Might not be possible due to driver hours and route knowledge. I do wonder how many passengers this would impact and whether a taxi might be a better option

Written tongue in cheek - but there have been smaller.  Remember I am bilingual (American and English):

'Perpetual honeymoon' for stranded cruise ship couple married at sea

They should have been on a round-the-world cruise for the next three years - instead they were stranded in Belfast.

The Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship was to depart from Northern Ireland last May, but issues with its rudder stocks meant its guests were marooned in the city for more than four months.

Shipmates Angela Harsanyi and Gian Perroni met while commuting daily from hotel accommodation to the ship, where they were allowed to work remotely during the day while repairs were carried out.

Behind schedule, and on the dry dock, the maintenance work was long enough for the pair of strangers to meet, fall in love and get engaged by the River Lagan.

Written tongue in cheek - but there have been smaller.  Remember I am bilingual (American and English):

13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:46

13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:46 will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Further Information

If you arrive at your destination 15 or more minutes late because your GWR train was delayed or cancelled, you can claim Delay Repay compensation. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:11/05/2025 10:21

Marvellous photos Phil,for which many thanks.
Champion is looking great and sounding marvellous,one slight concern was early on in the day she was dispensing large quantities of white smoke,from both exhausts ,enough to put the Chimney in Rome to shame !
However once fully warmed up and having been allowed to stretch her legs a bit normal service was restored and the usual mid grey Clag returned,hope to ride behind again before much longer.

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 13:32
13:32 Swindon to Westbury due 14:48

Additional 13:32 Swindon to Westbury due 14:48 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Additional Information

The additional bus will no longer run as the train is now reinstated.

"City" of Chetnole?

Maza – the former least populated city in the USA

At 8 square miles and a population of five (yes, five), Maza was both the least populated city in the USA and least densely populated city. The reason for the past tense is that, despite being founded way back in 1893, Maza’s city status was dissolved in 2002.

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 13:32
13:32 Swindon to Westbury due 14:48

An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 13:32 Swindon to Westbury due 14:48.

Additional Information

For customers travelling between Swindon and Westbury taxis have been arranged to run from Swindon to Westbury at 13:32 calling Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge. For customers at these stations intending to travel beyond Westbury, the taxis will set you down at the station you require between Westbury and Weymouth, please inform the taxi driver. The taxis are from Bath Taxis Limited. Before getting in any taxi vehicle please check with the driver that they are working on behalf of GWR, the driver should not ask for payment.

Part 1

Friday 9th May 2025 ... 06:32 Melksham towards Southampton, change at Westbury (06:48 arrival to 06:50 departure) onto the train towards Weymouth.   The risky change works, as I understand it "usually" does from regulars.   You know who they are because they position themselves for a rapid sprint though the subway!

The train calls on request at Thornford (where we picked up three people), Yetminster (which we skipped) and Chetnole (where it stopped just to let me off.

The city of Chetnole is situated a few hundred yards from the station, which is set in the countryside.  Makes sense really, as a railway station in the city itself and no-where near the railway would not make sense.  More seriously, the station is a rare survivor of the major cull around 60 years ago, said to have been because of the narrow lanes making it hard to run replacement buses.   These days, it's well kept though not wheel chair accessible, and I wonder if it much more use could be made of it by extending Chetnole (OK, it's a village really) toward the station - Cranbrook and Copplestone stile - and there are a handful of others in GWR territory where it has happened or there's obvious potential.

Given a station just out of the town/village, it can be rewarding to look for the pavement alongside the road that eased access to it - something that holds good even for long-vanished stations. That's something from which Chetnole doesn't benefit, mind - and even the village's 30 mph limit ends at the village boundary.

That was the site of Cattistock Halt, opposite is Cattistock Cricket Club where I spent many hours trying to play that game.

If open the Fox and Hounds at Cattistock would have been the better choice. The Chalk and Cheese used to be called the Brewery Inn. One of three pubs open when I moved there in 1976, the others were the White Horse and the Castle. The latter had a terrace on to the river.

The only bus now is the school bus to Beaminster School. There was a regular run years ago running Dorchester, Maiden Newton to Evershot and Yeovil but that stopped some years ago.

Holywell or Evershot Tunnel was built at the behest of the land owner, Lord Ilchester. The WSWR would have preferred a cutting. Plans at Dorchester Record Office show that the north entrance of Evershot Tunnel needed the cuttings deepened and extended before opening of the line. The road over the tunnel at this point had to be diverted.

Like other Dorset rivers, the Frome has parallel roads on either side - the winter and summer ways.  These form a circular walk to Evershot or to Rampisham.

Cancellations to services between Westbury and Warminster

Due to a shortage of train crew between Westbury and Warminster fewer trains are able to run on all lines.

Train services running through these stations will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice

We are sorry for the disruption to your journey today. Due to a shortage of train crew, we won't be able to run as many trains between Westbury and Warminster as we would like. Planned engineering works are taking place between Warminster and Southampton Central so we already have rail replacement buses running between these stations. We may not be able to run trains to Warminster to meet with the rail replacement buses.

The best way to complete your journey if you're travelling between South Wales / Bristol / Bath and Southampton Central is to take the next available train to Reading. You can then change there for services towards Southampton Central or towards South Wales / Bristol / Bath depending on which direction you're travelling in. Don't worry, your tickets will be accepted at no extra cost on these routes.

To travel between Reading and Southampton Central, you will need to either use direct Cross Country services or GWR services between Reading and Basingstoke and then South Western Railway services between Basingstoke and Southampton Central. Your tickets will also be accepted on these services at no extra cost.

If you are travelling between South Wales / Bristol / Bath and Portsmouth, you should also travel via Reading. If you're travelling from South Wales / Bristol / Bath towards Portsmouth, you should take the first available train to Reading. You should then change at Reading for trains to Guildford. You should then change again at Guildford for South Western Railway services towards Portsmouth. If travelling in the other direction, you should take the first available South Western Railway service to Guildford and change there for trains towards Reading. You should then change at Reading for trains towards South Wales / Bristol / Bath. Don't worry, your tickets will be accepted at no extra cost on these routes.

10:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 13:03
13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:46

13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:46 will be reinstated.
It will be started from Westbury.
It will no longer call at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Spontaneous travel starts here

Get ready to embrace that "pack your bags, we’re off" feeling. With Snap, you can book a spur-of-the-moment trip to one of Europe’s most exciting cities and still enjoy the same great experience on board.​

You pick your travel dates and time slot*, we pick your train times, and you get up to 50% off the price of your tickets**. Sometimes it pays to be spontaneous.​

If you can be flexible with your travel times, this is the deal for you. Invite up to three friends or travel buddies and enjoy the same comfort and style you’ve come to expect from a Eurostar trip with the added bonus of a lower fare. Just so you know, we can’t guarantee that you’ll all be seated together.

Would it be a good idea if the Office of Rail and Road also had responsibility for regulation of road safety? It might, for example, encourage ORR to develop policies that minimise overall casualties, instead of deterring people from using rail and pushing them onto a more dangerous mode of transport.