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Recent content by contrex

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    Pilot Engines

    The Herne Hill-Tulse Hill spur ran on an embankment immediately behind my childhood home from 1952-1971. When I was quite small, steam locos hauling summer inter-regional trains used to often slip to a stand right behind us. Great fun. The usual remedy was to couple an EMU on the back, and we'd...
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    Rerouting all Southeastern Mainline services into Victoria (and via Crystal Palace?) or Waterloo - could it work?

    We lived at Herne Hill. My mother used to commute to Victoria to work in Gorringes (department store), my father to his job managing the West End area of the London Electricity Board, and me in my first job, in the Civil Service at Curzon Street House (before MI5 moved in!).
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    Unusual Station Name Lettering, Early 1960s Glasgow Electrics?

    Having ridden on them aged 8 I can confirm that.
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    Berkhampstead

    Some of us do get (irrationally?) annoyed about those Ps that intrude into 'Plumpstead', 'Sampson (and Delilah)' etc. If it's any consolation, I (a South Londoner) did once have to ask someone from Boreham Wood (yes, two words) how to pronounce 'Bengeo' (I thought it had a 'g' like 'bingo'). I...
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    GWR Waterloo and Euston

    To do with diversions because of construction at Old Oak Common? Waterloo & Euston were mentioned in a Railway Hub interview with Mark Hopwood in November 2023. Euston, he says, is the preferred option, being half an hour quicker from Acton. Also he talks about improving access from the West...
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    Horrendous Hull Trains East Coast ride

    I'm sure I read that those bogies gave good riding qualities if they, and the track over which they run, are maintained properly.
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    South Coast 3rd Rail Issues - 24th February 2024

    Yes, that is pretty common, although I think the 313s were a bit different due to working in the GN & C tunnels (a motor car at each end, each having shoes on both bogies, and no DC bus between cars). I don't know what they did with the 717s. What I was on about was a power jumper linking...
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    South Coast 3rd Rail Issues - 24th February 2024

    Back in the Middle Ages (pre-1983!) you would hear of 8-SUB formations doing e.g. London-Brighton runs in very icy weather, apparently (1) the shoe gear (like EPBs) was heavy (2) there was a power jumper between the units, so a continuous power bus along all 8 cars, with 8 shoes connected.
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    A Visual History of Railway Rolling Stock in Great Britain

    Some sources on the web give a build year of 1962 for the prototype Mark 2, FK 13252. I saw in one place an order date for Lot 30550 of 11/1958, and a completion date of 01/1963. I have a feeling that the question of when Mark 2s 'date from' could fill many pages of enthusiast's forums, much as...
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    A Visual History of Railway Rolling Stock in Great Britain

    The prototype Mark 2, FK 13252, was completed at Swindon in 1963, and is now preserved by and located at the Mid-Norfolk Railway. Agreed that the first production Mark 2 coaches entered service in 1964. I gather that the first Mark 2 coach type, produced up to 1966 had no letter suffix, and was...
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    My new favourite loco type

    Finally arrived back at Stapleton Road (from Oxford). Just about to exit the station when I heard an unusual and interesting sound approaching from the Temple Meads direction. Decided to wait & see what it was. Got more and more interesting sounding, until a DC RailFreight class 60 appeared on...
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    Woman Gets £480 Bill For Putting Feet On Seats.

    Agreed. They say that no-one among the faithful is more zealous than a convert, but since I gave up smoking I find the sight and smell of cigarettes and their remains very repulsive.
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    Woman Gets £480 Bill For Putting Feet On Seats.

    I got a fixed penalty of £75 in Bristol for chucking a dog end on the pavement. Bang to rights. Reduced to £50 if paid within 10 days. Paid up online when I got home. Instrumental in making me give up smoking (saved the cost in 3 weeks of not buying fags). You see daft headlines like 'Woman...

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