42034 & 42062 – 18:03 & 18:37 Tuesday 10th February

42034 & 42062

Well back in the saddle after a weekend away and a Monday that saw me travel home a la taxi.
42034 was the chosen Carriage F on the 18:03 Penzance service and what was also chosen was the seat next to me by the wazzock in the head to toe orange day-glo.

This strange fellow gradually smelt more and more like fish the nearer we got to Reading so by the time we were pulling into Platform 7 I could have been working the past 6 months aboard a Grimsby trawler.

42062, Carriage C on the 18:37 to Frome was less smelly but more noisy thanks to the little lad in front who was driving his model space shuttle with accompanying spit bubbles.

Good to be back.

44020 & 42253 – 06:57 & 18:35 Wednesday 14th January

44020 & 42253

Well how about this for a treat, a morning capture captured in full glorious Technicolor!

44020 was my quiet carriage of choice on the 06:57 from Bristol Temple Meads this morning and even the 10 minute delay couldn’t spoil my delight in capturing this superb photo.

My travel home was also delayed due to work commitments, so not FGW’s fault, but it did mean I could sit in Carriage B on the 18:35 to Exeter and capture 42253.

Wowzers!

42574 – 18:03 Tuesday 13th January

42574

Sometimes there are interesting things to tell you about my latest Carriage Capture.

Sometimes there isn’t.

Tonight I say in 42574, Carriage E on the 18:03 Penzance server.

Bye.

44003 (again) & 42310 – 18:03 & 18:37 Wednesday 7th January

44003 (again) & 42310

I thought I was definitely on for a new capture when I spotted 44003 making up Carriage A on the 18:03 Penzance service as its door stickers were a different colour than the normal gaudy pink and blue. But it seems I did travel on this one already back in May last year.

But 42310 was a new Carriage C on the 18:37 to Frome at least.

And if that isn’t enough, here’s a picture of 150002 which is standing in for 150001 at the moment.

150002

It’s a long story………..but hilarious!

No, seriously, it is.

42027 – 18:37 Tuesday 6th January

42027

I must have secretly have asked for some on-time trains for Christmas as once again everything was running more or less to clockwork and rather empty to boot.

Alas the train to Reading was a duplicate but Carriage D, 42027, on the 18:37 to Frome was a new one in the book.

Hurrah!

42281 & 42175 – 18:03 & 18:37 Monday 5th January

42281 & 42175

A new year but not a new blog I’m afraid so it’s back in the saddle for some more FGW Carriage focused fun.

And to be honest it was quite fun today. Firstly all the trains were on time and secondly the 18:03 Penzance service (in which I sat in 42281 Carriage B) was as deserted as Katie Hopkins’s Christmas card list.

When we pulled into Reading, the 5 people who were sat in the carriage with me all got off, leaving a totally empty carriage rattling down the line to Taunton.

Deserted 42281

Alas, 42175, Carriage B on the 18:37 Frome service was rather fuller with far far too many #BagSeatWankers for my liking.

But………..and this is the important thing……….everything was running as smoothly as Ollie’s baby face and I just know this will continue all year. Yes?

40752 & 41127 – 14:34 & 09:33 Monday 22nd & Saturday 27th December

40752 & 41137

The dedicated readers of this blog (other blogs of mine are available) may have cottoned on from the last epic entry that although I had completed my last commute of 2014, I was still to make my last journey on a steaming iron horse by travelling away for the frolicking festive season.

And it wouldn’t just be a case of “travelling away”, oh no, I would be spirited away in a sense of luxury and splendour not seen since Hercule Poirot decided to take a wee cruise up the Nile, as I was going to travel First Great Western 1st class and I could only just hope that there would be a suitably attired porter to carry all my hat boxes to the guard’s van.

The “away” bit of the travel was actually a bit of an anti-climax as son of BGC and I left aboard Carriage K (40752) on the 14:34 Reading to Penzance service and only had to endure the sight of a portly gentleman retrieving his bags from the overhead lockers and displaying a yard of hairy mid-drift.

