Great Western Coffee Shop

I have been sorting out a few old timetables. Over the years there have been many different formats and series - can you put a year (and a publisher / series) on each of these ... thus lead to us putting them in chronological order?

Just select ONE each to identify please (I'll relax this request after 24 hours if we still have undated timetables).  Some may be quite tricky - in best Bruce Forsyth style, I'll come back with "lower" or "higher" "earlier" or "later".

1.
(http://www.wellho.net/oldpix/2020_04_24_18_59_53/image00005.jpg)

2.
(http://www.wellho.net/oldpix/2020_04_24_18_59_53/image00011.jpg)

3.
(http://www.wellho.net/oldpix/2020_04_24_18_59_53/image00013.jpg)

4.
(http://www.wellho.net/oldpix/2020_04_24_18_59_53/image00018.jpg)

5.
(http://www.wellho.net/oldpix/2020_04_24_18_59_53/image00020.jpg)

6.
(http://www.wellho.net/oldpix/2020_04_24_18_59_53/image00022.jpg)

7.
(http://www.wellho.net/oldpix/2020_04_24_18_59_53/image00023.jpg)

Go for No 1 the ABC Guide. Excelent for through trains from London, but hopeless as a journey planner requiring changes, with in those days lots of comments passengers make their own way from Station X to Station Y. Wakefield Westgate and Kirkgate were a pair which appeared regularly. Guess 1958

No 2 sometime between 2006 and 2013 when Melksham had a ridiculously meagre service

No - Earlier (2006 - 2013 was not one train but two - known as "two early" and "two late")


Correct guide and I agree the comment about journey planning - but it dates from later.

No7 PortZ late forties or early fifties.?..

No 4 - European Rail Timetable - relatively recently - 2017?

Without visiting the loft, I’d say number 2 is Summer 1989.

Note the 11.48 was operated by a Thumper hence 1st class accommodation being available. I believe it was the last time they were seen operating on the line having operated between Bristol and Portsmouth in the 1970s.

No 3  1967  British Rail London Midland Region Timetable ? :)

Very, very close - as close as you can get without it being a bull's eye.


Very, very close ... just a year later


Correct publication ... just a year earlier

A bit of bad editing in respect of 5 Grahame. You have left the start date on it - January 2000

Not so much bad editing - more a test of observation - you are correct on the date, Roger  ;D . None of the scanned images has been edited.

It is the ABC, but the ticket prices are in decimal currency, so it is 1971 or later. But 4 October was a Saturday, which means 1975 or 1980 (and I don’t think later because of the telex reference). Conversely the long schedules from Paddington to Totnes suggest pre-HST age. so I plump for 1975.

Clever identification of the possible years. Sadly, wrong toss of the coin - it's 1980 - your second choice.

 :'(

Amazing how old-fashioned some of the typeface etc looks as late as 1980.

No 1 should have spotted decimal. Surprised it's as late as 1980.

Table 124 -  around 1978 after the closure of the Bridport branch

Table 11 - Late 1960's say 1969

I think no2/Table 124 is a little later. I does not have Radipole Station, which closed in 1983. A guess - national timetable for 1985?

Table 124 The headings S and E refer to Sprinter and Express services.
Class 155's ran the Cardiff Portsmouths from May 1988 until mechanical problems with the doors led to their temporary replacement by Cl 156s. The 155s returned and worked until converted to 153s and 158s took over the Portsmouth line.

While there were a couple of Cl155 on the Weymouth line in 1988 they did not last long. generally services continued to be the duty of old DMUs until May 1989 when Class 150/2s took over, with some if the returned Cl 155s working from June 1989 along with the 150/2s.

Table 124 probably dates to Summer 1989 when the Cl 150s were introduced to the Weymouth line.

I still have my log books for this time!

Assuming the 24-hour rule has expired, I’ll try number 6. The link from Liskeard to Coombe Junction was completed in May 1901, so it’s after then. But St Keyne station opened in September 1902 and it isn’t there. So it is between those dates.

It is Bradshaw, of course.

Have we got all of these yet, Graham?

Not sure ... I seem to have been getting busier rather that quieter!

Here are the front covers - I will paste in which is which as I get a chance.

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