9 cannot surely be Carnforth! So far all I have been able to make out is that the locomotive on the right is an Adams LSWR class 135 4-4-0!  So some where on the LSWR system, but where I can't make out. It looks like a terminus, and the only other visual clue is that church tower in  the background.  Does that help anyone solve it?

Any points for identifying the loco, making the picture likely to be between the 1880s and 1920?

As for a timetable change.... The number of GU's isolated has dropped significantly so I can't see them making that decision now.  They believe the problem is related to contaminated fuel (salt specifically)

GWR IET maintenance steps up amid investigation into fuel issues

Maintenance of Great Western Railway’s IET fleet has been stepped up while an investigation looks into the cause of engine problems that have plagued the trains since mid-August.

The Hitachi-built Class 800 and’ 802’ bi-mode trains have been suffering from generator unit (GU) issues since mid-August.

RAIL understands fuel filters have become blocked which has then affected the effectiveness of the fuel pumps.

Investigations now trying to understand if the issue is with the fuel itself or the storage, and why it has only affected GWR’s Hitachi trains.

Hitachi has strengthened its maintenance regime in recent weeks and will continue to do so until the root cause is identified and addressed.

This has included replacing filters every 36 days or if fuel pressure drops before then. Filters are normally replaced every six months.

A Hitachi spokesperson said the manufacturer and GWR were “conducting a detailed review to understand the factors”.

“Since September, we have steadily increased the scale and breadth of our mitigations through an enhanced maintenance programme, and these efforts are now delivering results,” they said.

In November it was suggested that around a third of engines on GWR’s ‘800s’ and ‘802s’ were not functioning. That rate has now come down by around 25%-30%, with RAIL understanding trains are now being repaired at a faster rate than problems are occurring. 

Apologising for the issues, GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “We hope this rate of improvement will continue, but we know there is some way to go before we are delivering the level of service our customers expect.”

He added: “We're sorry for the delays some customers have experienced on our long-distance services in recent weeks. We're currently experiencing an issue affecting our Intercity Express Trains, which is impacting punctuality on some services."

RAIL was told the issue is not affecting ‘80x’ fleets being used by other operators.

Likewise, but it seems to get more & more difficult to find somewhere/someone to do the manual linking when you get a new Railcard. When you do find somewhere - you are in queue behind 25 non-English speaking tourists trying to buy paper tickets.

20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54

Facilities on the 20:08 Westbury to Swindon due 20:54.
Toilet facilities are not available. Disabled toilet facilities are not available.
This is due to a fault on this train.

21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52

Facilities on the 21:10 Swindon to Westbury due 21:52.
Toilet facilities are not available. Disabled toilet facilities are not available.
This is due to a fault on this train.

From bullet-hole bridge to Death Junction - nine things you might not know about Cardiff


Cardiff became capital city of Wales in 1955 - but among the many changes of the past 70 years, glimpses of its history remain

From bullet holes in a railway bridge to an underground bunker - Cardiff has a rich and diverse history.

But among the hustle and bustle of the modern day, hidden nuggets of the stories that shaped it remain.

"Cardiff has always been a friendly city... small enough for people to know one another, but big enough to have things going on," said Helen Stradling of Grangetown Local History Society, who was 11 when when the city was named Wales' capital.

In a ceremony on 20 December 1955 at Cardiff City Hall, its capital city was officially declared after a competition spanning four years with other contenders including Caernarfon and Aberystwyth.

Now, 70 years on, here are just some of Cardiff's historical gems you may just have missed.

1. Bullet-hole bridge


Look up and you might spot a series of bullet holes in this bridge, thought to date back to World War Two

If you look closely at the railway bridges in Canton, one in particular stands out.

The bridge, positioned where Lansdowne Road meets Grosvenor Street, has a series of small bullet holes, thought to date back to the Cardiff blitz era of World War Two.

As Cardiff docks constituted the biggest coal exporting port in the United Kingdom when the war broke out, the city was a major target.

There were several raids during the war, with the worst being on 2 January 1941 when a fleet of 100 German planes droned in across the Severn Estuary.

