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I have been guilty in the past of being a nasty bloke with comments, both racist and misogynistic. Mostly my comments were very indirect, but overheard by those I obviously offended. Some comments were stupidly, naively very nasty. I was never pulled up by anyone and in most cases encouraged and...

With driver, OBS, Conductor and in some cases stock diagrams being worked so tightly, adding minutes to ensure delay repay is protected would be lost instantly to less reconomical diagrammimg. This one is as fabled as running trains fast to avoid PPM failures, when one missed stop or start...

No DOO equipment involved, it's "look back" there.

I believe that the "S" car stop pole has been moved pending withdrawal of 455s.

The paths exist between Victoria and Selhurst, but to fit them in at Windmill Bridge and to use platforms at East Croydon in a compliant manner is not as easy as a bit of paper and a pen. it is a significant piece of work that requires publication and signallers simplifiers produced on top of...

In my experience of booking staggering amounts of replacement road transport, be it buses, coaches, minibuses and taxis, the primary reason for doing this over hotels is logistics. I have worked (in the past) in a number of different BR era / TOC jobs and none of them have ever had an "easy" way...

Many people do not routinely wash there hands after toilet visits anywhere in the world I have been, including the workplace. It's not just coronavirus that means I use tissues to open doors and hand gel when back at my desk or seat on a train after using train loos. I am not a germaphobe, and...

If you have to open doors etc to come out of a toilet area where you have just washed your hands it's hardly worth bothering. The amount of filthy unwashed hands that have touched doors / door handles makes it a tad pointless . .

Amongst all of the operational issues highlighted, stakeholder influence is a more recent development. (Un)fortunately a local MP or two get their own way every so often and any instructions issued as a result have a negative impact elsewhere. All trains must stop ar x or not be turned short...

ASLEF state clearly that there will be no extension of DOO in their charter: https://www.aslef.org.uk/charter.html No extension of Driver-Only Operation (DOO) schemes or introduction of DOO in the form of DCO or any other name. All current DOO(P) schemes to be revisited and safety risk...

Gatwick Express Stock at Victoria on the District Line was fun:

I have for many years. Initially after early travels in Poland and Czecho, but a small pack of moist wipes and hand gel are a staple part of packing for every rail related trip these days. I am no germophile but every button you press or handle touched are used by numerous people equally unable...

We did it as a family on the Paris to Verona overnight and picked a hire car up in of all places, Verona Airport as it was way cheaper than picking it up in the town. If you are not getting a car just change at Verona for a local train back to Peschiera. We were closer to Desenzano so drove...

Not seeing armed military at Brussel Zuid and Centraal stations is rare these days and they have some impressive weaponry usually backed up by armoured vehicles parked up nearby. Absolutely no intimidation is forthcoming, even when I have been hanging about at various platforms for a while for...

For Holland the "NL Train Navigator" App is very useful for times, it reflects engineering works and has the added benefit of showing formations in picture form with unit numbers in many cases. The MAV App for Hungary is similar and has loco and unit numbers after the train starts moving. The...

If there is a fixed camera for red light infringements? You will get the fine ! Good luck fighting it. I have let ambulances and police through at red lights but I would be loathe to do so if a camera were present - Yes I know the morals of it. Can anyone point to a law allowing it I could use...

Love them and hate them. My most recent experience was in Morroco where I travelled in first class between Marrakesh and Rabat. I purchased first class tickets on the day and bot outward and return were middle of a back to travel compo. Asisde the naff views this afforded me, there is the social...

We were looking at going to St Petersburg via Stockholm (and ferry), but we were just a bit too tight to get visas squared off in time. To avoid the buses in Denmark we had decided to go via Berlin and use the overnight to Malmo which fortunately ran on the day we wanted to go. Certainly a more...

At Victoria in the 1990s, whilst not a "grade" that existed, numerous staff adopted it and made some extremely decent money from their enterprise. It was known locally as "fluffing". The proliferation of airport customers with a desire to have bags carried resulted in £5 notes being thrown round...

Two work colleagues have thus far admitted to getting fines for average speed cameras on the M23 (Roadworks). I am intrigued as to whether you do / can receive more than one fine if you commit the offence over more than one section. I am guessing there are about 5 / 6 sections between the M25...