From Powys County Times and full story here


Some horror stories, comments about infrequent services being a problem too, and that there has been engineering so trains not running anyway (and no trains running does, of course, mean low numbers on no trains  )

 
Happened to pop over to DIG at around 1300 yesterday, to collect some pre-booked tickets, and noticed that the station PIS was still showing 2F10 (0929 DIG>EXM) as 'Delayed' but the 'real time' service was running OK. A perusal of RTT today showed that a points failure had caused a number of trains between EXD & EXM to be cancelled in the period 0830-1030.

Was it really not possible for somebody to reset the display screen manually?   

 

The journey planners suggest the 0902 and 1424 from Looe will be calling at Coombe junction. The printed timetables don’t appear to do so.

 
As a former resident of Hassocks, this thread intrigued me. (I used to commute on one of the services with a 4BIG - the slice of hot toast puts GWR catering today to shame)

I've not checked, but there might be some opportunities around Southern Advances and possibly some PAYG tapping in/out somewhere.

There were some historic fare anomalies that I remember using in my youth around ticket validity to Lewes and some other local stations too but I suspect the Routing Guide will have put paid to those.

 

Fortunately there are enough people who do think it's worth paying to travel behind steam or there'd be no steam to photograph!  Ideally the trip should be enhanced by a welcoming boarding experience (a chance for a leisurely inspection of the haulage, including in this case during the mid-point attachment perhaps?) as well as that onboard experience and being made to feel appreciated for keeping the show on the (iron) road.

 

At least they've given is two hour's notice this time rather than cancelling it at 18:08 as they did on Easter Monday.   One of those "don't ask" days.

Interesting that it's the 17:50 to Salisbury that's cancelled rather than the 18:10 to Westbury, on a service with a far more frequent service where a gap might be less missed.

 
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train

 
For the record, adding the GWR timetable up to midMay - we already knew (and have discussed) the loss of the early morning service.





So it's down from 15 round trips a day to 13 Monday to Saturday.

 

Thanks ... it would appear that the National Rail timetable, and GWR's .pdf timetables too, have service cuts, and that Real Time Trains and Journey Planners are telling us of service levels as at present, though with significant timing changes which I suspect might mess up anyone headed to or from work or school.    Looking closely at the NR and GWR timetables, they do seem to have a couple of extra minutes running time in the services that RTT and Journey Planner offer, so I suspect it's a typo.

 
The 05:40 from Edinburgh to Kings Cross - in 4 hours - runs non stop from Newcastle will be a contender.

Mark

 
Many moons ago, on 14th February 2009, as a 30-year long-service award, my company paid for myself and my wife to be pampered aboard a British Pullman dining experience behind Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific, 35028 'Clan Line' (if I'd paid for it myself, I'd have needed a second mortgage!). You barely noticed that you were behind a steam locomotive!  The onboard experience was the attraction (I won't say the scenery - unless you enjoy the south London suburbs and Surrey Hills!).

Rather more recently, I treated my daughter (who is an avid Harry Potter fan) to a weekend around Glenfinnan. As part of that weekend, we boarded a Scotrail Class 156 unit and travelled from Fort William to Mallaig and back. We saw exactly the same scenery as the tourists on board The Jacobite at a (huge) fraction of the price. We witnessed The Jacobite cross the viaduct from a couple of lineside vantage points.

As an avid railway photographer, I would gladly phot a steam excursion from lineside, but as a participant of a railtour, it really does not matter what the motive power is.

 
On GwR journey planner there’s now a 1457 weekdays Coombe to Liskeard after the timetable change. It used to be just after 1530.
Screenshots from before and after the timetable change for Liskeard bound services

 
Just picked this up ... comparing the National Rail Timetables at

https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/nrtt/2024_12/141%20Liskeard%20to%20Looe.pdf
and
https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/nrtt/2025_05/141%20Liskeard%20to%20Looe.pdf

it would appear that service are reduced at Coombe Junction from 12 a week to Looe and 12 a week to Liskeard to 6 a week to Looe and just a single weekly service to Liskeard.    There's "get you there" service to Coombe Junction from Liskeard, and from Coombe Junction to Looe in the morning, but the "get you home" afternoon service has been withdrawn, as have the "get you there" services Looe to Coombe Junction and Coombe Junction to Liskeard for Plymouth connection on Monday to Friday mornings. Have I read that right?

