But WHERE are they going to get the 40 carriages from let alone at least 10 power cars to attach each end of a rake of lets say 8 coaches to conjure up these HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train). OK they might be able to modify loco hauled  Mk3's to run behind a class 43 PC but where are these spare class 43's or am I missing something somewhere.

I can remember the days when Stapleton Road station was the interchange station for South Wales. My aunt who lives in Warminster always used to travel into Stapleton Road where we met her off the train but my other aunt who lived in West Bromwich was always met off the train at Bristol Temple Meads.

When we used to goto Warminster by train and we caught the last stopper back from there to Bristol, the guard had an extra duty, to extinguish the platform gas lighting at Bathampton station.

How things have changed over the years.

But FGW^▸ (First Great Western) can always request an amendment to the franchise to cut back the service to Bristol Parkway and cite the impending loss of the 12 x 158's from December as justification.

As I said we shall see.

Severn Beach cancellations  - 09/07/2007

There may have been more today but I note ;-

21:46 Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach due 22:22
This train has been cancelled.

22:26 Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads due 23:04
This train has been cancelled.

are showing on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Service Incidents tonight.

I still don't think it makes commercial sense to make people go up to Parkway to get to Cardiff.


I still envisage that there will be a direct service Bristol TM^‡(resolve) - Cardiff serving the local stations at Filton Abbey Wood and Patchway (Pilning what use the one train a day is) and the occasional stopper on this route at Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road.

This would at least provide work for the 142's / 143's which I am informed FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have bought outright to help alleviate the loss of the 158's from December since they are not very welcome on other parts of the FGW route network.

The information I have provided, albeit 'grapevine rumour', would tend to favour using Bristol Parkway, with its lower connection time as against BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)), as the preferred interchange for South Wales for passengers travelling from Birmingham and the North, the South West and the South Coast.

We shall see.

If it were you or I we would now be awaiting a court summons and in all probability receive the maximum penalty. What do they say, 'There's one law for the rich and famous, and one law for the others'. DAMN TRUE.

With reference to my inital post on this topic, the new platform at Bristol Parkway could be used for terminating / restarting the Portsmouth services, the sets running forward to stable in the headshunt east of the former RM Terminal at Bristol Parkway, returning to the new Platform to prepare for a return working.

Jim, are you able to explain the comment about the 1747 leaving before (the?) 1721?


I'm not Jim but I too travelled to and from Weymouth on the T & T 67's additional service yesterday.

Passengers were coming onto platform 2 at Weymouth and on seeing a 3-car 158 (158798) in platform 3 were making their way to that service as station staff were pointing them to that service as being the first that would leave for Bristol.

As the 67's were approaching and entering platform 2 an announcement was made to the effect that the inbound service was delayed by approximately 20 minutes due to a late running service at Castle Cary. The late running inbound service was due to link up with the 158 already in platform 1 and form a 5-car unit to Bristol.

At the appointed time for the 67's to leave the train was ready and they departed on time.

Thus all the way up, the 67's were picking up passengers that were awaiting the 1721 unit.

Mind you there were some strange looks from passengers as we made booked stops at the stations along the way.

At Bruton a young girl wanted to alight and panicked because the door didn't open automatically and a fellow passenger had to open the door for her.

At Frome, Westbury, Trowbridge and Bradord-on-Avon young people waiting on the platforms for a train into Bath for a night out just looked gobsmaked when we stopped and asked if we were going to Bath and were heard as they boarded that they've never been on a train like this before.

Going down in the morning I doubt whether there were more than 50 - 60 persons on board and most of these were rail buffs like myself but for the reasons given above there was more usage on the return.

I cant understand why FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have not given more prominence to advertising this additional service to give chance for the news to filter down to the press, only issued a press release on Thursday, less than 48 hours before the commencement of this limited duration Saturdays only service.

Another 'grapevine rumour' that I have heard is that the Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff services are to be withdrawn from the December timetable.

These services are to be diverted to and terminate at Bristol Parkway now that station has 3 platforms and restart them there.

The reason, I was informed, is that with the retention of the half hourly HST^▸ (High Speed Train) services between London Paddington to Cardiff against the initial thoughts for the current FGW^▸ (First Great Western) franchise these services will be used as the connections for South Wales out of/into the Portsmouth services. Just a rumour but if correct I estimate this move will save 4 x 158 units, at least, out of the 12 that FGW are said to be losing in December 2008.

