Great Western Coffee Shop

During my time in "The West", I've taken a number of photographs.  So what better excuse for a traditional photo quiz.

Usual rules: one guess per member per day for the first few days.  I know you lot are very clever, so it won't take long for them all to be taken!

There shouldn't be anything too difficult but bear in mind they are not all from the West or the UK.  All are either transport related or something that has been discussed on the Coffee Shop previously.  In all honesty, I don't actually know where one of the photographs was taken.

All images can be found here: .

Whoever did an excess on your ticket in picture 40 needs to be trained again!!

By the way: Number 32 is London Victoria.

I'll take the easy one...
no.2 Dawlish

Correct

Yes, nice and easy :D

Bonus points for anyone who can explain why Ollie thinks this (there are actually two things wrong with this excess)

So many I'd like to answer but I'll go for one of the non-railway ones.

No. 3 Highbury Vaults Public House, Cotham, Bristol. A nice pub for ale lovers.

Oh, and what's the next pub 22 yds down the road? It's not still the awful 'Bar @ 155' is it?

Another non-railway one:

1. Bristol Royal Infirmary, Upper Maudlin Street.

10 is in Bristol, Clifton area I believe, with the 'Will's Memorial Building' of the University of Bristol towering above the other buildings...

BTM - 18

Eh??  I think that may be a typo, Mookiemoo!  :o

They must have demolished a few platforms overnight then as it didn't look like that last night  :D

13 - Lynton

9. Poole

Well, one assumes you were using an alternate route (ALT RTE) in one direction only, else you would've purchased the ANY PERMITTED in the first place. The excess has been calculated based on the ANY PERMITTED SDR and SOUTHERN ONLY SDR. Change of route in one direction should only be half the difference in fares, ^4.80 - ^4.40 / 2 = 20p. You paid 40p. Mistake 1.

BUT, your return journey was very likely Off Peak so you should've only been excessed half the difference between the ANY PERMITTED CDR and SOUTHERN SDR, ^4.70 - ^4.40 / 2 = 15p. Mistake 2.

I trust you applied for a refund of the 25p overcharging?  ;D

Mistake one is actually the fact that the original ticket is TOC specific so should not be excessed.

Correct, as discussed here (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=7948.msg79803#msg79803)

I walk past this sign everyday and have attempted on a number of times to work out when I'm 22 yards from the Highbury Vaults (what an exciting life I have).  Rustic Vine (a posh looking wine bar) has now closed down and would probably never have been classed as a pub.  I think the pub they are referring to is now called @One55 and looks more like a restaurant - I'll double check this tomorrow morning.  Haven't been in there recently, but I believe the Vaults still have the model railway in the main bar.

Location correct, however there is something transport related in that photo that I was thinking of

Yes, taken from College Green at the bottom of Park Street.  Coincidently it is also the building where I will be sitting my exams (gulp!)

This one isn't Temple Meads - have another go ;D

Correct

Yes

Actually a bit more complicated than this!  If you look carefully, the ticket was printed at 0755 and the excess at 0817, so both peak time.  Due to some disruption (can't remember why), most of the Southern services were cancelled and everything else delayed.  Having already bought a SN only ticket, I made my way over to the ticket office to either have the ticket endorsed or refunded.  I was told that I could pay an excess fare of 40p (even though I only requested one direction, i.e. the OUT).  So correct on number 1 (although the excess as issued is not actually valid).  But back to Ollie's post, The Manual states that operator specific tickets cannot be excessed to another operator (or any permitted), only refunded.  So that ticket should never have been issued, instead the original ticket refunded.  I've had this type of excess issued on more than three occassions, all from different SWT ticket offices.  The reason I don't have the OUT ticket or OUT excess is because this was sent to Southern for a Delay Repay claim (arrived over 2 hours late so received a full refund of the ^4.80 paid).

Just to add that some of the photographs don't actually show any particular location - they are more like observations that I've made, so will be more difficult to guess ;)

#6

Mark A Lemmon and Joseph Schlessinger (2010), Cell signaling by receptor tyrosine kinases, Cell 141, 1117 - 1134.

And in a remarkable case of "small world, innit?" Mark Lemmon is the boss of the Biochemistry and Biophysics department in the building next door to mine.  ;D

:o
I'm actually quite gobsmacked.  When choosing that photo I didn't think anyone here would actually be at UPenn!

The photo was of my attempt at trying to work on a 158's fold down table as all the tables were taken and seat reservations not placed on seats.  Combined with the fact my legs don't really fit into the gap between the seat and the chair in front unless I sit completely upright (and I'm only 6ft) and I had someone sat in the aisle seat so couldn't write properly, this was quite a dull journey.

25. Lynton looking down to Lynmouth

Correct.  I'm normally terrible with heights, so was very pleased with myself being able to take this one!

29. Clifton Down - Facing Bristol direction

Very warm, but not boiling :-\

That's interesting....the excess fares procedure allows for Advance tickets (which are operator specific) to be excessed (plus ^10 admin) up to the cheapest available fare for immediate travel, which could quite easily be ANY PERMITTED.

