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Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 01:15 02 Dec 2023
- Train strikes: Drivers vote to continue walkouts
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 10/12/23 - Winter Timetable starts
24/12/23 - Paddington closed
25/12/23 - No GWR trains
26/12/23 - No GWR trains (why not?)

No 'On This Day' events reported for 2nd Dec

Train RunningCancelled
22:00 Hereford to London Paddington
23:48 Bristol Temple Meads to Exeter St Davids
02/12/23 00:31 London Paddington to Oxford
02/12/23 00:45 London Paddington to Reading
02/12/23 01:15 Reading to London Paddington
02/12/23 03:56 Swansea to London Paddington
02/12/23 05:43 London Paddington to Greenford
02/12/23 06:10 Greenford to West Ealing
02/12/23 06:19 Bristol Temple Meads to Taunton
02/12/23 06:45 West Ealing to Greenford
02/12/23 06:55 Plymouth to London Paddington
02/12/23 07:00 Greenford to West Ealing
02/12/23 07:15 West Ealing to Greenford
07:22 Exeter St Davids to Penzance
02/12/23 07:30 Greenford to West Ealing
02/12/23 07:45 West Ealing to Greenford
02/12/23 08:00 Greenford to West Ealing
02/12/23 08:19 Taunton to Cardiff Central
09:23 Swansea to London Paddington
09:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
13:32 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa
15:49 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads
15:59 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington
16:30 London Paddington to Taunton
16:32 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa
02/12/23 17:30 Greenford to West Ealing
17:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
17:32 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa
17:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Foregate Street
18:17 Taunton to Cardiff Central
18:46 Frome to Bristol Temple Meads
18:59 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington
19:32 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa
20:02 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington
20:10 Weston-Super-Mare to Bristol Temple Meads
21:07 Gloucester to Bristol Temple Meads
21:26 Taunton to Bristol Temple Meads
22:47 Cardiff Central to Bristol Temple Meads
02/12/23 23:41 Newbury to Bedwyn
03/12/23 06:38 London Paddington to Reading
Short Run
23:32 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
02/12/23 06:40 Penzance to Cardiff Central
02/12/23 07:00 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
02/12/23 07:41 Bristol Temple Meads to Penzance
02/12/23 08:00 Cardiff Central to Penzance
02/12/23 08:30 London Paddington to Taunton
02/12/23 08:50 Penzance to Cardiff Central
09:09 Gloucester to Weymouth
10:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
11:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
11:32 Taunton to London Paddington
13:00 Cardiff Central to Penzance
13:02 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
13:18 Taunton to Cardiff Central
13:30 Weymouth to Gloucester
13:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Foregate Street
13:50 Penzance to Cardiff Central
14:02 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
14:02 Westbury to Gloucester
14:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
15:09 Gloucester to Weymouth
15:30 Weymouth to Gloucester
15:38 Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Foregate Street
16:00 Cardiff Central to Taunton
16:09 Gloucester to Weymouth
16:18 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
16:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
16:48 London Paddington to Swansea
16:50 Penzance to Cardiff Central
17:00 Cardiff Central to Taunton
17:28 Swansea to London Paddington
17:41 Bristol Temple Meads to Frome
17:52 Worcester Foregate Street to Bristol Temple Meads
18:00 Cardiff Central to Plymouth
18:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
19:00 Cardiff Central to Taunton
19:10 Taunton to Gloucester
etc
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December 02, 2023, 01:20:49 am *
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Most recently liked subjects
[138] Transport Focus to GWR on short formed trains and overcrowding
[136] Park Junction
[102] Advent Quiz, December 2023, Introduction and day 1 (1st Decemb...
[60] 2023 Delays and Cancellations
[36] Rail unions strike action 2022/2023
[16] Cyclists - death toll on our roads
 
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1  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Advent Quiz, December 2023, Introduction and day 1 (1st December) on: Yesterday at 10:15:41 pm
The connection is that they are all firsts:

(approximately):

1. The first main line London terminus
2. The first electric railway
3. The first to reach 100mph
4. The first battery-powered train


Spot on - and of course it's the FIRST of the month today!
2  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Advent Quiz, December 2023, Introduction and day 1 (1st December) on: Yesterday at 09:21:04 pm
No 1 is Euston and is No 4 some sort of battery electric tram?

4.  Prototype Drumm battery train in the Irish Republic.  It looks to have a lot of batteries under the floor.

It makes me think of the battery train that is being developed for GWR (Great Western Railway)'s Greenford Branch, based on D stock retired from the London Underground.

