Most TOC's are looking at NEW stock, hence you don't waste money doing up the C**p.

It's a simple FACT FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are proving more stock than the franchise requires but THERE ARE LESS SEATS THAN WESSEX PROVIDED.
SO WHO IS TRYING TO SQUEEZE MORE BUMS INTO LESS SEATS

With different trains, different TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s, different social needs, different this and that it's not easy to make straight side by side comparison of today's Railway, but I'm sure That FGW^▸ (First Great Western) refurbished HST^▸ (High Speed Train) just aren't as good as those on the East Coast and East Midland services not in Standard class anyway, and the Creme de la Creme, that proves to me that FGW are penny pinchers is that in FGW Sleeper Berths Standard Class passengers get ONE pillow, whilst in First ScotRail standard class Berths the passenger gets TWO pillows.
 
I rest my case, Sorry in advace to All First ScotRail sleeper passengers if THEY nick your Second Pillow.

Smokey

When the General Public wake up to the fact that global warming (GW^▸ (Great Western))  is going to send the Human Race the same way as the Dinosaurs, what will happen?
It's seen as a Joke, "If GW raises the average Summer temp up a by 3 degrees BRING IT ON"

It wont be so funny when crops fail, food is short and people would kill to eat, breakdown of society, just because People put there Heads in the Sand over GW.

People should leave there Cars at home and use public Transport is a cry from 90% of the population only thing is, THAT DOESN'T APPLY TO ME!

Of course Parliament should take the lead doing things like,

1 Cutting Street Lights by 50% or more, easy to do just pull the fuse out of every other lamp post.

2 Bringing out Petrol Rationing.

3 Ban lorrys from runs of 50miles or more unless NO alterative means of transport available, not just Trains, but Boats both Sea and Canal/River

4 Invest in Railways and Waterways.

5 Putting a Large Tax on Air Conditioning, it's not magic It causes more heat than it cools a room down by
 down.

No it will never happen not till it's to late, Just have to get used to the Idea of Eating the Neighbours DOG, followed by the neighbour.

Why Can't a Open Operator run into Paddington, it wasn't a Step to Far for the DfT for Hull Trains and Grand Central to Start (OK GC^» (Great Central Railway - link to heritage line) is only just about to come on Line)
GNER^▸ (Great North Eastern Railways) throw their TOYS out the Pram but were OVER RULED in the courts.
A Newquay-Par-Bodmin Parkway-Liskeard-Plymouth and NON STOP to Paddington Service would Pay Off.
Most People who fly would take the train when Possible, they do have Concerns about the Enviroment, and whilst there are Cheap Air Fares, there are Cheap Rail Fares, and Full Price Air Fares aren't cheap.
I've been on the UP Sleeper and the Train was Swamped at Bodmin Parkway because Ryan Air had Cancelled a Flight.

Why when the Train Company's Cancel a Train do they HAVE to lay on Buses And TAXIS if no other service is available, it Cost BIG BUCKS, ok it's safeguarded into the price of tickets.
But When an Airline Cancel a Flight it's a case of Tough luck, here's your Money back, Now **** OFF
How much would Air Fares Rise if it was a Level Playing Field?
Oh the Air Lines would squeal like pigs if it was even suggested!

Sustrans have big plans to turn just about every ExRailway line into a Cycle Trail, and Problems of converting Cycle Routes into a Dual system such as the Camel Trail just don't happen, NOT WHEN the Cycle trail is already open on a closed track bed, if the South Devon Railway or West Somerset Line were former Double Lines SUNSTRANS would want to run a Cycle route alongside the Railway.

However the ONLY time I ever spoke to a Sustrans Man at an RDS meeting years ago it was stated that Sustrans would have NO PROBLEMS with the Railway coming back IF a replacement Cycle route was built.
And a Cycle route would be a lot cheaper to build than a Railway Line.

The BIG thing about going back to TAVISTOCK that everybody seems to be missing is that Bere Alston-Tavistock is a Former DOUBLE TRACK MAIN LINE so bags of room for Both Rail and almost unused Cycle Trail.

