Vivat Great Western!  A news report in the Daily Telegraph of horses on the line near Cambridge is illustrated by a fine example of what looks to me like a Great Western signalbox. (And the line through Milton, between Cambridge and Ely, has obviously been electrified with minimally intrusive overhead catenary!)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/11243311/Seven-horses-killed-at-Cambridgeshire-railway-crossing.html 

Thursday 6 November. FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) home page service updates show a "good service" on the Paddington/Oxford/Worcester/Hereford route.
The first up train, 1P07, 0511 ex Worcester, appears to have got through on schedule, but it appears that the next two services have been diverted from Worcester. Not good news for passengers between Pershore and Hanborough who have no idea when the next up train may appear.
Why can't FGW just be honest and say they can't operate a reliable service at the present time, and stop posting lies on their homepage?

I have just seen a brief report on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) South Today of a 2-car "Special" operated by Chiltern Railways onto the Cowley branch this morning conveying local businessfolks and politicians. I had no prior knowledge that this was happening. I had thought that Chiltern's proposal was just a paper exercise rather than serious kite-flying.

Could we have more details of the Cowley folks alighting picture please.

According to Realtime Trains, 1030 Tues 4/11/14

1W12  This service was cancelled between Moreton-in-Marsh and Great Malvern due to it being Autumn (TT)

Logged on to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Journeycheck just after 9.00 to be informed that there is a "good service" Hereford-Worcester-London. 

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Journeycheck claims there is a "good service" operating on the Hereford-Worcester-Oxford-London line this morning.
As I write at 0720
1P13 0450 Hereford-Paddington, due to depart Oxford at 0655, is expected at 0727
1P19 0712 Charlbury-Paddington, is cancelled between Charlbury and Oxford
1P21 0528 Hereford-Paddington, due to depart Oxford at 0752, is expected at 0940
2E92 0653 Worcester-Oxford local service is cancelled throughout
1P26 0642 Hereford-Paddington, due to depart Oxford at 0851 -- whereabouts unknown
and on the down line
1W12 Paddington-Great Malvern is "delayed"

A good service?

The area which is to the west of the Oxford Road in southern Kidlington, extending some half mile north from the Sainsbury's roundabout, has always been known as Garden City. A road sign is at http://goo.gl/maps/qiiJy

There is already a Garden City just outside Oxford, very close to the Parkway station.

Stagecoach have recently added more peak journeys on their 66 Swindon-Oxford route, so frequency is now "up to every 20 minutes". Basically every 30 mins throughout the day, journey time 75-80 minutes. The railway is still quicker, but involves a change at Didcot and is more expensive. The buses are all "Stagecoach Gold" and very comfortable as buses go. And the buses get closer to the city centre in Oxford at Gloucester Green.

I travelled from Swindon to Torquay on 23 July. I bought an advance ticket online from FGW^▸ (First Great Western). Swindon to Bristol Parkway on a FGW train, then Cross-country BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains)-NTA^» (Newton Abbott - next trains), FGW NTA-TQY. The XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) was delayed by signalling problems in the Birmingham area and was approx 90 mins late leaving Bristol. "They" cut out most intermediate stops so it only stopped at Exeter, where I had to change. End result an arrival at Torquay nearly 2 hours late.
I downloaded claim form from FGW site and posted it next day to the FGW address at Plymouth. On 11 September I received a letter from FGW apologising for not replying within 5 days and telling me they had forwarded my claim to XC in Birmingham. This week I received a letter from XC dated 19 September, and attached is a voucher for the full price I paid for the journey:  ^12.35.
All comes to those who wait . . .

I think richwaricker was unlucky. I have stayed 3 times at the Premier Inn at Torquay and found it to be quite OK with no problem with noise or overheating.
Premier Inn have a "good night's sleep" guarantee and will refund your money if you're not satisfied. I invoked this once after staying at a very noisy Burton-on-Trent, and they refunded both nights without question.

I was tempted by the sunny weather to a day trip to London yesterday, Sunday 29 June 2014. The first FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service was advertised as 0855 from Oxford. I bought my ticket and was on the platform a few minutes before departure time. Two coaches were provided for the service: all seats were already occupied and 40-50 passengers were standing. The driver announced that departure would be delayed by overrunning engineering works, so I got off and waited on the platform rather than standing on a train going nowhere.  All the time more people were joining the train.
      At 0907 the signal cleared and a very packed train departed. I waited on the platform and joined the delayed 0901 stopper which left at 0913. This was formed of FIVE coaches, 2 + 3, and as far as Slough I sat in comparatively solitary splendour in a comfortably air-conditioned carriage which only got full at West Drayton. Train was due at Paddington at 1047, actually arrived 1105.
     I felt really sorry for those passengers, many evidently visitors to this country, who were packed into that two-car set for a journey of more than an hour, and am left wondering why FGW offer such an appalling service on a Sunday. There were lines of 165s parked at Reading as we went past.  Or couldn't they have at least redistributed the seven coaches at Oxford at the start of service so that instead of 2 then 5, the services were formed of 4 then 3 cars respectively.
     I shall seriously consider using the M40 coach next time.

I'm with Electric Train on this. There is an election coming up. None of the Chancellor's words should be taken at all seriously. Possibly there is some bad news about to slip out, from which he's trying to divert attention.

I tried to "like" Grahame's original post, and received

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