Liam

The scenery looks spot on for Abbotswood Phil, now that I’m used to traversing it on journeys to and from Devon. Now about adding some birdsong... 😀

Cracking mix of motive power Phil, I do hope they’ll be given plenty of chances to stretch their legs on Mk2!  

On 04/09/2022 at 12:35, big jim said:

I’ve been receiving regular emails from Les Kent at Haslington models with a link saying ‘have a look at these pics, you may remember some of the guys’ or words to that effect 

 

Pretty sure it’s dodgy unless he’s trying to scam me from beyond the grave as he died Last year, might get Derek Acorah to have a word with him (assuming Derek went up not down!) 

 

 

Going off topic for a minute, very sorry to hear Les passed away; my dad and I made a few trips to see him in his shop, often while en route to or from Scotland. Various additions to my rolling stock came from him. A lovely man who both of us will miss. 

2 hours ago, ejstubbs said:

 

Actually that's about the only reason I can think of for doing anything other than simply putting the phone down on these people: that you might be able to monetise your 'public service' by putting it on YouTube.

 

Then again, we pretty much never get any such calls because our phone automatically intercepts calls from numbers not in its contacts list and routes them to an automated 'secretary' who asks the caller who they are, then keeps them on hold while it calls us to ask if we want to speak to that person.  That immediately puts a stop to scammers (because their auto-diallers immediately disconnect the call if they detect a machine at the other end) and we've never missed a genuine call from a number we weren't familiar with.

The man who runs that doesn’t just do videos of wasting the time of phone scammers; he also uploads clips of classic radio comedy. 
 

But actually I do consider it a public service, for any time of theirs which I or anyone else is wasting is time when they cannot be phoning someone who is much more vulnerable and possibly likely to carry out the payment they request. 

If you’re like me and enjoy a good chuckle at wasting the time of phone scammers, I can recommend this chap on YouTube. He has several aliases which he uses in scam calls, one of which is The Major, unsurprisingly a retired army major who finds it very easy to drift off and have memories of comical stories from his military career relayed to him during calls... 

 

 

3 hours ago, dibber25 said:

I wasn't suggesting that the train shouldn't have stopped and I certainly did not relate the stopping in any way to what might have happened to the black soldier. I was merely criticising the manner in which it appears to stop with a juddering halt like a sports car, which, if it had been for real, would certainly have run the child down. My criticism is that it re-inforces the (apparently widely-held) misconception that trains can stop on a sixpence. (CJL)

Understood, and I wasn’t under the impression that you were making that relation; my view is that the danger of what could have happened to Abe fuelled the desperation to stop the train. 
 

Reassuringly, the actor who plays Thomas doesn’t actually seem to stand in front of a moving train - from the lighting I could tell that they did two shots (one with the actor, one with the train) and edited them together.
 

I agree about the danger of reinforcing that misconception. Another railway related misconception came in lockdown when people assumed that there were no trains running and so posed for photos in very dangerous settings. It shouldn’t take Network Rail to issue a reminder saying to people that the railway was still fully operational regardless of what legislation was being imposed on citizens.

1 hour ago, Mallard60022 said:

So sad that 'Perks' will not be able to take part in the celebration of this new release.

RIP Bernard.

P

Very sad - it was less than 24 hours ago was I chatting about him to colleagues and a general consensus that he was a legend was agreed. The film has been out for nearly two weeks though, so he may have just been able to see it. 

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

Waste in wartime - and for years afterwards was simply unthinkable and any child who did something like that would have got a darned good hiding from even the most mild mannered parents - and be forced to miss out some meals.  Utterly ridiculous.

 

As for stopping a train by standing in the four foot what we used to do with anyone who did that was send for a Doctor to get them carted off to an appropriate place unless they were clearly suicidal in which case they were taken to somewhere where a second Doctor's certificate wouldn't be immediately sought.  In simple terms if you pop into the four foot to stop a moving train the main thing which is going to suffer is you and regrettably I have had to pick up the pieces of some who tried it.  Showing that in a film is downriught stupid.

 

With thinsg like this I'm beginning to wonder whether it would be a waste of a free cinema ticket going to watch

Agree about the waste of ingredients, and Bobbie does illustrate her anger about it, but Annie was taking part in the mess too. The whole scene though is overshadowed by the arrival of a telegram, which massively changes Annie’s attitude as she then asks for all the kids to make themselves scarce. 

