Old fart's lament

Wonderful!



The Fact Compiler is wiping a tear from his eye!

Little bang

The Fact Compiler is grateful to a reader for bringing this splendidly base-lined survey to his attention.

"Remember the happy days when you closed a branch line by doing a passenger survey on a half day closing in the school holidays...

"Manchester Metrolink obviously have no intention of being caught out in similar fashion..."

Crossrail's consultation team needs to sign up the genius behind this one!

Holy Smoke!

This from Driver Potter's website

Large bang.

It's hot, damn hot!

Trinitarian truth

Regular readers of Railway Eye will recollect that the industry is divided over the correct term of abuse to apply to the InterCity Express Programme.

The Fact Compiler prefers The Frankenstein Train.

Nigel Harris of Rail favours the Camel Class.

A late entrant to the fray is Captain Deltic, who in the latest Modern Railways describes the HST replacement as the Zombie Train.

Whilst the industry may disagree on the best term to describe this appalling civil service procurement exercise we are unanimous in our contempt for it.

Strategic - can you spell that

The Fact Compiler can barely conceal his excitement when the latest FCP Quarterly flops through the letter box.

As usual it is packed full of wonderous wisdom from the industry's Operators of Last Resort.

Better still there is a glossy insert tucked into the latest edition.

A conference flyer - which boldly states "Influencing the Policy Agenda for Rail in the UK".

The Fact Compiler thinks, for a fleeting moment, that this is the call to arms he has been waiting for!

An opportunity for the great and good to come together, think strategically and determine how our industry really can best 'influence the policy agenda for rail in the UK."

Alas, the flyer merely pushes several lacklustre lectures given by the usual industry rent-a-gobs and designed to part sharp suited consultancy carpet baggers from their money.

Nice work if you can get it.

Jungle Ron

Now that Railway Garden season is at an end time to catch up on other lineside horrors.

The excellent site 'Death by Health and Safety' has some splendid shots of the detritus left in or about the cess.

View Jungle Ron's world here.

Is anyone at NR listening?