Railway Garden Competition - Meols Cop

This from Sir Hector Smallgland...

NRs superb advert for the Southport flower show at Meols Cop station, Southport

Railway Garden Competition - Barmouth

This from Obi Wan Bucki...

Please find below a photo of the Cambrian Coast Line at Barmouth with a mix of wild garden and beach providing a bit of camoflauge for the rusted tracks.  

Given that this line is the flagship/testbed for the ERTMS signalling system, the infrastructure is in a disappointing state, but with only a couple of 37's and a few DMU's converted for the new system, maybe its a bit impractical to pull weedkiller trains all the way out to the coast.  

And as we are in the Age of Austerity perhaps there is little point in spending money on a route that will probably be closed anyway when ERTMS is declared a costly failure?

We've had the circuses, time for the bread!

An interesting week, if the chattering classes are to be believed.

First (ahem) there is tomorrow's announcement on the size of the January fares increase (expected to be RPI plus Ouch).

Having had circuses over the last two weeks surely it is now time for the people to have bread as well? 

So let's see whether Greening has prevailed upon Gideon to throw passengers some stale crumbs by limiting the percentage increase over RPI? Eye doesn't advise holding your breath.

Also on the Horizon is the name of the InterCity West Coast franchise winner, with an announcement expected tomorrow or Wednesday.

Happily it looks as if managing irate passengers and shouty men with beards will fall to Cruella; as Cameron, Clegg and Greening are all taking a well earned post Olympic break.

Perhaps the postal service misplaced their invitation to the sun drenched delights of Necker Island? 

Railway Garden Competition - York

This from Anon...

Surely a winning entry from York, one of the UK's premier stations?

Perhaps the secret of York's success can be traced to its use of fine British organic fertiliser, samples of which can be found here in the 4' alongside platform 8?

What a marvelous way to greet passengers to this fine city!

Pointless signs - Manchester Piccadilly

This from Pacermaker...

Could I propose the pointless sign painted onto the escalator steps at Manchester Piccadilly (the escalator from platforms 13/14). 

 Nice.

Railway Garden Competition - Chester

Good to see this perennial favourite once again.

Railway Garden Competition - Norwich Thorpe

Railway Garden Competition - Cheltenham Spa

Or pointless sign?

For you to decide, dear reader.

The Fact Compiler is on his hols...

So posting will be, at best, intermittent.



No doubt a source of relief to many.

Railway Garden Competition - Bishop's Stortford

Exclusive - IEP on test!

Exclusive Eye video of Mr Kipling's genius bi-mode project on test at Birkhill...

That is all.

ATOC announces record Tractor Production stats

The Supreme Committee of the Amalgamated Train Operating Collective has announced the following:

• Train companies are providing 574,071 extra seats today, operating over 4.2 million seats in total.

All citizens are to immediately join with their co-workers in celebrating this monumental achievement by the people's railway!

And in other news, grain production is up 25%.  

Railway Garden Competition - Altrincham

This from a Dr Jekyll...

Photographed past week at Altrincham Station. despite these being the Metrolink platforms they are owned and maintained by Network Rail. 

Perhaps the yellow trams known locally as bananas are trying reproduce in the undergrowth!

Railway Garden Competition - Ravenglass

Railway Garden Competition - Dean Forest Railway

Pointless Signs 2012 - Games Edition

So farewell Digital Boris!

TfL have pulled the automated messages featuring the Mayor which have encouraged Britons to abandon their Capital in droves.

No matter.

Meanwhile perhaps the Pink Police can now deal with the following:

• At Waterloo enormous signs tell you to walk to Charing Cross station to get the train to ...er... Blackheath. Has no one heard of Waterloo East?

• The authorised route from Waterloo to the Olympic Park seems to be to walk to Embankment and then take the District line to West Ham and walk again. Has no one heard of the Jubilee Line? Are they really expecting families with small children to take such a lengthy and tough route?

• At St. Pancras International the signs for the Javelin trains point towards the Eurostar arrivals area from both directions – yes they really do! Obviously the staff are totally peed off with people complaining about the mis-direction as some of the arrows have now been covered over with bits of pink paper!

• At KXSP underground concourse (the one by the entrance to the Met and Circle lines) there is a big sign pointing onto the underground for the Olympic Park! The posters correctly tell you to use the Javelin service.

Come on guys. There is still time to fix this.

Royals back High Speed Rail!

Good to see Her Majesty the Queen's granddaughter backing High Speed Rail!

Go, Zara, go!

Mad Vulcan opines on railfreight

This from the outer reaches of planet Redwood...

The cross country and long haul railway is probably most productively used for freight. The railway needs to be more interested in single wagon  marshalling and single load  business. Rail freight has grown since privatisation, and there has been improvement in the offer. The old nationalised industry was only interested in trainload contracts. A whole generation of new business parks was built with motorway access instead of branch line connections to the railway as a result.

Highly illogical, captain.

UPDATE: This from Our Man at 222 Marylebone Road...

Wisconsin Central Lives!
 
The Vulcan has clearly been talking with EWS founder Ed (all American) Burkhardt who seemed to think that the 'Mom 'n' Pop' shortline operating pholosophy would transform a modern European freight railway.
 

Railway Garden Competition - Birmingham New Street

Pointless signs - York