Search results

Our local news has been putting out closure of Hook station in the down direction because of a landslip - and indeed Hook has mysteriously disappeared from RealtimeTrains for Waterloo to Basingstoke stoppers! I guess that means that the Down Slow is closed between Winchfield and Basingstoke...

Arrived at New Street at about 15:45 yesterday to find the place in a fair amount of chaos. Many local services cancelled, most others delayed, heaving crowds on the concourse. Went to get on the 16:04 Bournemouth (advertised as delayed to 16:15) at Platform 1B to find the platform jammed...

I have searched to find a thread on this subject but can't find one - if there is please direct me to it! My six year old grandson is at the stage of being interested in absolutely everything and has come across the story that the Stephenson gauge of 4ft 8.5in is derived from the Roman chariot...

I mean no insult to HMQ personally, but the current Borising of our unwritten constitution makes you wonder if there is any point at all in her having a formal role in government. If all she can do is go along with the Prime Minister's advice and all the Privy Council can do is advise her to...

On the Railway General Knowledge quiz thread a question came up as to what track gauge the Stratford and Moreton Tramway was laid to. I have done some digging and still haven't come up with a definite answer. Most online sources say that it "adopted the standard gauge" although Wikipedia sits...

Am I right in saying that the only operational 3-foot gauge railway on the British mainland is on Southend Pier? Were there once others and if so, where? The only ones I know without consulting Mr W Pedia are the Southwold and (I think) the Rye and Camber.

I see the Daily Mail's latest anti-BBC headline today is "Biased, Brazen and Contemptible". That strikes me as a good description of the Daily Mail, but that's not the point. Once Brexit is out of the way the Mail and the right wing gang of MPs it encourages will see the destruction of the...

There was some talk a few years ago about installing "Bridge Bash" detectors on some vulnerable structures. Does anyone know if that came to anything and if so, what kind of kit is fitted and who gets the warning of a bash?

There is a thread currently running about franchise rearrangement after the Williams Review, but isn't all franchise juggling a bit like rearranging the deck chairs? I don't think the railway industry is heading for an iceberg, but I do think it will be increasingly unable to compete on...

Just flagging up this new report issued today. It identifies 33 (selected from 224) high priority reopening/freight route conversion schemes for government action. I can't see DfT doing anything about it (especially as RMT is a sponsor) but it's interesting none the less...

The IMechE has just published a new report on transport and air quality. It is worth a read so here's a link to it: http://www.imeche.org/docs/default-source/1-oscar/reports-policy-statements-and-documents/imeche-air-quality-report.pdf?sfvrsn=2 It prompts a lot of thoughts which should be the...

What happened to the Network Rail signalling schools? I recall that there were plans for about seven new ones, way back in 2002 or so, but I gather that they are all now closed. Does anyone know how many there were and why they were closed?

According to Railway Group Standards (GE/RT 8075 Issue 2) There are a considerable number of other exceptions. My question is - does anybody know roughly how many TPWS OSS loops are fitted at PSRs? Any examples of where they are fitted would be helpful.

The attempt to build a Channel Tunnel in the 1880s was stopped after several miles of pilot tunnel had been built by military worries over vulnerability to an invasion. What if it had been completed? We would have had a double track connection from the South Eastern main line at Shakespeare...

I am trying to plan a birthday trip in October via the Conwy Valley, Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. I am thinking to base myself in Caernarfon. An anticlockwise tour works OK leaving by WHR train at 10:00 and arriving back at Caernarfon (courtesy of the 5C bus from Bangor) at...

I wonder if I am alone in wondering whether the new Lower Thames Crossing (east of Gravesend to east of Tilbury) is a missed opportunity for rail? Probably not a lot of use for channel tunnel freight because it does more or less the same as HS1, short of a new link to the Midlands & North...

I am collecting data on Selective Door Operation on the UK main line network. I have read GE/GN8577 and am aware of: Manual SDO -door selection controlled by the guard ASDO - automatically selects the doors to be enabled by the driver or guard at a specific station FASDO - opens (or selects)...

Am on 1P63 - 19:30 Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour. Before leaving Waterloo an incident (person hit by a train) at Guildford was announced, so diversion via Eastleigh and stops only at Woking and Fratton. Now re-diverted at Surbiton via Guildford New Line. Anyone out there know what's happening?

Having recently slept through my destination (admittedly only from Petersfield as far as Havant) and having been allowed to come back on the next up service at no charge by the friendly SWT guard - I wondered: a) whether there is a policy about this, and: b) (on a lighter note) what is...

One thing we have lost in the network of today is the "boat train" - running on an as-required or regular basis in connection with international sailings. I am aware of some of the routes involved, for example Waterloo - Southampton and Liverpool St - Harwich. It would be interesting to...