Indeed - lost in April 1966, and re-opening in May 1985.

Looking at my Summer 1991 timetable, there was a Monday to Saturday train at 07:44 to Swindon, and a train at 17:30 from Swindon that called at 17:57 returning, with an extra train on Saturdays from Swindin at 14:30 getting in at 14:57.   We have come a long way since then - there are now 9 trains timetabled each way Monday to Friday, and 7 each way on Saturday and Sunday.

We have come a long way back but we have a long way to go ... social media comment from yesterday:

 

Trigger's broom strikes again!

 

One has certain members of this Forum frothing at the mouth and one doesn't! 

 
The failed sleeper from last night has now failed on its way up to Reading. Currently dumped in Highbridge loop.

Tonight’s down sleeper likely to be cancelled.

 
I have merged several topics here, as they all relate specifically to Charfield station.

The original headings of most posts have been preserved, where possible.

CfN. 

 
I - managed - to leave Calne out of my "spoiler" list.   This has often struck me as a branch which - had it survived a further 20 years - would now be the terminus of a service from Bristol ... calling at stations along the way that remain, plus Saltford, Bathampton, Box, and Corsham.

 
Ah, Highworth. I visited the station site using the relatively frequent bus service, on a sunny day post Covid, when Highworth came across as stunned rather than sleeping. The wall in the photo alongside the alley from the road called 'Windrush' was a puzzle. On the site of the goods shed, it doesn't align with the structure, but looks to be built partly with bricks reclaimed from the platform face.

That aside, the railway, on a rural site, obliterated by the later housing, at the edge of which a length of trackbed untouched since the line closed immediately asserted itself.

On old maps, the line through Highworth station very much suggests intentions to head on, but it's not clear to where - though at some distance and across the young Thames, the Fairford branch beckoned. If it's ok I'll imagine a Bristol to Oxford train service via Witney - a rather unlikely relief for the capacity issues on the Didcot to Oxford line.

Mark

 

They wouldn't need a bunch of keys: just one (redacted). 

 
... and, very nearly, Melksham. 

 
There's an interesting distinction between 'The Flying Scotsman' and 'A Flying Scotsman'. 

 

I rather think the residents of Littlehampton would take umbrage at the suggestion that they live in an inappropriate place. 

 
Some nice info at https://charfieldtrainstation.commonplace.is/

 
Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Reading

Due to a broken down train between London Paddington and Reading fewer trains are able to run on the line towards Reading.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

 

I believe that hair straighteners use relatively little power - in the region of 100w. I've had laptop chargers in the past which used more than that.

In this case, I think GWR might have had more sympathy if they'd encouraged customers to think of others and not consume (or cook) strong smelling food onboard!

 

 
From the Wiltshire Times



Spoiler alert -
Highworth
Wootton Basett Junction
Devizes
Swindon Town
Marlborough High and Low Levels

 
From Bristol Live

 
From The Independent


A name change/addition to existing services, or something new?

 
No mention of Gatwick Express in that new legal name, adding further to the scope for confusion about which tickets are valid on which trains between Victoria and Gatwick.  There is an argument put forward by some that Gatwick Express is not a separate operator and as nothing more than a brand should not (indeed under current legislation cannot) have higher-priced tickets.  Looked at from a different angle, it makes sense to encourage passengers with lots of luggage to travel on properly designed trains with plenty of luggage space from dedicated platforms at either end of the journey, to avoid them cluttering up less suitable commuter trains, and pricing people off those trains helps no-one.

The current confusion isn't helped by Gatwick Express branded trains popping up in such inappropriate places as Littlehampton!

 
Later this week ... my trip ...

Departs Melksham at 16:39 and arrives in Swindon (Wilts) at 17:06.
Departs Swindon (Wilts) at 18:04 and arrives in London Paddington at 19:01.
Departs London Paddington at 19:18 and arrives in Stratford (London) at 19:36.
Departs Stratford (London) at 19:43 and arrives in Harwich International at 21:00.

Good price - but - WHY sell me a ticket that has me waiting nearly an hour at Swindon, then is followed by tight changes at Paddington and Stratford?   Would it not be logical to offer an earlier train into Paddington, with more leeway in crossing London?

 
From my mailbox ...


Noting the "FOI" comment.  I guess that means that once our local TOC is government run, we may have another route to finding out information (usually after the act, sadly) as well as having somewhat less of the query redirection / responsibility attribution when questionable things come to light

 
From the BBC:

 
That explains the orange train that passed Southbound in the Worle area, though not sure where it was heading to

 
At the risk of digressing from the original point, I’d love to know how a train manager would make it through some of the packed commuter trains that we know occur on a daily basis, waving a bunch of keys for the fire extinguisher cupboard, potentially with hundreds of passengers coming in the opposite direction to avoid a fire.

 
It's... yup. *Sits on hands*.

Mark

 

Believe so .... here's where the IET has come from

 
Reading elsewhere that the "Up" sleeper broke down last night and was replaced by a 5 car IET?

 
Napoleon Bonaparte tried to go round the back of Waterloo - and see where that got him.

JayMac has said, he and Finn were 'abroad'.

I won't spoil it by giving any more detail.

 
Thank you to all of you Coffee Shop forum members here for your 'likes' to our previous posts on this topic.

May I also record here my thanks to grahame's wife Lisa. I first met her some 16 years ago, when I attended a meeting in Melksham. Lisa is in some ways 'the power behind the throne', in that she is so supportive of grahame, while she herself remains very low profile on the forum - she is a registered member.

Thank you, too, Lisa. 

Chris from Nailsea. 

 
I wonder if that might be round the back of Waterloo.?

 
I get that.  Finn is a popular mascot on the Coffee Shop forum: you, on the other hand ...