Great Western Coffee Shop

A few pictures from a day out today. Guess the locations. I'll accept an overall answer as well as guesses for the individual locations:

1.
(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/100_0681.jpg)

2.
(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/100_0687.jpg)

3.
(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/100_0691.jpg)

I have 'inside information', so I'll resist the temptation to post answers ...  ;) :D ;D

Ahh.... good point Chris. I forgot that I told you roughly where I was this morning. Feel free to PM me with specific answers if you wish....

Looks like the Dean Forest Railway to me.

HS2?

Spot on John R. Despite the DFR being but a ^6.55 National Rail Anytime Day Return (with Railcard to Chepstow and using Routeing Guide and break of journey to stop off at Lydney) from my home in Bristol, I've never visited before. My day out was initially planned just to stop off at Chepstow and Lydney on a circular trip from Bristol via Newport and Gloucester and back to Bristol. Changed my plans on the fly on arrival at Lydney when I discovered that the DFR was in operation today.


Sorry no, but made I laff.  ;D

Open house for guessing the specific locations on the DFR now....

1.  Parkend.

Many, many, years ago, I went there on a school geography field trip ...  :-[

1. Correct. Parkend. CfN. Were the sheep there on your field trip?  ;)

Nice pub opposite the station. The Fountain Inn. An ale was had during the 40 minutes before the return trip....

EDIT: By the way, the baa-lamb in the centre of the picture took exception to me getting my camera out. Came barrelling at me, bleating like a thing possessed. Got me wondering whether it was trying to tell me that photography was forbidden at this particular location.  If so, he/she/it was doing a good impression of a railway jobsworth. It's not often you get spooked by a single stampeding lamb. Have to admit, I was slightly scared.... ;D

I think sheep have always been there. You should have countered by demanding to see his Personal Track Safety card ...  ;) :D ;D

No. 2. The teddy bear wasn't driving the Class 108, but he was wearing a mini hi-vis jacket with 'Dean Forest Railway' printed on the back.....  ;D

3.  Norchard (I think).

You think wrong CfN.  ;)

This is Norchard:

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/100_0670.jpg)

...and the bloke hanging out of the droplight was today's guard. Wearing a blue shirt with a 'First' logo on the breast pocket. On a busman's holiday away from FGW, volunteering on the DFR.

No. 3 is Lydney town

3. Correct. Lydney Town. anthony215. No steam today but the diesel fug surrounding the Class 108 looks quite good.  ;D

I bailed here on the return form Parkend. By cripes it was a long walk back to Lydney NR for my train to Gloucester. Although long, it was a nice walk. Passed a Gregg's where I was able to purchase a Chicken Bake without VAT (thanks for the u-turn, Cameron) and through picturesque parkland around Lydney Lake where my sense of direction didn't fail me and took me eventually to Station Road.

Just the location of No. 2 to guess now...

No. 2 looks like Whitecroft to me

Yes, I should have gone for 2. Whitecroft: I was rather more sure of that one.  ::)

2. Whitecroft. Correct. grahame. On the approach heading back to Lydney with a great view. I wish we could still have forward views on the network's rolling stock.

Sometimes, though, you wouldn't want to ... even teddy could be traumatised. :P

Hi, BNM - I was noticing that the stock in the picture at Norchard, and the track, looked rather better than when  visited a couple of years back and worried at the stock rotting away and the lack of upcoming volunteers - http://www.wellho.net/mouth/1757_Preserved-railways-struggling-to-the-future-.html - are you able to report on good progress in the right direction?

Last week, at Tywyn Wharf, I was chatting with some folks about the source of more volunteers at it sounds as if on that railway, they're onto their second or third generation of volunteers from the same family, and not finding any shortage - "but it's a different matter with some of the broad gauge lines where a group has bought an old coach and finds that it degrades quicker that they can raise money to restore it".

One staff member I spoke with said they were struggling a bit this year because visitor numbers were down. I didn't chat to anyone about the state of the rolling stock but did notice there was lots of stuff at various points between Lydney Junction and Parkend that appeared to be, as you say, rotting away. They are certainly not short of rolling stock, at Lydney Junction there are sidings filled with diesel locomotives and freight stock, whilst at Norchard Low Level there is plenty of passenger stock. Some appears, externally, to be in good nick.

I did note though that the Class 108 that was being used yesterday, whilst looking great from the outside, was a bit tired internally. In fact my seat at the front was broken. The seat cushion kept slipping from the frame every time I got up or sat down. That said I do remember this happening when these DMUs were still in use on the national network, I used to muck around on the Class 108s when they were in the bay platform at Taunton. Perhaps the DFR are just recreating the atmosphere of British Railways/BR/early privatisation!

Some more pictures to come and a links to a couple of short video clips once I've uploaded to hosting site and youtube....

As promised, more photos from the Dean Forest Railway:

http://s598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/Dean%20Forest%20Railway%2030th%20May%202012/

And some video clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLFe7_Elfws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLUMwoSZ9UU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1oBOk-ZNCk