First IEP arrives in UK - Exclusive Picture!

And entirely under its own power...


Eye wonders if Mr Kipling regularly holidays in Malaysia?

Man hoofs it on to train...

Exciting news from the BBC...

Apparently a man tried to board a train at Wrexham with a pony!


Makes a change from the usual sheep...

UPDATE: This, surprisingly, from Kendo Nagasaki...

Honourable Fact Compiler.

I believe that is Baker San with the latest motive power for the IEP Donkey Engine, which has been upgraded to Pony Propulsion.

Waterfront declares war on railway industry!

This from Captain James Bigglesworth, DFC and Bar...

Can someone at Waterfront can explain the significance of this Ilyushin Il 76 strategic transport aircraft to a conference on 'Connecting the UK.'


The Il-76, NATO code name 'Candid', first flew in 1971. It was designed to operate from short rough airfields and carry up to 40 tonnes of tanks and guns.

Do Waterboard know something about McNulty that we don't?

Sleepy Derbyshire wakes up!

Telegrammed by Ithuriel
Good grief, Margaret Becket has finally realised that there is a train factory in her constituency under threat from the Axis.

This written answer given by Cruella on the 16 May 2011...

Margaret Beckett (Derby South, Labour):
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce the successful bidder for the Thameslink rolling stock order.

Theresa Villiers (Minister of State (Rail and Aviation), Transport; Chipping Barnet, Conservative)
My officials are continuing to evaluate the bids from the two remaining bidders in the competition to build the new trains for Thameslink. We are planning to announce the preferred bidder shortly.

Perhaps all will all become clear on Friday?

Silver Fox plans to take railway by storm?

Telegrammed by Our Man at 222 Marylebone Road
Tally Ho!

The Silver Fox has broken cover, with quotes on vertical integration post McNulty, in today's Pink 'un.

But given that our Graham is now a Network Rail non-exec his utterances must have greater significance than just another old-railway man venting his atavistic two penn'orth worth on John Major's fragmentation of his railway..

Could this be the early stages of an old-railway putsch, with Mr Eccles emphasising the importance of having a single guiding mind for the Network in future? Who could this guiding mind be?

We'd vote for the Silver Fox like a shot, but we suspect he could be acting as Richelieu to Robin Gisby's Louis XIII .

Barbielino confirmed!

This from the FT...

Britain’s most profitable train franchise could be taken back into state hands following a government decision to delay the auction of the West Coast service amid an overhaul of the rail system...

Virgin may have its franchise extended for the intervening nine months but, with a deal yet to be resolved, the government is considering handing the management of the service to Directly Operated Railways, the taxpayer-funded organisation that runs the East Coast line.

Eye presumes that the Competition Commission will take a close interest in one operator running both East and West Coast franchises...

UPDATE: This from Leo Pink...

Good to see the Pink 'un catching up with the story in Sunday's Observer by Dan Milmo confirming the suspension of the Intercity West Coast Franchise bidding (actually a story Eye broke last Thursday! Ed).

And even better to see that the FT stylebook still mandates the adjective 'lucrative' in the first reference to any franchise.

Sooo 1990s.

Pointless signs - Glasgow Central

This from the Rover...

This pointless sign pictured at Glasgow Central station on Sunday

Good to see the word 'passengers' in there, as well as a stray apostrophe for amusement.


In the spirit of the new Scottish politics presumably the entrances have already voted for independence?

Pointless signs - Leeds station

This from Steve...

Taken at Leeds on Sunday prior to the departure of the 09:44 EMT service to St. Pancras. You may notice that whilst Loughborough and Wellingborough get full listing Market Harborough doesn't.

The stops for East Midlands Parkway and Luton Airport Parkway seem to have been processed through an Enigma coding machine before being listed in text speak SHOUTING fashion.


One hopes that this trend isn't extended across the system - Penis for Penistone, WANCOM for Wandsworth Common?

PRballs - Level Crossings & Pelham Bell Pottinger

This exciting news from Pelham Bell Pottinger...

Network Rail - Level Crossing Tragedies

On the back of today’s reports of failures by Network Rail to respond to warnings of tragedies at level crossings, IndigoVision wishes blah, blah, blah...

IndigoVision’s CCTV systems are based on digital IP technology. They are thus blah, blah, blah...

IndigoVision believes that:

a) The installation of proper CCTV equipment blah, blah, blah...

b) If combined with stringent financial penalties, this will act as a blah, blah. blah...

c) It is surely incumbent on Railtrack and other operators to install blah, blah...

Wait a minute!

Railtrack?

Eye salutes IndigoVision's PR agency.

Clearly they have their fingers on the railway industry pulse!

Railway Gardens - Bethnal Green

Railway Gardens - Freightliner at Peterborough

This from the Albatross...

No measurable rain in the Eastern half of the UK for several months has eased the workload of those responsible for vegetation control.

And yet, in spite of this, the bountiful Buddleia is fighting back!

At Freightliner's Nene Valley Depot on platform 3 at Peterborough station it looks like the vegetation has already won!


Rumour has it that two drivers entered the 'depot' a few weeks ago and have not been since...

Moonlighting at Network Rail shocker!

Let's hear it for that doughty fighter after truth and defender of middle England, the loveable Daily Mail!

It would appear that Dacre's minions have discovered that our hard pressed judiciary is having to take up second jobs on the railway to make ends meet!


Eye congratulates the Mail's picture desk on this particular journalistic triumph!

