Basingstoke! Well, there are some similarities, I guess ...

 
And the picture is of ...

 
8.  Melksham. 

 
Here are the places that Lisa helped me wedge into the puzzle

25 or so from Flanders and Swann
Millers Dale
Tideswell
Mow Cop
Scholar Green
Blandford Forum
Mortehoe
Midsomer
Norton
Chorlton
Chester-le-Street
Littleton Badsey
Longstanton 
Formby
(Four) Crosses
Dunstable Town
Dogdyke
Tumby Woodside
Ambergate 
Chittening
Selby
St Ives
Cockermouth
Buttermere
Armley
Moor

And a few more that helped fill the gaps
Croy
Ebbw
Bury
Chard
Hoo
Eden
Mold
Lee
Eye

 

In that direction only - service stops towards Didcot.

 

Given the current reliability of the Old Worse & Worse I'd be wary of risking this.

 

I have oft wondered about Cheltenham Spa, and the somewhat convoluted route by train to London with a reversal at Gloucester. The closure of Eastgate Station must have added time to the journey, and routes via Honeybourne and via Andoversford are both closed.  Does a change a journey with a change at Worcestershire Parkway make any sense at times?

Cheltenham Spa these days share with Wick the unfortunate delays (via Gloucester and via Thurso) to many longer distance passengers ...

 
10: Terminal Rodoviário Faro, Portugal

 
16.  Newcastle Central.

 
Mules not donkeys? Not that that helps animal welfare in those conditions...

Mark

 
Eurostar are (were?) very definitely trying - and almost certainly failing - to preserve their passenger service monopoly on the existing UK > Europe routes. In the run up to the recent decision by the ORR to allow Virgin Trains to use the Temple Mills maintenance facility, to support their proposed new services, Eurostar continually insisted that the depot was fully occupied by them. The ORR response was 'oh no it's not' (well it is pantomime season!).

In the referenced press reports North of London services are repeatedly mentioned. Ignoring the fact that the existing or possible new rolling stock would be 'out of gauge' for the UK network, HS1 & HS2 excepted. So maybe HS2 will turn out to have been not such a bad idea if a connection between the two lines can be built (who's gonna pay for it?).
 

 
No.16. York..

 
Those Bristol - London trains are packed on a half hourly schedule on a Sunday. As is the afternoon service from Cheltenham. Wow.

Meanwhile the DfT have had GWR’s seven day railway proposals since August with not a dickie bird heard since, so god knows if that’s happening.

 
3. Still St. Malo! That's the trouble reusing a picture from a recent quiz, isn't it? Whoever knew it last time ...

 
11: Felletin, France branch line recently closed.

 

Yes, and I have read those concerns too. I don't know enough from seeing them on one day, but I did wonder about waiting around in the sun and heat and then climbing with some of those not-insignificant people on my back.   There is now a more modern way to climb too

 
4 Santorini.  It's a very long climb up the stepped path from the quay to the town.  On a darker note, I have read of concerns for the welfare of the donkeys.

 


I've travelled across Europe - from Melksham to Svolvaer - mostly by train, but in some places trains have not been available and I've taken to other forms of transport.  This will - I suspect be a hard set of "where is this" questions and exceptionally I'm going to invite members to identify as may as they can straight away.  You folks often impress me - I suspect I may find a some answers coming up quiet fast, but some will "stick"

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Alterations to services between Didcot Parkway and Reading

Due to urgent repairs to the track at Cholsey fewer trains are able to run on the line towards Reading. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Train services between Didcot Parkway and Reading may be running non stop between Didcot Parkway and Goring & Streatley. Cholsey will not be served.

 
Went through the Greenwich foot tunnel yesterday. Both lifts working. No clutter of "dead" e-bikes, there are now notices warning that if you take an e-bike into the tunnel you will be charged a penalty by the company (presumably they lose connectivity under the Thames).

I would imagine that would depend on what the peak usage is now. In WWII I could imagine a massive tidal flow of humanity going to work in the Isle of Dogs.

 
I think its the same when you see teaching staff escorting the young ones to or from a location.

The little ones are all wearing hi-vis jackets and the teachers don't wear them.

If an employer supplies safety equipment are you not bound to wear it?
 

 
Sunday December 7


EDIT - 14:00 : Both journeys have been removed from JourneyCheck's 'Other service updates' list.

But there is bad news for tomorrow morning's 1P11 05:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington service - it'll be just five cars:

 

From The Metro

 
Looks like TfW might be keeping their 158s until 2029 as they have issued an up to 3 years maintenance tender

https://bidstats.uk/tenders/2025/W49/859963749

Until recently the view / assumption was the 158s in Wales would be replaced imminently by new 197s

Not clear if growth means they now need more trains than they ordered (so need to retain some older ones, until more new ones can be funded), or if it is due to the unreliability of the 197s (a lot of which seem to be stopped because not enough spare parts were ordered and available to fit)

 
From Gloucestershire Live

 
21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52

21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Further Information
Customers are requested to check the stations Onward Travel Information poster and wait for replacement road transport at the designated stop. Customers are advised that the replacement road transport may run later than the advertised train times owing to the additional time taken by road between stations and the time required for loading and unloading at each stop.
-
Due to the cancelled Swindon to Westbury.
Rail replacement transport has been requested for passengers travelling from Chippenham towards Westbury.
-
Last Updated:06/12/2025 17:15

 
I wonder if they will open up the restricted diameter section which was installed as a repair for bomb damage in WWII

 

Curious, I seem to recall a similar thing happening when I was there back in the summer.

 
20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54
20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52
21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 
When I was at Tarmac, the working rule was that one HGV created the same wear and stress on a road structure as 38000 cars passing over the same spot.