Great Western Coffee Shop

Found this video on youtube, goes to show that late trains, fare rises, overcrowding and the government are not new to FGW, it started in BR days!  http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RsWyL2oDBBQ

Vacman hope you noticed that the Transport Minister states (3m 30sec into video) that BR is probably the MOST EFFICENT RAILWAY IN WESTERN EUROPE, PROBABLY THE MOST EFFICENT RAILWAY IN THE WORLD.

I'm still waiting for part 2  :-\

Now also the most expensive in EUROPE too!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=509442&in_page_id=1770&ito=1595

It's on there, along with part 3 and 4, anyway smokey, when was the last time you believed anything a Tory said??

I believe in the fact "How can you tell an MP is telling Porkies"

Clue:  his/her lips are moving,

It's a Fact BR was highly efficent, under funded, but highly efficent!!!!!

That Something you don't believe Vacman.

It was efficiant because it had to be, the current system could be much better run without contractors! Whoevers fault it is, BR did a lot of damage to the network and lets not forget that they closed about one third of it in the '60's and they implemented a rather hotch pot modernisation scheme where they had built hundreds of non-standard DMU's and locomotives, most of which was withdrawn within 10 years! Thats a waste of money!

DON'T start me on about contractors:

Of all the HAIR BRAINED ideas during the Break up of BR that was the worst Idea.
The Idea of contractors may seem sound, but then the Idea of Communism is sound but it doesn't do what it says on the tin.

The world of contractors is not as it should be, the goal of a contractor isn't to save the Client money, quite the opposite, it's to make as MUCH money as possible from the client.
Railtrack was doomed by contractors who bid for and won maintenance contracts to maintain tracks, and what happened, Hadfield thats what.

I've got photographs of a Station on the Great Western Patch that had a new (illuminated) waiting shelter installed, and a contractor had a Job to install a underground duct from the Nearest lamp post to the left hand leg of the shelter for the electric supply, this was done.

They were sent back to install a 2nd duct from the lamp post on the other side of the shelter to the CORRECT end of the shelter, this was done for twice the original price.

They were sent bact to install a 3rd duct from the same (2nd) lamp post to the leg of the shelter WITH the removeable cover where the electric isolater is. This was done for 3 times the original price, YOU COULDN'T make it up.

BUT the contractor might well have paid these MORONS a bonus, BR would have given someone a Right B*****king for doing this.


Last time I caught a train from BTM at night, the lighting was awful, so dirty that most light was lost, a dirty light fitting can loose 50% of its output,
A high portion of the Sodium (orange) lights were turning on and off, indicating life expired lamps, or worse still, a contracting trick, fit a lamp of less wattage than the control gear, the lamp overheats and starts to flicker on and off after only a few weeks use.

Ever been BTM during the day many platform lights are on ALL DAY, sod the cost, the more they burn the more(contractor) repairs have to be made.

Another trick state on the contract every lamp will be renewed ONCE a YEAR!!!!!

When sodium lamps are installed correctly, they have a life of 24000 hours and even fluorescent tubes last 12000 hrs, with only 8760 hours in a year, (ok smart arse) 8784 this year, sodium lamps last 5 years on a station where lamps go out in daylight hours, even fluorescent last 2 or 3 years, so why change lamps once a year, simple contractor makes more profit.

And with BR station maintenace across the Western Region was done by a gang of around 100 tradesman, these days it's loads of contracting firms all employing dozens of men, even hundreds, and any one of these men or women could be the Brother or Sister of 1 Oshama bin Laden. Security what Security!!!!

As a final thought what Lady (of the night) has clients and whats the first 3 letters of Contrators.

FGW would save not tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands, but ^ Millions bringing maintenance in House, but it won't happen because the dark side of contractors is plain brown envelopes.

FGW do actually employ some maintainence staff mainly painters

Yes saw some at Exter St Davids, said to a painter at the time, it's rare to see contractors take such care.

His reply was he was employed by FGW, when I return later that day, the old door the painter had been working on was looked like a Brand new door smooth as a baby's **m.

That's something else about in-house staff they have a lot more pride in their work than contractors.

Definitely! The same applies to catering and cleaning. Staff morale and standards are much higher when the staff are part of the company, and have travel facilities and proper pensions, rather than being contracted agency workers, many only temporary and low pay.