Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

You see, you can look at it two ways. You can view the APT as a disaster (passengers being sick during corners etc) and forget about it. Or, you can go back, collect the data on what went wrong, work out how you can fix it and in the mean time learn from the good points of the APT as well.

The Railway Industry has it's faults, but it chose to do the latter. For instance, the tilting mechanism used in the APT forms the basis for the tilting mechanism in use on the Pendolinos.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

BREL made some excellent loco/units/coaching stock, to this day the IC125 sets are still in service as they were largely more reliable than the trains brought in to replace them. Those same sets were also exported to Australia.

The APT was way ahead of its time, the problems were largely due to the fact they were trying so many new technologies all at once. hydro kinetic braking, tilting mechanism etc.

As Stuart said the Pendolino's are essentially the descendants of the APT after ironing out the problems, just a shame it's not British engineers making them.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Clapham rail disaster: Memorial service held.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25349254

Lets hope and pray this never happens again.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Shortlist for East Coast franchise announced.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...franchise.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Overhead cable damage disrupts trains from London's St Pancras.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25779852

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

If instead of implementing HS2 we spent money upgrading and improving our current rail network, that would be a step in the right direction if you ask me.

The French nationalised rail system works well.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Mail Rail: What is it like on the 'secret' Tube?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25145632

Never knew it was there but its nice to see it nevertheless.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Bombardier wins £1bn Crossrail contract.

http://www.itv.com/news/central/stor...rail-contract/

Excellent news.:tu:

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Aerial pictures of train travelling through floods.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26084245

Sadly if this weather continues and that is highly likely l can see from Somerset to Penzance the rail network being cut off totally.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Network Rail chooses Dawlish alternative route.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26110559

Lets hope there is the political will do this as we cannot go on like we have for the last two years with the main route into Plymouth and Cornwall closed for periods of the winter and its not just that the but the economic impact it has as well.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Consumer group's 'shocking' rail survey results.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...il-survey.html

What are your thoughts and do you agree with the survey?.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Reopening of main Dawlish rail line delayed after storm.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-26224257

Lets hope it opens before the crucial Easter period or else it will affect the tourism business quite badly this Easter.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

New franchising group confirmed at DfT.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...firmed-at.html

Rail bosses mull five options on wrecked Dawlish line.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26349928

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Birmingham unveils major HS2 development scheme>

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...velopment.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Wartime Tube station bunker sold for £53 million to make flats.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/w...ake-flats.html

l bet these flats will fetch a fair price.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

TfL prepares for driverless tube with new trains order.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...less-tube.html

That will get rid of some of the militant drivers.



New Railcard to be launched for couples.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...-launched.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Dawlish line set to open two weeks ahead of schedule, on April 4

Read more: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Dawl...#ixzz2v0fp4Por

Excellent news for the many who travel in and out of the South West.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

RMT union leader Bob Crow dies.

http://www.itv.com/news/story/2014-0...bob-crow-dies/

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Proud rush to repair 'the hole' in Dawlish coastal train line.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...e-network-rail

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Plans approved to open Mail Rail 'secret Tube' as ride.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-26534175

---------- Post added at 10:22 ---------- Previous post was at 08:28 ----------

Plans to extend high speed rail services in east Kent.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-26520138

Five-year direct award Great Western franchise proposed.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/p...1Y3vc.facebook

:(:td:

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

First Great Western reduces First class provision.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...ces-first.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Hitachi to move rail business to UK.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26657455

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

That's excellent news on top of the new recently awarded Bombardier Crossrail contract.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Euston and Crewe at heart of Higgins HS2 plan.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...-at-heart.html


Taskforce to prepare south west resilience plans.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...outh-west.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Train derails and scales escalator.

http://news.uk.msn.com/world/train-d...ator-1#tscptmf

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Bristol train derailment disrupts services.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-26716181

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Crewe bids to become home to the Government's new HS2 Rail College


Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Crewe...#ixzz2x5xAalUZ

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

The comments beneath that article are quite entertaining. :D

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Yes its great seeing what comments people make sometimes.:)

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Crossrail to be extended to Reading.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...tended-to.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Direct award extends Northern franchise.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...franchise.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Lightning disrupts Eurostar, Southeastern.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...theastern.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Passengers face five years of delays in £7.5bn rail works and Temple Meads station facelift.

http://www.southwestbusiness.co.uk/n...tion-facelift/

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Black Death skeletons unearthed by Crossrail project.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26770334

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Network Rail braced for £70 million fine.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...lion-fine.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Network Rail launches £38 billion plan.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...8-billion.html

RMT names acting general secretary

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...secretary.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Strike ballot for First Great Western railway staff.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26867466

Bloody great as we have not had a train service down here for 2 months and now they could go on strike soon.:(

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Storm-hit Dawlish railway line to reopen.

