caradoc

ISTR that as well as the electrical equipment issue, there have been problems when flood water has affected the wheel bearings of certain train types (Pendolinos?)

What a complete and utter waste of money; This nonsense needs to be highlighted every time someone complains about the cost of HS2. Indeed, and I wonder whether the ease of changing between lines has been taken into account; Old Oak Common, with HS2 and the Elizabeth line at more similar levels, will be easier and faster than descending into the depths at Euston to access the tube.

Only when it went over the computer keyboard!

One of Network Rail Control's many responsibilities is advising the environmental authority (SEPA in Scotland) of any relevant incidents, although the majority of mine were hydraulic fluid leaks from tampers; Don't think I ever had to report milk pollution!

And at our former workplace of Reading B.O. a guy one day wanted to go to Tavistock; He was aghast at how long it would take (including a bus from Plymouth) and the fare; It turned out he actually wanted Tavistock Place in London!

But, especially since the advent of low-cost airlines, how many people actually want to go from Liverpool to Harwich - Precious few I would think!

Harwich/Manchester (formerly Liverpool but cut back by BR) was a one train a day each way service; Today there is an hourly through service between Liverpool and Norwich!

Thanks again for your fascinating trip reports and photos Johann. The Finland section reminds me of my one and only trip, with two friends on our BR passes to that country in September 1985. We travelled north through Sweden to the border at Tornio (where I saved some Americans from missing their VR connection, they not having realised there was an hour's time difference), and on to Oulu where we stayed overnight. The next day we took the inland route to Helsinki, which was long but scenic (if you like forests and lakes), and we stopped at Ravintola which I could not find on the map; Then the next stop was also Ravintola ! As I now know that word means restaurant. We stayed in the Helsinki Youth Hostel, which was in the Olympic Stadium; Built for the 1940 event which of course did not happen, the Olympics were eventually held there in 1952. Helsinki is also the only place I have eaten reindeer. We travelled on to Turku, stayed there overnight, and returned to Sweden by ferry. Locos travelled behind on our trip were; 2501+2634, 2317, 3012, 2568+2743, 2759+2543. All in all a great holiday!

However Labour were in power for 13 years before that! Presumably (surely) the 30 years lifespan of this stuff was not known when it was installed?

Thanks for the advice @Halvarras, 807 was the only Warship I saw working in BR days!

Indeed, one has to wonder why a larger fleet of IETs was not ordered, giving simplification of staff training, maintenance, deployment, and operational flexibility. But the elephant in the room is surely the locos; Once TPE have finished with them, DRS will be able to utilise the Class 68s for their own operations; Lovely new coaches without any locos to pull (and push) them are no use to anyone!

Is it not recommended that occupants leave their vehicle even if parked on the hard shoulder, as there have been fatal accidents in such circumstances? Although I do agree that the principal of smart motorways is inherently flawed.

Why could bi-modes not change between electric and diesel at Hindley or Ince, depending on stopping pattern?

We also used to have a railway on which fatal crashes were an annual occurrence; While it is still one too many, there has been one such accident in the last 16 years. I know which version I prefer.

Possibly not by air, given the issues yesterday, today and ongoing...... But your point about the disruption caused by the incident is entirely valid of course.

Not necessarily regionally neutral, but a diesel stabling point based on Ranelagh Bridge or Kings Cross would make an interesting model, depending whether you prefer the WR or the ECML!

Interesting, thanks Steve. I might have to take a trip to Carstairs (not something I thought I would ever say) to have a look.

It's fortunate none of your Westerns ever made it into Scotland, because one of our Power Controllers (sadly no longer with us) would have found a way of using it on Queen Street/Aberdeen services!

The usual location for that was Craigneuk, on the mostly freight-only section between Holytown and Wishaw, a less than salubrious area where the S&T sometimes requested the BT Police to assist them if a fault occurred! And when Gushetfaulds Freightliner Terminal still existed, trains from there also had to be given a clear road through the Newton area after theft incidents.

Yes, BR withdrew from the C&D (Collection and Delivery) parcels business then. From 1978 to 1980 I worked at Harlow Town, a station with two island platforms served by the main lines and Up and Down passenger loops. We were a PCD (Parcels Concentration Depot), ie where parcels were transferred from trains for delivery in the surrounding area by van. Our parcels, in Brutes, the BR trolleys, were unloaded while the train stood in the Up Loop. There was also however a short siding off the Up Loop, and a van (usually IIRC a GUV) was detached there each evening for the Royal Mail to load from their road vehicles, being attached to a later train.

I suspect that if such a seemingly simple means of reducing safety requirements really existed, WCR would have already gone for it.

I was a CO2 at Reading BO from October 1980 to March 1984, and as the GPR was occasionally despatched to cover Twyford BO, and even more occasionally Henley. Checking an old diary, I was at Twyford on Tuesday 30th December 1980, the first time I think I worked there, and at both Twyford and Henley on Friday 9th January 1981; Not only the first time I worked at Henley but my first trip over the branch! Presumably Henley BO was only staffed for a couple of hours in the morning, hence the split shift location.

I agree, even post-retirement I realised, via his Facebook posts, that one of my former colleagues was an enthusiast (to some degree), something I would never have guessed when working with him! It does indeed, and I have always believed that having an interest in the industry in which one works can only be beneficial, to both employer and employee. OTOH, I recall an episode of Pointless, some years ago, when two railway staff were asked by Alexander Armstrong if they were enthusiasts, and replied most emphatically no. I thought it sad to spend maybe 30 to 40 years of their lives doing something which was never more than just a job.

Maybe I have missed something, but why would NR be involved in ticket office closures? It is not AFAIK their responsibility!

Presumably cash would not be accepted for payment, which I accept would affect some passengers, albeit an increasingly small number.