Shows how transport bosses learnt how unpopular the Beeching cuts of the 1960s were when whole towns were cut off without a train service. Now many stations are kept open to avoid formal closure. GLovesTrains and SimOnTrains you are heroes for using stations like Pilning and adding to passenger numbers, and showing that these stations are still being used despite having such an inconvienient service. Keep it up!
You do realise that Pilning used too have two stations, I hope..? That one used to called High Level - to distinguish it from the much busier Low Level, from which you could have got a train to Severn Beach - and the two intermediate stations at Cross Hands and New Passage. Indeed, the area has gone from being one of the best served by rail to the very opposite! Also, there was a time when you could have driven your car onto a flat wagon at Pilning High Level, and ride through the Severn Tunnel so, yes, it even had a motorail service!!
Next time you're in S/Wales buy a Day Ranger and take the longest run from Maesteg to Ebbw Vale. The FLIRTS will pass you at stations as they're on driver training. Get off at Taffs Well and view the Trams from the new bridge. Go to Cardiff Bay for the station extension and double track.... Mike at "Rails in Wales" recording since 1986.
lovely video i know pilning only has 2 trains a week and the village is less then a mile a way it used have 2 trains a day back in the 1970s shame they cant bring this back. the video was good to see the stations and scenery good to see Cyber too thanks again
We could easily have more than two trains a week or two trains a day through Pilning. The entire point of HS2 was to get a lot of InterCity trains off of three existing mainlines, so that more stopping services could run on those mainlines. The electrification of the line from Paddington to Cardiff was focused more on the InterCity trains than local trains, but if you look at what the South West Metro is doing, literally one station to the west of Pilning, you can see that it is possible to have InterCity trains go into Cardiff, without having to screw over all the local people who want to get a train on the same mainline. We might get a high-speed line from HS2 to Wales at some point in the future (and hopefully Eurostar trains to Cardiff, if not beyond) but, in the meantime, the same sort of stuff the Welsh are doing with the South West Metro would work on the mainline in England too.
Thanks for the video G,definitely a day for ducks and wearing nickers on your head to keep the rain running in your eyes. The bridge looks awesome and Pilning village looks a nice place!!😎🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🇬🇧💚
Loved this Vlog for so many reasons. Cardiff is my nearest mainline station, and I used to work near Pilning, and would often spend my lunch hour there watching trains. Took my 88 year old mam to Severn Beach this summer, her name is Shirley, and we had a photo of her outside 'Shirleys Cafe'. Cyber is lovely and I've just subscribed to his channel. Thanks for posting both.
You should do Ashley Down railway station that is now opened. And there are plans for the freight only line to Henbury to be reused and reopened for passenger service. Which would be nice to see.
I recently stayed in an AirB&B which had a humming dehumidifier in the bathroom. At bedtime I turned it off so I could sleep. In the morning the floor was like a padding pool and my socks and slippers got soaked. Happy memories - that's what these incidents give you! A lovely film as usual G.
Fantastic video G and great yourself and Simon together again and visiting Pilning which looked very remote and very wet indeed but glad both of you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing it from Simon’s prospective. 👍🏻🙂
Lovely vid as always G, well that's a station that's changed a lot since I went ther about 25 years ago, spent around 8 hours at Pilning one night having to work ( repainting the white lines on the platform edge).
Nice blog G you certainly did well to kill those 7 hours .those chips looked very nice ,and u did well to survive the rising shelter tide!! You both done brilliant a fantastic watch 👍🤗
Patchway station is my local one, I have also travelled from Patchway to Newport in the past. Well done for boosting passenger numbers at both stations 😂
What a curiosity of a place - it makes you wonder why it's worth the while keeping it open if it sees such little use... A seven-hour wait? You two are troopers in making this video!
