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A long time ago I was told by a retired railwayman that some staff took to substituting unofficial badges for the official BR issue, and for a very good reason. When the BR corporate uniforms were first issued in 1966 the lapel badges featured a cut out arrow symbol in brass or nickel, depending...

Many years ago I was given an old railway key (which had had business end cut off) and have always wandered what the inscription on it means. it reads: BR (W) LM. Does anyone know what the "LM" means? It looks like the old type of door key everyone had at one time but the shaft is flat rather...

I saw an interesting feature on BBC North West about the so-called Wakes Weeks - the complete shutdown of towns in the North West for the summer holiday fortnight during the 1950's. It showed shots of a train of ex-LMS stock leaving Blackburn crammed to the cant rails with holidaymakers. Does...

Has the Caledonian Sleeper ever been diverted via Birmingham New Street, or via the GW&GC line between London and the midlands?

Not all stations or railwaymen seemed to welcome spotters. I remember in the mid seventies there was one inspector at Birmingham New St who seemed to hate spotters. On one occasion this official, having asked to see my ticket, told me in no uncertain terms to get my train home or he would get...

I recently purchased the attached photo from an internet auction site. It is very interesting and the description said it showed CIWL stock at a station in Eastern Europe, apparently taken in 1935. What I would really like to know is the location, or even in which country this scene is. The...

I recently came across some information about a very unusual rail incident way back in 1958 and wondered whether anyone had any more details about it. What I have found out so far is that on Friday 5th September 1958 rail services in Kent were badly disrupted by the most severe thunderstorm to...

Looking through an old continental Motorail timetable from 1976 I notice a service from Boulogne to Milan and return. Does anyone know what route this took across France please? Did it head to Paris and the ceinture to get from the Nord main line to the PLM or did it meander along eastern France...

I am trying to date a photo of Warship class 43 D859 in blue double heading with Brush prototype D0280 at Reading in the mid-1960's. Vanquisher is in BR blue with full yellow ends and arrow emblems and numbers on all 4 cabsides. Falcon is in its two-tone green. The leading BG is in BR maroon and...

On 23rd - 25th September 1977 I was on an LNER Society railtour from Euston to Fort William and Mallaig and return, both journeys being overnight. On the down run the route was via the WCML, New Street, Carlisle and Mossend to the West Highland line. On the return leg I fell asleep before...

A little while ago whilst browsing through a report of someone's spotting days I found some of what this individual had written incomprehensible, at least to someone who speaks and writes proper English. In particular the phrase: "it was wedged so we bailed" had me totally lost. Does anyone know...

One day about 20 years ago. or possibly a little more, I saw a Class 33/1 with a 4TC set in all over blue livery in the old Platform 4 at Reading station. The station announcer was on the PA saying the train was for "Clapham Junction and London Waterloo only". This was at 09.00 on a weekday, and...

Does anyone know anything about the Northern Counties Transport Society please? History? Dates of existence? I have in my collection an enamel badge of this organization featuring a blue class 47 locomotive. Looks to be from the 70's I would guess but I can find very little information about...

In the official report of the Nuneaton accident of June 1975 it states that one of the preceding trains to that which was derailed (and whose driver gave evidence at the enquiry) was the Kensington - Stirling motorail which was hauled by a class 50 locomotive. I have always thought that all...

This is a slightly unusual request for help and advice. When I was little my parents told me about a very sad and unfortunate fatality that occurred on the GW main line somewhere between Burnham (Bucks) and Taplow stations some time in the late fifties or early sixties. As far as I remember...

I have recently acquired a David Canning photo of a pair of double headed class 25's on an express passenger service passing Midgham on the Berks & Hants line, apparently taken in August 1975. According to Mr Canning's note on the back this was a FO Newton Abbott to Dover motorail service...

Does anyone have any memories of travelling on the North Country Continental between Liverpool / Manchester and Harwich. I believe that it had at one time electric haulage over the Woodhead route with a change from steam to electric somewhere near Manchester and thence went via the GN&GE joint...

One day in mid-September 1965 I was with my parents at Paddington alongside a long train of BR maroon coaches which my mother informed me was a train going to Dartmouth. Of course that Devon town is only linked by the ferry to Kingswear and my subsequent researches have confirmed that the train...

Does anyone know whether the old BR lion and wheel emblem was ever applied to locos or rolling stock in corporate blue livery? I have a dim and distant memory of seeing a Mark 1 coach in blue and grey, with the old coaching stock emblem on the side. This would have been in the late 60's - early...

Somewhere in my distant memory is an illustration from a railway magazine of the mid 70's which featured a class 73 hauling the down Golden Arrow with a caption stating the motive power was unusual and that the train was on that day diverted via Maidstone East and terminated at Folkestone...