Whilst SOUTHERN ONLY appears to be operator specific it is in the 'Route' section of the ticket. And excess fares procedure allows change of route.

And I too have had a SOUTHERN ONLY ticket 'change of route' excessed up to an ANY PERMITTED. The clerk that did mine at Chichester did it correctly and only charged half the difference.

22 - Souff Kenzington

Innit mush :D

That's the only place on a ticket they can print an operator restriction isn't it - in the so called 'route' field?

In the case in question they cannot define a geographic route - unlike for instance the SN Southampton to London Terrminals where it'll say 'Route Horsham' or something like that.

Paul

30 - looking towards Minehead

Chin! Chin! Bar and Kitchen is its new name.

Correct answers so far:
01 BRI (chris from nailsea)
02 Dawlish (old original)
03 Highbury Vaults (bignosemac)
04
05
06 Cell 141 1117-1134 (inspector_blakey) i.e. Brucey squashed in-between two seats and another passenger
07
08
09 Poole (paul7755)
10 Wills Memorial Building (devon_metro)
11
12
13 Lynton (Bob_Blakey)
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22 South Kensington (grahame)
23
24
25 Lynton looking down to Lynmouth (molinnis)
26
27
28
29
30 Minehead (jakemonkfish)
31
32 London Victoria (Ollie)
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40 Excess badly issued (Ollie)

7 - Montpelier (on the Severn Beach line, not the south of France!)

I meant 16!

What happened was I assumed the number were after the photos so intially noted down 17 then I realised they were at the top and for some reason added 1 rather than took it off

27 is Dunster on the West Somerset Rly?

That's one of the best pieces of justification logic I've read in a long time.   Must be true  ;)

Both correct :)

My second go - assuming this counts as Day 2:

8.  A First Bus, travelling from Upper Maudlin Street into Lower Park Row, at the bottom of St Michael's Hill, in Bristol.  The bus in question is 'The Chipper', so-called because it is fuelled by recycled cooking oil - see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5932.0  ;D

2nd day, 2nd go.....

38. Bristol Harbourside from Pero's Bridge. Looking toward the Arnolfini Gallery, location on the day the photo was taken of the second, pre-election, party leaders debate. 22nd April 2010.

The same day I was up in Millennium Square and had a bit of a run-in with a BBC producer, when my dog got into shot whilst Nick Robinson was doing a piece-to-camera. Just sat minding my own business and Jess was on her extending lead. BBC guy shouts at me "Oi, can you move, you're dog's in shot" I replied, "No, you move. I live in this city and I'll sit where I want."

2nd goes now is it?

15.  Havant

I do think that's a bit obscure Bruce...

Paul

This was actually the first time I'd seen the bus.  Pretty nifty idea and it seemed to run just like any of the diesel engines.

Correct.  A lot of hype for telly that (IMO) wasn't particularly great viewing.

I expected this to be one of the last photos to be answered correctly - well done there!

Does picture 36 - which looks rather like Bristol Temple Meads - feature because of the piece of clearly unattended baggage that may be removed and destroyed?

While in Bristol ... the boat in the background of no. 38 looks very much like the "Balmoral" ... now there's an idea for a day out that may attract some of us rail types away from rail!

You've accidentally put my answer alongside pic 14...

Paul

Yes and yes.  I wasn't going to include this one (TBH, its quite a dull image), until I noticed it featured the unattended article.  It is actually my own suitcase which I left in situ whilst I wondered around the end of P9/11 which my camera.  Does raise the question: how far away can you be from your luggage before it is considered unattended?

It does appear to be.  From another angle:
(http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/4092/dscf2190v.jpg)

:-[
[Insert excuse here]

5 - Dublin

24. BTM

34

Also South Kensington, Pelham St entrance

The last three answers are all correct

28. Clifton Down Station. Taken from the steps down to platform 2.

19.  Stapleton Road.

11. Bristol Temple Meads

20. Redland station

And if I can take my go for yesterday  :)

4. end of sidings near Seaward way Level crossing, Minehead

Correct answers so far:
01 BRI (chris from nailsea)
02 Dawlish (old original)
03 Highbury Vaults (bignosemac)
04 Minehead (molinnis)
05 Dublin (Bob_Blakey); St Stephen's Green Station
06 Cell 141 1117-1134 (inspector_blakey) i.e. Brucey squashed in-between two seats and another passenger
07 Montpelier (chriselkins)
08 The Chipper on Upper Maudlin Street (chris from nailsea)
09 Poole (paul7755)
10 Wills Memorial Building (devon_metro)
11 Bristol Temple Meads (devon_metro)
12
13 Lynton (Bob_Blakey)
14
15 Havant (paul7755)
16 Bristol Temple Meads (Mookiemoo)
17
18
19 Stapleton Road (chris from nailsea)
20 Redland (molinnis)
21
22 South Kensington (grahame)
23
24 Bristol Temple Meads (Mookiemoo)
25 Lynton looking down to Lynmouth (molinnis)
26
27 Dunster (Deltic)
28 Clifton Down (bignosemac)
29
30 Minehead (jakemonkfish)
31
32 London Victoria (Ollie)
33
34 South Kensington Pelham Street Entrance (plymothian)
35
36 Bristol Temple Meads (grahame)
37
38 Arnolfini (bignosemac)
39
40 Excess badly issued (Ollie)

I was trying to date the "City-Severn Line" sign.  I reckon its probably from the 80s?

