08:02 Frome - Bristol Parkway Service (A Rant)

[whole diary]

[thetrout]

I can go one better than that one BNM i'm afraid...!

I was with my friend a couple of months back, we decided to go out to a nightclub in Bristol and catch the 05:30 back to Bath...! Whilst we were down near the Hippodrome (sp?) about 3:00AM having a veggie burger and chips We spotted a complete and utter fool dropping his trousers against a wall when he was less than 10 metres away from a Portaloo... Just what you want to see when you're eating...!

Some people... Jeez...

[dviner]

This trains delays seem to get dumped down to either a signal failure or non maintenance of a flail strip.
What the hell is a flail strip?

An area of up to 5 metres from the running rail which is clear of foliage (so it doesn't "flail" any services passing through that area). This is distinct from "gauge", which (I believe) is more to do with hard structures.

Somehow, I wouldn't want to be flailed by a bridge. 

[tramway]

Not that I wish to go on about this... But the 18:28 Trowbridge - Weymouth was delayed by 45 minutes today...

Quite a few problems, incl cancellations on Fri steming from I've been told cable theft in the Tunnel Junction area.

[thetrout]

I boared the 08:02 at Frome this morning. The train was on time

However it was a 2 car 158. Except the rear coach had no lighting... As Frome station has a canopy this made being able to see rather awkward. But this isn't my concern.

The 08:02 starts at Weymouth. So would have started it's journey during the hours of darkness (This morning it was still dark at 07:30 when I left home). Surely this is a safety issue?!

Interestingly enough I didn't think it was a train fault as you could see the light was on in the rear cab as you could see it shining through the bottom of the cab door as I got on. However when the guard who was at the front of the train came to the rear coach and completed a "Tickets from Frome" check, they switched on the lighting just before arrival into Westbury

[super tm]

So by the sound of it the guard was in the front coach.  When he came to the back coach he found the lights had gone off so he turned them back on again.  If you feel this was a safety issue may I suggest next time you find the guard and tell them about it ?

[thetrout]

You're right super tm, I could have got the guard who was indeed at the front of the train. I'm probably a little OTT^▸ (Open Train Times website) on the safety side of things (It's something i've had hammered into me since a young age, as my Dad is a Safety Director) and for that I apologise.

But I was more worried at the fact a stepped on some poor sod's foot as I couldn't see what I was doing properly - hence my comment

[Mookiemoo]

Now, going up to the end of the platform to micturate is just about acceptable, but to evacuate ones bladder in full view of a dozen or so people is, in my humble opinion, a tad unacceptable.

And if I had the need and had to squat?

Sorry - its double standards