Not quite right.  There's an 'S' board (and associated mirror) at the end of the platforms where all Turbo trains (and 180s) will stop regardless of length - 6-cars being the longest accommodated, and there are 'HST 2+7' and 'HST 2+8' boards located just off the end of the platforms which a HST would stop at should it be in reverse formation.  A normally formed HST will stop with the power car just off the platform edge.

The 166 limped (and apparently clanked!) back from Worcester yesterday.

Very well spotted that man.  Camera 2 shows the support pillars for the viaduct I mentioned earlier.  Back to my daily Lobstervision visits...  

Looked like some semi-permanent doors had been installed last time I checked, so yes it looks like they're not to be returned to public use any time soon.  That is a shame.  As Paul says though, if millions of pounds is going to be spent over the next few years replacing that whole overbridge, and if the long held ambition of extending Platform 12 so that it takes over Platform 13 happens, it might not have been worth doing anyway.

The H&C station continues to be modified with the third and last set of steps opening a month or two ago, so three sets of dedicated steps rather than just the one.  The northern entrance is now complete, so it's just the lifts to be opened (there didn't use to be any lifts) and I believe a ticket office?

Here's a picture of the new northern entrance, which, for once, bears a striking resemblance to the artist's impressions:



http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/images/station-designs/paddington-station

Here's a snap of the work starting near Gavray Drive, Bicester which will eventually become the new 40mph curve leading to the new Bicester South Junction which will be about 1/4 mile to the left of this picture:



Taken from the Chiiltern main line, the line in view is the current freight only branch looking towards Bicester Town.

I think warzone is stretching it a little, but I bet there will be a few confused and annoyed punters.  Perhaps we should have given Jo and Nick a big sign to carry when they were on Maidenhead station over the last few weeks to try and spread the word if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) aren't prepared to do a proper job!

I don't get to see the 19:48ex PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) at Maidenhead very often, so can't be absolutely sure of the numbers travelling in the 'quieter' summer holiday weeks, though I did see the previous fast 19:18ex PAD arrive at Maidenhead last night and at a rough guess about 100-120 people alighted, so I can't see the 19:48 attracting too many less than that.

Some of those spans are now taking shape with the foundations in place and the reinforcing steel framework being installed.

I'm sure the canny marketing lot at Chiltern will claim it's 'less than an hour' from Oxford though, with the small print clarifying they mean the 59 minutes from Water Eaton Parkway. 

That's what I thought.  Their franchise agreement states:

'The Franchise Operator proposes to open a new route to Oxford, either
between Princes Risborough and Oxford via Wheatley, with new stations at
M40 Junction and South Oxford; or via a new south to east curve at Bicester,
with new stations at Bicester Village and Water Eaton Parkway.'

The Wheatley route was deemed too expensive as there were significant structures on the old alignment, though it would have potentially been quicker than the route via Bicester and would have been useful for the communities of south-east Oxford, Wheatley, and Thame.

I reckon you're about right there.  Those 8 LOROL^▸ (London Overground Railway Operations Ltd) Class 172s might come in handy later in the decade when Gospel Oak to Barking electrification releases them - and if London Midland don't snap them up.


Have they actually placed a contract for their own locomotives?  I know they were looking at leasing new locomotives, and that the Class 68s being built in Spain for DRS^▸ (Direct Rail Services Ltd) were a distinct possibility?

That may well be the case.  It also might be the case that there's a Class 377 stopped at the signal ahead that can't move as it was that that ripped down the wires, so the IEP behind can go nowhere.  However, at least this engine will be able to provide lighting and air-conditioning whilst the problem is resolved - with a quick internet search you can find horror stories all round the world when trains are stuck with no power, no air-con for several hours.

Anyway, I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

If you were going to supply crew with another phone in the unlikely event of reception difficulties in such a situation, I'd have thought a portable GSM-R^▸ (Global System for Mobile communications - Railway.) handset would be the best idea.  Perhaps to be stored in the emergency equipment cabinet from this supplier:  http://www.selex-comms.co.uk/selex/pdf/gsmr_handheld.pdf

Not taken long for Mr. Crow to jump on the bandwagon on this one:

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/136211

Despite the fact that it's not HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) that are going in for refurbishment, which in any case doesn't include any changes to systems that might cause a train to fail.  Opportunistic nonsense from the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) yet again.  Though that doesn't mean that I hope Railcare at Wolverton is saved given that I spent a few months working there in my very early railway career.

Does it impeed their acceleration that much (if at all) though?  If it did, surely they'd have been re-geared to a 125mph maximum many years ago.  If you provide facts to back this lack of acceleration up then I am happy to concede they might not be suitable for use on the GEML^▸ (Great Eastern Main Line) and MML^» (Midland Main Line. - about).  Until then, use on those routes, primarily replacing MkIII coaches and older traction would seem sensible enough to me.


As I've said before the number of times that huge delays have occurred and the service has completely melted down on the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) and especially the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) due to a short section of OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") being damaged means that I think this 'insane spec' is, in reality, a sensible precaution, and well overdue.