I like your sense of adventure when out and about. I would be the same exploring rather than sitting near station for 7 hours. Only concern is not getting lost on way back. lol. Keep it up and loved Cybers contributions in this one too x
Piling looks like an ok station & to be honest i dont think id want to be waiting in that shelter on a wet day as i would be worried about how high that water would come up & severn beach looks amazing brilliant vlog as always
Pilning, sounds Chinese , 7 Hours and you made it fun, great beach too, would have loved to be there, thanks once again for a brilliant Vlog G , and hope the rest of your day was rain free , take care G
Great little trip G,must try cardiff if i ever get back over, love ya accent i'm manc born and bred but have been in france since 87 in a pub last year a scouser( i know we hate the scousers but alone abroad i can talk to them 😅😅) said he couldn't believe how long i'd been here and kept my strong manc accent ,please don't lose yours
Amazing video :) Definitely a very quiet station pilning need to tick it off at somepoint lol Also, i believe you meant to say 802009 for 2C81 to penzance :) Great to see you get on and off at pilning!
Hi G, lovely video. The tunnel you saw was Ableton Lane tunnel (85m) under the A403. looking back towards Pilning. The Severn Tunnel entrance was beneath you. I was there in 2021 and on a good day you can see right through Ableton Lane tunnel. I tried to get a view of the Severn Tunnel entrance from Ableton Lane, but the undergrowth beat me. The motorway was the M49.
You'd think they'd have figured out a crossing at Pilning by now but there is a drive on to remove all foot crossings so one step back for Pilning. A rare collaboration too. How were the Puns? Gigglesome? All the best. Cheers!
Hi G, it’s Daren here, and I just want to say thank you for your interesting travel videos. I would love to feature you in my Travelling Corner series at some point, because I feel it’ll be something rather magical
Lovely to see you in the beautiful city of Newport. I’ve lived there all my life and never heard of pilning. Might try Shirley’s cafe one day-chips looked nice, and not far from Newport
Brilliant video G, Pilning station certainly looked wet, especially in that wading shelter... I mean waiting shelter lol. Lovely to have Cyber in this as well. :)
Would be nice to see a GWR local train to terminate at Pilning so that GWR would operate a local service from Bristol Temple Meads to Pilning and to Newport. As Ashley Down station is now opened.
Mighty lucky that GWR didn’t cancel that second train… but perhaps something might have happened during the 7 day wait… like the grit box was collected and taken away.
Did I see a CrossCountry 221 passing through? Great video G. Technically, it's the M49 that you crossed, but the crossing is near the junction of the M49 and the M4
I believe they switch modes at Patchway, as the electrification continues to the curve of track towards Bristol Parkway/London Paddington but not through to Filton Abbey Wood/Bristol Temple Meads
Did it used to have a proper service within living memory? British Transport Films made a film about the engines which used to pump the water out of the Devern Tunnel. It’s called ‘Under the River’, and is quite interesting.
7 hours ?! As a backpacker, I'd have walked back to Newport and got there before you 😉 Different perspectives... 😊 It's the same attitude in central London - if there's any kind of delay on the underground it's often quicker to walk ...and you learn to find your way about, seeing different sights and sounds whilst you're at it.
That wait is just as bad as all the stations on the Ballybrophy (on the Dublin- Cork line) to Limerick line. There’s only two trains a day in each direction (and no trains on Sundays) with an average wait of over 8 to 10 hours. Also, all the stations are basically unstaffed apart from the signal people handing the driver the token to proceed (it’s one of the last lines to have semaphore signals in Ireland). Great video as always
That means the Waterford to Limerick Junction has been modernised? On the one hand a bit sad to see this bit of railway history disappear, but then again, it would be on the chopping block for as long as it was so antiquated, this might help to preserve it...
@@barvdw I think the line still uses semaphore signals for now but the government is planning to invest billions of euros over the next few decades in both the Republic and Northern Ireland
Showing real commitment & perseverance. Btw, G, have you ever spent time on those trains with the rock-hard seats (are they Hitachi Avanti 805/7 ??) Not tried, but wondered what your take on them would be
2 trains a week? Strange Geoff Marshall haven’t featured this in his least used stations series… and no trains at all FROM this station? Oh of course you can get on too… but weird with just 2 trains a week. Why bother with them at all 🤔
@neiltaylor6645 it did happened, they cancelled the train in the early hours of Saturday Morning, but during the day it was reinstated, but usually if that does happen, one of the trains that pass through would make an additional stop to serve Pilning, usually around 4pm
What community/business does Pilning serve, to not justify a Patchway style bridge over the electric infrastructure and the retention of a second platform and stopping trains weekly in both directions? The algorithm brought me here, but your great humour and style will bring this new subscriber back.
