Great Western Coffee Shop

According to this "hi-tech" sign - the next addition to the furniture at Melskham station is imminent.

Wonder what will happen to the WWRUG noticeboard.... ;)

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/mkmshelt.jpg)

Here's the scene one day into the work ...

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/mnshelt01.jpg)

THE STATION IS STILL OPEN WITH TRAINS CALLING AS USUAL  ;D ;D

That was around 5 p.m. on Saturday.   The whole of the rest of the area was quiet - all the businesses closed and not a car parked at any of them; we had been concerned about car parking "for rail use only" being abused, but it looks very much like this is all the immediate spaces taken up by Saturday train users.   Excellent.   

For anyone considering parking at Melksham Station - there are six more temporary spaces for rail users on the right of station approach and there were some of them available.  And there are more spaces to come soon to replace those temporary ones.

By the way, the new shelter will be a huge help.  The previous shelter has been getting rather crowded of late, with people taking shelter in amongst the covered cycle stands too, and even that has been getting crowded ...

I wonder if someone, somewhere is preparing a brass plaque with the words 'This shelter was officially opened by Graham Ellis'.....etc etc. Perhaps one had better begin practising pulling upon golden  tassled cords.....

Recently found some old pictures of the original station buildings at Melksham.  A shelter will have to go some way to replace them!

what's next ........... a coffee kiosk

2015  ;D

Is that for real?!  It's a lovely idea, but I wouldn't anticipate one appearing at an unmanned station.  Next, of course, we shall need a 'rest room', after swigging all that coffee......

Given how Melksham got its name, perhaps a Milk Bar would be more appropriate.

When it was A J King (the builder's merchant), passengers could use the loo just across the way in what's now the crane yard. I'm pretty sure that was unofficial, but the staff were always helpful when I was caught short.  I suspect that any one of several businesses very close by would let you use their facilities.

When the link to Foundry Close is available [est. 2015], you'll have McDonald's available about 100 yards from the station, a newspaper shop just across the road, a supermarket, and a bus (X34 / 234) that runs all through the day, Monday to Saturday, to Melksham Town Centre and down Semington Road past the Berryfield turn.  The station alone wouldn't justify these businesses, but they're already well established and would, I think, welcome the extra trade.

So what's happening about the new shelter?  The metal railings have gone, and there are just a few small tarmac patches to show any work had been done at all.  Has the project been abandoned?

The sign in the photo points to "Local Facilities". Would that be WC's in local pubs / restaurants or do you have a dedicated toilet nearby?

My understanding is that it is / was due to be installed sometime this week.  However, that's a quick comment I had and may be approximate.  Certainly not a long time to wait, but I would suspect that the final scheduling of the team to put in the new may not have been set until they were sure that the old had been removed without problem.


The sign, oddly, faces the car park and not the arriving passenger and was - we surmise - printed the wrong way round. If passengers ask nicely, I know that local businesses on the station approach have been know to let the use their loos.  It's quite a walk around to the nearest pub / restaurant - although that should be corrected when the northern access is opened - alas, back to 2015 for that, but it will give a 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. outlet offering teas, coffees, other soft drinks, and food too.

I think it might be completed by next Thursday ... just found this article in the local papers ...

http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/towns/corshamheadlines/11087616._/?

The question is will the thread on this major station infrastructure project get to 170+ pages like a certain other ikle station job  ;D   :D

Ha!  Probably just a tiny ickle!  :D

Crikey. I hope not. Fortunately there's only a little need for concrete at Melksham to make this job a good 'un.  ;) :P ;D

That sounds like a challenge...!  :'(

PLEASE don't let it get that long ... for that would indicate a gross inefficiency or huge controversy for our little project.   Much better be efficient and non-controversial and use the saved time, money on energy on doing something else to sell passengers and services along  ;D

Fair enough. Let's all keep our powder dry until the Temple Meads refurbishment starts!  ;D

Well it was going up today our new shelter

I'll be down at the station in an hour on my way to the West Wilts Rail User Group AGM ... see how they're doing with it.

Oops - thread growing  ;D

Early March:
(http://www.wellho.net/pix/mshelt0a.jpg)

A week ago:
(http://www.wellho.net/pix/mshelt00.jpg)

Yesterday morning:
(http://www.wellho.net/pix/mshelt01.jpg)

Yesterday afternoon:
(http://www.wellho.net/pix/mshelt02.jpg)

Today:
(http://www.wellho.net/pix/mshelt03.jpg)

I note that the modular shelter has a bay at one end.

