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    Ashley Down station construction updates

    The Concorde Way cycle/footpath from the station down to Muller Road was closed in March 2024 'for 4 months' to allow for the regrading of the path at the station frontage and other works. This is in addition to the much longer closure of the Concorde Way path alongside the station site itself...
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    How could heritage railways encourage more visitors to arrive by public transport?

    I'm staying in Brum this weekend for the Vintage Trains charter to Carlisle with 5051 on Saturday. On the Sunday I have planned to travel back to Bristol via Kidderminster and enjoy a day on the Severn Valley, and booked their day rover accordingly. More than I bit disappointed to find out the...
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    Worst damage to a locomotive sustained while hauling a railtour?

    Tangers the naughty engine! IIRC I was on a Pathfinder tour from Temple Meads to Carlisle and back (out via Leeds, back via Shap) when our class 45 failed approaching Derby and was replaced by another in quick time, and the failed engine never ran again. B1 61264 has had its share of scrapes...
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    "Please avoid using any third party applications"

    Yes Paddington can be a pain. In the old days there used to me 'please queue here' boards for the popular departures. I tend to skulk in the Mad Bishop & Bear with an eye on the departure boards in the pub, scrolling through RTT and Traksy. But yes they can make late set changes at Paddington...
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    Ashley Down station construction updates

    Metal cladding now being added to the lift towers. Pic from Friday.
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    Bristol rail improvements

    IIRC the only overbridges that still need doing are at Lawrence Hill (the biggie) and Constable Road (3m 29c from Temple Meads). Possibly also the footbridge 1/4 mile south of Filton Abbey Wood?
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    When the slow line becomes the fast line

    I've travelled on a few steam specials where the steamer has been routed fast line, but booked to be overtaken by a fast using the slow. Usually because of gauging issues e.g. S15 828 on the fast between Basingstoke and Woking at 60 mph max 'undertaken' by a 442 on the up slow, and 5029 Nunney...
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    Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway

    Oops. I meant cramped 2+2 seating. The 458/5s have got it right. Spacious and comfortable enough 2+2 for longer journeys. But capacity for crush loading if/when necessary. It's an hour plus to Ascot in the peaks now in reality, if not in the timetable. Only close up view I have had looking...
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    Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway

    Quite a few when GWR goes down the pan. Or, more usually, the pan goes down.. Back to the 701s. Not experienced them yet but a 10 car 701 would be better than the 5 car 458 on offer for the 17.50 Waterloo - Reading on Tuesday. Still not sure why its back to cramped 2+3 after the time / effort...
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    Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway

    Traksy is currently showing a 2U37 on the DWF approaching Queenstown Road. Any idea what that is? Edit - now disappeared so assume a glitch. When clicked it claimed it was the 13.33 ex WAT on Fri 5 Jan!
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    Ashley Down station construction updates

    RTT for Mon 13 May 2024 just showing the hourly Filtons. If Portway P&R is anything to go by the finishing works can take ages. Have already complained that hourly service and lack of direct trains to Bristol Parkway will not achieve the modal shift needed. Hopefully they will come. In the...
  12. S

    Ashley Down station construction updates

    Footbridge and stairs duly installed. Pics from mate now attached. RTT now showing unadvertised stops for the Filton shuttles in the May timetable, so they can start calling as soon as soon as the station is ready.
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    Highest-capacity preserved train

    True, but some Ffesty stock (e.g. ex WHR 23) has 7 compartments seating 8 each. A nominal capacity of 56. Only 8 fewer than a MK1 TSO. Ouch! It meant only one carriage needed to be set aside for a road coach party. Those trains in the 1970s full of Butlins campers carried huge numbers of...
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    Trivia - stationless towns with the nearest station in a different county

    Yep, using google earth, Lerwick to Bergen is 360 km, 221km to both Wick and Thurso. From Skaw on the NE corner of Unst it's 339 km to Bergen and 296 km to Wick, 293 km to Thurso. Close, but not close enough! Also no direct ferry from Lerwick to Norway at the mo.
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    SWR Class 458 to be retained

    IIRC the whole point of the 458/5 project was to create more capacity overall. A five car 458 with 2+2 seating has about the same number of seats as the original four car, but much more standing space and room around the doors to minimise dwell times. Beggars belief they could be coming back as...
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    Ashley Down station construction updates

    Pic from last w/e. Steady progress with the towers. Locals apparently advised footbridge due to go in on Christmas Day! Any truth in this?
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    Driver ‘allegedly’ refused to leave as too many passengers on board

    This happended to me a few weeks ago at Cologne on an ICE to Brussels. Train rammed full and we were then held for half hour or so until enough people got off so we could continue, still with many standing pax.
  18. S

    Ashley Down station construction updates

    Yep footbridge progressing well, pic from this evening.
  19. S

    Staines station

    Which is fine, where there's a ticket office...
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    Ashley Down station construction updates

    The on-site blurb I posted in May gives autumn 2023 as date for installation of the station footbridge. Unchanged when I looked a week or so ago. But last time I looked on National Rail for planned engineering works, nothing was showing for Filton bank this autumn. Was not aware a specific...

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