I heard the report on dear old Auntie Beeb. The words used were, "phase out diesel only trains ..." which I interpreted as diesel as the only means of propulsion, diesel by-modes ok, diesel battery ok petrol only ok, petrol by-modes ok, petrol battery ok, etc, and so it seems Mr Hammond will have to give the Treasurys Cheque Book an airing and write an open cheque, " Pay Railway Investment". Strikes me there is a land beyond that known as "Cloud Cuckoo, Cuckoo"

20:48 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth due 23:07

20:48 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth due 23:07 will no longer call at Avoncliff, Thornford and Chetnole.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Last Updated:11/02/2018 20:20


If this service was operated by a non SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) turbo WHY tell lies to the travelling public, tell them the truth, THE TRAIN FOR THIS SERVICE IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH THE SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO STOP AT THESE STATIONS.

Doesn't look as if its been craned back high enough for wires to pass under at some future date.

With todays cancellations of these services I wouldn't be surprised if passengers were put on Cross Country services from Cheltenham and on the Bristol/Gloucester/Cheltenham/Worcester services from Gloucester to Bristol Parkway for connecting London services.

I think what the 27 routes refers to is the no of routes or destinations that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are obliged to put into their timetables as a bus connection from a railhead like Bodmin Parkway to Wadebridge and Padstow, The Lizard and Bude are other places. Minehead from Taunton is another  'bus link' that springs to mind.

Yes, FG were awarded the franchise. Branson appealed and if I remember rightly cited the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) specification being inaccurate and so it proved and the award recinded. Probably was unsustainable and lead to FG handing back the keys but then, FG handed back the keys to the GW^▸ (Great Western) franchise when they FGW^▸ (First Great Western) were due to hand the DfT a slug of money as per the franchise payment schedule.

I forecast they would do that as when I looked at the figures and saw that in the 6th or 7th year of the Alison Forster franchise FGW were due to hand the DfT MORE than FG's TOTAL profits for the latest years accounts that were available at the time. I cant remember what year it was but remember the current GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) franchise is an amalgamation of the original Great Western franchise, plus Thames Trains, later Great Western Link, and the west part of Wales and West Trains, later Wessex Trains.

Heard from two bus drivers, "the guided bit isn;t wide enough for a breakdown truck to recover a broken down vehicle" and from one of them, a female bus driver from Nailsea, "they tested the guided bit and it isn't wide enough, when two buses passed each other there was side scrapping on each bus !!!!".

Also the latest excuse for the delay in commencing operation on one of the routes is the failure to install the three-quarter-ton ticket machines and yet previous excuses were, "we need to ensure that the smart technology is reliable", well it has been for Londons Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) system for years now and also on Glasgows subway. Previous to that it was the need for urgent repairs to the Bromley Heath Road viaduct which has necessitated a further month of contraflow due to unforeseen circumstances. Wonder if the next delay reason will be the failure of Network Rail to replace the Gypsy Patch Lane bridge under which double deckers cant pass unless First Bus wishes to increase their fleet of open toppers.

Finger trouble !!!!

Charfield, Stonehouse (Bristol Line), Gloucester (Barnwood on avoiding line), Saltford, Corsham, Wilton Parkway, Devizes Parkway, Langport, Bristol Muller Road (Ashley Hill), Bristol Constable Road (Horfield/Lockleaze), Bristol St. Annes, Bristol Portway (Park and Ride). Plymouth (Laira area/ foot of Hemerdon), Collumpton, Wellington, Norton Fitzwarren, Wantage Parkway, Wotton Bassett, Pilning, Llanwern.

Normally the hauliers syphon the diesel out for the return trip, not this time !

Well, at least it saved Network Rail the cost of removing the possibility of trees having fallen on the railway line at Montpelier for a few years. Maybe the residents could defray some of their costs by retrieving the discarded trunks and logs, chopping them up and putting the split logs into sacks, putting them outside their front doors with a notice, ' Ideal for wood burning stoves, £1 per sack, leave cash in honesty box '.

Saw my first Turbo on the Gloucester - Bristol line this morning, 9:10 off Yate, Worcester - Weymouth ? service.

Road Replacement Refueling Service.

Or could it be ;-

Lack of train crew signing the diversionary route.

 

Is 7 Exeter ?