Berlin was hot and sticky even by midmorning. I have walked around the centre of the city in the past, and took a decision (as my unlimited train travel is all paid for ahead of time) to pop out to Potsdam, where the river had looked interesting when I passed though on yesterday's little jaunt. Slightly unfortunate, it seems that very many Berliners also had the idea of popping out to Potsdam too and the train was rammed.

My pass/ticket is first class and that let me escape within the train to a high eyrie (the trains are double deck, First class upstairs) but not before some gentleman who I'm sure was being kind informed me that all the seats were taken up there too, and wouldn't budge off the stairs.  I *am* still able to stand for a short while, and I got past him and up to the nest where us toffee-nosed folks go - amongst the posh ... some of whom take a look at this scruffy traveller and can't wait for the ticket inspector to come round. Only then to learn he is called "sir" because he has spent a lot more on his ticket than most fellow travellers.

The First Class eyrie exists on many local and regional trains here in Germany. sometimes as small as a single seating bay and even at that size markedly less crowded than the rest of the train.  On a normal journey regional journey, I prefer to sit with everyone else - observe, listen, and sometimes chat.  Long distance, the first class gives us wider, more comfortable seats and sometimes extra luggage space and the extra was worth us paying for - the price difference on Interrail is not huge.  Occasionally there's an extra perk in some countries like a complementary (not really - we paid for it as part of the package) cup of coffee.

Posters on various Interrail groups - newcomers to Interrail - often pose the question "should I spend the extra on a first class pass?".  It's an excellent question and one that only they can answer based on their personal review of the evidence people who have gone before them can provide. The above is written to help inform; our own personal choice is based on past experience

Potsdam was a delight of water frontage, historic buildings, walkways, and an example of how to "do" a station approach too.  Train back another zoo below the eyrie - with the train manager having trouble getting the doors to close because it was so rammed.

Now - do I post pictures of crowds, or of Potsdam?



Both ...

 

My niece in Surrey found it quicker to get a test in Portsmouth. Apparently a few of her school friends have done the same.

 
Saturday May 31

 
GBR doesn't actually exist yet, so there won't have been anyone from GBR present

 

Yes, a muriel (you've got me at it now!) can be an enhancement but Ashley Down is still relatively new and fresh looking while other local stations appear distinctly more tired and so would benefit more greatly, I would argue, from a spot of refreshment.

 

And six hours later ... the almost inevitable cancellation of the train in the return direction

 
Seven trains - 3 diesel, 3 electric, 1 steam in a round trip yesterday. My destination was The Harz on a round trip; Lisa spent a non-travel day in our current base.

This update illustrated by the seven trains and the big "gain" for me was th experience of how everything connects and comes together - how they do it here in Germany. Mostly they get it right, though it's not really the 100% everything-works as per reputation. We got back to Berlin about 25 minutes late - but then that was along a line undergoing engineering works on one of the two tracks which in another scenario / country might have resulted in complete line closure with long diversions or bus replacements.   

On most of the trains, announcements about where to change, and what platform to go to as we approached each station. Where the train did not have facilities to do that, or when the ticket checker knew my German is very limited, advise helpfully offered to make sure the customer was AOK in virtually every case.  Such advise and support IS commonly offered by train crew in the UK, but our mix of on-train and barrier checks means that train crew are mush less likely to be seen, and I have found the metrics of interaction with gate staff to be more of a policing-control nature than a customer-assist nature.

 
ITV West to celebrate 70 years of ITV,

had an item on the West Somerset railway from 1978 on the local news at 6pm on Friday 30 May 2025,enjoyable.

 
Saturday morning May 31st at 05:30am very interesting and lots of new things I did not know about the Paris Metro.

Available on catch up.
 

 

I guess it does.  Problem is ... railways don't run on paper ... they run on people, and engineering, and trains and rails, all of which have less continuous availability than a sheet of paper which remains a miracle that can be written on and still read years later.

 

The RoSCos will no longer (in theory) have a free market in which they can lease their assets to the highest bidder but will rather have a single major customer - HMG, with open access minnows taking a little.  In practise, who-leases-what has been specified by HMG anyway with the move from franchises to operational contracts.

A very few trains have (already) been TOC / TOC Parent owned - thinking of the five HSTs that First purchased at one point.  And I would envisage future train purchases might by by HMG and managed by RoSCos.  Can anyone help with an answer here?  Of course, you could also nationalise the train building and heavy maintenance business too and call it (Great) British Rail Engineering, couldn't you?

 

---

Time flies - it's been two weeks not one, hasn't it, ChrisB?   And I fell for that without doing a fact check ... I have not looked back at the first week after the changes; that record commented on is for the second week as they should be bedding in.

