Thanks for warning us, ChrisB. Do you have a yellow T shirt?

 
I'm coming too...

 


I'm rather inclined to turn up with my own current beard, wearing a yellow T shirt, just to confuse everyone. 

(As something of a spoiler, Tim's yellow T shirt is Bristol Rail Campaign, while mine is TransWilts. )

 

Rather strange apparel, for a squirrel. 

 
I plan to be there

 
Sunday 1 March:

0844 London Paddington to Great Malvern cancelled due to a problem at the depot (MU)
0944 London Paddington to Hereford cancelled due to unknown cause (ZW)
1157 Great Malvern to London Paddington cancelled due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)
1428 Hereford to London Paddington cancelled due to unknown cause (ZX)
2150 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill cancelled between Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill due to unknown cause (ZW)

The first four due to a track side fire between Paddington and Reading. The 2150 truncated due to shortage of train crew which resulted in:

Monday 2 March:

06:43 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington cancelled between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford due to unknown cause (ZW)

 
Can't recall if I've mentioned it. Having used Statcounter for site stats for yonks, recently they've needed to introduce a slew of tools to weed out visits by various bots and have issued at least two newsletters to users to keep us informed about what they're up to.

Mark

 
& a classic case of seeing what I expected to see in a photo rather than what was actually in Graham's photo - where there are no buffer stops.

Mark

 

Haha! Bridge: tick. Two lines converge: tick. Buffer stops: tick. Graffiti: tick. A case of  "All the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order."

Below: Carmarthen...

Mark

 
Okehampton in 2005 was virtually nil. Did Falmouth have a half hour service then; Paignton did, but only in the rush hour.
If the railway increases a service passengers do come in most circumstances.

In London the Victoria Line was built despite a declining London population. The decline turned round in the 1980s and the line is at capacity.

 
A surprise is the number achieved by Okehampton. (Also, always tickled that St Ives eclipses Penzance, though that's for... reasons.)

Mark

 
The "Devon Metro" (doesn't exist) figures illustrates the continuing growth of Exeter in terms of job creation and which has created a commuter railway.
Paignton is a perfect example; thousands of houses being built on the ring road from White Rock to Kings Ash Hill that require a bus to Paignton station or being dropped off.

The Kingskerswell-by-pass campaigned for 40 years was meant to bring jobs to Torbay but had the reverse effect in allowing commuting to Exeter which luckily for the railway is not car friendly. Exeter (138,000) will overtake Torbay (140,000) in population size.

I expect when Okehampton Interchange opens there will be a significant drop in passengers from Okehampton who transfer to the new station. Barnstaple really needs a half hour service and Exmouth a 20 minute service but needs new track infrastructure.

 
The main speaker for the Bristol Rail Campaign AGM is confirmed as Ben Scott, Station Manager for Bristol Temple Meads, Severn Beach Line and North Somerset. Together with colleagues he'll be speaking about his role, how GWR works with WECA, and current and future local rail projects. There will be other speakers and opportunities for questions on a variety of topics.

And of course there will be plenty of opportunity to meet old friends in the Watershed Bar!

Hope to catch up with forum members there. I'll be the tall bearded one in a yellow T shirt!

 
4. Llandudno

 
Unless you happen to be in a wheelchair....

 
6. Severn Tunnel Junction

 
No. 5 has a LNWR signalbox - so somewhere on the Heart of Wales line.

 

I agree with you.  So how do we do the right thing now?

Some Population comparisons:
Minehead - 12,000
St Ives, Cornwall - 12,000
Barnstaple - 31,000
Okehampton - 10,000
Looe - 5,500
Swanage - 10,000
Bude - 10,000
Newquay - 24,000
Portishead - 26,000
Exmouth - 36,000
Penzance - 21,000

 
Caveat Emptor or 'when it looks too good to be true it almost certainly will be' - if you are not 100% sure of who or what you are dealing with pay a visit to, or call, a reputable 'High Street' ticket retailer.

Q. .....what can and should be done by the operator when the problem is identified?
A. Provision of the required goods or service in exchange for the appropriate payment.   

 
50 Years ago, I had left my signalman's job on the Big Railway and was working hard so that Minehead would be on this chart.  It still hurts that things didn't work out that way, even though (thank goodness) the permanent way is still there, in use, and in much better shape than it was in 1976

I remain convinced that we were doing the right thing.  These numbers suggest that it could have become a great success in real transport

 

Yes


Sorry - no. Brave try on one of the most difficult pictures in the quiz

 
That's well south of 'Annoying'. The first is A.I. fantasy, how is one meant to learn about the world from this sort of imagery - the landscape isn't feasable, never mind the train and rail line. The second... for obvious reasons there's many Tarbets in Scotland and top marks to the itinerary for that side-excursion to the wrong one. Oh, and that isn't Harris.

Mark

 
2 Carmarthen?

Mark

 
3. Holyhead

 

I have been to Wales multiple times though - unlike Croatia which I have only visited once.  So the itinerary would not be entirely helpful.   Yes, No. 1 is Rhymney.

 
Oh, no ...    I had a paper copy of grahame's whole itinerary for that recent excursion - but I left it behind in Melksham. 

However:  1. Rhymney station.

 
Some pictures from our recent trip ... and some older ones.  Some easy to identify and some harder.  How many can you recognise?   To give everyone a change, please just name one each - at least for the rest of today (2nd March 2026)

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.