Section 21 of Cooke’s survey covers Wiltshire. Melksham p23 and 24

I have attached copies of Melksham.

Let me know if you need anything else

Lightmoor Press are bringing them all out, so must have the copyright if you need to ask permission. My copy is one of the early ring bound volumes.

https://lightmoor.co.uk/category.php?section=Track%20Plans

 
Maybe contact the S-R-S and see if they are happy to supply you free of charge a high definition file. It is a not-for-profit civic project that Lisa has in mind and, it gives them good publicity.

 
Interesting article on Linkedin from Phil's widow on recreating his voice using AI and some of the issues that were considered.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-think-im-clone-now-elinor-hamilton-0h6ve/

 

 
Ah - thanks!

Lisa is putting together a history exhibit for display in the museum cabinets at some point in the new year - looking at availability, sources, copyrights, etc ...

 

17 minutes late off Swindon - however things like this can make sense given how infrequent the service is

 

Don't have the above - but this is available on the Signalling Record Society website.  What do you need it for?

 
I suspect the internal railway nomenclature goes back further than the more modern concept of a 'Parliamentary Train' to when, by law, a railway had to offer at least once a day a service accommodating third class passengers at no more than 1d (0.467p) per mile - serving all stations. A bit like Witham's second handle - Bobby - reflecting a signalman's evolution from the railway policeman.

 

That is a lot more difficult with computer electronics than it was when you disconnected the speedo cable and attached it to a power drill in reverse.  Even that was stopped when the mechanical devices were designed to break if rotated too fast.

 
'Tis what we called the stopping service which, if I remember correctly was at about 0715 from Moreton to Oxford when I was at Moreton 'box.  And 1715 back from Oxford.

For a while, we had a further three trains each way per day, all stations, between Oxford and Moreton.  An initiative of BR(WR)'s London Division.  Sadly, it fizzled out, and we were back to The Parly as only all stations service.  Back then, this was Hanborough's only service.  Quite remarkable, when you see today's level of traffic

 
21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:04

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:04 will be started from Plymouth.
It will no longer call at Penzance, St Erth, Camborne, Redruth, Truro, St Austell, Par, Bodmin Parkway and Liskeard.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Additional Information
Where possible customers are advised to travel to Plymouth on an earlier service, where the over night train to Reading and London Paddington will be waiting.

 

Strictly, not a Parliamentary.

Definition of a Parliamentary is a once-a-day/week/month train run to prevent closure notices on stations. This servve runs twice daily at the stations that would otherwise be closed

 
"Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR (WR) – Section 65 Chester -Wrexham by R.A. Cooke" - said to cover most of the GWR and BR (W) area - there seem to be about 60 publish with perhaps a further 9 to come.

Has anyone got either a list of all the sections - and/or a source of them and/or a copy of the one that includes Melksham?  Anyone up on how they are copyrightwise?

 
1W25 12:52 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate St (15:00) : Reading +14, arrived Shrub Hill +17 and cancelled thereafter.


More difficult to see what to make of this:
Is it running non-stop from Paddington to Shrub Hill perhaps? It's not listed on JourneyCheck as "cancelled", though RTT has it running empty all the way.

 
RTT (but not GW JourneyCheck) is showing 1W30 1523 Paddington to Foregate Street as cancelled today, 8th December 2025, for an unknown reason

The return working, 1T40 1802 Foregate Street to Paddington is, at present, shown on RTT as still operating

 

 
An opening to start up quietly a wind-back milometer business?

 

Same here. Regular Friday evening entertainment is going into the Bull to find which expensively coiffed muppet has parked their armoured personnel carrier on the double yellows again, preventing the S3 from getting down Church Street.

 
The Melksham Public Transport Timetable from 14th December 2025 (put together by MTUG) through the winter and into spring is back from the printers.

Over three days (Leekes the previous weekend, and at the Assembly Hall) we from Melksham Transport User Group have distributed somewhere between 400 and 425 bus and train timetables from our initial stock of 500, and all of those into the hand of people willingly and knowingly receiving them. I suggest that this was a very effective way of reaching people.