Indeed - and even today battery trains are emerging technology.  So what links Euston, the Volks Electric Railway, the City of Truro and the Drumm Battery train?
3  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Advent Quiz, December 2023, Introduction and day 1 (1st December) on: Yesterday at 08:10:07 pm
No1 Taunton just to get it out of the way !...

No - that comes up later in the month.
4  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Advent Quiz, December 2023, Introduction and day 1 (1st December) on: Yesterday at 07:28:49 pm
3. is GWR (Great Western Railway) 3440 City of Truro, running in preservation. A modern picture (2009) presumably decolourised to disguise its modernity. What it has to do with St. Andrew's Hangover Day I've no idea.

It is indeed City of Truro ... so what's true of the City of Truro and the Volk Electric Railway and those the pictures od [[woops - nearly gave them away]]
5  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Advent Quiz, December 2023, Introduction and day 1 (1st December) on: Yesterday at 06:14:18 pm
No. 2 is, correctly, identified as the Volks Electric Railway.   No. 1 is NOT Bristol and no-one has answered (nor guessed) pictures 3 or 4, nor the connection.
6  Journey by Journey / TransWilts line / Re: 2023 - Train update and amendment log - Swindon <-> Westbury on: Yesterday at 05:37:14 pm
Quote
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:08 will be cancelled.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.

Quote
17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20

17:36 Swindon to Westbury due 18:20 will be cancelled.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.

Looks like a gap off Swindon from 15:14 to 22:30
7  All across the Great Western territory / Your rights and redress / Re: Transport Focus to GWR on short formed trains and overcrowding on: Yesterday at 01:05:29 pm
Mark Hopwood has replied to Transport Focus - mirrored ((here))
8  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Advent Quiz, December 2023, Introduction and day 1 (1st December) on: Yesterday at 12:28:32 pm
From the background I would say that 1 is the Bristol and Exeter Railway Company Station at Temple Meads. 

A brave try - it's annotated to me as being somewhere completely different, though I'm ver much aware that old prints can get mislabelled.  I have been around a long time, but this picture predates my memory ... any other offers?
9  All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Rail unions strike action 2022/2023 on: Yesterday at 11:36:00 am
RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) members have voted to accept the deal:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67577683

Interesting that nobody thought this breakthrough worthy of comment.

Anyway, ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) members have (unsurprisingly) voted heavily in favour of renewing their action with 88% GWR (Great Western Railway) members voting for strike action and 96% voting for action short of a strike.

Ah ... now I did think of it as being worthy of comment, but refrained.  It "feels" delicate to make too much comment on industrial relations at times.   Realistically, one or two comments here are hardly likely to cause wide-spread upset.

It is good news that the RMT have voted to accept the deal that was on offer, though it's my understanding that it doesn't last very long and more negotiations will be needed next year.  But it really feels like one hurdle has been cleared only to leave another firmly - perhaps more firmly - in place with ASLEF.
10  All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Changes to services - 1st to 9th December 2023 - headline topic on: Yesterday at 10:20:02 am
1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th December 2023 - significant disruption on GWR (Great Western Railway) services
3rd and 7th December - very limited services or no service on many GWR routes

Details From GWR / Journey Check

Due to industrial action:

Train services running across the whole Great Western Railway network may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 09/12/23.

Customer Advice

From Friday 1st to Saturday 9th December, members of the ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) union are engaging in Industrial Action short of a strike. This is likley to result in some short notice cancellations or alterations to services across the GWR network. Please check both your outward and return journey before setting out for the latest information.
***
As a result of this, services on Sunday 3rd December will be severely disrupted. No long distance GWR services will operate on the following routes:
- between London Paddington and Weston-super-Mare via Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads
- between London Paddington and Devon/Cornwall
- between London Paddington and South Wales

Services on other routes are subject to short notice cancellation and will be extremely busy. We strongly advise passengers to travel before or after the weekend wherever possible. Your ticket will be valid for travel up to and including Tuesday 12th December.
***
This advice particularly applies to passengers intending to travel to Bath this weekend for the Christmas markets or rugby. Services to/from Bath will be extremely limited and busy, and an extensive queueing system will be in place to control entry to the station. We therefore urge you to travel to Bath after the weekend, or by using alternative transport to these events.
***
In addition, an extremely limited service will be in operation across the GWR network on Thursday 7th December, when members of the ASLEF union are engaging in strike action. Many stations and routes will not be served at all, with services that are running expected to be busy. If you intend to travel where trains are operating, please check both your outward and return journeys. Online journey planners have been updated to reflect the services that will operate on these days.
***
Furthermore, a rolling programme of strike action by the union affecting other rail operators on different dates during this period of Industrial Action has been announced. Passengers are advised to check their entire journey before setting out.
***
To help customers during this period, tickets for Saturday 2nd December to Friday 8th December can be used the day before or up to and including Tuesday 12th December. If you are unable to travel, our refund policy remains in place. Further information and full details can be found at gwr.com/strike.