21.  Havant (again)  ;D

Paul

31

Bristol Temple Meads looking from platform 6 to platform 4 (and 2)

I missed my train, so taking photos seemed like the best way of passing the time :P

Very observant!

33.  Clifton Down station - street level, Whiteladies Road, Bristol.

12. A Standard Class Advance from Cosham to Clifton Down with a 16-25 Railcard discount.

True.  I was wondering if anyone knew what the punch in the ticket was supposed to represent?  There is one conductor who always uses this instead of a Zifa, probably from the BR days.

Can't answer that, but I do have a definition for the bit of card that is cut out.

From The Meaning of Liff (http://folk.uio.no/alied/TMoL.html) by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd.

 ;D

No. 14 - Class 158??

You're right about that nip being from BR days - the "number 5"-shaped nipper was issued to guards on the Western region. As a general rule, althogh not hard-and-fast, nippers used by station staff on barriers tended to make differently-shaped marks in the edge of a ticket, whilst those used onboard would generally punch a shape from the middle. In the case of london terminal stations the clips from the edge were often shaped roughly like the initial letter of the terminus's name, e.g. a "p"-shape on its edge for Paddington, a K for King's X. Highland Rail staff had nippers that would punch a '1' shape with a letter 'B' impressed above it, Eastern region guards punched a number 2, LM region a number 3*, Scottish region a number 6. Not sure what the number 4 did wrong, or why Southern region guards didn't get their own number! No doubt I've mentioned this before, but I've got a couple of old BR ticket examiners' handbooks at home from the late 1980s which include an appendix giving the different shapes of nippers and stampers in use and their meaning.

*You'll still find the odd guard here and there on Virgin, XC, LM and perhaps EMT who's using these, I'd guess.

Edited to add...

By the way, 18 looks like another shot of Stapleton Road to me!

I thought it must be a catch question - he probably wants the owning TOC, unit number and where it was at the time...

Paul

:D
It was just after Fareham.  Unit number and owner, I've no idea!  My observation was how dirty the carpet is: strange idea putting a carpet where the bike stands are located.

Yes.  I was triying to get both the 150/1s from 18 and 19 in the same shot to show the change in livery, but 150127 pulled away before I reached the end of the platform.

Some clues for the remaining photographs:
17. I know the city, but can't remember exactly where this was taken (any ideas?)
23. Track here is not maintained by Network Rail
26. A FGW station
29. Louis94 said "Clifton Down - Facing Bristol direction", which was almost correct but not quite
35. Is on St Michael's Hill in Bristol - there are many of these "vents" in various placed around Bristol - does anyone know what they are for?
37. Does the green fence give any clues?
39. Transport related but not near the railway

37.  Stapleton Road.  ;)

Is 35 some sort of stench pipe for the sewers or underground river?

I believe (after some Google research!) they are ventilation for underground electricity substations. Have a look next time and see if there are nearby double manhole doors set into the path - access to the substation. Some vents remain even though the substation has been decommissioned and removed.

Sewer vents seems unlikely what with them being at just the right height for a curious child to poke their nose in and get a lungful of noxious air! Most sewer vents (where they still exist) are above head height. There is a disused one on Old Market Street in Bristol, at least 15ft tall. It was possibly built in connection with underground public conveniences that used to be on an island in the middle of Old Market Street - long since gone.

So, today's guess....

35. Underground electricity substation air vent.


EDIT: Here's another image of one of these vents with the adjacent access manhole:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98587546@N00/2167793677/

You learn something new every day!  Thank you bignosemac.  I've looked quite extensively and never found any information about these air vents, which is why I decided to post an image here.  Some of them do have a buzzing noise and have a metal manhole cover - perhaps they are still in use?  These vents are quiet widespread around central Bristol: opposite the B.R.I., on Park Street, Stokes Croft and around the university.

Just to clarify. Some working substations and associated vents remain. In other locations just the vent remains.

23. footpath crossing behind Butlins, Minehead

Yes  :o

Four left:
17. Is on the Luas in Dublin - exact location unknown!
26. Best answer this correctly or you'll end up in Casualty.
29. A Dab Herd Promoting [anag]
39. You'll all (Bristolians anyway) be kicking yourselves when this one is answered!

I think we can have a free for all now as there are so few remaining.

29. Hampton Road bridge (between Clifton Down and Redland).

39. Whitson Street entrance to Bristol Bus Station

B*****!  I was still trying to place 39 somewhere on Prince Street, by the dockside.  ::) :D ;D

So we are left with just number 26.  Casualty is the clue and is referred to in a recent post by myself.

That would be Redland then!

Which correctly concludes this quiz (unless anyone can tell me where 17 was taken)!

Pretty sure it's the Green line ... Doesn't look like anywhere on the Red ...

Think its the Dublin Luas Green Line approaching Kilmacud station heading towards St. Stephen's Green

Confusing with the TV series in which case Lawrence Hill would have been the answer