A total of 165 people were killed that night and more than 350 homes were destroyed in the 10-hour raid that saw Llandaff Cathedral badly damaged and both the Canton and Riverside areas seriously hit.

(BBC article continues)

Heavy rainfall helps West Country recover from prolonged dry spell


England experienced the second driest six-month period (from March to August) since records began in 1871

Recent heavy rainfall has pulled the west of England into "recovery" status following an extensive dry spell.

Prolonged dry weather status – a precursor to drought – was announced on 10 July by the Environment Agency (EA) for its Wessex area, which includes Bristol, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and parts of south Gloucestershire. The warning followed the driest spring in a century and the hottest summer on record - a combination which depleted water reserves and triggered hosepipe bans.

Now the EA has revealed most of the West Country's water situation is recovering, with Wiltshire to follow suit once groundwater levels recharge.


A dry spring and summer exposed the parched lake bed at Chew Valley reservoir

If below-average rainfall had continued, drought was expected in the West Country next March. But in a dramatic turnaround, September saw 142% of the long-term average rainfall, followed by 128% in November and a similarly wet start to December.

The EA confirmed "high river flows and the partial refilling of water company reservoirs are signs that the water situation is improving".


Parts of Wiltshire, indicated by the red outline, are to remain in prolonged dry weather status until the groundwater aquifer recharges

However, groundwater levels in the chalk aquifer - a vast underground store of fresh water - below the upper Hampshire Avon in Wiltshire remain "exceptionally low", the agency added. It said underground aquifers provide much of our drinking water, and these need to be replenished over several months. This area from Devizes down to Salisbury will remain in prolonged dry weather status until the aquifer is recharged.

Ian Withers, EA area director for Wessex, said: "The return of heavy rain has benefited the environment after a very dry period. But there is no guarantee that sustained rainfall will continue. We still need a wet winter to prevent the water situation from deteriorating again. The risk of flooding remains even during a drought. Stay alert, follow flood warning guidance and be ready to deploy any personal property protection," he added.

Reservoir levels for Wessex Water and Bristol Water, as of 15 December, were 94% and 77%, respectively.

11:55 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 14:24 has been reinstated.
It will be terminated at Reading.
It will no longer call at London Paddington.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.

13:05 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 15:22 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 16:17 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

14:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 17:14 will be reinstated.
It will be started from Reading.
It will no longer call at London Paddington.
This is due to train crew being delayed.

17:00 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 19:24 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

Because of my Senior Railcard, I always used Oyster within London - the two are manually linked every year. My bank card can never know about my Railcard and I would always be charged the non-discounted fare.

This withdrawn train that GWR seem to want to pretend is still running for Dilton Marsh passengers, used to be fairly well used with people getting on and off the train. This included schoolchildren who attended schools in Salisbury and Warminster, on occasions who had after school activities, plus people who worked in Warminster and those joining at Dilton Marsh who worked night shifts in Bristol. Friday evenings were often busy: in fact on one Friday, the driver was warned by the signaller to approach Dilton Marsh at caution because of the number of passengers on the platform.

I have also noticed that when trains have been cancelled, admittedly sometimes because of things outside GWR's control, this has made "return" services more lightly loaded which I suspect isn't coincidence. For example, a couple of weeks ago, the morning / lunchtime trains were all cancelled from Dilton Marsh, trains that are normally busy at Dilton Marsh, because of a fallen tree in the Avon Valley. [redacted] .... I walked to Westbury for my outward journey but I think I was pretty unique in this.  The train I caught home, 1743 from Bristol, which normally has double figures of people getting off at Dilton Marsh, only had me getting off which I've never seen before on.

Famous Oxfordshire figures inspire names for county’s fleet of gritters

Radiospread, Alfred the Grit, Sir Winston Chur-chill, Agatha Gritstie, Inspector Norse, Prof Stephen Thawking and Sir Roger Ban-ice-ster among those chosen

Oxfordshire leaders, writers, scientists, musicians, locations and sports stars have helped inspire some pun-tastic names for the county’s fleet of gritters.

