Sandals and beards at ACoRP awards - Shocker!

Disappointing news from Friday's ACoRP Community Rail awards!

Despite the best efforts of General Manager, Neil Buxton, and the industry's very own 'Pictographer Royal' there was a shocking beard deficit amongst the evening's 270 attendees.

The assembled Community Rail champions, industry supporters, hacks and TOC directors apparently eschewed the traditional facial-fuzz and sandals in favour of smart suits and safety footwear...


EMT's Shoveller & Northern's Butcher hosted the evening and here present Mark Hopwood of FGW with a special award - allegedly for rescuing passengers from a long distance 'dog-box'.

Sadly, busy diaries prevented a Minister from seeing and saluting the 'Big Society' in action.

Sources charitably suggest that it takes some time to recover from the National Rail Awards.

NR breathes life into the RHC?

Is there no end to the NR Charm Offensive?

Apparently Huggable has embraced the Big Society...

"Railway Heritage Trust awarded funding to 2019

"Network Rail has decided to continue its sponsorship of the Trust at its present level until 31 March 2019...

"In its quarter century of life the Trust has awarded 1,214 grants, worth some £39m. These grants have attracted some £46m of additional funding."

So far so good!

But where does the new, improved, Network Rail stand on the Railway Heritage Committee?