15 minutes ago, dibber25 said:

Minor nitpick - there's some throwing about of flour in the kitchen. This is common in almost every Hallmark movie involving kids and seems to be something which American audiences must like. In England, facing the hardships of war, such waste would surely have been unthinkable.

I’m not sure it’s done to appease American audiences, but Bobbie certainly makes a big deal about the waste of ingredients. The evacuee children might not have been in such a position where they feel freedom (and perhaps frivolity) in the kitchen since the war started. 

 

17 minutes ago, dibber25 said:

Kids trespassing on railway lines is largely avoided this time until the 'last reel', when the stopping of the military train is presumably meant to mimic Bobbie and the landslide scene in the original. That, with its reversed projection, was dodgy. This version is downright bad. (CJL)

Well, I don’t imagine the kids were given free reign of the goods yard. The final scene is very well done in my opinion; it may mimic Bobbie stopping the train from the landslide, but it also replicates the length that someone is prepared to go to in order to prevent danger to people. At one point the train was likely not stopping, so Thomas rushed to the four foot to ensure the train stopped. If no attempt to stop the train was made then you would have had a black American soldier subject to an unjust court martial, when all he’s done is tried to escape the racist abuse of the senior officers and MPs of his own army. 

I’ve read through this thread and it seems that I’m the first RMwebber to have seen it, so I shall give my thoughts. 

 

The film itself - brilliant. 
 

Accuracy of rolling stock - disappointing, and I was rather hoping that the significance of the film would prompt extra effort by the producers and the KWVR to ensure there would be period appropriate locos and rolling stock, but instead it seems that it’s been a case of five minute jobs that make token changes.

 

However, I don’t go to see a film to moan about incorrect railway liveries, I go and see a film for the story it portrays. And the storyline was very well laid out; there are many themes of the original film/novel that are replicated, such as having to move to the countryside because maintaining the current livelihood is unsustainable, the lack of two parents resulting in the eldest child adopting some maternal roles, a sense of duty to help someone in a crisis despite pressures against themselves and a closely connected kind hearted gentleman who has influential connections that can be of help. It  was also interesting to see how the Second World War has led to that repetition. 
 

Abe, the black US soldier, added a new dimension to the story and shines a light on racial tensions that existed in the US army during WW2. While a fictional story based on real events, Michael Morpurgo’s book ‘The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips‘ features two black US soldiers, one of whom says how the family they befriend were “the only white folks he knew that treated him like family”. With Abe, he wants to go home not because he is a coward, but because black soldiers are being racially abused. What follows is just like the landslide scene in the original film; an example of childhood ingenuity rescuing individuals from a threat, also with the use of a large white sheet. 
 

I fear the soundtrack of The Railway Children Return will be Dunkirk Mk2 - one that I loved but everyone else found annoying! All the same, it helps set the scene for the combination of drama and discovery that lies in the film.

 

All in all, I thought it was a great film that I’ll probably buy on DVD! 

I’m claiming the prize for seeing the first swallow again. I was on a double decker bus going between Northampton and Wellingborough last Thursday, and passing a farm near Welly I spotted a small number of them. They’ll have been OK recently with the mild weather, although for a few days in Northampton next week temperatures will be no higher than 12C, which might affect them. 

5 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Morning Bob 

 

Aiming for GWSR diesel gala this time next year ….. a local and low key shake down starter

 

Let me know if you ever want to come in n the crew again!

 

Phil

And might there be capacity for another operator? 😉

2 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Luton vans only have three seats though!

 

Mike.

This reminds me of the horse lorry we used to have for my half sister‘s horse. The only seats with seatbelts were in the cab of the lorry, so basically as a young boy who was used to being strapped in to the back of cars  I loved it because you were guaranteed to sit in the front, as the only alternative was sitting in the back without a seatbelt! 

It’s some layout Phil! I shall look forward to helping operate it! 

On 10/02/2022 at 16:46, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

An ambitious project!

Thank you!

 

I suspect the next challenge is a race between RMwebbers to see who can be the first out of the esteemed members of this parish to visit some of these hostelries - on your marks, get set— 

Thank you once again to everyone who’s contributed, especially Jamie - hope you managed to get to sleep in the end!

 

I was just wondering if you would be happy for me to share these pubs beyond RMweb, perhaps in the form of an Excel spreadsheet? I’d upload the spreadsheet up on here as well. 

Sorry! 

