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Worst: Connex white/yellow, Anglia turquoise and (too much) white as applied to their 150s. Best: Anglia turquoise (but not on their 150s), FGW blue, GNER blue, Mainline blue, OK so I like blue.

I sort of regretted they hadn't developed the 210 on my first ride above a 156's engines. 210s might have provided interesting dual power opportunities on Exeter - Waterloo and East Anglia coast - Liverpool St.

I recalll the first time I saw a 317 when they were introduced - "wow it's a big box!". BR specified an EMU with a Mk3 bodyshell: sliding doors and somewhere for the passengers to sit. The 411 was an EMU with a MK1 mainline bodyshell as was the 309 but what a difference in front ends!

Agreed that Joe Public and family primarily want a "steam train experience" and the heritage railways are keen on the revenue that brings in. Concentrating on core business makes sense when there is a lot of it going round; when there isn’t, diversifying can expose you to a larger market –...

How about the M&GN from Yarmouth to North Walsham and the N&S onwards to Cromer and Sherringham: might be a bit of contention over the track/road bed here and there but that would help make it fantastic.

The Bluebell's Ardingley branch scenario might start out as a short shuttle where a battery powered EMU would be an operational contender. Installing 3rd rail, the supporting infrastructure and building a safety case does seem a bit OTT if you only want to operate one EMU under its own power...

Personally I'm a bit awash with things like pens and key-rings. Usually whilst looking round a preservation site, a cup of tea, bar of chocolate or ice-cream is "just the ticket". A small booklet describing your aims with photos and diagrams of what it is you are preserving makes a nice souvenir...

Thanks for the clarification. :)

Not sure I quite get that! If Pacers were a cheaper operational option, then transfering them to lines more at risk would help, so perhaps Cornwall wasn't so much at risk - have I misunderstood you? :) What I'd like to know is, what are the actual services they did help to save.

Pacers might be suited to very short feeder lines (like Leland Nationals were good on town services), and being units you can of course couple more together if the loadings look like being high or you want to split the train somewhere. But "can" for operating simplicity doesn't necessarily...

First trips were between Reading, Oxford, Birmingham, they were new, bright and shockingly different - very good marketing! Otherwise the impression I remember was they were cosily crampt inside. By comparison the AddledAunties that sometimes appeared on Bristol Paddington were pretty orthodox.

I'm not saying loco hauled/propelled is suitable for everything. Nor am I suggesting shunting loose coaches around! I meant it's the format that's flexible. That is, the train-set, is a loco(or 2) plus as many coaches of as many types as you want to suit the service. Effectivelly, this is...

Absolutely. I was on a loco + 4 international train a couple of weeks back, it was behaving as a local, cross-country, long distance and eventually commuter train all rolled into one (IE a passenger train). Despite an earlier loco failure it was picking up time, passengers and their luggage...

Agreed, I used to spend 10 hours a week commuting on 357s, the 2+3 seating meant I could usually squeeze down the aisle and get a seat, so no probs there. The 377s with 2+2 seating are more long distance travel friendly and have viable luggage racks. Yet these are basically the same train...

I hated Mk3.s when they were new, my favourites then were the early Mk2.s, large windows which would open but a Mk1 SK compartment was always a good find - if you could get a window seat. I did Euston to Edinburgh return several years back by Pendo and Voyager, none of the trains were packed...

DMUs were 50s train meets 50s bus - they kept quite a few rural services going - remember those gear changes. Pacers were 70s bus meets 70s high speed goods waggon, they have the look of East German "reko" 4-wheel thunder-box coaches, All in all, quite an iconic design. Wonder what you would get...

I recall a story of a US railroad that had a reserve of diesel locos in "warm" storage: they warmed them up now and again and then cranked them over for a while to keep them ready for use at short notice. The EMP is supposed to affect electronics more than the basic electrical circuits which you...

I remember reading that a Box Tunnel connection was designed to be un-bricked for a junction track (presumably ready behind the wall) to be installed by army engineeers. However, this was to receive express trains of government personell from Paddington. Well it made good reading and it sounds...

I guess it's a case of keep going untill they run out of spares, cash and enthusiasm. Oh yes, and cheap diesel. I wonder what they'll be using for fuel in 40 years time?

UK units would probably need money spent to be adapted to low platform heights, they would also need some life left in them to recoup those costs: so I guess if they were to be exported it would be sooner rather than later. But worry not, there are probably better deals available in continental...