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...y-line-reopens

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Dawlish's storm-damaged railway line reopens.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-26874503

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Tube staff plan five days of strikes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-27069391

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Don't know if you're aware of this but British Pathé has uploaded its entire collection of 85,000 historic films, in high resolution, to its YouTube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/britishpathe

Some amazing stuff on there, especially rail related there's one of Barbara Castle MP visiting Derby works, including seeing the design work they were doing on a tilting train in 1967 :)

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Thanks for the link Raven as there does look like there are some real gems in their collection.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

£70m railway depot plan to bring 160 jobs.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/busine...jobs-1-6574901

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

That's great news, we lost so many of our highly skilled railway engineers, having it on the site of the old Doncaster works is a great asset for the area :)

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Yes my Dad was born in Doncaster and he used to be trainspotting around the area quite a bit so he has some great memories of when he was younger.:)

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

What a lucky man.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27137939

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

You have to love the way nobody in any of the cars waiting at the gates got out to see if he was ok ...

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Indeed to drive past and not check if he was okay says everything about them as it would have taken a couple of minutes just to see if he was okay.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Labour should reform the railways, prospective MPs say.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27273672

Taking away party politics here for a moment do you think we should renationalise the rail industry?.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

NO

I have travelled on the trains between Warrington and London and they are far better both in comfort and service compared with the bad old days of British rail.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Three-day London Underground strike suspended.......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-27282596

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Oh dear this is a very expensive error.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...and-train.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

A similar thing happened when I worked for Network South East and they were rolling out the then new Networker trains. NSE were criticised for introducing trains that were too long for the platforms on a lot of stations, and the papers had several articles on the incompetence of the team involved. I was an administrator/general dogs body in the Quantity Surveyor's office (one of the offices critcised for incompetence), and the fact is that we were able to get a lot of necessary maintenance and upgrades done at all the stations as part of the Networker project. Not necessarily small upgrades and maintenance either. A lot of work was done at London Bridge, for instance, and even on my local rail line, they actually demolished two road bridges (which did need major work) and moved them. In one case, the new bridge was wider and meant that, for the first time in 10 years, trucks and buses could use the road again (they had been diverted due to the structural weakness of the old bridge).

We would not otherwise have had the money to perform these upgrades.

In fact, while I no longer work on the railways, I would argue that doing that was good value as commuters are arguably still benefiting from that expenditure, even though they've replaced most of the Networkers.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Govia chosen for new Thameslink contract.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...hameslink.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Fry's chocolate factory steam train to be restored.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-27577470

Vey nice.:)

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

It happened here too when they introduced the class 158 units on services to East Anglia from the midlands. IIRC the voyagers caused similar problems on some platforms

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Multi tentacled serpent Serco to operate the Caledonian Sleeper service from April

http://www.sharecast.com/news/serco-.../21733402.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

New trains for East Coast line worth £6 billion.

http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/201...rth-6-billion/

LOROL to operate TfL’s West Anglia routes

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/n...ia-routes.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Shocking incident on railway

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...window-3620377

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

New viaduct over main railway line north of Doncaster.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/busine...ster-1-6653804

Good old Donny brings back so many memories.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

New look station at King’s Lynn is just the ticket.

http://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/local...cket-1-6101278

Vey nice indeed.:tu:

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Debt-ridden French railways are hit by strike.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...s-are-hit.html

And we were always told that the French have the best railways in the world.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Network Rail reports £1bn profit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27807509

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Bet the rail fares keep on increasing though.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

That's a cast iron cert.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Virgin wins West Coast rail bid.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27917711

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

No it didn't - it got a two year extension to its current franchise, because they still haven't fixed the franchise bidding process.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

'HS3' to provide northern rail link.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...hern-rail.html

Personally l am not convinced as there are more pressing issues on the railways to spend the future money on.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

National Express keeps c2c.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...keeps-c2c.html

New Mexican Railways
 

Pictures of a New Mexico Rail Runner express and a Santa Fe Southern Railway EMD GP7 diesel electric locomotive.

