Recent Public Posts
| A significant day ... for squirrels, anyway ;-) Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 01:44, 21st January 2025 |      |
With some hesitation, I post here that today is ... erm ... squirrel appreciation day.
My learned friend Red Squirrel here on the Coffee Shop forum is obviously of our native variety, rather than those invasive grey tree rat intruders - although the author of that post, from the USA, interestingly chooses to illustrate it with an image of a red squirrel.
Please, have a good day, all red squirrels!
| The English village with links to five US presidents - Barton St David, Somerset Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 00:30, 21st January 2025 | |
Our small claim to fame - from the BBC:
"John Adams? Good luck!"
That's the line spoken by King George in the record-breaking musical Hamilton after Adams becomes the second US president in 1797, beating his eventual successor Thomas Jefferson. His place in American history is an important one, as one of the Founding Fathers, the first White House resident, an early campaigner against slavery and the first vice-president. But did you know he has a direct link to a small village in Somerset?
Barton St David is about five miles south of Glastonbury and 12 miles north of Yeovil. It has a population of about 600 people and a church which dates back to the 12th Century. And it was here, in 1583, where Henry Adams was born - the great, great, great grandfather of John Adams, and the great, great, great, great grandfather of John Quincy Adams - the sixth president of the US.
"Henry Adams was born in Barton St David, although there is a bit of a dispute about where he basically was," said Rob Butt, a member of the village's history club. "He was a tenant farmer and farmed lands both here and in Charlton Mackrell. There would have been more important people than him in Barton."
Mr Butt told BBC Radio Somerset how an early historical record showed Adams was once taken to court by a landowner for failure to pay a debt of animals upon his father's death in Barton St David.
He later emigrated to the US, along with other puritan pilgrims, perhaps as a result of the catholic practices being reintroduced by King Charles I, Mr Butt said. Adams settled in Braintree, Massachusetts, which was named after the town in Essex where he had also lived during his time in England.
Mr Butt said: "There is a plaque [in the church], and the most interesting thing is that we get various requests from America for people who are related to the Adams family. We've got the visitor book with various people with the surname Adams which have signed in... to come and look at the plaque which celebrates these two men."
Presidents Calvin Coolidge, William Howard Taft and Millard Filmore all had links to Somerset
But the links to Barton St David do not stop with John Adams and John Quincy Adams. "Henry Adams married someone called Edith Squire," Mr Butt explained, adding: "She was the daughter of Henry Squire, who was the son of a reverend, William Squire of Charlton Mackrell. Edith and Henry Adams... through another son of theirs, after 12 generations, we get Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States."
Edith Adams' sister, Anne Squire, married Aquilla Purchase, with a lineage that leads to Millard Fillmore, the 13th president. Another sister, Margaret Squire, married a man called John Shephard, and their family tree guides to William Howard Taft - the 27th president. It means this small corner of Somerset can claim to have the second, sixth, 13th, 27th and 30th presidents of the US traced back to it - and its nearby reverend.
That's the line spoken by King George in the record-breaking musical Hamilton after Adams becomes the second US president in 1797, beating his eventual successor Thomas Jefferson. His place in American history is an important one, as one of the Founding Fathers, the first White House resident, an early campaigner against slavery and the first vice-president. But did you know he has a direct link to a small village in Somerset?
Barton St David is about five miles south of Glastonbury and 12 miles north of Yeovil. It has a population of about 600 people and a church which dates back to the 12th Century. And it was here, in 1583, where Henry Adams was born - the great, great, great grandfather of John Adams, and the great, great, great, great grandfather of John Quincy Adams - the sixth president of the US.
"Henry Adams was born in Barton St David, although there is a bit of a dispute about where he basically was," said Rob Butt, a member of the village's history club. "He was a tenant farmer and farmed lands both here and in Charlton Mackrell. There would have been more important people than him in Barton."
Mr Butt told BBC Radio Somerset how an early historical record showed Adams was once taken to court by a landowner for failure to pay a debt of animals upon his father's death in Barton St David.
He later emigrated to the US, along with other puritan pilgrims, perhaps as a result of the catholic practices being reintroduced by King Charles I, Mr Butt said. Adams settled in Braintree, Massachusetts, which was named after the town in Essex where he had also lived during his time in England.
