Santa Special - 4th December - with connections from Salisbury and Bristol

[whole diary]

[grahame]

17:20 from Melksham.  8 pound adult, 4 pounds child.  Santa will be on the regular TransWilts service which (Thank you, FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) will be rather longer than usual.  Price includes Melksham to Swindon and back rail travel, presents for the children, mince pies and soft drinks and there may be another surprise or two too. Organised by the Melksham Railway Development Group (of which I'm vice chair); our chair generously gives a glass of wine to adults on the trip - Thank You, Peter.

Further details here

Prebooking necessary, since Santa has to know who's coming along for their presents, and MRDG^» (Melksham Railway Development Group - about) has to ensure that everyone on the train's going to be comfortable rather than crammed.   The link says "Melksham TIC^▸ (Tourist Information Centre)" for booking - yes, but if you send me a message / email (graham@wellho.net) I can get tickets for you if you want to come and see the TransWilts and you're from out of the area.

Example connections ...

16:15 from Bristol Temple Meads, change at Trowbridge
On return, change at Trowbridge and get to Bristol for 19:39

16:28 from Salisbury, change at Trowbridge
On return, change at Trowbridge and get to Salisbury at 19:32

16:48 from Warminster, change at Trowbridge
On return, change at Trowbridge and get to Warminster at 19:05

16:53 from Dilton Marsh, change at Trowbridge
On return, get to Dilton Marsh at 19:56

Additional fares to Melksham - please buy on the day.  Note that offpeak tickets, and usual railcards and other regular deals will be available.

[grahame]

Tickets almost sold out - I have just 2 adults and 2 children's tickets left.   The TIC^▸ (Tourist Information Centre) has sold out.

3 car set diagrammed for us (thank, you FGW^▸ (First Great Western)). Half of the MRDG^» (Melksham Railway Development Group - about) team will be on from Wesbury, and  150 people (customers plus the rest of the MRDG team) will be joining this train at Melksham 

[grahame]

Melksham station currently has 10,000 passenger journeys per year - thats half a journey for every person who live in the town.   Trowbridge station has 650,000 passenger journeys per year - that's almost 20 journeys for every person who lives in the town.  And at Chippenham station there are almost 60 journeys per year for each person who lives in the town.    If Melksham station was just half as popular as Trowbridge, helped by an appropriate service of 10 trains each way per day, over 30 people would get on or off every train that called at Melksham. And if Melksham station was as popular as Chippenham, every train would be used by more people than you see in the Santa photo.

More pictures and report   http://wellho.info/3538

[JayMac]

Wow! Well done and Merry Christmas to all those involved in organising the 'Santa Special'.

[bobm]

I agree - well done to all.  Although the despatcher on Platform 4 at Reading (narrowed due to building work) would have a fit - she spends all day urging people down a megaphone to "stand behind the yellow line" - but then of course they get a fair few more trains!!

[Brucey]

I don't think Melksham even has a yellow line...

An excellent turnout.  I had to look twice to double check the photograph was actually Melksham!  Hopefully FGW^▸ (First Great Western) (and future franchise holders) will look to events like this when planning service levels on the TransWilts.

[grahame]

I don't think Melksham even has a yellow line...

It hasn't    ... this shows where it "should" be:



but what we were doing on Sunday was telling people to keep on the tarmac behind the stone slabs.   Once we had word that the train was on its way from Trowbridge, there was no prospect of a stone train or diverted 125 going through and creating suction.

An excellent turnout.  I had to look twice to double check the photograph was actually Melksham!  Hopefully FGW^▸ (First Great Western) (and future franchise holders) will look to events like this when planning service levels on the TransWilts.

We showed this year we can do this sort of thing, week in, week out with a Sunday morning train at 08:45 too, up to the capacity of the station / train / how many people Santa can see.  Maximum loading at Melksham was over 100 (31st July);  maximum loading from north of Westbury was just under 400 (28th August).  We cut back on advertising to avoid selling "seats" we simply didn't have, and we lost some traffic from Melksham due to bad press caused by overcrowding to FGW rush-hour levels, and conditions at Weymouth station which some passengers felt that it was too crowded on the platforms to be safe.

P.S.  We were having to shout to people to move down the platform to let more people on through the gate 

[Chris from Nailsea]

I don't think Melksham even has a yellow line...

It hasn't    ... this shows where it "should" be:

I recognize that tape measure! 

(And I'll chase up the painting of that 'missing line' ...  )

[inspector_blakey]

I think the yellow line is only required if the linespeed is above a certain threshold, although I don't recall the number.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I agree - it's only 'required' above a certain line speed.

However, it can still be used, if appropriate on smaller platforms and on local lines, as an easily defined 'limit' to ask people to stand behind, for their own safety: we've used the principle on the Severn Beach Line.

[Brucey]

I believe (from what I can remember) that a yellow line at 1000mm is mandatory for linespeeds of more than 100mph.  I don't believe there is any requirement for a line at lower speeds.

Alternatively, a line like this one could be provided ... http://districtdave.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=londonoverground&thread=15757&page=1

[Chris from Nailsea]

I believe (from what I can remember) that a yellow line at 1000mm is mandatory for linespeeds of more than 100mph.  I don't believe there is any requirement for a line at lower speeds.

1.25 metres - hence the setting on my tape measure, which I used as an illustration at Melksham during a safety briefing ... 

[paul7575]

Sometimes it's important that you stand between the yellow lines...

http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2008/07/stand-behind-yellow-line.html

On a more serious point, the current group standards do only require yellow lines for speeds greater than 100 mph for passenger trains, however if there are passing freight trains (because of the increased turbulence) the relevant speed becomes 60 mph.  So many stations will have them for freights, rather than high speed passenger trains.   

Paul