Many years ago now, I had to convey a surf-board-like item from Nailsea to Melksham, by train.  (This could be a very long story, so I won't bore you with all the details here. )

I had no problem whatever (apart from lugging the sheer weight of the thing).  I merely propped it up against the bulkhead in the cycle rack area, unpadlocked, on the basis that nobody was was going to 'run off with it'.

CfN. 

 
On a related note...

Recently there was huge disruption because of flooding at Llanharan, so Cardiff-Swansea was blockaded for a few hours. Several London/Cardiff/Manchester trains cancelled at Swansea. Interestingly, even when the line reopened, the next London train was cancelled. Several cancelled trains had slunk back to Maliphant depot in the meantime, so stock should have been available; I can't comment on how the overall planning and crew availability panned out (for all I know the drivers had been sent by taxi to continue their diagrams) but this does demonstrate a bit of a resilience issue.

But anyway.... first trains to Cardiff were TfW services – meant to be two in a row, but in the end the second one further delayed (I suspect because of adhesion issues because it picked up a lot of delay leaving Gowerton which has often been an issue on wet days). Some London passengers took these to Cardiff, as the CDF-PAD short workings had still been running, so advice had been to try this option. It looked like the next London train would run (indeed it did in the end) but many of us didn't want to take our changes as it was shown at that point as 5 far and a train at platform being better than possibility of the next one running!

Got to Cardiff and just made it onto a CDF-PAD train (because that was a bit delayed shunting to the up platforms). TM made usual annuncement on leaving CDF, and mentioned ticket validity, including info that advance tickets only valid on booked train.

Felt a bit insensitive to me. He might have been London or Bristol crew and relatively unaware of what happened to west, but the issues that day were surely big enough for staff on related routes to be briefed. A simple addition along the lines of 'however we understand there has been disruption so if affected your ticket will be accepted' could be very reassuring! Not quite the same as 'valid on another route/TOC' but very much in the spirit of it.

Perhaps it seems so obvious it doesn't need to be said, and in that situation I'd readily argue my case, while not expecting to need to, but infrequent travellers may well feel concerned about their ticket being accepted.

 
I've had luggage stolen by accident. Or at least on the face of it that's what happened! I looked around and realised bag had gone; I scrambled to the door and managed to stop someone who had walked off with the wrong bag. They seemed genuine (in which case maybe they checked the bag more carefully next time they travelled!) but could easily have been a tactic.

When it comes to luggage security, something that bugs me is the lack of visibility of luggage stacks, not to mention the sheer lack of luggage stacks. (Then there's finding a shelf taken up by a tiny bag that could easily go on the overhead rack or by someone's feet!) The move towards stock with 1/3-2/3 doors instead of end doors even for express work doesn't help here. With 'proper' vestibule-saloon-vestibule layout, there can be a decent-sized rack at each end of the saloon, and every door-seating interface passes one.

With saloon-door-saloon-door-saloon layout, there may be one or two racks but not at the start of every saloon. So boarding at the vestibule, one may find the luggage rack is to the left but the free seating is to the right. Visibility of luggage rack lost. And needs twice as many luggage racks to solve this! A few times recently while travelling on Gatwick Express stock (also often used on West Coastway) I've ended up in the composite car, where one vestibule leads to a smaller and larger area of standard seating (because of the way first class plugs the end), and the smaller seating area has the luggage racks!

Fine having awkward arrangements for short journeys (keep luggage in the seating bay and be willing to stand, or put in a luggage rack and stand if no seating nearby, because it's a shorter trip anyway) but on routes where a lot of people are making longer journeys it would make for a more pleasant journey if these things were thought through!

 

I guess it's better than the train terminating at Filton Abbey Wood and sitting on the North Filton Chord?  The shunt out to Hallen Marsh is far from optimal, though AIUI when Henbury opens in a couple of years it will be in a new bay platform which will be much better and save six miles of shunting.

Though I'd still liked to have seen it operate in a loop round to Avonmouth and combining with the existing hourly Avonmouth service that doesn't go on to Severn Beach.

Ashley Down had 51,000 entries and exits recorded in the last stats released, and it only opened half way through the period they covered.  The new year of stats is about to be released so it will be interesting to see how its usage is developing, but it seems like 100,000 per annum is a very achievable target.  A service every 30-minutes would be great.

 
Makes me wonder why it takes so long.

In many cases it's just a case of checking against records, and maybe some sort of checks for anomalous claim patterns.

Some will need manual checks for quality checking and dealing with unusual cases, but surely not many. Some will need to be referred. But if there's a backlog perhaps a switch should be flicked in the algorithm to reduce additional checks and accept claims on face value. Set a reasonable SLC and flip that switch if not met.

 
''Don't panic, Captain Wainwaring!'  It will all be well when GBR take over the running of our railways. 

 
There was that time that someone getting off a train at Reading lifted a bag that didn't belong to him which turned out to contain seven kilograms of Semtex. (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/man-who-stole-bomb-kit-fears-retaliation-by-ira-1416060.html)

 

My "rule of thumb" would be to suggest that a service that runs at least once every 30 minutes is appropriate.  Long writeup could follow.   I would guess (an educated guess, but still a guess) that an hourly service will carry less than half the passengers of a 30 minute service.  In other words, double the service from the initial and you'll more than double the station's passenger numbers.   A further doubling of service would probably not result in a further doubling of traffic, but that maths get complex because of other stations served along the route, which will have different, and perhaps significant, extra flows.

