Glad to hear that it went well, best wishes to your Mother.
I took my late Mother for a trip on the WSR, and was impressed was the facilities offered. Contrary to the usual policy, Mother was advised to take her mobility scooter on the train. There was an organised outing, by WSR from a local old folks home, and Mother was invited to join them.
No problems in carrying an oxygen cylinder, and they even had spares on the train in case of emergency.

 
I took Mum out on the train today. From Taunton to Paignton.

Mum doesn't have great mobility so we use a wheelchair to get her out and about.

I initially tried to book assistance via the Passenger Assistance app last month when I purchased the First Class Advances for our journey. The app however doesn't have a facility to select First Class on the chosen journey. I wrote in the 'Additional Information' box that we would be First Class ticket holders. When the Passenger Assistance booking was confirmed though it had put us in Standard Class.

So I had to phone GWR Passenger Assist instead to ensure we were reserved into First Class for our journeys. That process was quick and easy, with email confirmation received soon after the call ended.

On arrival at Taunton today I informed the gate line staff that we had booked assistance and they radioed that through. Just a couple of minutes later we were greeted by the customer assistant who told us approximately where we should wait for our carriage. His device had our details and the reservation was correct. Coach L at the rear of the 9 car IET. He offered assistance pushing the wheelchair up the ramp, but this was politely declined. We have a Powerstroll attachment that can give me, the pusher, and easy life - even up slopes.

One minor issue. When the train arrived the TM told us we'd have to go in Coach A, Standard Class, due to platform length at Paignton. I queried this, he checked his (presumably) station calls list, and then said, "My mistake, you can get off from Coach L." It's possible he confused Paignton with Torquay.

Our reservation was correctly displayed in the carriage, but we chose to sit opposite once the TM confirmed there were no reservations for the other wheelchair space for the rest of the jourmey. Switching sides so we were the correct side for the sea wall.

On arrival in Paignton a member of staff was waiting with the ramp. Again, faultless assistance.

The same faultless assistance when we returned to Paignton station for our journey home. We arrived on the platform around 15 minutes before departure and within a few minutes a member of staff arrived to greet us. Checking that we were the booked assistance, she directed us to the correct spot on the platform, then when the train pulled in she liaised with the First Class Host to get us aboard. She even held Finn's lead while I got Mum up the ramp.

Just after Whiteball tunnel the TM came to us to confirm we were off at Taunton. He said he'd be ready to deploy the ramp if there were no station staff on arrival. He was either psychic, or more likely, knew from experience. No staff for the booked assistance on arrival, so the TM did as promised.

A pretty positive experience all round, with just a few niggles:

  1. The app not offering the option to explicitly chose a First Class wheelchair space.

  2. Those actioning the app booking presumably not checking the "Additional Information" I'd written about us holding First Class tickets.

  3. No staff for the booked assistance on arrival home in Taunton. What if it'd been a lone wheelchair user unfamiliar with the station who needed assistance beyond just the ramp deploy?

That said, it was a positive enough experience for us to try it again. Mum really enjoyed the alternative transport for a day out. Reminiscing about childhood trips on the train to Dawlish, and seeing the bunches of deer at Powderham. Today we had a bit of spray along the sea wall. The deer were a liitle distant though - hard for Mum to pick out.

Well done to all GWR staff who assisted both today and over the phone last month. Particular praise to the staff at Paignton. I've provided feedback (with times and names) to GWR so that hopefully said praise is passed on to the individuals who helped make our day out stress free.

Didn't even mind being 16 minutes late back to Taunton. The Delay Repay can go toward the next train trip with Mumsy!