Always something disturbing about signal box demolition photos, but thanks for these.

Images of the before times, showing the interior, here:

Mark

https://www.branchline.uk/fixture-report.php?id=1490

[Edit] ... but is that the same box? Just counting the levers...

 
From my email ...

 
The crew turned up long before the trains stopped last night and started being noisy. The demolition of the structure didn't start until this morning, so I wonder what was going on last night. Clearly they were putting down timber baulks over the tracks for the big mincing machines to clatter about on, hence the fleet of Collard's spoil tippers rather than a train. I'm sure I heard the characteristic sound of scaffolding - an impact driver coupled to a very long orchestral chime - of which there is no sign.

I didn't quite match the view from last time, since thew sun stopped me seeing the viewfinder, but it's close. The relay shed has indeed been flattened. But did no-one want the lever frame, or does NR just make it too difficult to arrange to recover it? Of course recovering the interlocking frame (assuming it has one) would be the real challenge.

 
Your first link: on the Green party leader's policy towards drug use, it can be instructive to reflect on Portugal's approach - decriminalising drugs, done right, and treating the issue as health-related, can kick the legs out from under the criminals who supply them. (Though I note that alcohol is legal and at 9.30 this morning there were a group of people in the local park rather the worse for wear from drink, and necking the stuff from wine bottles...)

The Guardian article, more wide ranging - but it's always good with any article to be wary of the headline and often the subheading, as these don't necessarily reflect the content - indeed they often do not, and content authors are often wearily resigned to the fact that they have not input to headlines/subheadings.

That aside, tropes that are intended to weaken the qualities that hold a society together, identify people as members of outgroups, and make them the targets of hate, these should be seen for what they are.

Mark

 

"Far right factions/AI slop" like the BBC and The Guardian?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20e20rzje2o

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/28/labour-green-party-muslim-voters-gorton-denton

 
Er, that's a series of tropes pushed on the likes of Facebook and 'X' users by various far-right factions, often with the aid of what is sometimes generously referred to AI slop, and very often by organisations with shadowy and opaque funding and I suggest that it has no place on this forum.

Mark

 

We used to have the Green Party, who when led by the admirable Caroline Lucas, sought to do exactly that.

Said party now under its new leadership however seems more concerned with convincing us that women can have male genitals, legalising hard drugs, opening up our borders to all and sundry and cuddling up to Islamists and as such lack the time to worry about the aversion of environmental catastrophe.

All a question of priorities I guess?

 
The European Entry System continues to provide delays - but patchy ones.  My 3 transits so far have been easy (all via Harwich - Hoek) but reports from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xw2kjlrlxo suggest problems on some flights ...


... and there are pictures of long queues of cars at Dover

I notices in the article


Which tells me that 1 in 2300 are being turned away.

 

I am going to be - very - careful in what I write here.

1. I believe it is utterly wrong and destructive of passenger's confidence to advertise (timetable) a service and then fail to provide it in all but exceptional circumstances.  To have a failure rate over "x"% on any line or service, where "x" is a very small number indeed, indicates a failure of management and the system to plan for and provide what they are paid to provide.  Whether that management element and the decision makers are part of the public or private sector and what constraints they are under does not matter.

2. I also believe that the railways provide a service, and that withdrawal of a service that's advertised, especially one that's been established for a very long time and for which there is no adequate alternative is also utterly wrong - especially where (and we have examples from last December) where the change has been sneaked in. 

However

3. The rail network and services should not be and cannot be set in stone for decades and need to fit current needs, and at times that may result in a moderate inconvenience / reduction in service to certain places.  Not a withdrawal of the only practical way for people to lead their lives / travel though.  And I'm going to risk defining that as a train at least every hour where the service has been hourly or better.

Can a 2% service reduction be achieved?   I don't know.

Risky suggestion coming up ...

Of an evening ... have the Cardiff -> Portsmouth service call at all stations (as far as Southampton anyway) in place of the local trains along the same line.  Taking care not to add in a gap at the interface before the first slower train.   Where a train goes on to serve another line (I'm thinking of Weymouth, and Romsey via Chandler's Ford) start that other line's service at the junction - Westbury or Southampton Central - and ensure for through passengers it connects.