Mr Butt said: "There is a plaque [in the church], and the most interesting thing is that we get various requests from America for people who are related to the Adams family. We've got the visitor book with various people with the surname Adams which have signed in... to come and look at the plaque which celebrates these two men."
Presidents Calvin Coolidge, William Howard Taft and Millard Filmore all had links to Somerset
But the links to Barton St David do not stop with John Adams and John Quincy Adams. "Henry Adams married someone called Edith Squire," Mr Butt explained, adding: "She was the daughter of Henry Squire, who was the son of a reverend, William Squire of Charlton Mackrell. Edith and Henry Adams... through another son of theirs, after 12 generations, we get Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States."
Edith Adams' sister, Anne Squire, married Aquilla Purchase, with a lineage that leads to Millard Fillmore, the 13th president. Another sister, Margaret Squire, married a man called John Shephard, and their family tree guides to William Howard Taft - the 27th president. It means this small corner of Somerset can claim to have the second, sixth, 13th, 27th and 30th presidents of the US traced back to it - and its nearby reverend.
| Re: West Highland Railway 1960, A Day In The Life - BBC Archive Posted by Mark A at 22:42, 20th January 2025 | |
Will that be the London train on the other platform at Queen Street?
Mark
| Re: Bristol Bridge: Car ban to be made permanent Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:43, 20th January 2025 | |
To be fair, that is indeed a rather historic image, from Bristol City Council, apparently.
| Re: Bristol Bridge: Car ban to be made permanent Posted by grahame at 20:33, 20th January 2025 | |
Interesting that the picture shows it open!
| Re: Bristol Bridge: Car ban to be made permanent Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:23, 20th January 2025 | |
An update, from the BBC:
City bridge closed as final repairs get under way
Final adjustments will be carried out on a city centre bridge, following a recent £3m refurbishment.
Redcliffe Bascule Bridge in Bristol will be closed during those final repairs, between 09:30 GMT and 15:30 from 20-31 January.
Road users will need to follow the temporary diversion route across Bristol Bridge, while pedestrians and cyclists can use either Bristol Bridge or Prince Street Bridge.
Once this work has been finished, harbour staff will be trained on how to operate the bridge with its revised lifting system that allow larger boats to enter the Welsh Back area of the harbour.
Redcliffe Bascule Bridge was built in 1942 to link Queen's Square to the city centre. It is made up of two fixed spans and a lifting "bascule" span, which allows larger boats to enter Welsh Back, a wharf alongside the Floating Harbour.
Bristol City Council carried out the refurbishment of the bridge from 2022 to 2023, upgrading the mechanical and electrical elements of the bridge.
Final adjustments will be carried out on a city centre bridge, following a recent £3m refurbishment.
Redcliffe Bascule Bridge in Bristol will be closed during those final repairs, between 09:30 GMT and 15:30 from 20-31 January.
Road users will need to follow the temporary diversion route across Bristol Bridge, while pedestrians and cyclists can use either Bristol Bridge or Prince Street Bridge.
Once this work has been finished, harbour staff will be trained on how to operate the bridge with its revised lifting system that allow larger boats to enter the Welsh Back area of the harbour.
Redcliffe Bascule Bridge was built in 1942 to link Queen's Square to the city centre. It is made up of two fixed spans and a lifting "bascule" span, which allows larger boats to enter Welsh Back, a wharf alongside the Floating Harbour.
Bristol City Council carried out the refurbishment of the bridge from 2022 to 2023, upgrading the mechanical and electrical elements of the bridge.
| Re: Ryanair cutting 7 destinations for 2025 Posted by anthony215 at 19:54, 20th January 2025 | |
And they are increasing the Cardiff to Dublin route to daily except Wednesdays
| Re: West Highland Railway 1960, A Day In The Life - BBC Archive Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:48, 20th January 2025 | |
Thanks for that, JayMac.
Thirty minutes of fascinating railway history - well worth watching.
I liked the apparently inordinate amounts of atmospheric pollution, and the broad Scottish burrs from the locals in the commentary.
| Ryanair cutting 7 destinations for 2025 Posted by sheepbingo at 19:31, 20th January 2025 | |
From the Metro
Ryanair is making a huge change to its 2025 schedule, and it’s not good news for the more than 17 million Brits who love a holiday to Spain.
