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What would be the point of spending significant money on changing the name of a station, to associate it with an additional community, when there are decent multi-modal (train/bus/walk) journey planners e.g. Google Maps, available for free if you actually want to know how to get somewhere by...

I can't think why - the vehicles have been converted to Canadian technical and interior requirements (e.g. AAR couplers and 480V 60Hz 3-phase ETS, just for starters) and they will be at least 30-35 years old by the time they are replaced in the 2031 - 2035 timeframe (dates from the 'What happens...

Thanks for the info. I'm reasonably confident that the derailed train in this thread had an SD70ACU as one of the helpers (see post #41), so they hadn't gone completely at that point. Were they similar types of derailments?

It's the same at Cambridge - a nice, listed facade and high-ceilinged booking hall behind it, but most of the platforms have minimal length, utilitarian canopies. The longest and most stylish ones are actually on the modern P7 & P8 island. Hence the derogatory 'Amshack' term that was applied to...

Not just phones - for 15 years or so, I've recorded all my (amateur) video using various mirrorless hybrid stills/video cameras, which look the same as a digital 'stills' cameras. Personally, if I'd happened to have filmed someone doing something they shouldn't, I certainly wouldn't make it...

In some places where they have to regularly propel stuff a long way, they put a 'shoving platform' on the rear (usually an ex-caboose) for the conductor/brakeman to ride on. I think I saw one in use in Florida once (on a phosphate train). AFAIK, on most railroads climbing onto moving equipment...

There are a few commuter rail routes using modern European-style DMUs, but they don't normally share tracks with other 'heavy' trains e.g. freight is only allowed to run when the DMUs aren't. That allows the DMUs to have European-style collision energy absorption, instead of having to meet...

I agree that if a train is already very late, terminating it early so it can pick its return working is often overall the most sensible thing to do (particularly where there are alternative services or routes that passengers can use instead e.g. EMR terminating very late trains to Norwich at...

I think back then there was very little interest in diesel preservation - the enthusiast community was still mourning the end of mainline steam (only few years earlier), and even the oldest locos in the mainline diesel fleet were teenagers in 1971.

See this recent thread - https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/whittlesea-station-and-east-midlands-railway-stopping-cancellations.306180/

Also, most of the other traffic along the route of those trains is long-distance stuff (Norwich-Manchester/Liverpool, Birmingham-Stansted, most of the freight) which is being affected by speed restrictions further afield and importing delays into the Peterborough-Ipswich route. When I've been...

Picking up on 'rotating machines' used in traction applications, the US Norfolk and Western railroad LC-1 electric locos, dating from 1915, used a rotary phase converter to convert single-phase AC 750V (transformed down from 11kV 25Hz) to 3-phase 750V to drive 3-phase traction motors. The...

I did several Scottish railrover holidays in the early 1980s, and usually managed to travel over most of the Highland/West Highland branches each time - all loco hauled by 37s. Particularly remember the climb out of Dingwall on the Kyle line, through a rocky cutting which reflected back the...

Yes, I know - hence my posting of a track diagram, for the benefit of anyone who might be unfamiliar with the curve and its connections. (My original post - saying 'don't/can't use', not banned from using - was picking up on dk1's comment re. additional Middleton Towers workings - additional to...

It wasn't called a 'booster' set because of the flywheel - it was because it could 'boost' (increase) or reduce the voltage to the traction motors relative to the 3rd rail voltage (or diesel generator output in a 74). This was more power efficient than using resistance control like on a 3rd rail...

The Middleton Towers to/from Brandon workings don't use the curve because they are not travelling to/from the March line, not because there's a ban on using it - below, from top to bottom on the right are the March, Kings Lynn (Middleton Towers) and Norwich (Brandon) lines. The other Middleton...

They don't/can't use the West Curve (they run around at Ely), but there have been some Middleton Towers to Brandon workings running for a while, usually operated by a DCR class 60.

I suspect BR were basically following what had become common practice in Europe i.e. using mostly (cheaper to build and maintain) four-axle electric locos, but they seemed reluctant to embrace the idea of double-heading when necessary (e.g. AFAIK no MU capability on the 81-86's as-built). AFAIK...

Agreed, but most of that weight is 'sprung' (the bogie frames via the primary suspension, the rest via primary plus secondary suspension). AFAIK, it's the unsprung mass that is more important at high speeds - which with axle-hung motors is effectively the wheelset and final drive plus roughly...

Interesting that both locos have cross-arm pantographs - out of the 100 built, only 10 were originally fitted with those, the rest had single arm Stone-Faiveley pantographs. As the 86s were rated at around 1000hp per axle, the motors were doubtless rather heavier than e.g. those fitted to...