Recent content by Sean Emmett

I was a student in Bristol in 1985 and did a trip down the Avon Gorge to Portishead behind SVR mogul 46443. Other loco on those was Hinton Manor. The return trips were via the Temple Meads avoiding line, past St Philips Marsh depot. IIRC the trips to Wapping Wharf were all behind the mogul due...

The Concorde Way cycle/footpath from the station down to Muller Road was closed in March 2024 'for 4 months' to allow for the regrading of the path at the station frontage and other works. This is in addition to the much longer closure of the Concorde Way path alongside the station site itself...

I'm staying in Brum this weekend for the Vintage Trains charter to Carlisle with 5051 on Saturday. On the Sunday I have planned to travel back to Bristol via Kidderminster and enjoy a day on the Severn Valley, and booked their day rover accordingly. More than I bit disappointed to find out the...

Tangers the naughty engine! IIRC I was on a Pathfinder tour from Temple Meads to Carlisle and back (out via Leeds, back via Shap) when our class 45 failed approaching Derby and was replaced by another in quick time, and the failed engine never ran again. B1 61264 has had its share of scrapes...

Yes Paddington can be a pain. In the old days there used to me 'please queue here' boards for the popular departures. I tend to skulk in the Mad Bishop & Bear with an eye on the departure boards in the pub, scrolling through RTT and Traksy. But yes they can make late set changes at Paddington...

Metal cladding now being added to the lift towers. Pic from Friday.

IIRC the only overbridges that still need doing are at Lawrence Hill (the biggie) and Constable Road (3m 29c from Temple Meads). Possibly also the footbridge 1/4 mile south of Filton Abbey Wood?

I've travelled on a few steam specials where the steamer has been routed fast line, but booked to be overtaken by a fast using the slow. Usually because of gauging issues e.g. S15 828 on the fast between Basingstoke and Woking at 60 mph max 'undertaken' by a 442 on the up slow, and 5029 Nunney...

Oops. I meant cramped 2+2 seating. The 458/5s have got it right. Spacious and comfortable enough 2+2 for longer journeys. But capacity for crush loading if/when necessary. It's an hour plus to Ascot in the peaks now in reality, if not in the timetable. Only close up view I have had looking...

Quite a few when GWR goes down the pan. Or, more usually, the pan goes down.. Back to the 701s. Not experienced them yet but a 10 car 701 would be better than the 5 car 458 on offer for the 17.50 Waterloo - Reading on Tuesday. Still not sure why its back to cramped 2+3 after the time / effort...

Traksy is currently showing a 2U37 on the DWF approaching Queenstown Road. Any idea what that is? Edit - now disappeared so assume a glitch. When clicked it claimed it was the 13.33 ex WAT on Fri 5 Jan!

RTT for Mon 13 May 2024 just showing the hourly Filtons. If Portway P&R is anything to go by the finishing works can take ages. Have already complained that hourly service and lack of direct trains to Bristol Parkway will not achieve the modal shift needed. Hopefully they will come. In the...

Footbridge and stairs duly installed. Pics from mate now attached. RTT now showing unadvertised stops for the Filton shuttles in the May timetable, so they can start calling as soon as soon as the station is ready.

True, but some Ffesty stock (e.g. ex WHR 23) has 7 compartments seating 8 each. A nominal capacity of 56. Only 8 fewer than a MK1 TSO. Ouch! It meant only one carriage needed to be set aside for a road coach party. Those trains in the 1970s full of Butlins campers carried huge numbers of...

Yep, using google earth, Lerwick to Bergen is 360 km, 221km to both Wick and Thurso. From Skaw on the NE corner of Unst it's 339 km to Bergen and 296 km to Wick, 293 km to Thurso. Close, but not close enough! Also no direct ferry from Lerwick to Norway at the mo.