Due to ‘unjustified’ price hikes, the airline will be scrapping or reducing routes to seven Spanish destinations.
It will be stopping all flights to and from:
Jerez (Cádiz)
Vallodolid
It will also reduce flights in and out of:
Vigo
Santiago de Compostela
Zaragoza
Santander
Asturias
Due to ‘unjustified’ price hikes, the airline will be scrapping or reducing routes to seven Spanish destinations.
It will be stopping all flights to and from:
Jerez (Cádiz)
Vallodolid
It will also reduce flights in and out of:
Vigo
Santiago de Compostela
Zaragoza
Santander
Asturias
Lots more explanation of the spat between Ryanair and Aena, Spain’s state-controlled airport operator. The reasons for scrapping the flights may be wrong, but perhaps this might push at least a few people to look at rail or ferry alternatives.
| West Highland Railway 1960, A Day In The Life - BBC Archive Posted by JayMac at 19:09, 20th January 2025 | |
Just watched this little gem of a BBC documentary from 1960 about the operation of, and the people associated with, the West Highland Line from Glasgow to Mallaig.
Very atmospheric. I particularly like the random lineside stop to pick up children for their journey to school, with Mum equipped with a ladder!
| Re: Sunday crew shortages - 2025 Posted by Timmer at 18:57, 20th January 2025 | |
I’ll keep the inside information coming…
A temporary agreement has been reached for drivers for an enhancement on Sunday’s which means Sunday’s will join the current rest day work enhancement from next Sunday until the summer timetable change.
So time-and-a-half and a guaranteed payment of 9h30m, instead of time-and-a-quarter.
Should make a noticeable difference.
A temporary agreement has been reached for drivers for an enhancement on Sunday’s which means Sunday’s will join the current rest day work enhancement from next Sunday until the summer timetable change.
So time-and-a-half and a guaranteed payment of 9h30m, instead of time-and-a-quarter.
Should make a noticeable difference.
Great news. Thanks IndustryInsider.
| Re: Sunday crew shortages - 2025 Posted by IndustryInsider at 18:03, 20th January 2025 | |
Thank you, IndustryInsider, for that ... erm ... inside information. 
I’ll keep the inside information coming…
A temporary agreement has been reached for drivers for an enhancement on Sunday’s which means Sunday’s will join the current rest day work enhancement from next Sunday until the summer timetable change.
So time-and-a-half and a guaranteed payment of 9h30m, instead of time-and-a-quarter.
Should make a noticeable difference.
| Re: Millions of train tickets to be discounted next week Posted by Trowres at 17:33, 20th January 2025 | |
I'm not particularly optimistic about the Great British Railways revolution, but if it encouraged tickets and marketing to be a truly national thing instead of the current fragmented setup, it would be a good start.
Stupid that the offers from each station were almost entirely limited to the places served by the local TOC (or TOCS).
| Re: Westbury - engineering works from 24th December 2024 for 30 days Posted by Trowres at 17:22, 20th January 2025 | |
The Warwickshire Railways website is worth a visit for the historical text, but here are links to three photos (including the one I posted previously) showing that wherever one looked, the track layout was fascinating.
https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrbsh1182.htm
https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrbsh1747.htm
https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrbsh1777.htm
The station also featured a sector plate to provide a compact run-round solution!
https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/disused-stations-birmingham-snow-hill-station--845762004997314663/
| Re: Weymouth - station, facilities, improvements, events and incidents - merged posts Posted by Trowres at 16:46, 20th January 2025 | |
I think the trouble with Weymouth is that despite it being one of our nicer seaside towns, the area round the station is not very nice at all.
Every time I’ve been there I’ve always felt there was a threatening atmosphere and if you provide toilets at the station they will be routinely vandalised unless you spend a disproportional amount on security to keep out the undesirables.
The best approach would be to improve the general area first, which isn’t within the scope of the railway of course.
Every time I’ve been there I’ve always felt there was a threatening atmosphere and if you provide toilets at the station they will be routinely vandalised unless you spend a disproportional amount on security to keep out the undesirables.
The best approach would be to improve the general area first, which isn’t within the scope of the railway of course.
