Clay Country

A few shots from the final day at Truro.

The Major government wanted to introduce market forces and competition into the railway - judging by the lack of reform, the current government is clearly happy to continue with that. The trouble is that franchising is short term and doesn't incentivise TOCs to invest in recruiting and training drivers (at significant cost). As a result of this race to the bottom, drivers are in short supply and the most cost effective option for TOCs is simply to poach drivers from their peers. Labour shortages in sectors requiring skilled people inevitably drive up wages. The unions are just doing their job, protecting the interests of their members. If you have skills and they are in demand what's the problem with seeking the highest price you can? Don't be angry with train drivers, be angry with a system that disincentivises investment in training and the government that sustains this wasteful situation.

The October issue of Today's Railways Europe, which is on sale on Monday, will have an article on railways around Klaipeda.

Truro - Falmouth when the branch still had direct Paddington trains.

I did the San Francisco - San Jose - Oakland - San Francisco circuit a few years ago. Unless you're determined to do the whole loop by rail I'd recommend taking the ferry instead of BART for the Oakland - San Francisco leg - you get great views of ships in the port of Oakland and across to San Francisco. The street running through Jack London Square in Oakland is a definite highlight and it's worth pausing there if you have time.

GWR Class 158 arriving at Redruth.

It certainly looks balmy for a winter shot but there was a brisk and chilly wind blowing in off the Atlantic. I was glad to get moving again after waiting for the shot!

150243 at Porthkidney Sands working the St Ives branch shuttle on 18 December.

These were scrapped a few years ago.

On the Kernow website it says the SPTE orange version will only proceed if there are enough orders, likewise the Silverlink 321, so it doesn't appear to be definite that these are going ahead yet. Fingers crossed they do as I'm sure a lot of people buying an orange 320 will also want an orange 314.

My Canadian modelling has taken a back seat as I'm focusing on a British project. I no longer travel to North America for work, so lack of contact with the prototype and fewer opportunities to shop (as well as the cost of shipping if I buy anything online) have put me off a little. But I know that the models I've accumulated would be difficult to replace so I'm holding on to them for a future CN project.

Cutting of 60006 underway at Toton: https://flic.kr/p/2ihwQ2y

There was a thread about it on Railforums a while back, which might yield a few clues. https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/finnish-broad-gauge-steam-in-britain.58984/

91108 speeds north at Frinkley Lane, Marston, north of Grantham on May 14.

I wonder if Virgin is pursuing this in the belief that the Williams Review is going to prompt a major shake-up of the franchising system with greater competition on key inter-city routes. Perhaps they see a future where the Not Primarily Abstractive test is less of a hindrance to open-access inter-city operators.