The final couple of days - Med to Melksham.  Most pictures should be recognisable, though one (or 4!) is a "stuving special" 

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.

 
9.  Chippenham. 

 
It's like that all along all both in-use platforms, and at least some of the unused one, and has been for a few weeks now - lots more warnings about standing behind the yellow line due to the reduced platform width. Anyone know how long the work is scheduled to take?

And 2 is Melksham, obviously

 

The station adoption group were told they probably would not have access to their noticeboard behind the scaffolding until the end of February.

 

We - thank goodness, being dressed in clothes for a warmer clime, were able to access the waiting room at the London end of the platform and await our connection there, then keep warm for just under 20 minutes more on the train to Melksham (had to wait for the single line).   Cold walk home through the town;  I did check "myTrip" to see if there was a bus nearby  - there was, but it was already past the top of station approach ...

 
1: Paris Gare de Lyon (the "mezzanine area").

And a return trip timed to just miss the shiny new TGV-M: first runs in service today.

 
6. Paddington ex-Metropolitan / Hammersmith & City / Circle (new-fangled spiral) line westbound platform, looking towards the magnificent mainline trainshed.

 

Yes: that fruit was hanging too low, even for me. 

 
All correct so far

1. Paris, Gare de Lyon - stuving
2. Melksham - JohnM
6. London, Paddington - PrestburyRoad
9. Chippenham - Chris from Nailsea

I am speculating to myself that No. 4 will be the last to be identified and if anyone (including those who have answered already) fancy the challenged of proving me wrong, please go ahead 

 
7 is the buffet/cafe on the Eurostar

 

You were spot on ... until the last word.  Buffet car, yes (what a lovely idea!), not Eurostar - nor on the Underground, GWR from Paddington or on the Melksham Flyer!

 
According to the glimpse of signage, that is SNCF's "Le Bistro inOui" menu. There was a lot of media a year ago about this being new for the TGV-M, but it had actually been introduced well before even then. What's new on the new trains is mainly the cook-it-yourself feature.

 

Correctly places on the InOui - which we took into Paris Gare de Lyon already identified. 

 


I reckon I know the location of 4.  However, to give Coffee Shop member stuving the opportunity to answer (and I have yet to see him at loss for the answer, to anything! ), I shall hold back from posting here for the time being.  I just don't want grahame's theory to be proved right.

CfN. 

 
3.  Eurostar train, terminus - has to be Paris, Gare du Nord.

 
No, on you go Chris, it's what the quiz is about. I shall just say that 8. is the Eurostar's other end, at St Pancras International. And since I now know 5 as well, 3 might easily be the last one guessed!

 

Thanks, stuving 

But are you suggesting that my previous identification of 3 as Paris, Gare du Nord was wrong?

CfN.

 
1. Paris, Gare de Lyon - stuving
2. Melksham - JohnM
3. Paris, Gare du Nord - Chris from Nailsea
6. London, Paddington - PrestburyRoad
7. InOui buffet car - stuving
8. London, St Pancras - stuving
9. Chippenham - Chris from Nailsea

Which leaves

4.


5.


No. 4 HAS been identified in personal message to me and no. 5 remains unidentified at all; both are phyically distant from home.

 
5. Gare de Nimes

 

Not at all - I meant 5 (very similar late at night) which Bob_Blakey has now done.

 
Thanks, stuving. 

4. Gare du Grau-du-Roi, Gard, Occitanie, France.

Noting grahame's confirmation that he and Lisa were 'on the InOui' and knowing that they were travelling from the south of France towards Paris, I did a bit of my 'digging' on the internet.

The Gare du Grau-du-Roi is the southern terminus of the Saint-Césaire to Le Grau-du-Roi railway line.

CfN.

 
All now identified correctly ... in journey order

4. Gare du Grau-du-Roi, Gard, Occitanie, France -
5. Gare de Nimes - Bob_Blakey
7. InOui buffet car - stuving
1. Paris, Gare de Lyon - stuving
3. Paris, Gare du Nord - Chris from Nailsea
8. London, St Pancras - stuving
6. London, Paddington - PrestburyRoad
9. Chippenham - Chris from Nailsea
2. Melksham - JohnM

Grau-du-Roi has just 2 arrivals (and three departures!) per day - and I chose 9 minutes rather than 8 hours there. Never the less, there were 4 or 5 bus bays outside, and several buses called, dropping off and picking up in our short turn around.  As at so many stations, there were clear signs of past, much more substantial infracturure onto which model(ised) facilities had been overlaid.

In Nimes, the four platforms (A, B, C and E) seemed to struggle with both the number of trains, and the number of passengers waiting on A and C on quite a narrow platform for both the regional trains that passed or terminated ahead of the slightly delayed Paris express.  We were also reminded of the difference between the provision of a lift, and the provision of a working lift. 

The InOui service to Paris had a buffet car just 2 up from us, with a good selection.  No need to wait for and hope that a trolley with limited selection would come through.   When a single traveller on an unreserved train making frequent stops, the trolley has to be my preference.  Otherwise, buffet is so much more friendly to this customer.

We chose to take a taxi to cross Paris.  Time was limited, and Lisa's mobility is not Metro Station Friendly; with plenty of time, finding, getting tickets for and travelling on the 91 bus would have been the choice.  As it was,  taxi turned out perfect once we found the rank at Gare de Lyon, which was not well signposted from the platform we arrived on.

Paris Gare du Nord was ... a zoo.  We arrived at the allotted time and took around 40 minutes to get to the departure area, and because of Lisa's aid we were fast tracked too.   The security scanners seemed to be the biggest hold up and there were some elements that appeared not to be working well - a hallway jammed with people and stuff getting stuck in the machines.  We were in the rear of the train, but they would not let us use the escalator and insisted we go to the forward access and then double back along the platform.

At St Pancras, again directed around to the lift off International.   Long walkies and mutliple lifts down to the Hammersmith and City line, and a train came in for Hammersmith just as we got onto the platform.  Just managed to fold "Henry" before the doors shut, and big "Thank you" to the young lady who gave up her seat for Lisa (and her neighbour who offered hers to me). It may surprise readers, but England and France are so much more helpful within the travelling passenger community than is the case in Portugal and Spain.  Again, sample size too small to be significant.

Paddington - easy enough; sushi / Chinese on the lawn and once again staff (till staff, barrier staff and train manager) going out of their way to offer help.  Likewise help at Chippenham.   Melksham unstaffed, of course!

We ended the day having covered 6 kms around transfers and station, and with the walk / ride home from Melksham Station. Unlike at Grau-du-Roi, buses at Melksham do not connect with the trains either in location of time dimensions; a ride from the station would have been welcome but wasn't easily available (sure, we could have used taxi, Uber or friend) and as usual there was someone off the train waiting for a lift and looking isolated.

Good day - 09:30 from Nimes, 19:40 at our front door.