Andrea506

If they really wanted people to travel by rail instead of driving this sort of stupidity just wouldn't happen, just saying........

Meld was a filly while the other racehorses were stallions I believe. I reckon all the regiments would have been male, so just D9003 was a girl.............

The island was very busy with holidaymakers while I was there, the buses were full and the one train running was "standing room only" when I used it. I would say things are more or less back to normal now so why not run a second train during the day? Or is the long term plan to make the railway so unattractive that it can be closed altogether in a few years time?

Yes I can see your point but that doesn't account for the poor service on the rest of the line.

I'm just back from a holiday on the Isle of Wight. I can't help thinking that after all the money that was spent on improvements to the electric railway, the service is no better if not worse than previously. In August at the peak of the holiday season the train service during the day is just hourly and several terminate at Ryde Esplanade leaving two hour gaps in service at the Pier Head. They were running just one 2 coach train which was rammed full when I used it to get to the steam railway, while three train sets were idle in the sidings. I mentioned this in the hotel where I stayed and their opinion of the Island Line was "rubbish". Meanwhile Southern Vectis run four buses per hour between Ryde and Shanklin, which while slower at least I could sit down, and use a rover ticket valid all around the island (except on the trains!).

Sunblest Bread, that's a "blast from the past"!

We had that newspaper cutting on the noticeboard at work with a speech bubble coming from the cab, "Are we saying owt Bobby?"

Interesting thoughts. I've always felt, maybe unfairly, that the Ruddington operation was a bit of a "cowboy" outfit, certainly nothing like as well run as the GC. One particular gripe I had was their criminal neglect of one of the earliest Nottingham Atlantean buses which was just left outside to rot until it was saved by another group. I guess time will tell about the future.

Thank you for the information guys. The A60 bridge sounds quite serious because the gypsum trains for Rushcliffe use it, if it gets condemned that would stop the freight flow and the resultant revenue.

Right, I do think it odd though that they are apparently not open at all on an August Bank Holiday.

While looking at possible trips out on Bank Holiday Monday I had a look at their website to see if there was an event I could combine with walking around the nature reserve. They don't appear to be open on the bank holiday and all future events show "no trains running". Have I missed something? Are they in serious trouble?

When I was little my Dad used to take me and my brother to Nottingham Victoria to see the trains, we would stay until the "green diesel" came through! This picture reminds me so much of those days, I can barely believe it's over half a century ago and that beautiful station is now a shopping centre! Thank you for the memories.

That's the old Yard box which controlled the power signalling from Stoke to past Barkston before Doncaster Power Box opened. Pictured after closure, note the missing nameboard.

How times have moved on, 3d in old money! About 1 1/2p in todays currency, and yes, I am old enough to remember using Pounds, Shillings and Pence.......

That looks like a new bridge, presumably the original was in poor condition and had to be replaced.