What do you consider is responsible for the threatening atmosphere? You mention "undesirables", but what attracts these people to this one, small, area of Weymouth?
| Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles Posted by Witham Bobby at 15:40, 20th January 2025 | |
The thought of 13 hours and 20 minutes on a pungent Voyager is somewhat daunting
Where's your sense of adventure 
It's not my sense of adventure that's the problem. More concerned about how I could eat anything en-route and hang-on to it
| Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles Posted by rogerw at 15:01, 20th January 2025 | |
The thought of 13 hours and 20 minutes on a pungent Voyager is somewhat daunting
Where's your sense of adventure | Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles Posted by Worcester_Passenger at 14:38, 20th January 2025 | |
Today's Guardian has a piece at https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jan/21/the-kindness-of-strangers-dazed-confused-and-far-from-home-a-train-worker-offered-me-a-place-to-stay with a well-travelled M7 class tank loco.
| Re: Brabazon, Bristol Posted by eightonedee at 12:13, 20th January 2025 | |
I've ridden on a Malaysian train, and they seem to know what they're doing. I can't see that being much help, though.
But I dealt with a Malaysian engineering firm once in my professional career, and it was an absolute shambles! They were particularly poor at appreciating the need for statutory approvals, organising themselves to apply for them and understanding what was needed (including reading the advice they were given), or at estimating how long it would take to obtain them.
| Re: Brabazon, Bristol Posted by TonyK at 11:20, 20th January 2025 | |
It does seem ambitious. The MCA’s website talks of an ‘accelerated’ programme:
https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/news/mayor-welcomes-2-billion-investment-for-region/
Ashley Down Station took about 15 months from mobilisation on site to main works completion, so it is possible if mobilisation plans are well advanced. But without Henbury terminus in place, how would Brabazon be served? Others with a better understanding of track and signalling may have a view on this…
https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/news/mayor-welcomes-2-billion-investment-for-region/
Ashley Down Station took about 15 months from mobilisation on site to main works completion, so it is possible if mobilisation plans are well advanced. But without Henbury terminus in place, how would Brabazon be served? Others with a better understanding of track and signalling may have a view on this…
It may be accelerated, but the article doesn't say how or how much. YTL can wave a wad of Ringgits in the air and organise their own building teams to start on a station site, but they will still have to deal with all the various railway authorities, and DfT probably hit the snooze button long ago in anticipation of nothing much happening. If work does start, I would hope it would be easier than Ashley Down because of the much lighter traffic on the line.
I've ridden on a Malaysian train, and they seem to know what they're doing. I can't see that being much help, though.
| Re: Annoying / amusing use of completely irrelevant stock photos to illustrate press articles Posted by Witham Bobby at 10:40, 20th January 2025 | |
The thought of 13 hours and 20 minutes on a pungent Voyager is somewhat daunting
| Re: Weymouth - station, facilities, improvements, events and incidents - merged posts Posted by IndustryInsider at 10:38, 20th January 2025 | |
Oh, that can be done:
Good social distancing. Did that Ice Cream shack ever open for them?
| Re: Westbury - engineering works from 24th December 2024 for 30 days Posted by Witham Bobby at 10:06, 20th January 2025 | |
Highly complex Westbury South Junction
It was great fun when controlled by the 99-lever Westbury South 'box. It was possible, if you weren't careful, to lock the whole lot up, if, say, you wanted to put a lengthy up train into the Down Yard, or the Down Reception only to discover it wouldn't fit. Thanks to the skill of men like Bob Pritchard and Thomas Lambe, this didn't happen when I worked in the area
| Re: Westbury - engineering works from 24th December 2024 for 30 days Posted by bobm at 08:21, 20th January 2025 | |
Reading has A and B ends for platform 7 and above.
| Getting to Bristol by public transport from Melksham Posted by grahame at 03:28, 20th January 2025 | |
Bristol is our nearest big city, and the third most popular destination by train from Melksham. That's in spite of it requiring a change along the way, and there being options that involve a bus too. In fact the whole business is so complicated it puts people off. Let's look at the options.
What are the options?
