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  1. W

    Historical Windsor and Reading services

    The other feature of the "Windsor Lines" was their own part of Waterloo; platforms 16 - 21, in that part of the station predating the rebuild. It was somewhat separate because of a retaining wall and offices, I remember and had a more relaxed atmosphere than the scrum next door. Unhappily all...
  2. W

    Paddington-Reading blocked due to OLE isolation and lineside fire (5/9)

    The electrical power diagram above shows the Bramley transformer and independent feeder to Reading, with classic supply to Newbury (but no sectioning, other than TSC's down the line) While there is a lot of switchgear installed at the Reading ATFS site, the rest was paused, was it not? It's a...
  3. W

    Union Jack-style Great British Railways branding at major Glasgow station angers Scottish government officials

    While it is a minor issue, it shows how separatist (as distinct from delegated/home rule) propaganda is being foisted on the Scots by its local establishment. Why not campaign also to change the gauge at the border? -- the Russian gauge would do nicely. I was warned off mentioning (in...
  4. W

    Why doesn't Ripon have a train line towards Harrogate or York?

    ...and one would ask why there hasn't been one tried. If one wants to commute to Leeds then live nearer! However, one might ask what would the likely rail custom be if Ripon Station were still open. Comparing three similarly sized towns' entries and exits, Westbury has c540k, Northallerton...
  5. W

    Is there scope for one supplier and a common policy for all GBR retail facilities?

    You can have a common specification (even for service components) for all suppliers to give seamless ticketing. You can buy nuts 'n bolts from different suppliers that fit together. WAO
  6. W

    WCML substations

    Many thanks - it zooms in and stays very clear. Fascinating to see the variety of transformer ratings and the clear distinction between overlap and neutral sections. Also Kings Langley and Headstone Lane adjacent neutral section TSC's with KL n/c. Were Crewe TF's 10 and 15MVA? Let's salute the...
  7. W

    Porterbrook Cl.769 'Flex' trains from 319s, initially for Northern

    When moving off from a terminus, there is often restrictive point work ahead. Hence the gentle starts. Compression Ignition engines do tend to be noisy.
  8. W

    The cost of living agenda - how should the railway contribute ?

    But modal share is high because of the limitation of road capacity with London's population size and density. Car/bus (or LRT) is more of an option in smaller settlements. I would also consider that the populous South East generally has a poorer road system than the North; hence rail's modal...
  9. W

    The cost of living agenda - how should the railway contribute ?

    Railways need volume; Greater London with a population of c8M has that. Regional cities typically with populations of 0.5 - 1M don't. Also geography is an issue; railways have problems with topography, such as in Yorkshire. Where the regions score is in their wider populations; those of the...
  10. W

    The cost of living agenda - how should the railway contribute ?

    Which suggests to me that railcards are volume discounts for those willing to dedicate significant amounts of their travel needs to the railway but are also price sensitive (being on the edge of the employment market). I tend to regard mine as a sort of subscription or method of support for the...
  11. W

    Reopenings - the positive narrative the railway industry needs !

    The best comment I've read for a long time! In Neon lights please! WAO
  12. W

    The cost of living agenda - how should the railway contribute ?

    My engineering work taught me that a fair price was materials + labour + overheads + profit (c15%of previous sum). You could adjust the profit a little but essentially you charged what it cost a reasonably profitable business. The "dynamic pricing" model tries to take advantage pressing need...
  13. W

    The cost of living agenda - how should the railway contribute ?

    Seed-corn is always better planted than eaten. WAO
  14. W

    The cost of living agenda - how should the railway contribute ?

    Low interest rates were a banking deception after the crisis. They distorted the balance between investment and maintenance temporarily but they were fools' gold as government is now discovering. New stock will only be cheaper than repaired mid-life stock if there is significant technical and...
  15. W

    The cost of living agenda - how should the railway contribute ?

    My take on this is that there is plenty of demand in the economy; what we are short of is the home produced supply side. This means that too much money goes abroad rather than improving employment and reducing (foreign) debt. The Treasury recently had to warn Departments that they were buying...
  16. W

    Definitely Not MML Electrification progress updates: A6006 bridge reconstruction

    Pure conjecture but freight clearance would likely be done on a route basis, not bridge-by-bridge as one out of gauge structure would restrict the while route, making the other work pointless. It also seems that freight clearance generally (W8) is enough for OLE, particularly with present...
  17. W

    Definitely Not MML Electrification progress updates: A6006 bridge reconstruction

    In other words the clearance part of MMLEP (typically 25% of cost) is still ongoing, pause notwithstanding, under the guise of freight clearance (not paused). Good on yer, Heidi! WAO
  18. W

    Should LNER/GBR name a train after Kevin Keegan?

    Hate to point it out but K's stay at Liverpool from 71 - 71 was seminal. He said "it made him as a player and a person" WAO
  19. W

    Reopenings - the positive narrative the railway industry needs !

    Luxury high class experiences whether by road or rail are only for the premium few, not the third class commuter. Even the toffs have to put up with pot holes, congestion and lorry fumes and Pullmans experience failures and signal checks. I agree stations should have (modern) canopies not bus...

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