Farewell Trent Power Box!

This via Network Rail...

Good effort.

Meiklejohn re-emerges!

Word reaches Eye that the Ninky Nonk Train has gained another supporter!

Graham Meiklejohn, late of DBS, has set up his own communications consultancy - Meiklejohn Communications - specialising in rail and logistics.

According to a PR puff piece sent to Eye the new entity "has already commenced project work to support the Intercity Express Programme, employee engagement and passenger rail franchising."

Good news indeed!

Leaving Hitachi and DfT with just another 62 million people to convince...

Something in London's water?

Interesting revelations in the Currant Bun about TfL's Transport Commissioner.

Happily for London, Hendy's boss is not exactly in a position to take the moral high ground on marital fidelity!

Eh Boris?

Pointless signs - Ladywell

Pointless signs - Reading

Message for Tom...

Nothing for the rest of you to see - please move along!

Pointless signs - Spondon

Gideon strikes!

So farewell iDave!

Your time has come, and gone.

For some of us, not a moment too soon.

And who wielded the knife?

Why, officials in the department of your best friend - Gideon George Osborne!

Or so we are led to believe by Wednesday's FT, which suggests that notoriously competent "senior Treasury officials" are looking to cape HS2 in favour of more roads.

Happily, it looks like constituencies in the Chilterns will get all that they wished for and possibly deserve (sic).

Meanwhile, which way will the ever loyal Patrick McLoughlin jump?

For Eton or St Paul's?

UPDATE: HS2 Comes out fighting!

This from HS2's 'Project Manager for Ambassadors and Advocates' (who knew? Ed)...

The FT piece represents nothing more than nonsense scare mongering re: HS2:

• The project has wide political support across the country
• Any cost increases as a result of adding VAT are returned to government - the true cost remains the same
• All at HS2 and our supporters recognise the importance of controlling costs and the necessity of continuing to delivering this vital piece of infrastructure on time and on budget
  

Errr... that'll certainly tell them!

Pointless sign - missing the point

This from Huffpo, via Pike...

Someone, please tell me it is real!

UPDATE: This from Pike once more...

Original would appear to be here.

Sadly less funny...

 

For shame!

Tom Birch RIP

This via the Institution of Railway Operators...

It is with great sadness we share the news that Tom Birch passed away on Thursday 8th August 2013 in the presence of his family, after his courageous battle against cancer.

Tom was most recently Operations Director (Projects) at Chiltern Railways and a member of the Arriva Franchise Bid Team. 

He was also previously a Board member of the IRO and a member of the Midlands Area Council since its inception. He was a great proponent and contributor to the IRO education programme and, as members of the IRO, we owe Tom a great deal. He will be missed by all who had the pleasure of working with him.

We would like to pass on our condolences to his family, his many friends and his colleagues.

Tom's funeral will be held in Derbyshire on 3rd September 2013.

Rest in peace Tom.

Wattage Watch - Reading

This from Rover...

The new canopy at Reading is so high the lights make no difference in daylight. 

But even on the temporarily uncovered platforms, makeshift lights have been installed that burn the watts all day:

Switching off that lot during daylight hours should provide one or two immediate savings for CP5. 

You're welcome!

Pointless signs - Retford

This from a Swift Tern...

The contents of both near identical.

Railway Garden Competition - Mill Hill East

Bunker steps out of the err... bunker!

Word reaches Eye that former TOC MD Graeme Bunker is reining back on his commitments in the kettle and charter world.
 
Interesting.

Perchance this is connected with the dearth of operating talent in the industry, a situation compounded by the need for bid teams able to handle a bow wave of franchise renewals and extensions?

No doubt Bunker's background in high profile special rail projects (and kettle based stunts) will see him re-emerge in TOC-land soonest!

Time for HS2 to be scrapped?

There is an exciting poll on the Express and Star website!

It invites readers to vote on whether HS2 should be scrapped.

Affirmative views appear to have the ascendancy at the mo...

You know what to do!

Remember: Vote early, vote often!

Railway Garden Competition - King's Cross

This from Only Two Misters...

These buddliea are prospering from within the NR boundary above Gasworks Tunnel at King's Cross. 

What I particularly like is the way they offset Kings Place, which houses NR's corporate HQ.

Railway Garden Competition - Wolverhampton

Railway Garden Competition - Worcester Shrub Hill

This taken at the appropriately named Shrub Hill station..

And complemented by a delightful mobile planter!

Marvellous!

The Fact Compiler is on his hols...

So posting will be, at best, intermittent.


No doubt a source of relief to many.

Leathley hits the DECC!

This from PR Week...

Virgin Trains' Arthur Leathley to fill long-vacant DECC comms role

The Department of Environment and Climate (DECC) change has hired Virgin Trains' Arthur Leathley as its director of comms.

Leathley will start in the coming weeks, having been comms director at Virgin Trains, where he has spent the past nine years heading the company’s media, political and internal comms operation, as well as customer relations.

A hard act to follow and for Virgin to replace!

All the best in your new role Arthur.

Railway Garden Competition - Weybridge

This from Buisson Grass...

Years of (no) effort have obviously gone into these.