Recent content by Belperpete

High ballast shoulders were always my concern, particularly where you have a live rail at the top. Getting down in a hurry at least you can jump over the live rail and down into the cess. But climbing up a high ballast shoulder with a live rail at the top could be interesting. Loose ballast...

Wooden sleepers in particular, especially if they have a thin film of dew on them. When I started working for BR Southern, I was given a number of safety leaflets. They included one about not walking on the sleepers, one about not stepping on the rails, and one about not stepping on the ballast...

Was the exodus of drivers something caused by the takeover? Or is this a case of Arriva leaving First to inherit a poisoned chalice?

Okay, it does show long-term planned disruption. What it doesn't show is short-term changes that have been planned for later the same day. So, for example, if I am planning to make a journey from London to North or mid Wales, JourneyCheck would show if my connection was planned to be...

There is now an interesting alternative to the Round Robin. It is possible to buy Shrewsbury to Porthmadog "any permitted route" returns with itineraries via Chester and Blaenau. At £30.10, as compared to £46.30 for the Round Robin. Obviously it doesn't include the Ffestiniog fare, but it may...

I assume it happened because TfW wanted to save money by ending their contract with JourneyCheck, and had to come up with some minimum-cost "alternative". 1787785713 Exactly - it only shows disruptions that are known based on current train running. It does NOT show disruptions that are...

It tells you what is happening NOW (or it would, if it actually worked properly), how trains are currently running. It is no good whatsoever for planning your travel, even in the very near future. Things like: is my train from Shrewsbury in an hour's time planned to be cancelled? Which is...

You say that the ticket worked the barriers, but if your mother only bought your ticket after you boarded the train, how did you get through the barriers at the station where you boarded the train? There are various different types of railcard, are you sure that your mother entered the correct...

I got off the train, exited through the barriers, and immediately ahead was a sign that included an arrow for Hovertravel Bus Stop. It directed me outside the front of the station, where there were taxis waiting. However, standing outside the station, I couldn't see any sign for the...

So they can take the money immediately, but wait a week to give it back? Effectively they have had a free loan of my monies for a week? If it is going to take a week, then the refunds likely won't arrive before my next credit card bill is calculated. So I will have to cough up for these...

It is understandable that the delay minutes won't include any bus-related delay, as the rail itinerary won't/can't include the bus journey. However, when you fill in the DR form, it asks for the cost of your ticket, which therefore includes the plusbus cost-element. Do they subtract the...

So, two days later, my credit card account is showing the two debits, but no sign of either refund. So much for the "immediately". I have raised a customer complaint.

In the days before mains water was readily available, I suspect that a water tower may have been needed for other than just watering locos. A stables would have needed water for the horses to drink, washing and grooming, for example. The tower base may have been kept after the tank was removed...

Even for a single destination, there would be a whole range of tickets, single/return, child, off peak, etc. Each station would therefore only have pre-printed tickets for the most commonly used destinations. How did the accounting work for Edmondsons where the destination was handwritten...

But you can be expected to travel as far as you can on that train, and then attempt to catch a connecting service from there. So for example, had the train been shown as terminating at New Street, a reasonable course of action would be to get the train to New Street and then make a connection...