As the linked page points out, how very appropriate for Shrub Hill. I wonder what Flowery Fields is like ...

Two months on ... almost all of our regular visitors have reset their passwords and the visitor pattern from Googl Analytics looks pretty stable.   This graph is daily visitors from the start of the year, and you can see the blip where the site was moved to a different server without the preplanning that would have made it seamless.



Posting graphs are (and always were) erratic - we have a lot of regular readers and posters, but posters are minded to contribute only if they see a specific topic of interest to them, and that correlation between users makes trends almost impossible to spot over a short term.

There are - perhaps - three of four members (no more) who were quite active prior to the move, but haven't come back since.   If you're one of those and now reading as a guest because you can't get your password reset for some reason, please get in touch by email - I'm graham@wellho.net and I can probably get you contributing again within a short time - we miss you 

Hi, Hugo and welcome to the forum .. it will indeed  be interesting to see where we are in 50 years.  I fear that some of the lines you mention are going to work out to be more from the heart than the head (and I have a heart too);  some are well blocked and would be very hard to re-open and others my have alternatives that would be more practical - for example Cirencester from Kemble, giving a much more frequent service than a re-opened Midland and South West Junction.

I notice "FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Huge" as your user name. To clarify it for us, do you work for FGW [and post representing their views (I think I can work the answer to that one out from your post  ) ] or did you make that choice of name because you're an admirer?

I have been delayed 12 hours in the USA for a Virgin flight, and my daughter on a school trip for 18 hours.    Yet we still use the airline.   Why?   Because they do an excellent job of keeping the customer informed, they respect the fact that the customer has some intelligence and interest, and they go to some trouble to make the wait as pleasant and hassle free as possible.

In contrast, airlline .... no, I'm not going to name them, but I could list others where the customer relations where there were similar (or lesser) delays were such that it's "never again if I can help it".  24 hours at LGW, 12 hours at MSP^▸ (Member of Scottish Parliament), and I won't tell you about Arlanda or Heathrow incidents!

Perhaps it's this Virgin approach which makes them so very popular with their passengers on the train front too?

We're in "retail" too I suppose - retailing hotel rooms, also happy to do cafe style service and have extreme hours to cope with, and I can sympathise with shoulder hours where you have staff preparing / cleaning up at the end of the day.   What really got me was (i) that the ONLY sign I could see was this on the door in the ticket office was:



(ii) that the "other door" around the front of the station was wide open, no signs at all and
(iii) that the staff member took the attitude of "I've just got here - of course we're not open" and when I told her about the sign said "I wasn't on yesterday.  That's because they were having trouble with the door".

Take down the "we are open" sign when you close for the night, folks ... don't snarl at a wannabe customer who follows such a sign if it's been left up by mistake, but rather apologise nicely and be seen to correct the problem, and you won't loose a regular customer ... nor get bad reviews posted.     Had Steamers said "closed" on the door, even had there been staff inside, I would have just shrugged, thought "well it is early on Saturday" and carried on past.  With no fail reported here.


At times I ... despair ... at how easy it is for us to get reasonable reviews just by being nice and understanding with customers, help provide what they want when they want it (if we can), and if we can't ... express regret, give reason, suggest alternative.


I'm not sure what their official times are ...they're certainly not obviously posted


"If you like what we do, tell others ... if you find something wrong, please tell us".  I've not been able to find an email address for Steamers, but  I do know that they were owned by the same company that supplies our hotel with lunchtime baguettes when we're running an event.  I haven't felt able to raise my concerns with the staff I have met an Steamers, so I'm thinking it might be worth my while (and help get something improved at what is, after all, one of our CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) stations) if I do a bit of off-board digging.  In a way, I'm feeling slightly guilty at my initial rant, but I know that Lee and I are not the only one to have concerns that aspects are below average, and that can't help the business or the keeping of jobs there in the medium term

but from National Conditions of Carriage


And surely she did not take reasonable care by entrusting it to a gent who wasn't capable of handling it in a safe manner ...


