Recent content by Crapper

What does 'telt' mean?

I took my toddler there yesterday for the bell of it. We caught the tube train to Smallbrook Junction to discover there wasn't a steam train for half an hour. There is nothing but a bus shelter there and a portaloo, and i mean nothing else, not even a way off the station. On the return we...

Did you take your own fold up seat and loiter outside the drivers messroom, or were you on platform 2 and 3 reading a paper?!

She didn't. It was 70007 working 4O14, Birtch Coppice - Southampton.

The management at that company don't usually need much of an excuse to download the q-tron or call out the man from Uni-Labs or Medscreen. It's almost always done in derailment cases, however obvious the cause. Mind you, this is a company that bollocks its Ops Managers for failure to...

Steam engines? --- old post above --- --- new post below --- Sorry, the above is just rubbish. The line did not require upgrading to cope with diesel traction, the Pines was diverted away purely as a precursor to the lines closure. You gave the real reason for the lines closure, it had...

Seen so many disgusting things on trains over the years. Defrosted frozen chicken dumped under the seat next to the heaters on a north London lines 104. Human remains hanging off 60079's boogie springs after an 'incident' at Millbrook whilst working 6M23, and the usual stomach churning scenes...

He's great isn't he! I just love the way he keeps banging on about financial acumen when referring to a railway that has so very little. I also chuckled when he generalized about grown men with no kids that live at home with mother. Talk about taking a swing and alienating those of us with kids...

Domeyhead, you are indeed a beast. You clearly think you have some kind of 'business brain' yet ignore all that's been said here. Many other railways run very successful diesel galas, without the gestapo like policing of the Mad Hants and make healthy profits. It's all very well to blame the...

With a bit of TLC it would make great firewood you mean!

"sells platform tickets to freeloaders"? Bit of a contradiction isn't it? I think you are missing the point. I've been to diesel galas at numerous railways, and found the mid Hants to be the most anti diesel and unfreindly one of the lot. It's all very well using photographers as the scapegoats...

I'd like to take your comments at face value, but sadly experience dictates otherwise. It's strange that the Mad Hants killed the goose that layed the golden egg due to "various incidents" (the diesel galas brought in almost as much revenue as Thomas events, the biggest earner for the railway)...

You'll find that the Mid Hants are not exactly diesel friendly. Your best bet is to turn up on a weekend and try to find someone working on a diesel if you are looking to get involved. Generally, the vast majority of the staff and volunteers running the railway look upon diesel enthusiasts with...

Yeah, ok...whatever. I could easily argue the point - the initials being jargon for safety, data recorders, future signalling systems etc, all that would be required for main line running. I just can't be bothered though, as you obviously know more than I do.

You seem to be missing the point: it would be relatively simply to restore DELTIC to working order, the skills and missing parts are available. However, its still going to be hideously expensive to do. The new order at the NRM are a bit more accommodating to groups restoring their assets, which...