber you read about it   in the Daily Mail/ Daily Express first !

Makes a lot of sense to me. Have you thought of forwarding this to the Mayor for his consideration ?

At least they were smiling, and apparently enjoying themselves ..which is usually more than can be said for those working the barriers at Temple Meads......

Peak time single on 358 Portishead to Bristol bus at 0720...^5.30 for 10 miles....

Off peak day return with railcard on   train Temple Meads to Gloucester ^5.40 ....best part of 80 miles....

First are running Saturday bus service timetables in the old Avon area on Wednesday Thursday and Fridays Dec 27th,28th.29th and Jan 2nd, 3rd and 4th

Surely that means Saturday terms and conditions ...free off peak travel for concessionary card holders all day...oh no , First really do 'take the biscuit' in this matter....no concessionary travel before 9am still applies. A bit rich (yes i spotted the tea joke!) for First to run a reduced Saturday service and yet insist Monday to Frday condituons still apply !

FirstScrooge are alive,  well and kicking.....

And there was I thinking.....you were just round the bend.....

FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s economy version ....

Held on a 142 with one Santa calling at Pilning ststion accompanied by a Binatone cassette recorder....