Asking for fares advice? Please read.

[whole diary]

[LiskeardRich]

A shame to see you go, especially on a bad note.

Hope to see you back when things calm down.

I'm assuming there maybe external issues as have seen several out-of character posts on several forums from BNM in recent weeks which have led to people on other forums thinking he may have failed the 'attitude test', so all the best in sorting things out as someone who's posts I've always respected. Apologies if I have come to the wrong conclusion.

[grahame]

My "Thank You" - an email, but I want the thanks in public

Dear [real name],

I'm going to re-iterate my thanks and sadness at your decison, Bignosemac, as you've done provided so much to the forum over the years. As well as the fares and other knowledge, you've brought a refeshing but different view of many aspects some of which we've haven't all agreed with - one of the strengths of the forum is the ability to disagree amiacably and learn each others viewpoint.

Something of a co-incidence, when your bombshell was posted I was sitting in a seminar about looking after volunteers. We're all volunteer contributors on the Coffee Shop in what we do. We all get volunteering / campainging fatigue, or have other things going on in our lives which lead us to say "I can't do this any more". But these things almost inevitably pass.

So please I suggest that we treat your decision to not contribute further as being an indeterminate suspension from what you've been doing, rather than a grand farewell? You'll be fully welcome back if you choose - next week, next month, next year.  Just let me or one of the admins know and we'll press the appropriate buttons within 24 hours.

The above is being posted as a public "thank you".

[snip] ...

[Adelante_CCT]

Whilst going slightly off topic, albeit with reference to the thread title, may I suggest to people out there who are looking for fares advice, or who are in need of any form of help regarding travelling on the railways, especially in the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) region, that they continue to post their queries on this forum.

Whilst bignosemac was (is) always very helpful and accommodating, I would just like to point out we have many other forum members who are also very knowledgeable and informative (me not usually included) and will always offer you the best possible advice they/we can.

[grahame]

Whilst going slightly off topic, albeit with reference to the thread title, may I suggest to people out there who are looking for fares advice, or who are in need of any form of help regarding travelling on the railways, especially in the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) region, that they continue to post their queries on this forum.

Whilst bignosemac was (is) always very helpful and accommodating, I would just like to point out we have many other forum members who are also very knowledgeable and informative (me not usually included) and will always offer you the best possible advice they/we can.

This thread has now become long enough to split onto two pages which in itself makes it less effective as a pinned "come here for advise" thread, and I'm going to take a look at re-jigging it to ensure the encouragement to ask remains as a strong message.

Edit to add I have posted a new (sticky) topic with a top article mentioning new things like the penalty fare regime change ... it's at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=17140.0 and should be the thread people find first in future.

[teamsaint]

sorry to hear BNM is leaving. a  real loss to the rest of us.

since I'm here, does anybody know of a way of dealing with the followingituation?
Southwest Trains offer cheap day returns, ( sometimes) which have to be bought by midnight the day before travel.
however, my nearest station doesn't have ticket machines, so I have to drive to another station to collect the ticket, and then board at my local station.
or as I have paid, am I entitled to travel and collect my ticket at my destination, for example.
Thanks.

( I bet bignosemac knows.....)

[grahame]

Southwest Trains offer cheap day returns, ( sometimes) which have to be bought by midnight the day before travel.
however, my nearest station doesn't have ticket machines, so I have to drive to another station to collect the ticket, and then board at my local station.

If you buy tickets ahead of time, the rules require them to be in your possession before you commence your journey.  Order sufficient time in advance, and you can have them posted to you.  Otherwise, collect them during a previous train journey or (yes) make a special trip.

Them's the rules, but at times discression / can prevail.  If you're making a short local hop and changing to a main line train, it's likely discression would be shown if you had a printout of your order - travelling (for example) from Dean to Waterloo with a change at Salisbury.  But you cannot (and really should not) rely on that.

[teamsaint]

Thanks Grahame.

That's what I assumed.