Thanks, vacman! I can only comment on our machines at Nailsea, but the problem is that our machine was actually installed in the open on platform 2, rather than inside the existing shelters.  This machine faces the early morning sun, so it's almost impossible to read the screen: from about 0920 onwards, lots of those eligible for 'older person discounts' (I'm not being ageist!) are struggling to work out how to buy off peak tickets for the later 0946 service to Paddington.  Fair enough, but there's a growing queue of commuters, who want to buy a return ticket for the 0928 to Bristol Temple Meads - which is, perhaps fortunately in this example, delayed by a few minutes, let's say.

The problem is, as soon as the ticket machine's clock turns 0930, the option of a 'standard day return' disappears from the screen, and the only ticket offered is a cheap day return.  However, as I understand it, if I catch the 0928, even if it's delayed by a few minutes, I should have bought a 'standard day return' - but the machine doesn't allow me to do so, because the dear old pensioners in front of me (bless them - I'll be one some day soon!) took so long to buy their much less time-critical ticket!

Why does the machine just remove the option for me to buy the ticket I need to buy because of its clock mechanism?  Or would you, hearing this apparently implausible story, allow me to buy the correct ticket on the train?   

erm ... I don't think the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) 150 has grandfather rights to stop at Bangalore ... ?   

But that would completely spoil the quaint olde worlde charm of our lovely station!  Look at this: http://www.bristol-rail.co.uk/images/nailsea10.jpg .

All that's missing is the tumbleweed blowing across the track and Charles Bronson playing a harmonica on Platform 1 as the Weston train pulls out ... !

Actually, as a passenger, I'm very impressed: I haven't seen any FGW^▸ (First Great Western) manager putting their head above the parapet for months - until now!

Welcome to the forum! 

Thanks very much: could you possibly give us that web address, please?

... but since when has the likes of the 'tabloid press' allowed the facts to get in the way of a good headline??? 

Many thanks, vacman: yes, it does help - up to a point! 

Problem is, we at Nailsea have only ever had HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) with slam doors where this is an issue - and as John R has posted here previously, everything was going just fine until SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) was introduced!

I must say I sympathise with Mookiemoo: just because some trains have been 'getting away with it' because of some historic (apparently more than twenty year old!) timetable rule, doesn't mean that some new service for an HST to include a stop at Nailsea shouldn't be allowed without SDO?

If some chump has been getting off an unplatformed 0945(ish) HST at Nailsea and doing a triple somersault down the embankment into the brambles for twenty years, he ain't going to be stopped from also doing it from a new 1015 service - just supposing one were to be introduced! 

Fair comment: I haven't found occasion to submit a 'comments card' since 7 January - reliability is much better, and punctuality (give or take a few minutes) is better too!  Please, FGW^▸ (First Great Western), keep up the good work!!!

Hmmm.  Interestingly, Mike Carroll couldn't produce an answer to that one, either:


Now, at the risk of boring some other members (for which I'm truly sorry, honest!): can you please explain this 'grandfather rights' thing to me?  To set the scene, in my simple terms as 'just a passenger', I am puzzled that some long trains are allowed to continue to stop at short platforms, because they have done so for many years, but no other trains which had not done so before December are allowed to start stopping there.  Sorry if that's a rather long sentence!

What I'm puzzled by is, simply: 'existing trains - alright to carry on doing it, but no new trains allowed to do it.'  If it's that dangerous, why not say "NO trains are allowed to do it from now on!"?

And finally ... any comment from a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) point of view on this situation?

Good point, John!

(Well, several good points, actually  )

... unlike "punctual" and "reliable" ... 

Personally, I agree entirely with Mookiemoo on this one. This whole question of grandfather rights defies logic, common sense and practicality.

A solicitor acquaintance of mine summed it up neatly with the following analogy.  He said it's like telling a man he mustn't beat his wife: the man replies, 'but my neighbour beats his wife!'  'Ah!' is the response, 'but that's alright, because he's been beating his wife for many years: what we're telling you is that you mustn't start beating your wife from now on!'

Before SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening), just how many people did actually go to all the effort of pushing down the door window on an HST^▸ (High Speed Train), reaching out and opening the door and then taking a deliberate step out, without first looking to see whether there was a platform below for them to land on???

I have a more practical concern over the inordinate gap between the train and the platform edge which happens sometimes at Bristol Temple Meads, where the combination of the curved platforms and some types of DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) leave a gap of some two feet, outwards and downwards, to negotiate. Not a problem for me personally, but it's not easy for the disabled, elderly or those with young children, for example.

Perhaps a cliff railway, like Lynton and Lynmouth? 

Personally, I'd like to think this will turn out to be the case: the point is made, but nobody gets 'hurt' - as Graz wrote earlier,

Hmmm.  Are they trying to be clever (perhaps too clever) by relying on their valid season ticket as a sort of 'get out of jail free' card, if they are collared by vacman's colleagues/at the barriers for waving a fare strike ticket about?