Sadly, "WHSmiths" is no longer the loved and respected core brand it once way, and "TGJones" as a name throws away what little (High) street cred remained. 

Times change, and so have their markets.   In my youth, I commuted to school in 4EPB slammers - 6 seats aside looking at a wall of broad sheet and tabloid papers opposite me as work commuters caught up on the morning's news on their way to work in The City or Whitehall.  These days, they are all looking at little screens, brief cases gone replaced by packs, and a bowler hat would be seen as fancy dress. 

High Street WHSmiths were bookshops and oft held wonderful finds ... they have become much more convenience stores as TGJones and been looking for a role.  In stations, oh dear, they have become quick stops for last minute and travelling needs at prices distinctly in excess of what you pay away from the station.

I will be in Swindon for an hour this afternoon;  I doubt I'll be using the WHSmiths as I wait for my specific advance train.   I may buy a coffee on the onward train if the trolley appears before Didcot.   Perhaps I am turning into a grumpy old man, but I look back wistfully at customer service days in which a snack and drink could be bought at the station only just above High Street prices, and where I could get on the train, stop at the buffet counter to grab a coffee before finding a seat ... some things have not improved in the passenger experience.

Not many more months and GWR will be back under public ownership and I reckon thr government will get its way and scrap the sleeper service.

You have to remember it’s FirstGroup paying out of its own pocket to keep it going.

......and again tonight......

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55

Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 8.

Additional Information
Due to a train fault we are unable to operate this evenings Sleeper service between London Paddington and Penzance.

We have arranged for this service to be operated by one of our regular Intercity Express Trains which will offer a Standard and First Class seating service only.

Sorry, I've just noticed that I was given a 'free entry' to actually name another one.
3.  City Hospital station, Belfast.

And it was the Welsh Bangor that Fiddler's Dram sang about.

The bus routes linking city streets to sandy shores


There are several stops on the number 70 bus route which offer direct access to the South West Coast Path

As the busy holiday season approaches, a network of coastal buses offers a car‑free route to some of Devon and Cornwall's most striking seaside locations - including one special route that is about to come back into service.

Stagecoach South West's seasonal number 54 "beach bus" returns each May, linking Plymouth city centre with Bovisand Beach for the summer. Peter Knight, managing director for Stagecoach South West, said the seasonal bus was an "easy, affordable and sustainable way to reach the coast", without the need to drive or park.

Meanwhile in Plymouth and beyond, there are many seasonal and permanent coastal bus services around the South West, designed to help residents and visitors reach beaches, harbours and coastal paths without needing a car.

Plymouth Citybus' number 70 service provides year-round travel from Plymouth to Cawsand, stopping off at Torpoint, Whitsand Bay, and various other locations along the coast along the way.

Jason Beverly, senior customer experience manager at Go South West, which runs both Plymouth Citybus and Go Cornwall, said coastal bus services being easily accessible was "really important". He said: "It's really important that we have these vital bus links, not only for the residents who live there and come in and out of Plymouth for basic services but also actually for people's health and wellbeing, people's mental health."

Beverly said it was good for people to be able to access open spaces in "a way that is easily accessible, affordable, and also good for the planet".


The number 70 bus is an all-year-round service

Nationally most bus fares, including Stagecoach South West services and the Go South West network, an adult single is currently capped at £3 - as part of the government's national bus fare cap.

Beverly said with the cost of living on the rise, particularly the cost of fuel and travel, it was "more important than ever" for people to have access to public transport to reach open spaces. "Being able to get out of the city for £3 to such beautiful spots as Whitsand Bay, to the beaches, is great value for people, and I think a lot more people will be staycationing this year, as obviously the cost of travel is rising rapidly, the cost of fuel... people are having to budget in different ways, [they] might not be able to afford the holidays abroad and so on."


The number 70 bus boasts beautiful sea views for much of the journey

In May, Stagecoach South West is set to reintroduce the number 54 bus from Plymouth city centre to Bovisand Beach - known locally as the "beach bus".

The seasonal service, financially supported by Plymouth City Council, starts on Saturday 23 May - with six bus journeys each way throughout the day from 09:40 until 18:23. The service will run through the half term week until 31 May, and will resume on Saturday 25 July, running until Sunday 6 September, according to the timetable. It sets off from the A10 bus stop on the Royal Parade and stops a short walk from the beach at Bovisand.