Cyber will be posting his Pilning vlog this coming Sunday! In the meantime, here is his channel: youtube.com/@sim0ntrains
Thanks G 🙏
Cool
@@GLovesTrains thanks for this
It's been brilliant spending the day at Pilning and Severn Beach with you G and it's been ages since we last spent a whole day together. Great video
I really enjoyed spending the day with you (and outtakking a lot with you haha), let's not leave it as long next time! 😂
Hi Glovetrains do Liverpool lime street to Newcastle
Cyber, Your face when you realised you'd been going the wrong way 😂❤ nevermind mate! Hopefully see you at GETS later this month!
@@IronHorseRailways Sadly I won't be at GETS, I'm going to Warley at Statfold instead as it more local to me, Thanks Craig
@@Sim0nTrains aw that's a shame mate :(
Shows how transport bosses learnt how unpopular the Beeching cuts of the 1960s were when whole towns were cut off without a train service.
Now many stations are kept open to avoid formal closure.
GLovesTrains and SimOnTrains you are heroes for using stations like Pilning and adding to passenger numbers, and showing that these stations are still being used despite having such an inconvienient service. Keep it up!
Great vlog visiting Pilning station with Cyber G. Shame the weather was quite wet. I enjoyed watching!
Wet indeed to be honest thanks Sam 😀
You do realise that Pilning used too have two stations, I hope..? That one used to called High Level - to distinguish it from the much busier Low Level, from which you could have got a train to Severn Beach - and the two intermediate stations at Cross Hands and New Passage. Indeed, the area has gone from being one of the best served by rail to the very opposite! Also, there was a time when you could have driven your car onto a flat wagon at Pilning High Level, and ride through the Severn Tunnel so, yes, it even had a motorail service!!
Love the way G that you make a short train trip and a 7 hour wait followed by another short train journey fun, and you certainly did
Thanks!
Next time you're in S/Wales buy a Day Ranger and take the longest run from Maesteg to Ebbw Vale. The FLIRTS will pass you at stations as they're on driver training. Get off at Taffs Well and view the Trams from the new bridge. Go to Cardiff Bay for the station extension and double track.... Mike at "Rails in Wales" recording since 1986.
Great vlog, G! Good to see Cyber in this one!
You used those 7 hours really well! I wouldn't be sure how to kill 7 hours at a station if it was me! 😂
Haha thanks Reece! It actually did go by pretty quick 😆
lovely video i know pilning only has 2 trains a week and the village is less then a mile a way it used have 2 trains a day back in the 1970s shame they cant bring this back. the video was good to see the stations and scenery good to see Cyber too thanks again
Ah interesting, thanks a lot!
We could easily have more than two trains a week or two trains a day through Pilning.
The entire point of HS2 was to get a lot of InterCity trains off of three existing mainlines, so that more stopping services could run on those mainlines.
The electrification of the line from Paddington to Cardiff was focused more on the InterCity trains than local trains, but if you look at what the South West Metro is doing, literally one station to the west of Pilning, you can see that it is possible to have InterCity trains go into Cardiff, without having to screw over all the local people who want to get a train on the same mainline.
We might get a high-speed line from HS2 to Wales at some point in the future (and hopefully Eurostar trains to Cardiff, if not beyond) but, in the meantime, the same sort of stuff the Welsh are doing with the South West Metro would work on the mainline in England too.
Thanks for the video G,definitely a day for ducks and wearing nickers on your head to keep the rain running in your eyes. The bridge looks awesome and Pilning village looks a nice place!!😎🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🇬🇧💚
Brilliant
Pilning railway station even has its own T-shirt!!
That beach was very atmospheric! The café was deliciously charming I could’ve stayed there all day. 😎
Indeed!
In terms of the weather, it was probably the worst day to visit Pilning but it looks like you both had fun! Great vid.
Lol thanks Rob 😀
Nice to see you found flowing water G even though it was in the waiting shelter/ swimming pool
Haha very true!
Thank you for sharing G.
