As an aside here on this topic, may I thank MVR S&T here for his very generous , and much appreciated, arrangement to post some of his surplus Ordnance Survey maps to me.

Chris from Nailsea.

 
There's a section on the class 175 problems in this week's Green Signals podcast and weekly You Tube video, including an interview with Barry Milsom of GWR. See https://www.greensignals.org/podcast/more-diversions-gwrs-plan-to-keep-customers-on-trains-over-christmas/ at 14.55
 
(it also includes a piece on diversions during the up-coming blockades between Reading and Paddington that members will find of interest).

 

Why would they?

 
Ely :2: 175008 (half), 175104

Wolverton : 9 : 175005 by road.  175102/103/105/106/107/108/109/110. 175008 (half) Bold are Green

Laira : 14: 175002/007/009, 175114 ex Ely; 175001/003/006/011, 175101/111/112/113/115/116 ex Wolverton

Exeter : 1 : 175004 ex Wolverton

Long Rock : 1 : 175010 ex Ely

as of 10 September 2026. No trains from Wolverton since the 23 June 2026

A video of Ely Papworth. Very few trains anymore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Pxs7EZLo0&t=81s

 

Yes, because those three groups always got on so well together under British Rail, didn't they! 

 

Indeed the problems of the interactions between the interests of a private operating company and other parties WILL go away - there will be no private operating company any more.    Magic.  Of course, there will be a new management at the DfT ... and what they do and how they do it is the $64,000 question

 
Looking from left field, I recall a heritage train running to Windemere.   And I learn from an Internet search that a Hastings Diesel unit visited Barnstaple on 25th June 2005 - https://www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/railtours/2005tarka - and presumably there's no real reason why one of those couldn't be hired out to the Tarka Line now that it has returned from Sheffield Park.

Loading might still be a problem - even with a six car Hastings unit, so many enthusiasts would be drawn that even at that length it might overload ...

 
That was my thoughts, what do we use D cells for now?
OS in post CFN.

 

Of course it will: that's the whole point of re-nationalising the railways.

Pay attention, at the back of the classroom there! 

 

Again, I agree with broadgage here.

In our household, we have a plentiful supply of candles in store.

We also have plenty of batteries, particularly AA and AAA.  Interestingly, we also had a large number of D Cell, but after a family conference, we couldn't identify any of our appliances which used them.  After making local enquiries, we couldn't find anyone else who would have a use for them - so we dumped them, in the recycling container at the local civic amenity site. 

Bottled drinking water we also have.  This has already proved useful, as we have suffered a couple of water supply outrages temporary failures, one due to a JCB driver impaling a water main on a building site the other side of Nailsea. 

As well as those, we also have a sufficient supply of canned and dried food to last for several days, in case of need.

CfN. 

 

I loved to see it. Also the EU in the south west, a poster from 2018:



Edit: Postimages seems to have derailed, let's see if it comes back and the above image appears...

 
We are rather straying from the original topic, but I do agree with broadgage on that one. 

CfN. 

 
From the BBC:

 
Long underwear is preferred in severe cold weather, or in moderate cold if heating fuel is short, short underwear at other times.
Cotton is most comfortable for daily use, wool is warmest.

 
Some more including a "regular" pair:


(edited to add the 15:08 WOF:PAD)

 

Not wrong. I do think it was a mistake not.to havw created a few more battery powered class 230s to.use on some local services around Bristol TM  especially as its likely we'll be waiting years for a order of BEMUs

 
Thank you for the replies, I am not sure why, but I am unable to "like" a post

Out of interest, has the journey time changed?
I assume getting on a the bottom of Temple Way adds a minute or so

 
There is one 175 running today 113 on mileage accumulation and is 80 minutes late at the moment.

There now seems to be a problem with brake applications after the sunflower problems; which incidentally never arose last December in those dark winter days of operation on the Newquay branch.

There is a definite problem between management, unions, and train crew. Will it all magically go away this December?

 
The 0722 from Barnstaple was meant to be, by now, a 175 five car train but that looks further away than ever.  A way was worked out to lock out one unit for some stops.

As for investment by GWR in the south west; they have rebuilt Exeter Depot but that has an indirect effect on better services. They did spend money on Exeter Central because the staircases and ticket gates were a safety hazard, and new doors to the ticket hall at Paignton station untouched by the recent fire.

