The Railway: First Great Western on Channel 5

[Morden Via CHX]

The poor continuity has never really bothered me until I saw a XC Voyager off on its way to London apparently.

 

[Crossover]

The poor continuity has never really bothered me until I saw a XC Voyager off on its way to London apparently.

To be fair, that was a bit of a silly one, given that they said the first service was a "Thames Turbo" and they had talked in some detail about the Thames Turbos earlier in the programme, it wouldn't have taken a genius to realise that was something completely different looking (even if they didn't know what it was)!

 

[A-driver]

To be fair, that was a bit of a silly one, given that they said the first service was a "Thames Turbo" and they had talked in some detail about the Thames Turbos earlier in the programme, it wouldn't have taken a genius to realise that was something completely different looking (even if they didn't know what it was)!

To be fair it was just how it was edited. The staff at the station said it was a turbo. But chances are it arrived and left without issue, hardly worth showing on TV. The a. Few trains later the xc train had the beer thrown under it and that made better tv. I really don't we why that kind of stuff is an issue at all-it's a programme about behind the scenes of the railways, not a factual programme about different types of train.

 

[Flamingo]

Nobody noticed the "stunt leg" when Ted (Swansea driver) said about stepping on the pedel? Ted was in uniform, but the leg they showed in close-up was wearing jeans! I want to know why he got a body-double?

 

[thelongestroad]

Nobody noticed the "stunt leg" when Ted (Swansea driver) said about stepping on the pedel? Ted was in uniform, but the leg they showed in close-up was wearing jeans! I want to know why he got a body-double?

Comments were made in the messroom a couple of days after the show!

 

[merlodlliw]

Comments were made in the messroom a couple of days after the show!

The channel five continuity Director has since been sacked

 

[Butts]

The channel five continuity Director has since been sacked

You mean they actually have one

 

[ainsworth74]

I thought they had a discontinuity director?

 

[jon0844]

The channel five continuity Director has since been sacked

He was sacked on Friday morning and marched out of the office, but seen back at his desk that very afternoon...

 

[Captain Chaos]

He was sacked on Friday morning and marched out of the office, but seen back at his desk that very afternoon...

And was replaced halfway through his meeting by a different member of staff...

 

[SS4]

Why do they have to adopt this modern trend of telling you what's coming up prior to the commercial break.

Presumably to waste time, each minute spent telling you what's coming up after the break is a minute of new content that needs not be found. It's the same reason why they recap what happened before the break when they get back.

This series hasn't been bad, my main criticism would be that the narrator blows everything out of proportion. Will the Reading festival fans get on the train? :roll:

 

[Andrewlong]

Presumably to waste time, each minute spent telling you what's coming up after the break is a minute of new content that needs not be found. It's the same reason why they recap what happened before the break when they get back.

This series hasn't been bad, my main criticism would be that the narrator blows everything out of proportion. Will the Reading festival fans get on the train? :roll:

This is the sort of dumbing down common in many modern documentaries. At least it didn't happen on the BBC underground and transport documentaries.

 

[jon0844]

People channel hop, so it's accepted that not everyone watches a show from the start anymore - or necessarily to the end (but might if they are teased with a 'coming up'). I do think that's why some of the rather mundane 'stories' in the series have been so hyped up, as unless you're a rail fan then I can see that some of the series has had a fair few 'meh' moments. No wonder it didn't make 12 episodes.

To be fair, I don't think it is all just because of the gradual dumbing down of the nation - but the fact that we have so much choice and so many other things to distract us these days - many things outside of the control of even the worst TV networks.

For reality shows and the likes of X-Factor, it's also well known that people don't really pay full attention. They're on their mobile, they're looking at Twitter to see what people are saying, or Facebook etc.. but it's proven that if you have loud music, shouting and lots of audience cheering/clapping then people look up. It's all pretty obvious, of course.

People watching something like Downton Abbey or other dramas/TV series are still, generally, treated with more respect as it's likely the audience are watching from start to end. Ditto with movies.

