Call for Regular Service to Bodmin General

[whole diary]

[LiskeardRich]

This is ridiculous. Postman, Fireman, policeman, boatman, are all long term traditional job titles.

...that have been replaced by postal officer, firefighter, police officer etc.

No, I agree, it's rediculous, they'll be giving them the vote next! 

How did Postman Pat and Fireman Sam feel about this. Postal office Pat doesn't work in the theme tune, and nor does Firefighter Sam in his theme tune.

[trainer]

I only slightly apologise for starting this: I wanted to make sure that women could be part of the signalling dept on the B&W even if the name was archaic.  I can understand terminology remaining quaint for historical reasons, but not attitudes and opportunities.

[Kernow Otter]

I only slightly apologise for starting this: I wanted to make sure that women could be part of the signalling dept on the B&W even if the name was archaic.  I can understand terminology remaining quaint for historical reasons, but not attitudes and opportunities.

Oh good, glad that's clear.  Thank you.

[Lee]

The B&W signalling allows a train to be 'locked in' to the line between Bodmin General and Bodmin Parkway; so after the heritage operation has finished (normally about 1630 each day), a DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) could be shunted into the platform at Bodmin General and locked in.  It could then shuttle between General and Parkway as often as demand required, needing only a driver and a guard - i.e. Bodmin General signalbox would not necessarily need to be manned.  But this would prevent the B&W from running their occasional evening Dining and Murder Mystery trains.

Sounds reasonably straightforward, and potentially cost-effective. Let^s say the B&W were asked to provide the following DMU services on Monday-Fridays (journey time 12 minutes):

FROM BODMIN GENERAL - 0554, 0640, 0714, 0748, 0837, 0911, 0945, 1635, 1709, 1744, 1829, 1903, 1953, 2032, 2108, 2147, 2249.

FROM BODMIN PARKWAY - 0616, 0657, 0731, 0805, 0854, 0928, 1002, 1652, 1726, 1812, 1846, 1924, 2015, 2049, 2130, 2204, 2320.

How much would it be likely to cost to do so?

[The Tall Controller]

Extreme early and late journeys would not be needed as frequently as that. We only get a couple on the Hind each morning and a couple off the later trains. First journey for me would run from Parkway just after the Night Riviera (0630) with last departure around 2035.

[Lee]

Fair enough. I was simply trying to provide as many connections as possible within the remit.

Rob T - How many passengers overall do you think more optimally-timed Parkway-General DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) services could attract, and can you (or indeed anyone else) have a stab at answering my earlier question on costings?

[caliwag]

So, as happens on the Maritime Line, if the 153 fails, could we expect to see a pannier with a rake of two mk 1s until rescue arrives?

[trainer]

So, as happens on the Maritime Line, if the 153 fails, could we expect to see a pannier with a rake of two mk 1s until rescue arrives?

Are you saying that Panniers and Mk1s appear on the Maritime Line or simply that 153s break down occasionally?  (I think I know what you mean, but read it literally  )

[inspector_blakey]

Network Rail do still (or at least did until very recently) use the term "Pilotman" though.

Correct, "Pilotman" is still used on the main line network, although given that it's a term that's specified in the Rule Book it's probably slightly more correct to say that the name is specified by RSSB^▸ (Rail Safety and Standards Board) rather than Network Rail. I've never seen this written down officially, but have been told by several senior ops trainers that "pilot" refers to "Person In Lieu Of Token" (slightly ironically, given the discussion above!).

"Signaller" is used throughout the main line rule book, and from my experience has been more or less universally adopted by the men and women who do the job.

[Red Squirrel]

Network Rail do still (or at least did until very recently) use the term "Pilotman" though.

Correct, "Pilotman" is still used on the main line network, although given that it's a term that's specified in the Rule Book it's probably slightly more correct to say that the name is specified by RSSB^▸ (Rail Safety and Standards Board) rather than Network Rail. I've never seen this written down officially, but have been told by several senior ops trainers that "pilot" refers to "Person In Lieu Of Token" (slightly ironically, given the discussion above!).

"Signaller" is used throughout the main line rule book, and from my experience has been more or less universally adopted by the men and women who do the job.