The saving grace of this rather mundane excursion was the appearance of the FGW Trolley which was ably pushed around by a chap called Reuban and a lady, whose name I missed on account of other attributes of hers taking my attention every time they went past. Reuban also did a good line in one-liners, which were unfortunately wasted on the geriatric audience he had to deal with:

“A weak tea please.”
“Is that this week or next week?”
“Umm, no, just one with lots of milk please.”
Reuban, me old mate, I would, if at all possible, give up the day job.”

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The return leg began oh so well with a more-or-less on time departure from Liskeard station, which features for those that have a fetish for such things, a lovely old signal box and a bay platform for the branch line to Looe which is at right angles to the main line.

A second bonus was quickly discovered when our reserved seats were in Carriage L, 41127, which is one of the brand spanking new refurbished 1st Class cars that have recently been spruced up thanks to a Department of Transport investment. Good to see the big wigs at the top have the needs of the common passenger at heart………

Anyway, to be fair, it’s a bit more of a spruce up as it features a pretty good attempt at a 1930’s make-over with classic Great Western Railway logos and a funky pattern carpet. They’ve even put a big “1st” on the door so that bell-boys know where to drop off your portmanteau and trunks.

Funky & Numbers

It was all going well, apart from the chap opposite who had noises turned on on his laptop so every time he opened a file or deleted something we were all treated to a “boing!” or a “twang!”, but the wheels began to really fall off the wagon as we continued our journey and crawled into Taunton.
News was filtering through that all lines into Paddington were blocked and as such with no trains being able to leave the capital, services were being cancelled all over the shop. Our already full train was then diverted to Bristol and would make further stops at Bath, Chippenham, Swindon and Didcot in order to mop up some of the stranded passengers trying to get to London.

By this time 1st Class had already been declassified meaning the smart Great Western Railway logos were now all blocked by rucksacks, suitcases and people. The Train Manager kept up a good level of communications but all of his promises to “now I’ve had a word with control and we won’t be picking up any more people in xxxx” were all rather hopeful as on each and every stop we seemed to cram on a few dozen more.

Now lest anyone get the idea that I was disapproving of all these actions, I’m not. I would have gladly had a granny and a toddler sitting on my lap if it meant that a couple more folk could have got on their way, and I must say that after watching the night’s news and seeing the poor souls queuing for miles around Finsbury Park station my 2 hour delay into Reading is really quite small potatoes in comparison.

I’m not going to rabbit on anymore about the fiasco because it’s been dominating our news channels for the past to days, but I’ll leave you with one question. Why, when Network Rail Managing Director, Robin Gisby, appeared on the news to give us his snivelling excuses did the captions just read – “Robin Gisby – Network Rail”? Was he trying to pass himself as a little cog in this massive machine as if he was just the poor lamb sent to the slaughter of the press? I hope that some sort of parliamentary investigation awaits him and we get to see more of his frown be-lined visage sweating in the face of pointed questions. Oh, and just so you know, it would seem he clears close on a million quid a year for his work. Priceless. Worth every penny. Twat.

Oh....did you want to know the scores on the doors for the end of the year? Well from the total of 497 Carriages which Ollie told me about, I have travelled in (drum roll) 157 of them! So just the 340 to go.....roll on 2015!

40739 & 42508 – 18:03 & 18:37 Wednesday 10th December

40739 & 42508

Tonight’s journey home saw me having a brilliant idea to ensure that I get some new carriages to capture as several of my recent excursions have only resulted in duplicates.

On Monday, if you remember, I had to ensure the squash from Paddington to Reading in the standing area of the ½ 1st – ½ buffet carriage, resulting in sore feet but at least another number in the book.
Well if I can repeat this feat then I’d at least manage to knock of several other carriages of this type.

So the 18:03 to Penzance saw me standing by the nailed shut door in 40739 Carriage K being buffeted (buffeted….geddit?) by several other weary commuters trying to salve the wounds of a working day with a can of Stella and a packet of dry roasted nuts.

Alas the 18:37 Frome service doesn’t have a ½ 1st – ½ buffet carriage, but Carriage E saw me standing (and letting rip with some amazing farts) in 42508 which was another new one for the book.

So all in all, a successful capture and some very sore feet. The things I do for this blog!

42567 & 42514 – 09:34 & 18:37 Tuesday 9th December

42567 & 42514

Another day of disruption and freezing nuts on windswept platforms as signals at Theale decided to prevent any trains leaving from Newbury for the morning.

