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All across the Great Western territory / Introductions and chat / Re: HMS Bristol: Last Falklands warship given send-off by veterans - 11 June 2025
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on: June 13, 2025, 11:45:25
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I was quite surprised it lasted in service as long as it did, I suspect it would have had a much earlier retirement without the Falklands losses.
She was used as the RN Cadet and Schools acquaint and accommodation as well as being used by the RN for training until recently, she sat on permanent mooring off of HMS Excellent (Whale Island) As a Sea Cadet adult volunteer I have spent many weekends and week living onboard HMS Bristol, sad to see her go I wouldn’t count any of the use after 1991 as actually ‘in service’ though. In the 1970s there were a number of harbour training ships in the Portsmouth area, eg Diamond at Priddys Hard, (for Sultan and Collingwood engineering trainees), and IIRC▸ Rame Head was used by the cadets at Excellent (followed by Kent, and I’m sure we didn’t considered any of them in service... |
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All across the Great Western territory / Introductions and chat / Re: HMS Bristol: Last Falklands warship given send-off by veterans - 11 June 2025
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on: June 12, 2025, 16:48:07
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Basically she was overtaken by events while in build, steam turbine main propulsion was about to be ruled out in surface ships in favour of all gas turbine.
The weapon and radar systems were effectively that of a Type 42 in a different hull, but in the details she had a unique Seadart missile handling system, she had no helicopter hangar, and retained the obsolescent Mortar Mk 10 for a long while until it was removed. There was also an Ikara anti submarine system that was mothballed quite early in the ship’s life.
I was quite surprised it lasted in service as long as it did, I suspect it would have had a much earlier retirement without the Falklands losses.
Paul
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All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: Driving licences and tests - ongoing discussion
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on: June 01, 2025, 19:16:51
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From the BBC» : Jodie Johnston, a driving instructor in Exeter, likens booking a test to the infamous annual scramble to buy tickets for Glastonbury Festival - and says some learners in London, where demand can be even higher, are travelling 200 miles to take their tests in Devon. "It's easier to pass a test than book a test at the moment," adds Ali Slade, a driving instructor in Farnham.
My niece in Surrey found it quicker to get a test in Portsmouth. Apparently a few of her school friends have done the same. In my teens when learning, people from Newcastle would head 35 miles up the road to Alnwick for their test. They got the same licence, but there were no traffic lights or roundabouts to navigate.  My cousin emigrated to the USA in the 80s before taking her first test somewhere in the deep south. It consisted of something like driving a loop around a residential block and then reversing successfully into a side road. She reckoned it was far easier than a British cycling proficiency test… |
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Journey by Journey / London to the Cotswolds / Re: Through Fares from Cotswold line stations to Chiltern Stations
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on: May 26, 2025, 19:18:26
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It’s about time fares managers were tasked well in advance to determine the impact of new routes, and setup necessary fares prior to opening.
What are the odds they’ll be taken completely by surprise by EWR▸ ’s opening, there’ll be a significant number of obvious new routes become available.
Didn’t some journeys around the same area, eg from South of Oxford, generate a route via Banbury rather than Oxford Parkway?
Paul
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Where was Finn today, 15th May 2025?
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on: May 20, 2025, 20:45:40
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Taunton 5and13 Cheddon Fitzpaine ?...
Ding ding ding. We have a winner! Quite why it's called 'Taunton 5 and 13' I've no idea. Also listed as 'Taunton 5/13'. I thought perhaps it was a distance from a certain point, perhaps the station. But 5 chains and 13 yards is only 369ft. The station is about 3000ft away. 5 Furlongs and 13 yards would be 3339 ft. 5 furlongs and 13 chains would be 4158 ft. Just seems to be the local authority code for the footpath, their definitive map shows loads of footpath lengths with a similar format, the other side of the river is T5/13B. Here’s a link to the map, although such links often fail for a subsequent attempt: https://roam.somerset.gov.uk/roam/map |
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Journey by Journey / Heart of Wessex / Re: Stop orders as cover for cancelled services
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on: April 28, 2025, 20:52:29
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It makes sense to add "stop" orders and indeed to call diverted trains during engineering works at various stations.
It does happen - as an example, during the recent closure of the St Denys to Fareham line, the SWR» Romsey 6 was pulled between Southampton and Romsey via Eastleigh, with the diverted long distance Cardiff to Portsmouth train making the calls at Chandlers Ford which would otherwise have been unserved.
From what I’ve seen over the years that’s been the routine used since Chandlers Ford first reopened. It was a standard diversion for the Portsmouth - Cardiff trains already, I don’t think the line itself had ever closed to passenger traffic. Paul |
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Nottingham to Bristol TM open access service proposed
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on: April 03, 2025, 11:55:31
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The DfT» explicitly ruled out ‘cross-country type’ services via EWR▸ , this was done before the TWA▸ process got going, and is mentioned in the TWA inspector’s report. The same section of the report included removing through services from EWR into Marylebone via Princes Risbrough and High Wycombe.
I’m surprised this proposal has come up, I’d assumed EWR’s own proposals including future Cambridge extensions use up all the designed paths.
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All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Re: [OTD] Senior Railcard launched 1st April 1975
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on: April 02, 2025, 09:57:04
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I was paid cash in hand, by the foreman down in the pub on a Friday afternoon, at one of my first jobs. Quite extraordinary now when I think back to it. And certainly remember £1 notes.
More on topic, I have a physical card, so renew it each year at the ticket office. I did have a 3 year card until you had to have that on a phone, and reverted back to an annual card. Happy to pay the extra for that to help keep the ticket office open.
I have a plastic 3 year senior card issued only last July, has that been changed since then? |
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