Multiple cancellations today due to crew shortage - the type of sunny weekend summer day when branch lines such as this get the chance to really show their worth, but GWR have failed to provide anyone to run them.

 

GWR sent an HST to Falmouth to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the branch, so, probably, yes ?

 
Almost beyond belief, but thankfully no longer employed on the railway........

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/tube-driver-caught-knitting-and-watching-video-on-his-phone-while-operating-northern-line-train/ar-AA1GH8in?ocid=socialshare

 
Updated the subject title to reflect another bad day on the Heart of Wessex Line:

08.01 Weymouth - Bristol Parkway Cancelled
11.32 Swindon - Weymouth Cancelled
13.32 Swindon - Weymouth Cancelled
16.05 Weymouth - Bristol Temple Meads Part cancelled*
*starts at Westbury

Only four trains you may say, but on Sundays, where the service is a lot less frequent, that leaves some big gaps in the timetable.

Like yesterday, is this because of only Westbury crew signing Weymouth now?

 
What a fantastically useful and thought provoking conference!  It has helped set me up for a long time to come ... more to tell in coming posts perhaps, and certainly to trickle out over time as it helps me tune my thoughts and see the bigger picture.

 

Naive question.   Is it still 2 car?  Could in be 3?  4? Could a 5 car IET go down the docks?

 

And for today ... the first train is replace by a bus because, as far as I can tell, the line is needed to run a more important West Country express that calls at Westbury, with engineering works closing the normal line through Pewsey.   Then ...

 

Do you have any other heating, apart from gas central heating? or electric heaters.
If not it might be worth buying a portable heater that uses paraffin or bottled gas. And fuel for at least a weeks heavy use.

Any serious crisis is liable to interrupt electricity supplies, as a lot of our electricity is still from gas.

 
From the BBC:

 
With thanks for your 'heads up', broadgage, I will tomorrow morning fill up my 5 litre green can with motor mower petrol (it's stored in the garage), the car (it's parked out on the drive) and I will also stock up with barbeque charcoal (also stored in the garage).  We have gas central heating, so I'm unable to panic buy that.

 

Wonderful end to a day trip

 
22:12 Swindon to Westbury due 22:55
22:12 Swindon to Westbury due 22:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

Sun, 15 June 13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:45
15/06/25 13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:45 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 
Morrisons must have good contacts in Tel Aviv - they put their petrol prices up the day before the Israelis started bombing Iran   

 
Appears 205 is being diverted from Baker Street to go to Marble Arch, as a replacement for 30 (withdrawn Euston-Marble Arch).

Clearly TfL money saving idea

 
Your best bet in probably getting an 18 from bus stop R at "Bishops Bridge Road/Little Venice" (really between the two) which goes to Euston station itself. That's pretty close to Paddington - the traipse from Euston to St Pancras is longer, though still quicker in many cases than another bus. 

 

Well - that drew a resounding silence.. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Report to follow.

 

No, grahame, it wasn't a question - more of a hopefully tactful introduction to my own post on this topic, relevant particularly to you. 

They nearly got that squirrel, though! 

CfN. 

 
With a new war well underway in the ME, it would be well to review and perhaps to increase stocks of oil derived fuels.
Not just petrol, but also diesel, heating oil, paraffin, and LPG.

Shortages are possible, esp. if the situation escalates.

Petrol storage is limited to 30 L. It should not be stored in living accommodation.
Butane storage within a home is limited to two cylinders each of 15 kilos or less, no limit on outdoor storage.
Propane should not be stored in a home, no limit outdoors.
Almost any volume of paraffin, diesel fuel, or heating oil may be stored.

A war in the ME is most unlikely to affect supplies of coal and fire wood, but shortages are possible if people use extra coal or wood in place of other fuels that are scarce or expensive.

 

Indeed, Chris.  Another change, another 10 minutes, another messing about with luggage and any mobilty aids, another change for people unfamiliar with the transfer to get confused/lost and an opportunity to get cold and perhaps wet.

Oh - and another chance to take a "where is this" quiz picture.

 
You have a really interesting conundrum here - and one that plays with the lives of beautiful dogs in looks and character.   Our two exist and are here with us and they are lovely family pets but only because of the fearsome sport from which they were [retired/rescued] (and people will argue whether they really are rescue!).

Greyhounds are treated far much more as a disposable commodity in Ireland, and a number of specialist rescues such as Bristol DAWG in our area have more rehoming offers than local dogs in the area for rehoming, and I see posts from time to time welcoming hounds coming to England to retire.  From what I read, they are more scarse in the USA and there's also a flow across the Atlantic.  There's a Far Eastern element too.