Bovisand Beach is one of the most popular locations in the area in the summer months

Knight said the number 54 service offered "an easy, affordable, and sustainable way to reach the coast", without the need to drive or park, with the cost of living proving to be "quite challenging" for people at the moment.

The Stagecoach South West manager said Plymouth was surrounded by some outstanding countryside and natural features and it is "important that we take the pressure off our local road network and our car parks".

Knight said there was "enough capacity" in the Stagecoach South West network to meet any additional demand this summer, with many expected to head to the South West this summer to staycation. "This is going to be a really big year for British tourism and you know, it's important that the tourism industry in the South West is ready for that potential uptick and spike in demand." He added: "Let's hope for some sunny weather, some warm weather, and really help people enjoy our fantastic coast and countryside here in the South West."

There are many services in the South West which connect residents and visitors alike to the coast:

In Exeter, Stagecoach runs the number 95 bus, which connects the city to Sidmouth, and the 57 bus, which runs between the city centre and Exmouth. In Torbay, Stagecoach runs the number 12 bus, running between Torquay, Paignton, and Brixham. Elsewhere in east Devon, the number 11 Stagecoach service connects Dawlish Warren with Teignmouth and Torquay. Across the border in Cornwall, there are a number of services connecting some of the county's more urban areas with the coast.

Go Cornwall Bus runs the 95 bus between Wadebridge, Polzeath, and Rock and the number 1 service, which connects Penzance to Land's End. It also operates the 56 bus, which travels between Newquay and Padstow, stopping off at Watergate Bay, Newquay Cornwall Airport, and Constantine, among other routes.

One has certain members of this Forum frothing at the mouth and one doesn't! 

As a complement to the photograph of the old Midland Railway terminal station at Gloucester, published on page 502 of the September, 1940, issue, a photo is reproduced of the surviving structure of the curious “Gloucester T Station,” of which the history is fully told in E.T. MacDermot’s “History of the Great Western Railway.”

When the line between Swindon and Gloucester was completed , in May, 1845, the only G.W.R. station accommodation at Gloucester was a temporary platform adjoining the Birmingham & Gloucester terminus. In October, 1847, the G.W.R. began to use the Gloucester-Cheltenham section, which was of mixed gauge and owned in equal parts with the Midland Railway (as successors since 1846 to the Birmingham & Gloucester Company).

To enable certain trains to avoid reversal at Gloucester, a broad gauge avoiding line, 52 ch. in length, was constructed to connect Millstream and Barnwood junctions. This avoiding line lay to the east of Gloucester station, with which it was connected by a short broad gauge spur forming with it the shape of the letter T, whence came the names T station and T line.

As the avoiding and T lines met at a right-angle, connection between them was by means of turntables, which were used to transfer through Gloucester coaches to and from the expresses between Paddington and Cheltenham and vice-versa.

After the new Great Western station at Gloucester was brought into use in September, 1851, the T station and avoiding line were abandoned; but while the station and its spur line went out of use altogether, the avoiding line was extended and reopened as the Cheltenham Loop, for freight traffic in November, 1901, and for passenger traffic in July, 1908.

The accompanying photograph of the old T station, taken shortly before the war, shows the building as now used as a staff cottage; the view is directly eastward from the site of the T line, with the present Cheltenham Loop behind the fence in the background. [D.S. Barrie]

Dual-national baby refused entry to UK after passport rule change

A family from Aberdeenshire was refused entry to the UK while trying to return from a holiday in Alicante because their baby did not have the correct passport after a change in the rules for dual nationals.

Eleven-month-old Lily Rodgers was born in Scotland but has an Austrian passport, which is the nationality of her father, Philipp, 34.

Under previous rules that were overhauled in February, a British dual national could travel to the UK using their foreign passport.

Lily's mother, Sarah Rodgers, 30, said they could now face a wait of several months while they wait for Lily's British passport application to be approved.

Sarah said that Lily's Austrian passport states she was born in Britain, and that she also offered to show her birth certificate as proof - but was told this wouldn't be sufficient. The couple, who live in Ellon and are also parents to three-year-old Heidi, had already had their luggage loaded onto the plane and it was only when boarding the plane that the problem was flagged.

