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There are historical references/rumours that, the original larger order for EM2 (Class 77) Locomotives, was to facilitate potential 1500v DC extensions from Rotherwood (near Sheffield), to both Woodford Halse and March. Obviously the former would have simply involved electrification of the GC...

Well frankly, that menu on the website reconfirms it was reasonable to expect Breakfast to be served at that departure time! (I had previously read it at time of booking and assumed so accordingly.) Maybe not quite ‘Pullman‘ Standard should be expected, but I was expecting a more personal and...

I thought I would finish my recent trip to the Netherlands by treating myself to the so called First Class Business Premier accommodation on the direct Eurostar service from Amsterdam Centraal to St. Pancras International departing 08.45am, which wasn’t cheap but I thought of it as a special...

A very interesting film with plenty of nostalgia rail footage. The Fell controls, including the ‘regulator’ which was quite substantial for a throttle lever plus, the gear levers mode of operation were intriguing too! As an aside, some good footage too of the Liverpool Street - Shenfield...

In the very late 1950’s, as a young child, I was taken on a Steam hauled excursion from Highams Park to Clacton on Sea. Can recollect the Loco was a B1 or similar looking 4-6-0 tender Loco and, the routing was direct, using the then connection from the Chingford Branch to Lea Bridge and on to...

I believe there were provisional plans to extend the Woodhead Electrification from Rotherwood to both March and Woodford Halse, primarily for freight but, the latter could have also seen an accelerated main line passenger service to Marylebone!

I commenced commuting in early 1969 between Brentwood and Liverpool Street so, was a regular user of the peak hour service that called at all stations from Southend Victoria to Harold Wood then Stratford and finally Liverpool Street. My recollections as an enthusiast, etc., I can confirm that...

Although I realise the disaster was kept very quiet for many years afterwards, and only got substantial publicity in more recent years, I do recollect reading about it in detail way back in 1964-65 in my teens in a library copy of the book ’Rails through the Clay’. RIP to the victims, etc.

I wish to concur that, this new series of Secrets of the Underground has reached the perfect balance of reaching both a general audience, together with maintaining the interest of a more specialist rail enthusiast one. The Waterloo & City Line episode was very interesting - I've always liked...

All very interesting thanks and I believe I have the same publication somewhere in my collection. Regarding the controls of the Woodhead in Blue (ie advanced) Class 76 - there are two separate levers - the usual reverser and then, the combination control lever which goes from off to series (to...

Tbh, the Class 76 in the original TS Woodhead Route and the subsequent ‘Blue’ release are two completely different animals. The latter is meant to be much more prototypically realistic with the controls. It is a very advanced loco in TS and one thing, once your train has loaded, you should...

I recently watched the excellent Peter Jackson film 'They Shall Not Grow Old', here in the UK, and towards the end of the restored film, where the colour film goes back into black and white, there were several scenes showing the returning British Troops at the very end of 1918 possibly early...

I've used Eurostar several times over the years from its inauguration and have recently returned from a rail trip to France using Eurostar to Paris both ways travelling basic Standard Class. It was my first trip on a Class 374 and I fortunately had a nice window seat facing (No. 61!). My only...

Further to my previous posts, reminiscing memories of a Class 304, substituting for Class 305's experiencing electrical problems on the Chingford Branch, in the early days of the North East London electrification - I have recently borrowed from my local Essex library a copy of a book called...

Hi 'Taunton' - whilst it was a very long time ago, the Chingford Electrification was a big deal to us junior schoolboys - a quantum leap from N7's, together with grubby maroon Gresley Quint-art Stock - to high voltage overhead Electrification - even if the Class 305 Electric Units were somewhat...

Reading the foregoing, where the French were and are quite happy to leave many miles of 1.5KV DC in place to this day, I was always surprised that B.R. insisted on converting the former G.E.R. lines out of Liverpool Street from D.C. to A.C. I'm sure I read somewhere that at the time, a former...

As a young nine year old, I rode in a fairly new Class 304 from Higham's Park to St. James Street on the Chingford Branch in (I'm guessing) early 1961! I remember being impressed by the slightly lighter green livery, as compared to the regular Class 305 very dark green livery plus, the yellow...

Can somebody kindly provide a detailed track plan of the immediate area of phase 2 of the LGV Est, where the accident happened, including the connections to the Classic Route? Looking at the photo supplied by 'Groningen' it appears that the train was proceeding eastwards on the right hand...

There were a couple of colour film clips shot 'over the shoulder' in the cab of an early Class 86/AL6, where you could see both the view and the driver's control movements. Does anyone know the name of the whole film? It could have been a training film even? Since I love the early A.C. Electric...

Thanks 'Taunton' - and to further clarify what I meant re dual-voltage - not from 6.25kv upto 25kv ac but, actually from 1500 v dc to 25kv ac and vice versa. By the early 1980's this technology with dual ac/dc locos/emus, had been perfected in France and elsewhere, when further substantial...