GWR EXPLAINED - A Rail Operator Summary

[@MikeWillSee]

It's videos like this that make you realise what a truly massive franchise GWR is! I can't imagine how much effort and research this video would have taken, so great work!

[@JacobsTrainVideos]

My life and soul living in Plymouth is all I see and no bias are my favourite TOC. Most companies have taken on white + colours branding but I love GWRs branding and colour pallet its very subdued and stylish. Their service is reliable and stations well looked after. Also just a note the Exmouth to Paignton are every 15 minutes :)

[@mst4309]

I live around Reading. GWR is my lifeline, and I love GWR. They do well in branding, in operation, fast, comfortable m frequent. Way better than the old FGW. Just… need more carriages, it’s so busy now.

[@stevekeiretsu]

Nice route map! hopefully-helpful-not-annoying tip, in case you happen to discuss SW trains in more detail: Tamar is TAY-mar and Avocet is a soft c like avo-set

[@syc8066]

I grew up in Bristol, and have travelled a lot on GWR - throughout Somerset, Devon & South Wales last summer (as the tickets were surprisingly cheap!), a few day trips to London, and in & around Bristol / Bath countless times. As a result I am much more familiar with the western side of their network. Now I'm at university in Oxford, and have started to explore the rest of it! Definitely my favourite TOC, but then maybe I'm a bit biased! Love this video! Clearly a lot of time and effort went into it, and it was worth it.

[@LWR1]

Thank you for doing this, love GWR as they are my local operator!

[@ACELog]

There used to be a direct train from Paddington to Fishguard Harbour. Need to change at Swansea now.

[@grassytramtracks]

There still is but it only runs on summer Saturdays, and there are now more direct trains to Carmarthen each day than there were before

[@grassytramtracks]

I live in Bath so now all our trains are GWR (we used to get 3 SWR trains a day to Waterloo, which were slower, but cheaper than GWR to Paddington and one Cross country train a day) and GWR generally operate a relatively alright service in my opinion. I also find the livery looks smart and modern but I like the retro advertising and the traditional out of changing the name from First Great Western to Great Western Railway

[@justmeajah]

That's one hell of a visualization! Damn good! New subscribers here

[@transitcaptain]

I think there is a slight mistake. It is two trains per hour to Oxford and one per hour continues to Great Malvern, and 5 per day continues to Hereford

[@simranphull6590]

I’m not sure if there are any services between Hereford and Weymouth anymore. The only GWR Service is from Paddington via Worcester

[@stevieinselby]

(The difference between a square, circle and hexagon symbol is quite hard to see ... rather than doing ① to show a train every two hours, it might be clearer to put ½ in a square) A few corrections to your map - excellently researched though it is! The Avocet Line (Exmouth to Paignton) is every 30 minutes, not every hour. Cardiff to Taunton is every hour, with some trains continuing on to Penzance. A small number of intercity trains call at Hungerford and Bedwyn. Between Penzance and Plymouth, there is a combined half-hourly service across the various different colours (not all stations served by all trains) - not sure how easy that would be to show on the map but it's useful to know! Apart from that, great work 👍🏻

[@LuperSoop69]

And the 2 or so trains a day to axminster

[@grassytramtracks]

There are also more trains that stop at Pewsey, Westbury and Castle Cary than just the 3 to Paignton - they get a train to Paddington every 2 hours

[@chrispotter2616]

This video does a great job showing the geographical spread and traction knowledge but there are a few inaccuracies - the most significant being the main route and GWML (both historically and frequency wise) is London to Bristol rather than London to Swansea, this is why the historical logo is City of London and Bristol city coats of arms. The "mainline" (route map name wise) is London to Penzance via Bristol. The 387 emus already run London to Swindon/Bristol Parkway/Cardiff, replacing cracked IETs and during sports events too There are evening services to and from Camarthen also.

[@grassytramtracks]

Westbury also gets a train about every 2 hours to Paddington, not just the 3 a day that go to Paignton

[@fgwHST43009]

London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads is the Great Western Mainline. Cardiff and Swansea is a branch off of the GWML

[@DanBen07]

I've been on the train before from Gatwick to Redhill,Guildford.

[@hanstheexplorer]

5:55 For something more expensive than that, add first class on top of that!

[@delwoodmc]

Great work, Ashley! :)

[@enochliu8316]

St Budeaux Ferry Road is on the Cornish main line, while St Budeaux Victoria Road is on the Tamar Valley line. No train can serve both stations.

[@krispykarim8504]

Are GWR trains no longer operating routes to Brighton? They used to do 2 per day back when I was going to the University of Sussex in person from 2017-2020. I've never needed it but I'm sure someone would've found it useful.

[@bobsteryt]

They used to until earlier this year. Reasoning was to save money as all the stations are already well served by Southern

[@drearyplane8259]

It sadly stopped. I remember how loud that diesel was compared to the electrics Brighton usually sees.

[@LostsTVandRadio]

I believe the once per weekday Brighton to Great Malvern train (and return) still runs, doesn't it? Such a brilliantly windy route that I must try it sometime. (BTW Malvern rhymes with 'all burn')

[@fgwHST43009]

No it doesn't. DfT axed it back in 2022.