I agree on that ... sadly with an element of experience.    Travelling back from Ireland as a foot passenger on Irish Ferries, the checkin and luggage team in Dublin Port insisted I check in a bag containing several laptops as it was "too big to carry" even though I had already carried it on a Luas Tram and a bus that morning.  I remonstrated and ask "what if it gets damaged" and was told "you should have it insured / claim on your insurance if that happens".   Alas, it did happen ... one smashed screen and knowing how deep in the bag the laptops were packed, I suspect that it might have been loaded by a "how far can you throw it rather than walk" gorilla.

Ironically, one of the reasons for using the ferry was to avoid the hassle of flying with too much equipment to be acceptable for an airline's handbaggage.  Solution seems to be drive and take the car on the ferry.

Many thanks for all those feedbacks .... I won't come back with a "quotefest"

In summary

* Once I have a card, I CAN get on the train in Melksham and apply the discount to my journey provided it's one of the valid ticket type - which are going to be almost everything from there (including day returns to Swindon) but not season tickets.

* The point about saving on business and leisure travel  - being able to claim the cost from my employer, and it being tax deducible for him is interesting.   Yes, I am in effect my own employer, but it does make a significant difference whether I pay personally or the business pays for things due to tax implications.  The rail trips I make are on split between business and leisure, and so I probably couldn't 'claim' the card or claim it in full, and I would spend so long sorting out the proportions and getting our accountants to agree it that it's probably cheaper not to claim.  Business fares - yes, that would make a difference though as we charge expenses on to customers, it's our customers who would reap the benefit.

* I can use the card from my 61st Birthday - i.e. when I have completed 60 full years.   There was an element of "asked in jest" on that question as you all know.     I'm actually quite a way off that date (so wishes are very premature, but thank you!) as I do have a near-year to go.  If the detail had allowed my 60th Birthday, there could have been quite a few road trips in the next 11 months which would have become cheaper by rail.

As I approach the point where I am considered worn out and in need of special care by the system (can go on Saga holidays and use Club 55 as and when it runs), I've been looking forward to that next millstone milestone - the senior railcard.

Couple of layman's questions as I've never been 60 before.

a) Terms and Conditions No. 4 state "Tickets for your journey should be purchased before boarding the train and when buying tickets you must show the Railcard." Does that mean that I cannot take advantage of the railcard discount if I join a train at an unmanned / no TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) station with the full intent of buying my ticket from the conductor?

b) "Time restrictions apply for journeys in the Network Railcard area. Please refer to time restrictions, enquire at a station ticket office before your travel or phone National Rail enquiries on 08457 48 49 50." From this and other sources, I can use any train / ticket which is not wholely within the old NSE^▸ (Network South East) area, but not MORNING peak trains / tickets for journeys wholy within.   So peak Swindon -> London, yes.  Peak Didcot -> London, no.  Have I read that right?

c) Can I get use my railcard to get a reduction on season tickets? 

d) Some references are to "60 years old" as the starting point, which I take as meaning completed 60 years.   Others refer to your 60th Birthday.  My first birthday was the day I was born, so my 60th Birthday is the day I become 59 years old.  Which is right (I think I know the answer).   The 60th Birthday references are seem particularly to be about buying the railcard.  Does that mean that people born on 29th February will never practically be able to get a senior card according to the rules? 

Last question a bit in jest ... earlier ones of serious intertest

A lady with a heavy, hard suitcase she can't manage herself gets helped onto the train by a kindly gentlemen who struggles with it too. He manages to lift it, and but drops it very heavily on top of my padded (but not militarised!) bag, breaking the screen of a laptop computer that's in the bag.  Who should pay for the repair of the laptop?

a) The lady who's bag it is
b) The gent who dropped the heavy hard object onto the bag containing the laptop
c) I should as I took the risk in leaving it there
d) The operator of the train
e) Someone else

Hypothetical situation - though no damage was done - from yesterday evening's 18:00 Paddington to Chippenham. Posted because I wonder, and other may have need to do rather more than wonder at some point. Not sure where I should post this; I've put in under the fares thing because it's about who pays

I'm sure it is, as II suggests, because other stations have alternatives.


