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Recently I saw Michael Portillo's TV documentary Great American Railroad Journeys. Portillo was at Grand Central Terminal in New York with veteran station tour guide Dan Brucker. During the interview Brucker stated Grand Central is "still the world's largest train terminal". I've been...

This is my first Trip Report post. It describes some fairly modest days out I did nine years ago, mostly on Northern Rail units, so I hope it won’t bore everyone. I recently found the envelope containing old tickets, and other souvenirs from the trip, which prompted me to re-read my diary notes...

Does anyone know anything about Workmen's Tickets in the 1950s? Were these issued only for short distance commutes, or available for longer journeys? The background to my question is this:- - My grandad was a keen recreational fisherman. - In the 1950s, maybe into the 1960s, he...

We've had a couple of "lost subway" threads recently, so here's another regarding Wigan North Western (I know WGN's isn't technically a subway, rather a ground-level access to platforms which are above ground on arches). Did Wigan North Western ever have a second access point to the station...

With the announcement regarding Arriva and the Northern franchise after 1 April 2016, which will be the very last Abellio-Serco Northern train in public service on 31 March - or most likely the early hours of Friday 1st April? Either the latest to depart its point of origin or the latest to...

"I'm not a Train Spotter, but ......" I was browsing through Apple's App Store and was surprised, amongst the myriad of useful & useless stuff on iTunes, that no-one seems to have produced a smartphone "Combined Volume" or "Platform 5" type app aimed at spotters or haulage bashers...

Over the weekend I saw a TV documentary on "Stalin's Underground Moscow". This included a few sections on the Moscow Metro (including the rumoured Metro 2 which allegedly shadows some of the regular Metro lines). Given the Moscow Metro is one of the largest, busiest systems in the world &...

Here's a question about haulage in use on various BR routes around 1978. What stock & haulage was most likely to be used on the following lines in winter 1978/79? Birmingham - Exeter (NE/SW Cross Country). Glasgow/Edinburgh - Aberdeen. London - Brighton. The back-story is this..... At...

Does anyone know how trains accessed Salkeld Street Parcels Station in Glasgow? Browsing through old LMR Working Timetables from the 1970s, among other interesting workings on the WCML are a number of daily trains to and from Glasgow Parcels Station. As I understand it, this was a...

Many people know about the role of railways in the historic success of British seaside resorts - summer Saturday holiday trains, cheap excursions, plus fast commuter services into big cities (e.g. the Club trains & Brighton Belle). One thing I didn't realise was during the steam era, the...

Have any forum members living outside the UK had practical experience using non-UK Contactless cards on TfL buses or Tube? Specifically I'd like to know whether a Visa PayWave branded debit card issued by an Australian bank is likely to work. The TfL website says: Speaking to my bank...

Next month, according to this website, will be the 50th anniversary of the introduction of that well-known British Rail logo. The Double Arrows has to be a design classic and one of the most durable corporate logos of modern times. I wonder what would have happened if BR had remained in...

Prompted by the recent thread on Precision Mathematics, here's a small puzzle for those of a mathematical bent who understand calculation of probabilities. The aim is to calculate probability of how many trips a regular traveller might need in order to cover a whole class of haulage. The...

With the move to accelerate elimination of mechanical signalling, there's obviously a diminishing amount of maintenance work focused on semaphore signals. I was wondering how many locations around the country (signalling depots, workshops etc) still have facilities and skills to work on...

Does anyone remember the extent of MGR coal train operations from pits in South Wales before the coalfield was largely closed down? Which collieries the trains ran from, and which power stations were destinations in the 1980s and 90s? Of course Aberthaw power station is one obvious answer...

Here's a question about the "old" Manchester Victoria - pre construction of the MEN Arena above....... Was there ever an official passenger entrance/exit point on the northern side of the old station, direct from Platform 16 to New Bridge Street? Reason for asking is I had an uncle who...

Following the recent news about new operators for Caledonian Sleepers, I had a quick look at the Sleeper services in my old LMR Passenger timetable for 1971. Some things that surprised me about those BR days were:- 1) How many different destinations had regular overnight trains with...

Maybe some older members who were around the Liverpool area in the late 1970s can help with this question. I’m trying to reconcile my own memories with some published facts around the electrification of the Merseyrail line between Walton Junction and Kirkby in 1977. My niggle is that...