Yes - a couple more pictures of bits what got missed out of the first series





Some the signage isn't quite there yet - from the station map you wouldn't guess the new entrance existed



And on the other hand, where it is admitted you are sometime sent to the front for your bus



and sometimes to the back



The ticket gate lady was concerned as I broke my journey out the back - "this is the University entrance" and, sure, when I think about it I'm a bit old for University.  I mentioned I was going to walk round ("I can, can't I) am she confirmed - but "it's a long way". Nah - in fact I spend a fascinating day catching up with Bristol when usually I just flit though.  Probably one for "the West, but not trains in the west"

 

Thanks for the pictures. A nice new public space, isn’t it?

I believe there are two ticket machines just tucked out of view from your selection of images?

 
We could do with some pictures ... I went to Bristol today



















There *was* a steam engine coming though.  I hadn't known about that ahead of time, but got a clue from platform ends decorated with enthusiasts as we arrived.  Apparently quite a famous loco, but I didn't stop around to see.  Did see this later.

 
And I always prefer it when a small independent business moves in rather than one of the large chains.  Speaking of which I notice a Pret has now opened on the transfer deck at Reading.

 


Sshhhh ... Melksham Station is porous and some of our citizens are not the most honest.    Looking back to the days of class 153 trains, an on train ticket check worked but that's outgrown and got more complex too, and checks on train are no longer as routine as they were.

 
Officially opened by Lord Faulkner last Monday morning. They do extremely good coffee!

 

The outside coffee van has now become a proper inside coffee shop in one of the units in the entrance foyer.  Nomad Coffee I think it’s called.  Provides a bit of character to the very popular, but slightly austere new station.

 

And that (latter) was the train I intended to catch.   

I walked into front entrance of Temple Mead at about 10 to 3, for the 15:00 O'Clock to Chippenham, 5 minute change and due  into Melksham at 15:39. 

The barrier at Temple Meads balked at my ticket.   Chap on gateline (told him I was only travelling part route), looked at it, scratched his head and went and got a phone out to check it. It didn't check out and he took it off to check with "my supervisor" who said it was OK.  I explained I was catching the 15:00,  and confirmed that was OK.

Got on the train, very rear of Trainbow on a 10 car service that had just arrived and was on a quick turn around. Sea of green lights - no reservation, few passengers.  Went online, found the train from Chippenham was cancelled. No staff came through on train by Bath Spa (or even after) to ask and I decided not to divert via Trowbridge, on the basis that trains are cancelled in flights and I was in time to catch the 15:35 bus from Chippenham Station.

Except ... we came to a halt at Thingley; trains manager announced it would only be a short delay as they were running single line to Wootton Bassett, and there was a train coming the other way in the platform at Chippenham and, sure enough, we pulled into Chippenham at about 15:37.   Dashed over the bridge, through the exit game (which my ticket did work properly) and round the building ... to find no bus and no queue.  So back in to the ticket office dateline.

Explained to the young lady on the gateline that I had come off the train form Bristol and missed (or would have, if it had not been cancelled) and she went off to find a colleague to get me a taxi.  (There's not another bus for an hour on Saturday) Colleague came back and told me that as it was after the 15:30 due departure time it was my problem as I would have missed the train anyway if it had been running.  "As I told your colleague, I was on the delayed train from Bristol so hardly my problem that I'm late".  He took offence at my "tone of voice" and said he hadn't know that and I should have told him up front; I explained I had told his colleague and assumed he had passed it on.   Ruffled feathers (only somewhat, it transpired) smoothed and he agreed to book me a taxi.

Apparently, they was two ways of getting a taxi at Chippenham Station for rail replacement. They can issue a chit and give it to the front taxi on the rank.  Usually they accept it (it's part of their contract to ply at the station that they must) but sometimes they decline or drive off saying another fare has just come in.  OR they phone someone who orders a rail replacement taxi from off the station.  And that's the way the bloke choose to go.  "How long will it take it take" I asked ... "shouldn't be too long" he says, and I commented that I had to wait 90 minute at Trowbridge for that mechanism to work - which seemed a shame when there were taxis on the rank and "aren't they contracted to take rail replacement fares" I asked. Oops - he had been found out using the s-l-o-w  way of doing it; he came across to the rank to "make sure they take you" and - would you believe it - a VERY late x34 pulled in.  In the end, I took the taxi ... ended up at Melksham (in the station area) about three quarters of an hour late.

---

End of chronology.   Comment.

* Totally right for the railway to switch to single line operation while they did their checks.

* Could they have run the train up from Westbury and turned around at Chippenham on the line that was temporarily a siding?

* The chap(s) at Bristol - an hour and a half after the Melksham train was cancelled - should have alerted me to it, although I appreciate that letting me go on the train meant I wasn't their problem

* There was a communication failure between gateline staff at Chippenham that lead to the chap coming over to help me assuming I was trying to get a taxi outside of the rules

* I counted 7 staff (yes, really!) at Chippenham, and they were passing code and things round, redirecting people to the right "out" and "in" gates and keeping themselves busy, even if not busy helping passenger who were being sent back to the ticket office for corrections, had to phone a friend on the platform because she had both their tickets on one phone, telling people they were using the wrong direction ticket ... the whole system struck me as an inefficient and not customer friendly kludge.  Actually the delay was very educational.

 
I'm pretty sure I experienced a revenue block at Melksham several years ago when I dog and house sat for grahame.

 

When do you EVER get ticket checks at Melksham station

 

It does work and issue tickets.



I was headed (in intending to head) to the Bristol northern 'burbs today, so the extra was only a few pence.  BRI gates (for a break of journey) refused, Chippenham gates on the way back accepted it, no ticket checks at Melksham Station or on the trains.

 
14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01 will be cancelled.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track

15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track

 
For further information to our Coffee Shop members and readers, bobm used to be a professional journalist.

No, really!  CfN. 

 
More from BBC Devon

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c6x2zgx2y4ljo

 
Similar exists in Switzerland

 
Just remembered, I forgot to come back to this.

The lift is now back in full working order.

bobm, forum lift correspondent.

 
Just heard from the station.   The lift is currently working despite the note on Journeycheck.

 

Apparently not quite yet - the interweb reports it's final service will be in November, and Scillonian IV will commence operations next March.

 
https://wiltshirefreight.commonplace.is

I have written up views - specifically for flows through my part of the county - at https://grahamellis.uk/blog2087.html

 
Request stops are common and well implemented in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.  Screens in the train alert you to the next stop being on request, and buttons are provided which when pressed change the display to indicate that the train will be stopping.    On the platforms, there are call buttons which similarly alert the train driver.  System seems to be joined up and work well.

 

Still (or again) out:

 
Episode 2 is now available.

 

 
Did I note the Scillonian III retiring the other week?

 
The first is not AI, and the second isn't either....


If a train is stuck at a platform or red light, it is marked "delayed" after being 3 minutes errr....delayed. Until it gets on the move, the computer knows not how much longer it will be errr....delayed, and so sticks a service as marked "delayed" until such times that it moves again and is picked up at the next sensor, then it can calculate how late or On Time it might be, and update displays. AI doesn't come anywhere near it.


That's competition for you. One driver who isn't listed removes the list so that everyone stands an equal chance. Often they leave their own business card attached instead. Occasionally, a passenger nicks the page for their own use - a lot less often now in the days of phone cameras though.

 

Don't see why not.....................this one appears to run from Salisbury !

 

Please pardon my confusion, but is there really a direct service through Frome to Glasgow Central (GLC) ?

 
Every time I'm at Frome, which isn't often, there's a train calls, full of fresh air, and heading for Waterloo, and I think it's done to annoy me.