Cross Country are diverted via Westbury all weekend too (although due to suspending today's strike on Thursday, seem to have given up and retained the strike timetable)

I was looking at something called the U2 to Sandford at 10:00 or 11:00 from Bristol

The trains is not running Bristol to Weston ...

Out of interest - when it comes to traction knowledge, are there drivers who sign 158s but not turbos?

Seeing the mention of the Eastleigh diversions tomorrow, I overheard two drivers heading to Westbury yesterday bemoaning the lack of drivers who sign that route.  Let's see what happens tomorrow.

Description

A road accident near the railway between Downham Market and Ely means rail replacement services running between these stations are being disrupted.


Disruption to rail replacement services is expected until 09:00.

18/10/25 06:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 09:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident earlier today.
Last Updated:17/10/2025 21:04

07:43 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 10:27 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:18/10/2025 01:07

... My first visit was as a 6th Form A Level History student ... An added bonus was that someone knew a shortcut to the local pub.

a cup which is insulated enough not to burn, but enough lacking in insulation so we can finish our drink before we get [there].

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06 has been cancelled.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident earlier today.

Which service bus are you planning on?  The old 120 between Winscombe and Bristol was cancelled some years ago.  There is the Bristol / Plymouth Falcon service that stops for Winscombe but that is a coach service run by Megabus.  You could take the train to Weston and then the 126 from Weston to Winscombe.

It is a lovely walk to Yatton.

This train did in fact start from Swindon in the end albeit over 20 minutes late.

Plans 'absolutely vital' to protect future of Ironbridge museums

The interim boss in charge of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust says the new plan to protect the sites was "vital" after visitor numbers fell.

On Thursday it was announced the National Trust would be taking over the running of its 10 museums and 35 listed buildings and scheduled monuments, with the help of £9m from the government.

Karen Davies, the trust's interim chief executive officer, said the last five years had been "very difficult" and visitor numbers "were just not returning to pre-Covid levels". She said the museums were "not about to go bump", but added: "We recognised to protect the historic assets for the medium to long-term future, it was absolutely vital we put a plan in place."

The Ironbridge Gorge has been described as the birthplace of the industrial revolution, and one of the attractions is the original blast furnace where Abraham Darby I perfected iron smelting. His innovations, and those of the "iron masters" who followed him, are widely recognised as being the catalyst for the building of the bridges, railways and machinery of the modern world.

The museums tell the story of those achievements and of the Industrial Revolution and since 1967 the area's heritage has been overseen by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.

But Ms Davies said visitor numbers had fallen from approximately 450,000 before the pandemic to just under 300,000 last year. She said ideally, to be sustainable, that figure needed to be 500,000. For that reason, she said the museum trust had spoken to "lots of organisations" to seek help.


Blists Hill Victorian Town is one of the biggest attractions in the Ironbridge Gorge

The National Trust has said it aims to increase annual visitor numbers to 600,000 in the long term, and Ms Davies said: "We consider ourselves to be very fortunate the National Trust recognised the absolute uniqueness of Ironbridge."

She said the "stories that we tell you can't find that anywhere else in the world," and it would be up to the National Trust to decide how to tell that story. Ms Davies also said: "The whole idea of government investing the £9m is that the National Trust will have the ability to invest in all our sites and bring them to life more."

Ms Davies said it was too early to talk about the impact on jobs, but in the short term all employees would move over to the National Trust when the takeover is completed in the spring. "We haven't started to discuss operational plans with the National Trust," she added.

The future of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is more certain, however, and she said the organisation would be wound up in mid-2026.

I'll be there - planning an earlier start and headed for Winscombe (service bus from Bristol) to walk along the Strawberry Line to Yatton, lunch at the cafe and 2 p.m. meeting. 

Now pushed out to 1800

Sparing a thought, many thoughts indeed, for all involved in what appears to be another sad and bad situation

16:32 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 19:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway earlier today.
Last Updated:17/10/2025 16:31

18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident earlier today.
Last Updated:17/10/2025 16:52

14:53 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 17:04 has been delayed between London Paddington and Oxford and is now 29 minutes late.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident earlier today.
Last Updated:17/10/2025 16:34

15:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 18:26 has been delayed at London Paddington and is now 40 minutes late.
This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident earlier today.
Last Updated:17/10/2025 16:36