 

I was going to mention the Prince of Wales at Reigate, but I called in there while on an All Line Rover ticket last year (after my stop it was to Paddington via Reading, in order to catch the Night Riviera to Penzance) and at that point they had no cask ale on offer. I didn’t mind as I went for Spitfire Lager instead, which I enjoy, but if you had gone there especially then you’d be disappointed. This was mid July last year, a few days after the ‘big unlocking’, so perhaps you’ve got to allow for teething troubles after COVID restrictions coupled with contemporary supply chain issues, but there was certainly room for improvement. 
 

Reason I stopped there was for dinner, which for me was a tasty but rather small margherita pizza: 

 

Hope contributors don’t mind me bringing this thread back up. I’ve just started a thread which I hope acts as an “anthology” to any rail traveller looking for a decent pint close to a railway station. If it’s OK with you I’ll go through this thread and add these suggestions, but any further suggestions and insight would be most welcome. 

 

 

I thought I’d set up a guide to pubs and breweries within close proximity to railway stations across the network. This was an idea I had last week after a visit to Ludlow Brewery (fantastic) which is located in the former goods shed immediately to the north of the station, and all of one/two minutes’ walk away. 
 

I’ll categorise the stations and their nearby watering holes by geographical region, and within that alphabetical order. Please suggest away below and I’ll add them to the list in this post. 

 

East of England:

Billericay - The Crown and The Railway

Knebworth - The Station House

Wivenhoe - The Station

 

East Midlands:

Beeston - The Victoria
Dronfield - Dronfield Arms, with its own brewery
Glossop - Star Inn

Grantham - The Whistle Stop

Hadfield - The Palatine

Long Eaton - Sawley Junction 

Nottingham - Bearheadz; Vat & Fiddle (home of Castle Rock brewery)

Oakham - The Grainstore Brewery

Worksop - The Mallard

London:

 

Baker Street - The Metropolitan
Denmark Hill - The Phoenix

Kew Gardens - The Tap on the Line
London Euston - The Doric; The Signal Box

London Kings Cross - The Parcel Yard 

London Liverpool Street - Hamilton Hall
Swiss Cottage - The Swiss Cottage (the station was named after the pub)

 

North East:

Durham - The Waiting Room

Newcastle Upon Tyne - The Centurion Bar

Wylam Next to the overhead signal box- Boathouse

 

North West:

 

Ashley (Cheshire) - The Greyhound
Barrow In Furness - The Duke Of Edinburgh (at junction of station approach and main road)
Bury Bolton Street (ELR) - Trackside Bar

Irlam  - The Station
Carnforth - The Snug (a micropub)

Frodsham - The Helter Skelter

Greenfield - The Railway Inn

Helsby - Beer Heros

Liverpool Lime Street.  Ma Edgerton's; The Crown
Liverpool Moorfields - Golden Lion  (opposite the old Exchange station entrance)

Manchester Piccadilly - Piccadilly Tap

Mobberley - The Railway Inn

Morecambe - Station Promenade (a short walk from the current station)

Mouldsworth - The Goshawk

Oxenholme - The Station Inn

Ravenglass - The Ratty Arms

Rawtenstall (ELR) station building - Bufferstops

Stalybridge - Stalybridge Buffet & bar

Urmston - The Steamhouse

Waterloo (Merseyside) - Stamps Too (across the road from the ticket office) 

Wigan North Western - Wigan Central 
 

Scotland:

 

Aberdeen - Brewdog (on the upper level in the shopping centre); Aichies. 

Dingwall - The Mallard
Edinburgh Waverley - Guildford Arms; Halfway House; The Booking Office (Wetherspoons)

Inverness - Black Isle Brewery Bar

Tain - Platform 1864

 

South East:

Alton - The Railway 

Ashurst (New Forest) - The New Forest Inn
Beaulieu Road - The Drift

Brighton - The Evening Star

Burgess Hill - The Railway

Bursledon - The Jolly Sailor (the 'Howard's Way' pub)

Chichester - The Fountain 

Dorking - Lincoln Arms
East Croydon - Porter & Sorter

Earlswood- Old Chestnut

Eastleigh - Steam Town Brew Co.