That is very much a personal view / a question / suggestion to address.    I see the Railfuture strapline calling for a "Bigger and better railway". I totally agree with the "better" and that may well mean "bigger" in some places / elements - bravo for Portishead, Tavistock, and the Bath and Wiltshire metro. But "better" must be the primary objective, and should "bigger" apply it's as a result of providing better and not as an objective in its own right to my mind.  I see no reason (sorry!) why Dilton Marsh, Dean and Mottisfont cannot be served of an evening by the longer distance train, which only has a few passengers on board late at night, resulting in (in that area) a better (priced)  but thinner ("smaller") service

 

 

 
Has anyone had any information regarding loadings since the new timetable was introduced? It's very early days, there have been some "teething troubles" and changes will take time to embed but I'm curious about early signs.

 
AI's view...

 

So whilst you can't polish a turd, you can store them on board the train.

 
175s use a similar effluent system to Voyagers; the waste is stored in an upright tank behind the toilet rather than slung below and some stink as bad.

 


As I was 78 mins late I only claimed for a 60-119 mins delay, 50% of a return ticket, but they've refunded the full £10.25

 

Robbing Peter to pay Paul (...........or perhaps Mark in this context)

 

What a brilliant day's adventuring, thanks for the tale of it.

Tour groups... in that situation perhaps people are going to tend to need leadership and a bit of training as to how to behave as a group - and that's before funny dynamics start to play out within the group itself.

Mark

 

Not really any great problem - but a very interesting new working ....

 
Thursday 28th May - day trip from St Poelten on the Mariazellbahn to Mariazell - not included in the pass and no discount but worthwhile.   The Mariazellbahn is a 760mm (narrow gauge) line starting from a side platform at St Polten - half an hour by train from Vienna (though we are staying in St Poelten). It starts off through relatively low lands, winding never the less around fields and over level crossings and then the scenery changes and it runs up an alpine valley past pleasant Austrian homes up to Laubenbachmuhle. From there it becomes a mountain line, curving back and forth on itself to gain height and then - high above the valley - it passes through the 2km Gosing tunnel at 892 metres above sea level. From there it sits high on the ridge, falling just a little to the terminus at Mariazell - or, rather, just over half a mile short of Mariazell.



The line was electrified very early on when steam locomotives struggled, and these days the daily services are operated by modern spacious articulated 3 carriage trains which give lie to the narrow gauge. Well - where I say "spacious" we could have done with 6 carriages not 3, as we were joined in both directions by organised tours who had booked most of the seats.  Smooth ride, though careful as you walk around with all those corners. Good visibility.  The timetable shows panorama cars on some high season services, and occasional steam trains too. But not yesterday - trains leave St Polten every hour (and more in the commuter peak), with some carrying on to the mountain section to Mariazell.  Looking at it as something of an aficionado of timetables, it's cleverly organised to cope - just - with the passenger flows offered. 

Trains run "clock face" - from St Poelten at :37 and from Mariazell at :06 (with gaps) on a single track line.  On the hour and half hour (:00 and :30) there are passing loops and the train pass each other with minimal delay. Other loops allow for the peak and high season extras to pass too.  Signalling is inconspicuous and efficient - no stopping here to exchange tokens, or sitting in the middle of nowhere to wait for a train coming the other way on awkwardly located loops.

There are many stations along the way - and many of them are request stops. Clear screens on the train tell you to press the button if you want the train to stop, and the screen registers your request with the big word STOP in red.  In the platforms of the "halts" there are button to press if you want the train to call (one button for each direction) and this means the train does not need to slow down in case someone is waiting and sticks their hand out as happens in England.





It's all the more remarkable how obvious the information is when we don't speak the local language very much, and yet we can work things out.  A high proportion of people here don't understand / speak English either and we are certainly on something of a local adventure.