 
For any one who may I have been at the launch,was any one from GBR actually there,or was Heidi Alexander the face of GBR?

I think most of us know the biggest issue is the leasing of the trains,
will the separate company's be allowed to buy there own sets?

 

Almost all depots have lost routes with the May timetable. I guess it works on paper. Believe Oxford are the odd ones out who’ve actually gained a new route.

 

I've been on more than one airliner flown by a teenager, including one where the commanding pilot told us (after a perfect landing at Bristol) that this had been the young man's first time flying the entire journey from engine start to engine stop at the other end.

 

A matter of opinion, I suppose, but I rather like the muriel at Stapleton Road (if it's still there). Why not here?

 

I read the article with keen interest until I got where it first mentioned Go-op. Then I gave up.

 
Regarding the Jacobite 'Harry Potter' train that runs between Fort William and Mallaig, crossing the Glenfinnan viaduct (as seen in the films)...


We included this recently in a 60th birthday trip. The trip was over 12 days, and we were very lucky in that it coincided with 2 weeks of fantastic weather - the guide on our 3 day tour of the Outer Hebrides said that it was the first time in 13 years that it hadn't rained once during the tour.

However, it also meant that they didn't run the steam train on the Jacobite due to the risk of setting fire to the surrounding very dry countryside - we didn't find that out until we got to the station. Plus we'd also been warned beforehand that the usual posh carriages were undergoing some sort of maintenance I think, so we ended up in just what seemed like old (1950s?) and somewhat tired rolling stock.

Given that we'd paid £105 each (1st class), plus £30 each for the 'high tea' (in a box), it was a bit disappointing, although we still enjoyed it - the glorious weather did mean that the scenery looked fantastic.

I suspect the passengers probably weren't the only ones disappointed - the hillsides at both ends of the viaduct were covered in people either taking photos or just watching, presumably hoping for a bit of steam rather than fumes

https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite/steam-train-trip

 

A few updates I've noticed at this location in recent days:
1) Work is now progressing to get the bridge replaced
2) Trains are now sounding their horn more often, using both tones instead of one
3) A 40mph TSR/ESR is now in place for trains in the down direction, ending just after the crossing

 

So as of last night it was 50% of the days since the change that the peak evening train was declared cancelled then re-instated.  Unclever - very unclever.

Let's hope that THIS crew shortage issue (or the way of reporting it in a way that scares the customers away) is shortlived - teething troubles.  Sadly, I am not holding my breath as prior experience of staff shortages is that they go on. And on. And on.

 
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06
17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06
20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 will be started from Swindon.
It will no longer call at Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

 

The lunchtime train is still booked with an Exeter guard who arrives on the London to Exeter service.  The 1623 Westbury to Swindon and 1735 Swindon to Westbury services are now booked to have a driver who travels up from Exeter! I think Westbury have covered it (when possible) every time it has run since the timetable change though.

The evening 1750 Gloucester to Salisbury service is now booked from Swindon for a driver from Reading depot who is then booked to bring back the 2006 Westbury to Cheltenham service as far as Swindon.

 
There's an article in this month's Rail magazine with some of the people working on Project Brunel (the project tasked with improving the performance of the infrastructure between Reading and Paddington). Fairly interesting read.

My main recollections: undergrowth was cut back that was tripping the OLE, too many/heavy trains using it (broken rails), pigeons nesting in bridges culled particularly at Ealing Broadway as they were tripping the OLE when a train passed, 777 axle counters replaced that still get loose, but are monitored/tightened before they fail again, addressing wet bed issues to do with drainage being covered over when track was realigned.

This may not have been the sentiment intended or I misread it: the team want to maintain the current level of progress without slipping back (!).

 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2qgdlegq4o

 
The change only happened last weekend!

 
Explains why Weymouth trains often end up terminating at Westbury in both directions if Bristol drivers no longer sign the route down to Weymouth. Might be good for operators but not good for passengers.

 
Friday May 30

Not a good week for this to be short-formed : it's half-term and this is the first train for cheap off-peak tickets.
I was on it on Wednesday, when it was a 9-car set; we had the "move any bags off the seats - people are standing" announcement before Oxford.


Later:

12:30 : Train crew found for the Paddington - Oxford leg of the 17:34.

 

You have me - I know what I think he meant.  As his words were reported it suggested he was looking to throw out the baby with the bathwater ...

Personal annoyance - too many announcements in the quiet carriage, including those telling us to keep quiet in that carriage - "do as I say, not as I do ..."

 
It is covered in paragraph 7 of the Railway Byelaws


Don’t start me on mobile phone calls.  Increasingly you get people holding their phone flat, on loudspeaker and talking into the bottom of it as though they are on the Apprentice!