At least we don't suffer the problems the French, with their rather fossilised language, heap upon themselves, e.g:

Le m^decin = doctor (masculine)
La m^decine = medicine (feminine)
Le femme m^decin = lady doctor (masculine)

Then there's words ending in -ence - all feminine except le silence; 'the only thing the women could not keep'. Ha bloody ha.

[The Tall Controller]

Fair enough. I was simply trying to provide as many connections as possible within the remit.

Rob T - How many passengers overall do you think more optimally-timed Parkway-General DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) services could attract, and can you (or indeed anyone else) have a stab at answering my earlier question on costings?

TBH^▸ (to be honest) I think its a non runner. I base this on two things, one is the hourly bus from Padstow/Wadebridge and Bodmin to Parkway which often only carries half a dozen people on arrival each time. The other is the time it would take to go from Bodmin General to Plymouth if the link went ahead (where the vast majority of our regulars go). It is much quicker to travel by car. (approx 40 mins by car as apposed to 60 mins by train assuming a good connection).

Bodmin Parkway serves more long distance travelers than any other station mainly due to its remote location which would mean a rail link to Bodmin will make very little difference.

[grahame]

TBH^▸ (to be honest) I think its a non runner. I base this on two things, one is the hourly bus from Padstow/Wadebridge and Bodmin to Parkway which often only carries half a dozen people on arrival each time ...

Experience further east (I can't believe I'm saying further east for us!) shows a dramatic loss of traffic when a train is replaced by a bus, so that evidence along the lines of "only carries half a dozen" may in fact tell us that a train would have quite a good loading if the operation is reversed.

[stuving]

At least we don't suffer the problems the French, with their rather fossilised language, heap upon themselves, e.g:

Le m^decin = doctor (masculine)
La m^decine = medicine (feminine)
Le femme m^decin = lady doctor (masculine)

Then there's words ending in -ence - all feminine except le silence; 'the only thing the women could not keep'. Ha bloody ha.

Oh, I think it's mostly a question of what you're used to. Part of what looks odd to us is the strict agreement of gender (and number too), which rules out our way of avoiding awkward cases.

I have a rather dated book about the Brits ("Grande Bretagne", Petite Plan^te, 1972) which says women get less recognition here because we have very few nouns for women who are, or do, something, compared with French. He not thinking of "-man" type words - his examples of feminine words hard to translate into English are ^pici^re, voisine, ^tudiante, menteuse, emmerduse, Londonienne (grocer, neighbour, student, liar, nuisance (or worse), Londoner).

I think he rather gives it away by saying that: he feels the non-specific term like "liar" is male-specific because it is in French. We don't feel that at all, so it does not have the same effect. It is very hard to lose the feel of your first language for such things.

[bobm]

TBH^▸ (to be honest) I think its a non runner. I base this on two things, one is the hourly bus from Padstow/Wadebridge and Bodmin to Parkway which often only carries half a dozen people on arrival each time. The other is the time it would take to go from Bodmin General to Plymouth if the link went ahead (where the vast majority of our regulars go). It is much quicker to travel by car. (approx 40 mins by car as apposed to 60 mins by train assuming a good connection).

Clearly you are on the ground and have local knowledge which I am not qualified to query but I wonder how many people would use a rail link who would never think to use a bus one?

Sometimes that is a personal choice - the "I never travel on buses" brigade - other times it is through ignorance.   I only recently discovered the bus links from Bodmin and have now used them twice - once to Padstow and once to Bodmin Town.  (Ironically on the first trip I ended up coming back by taxi because of a bus breakdown and the second time I came back by steam train). 

Some people are blinkered when it comes to travel and stick with one form.  I can be a bit like that sometimes - if I start by rail I want to finish by rail.  Through ticketing and PlusBus help, but some people will only be attracted it is train all the way.

[alexross42]

There's a new article about this on ThisisCornwall / in the Cornish Guardian today:

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Talks-continue-plans-town-rail-link/story-20307075-detail/story.html#axzz2nBSK6a8H

Basically it describes how talks between Cornwall Council and the Bodmin & Wenford Railway have taken place, with particular regard to how any workings would fit amongst the heritage railway's operations. It also states that 2015 is a more realistic timeframe for any such workings to commence...