I don't pretend to have an answer. I do know that the breed could become at risk if there was no racing at all worldwide.  I know that some of them love to run for pleasure, and that they are delicate dogs as top atheletes can be delicate - always getting scrapes and grazes even in our environment.  Our Lulu came with clear evidence of a pretty dramatic history, for sure ... but the since she arrived she's got more major and minor marks and hindsight suggests that she may have suffered in a horrific industry, or just had the accidents she's prone too.

There are bad and good trainers ... we have some locally who rehome their ex and failed racers in the community, and some have arrangements with the like of Dog's Trust who have an arrangement to take some greyhounds in when they retire.  I sense the UK trainers are kinder than the Irish ones, but that's based on what I read and what I read may not be balanced - a false evidence sample.

Oh goodness - this is a safe space where I can spew this out in arena where so many people have highly charged views.   We know the history somewhat of our current too, and we knew it for Billy who was an "outlier" and not one of the pattern.  And don't get me started on lunchers, or on various bull terrier types.

Lisa commented "you see lots of pictures and cuddly labrador puppies, but have you - ever - seen a greyhound puppy?"

Err - you haven't asked, Chris - happy to respond if that WAS a question.  Think I have done.

 
27 to any stop between Baker Street & Warren Street & change at same stop for the 205

 

Perhaps a good place to log my two journeys Swindon to Melksham

Yesterday at 22:31 (Friday 13th) from Swindon
18 passengers on train into Melksham. where 10 got off and 3 on. [21/13]

Today at 15:14 from Swindon
36 passenger on train into Melksham, where 18 got off and 2 got on.  [38/20]

 
I'm posting this topic here, as an 'impartial' member of the Coffee Shop forum - grahame may have been reluctant to post such, as he has a vested interest in greyhounds - although I haven't asked him whether that's the case here.

So, from the BBC:


That BBC news article continues, in some detail, so I won't quote all of it here - but please do click on the link if you would like to read more.

Meanwhile, I have become increasingly familiar with grahame's two greyhounds, in Melksham. They are both great characters, the senior one leading their pursuits over the lawns towards squirrels, pigeons, a neighbour's cat, or indeed anything else they spotted 'on the ground'.

Chris.

 

Follow up posted to the International Group I'm in ... hence the bias here:



As from 21st June 2025, Paddington Station will NO LONGER be served by bus route 205 to Euston, St Pancras International, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street.   This bus route has been my personal recommendation for passengers arriving in London from the West Country, Bristol, South Wales and the Cotswolds carrying on to Eurostar services to France, Belgium and The Netherlands.

There is no suggested bus alternative. Bus route 46 does run from Paddington to St Pancras, but takes you a very long route through North London and takes nearly an hour for the journey. The London Underground Circle line, and Hammersmith and Ciry lines, both run from Paddington (Platform 16) taking between 12 and 15 minutes to Kings Cross St Pancras.  None of these direct journeys are included on the Interrail / Eurail pass.

You can use your Interrrail / Eurail Pass from Paddington (platform A - entrance from near platform 1) to Farringdon on the Elizabeth line, and change there onto a northbound Thameslink train from platform 4 to St Pancras.

The 205 was a very useful way for those with heavy luggage and in wheelchairs / with limited mobilty to get from trains from the West of London to International services from St Pancras and services for North East of London.
 
An article in The Standard alerted me to news of the change and told of consultations with local residents.  It acknoeldged that the change is an unpopular one, but told us that the change has been made for cost and efficiency reasons, promising a better service on the remains of the route which - however - does not serve Paddington. No mention is made in the article of consultation with long distance / limited mobility customers for whom this was the best cross-London option

 
Sea Shanty weekend 2025 - steered well clear. Huge queue at Truro for the Branchline, clearly going to take over an hour, possibly 90minutes, to get on a service for Falmouth at 1100 this morning. GWR/GBR can and must do better getting resilience support buses at hand. The event itself needs to be supported adequately by public services. I suspect once again those on the network were forced out of the station to join the queue again.

 

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/london-bus-route-cuts-tfl-30-205-euston-paddington-marble-arch-b1229839.html

More to follow on this ... but I am in conference today

 
Ouch

 
As an occasional user of this service I was disappointed to learn that Paddington will no longer be served from 21 June, with buses being diverted from Baker Street to Marble Arch, replacing service 30. the 205 was a useful link from Paddington to Euston, St Pancras, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street stations, those journeys now requiring a change en-route. The only mainline terminal station served by a direct bus from Paddington is Victoria