The good news: from Monday 11th August trains will call at Crewkerne again
The bad news: every 2 hours

Further information about the West of England line changes on the SWR website:
https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/west-of-england-changes

At least it should keep the mileage down on the 159s.

Yes, trains between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will call at Crewkerne from Monday 11 August, once every two hours.

But tariffs are paid by the people in the country to which the exports are made, aren't they?

Were Cornwall to become part of the Schengen area, EU and Euro, it could open up investment and business there ... but I do suspect that the request was a measured one in the petition, not looking to go that far.

Cancellations to services between Didcot Parkway and Oxford
Following a fault with the signalling system at Didcot Parkway the line towards Oxford has now reopened. Disruption is expected until 11:00 01/08.
Customer Advice
Following some signalling problems between Didcot Parkway and Oxford this morning, the fault has now been fixed and trains can run normally again. However a few initial delays and cancellations remain.
Last Updated:01/08/2025 10:16

07:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 10:14 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
It has been previously delayed and is now 39 minutes late from Charlbury.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:01/08/2025 09:59

08:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 11:14 will be diverted between Reading and Worcester Shrub Hill.
It is being delayed at London Paddington.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:01/08/2025 09:22

10:59 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 13:25 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:01/08/2025 10:00

I will admit ... I have not looked at the plan for the Okehampton Interchange in detail, but I was surprised to read in The Sun


I hadn't realised that there was a footbridge and lift to be installed here for a single platform on a single track railway - or have I missed something or has the Sun got it a bit confused?  *snip**

07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:34

Facilities on the 07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:34.
Toilet facilities are not available.

Were the people who supported this petition made aware of the significant cost of implementing a new 'Cornish Groat' currency? And border controls across the Tamar (and elsewhere)? And 20% tariffs on their cauliflower exports? etc.   

I didn't know about the vote!
It would have been a yes from me.

I'd be sure many others didn't know about the vote either, so perhaps a slightly bigger percentage increase in the vote.

petroleum & oil leaks....

Lelant still gets served right through to the last train, seven days a week.

Talking about Lelant Saltings, I organised a small celebration of the station's 30th anniversary all the way back in 2008.  Here is the press release.

The St Ives Bay Line saw 435,743 journeys in 2008.  Last year, it was 841,159.

The next major stage of work will see the footbridge and lift shaft installed

Do buses run on petroleum?  Thought most were diesel or, increasingly, electric. 

Is diesel not a petroleum product?

The DNO connection at West Ealing is 400 Amps 400 Volts 3 phase supply, there are 2 battery units each has a 3 phase sub main rated at 200 Amps

A petition calling for Cornwall to be recognised as the UK's fifth nation now has more than 12,000 signatures.

The petition, started following a vote in favour by Cornwall Council on 23 July, urges the government to grant the duchy, which has a population of about 580,000 people "equal status to Wales and Scotland".

Topping 10,000 signatures means it will get a response from the government and, if it reaches 100,000 signatures by 11 September, the issue could be debated in Parliament.

Council leader, Liberal Democrat Leigh Frost, said the move reflected a desire for "fairer funding, better representation and the ability to shape our own future".

MP Ben McGuire, Lib Dem MP for North Cornwall, said he was "really pleased to see such widespread support" for nation status. "I don't see why not. I'm extremely ambitious for Cornwall, and I think if we have nation status, it could be a real game-changer for our duchy," he told BBC Radio Cornwall. "It could give Cornwall real clout in discussions with this government and any future government."

Councillor Rowland O'Connor, deputy leader of the Reform group, the largest single party group on Cornwall Council, stressed that while Reform respected Cornish identity, it did not support the push for devolution. "We are all Cornish and proud of it, but we do not agree with the direction of travel towards a devolution agreement," he said. "There is a symbiotic relationship between Cornwall and the rest of the UK. Taking it to full devolution is a step too far, especially without overwhelming public consent."

Anna Gelderd, Labour MP for South East Cornwall, also expressed caution, emphasising the importance of listening to constituents. "Devolution is not something that comes through my inbox all that often," she said. "I'm hugely supportive of Cornish minority status, but what I want is for the people of South East Cornwall to be better provided for, with easier access to public services and a strong economy. That often means working with our neighbours across the UK. The identity and culture of being Cornish is part of who we are, that exists irrespective of the political situation."

Five people inspire five brand new songs in Radio 2’s 21st Century Folk.

To coincide with 'Railway 200' - the 200th anniversary of passenger train travel - all the people and songs are connected to the railways.

In this show, Mark Radcliffe reveals the stories behind the songs, which have been written by Findlay Napier, Chris While & Julie Matthews, Bill Ryder-Jones, Kate Rusby and Richard Thompson.

They’ve been inspired by Joanne, Tom, Ken, Charlotte & David and Siggy.

Joanne volunteers as a steam locomotive fireman on the Llangollen Railway in Wales. She survived a rare form of cancer in 2019 and is an activist for diversity and inclusion within heritage rail. Scottish musician Findlay Napier, who lives on the Isle of Arran, has written Joanne’s song. Findlay performs as a solo artist and as part of folk-rock supergroup, The Magpie Arc.

Tom is a railway station foundling. In 1965 he was found as a two-week old baby in the ladies’ waiting room at Reading railway station. He was left well-dressed and tucked under a bench with a spare nappy and bottle. Tom only discovered the full story later in life. Singer-songwriters Chris While and Julie Matthews, from South Yorkshire, are Britain’s longest-enduring female duo. They have played more than 2,500 gigs and appeared on more than 100 albums.

Ken has worked on the railways for 50 years and has a train named in his honour. He knew from four years old that he wanted to follow in his dad and grandad’s footsteps, and his family have worked on the railways for a combined 157 years! Ken works for Alstom at their Widnes facility, though he originally comes from Liverpool. His songwriter is Bill Ryder-Jones, co-founder and former lead guitarist with Merseyside band The Coral. Bill has released several solo records and collaborated with artists including Arctic Monkeys, Graham Coxon and Paloma Faith.

Charlotte and David live near Bradford. Charlotte was beside a train track, intending to take her own life, when train driver David got out of his cab and spoke to her until she felt able to board the train safely. She later contacted him to say thank you, they began dating, and are now married with children. Their singer-songwriter is Yorkshire’s own Kate Rusby, one of the most successful folk singers of her generation. Kate performs the song alongside her husband, Northern Irish musician Damien O’Kane.

Siggy came to the UK from Barbados in 1962 and became a railway worker on the day he arrived. He still works at Elstree & Borehamwood station and, in his free time, enjoys his other passion: cricket. He has bowled for the same cricket club in Enfield since the 1960s and has also played for England’s over-70s. Siggy’s singer-songwriter is folk-rock legend Richard Thompson, a fellow Londoner and cricket fan.

21st Century Folk is partly inspired by the BBC Radio Ballads, in which new folk songs were based on the spoken testimonies of real working people. The pioneering format was created by Charles Parker, Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger and debuted on the BBC in 1958. The first ever episode was about a heroic train driver called John Axon.

From Monday 28th July, videos of all the songs in 21st Century Folk can be found at bbc.co.uk/folk

petroleum & oil leaks....