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  1. backontrack

    Emergency stop at Wye

    I’m typing this on a Javelin heading towards St Pan. Thanks to the excellent driver who pulled a very quick emergency stop as a car pulled into the crossing south of Wye! We’re just a few behind now as the signalman had to be phoned - coupling to an ex-coast now at Ashford.
  2. backontrack

    The North Coast 500 by public transport

    Recently (over parts of the Bank Holiday Weekend), I've been trying to map out a way of travelling around the rough route of the North Coast 500 solely using public transport. It seemed that nobody had planned something like this before for the NC500, so I wasn't sure whether it would all pan...
  3. backontrack

    The Abandoned Eurostar

    This is a sorry sight. Eurostar 3018 lies abandoned on the outskirts of the city of Valenciennes - officially, it is 'in storage', waiting to be scrapped, but in reality it is being left to crumble into dereliction. I found this video on YouTube. It is really rather moving.
  4. backontrack

    Which is the best of the InterCity TOCs?

    A question that I'd been wondering about for a while was this: which of the UK's TOCs that runs InterCity trains is the one that forum members consider the best across the board (in terms of operational quality service, efficiency, capacity, rolling stock, all factors generally). It was...
  5. backontrack

    Usage tables for lines with many stops

    Hello all :) I'm going to start using this thread for collecting usage statistics for lines such as the Cumbrian Coast and Cambrian Coast lines where one of the service's main characteristics is the sheer number of stations involved. I think that it could come in useful to see those figures in...
  6. backontrack

    Which past bus operators do you miss?

    Are there any bus operators that have since folded or moved out of your area that you miss in particular?
  7. backontrack

    'Clydeside Buses' - could Glasgow have its own version of Lothian Buses?

    I'm surprised that this question hasn't come up more times before - but is a state-owned, flat-fare bus network like Lothian Buses suitable for the Greater Glasgow area? Is this suggestion practical, or even likely? Many thanks.
  8. backontrack

    All's Not Quiet on the Great Western Front: gwr.com accounts breached

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43725640 Not good for GWR! If you have an account with their website then you should have received an email alerting you to the hack.
  9. backontrack

    LU employee pushed onto tracks at Victoria

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-43727449 I think that the worker is fairly lucky to be alive.
  10. backontrack

    If you were controlling the Reshaping of the railways, which lines would you shut or save?

    Suppose, for a minute, that you were in charge of the Reshaping of British Railways. Which lines would you retain, which would you close, and which stops would be cut out? People on this forum say, very often on threads discussing closed routes (e.g. Carlisle-Hawick), that it 'shouldn't have...
  11. backontrack

    Railway poetry

    Hello everyone, I thought I might sit down at a computer and write some bad poetry. If this is anything less than bad, (say, mediocre), then that is an unwarranted bonus. Caledonian Sleepers by 'backontrack' Your train may hurry north to Glasgow Over Beattock’s steady climb, Perhaps you’re...
  12. backontrack

    Best-looking train in the UK?

    Following on from the Ugliest UK train thread (answer: Class 141, obvs), it seems that the reverse must be asked: so, what, for you , is the best-looking train in the UK? For me, the Class 180 springs to mind. (Wikimedia Commons)
  13. backontrack

    The Peffery Way

    The Peffery Way Association is aiming to connect together the Easter Ross towns of Dingwall and Strathpeffer via a new cycle/footpath along the alignment of the closed railway from Strathpeffer to Fodderty Junction (on the Dingwall-Kyle of Lochalsh line). This path will be the Peffery Way...
  14. backontrack

    HS2: man stands to lose his life's work

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/09/meet-the-man-who-stands-to-lose-his-lifes-work-to-hs2 It's quite sad, really. But I suppose it must be done...
  15. backontrack

    Cumberland & Westmorland bus discussion

    Hi all :) The doings of both Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire and Reay's Coaches have certainly been extensive in recent years - as have cuts to rural bus services forced by the hand of central government. Austerity has meant that Cumbria County Council has cut its funding for many of...
  16. backontrack

    East Coast: if it served more places

    Here's a thought. The West Coast franchise works because you have branches to many towns and cities off the main route (e.g. Birmingham, Chester, Liverpool, Manchester). What if more destinations were served on the East Coast - like Nottingham, Sheffield, Scarborough and Middlesbrough? 1tph...
  17. backontrack

    Canterbury West - Southern unit

    Hi all :) I was walking over the Westgate crossroads in Canterbury when I saw an Electrostar at Canterbury West station...and it had light green around its front end, so I'm fairly sure it must have been a Southern unit. The train was at Platform 1, which is for trains to Ashford, Maidstone...
  18. backontrack

    Which stations that aren't already planned do you think have a good case for reopening or opening?

    I know that the likes of East Linton/Horden-Peterlee/Warrington West are either under construction or pretty definitely will be in the next few years. But what about the other places in the UK that have railways but no stations? Some of these - such as Cross Hills/Haxby/Newburgh - are...
  19. backontrack

    Departure board at Ebbsfleet: 'St Pancake'

    One for @Mojo ;) https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/7x7uq3/dream_destination/ No quote provided because there's nothing to quote. It's a departure board for a train to Stratford International and "St Pancake", spotted at Ebbsfleet International. This is not my photo; someone spotted...
  20. backontrack

    FANTASY: You're in charge of your own Open Access operator.

    Here's a simple idea. Suppose, for a second, that you are in charge of your own Open Access train operator. Where do you run to, which trains do you run and what livery do they wear? Any Open Access operator needs to serve a sizeable market without being totally abstractive. Where in the UK...

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