Early train from Ealing Broadway to Cardiff - Question about arriving earlier at London Paddington

do you have the exact ticket in your hands now? If so what does it say on it? Upper left corner, centre, middle bottom?

Is it one ticket noting the time of your Cardiff train ("&Connections") or one actual ticket for each train?

Or do you just have collection number and an Itinerary?

One other point to check is whether the fare is stated to be GWR only.

I strongly suspect that your Advance ticket regulations will only affect the Paddington to Cardiff leg as that’s the only one that will involve seat reservations.

For example I frequently buy Advance tickets from my small Midlands town to various parts of the country, via Birmingham. And I’m always allowed to take an earlier train to Birmingham as long as I get the actual train I’m booked on for the major part of the journey.

I spent January in Ealing. Traveled a number of times to Paddington on the train. U can use your Oyster card for the 7 minute GWR train ride from Ealing Broadway to Paddington so don’t fret if you go earlier.

The ticket pertains to your jaunt from Paddington onward to Cardiff.

It is possible to buy an Advance from Ealing Broadway to Cardiff via Paddington for £15, as the OP has done, so no need to pay to Paddington separately. It is the cheapest available (outside of any special sale period).

All the trains running from Ealing Broadway to Paddington whether GWR or TFL Rail do not have guards. The journey is 10 minutes long, and at this time of the day packed with commuters. Although both Nigel and I have asked for details of the ticket and reservation to be absolutely sure of the situation, the ticket is unlikely to be examined in any case.

Incidentally Advance tickets are these days sometimes sold on trains with no reserved seating on a 'counted place' basis.

do you have the exact ticket in your hands now? If so what does it say
on it? Upper left corner, centre, middle bottom?

Is it one ticket noting the time of your Cardiff train
("&Connections") or one actual ticket for each train?

Or do you just have collection number and an Itinerary?

I will pick up the tickets from the ticket machine at Ealing Broadway this Wednesday, the day before I go to Cardiff. While I don't know for sure about what these tickets will look like, whenever I've changed trains on the GWR, it's been in Reading or Slough and in both, the ticket machine has printed separate orange tickets for each leg.

I strongly suspect that your Advance ticket regulations will only
affect the Paddington to Cardiff leg as that’s the only one that will
involve seat reservations.

For example I frequently buy Advance tickets from my small Midlands
town to various parts of the country, via Birmingham. And I’m always
allowed to take an earlier train to Birmingham as long as I get the
actual train I’m booked on for the major part of the journey.

That's good to know. Since the ride to Paddington will be quick, I don't know if the conductor will have time to examine all of the tickets. Of course, there may not be many who board at Ealing Broadway so it could be a fairly quick process to examine the tickets for those who board there.

It is possible to buy an Advance from Ealing Broadway to Cardiff via
Paddington for £15, as the OP has done, so no need to pay to
Paddington separately. It is the cheapest available (outside of any
special sale period).

All the trains running from Ealing Broadway to Paddington whether GWR
or TFL Rail do not have guards. The journey is 10 minutes long, and at
this time of the day packed with commuters. Although both Nigel and I
have asked for details of the ticket and reservation to be absolutely
sure of the situation, the ticket is unlikely to be examined in any
case.

Incidentally Advance tickets are these days sometimes sold on trains
with no reserved seating on a 'counted place' basis.

This is the first time I've had the chance to get on line today. As mentioned up top, I will pick up my tickets this Wednesday from the machine. Is not having the tickets on hand making it difficult to determine if I can take an early train into Paddington? I'd rather not use my Oyster card as the £15 covers the first leg between Ealing Broadway & Paddington although I appreciate knowing that.

As Marco has said, the trains from Ealing Broadway do not have guards and at that time will be packed with commuters. So, you could catch an earlier one of so desired. In the event that your commuter train is cancelled - highly unlikely - then you have the right to use a later GWR train to Cardiff at no penalty. (The next one will be at 9.15). You would also be likely to be able to claim compensation from GWR in which case - keep your tickets as proof of travel and do not put them into a ticket barrier machine. It is OK to put them through the barrier machine if all is going to schedule and the through ticket would reappear for onward travel on the express.

Today, your train to Cardiff departed from P5 - although the same platform cannot be guaranteed day to day so you will need to look at the screens. If you click the following link and put PAD in the location box - then click back through the hours, you will be able to find your train = 1B15. If you click on 1B15 you will be able to see how it progressed today to Cardiff.http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced

PS. If you don’t like your allocated seat, you can move to a seat that has no booking shown. Going west at that time, I find sitting on the right side to be best as that avoids having the sun in your eyes.

PPS. Not long after Bristol Parkway, you will go through a very long tunnel = the Severn Tunnel - under the estuary. When you emerge on the other side - you in Wales.

James, thank you. I always try to keep my tickets in case I need them during the trip and then I keep them as souvenirs post trip. I am glad that train delays are rare. Thank you for that link! It is easy to access on my iPhone.

May I assume I won't have to go through a turnstile at Paddington when changing trains?

Track assignments often change for the same daily train at Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station in NYC so I assume that could happen at Paddington. :-)

You will probably go through a gateline as you are likely to come in on the suburban side and need to move to the other side.

Thank you all for your help. I am now home. The printed tickets were 3 coupons: Ealing Broadway to Cardiff, Cardiff to Ealing Broadway and the receipt. I was able to take any train I wanted to Paddington and I got a seat.

glad it worked out...

Pleased to hear it all work out but I am curious....where you staying in Ealing?

I did in January and loved it.

Still missing morning coffee at Ginger and Moore, the spring rolls at Pho Saigon and Bella, the Black Lab, at The Haven Arms.

The Doubletree. One of my favorite Hilton properties.

By Ealing Common. Got it. Thanks.