Flying Scotsman update

Exciting news for lovers of iconic loco 4472.

As many Eye readers will know Flying Scotsman is being extensively rebuilt by the NRM.

As work continues on the locomotive there is a clamour from kettle enthusiasts, keen to see a model of 4472 in an as-is condition.

Word reaches Eye that an enterprising manufacturer has now filled this gap and according to a Mr Roden, the new product is being secretly test marketed in Launceston!


Beautiful and every dimension to the correct scale.

Success for ATOC's new media team

Absolute fury amongst the organisers and sponsors of last week's National Rail Awards, at which John Humphrys was guest speaker.

Someone or somebody broke the railway Omertà!

Which led to the following Evening Standard headline the very next day:

Mastermind? It’s just money for old rope, says John Humphrys

The piece then listed a litany of alleged faux pas from Humphrys' witty peroration.

Who could have been so naive as to have done such a thing?

Obviously someone new to the game.

No matter!

No point in crying over spilt milk.

Clearly when you sup with the Devil you should use a very long spoon... etc...

Meanwhile, perhaps best if ATOC don't invite Lydall again next year!

Mediaballs - Salisbury Journal

This shabby headline from the lame Salisbury Journal:

Train crash near Salisbury

Wrong!

The rest of the story continues:

The black Fiat Bravo was travelling south when it appears to have gone out of control and hit a garden wall on the right-hand side of the road.

The car was thrown back across the carriageway, mounted the kerb and went over the embankment onto the track, where it was hit by the 5.15am express to London Waterloo.

So that would be a 'Car Crash' then?

NR to provide Zil Lines for Olympics?

Good to see that the promise of an Olympics open to all doesn't extend to the good burghers of Nottingham.

This from the Nottingham Evening Post...

Rail chiefs claim they haven't yet decided when the station will close, but Coun Richard Jackson says Network Rail told him the work would be during the London Olympics.

So its 'Zil Lanes' for athletes and 'Zil Lines' for NR engineers.

LibDem's support 30 year franchises

This from Transport Briefing...

Conference supported shadow transport secretary Norman Baker's calls for 30 year rail franchises with five year rolling reviews that would force train operating companies to invest profits in reopening lines and stations.

With both Adonis and the Tories now in favour of longer franchises can we see an end to Dr Death's 'reign of timidity'?

Germans unveil low cost head end power unit

With a bowler tip to Turbostar...


Ouch!

2009 Railway Garden Competition - Balkan Chapter

This from Ben Jones of Model Rail magazine (which he assures Eye is piling on readers)...

Passing through Serbia on my way to Istanbul last week, I was extremely impressed by the countries efforts to win a Gold Medal in the European railway garden competition.


Belgrade’s main station is a particularly fine example of urban greenery, putting Network Rail’s efforts into perspective and setting them a challenging target for next year.


But, for sheer invention, the pile of scrap dumped alongside the new platforms at Athens Larissa station takes some beating. No prizes for spotting the ‘wild card’ item among the usual detritus.


Inspired by such sterling work from our European cousins, expect a raft of articles on how to grass over your Hornby track in Model Rail soon!

Pointless signs #14

This from a Mr MB...

I humbly offer an entry for the 'Pointless Signs' competition, spotted recently at Warrington Bank Quay.


One wonders if this is a statement of Virgin's policy regarding the employment of trans-gender staff...

UPDATE: This from Lazarus...

Not only a pointless sign but also a pointless comma which renders the message grammatically meaningless.

No need for a comma at all, or, if Virgin really want commas, put another one after "facilities".

UPDATE: This from Sir William Pollitt...

So few words, so many errors... the second comma from the sub-clause is absent (it should be after 'facilities') also the random and unnecessary capital letters ('male' and 'female' are NOT proper nouns) and the inaccurate running together of two words 'may and 'be' which, of course, should be separate.

Of course, a normal person would also have said 'person' rather than 'operative' and 'toilets' rather than 'facilities' - but as whoever commissioned this sign is clearly (deleted for reasons of taste. ED), we are not surprised.

Is there a new RE competition here, for the most illiterate railway sign? This horror takes some beating.

Andrew Scott to be Acting Director of NMSI

Internal Announcement

Andrew Scott to be Acting Director of NMSI

I have today on behalf of the Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Andrew Scott as Acting Director following the dismissal of Molly Jackson.

Ms Jackson was dismissed following questions that were raised about whether she had followed the NMSI’s Code of Conduct on potential conflicts of interest in her business dealings.

(Continues in excruciating detail for several paragraphs. Ed)

The recruitment of a new Director NRM is already underway and Andrew is reviewing what arrangements will be put in place in the meantime.

Any queries from the press should be referred to the press office in the normal way.

Lord Waldegrave

Who said Museum life was dull?

Harris joins Railnews!

Much excitement tonight amongst the railway chatterati!

From next Monday there will be a new Managing Editor of Railnews!

And its a Mr Harris!

But which one?

Could it be Tom - the off message MP?

Or Nigel - star of Rail, TV and the National Rail Awards?

