Great Western Coffee Shop

05:19 Gloucester to Southampton Central due 08:09
    This train will be terminated at Swindon and restarted from Westbury at 07:01.It will no longer call at: Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.This is due to signalling problems.

07:02 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 09:03
    This train will be started from Swindon.It will no longer call at: Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.This is due to signalling problems.

Points frozen at Thingley or Bradford junctions perhaps? Not risking the mainline services?

"Santa Special" sat at Chippenham for about quarter of an hour last night waiting for a problem with the points / line ahead to be sorted.   I suspect they then gave up; last winter, there was noting for days, and no road replacement either citing "too dangerous" ... so those of us living here drove to the nearest open station.

Signalling difficulties at Thingley Jn which meant that the Signaller was unable to route onto the single line.

Ah ... thanks.   Considering what a cold evening it was, and what was an awful lot of passengers at Westbury for Chippenham and Swindon, the operational staff did an excellent job last night - getting a 125 onto the 17:05 Westbury to Swindon, and 18:19 return.

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/125atMKM.jpg)

To my knowledge, the first time an HST has called at Melksham - certainly for passenger purposes.  Good to see SDO in use  ;)

P.S.  I now I said it above - but a big thanks to the staff on duty yesterday evening who turned a Santa trip for 80+ people that could have gone so pear-shaped into a huge success.   Pictures of smiling faces to follow.

I am really looking forward to some positive press for local FGW efforts in the next few days.

This and the Trowbridge stoppers on Sat has to be in the Wilts Crimes and beyond surely. (don't call me Shirly)

Please feel free to quote the 125 and the excellent work done by the train crew and the folks who organised it.   Slight "brickbat" to the information people who - when we spoke to them via the new button when the train was already overdue, but showing "ontime", who came up with a resounding "don't know what's going on" when we got in touch - not an easy story to sell to 80 people on the platform, all be it a truthful one!