Great Western Coffee Shop

Today (11/01/2012) I went on a circular journey and bagged many flavours of rolling stock. Below is listed all the trains I caught based solely on the liveries they were carrying. Can you work out my entire journey, timings, stations where I changed trains, and the OUT destination printed on my ticket? I've provide the start and end timings to make it a little easier. I travelled on one Anytime Day Return ticket, with a 'change of route' excess on the return portion to allow the circular journey.

0617 London Midland Class 150/1
CrossCountry Class 221
CrossCountry Class 170
First Great Western Class 43 HST
<end of OUT portion of ticket>
South West Trains Class 158
First Great Western Class 43 HST
CrossCountry Class 220
First Great Western Class 150/2 1256

Deffo get off the last train at 1256?

Would I be correct in assuming that the livery of the vehicles doesn't necessarily reflect the operator of the service...? ;)

Edited to add... Nuts, thought I had it worked out but I don't. Have figured out the first (and I suspect the last) legs for sure...just need to work out what's in between!

I'm pitching towards Stroud, with a chance of Stonehouse or Kemble. 

Well, no. But only because the timetabled arrival at my final destination, (Clue: same as my start station) was subject to a delay. 1256 was the timetabled arrival.

Not relevant to the overall journey, but the problem that caused the delay on my last train (the FGW Class 150/2) was fixed by a fitter from SPM using a highly technical piece of kit - his size 9 steel toe-capped boot.


You would indeed....

Same as me! Frustrating!

Well done that man! Stroud was the destination on my OUT portion. And obviously the start of my RTN.

That'll help explain one or two of the trains I caught. So what about timings?

My punt would be...

0617 London Midland Class 150/1 (0617 Shirehampton-Bristol Temple Meads 0641)
CrossCountry Class 221 (0700 Bristol Temple Meads-Cheltenham Spa 0740)
CrossCountry Class 170 (0816 Cheltenham Spa-Gloucester 0827)
First Great Western Class 43 HST (0846 Gloucester-Stroud 0904)
<end of OUT portion of ticket> STROUD
South West Trains Class 158 (1011 Stroud-Swindon 1044)
First Great Western Class 43 HST (1115 Swindon-Bristol Parkway 1150)
CrossCountry Class 220 (1156 Bristol Parkway-Bristol Temple Meads 1208)
First Great Western Class 150/2 1256 (1234 Bristol Temple Meads-Shirehampton 1256)

I got that much, so I would think you are correct.

Stroud! Of course!

I had got as far as Gloucester on the XC service and then merrily forgot about the HST service down the Golden Valley, was trying to work out something via Worcester that didn't fit in with any of the return details. And come to think of it, would have made no sense in terms of the route Bristol - Cheltenham - Gloucester in the first place  :-[

Well done to Lee. He came out of nowhere. He shoots. He scores! ;)

Spot on Lee. Have a banana.  ;D

And all done for the princely (railcard) sum of ^14.50. Shirehampton to Stroud Anytime Day Return (route: Gloucester)  ^12.50. Change of route excess on the return portion to Any Permitted (ie. valid via Swindon) for ^2.00. And I got to ride 1ST Class on the SWT 158 between Stroud and Swindon. There were people standing next door in STD. One bloke got on with me at Stroud, left his mahoosive case in 1ST and then sat in STD. I told him he could use the 1st Class section in person and not just leave his case there. He didn't believe me!

That was my actual travel ticket valid for the journey, but I also got a free upgrade in 1ST on the 0700 to Cheltenham. Long story.... Sometimes it's not what you know..... No XC freebies though.

I had time enough for a stroll round Stroud town centre and breakfast in that mecca of haute cuisine, McDonald's. Am partial to a double sausage and egg McMuffin!

Thanks bignosemac. To be fair though, I was rather helped by you confirming Stroud over Stonehouse or Kemble in reply to grahame  ;D

I probably would have leaned towards Stroud in the end - not least because I also use it as a meal stop off point if I'm down that way! I tend to use the Wetherspoons though.

:-( I delayed my post due to the 1256 time on return :-( it took me ages to work it out damn lol I should have done my normal and blurted it out as for once I got it rite

I did eye up The Lord John as a brekky venue, but experience told me that 'Spoons can be somewhat tardy when it comes to food orders early doors.

EDIT: Just to (pedanticly) clarify timings. The 1115 Swindon to Bristol Parkway arrived at BPW 1140, not 1150 as Lee posted. Only noticed that when I was re-reading Lee's post and trying to work out how I managed to pop outside at BPW and have a smoke!