Bersey electric cab, 1897, designed by Walter Bersey (General Manager of the London Electrical Cab Company). Berseys were built by the Great Horseless Carriage Company, fitted with Mulliner bodies and powered by 3-1/2 horse power Lundell type motors with a range of 30 miles, and a top speed of 9 mph. An improved version with larger batteries was constructed by the Gloucester Railway Waggon Company. Breakdowns, coupled with the high cost of batteries and tyres made operations unprofitable, and the company was closed down in August, 1899.

Image copyright Reserved (by poster) (?) Science Museum Group

Third time lucky tomorrow.

THe service is brand new & hence needs no advice that its a change at Didcot today. That's always the case, even if the timings don't work on this 'new' service.

Here's a link;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0p3vzh1?fbclid=IwVERDUATo4LFwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHlZKBdyFzdqERMzx1fYvo_zR3x7ZhKnHSbtS7OSc1jW5PentamLwNlbs7W-Z_aem_piqPmsB97dk7PJg2bXWxhA

"Disappointed with Punctuality and Reliability" - GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood assesses their performance across Cornwall
He answers listener questions on reliability, passenger comfort, fares, catering and more

07:14 Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford due 08:32
09:03 Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads due 10:11
11:18 Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford due 12:29
13:03 Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads due 14:15
15:16 Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford due 16:30
17:00 Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads due 18:18
19:15 Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford due 20:32
21:03 Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads due 22:12

21:03 Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads due 22:12 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

Did he say they have 5/6 working 175s. This is from 16 trains they have. Is he saying the next 10 trains that come from Wolverton (they have 9, 1 still at Ely) will go straight into service. It has not happened yet. The last was June 23 and disappeared into Exeter depot.
I think the next arrival from Wolverton has been cancelled twice which has been par for the course.

Hmmmm, not just “delayed” though.  A significant number of GWR services are cancelled and all Elizabeth Line trains are cancelled.

On August 12, 1853, two Providence and Worcester Railroad passenger trains collided head-on in Valley Falls, Rhode Island. The collision took place between a southbound excursion train and a regularly scheduled northbound train. The accident resulted in 14 fatalities and a further 17 serious injuries; an unknown number of passengers suffered less severe injuries

[snip]

A man identified as L. Wright from Pawtucket happened upon the accident and captured a daguerreotype minutes after it occurred. Wright is believed to have taken the first ever photograph of a train wreck. His daguerreotype was the basis of a woodcut illustration published in The Illustrated News of New York, a short-lived newspaper owned by P. T. Barnum, on August 27, 1853.

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.

Not smug or anything but I bought solar filters for my camera back in February.  Earlier this week the same supplier had them advertised at 75% more then I paid.   

Solar eclipse = less solar energy for electricity generation.

Mark

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/10/octopus-energy-electricity-solar-eclipse-washing-machines-dishwashers

Eclipse chasers scramble for glasses as stocks run low

At a bakery in central London, stock has been flying off the shelves.

"I've sold, like, 100 this morning," a staff member tells the BBC. But it's not baked goods driving queues out of the door - customers are here to buy eclipse glasses.

They are among those hoping to catch a safe glimpse of Wednesday's solar eclipse - the UK's most significant since 1999 - but struggling to get their hands on the right gear.

Experts have urged eclipse enthusiasts not to look directly at the Sun - with even brief exposure causing lasting damage - and to seek out specialist glasses instead.

But online, pairs that meet safety specifications have all but sold out. Those still available either require a hefty next-day delivery fee or simply cannot arrive on time.

Even the Royal Museums Greenwich - recommended as a reputable retailer by UK health officials - has sold out, citing an "unprecedented volume" of orders.

Meanwhile, eclipse glasses have been turning up for sale in unexpected places as retailers try to capitalise on the demand.

"I Googled 'where can I get eclipse glasses but not through the post', because I realised I was too late," one customer waiting to buy three pairs at the bakery on Monday tells BBC Radio 4's PM programme.

"People have been struggling to find them all over," says another.

With around 90% of the Sun set to be obscured by the Moon, the UK is expecting its most significant eclipse in 27 years.

The right glasses should have the international safety standard ISO 12312-2 printed on them, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has advised, and the lenses should not be scratched, torn or damaged.

It has also advised buying a new pair rather than using ones from 1999, and to take caution when it comes to glasses being sold online as the scramble for safe spectacles has prompted eclipse chasers to trawl social media for tips.

(BBC article continues)

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 is being delayed at Gloucester.
This is due to train crew being delayed.

The signal box with three members of staff but no trains

Three members of staff are employed to run a rail signalbox – even though no trains run on the redundant line it serves.

A post by Phil Jones on the Neath Town Talk Facebook page states: “I can’t decide if this is the best job in the world or the most boring and uninspiring job in the world.