Thank you for posting, johnneyw. 

As this appeal relates specifically to the West Somerset Railway, and it would seem out of context to start a new topic elsewhere, I'm content to continue the discussion here.

CfN. 

 
I suggested (slightly with tongue in cheek) that they could  put a name to some of their seasonal services such as "Bucket and Spade Express" or "Flying Beachcomber".

 
600 cyclists flout ban

The participants may get something out of it, but such action serves only to annoy a great many other people.

 
From The BBC

 

The article says as a caption to the illustration "One of the many trains that pass through Bishops Lydeard Station along the West Somerset Railway line" and on that basis "County Town to Coast Line" would sound appropriate.

 
The West Somerset Railway is asking people to suggest a new tagline to emphasize it's coastal destinations.  Perhaps the collective creative genius that is the Coffee Shop could come up with a few to help them?

Here's the article where I read about it:

https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/26691504.west-somerset-railway-seeks-become-key-coastal-attraction/

I couldn't decide if this merited a new topic, perhaps on the "lighter side", or if it should reside more happily here.  Admins, feel free to move this if appropriate.

Edit to add that the only place I could find to make any suggestions to them is from a day old post (2 Nov?) on their Facebook page headed something like "What's in a name".

 

I explained that I no longer have the ability to lift heavy weights above my head (and I did not add the words "just like you say you can't"). Sounds very similar to your limits.

With - both - of our limitations, there's a fascinating study for us to see the assumptions people make on sight, how they react, and how much and how often we need to explain.

 
Not train related but I did wonder if you tried to explain why you couldn't lift their luggage or just politely decline? I have what is an essentially a hidden disability which means I can't lift more than a couple of kilos although I actually look fit and healthy. I've got into argument with couriers who refuse to accept I'm not going to help them carry something as there's 'nothing wrong with you'. Conversely when I started to explain why I can't lift a 25kg bag of salt into the car it got a bit long winded. I've also been told off for 'making' my other half carry the shopping.

 

Not going down well with the public!!!

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/major-london-train-line-to-endure-delays-all-day-because-of-defective-track/ar-AA2gEnSJ?ocid=socialshare

 

 

The clue there is in the words "Scottish Government" - the procurement process was manipulated to favour Ferguson Marine, the yard itself had no experience in constructing the size or type of ferries required for years, they warned they could not hit the financial targets and their bid was the most expensive tendered.

Plenty more detail here

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-62839605

The whole thing was a stitch up so that the First Minister could wave a saltire.

 
Those will be the ones. Thanks.

Mentioning Napier Road, and not particularly rail-related, that extension of Napier Road that is a footpath - that runs beneath the GWML etc in a deep bridge once used by the rail access to was it the biscuit factory? Looking at that, a bit of a planning fail as whaat could be a quality route for people on foot or cycle, that does exist in some form, but it's wildly dysfunctional and intimidating.

The housing already built there is essentially on an island and at first I was reassured that it's served by a bus - but checking, that seems to be a once-a-day service, the other end of the route being... Goring.

 

They were a problem and identified from the start


Because, when a passcom or call for aid is activated in the rear, unstaffed unit, there's no one to attend the potential emergency or reset the system.


Edit to clarify quoting - Grahame

 

Indeed. Appledore Shipbuilders are still in business, although now Spanish-owned, and I'm pretty sure could have done the work. One assumes cost was the deciding factor.

 
That didn't go well for the Scottish Government having their ferries built locally.

 
This time last year sunflowers were no problem, but became a problem this year.

Now apparently 2 guards needed when they operate in multiple on lines with short platforms.

 
From National Rail

Route(s) affected
Between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4 / Heathrow Terminal 5 / Maidenhead / Reading, and also between Shenfield / London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5

Description
A speed restriction over a defective track at Hayes & Harlington means trains will run at a reduced speed on some lines. Trains running between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals / Reading may be revised.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

 

From what I read in Wales Online they are approved now

 
Cancellations to services between Par and Newquay
Due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time between Par and Newquay fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice
-
What has happened?
-
The train service that runs between Par and Newquay will run as a 2 hourly service due to a fault on one of the train sets.

Alterations to services between St Ives and St Erth

Due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time between St Ives and St Erth:

Train services running to and from these stations may be revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 08/11/26.

 

 
Suspect you're referring to the office blocks on Napier Road, there were plans submitted to demolish them and build flats. Last I saw in news was that it was rejected and was being appealed.

 
Sunday, heading up the SWR line from Reading - and felt like a hillbilly living in a wooden shack up on a hill somewhere - because I headed across to that block of terminus platforms for the 9:18 to Gatwick. No sign of it - because it was (audibly) over the other side of the station on platform 15. Made it across though, and, I'm probably the last person, but now I know... I don't know if many others have that experience or how to address it apart from hitting prospective passengers with a clue-stick as they step off an escalator.

The train set off, and in the gloomy light, promptly ran past a series of vandalised broken-windowed graffiti'd 80s(?) office buildings - enough of them to make me wonder if it had run through a jump-gate into another reality, but noooooh, it was still 2026. This before alighting at... Wokingham and a trip into the unknown, across the land of the Atrebates, I was informed.

