Great Western Coffee Shop

Hi been reading this forum for quite awhile.

Born in 1948 lived and educated in the Tonbridge-Tunbridge Wells area, in fact, wish I had a ^1 for every time I travelled on a Hastings line (slim) DEMU, you don't see wood in carriages today like the DEMU's had.

Have worked in Oil refineries since 1964, doing maintenace and repairs on motors, pumps etc.
Around the 1980's our work went out to contractors in the refinery, several staff took retirement, I ended up working for the new contractor ON a lower wage I might add. No TWPE? regualtions then.

However as the contractors didn't allow the correct time for the maintenance, they prefered to shout "if it ain't broke don't fix it", of course the contractors get's paid more for breakdowns!

I left the oil business in 1982 (after a pump motor caught fire, something never before known) and worked for the water board, but always prefered the smell of brown oil to the smell of the "brown stuff" that the water treatment works dealt with.

However I came back to the Refinery in 1991 as the Powers that be realised that the So called "savings" had cost them a fortune and maintenace was back in house.

Now live in Exton and use FGW regularly to Exeter, Plymouth, and London, also use Ivybridge on occasions so if the ticket is Exton to Ivybridge it could well be me.

Once sleepily got off al Lympstone Barracks after missing Exton, thought I was going to spend a night in JAIL, must be some law in having a rifle pointing at you on a station. :(

Hi to you all.

Goodness I remember them ... 1001 up to 1012 and 1032, 1033 (the higher numbers were the ones with buffets as I recall). I lived near Orpington, educated partly in Sevenoaks - but in those days the hastings units (6 coaches, 2 being power cars) were a bit underpowered and they weren't stopped at Orpington as it was a very slow crawl from standing start up to Knockholt ...


Hi, and welcome ... not so close as we were in Kent.   Not heard that about "Commando" in the past - not a place I know.  Is it a private station, then?

welcome to the forum!! just to add to the marine camp incident i belive the marines are scared of the trains now after a training exercise where 4 or 5 soldiers from the sas took over the whole base... they jumped over the fence from the roof of a train! not sure if it was moving

You can only alight at Lympstone Commando, if you have business at the camp. There is a security gate, with a fully armed Military Policeman on duty when trains are running. So you either need to be a recruit in training, a worker at the camp, or a contractor with relevant passes and paperwork to gain entry.

yes i used to get granted entry there, its a stange feeling having a free run of most of the camp you always feel like your going to get stopped

Also welcome. Your quote seems to have a familar ring to it in relation to the rail industry.