In an earlier post which I made on the Heart of Wessex topic regarding the Wemouth services from December a comment was left asking if I knew whether the revamp of the Weymouth services meant that the direct Cardiff to South West services were being re-instated.

I don't know, if I get to hear anything further I will post but as the December timetable will mean a recast of the cross Bristol services, I can only speculate that the current Cardiff - Westbury services may be diverted to Taunton giving rise to connections to the South West there. Very few, and these are early morning / late night services, operate as local services between Taunton and Exeter St. Davices. With the one intermediate station at Tiverton Parkway, this station is served amply by HST's and Voyagers during the major part of the day most of which all stop at Taunton and Exeter St. Davids as well.

As I said, just a ' grapevine rumour' but time will tell.

Recently had a circular that was inserted in my local weekly free paper, The Observer.

This circular was a joint publication by FGW^▸ (First Great Western), South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority and Severnside Rail Partnership.

It was a listing of times of trains from my local station Yate and the ultimate destination of the services with samples of fares.

A very informative document in itself except for one thing.

My attention was drawn to this document by a friend who asked me how he could get to Swindon from Yate by train.

I of course told him to get a local train from Yate to Bristol Parkway and change there for a London service which stopped at Swindon.

He said are you sure to which I looked stunned until he showed me the map on the front page of this leaflet.

From the map to travel from Yate to Swindon you had two choices ;-

1. travel to Gloucester and change for a service to Swindon via Stroud and Kemble

or

2. travel to Bristol Temple Meads and change there for a service to Westbury alighting at Trowbridge and catching a service from there  to Swindon via Melksham.

You see that whoever provided the artwork for the front cover of this leaflet had omitted the direct line to Swindon from Bristol Parkway and the direct line from Bath to Chippenham.

I showed this leaflet to an FGW manager who was intrigued at the map and when asked who would have provide the artwork for the cover said it would have been us as its got the new livery wavy lines across the bottom of the front cover as is being rolled out on the refurbished stock that is currently being put back into service.

From the reference on the leaflet it is suggested that it was produced by South Gloucestershire Council.

It also has the old logo of the Severnside Community Rail Partnership on it which was superceeded in January 2007 by a new logo.

What with the new line from Falmouth to Redruth and the 'now closed' Bristol Parkway to Swindon and Bath to Chippenham lines First are certainly Transforming Travel.

Have heard that the Cardiff - Westbury services are to be cut from the December timetable change and will be replaced by a Cheltenham/Gloucester - Westbury service. The extended journeys from Great Malvern/Worcester will continue to Weymouth every two hours and there was even a suggestion that there would be a Great Malvern - Brighton service. Only a 'grapevine rumour' but the new timetable is due to go out for stakeholder consultation within the next 4 - 6 weeks.

Does that mean the 06:00 Swansea - London Paddington will now be stopping daily at Didcot which it usually does when the 07:10 Bristol Temple Meads - London Paddington is cancelled or is FGW^▸ (First Great Western) giving the two fingers to commuters from Bristol Parkway to Didcot YET AGAIN.

Perhaps the Bath Chronicle and the Bristol Evening Post needs to be informed of this lack of advertising of this service by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) which is an opporunity to 'Blow their own trumpet' in view of all the critism that they have attracted since last December's timetable changes.

Not even a mention of it in a press release on their website either.

Incidently, for a few hours yesterday http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk was coming up with the home page of GBRailfreight, even their website can't escape the cock-ups.

Through trains to Bristol for holidaymakers and local residents will run from Minehead from Friday 20 July. For the first time since the branch line between Taunton and Minehead was closed as part of the "Beeching Cuts" in January 1971 regular public service trains will be running from Minehead to Taunton and Bristol on selected dates through the peak summer weeks. The trains are the outcome of several months of planning between the West Somerset Railway, Butlins, Mainline Rail and Victa Westlink Rail, the last named will provide the train services, and it all required complex negotiations with Network Rail and the Office of the Rail Regulator. The outcome is that services will run on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays between Friday 20 July and Monday 27 August. The trains will leave Minehead at 11.10 calling at all West Somerset Railway stations and then Taunton at 12.55pm and then non-stop to Bristol Temple Meads, arriving at 1.46pm. The return will depart from Temple Meads at 2.06pm and will stop at Taunton at 2.42pm and then all WSR stations to Minehead, where arrival is at 4.25pm.

Taken from http://www.wsr.org.uk