1. From Melksham, you can catch the train to Chippenham and change there onto another train that goes to or through Bristol
2. From Melksham, you can catch the train to Trowbridge and change there onto another train that goes to or through Bristol
3. From Melksham, you can catch x34 bus to Chippenham station and change there onto a train that goes to or through Bristol
4. From Melksham, you can catch x34 bus to Chippenham bus station and cross town to catch a train that goes to or through Bristol
5. From Melksham, you can catch x34 bus to Trinity Church Trowbridge and change there to a train that goes to or through Bristol
6. From Melksham, you can catch x34 bus to Sainsuburys, Trowbridge and walk to the station to catch a train that goes to or through Bristol
7. From Melksham, you can catch 69 bus to Bradford-on-Avon and then catch a train that goes to or through Bristol
8. From Melksham, you can catch 271 bus to Bath (Manvers Street) cross the road and get a train to Bristol
9. From Melksham, you can catch 272 bus to Bath (Manvers Street) cross the road and get a train to Bristol
10. From Melksham, you can catch 273 bus to Bath (Manvers Street) cross the road and get a train to Bristol
11. From Melksham, you can catch 271 bus to Bath (Bus Station) and change there onto an x39 bus to Bristol
12. From Melksham, you can catch 272 bus to Bath (Bus Station) and change there onto an x39 bus to Bristol
13. From Melksham, you can catch 273 bus to Bath (Bus Station) and change there onto an x39 bus to Bristol
14. From Melksham, you can catch 273 bus to Bath (Bus Station) and change there onto a 39 bus to Bristol
15. From Melksham, you can catch the x76 to Bath (Grand Parade) and walk to railway station for the train to Bristol
16. From Melksham, you can catch the x76 to Bath (Grand Parade) and walk to the bus station to catch the x39
17. From Melksham, you can catch x69 bus to Bradford-on-Avon and then catch a train that goes to or through Bristol
What would effect your choice?
A. Does it run when you want it?
B. Ease of the change along the way
C. Journey time
D. Bicycles, dogs. luggage, accessible
E. Frequency and reliability
F. Last service back
G. Route within Melksham - where does it pick up?
H. Route within Bristol - where does it drop off?
I. Bus Pass valid? RailCard, Groupsave and fares
J. Return tickets interchangeable with other routes?
K. Is it comfortable to read / sleep / work as I travel?
L. Am I allowed to consume food and drink as I go?
M. Is there a loo on board
How do I find out what's the best way home when I have finished in Bristol?
i. Good luck! If you are starting at the station, ask the chap/chapess at the gateline
ii. Note that on the return journey, the 271/2/3 buses do not stop in Manvers Street (drive straight though) so longer walk to bus station
%Embargoed to: 202502100600
%Written for: MTUG
| Re: Westbury - engineering works from 24th December 2024 for 30 days Posted by grahame at 02:48, 20th January 2025 | |
Highly complex Westbury South Junction
It may be complex by today's standards, but one has to marvel at how engineers coped with this one (at Birmingham Snow Hill):
https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrbsh1182.htm
The numbers of the platforms from left to right are: Platform 11 the up relief, the bay Platforms 10 & 9, Platform 8 the up main, Platform 6 the down main, bay Platforms 4 & 3 and Platform 2 the down relief platform. Platform 12 was a continuation of Platform 11, Platform 7 a continuation of Platform 8, Platform 5 a continuation of Platform 6 and finally Platform 1 was a continuation of Platform 2. The reason for the through platforms being given two platform numbers was because the station was designed to accommodate two trains simultaneously at one platform. It was obviously thought by the GWR's management that separate numbers were less confusing than having say Platform 1A and 1B
To this day, Bristol Temple Meads has two numbers on the same platform, and Birmingham New Street has A and B (and there's even a C)
| Re: Westbury - engineering works from 24th December 2024 for 30 days Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 00:51, 20th January 2025 | |
Thanks for that, Trowres: it's just done my head in.
| Re: Westbury - engineering works from 24th December 2024 for 30 days Posted by Trowres at 00:19, 20th January 2025 | |
Highly complex Westbury South Junction
It may be complex by today's standards, but one has to marvel at how engineers coped with this one (at Birmingham Snow Hill):
https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrbsh1182.htm
| Re: New mobile Customer Assistance Team Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 23:09, 19th January 2025 | |
Hmm.
Are these 'Customer Assistance Teams' still available? I haven't seen any evidence of them, recently - in Taunton, just for example.