Great video as usual G! I think it was drier outside the shelter than inside!
Thanks! Haha it looked it 😂
Belfast's Grand Central Station will open on October 13th. You would be very welcome if you want to see it.
Thanks ill come back in the future and see it
Fantastic. Thanks.
A very informative and entertaining blog.
Many thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks 👍
There is a lovely farm shop near the station (30 mins walk) at Easter Compton, very near to the Wave water park. Pub (plough) also 5 mins away .
3:52 That is an image I am never going to get out of my head now, but my condolences for spending seven hours with Sheldon
Haha I'll happily have him for longer!
Loved this Vlog for so many reasons. Cardiff is my nearest mainline station, and I used to work near Pilning, and would often spend my lunch hour there watching trains. Took my 88 year old mam to Severn Beach this summer, her name is Shirley, and we had a photo of her outside 'Shirleys Cafe'. Cyber is lovely and I've just subscribed to his channel. Thanks for posting both.
Thanks a lot! Glad it brought back memories 😀
Well at least you didn't miss Shirley's Cafe this time round and the chips are gorgeous!!
Indeed! Thanks for recommending 😀
Quality. Pure Dead Brilliant. More, more, more please❤😵💫😄
Thanks 😊
You should do Ashley Down railway station that is now opened. And there are plans for the freight only line to Henbury to be reused and reopened for passenger service. Which would be nice to see.
Thanks for another awesome vlog Ive been watching your channel for awhile.Thank u so much 🙂❤️❤️
Thanks!
Great watch 👍
Thanks 👍
I recently stayed in an AirB&B which had a humming dehumidifier in the bathroom. At bedtime I turned it off so I could sleep. In the morning the floor was like a padding pool and my socks and slippers got soaked. Happy memories - that's what these incidents give you! A lovely film as usual G.
Lol! Cheers 😀
7 hours?? I'd go insane!!
Same
Hi nick
Thanks for visiting Pilning .
Fantastic video G and great yourself and Simon together again and visiting Pilning which looked very remote and very wet indeed but glad both of you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing it from Simon’s prospective. 👍🏻🙂
Thanks Jack! 😀
Paddling pools in waiting shelters. What a great idea ! Must say a seven hour wait is going above and beyond. Well done you and Cyber.
Thanks, it was fun!
So good to see you again. Seems like a long time.
Lovely vid as always G, well that's a station that's changed a lot since I went ther about 25 years ago, spent around 8 hours at Pilning one night having to work ( repainting the white lines on the platform edge).
Ah interesting, thanks! 😀
Thank you for working on Pilning Station. Had vandals shoved the grit bin into the waiting shelter to make it harder for people to use it back then?
Nice blog G you certainly did well to kill those 7 hours .those chips looked very nice ,and u did well to survive the rising shelter tide!! You both done brilliant a fantastic watch 👍🤗
Thanks Ian 😀
Patchway station is my local one, I have also travelled from Patchway to Newport in the past. Well done for boosting passenger numbers at both stations 😂
Haha we boosted each by 1 😂
@@GLovesTrains 😀 every little helps and all that!
What a curiosity of a place - it makes you wonder why it's worth the while keeping it open if it sees such little use... A seven-hour wait? You two are troopers in making this video!
Thanks Ian!
I like your sense of adventure when out and about. I would be the same exploring rather than sitting near station for 7 hours. Only concern is not getting lost on way back. lol. Keep it up and loved Cybers contributions in this one too x
Thanks Karen! 😀
Hi another brilliant video that was a bit of a wait for you and Simon I hope you have a good day on the trains keep up the good work from Marie 😁
Thanks Marie!
10:58 didn't know trains could do taht😯. love it
Always toot Pilning
Piling looks like an ok station & to be honest i dont think id want to be waiting in that shelter on a wet day as i would be worried about how high that water would come up & severn beach looks amazing brilliant vlog as always
Yes it was building up that water, thanks Michael 😀
Another great video G. Quite informative re Seven Beach, a very spectacular locoation for a bit of toggin'.
Cheers 😀
They have got to be the most well travelled knickers in the country if not the world.😅👍
Lol!
I am THRILLED to hear, that your soggy muff has successfully dried out, G 😂
But seriously, that shelter was moister than an oyster!
