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There is an interesting article by G Freeman Allen in The Locospotters’ Annual 1961, titled ‘Night Ride on the Condor’. It describes his trip from Carlisle to Hendon in the cab of the leading pair of a Metrovick (D5708 and D5709). No date is given. Written in impeccable English, as were all of...

Monday, 23 January sees the anniversary of the accident at Sutton Coldfield in 1955. A York-Bristol express derailed on the severe curve in Sutton Coldfield station. There was a permanent speed restriction of 30 mph but it was estimated the express was travelling at 55-60 mph. There were 17...

According to reports, the express train was travelling at approx. 65 mph; the light engines at 20 mph or a little more. The closing speed was therefore about 45 mph., or 66 feet (22 yards) per second. If the light engines were only seen from a distance of 6 yards, the collision would have been...

A reminder that December 24th is the anniversary of the tragic accident in 1910 at Hawes Junction on the Settle to Carlisle line. In the early hours of Christmas eve, the signalman at Hawes Junction forgot that was holding two light engines on the northbound main line, waiting for a path to...

With respect, I would hardly describe the memorial as ‘rather abstract’. It is a prize winning memorial showing an inversion of the fatal staircase, pointing towards heaven rather than down. It lists the names of those who lost their lives. At midday, 173 conical shaped holes in the roof throw a...

Purely by chance - and with no time to post a message on this forum - I noticed the 'Talking Pictures' TV channel was showing 'It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow' yesterday. This is a made for TV movie first aired in 1975. It shows a re-creation of the disaster which occurred at Bethnal Green...

Hubert Humphrey?

Yes she did and died in the same week as King George V and Rudyard Kipling. The floor is yours.

A good suggestion, but he died in 1934. Think of a contralto who sang at the Empire Day parades.

I was looking for all three names together, rather than single names. Hint: who was described as 'the Voice of Empire'?

Thank you. It is said that the British Empire came to an end in the week of 18 January 1936, when three prominent persons died. Who were the three?

Tex Ritter

A reminder that tomorrow, 8th October, is the 70th anniversary of the tragic double collision at Harrow and Wealdstone, the worst peacetime accident on British railways. Thoughts and prayers to any families still affected.

So sad to hear that Judith Durham, lead singer with The Seekers, has passed away. She had such a wonderful voice. I saw The Seekers’ at their Farewell Concert in the Albert Hall in 2014 and I swear that when Judith sang ‘The Carnival is Over’ there was not a dry eye in the house. Rest in...

I think there is a degree of inconsistency in the OP’s statements. In post no. 1 she says ‘I accidentally tapped my Mother’s Freedom Pass which was in the same pocket as my contactless card’ and ‘I continued my journey as planned paying my usual fare with my contactless card’. i.e. there were...

Thank you all for your helpful comments. Albaman's contribution that the location is Ardlui and the Glens are heading a sleeper train is particularly interesting. I should be grateful for any further information. I have also discovered that 'FineArtAmerica' sell a print. I have ordered a copy.

The only reference I can find is in the description of a separate photograph, a black and white print from 1926, that says 'another double-headed train with two Glens'. I suspect the photograph on the front cover was originally in an earlier edition of the book and the credit omitted when the...

The front cover of John Thomas's 'The West Highland Railway' (PB, third ed. 1984) has an excellent colour photograph of two locomotives taking water at Crianlarich. Both locos are blowing off steam. The lead loco is 62496, 'Glen Loy'. Does anyone know the origin of this photograph and whether...

In April 1948, a soldier going home on leave pulled the communication cord when a Glasgow – Euston express was passing Winsford, so that he could alight near to his home, rather than change at Crewe. As a former railwayman, he believed the stationary train would be protected. Unfortunately...

Slightly off topic but worth mentioning is the run by a ‘Castle’ hauled Paddington to Cardiff express in 1938. It cleared the Severn Tunnel (4 miles, 624 yards) in 3 minutes 7 seconds, an average speed of 84 mph. At the bottom of the dip it was clocked at 98 mph over a half mile and may have...