There was a small step up at St Polten into the train (and a wheelchair ramp the train manager could deploy if necessary. At Mariazell for the return, incredibly, it was level access and the train has an extending flap that removes the gap between the train and platform.  I was across the yard looking at the old Salzburg museum train when our return train arrived, and Lisa boarded unassisted - it's good, but pity it's one step down at St Poelten.  And you can get caught out there looking for the lift to the concourse.



The party leader of the tour group wasn't at all pleased with me joining the return train in the same carriage as Lisa had boarded when I finished learning about the Salzburg local carriages of Victorian vintage - pointing out (incorrectly) that it was all reserved and I should choose another carriage. However, the priority seat the Lisa had transferred to was not reserved (for his group or anyone else) and I joined her, and we were joined by other local travellers getting off and on along the way.  A common language in smiles and gestures, and Lisa has a little German.  As seems to be the norm, a smile of friendship and a moving things around to make it comfortable for everyone does wonders with the locals, while the tour groups (and, yes, they were German speaking) take a holier-than-thou stance and are the least friendly of fellow travellers - that is a wider observation.  A big "thank you" though to the one gent who was passing Gluewine around on the way up and when I offered a smile and signed a thumbs up gave me a little too.  There's a psychology in the groups - extends to them thoughtlessly blocking platforms and not letting others through; I suspect being on holiday gives some of them permission to switch off their brains and I'm sure they're nice at home.  Having said which, I'm sure that a consistent - day in, day out flow of groups has helped keep the line alive, open, and with a decent service.





We loved the information screen which gave all connecting local buses on the approach to each station, advertised what was going on in the area on future days, and attractions, and in quieter times gave us the driver's view looking ahead on a webcam.  All very well done.

The station building at Mariazell is lovely - multiple platforms, run round loop, clean, flowers, and a heated waiting room which is full of ideas and thoughts for our upcoming "Information at the Station" project.  Some elements are over the top - we're probably not in need of ski storage lockers, and not going to have a display case of goods which you can order online via QR codes for - I would presume - home delivery.  Seating, a big interactive information board, other screens telling you about upcoming bus and train departures, and plenty of power points clearly positioned to help people looking to charge devices with stashing and desk space around.  And literature racks, carefully collated into separate public transport and other local attraction sections.  Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. which coincides with the full running time of the train on the upper section of the line from the arrival of the 06:37 from St Polten to the departure of the 19:06 back.









And here I am - deep into writing - what of Mariazell itself?  The town is the best part of a mile from the station; some trains do have bus connections but rather that research those we set off along a lovely path, part of which doubled as a local road to some houses.  Lisa had trouble with a policeman along there - grounded Henry on a sleeping one, but a bit of a push from me helped clear that; nearly toppled over on the return trying to go around the end.  To keep travel light, we hadn't taken our charger with us and - seeing the route falling from the station to the town, with the town and basilica looming up ahead of us we stopped short.  A lesson for following days - I'm sure that with the charger we would have made it to a cafe in the town and been able to get back - but whilst we travel brave, we don't take foolish risks like being left marooned with flat batteries.  No problem *to us* -  I understand there are interesting relics and things to see in Mariazell, but more interesting to others.  We utterly enjoyed the walk, just a very few others on it and remote enough for another gent to step just off the path and pee in the bushes.  Meadows, cows, mountains - real "Sound of music" countryside - even the tunnel, you may note, was called Gosing or is that go-sing.










https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariazell_Railway

P.S.  Our shortened stay in Mariazell due to lack of battery had another silver lining - an earlier return to the hotel and a chance to eat the local food

 

 

Two shareable reports ...


and


Background to that last comment ... as a free event with no need to register, our chair had been concerned that we would have an empty hall.  The concern was compounded when a number of the key movers and shakers who should have been attracted had a prior scheduled (Melksham Area Board) meeting

 

As an addendum, I commented to Lisa that we did 1000kms and she mused that with the RailJet reporting speed of 200kms per hour, it should have taken 5 hours and not almost 11!    For comparison, London to Ullapool - ferry for Stornoway - is reported as being 992kms.