 
The York runs I guess, on LNER

 

Thanks, Chris - sorry for my "double post" on that - I was in the process of uploading the new national timetable to the Coffee Shop!

 
Good question ...

No summary that I can easily see - but the times are now available at GWR via https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/train-times

National Train times (including GWR) all on the Coffee Shop via https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/nrtt.html (and, yes, I need to update that page because it erroneously reports the current timetable until 18th May as "superseded" already.

 
No summary that I can yet see, but individual timetables are available -
https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/train-times

 
Cancellations to services between Newbury and Reading

Due to a points failure between Newbury and Reading trains have to run at reduced speed on some lines.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 10:00 01/05.

Customer Advice
Due to an Axle Counter Failure near Thatcham Station, the line towards Reading is delayed. Trains maybe cancelled, altered or delayed as a result.

 
I've searched the forums but couldn't see any topics on this.

Does anyone know where I can find a summary of the changes to the GWR timetable that come in on 18th May?

 
https://www.railart.co.uk/prints/product/flying-scotsman-kings-cross-1928/




What is the longest non-stop run these days? GWR? XC? UK? Overseas?

Edit to add pictures

 
An OLD topic .... and a reminder that the Hovercraft Museum IS still with us - https://hovercraft-museum.org/

 
https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2025/05/steam-locomotive-34046-braunton-to-pass-through-dawlish-this-saturday.html


[personal opinion piece] So that's about 4 hours behind a diesel, half an hour for a loco change, an hour and a quarter behind a steam engine on the main line, then a final section on a heritage line where you could travel behind a steam engine anyway.

 
Hold it!


Opportunities if the train is running to time, you have ...
1 minute (no chance!) at Westbury
7 minutes at Swindon (*)
9 minutes at Gloucester (*)
17 minutes at Worcester Shrub Hill
* - Train calls at platform away from station building

 
RAIB have published an interim report on this accident. It provides a lot more detail than the initial press statement, but is mostly about the same topics. As an interim report, there is no attempt to draw conclusions.

 

They do where I am now, we can claim to the time printed on our paying in receipt. I only bother if it’s over a certain number of minutes late. It isn’t worth messing around for 1-2 minutes, especially as another day I could have a quick escape and get home a few minutes early. I run a tally in my head and know I roughly break even over a month if I didn’t claim until I hit my figure of lateness.

We can go days without seeing any cash on the main service I drive, then have a shift with loads of cash. Funny old world. Unpredictable.

 
That used to happen in Westbury. Not anymore since the double yellow lines appeared for quite a wide radius away from the station.

 
Nearly 3 years since anything posted on this thread - I understand that we are getting near(er) to having a 4BEL unit running - all be it really the old passenger accommodation of the generation of trains that the 5BEL belonged to with railway equipment from the following generation.  I still look forward to a ride some time.

 

I started this as a poll to get a wide range of views.   Undoubtedly cash is messy to handle and yet where I see businesses and their staff grumbling about it, part of me feel "yes - but services should be about what the service user - the customers - wants and needs, and not about the convenience to the staff".  The other part of me sees those extra delay seconds on buses (especially) where the customer joining does a slower cash-and-change transaction and other customer sit patiently waiting.

Question - did I see that on the Valley lines in South Wales, the corner stores near to some (smaller?) stations will sell you a ticket for cash, but it won't be accepted on the tram/train or with machines at the station?

A parallel - for user group(s) - (MTUG, WWRUG, TWSW, etc) should we accept that some members are not online and correspond with them in print rather than through email?  How about people who want to join and can't because of some personal limitation?  How about people who have chosen not to be online? How about people who are taking a principled stand against everything being done through a computer?

No answer from me, here ... I have voted that cash should be accepted though with some exceptions.  And what are those suggestions?   I would suggest journeys that require formal ID - such as Eurostar, and journeys that are made for purely leisure purposes outside the normal transportation needs.   So heritage railways, coach excursions, the runaway mine train at Alton Towers, mail rail, and Great Britain XVII are exempt from accepting cash.