2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

Now terminating short again, but for a different reason!

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Swindon.

It will no longer call at Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to a member of on-train staff being taken ill.

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be started from Swindon.

It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.

This is due to a member of on-train staff being taken ill.

[TaplowGreen]

Thu, 9 May 14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
09/05/24 14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

Thu, 9 May 15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59
09/05/24 15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

[grahame]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07 will no longer call at Stonehouse, Stroud, Kemble and Swindon.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.

First arrival at Westbury from Swindon now around 09:20.

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

09/05/24 17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
This is due to industrial action.

[bobm]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07 will no longer call at Stonehouse, Stroud, Kemble and Swindon.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.

First arrival at Westbury from Swindon now around 09:20.

That one went round the houses.  Appears to have gone through Cam & Dursley, Bristol Parkway and the Rhubarb Curve before continuing to Chippenham and then reversing for Melksham.    I wouldn't have been surprised if it had taken the "easy way" and missed Chippenham and Melksham by going down the Avon Valley at Bathampton Junction and picked up the route at Trowbridge.  Fair play.

[grahame]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07 will no longer call at Stonehouse, Stroud, Kemble and Swindon.
This is due to engineering works not being finished on time.

First arrival at Westbury from Swindon now around 09:20.

That one went round the houses.  Appears to have gone through Cam & Dursley, Bristol Parkway and the Rhubarb Curve before continuing to Chippenham and then reversing for Melksham.    I wouldn't have been surprised if it had taken the "easy way" and missed Chippenham and Melksham by going down the Avon Valley at Bathampton Junction and picked up the route at Trowbridge.  Fair play.

In the circumstances, the best GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) could do when NR^» (Network Rail - home page) hadn't supplied the track.  And this train tends to have only a handful on it from Swindon but builds considerably at Chippenham and Melksham.

[bobm]

Understand the problem was a sinkhole appeared near Kemble during engineering work. 

[Mark A]

Local name for them there: 'Lizens'.

Mark

[bobm]

For Friday

Fri, 10 May 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05

10/05/24 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:05 will be started from Swindon.

It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.

This is due to industrial action.

Fri, 10 May 20:13 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58

10/05/24 20:13 Swindon to Westbury due 20:58 will be cancelled.

This is due to industrial action.

[TaplowGreen]

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 will be cancelled.
This is due to industrial action.

[grahame]

 

15:44 Swindon to Frome due 16:38
15:44 Swindon to Frome due 16:38 will be terminated at Westbury.
It will no longer call at Frome.
This is due to a fault on this train.

16:43 Frome to Swindon due 17:34
16:43 Frome to Swindon due 17:34 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Frome.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Local name for them there: 'Lizens'.

Mark

Thanks, Mark.  But why are they named thus? 

[grahame]

05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07

Facilities on the 05:11 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:07.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 2

No problem - and more comfortable towards the end of the journey where it carries substantial education traffic

[Mark A]

Local name for them there: 'Lizens'.

Mark

Thanks, Mark.  But why are they named thus? 

Not sure - Humphry Household wrote a thesis-derived book on the Thames and Severn and records the word. A quick search of the web alarmingly turned up my use of the word in a usenet posting circa 1998, which is embarrassing. It turns up in several Gloucestershire location/place names. The search continues.

Mark

PS Off topic, but thinking of Nailsea, quite some time ago, with a walking group and making our way through woods on the hills south of Nailsea and came across what looked to be several rather unprotected and somewhat unrecorded mine shafts, their purpose and date lost in the mists.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Coal mining: there was a lot of that around here, in the 1800's. 

[grahame]

Just two outright cancellations on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services as I write (there are also 8 only running part of their routes)

14:19 Westbury to Swindon due 15:01
15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59

15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.