Great Western Coffee Shop

I think I have found the longest journey, time-wise, that a journey planner will throw up, using only FGW services, without recourse to the Night Riviera or going into a 2nd day. And valid with one through single ticket. It departs early afternoon and has 6 changes arriving at its destination after 7 hours and 44 minutes.

Go on. See if you can work it out.  :D

Melksham to Swindon?

Well, the journey I found does include the TransWilts......

You could have the pleasure of seeing the 07:44 Melksham to Swindon cancelled (as it often is) and wait a whole 24 hours for the next one. Obviously, no replacement bus would be laid on.

Or better still, catch the 07:44 and see the only train back, the 18:44, cancelled and wait 24 hours in Swindon for the next one, meaning a total journey time of 35 hours.

Don't know what you found, but try Brighton to Penzance, dep 0900, arr 1709, change Westbury and Newton Abbot. Thats 8 hrs 9 mins, all on FGW!

Or, Brighton to Carmarthen, one change at Bristol Parkway, 12 hours and 45 mins, but with 6 hours to kill in Bristol!

On a summer Saturday you might possibly be able to make that Brighton to Pembroke Dock (a good hour or more further than Carmarthen!).

I've not got that one, but I tried Lelant Station [not the Saltings] to Melksham and got a 10 hours and 17 minutes journey from the journey planner - 09:30 to 19:47 with 3 changes.   I suspect I could get even longer if I started at Coombe, Combe ....

Okay, easily beaten on the time although fewer changes and a looooong wait at St Erth!

You're right about Combe (Oxon) to Melksham. Journey planner gives up 11 hours 12 minutes! Depart 0758 arrive 1910. This one gives you 9 hours plus to kill in Oxford.

My multiple change journey was St Ives to Banbury via Melksham (permitted route). Depart 1425 arrive 2209. Change at St Erth, Plymouth, Westbury, Swindon, Didcot and Oxford. With nothing worse than a 29 minute wait at Oxford!

If I'm putting it together correctly, they wouldn't connect... :-( On the other hand, what about Pembroke Dock to Penzance! To use FGW it would require a stopper between Cardiff/Bristol and Taunton, slowing it down further. As it happens, I think there would be good connections into the LHCS at Cardiff, which might make it a good 'bash' for some!

How about the longest (time wise) daytime journey, wholly with FGW, but using just the one train?

I'll throw Gt Malvern to Brighton into the pot, but I'm feeling too lazy to look this evening.

Does that no assume the train actually makes it all the way from A to B - a rare occurance I believe

I have found one of 8 hours 8 mins - Coombe Junction Halt to Melksham. It does include a wait of a few hours at Cheltenham Spa however:

Depart Coombe Junction Halt 10:52, arrive at Liskeard 11:03.
Depart Liskeard 11:09, arrive at Cheltenham Spa 14:40.
Depart Cheltenham Spa 17:40, arrive at Melksham 19:10.

Oh dear, another FallenAngel quote fail...!  ;)  :)

Fair go, but your journey includes the evil XC, is not a permitted route, and requires multiple tickets.  ;D

Currently timetabled to take 5 hours 23 minutes. Which is beaten by the 0757 PAD-PNZ (Sun) which takes 6 hours 12 minutes.

To go back to better times...

Wessex used to run a unit through from Penzance to Pembroke Dock, any one remember how long that took? 

10.51 Great Malvern to Bristol Temple Meads @12.35 (Brighton service)
12.53 Bristol Temple Meads to Taunton @13.59 (service from cardiff)
15.50 Taunton to St Erth @19.20 ( London-Penzance service)
19.41 St Erth to St Ives @ 19.56

9 hours and 5 minutes

Bit of a long wait at Taunton and no trips via Melksham

And its gets longer if you start from Hereford

06:43 Hereford to Great Malvern @ 07:14 1 
First Great Western service from Hereford to London Paddington

08:26 Great Malvern to Westbury @ 11:36
First Great Western service from Great Malvern to Westbury show calling points   
 
12:22 Westbury to Plymouth @ 14:36
First Great Western service from London Paddington to Plymouth

15:12 Plymouth to St Erth @ 16:56   
First Great Western service from London Paddington to Penzance show calling points   

17:11 St Erth to St Ives (Cornwall) @ 17:24 

10 hrs 41 minutes

Opps, didn't realise it included XC  :-[

Certainly didn't run last time I used the thru Brighton to Worcester.  I have been known to book that service deliberately so that when it is cancelled I put in my charter claim and get a refund.  (last time I got 60 quid back on a 40 quid ticket)

How about during the Newport block when there was a service that ran from Paddington - Carmarthen via Worcester/Hereford. I think that was about 7 hours that one?

Continuing my desire to get from Hereford to Cornwall  as slowly as possible, if you tick the show over taken trains box  and go to Newquay Not St Ives you get....

06:43 Hereford to  Great Malvern @ 07:14   
First Great Western service from Hereford to London Paddington

08:26 Great Malvern to Westbury @ 11:36   
First Great Western service from Great Malvern to Westbury

16:23 Westbury to  Par @ 19.30
First Great Western service from London Paddington to Penzance
 
20:28 Par to Newquay @ 21.20
   
Grand total of 14 hours 37 minutes weekday

St Ives is 14 Hours 12 minutes via these trains

On saturdays trains via the same route get to e St Ives in 13 hours 50 minutes and Newquay in 13 Hours 57 minutes - and Melksham hasn't been visited!!

Is Bristol to Taunton via Westbury a valid route for this journey?

Presumably there has to be a restriction of this nature for this task otherwise you could meander all over the FGW network to increase the time?

Yes, Bristol - Taunton is valid via Westbury.