By the time I’d called Mrs BGC into service and got a lift into Reading, I was just in time to sit in Carriage E, 42567, on the 09:34 to Paddington.

The disruption on the way home at least had a comic element as the 18:37 Frome was delayed by a wild swan on the line. I stood in another Carriage E, 42514 and chortled myself to death over possibly the finest swan related tweet ever.

Watch out Jimmy Carr

40221 – 17:45 Monday 8th December

40221

Eh? What’s that BGC, that don’t look like a normal door number?

And you’d be right, sort of. It’s the number from one of those nailed shut doors in the buffet carriage, and on this occasion, one of the ½ 1st Class – ½ Buffet carriages which just have to have sprung from the imagination of a sadistic mad-man.

Regular readers of this column, (Yes, you. Talking to you.) will know this isn’t my usual haunt so by now will be suspecting something untoward has happened on today’s journey. And again, you’d be absolutely correct in that today was another one of those travelling fiascoes that reduce dedicated commuters to tears and made FGW shrug and call it a “void day”.

Far too boring to go into the details of what went and what was going wrong but suffice it to say that the evening journey home saw me with my beautiful face squished up against the door in the picture as several hundred other commuters tried to purchase over-priced tea and coffee from the buffet bar behind me.

On the plus side this saw me take a good snap of 40221 on the 17:45 to Swansea, but on the down side I didn’t notice if this was a Carriage F, or one that’s been rebadged into a M or a K or something…..Ho Hum.

Still I’ll finish on a high note and tell you that BGC here, him with the squished but still beautiful face, went into full-on knight on white charger mode when he redirected a fair maiden from getting on the 19:12 Reading-to-Newbury and told her to instead get the 19:03 which would see her into Newbury much quicker. I’d have redirected her to ask one of the many Reading Station Staff but alas they were all busy warming themselves round the infra-red warming lamps by the barriers. Even that wasn’t putting a smile on their collective sour, miserable, unwelcoming, glum, hang-dog faces.

42138 – 17:49 Monday 27th November

42138

After last night’s huge saga tonight’s episode is much shorter but no any less interesting.

I caught the 18:05 Frome service at Reading tonight (5 minutes late as usual) and entered Carriage D only to be greeted by a Carriage C layout (you know the one, the one with the disabled toilet which is always out of order.)

So now of course I don’t know whether to log this as a Carriage D (to match the outside stickers) or a Carriage C (to match the inside stickers.)

I mean how am I going to get to sleep tonight?

42576 – 18:03 Monday 18th November

42576

We got to the station my bag and me,

Got on the train at platform three.

I got a seat in the mix.

In Carriage 42576.

Which was in the coach with letter E.

I really am wasted doing this..........

42144 & 42266 – 18:03 & 18:37 Monday 3rd November

42144 & 42266

It was (another) awful day for the trains again. (I’m sure I’ve started a blog entry with that line before?)

Anyway what made the disturbance all the more poignant today was this was my first day back to the grindstone after a wonderful sunny week away on a sundrenched beach – I kid you not, it was November but even the BGC got his shirt off much to the delight of the locals.

The journey home was slightly better (signalling between Ealing & Hayes and Harlington anyone?) on the 18:03 Penzance Service travelling in Carriage E, 42144 and then onto the 18:37 Frome where I perched on another one of the folding seats in Carriage C, 42266.

And in other news I did get a phone call from FGW to confirm that it’s been 14 days since my @EverardsTiger beer umbrella was reported lost and it hasn’t turned up. So Mr Tiger, will you be true to your words?

42258 & 42129 – 23:30 Wednesday 22nd October & 18:00 Thursday 23rd October

42258 & 42129

A very quick update as I’m tired and to be perfectly honest not a great deal worthy of note has happened.

Last night I caught the last train home, that being the 23:30 Swansea Service and sat in Carriage 42258, which as you’ll see from the photo was a carriage with the VOLO TVs. That means it should have been a Carriage D or perhaps a Carriage E but for some strange reason I think it was a Carriage B.

Tonight I was definitely aboard a Carriage E, namely 42129 on the 18:00 Bristol Service.

And that’s it, apart from saying hello to FGW’s new Twitter person, Anne (well I haven’t exchanged tweets with her before anyway) who is rather partial to red seat ears.

