There's *alot* of things that need interpretation! I'm getting there but OMG^▸ (Oh My doG ).

For the data geeky minded...

select   bs.DateRunsFrom,
      bs.DateRunsTo,
      bs.DaysRun,
      l.PublicDeparture
   from Timetable.BasicSchedule bs
      join Timetable.Location l
         on l.BasicScheduleID = bs.BasicScheduleID
      join Timetable.CallingPattern3Alpha as ac
         on ac.CallingPattern3AlphaID = bs.CallingPattern3AlphaID
   where   bs.PowerType = 'HST^▸ (High Speed Train)' and
         l.TIPLOCCode = 'HONYBRN' and
         ac.LocationCodeEnd = 'PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)' and
         l.ScheduledDeparture is not null and
         getdate() between bs.DateRunsFrom and bs.DateRunsTo
   order by   DateRunsFrom,
            DateRunsTo,
            DaysRun,
            PublicDeparture

After being detrained on the last attempt to be on board an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) on the Cotswolds line, I spent a few hours in a very nice cafe in Oxford, laptop in full flight, coding an ingestion of the publicly available timetable data.

What's worse than my obsession with being on the advertised rolling stock ("Get over it"... I know )...

... is I can query the schedule at will now.

Here's Honeybourne to Paddington. They *do* exist. On the timetable.

DateFrom / DateTo / DaysRunning / Dep

2014-12-14   2015-01-04   0000001   15:55:00
2014-12-14   2015-01-04   0000001   16:56:00
2014-12-14   2015-01-04   0000001   17:59:00
2014-12-15   2015-01-01   1111000   21:28:00
2014-12-15   2015-01-01   1111000   23:08:00
2014-12-15   2015-01-02   1111100   05:34:00
2014-12-15   2015-01-02   1111100   06:56:00
2014-12-15   2015-01-02   1111100   07:58:00
2014-12-15   2015-01-02   1111100   14:35:00
2014-12-15   2015-01-02   1111100   16:30:00
2014-12-19   2015-01-02   0000100   21:28:00
2014-12-19   2015-01-02   0000100   23:08:00
2014-12-20   2015-01-03   0000010   07:33:00
2014-12-20   2015-01-03   0000010   08:32:00
2014-12-20   2015-01-03   0000010   09:36:00
2014-12-20   2015-01-03   0000010   13:34:00
2014-12-20   2015-01-03   0000010   16:28:00
2014-12-20   2015-01-03   0000010   20:31:00
2014-12-20   2015-01-03   0000010   21:40:00

Well, that was money well spent.

I rejoined with the only option being a Turbo. Interesting range of options, above and beyond, say, the 'Silent Carriage' on other services.

- The Boiling Carriage
- The Tepid Carriage
- The Unheated And f**cking freezing carriage.

Guess which carriage my "treat myself" first class ticket lies.

I have my hood up, trying to look menacing to the only other person daring the first class fridge. He has his head in his hands and is bent over the table.

Next HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from Oxford to Paddington isn't for about 90 mins.

Hmm. Go to pub, come back later? Or squash on to the next Turbo with my "treat myself" first class ticket, and the rest of the Cotswold line refugees?

Well, the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) did turn up, and we've made it Oxford 50 minutes late.

Now just been told "Sorry, we don't have a driver".

We're now being turfed off, the train is now cancelled at Oxford.

HST - now you see it, now you don't.

Aha... Thanks for info!

All the departure boards updated about five minutes ago and I was wondering how it lost 50 minutes between two stations in the same city

Aaaand, I'm back with the story of the return journey!

Yes, it's the invisible 13:34 from Honeybourne to Pad.

I say invisible, because all the online live departure boards are showing it as having left all the stations from Evesham down on time. Our invisible train appears to be well on it's way to Oxford.

Baffled passengers here at Honeybourne have been phoning FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

The answer: "We don't know where the train is. All we know is it left Worcestor".

Oh dear. An HST^▸ (High Speed Train) missing in action. Maybe it stopped off at a pub for a festive half and got carried away.

Just checked - you are absolutely right. (And tbf, that's what was running too. Shame about the run around on the phone but hey ho.)

It's that time of year again - when I attempt, but fail, to prove the existence of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) on the Cotswold line.

This time rail enquiries and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) customer service seemed to align. They both denied they exist.

At Waterloo advance ticket sales, I asked about trains from Paddington to Honeybourne.

"An HS^▸ (High Speed (short for HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) High Speed Services)) what?"

The sales person looked irritated when I asked again. I mentioned that First Great Western had it marked on their timetables.

"An HS WHAT?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."

The roll of the eyes was a very clear - stop going on and about HSTs. Go. Away. You are Irritating me.

Next attempt, I phoned FGW customer services.

Who redirected me to National Rail Enquiries.

Who redirected me back to First Great Western.

"An Inter City?"
"An HS City?"
"An HS WHAT?"
"Honeybourne yes it is a fast train. High Speed."
"No, I mean..."

This went on for ten minutes. The person at the other end of the phone apologised at the end of every sentence, apologised each time they resumed the call. They had absolutely no idea what an HST was, but boy they were going to keep apologising.

Eventually they put me through to someone back in England. Quick as a flash, they confirmed that yes, the 15:52 would be an HST. They apologised that their overseas colleague didn't know what an HST was.

It'm on it now. It's not an HST of course, it never is. I think in about 10 journeys planned around being on an HST, I've seen one. Maybe two at a push - including the "buffet in the toilet" special.

*bah* I'm not in a very Christmassy mood it has to be said.

Guess what.

It's a turbo.

I briefly recounted the saga to the train manager. He was very sympathetic, confirmed it should have been an Adelente. Said that this one of the few services where I could get my money back for this, and recommended that I write/email in asking for that. Considerably more help than the call centre agent.

(The fact, on this service, there's a train manager suggests it wasn't a crewing issue?)

Interesting. I'm quietly hopeful it will be a 180.

Thanks for the info II - it's good to get *some* kind of explanation. FGW themselves don't seem capable of it. If you happen to know of any non-turbos running today, I'd be keen to hear!

It felt inevitable!

Any idea if the 17:55 Honeybourne - PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) is anything bigger? FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site is saying seat reservations are possible, so that suggests HST or 180.

(I have tried phoning FGW to ask when the next 'full size' train will run. The call centre person said the 16:29 would be an HST (!). I pointed out that their website said otherwise. Asked when the next "full size" train would run on the line. He didn't know, but said he would email head office and call me back. This will be an interesting test.)

Today's 16:29 from Honeybourne, as predicted:

"Will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 8
This is due to over-running engineering works
Information correct at 27 Dec 2012 09:04"


So, it's an unbroken record. Still never seen anything other than Turbo's in three years of weekend / christmas travel.

I wonder how many Adelentes will be sat at Old Oak Common?