Haha!
Pilning, sounds Chinese , 7 Hours and you made it fun, great beach too, would have loved to be there, thanks once again for a brilliant Vlog G , and hope the rest of your day was rain free , take care G
It was rain free thanks, you too!
Great little trip G,must try cardiff if i ever get back over, love ya accent i'm manc born and bred but have been in france since 87 in a pub last year a scouser( i know we hate the scousers but alone abroad i can talk to them 😅😅) said he couldn't believe how long i'd been here and kept my strong manc accent ,please don't lose yours
Haha cheers, Northern accent forever!
Amazing video :)
Definitely a very quiet station pilning need to tick it off at somepoint lol
Also, i believe you meant to say 802009 for 2C81 to penzance :)
Great to see you get on and off at pilning!
Thanks, and what did I say lol 😂
@GLovesTrains no worries 😊
Lmao you said 800009, could tell by the doors as the 800/0s have a slightly different touch on the doors then the 802s 😊
Very nice Vlog. Thank you
Thanks!
Great video that pilling station needs to be refurbished. The shelter was terrible flooded
Hi G, lovely video. The tunnel you saw was Ableton Lane tunnel (85m) under the A403. looking back towards Pilning. The Severn Tunnel entrance was beneath you. I was there in 2021 and on a good day you can see right through Ableton Lane tunnel. I tried to get a view of the Severn Tunnel entrance from Ableton Lane, but the undergrowth beat me. The motorway was the M49.
Dam it just typed out almost the exact same thing then thought I'd check all the comments before I posted 🤣
Thanks Peter, and ah oopsies! 😂
Having recently walked down the road into Tintern I can most definitely appreciate a pavement 😊
Indeed!
You'd think they'd have figured out a crossing at Pilning by now but there is a drive on to remove all foot crossings so one step back for Pilning. A rare collaboration too. How were the Puns? Gigglesome? All the best. Cheers!
Yes Gigglesome lol! Thanks 😀
A class vlog g
Hi G, it’s Daren here, and I just want to say thank you for your interesting travel videos. I would love to feature you in my Travelling Corner series at some point, because I feel it’ll be something rather magical
Thanks Daren 😀
Lovely to see you in the beautiful city of Newport. I’ve lived there all my life and never heard of pilning. Might try Shirley’s cafe one day-chips looked nice, and not far from Newport
Definitely recommend, like I said the staff are super friendly!
Brilliant video G, Pilning station certainly looked wet, especially in that wading shelter... I mean waiting shelter lol. Lovely to have Cyber in this as well. :)
Lol thanks Reuben 😀
If that was Severn beach, where were the other six? 😂
😂😂
Would be nice to see a GWR local train to terminate at Pilning so that GWR would operate a local service from Bristol Temple Meads to Pilning and to Newport. As Ashley Down station is now opened.
Nice video, Ill keep to my 4 tph lol.
Lol!
Shirley's Cafe is a local institution in Severn Beach.
I don't think I'll be adding Pilning to my bucket list just yet...
Lol!
Only G (& Cyber) would go for a 7 hour wait in weather that would worry Noah! 😆
Lol!
Mighty lucky that GWR didn’t cancel that second train… but perhaps something might have happened during the 7 day wait… like the grit box was collected and taken away.
G love you so much for the last few years ago
G is getting more gorgeous every week! ❤ So pretty!
@simOtrains is smitten with her
Where’s your great big umbrella?
You need to carry some of those disposable rain ponchos in your kit….
Glad that you stopped for coffee and chips!
I come from the next town up from Penzance called Helston.
Did I see a CrossCountry 221 passing through? Great video G. Technically, it's the M49 that you crossed, but the crossing is near the junction of the M49 and the M4
Ah thanks!
Are the Cardiff - West Country 800's under electric power on leaving Cardiff? If so, where do they lower pan and change to diesel?
I believe they switch modes at Patchway, as the electrification continues to the curve of track towards Bristol Parkway/London Paddington but not through to Filton Abbey Wood/Bristol Temple Meads
Did it used to have a proper service within living memory?
