Great Western Coffee Shop

My fortnightly Wednesday rail bashes appear to have become a regular part of my down time. Out and about again today.

Where was I? Three pictures, no rules and no prizes!

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/forum1.jpg)

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/forum2.jpg)

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/forum3.jpg)
Look closely on this one and you should be able to tell me the location as well as what rolling stock

Number 2 looks like Newbury to me.

Aha. You are fallible after all bobm. Wrong. That quiz win was obviously a fluke!  :P ;) ;D

Looks like you've been on the Cotswold line to me.

You were on the Cotswold Line. Hanborough and Evesham.

Well done Steve Bray for correctly answering the first two pics. A hat tip to devon_metro for the 'line'.

Now, what about the third picture.....

Picture 3 - Oxford Platform 1 North end on a 180

Is 3 a Class 180 and Oxford?

Bingo!

Today I finally filled in a gap in my rail atlas and bashed a part of the Cotswold Line I've not bashed before. That's the entire FGW network completed, excepting the Summer Only services to Pembroke Dock and Okehampton. Gonna have to be next year for those.

I've previously travelled on the Cotswold Line from Oxford to Charlbury and Worcester to Evesham, but that gap between Charlbury and Evesham has been un-highlighted in my rail atlas for too long and has been like an itch that needs scratching. But, no more.

Bonus challenge today was to ride a Class 180 having not done so for many years. The last occasion was on Hull Trains in 2008. Nice to see all the FGW 180s out to play today, but by cripes those brakes are noisy. Sounds like someone strangling a pig. Refreshed interiors look good and I'm sure some on this forum would appreciate the surfeit of tables and luggage space. Not forgetting the seat alignment with the windows. Still noticed a few issues with the one I travelled on though. Very noisy A/C in the carriage I was sat in, Norman Collier on the PA and one of the doors was locked OOU. Incidentally, I wasn't travelling 1st Class, I took that picture as I was leaving the train.

I went as far as Pershore from Oxford. Nice little country town but a bleddy long walk from the station! On getting to the main drag I quickly located a decent looking hostelry for liquid sustenance. That was the Angel Hotel where my pint of Peroni set me back ^4.40. Yes.... ^4.40. I only had the one. :o Decided on a bus back to the station, rather than another mile and half walk.

On the return I stopped off at Evesham and was delighted to discover they had, just a few hundred yards from the station, an ever dependable, and much easier on the wallet, Wetherspoons - The Old Swanne Inn. Too many 'n's and a superfluous 'e' in that name though.  ;)

Oh, and I apologised to the TM in the first picture. Me hanging out the window to get the picture gave him the impression I was trying to alight from a non-platformed carriage. Oops.  :-[

Having heard about the others who came so close I am sure it was a fluke!!   ;D ;D

The saying "quit while you are ahead" comes to mind!

A friend of mine is convinced every railway station is located in the arse-end of its town.  It's hard to argue against that with stations like Pershore!

Glad to hear you visited God's country - shame I didn't know I could have shown you the Pershore highlights.
Had you walked a little further down the main street you would have reached the Brandy Cask, famous because a Wellington bomber crashed into it during the second world war and more importantly it has it's own micro brewery with excellent produce at very good prices. Alternatively a walk to Wyre Piddle where they brew Piddle in the Hole amongst other alcoholic delicacies.
Regarding station locations in days of old a station which wasn't exactly close to the village/town it served was often named Road.