Reorte

^ Groan button back now!

Yes, a bit more space on them now, and I've noticed a lot of doubled up 185s on the Hope Valley line (presumably freed up from Manchester-Scotland). Not been on one that way for quite a while but the single 185 could get pretty heaving, so I imagine it's considerably less packed on those now even without the Covid factor. The 185s though (as I think I mentioned earlier) were when I started thinking "these seats are a bit hard", and I don't like travelling any distance on trains with 1/3 2/3 door spacing, so I'm not that keen on them.

To be fair to the Voyagers they wouldn't ever have been so bad if they weren't undersized for most of the routes they were used on (almost right from the start). They're not bad as far as modern trains go, just not big enough. Smells notwithstanding. Could do worse on size too - as was found out when Manchester - Edinburgh went to 185s (they were doubled up at Manchester and split at Preston but the majority of passengers were for Edinburgh).

I'm crossing my fingers that that's the result of a huge number of additional tests being done picking up more rather than cases really not dropping. That the number of tests has risen by 70% and detected cases hasn't increased is quite reassuring really.

Hopefully it's just because we were one of the first out of the blocks. Look how rapidly it's got going in the UK. But a lot of the preparation for that was somewhat out of sight of most people. With the UK and a few other countries out in the lead now that preparation elsewhere is suddenly getting a lot more attention, but fingers crossed that that's just because it's a little behind rather than fundamentally flawed.

These are probably the first trains I can remember thinking "new" when first seeing them that are now being scrapped (although there are others that are also going that weren't around when I was small, but I wasn't really paying any attention then).

I was given a heated propagator for my birthday last year, so have used it for the first time this year. I've been astounded how quickly the cucumbers and tomatoes have germinated and shot up, and I've got the chillies and peppers going too - I've always started them too late before.

Better to subsidise charging networks (including home charging) than the cars.

Quite, as the old saying goes "you make your own luck." Oxford turned out well but others were being backed, knowing that some were likely to fail.

My bedroom is so full of stuff at the moment (decorating another room, so it's all piled up in there) that when the cat darts in just before I go to bed it's impossible to get her out again - too many places to hide out of my way. So I gave up and went to sleep, only just as I was nodding off I got woken up when the cat somehow managed to turn the radio on.

It gets a bit more complicated when you start vaccinating groups at low risk from Covid, although even then I'd guess that the risk from Covid is still considerably higher.

I'm perhaps a bit sensitive on this because there are various subjects I know I'll be utterly at odds with a large proportion of this forum myself, and elsewhere I've been called a troll for not agreeing with the common line. Yes, it seems like political opinion swaying what's interpreted as relevant fact but that's a very common human trait, and people are often pretty poor at recognising a fact is worthless without subjective opinion (even though I personally think this goes well beyond that)., but that's people for you.

We should be careful in labelling people trolls, since that means someone deliberately out to get a rise. Whilst I disagree very strongly with his assessment of the situation I see no reason to assume trolling.

The name sounds familiar - is he the one who appears on More or Less quite often?

It goes well beyond what I'd reasonably label as prudent caution.

Not yet. I'm not in a group where the risk from Covid is high enough to worry me in the slightest (personally, rather than the impact it could have on others) but by the same measures I'm not the slightest bit bothered about risk from the vaccine. The vaccine risk is at the "so low I couldn't care less" level, doesn't put me off the idea of getting an AZ jab as soon as it's offered to me, if that's the one I am offered (quite happy to have any of the approved ones). Worrying about very low risks has never impressed me.

All I can remember of Maxis is being a kid in shorts having to sit on the plastic seats of a Maxi that had been out in the sun all day.

Maybe the seat designers took a certain Monty Python sketch literally when deciding what are torture devices and what aren't...

I'm not keen on the 185 seats. They're OK for an hour or so but I've been Manchester to Edinburgh a few times on them and ended up a bit numb in the rear end. Maybe being 6'3" tall and 17 stone has something to do with it. The only Northern refurbs I've experienced are 150s (not the most comfortable things to begin with) and 156s, and have a pretty low opinion of them all. Only for short journeys thankfully, but the scrolling text displays that seem to flicked like mad when I'm not looking straight at them, PA announcements turned up to yelling at the top of your voice level, really piercing, screeching beeps when the doors open, and the very harsh, white plasticky appearance all add up to a significantly worse experience. I know some of those are now mandated but I can't help thinking they could've been implemented far better.

Crashworthiness and fire safety are of course serious issues but have older, more comfortable seats (and I'm not talking about going back decade after decade here - even as recently as trains like Voyagers and Pendolinos) got a poor track record there? Questioning anything other than the safest imaginable no matter other considerations is a touchy subject at the best of times, but did we have a problem that needed solving or improving? (assuming the best of both worlds isn't possible)

I'd rather take my chances quite honestly, at least on a long journey. Uncomfortable seating even with the best intentions is one of the things that pushes me towards "sod it, I'll drive."

I was very keen on F1 in my teens and Murray Walker's voice was therefore as much a part of that part of my life as anything else (and as much a part of the sound of F1 as the engines and The Chain). Very sad to hear this news. edit: and that video a few posts up has brought a tear to my eye.

It's got a signal box on it at least, that's something. But yes, it's not the most interesting-looking station. No reason not to make a model based on the layout but a completely different area, era (although it probably wouldn't work out as well for a non-MU time), or style though.

Whilst the current arrangements at Hazel Grove might be a bit awkward I've sometimes thought they might make for what could be a reasonably operationally interesting layout for a fairly simply track layout, particularly if anyone can come up with a good way of compressing it significantly.

Next station down the Buxton line is Middlewood, which is a bit of an oddball place (no road access), and quite a few don't stop. I think the next place a reversal is possible is Furness Vale, which is quite a stretch.