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    Bispham Station Masters

    Remember that the occupation put down in a census is part of the description of the individual. It is not meant to show what post someone occupies, or even if they are out of work at the time (except in 1921) - even if sometimes that is entered. The 1939 register is specifically concerned with...
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    Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway: progress updates

    Other sources can fill in the gap - e.g. OpenRail/livetrain confirms reports at Feltham 2013 / Staines 2018 / Virginia Water 2025 / Chertsey 2029 / Addlestone 2033 / Weybridge 2038 / Surbiton 2048.
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    St Enoch Terminus Glasgow question.

    There was another plan involving the demolition of some of the Glasgow termini, which was in the Clyde Valley Plan (the Scottish Office one of 1946, aka the Abercrombie report). I haven't found that report, but this part was briefly described in the BTC report - just enough to reject it:
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    Shakespeare Tunnel Design

    Not at all! Railway Times (16 September 1943) reported that the tunnel was finished apart from laying the track. It also commented on the unusual Gothic (others said lancet) form of the arches, and the "numerous shafts and galleries towards the sea" which let in light - all unusual in tunnels...
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    Oxford Corridor Phase 2 & Platform 5 updates

    That's essentially the same section drawing - even the same ... recognisable ... colours. Having looked at the drone photos in NR's news release (at full resolution), it is clear that the six slabs now in place (two for P5 and P2, and four within the main bridge) are the sole structural...
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    Oxford Corridor Phase 2 & Platform 5 updates

    Has anyone come across any details of the internal structure of the bridge decks? I don't recall anything other than the section drawing of the "P2" span in the planning documents (linked in post #703), and what's now there does not look the same as that. They all look remarkably shallow, given...
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    First use of yellow line for first class?

    Introduction on all regions by BR was announced in August 1962. The bands were still described as broad - four inches - and were to go on "main line trains" and all Southern Region electrics. This followed trial use on the Kent coast and Eastern Region electric trains. Whatever happened between...
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    First use of yellow line for first class?

    Yes, it was announced in July 1920, as part of an enhanced service on some lines. Services between Liverpool Street and Chingford, Enfield, and Palace Gates were increased by 50% and described as "accelerated". The colour bands were broad so as to be seen from a distance, as they were intended...
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    Bispham Station Masters

    Would that be the Angus Audsley who was born in Ashton under Lyne in 1920, started work as a railway clerk (like his father Edward) when living in Chorley, and got his name in the papers in 1967? He was complaining at the TSSA conference that since station masters had become station managers...
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    Oxford Corridor Phase 2 & Platform 5 updates

    But it is in use, to hold the bridge spans up! Hence it had to be in place, whether used as a walkway or not.
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    St Enoch Terminus Glasgow question.

    The BTC report has a few maps at the back: there is one of the new north station. This is the key part of it, showing the new station on the site of Buchanan Street stations, overlaid on the "old" (i.e. current) Queen Street.
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    St Enoch Terminus Glasgow question.

    The Bruce Report for Glasgow Corporation (First Planning Report to the Highways and Planning Committee of the Corporation of the City of Glasgow) was the 1945 one famous (or notorious) for proposing a lot of new roads. That was followed by the Scottish Office's alternative proposal published in...
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    HS2 Construction Updates - Birmingham Area

    I can think of lots of reasons why Saltley might have been delayed, such as utility diversions etc. The redesign of the deck (which was consulted on) seems to apply to Aston Church Road as well, so that wasn't it. The only clear constraint was the promise not to close both at once. Here's a...
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    Bridlington Station - former buffet - what caused the crack in the floor?!

    A quick look finds newspaper reports of four such incidents so far - 1913, 1932, 1970, and 1994. Only the 1970 one was in the station, and that injured a lot of passengers who were standing up, ready to get off, but not the train or buffers at all. So it may be that so much raw material makes it...
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    Mr. Hale Stationmaster Help

    The son he was living with at his death, and who was his executor, was Arthur John Hale born 1904 Walton-le-Dale. He was then described as railway inspector; the estate was valued at £16075. In the 1921 census he and his two sisters appear without either parent (they must have been away) living...
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    Mr. Hale Stationmaster Help

    And the 1901 census has James Hale age 29 and born in Croston, Lancs. He is living in Cockshutt Cottage, Simonstone, and is ... a railway station master. He's married and with a new baby at this date. In 1891 he is a railway booking clerk while still living at home in Croston.
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    Up and Down directions

    Of course up/down have other meanings (in any dictionary) such as to higher/lower altitude, or northward/southward. So when talking about a particular trip, you are likely to pick whatever matches the reason for going - business that only happens in London would favour the up=to London meaning...
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    East-West Rail (EWR): Consultation updates [not speculation]

    If you follow the link in the announcement about the TMD to the 2024 Non-Statutory Consultation you can read what that says about electrification, and (it's not a lot) about searching for a TMD location. Their plans are still based on adding electrification at some stage, with a preference for...
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    Up and Down directions

    The association of "up" and "high" with importance, whether social, political, legal, or whatever, is an old one - long predating the railways. So a dictionary definition of "up" includes "towards a center (such as a capital, great town or city, or university)" as one of its basic meanings.
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    HS2 TBM Progress

    The notice did say "up to 150m a week". And "up to", as we all know, means the same as "less than" (in this usage). So it's a bit high, but then a figure is only being published to give a reader of the progress updates a yardstick to judge them. So if they do 50m in a week, that can be seen as...

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