The image at the top left of the page

[whole diary]

[devon_metro]

1606 Paddington - Penzance I *believe* is running today on one engine!!!

I can't really see those 142s going back in October? The 150/143 refresh will take a while to complete and Devon can't do without those 5 units as passenger numbers seem excessivly high since their introduction.

[Phil]

grahame's map is starting to look like the met office radar with all the different colours appearing!

It was reminding me of a 1970s style nail and string picture... please tell me I'm not the only one old enough to remember those awful things....

[Timmer]

It was reminding me of a 1970s style nail and string picture... please tell me I'm not the only one old enough to remember those awful things....

Its ok Phil I know what you are talking about

[Btline]

Just goes to show what great pieces of engineering they really are 

Hear hear! Unlike the trash that is being built at the moment. I wonder how reliable the Javelins will be...

[Timmer]

Just goes to show what great pieces of engineering they really are 

Hear hear! Unlike the trash that is being built at the moment. I wonder how reliable the Javelins will be...

You really do start to wonder if the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) will ever be retired! What a sad day that will be when it does finally happen.

[Btline]

Just goes to show what great pieces of engineering they really are 

Hear hear! Unlike the trash that is being built at the moment. I wonder how reliable the Javelins will be...

You really do start to wonder if the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) will ever be retired! What a sad day that will be when it does finally happen.

But preserved lines will get hold of them - if just for some more slam door carriages!

<thinks> HSTs going up the Severn Valley Line! </thinks>

[grahame]

<thinks> HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) going up the Severn Valley Line! </thinks>

I seem to recall an HST in Minehead, on the West Somerset.

Don't know if you noticed my piece on how the railways might look in the South West in 25 years time, but I still had the HSTs (in a rebuilt form) running.   A number of other outlandish / provocative / thought provoking things in there - but HSTs still running might not be beyond the bounds of possibility.   How long did the 1938 tube stock survive on the Ryde to Shanklin line 

[Btline]

Having the image above just shows how poorly FGW^▸ (First Great Western) operate.

Pretty much every main route/area has a problem all the time!

[grahame]

Having the image above just shows how poorly FGW^▸ (First Great Western) operate.

Pretty much every main route/area has a problem all the time!

Yes ... I would much rather see something like this:



which is a status report from just a few minutes ago; there will always be an incident or two without a disporoprtionate investment in spare people, spare lines and spare trains ...

[grahame]

Thanks to those of you who voted in the poll ... a clear majority in favour of the present frequent updates so it will stay as it is, although I'm mindful of the comment received about download speed and bandwidth that lead me to ask the question in the first place.

[swlines]

I don't think the poll options were really that brilliant really - I would rather see it update every 10 minutes (and therefore stay relatively up to date (I doubt you fetch the page as often as every 5 minutes?)) than see it reload upon every page load - which for anyone on dialup is dire.

[IndustryInsider]

Would it be possible to have two maps? Perhaps one showing serious disruption and cancellations, the other showing the more annoying rather than delay implicating issues such as short-forms, catering shortfalls etc.,

Also, appreciating the programming implications and the fact that certain services do get from A to B via different routes, would it be possible to have common waypoints inserted where appropriate so that it looks a little more 'lifelike'? For example London>Penzance services being plotted via Exeter and Plymouth and Malvern>Weymouth services being plotted via Bristol and Westbury.

You should be applauded for taking the time to try and produce this graph though, Graham.

[grahame]

Many thanks for those inputs - all good ideas and some easier to implement that others - but some drawbacks too.

Yes, I would like to provide a way of telling much more easily the serious issues, which I think I would define as a service not being provided at all to at least one station on the scheduled run of a train - so emphasising cancellations, short workings, and stops being skipped.  As for it being a second diagram - that's a possible but I think I may have a more effective way and I'm working on it.

Geographic - I HAVE been doing some experiments, but there are a range of issues that remain a concern. The answer is "I will, if I can resolve the issues"; if you want to see what I have managed so far:



and that is OLD data and will not change if you refresh this page.   The colouring of different issues is simply something I took out for simplicity while experimenting,  but you'll see I have a few problems around places like Didcot, Trowbridge and Bristol, and I know of further possible problems at Totnes, and a few others.   And the other thing I need to be very sure of is that I don't commit myself (or anyone) to any form of manual process, but rely on automated publicly available and robustly presented data that I can leigimately use.

P.S.  I don't mink having to add in new locations from time to time as FGW^▸ (First Great Western) restarts services to Tavistock and Portishead.

Interersting you mention London to Penzance showing via Exeter and Plymouth ... the question comes further up into making sure that they show via Westbury or via Bristol as appropriate.

[oooooo]

(link below)

[oooooo]

I think the mods and whoever update the shite map need to get a life.....