Further Information

If you arrive at your destination 15 or more minutes late because your GWR train was delayed or cancelled, you can claim Delay Repay compensation. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay



I have started a separate thread to highlight the issues for the next 10 days. I am not locking the topic, but ask for more general follow ups to be ((on the running union action thread)).  In any case, I will probably merge the threads come 10th December.
11  Journey by Journey / London to South Wales / [otd] 1st December 1886 - First passenger service though Severn Tunnel on: Yesterday at 09:17:05 am
From Wikipedia

Quote
Structurally completed during 1885, the first passenger train was run through the tunnel on 1 December 1886, nearly 14 years after the commencement of work.
12  Sideshoots - associated subjects / Heritage railway lines, Railtours, other rail based attractions / [otd] 1st December 1933 - first GWR diesel railcar on: Yesterday at 09:01:26 am
90 years ago today, the first GWR (Great Western Railway) Diesel Railcar made its first run - WikiPedia tells us

Quote
The prototype unit, No. 1, made its first run on 1 December 1933 between London Paddington and Reading with a large number of press representatives.

38 were built, of which three have survived into preservation - just one operational at present.  There were the precursors of the bubble cars and then the class 153. I would argue that single carriage multiple units these days are useful as extra carriages onto other trains (or in pairs) but a diagram that works with a single carriage train is a hard one to make a case for.  That view many vary on lines that support both longer distance fast services and still have a number of intermediate stations to be served.
13  All across the Great Western territory / Diary - what's happening when? / Re: 29th November 2023 - a GWR Senior Manager at WWRUG, Trowbridge on: Yesterday at 08:03:29 am
Failing to provide the advertised service to/from a public meeting to which a senior member of railway management was invited is a pretty spectacular own goal.

Maybe - and yet there are so many own goals it just washes over.   

Wednesday's problems were caused as I understand it by level crossing problems between Warminster and Salisbury, with a need have additional staff (on trains and/or on the ground?) to get trains past, and as far as I can gather a lack of that extra staff availability.    Those of us who are reasonably well informed know that it was a problem with roots beyond GWR (Great Western Railway) (Network Rail infrastucure) but it was an excellent reminder from newcomers that the gloriously complex mess of organisations involved.

Quote
I see little hope of near or even medium term improvement, I am sorry to say.

Indeed in the near term.   There is a need for the wider community to look at the long term (strategy) to provide for a proper environment in which the short term and medium term issues can be fixed.  That sound very generalised; to be more specific, much of it is to work will all political parties to have policies in their headlines which will encouraged them in the right direction in 2024, 2025, 2026 and beyond.
14  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Advent Quiz, December 2023, Introduction and day 1 (1st December) on: Yesterday at 07:32:19 am
1st December - welcome to the Great Western Coffee Shop Forum's advent quiz.

Each day, a new set of questions - plan is for there to be four every day - and they'll be vaguely on topic and with some commonality. Questions will typically be posted in the morning, but no guarantee of time; in due course I'll come back and confirm the answers, though frankly most will be easy, or obvious once someone has pointed them out.

Please have a go at just one question each, and you might like to have a go and work out the link too. Should anything be left unanswered at midnight, please feel free to fill in all of the rest.

Where are these, and what is the 1st December common link between them?

1.


2.


3.


4.
15  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Why are we offering THIS story on the Coffee Shop? on: November 30, 2023, 01:19:58 pm
Very random
Could it be that she had a connection to the railways in her past that was referenced within the story?

No - it's the word "travelling" in the subtitle.  Here is the (PHP) code

Quote
$keywords_up = '/\b(train|station|express|fare|ferry|ships?\b|rail|bus\b|road|'.'aircraft|airport|travel|commuter|passenger|taxi)/i';
$keywords_down = '/\b(trainer|training|stationery|polling station|'.'travelled|farewell|trained|railed|'.'fire station|radio station|'.'power station|drive-through|lorry driver|vaccination drive)/i';
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