... and nor, probably, does anyone who actually has to do it !!! 

Thanks, vacman.  I've completely lost the plot now. Are you saying I could buy a ticket from Penzance to Paddington return, but choose to get on the train at Nailsea (assuming it stops here, of course!)

Thanks, but I hasten to point out I was NOT quoting First Class Fares!  I was quoting advance tickets, booked about two-three weeks ahead!   

Thanks for your comments!

Just to make my puzzlement over all this a bit clearer, let me put some figures on the particular journey involved.

Occasionally I travel from Nailsea and Backwell to London Paddington, at, say, two or three weeks' notice. I check the website and find that, for example, the cheapest ticket for the journey from Nailsea at 0646 and returning from Paddington at 1700 is ^118.

However, if I buy a ticket from the website for a journey from Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington and back, it's only ^106. On the day of travel, I then buy my usual standard day return from Nailsea to Temple Meads at ^3.80. Total cost, by splitting the tickets, ^109.80 - a saving of over ^8!

Now, the bizarre thing to me is that this is for exactly the same train - an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) that goes right through, leaving from Nailsea at 0646, and Temple Meads at 0700 - both well before 0900, when cheaper off-peak tickets could come into play.

While I'm obviously quite happy to save myself ^8 in this way, my only concern is whether I should hop off the train at Temple Meads and then straight back on again, just to 'split' my journey in the same way!  Vacman, any guidance on this point?   

Funnily (?) enough, I had a similar letter waiting for me when I got home this evening - "Thank you for your comment card dated 19 December 2007. ... Once again I would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to you and hope that such an incident does not arise in the future."

Well, even more funnily () enough, just such an incident did happen again - on 2 January - and again on 7 January.  Comment cards have already been sent to FGW, for each incident, accordingly.

What is the point of FGW writing such bland platitudes, when they must know that such things are probably going to happen again?

... and we're still waiting ... ?

Sorry to be a bit of an anorak, but Plymouth was historically a county borough - that is, outside either Devon or Cornwall.  Alright, I'll shut up now. 

Sorry, but I have to agree with vacman again: this would NOT improve the current situation! 

I agree with vacman: scrap it and start again - the present fare system is far too complicated!

It's also very silly - for example, it's cheaper for me to buy a return from Nailsea and Backwell to Bristol Temple Meads and a return from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington (two transactions/tickets) than it is for me to buy a return from Nailsea and Backwell to London Paddington (one transaction/ticket)!

Erm, people ... I started this thread lightheartedly, as a way of thanking vacman for his input to this site.  Please, can we cool it slightly?  Thanks!   

'Spoke' too soon - I've also found this: "A photograph of the event was taken in 1985 (GReat Western 150 year) by a BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) Engineer and was used on the front of the BR booklet issued to staff for the "Triple Gold" celebrations in 1991" at http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2006/04/05/brunel_200_wiltshire_feature.shtml

I think the jury is still out on this one: all I've been able to to find is this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Tunnel#Brunel.27s_birthday

On the other hand, Insider is back !!!  See http://indefenceoffirstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2008/01/oh-dear-oh-dear.html 

Any takers ... ? 

.. has anyone else considered starting a petition to get vacman selected as a replacement MD of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)?  I'm always impressed with vacman's posts - there's more practical sense in any of those than the bland platitudes we get from FGW management!

(By the way, vacman, sorry if I've dropped you in it!)