Eye's latest list of Twittering TOCs

This for those not on Twitter.

Eye is maintaining a list of Twittering TOCs.

Remember, to be in the list you must be interactive. Not just broadcast.

Be there or be square!

New submissions always welcome (via Twitter of course - @TheFactCompiler)

That includes you Freighties, Network Rail and Heritage Railways!

Petrol-head declares war on staff costs

Philip Hammond has declared war on industry staff costs!

And quite right too!

At a conference today he said:

"A 21st century rail network needs 21st century employment practices, from the boardroom to the shop floor."

"With fares and levels of taxpayer support already so high, it would be simply irresponsible for us to ignore this issue any longer.

"Addressing inefficient working practices and excessive wage demands will form a key part of the strategy for building a sustainable and affordable railway" added the multi-millionaire Secretary of State.

'Nuff said.

Pointless signs - King's Cross Platform 0

This from John...

I am glad they have provided a useful yellow label on this item at the new Platform 0 at Kings Cross...


...just in case anyone doesn't know what the pretty illuminated numbers are for.

UPDATE: This from Mark...

Sorry, but you're being daft with your clock posting.

That "clock" sign was put there as part of the installation process so that contractors knew what the bracket was for and what wiring it needed.

Knowing what can go wrong with "simple" jobs like this, I think shows evidence of good planning for a change.

So it wasn't a pointless sign at all. There are plenty of these on the railway - but not this one.

First instructs DafT to 'Assume the position!'

Eye salutes the financial genii at the Department for Transport!

These fiscal titans accepted First's heavily backloaded 2006 bid for the Great Western franchise under which the company promised to pay the Treasury £1.13bn over the life of the franchise.

But of course to be on the safe side First also insisted on a break point in the contract, at the point when premia payback became really chunky.

Needless to say First has now exercised this option which leaves the Marsham Street gnomes shy of a cool £826m which First should have paid in the final three years of the franchise.

Regular observers of the railway scene will of course recollect that this is the same franchise whose original service specification was also ballsed up by the Marsham Street Mandarins.

So badly in fact that after a year the DfT, which "doesn't renegotiate franchises" was forced to errr... renegotiate the franchise - begging First to run more trains. In return for saving the departments bacon grateful Civil Serpents brought Cap and Collar arrangements on the franchise forward by two years.

No doubt the resulting shortfall in the Department's budget has already been picked up by the poor bloody taxpayer!

No matter.

In happier news - Theresa's new, exciting and improved Franchising Policy goes from strength to strength.

Why only this Tuesday DafT failed to issue the InterCity West Coast ITT.

With Lin Homer admitting to the Public Accounts Committee on Monday afternoon that there is still no Franchising Policy this one looks like it will run and run (or not).

Perhaps it would be easier, and cheaper, for all concerned if DafT just gave the West Coast franchise to its latest favourite, along with a very large blank cheque?

UPDATE: This from a Concerned Berks and Hants Traveller...

Will DafT now insist on a de-naming ceremony for FGW HST Sir Moir Lockhead OBE before 2013?


Perhaps this sad occasion might be the final opportunity to obtain a remaindered copy of Sir Moir's Lovely Book?

Sadly Eye understands that Slugger O'Toole doesn't go in for such vapid PR stunts.

UPDATE: This from Sir Humphrey Beeching...

Over an agreeable luncheon at Raoul's today an erstwhile colleague and I discussed the apparent delay in the publication of the Invitation to Tender for the InterCity West Coast franchise.

Over several glasses of a rather spicey white Burgundy we both agreed that the new Permanent Secretary in my former department is well and truly master of her brief.

Having commissioned Sir Roy McNulty to review industy costs it would be precipitous to announce a Franchising Policy before his findings are published next week.

As my First Division chum quipped "Why have a dog and then bark yourself?".

NR goes secret squirrel on cable theives

With cable theft causing over 6,000 hours worth of delay to passengers last year NR is upping its game.

The Beeb today has a report showing a range of secret squirrel cameras being used by the infrastructure controller and the BTP to catch the rob-dogs in action.


Of course the timing of today's launch of the anti-cable theft campaign is interesting.

Eye wonders if NR has been taking guidance from the Torygraph on secret recordings?

UPDATE: Another satisfied Eye reader writes...

Sir,

It ill behoves you to criticise others for their slips of the pen when your ignorance of the rule 'I' before 'E' except after 'C' has been displayed on your apology for a blog throughout today.

That no one has seen fit to correct this solipsism confirms my views than no one reads you and those that do reflect the poor quality of education which in my experience is the hallmark of the railway industry and its so called trade publications.

R Slicker

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.

A busy week for the Public Accounts Committee...

This from the PAC page on Parliament.uk...



Watchable live and on-line at www.parliament.uk

And all, unbelievably, without the benefit of the Alternative Vote!

Jennifer's Dairy - Mr Towell's train

Jennifer writes (with apologies to the Tatler and H&Q)...

The NRM arranged an excursion train on the 5th May for a Mr Raymond 'Ray' Towell, a long time servant of the railway.

Mr Towell retired on the 28th April from his most recent incarnation, at the National Railway Museum, where he provided 25 years service.

Renowned charter operator West Coast Railways laid on a special Pullman luncheon train for Mr Towell and his friends, hauled by two class 37s, which toured the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Amongst the guests were NRM supremo Steve Davies and RAIL editor Nigel Harris (pictured) who helped 'Ray' to mark the occasion in some style.


Mr Towell said 'I'll be back, Matey!".

Matey!