.

 
I continue to enjoy seeing images of 'the gurning twonk' (again, his description, not mine! ) on the right in that picture.

Why on earth didn't you photo it, if you were there, Justin? 

(I do know JayMac personally, by the way - lest any of our readers be startled at my familiarity in such posts).

CfN. 

 
Changi is indeed a perfect layover. With a 5 hour wait, we checked our hand luggage into 'left luggage', remember those?

We then proceeded through immigration and took a taxi into the centre of town. We ate at the old post office (famous for the photograph of Japanese soldiers at its door) and afterwards, took taxi back to the airport in time for our flight home.

Wonderful time.

 
Mumsy and I passed that pump-turbine generator building a few weeks ago on our trip on the Festiniog Railway. Didn't photgraph it, but here we are nearby.

 

There's very limited space at Paddington for coaches to park.  I'm guessing Hillingdon not only has better access, but parking facilities.

 
SWTSMBO had already travelled to Singapore to be at the F1 GP on 11/09.
I travelled later to avoid missing 2 x Exeter Chiefs matches & a BSO concert.
(Also given the choice between watching a GP and having my fingernails pulled out I would go for the latter option!)

14/09/26 - Exeter To Heathrow Airport
DIG 1342 (OT) > EXD 1354 (OT) : 2T20 EXM > PGN : 1 x 165/1 (3 Cars)
EXD 1415 (OT) > PAD  1705 (1734) : 1A26 PLY > PAD : 1 x 802/1 (9 Cars)
PAD 1725 > HXX 1740 : 1T73 PAD > HWV (Service Suspended)
Had to use the Elizabeth Line instead.

Tickets (All With Senior Railcard, 1 Pax▸ , Price Per Person):
DIG > PAD 1st Class Advance Single £37.95
PAD > HXX Hex Advance Discounted Single £6.65

Local train reasonably well loaded.
Tickets / railcards checked: No / No
I had booked a reasonably priced 1st Class ticket so as to guarantee use of the Pullman Dining service; shouldn't have bothered as there were only 4 other customers. It was good but not excellent.
1A26 was routed via BRI and ran roughly to time until after DID when the ‘fun’ started. Turned out that the whole PAD-RDG route had been blocked by 'an obstruction on the line’ near Hayes and we reached PAD 29 minutes down.
Having waited for a short time at P6/7 we were eventually told the HEx service had been suspended due to the congestion and we should use Elizabeth Line services instead. The PAD concourse was absolutely rammed - no cats were being swung - with delayed pax and even getting to the specified P14 was a bit of a struggle. Eventually got onto 9H88 which was of course full & standing ( and late!).
Rather amusingly, despite the absolute scrum, the HXX ticket gates were still in use.

30/09/26 - Heathrow Airport To Exeter
HXX 0717 (0723) > PAD 0733 (0741) : 1Y30 HWV > PAD : 2 x 387 (8 Cars)
PAD 0903 (OT) > EXD 1113 (OT) : 1C74 : 1 x 802/0 (5 cars)
EXD 1151 (1154) > DIG 1203 (OT) : 2F15 PGN > EXM : 1 x 150/2 (2 Cars)

Tickets (All With Senior Railcard, 2 Pax, Price Per Person):
HXX > PAD HEx Advance Discounted Single £6.65
PAD > DIG Advance Single £48.25

Many cancelled or late running services in & out of PAD apparently due to a signalling failure in the Slough area. ‘That’s very surprising’ said absolutely nobody. Also SSDD.
1Y30, which was very well loaded due to other binned Heathrow trains, ran through Airport Junction very slowly.
Because our SQ322 flight arrived at LHR an hour early (of which more later*) I looked at changing our tickets so we could travel on the 0803 departure from PAD but GWR wanted just short of £200 for the privilege so that was a definite ‘credit card says no'.
According to a subsequent on board message from the TM 1C74 should have been a 10 car service but even with only 5 it was not that busy. RTT shows that the incoming 1A70 PLY > PAD service was also 5 vice 10 cars. More trains than expected…..
1C74 essentially ran to time for the whole journey (has to happen occasionally).
Tickets / railcards checked: Yes / No
1C74 is timetabled to arrive at EXD at 1113. The 2F14 train to EXM is timetabled to depart EXD at 1115. This is bloody annoying.
As was the provision of a single 150/2 unit on the actual 1151 ‘connection’ to Exmouth on a Friday morning during a half-term. EXD was very busy.

*I don’t mind flying if there is no alternative but I am not generally a fan of all the hanging around in the airport before and after the event. Particularly when it involves London Heathrow. As noted SQ322 arrived an hour early but we were then held on the aircraft at the gate for 20-25 minutes because the cretins at LHR had failed to get the air bridges ready. The obvious conclusion is that they weren’t checking the status of incoming flights and just assumed an ‘as scheduled’ arrival. Then at T2 there is the hike between the satellite and main terminals. And in baggage reclaim it was obvious from the stop-start bag delivery, which took around 30 minutes, that not enough resource is allocated to moving bags from the satellite to the main terminal.
They need to send a team to Changi Airport to find out how to do the job properly. Changi is still the best large airport I have used.