Finn - holding up the traffic, again. 

 

I saw that!  Well, I managed to get a glimpse of it, out of the droplight in a rammed unit between Warminster and Westbury (air conditioning failure). 

CfN. 

 
Always happy to try and ensure some balance, CfN!

 
The first time is always an eye-opener, CfN!

Glad you enjoyed the day. I was one of those numerous bus enthusiast photographers myself a couple years ago. Accompanied by my best friend.

EDIT: I never did get round to putting together a YouTube compilation from all my video and photos taken in 2024. Still have tjem all saved. One day maybe...

 

Hmm. I'm not sure it's a case of 'the wrong type of crew' - more a shortage of the right type of crew - those who have the necessary training and therefore ability to carry out that duty, on a diverted service.

Sorry for being a pedant - but at least it bumped this topic.  I can do that, because I'm an admin (with my greatest respects to grahame). 

CfN. 

 

No need to hold back there, II. 

CfN. 

 
Today was my first experience of an Imber Bus day.  I met up with grahame, and we toured (some of) the 23A route in company.

My impressions are all favourable.  I was frankly rather startled to see just how many people were queuing up to 'get a bus to Imber' at Warminster Station.  I was also amazed at how huge the military firing range on Salisbury Plain is: I'd looked at it on an Ordnance Survey map, and noted that it is quite extensive - but travelling through it, in real life, it's vast!  Lots of rusting hulks of old tanks, visible from the roadway, but with cheery warning signs saying 'These are targets - Do not try to play on them'.

Interestingly, on almost every corner and junction, there were bus enthusiast photographers (and I do not use that term in any way derogatively) who had apparently negotiated their way to such vantage points.

My thanks to grahame, for acting as my local guide during my exploration: it was a grand day out.

CfN. 

 
From across a wide, wide area, they gathered with their cameras and binoculars, hoping to get a glance and perhaps even a rare LondonBus away from its natural habitat

 
A "Thumping" good day out  !!

The Hastings DMU returns to Warminster, from Westbury, to load up for the return trip to Tonbridge.

 
Cabview Holland has released another video today. This time of a duty between Groningen and Zwolle a journey featuring both a lethal polished floor at Groningen station and a plague of STORKS nesting in the catenary cable OHE structures. They're brazen creatures not disposed to shift even with a 120kph mulit car NS Sprinter picking up power beneath their nests.

Enjoy....

https://youtu.be/mPtrF0EF0Es?si=9YilELDtsyZbrv6X

 
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05 is being delayed at Westbury.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.

 
Cancellations to services between Westbury and Reading

Due to a safety inspection of the track between Westbury and Reading the line towards Reading is blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 19:00 15/08.

 

Though let's not forget that they generally received a panning for their Cross Country operation and ordered the fleet of 4/5 car Voyagers that has hamstrung the franchise ever since.  They were responsible for the fiasco that was 'Operation Princess' where punctuality dropped to little more than 50%, and were involved in plans for a Paddington to Birmingham via Swindon service that eventually came to nought.

 

I think that demonstrates the difference of an organisation like Virgin where customer service was embedded culturally throughout all aspects of its business.

 

Is that an edge case or a common scenario?

 
Ouch, sounds painful!..

 

Can't really answer today - offline at the moment in Tilshead ... (oops ... I seem to be here!)

 

Cue member grahame on Melksham fares.......

 
Hm. It is, but I'm a bit sceptical about claims like this:


An anytime day return from Didcot Parkway to Swindon, about 25 miles, is £65.20. An anytime day return from Hebden Bridge to Manchester, about 25 miles, is £15.60. Neither qualify for Network Card discounts. Not all "full fares" are the same.

 
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/burnham-rail-fares-commuters-adam-dance-b3033468.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawTtCNxwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMUFiZkpXSVlaNVVUcndWVE9zcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEec9CyIOW_F6MCBceAC8Njym5EiWNec4B2edzDkXF2BvCp9w93EzoQlVYdcus_aem_f6UImbDWggcLSLKJjSNC8Q

Interesting idea.

 

The gist of my original comment was 'nicked' from the Green Signals Podcast article of Thursday 13th August. So Lumo told messrs Harris and/or Bowker a blatant lie? In the same article it was also said that the WC systems were not part of the refurbishment programme (see above).

 

Possibly somewhat unfair in view of this:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/13209387/pilot-sucked-ba-cockpit-window/ 

 

Reminds me of tales of the "Sunny South Express" trains 100 years ago bringing holiday makers from the Midlands to the South Coast

From Sankey Scenics

 

A crew member was telling me very recently that he does not sign Westbury to Chippenham (in the context of not being able to staff diverted services because of one of the bridge strikes at Limpley Stoke).  Has me wondering if it's not o much a simple "crew shortage" but rather the wrong type of crew.

 
Came up "on this day", Virgin pulling out of further rail franchise bids.

It may "just" have been marketing, but those Virgin services I used and saw seemed to have a much more human - customer aware - attitude and approach than others.  When we flew regularly (and that's looking back now) we far preferred Virgin Atlantic over certain other products; not that there was much difference in cost or reliability, but when things went wrong the customer care we received outshone the others.

 

The only crew shortage around this morning ...


I suspect that there IS enough crew around - just not enough with the route knowdlege.

Thank goodness that root knowledge with experience in the prior 6 months is NOT a requirement on route 23A which runs from Warminster, via Imber to Gore's Cross, journeys on to Brazen Bottom, Chitterne and New Zealand Camp.

 
Ryanair.

Enough said. 

 
The following headline appeared on National Rail at 14:22:

However at 19:38:

First southbound train from Kings Lynn was about 21:40 - using a headcode not recognised by RTT.
First northbound arrival was from Kings Cross; scheduled at 20:12 but actually arriving at 22:01.

I have no idea what info was available on the trains or stations. Great Northern doesn't seem to do individual train reporting on its own equivalent to Journeycheck, but their live departures and arrivals seemed to alternate between showing trains and a "no trains found" sort of message.

Edit to add this excerpt from the supporting text of the incident:

 

 
The fault seems to affect only the eastbound line between Polegate and Hampden Park?

An excursion returning to Derby from Eastbourne traversed the westbound track at about 17:35; seemingly, the only train to run on this line for quite some time.

 

If it's one of the type with a rounded roof, so that those on the upper deck sit (effectively) under a glass dome. I have roasted there on a sunny but cold day in February when there was still some snow on the ground outside. They must be a nightmare to cool effectively inside in the kind of weather we are currently experiencing.