A good reminder to me that high speed rail may be great in many aspects, but the faster you make some sections, the more disproportionally significant the other bits in the equation become.   Our 11 hours includes multiple reversals of the Amsterdam to Munich train - Koln and Stuttgart, engineering diversions which - however - were planned into the timetable / journey planner well ahead, a total of perhaps 80 minutes waiting in Arnhem, Augsburg and Salzburg as we made connections, intermediate station stops, and slower running on less high speed sections. 

In the end, we had "budgeted" for 10.5 hours and knowing how budgets overrun, allowed for / expected a bit extra in notifying the hotel of our expected arrival time.  And we had a "plan B" that would have allowed us to drop back and arrive later if stuff had gone wrong.   Really happy with the journey, though tired on arrival.

P.S. Google also reports just under 11 hours London to Stornoway, by driving or by public transport

 

 

Yes - and thank goodness.  How it should be.

As a separate note, the 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa via Swindon (2G91) was flagged up as cancelled ... "This service was cancelled due to the planned cancellation (was not planned to operate) (PD)". However, a train 2Z91 ran in its path ... and from my logs looks like that's been the case earlier this week too.  Not an Oxford <-> Bristol issue / even for comparison, so I'll let's comment further (if we want) on the TransWilts log.

 
Just for the record, but hopefully everyone will be pleased that all the Oxford<>Bristol’s ran again today…as well as all of the services through Melksham!

 

 

They are what they are

 
Seeing the 6 and 7 bus service in Bath operated by an electric bus today - and also Flixbus provisioned with an electric coach on the (competitive in price but not timings) run up to London - and a portion of the cars (and bikes) on the road being electric - this was thought-provoking.

I'm put in mind of the nineteen fifties and a steam-operated rail system that was demanding of the people who worked in it, was in retrenchment, struggling to attract staff, running timetables that were sometimes obsolete and not a good fit with changing times, subject to wild swings in political interference, dependent on public subsidy having poured a lot of its strength into the war - with the public increasingly no longer looking to the railway for transport, turning to buses and, if they could, motor cars instead, given a big push at the time with the building of toll-free, free-at-the-point-of-use motorways - this despite the fact that many cars of the time weren't exactly brilliant (and many of said vehicles,  not engineered for continuous high speed cruising, were killed by those same motorways)**.

Long distance trips by train to holiday destinations became long distance trips by car, day or night: perhaps a child in the back seat tasked with care for another new device, the transistor radio, turning it as needed to maintain reception.

I'm wondering how much a similar impression might bite today, when the railway, particularly in the west, diesel-fuelled and operating long distance services using expensive and complex stock whose interior air quality was found at one point to be not particularly brilliant, while many other branch and inter-regional services are provisioned for the foreseeable with the externally very noisy likes of the class 166.

Also, part of the national picture is that HS2 has taken a swing at the future, but with the cuts to core pieces of its design, will not fulfil the primary task of capacity enhancement for the national network itself - without further changes, the role that HS2 could play has been to a large extent closed down - and its costs have risen.

Returning to the parts of the railway that are running on diesel, unreliable and unable to provision their timetables, is this industry in danger of imminently presenting as yesterdays mode of transport, running on yesterday's technology?

Thankfully the overall picture is (hopefully) more rosy, but I do wonder about the margins (and in some ways those margins, for the GWR, begin east of Chippenham, north of Didcot, west of Cardiff, south of Reading, and there doesn't seem to be a plan to change that, even though the rising cost (& fragility) of the oil-based economy is surely providing a spur.)

Mark

tl:dr - batteries won't do everything, where is the rolling programme of electrification that's clearly needed?

**A friend of a friend who drove... it was either an Austin Devon or Somerset... gave me a lift from Llanbadarn, Aberystwyth, up the road called Heol y Bont to Penparcau. The short trip was... an education, but those weren't cars to which people had great exposure. Many more people will recall what didn't happen very much when the brake pedal of, say, a Morris Minor, was depressed - not much, compared to current vehicles...

(The friend of a friend having dropped me off was heading to Lampeter - sometimes I wonder if he's there yet...)