sleepy_hollow
Member
- Joined
- 9 Jan 2018
- Messages
- 177
Conveyances:
2K09 0820 Sea Mills (SML) - Bristol Temple Meads (BRI) 158-745
2V54 0913 BRI - Yate (YAE) 166-213
2C25 1835 YAE - BRI '... cancelled due to a problem at the depot (MU).' (Tannoy: Broken down train.)
2T50 1907 YAE - BRI 166 - 207
2K58 1946 BRI - SML 166 - 210 '... cancelled between Weston-super-Mare and Bristol Temple Meads due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)'
Once more into the breach...
After the failure to reach Cam & Dursley I decided that Yate would do for next time. Went down to Temple Meads on the 0820 then waited in the sun on platform 15 for the 0913 to Yate on Platform 13, chosen because the Weymouth trains are never 800s. Walking down the platform after its arrival the guard mentioned that there were no proper cycle spaces on that train (3-car 165) and showed me to the luggage space in the centre car, which if I recall, on this unit, is not behind the door marked for luggage space but the one marked for wheelchairs. I probably know that by now.
The GWR removal of the class 158 cycle cupboard wall was a great improvement on the original nationalised version, when will they pluck up courage to do the same on the 800s. Nevertheless providing three cycle wheel retainers is a bit optimistic. Did manage with two. This 158 appears occasionally, I assume it implies a failure in the Turbo fleet.
Sunny day on the Cotswold plateau
Smooth journey to Yate, cycled over the barley golden Cotswolds to Tetbury, to admire the marvel of light and height that is the wooden gothic eighteenth century St Mary's. Back across over the plateau to Yate in warm sunshine.
Cancellation
Increasing familiarity with the route through town from Chipping Sodbury had me sweeping trimumphantly up to the PAYG terminal at 1830, tapping in in good time for the 1835. Walked through the entrance and saw the screen showing this train as cancelled, with the next as 1908 expected 1919. Suppressed any impulses to cycle back to Sea Mills, although possibly south down to Pucklechurch and hence along the railway path to Mangotsfield after which it is downhill to Lawrence Hill might have worked.
Train Service planning
Spent the 40 min at the sunny end of the platform pondering whether this 'Train Travel' is all it is cracked up to be. In the evening calm punctuated only by a couple of cross country expresses and an empty stone train crawling onto the Tytherington branch, whether there really are pathing reasons that mean only the Worcester trains stop at Cam & Dursley. A cancellation there is not a 40 min wait but a one hour wait added to whatever early arrival you may have achieved.
Occasional walks back to view the screen showed that the predicted time never got later than 1920, and that it was a three car train, so no 800 problem. On arrival revealed as a 166 so used the usual luggage space opposite the bike spaces.
Cross platform connection - Local network publicity
Ten minute late arrival was on platform 9, so convenient for cross platform connection with the Sea Mills train waiting on Platform 11.
A Weston train being on platform 12 as the same time produced at least one confused young man who asked if it was for Weston and responded to being told 'No, Severn Beach' said, 'where is Severn Beach?'. The response 'opposite direction to Weston' seemed the clearest available. Did not seem to have travelled far, which reminds me of a woman met on the platform at Sea Mills, travelling to Highbridge, who revealed that she had lived nearby for twenty five years without realising there was a railway, her complete unfamiliarity being emphasised by her opening question 'When is the Temple Meads train', when standing in front of a screen with 0820 top of the list. It could be that publicising the existence of the Bristol network, with map showing its place in local geography should be an essential preliminary to Enid Blyton jokes and urging people to tap in / tap out.
Space-time discontinuity
Some merriment was caused in the centre car when we noticed that the screen at one end was showing Portsmouth as the destination and that at the other Severn Beach. Enjoyed witticisms about sitting facing the correct screen for you destination, and felt it safer, after departure towards both destinations, not to walk down past middle of the saloon from fear of dropping into a rupture in space-time. Almost nominal arrival at Sea Mills and got out of the SML door. Wondered if this 'Train Travel' is a gigantic practical joke on the nation.
All PAYG taps nominal and correctly shown at on board inspections. Six days later there is no trace of the journey in the PAYG system. Losing all the taps is better than losing only some, as it keeps the penalty process at bay, but does create a nagging doubt as to what the system could be cooking up. Even when it shows up I doubt if the advertised automatic delay repay notification process will operate. I suppose if I am late with my delay repay claim I can say why.
