Speed isn't everything

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I thinks it's an old one but it just came up on my feed "sponsored" from Facebook ... so I think it's promoted again.

https://twitter.com/gwrhelp/status/999963829760077824

Arrive ready for business with Great Western Railway, where travel time needn’t be wasted time.

A lot to be said for providing conditions on the services such that time is not wasted. Same could be said about facilities at connection stations - though best bet is to make sure that trains actual connect.  

[Umberleigh]

With the news that class 800s malfunctioned after some Dawlish mist, maybe the focus West of Exeter should be loco-hauled trains with restaurants and buffets that are a little slower but are waterproof?

[Surrey 455]

With the news that class 800s malfunctioned after some Dawlish mist, maybe the focus West of Exeter should be loco-hauled trains with restaurants and buffets that are a little slower but are waterproof?

What sort of restaurants? Nandos, McDonalds, Gordon Ramsey? or maybe just Travellers Fare?

[TaplowGreen]

With the news that class 800s malfunctioned after some Dawlish mist, maybe the focus West of Exeter should be loco-hauled trains with restaurants and buffets that are a little slower but are waterproof?

What sort of restaurants? Nandos, McDonalds, Gordon Ramsey? or maybe just Travellers Fare?

Casey Jones?

[martyjon]

With the news that class 800s malfunctioned after some Dawlish mist, maybe the focus West of Exeter should be loco-hauled trains with restaurants and buffets that are a little slower but are waterproof?

What sort of restaurants? Nandos, McDonalds, Gordon Ramsey? or maybe just Travellers Fare?

Gourmet on wheels

[eightf48544]

Glad i did most of my business travelling in the 70/80s before mobile phones or wi-fi.

Derby being a frequent destination we would settle in the dining car at St. Pancras  for a full English repast with lots of toast. Class 45/6 haulage. If we were lucky and train wasn't too full we'd stay in the dining car all the way Derby.

Completely cut off any messages would await us at Derby.

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

I did that too.  7.15 am off St Pancras.  There used to be an Irish Chief Steward, with Silver service of course.

[Umberleigh]

With the news that class 800s malfunctioned after some Dawlish mist, maybe the focus West of Exeter should be loco-hauled trains with restaurants and buffets that are a little slower but are waterproof?

What sort of restaurants? Nandos, McDonalds, Gordon Ramsey? or maybe just Travellers Fare?

Pullman

[broadgage]

Yes, a proper hot buffet on most long distance services. Not a micro buffet or a mini buffet or a parked trolley, but a proper hot buffet that can serve freshly cooked bacon rolls and the like, with real coffee and chilled beer.

AND on selected services a proper silver service restaurant that offers at least 3 choices for each of at least 3 courses, with a reasonable selection of wine and other drink.

Hauled by a locomotive, or better still a locomotive at each end so as to give "get you home" redundancy if one breaks, and avoid time wasting light engine movements at termini.
 

[Incider]

Yes, a proper hot buffet on most long distance services. Not a micro buffet or a mini buffet or a parked trolley, but a proper hot buffet that can serve freshly cooked bacon rolls and the like, with real coffee and chilled beer.

AND on selected services a proper silver service restaurant that oftfers at least 3 choices for each of at least 3 courses, with a reasonable selection of wine and other drink.

Hauled by a locomotive, or better still a locomotive at each end so as to give "get you home" redundancy if one breaks, and avoid time wasting light engine movements at termini.
 

I can only applaud your persistence.....

[TonyK]

Yes, a proper hot buffet on most long distance services. Not a micro buffet or a mini buffet or a parked trolley, but a proper hot buffet that can serve freshly cooked bacon rolls and the like, with real coffee and chilled beer.

AND on selected services a proper silver service restaurant that offers at least 3 choices for each of at least 3 courses, with a reasonable selection of wine and other drink.

Hauled by a locomotive, or better still a locomotive at each end so as to give "get you home" redundancy if one breaks, and avoid time wasting light engine movements at termini.
 

Brand is everything these days, and it therefore needs a memorable name. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you - the Push-me-pull-you-Pullman!

[metalrail]

As a recently ex frequent BPW^» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) traveller, I would pretty much always time my outward journey to PAD to coincide with the restaurant car service so i'd arrive in London with a properly cooked meal.  Failing that i'd at least get a hot bacon roll to tide me over, which i'd also pretty much always opt for when I returned to BPW a day or two later

As i'm sure a lot of folk travelling for work would agree, it was much better being able to enjoy your meal during travel time to avoid the need to eat elsewhere

This - to me - has certainly been the greatest loss with the withdrawal of the old HST^▸ (High Speed Train) formations, and the one thing that with some proper thought and consideration on the part of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) in conjunction with Hitachi could still be reinstated by properly fitted buffet cars as before   

[Surrey 455]

Casey Jones?

I remember them being at Stansted airport but can't remember them at stations. I'm guessing they were replaced by Burger King in much the same way that Wimpy was in the high street.

[didcotdean]

My cousin who is an electrician was part of the team that wired up the Casey Jones at Waterloo not long after he started work.

[1st fan]

With the news that class 800s malfunctioned after some Dawlish mist, maybe the focus West of Exeter should be loco-hauled trains with restaurants and buffets that are a little slower but are waterproof?

I like the phrase Dawlish Mist it's quite a good description of the phenomenon.