I am, of course, a bit personally jealous of a service that runs even hourly!.  In our town, miss the 15:14 back from Swindon and the next one's 17:45.

 

And the queue will be getting longer by the hour. They are cancelling trains on the Nottingham Cardiff service right left and centre. Every one must lead to another 100 claims.

 

Perhaps in some cases it's the luggage itself. There's some quite expensive bags around that might fetch a few bob, especially if you're lurking near the First Class section?

 

Geeze!   They probably spend more time managing follow up enquiries than actually answering!

 
Xc state their response times are 40 working days currently....

 
I'm still awaiting my CrossCountry Delay Repay from 7th September!  My claim is still "In progress"!  Anyone else been waited a similar or longer time than that?

 
Probably wasn't worth opening it then? 

 
Whilst it's great that this new station is finally(wasn't it around 2016 that they originally said it would be built and open by?! And also Henbury and Horfield stations!) opening, just one service per hour for the time being(probably until at least 2028 when Henbury station is expected open!) in each direction is disappointing really.  No match atall to the much more frequent suburban rail services around the Cardiff area for instance. Wonder how many people will use it to commute to and from work in either central Bristol or the Brabazon/North Filton area?  The limited hourly service may not match up very well to the hours they work.  For instance for someone working in the central Bristol area, finishing work at say 4pm or 5pm, then they're not going to get to Temple Meads in time to get either the 4:04pm or 5:04pm services to Bristol Brabazon, and have a very long wait for the next service instead.   Which isn't very appealing!  Then there's also the risk of some of these services being cancelled on some days due to reasons such as "More trains than usual needing repairs" and "A shortage of train crew".  So they may just stick to using the 75 bus instead! 

A similar issue with Ashley Down station which opened just over 2 years ago.  Still only ONE service per hour in each direction, and there can be cancellations on some days too.  And also not expected to be upgraded to two services per hour until Henbury station is finally expected to be built and open in 2028!  Not sure how many people living in the Ashley Down area use it to commute to work in town.  Probably more reliable to use the more frequent 70 bus instead.  I think really they could fairly easily increase the frequency of services to TWO services per hour to and from this station by incorporating a stop there in say the Bristol-Gloucester or Bristol-Worcester Foregate Street services too, rather than just the Bristol Temple Meads-Filton Abbey Wood/Bristol Brabazon services. 

It will be interesting to see how it goes anyway.

 

Pretty poor I would imagine - but then the act of stealing a piece of luggage in some circumstances is probably low risk. The damage done to the confidence of the victim and the distress and nuisance caused can be massive. In fact, this thread has reminded me that I should be carrying my medications I my close-hand baggage; cost to replace - an apology to my doctor, hassle and problem of so doing if I am in [say] Klangenfurt would be massive.

 

I cannot see the rail industry - even it's most pedantic jobsworth - throwing the book at a Waterloo to Exeter traveller who purchased a ticket and got it discounted using his Network Railcard, but then has been left with no option but to travel via Westbury and Taunton because The Mule is blocked at Crewkerne.   The press would have a field day!

 
Wot, like a Bristol and Bath Metro rail service, you mean? 

 

As Mark A says, a rising tide lifts all boats. We need to improve links between Bristol, Bath and West Wiltshire next.

 

... as you happen to do, when you have just a few minutes to spare, browsing the internet.

You must have even more time to do so than me, even in my retirement, stuving.  Thank you for your post.

CfN. 

 
There's also the problem that goes under the heading of "suspicious packages" to consider.  Promptly moving or removing such items is only going to be made more difficult for the emergency services.

 

Ooh, err, missus   

 

Had clarification on this, splits are to be ignored, so passengers CAN travel on routes/operators that don't call at split stations.

However, there was been no clarification on Network Railcard discount travel outside of the L&SE area, but seeing as everything else is to be ignored, then that restriction can probably be ignored too.

 
gov.uk has some information on the scripts to be used on the radio in times of a nationwide power cut:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-health-advice-from-uk-cmos-during-a-national-power-outage/water-and-sanitation-scripts-for-broadcast-media


Would anyone like to check if there's a "how to" video online? 

 
I found this in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Wednesday, 12 June 1895

That bill was lost. There were also attempts to legislate for certificates for supervising engineers, as had been done for marine engineers in 1862. (The Merchant Shipping Act Amendment Act of 1862 introduced Board of Trade examinations.) That was to apply to mine winding engines as well as boilers.

The bill sponsored by the Enginemen's Federation became the "Steam Engines and Boilers (Persons in Charge) Bill". This was discussed in Parliament in 1901, but I can't find any act of that name.

So, it must be after that ...

 

Well, I'm sure that's perked everyone up! 

 
Slightly off topic.
We did a hot air balloon Trip several years ago.
One of the Q&A's was along the lines of how old is this balloon.
The reply was only a few years old - before being declared unsafe by whatever ministry.
The 'old' balloons are sold to Egypt for tourist flights.
Seems at that time Egypt didn't have balloon safety checks!

 

This explains the often poor performance of solar panels when installed on sailing boats/yachts, It is likely that masts and rigging will cause shading.

 

Thanks for that, this is not well known (or not by me, anyway)

 

Trivia alert, the solar modules pictured, do not appear to be very well installed !
It would appear that the modules are partly shaded by tree branches.
It is not always appreciated, that shading say 1% of the area, can reduce the energy produced by at as much as 50%.
Any branches that cause even minor shading should be cut back, or the modules relocated to an area with a clear view of the sun.