 

[GodAtum]

What was the guy at the start complaining about paying £18k and having other people travel for free?

 

[causton]

What was the guy at the start complaining about paying £18k and having other people travel for free?

In the same event the ticket barriers were all wide open - possibly that!

 

[yorksrob]

Does the measurement HST really do the whole mainline network every two weeks !?

Ooh, and a shot of a thumper - always nice to see !

 

[anthony263]

Excellent waiting for Channel 5 to upload this weeks episode on demand 5.

 

[Hartington]

Paddington/Plymouth runs once a month. It also does a run from OOC via Reading, Basingstoke, Salisbury, Honiton to Exeter. The return from Exeter seems to vary a bit but generally comes back as far as Yeovil then to Castle Cary and Westbury (reverse) back through Castle Cary to Weymouth (reverse) to Yeovil Pen Mill (reverse) to Yeovil Junction (reverse yet again) and back to OOC but that's only every three months.

 

[GodAtum]

I like the way the station manager had a filtering system to separate festival goers and commuters. Reading and Glastonbury take note!

The IT job on the measurement train must be fun!

 

[yorksrob]

Paddington/Plymouth runs once a month. It also does a run from OOC via Reading, Basingstoke, Salisbury, Honiton to Exeter. The return from Exeter seems to vary a bit but generally comes back as far as Yeovil then to Castle Cary and Westbury (reverse) back through Castle Cary to Weymouth (reverse) to Yeovil Pen Mill (reverse) to Yeovil Junction (reverse yet again) and back to OOC but that's only every three months.

Thanks for the info

 

[Crossover]

Good episode this week so far!

We've had a bit on track renewals and how the rails are welded, a bit of Okehampton and braking under slippery conditions and the Flying Banana!

The IT job on the measurement train must be fun!

It looks awesome!!!

 

[Hartington]

The clientelle at Castle Cary is much more diverse than at Charlbury. I've no doubt there are some daily commuters and there are definitely some regulars who go to places like Reading and London for part of the week (it's usual to see multiple cars in the car park after the last train). However, most of us who use it with any regularity seem to be making diverse journeys so there is much less need to separate out the festival goers. I'm not sure the station layout really lends itself to the filtering that they seem to be able to do at Charlbury (it was Charlbury, wasn't it?).

 

[tony6499]

Wouldn't have fancied walking under the bridge on that scaffolding, wonder how they fix it all up ?

 

[Flamingo]

I like the way the station manager had a filtering system to separate festival goers and commuters. Reading and Glastonbury take note!

Theresa is a star! A very switched on cookie, and not afraid to get her hands dirty.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Maureen! Not seen her since leaving Reading! Is she as loud as ever?

 

[Flamingo]

Maureen! Not seen her since leaving Reading! Is she as loud as ever?

Oh yes!

 

[Silv1983]

Is it worth watching this week? I have recorded it but am pretty non-plussed by the same format every week: ie an event near to an FGW controlled station with an intricate look at the p1$$ cans who use said station: intermittently spliced with a brief look at the role of conductor, dispatcher and RPI. Pretty boring.

 

[Crossover]

Is it worth watching this week? I have recorded it but am pretty non-plussed by the same format every week: ie an event near to an FGW controlled station with an intricate look at the p1$$ cans who use said station: intermittently spliced with a brief look at the role of conductor, dispatcher and RPI. Pretty boring.

We had another festival tonight, though not in as much detail and not with the usual amount of ****** heads shown.

Not much on the likes of fares and conductors tonight - more the engineering side of things

Worth a watch, I'd say

 

[IanD]

I'm a week behind.

Enjoyed the bit about the Gunnislake branch, shame it was so brief.

I wasn't impressed by that cake.

 

[Oxf3115]

Indeed. It's little wonder that so many people evade the fare when most of the time they won't get caught and even if they do the vast majority of the time the penalty isn't much more than the fare the didn't pay.

It's at least 10 quid more.....