Monday 1 February 2010

ORR is a soap - Official

Good to see the ORR board is broadening its membership base...

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) today announced the appointments of Tracey Barlow and Steve Walker to the Board as non-executive directors.

Tracey Barlow!

Coronation Street's very own Tracey Barlow who was sent down for murdering Charlie?


If the ORR can spring our Tracey from chokey just to serve on its board then NR should be very afraid.

Except it won't be.

Thief Watch on National Preservation

This from Glyn Murray at National Preservation...

National Preservation have taken over the running of the Thief Watch Program.

This is for the sole purpose of raising the awareness thefts from railways and hopefully reducing the value of the items stolen (and in turn reducing the amount of thefts).

The Thief Watch system can be found at National Preservation here.

Members are invited to add items that have been stolen and any details such as photos, etc...

We can also provide an RSS feed for your website, giving live up-to date information on items stolen via this link.

UPDATE: This from an ever so slightly furious Baldrick...

National Preservation hasn't "taken over" (as Glynn so pompously claims) the running of Thief Watch.


They have merely offered help to it - along with the Railway Magazine, Steam Railway and Heritage Railway magazines.

Arriva's London service on track?

This from Eobhann...

Network Rail appears to have withdrawn its objection to ATW’s proposed new London service.

And so have WSMR, judging from this statement in NR's letter to the ORR:

ATW has confirmed to WSMR that it would be prepared to delay the start date of the proposed services until December 2010. WSMR has indicated its support for this.

Which just leaves Virgin’s Moderation of Competition concerns…

ATW class 158 from Marylebone – Shrewsbury anyone?

No! Why ever not?

Coucher - Laird of all he surveys?

Has there been a falling out between Network Rail and the Observer?

This from Nick Cohen in yesterday's paper...

Ever since the Clearances, the nouveaux riches have aped the aristocracy and paid to play the highland gentleman. Coucher stood out from his predecessors, however. The new laird of Keills, the monarch of his very own glen, was, to all outward appearances, an undistinguished civil servant on a second-rate railway board.

Ouch!

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Have any of Eye's readers noticed this extraordinary topographical lookalike?

Perhaps Mr Coucher aspires to live the lifestyle of Sir Beardie of Bendydildo?

UPDATE: This from Is 1A03 out of Chester yet, Bert?...

Now they're all getting in on the act!

Railway Garden Competition - Watford Junction

This from the BBC, with a bowler tip to Sir William Pollitt...


Good to see the railway showing its best face to the nation.