Last Saturday evening, the bridge that carried the long closed High Dyke
iron ore branchline over the A1 at Colsterworth was removed to make way for
another bridge that will form part of a grade separated junction on the A1.
The branch served the iron ore quarries of Colsterworth and Stainby, and the
iron ore adit mine at Easton. There are some stretches of trackbed
remaining but no other infrastructure.

http://www.irsociety.co.uk/ gives some history of the branch.

MPs have criticised the huge bonuses to be given to rail bosses
despite "a catalogue of failings" on the network.

Passengers were "inconvenienced and humiliated" by three major
engineering overruns at New Year, a report by the Commons transport
committee said.

Three Network Rail directors are to get bonuses in excess of £200,000
each.

More at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7516339.stm

The T4 on-the-beach pop festival was held at Weston-super-Mare on Sunday
(yesterday) with a guestimate of 50-60,000 people. People were 'informed' of
the public transport to get there, but as ever no additional train services
were laid on.

Coming back my daughter and friends had to wait several hours just to get
into the station, but, to give FGW some credit, the Torbay Express steam
charter was called upon to take on board several hundred revellers back to
Bristol (pity those who had stumpted up full fares!).

Chris

The Wikipedia page on London Marylebone has:-

"In the 1990s, upon rail privatisation, the station was given an even
bigger boost when Chiltern Railways took over the rail services.
Chiltern trains made the station the terminus for a new intercity
service to Birmingham's Snow Hill station."

I'm pretty sure I can remember travelling Marylebone-Birmingham Snow
hill in 1994 or 1995 - that would have been pre-privatisation so
presumably the 1990's extension of services to Snow Hill was a BR
innovation. Is that right?

(In Wikip terms I know it's not a major calumny I know but I'd like to
double check before changing it)

- Jon

On Jul 20, 2:22 pm, Tony Polson googlemail.com> wrote:

LMAO

Just though this might be interesting to report here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20595093@N00/2647024853/in/set-72157600150563805/

and an excuse to re-ask my question ... are the weights of this stock
known yet ?

I recently spend a week in Cumbria and noticed the the S&C was closed for
upgrading for about three weeks this month.

What is being done to it? It must be quite major.

I did pity the workforce. The weather was utterly horrid. Not what
would have been expected for July. I hope that it does not cause delays
to the work.

Len

Ignoring the obvious - that the Greater Manchester PTE are a pack of
overpaid idiots who sit in their prestigious offices making plans that
are usually half-baked and rarely come to fruition anyway - what is the
point of picking Stalybridge for a park and ride scheme (Where there
seems to be no spare land) as against Guide Bridge (where there is
oodles of spare land) and it is nearer to the motorway?

Or am I missing the obvious, that the PTE doesn't want a huge and
effective park and ride scheme and would rather opt for something
cheaper and useless?

Brian.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1036588/Tractor-driver-miraculous-escape...

Regards
Kev