GWR bans surfboards from IET services

[whole diary]

[Celestial]

I notice that if you go onto the Boardmasters site, under rail travel it links to a still live GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) page for 2018 (and which of course makes no comment about not allowing surfboards).  Admittedly that does say reservations are required, but it's a bit misleading and at a quick glance people may not realise it's out of date.

It does talk about the investment in more trains, more seats and faster journeys though.

Maybe there should be a new GWR page for Boardmasters 2019.

"Sorry, we don't welcome you any more, despite having more trains and more seats, as we promised last year. Why not increase your carbon emissions and go by road this year. You're too much of an inconvenience to us."

[grahame]

Putting Boardmasters aside for a moment, Newquay doesn't seem to be very much on the radar at other times. Here we are in half term week, and cancellations mean that after the 13:05 departure, there are no further trains until the 19:21 arrival. Down to Staff Shortage; all main line trains running OK including the extras added into the timetable as from last week.  The railways are mass transit ... and secondary routes, special needs groups and specialist events  need, I'm afraid, to blow their trumpets and pick up megaphones to be heard sometimes above the £££ signs of profit and loss as main line traffic works or doesn't.

[Kernowman]

As a matter of interest, I followed up by looking at the schedules for the London to Newquay services that remain available for those with Surfboards (night sleeper train connecting to local). See attachments to this post. A daily service; London to Newquay connection is awful with a 2 and a half hour wait at Par.  On the way back, it's a 30 minute connection.

And Saturdays are even worse. The sad irony of the Newquay branch is that on Saturdays it's the least surfboard friendly of all of the Cornish Branchlines, on Saturdays it has seven services each way and three of those are Voyagers and two are IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train), leaving you with just two surfboard-friendly services, Thus:

Par - Newquay   Newquay - Par
8.19 -  9.09          9.40  -  10.27   Voyager     
9.54  - 10.47        11.28 - 12.22    IET
11.45 - 12.39       13.22 - 14.11    Castle Class HST^▸ (High Speed Train)
13.36 - 14.29       15.35  - 16.22   Voyager
15.48 - 16.47       17.28 - 18.20    IET
17.45 - 18.39       19.00 - 19.48    Voyager
20.23 - 21.15       21.18 - 22.06    Class 150


The first one up the branch that you can do with a surfboard is the Castle class HST at 11.45 - a whopping 5 hours and 10 minutes wait at Par off the down sleeper!









 

[grahame]

Par - Newquay   Newquay - Par
8.19 -  9.09          9.40  -  10.27   Voyager     
9.54  - 10.47        11.28 - 12.22    IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train)
11.45 - 12.39       13.22 - 14.11    Castle Class HST^▸ (High Speed Train)
13.36 - 14.29       15.35  - 16.22   Voyager
15.48 - 16.47       17.28 - 18.20    IET
17.45 - 18.39       19.00 - 19.48    Voyager
20.23 - 21.15       21.18 - 22.06    Class 150

Somewhat off topic, I recall someone who was (at the time) way my senior bemoaning the end of steam, giving the reason that it took all the variety out of trains and made them all boring and the same.  Similar grumps at the removal of diesel loco hauled services.   I see a tremendous (lack of!!) consistency to Newquay!!

[lordgoata]

Indeed. Rather like the full size bicycle ban on local services to and from Paddington during the peak, which I have never seen enforced.

I did, once at Reading. The chap with the bike went absolutely berserk, forced his way on anyway, refused to get off, was screaming at the platform staff. Train was delayed while they tried to get him off and eventually gave up. Quite honestly, I had never seen anything like it.

[Kernowman]

I note that in recent years the 10.03 Paddington to Penzance HST^▸ (High Speed Train) (Cornish Riviera) has, at busy times around Christmas and on some Summer Saturdays, been formed of 9 coaches with the addition of an extra TGS for extra luggage. I believe that the Summer Saturday 11.35 Paddington to Newquay HST (Atlantic Coast Express) has also been load 9 on occasions with the addition of an extra TGS. It will be interesting to see how these services cope this Summer.

