caradoc

How high would an ejector seat at ground level (which is of course where a train cab is) need to fire the occupant to allow them to parachute safely back down ?!!

Thanks, I hadn't noticed that earlier (it actually says National Rail !). In which case, apologies to the BBC.

Even with the huge subsidy it receives, and the comparative simplicity of operating entirely within the UK, the Caledonian Sleeper is not exactly a budget way to travel ! Lovely though it sounds, I have to agree that the finances and technical complications make this proposal a non-starter.

The BBC News website, to no surprise at all (on my part anyway) is putting a negative slant to today's run: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57511346 Saying, among other things, 'The recorded attempt was supposed to show the ease of travelling between the home nations'. And they go on to quote an average Edinburgh to London journey time of 5 hours 20 minutes, which is complete nonsense; LNER services take between around 4 hours 20 and 4 hours 40 minutes, depending on stops. Perhaps they are thinking of the Avanti 2-hourly Edinburgh/London via Birmingham services, not in any way the primary route between the cities. The BBC does have history for this kind of thing of course, for example quoting outrageous season ticket prices but omitting to say they were First Class.

It was financed by the North British, Midland, Great Northern and North Eastern Railways, although only the first actually ran trains over it ! Certainly, during my 30 years in Control in Scotland, it not having a number never caused any confusion; Unlike the situation between Dundee and Aberdeen, where the mileages and bridge numbers 'step back' at Kinnaber Junction, resulting in duplicate figures within a few miles (although with different ELRs).

Game appears to have been abandoned now. Best wishes for the player.

Something I find strange in the newsletter, regarding Seaward Way LC, is the statement that as the LC will now have full barriers, 'there is a need for CCTV so that the Signaller can clearly see down the road in both directions'. Surely the CCTV, as on NR installations, is needed so that once the barriers are down the Signaller can see that no vehicles or persons are trapped within them and signals can be cleared. Or is the Signaller expected to wait until no vehicles are approaching the LC, in either direction, before lowering the barriers ? Which might not do much for the timetable.....

The layout at Cannon Street seems rather complex for what was always a limited passenger service (and none at all after 1924 of course !). Thanks for posting Mick.

That is exactly what they do expect ! As quoted in this month's (June 2021) Railway Magazine, anti-HS2 protester 'Goldi' says 'why do people need to travel so much ?.... People should embrace slower lifestyles..... and should become more local.....'. Good luck to him on convincing everyone to return to a medieval lifestyle with most people rarely, if ever, travelling far from home, and even more luck to any Government that attempts to enforce that.

That's correct, and as befits its magnificence it has all sorts of special conditions; For example, wheelskate moves are not allowed over it (due to the type of rail used) and one of the first things I learned on being trained for the Freight desks in Glasgow Control was that it is RA8, but up to 4 vehicles of RA9 or 10 can be conveyed as long as no more than two are marshalled together. Information I have not needed since 1994 but still somehow remembered ! Despite its length, every now and again a trespasser would decide to walk across the bridge, usually resulting in traffic being stopped while the Police dealt with the situation.

HS2 should use that clip to show 'why we are building this new railway' !

Before I joined the railway points had frogs, either live or dead; Once in an operational role I never heard or saw the word again, it was always crossings ! And I agree that OLE is correct, not OHLE, simply because overhead is one word, not two. Railway terminology does change however, I recall the phrase Emergency Isolation (of the OLE) being replaced by Emergency Switch-off, because in this circumstance the overheads are not, at first anyway, earthed.

That looks as if both Up and Down through platforms will become islands. And the bus stops will be where I suggested bay platforms, which might not please the locals either.....

Whereas I, having voted Remain, would now seriously consider voting Leave, for a number of reasons, some of which have been discussed in this topic !

Interesting but are you sure that is still the case ? OBC's nos 901-3 are brand new Wrightbus Streetdecks, are these different from earlier Streetdecks in the 37x and 651 etc series ? And OBC 971-8 are Mercedes Sprinters !

It's a step forward (although the Youth Hostels Association whose relatively new establishment will presumably have to be demolished may not think so), but I won't hold my breath..... I'm intrigued by the reference to the Botley Road bridge, which 'will be replaced and the road lowered to enable standard double-decker buses to pass underneath for the first time'. At one time Oxford had fleets of highbridge and lowbridge buses, and every now and again a highbridge vehicle would attempt to pass under the bridge, with the inevitable result. However, IIRC, the bridge was rebuilt in the early 1980s, and from personal observation there is now no restriction on what buses run along Botley Road, and these vehicles are identical to those used elsewhere. Personally I still believe a much easier and cheaper solution would have been Up side bay platforms, say three, on the Beckett St car park site immediately south of the Botley Road; I believe there were objections to this by local residents, but given that once electrified, most if not all trains using these platforms would have been electric (Classes 387 and 80x), and in any case a row of buildings could have shielded the platforms from the homes, this could have been overcome, and would have provided the additional capacity needed on the through lines.

Says the guy who wrote my reaction to that old man is "you stupid, selfish old git"'

Do you personally know that old man, and why he reacted as he did ? No, of course you don't. My reaction to your entire post, which has no place whatsoever in RMWeb, is unprintable......

Got my second (AstraZeneca) jab today; No side effects (so far). I have an appointment for next Monday but as I could not make it, went to a drop-in session today instead, had to queue for a bit but not a problem. However..... I was asked to cancel my appointment (rightly) but found that while one can be amended on line, it cannot be cancelled and you have to phone instead. Four attempts by myself and the missus later, unable to get through after holding for 10-15 minutes each time, I'm afraid we gave up.

What I was thinking of was a vaguely-remembered proposal to link/combine the two routes where they run roughly parallel; No involvement with the LSWR main line was planned !

There is an interesting 4-page photo feature on the Kings Cross remodelling in the current (June 2021) Railway Magazine.

Is it perhaps referring to plans to combine part of the route with the North Downs line in the Frimley/Farnborough area ?

I've handled a snake (at a combined aquarium type place and model railway, at Poole many years ago), and it was a beautiful creature, warm and not slimy as some think ! Sadly, I've never seen one in the wild however (not that we have many in the UK, and especially Scotland).

I agree that running through to Taunton would have been ideal, but AFAIK that ambition was abandoned a long time ago. I mentioned before that I have only visited the WSR twice, a major reason being difficulty of access from main line rail. IMHO the railway would benefit greatly from what other railways in a similar position have done, for example the Bluebell (before extending to East Grinstead of course) and the Epping/Ongar, by providing a dedicated bus link between Taunton and Bishops Lydeard; Even better if, as per the EOR, heritage vehicles are used, providing an extra attraction and for some, reason to visit.

One of the five listed is this: the fifth is reinstatement of the Ironbridge to Bridgnorth line (West Midlands). This would appear to be an extension of the Severn Valley rather than an addition to the national network, which I thought had been discounted (for good reasons) in the past ?