How not to recover a train!

Eye is late to this, so a bowler tip to a Mr Frank Spencer...

Ah, time for plan B.

DB to slash Chiltern services by 20% - Shocker

This from @Timetableworks, via Twitter...

Chiltern to REDUCE rail travel on Mainline by 20% !



Now that's German efficiency for you!

UPDATE: This from @ChilternRailways, via Twitter...

Hi, here's a new link.

The wrong one was put up, so this has now been removed.

The excitement of this time lapse caused a different kind of lapse... my attention!

A nice fast response by Chiltern. Done - ta.

ACoRP - his master's voice?

Oh dear.

It would appear that DafT's running dogs have been instructed to savage all those expressing views at variance with the wisdom that emanates from Marsham Street.

Amidst the news of scarecrows, flower gardens and coffee mornings this rather caustic comment appears in the October edition of ACoRP's Train on Line:

In the same issue [of New Transit] Richard Malins opines from his planet, wherever it is, that the benefits of gating are mythical...

The piece continues...

There’s a particularly interesting article by Adrian Wheatley [in Railway Strategies] on what stations should offer (including ‘live’ rather than recorded announcements and restricting access to non-travellers – are you reading this Mr Malins?)

Perhaps a little strong?

No matter.

Good to know that ACoRP has added revenue protection modelling to its current skillset of weeding, dusting and hanging bunting.

UPDATE: This from a Mr Malins of that Ilk!

Perhaps you could illustrate the news in your organ that I am being savaged by the DfT's running dogs with this picture, which was used to demonstrate the alleged benefits of ticket barriers in said letter to "Transit", and comes to us courtesy of Passenger Focus.


That letter went on to point out that these benefits are to be brought to East Coast passengers at King's Cross, a scheme piloted by Rail Barbie (self confessed no less) and, she tells me, to be installed on Platforms 0 - 5 by February 2011.

Sadly I am not a subscriber to ACoRP so I don't know what I am actually accused of in Train on Line, but I don't imagine, even in DfT's wildest dreams, that many stations they sponsor will get gated.

Train Police Warn on Shopping-trolleys

Eye salutes our brave Boys in Blue!

This piece of super sleuthing from the British Transport Police website:

POLICE APPEAL AFTER TRAIN STRIKES ABANDONED SHOPPING TROLLEY – AXMINSTER

British Transport Police (BTP) officers are appealing for information after a train struck an abandoned shopping trolley that had been left on the tracks near to Axminster.

Shocking news indeed!

Helpfully the BTP website also shows an image of exactly how disruptive the remains of a shopping trolley in the four foot can be!


But what's this?


Errr... chaps, exactly how many of these 'trolley' remains have you discovered?

Network Rail basic science question

Q: What will you observe if you leave bags of concrete in cable ducts on a rainy day?

A: The complete buggeration of yesterday's Midland Main Line rail service.

Public service announcement

Paul Bigland, Pictographer Royal to the railway industry, has been sending out frantic emails to all and sundry:

"I managed to lose my Blackberry out of a train window at the weekend - so I've lost all your phone numbers.

Please feel free to text me with abuse, but please put your name to it so that I know it's your number!"

If you know Paul perhaps you could oblige...