Red Seat Ears

42558 – 18:05 Monday 20th October

42558

Tragedy!

No, not the trains this time, they were running surprisingly on time and even though the 18:05 Frome Service had for some reason a smattering of kids about it (accompanied by posho mother who had obviously taught them to refer to bottled water as Evian) there was still room to get a cosy window seat in 42558, who was playing at being a Carriage E on this night.

No the tragedy was only discovered as I made my way home through the driving drizzle that’d I’d left my very favourite @EverardsTiger brolly aboard.

But all may not be lost, not only has @FGW Ollie given me the number for lost property but Everards themselves have tweeted back to say that if it’s not found they may be able to “sort something out”!

So it’s true, every rainy sky does have a silver lining!

42176 – 18:05 Monday 13th October

42176

Did you miss me?

Probably not but just when you can’t believe a week’s worth of travel can get worse than anything previously experienced something comes along which sets your mind at rest that there really isn’t a limit to the incompetence of some organisations.

@nationalrailenq looking directly in your direction.

So anyway onto this week which tonight was a leisurely return journey home inside 42176 which was playing a VOLO-less Carriage D on the 18:05 Frome Service.

41157 & 41140 – 11:07 & 16:35 Sunday 5th October

41157 & 41140

Another Sunday outing? Another two 1st Class Carriages?

That can surely only mean one thing; the BGC and Mrs BGC have been using up more complimentary FGW tickets……

…..and you’d be right.

A day trip to Bristol was the order of the day and what better way to make that journey than on the 11:07 service to Swansea and sit in Carriage M (my first ever Carriage M) which was 41157.

There was too much good stuff to cover in this blog, but the return was made in 41157, Carriage L.

Must stop now…….it’s Antiques Roadshow.

42510 – 18:00 Friday 3rd October

42510

A little of a misleading title here because my journey on 42510, a Carriage E on the 18:00 service to Bristol Temple Meads was absolutely as uneventful as a non-event in a plain white box filled with nothing.

But my journey on the Frome service (in Carriage 42217 a duplicate from the 5th of August) was something of a conundrum because Carriage 42217 is a Carriage C and that means it has the big toilet with the funny flip-up seats outside it.

I chose to sit in one of them today which isn’t something I would normally do because it not only means you’re in the way of disembarking people but you also look like a garden gnome pervert with a fetish for toilet goers because your nose ends up almost rubbing against the automatic sliding toilet door. But anyway there I was minding my own business like any self respecting garden gnome pervert until as we left Theale I realised that I had a choice to make……

I could see other Thatcham regulars in Carriage C and I knew that they had seen me but if I now got up early and stood by the door, it would look like I was one of the #EarlyStanderWankers who plague the journey into London. These are the people who start getting their things together and causing a disturbing kerfuffle even before we’ve reached Old Oak Common and it’s all in a valiant attempt to just be one of the first off the carriage. I mean, the very very earliest you should be standing is round about Westbourne Studios and if you’re getting up around Royal Oak or the Crossrail works then, please, be my guest, even I’m usually putting on my jacket around there, but honestly, if you’re packing away your laptop or banging up the little table and we’re still outside Pall Mall Deposit then you’re a tosser…..period. In fact you’re worse than a tosser, you’re an #EarlyStanderWanker

But on the other hand, if I left it late and waited until there was a queue formed around the door then when I got up I would basically “push in front” of half the queue because half the queue would be round my funny flip-up seat. Which surely would make me a #PushInWanker ?

So what did I do when faced with such a dilemma?

I did what any self respecting commuter would. I got up early but hid in the vestibule of Carriage B so no-one saw me.

Well, what else could I have done? At least I avoided being an #EarlyStanderWanker……

…..or a #PushInWanker.

42245 & 42070 – 18:03 & 18:37 Wednesday 1st October

42245 & 42070

Just when you thought you had all the possible excitement that the Carriage Capture could possibly deliver, along comes a journey that fair takes your breath away……or maybe not, but at least “something” happened today.

Firstly though, it was a very mundane 18:03 Penzance service that took me from Paddington to Reading in Carriage E, aka 42245. The only thing of note here was another arm rest-hogger who compounded his oafishness by playing Candy Crush for the whole journey like some sulky adolescent Kevin.

