XX to YY? I've always wanted to go there....

A comeback is in order

I've graduated (thank you) I'm engaged (thank you) and I've got a full time job (...). This has unfortunetly clamped down hard on my volunteering at the Mid-Hants Railway, and I do miss it so much.

However new posts railway and everything related will be appearing in the run up to Christmas (snow permitting...i.e. more snow more posts complaining about the snow!)

Excuses, excuses

A severe lack of posts my friends, I shall soon be blogging about my Final Year Project and the wonderous world of railway advertising.

Anything else that tickles my fancy may soon be up...

BBC back in the 90's....

The BBC are fairly good at missing out Transport type stories that might appeal to the general public.
They're also a bit, stuck in the past:


"Department OF Transport?" It hasn't been called that (and I checked) since 1997 and the last Tory lot...

Perhaps the BBC are regressing to former Tory ways?

(Just to be clear to those who don't know, since John Prescott was appoint Secretary of State for...Transport and some other stuff, it's been called the 'Department for Transport'

It's been a while. BUT...

So 'The Railway Eye' rather accurately pointed out something that really irritated me.

http://railwayeye.blogspot.com/2010/09/mediaballs-taking-pi-but-not-on.html

I had to listen to mis-guided, Daily Mail reading, fools on BBC Radio Solent discussing the "atrocity" that is the lack of toilet facilities. "Children" were mentioned several thousand times (might be exagerating slightly).

As the Eye pointed out on his blog, the "new" trains being introduced a far from new. In fact they're very old, the Class 313s date back as far as 1976, and never had new toilets. These new units are replacing the much newer Class 377s on East and West Coastaway routes out of Brighton. Including the moderately lengthy journey to Brighton.

Southern have defended their (understandable) actions, the need to increase capacity has meant introducing these older trains, the stock is cascaded from London Overground where they have received new stock.

Perhaps if Mr Hammond (The SoS for Transport, not the other one) were to offer some newer rolling stock, we wouldn't have this problem...

Also, they're not "removing" the toilets from all their trains, and not even every single service on the Portsmouth to Brighton route. These trains are being introduced on stopper services where 90% of people don't spend a lot of time on them. Unless it's a student trying to get a cheap ticket.

On the plus side, the train won't smell quite as bad the Voyagers on CrossCountry services! (Unless a little kiddy uses the corner).

Network Rail....over doing it perhaps

Perhaps Network Rail have over done it slightly...




Maybe, just MAYBE, that money could have been saved for something more important!

Ouch...

With thanks to my good friend "The Railway Eye":


Suspected cause was the embankment in the Woodborough area moving during a very dry spell, stirking the 1C84 1306 from Paddington to Penzance. Driver was very lucky only suffering minor injuries. Not such good news for the Power Car.



That's an expensive bit of body repair required....

UPDATE: According to a helpful blogger, the incident took place a few miles WEST of Woodborough, the train was then hauled to Westbury (slowly) by a DB Schenker Class 59 after suffering many a flat wheel.

http://demupostings.fotopic.net/p65879150.html - Look here for more photos, this is my particular choice.