Still pondering an attempt to reach Cam & Dursley this year.
2K09 0820 Sea Mills (SML) - Bristol Temple Meads (BRI) 158-745
2V54 0913 BRI - Yate (YAE) 166-213
2C25 1835 YAE - BRI '... cancelled due to a problem at the depot (MU).' (Tannoy: Broken down train.)
2T50 1907 YAE - BRI 166 - 207
2K58 1946 BRI - SML 166 - 210 '... cancelled between Weston-super-Mare and Bristol Temple Meads due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)'
Once more into the breach...
After the failure to reach Cam & Dursley I decided that Yate would do for next time. Went down to Temple Meads on the 0820 then waited in the sun on platform 15 for the 0913 to Yate on Platform 13, chosen because the Weymouth trains are never 800s. Walking down the platform after its arrival the guard mentioned that there were no proper cycle spaces on that train (3-car 165) and showed me to the luggage space in the centre car, which if I recall, on this unit, is not behind the door marked for luggage space but the one marked for wheelchairs. I probably know that by now.
The GWR removal of the class 158 cycle cupboard wall was a great improvement on the original nationalised version, when will they pluck up courage to do the same on the 800s. Nevertheless providing three cycle wheel retainers is a bit optimistic. Did manage with two. This 158 appears occasionally, I assume it implies a failure in the Turbo fleet.
Sunny day on the Cotswold plateau
Smooth journey to Yate, cycled over the barley golden Cotswolds to Tetbury, to admire the marvel of light and height that is the wooden gothic eighteenth century St Mary's. Back across over the plateau to Yate in warm sunshine.
Cancellation
Increasing familiarity with the route through town from Chipping Sodbury had me sweeping trimumphantly up to the PAYG terminal at 1830, tapping in in good time for the 1835. Walked through the entrance and saw the screen showing this train as cancelled, with the next as 1908 expected 1919. Suppressed any impulses to cycle back to Sea Mills, although possibly south down to Pucklechurch and hence along the railway path to Mangotsfield after which it is downhill to Lawrence Hill might have worked.
Train Service planning
Spent the 40 min at the sunny end of the platform pondering whether this 'Train Travel' is all it is cracked up to be. In the evening calm punctuated only by a couple of cross country expresses and an empty stone train crawling onto the Tytherington branch, whether there really are pathing reasons that mean only the Worcester trains stop at Cam & Dursley. A cancellation there is not a 40 min wait but a one hour wait added to whatever early arrival you may have achieved.
Occasional walks back to view the screen showed that the predicted time never got later than 1920, and that it was a three car train, so no 800 problem. On arrival revealed as a 166 so used the usual luggage space opposite the bike spaces.
Cross platform connection - Local network publicity
Ten minute late arrival was on platform 9, so convenient for cross platform connection with the Sea Mills train waiting on Platform 11.
A Weston train being on platform 12 as the same time produced at least one confused young man who asked if it was for Weston and responded to being told 'No, Severn Beach' said, 'where is Severn Beach?'. The response 'opposite direction to Weston' seemed the clearest available. Did not seem to have travelled far, which reminds me of a woman met on the platform at Sea Mills, travelling to Highbridge, who revealed that she had lived nearby for twenty five years without realising there was a railway, her complete unfamiliarity being emphasised by her opening question 'When is the Temple Meads train', when standing in front of a screen with 0820 top of the list. It could be that publicising the existence of the Bristol network, with map showing its place in local geography should be an essential preliminary to Enid Blyton jokes and urging people to tap in / tap out.
Space-time discontinuity
Some merriment was caused in the centre car when we noticed that the screen at one end was showing Portsmouth as the destination and that at the other Severn Beach. Enjoyed witticisms about sitting facing the correct screen for you destination, and felt it safer, after departure towards both destinations, not to walk down past middle of the saloon from fear of dropping into a rupture in space-time. Almost nominal arrival at Sea Mills and got out of the SML door. Wondered if this 'Train Travel' is a gigantic practical joke on the nation.
All PAYG taps nominal and correctly shown at on board inspections. Six days later there is no trace of the journey in the PAYG system. Losing all the taps is better than losing only some, as it keeps the penalty process at bay, but does create a nagging doubt as to what the system could be cooking up. Even when it shows up I doubt if the advertised automatic delay repay notification process will operate. I suppose if I am late with my delay repay claim I can say why.
Still pondering an attempt to reach Cam & Dursley this year.