Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles

[whole diary]

[infoman]

I am trying to see where the incorrect information is,could you explain,thanks.

ITV West lunctime news on thursday 27 july saying about the opening of Portway station showed the location of the four track line at Ashley down.

Ah well some pictures are better than nothing.

[ChrisB]

Picture is of an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) - no chance on the SEvern Beach is there?

[rogerw]

The picture has now been changed to a turbo

[Red Squirrel]

Picture is of an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) - no chance on the SEvern Beach is there?

Er no. But then again... I've been down it on a Class 220. About 20 years ago Filton Abbey Wood was being remodelled and hourly trains were diverted via Henbury and the Severn Beach line.

[ChrisB]

The picture has now been changed to a turbo

Only after the question was asked & I posted my response to it. I checked before answering & it was still an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) then.

[Red Squirrel]

ChrisB's question led me to check the longest train that can be accommodated on the Severn Beach line (it's 5 cars, but I wanted to be sure). So I asked Google's AI tool Bard. It said:

The longest train that can be used on the Severn Beach Line is 650 meters (2,133 feet). This is the length of a Class 150 single-car diesel multiple unit (DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)), which is the type of train that is most commonly used on the line. The Severn Beach Line has a number of short platforms, so trains longer than 650 meters cannot be used.

In the past, there have been longer trains used on the Severn Beach Line. For example, in the 1960s, Class 117 DMUs were used on the line, and these trains are 750 meters (2,461 feet) long. However, these trains were too long for the platforms, so they had to be split in two at Severn Beach station.

I'm really sad that I missed the spectacle of a Class 117 being split in two at Severn Beach. I'm surprised no-one thought to take a photo of this.

[infoman]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) local news on Thursday evening announcing that the new portway would be opening on the 1st August,

shame it started with the disused rail line heading for portishead.

The turbo at Portway report came without the reporter being named,just shows how our public broadcaster is unaccountable.

[Bmblbzzz]

ChrisB's question led me to check the longest train that can be accommodated on the Severn Beach line (it's 5 cars, but I wanted to be sure). So I asked Google's AI tool Bard. It said:

The longest train that can be used on the Severn Beach Line is 650 meters (2,133 feet). This is the length of a Class 150 single-car diesel multiple unit (DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)), which is the type of train that is most commonly used on the line. The Severn Beach Line has a number of short platforms, so trains longer than 650 meters cannot be used.

In the past, there have been longer trains used on the Severn Beach Line. For example, in the 1960s, Class 117 DMUs were used on the line, and these trains are 750 meters (2,461 feet) long. However, these trains were too long for the platforms, so they had to be split in two at Severn Beach station.

I'm really sad that I missed the spectacle of a Class 117 being split in two at Severn Beach. I'm surprised no-one thought to take a photo of this.

But... if you asked about the line, not the stations, 650m might be a reasonable figure. How long is the "Binliner" for instance?

[TonyK]

ChrisB's question led me to check the longest train that can be accommodated on the Severn Beach line (it's 5 cars, but I wanted to be sure). So I asked Google's AI tool Bard. It said:

The longest train that can be used on the Severn Beach Line is 650 meters (2,133 feet). This is the length of a Class 150 single-car diesel multiple unit (DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)), which is the type of train that is most commonly used on the line. The Severn Beach Line has a number of short platforms, so trains longer than 650 meters cannot be used.

In the past, there have been longer trains used on the Severn Beach Line. For example, in the 1960s, Class 117 DMUs were used on the line, and these trains are 750 meters (2,461 feet) long. However, these trains were too long for the platforms, so they had to be split in two at Severn Beach station.

I'm really sad that I missed the spectacle of a Class 117 being split in two at Severn Beach. I'm surprised no-one thought to take a photo of this.

Either this AI's not all it's cracked up to be, or they use some very dodgy tape measures over there in the Fahrenheit Zone. It's more than a little out of date too. Using the less advanced Google maps suggests a usable platform length of about 79 metres. I trust that less than I trust Red Squirrel - a 5-car Turbo train would measure 117 metres.

[eightonedee]

Either this AI's not all it's cracked up to be, or they use some very dodgy tape measures over there in the Fahrenheit Zone.

I think the former Tony. Who else has spotted the new variety of class 150 (single-car?) it refers to?

[grahame]

Either this AI's not all it's cracked up to be, or they use some very dodgy tape measures over there in the Fahrenheit Zone.

I think the former Tony. Who else has spotted the new variety of class 150 (single-car?) it refers to?

I loved that carriage being 650 metres long ...

[Bob_Blakey]

More good work from 'Devon Live'; to illustrate their story concerning today's rail strike their 'journalists' thought it appropriate to use an image of a Scotrail Class 385 EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit).

[Red Squirrel]

Bit slow to spot this, but it's a good 'un:

Ashley Down Station: Works to begin on new rail route
12 January 2023

A new railway station just half-a-mile from the Seat Unique Stadium will connect Ashley Down to Bristol’s Temple Meads Station, Filton and Henbury.

The Ashley Down Station, which will be located on the site of the previous Ashley Hill Station, between Muller Road and Ashley Down Road, is due for construction between February 2023 and 2024.

The proposed new station at Ashley Down is part of a wider ‘MetroWest 2’ project, which will re-open the Henbury Line between Bristol Temple Meads and Henbury to passengers. The project is a partnership between West of England Combined Authority, Bristol City Council, Network Rail and Great Western Railways, and the new railway route is estimated to provide transport for up to 1.3 million people each year.

The Henbury Line will operate a half-hourly service and will provide a brand new form of transport for Gloucestershire Cricket supporters and Members on busy matchdays for the duration of the cricket season.

Will Brown, Chief Executive at Gloucestershire Cricket, said: “The Ashley Down Station will provide a much-needed additional mode of transport for people travelling to and from the Seat Unique Stadium in 2024 and beyond.

“It’s fantastic to see investment in the local infrastructure and we hope the new station will encourage visitors to use more sustainable methods of transport when coming to watch Gloucestershire.”

A completion date is yet to be confirmed, but the Ashley Down Station is expected to open to the public in 2024.

Source: Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

Can anyone identify where it was really taken?

[stuving]

Can anyone identify where it was really taken?

Ignoring Google, which of course insists it was Ashley Down, logically it should be Zwickau - but I can't see where.

[Red Squirrel]

Just had a look at Zwickau - looks big enough (what led you to it?) but I can't work out all the ironmongery in the background. Is it OHLE^▸ (Over-Head Line Equipment (electrification via catenary)), or a gasworks?