Now you see I envy Taplow.   I'm working in London today, and the first train from my station was too late (09:20) for an 09:00 appointment .... and one of my delegates here is grumbling about the gap from 07:04 to 07:26 (I think he said) in services from Surbiton ... which the folks from Maidenhead might find acceptable if the trains were expresses

It's a good debate too .... are the most valuable customers those who travel daily, at peak times, and with a discount of over 70% .... those who travel once a week and have to go at full fare .... those who travel off peak (truly off-peak i.e. when trains are quiet) and help balance the system .... those who travel annually and are able to be sold into a specific service to balance .... those who travel annuals and just ask for a "ticket to xxx" so pay full open fare on a train where lower cost options were available.

I suspect the real answer is more based on the volume of each type than the individual - i.e. importance by sector or total income rather than by footfall.

Arriving at Chippenham Station for the 06:55 this morning ...

* The ticket machine in the car park tells me that it's "rebooting" when I put in my card, and I'm left scrabbling for change.   Not the first time recently eithe.  fail

* The ticket machine offers me Bath, Bristol and Swindon as popular journeys.  I start with letters for PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)... Paddington and it offers "Paddington Und".  Hmm - press the button and it says "Sorry, no such fares" and I eventually find what I want by typing in LON ... and Selecting Paddington. fail

* The first fares offered are super offpeak pass and that's an excellent change from having to search to pages 2 and 3 for the lower fares on the next train

* The ticket restriction comes up "Valid for return between 10:00 and 15:00 and after 19:00 on Monday to Friday".  Hmm ... nothing about the times I can return on this ticket on Saturday (later today, which I want to do) or Sunday. fail.

* I abandon the machine any buy at the manned counter, reporting the lack of information to the clerk there.  I get the impression that the lack of data will go no further, though "I suppose it should say and any time at the weekend"

* The door to Steamers, the coffee shop, has a label on "WE ARE OPEN. PLEASE USE OTHER DOOR".   I walk around to the other door, which is open but the place is in darkness.   I put my head in to the door and see tables stacked and hear noises being the counter.  "Can I get a coffee" I ask.  "We're not open" says a voice from behind the counter.  "But it says that you are on the door" says I.  "I wasn't on yesterday when that was put up ..."  Ah, so that's OK then ;-)  fail

So I sit on the 06:55 Paddington train ... I've got a good seat pass and indeed there's sufficient space for people at the tables to have bags on other seats, and feet up on the seat opposite too ... without making other stand.   The fare of 48.50 is one I'm happy with - confirmed by the ticket cleark to be valid back at any time later today.   Happy with the journey ... but noting the little challenges that should be resolved for the most part should we want to encourage newbies onto the trains.

"First class is at the front of the train" before it arrives.  But ... "which way will it arrive" asks the tourist / newcomer. ...

None .. sorry.  No 01:23:45 either.  Ladies and gents ... I'm clocking off for the night at around 20:50:30 ... let's move back on subject.  I'll be passing through Reading in the morning at around 07:15 and need my sleep first

There are 135,890 posts.  However, they are biased; around 6% of visits are between 11 and 12, whereas well under 1% are (for example) between 1 and 2 a.m., so I'm not surprised we had 4 "hits" on that time though it is slightly on the high side. I would not expect to find as many or any for 01:23:45, for example.   

Anywhere between 1 and 6 would not have been a surprise. 0 would have been a shock (and cause me to relook at how the software works because the very point was a match in the first place).   Higher numbers would have started getting statistically improbable and I would have looked for something else such as "do people post during their 10 minute break for 11-ziz at work".

You did ask ...

From the Western Daily Press this morning


Article continues at

http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Railway-talks-chaos-claims/story-19666499-detail/story.html