A tale of three train companies.

Tickets that say "only valid in your reserved" are great until you get to the station and see the sign that says "no reserved seats on this train".

The 17:55 from Chippenham to Paddington was shown as being 5 minutes late when we arrived on the platform, but this slipped and we left about 10 late in the end. Friday evening isn't the busiest of times on the "125", but I was struck that there were just the three of us - Lisa, myself and one other chap - in the whole coach, a much lower loading level that I have seen even recently on the TransWilts.

Our conductor was cheerful over the intercom, assuring us after Swindon that we would make up time and be in Paddington on schedule, but further delays outside Reading and on the approach to Airport Junction held us back, and we were 17 minutes late into Paddington.

An hour to transfer to King's Cross had become 40 minutes, and "minor delays" on the Circle and Hammersmith and City lines meant that it was touch and go as to whether or not we would catch the Ely train - but with the help of a District line train and a sardine can onwards from Edgware Road, we made the conection with enough time to grab a sandwitch before we boarded the King's Lynn service.

First Capital Connect - left on time.  Uneventful journey. and into Ely within a minute or two of schedule.  Busy, brightly lit station, clean train, healthy number of passengers.  Modern electric unit.  Is this really the same company and world as the one who we were on from Chippenham?