[@LostsTVandRadio]

@@fgwHST43009 A pity!! I see that all of the Weymouth - Malvern services have been axed too as well as all but one of the Bristol/Gloucester - Malvern services. These terminate at Worcester. Probably for the best given how restricted the GWR paths are through the Worcester stations given the crazy track layout there.

[@grassytramtracks]

​@@LostsTVandRadio from Bath there used to be direct trains to Great Malvern, but now you have to change at Brizzle. It used to alternate between Gloucester to Weymouth and Great Malvern to Westbury with a few through services a day running all the way through, but that's consigned to the past, as is the Brighton to Great Malvern service and Bristol Temple Meads to Brighton service

[@feeshyman]

I would like to know what you use to make the maps

[@melissareohorn7436]

Definitely it looks awesome

[@ashleyrabot]

Nothing like a bit of Adobe Illustrator and After Effects!

[@feeshyman]

@@ashleyrabot thank you

[@LittlewoodJunction]

Very good video. What sort of software do you use for this? Need to make something similar for a project

[@ashleyrabot]

Adobe Premiere Pro and after effects

[@bobzfatgamezroblox6805]

I think GWR is the third largest toc in the UK after scotrail and northern.

[@tpsc2072]

what software did you use to mak this map?

[@myleshasell453]

There is also a Gloucester to Penzance about once every 2 hours

[@KeiranCounsellKC1994]

weston super mare and worle are very different because of the loop line, some trains skip the weston super mare loop and others dont, it can be a real pain in the arse

[@grassytramtracks]

The mainline is London to Bristol Temple Meads, that's what's called the Great Western Mainline

[@pedromorgan99]

thanks .... lovely graphics (what software one ponders)

[@feeshyyyt]

Isn't there a train to didcot parkway from Paddington that stops at Southall?

[@grassytramtracks]

There is a stopping service between Didcot and Paddington, yes

[@feeshyyyt]

thanks for this reply. after 10 month si finally got one! thank you for this very much@@grassytramtracks

[@hectorchittenden9749]

How to pronounce the Tamar Valley line 101 : Tay-Mar, Va-Lee, Line

[@richardhutchinson5546]

Is there still a summer Saturday service to Pembroke Dock ?

[@fgwHST43009]

Yes

[@melissareohorn7436]

I can't wait for him to do Northern

[@ashleyrabot]

Honestly it's daunting 😂

[@Sarahbryson321]

Please do WMT

[@bobzfatgamezroblox6805]

Can you do one on Northern

[@ethmister]

GWR is probably the best private TOC

[@Shed87AProductions]

You spelt Port Talbot wrong... there isnt a "r" in the name, same with Castle Cary, the r and a re the wrong way around

[@paulwheeler4283]

You could say that GWR is the most important operator in the country

[@GasmanJames]

Nice

[@MichaelTavares]

This is incredibly complicated

[@judewhitehouse7840]

You forgot about the 19 Class 769/9

[@-MapEnthusiastjj4eu]

Its castle bar park not castle bridge park

[@Andrewjg_89]

Has Great Western Railway started using the Class 769 Tri-Mode trains on the North Downs Line. GWR should inherit the Class 379 Electrostar to operate between London Paddington-Reading and Newbury and to work alongside with the Class 387/1. And some of the Class 387s that have been modified for Heathrow Express (Class 387/1a). Also I do think that electrification to Swansea should happen so that the Class 800 and Class 802 can run fully electric from London Paddington and from Didcot Parkway to Oxford. Plus I do think that GWR might lose the West Ealing-Greenford line and for London Overground to operate the Greenford shuttle with ordering new DMU/Hybrid-Battery trains.

[@stevieinselby]

No sign of the 769s yet ... no idea what is taking so long when they've been running in Wales for more than 18 months. Completely agree about electrification to Swansea and Oxford. Not convinced about LO wanting Greenford - it can only run 2-car trains and nowhere else on LO is so constrained, whereas GWR have similar constraints on some of their other branch lines eg Marlow, so could get trains in common for both branches.

[@Andrewjg_89]

@@stevieinselby True. Totally agree.

[@grassytramtracks]

​@@stevieinselbythey also should finish electrifying it to Temple Meads. They've got as far as Chippenham but just haven't got round to finishing the electrification through Bath

[@stevieinselby]

@@grassytramtracks Agreed, the electrification should be completed to Bristol and Oxford as a minimum. I assume Box Tunnel is the main obstacle as far as the line from Chippenham to Bristol is concerned?

[@ElijahStrange-cv3op]

Good video

[@johnrafferty8087]

Forgot Reading TMD

[@20Jameshall_baby]

you forgot Brighton

[@grassytramtracks]

That's because the Brighton services are gone

[@20Jameshall_baby]

@@grassytramtracks their services were gone on 13th May 2022

[@sirrandolph7857]

Remember everyone: there are two ways of doing things: the wrong way or the Great Western way!

[@Monty14Railwaysandmore]

Hereford Hereford Hereford

[@TrainsOfDorset]

yes

[@Audi_Q52]

I got 600 like

[@ameerali.ouarda]

They need to fix their first class catering. It’s terrible.

[@X14366]

They can't organize a piss up in a brewery