Recent content by Mugby

The amount of day-to-day maintenance has been reduced considerably in recent years because Network Rail don't want staff on the track in the daytime whilst trains are running. Virtually all of the track renewals and heavy maintenance is done by private contractors and the lines being worked on...

Tuesday evening in Derby one of the Harlequin Solos was being used on The Mickleover. At least the livery was broadly similar!

Had a good look at 810001 on Etches Park as I passed by on a Nottingham train yesterday, it doesn't have any seats in, just empty body shells.

The idea of rail privatisation was suggested to Mrs Thatcher when she was PM but she dismissed it, saying she didn't think there was any appetite for it. It was the awful John Major who did it, originally wanting privatisation based on the old 'Big Four' model, as they were before...

Aren't there still a lot of quite old coaches with manual transmission still around? Many of which carry Irish registrations to disguise their true age?

I've seen the 15.20 departure from Derby on 'The Swift' these past two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) Both days it was standing room only on a Solo, Tuesday it managed to show the destination, Wednesday it was showing 'Sorry, Not in Service' It's sad to see the image descending into something...

I noticed this at Crewe on Wednesday, it was a TfW 197 on Platform 6 which is straight with no camber. The two parts of the ramp were used and the smaller. top section seems to just an extension piece for the main ramp. One thing which really surprised me was that two parts appear to be stowed...

Two Premiership football matches on Saturday could swell the numbers on EMR quite a bit: Crystal Palace are travelling up to Nottingham Forest and Fulham are travelling up to Sheffield United.

The Hope Valley Stopper should be quite a bit quicker running via Stockport. Wonder if it will pass through without stopping?

It seems that next week, Monday 25 - Friday 29, XC have taken most of the Newcastle/York - Reading via Doncaster services out of the timetable but I can't find an explanation anywhere for this. Does anyone know why this has been done?

Since it was stated that a retaining wall would be necessary alongside the Dore Loop. has that now become just some concrete pumped into the ground?

When I travelled from Derby to Sheffield yesterday, I noticed that one of EMR's departures was shown on the screens as having 'No accessible toilet in Standard' I took that to mean non-accessible toilets were available but the only accessible toilet would be in First. Presumably anyone who...

Indeed! I was there too, having arrived from Meadowhall on the Huddersfield stopper, I thought I might just get the 1732 EMR service to Derby but we were held at Nunnery for 5 minutes so no chance of that, perhaps just as well! As I went over to Platform 6 for the XC Plymouth at 1756, I...

Thanks for the information. Another thing I noticed when the EMR approached Clay Cross was a Northern 195 unit on the 1219 Nottm-Leeds service going ahead on the Down Erewash line. This, I thought, would cause further delay by virtue of stopping at Dronfield but apparently it was cancelled at...

Today (Saturday) I was at Derby to get the 1229 EMR service to Sheffield. It was late arriving due to some trouble on the train and was further delayed at Derby whilst several BTP officers took witness contact details, it eventually departed at 1252. Whilst I was sitting on it, I saw the 1245 XC...