Eye at Railtex

The Fact Compiler has been busy at Railtex

See what you've been missing here...



Still two more days in which to come down and join in the fun!

Pointless signs - Par

New trains - an historical perspective

On the 801st day without an order for new trains.

This with a bowler tip to British Railways.tv...

It's all 'elf and safety gone mad!

Railway Gongs

Eye congratulates the following:

Knights Bachelor

Tony Hawkhead, chief executive, Groundwork, the environmental charities group

David Higgins, ex-chief executive of the Olympics Delivery Authority, now chief executive of Network Rail

Brian Souter, chief executive, Stagecoach, the transport group

Commander CBE

Terry Hill, chairman of Arup Group Trusts, for services to engineering

Paul Jowitt, president, Institution of Civil Engineers

John McDonough, chief executive, Carillion, the construction and support services group

Peter Rogers, chief executive, Babcock International, the engineering group.

Officer OBE

David Lockwood, MD, Thales, the electronics group

Eye understands that there is no truth to the rumour that Sir Brian earned his gong for services to the carrier bag industry.

UPDATE: This from Globetrotter...

One more for your Railway Gongs:

Congratulations to Dave Newell, of Aslef's Marylebone branch, who received an MBE for promoting rail safety in schools.

The Fact Compiler apologises to Dave for omitting him, and the important work he does, from the original list.

New Trains - 800 days of talk and no trousers!

This from Captain Deltic...

Today, 11 June, is the 800th day since the last rolling stock order was placed.

Note, placed, not preferred bidder selected.

Altogether now, and perhaps ATOC, Network Rail, Passenger Focus, RIA and Sir Roy McNulty might care to join in...

Why are we waiting, why are we waiting...?

Welcome to the Redactalino!

This from Capt W E Johns...

Strange goings on at Euston today, where the brave test pilots of 11-car AM90 no 390054 were 'pushing the envelope'.

The day was spent shunting into each platform to see if the set would fit 'inside clear'.

Whilst the gallant crew might have the 'right stuff', are they perhaps sans the Sectional Appendix?

For, surely, that august tome includes maximum platform lengths.

The set will soon make its way to Liverpool, for two vehicles to be removed.

In the process reducing an Extendalino, into a Redactalino.

No doubt tarps will be placed over the excised two vehicles to spare everyone's blushes!

UPDATE: This from Our International Correspondent...

The good Captain makes an interesting point about How We Do Stuff These Days.

The length of the new engorged Pendo is known to within a millimetre or so.

The useable length of the platforms is established in the Appendix to within a few inches. Whether or not it fits – indeed if any train fits - is a table top exercise for a couple of train planners.

The 11 car train had to be bought down from Liverpool, shunted around Euston all day, then sent back. £12,000 of anybody’s money. A table top exercise, even with checking and double checking, would have been two men for one day, perhaps £800.

Frittering away £11,200 is not a tidal wave in the financial tsunami that is the railway. But it does betray a spendthrift mindset.

And the numbers of £50 notes being burned increases exponentially if or when they toddle off to repeat the tests at Lime Street, Piccadilly, and Glasgow Central.

Nice work if you can get it.

Two groups battle to recreate LNER P2

Telegrammed by Our International Correspondent
Exciting news from the kettle fraternity!

You wait for ages and then two come long at once - rival schemes are apparently competing to build a replica of the lost LNER P2 Class loco "Cock O The North".

In the Darlington corner is the A1 Steam Trust, successful builders of the £2.8 million Tornado replica that has recently returned to service after a boiler embarrassment.

Meanwhile, batting for Doncaster is the new P2 Trust, who hope to raise an eye-watering £10 million to make their retro steam dream come true.

Eye wonders if there is a danger that too many cocks may spoil the broth?

UPDATE: This from Chief Superintendent Rand (retired - thank God)...

The story about the two Cocks of the North reminds me of my early days as a constable in the dear old City of Bradford Police.

Police officers then as now wore numbers on their shoulders and that number was also used in correspondence and when identifying oneself in court. Thus, I was PC 45 Rand.

When a lad named Cox joined the force some wag in the Chief Constable's Office allocated him the number 2...

Targetted advertising outside Great Minster House

Pointless signs - Didcot Parkway

DafT promises North even older trains!

Does anyone in the Department actually believe the guff they supply as responses to PQs?

This written answer given in the Upper House yesterday...

Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat)
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for reducing the average age in rolling stock on the Northern Rail franchise, given that the average age of trains is now 25.7 years.

Earl Attlee (Whip, House of Lords; Conservative)
The Government confirmed the electrification of the routes Liverpool to Manchester via Newton-le-Willows, Huyton-Wigan, Preston to Blackpool and Manchester to Preston in November 2010. This will enable younger electric trains to operate on these routes. Future use of rolling stock on the Northern Rail franchise will be for the bidders to propose.

So what are these exciting 'younger trains'?

Presumably the Noble Lord is referring to DfT's plans to cascade some of the current Thameslink fleet Up North?

And would these units be the same as the Class 319s that are currently 24 years old?

And that will be a minimum of 28 years old by the time they dodder off to the North West!

UPDATE: This from He Who Protests Too Much...

If the 319s do go to Northern in 4 years time then OK they’ll be 28 years old by your calculation but the average age of the Northern fleet will also have increased to 29.7 by then so the 319s would indeed be younger as per the answer.

