The Flying Scotsman passed through Melksham on a special excursion train in 1964, roughly two years before Melksham station closed in 1966

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 is being delayed at Swindon.
This is due to congestion.

Built for the London and South Western Railway around 1850, primarily of stone under a slate roof, Eggesford Station was opened by the North Devon Railway on August 1 1854. It was built on permission from the then landowner, the Earl of Portsmouth, whose country seat was situated within an estate near the site of the station.

Jacqueline and her husband bought the property through an estate agent's bidding process, offering just over £200,000 and winning the highest bid. The couple moved into the cottage section as soon as it was habitable, while the other half was eventually opened as holiday accommodation.

The main cottage currently has a large kitchen and living area, utility room and bathroom downstairs, with a dining room and three bedrooms upstairs. The annex has its own independent access from the outside or could be incorporated within the main house by utilising the door through to the main kitchen.

It offers a double bedroom with an en-suite shower room and a living room with a wood-burning stove. The unfinished building, the former station master's office, at the end of the station offers further potential, Jacqueline explained.

Jacqueline and her husband had started renovating it with the intention of creating another holiday cottage, with a bedroom, living room, separate kitchen and large bathroom.

But the project was never completed, and it has instead been used as a workshop. The Tarka Line remains a working railway, with trains passing the former station roughly every hour.

From Railfreight.com


Sharing on the "Coffee Shop" as a story of another nation's rail system being restructured with stemming losses being a key element to the story - see the link above.

There are fears for Doncaster jobs after one of Britain’s biggest rail freight operators was put up for sale.

DB Cargo UK, part of the German state owned rail group Deutsche Bahn, is working with advisers at Interpath on an auction, with talks already underway with prospective bidders, according to reports.

DB Cargo UK employs about 2,200 people, according to its website, providing freight, infrastructure and passenger charter trains across the UK, as well as freight services to and from mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel.

Reports suggest that DB Cargo UK's loss-making German parent planned to cut more than 6,000 jobs in its home market by 2030 - equating to roughly half its workforce in the country.

If the IETs were able to restart from Corsham under electric power...

Society is affected by where one was born is it? I'm German born. What does that mean for UK society?

Another new reason for cancellations Reading-Gatwick


Since when has Aldershot been on the route ?

We have had a report of a defect with the track in the Aldershot area. Trains may not be able to run over the affected line until it has been inspected or may have to run at reduced speed.

Strange how time plays tricks with your memory,
I do recall it was Canadians although I didn't say on my original posting I was trying to be P.C.
…

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

'What you see is what you pay' - why some US restaurants are banning tips

Wine waiter Caroline Kraetzer earns $40 (£30) an hour, double what most service staff in San Francisco are paid but then it costs a lot to eat at her restaurant.

At a set price of $140 (£100) per person, La Cigale is one of a small number of US restaurants charging higher prices so it can pay high salaries - and it doesn't allow tips.

It tells customers: "What you see is what you pay. We do not accept tips, your kind words and return visits will suffice."

Kraetzer says it is good to no longer be "reliant on the generosity of strangers to pay the bills".

Bus strikes begin over hot weather conditions


Drivers protested at Wood Green bus garage earlier this month about working conditions - Image © Reuters

Bus drivers have started a series of strikes after rejecting attempts to resolve a dispute over working in hot weather, complaining their cabs often exceed 40C.

About 1,500 members of Unite working in north London and Essex are walking out for four days, followed by more strikes in the coming weeks.

The strikes, planned by Unite the Union for 11 different occasions between now and mid-October, call on Arriva to replace air-cooling systems in cabs with full air conditioning.

Arriva said the wellbeing of staff and customers was its "top priority", and it was working closely with Transport for London (TfL) to ensure the right support was in place.

As the UK endures its fifth heatwave of the summer, drivers have reported falling ill with heatstroke and narrowly avoiding crashes.

The union said its members, employed by Arriva North London, voted against an offer to resolve the row, adding that the offer did not go far enough to solve the problems of hot weather working.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "London bus drivers do a vital job, but are putting themselves at risk due to these appalling conditions.  Arriva can fully afford to make meaningful changes our members can accept.  Until that happens, strike action will continue and our members at Arriva North London will continue to have the full backing of Unite."

Lorna Murphy, director of buses at TfL, said: "We know that any disruption to London's bus network can have a significant impact on our customers, and we're working closely with Arriva to help customers travel during these periods of strike action.  We encourage anyone travelling in the affected areas to plan ahead, allow extra time for their journeys, and check before they travel using the TfL Go app or our website. We're sorry for any disruption this may cause to our customers."

and sometimes usually had good availability of advance fares. That's another I'll strike off the list. :-(

From the amount of track/buildings there I'm guessing that wasn't recently

The Flying Scotsman passed through Melksham on a special excursion train in 1964, roughly two years before Melksham station closed in 1966

Railway enthusiasts split over plan to restore train services in rural areas

Some are hopeful upgraded tracks will preserve steam engine rides, but others fear they will morph into commuter services

Plans to reintroduce train services to rural English towns using heritage lines have split railway enthusiasts, with some hopeful that restored tracks will preserve steam engine rides and others fearful they will be overrun by commuters. ....

Yellow weather warnings issued as thunderstorms and flooding forecast

Yellow weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office as heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast to break out over parts of the UK later this week.

The warnings span Wednesday and Thursday and include parts of east Wales, the Midlands, northern England, East Anglia and southern England - including London.

It is likely to be the one of the most widespread outbreaks of heavy rain across southern and central parts of the UK this summer.

While good news for regions plagued by drought, significant accumulations could lead to flash flooding where the ground is too dry and hard to absorb the downpours. Lightning, large hail and gusty winds are also possible.

The storms, which will drift out of France and move northwards, will be sparked as warm and humid air sets in from the south.

Initially, a few showers are likely to reach Cornwall and the West Country during Tuesday evening, but heavier downpours bringing thunder and lightning are likely to hit later in the night.

The first band of heavy showers may reach the southeast coast of England around midnight, and then cross Greater London before moving northwards into the home counties and East Anglia.



The first yellow weather warning is set to come into force at 03:00 BST on Wednesday and last until 22:00 BST.

Though not all locations in the warning area will experience thunderstorms, flooding is possible in those that do, with 20-30mm of rain possible in less than an hour.  The hardest hit locations could see up to 40-50mm in two to three hours.

Flash flooding is possible in areas where the ground is dry and very hard, making it difficult for rainfall to be absorbed. The most intense downpours could also bring large hail with gusty winds.

During the morning on Wednesday, the storms may spread further north into the Midlands and the Peak District but the forecast becomes less certain in terms of location and intensity.

The storms and downpours which will have brought flash flooding and hail are forecast to continue into Thursday.

A second weather warning for thunderstorms will come into force at 06:00 BST and last until 22:00 BST.  Some may become slow moving across the Midlands, Wales and Northern England leading to more flash flooding.



Many areas could see 20-30mm of rain in just three hours, with up to 50mm possible in some places.  According to the Met Office, there is also a small chance of considerably higher totals, particularly over east-facing higher ground, where more than 75mm could fall within 12 hours.  Lightning may be frequent and hail of around 1-2cm could fall.

(BBC article continues)

Last time the "Flying Scotsman" came through Melksham

I wonder how many/what % of that number in 1966 were UK born, compared to today's figure.

I think the demographics are as of much interest as the headline numbers,  to help understand how society has changed.