Only slight corrosion!

 


Had to zoom in a bit - so not very clear

 
Good grief. Did you take a photo of that picturesque hole in the bodywork by... was it the cab window?

Mark

 

We missed an opportunity there - it's off to Wolverton to be spruced up

See this thread on Faceplant

 

We may have been very close to crossing paths if you were in  that area, I drove the 1100 falcon from Bristol to Plymouth today (1140 off the airport)

How was the pasty? I’m hoping as good as the native pasty huts around east cornwal

 

To link to another discussion, this building used to be a public toilet.

 
I shall endeavour to purchase one, from the layby on the A38 just east of the Limekiln roundabout, for my lunch tomorrow. 

 

Helluva’s extra peppery version is the stuff of dreams for those who like peppery

 
Pasties are very contentious in Cornwall!
Everyone has their own favourite baker - some with a lot of pepper (more pepper than pasty!), some with less.
As noted above 

 
Pasty’s

If the Bristol contingent want a good pasty, Helluva pasty are a good baker not far from my house and are always my choice here. I noticed on Monday they have a hut in a lay-by between Lime Kiln roundabout and the airport.

 
Lovely to meet you both, and apologies I couldn't stay longer.
My wife kindly facilitated it, with the unwitting cooperation of grandson.
Unfortunately he'd just woken up from a car nap and didn't want to see the trains, which is unusual for him.

Pasties are very contentious in Cornwall!
Everyone has their own favourite baker - some with a lot of pepper (more pepper than pasty!), some with less.
We're of the less variety, so our local small farm shop (St Buryan farm shop) are great for us.
We also stop off when going by road at the larger Strawberry Fields farm shop in Lifton-again, not quite so peppery.
Each to their own.

 

After very nearly taking a morning trip to Gunnislake and back in the world's oldest 150...

Off the HST at Penzance and met by GBM, who kindly presented us with warm pasties, from St Buryan no less. I will not need to eat for at least three days and at least one seagull is very angry with me.

Later, on the north coast, the fresh air was arriving in sufficient quantities to lift the sand off St Ives's Porthmeor beach and fling it across town. After the pasties, neither Graham or I had any need of sandwiches (which would in any case have had the most authentic of fillings).

Now on the way home on the 17:50 from Penzance, currently at Par, and making its way up country to a rendevous with its catering crew at Plymouth.

Mark

 
Wonderful to meet up with GBM - and THANK YOU for the warm welcome and hospitality in Penzance.   Still full of pasty . 

It is days like today that make me double appreciate the friends I have here and we have al become.   That was my first trip to Penzance since a few days before the initial covid lockdown - so first in nearly five years.  I hope it won't be as long next time - catching up with the same friends again.  We'll all be round for many years, even if the HSTs are gone.

 
Gave the extra round trip to Truro a miss - much of of reason was an HST Swanson trip and I had already had one of those enforced on my by the changes at Plymouth

 

Looks like the 12:50 off of Penzance to Truro has crew that will have just booked on work it, and you're sat on the train that forms it, so that leg should be fine!

 
2C11 I presume then.   

At least the Par issue is now resolved, but hopefully crew displacement doesn't cause any issues.

 

Train cancelled onwards from Plymouth . - dropped back to a really old train following 

 
Apologies not able to join today. Things have arisen.

Hopefully the incident near Par doesn’t disrupt your plans too much- the line has been closed between par and St Austell all morning due to a police incident.

 
I'm on ... my second ... train.  Already getting a YES feeling that my next years are public transport based and not Town Council based.  Several really good colleagues in travel caught up with this morning and what a contrast to the environment at last night's council meeting from some of my "colleagues" there. 

 
A bit long range, the current forecast for Tuesday in west Cornwall from our friends in Norway is currently sun, and a *lot* of fresh air from the north west.

Mark

https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/hourly-table/2-2640377/United%20Kingdom/England/Cornwall/Penzance?i=2

 
Foul weather today and tomorrow, easing slightly on Tuesday (but not much)!

 

Falmouth and Newquay are both worth a further trip - repeat of a previous trip to Falmouth and much more travel to come this year. I am looking forward to this being a year of public transport activities with "heritage" taking a noticeable but minority part of it.    Penzance to Truro is scheduled to be my HST Swansong.

The whole is defensively timed to ensure that I get home safe ...

 

That's a shame. Many years ago, member Ollie and I did a 'line bash' all the way down to Falmouth, which was absolutely great!  Fish and chips from a local shop for lunch, and we explored the historic Pendennis Castle. That was a really grand day out.

CfN. 

 
Your Bath to Penzance has a rather unusual calling pattern that’s caught my eye.

