DavidB-AU

One of the Great South Pacific Express sleeping cars has been sighted being taken by road to the Port of Brisbane. 20 of the 21 GSPE cars have been in highly secure storage at Ipswich for more than a decade and are reportedly being taken to Peru. (Belmond, which owns the GSPE cars, also operates PeruRail which runs from Cusco to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca.) Cheers David

Commuter Settles On Electoral Candidate After Seeing 783rd Identical Poster http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/02/17/commuter-settles-on-electoral-candidate-after-seeing-783rd-identical-poster/

The first of the new NGR 700 series EMUs being hauled from the Port of Brisbane to the new maintenance facility at Wulkuraka today. Cheers David

Asciano board accepts Qube takeover bid Asciano's board has recommended investors accept a $9.05 billion takeover bid from the Qube consortium and will pay Brookfield Infrastructure a $88 million break fee after the Canadian group missed the deadline for making matching or superior offer for the ports and rail group. http://www.smh.com.au/business/asciano-board-accepts-qube-takeover-bid-as-brookfield-doesnt-counteroffer-20160215-gmuymw.html

There are (or were) a couple of prototype Inglenooks around NSW. Some bits of Clyde Yard, the down end of Glen Innes, the repair sidings at Goulburn and Grafton, the flour mill at Murruburrah, the Keys sidings at Narrabri. Just a few I have spotted looking at signalling diagrams. Cheers David

Until a few years ago they had to couple up and connect the brake hose. There was a lineside light at the summit to help the crew uncouple. AIUI they now put a U bolt across the top of coupler on the lead bank engine that prevents the locking pin dropping. Cheers David

An Aurizon coal train on the torturous Ardglen Bank. 8,300hp up front and 13,000hp banking. Cheers David

This is clearly referring to movies.

(I have cleaned up the punchline of this one. Use your imagination.) The local town band had been running for nearly 100 years and due to dwindling numbers had gone through a few mergers. Their instruments were in need of replacing so the committee decided to do a bit of fundraising in the local area. The Treasurer himself decided to start in his own street that Saturday morning, starting at house #1. He knocked at the door, a young lady answered and the Treasurer and gave his prepared fundraising speech. "Good morning, I'm the Treasurer of the Harford-Predingworth-Woolingham-Lowsley-Fletchney Beautiful Brass and Pleasing Percussion Ensemble and we're doing some fundraising to buy new instruments. I wonder if you'd be interested in making a small donation?" The young lady said "Of course, I always enjoy listening to the band." She put her hand in her purse and donated £10. The Treasurer was pleased with this and moved on to the next house. He knocked on the door, a middle aged man answered and the Treasurer and gave his prepared fundraising speech. "Good morning, I'm the Treasurer of the Harford-Predingworth-Woolingham-Lowsley-Fletchney Beautiful Brass and Pleasing Percussion Ensemble and we're doing some fundraising to buy new instruments. I wonder if you'd be interested in making a small donation?" The middle aged man said "You know, my grandfather helped start that band so it's the least I can do." He put his hand in his pocket and donated £20. The Treasurer was very pleased with this so moved on to the next house. He knocked on the door, a rather frail old lady answered and the Treasurer and gave his prepared fundraising speech. "Good morning, I'm the Treasurer of the Harford-Predingworth-Woolingham-Lowsley-Fletchney Beautiful Brass and Pleasing Percussion Ensemble and we're doing some fundraising to buy new instruments. I wonder if you'd be interested in making a small donation?" The old lady put her hand to her ear, adjusted her hearing aid and said "Eh?" The Treasurer tried again. "Good morning, I'm the Treasurer of the Harford-Predingworth-Woolingham-Lowsley-Fletchney Beautiful Brass and Pleasing Percussion Ensemble and we're doing some fundraising to buy new instruments. I wonder if you'd be interested in making a small donation?" The old lady put her hand to her other ear adjusted her other hearing aid and said "Eh?" The Treasurer tried again, much louder this time. "Good morning, I'm the Treasurer of the Harford-Predingworth-Woolingham-Lowsley-Fletchney Beautiful Brass and Pleasing Percussion Ensemble and we're doing some fundraising to buy new instruments. I wonder if you'd be interested in making a small donation?" The old lady fiddled with both hearing aids and said "I'm afraid I can't quite hear you." The Treasurer gave up, smiled politely and turned to leave. As he was walking down the path the lady said "Mind the gate". As he approached the end of the path the Treasurer muttered under his breath "Oh, sod your gate". The old lady put both hands to her mouth and shouted "And sod your Harford-Predingworth-Woolingham-Lowsley-Fletchney Beautiful Brass and Pleasing Percussion Ensemble!"

Qube consortium makes $9b takeover offer for Asciano Brookfield Infrastructure's $9 billion takeover bid for Asciano has been formally challenged, with a Qube-led consortium making a binding offer valuing the ports and rail group at $9.08 per share. http://www.smh.com.au/business/qube-consortium-makes-rival-9b-takeover-offer-for-asciano-20160127-gmflef.html

Great Western Railway electrification 'four years late' The electrification of some routes across the south of England is running four years late, Network Rail has said. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35376805

The one at Nowra hasn't even opened yet and probably won't. Cheers David

Bunnings wasn't a monopoly before Masters appeared out of nowhere. You forget about hardware chains like Home Hardware (also owned by Woolworths) and Mitre 10 (owned by Metcash which owns IGA). Plus many independent hardware stores. Cheers David

Home Retail Group has apparently agreed to the offer. It's not actually Bunnings itself buying Homebase, it's Bunnings' parent company Wesfarmers (which also owns Coles, Kmart, Target and Officeworks in Australia). Cheers David

Merseytravel announced the five shortlisted bidders for a contract to supply around 50 new electric multiple-units for the Merseyrail suburban network centred on Liverpool on January 11: Bombardier; CAF; Mitsui in a consortium with Alstom and East Japan Railway’s rolling stock manufacturing business J-Trec; Siemens; Stadler. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/traction-rolling-stock/single-view/view/five-bidders-on-merseyrail-train-replacement-shortlist.html EDIT: Topic Title changed.

The truth is finally revealed about what a Scotsman keeps in his sporran. Angry kittens.

Previews from a new Bevan Wall DVD of 38s mainly in the 1990s. Cheers David

New Westburn-Millgrove fire station (Victoria, Australia) which looks like it was designed by Gerry Anderson. Cheers David

Would it surprise you if I said it was in Peckham? https://goo.gl/maps/3bePNxFB5bk Cheers David

Another interesting "what if" is if nationalisation had happened after WW1. The first serious suggestion that the railways should be nationalised was put in December 1918 by the then Minister for Munitions, a gentleman named Winston Churchill, citing the obvious benefits of running them under the REC. But Lloyd George was scared off nationalisation by the then recent Communist revolution in Russia and only weeks later a near revolution in Scotland. The Big Four was a compromise. Cheers David