Recent content by alxndr

The even more obvious solution in this case is to accept that times and trains have moved on and the handful of streets the “wrong” side of the crossing will need to miss out.

Nonsense. They couldn’t access the line just for that purpose, but if they were in the platforms already and saw it they could remove it and put in a WAIF (Work Arising Identification Form) to claim a couple of minutes times against doing so.

This sounds like a sensible plan, although if you can engage with NR that would be even better. Also worth bearing in mind that although using the level crossing phone is most ideal as it makes clear to the signaller where you are phoning from, the audio is often quieter than most people are...

I would be inclined to station a marshall of some description, or instructing someone to “fall out” at the when reaching the crossing and rejoins at the end, who will be able to give a halt signal and step out to intervene. I wouldn’t want to rely on someone who was previously following the...

The entire railway is pretty terrible for it. I battled with it a little more when I was on the Western than I do in Glasgow, but it’s still a problem here. And if I remember rightly, it was buddleia that was growing from Northwich station before the wall collapsed.

That looks like buddleia, so harder to get rid of than it looks from that photo, both short and long term. Most of the time I’ve ended up resorting to a pocket saw or loppers for a quick fix, but apparently that just encourages more growth.

Darsham Kintbury Midgham

When I worked on that line we had to acquire a second phone using the Vodafone network rather than the standard O2 that we ended up referring to as the B&H phone. It had marginally better reception but still wasn't fantastic. There were a couple of times where lack of phone signal caused us...

I'm not a fan of modernising maintenance, and there's less of the fun parts of the job than when I first started and got to chase "proper" faults around relay rooms, but I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be either. I really can sympathise and often wish I'd started a bit later on so I...

Even if clipped and scotched, the points also need to be visually inspected to ensure that the FPL is still holding them, the clamp and scotch is in place and the stretcher bars and machine/rodding is secure. Certain measurements are also required to be taken to ensure that the correct...

A FOI request gives the diagram for this area showing 87pts - https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/signalling_diagrams_and_gradient/response/776317/attach/9/511635%20SC153%20Craigentinny%20Powderhall%20Apr07%20Ver%201.1%20081.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

Pollokshields East - on the Cathcart circle but more or less touching the Barrhead lines. Also close to the Larkfield Curve (to the WCML at Polmadie) and Terminus Curve to the Clydesdale lines (heading to Shields) but I can't see that joining those up would ever make much sense. Rutherglen -...

One of the times I only had Scottish cash was further south, in Kettering, so not impossible. Sheffield is, for some unknown reason, one of the most frequently visited English towns by my colleagues, judging from the frequency it gets mentioned. I’d expect that if I turned up with a valid and...

People who wish to pay with cash from Scotland. It’s unusual to find an English note here without going looking for one, and easy to forget they’re not the norm in England. I’ve been caught out before, although not for purchasing train tickets. In any case, the conditions of travel make it...

Making trains more accessible by using the speakers that are already fitted to them is a waste of public money? Really? Don’t people with disabilities, who are proportionally more likely to need public transport to get around independently get to have a say in public money being used in a way...