 

Ah ... the days are getting a bit longer and the trains are back  ... and the Coffee Shop is not exploding all over the place.  Time to do some  more detailed planning with the tickets that I have bought in recent sales.  Just the one trip this month ...

06:32 MKM -> 06:41 TRO
06:46 TRO -> 07:09 BTH
07:24 BTH -> 11:40 PNZ

12:50 PNZ -> 13:27 TRU
14:02 TRU -> 14:30 SER
14:48 SER -> 14:58 SIV
16:03 SIV -> 16:15 SER
16:29 SER -> 16:38 PNZ

17:50 PNZ -> 22:25 CPM
22:46 CPM -> 22:55 MKM

And then exhausted on 29th.  Reminder to self to bring a flask of coffee.     3 stops each of over an hour - decision made not to try to make Falmouth as well.

 
Have you finalised an itinerary for the day?
I may well have some free time to catch up and say hello for some of the day. 

 
Or walk on Mars if you believe Donald Trump.....

 
GBM, your grandson may even get to ride on an eventually reopened passenger train from Bristol to Portishead. 

CfN. 

 

Ah well - he will be around and using trains longer than I will.

 
Apologies, I'm a no-show for the 28th.
Been booked for Grandson minding on the day (he's 3, I'm NOT)!
 

 
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tickets-railcards-offers/promotions/cornwall-ranger/

Perhaps that would solve the problem

 

That's great! 

 

Logic is to ask the train manager if I can get off at St Erth.  Unlikely to refuse and it's then done with permission, so allowed.

 

There’s no barriers and never seen a revenue check at StErth, but I’m sure they could arrange one knowing what train you’re on

 

Will take a look - but I suspect the advance/sale fare does not allow me to end my journey before my ticketed station?  I remember someone getting into serious trouble buying a "This train only" London to Southampton Central ticket and getting off at Eastleigh.

 

Perhaps if we had a member who played the violin it might be a bit lighter ...

 
I’m in St Ives at the moment, exploring the railways at this end of Cornwall for the first time. Very enjoyable!

I can see why the locals call it ‘Tower Bridge’. Not much fun lugging two large suitcases and a guitar over it - might be a bit easier when the lifts start operating!

Very amused by the on-train PA heading towards the main line from St Ives; they pronounce it ‘St Eurghh’, as though they’ve discovered they’ve stepped in something nasty halfway through the announcement…

 

Depending on the order in which you visit those two, you might avoid the need to cross Tower Bridge† too. Also, if St Ives is last on the list, it's straightforward to catch the branch train that connects into that service up to London via Bristol and Chippenham.

Mark

† Local nickname for St Erth's new footbridge and lift towers, I'm told.

‡ Straightforward and hopefully not at all anxiety inducing, despite the fact that should the connection fall to pieces, the result, given later options for travel, presents a 'Situation'.

This is something that's presumably fairly well recognised locally, as the one time I was on the branch train and it threatened to miss the connection at St Erth (owing to a large number of passengers travelling to the previous park and ride at Lelant Saltings), we then arrived at St Erth to find the London train waiting, and infinite care being taken by staff there to check that all passengers safely conducted themselves along with their luggage from one to the other before its departure.

 
Looking at timings, could fit quite well, arriving Pz 13h40; provided of course, the HST schedule stays as is!

 
Wondering aloud, perhaps alighting at St Erth and taking the branch to St Ives and back to St Erth.
Then (timings permitting) take a HST to Camborne, thence HST to Penzance?

 
Recently one of the diagrams has been subbed for a 5 car iet, a 158, and on one particular day I travelled 2 x 150 making a 4 car 150. 2/3 are pretty safe to be a 2+4.

From rail staff locally they’re hoping to be phased out in the May timetable change 

 
For "Old Times Sake" I notice from http://www.railtourinfo.co.uk/locohauled15.html


and wonder about a side trip back up to Camborne (should be OK - not Wednesday) or St Ives as well as time spent in Penzance.

 
It's the 18th Birthday of the Coffee Shop on 28th January 2025, and what a long way we have come forward in that time, and yet how many of the very same objectives, goals and issues remain.

I have just bought myself in the January Sale tickets from Melksham to Penzance and back on the actual Birthday.   Very much a personal trip, and there will be much of a feeling of achievement in there within the services use.  If you happen to be on the train, or indeed wish to join me partially or even whole, you will be very welcome.  There were 6 tickets left in the sale after I purchased mine.

06:32 Melksham to Trowbridge
06:46 Trowbridge to Bath Spa
07:24 Bath Spa to Penzance, arrive 11:40 (train 1C55)

17:50 Penzance to Chippenham
22:46 Chippenham to Melksham, arrive 22:55 (train 1A39)



(18 years of data remains in our archive as a resource - right down the the trademark spelling errors.  Look and feel now designed to take us forward in the next decade)