Recent content by Robin Saunter

I remember travelling on that route in c.1975-6. I recently went back to Chicksands to visit the museum.

As another contributor posted, back in the 1970s a Birch Brothers, later United Counties, service between Bedford and Shefford ran through what was then RAF Chicksands, in reality a large USAF global eavesdropping unit. There were indeed armed guards at the gates. The facility is now a UK...

Thanks for the info. Curiosity satisfied.

On the stretch between Farnborogh and Woking there are what appear to be sensors mounted on tall poles about 1 mile apart. Can anyone explain their purpose? Hard to take a picture from a fast moving train but see image. Pole is the right hand edge.

I travelled on XC today (Friday) between Reading and Birmingham International. On both journeys the four-coach trains were absolutely packed to the extent that some people could not get on and some barely got off before the doors closed, a situation made worse by a large number of pax with...

"To and from (tourist places)" placards below the front nearside window on London Transport RMs and RTs

Not quite on topic, but back during 1910-1912 a 'Railophone' was trialled on a rural branch line. The idea was to enable signalmen to send electric pulses to a train to stop it in an emergency. Presumably the technology of the time did not allow speech or even Morse code over this experimental...

Yes, that's the one! I remember the long waits at several stations, sitting alone in my darkened Mk1 compartment. Many thanks for digging that info up. It was wintertime on both trips so saw nothing of the Derbyshire scenery. Thanks again!

Many thanks for that. Another railway puzzle solved.

I visited Manchester from Bedford twice in 1972 and remember leaving Manchester at about 18:00 and arriving in Bedford just after 22:00. I'm sure it was the same train all the way, but having just walked the trackbed of the Bakewell to Buxton line I realise that that couldn't have been the...