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The evening service was threatened with withdrawal due to vandalism, in the late 80s, but after some stern talks by the police to assemblies in local secondary schools, it wasn’t necessary to implement this. There was a particular problem with missiles being thrown at trains from the three...

Electrification was part of a scheme that included the Southminster and Harwich branches. With the ending of passenger services on the Stratford-Tottenham line, and third rail electrification of the North Woolwich line, DMU operation from Stratford was eliminated. I suspect there was capacity...

In the period immediately after electrification, I'm also now wondering whether the other slam door suburban EMU classes based on the Great Eastern - 302, 307, 308 - ever made an appearance on the line. As the EMU fleets were used interchangeably, to some extent, you would have thought they...

Still known as the push-pull to older residents, locally, despite DMUs having taken over c.1960! The DMUs generally came from the Stratford allocation, which also provided units for Wickford-Southminster, Stratford-Tottenham Hale via Lea Bridge, and (I think) North Woolwich-Camden Road.

I don't think so, as the line operated driver-only once the 315s took over, in the NSE era. The use of class 305s was quite short - only a year or so from electrification in May 1986, if memory serves me right. Well before the class 321s worked the line regularly, 321 359 went to Upminster...

I don't know how LNER plan which FC menu goes on which train, but if they can get good FC occupancy with the Deli menu, there's no commercial imperative to offer bigger (and more expensive) meals.

The price of Advance tickets is driven by demand, and not the menu on offer. During the summer, I expect 18:02 is a more popular time for day-tripping tourists to return home from York, with 16:02 being rather early.

Another factor in perception of speed, I find, is the consistency of 25mph running, versus those lines where temporary speed restrictions, crossings, track layout etc force frequent slowing to (eg) 10mph. From memory, the Watercress is relatively free of such restrictions whereas the Spa...

High frequency buses in London operate on the principle of maintenance of headway so that - as far as possible, and wherever you are on the route - a bus will be along every 10 minutes (or whatever the advertised frequency is), but not to a specific public* timetable. Drivers have displays in...

Are there rail replacement buses running? Live departures doesn’t list any, albeit that’s not always definitive proof of what’s happening on the ground.

Sir Bob Reid. Lost his right hand in a meat mincer as a child, but became an accomplished left-handed golfer.

It’s unfortunate that, because the wheels of justice (or bureaucracy) turn so slowly, the viewer doesn’t get to see the outcome of the high value fraud cases featured. Because the rest of the programme is a succession of ticketless under-30s giving RPIs lip, stating they live at Tescos, then...

Thanks, I wasn’t aware Travelcards were available on Key - will investigate that option next time.

I found this so irritating and embarrassing, having to seek assistance at every barrier line, that I’ve abandoned Travelcards and now use Southern PAYG to my London terminal, then TfL PAYG in the zones. It costs a few pounds more, on an average trip, but well worth it for avoidance of hassle...

Putting Brighton and Gatwick back on the cross-country network sounds like a great idea to me (in East Sussex, admittedly), but I note the wall of pro-railway (presumably?) folk who think that having more trains, opening-up more direct journey opportunities, at no direct cost to the taxpayer, in...

Just a guess, but I recall certain rail tickets are, or were, valid on the bus route currently branded as 'Excel' which runs from Norwich to Peterborough via Kings Lynn (but not via Ely). This being a legacy of the closure of the rail routes between Norwich and Lynn via Dereham, and Lynn and...

Grays terminators on the LT&S are long-standing, but until relatively recent times the services starting and finishing there came from Upminster, via Ockendon. (Or Romford, if we go back to the 50s). If I have my timeline right, it was the opening of Lakeside shopping centre and nearby housing...

It's done to retain driver knowledge of the turnback move at Newhaven Marine, so this can be used in times of service disruption on the branch. I question whether midday is the best time to lose one of the half-hourly Seaford services, but then I would say that because I'm generally out and...

Laindon, on the LT&S/c2c. In the Basildon built-up area, but one stop short of the town centre. An historical situation, with Laindon having opened in 1888 on a generous plot of land, whereas Basildon station didn’t arrive until 1974 following growth of the new town, and has a constricted site...

A problem has been recognised. The most effective way of dealing with it would be an enhanced BTP (or similar) presence, but that would be expensive and there's no budget. Also, stepping-up enforcement too much creates opposite risks of the enforcers becoming over-zealous, leading to sob stories...