The Rail Enthusiast thread

[Richard A Thackeray]

Strange to think that all these small towns were initially tiny pit villages that grew into one. We used to ride along the old railway cinder track and ride our bikes up and down the slag heaps.
I remember the Lofthouse pit disaster quite well even though I was only 8 or 9.

Still 'stack-heaps at Robin Hood, that haven't been reclaimed/levelled
Maybe they're too small to bother with, or the spoils pH is at odds with the surrounding land?

Robin Hood - Leadwell Lane trackbed of E&WYUR


Aerial ropeway tower?

I certainly remember the Lofthouse disaster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lofthouse_Colliery_disaster
There's no members of my family mining connected/employed, but there were certainly kids at my Junior School, who had family at the Pit (& I think one lost a relative down there?)


On 2 connected veins;
1. Before they retired, I worked with ex-2 Miners, who at that time (March '73...… I was 7) were in Mines Rescue, & both went down
2. My oldest friend (in terms of time known) restored an Atkinson Borderer that was used by Mines Rescue (built/registered 'after Lofthouse'), to pull the Emergency Winder (he sold it about 4 years ago)
http://www.healeyhero.co.uk/rescue/Station/winder4.htm

 

[Houthakker]

Passed this on display on todays ride outside a holiday camp in Pilling. Its the Pilling Pig, a reminder of the Garstang and Knott End Railway.
Part of the old track bed has been turned into a cycle/foot path between Lancaster and Glasson Dock, also part of the Bay cycle route.
Shame they didn't convert the rest of the track to Knott End as the road across to Cockerham does tend to attarct some speeding cars.

 

[classic33]

That was one heck of a long concert.

(Getting hat, coat, et c)

Leaving quietly would be better, just slip out un-noticed.

 

[robjh]

I'm in Bavaria at the moment, up near the Czech border, and I finished my ride yesterday with a train journey on the local Waldbahn lines between Bodenmais and Grafenau, with a change at Zwiesel. These are incredibly scenic rides that wind up steeply through forests and over meadows, connecting villages ultimately to the main line. I even travelled free, using a voucher from the local tourist board, though my bike had to pay!

Another little treasure yesterday was happening upon a museum of these lines at Bayrisch Eisenstein

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Thursday 25th

I dropped my daughter off, at Selby, so she could get a cheaper train to Hull, to meet friends (1)
After she got out, & parked to have a wander around (as I've not been for just over 2 years), I crossed the A19 swing-bridge, & along the Trans-Pennine Trail, towards the other bridge

The turntable/pivot

And, by waiting a few minutes, I even saw her train head out over it

http://www.hazardousarealighting.com/selby-swing-bridge.htm

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3078232
And 'Open'!!!! I've never seen any of the 3 swing-bridge open; https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/644749


And, a drivers eye view;

View: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212003362271664&set=a.10203612400862873&type=3&theater



And, the swing-bridge operaters view;

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101419063-selby-railway-swing-bridge-hul-225-selby



1. As I arrived to collect her, in the evening, I looked at my phone (I'd not heard it, as I'd had the windows down & a CD on)
The train was cancelled, as were the following two (due to Heat Related Problems (track/points/signalling?), so I ended up driving over to Hull Paragon, via the Bawtry Road (A1041), past Drax, joining the M62, at North Cave/Airmyn
On arrival in Hull, the road alongside Paragon Station was cordoned off by the Police, for an 'incident'
Oh well, it happens

 

[Andy in Germany]

As mentioned elsewhere, I’ve been travelling again, this time I had an interview in Lörrach, a town so near the Swiss border you have to go into Switzerland to get there by train.

I also managed to travel behind one of German Railways brand new, if aesthetically unfortunate, class 147 locomotives, seen here on the left with a Swiss railways Re 420 on the opposite side of the platform. These are the new intercity locomotive for this region, hauling double deck intercity coaches, which frankly alone made the trip worthwhile.

The photo was taken while waiting for another train in Singen, which is a junction for several trans-European routes so there was a lot of variety. I will return to this subject.

There was even a DB class 218 which I took lots of pictures of, ready for when I finally get myself into gear and finish my narrow gauge version.

That assumes of course that I can stop gallivanting about and get my model making organised long enough to start that project up again…

 

[Gravity Aided]

Rather look like a Siemens like the State of Illinois uses on its Amtrak trains, at least the high speed (80 mph) ones.

 

[NorthernDave]

Might be of interest - live streaming video of York Station from the Rail Operating Centre

http://www.railcam.uk/partners/NRYorkROC1.php

 

[NorthernDave]

An aren't we doing well press release from Northern, who've managed to get the tenth of their new trains running:

RailAdvent - Railway News: 10th brand new train enters service with Northern.
https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2019/08/10th-brand-new-train-enters-service-with-northern.html

Only 91 more to go chaps - and let's hope the overhead wires don't fall down again like they did yesterday between Leeds and Donny, stopping your new trains and leaving you desperately trying to find diesel units to run instead.

No press release on the fact the new DMUs that have been ordered (and widely publicised) for the Calder Valley route reportedly still can't cope with the curve of the track out of Bradford...

 

[classic33]

An aren't we doing well press release from Northern, who've managed to get the tenth of their new trains running:

RailAdvent - Railway News: 10th brand new train enters service with Northern.
https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2019/08/10th-brand-new-train-enters-service-with-northern.html

Only 91 more to go chaps - and let's hope the overhead wires don't fall down again like they did yesterday between Leeds and Donny, stopping your new trains and leaving you desperately trying to find diesel units to run instead.

No press release on the fact the new DMUs that have been ordered (and widely publicised) for the Calder Valley route reportedly still can't cope with the curve of the track out of Bradford...

They've to relay the track at Halifax to run that way. Until they open platforms 3 & 5. The curvature is too much on 1 & 2.

They'll be running them through Brighouse, through the Greetland Triangle and then down the valley.

 

[NorthernDave]

They've to relay the track at Halifax to run that way. Until they open platforms 3 & 5. The curvature is too much on 1 & 2.

They'll be running them through Brighouse, through the Greetland Triangle and then down the valley.

So they'll be of absolutely no benefit to the main bulk of passengers on that line who are crammed into 30+ year old units between Leeds, Bradford and Halifax then?

 

[classic33]

So they'll be of absolutely no benefit to the main bulk of passengers on that line who are crammed into 30+ year old units between Leeds, Bradford and Halifax then?

None whatsoever.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Might be of interest - live streaming video of York Station from the Rail Operating Centre

http://www.railcam.uk/partners/NRYorkROC1.php

I've been leaving that on and watching it occasionally, thanks.

At the time of posting there's a shed lurking in the stabling roads that has been sitting there for the last 24h.

 

[classic33]

I've been leaving that on and watching it occasionally, thanks.

At the time of posting there's a shed lurking in the stabling roads that has been sitting there for the last 24h.

If it's Northern one, that'd be nowt odd.

 

[NorthernDave]

I've been leaving that on and watching it occasionally, thanks.

At the time of posting there's a shed lurking in the stabling roads that has been sitting there for the last 24h.

That shed is still there. I wonder if the driver parked it up and got a train to the airport?