Search results

I know the thread title refers to before blue/grey, but I wondered if any other BR Standard / Mk.1 passenger coaches - other than the 57' Suburban stock mentioned above which lasted to the late 1970s - were ever painted in overall Rail Blue (as opposed to blue/grey)? Of course there was plenty...

I wonder if the appearance of 'Club' in the various Dining and Luncheon Clubs mentioned is connected to the constraints of the British Licencing Laws back in the day? That is, these establishments were operating as Private Members' Clubs (with sign-in options for bona fide guests), so able to...

Here's another specimen at Liverpool Lime St, taken at Easter (April) 1977. Also of historic interest is the chalkboard detailing the Bank Holiday peak hour cancellations for Easter Monday, and the "Soccerail" board advertising a Footex for the Stoke City v Liverpool match that weekend at £2.20...

The first of Melbourne's new generation G-class trams has just entered public service. Tram 7006 did the honours on Route 59 on 30 July. https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2026/7/melbourne-first-next-generation-tram-delivered-alstom-passenger-service This means the beginning of the...

The OP never specifically said "UK only", so I'll give an honourable mention to Richmond in Melbourne, Australia. Richmond (Victoria) has more similarities to Clapham Junction compared to most of the posts above:-It serves as a useful 10-platform interchange between busy suburban lines on the...

I'm a lifelong dog lover. Especially big, daft, mucky, characterful hounds - rather than those small yappy, neurotic, poodle-derived 'fur babies' so popular in Boomer and Millennial households these days. So it was only natural that I enjoy this TV commercial themed "Dogs Are Gonna Dog" and...

Big new tariffs going on all Belgian exports into the USA, as of tomorrow morning??

Salford Crescent

Speaking of Enduring Anachronisms where service providers often operate to their own convenience - Black Cabs in London? "Nah mate. I'm not going sarf of the river". "They come over here. They take all the jobs . . ." To which they can now add "They drive all the Ubers". "Credit card...

I remember an ex-BR acquaintance of mine was once spinning a yarn about the 'good old days' and the colourful characters he worked with. One of these was a knockabout old lag, 'been on the railway man & boy', who in the early 1970s was on light duties in the run-up to retirement. In the...

Yes, in my youth I was puzzled one summer in the very early 1970s seeing a Brush Type 4 / Class 47 hauling a rake of all First Class Mk.1s, plus Restaurant Car, on the WCML through Wigan. As a new-to-the-game trainspotter at the time, I thought it must be some 'Pullman' type of service. In...

Yes, I remember back in the day the old ticket barrier and booking office was at the top of the stairs from P1. Wigan Wallgate for some reason is an exception to this rule with P2 towards Manchester and P1 towards Southport & "Liverpool". The station is an island platform - so neither P1 nor 2...

Has Bolton been mentioned? Bolton has most trains calling - both Northern & TransPennine Express - except for a couple of non-stopping Glasgow/Edinburgh - Man Apt services in the morning peak & a couple of Airport - GLC/EDB in the pm peak. There is a small handful of other TPE Scottish train...

In my neck of the woods, the normal practice when boarding local city buses is that the driver will wait until you're in a seat before pulling away when it's an elderly person (potentially unsteady on their feet), a parent with youngsters etc. If it's only younger, more able-bodied passengers...

Mention of M&S reminded me of one essential factor, back in the day, when working out how many £ notes to bring along on my trip to Britain. At that time, Marks & Spencers were still a reliable source of robust, good quality St Michael-brand underpants, socks & sensible business shirts...

One niche manifestation of the £50 note “problem” is (or was) for tourists and overseas visitors to the UK. Less of a problem these days, but in the recent past - when fee-free international credit & debit cards were not so easy to come by - the cheapest currency option for a traveller coming...

Thanks @Gloster, that pretty much confirms the double-heading did happen - at least from time-to-time.

A couple of extra comments on these Manchester/Butlins Holiday trains:- 1) The Disused Stations website's entry for Afon Wen states that some holiday trains were double headed between Bangor and Penychain / Pwllheli, with two tank engines coupled bunker-to-bunker. It's not hard to find online...

The 2D53 website covers all sorts of interesting historical rail stuff in North Wales - including working timetables for the Bangor - Afon Wen line. As @6Gman says, the last year of this line was 1964, with the last day for through summer trains from Manchester Exchange being Saturday 29...

It looks like the overall passenger numbers were healthy enough at the end of the 1970s* to warrant running a Relief Euston - Stranraer train on Friday nights right through summer. Presumably the relief was seats only, without sleepers. One quirk of this - the down relief was booked for a...