British Transport Films made a film about the engines which used to pump the water out of the Devern Tunnel. It’s called ‘Under the River’, and is quite interesting.
07:17 Pilnin with no G (for those who remember Steve Wright's Serious Jockin') - or did G take the G with her?
Is the chap at 11:43 waiting for the next train? Oh dear........
Even though it was Pilning down (joke) it was good to have Cyber for company. Nice vlog.
Indeed it was, thanks!
Great video G and cyber for doing the best day out in piling and it is my favourite railway station heading towards Bristol via ashley down
Thanks 😀
7 hours ?!
As a backpacker, I'd have walked back to Newport and got there before you 😉
Different perspectives... 😊
It's the same attitude in central London - if there's any kind of delay on the underground it's often quicker to walk ...and you learn to find your way about, seeing different sights and sounds whilst you're at it.
That wait is just as bad as all the stations on the Ballybrophy (on the Dublin- Cork line) to Limerick line. There’s only two trains a day in each direction (and no trains on Sundays) with an average wait of over 8 to 10 hours. Also, all the stations are basically unstaffed apart from the signal people handing the driver the token to proceed (it’s one of the last lines to have semaphore signals in Ireland). Great video as always
That means the Waterford to Limerick Junction has been modernised? On the one hand a bit sad to see this bit of railway history disappear, but then again, it would be on the chopping block for as long as it was so antiquated, this might help to preserve it...
Interesting! Thanks a lot 😀
@@barvdw I think the line still uses semaphore signals for now but the government is planning to invest billions of euros over the next few decades in both the Republic and Northern Ireland
Gads, that was more of a Wading shelter than a Waiting shelter.
We're you the two punters per week the station gets? Did you see anybody else get off or on??
Great video as always G. Shame about the weather! What type of camera do you use?
DJI pocket osmo 3 👍
great vlog, saves me having to visit such a dodgy station
Thanks!
Hey @GLovesTrains do you like Summer?
You're mental 😮😂
Two trains a week, and in the same direction? How do you get home?
Watch the video and you’ll see how they do it at the end 😂
You should have bought your Umbrella G 😊
Showing real commitment & perseverance. Btw, G, have you ever spent time on those trains with the rock-hard seats (are they Hitachi Avanti 805/7 ??) Not tried, but wondered what your take on them would be
Thanks, and yes I do like hard seats me 😀
@@GLovesTrains well you seem to get off at the stop after you get on, usually 🙂
2 trains a week? Strange Geoff Marshall haven’t featured this in his least used stations series… and no trains at all FROM this station?
Oh of course you can get on too… but weird with just 2 trains a week. Why bother with them at all 🤔
He has been there, the video was released in September 23; it's still the most recent Least Used Station video
Thanks. Must have missed it
"..I'm about to go get myself off to a dodgy station"
Whatever satisfies you I guess ;)
That was a chucklesome vlog with Cyber Trades 😂
I think I prefer Pilning waiting shelter without the paddling pool
Indeed thanks to be honest!
Can you give me an idea of the price for a ticket best regards Scott 🙏
Just over a tenner 👍
I thought you meant Avonmouth
"I'm about to go get meself off..."
What would have happened if the return train was cancelled 🙈
Woulda been there a week 😂
@neiltaylor6645 it did happened, they cancelled the train in the early hours of Saturday Morning, but during the day it was reinstated, but usually if that does happen, one of the trains that pass through would make an additional stop to serve Pilning, usually around 4pm
Why was there a Voyager passing at 10:55?
Not sure but they were running from Newport that day 😆
Great Vlog, very entertaining. People aren't wearing enough hats - especially in bad weather!
coincidental, like 777 for 7 hours at Pilning....
Did you know that Squishy Boobies in Latin is Sqiushus Boobius?
(That might or might not be true)
Lol!
No Pub ?
Nice of you to let Cyber talk to your hairy Muff 😂 V interesting video as usual cheers to you and Cyber!
Haha he was quick to grab my muff 😂
What community/business does Pilning serve, to not justify a Patchway style bridge over the electric infrastructure and the retention of a second platform and stopping trains weekly in both directions?
The algorithm brought me here, but your great humour and style will bring this new subscriber back.
Thanks glad you enjoyed 😀