Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 10:35 29 Mar 2024
* Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
* Easter getaway begins with flood alerts in place
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
09:00 Gatwick Airport to Reading
09:46 Westbury to Swindon
10:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
10:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
11:05 Swindon to Westbury
11:29 Newbury to Bedwyn
11:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
12:17 Westbury to Swindon
12:52 Bedwyn to Newbury
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
06:37 Plymouth to London Paddington
07:03 London Paddington to Paignton
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
09:30 Weymouth to Gloucester
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
Delayed
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
10:00 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 10:43:31 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[132] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[56] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[52] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[51] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[46] Return of the BRUTE?
[32] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: A day in the life of ... 2018  (Read 1816 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40691



View Profile WWW Email
« on: January 05, 2018, 21:27:20 »

I caught the train from Melksham today at 14:29 ... my first journey of the year apart from a 10 minute ride from Chippenham to Melksham yesterday.  I've read the data coming through my feeds - keen to see how it was on the ground and here user reactions.

Just 4 cars in the car park as I walked down station approach.  Alarming; I would expect to see most of the spaces filled on a Monday to Friday, but then of the two morning trains to Swindon, one had been 35 minutes late and the other cancelled,  A fortunate accident indeed that the 35 minute delay on one had put it just a few minutes behind the path of the other.

14:29 at Melshkam to Swindon ... +6 -3 -> 22  25/9

Ah well - one of the quieter runs on any day; can't grumble too much

Chippenham - with the station upgrade, Steamers have been pushed into an inadequate temporary hole ... still a good cup of coffee, even if my appetite wasn't appeased by a slim selection of packeted snacks.  They're scheduled to be in their refurbed place on 22nd, thank goodness.

Met up with my visitor, touring a number of Community Rail lines this week; he reports trains he's familiar with using being quieter than normal, and that other CRPs (Community Rail Partnership) suggest the same on their lines; still a thin week at the tail of the Christmas period.

15:35 from Chippenham.  Left with 43; -12 +7 at Melksham 50/19

16:21 from Westbury. -9 +6 -> 32 at Melksham  41/15

17:36 from Swindon. 80 into Melksham.  -30 +8  88/38

All rather better than I had expected.  A great deal changed; a 2 car 158, single door at Melksham (and that was slowing it down!). Other trains that weren't the norm seen at Swindon.  Barriers - though not yet in use - at Chippenham. Complete absence of printed tiemtables from the literarure racks at Swindon (and I sis not venture to ticket offices elsewhere).  Westbury train leaving from a different platform at Swindon.

Some things still the same.  The quick journey when compared to travelling any other way.  The TVM (Ticket Vending Machine) out of order.  Newcomers looking lost and needing help. The smiling faces and tales told by those I have met before.

Turns out the departure board at Melksham had just said "delayed" for the 07:19 during the morning's problems, and a couple of folks with cars had offered lifts to others who were concerned.  Helping out in adversity. Ah - I love the community rail thing!

Some pictures ... no prizes for guessing these - they're all pretty close to home.  But virtually every one is a picture that would have been different a month ago - that's how much is a-changing!


.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
tomL
Transport Scholar
Sr. Member
******
Posts: 212


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2018, 23:37:32 »

Something seems a bit off about 8, pretty sure its Swindon though  Grin
Logged

grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40691



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2018, 05:05:02 »

Something seems a bit off about 8, pretty sure its Swindon though  Grin

Yes - Swindon, where time is a moving feast ...



It never ceases to amaze me how the software that drives these displays seems to be missing a final piece of logic that does some rudimentary checks and says "are we saying something that make sense here?".  Even though they must get their feed from the same sources that drive signals, they seem to poles apart in terms of getting it right every time ...

With the TransWilts up in principle from 1 to 2 carriages this week, and the Golden Valley service up from 2 to 3, the bay at Swindon can't hold the 17:36 (Westbury) and the 17:54 (Cheltenham Spa) departures at the same time, so the 17:36 TransWilts is leaving from platform 1.  Seems to work with London services calling at platform 3 during the TransWilts layover.   For 2019, the TransWilts will be back in the bay as the Golden Valley will be served by through trains from London.  Perhaps at a later date TransWilts will be class 769 which won't fit in the bay, or will be calling at Platform 4 on its way through from Oxford ... we have a real moveable feast here!
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
RA
Transport Scholar
Sr. Member
******
Posts: 201


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2018, 11:29:30 »

With the TransWilts up in principle from 1 to 2 carriages this week, and the Golden Valley service up from 2 to 3, the bay at Swindon can't hold the 17:36 (Westbury) and the 17:54 (Cheltenham Spa) departures at the same time, so the 17:36 TransWilts is leaving from platform 1.  Seems to work with London services calling at platform 3 during the TransWilts layover.   For 2019, the TransWilts will be back in the bay as the Golden Valley will be served by through trains from London.  Perhaps at a later date TransWilts will be class 769 which won't fit in the bay, or will be calling at Platform 4 on its way through from Oxford ... we have a real moveable feast here!
Although not normally required, If need be to free up a through platform at Swindon there are a couple of shunts that the unit for the 17:36 departure can do. A choice of shunting out on the Up Kemble or Down Kemble lines (behind signals SW1310 or SW1312) or the one that seems to be more favourable with the signallers is to shunt out on the Up Swindon Reception line (behind Ground Position Light SW6521). Both of these give the option of being routed back to either platform 1 or 3 (SW1310 platform 1 only), allowing a bit of flexibility if the London services are a bit awry.
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page