Delay scarf

[whole diary]

[eXPassenger]

A woman in Germany is selling the scarf she knitted when her train was delayed:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/14/german-train-delay-scarf-ebay-commute

A scarf knitted by a German woman to document her frustrations with frequent train delays is expected to sell for almost €4,000 (£3,500) on eBay, as the country’s biggest railway company announces plans for a punctuality tsar.

The “rail delay scarf” came to prominence when Sara Weber, a journalist, posted a photo of it on Twitter earlier this month. Her mother, a commuter in the Munich area, knitted two lines a day in 2018 to represent how long she was delayed for, she explained.

The scarf is colour-coded: grey wool meant her delay had been less than five minutes, pink signified delays of between five and 30 minutes, while red meant she was delayed for more than 30 minutes or had been delayed both ways.

“In the spring, everything was OK. Lots of grey and pink,” Weber wrote. “Then for a while it was all red: rail replacement traffic throughout the summer.”

The scarf, approximately 1.5 metres (4.9ft) long, represented many Germans’ frustrations with train delays, despite their country’s reputation abroad for efficiency and punctuality.

Is this something for the Transwilts or Cotswolds lines?

[patch38]

Wouldn't a Cotswold line scarf result in something of Doctor Who proportions?

[Richard Fairhurst]

And it would be full-width in the middle, but half-width at either end...

[eXPassenger]

Wouldn't a Cotswold line scarf result in something of Doctor Who proportions?

The standard length is 2 rows per day (1 per journey) so around 220 rows per scarf.  I agree that on the Cotswold line it would be predominantly red and not grey.

[ChrisB]

I thought there weren't (m)any delayus on European railways (we keep being told they're always on-time!)

[CyclingSid]

It is reported in the "i newspaper" that DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) bought the delay scarf at auction.

[Red Squirrel]

...grey wool meant her delay had been less than five minutes, pink signified delays of between five and 30 minutes...

In the land of Grey and Pink
Where only boy scouts stop to think
They'll be coming back again
Those nasty grumbly grimlies
And they're climbing down your chimney
Yes, they're trying to get in
Come to take your money
Isn't it a sin
They're so thin?

Happy days. Caravan were once quite big in the semi-professional Canterbury area prog-rock scene...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0NfCj8zcR8

[patch38]

I can lay claim to the fact that I know Maurice Haylett.

(This fact will only have meaning to true Caravan aficionados 😄)

[Red Squirrel]

Aw man, you've just burnt a hole in my Gong album cover... anyone else got the munchies?

[Western Pathfinder]

No but I Can See Your House From Here !..

[Noggin]

I thought there weren't (m)any delayus on European railways (we keep being told they're always on-time!)

From: https://www.railjournal.com/regions/europe/db-long-distance-punctuality-well-below-target-in-2018/

DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) Long Distance is not unique in experiencing difficulties operating long-distance services as a comparison with recent punctuality data from Britain shows. 76.9% of DB Long Distance services arrived within six minutes of schedule in December. For the four weeks ending December 8, British operator Virgin Trains West Coast achieved 70% on-time performance by the same measure, while LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about) mustered just 51%.

I was on the IC^▸ (Inter City) train between Brussels and Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago (which currently runs using 1970's EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) stock hauled by a couple of locos, rather than the THALYS which uses 20 year-old TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse)'s). Job stopped at Utrecht station, no announcements, nothing, with doors locked as well - only source of info when we finally twigged was the NS website. We managed to see from the platform boards that the train was actually cancelled, then managed to get off and catch another train as it filled with police with sniffer dogs for what the locals reckoned was a drugs sweep. Eventually got going in time to catch my plane from Schipol but was far from a great experience. Not massively cheap either, €100 for a 180km return (approx the same as Bristol to London), THALYS is €160 return and 30 minutes faster.

[rogerpatenall]

I have travelled between Brussels, Amsterdam and Schiphol quite often - is 'via Utrecht' a valid routing?? I am sure that  one of our resident experts will tell me that there is an easement or something - if not, I am intrigued, because I cannot picture the logical routing between those points, via Utrecht. Particularly being loco hauled, as you say, as I would imagine that the only way to do it is with reversal in Utrecht.

[Noggin]

I have travelled between Brussels, Amsterdam and Schiphol quite often - is 'via Utrecht' a valid routing?? I am sure that  one of our resident experts will tell me that there is an easement or something - if not, I am intrigued, because I cannot picture the logical routing between those points, via Utrecht. Particularly being loco hauled, as you say, as I would imagine that the only way to do it is with reversal in Utrecht.

Apologies, it was Breda.

[ellendune]

IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) that's the Classic line used by trains until the new high speed line was built.