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Option 1 - it's good for the soul. I contrived to miss the last train from Preston to Liverpool a couple of years ago. After wasting a couple of hours trying and failing to find a hotel room there, I gritted my teeth, mounted the (malfunctioning) bike and rode off into the headwind that was...

Really interesting. I find there's something strangely fascinating about minimalist railways like this one, which didn't even have the sophistication of horse power, though I pity the poor sods who actually had to provide the human power in the noonday heat. A bit like the hand-pushed pier...

Our smallest cat was tearing about the house like a mad thing yesterday when my French missus referred to her as "a Micheline". The Micheline being a rubber-tyred railcar promoted by the tyre company in the 1930s. As my Missus is one of the least rail-enthusiastic persons I know (despite, or...

Indeed it is - it's open one Sunday every month. Sadly, the actual bus destination blinds now say 'Croydon Colonnades' rather than 'Croydon Airport'...

Given the mortallity rate of pubs in the last few years, there must be loads of examples. One I can think of is the Swan & Sugar Loaf in South London, on the route of the 60 and indeed most buses between Croydon and Purley. (The Swan & Sugar Loaf is now a Tesco, gnash...)

The 'how to evacuate the train' notices I've seen on some operators seem to be aping airline practices. Personally, I think they could actually encourage passengers to exit trains when it's not necessary and put themselves in harm's way. Really, you should only exit a carriage if flames are...

Perhaps, but I've been visiting Malta every year for 25+ years, right back to the days when the old buses were green and white and run directly by the Government. The drivers were a stroppy lot then and they're stroppy now...

The only difference in the Malta case though is that they guy hadn't physically threatened the driver - he just said something to him...

Just come back from a trip to Malta. I took one of the limited stop services from the airport to my hotel (X1, X2, can't remember which one) About 20 minutes into the journey an African guy (one of the island's refugees) went rushing up to the front of the bus. "Hey man! You didn't stop!" "This...

Which will take you right past Faslane nuclear submarine base; by the time your sleeper goes through there, you'll be able to boil an egg in the Loch...

If I'd been the BR chairman in the 1960s (and with my 20-20 hindsight, I'd have been a shoe-in for the role) I would have: -Retained diversionary routes for main lines eg the Southern route to Devon, either fully open or possibly 'mothballed' to improve resilience of the remaining network...

Interesting, but still more expensive for the journey I have in mind - South London to Chalons en Champagne. I reckon that by air the total cost is typically £156 - £86 EasyJet return+£20 return Paris Airport-Paris Est on the RER; probably an overestimate+£50 return Paris-Chalons. (Home to...

Interesting idea but proves my point about Eurostar being overpriced, as it comes to nearly £300 with the compulsory reservation fees. I could do three return Easyjet flights from Gatwick for that price. Interrail might come into its own if you wanted to travel within Europe after going to...

Personally, if I'm paying out of my own pocket, I would fly every time to France rather than take Eurostar. Eurostar is hugely overpriced, aimed at well-heeled central London dwellers and well- (over?)-paid City workers rather than us plebs out in the suburbs. In actual fact, from where we...

And will a London Thameslink ticket from the south be differently priced from a London Terminals ticket? If so, I find it very odd that you can be charged different prices for travelling to, say, London Bridge or London St Pancras International, even though they're both in Zone 1.

If anti-knock compound still contains ethylene dibromide then yes, it is pretty nasty stuff. That used to be the main traffic on the Amlwch branch when I lived there and it could cause all sorts of problems in the event of a mishap. Basically, if it can be carried on a ship - and there is...

One possible reason might be the fact that the railways in the UK tended to build brick-arch overbridges which tend to offer lots of clearance whereas many foreign countries used girder bridges - possibly because so much of the UK railway system was built before they became feasible. Even today...

Years ago I partook in a passenger mutiny on a Gospel Oak-Barking train that was terminated one station short of Barking at Woodgrange Park because of a signal failure. No replacement bus offered and no suggestions from the staff as to how we were going to get home. (The old BR wasn't always a...

Thanks for the tip, but no, don't seem to be any pics of it on that, or on Google Maps either..

Cheers for that. This one looked more narrow gauge than miniature and a very different style of house.