On Jul 5, 8:23*pm, Tony Polson wrote:
wrote:
In article ,
(Tony Polson) wrote:

"Lawrie" wrote:

I have often had to help an elderley relative on and off the train at
Reading and I ask at the barrier and am given a laminated permit to go
on the platform for a temporary period which I then hand back when I
leave the platform. *I do show my priv card, whether that makes a
difference I don't know.

They aren't usually given out at Reading for people who want to
watch/photograph trains, only for people who have a demonstrable need to
meet/greet or see off a relative/friend.

No vouchers at Cambridge but I've had no problem accessing the platforms
for watching/photographing trains as well as for helping a departing
relative.

It's a particular problem at Reading. *Gone are the days when you would
see trainspotters on the platform ends. *Nowadays, the only spotters or
Photographers you see are people who are starting or ending their
journeys at Reading, or changing trains.

I used to enjoy whiling away an hour or two at Reading station, having a
coffee or a drink from the bar or even a burger and chips from Casey
Jones on Platform 4 (if I recall correctly). *Now the station is about
as easy to get into as Fort Knox, and it is staffed by the unusually
hostile and ignorant knuckle-dragging Neanderthals that First Great
Western seem to employ in so many key positions ...

You could pay a quid for a ticket to Reading West, of course.

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org