Bon Accord

Tim, it would seem not. Despite being on a supposed efficiency drive some staff are obviously underemployed enough to spend time coming up with nonsense like this! Maybe they think it makes them more efficient?! I suspect it spreads like a virus; one delusional individual in management comes up with it to appear fresh and original, then it spreads from company to company.

Our HR is now 'Strategic HR'. That means they don't do HR, they leave that to the line managers. Got a problem employee, you have to deal with it yourself. So what do HR actually do then? Still waiting for an answer on that one.

Sad, very sad. I once worked for a global plastics/ chemicals company that renamed/ combined/ rebranded about once a year it seemed. Every time, stationary and uniforms were wastefully ditched, and new, less workable computer systems foisted upon us, with attendant wasteful retraining. Meanwhile market share seemed to be lost to other, more stable concerns. I took the redundancy package and ran asap.

Obtain dungeon, equip with some of histories most gruesome devices, then round up all the culprits! Simples.

I'll bring my hangmans nousce. Satan?

Ok, a side we didn't want to know about Satans goldfish has come through. Suppose he lives up to his name

UPS couldn't find a 150 year old house ("is it a new build?") in a group of 8 houses surrounded by half a mile of fields in either direction. Twice. Despite having directions and my phone number just in case.

Some drivers are on drugs and randomly deliver parcels to anywhere they fancy - I do believe..

Finally got my parcel yesterday afternoon by spending a couple of hours comparing the image they'd sent me of my "neighbours" door with those doors on houses with similar sounding street names - finally found it after much frustration and marched off to collect. No thanks whatsoever to DPD who have not been in contact since I raised the initial issue.

....got legless elsewhere.

Total agreement with Andrew Young, oh, oh it's Friday isn't it? Good job I'm on earlies this week!

Perhaps the miseries amongst us can explain why the 0952 ex Aberdeen is a dry train, yet the 0752 nor any of the other trains North/South that day are the same. As for dealing with the public, I work on passenger ships where if we have violent/disruptive/drunk pax we don't have the luxury of phoning BTP and then locking ourselves in until someone else deals with them.

HST should he through unless there's something on the line

I reckon it's all a hoax...........

A steam locomotive would actually make its way through no problem :-)

'Talk to the hand'...

The Curse Of The Misplaced Apostrophe....

Captain K asked ,

Where's Brinkly when you need a comment on education?!

Asleep in the staff room probably . ;-)

For some, however the quintessential NBR loco - J37 - is no longer available as a kit. I've spent years looking for one at shows and on ebay and still with no success.

Aye, it's a sair loss.

Kits are the only option, CK. No real problem for the likes of me, but a serious hindrance for the less technically able.

anyone know who his dad is/

Well, there are theories... ;-)

No royal blood in their offspring - therefore can never be called a Prince or Princess......."Off to the Tower" they cried as MIB was hauled away.....

Do it! Get a decent engine!

Seen a photo of one running light over the Royal Border In '62. Looks like they got as far as Berwick on occasion.

Suits me just fine that!

Well it would look good alongside my recently acquired J35 and detailed J83!

funny that the Arriva XC ones I used on Wednesday didn't smell, toilets clean, catering trolley still going near end of trip. The problems can't all be down to the units.

I must confess I did spend half an hour or so on a XC Voyage back in January (Donny-York) and I had no complaints about time onboard.

Ha, I'm really looking forward (not) to Euston - Manchester Picc on Wednesday!

Kev and Jen are doing a UK tour later this year - well worth going to see

I didn't actually realise that they were that well know over there.

Oh, they are, TBS. I saw them the last time they were over in the UK; sadly I think I'll be away for this year's tour

Not too bad, but at the moment my only stock is bogie coaches. Four wheel wagons may prove more of a challenge. I've a Farish A2, some stock and more track in the post and a baseboard will hopefully follow shortly. I'm looking at 6 x 3' with perhaps an extension to 8' if space presents itself. With a board of that size I can have a good run of track (roundy/roundy) and more than adequate siding space.

Those couplings put me off even though the locos and rolling stock seem much improved recently.

I think the attraction is the fact that you can have scale length trains and have a layout that looks more like the real railway. And coaches and diesels are really good quality. When I look at the pictures of the steam engines though i have questions. To be fair I think they look better in the flesh so to speak though.

From Cullercoats to Whitley Bay

Tell her it's a baseboard for a new layout...

You found it in the loft!

Maybe they were disappointed that you didn't want to play footsie....

Maybe they'd previously had grief from the guard for not sitting in their reserved seat?

Of course, they could be Belgian.

I've watched too many of my friends and colleagues die far too young to be that bothered about what will occur in old age - assuming I even get there.

told you all before: Win with Gin!

Don't forget the kebab on the way home ! Er..... Where's the kebab shop again?

Try taking one from Newcastle to Carlisle.

Back in my usual seat on an East Coast HST - ahhh bliss.

aye but growing up in Darlington, and having been nearly gassed by 101s on numerous shorthaul occasions they were a very welcome relief.

Must be funny...

Winner Takes It All ;-)

One of us

It`s a free market! Just use one of the other excellent companies offering final-mile deliveries on foot.....oh well, erm; maybe not!

I'd quite happily use an alternative, and always do with anything of reasonably high value as experience has shown RM is not to be trusted. Unfortunately the opportunity isn't always there.

Don't blame me, I no longer work for them - & strongly oppose ANY privatisation of public commodities by those cooking the books to make them look better than they are.....

Thanks but the link isn't that for me at the moment.

Thanks Michael; poignant shot that.

Thanks from me too. I used to travel with mother every school holidays on the 'Elizabethan' or the 'Y.Pullman'. Very happy memories. She used to give me a shilling to give to the driver if he was on time!

The interior design is poor, but that's not a huge drama to fix. The 50 shades of grey make it feel cold and sterile, and the most comfortable part of the seats is the headrest/antimaccasar. Unless we broke down, it would appear we changed to Leckie at Swindon - acceleration was impressive after that.

They are very much ICCEs - Inter City Curate's Eggs with some good points and some bad. One good one is doing away with the high seat backs of GW HSTs - they are awful things and the slippery leather seats in 1st have also gone thank goodness.

PS No 'lectric at Swindon yet, you're about a year too early for that.

Would it have been Didcot perhaps? It was a stop or two before Reading.

She could turn her voice to anything and it'd sound great. She also that wonderful ability to sound just as fantastic live as recorded, in stark contract to many artists today.

All glory to the Hypnotoad!

Not much in it but i prefer Pat Benatar

Most trains perhaps, but this was in first class on an East Coast HST where they're normally at least presentable!

Maybe she's a regular traveller on Virgin Voyagers....

Perhaps it was actually a demonstration for the benefit of paying passengers?

Much like myself then.....

Lucky you! We have five cats!

My cat has dementia!

Apart from the DMU that was shown in a scrap line last week.. it would have been almost new in '63!

And I've just figured out that the pathologist is Gordon Grimley!

Yes, I'm enjoying it too. Roger Allam is always good value.

Seagull management?

Aye, s**t does indeed drop from a great height, constantly....

JFDI!