Monthly Archives: June 2023

Travelling On Tarka’s Train (2)

How It Was With GWR Before January 1947, two private railway companies sped westwards from London. By far the biggest was the Great Western and on the above map it showed its routes in red. The thinner black lines were “connecting” services.  But if you were the Southern Railway, your view was slightly different. Southern ran trains on the thick…

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Recycling the Right Way Could Help Your Facility Drive Efficiency and Cut Costs

RCP – With 75% of warehouse and logistics businesses facing pressure from customers to improve the sustainability of their operations, there’s never been a better time to invest in waste management systems. Despite 80% of businesses in the sector having goals and targets in place to support environmental programmes, after talking to many leaders in the sector, it’s clear that…

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Monday’s Friday Reads – 19 June 2023

• Britain’s railway is without a paddle (IntlRailJ) • New Wales Metro tram-train now in testing (RailUK) • Feasibility Study for £890m Oxfordshire rail link released (NewCivilEng) • Irish railway project takes old Scottish Sleeper cars for accommodation (RailTech) • Philadelphia regional rail ridership up 12% after I-95 bridge collapse (Inquirer) • LA opens downtown light rail Regional Connector tunnel…

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Travelling On Tarka’s Train (1)

The Book : The Film : The Line Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers is a 1927 novel by English writer Henry Williamson, first published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons with an introduction by the Hon. Sir John Fortescue. It won the Hawthornden Prize in 1928, and has never been out of…

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Sunday Variety

Is It A Tram? Is It A Train? Is It A Tram/Train? Is It A Train/Tram? It stops at proper stations like a train. It shares track with gurt big freight trains. And there it is on ballasted train tracks! Yep. It’s a train!  Or is it? It tuns along the road with other traffic … It has red stoplights,…

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Saturday Variety

Puzzle Picture Readers may remember that fbb was disappointed by the above book which he bought cheaply on-line second hand. As fbb was browsing idly, he came across this little teaser. Here are two pictures of a London Underground station … … published in a chapter showing the quality of station architecture. The picture’s title is here enlarged. The question…

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IAM RoadSmart launches new campaign

As the UK’s leading road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart is launching a campaign, in alliance with organisations across the industry, to make the roads safer for motorcyclists and ensure they are consistently recognised as vulnerable road users. A statement from CEO at IAM RoadSmart, Antony Kildare: In some respects, the outlook for motorcycling in the UK is a positive one.…

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Friday Reads – 16 June 2023

• TfL puts larger transport infrastructure projects on hold amid funding uncertainty (NewCivilEng) • Peckham Rye station restoration finally complete (IanVisits) • Transport innovation, engineering, lobbying, & public relations in the age of steamboats (AntonHowes) • The Hague introduces €50 parking fee to deter drivers (CitiesToday) • Avellino trolleybus starts service after 23 years of planning & construction (UrbanTransport) •…

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What Did Delaware, Boy?

She Wore A Brand New Jersey! This blog is definitely where it’s at! Not only do you get fascinating public transport stuff but Perry Como as well! But we do need to grasp a bit of US geography. Travelling east from Philadelphia, you cross the Delaware River to enter New Jersey. The first community you reach is Camden. In the…

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Understanding the role of immigrants

It is impossible to think about or even talk about diversifying our industry without broaching the sensitive subject of immigration  Siggy Cragwell, 83, has worked on the railway for 61 years after coming to the UK as part of the Windrush generation in 1962  By Nafisa Nathani With any discussion around diversity, we continually hear the phrase about how we…

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