As well as getting information out there, this exercise has been useful in connecting with actual and potential used of Melksham’s buses and trains.  In no particular order:

1. Multiple requests for the x34 to run in the evening from Trowbridge and Chippenham - last bus is presently far earlier than people like. People like the extra Saturday evening buses from Bath and would love them during the week too, where there’s a gap of over 2 hours before the last bus at 23:15.

2. A number of comments that people find Melksham Station unfriendly and also the walking approach over the ‘yard’ unsafe.
 
3. Several people looking at how to get to / from the station and make other journeys around the town that would be solved by the suggested “16” bus route (Station - Town - Sandridge Road - MERR - Bowerhill Business - Hampton Park West and back the same route.

4. Concerns at train service frequency and reliability with many of the more informed people asking about the possibility of a passing loop 

5. The lack of any such booklet for Trowbridge, Corsham, Calne and Chippenham and the lack of a current public transport map for Wiltshire.

None of these a surprise - what was a surprise was quite a few people doing a “no thank you” as they walked past, but then changing their mind and coming back and asking for a timetable … or the number who said “I don’t use the bus” but then adding “but actually I do when going in to Bath”; some glad of the enhanced Saturday evening service and would like to see it earlier in the week.

Also a high proportion of private car users who take an attitude of public transport being beneath then or too inconvenient for them - and for many that inconvenience is correct but over coming years can be made much less of an issue. There are also those - and in particular at Leekes - who are reliant on their cars and ability to drive, but who are not in the first flush of life and will face a serious challenge when they are no longer able to drive.


The whole timetable is 28 pages ... and has been proofread by all six operators.  A lot of work and no easy way for us to know how effective it is; so many people look online (which has the advantage that it provides late changes, tracking, ticket purchase etc) but indications are that there is still something of a call for a local printed piece.   It can be also be downloaded from https://www.mtug.org.uk/MKM_TransportBrochure25-26_web.pdf

 

Well - they ARE going to be charging "per mile" in the future - that came in the budget.  But they are trying to work out how.

My understanding is that it might be based on the recorder milage each year at road tax renewal.     Starting 'small' at 3p per mile, but I suspect that one the principle is established and system running an furrory has blown over, there will be a significant increase.   Income tax was brought in by Pitt the Younger to finance the Napolionic War, repealed and re-introduced by Henry Addington - later Viscount Sidmouth at 5p in the pound ... so there is a precedent for a little tax becoming much bigger.

 

I can see the merits of such a system, but how would you tax electric vehicles ?  I do not mind treating electric vehicles more favorably initially, so as to encourage greater use, but this cant carry on forever. Taxing the energy used for charging wont work, as the vehicle could be charged from any standard outlet.

 
RTT reports 1W13 0652 Paddington to Great Malvern did not get further than Wolvercote Jcn, having arrived at Oxford on time and departed westwards 20 mins late, because of a problem with the traction equipment

The return working, 1P24 0956 Great Malvern to Oxford was started back to Paddington from Oxford, on-time at 1132

Unit 800 006

 

Wheel flats on the loco. 

 

Because the DfT have never requested it, nor permitted the increase in staffing costs or numbers.

 

Indeed - but have other(s) had/ve camping coaches too

 
Blue Anchor, Dawlish Warren, Hayle and St Germans have (had?) camping coaches.

 

Taunton to Castle Cary line is closed all week for drainage works.

 
Monday 8/12/2025

Problem with the 2-car unit for the Up Parliamentary this morning, according to RTT

The Down train 2E77 0555 from Oxford arrived just a minute late at Shrub Hill, at 0616

But the return Up service, 2E80 did not run for passengers.  It seems to have gone to Oxford as empty cars, stopping only at Charlbury to wait for the single line.  Left Worcester at 0700 and got to Oxford at 0840.

 
At the HS1 end of the route, the infrastructure is already in place for the connection. The route between the HS1 connection and HS2 into Euston is already a rail corridor - although on a somewhat speed limited alignment - in situ. There is currently unused (but in situ) rail corridor infrastructure that could be reused to separate current and HS services with minimal demolition required to completely effect complete separation.

I think the connection is very doable at not too enormous effort or expense.

 

And the 07:00 Worcester Shrub Hill to Didcot Parkway halts service "cancelled between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford due to unknown cause (ZW)."