Sarah said: "They were talking to each other in Spanish and when they told us we couldn't board we thought it must have been a system failure." The couple had to retrieve their luggage and were told to go to the help desk.

"We thought that we would miss this flight, but that the help desk would be able to sort out the problem and we would be able to get on another flight. It was when they said 'no' that I started to get stressed," she said. "It was eight o'clock at night so we booked into a hotel straight away and we were told that we would have to go to the consulate in the morning. I was hopeful they would be able to help but when we got there we were told it could take weeks to sort out."

As Philipp is from Austria, the family booked a flight to Vienna so they could stay with his family. "This is terrible but we are so lucky to have family here that we can stay with. I don't know what we would do if we didn't."

(BBC article continues)

Up to 150 former WHSmith high street stores to close


Image © Getty Images

Up to 150 of the 480 High Street stores formerly part of the WHSmith business will be closed in a restructuring plan launched by the owner of the chain.

The WHSmith High Street bookshops were purchased by Modella Capital last year, and the stores were then rebranded under the name TGJones.

Hundreds of jobs are at risk through the restructure, but Modella Capital told the BBC the plan was an "essential part" of the company's turnaround plan.

A Modella Capital spokesperson said the decision had "not been taken lightly" but blamed challenging retail conditions for the need to close stores. "While we continue to believe in the strength of the core business, TGJones has experienced highly challenging trading conditions over the past year, along with many other brick-and-mortar retailers," the spokesperson said.

The private equity firm said the challenges were partly due to the "forced" name change, saying that it negatively impacted public awareness of the brand. It also blamed rising operating costs "as a direct result of government policy" and recent "geopolitical events".

"The restructuring plan is designed to protect the substantial core of the store estate and create a stronger, more sustainable business that can continue to serve customers for years to come," they said.

Modella Capital's spokesperson said the firm had made no decisions yet on how the closures would affect jobs, and it is aiming to preserve "as many jobs as possible".

"We want to be clear, however, that the plan may result in the closure of some stores and the loss of some roles," they said. "We recognise the impact this uncertainty will have on colleagues, their families and the communities we serve."

WHSmith agreed the sale of its high street business in March 2025, with the aim of focusing solely on its shops in travel locations like airports and stations. The WHSmith brand was not part of the £40 million deal.

The TGJones restructure comes after another brand owned by Modella Capital ceased to operate in the UK and Northern Ireland. Claire's stopped trading last month, closing all 154 standalone stores and making 1,300 staff redundant.

Modella Capital had purchased Claire's in September 2025 after the business fell into administration, but later placed the jewellery and accessories chain into administration itself after an "alarmingly" low Christmas trading period. Modella Capital also owns Hobbycraft.

Pedestrian rail crossing set to close for new gates


The pedestrian level crossing at Wareham provides the only step-free access across the railway line - Image © Dorset Council

A pedestrian railway crossing connecting two halves of a Dorset town is set to shut while its gates are replaced.

Dorset Council said the crossing at Wareham Station needed a full replacement gate system "before it potentially fails without warning". The only alternative to the crossing is a nearby footbridge accessed via steps.

Gates were installed at the pedestrian crossing after Network Rail reported a high number of people ignoring danger signals. The council pays £120,000 a year for crossing attendants to open the gates between 06:00 and midnight.

The crossing will be closed from Monday 11 May until Friday 22 May with a diversion route in place.


Dorset Council pays £120,000 a year for crossing attendants to be at the gates for safety reasons - Image © Google

Dorset Council said it appreciated the closure would be "frustrating", especially since the crossing was closed earlier this year for repairs.

The authority said: "As this work involves removing the existing gates and installing a completely new system, it cannot be completed more quickly or in stages. We know the nearby footbridge is not suitable for everyone, but we hope that by sharing this information now, it gives everyone time to plan ahead and make alternative arrangements to cross the railway line during the closure."

Yes, I would expect the early 2030s.  Which to be fair does tie in nicely with the expected life cycle of many of the trains which will be replaced, like the 150s/158s/165s and 166s GWR operate.