Remember back before the Class 158 came to Regional Railways, they had class 155 units working Cardiff to Penzance, due to a door fault the whole Class 155 fleet was grounded. Class 150/1 and 150/2 wrere drafted in to cover 155 diagrams, sure I saw class 150/1 at Par.
Thankfully the Class 155 (well most of then) were sent to Works and converted to class 153, hence the different driving cab size as 1 cab is sqaushed in where the Vestible used to be.
One tell tail sign of the rebuild is the Riverted Oblong cover above a 153's exit doors which simply covers over the Word LEYLAND.

Mind you did Leyland build ANYTHING any good for the Railway?
                               Class 155 rubbish
                               Class 140 Already Preserved
                               Class 141 Mostly exported!
                               Class 142 Good enough for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) (says it all)

                        PS    Sherpa road Vans were just as NAFF!
                               
                                       

Say Timmer and Redskin 125, you sure covered that little lot, and came up with 1 or 2 that I didn't have, I didn't touch on Waterloo because the Sleeper host I spoke with wasn't on the Job when the Sleeper went to Waterloo.
However the only route you didn't get was,

Exeter-BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI))-Gloucester (run round) Kemble-Swindon-Reading-London Padd.

And No don't ask me when the Sleeper went to Gloucester he didn't tell me.

And as a By the Way My Dad used to be a Driver and he once worked a Anglo-Scottish sleeper into St Prancras instead of Euston arriving about 8.30 instead of 6.30, sorry correction arriving 20.30 instead of 06.30 14 hours down now that's what you call late!
Mind I'm sure FGW^▸ (First Great Western) could match that, if they put there mind to it.

Best thing FGW^▸ (First Great Western) can do BESIDES HAND BACK THE KEYS TO DFT^▸ (Department for Transport), IS SACK THEIR ROSTERING TEAM Most problems seem to be Train Crew Rostering, I've known Trains to Be Cancelled because of Shortage of Train Crew when the Cover turn man was sitting in the mess room awaiting instructions just yards from the cancelled train.
I also heard of a Driver from Depot A sitting in his cab in Station A waiting to leave when a Driver from Depot B has walked up to work the train and whilst they were trying to sort out who should work it a Driver from Depot C has turned up to work the same train, and he had been sent 100 odd miles by Taxi to work the train. With 3 drivers for one train it's a case of NO S**T SHERLOCK that there's a shortage of Train Crew. and it's the poor public that will end up paying for all these **** ups.

Sorry terminal Junkie the MN1203 battery is common in Europe but NOT in Britain.

If it is a Bardic Lamp it will say on the Left Hand side pat No 1042127, the Railway use Ever Ready AD28  battery's (Exide H1176) that are 4.5v but as Rare as ROCKING HORSE DROPPINGS in the high street.

However I have a Bardic (Used to work on the Great Central Steam Railway) and I once got a AD 28 battery at Boots the chemist.

If you Contact,

Chloride Bardic
Orton Southgate
Peterborough
PE2 0YG

Tele 01733 371714

they may be able to supply you with a battery cassette Part No 10/32 this plugs into the base of the Bardic lamp and takes 3 D size batteries (as common as muck)

Sure hope this helps

Oh lord I need help how do I know such things

Correct: Thats one down, 15 to go. That is one of the more common routes it can take.

Ten Hebrew Immigrants works out at that Awful place,

BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET

Do I get a Prize?

It's a fairly well known fact that on certain days around Brunels Birthday the Rising Sun shines right through Box Tunnel, but has anyone ever seen a photograph of this happening?

It might be FGW^▸ (First Great Western) longest journey, 9 hours down Sunday night/Monday Morning but talking to a Sleeper Host one night, He told me from Exeter St David's to London Paddington, He's known the Sleeper to take 16 different routes.

Try naming them all, and via Westbury or Westbury Avoiding Line counts as the same route.

Weymouth looks fab on the pics, but it's not the best place to get to by Train from the West, Now howzabout a Penzance-Weymouth service in the Summer. SOME HOPE.

Now that depends on the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company), Gatwick Express used to Run Boxing Day, not sure about these days,
and I have a feelig that GEX ran Buses on Christmas Day.