Recent content by woodhead

Birmingham big time Several X services and even stoppers from Redditch X95/6 Shrewsbury Telford Brum Leicester X50 from Oxford via Stratford Frequent X30/1 services from Cannock and other Xs fromTamworth Ludlow, Malverns, Worcester to Brum All gone largely due to new or improved rail services...

Trot, fan boy, an anti-this or that, Corbinista, Maybot ... All these labels and insults (and far worse) were once largely confined to excited loudmouths in pubs. Perhaps it would be more useful sticking to knowing and arguing about 'their' policies instead. Austerity, good or bad and for whom...

If you've ever driven/fired a steam loco you'll understand that the fire is not wholly contained within the firebox - assumed you meant firebox! Clinker, sparks etc are emitted in considerable amounts from the grate and exhaust. Coal smoke is pretty noxious and when you consider the intensity of...

How did they manage to run firey beasts one after the other through the Severn tunnel? Now that was real fire and smoke big time! In fact I do not recall the Severn tunnel being shut for a day after the recent operation of double headed black fives through it.

Connecting the WCML at Rugby with a re-opened old Great Central south to Grendon would 1)connect with the new East West electrified line at Claydon 2) link London with two passenger options to London via either Aylesbury or via Wycombe to either Paddington or Marylebone. This would provide...

Just as Portillo did without mentioning the Mistral on his journey to the Med. etc etc If you fancy ogling at Dan Snow, which this series gives ample opportunity, or have never heard of the Rocket, it may be of passing interest. Frustratingly for the rail historian (an LNER liveried loco on BR...

And very good it is too at the moment - being free and very accessible. Regulars to Oxford will miss it when they get stung by the inevitable charges when Evergreen is introduced. Present offpeak £2.10 return, much cheaper than bus, will quadruple with added car parking charges. All balanced of...

Calvert, Bucks (1530 today) with Freightliner 66614 at head of a 'binliner' being loaded, pointing in the direction of Claydon Junc. Couldn't get in range of the driver to confirm that it would be returning via Quainton not Bicester. The wagons in view were marked Avon CC and I assume these have...

If you add in the 10 minutes extra walking (much longer for families, OAPs and the disabled) to HS2 at Curzon Street, then the time saved will be just a few minutes - the time it would take to pack up my laptop. The things we could do for the railway infrastructure instead. HS2 is a tragic waste...

I knew the Bucks Railway Centre had lost its Chief Engineering assistant earlier this year but just found out that the Chief Engineer has gone too. Then I found out the General Manager has been fired as well! What an earth is going on at Quainton? I’ve heard nothing in the press but it doesn’t...

Woodhead! And obviously Oxford - Milton Keynes. Just think how many of these mouth watering options that could be funded if we're sensible and don't waste billions on building a swathe across middle england just to get those who will be able to afford it and indeed the fewer who might be able to...

I remember being at the wheel of a service bus with forty or so passengers behind me. It was in the countryside, dark in driving torrential rain. Travelling down hill at around 40mph, a direct bolt of lightning struck a tree just ahead and to the side of me. For a moment, the world went...