25 on that list, including the UK as per Graham's method, plus about 16 others not mentioned.

And if I never go back to Equatorial Guinea, it will be too soon!

 
All lines blocked until 19.00

 


https://www.eventbrite.com/e/travelwatch-southwest-autumn-general-meeting-2026-tickets-1999846046359

 

 

Seconded.

 
Official launch of the University's building is also 7th Sept, but I don't know what time.

 
December 13th is the start of the new national timetable

 
006 doing Newquay today. Have to see what happens tonight when it gets dark.

112 running up and down empty.

 

Well yes, I can see why you think that might be the actual opening date and services serving it.  But the opening date and services serving it could still be sooner than that.  Even though realtimetrains still shows a start date at the start of the winter timetable on 13th December. The services will be extensions of the current Bristol Temple Meads-Filton Abbey Wood stopping services.  These services generally depart Temple Meads at xx:04 and arrive at Filton Abbey Wood at xx:18.  Then they depart Filton Abbey Wood at xx:48.  So the current services can easily be extended to run to and from North Filton, and before 13th December.

Also take into account that even completely brand new services like the West Midlands Railway Birmingham New Street-Kings Norton(via the Camp Hill Line) and Lumo London Euston-Stirling services, the start dates were only announced about 3 weeks in advance.

 
Mainly Europe for me with one visit to the Grenadines and Barbados ( briefly) in the Caribbean.  Also, I guess the Canaries, although Spanish politically, are geographically on an African techtonic plate?

 
Not used them for a bit, but in the last couple of days, several bus trips, and the real-time timetabling information was ragged for some reason.

The Stagecoach 620 was struggling for other reasons, one or more of the buses on the route was in stealth mode, and a cancellation too.

The service that was to form the 16:45 from the bus station... attempting to catch the inbound service it was nowhere to be found.

Coming back up, I headed for the last 620 of the day but catching it from the stop at Green Park. 17:46 came and went, their app not showing it at the bus station.

20 minutes after time, the bus to form the service passed the Green Park stop but in the opposite direction, and after about another 15 minutes, reappeared. I was expecting it to have the passengers for both the 16:45 and 17:45 aboard, but no, it was carrying just one other. Both of those services are usually somewhat busy. Three more did join before we parted company - the driver asking for reassurance as to where the bus stops were as it was their first time out unaccompanied. So, perhaps Stagecoach is struggling for staff, or the route's being delayed by congestion, or both...

 
Likewise, I rather fancy having a pootle down to watch the opening but RS has a good question about inside or outside.  Perhaps the weather might dictate matters but I'm thinking that there would probably be more outdoor photo opportunities that are so prized by our local politicians.  Or there may be a lower key "press/media event" devoid of us plebs held earlier.

 
Media reporting it

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/major-uk-train-operator-to-reduce-timetable-next-week/ar-AA2bB4BS?ocid=socialshare

 
The whole thing about Americans not having a passport is a bit misleading, given that they still have the whole of the USA at their disposal, an area not dissimilar in size to Europe with a wide variety of geographic features, weather conditions and other features albeit perhaps not quite so varied in culture.  Personally I mostly stick to the UK anyway as there's so much I haven't yet seen or want to experience again.

 
Imberbus launched on 5th September 2009 [OTD] with 4 red Routemaster buses from Warminster to Imber. The roads were also open in those early days to cars, but as the event grew, Imberbus day has become buses only.  What started as a one-off transport idea has since grown into a massive annual event. This year (2026) over 4,000 visited, and 40 vintage and modern buses, predomiantly Routemasters, raised over £30,000 for local charities.

 

Every little helps.

 
On the subject of timekeeping of freight services, I've noticed from RTT that the best timekeeping of all the trains through Cheltenham - both passenger and freight -  appears to be the 'Tesco' trains that run between their distribution centres.  I guess that the SLA (Service Level Agreement) for these trains is particularly tight, and tighter than, for example, mineral trains.

 
Last time I checked, realtime trains showed first train on 13th Dec

 
Me too. I wonder whether it’s better to be inside or outside?

 
Yes. Surprised also that the Philippines are not there - and South America and the Pacific are poorly represented in the list

 
On a canal trip in one of the skiffs, 1971(?), it was a morning, we saw an APT at speed, I think just north of Leighton Buzzard, the train looking suitably futuristic, really shifting - and for good measure, leaning into a curve.

 

I suspect that the businesses on whose behalf a variety of freight services are run overnight would not agree with that sentiment.

 
It's basically the old HST diagrams. As far as I know a 175 will operate the key 2C05 diagram that finishes with 2E28 the last Penzance train to connect at Exeter with the last Bristol.

I don't know if they have sorted out the sunflower situation at  night in case the driver forgets what the aspect of the last signal they passed in a long section.

 
16 - plus a few more which are not listed such as the USA, Indonesia & Brunei.

 

Thanks, folks - really ruins the day out!   Last ever through day trip from Swindon to Weymouth operated (or not operated, to be accurate) by First Group p.l.c. Hope the nationalised system will "magic" something reliable for next year.

 


It was said to me that more people in the USA owned a copy of the Titanic DVD than a passport ... so seeing lots of "how many places have you visited" trawls on my social media feed with very small numbers suggested for the typical American does not surprise me.

Here in Europe (need to define "in", mind!) we have a lot of countries within a short distance and I speculate that most members here are more travelled (country wide) than yer typical Yank.  The list on the graphic, with 42 countries, is just a fraction; there are 193 members of the UN, plus a couple of others such as The Vatican,  which are countries in common understanding but not UN members.

P.S. - I count 21 I have visited (if counting living in the UK as visiting) plus places like Slovenia and Slovakia, Lithuania and Latvia, Norway and the USA, which are not seen as significant enough to have made this list

 

Indeed - some of the "failures" mentioned may have been bleeding edge technology - ahead of their time and smoothing the way for leading edge stuff.

The Brill branch may have been lost in 1935, but that region of the countryside is ripe for housing growth, and - who knows - by 2035, there may well be another railhead with a passenger service running just a dozen miles away at Winslow.

 

Get well soon, BobM ... though I have to say that the cloud of your cold has brought the silver lining of this excellent overnight report!

 

Depressing.   And "19:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 22:00 will be started from Westbury" how to ruin a day out for a whole horde of people!   Let's see what advice gets added to the report for passengers.  My suggestion might be to people coming home [to Melksham] to catch the 18:45 - tell them on the way down - and change at Westbury. Mind you, JourneyCheck suggests that the 18:45 will be just two carriages which might get cosy.