[The Tall Controller]

Not really in recent years from my observations at least. I don't recall seeing many (if any 9 car HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train)) specifically for Summer diagrams in the last 5-6 years. Happy to be proved wrong though.

Except for Boardmasters, the Newquay summer trains aren't too busy these days.

[mjray]

Indeed. Rather like the full size bicycle ban on local services to and from Paddington during the peak, which I have never seen enforced.

I did, once at Reading. The chap with the bike went absolutely berserk, forced his way on anyway, refused to get off, was screaming at the platform staff. Train was delayed while they tried to get him off and eventually gave up. Quite honestly, I had never seen anything like it.

I hope they called ahead and had the police waiting for him at Paddington. I sometimes travel with a bike and while I think there should be decent bike spaces (which I'd pay a reasonably-priced supplement for, like abroad), there's not much excuse for forcing a full-size bike onto a peak time train under a fairly well-advertised ban.

[Kernowman]

Not really in recent years from my observations at least. I don't recall seeing many (if any 9 car HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train)) specifically for Summer diagrams in the last 5-6 years. Happy to be proved wrong though.

Except for Boardmasters, the Newquay summer trains aren't too busy these days.

Well I know that the down Riviera (10.06 Pad to Pz) on the 21st December 2017 was load 9 because I was on it. Staff at Paddington were advising passengers for Plymouth with large luggage to put it in the additional TGS (which was being used for luggage only, not for travelling in). As for the last time the Summer Saturdays Paddington - Newquay was load 9, I'm not sure, a thread on RailUK Forums entitled 'HST 8 or 9 coach' mentions it being load 9 in 2015 with the extra TGS being labelled 'Coach X' and being used for surfboards, suitcases etc.

As far as 2018 is concerned I'm not sure but I don't expect anything was load 9 in 2018 as GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) would of probably wanted to 'manage expectations' for when the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) arrive.

As far as passenger numbers go for the Newquay branch, I'm not sure but I thought that they were pretty healthy, in fact I think I read somewhere that Cornwall County Council want to introduce another passing loop on the branch in order to increase the number of local services on the branch. A pretty good idea really for all travellers, local and long-distance, and especially when you consider that on a Summer Saturday there is only two trains each way that you can (officially) take a surfboard on. And also at the moment there is no reasonable connection off the down sleeper (the 'surfboard train') on any day, although running an early morning service wouldn't require a passing loop, just the will and finance to do so, but it would also be useful to commuters and early morning surf and non-surfboard travellers. 

[Reginald25]

Sorry for my lack of knowledge. TGS ? 'load 9' ? Thanks. R25

[Kernowman]

Sorry for my lack of knowledge. TGS ? 'load 9' ? Thanks. R25

TGS ... Trailer Guard Standard (Mark 3 coach type) - Basically the coach with the Guard's van at one end
Load 9 - A train with 9 coaches

Best KM

[Kernowman]

I saw a big poster at Tottenham Court Road Tube station last week of the Famous Five watching surfers at, what appears to be, Dawlish, with an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) in the background, hmm.

I tried to paste a photo of it on here but couldn't work out how to do it! 

[TonyK]

I saw a big poster at Tottenham Court Road Tube station last week of the Famous Five watching surfers at, what appears to be, Dawlish, with an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) in the background, hmm.

I tried to paste a photo of it on here but couldn't work out how to do it! 

It's on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s website too, headed "Five have lashings of fun in the sun", rather than my own preference of "Five leave their surfboards at Paddington". I can't copy it from there, and would probably sour relations with the company if I tried.

[Kernowman]

I saw a big poster at Tottenham Court Road Tube station last week of the Famous Five watching surfers at, what appears to be, Dawlish, with an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) in the background, hmm.

I tried to paste a photo of it on here but couldn't work out how to do it! 

It's on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s website too, headed "Five have lashings of fun in the sun", rather than my own preference of "Five leave their surfboards at Paddington". I can't copy it from there, and would probably sour relations with the company if I tried.

  Ha ha! - or 'Five travel light' or 'Five prepare for a long journey by taking their own food with them'

[FarWestJohn]

And five cushions.