Soi disant Time Lord?

This from Leo Pink...
 
It looks as though the soi disant veteran observer is even more of a veteran than we first thought!

It turns out that he is chairing the Derby175 group tasked with delivering celebrations to mark the 175th anniversary of the railway's arrival in Derby.

Presumably he was appointed because he is the only person who can remember what happened at the time?

Or more likely, because he is a silly old... (that's quite enough history! Ed)

A picture of competence...

This from Payroll No 1144...

I note with interest that the Soi Disant Veteran Observer has posted a new photo of himself on linked-in today.

Unfortunately in this one he now seems to be lacking the sage advice of the dog!

As this is at least the second, if not third picture, of the Soi Disant with the same Minister perhaps he is hoping to create some sort of record?

Either way, rather than running vanity pics on Social Media sites perhaps he should update his own website, which still features a twice failed Mayoral candidate and a now very dead chair of the TSC.

Perhaps he has lost the password?

UPDATE: This from the Soi Disant Veteran Observer himself...

***NOT FOR PUBLICATION***

This is really beginning to p**s me off!

Stop referring to me as the "soi disant veteran observer"!

Mr Fact Contorter - it isn't actually very amusing anymore and I don't know anyone who finds this funny. (We do. Ed).

And by the way there is nothing wrong with my website, it is merely on 'deferred maintenance' and will soon by relaunched with even better...  (sadly, owing to pressure of space, Eye is unable to publish the rest of this email from the soi disant 'veteran observer'. Ed).

Scrap Metal Dealers Act nets first victim!

Oh dear.

The Soi Disant 'Veteran Observer' has apparently been allowed near the railway.

Alas, judging from this picture he has broke it!

Pay attention Brennan-Brown!

Take that lump of p-way out your pocket! The new Scrap Metal Dealers Act renders it almost worthless.

UPDATE: This from the late Sir Norman Hartwell...

Nice flares. 

UPDATE: This from the Soi Disant Veteran Observer himself...

I really am getting jolly tired of this.

I have asked politely, several times, for you to stop referring to me by the childish term 'soi disant' etc...
 
It is neither big, nor clever!

Rather than replying in person to my emails you think it witty to publish them in truncated... (Sadly, owing to pressure of space, we are unable to publish the rest of this email from the Soi Disant Veteran Observer. Ed)

Update: This from an Railway Hack...

I also attending today's visit to Hatfield/Stainforth.

Eye readers may find these images more illuminating...

 

For what it is worth, it scared the living $h!t out of me. 

Things go from bad to worse at DfT?

This from a Mr L J Breeze...

These are increasingly desperate times at the Department for Transport, judging by this picture taken at the Duffield station of the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway yesterday.

If the Secretary of State has taken to consulting the Soi Disant Veteran Observer then we are all doomed.

Perhaps he would have got more sense out of the dog?

UPDATE: This from Chionanthus Virginicus...

In view of the Soi Disant's alleged sideburns (they look like "Wiggo" stick-ons to me) are we to assume he was asking the SoS to ensure the new franchising agreements will include specific requirements for the provision of additional cycle space on trains?

This of course would be part of the "legacy" benefits from the 2012 Olympic success.

UPDATE: This from the Soi Disant Veteran Observer himself...

I have emailed you several times to request that you stop referring to me in these derisory terms.

As I have pointed our before this is neither big nor clever!

Rather than replying to my emails you prefer to publish them, but in truncated form, which you seem to consider funny. 

If you do not desist I will be forced to... (Sadly, owing to pressure of space, we are unable to publish the rest of this email from the Soi Disant Veteran Observer. Ed)

Spartacus undone!

This from a Mr Fergy-Lee of Wyvern Rail...

With The World’s Greatest Living Transport Correspondent expected to be anointed as the next Mayor of London, I wonder if the so called 'soi disant Veteran Observer' is starting to get ideas above his station (geddit!!? Ed.).

During our Diesel Gala this weekend (lots of Crompton and A1A action) our train crew happened upon the following sight at the end of the Duffield Carnival!

As you can see from the picture, none amongst the assembled party were prepared to admit they had anything to do with the self appointed Spartacus!

FT makes Wright move to US

The slow retreat of Robert Wright from covering UK rail stories appears almost complete.

Last October, the cycling FT hack changed jobs from transport correspondent to shipping and logistics, leaving only rail freight subject to his scrutiny.

Then, earlier this year, Rail Professional magazine axed his long-running "The Wright Track" column in which he held forth on the politics of the iron road.

Now, Eye understands, he is packing his bags to head for New York, where, as the FT's new US industry correspondent, he will mostly cover the automotive industry!

A small consolation remains for UK transport enthusiasts. Eye is led to believe that the Invisible Visible Man, the blog about the philosophy of cycling written by someone who seems a lot like Wright, is going to continue - albeit with moans about New York drivers, rather than those in London.

Happily, all is not completely lost.

Wright's departure for far flung climes should finally see the deeply tedious soi disant 'veteran observer', Brennan-Brown, expunged from future editions of the Pink 'Un!

Proof positive that every cloud has a silver lining.