Earlier this year, Oxfordshire County Council and its highways maintenance contractor M Group announced a competition to name the 30 gritting lorries that ensure that the county’s roads keep moving and stay safe when the cold weather hits. Nearly 1,500 suggestions were received.

Wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Chur-chill and his Woodstock birthplace of Blenheim Pal-ice made the cut, along with Wantage-born King Alfred the Grit.

People would be right to suspect that Wallingford’s queen of the whodunnits Agatha Gritstie was a popular choice, while Oxford’s most famous fictional detective Endeavour Morse has been immortalised as Inspector Norse. The late actor who played him, the appropriately named John Thaw, was also chosen.

There will be no surprises that local rock legends Radiohead – fresh from their sell-out comeback tour – had a vehicle, Radiospread, named after them.

Sir Roger Ban-ice-ster, who broke the four minute mile barrier at Oxford’s Iffley Road running track in 1954, was a worthy recipient, along with the late footballer Joey Beauchamp – regarded by many as the greatest player in Oxford United’s history. Snowy Beauchamp was chosen to honour him.

Groundbreaking Oxford-born cosmologist Professor Stephen Thawking and Snowdo Baggins – named after Frodo Baggins, a character in Oxford don JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit – made the grade.

Oxfordshire landmarks Shotover Hill and the Wittenham Clumps – aka Shotover Chill and Grittenham Clumps – were also among the successful public suggestions.

The process followed the appeal in October, which put an emphasis on names with local significance, inspired by Oxfordshire’s rich history and cultural importance.

A shortlist was compiled from the 1,480 suggestions received, with the gritter drivers themselves choosing the winners.

Listeners to the BBC Radio Oxford Breakfast Show took part as well, coming up with three of the names.

Pupils from the schools closest to the council’s depots where the gritters and salt barns are based – Woodcote Primary, Deddington CE Primary and Drayton Community Primary – also chose three names each. The children will get the chance to meet their gritters later this winter.

Two vehicles were named in tribute to gritter drivers and supervisors who died recently, while Blizzard of Ozz was a nod to Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away earlier this year. While not local, the cover of their debut album was photographed on the Mapledurham estate in Oxfordshire.

The names in full

    Bossy
    Monster Rich
    Snow-bi Wan Kenobi
    Robin the Great
    Duck, Duck, Grit
    Draytonator!
    Did You Just In-Salt Me?
    Great Gritain
    Hansel and Gritel
    Gritasaurus
    Ready, Spready, Go
    Elvis Spreadley
    Inspector Norse
    Agatha Gritstie
    Snowy Beauchamp
    Gritty Gritty Bang Bang
    Sir Winston Chur-chill
    Shotover Chill
    Snowdo Baggins
    Radiospread
    Professor Stephen Thawking
    Claudia Sprinkleman
    Blenheim Pal-ice
    Sir Roger Ban-ice-ster
    Grittenham Clumps
    Grittmeister 5000
    Alfred the Grit
    Spready Mercury
    John Thaw
    Blizzard of Ozz.

Sir David Attenbrrr among ice cold BCP Council gritter names


Witty, wintry names have been picked for 13 gritters set for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole roads

Sir David Attenbrrr, Ice Ice Maybe and Slip Not are among the names chosen for a council's fleet of road gritters.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council asked residents to suggest "witty, wintry and wonderful" names for its fleet of 13 gritters.

The council said it received more than 1,000 suggestions to its naming challenge - Sir David Attenbrrr is already on duty - with names currently being added to the remaining 12 vehicles.

BCP's gritter fleet looks after 780 miles (1,255 km) of roads across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole spreading a stock of about 4,000 tonnes of dry rock salt over the winter months.



David Plowie, Chr-ice-church, Gritty Gritty Bang Bang and Auntie Freeze are among the other names chosen for the fleet this year.

The council said sign offcuts that would otherwise have been sent to the skip were used to create the names for the vehicles to minimise costs.

During snow and icy conditions, a series of weather stations are used to monitor road temperatures across the BCP road networks so the gritters can target the areas affected.