Pouting lips when all you can’t do is line up three cherries isn’t a good look mate.

I then changed at Reading for my regular late Frome service and plonked myself down in a very innocent looking Carriage D, aka 42070.

It was just when we left Theale that I heard raised voices in the vestibule and from the bits of conversation I could pick up it seemed that the Train Manager was having a go at a passenger who had tried to leave at Theale but had found that the doors were already locked.

“Well I ain’t paying for a ticket to Thatcham then” said the failed disembarkee to which the TM retorted with some excuse about having already given the signal to the driver to leave.

But obviously this got the TM’s goat somewhat riled as he then stomped into our carriage and demanded to see all tickets. (And it was a “demand” there wasn’t any “asking” about it.)

Now this is very strange. I get my ticket checked every day, usually in the mornings just when I’ve fallen asleep but I’ve never seen a ticket check be carried out 3 minutes from Thatcham and never seen one carried out with such ill grace by such an obviously annoyed TM.

So as we’re all digging into inside pockets and purses for the vital bits of paper, a lady comes walking up the aisle to get to a door ready to leave. She is no doubt absolutely kicking herself now by choosing to come this way as the TM blocked her and demanded her ticket as well.

Well you know what’s going to happen next don’t you. She only had a Reading travel card and Mr Charming decided that this was good enough to not only charge her for a ticket but to also slap on a penalty fare as well. £24 for Reading to Thatcham, a bargain of 10 miles in anyone’s book.

Now look, let me be very clear here. I’m no fan of fare dodgers and I have nothing against TM’s checking tickets or even the Revenue Protection goons which FGW position at the barriers every now and again – although why the pick the most miserable sour faced prunes for this job I don’t know why – but there is a thing called discretion and also a thing called manners and as it became clear from the lady’s story (her car had broken down and she’d found herself stranded in Reading) this was more of an oversight than a deliberate go at fare dodging. Yes, she should of course have bought a ticket, but instead of helping her on what had already been probably a very shitty day, or at least playing fair (fare – geddit!) with her by just charging for a single ticket, the TM was just on autopilot to make an example of the lady and raise some more profits for the FGW shareholders.

The stand off ended when the TM, who had now captured the lady’s travel card and refused to return it, barged past the rest of us who by now were queuing up to leave at Thatcham, yelling how he was “going to make a report” and how he had “every right to keep this travel card”.

Now I don’t know if the lady will make a complaint. I would guess not seeing as, at the end of the day, she was in the wrong and probably knows she’ll get no change out of the wonderful FGW 3 week turnaround complaints system, but I on the other hand certainly will be.

Because whether or not someone has paid or not, they deserve to be treated with dignity, politeness and fairness. Something the majority of the TMs do do, let me again be clear on that point, but for Patrick, (for that was his name) to be so obviously acting only according to his annoyed mood and desperate to “win” the stand off to act in this way was just not right.

Oh, and Patrick, in the unlikely event you read this……saying “madam” to someone does not equal politeness. I’m sure your mum would agree.

44093 & 42208 – 18:05 Friday 25th September & 18:30 Monday 29th September

44093 & 42208

Apologies to all those who have been waiting all weekend, with a great gnashing of the teeth at the lack of update for Friday. But let me go some ways to make amends by presenting no only another Carriage A photo, but a Carriage A photo that features none other than everyone’s favourite lightbulb changer and train nerd, Sam Sammington, or @slowpokesam to his friends.

Sam needed no encouragement to pose like a gone to seed page three girl in front of 44093 which was the Carriage A on the 18:05 Frome service. If anyone would like more photos of Sam, please contact me at the usual address.

Anyway, I can’t remember whose idea it was, but the two of us spent a very pleasurable Friday evening in the town of Hungerford getting the first scans on this year’s @caskmarque Cask Ale Week trail. There’s a free T-Shirt riding on this so it’s all systems go if we both want to avoid another arrest for indecent exposure.

Remember both Samuel and I encourage decidedly reckless drinking at every opportunity.

Alas Monday was much more mundane with the single capture of a Carriage F, 42208, on the 18:30 Weston-Super-Mare service.

Still a capture is a capture, and so is a Cask Marque scan which I bagged at the Bayswater Arms before legging it round to Paddington.

Cheers!