For twenty years they were reluctant to spend their own money in the Southwest.  The (I hate to say it) EU kick started the half hour Paignton service. Government money through various agencies built the new stations and Okehampton line. GWR did run a Sunday summer service (it must have been safe) to Okehampton paid for by Devon County Council. GWR have not paid for the Newquay investment.

Here is an interview from the GWR strategy director that just mentions third party funding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-NLuAzRVXU&t=1287s

 

Glad to see that both long and short underwear made the cut - you can't be too careful with these matters!

 
Another morning of disruption:


resulting in:


In addition, the 0713 Great Malvern to London Paddington lost 46 minutes between Evesham and Honeybourne, departing Oxford 50 minutes late.

 

That's just robbing Peter to pay Paul - IETs are already being pinched from other routes to run (for example) Bristol to Oxford services, resulting in shortforms elsewhere, I presume there is a finite supply or is there a magic train tree? (to go with the magic money tree?) 

Given the constant and dismal "more trains than usual in need of repair at the same time" excuse, maybe it just needs someone to extract the digit from the orifice when it comes to maintenance to make more units available?

I think GWR are probably doing the right thing in laying on road transport - at least they're not just leaving people stranded - and surely someone could have foreseen that this service would be under exceptionally high demand during termtime?

 
If, as seems obviously to be the case, this overcrowding is associated with one particular service how difficult would it be to provide an adequate number of coaches to deal with the passenger demand?

A brief look at RTT indicates that the service, 0612 from EXD, is generally run with 2 x 150's or one of a 3-car 158, 165/1 or 166/2. Each of which provides, according to t'interweb, 294, 207, 276 or 288 seats respectively. I have no idea by how much the passenger count could be increased by adopting the Japanese approach to standing passengers!

Possible solutions  & Questions:
Recast early morning rolling stock allocations, cancelling a lightly used local service if such a thing exists, so that the 'out & back' service is run with 6 cars and seating capacity is increased to 441, 414, 552 or 576. Does the infrastructure permit 6 car trains? Does GWR have enough early morning on-train staff to allow paired 165/166 services.

Run the service using an IET! Are IET's even cleared over the Tarka Line? - the web computer says 'No'. A 5-Car 802/0 would be pointless as it only provides 326 seats (if 1st is binned); a 9-Car 802/1 - 647 seats - would do the business. But could it keep to the timetable?

Run an additional service roughly 30 minutes earlier or later, or possibly even both, which I guess should be doable with passes at Crediton and Eggesford, to spread the demand. Survey potential passengers to establish which train they would definitely have to use to get to Exeter at their required time and , if necessary, implement queueing at BNP to stop overcrowding - GWR must know the absolute number of pax each type of stock can safely carry.

 

Of course they would.

 

But in the dying days (months, years) of a franchise / management contract, would not any company with shareholders take the same view of investment?

 
Unless someone else is paying GWR don't invest in the southwest.

 
Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington

Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident between Reading and London Paddington all lines are closed.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 08:15 10/09.

Customer Advice
-
What has happened?
-
The emergency services are dealing with an incident on the railway in the Hayes area.

 
Reports from the North Devon Line Promotion Group tell me that the 07:23 from Barnstaple to Exeter has so many passengers wanting to use it that there isn't room for them all, and coaches are being laid on direct from Barnstaple to Exeter Central to carry many of the student passengers who have planned to use the train.

report link

I have restrained myself from adding armchair comment from afar onto their social media - but I can't help seeing an irony in a "promotion group" having helped promote a service to the extent it is broken.

 
Thanks folks, yes, I got my Germanys and Lithuanias mixed up. Thanks for the nudge. Here is the corrected list

B0 Reading - ChrisB
B1 Arnhem - stuving
B2 Wuppertal - PrestburyRoad
B3 Cattewater (Plymouth) - Chris from Nailsea
B4 Bregenz - stuving
B5 Langogne - stuving (just up the way)
B6 Taunton - Chris from Nailsea
B7 Inverness - eightonedee
B8 (London) St Pancras - TonyN
B9 Zittau - not identified
B10 Silute - not identified
B11 Leven - brooklea
B12 Melksham - Phil
B13 Liege - oxviem
B14 Potsdam - DR7835

 

Now (03:00 on 10th) saying "until end of 11th"

Noting some peak hour long distance trains have added calls today at one or two of Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford, and that does seem logical.  Hope they have the capacity.