To explain the above comment, there was a brief time where in Swindon a controller could stop the tape recording. Keeping the piece of paper in your possession prevented the hindsight committee making accusations of missing calls or making additional stops causing delay minutes and as we all know the railway is now run on delay attribution.

A little story, Saturday afternoon many years ago I'm on the 1430 BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative)) Paddington. Sat in the front cab of my lovely HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) when a member of platform staff asks if I sign the B+H. Yep. He says he'll return, something has just happened. A few minutes later he returns with not to call orders for Chippenham, Swindon and Didcot. Off we go but at Barf Spa the screens are showing Chippenham etc and the dispatcher says you're now calling. I require a Special Stop Order to countermand the not to call order. But in the few minutes it takes to write out the paperwork it has been decided to go via the B+H. So I rip up the SSO and tell the TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context) to do the same, I have the BTM issued not to call orders which is fine for me. During this time the passengers are off, on and back off. Left around 10 late, the Pompey has cleared off, an up WOE^▸ (West of England) is held at Hawkridge for me, so it's greens all the way from Barf to Reading excent for the distant approaching Hawkridge. Some very aggressive driving, black box compliant (ish) 3 late Reading and RT Paddington. Paperwork kept for a few weeks just in case

I was the awkward one who always insisted on the correct paperwork. Never got questioned.

And cancelled throughout from Paddington to Penzance tomorrow night.

In the past driver training has been subsidised by DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about). I remember complaints from those awaiting a course being told postponed due to no money from DaFT. Then suddenly you start next month, normally after a holiday has been booked.

Drugs test for TaplowGreen please.

Around 100 years service between the three recent retirees.

Reason for edit, missed out a word.

Another 3 HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI) but BTM is a commonly used alternative)) drivers retired today... With full depot route knowledge that won't be replaced.

15 bikes, so you are happy for your exit to be blocked in an emergency then? I was infamous in Wessex days for enforcing the 1600 to 1800 no bikes rule.

Yes, I agree it's a disgrace regarding bike storage on IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - the now official name for the replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) being abysmal but that was chosen by the "experts" at DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about).

Dear Passenger,

When you get home do you close your front door and then block it with luggage /pram/bike?

No?

So why do you block a door as soon as you board a train?

One of the dispatchers at Barf was abused so much by cyclists he had to be supported in the 6 bike rule, if not then probably 10 plus in the van, again blocking the emergency exit.

There's nothing wrong in avoiding Barf. Shame there isn't a Bath avoider for the railway. Never liked the place especially those who can't count when it comes to bikes in the HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) TGS.

Pleasantly surprised that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) managed to run the additional trains from both crew and rolling stock perspectives. Now how about 2 an hour via the B+H in a fortnight?

The timetable planners and those who make the running decisions both long term and short term plans are the only people that can answer those questions.

I just drove the trains that I was rostered or instructed to.

Unfortunately those sets have to be back in position for the start of service Monday morning. So how do they get back and with what drivers?

Memory jog, can't remember if 2022 or 2023 but a person under the influence of alcohol tried to board a moving IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - the now official name for the replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) on platform one and failed miserably. Platforms one and two were shut for a few hours until I could travel from BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) to Cardiff and take the train to Stoke Gifford.

All trains, east and west, had to use platforms 3 and 4 so unsurprisingly it was chaos. I did a bit of cheating by messaging a friend in the WROC and my service got priority into Cardiff, a very rapid reboot of the IET concerned and on the move as quickly as possible. A brief use of the hose pipe and platforms reopened.

That's where the TfW^▸ (Transport for Wales) staff deserve much praise coping with those who want to get home an hour previously.

Well it had to happen eventually...

The ETCS^▸ (European Train Control System) system went tits up this morning.

Some serious delays accruing between Praha and Česká Třebová.

https://www.cd.cz/jizdni-rad/omezeni-provozu/mimoradnost/60159

Link only works whilst the problem continues and it will translate to English.

Back in ye olden days when it was the National Stadium of Wales and all games kicked off at either 1430 or 1500...

The NSE^▸ (Network South East) commuter stock that would sit spare for the weekend (look away bean counters) would be utitlised for rugby specials. One ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) move would be Oxford Foxhall curve Kemble Gloucester to Chepstow forming an additional to Milford Haven which then worked to Cardiff, ECS to Newport for another extra to Cardiff.

There were many rakes of vacuum braked mk1s used all around South Wales, ending back at the Thames Valley depots during Sunday. They needed a good clean before Monday morning but when the cleaners were on a basic of around £152 a week for 39 hours there were no shortage of volunteers to come in Sunday morning for £50 or £60 to do the dirty work.

The last train to London was from Swansea around 2020, 2125 from Cardiff.

Don't times change...

And to quote a Tory snob in the summer of 1993 who assaulted me by grabbing my shoulder and shaking me.

"Privitisation will sort out the railways and make it better."

(Looks at the current drivers salary and compares it to 1994 when I drove my first train).

Nope... Thinning out the Sunday service won't increase the number of avaliable crew on a Saturday late turn.