Today I got caught up in this:

http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/co...owly-1-7647651

I arrived at Marylebone with 30 minutes in hand to catch
the 10.40 train to Birmingham. My destination was Banbury.
The information desk clerk said no trains were running at all
and that my ticket would be accepted at Paddington.

So I caught a Plymouth train and changed at Reading where a
Cross Country train, all four coaches of it, took me to Banbury.
I wasn't in any great hurry and I enjoyed the diversion.

The return journey with Chiltern Railways was held up at
Gerrards Cross and then outside Marylebone because with
only one track in use, a contra-flow arrangement was being
operated.

Despite the kerfuffle, I enjoyed the journeys although both
Chiltern and Cross Country need longer trains.

Robin9 wrote:

Today I got caught up in this:

http://tinyurl.com/jpo5lja

I arrived at Marylebone with 30 minutes in hand to catch
the 10.40 train to Birmingham. My destination was Banbury.
The information desk clerk said no trains were running at all
and that my ticket would be accepted at Paddington.

So I caught a Plymouth train and changed at Reading where a
Cross Country train, all four coaches of it, took me to Banbury.
I wasn't in any great hurry and I enjoyed the diversion.

The return journey with Chiltern Railways was held up at
Gerrards Cross and then outside Marylebone because with
only one track in use, a contra-flow arrangement was being
operated.

Despite the kerfuffle, I enjoyed the journeys although both
Chiltern and Cross Country need longer trains.

This is the offending broken rail:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cvrw5nFX...jpg&name=large

On Wednesday, 26 October 2016 21:37:08 UTC+1, Robin9 wrote:

Despite the kerfuffle, I enjoyed the journeys although both
Chiltern and Cross Country need longer trains.

I've always wanted to take a Metropolitan Line replacement bus for the Bucks end of the line, say North Harrow to Chesham. I bet that that is really enjoyable!

Offramp wrote:
On Wednesday, 26 October 2016 21:37:08 UTC+1, Robin9 wrote:

Despite the kerfuffle, I enjoyed the journeys although both
Chiltern and Cross Country need longer trains.

I've always wanted to take a Metropolitan Line replacement bus for the
Bucks end of the line, say North Harrow to Chesham. I bet that that is really enjoyable!

Another option is to take the number 730 Carousel bus from Chesham to
Uxbridge, via Amersham, Gerrards Cross (yes, over the Tesco tunnel) and
Denham. It's a remarkably rural ride between two LU stations. Bus passes
are valid, but Oyster cards are not. Needless to say, the rural bus service
is much less frequent than the trains.