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The tax take now is higher than at any time since 1947. When income tax was at 30% plus, VAT was at 8% - ish, and NI was about 10%. Neither were duties on alcohol, motor fuel and tobacco so high.

Wasn't it Cliff Michelmore or someone like that originally, or am I thinking of another programme?

Since 2007, wages have barely kept up with costs

After a look on Monday afternoon, while cycling under the Cavendish St. bridge in Ashton (next to ASDA), definitely no wires of any sort from just west of Whitelands Road bridge to at least the Stalybridge end of Guide Bridge yard.

...no OHL at Cark

That's the one! Rodger Palmer's first game

I can remember being in a normal Pendolino service going to Manchester sometime in the early noughties. A complete football team boarded the train at Milton Keynes and travelled all the way to Manchester (IIRC). I hadn't the nerve to ask who they were. It was a weekday late afternoon.

Do you recall a "Latics Liner" to Leicester from Mumps, in about February 1980; the team travelled with the supporters? I'm sure we were both on it!

Or the press was trying to form "Public Opinion" about the railways. They have a habit of doing that, in many fields. For the sake of clarity, I haven't read a newspaper for about 30 years

Did the GC have to pay the Midland for running their bridge so close to their Nottingham station?

I thought you could never leave, though.

Thank you

Not being particularly familiar with Moreton, what was the line leaving the photo centre - left?

managed a closer look at the knitting while in Stalybridge tip this lunchtime. The colour is of course due to the material (copper?) not being weathered yet. The wires from the Guide Bridge direction are not fully complete. From the Stalybridge direction they appear to run to just short of the site of the old Ashton Park Parade station. What's happening after that, I don't know; it's a while since I've been to ASDA!

I've seen a photo of that train at Colchester in one of the East Anglian Steam books. Can't remember which one!

I was always told that ships carry boats

Living in Tameside, I can see what it looks like; I'm not saying it is rust, just the colour of it. There are three bridges that I use quite regularly when travelling on the road, where it's possible to see what's happening. SHMD, is it an illusion from viewing from below?

Why is the knitting the colour it is; a sort of rusty brown? What material are they using? I suppose once everything is tested, all services will be electric as far as Stalybridge

They'd be diesels, and it's dead easy!

The guys in the tatter jackets are the local side, I think; Forest of Dean MM. I know the one second from the right. The one with the hat, white shirt and red cummerbund, I'll bet is one of Southport Swords. Who the others are, I don't know!

The relation was from Dundee. I only met him once, when we were on holiday in the Lake District; he was piloting at Barrow by then

Another, unlooked - for, advantage of diesels over turbines. My second trip as an Engineer Cadet was aboard a steam - turbine tanker. I did my bridge time when she was going into Kwinana (near Fremantle, W.A). We were just about in the right place on the berth, and the pilot ordered a full astern. After nothing had happened for about half a minute (we were still slowly inching forward), he ordered a double full astern. Later in the smoke room, the 2/E asked what was going on, and I had to admit it was me operating the telegraph. With a diesel of course, the pilot could have ordered a full astern, and ten seconds later, a stop, and that would have been it. A distant relation was 3/O aboard Ohio. I only ever sailed with one Sulzer; it ran like a sewing machine!

What I was hinting at was that diesel engines are more economical for the same power output; doubtless steam turbines could have produced the the same power, but with a much higher fuel consumption, and given the services they were on (Blue Star, Port Line, and Shaw Savill to Australia and NZ, and Blue Funnel to India and H.K.), it made sense to reduce fuel costs and the space required to store it.

It was a paper for the IMarE. I think it may well be on this thread somewhere; I can remember downloading it. It was British - specific, describing such engines as the Still 🤮 and the Fullagar, and another where the pistons were stationary, and the liner moved🫣. Some of the reasons for the slow adopption of the large - bore slow - speed diesel were as you mentioned, vested interested in coal production (particularly in the North - East of England), and the innate conservatism of British shipowners. Yet; all 10 British merchants in the Pedestal convoy were motorships; I wonder whether that was something to do with the trades they were involved with, i.e. long passages to India and the Far East?

If you take a ride on the DLR from Bank, you should be O.K.