Future TVM location?

At the risk of being non-PC, it might be separate general and ladies waiting rooms?    ;D

Paul

Also, with the UK's prevailing winds, this west facing shelter may not offer much shelter. Little that can be done about that though and still a vast improvement on the previous shelter.

Judging from those pictures, Melksham station has lost a seat/bench and a FirstGW (but London-Midland liveried) class 153.

Extend the walls to the ground and fit doors over the gaps... It does look like an improvement on the old shelter though, but the bench I refered to above as having vanished from the later pictures looks alot better than the hopeless perch things you get in these bus shelter thingies.

I've had a scratch around and found the missing bits for you ...

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/nshelt7.jpg)

The outside seat was out of the picture earlier, and the 153 was temporarily absent as it was making one of its six daily round trips to the great metropolis (a.k.a. Swindon) and back.  It's pictured here just about to pull out on today's 16:48 trip. Four people got off that train when it arrived from Westbury, and four more got on to travel to Chippenham and / or Swindon.   I didn't have a chance to count through passenger but it look fairly quiet - but I've nothing even remotely accurate for John to log.  Conductor tells me it was very busy up to Swindon earlier on; Swindon Town playing at home.   I expect the trains back over the next few hours will be busy too.

One of the passengers joining the train modelled the shelter for me (this picture is with his permission).   He was telling me that in past years he's used the trains very occasionally, but they've rarely been at the right times.   He thinks the new service is fantastic and he's using it much, much more.

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/nshelt8.jpg)

Kick off delayed at Swindon by 15 minutes owing to all sorts of traffic problems in the town after a serious road accident.  Sheffield United's players even walked the last bit to the ground after their coach was stationary for a while.

Four people got off that train when it arrived from Westbury, and four more got on to travel to Chippenham and / or Swindon.   I didn't have a chance to count through passenger but it look fairly quiet - but I've nothing even remotely accurate for John to log.

Well I've noted down the Melksham ons and offs, even if not the through numbers. 

The point about Swindon Town playing is interesting. Although that might be seen as a one off, it's a one off that is likely to be repeated on around 20 Saturdays each year. 

Phase two seems well underway...

(http://i.imgur.com/Im2u30g.jpg)

(attempt two at this, had trouble yesterday)

Melksham seems to be very priviledged compared with Hanborough. We have a similar shelter at Hanborough also facing westwards but without the extension, allowing about 12 people  (out of 50 - 70 people waiting for the morning peak hour trains) to sit on the bench. The Melksham shelter seems to be improved on the Hanborough version in that in addition to the gap at floor level we also have a similar gap at roof level so that with a westerly wind anyone sitting on the bench has the rain blowing in on them. Further when this shelter was installed as an "improvement" a few years ago the floor was lowered to remove a step over which a waiting traveller had earlier fallen when leaving the shelter and broken her ankle. To use the shelter after heavy rain you need wellies to paddle in and amuse yourself by splashing around while seated. To maximise the chance of flooding in the shelter the FGW contractor erecting our CIS display a few years ago cemented in the drainage channel blocking it from acting as a drain so that flood water can no longer drain away into the station garden. The only significant merit I can see with these new style shelters is that the glazing panes are small and numerous making it more difficult for the vandals to smash them.

Or perhaps things have moved forward from the Hanborough design ... and they'll move forward in future years when Hanborough's shelter is next improved, leaving Melksham saying "wouldn't it be nice if ...".

The extension at the end of the shelter is for a ticket machine, and over the past couple of days groundworks have been going on there ready for its installation.   There's a very real need for this, as we're getting to the stage that the train manager doesn't have enough time to sell tickets between stations ...

The area being worked on this week is cycle shelter replacement ... and I'm hopeful that the works will include a slight lowering of the ground so that the puddle that you have to stand in to read the out-facing notice board can drain.

We're delighted to now have a lit shelter  :D ... and one which is far less exposed to the elements.  For sure, it's typically not going to provide enough space for everyone who's waiting for a train at the rate we're going, and I hope the new cycle shelter will give some protection too.