Someone has already archived it on a free-to-read site (always worth checking!)

https://archive.ph/x8m46

No idea, but I love that the writing on the front of the train is written mirror-style, presumably in order that should it get too close to the train in front, the driver could see which engine it is in her rear view mirror...

I went down to the station in Melksham to mark this momentous occasion - unfortunately however it was showing as delayed, and sure enough it was eventually cancelled. Says it all, really.

Everyday use, I tend to go to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), mainly because it's a lottery whether or not my train from/to Melksham is going to run, so I may as well stop there and buy tickets if there's anything running or at least only delayed and not cancelled.

https://book.splitmyfare.co.uk/ seems to come up with the best options for more complex journeys I find.

It doesn't let me buy a weekday ticket from Melksham that gets me to work in Westbury on time. In theory I start work at 09:30. My usual train leaves Melksham at 09.10 and arrives in Westbury at 09.26 [sometimes... it's usually late]. Unfortunately I then have a 20 minute walk from the station in Westbury. So, I make up the 15 minutes or so that I'm late each morning by staying (very!) late. However I'm aware that there is a service that leaves Melksham at 07.21 and, with two changes (at Chippenham and Bath Spa), gets me into Westbury at 09:05 - a longer journey, and more expensive; but it does at least get me to work on time. The National Rail site referred to here however responds with "no fares available. Please choose another journey." The RailEasy site lets me buy it - admittedly at seven times the cost of a regular return fare, but surely that should be for me to decide?

It wasn't, although it did occur to me. However, I felt very uncomfortable about walking around Trowbridge town centre in the dark, feeling vulnerable (white, middle class males stand out rather in Trowbridge), not knowing exactly where bus stops are, so I got a taxi in preference. Also as it happens the 16:25 had already left by the time the 16:23 (which was standing at the platform!) was cancelled - and the next train to Trowbridge was significantly delayed beyond 17:00 as well.

I tried to get home to Melksham from Westbury on the 16:23 today but not only was that cancelled (despite the train being on the platform), but ALL trains back to Swindon (four, I think) cancelled after that as well. Station staff did offer to get passengers a taxi, but that would have had to have come from Bath (they aren't allowed to use local, Westbury taxi services apparently) which would have taken longer than walking, if that were even feasible. So I paid for a taxi out of my own pocket to come from Melksham to pick me up from Westbury and offered a lift (courtesy of the ever helpful station staff) to anyone who wanted to join me. I know there's a strike happening, and the weather's been unkind elsewhere on the network, but the disruption this week really does seem to have been notched up considerably.

Just for the record, I question the fact that this was "due to a signalling fault". I was waiting at Melksham to catch that one. It was showing as running 8, 9, 10 minutes late. It left Chippenham (I was tracking it) and then with no warning at all, the overhead display changed to show the next train from Melksham would in fact be the 7.21 northbound rather than the 6.36 southbound - although the overhead didn't mention it, the app showed the Southampton train would be next stopping at Trowbridge. And with that, a southbound stone train rushed through Melksham somewhat unexpectedly. Or at least, it was unexpected to me. I rather suspect the signallers knew all about it, and quite frankly lied that there was a "fault" just so that they could manage their workload. Which is fine - I get that - but I dislike being lied to even more than I dislike being inconvenienced for the best part of 3 hours (the next southbound train from Melksham not running until 9.10). If there really was a signalling fault, how come a late running freight train managed to make it through? I call BS.

I didn't delve too far as there were too many adverts, but assuming this online article hasn't been updated from a year or so ago when it first did the rounds then it's missing a large number of former stations - Lacock Halt was one which sprang to mind immediately. The author would have done well to have referenced Mike Oakley's excellent "Wiltshire Railway Stations". Justin Bailey's paperback "Lost Railways of Wiltshire" is good to have as well, although not quite as comprehensive.

I took a trip deep into South Western Railway territory yesterday (Saturday). Sad, but sadder still perhaps that I was not surprised, to note that the ONLY problems I faced all day were with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services - short formed trains, cancelled services due to shortage of train crews, one service 40+ minutes overdue because of overcrowding [short formed again] & the following service cancelled altogether; it was a regular litany of apology. Then when I did finally get a train heading in the right homeward direction several hours after I'd planned, I had to walk the length of it before I could find a seat that actually offered a unrestricted view out of the window - again something I had no problem at all with on any of the services I travelled on down in Hampshire. It shouldn't be like this - people have a right to set out for a day trip on public transport and be reasonably confident that they can get home again.

I overheard the guard telling an off duty colleague on a later train that the earlier disruption had been due to mainline trains being diverted via the Chippenham/Trowbridge/Westbury route "And I really don't know why they don't just cancel these services altogether, because that would make life so much easier" s/he opined.

I couldn't help but smile sweetly when my ticket was checked and say rather sarcastically "thank you SO much for choosing to stop at Melksham this evening", leaving her looking rather puzzled, as s/he didn't know I'd overheard the conversation.

her or him I mean, sorry. 

I was and am aware of Westbury's White Horse being repainted. I work for Westbury Town Council, and a committee that I clerk has been the driving force in badgering English Heritage to get it done - a lengthy process, and probably including some laundry that's not best aired on a public forum. I might just add that Westbury White Horse itself is owned by English Heritage and the land it stands on lies just across the border in a small neighbouring parish, so the whole thing is therefore technically none of our business, although try explaining that to the town's residents and I guarantee few will understand and still fewer have any sympathy...

"Services may be disrupted due to a fault with the signalling system between Exeter Central and Paignton" I get that, but why does it mean cancelling ALL of the remaining services today between Westbury and Swindon FFS^▸ (for goodness' sake (a more polite definition))?

Stranded again.

Surely a grade 11 listed building is hardly worth bothering about? It's 9 grades less valuable than a Grade 2.

I got caught up in this. Arrived at WSB^» (Westbury - next trains) in time to get the 14:19 to Mkm, only to see it was cancelled because the driver failed to show up. Despite valiant efforts on the part of platform staff to find me and 2 others a taxi to Melksham, it was school run time and no taxis were to be had. We were assured the 16:23 would run on time. 16:23:30 came and I could see the train still sat away in the distance in the yard at Westbury showing red running lights (they probably have another name, but you know what I mean - the ones that turn white when it's good to go). In the far opposite distance a figure in an orange jacket ambled towards the distant loco - a driver! Half an hour later it trundled into Platform 1 to the accompaniment of an ironic round of applause from some now fractious would-be passengers. By 5:19 I was on my way back to Melksham, a mere three hours after arriving at Westbury station.