caradoc

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

Some I was involved in; Hay bales (the large circular ones used by farmers nowadays) rolled onto the track and struck by trains (twice); One piece of straw is not heavy but a tightly packed roll certainly is! Plane crashed onto the line; Reported in good faith but it turned out to be a model aircraft. Suspect aircraft parked next to the track with a Police instruction to shut the line; At Edinburgh Airport, such a plane was moved as far away from the terminal buildings as possible, which just happened to be next to the Haymarket/Dalmeny line, fortunately this was quickly resolved. Stolen transit van driven onto the track and struck by a Sleeper train (this happened to a colleague on his very first shift as the Controller responsible for the location) Passenger reported a body on the line in a tunnel; No Driver had seen such but the line had to be examined, of course nothing was found but heavy delay was caused.

The BBC article does say; Under the proposals, some ticket kiosks would remain in large stations, but elsewhere staff will be on concourses to sell tickets, offer travel advice and help people with accessibility. If this is really what happens, and booking office staff are redeployed rather than being made redundant, is this not a Good Thing, as they can be of more use to passengers outside instead of stuck in a locked ticket office? Not forgetting of course also that scores of stations have been without ticket offices, or indeed any staff at all, for decades, for example the three stations between Oxford and Didcot, and the three between Oxford and Banbury.

I was rather critical about the transfer of this loco when it occurred, but I must eat my words and say, well done to the NRM, the Swanage Railway, and of course those involved in the restoration for a magnificent job.

OTOH I remember many CRS codes, and not just those relating my railway work area! Plus, sadly, TOPS Stanox numbers too, eg GLC = 07257.

I agree, but it can bring its own problems; I did German A-level more than 40 years ago, so on my last visit to Germany, checking in to our hotel in Berlin, I introduced ourselves to the receptionist in German, only for her reply to be way beyond my limited comprehension! So we resorted to English..... And the point regarding which foreign language(s) should us Brits learn is well made; I did French, as well as German, A-levels, but neither was any use when visiting Spain, Italy, Denmark, (parts of) Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

It was huge (and fast)!

C8966 brings back an unhappy memory.... Cycling down the road on the other side of the car scrapyard, en route to Mossend TOPS Office for a night shift, its guard dog appeared from nowhere and chased after me. Despite my best (and desperate) efforts it managed to nip the back of my heel. Unfortunately this was before the days of injurylawyers4U and their like. But apart from that, many thanks again for the photos David!

During August 1977 myself and two friends did an East Midlands Railrover, and one morning, on a DMU from Lincoln to Sheffield, we were surprised to pass a Class 37 double-headed iron ore train at the River Trent Bridge at Gainsborough. Could this, and the train in C3449, just be Scunthorpe/Immingham trains diverted the long way round via Doncaster and Brigg for some reason, eg a blockage between Scunthorpe and Barnetby?

Indeed, on a two-hourly basis to Glasgow, as per the previous GNER service. GNER/East Coast Trains/LNER etc retained one per day to Glasgow, since Covid only a handful of Cross Country trains now serve Glasgow. However, back to the OP.... Glasgow cannot by any means be classed as an 'obscure location'!

IIRC a GSM-R Emergency Call will be received by all trains in the relevant base station ('cell'?) area, the controlling signaller, plus the Network Rail Control. GSM-R was a huge advance over NRN, which was received by Control only, because as well as the instant transmission to multiple parties it allows Control to start responding to an incident even while the Driver is still talking to the Signaller.

The carriage was filling with what the passengers believed was smoke and they could not evacuate to the platform because the train was only partly on it and therefore the doors were not opened. So what were they supposed to do?

I cannot see how that makes the slightest difference; A safe method of crossing the railway on the level, in the absence of an alternative route, has been provided for whoever needs to use it. Nobody is 'left to fend for themselves'.

In what way are the railway's customers being left to 'fend for themselves' at Farnborough North? In the report which you yourself linked at the start of this discussion it is detailed that at this crossing Network Rail have provided lockable gates, miniature warning lights and even an attendant.

IIRC at Motherwell only the Hamilton Circle platforms, 3 and 4 were wired, 1 and 2 (again!) not being done until the WCML.

True, and there was good reason for that; The early morning Glasgow-Manchester Airport regularly appeared in the shame list of Britain's most overcrowded trains, not from Glasgow, Motherwell or even Lockerbie, but due to Lancashire to Manchester commuters. A good example of how one train can end up serving multiple different travel needs.

Was it not the first Mark 2d stock that had internal handles, as you say very quickly removed and discontinued from future stock after incidents?

14 TPE services on the Manchester Airport/Scotland corridor are booked to stop at Bolton today. (Posted simultaneously with Woodenhead)

One of the table-toppers I attended was held at Berwick on Tweed, the scenario being that a collision/derailment had occurred at Marshall Meadows, right on the ECML England/Scotland border. Part of the reason for choosing that location was to test how the different English and Scottish agencies, responsibilities and indeed legal systems would work together, and who would have supremacy. I do recall being impressed by the number and status of attendees, which included helicopter pilots in their flying gear!

Certainly for the initial 1500v DC electrification only Platforms 11-18 at Liverpool Street were wired, but I would have thought that after the conversion to AC, and the Enfield/Chingford/Hertford/Bishops Stortford scheme in the early 60s, definitely most, if not possibly all, platforms were wired?

Indeed, and heading west out of Waverley only the two outer lines through the Mound Tunnels were wired, and only the Haymarket South Tunnel. Now everything is wired. (Of course, one day an electrically hauled train was signalled via the Mound centre tunnel, resulting in much disruption and delay).

I agree, but NR have I think tried to explain that while the bridge was known to be an issue and was being monitored, it deteriorated far more quickly than expected; How many people read that, and believe it, is another thing of course! Which would be possible of course, but the trains would not then be able to call at Oxford, Banbury, Leamington, Coventry and Birmingham International, and would reduce the resources, stock and crews, available to work the amended service which is operating, from Oxford northwards.

Replacing the bridge would have required an extended line closure, which if the bridge was fit for traffic, even with a speed restriction, and thought to be in no danger of collapse, would be difficult if not impossible to justify. Clearly events have overtaken NR. Yes indeed.

Strathspey Railway yesterday (Friday 7th April), plans for several more railways now the weather is better and trains are running, including my annual visit to Didcot (to see a lot more than just steam engines).

A couple of questions regarding the interesting Railway Times series; Will it continue in chronological order, ie next issue 1949, then 1950 and so on? Will it carry on right through to the 1970s, which is when (thanks to being born in 1959!) my railway interest really started? Thanks.