20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.

Not smug or anything but I bought solar filters for my camera back in February.  Earlier this week the same supplier had them advertised at 75% more then I paid.   

Solar eclipse = less solar energy for electricity generation.

Mark

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/10/octopus-energy-electricity-solar-eclipse-washing-machines-dishwashers

Eclipse chasers scramble for glasses as stocks run low

At a bakery in central London, stock has been flying off the shelves.

"I've sold, like, 100 this morning," a staff member tells the BBC. But it's not baked goods driving queues out of the door - customers are here to buy eclipse glasses.

They are among those hoping to catch a safe glimpse of Wednesday's solar eclipse - the UK's most significant since 1999 - but struggling to get their hands on the right gear.

Experts have urged eclipse enthusiasts not to look directly at the Sun - with even brief exposure causing lasting damage - and to seek out specialist glasses instead.

But online, pairs that meet safety specifications have all but sold out. Those still available either require a hefty next-day delivery fee or simply cannot arrive on time.

Even the Royal Museums Greenwich - recommended as a reputable retailer by UK health officials - has sold out, citing an "unprecedented volume" of orders.

Meanwhile, eclipse glasses have been turning up for sale in unexpected places as retailers try to capitalise on the demand.

"I Googled 'where can I get eclipse glasses but not through the post', because I realised I was too late," one customer waiting to buy three pairs at the bakery on Monday tells BBC Radio 4's PM programme.

"People have been struggling to find them all over," says another.

With around 90% of the Sun set to be obscured by the Moon, the UK is expecting its most significant eclipse in 27 years.

The right glasses should have the international safety standard ISO 12312-2 printed on them, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has advised, and the lenses should not be scratched, torn or damaged.

It has also advised buying a new pair rather than using ones from 1999, and to take caution when it comes to glasses being sold online as the scramble for safe spectacles has prompted eclipse chasers to trawl social media for tips.

(BBC article continues)

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 is being delayed at Gloucester.
This is due to train crew being delayed.

The signal box with three members of staff but no trains

Three members of staff are employed to run a rail signalbox – even though no trains run on the redundant line it serves.

A post by Phil Jones on the Neath Town Talk Facebook page states: “I can’t decide if this is the best job in the world or the most boring and uninspiring job in the world.
 

From yesterday - 10th August 2026 - The BBC - did we miss this?

So it appears to have been OK to send the original aircraft on its way full of media personnel and many white house staff when there was a possibility that it could have been a terrorist target.   What a brave man Trump is !!

Westbury White Horse is always a good place to go. Great views (of trains too !), ....

Donald Trump secretly swapped planes as he left a Nato summit in Turkey last month, as part of an elaborate ruse in response to a possible Iranian threat, US media report.

The US president boarded Air Force One in view of television cameras before being transported to a military aircraft with the help of a catering truck, the Washington Post said. Journalists and some White House staff on board did not know he had been smuggled out.

Officials told the BBC's US partner CBS News that the US had detected a credible Iranian threat to fire a missile at the plane. The White House has not confirmed the secret switch.

Trump had earlier said he was Iran's "number one target" during the summit in Ankara.

How would you both like to see Delay Repay operate in the very near future when the transition to GBR is complete?

Scrap it entirely so it's in line with other forms of public transport? 
Get rid of the 15-29 minute refund band? 
Keep it largely as is, accepting the flaws because it means passengers receive compensation? 
Something else?

Railway services to Heathrow Airport are being severely disrupted following the closure of a tunnel for safety reasons, Network Rail says.

Elizabeth line services between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Terminals 4 and 5 were suspended until 11:00 BST while Heathrow Express trains have been reduced by 50% with just two trains an hour from London Paddington.

Network Rail says "major disruption is expected until the end of the day" because of a water leak limiting services to one line and that tickets will be accepted on the Piccadilly line and buses 105, 278, 350 and 482.

Heathrow Express is not currently accepting Elizabeth line tickets, which has infuriated some passengers at Paddington.

Expect the (now common this year) KRS measures to be in place from tomorrow or Wednesday through the end of service on Friday.

And on the exceptionally hot days you would expect the usual extra delays and disruption that occur.

Westbury White Horse is always a good place to go. Great views (of trains too !), White Horse & Bratton Camp to explore, watch the suicidal hang-gliding people throwing themselves off the escarpment, lots of birds of prey, plenty of free parking, you sometimes see RAF A400Ms flying by - BELOW you ! .............and there is usually an ice cream van in attendance.

I believe the area behind the car park is a free running area for dogs unlike the White Horse and Camp area where there are often sheep.

It comes entirely from the taxpayer.

Until the rail operations are also the taxpayer's responsibility, doesn't this remove [a/the] financial incentive from the operating company to run trains on time, and to make connections? 

Absolutely. It's perverse. A safety net for poor performance.

Linking senior TOC pay to customer satisfaction ratings...........now there's an incentive that would have got results! 

Intriguing.

So if this data is to be believed, a Friday afternoon train leaving Paddington headed for the Westcountry for one of the busiest event weekends of the year, with the previous train having been cancelled, has "many" seats available throughout with the exception of First class which is full (at those prices there must have been some very rich people on board, or perhaps the GWR management surfing team travelling on staff passes?)

I'd say either the data has a whiff of fertiliser about it - a case of "more sensors than usual requiring repair at the same time?", or perhaps if accurate and the train was as lightly loaded as the data indicates suggests that people have given up on relying on the train and have gone by road instead - or perhaps surfed all the way? 

Does anyone fancy choosing / recommending anywhere that might be slightly quieter even on this day?

1W11 0553 London Paddington to Great Malvern cancelled between Oxford and Great Malvern due to unknown cause (ZW).

Facilities on the 08:18 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 10:26.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9.

08:56 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 11:27 will be started from Oxford.
It will no longer call at Great Malvern, Malvern Link, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton-In-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough.
This is due to a fault on this train.

15:23 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 17:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:11/08/2026 16:41

The move, announced today by the Cabinet Minister for Finance, intends to remove a potential barrier to investment at a critical stage in the growth of electric vehicles.

The 100% non-domestic rates relief will support the continued rollout of the necessary infrastructure to help drivers make the switch, particularly in areas currently underserved by charging points.

In the current financial year, local authorities will be asked to award the relief using their discretionary powers. Where relevant, this will allow relief to be backdated to the start of the 2024-2025 financial year.

Regulations will be brought forward later this year to place the relief on a statutory footing from 2027-2028 to 2035-2036. Subject to Senedd approval, this will give ratepayers and local authorities certainty in the years ahead.