The New Mexico Rail Runner is pulled (and pushed) by an MPI MP36PH-3C diesel electric locomotive.

Taken earlier this year when were down there for a long weekend.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Very nice Cobby.:tu:

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Rail travel is growing by 4% a year.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...rowing-by.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

French firm wins 7-year Docklands Light Railway franchise.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28157128

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Network Rail in record £53m fine for late trains.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28191430



---------- Post added at 14:13 ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 ----------

Eurotunnel train stopped in Channel Tunnel by power fault.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-28194074

Not very nice at all.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

New Essex Thameside franchise confirmed.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...confirmed.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Royal opening for modernised Reading.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...d-reading.html

Definitely much better then it used to be.:tu:

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Labour plan to part re-nationalise rail network.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28349630

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Back to the bad old days :(

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Actually the present government nationalised the East Coast rail line and as such returned £209m to taxpayers from profits so l don't think we should poo poo the idea totally.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Crossrail operator named by TfL.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/...ed-by-tfl.html

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/index.html
Strictly for those of us that have an air of nostalga!
(Updated on a monthly basis)

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Those were the days of a wonderful bygone age.:tu:

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Good news

http://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/N...t-31072014.htm

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Australian commuters help free man trapped against platform.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-28674322

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Thankfully no one lost their lives and that is a miracle.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

NYMR add second platform at Whitby

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-28803121

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Excellent news in my opinion.:tu:

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

It is indeed, our heritage railways have some amazing things going on, the Great Central are progressing well with joining the two sections back together over the Midland Main line. http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/news/#11585

Always meant to get up to the NYMR in an amazing part of the world, but never got round to it, must try harder :)

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Yes l would love to get up to NYMR and York as well and hopefully l will be able to take them off my bucket list sooner rather then later in the next few years.

Yes hopefully when l go up to Hampshire in September we will get to visit a couple of heritage lines round there if we have time

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Ouch! Possible further 10 years of Pacers

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/new...ins/?ref=var_0

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Ooh, nodders :D

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Many of our trains down here in the Westcountry are even older Stuart and by the time they reach Exeter they are packed to the rafters.:(

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

It's not the age with Pacers, Den, it's the fact that they are basically a goods wagon chassis with single decker bus coachworks on top. They're noisy and uncomfortable, and that's before they start moving. :D

When they get going, the body rocks backwards and forwards on its bogies like a merry go round horse, or an oil well nodding donkey, hence the nickname.

I travel between Wigan and Liverpool sometimes and there are a few of these on the route. I always have all my fingers crossed that I'm not going to get stuck on one. They really are horrible.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

I was on one from Skipton to Preston possibly and really thought it was going to pack up on the inclines, not a nice experience!

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Yes they do sound absolutely terrible as you and Chris say and thankfully l am glad they have not found their way down to these parts.

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Fairly certain I went on one once.. Was travelling from Chester to London via Crewe and had to get one to Crewe from Chester. While it wasn't a nice experience, it was considerably more comfortable than the Pendolino we changed to from Crewe to London. The Pendolino was packed to the point where people were having to sit on the floors and in the corridor around the toilet, it was a hot day and the Aircon had failed. This, combined with the fact that the previous train had been cancelled and due to a fault, one of the carriages on our train was closed, meant that the train was dangerously overcrowded and the journey was awful. The train manager was doing what she could (handing out free water, basically), but she couldn't get to an area where most of us could reach her.

I was a little angry, but I felt sorry for the staff on the train (it's not their fault, things go wrong). What did make me furious is when we got to Kings Cross and got off, over 60% of the train consisted of first class carriages and Virgin had not opened these. That, and the fact that thanks to the journey being booked at the last minute (due to being an emergency), I paid just over £100 each for two tickets (admittedly, these were returns).

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

A Virgin Pendolino from Crewe to London would drop you at Euston, Stu. </pedant> :D

Re: Train Spotters Corner
 

Bluebell Railway reports passenger growth

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-28988650