Eridge - The Huntsman
Farnborough North - The Prince of Wales 
Faversham - The Limes; The Railway Hotel

Hungerford - The Railway Tavern

Lancing - The Railway 

Lewes -  The Lansdown Arms 

London Road (Brighton) - The Signalman; The Open House 

Lymington - Bosuns Chair

Maidstone West - Cellars Ale House

Mottisfont & Dunbridge : The Mill Arms

Newhaven - The Engineer 
North Camp - The Old Ford

Penshurst - Little Brown Jug

Portsmouth Harbour - The Ship Anson
Reading - The Greyfriar; Three Guineas 

Seaford - Steamworks (in the station building)

Shalford - Queen Victoria 

Shawford - The Bridge

St Denys - The Junction

Swanwick - The Talisman

Uckfield - The Station

Whyteleafe - The Radius Arms (micropub)

Worthing - Grand Victorian Hotel And Pub

Wye - The Tickled Trout

 

South West:

 

Bath Spa - Graze
Exeter Central - Tabac

Exeter St Davids - Exeter Brewery (only open certain days a week); The Imperial (up a steep hill).

Lympstone Village - The Swan Inn

Newton Abbot - Railway Brewhouse

Newton St Cyres - The Beer Engine
Penzance - Longboat Inn

Portsmouth Arms - Portsmouth Arms

Starcross - Atmospheric Railway Inn

Yatton  - The Railway

 

Wales:

 

Llandudno - Tapps Bar
Porthmadog -  Spooners Bar; The Australia;  Purple Moose Brewery; The Station Inn. 
Prestatyn - The Cookhouse

 

West Midlands:

 

Alvechurch - The Weighbridge Inn

Birmingham Moor Street - Kilder (craft beer, in the arches below the through platforms)

Birmingham New Street - Post Office Vaults; The Railway

Bournville - Attic Brew Co (limited opening hours)

Bridgnorth (SVR) - The Railwayman's Arms

Codsall - Codsall Station Pub

Highley (SVR) - The Ship Inn

Kidderminster - King & Castle (SVR); Weavers Real Ale House

Ludlow - Ludlow Brewery

Lye - Sadlers Brewhouse & Bar (the industrial estate on the Stourbridge bound platform); Beat Brewing (the industrial estate alongside the Birmingham bound platform)

Stone - The Talbot

Wolverhampton - The Great Western

 

Yorkshire & Humber:

Batley - The Cellar bar

Dewsbury  - West Riding refreshment rooms

Doncaster - Draughtsman

Harrogate - The Harrogate Tap

Huddersfield station - Head of Steam, Kings Head (both once were accessible from the same platform but now normally from forecourt due to ticket barriers)

Knaresborough - The Track and Sleeper; The Mitre

Sheffield - Sheffield Tap

Wakefield Kirkgate - Fernandez Brewery
Wakefield Westgate - Henry Boons
York  - York Tap

45 minutes ago, Torper said:

Glamorgan Brewing, Welsh Pale Ale.

 

 

For some reason our local Tesco up here in Scotland stocks this so I thought I'd give it a try,

We get this one at the Tesco in Barnstaple too, although my theory is that it’s stocked there as a result of a computer glitch - someone in the store could have done a search on their database for local breweries who are suppliers to Tesco, and the results have given the distance as the crow flies. Barnstaple to the Vale of Glamorgan isn’t a massive distance as the crow flies (about 30-40 miles), so that’s probably how it ends up in North Devon, even though in reality it’s over 130 miles by road...

I came across a video on YouTube the other day about Railnet, and how it seemed to be a waste of money. 
 

What caught my attention though is 6 minutes in, when mail workers are shown shifting parcels clearly showing the Amazon label. We won’t know if those particular parcels were put on a train during their shipment, and I now acknowledge that my book wasn’t, but it is still interesting and shows that Amazon parcels, if they’ve been sent by Royal Mail, are likely to go on mail trains. 

On 01/12/2021 at 22:29, AY Mod said:

 

That shoves my theory back a bit as I use that, 3 and O2's network and haven't been able to replicate it.

Same issue with me Andy, and I’m on EE and currently using Virgin WiFi. 

4 hours ago, Ramblin Rich said:

Yes, only reason for stopping was small child toilet requirements. Took 40 mins to negotiate off M5, traffic around junction, car park, toilet, roundabout queue again, back onto M5. Never again! Ask before getting to Michaelwood otherwise hang on until Sedgemoor! 

The M5 seems to have a high concentration of awful motorway services, although Sedgemoor and Michaelwood do the job. The only exception to that is Gloucester which is fitted out wonderfully but try eating there and you’re looking at a fiver for a small fancy sausage roll. Can’t comment on their pasty situation though @Captain Kernow. 

On 27/10/2021 at 11:17, AY Mod said:

 

Everything past Gordano services is holiday territory. 

You’d need a holiday after visiting Gordano services - once stopped there on my way back from Devon and found it awful! 

3 minutes ago, Gilbert said:

Are you ill?

Bless you!