A word on today's incident in London...

There but for the Grace of God...

...thought many of us who looked at the pictures from Lambeth this morning, knowing it could have been so much worse. 

Look at the 'Crash site' on the BBC infographic below and see its proximity to the railway.

Without wishing to diminish in anyway those caught up in the incident, the emergency services and the families and friends of those injured or who lost their lives, might Eye extend a very small plaudit to the railway and those who enabled it to keep running throughout today (NR, SWT, The brothers, Met, LFB, BTP, etc...)

This evening many local road users are still experiencing significant disruption.

But the railway kept on running. 

Eye salutes all those involved.

As a wise man once said: Keep calm and run trains.

UPDATE: This from the Wandsworth Wanderer...

As a “PS” to the worthy tribute to the railway in south London yesterday, while Vauxhall station did close yesterday morning, it was open again to passengers within a few hours... and as someone who had travelled in from Hampshire via SWT for a meeting in the West End at 10.30am, I arrived at Waterloo right time.  

So, yes, the railways played a blinder!

And I can also vouch for the ongoing transport chaos on local roads in SW London during this morning’s rush-hour. 

Cars, vans and lorries bumper to bumper clogging up road junctions and several buses on lengthy diversions.

Happily many bus passengers abandoned the road network, walking considerable distances to use the train from Clapham Junction instead!

Network Rail: Clearing the Way

Just beautiful!

And so much better than any in the Cl 7x series...


Bet Petrol-head never saw one this big from his Jag window!

Anyone seen any decent shots of the Snowblowers?

UPDATE: This from Sir Humphrey Beeching...

My PS was always most impressed that station platforms had usually been cleared before trains appeared.

Of course my journey was much later in the day.

Perhaps something Sir David Quarmby will look into?

Eye salutes those keeping the railway open

The Network Rail press office is doing a sterling job showing what the industry is doing to keep the railway moving.

And providing hardened hacks and picture desks with some great pictures...


NR's media mastermind Kevin Groves offered the following helpful caption for the picture above:

Great picture of an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) de-icer / snowplough, clearing the route to East Grinstead at lunchtime today (1pm, 02/12/10, taken from the rear).

Perhaps just as well the last bit was in parenthesis.