UPDATE: This from the aforementioned Brennan-Brown...

I have written to you more than once to complain about your use of the term 'soi disant veteran observer'.

It is deeply childish and I must now insist that you stop... (sadly, owing to pressures of space, Eye is unable to reproduce in full this latest encomium from the soi disant veteran observer. Ed)

A hot weekend for Eye's favourite spinner...

Good to see a PR at the top of his game!

Eye favourite the soi disant 'veteran' observer managed to sink in the mire of the twitterverse this weekend.

Bluster-Brown, for it was he, was left floundering as the hashtag #trainonfire lit up Sunday's internet, at one point being viewed by 22,500 'tweeps'.

And where in this alleged conflagration was the great spin surgeon?

Left forlornly punting emails to a twitter based Guardian hack...


Happily no fire, no story.

No matter!

Eye advises all TOCs (with the following noble exceptions who Actually Do Twitter)....

"Get with the program, get a corporate Twitter account, get your team on-line and engage".

'Nuff said.

Rent-a-quote restored!

Telegrammed by Leo Pink
How good to see that Rupert Brennan-Brown and his amanuensis, Financial Times Transport Correspondent Robert Wright, are back together again in today's paper.

But what's this?

The bi-monickered one is referred to as a 'rail industry observer'.

Does the dropping of the once obligatory sobriquet 'veteran' give a hint to the real reason for the brief separation? After all the FT is the paper of the ambitious young turks in the City.

Liberal application of Grecian 2000 and some sharp new threads seem to have restored the quote-meister to favour.

UPDATE: This from a Mr Robert Wright (for it is he)...

Since everybody knows smoking ages a person, Rupert Brennan Brown is probably younger than he looks (as indeed am I, although I don't smoke).

But I did originally use the term veteran.

Some person with no sense of history must have taken it out.

UPDATE: This from the soi disant 'veteran' observer himself...

I do read this stuff you know and I don't think it's very clever or funny.

I particularly resent Pink's suggestion that I resort to dying my ha... (sadly owing to pressures of space Eye is unable to publish the rest of this email from the soi disant Grecian 2000 user. Ed)

Wolmarballs on new rolling stock

Telegrammed by Our Man at 222 Marylebone Road
Britain's self styled greatest living transport expert, quoting from the Grauniad's Peter Preston, says in his latest blogpost:

Peter Preston, a normally utterly impenetrable Guardian columnist, for once makes a good point in today's paper. Writing about the £8bn worth of rolling stock investment promised by the government last week - forget whether the actual figures add up - he asked the DfT how many of the new 2,100 carriages would be first or second class.

Those who can divide £8billion by 2,100 will know that the numbers definitely don't add up.

Perhaps the prolific Wolmar, surely the O.S. Nock de nos jours, should have consulted the soi disant 'veteran observer' whose expertise is currently being 'rested' by the FT?

UPDATE: This from a Mr Robert Wright...

I was intrigued by the idea of Wolmar as an 'OS Nock de nos jours' and checked the great man's Wikipedia entry for parallels.

Sadly, it summarises his career thus:

"Nock authored more than 140 books and 1000 magazine articles, which are often considered to be less than authoritative because of his voluminous output. He tended to re-use data, text and anecdotes in different books, including paragraphs culled in their entirety."

Perhaps Wolmar should get himself a canal boat and make a pitch to be the modern era's LTC Rolt instead.

Off the brown and misses the pink.

Telegrammed by Our Man at 222 Marylebone Road
Has there been a falling out between the FT Transport Correspondent and his ever constant 'veteran railway observer' Rupert Brennan-Brown?

In his item on the refusal of Theresa Villiers to say anything about plans for Thameslink Robert is forced to rely upon the thoughts of a mere 'railway person'.

Looks like the FT has finally joined the legions amongst whom 'Rent-a-quote BB' has little allure.

No matter.

Eye suspects the real reason for Theresa's silence is that her officials have yet to tell her what they've decided.

UPDATE: This from a Mr Robert Wright, for it is he...

Dear Mr Compiler (if you don't mind the formality),

There hasn't been any falling out with Mr Brennan Brown at all.

We here at the FT have a strong stomach for his eccentric views about politics and the railway industry, amusingly tinged as they are with a boyish sense of mischief.

However, part of our authority as a newspaper depends on our wide range of sources and we occasionally go for a while without quoting some of them.

I'm sure he'll be back, even more veteran than before.

Grand Central new MD - Shocker

This from the Railway Herald...


Eye is unsure whether the Tom Windsor mentioned is the former Rail Regulator or a minor scion of the Royal Family?

Perhaps the soi disant 'veteran' observer would care to clarify?

UPDATE: This from a Mr Brennan Brown...

It is neither as well you know!

And can you please stop referring to me as the "soi disant veteran observer", it's not particularly funny and... (sadly, owing to reasons of space, Eye is unable to publish the rest of this email from the soi disant 'veteran' observer. Ed).

UPDATE: This from Chianothus Virginicus

I hope they have considered Psalm 42 before choosing this name and have amended their maintenance regime accordingly!

"As pants the hart for cooling streams
When heated in the chase..."