Or maybe Sim - late of Rail Manager on-line fame?

Here's a clue...

Perhaps more a case of changing, rather than keeping, track....

Go-Via buys pig in a poke?

Eye welcomes the new South Central franchise which began operation yesterday

The franchise was awarded to current operator Govia (a Go-Ahead and Keolis joint venture) and will see the continuation of the Southern brand.

But what's this?

The winning bid was based on 4% revenue growth over the first two years of the franchises life.

Alas.

What looked a 'toppy' bid may now turn into a Herculean challenge.

This from the BBC...

London Underground (LU) has been hit by a fall of 190,000 journeys a day, with the recession and job losses blamed... August journey figures were 6.4% lower than the same month last year, Transport for London (TfL) said.

With loadings down on LU no doubt similar pain is being felt by NSE TOCs as well.

Watch out for eye-watering increases in unregulated ticket prices and car park charges as Govia struggles to balance the books.

Captain Deltic derailed?

This from Roger Ford's latest Informed Sources ePreview:

Talk about hubris, my warm glow at having networked the home soon vanished when nemesis followed and a few days later my computer not only wouldn’t connect to the internet over broadband, the back up dial-up stopped working too.

The Fact Compiler fears that this may have been premeditated rather than misfortunate.

Perhaps Captain Deltic should contact the Association of Old Crows to protect himself from future attacks?

Network Rail Bullsh*t Bingo

Telegrammed by Leo Pink
Term of ill omen?

In his letter summing up the results of the the two workshops held with Public Members earlier this month new Network Rail Chairman Rick Haythornthwaite refers to a facilitator present at the events as "a thought leader in institutional investment governance".

Just what NR needs - state of the art management jargon.

LibDems outline priorities - World sleeps

Exciting news from the LibDems!

This from the Evening Standard...

Crossrail not a key priority for us, warns Vince Cable.

Zzzzz...

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

At least Vince had a go at the "scandal" of the still empty Waterloo International Terminal.

The other parties are positively supine about it.

Adonis embarks on Marple's Memorial Meander

Hot on the tail of the Pilgrimage of Grice, the Noble Lord has taken to exploring the motorway network.

Details of the Marple's Memorial Meander here.

It will be interesting to see whether, after fighting his way around the UK road network for a week, Lord Adonis has an appetite to divert more funds into roads to relieve congestion, or whether he argues even more strongly that the railways should be developed, to get people out of their cars.

Can he hold his nerve, or will he bottle it?

UPDATE: This from Tom over at Boriswatch...

It's interesting that Lord Adonis meets up with the Chairman of the RAC Foundation straight off the bat, who are the spiritual successor to the rabid interventionist road lobby of the 1960s to 1980s.

On the other hand it's highly amusing that said gentleman had to take to the train to avoid the M25 jams...

UPDATE: Captain Deltic in calculating mood asks...

Shouldn't we know what car Lord Adonis is driving?

And what miles per gallon it is achieving?

And what average speed he is assuming to get to these various meetings on time?

Pointless signs #13

With a bowler tip to Trailer Second...

Adonis addicted to lines - Shocker!

This from Sim Harris...

Is anyone paying attention?

According to The Department...

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said, "The new East London Line will be of great benefit to rail passengers in London with more frequent trains to more destinations."

Well, fair enough.

Except, err... it will be the 'East London Railway'.

The ELL designation has been dropped.

Who failed to brief the Noble Lord or did he merely fail to listen?

UPDATE: This from a Mr Saltaire who plainly has too much time on his hands...

Who says it should be called the East London Railway?

Well, I thought that Balfour Beatty did, since their web site for the project is www.eastlondonrail.co.uk

However, when you open the web site, the title says…. East London Line Project!

It WAS called the East London Railway, when it first opened in 1865.

But, apparently, the line WILL be called the East London Railway, WHEN IT IS COMPLETED.

So, technically, The Noble Lord is right…. Hurrah!

Elf 'n' safety - Gone mad!

This from the Hastings Observer...

A teenager has been charged with endangering safety on the railway after a woman's hair was set alight on a train.

!?!

Fact Compiler exposes himself to MP - Shocker!

Tom Harris MP has the sordid details....

Meanwhile.

A respectful message to Ms Louise Ellman MP and the Labour whips:

Come the next Parliament please could you consider Tom for membership of the Transport Select Committee?

Tom - we'll make a Robert Adley out of you yet!

UPDATE: Our Man at 222 Marylebone Road awakes from his slumbers...

Given that, according to his blog boosting privatisation, Tom still thinks that the Government is buying 1400 vehicles in the current Control Period he'll need a few hours on a simulator before he can sign the Transport Select Committee!

Why does the Fact Compiler jump on hagiographic band wagons when N*g*l H*rr*s does it much more convincingly?

UPDATE: This from the Major...

I do hope this wasn't a Humphrys/Blair style urinal moment...

Pointless signs - North American edition

Seen on a wagon in the up yard at Cheyenne...


Indeed!