More importantly, 25.7 is the average age of the Northern fleet, some trains will be younger and some older, so assuming that the 319s will replace some of Northern’s older vehicles the average age will come down even further.

UPDATE: The Fact Compiler fumes...

Does nobody read exam questions any more?!?

Lord Bradshaw asked about reducing the average age of the Northern fleet from today's average age of 25.7 years.

Sending 28 year old electric trains North will not do this! (oh and the Adelantes will be leaving soon, increasing the average age of Northern's current fleet).

UPDATE: This from Chianothus Virginicus...

I think reference to "exam questions" in the light of Friday's revelations that exam papers have been set with questions which are impossible to answer or don't have the correct solution in the list of alternatives is quite apposite.

The DfT are experts at DafT answers !

Villiers vignettes - Crossrail opening dates

This from Ross Lydall at the Evening Standard...

Asked a parliamentary question by Andrew Rosindell, [Villiers] said that Crossrail would open in 2019 - when in fact Crossrail's official position is that it will open in "late 2018".

This is not the first time that Cruella has misled Parliament.

Which suggests that either officials in her department are 'a little careless', or the buck stops much closer to home.

Which is it Minister?

Either way, time for DfT to up its game.

UPDATE: This from a Mr Monnery, of the Essex Rail Users Federation...

Both Mr Lydall and the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers are right.

Crossrail will open between Paddington and Abbey Wood in December 2018.

The northern arm to Shenfield will not open until May 2019, so Crossrail will not be fully open until 2019.

Opening dates for west of Paddington are, of course, still in the melting pot!

The way of the transgressor...

This from The Londonist, under the following headline:

Graffiti: Tox Could Go To Jail

One of London’s most prolific taggers has been convicted of criminal damage. Daniel Halpin of Camden, better known as Tox, has at least a decade of defacement to his name. His tag, which simply states ‘Tox’ followed by the last two digits of the year, can be seen all over the country and particularly on London’s rail networks.

Eye's heart bleeds for him. No, stop laughing! Honestly, it really does. Okay it doesn't.

Two more lovely figures - this time at the ORR

Good news for fans of the body beautiful!

According to page 41 of the ORR's Annual Report, Bill Emery and John Thomas are in receipt of subsidised gym membership.

Eye would have thought that chasing down all those CP4 savings would have been exercise enough?

11 Car Pendolino Whitewash - Shocker

This with a bowler tip to Eastwood Ho!



How typical!

These Hollywood Blockbusters always manage to avoid mentioning the real heroes.

Stand up Marsham Street!

You got there. Eventually.

What a lovely figure - NR in the money markets

This from Reuters...

June 7 (Reuters) -Following are terms and conditions

of an FRN priced on Tuesday.

Borrower Network Rail Infrastructure

Finance PLC

Guarantor Guarantee by a financial indemnity from

UK Government

Issue Amount $500 million

Maturity Date June 14, 2013

Coupon 3-month Libor + 2 bp

Reoffer price Par

Payment Date June 14, 2011

Lead Manager(s) Deutsche Bank & Goldman Sachs

Ratings Aaa (Moody's), AAA (S&P),

AAA (Fitch)

Listing London

ISIN RegS- XS0637327619

144A- US64127WAC73

Security details and RIC, when available

Look at those lovely AAA ratings!

Heritage railway grows up?

This from the RMT...

RMT MEMBERS at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway are to impose an overtime ban and work-to-rule from a minute after midnight on Friday, June 10, in a dispute with the heritage line over allowances for carriage- and wagon-fitters.

Good to see that the NYMR is even able to recreate the 1960's industrial relations scene.

BarbieRail short formed?

Has anyone seen the Customer Services Director?

That is all.

Balfour Beatty loses Comms Director

This from GorkanaPR...

Duncan Murray, director of corporate communications at Balfour Beatty plc, is to leave the global infrastructure company towards the end of June.

No names yet for a successor.

Eye wonders if BB will be approaching Comms professionals from amongst its client companies?

UPDATE: This from The Major...

According to the above: 'BB will be approaching Comms professionals...'

Would that be BB the highly respected infrastructure company or BB the soi disant veteran observer who is, frankly, a bit rubbishy?

I think we should be told.

UPDATE: This from Brennan-Brown, the soi disant veteran observer himself...

Please can you stop calling me the soi disant veteran observer, it's not big and it's certainly not... (sadly, owing to pressures of space, Eye is unable to reproduce in full this latest missive from the soi disant veteran observer. Ed)

NXEA excels at making photographers welcome

This from a clearly very annoyed Mr Tony Miles...

Station staff at Colchester just told me that it is not permitted to wear a switched off camera, with lens cap fitted, on the station!

No wonder NX haven't retained the franchise.

Customer service from the 'Attila the Hun book on How To Win Friends & Influence People'.

UPDATE: An update from Mr Miles...

On the back of the Eye piece above I've just had a call from Virgin Trains who said:

"You are welcome to remove your lens cap & take photos at our stations whenever you like."

That's the way to get shortlisted for a franchise!

Eye wonders if there are other ways to get shortlisted for a franchise? Not being German certainly appears to be one. Readers may know of others...

UPDATE: This from Our International Correspondent...

I didn't know that being nice or nasty to a railway hack was a way to win or lose anything of consequence, let alone a franchise.

Magistrates throw book at cement mixer driver

This from the Elmbridge Guardian...

The driver of a cement mixer that crashed off a bridge on to a passing train has been fined £100 and had five penalty points added to his licence.

Well that will certainly learn him!