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Gloster

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I'll step in if I may:

At which English station was Paul Simon waiting for a train when he wrote the song Homeward Bound?

A very good question. The most likely answer is Runcorn, but it could have been Widnes or possibly Warrington. He had done a gig in, I think, Widnes and then been driven to a station to get a train back to London and his love who lay silently sleeping.
 

D6130

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A very good question. The most likely answer is Runcorn, but it could have been Widnes or possibly Warrington. He had done a gig in, I think, Widnes and then been driven to a station to get a train back to London and his love who lay silently sleeping.
I'll give you that, as you mentioned Widnes in your answer. The commemorative blue plaque is affixed to the station building there. Your turn to strum the guitar!
 

Gloster

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Well, I’m prepared to concede, but I did some research a few ago and nobody, not even Paul Simon, can remember which station he went to. The promoter, who drove him, was dead, it was dark and as he was going to get a night train back to London, Widnes seems unlikely. The doubt didn’t stop the council putting up the plaque, even though Simon has said, ‘if you’d ever seen Widnes, then you’d know why I was keen to get back to London as quickly as possible’.
 

Peterthegreat

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There seems to be some confusion over which Widnes station was involved. It could have been the current Widnes (then known as Widnes North or possibly Farnworth) or Widnes Central (Closed 1964).
However as he was returning to London it is possible it was actually Ditton Junction station which also serves Widnes.
 

D6130

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There seems to be some confusion over which Widnes station was involved. It could have been the current Widnes (then known as Widnes North or possibly Farnworth) or Widnes Central (Closed 1964).
However as he was returning to London it is possible it was actually Ditton Junction station which also serves Widnes.
Whoops....sorry I started this. I've always assumed that the plaque at the current Widnes station was historically accurate! :oops:
 

Gloster

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There seems to be some confusion over which Widnes station was involved. It could have been the current Widnes (then known as Widnes North or possibly Farnworth) or Widnes Central (Closed 1964).
However as he was returning to London it is possible it was actually Ditton Junction station which also serves Widnes.

Simon only moved to the UK in 1965, so it couldn’t be Central. Ditton Junction didn’t have much of a late-night service, so that is unlikely. The bits I did dig out suggested that Runcorn for the Liverpool-London sleepers was the most likely.
 

xotGD

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Simon only moved to the UK in 1965, so it couldn’t be Central. Ditton Junction didn’t have much of a late-night service, so that is unlikely. The bits I did dig out suggested that Runcorn for the Liverpool-London sleepers was the most likely.
You're the expert on this, do I think it's only right that you have the floor...
 

Gloster

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Was it the one using a bus body?

Correct. It was assembled in the Leyland National factory in Workington using bus components on a Mark 1 underframe and then lifted on to B4 bogies at Workington station. It was a bit too basic to be popular with passengers.

To you to design a new question.
 

RDP

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It later exchanged identities with 76038 after being fitted with air brake equipment.

An easy one methinks staying with locomotive naming.

Before 69003 three other locomotives carried the name "The Railway Observer". Which ones?
 

Ashley Hill

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Taking inspiration from another thread,
Which film featured a railway station masquerading as Much Snogging on-the-Green?
Bonus point for which station it really was!
 

Peter Mugridge

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It sounds like the sort of name I'd expect in a Carry On film, but I couldn't possibly say which one, if I'm even on the right lines*, as I haven't seen most of them for many years now.

*Pun intended
 

Cowley

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It sounds like the sort of name I'd expect in a Carry On film, but I couldn't possibly say which one, if I'm even on the right lines*, as I haven't seen most of them for many years now.

*Pun intended

My thinking too. The one that springs to mind is Carry On Loving which I think was set in a dating agency?
 

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