Top Deck Cat

You sound like Jack Dee!

“…so I’ve asked the teams to tell us about any new stations they might have seen recently. Joe, you can start.”

#ISIHAC

New Railway Atlas charts Oxford–Cambridge rebuild and Foynes Revival in 16th edition The railway network across Britain and Ireland is constantly evolving, so it's no surprise then that the Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland is now in its 16th edition.

The railway network across Britain and Ireland is constantly evolving, so it's no surprise then that the Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland is now in its 16th edition.

www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/new...

Me standing on a capstan in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Behind me is the stern of HMS Victory in her dry dock. In the background is Victory Jetty, part of HM Naval Base Portsmouth. We can see the forward and central superstructures of a Type 23 frigate, the predominantly white funnel badge confirming her to be HMS Portland. It is mostly cloudy but the sun is coming through, low in the sky, behind the two ships.

To Royal Navy and Royal Marines sailors past and present, whether you are at sea, at the wall or ashore tonight: thank you for your service to the nation. It's appreciated. Fair winds and following seas.
#TrafalgarDay #Trafalgar

Me on the planked upper deck of an old but well-cared-for wooden warship. In front of me is a brass plaque reading "Here Nelson fell, 21st Oct 1805". Behind me are two cannons, the gunwhale and the inside of the structure that is protecting this part of the ship from the weather.

To the immortal memory.
#Nelson #Trafalgar #TrafalgarDay

I knew ‘Moin’ but hadn’t come across ‘Servus’. I feel the need for a visit to Bayern to practise using it!

On nights like last night Train Drivers really flex their route knowledge muscles!
Driving at 100+mph with zero visibility is easy… knowing exactly where you are while you do it, that’s the tricky bit 😂

Ooh, I wasn't too far from you.
One of my favourite pieces but I think it's the first time I've heard it live in a hall. Loved some of the subtleties in the brass that don't really come through on my recordings. Found the epilogue very moving.

Detail of a vintage style railway map of Great Britain showing southern England and Wales

Detail of a vintage style railway map of Great Britain showing Scotland and northern England

Framed vintage style map of the railway network in Great Britain

Yes yes I know. You've spent ages searching for an original, detailed map of Britain's #railway system that is both up-to-date and has the appearance of a vintage poster, as well as designed by an independent artist and printed on nice quality paper. Well look no further! 🚂
➡️ bit.ly/RwyGB22

Wishing the very best of luck to all those collecting their results this #ALevelResultsDay.

If you get the grades you wanted, congratulations!

If you don't, here's a long load of general waffle about what I did after mine, if only to show you the direction life can take...

🧵

My animal-spotting adviser, based nearby, thinks you have. The cuddly bunnies right alongside the tracks are easier to spot, as long as as they have actually come out to play.

Lovely places. Making me want to go back! Do you know the music of Peter Maxwell Davies? He lived on Hoy and some of my favourites among his pieces were inspired by Hoy and particular people. "An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise" is fun.

Nice haul! Good to see the Greater Anglia red tote bag making a comeback. I have one from when they first started - a couple of small holes now but still going strong.

Quasiunitarisationism?

We should all try to make ‘unitarisationism’ a word. And then ‘antiunitarisationism’ can come up too.

One of the more obscure railway-related pieces of music:

Photo of a paperback book. The front cover text says “Arthur Ransome. Swallows and Amazons for Ever! Coot Club and The Big Six. Abridged for the superb BBC TV adventures.” The cover photo is of five boys and one girl, sitting or standing on the cabin of a small boat called “Death and Glory”, on a narrow waterway surrounded by trees.

“Swallows and Amazons Forever” had a tie-in version of the two books it covered, combined and abridged. Fittingly printed in Bungay, a stone’s throw from the Rver Waveney. My well-loved copy has served two generations so far. I felt like I knew the Broads a bit, before I had ever been there.

That grey you needed?

You mean fireboxes! (Boilers surely come under the GMB…)
Is that a class 26 on the banner?

I feel your pain. And greys are counterintuitively hard to mix your own shades with. A problem when you build model warships.

It’s been an absolute shambles of a week on my little corner of the railway 😫, but seeing the Paddington Band always makes things better! 🎼🎶🎺🥁

Quite a story👇

BOSS: Congratulations, Sgt Sands, your promotion has been approved. Just one thing though.
SGT: I’m going to need a deed poll, aren’t I?
BOSS: It’ll avoid so much trouble.

It is!

*This* is the fact of the day.

...We know the tune and we're gonna play it...

Interoperability

The XKCD cartoon has discovered the Docklands Light Railway.

xkcd.com/3105/

❌ Instead of: Sorry for the delay in replying
✔️ Say: Though I forsake thee, forsake me not

Plaque which reads: IN MEMORY OF THE LIFE AND WORK OF SIR NIGEL GRESLEY 1876 - 1941 BORN IN THIS CITY CHIEF MECHANICAL ENGINEER, 1923 - 1941 LONDON & NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY HE DESIGNED POWERFUL, ELEGANT AND FAST LOCOMOTIVES INCLUDING THE WORLD FAMOUS FLYING SCOTSMAN AND MALLARD, THE FASTEST STEAM LOCOMOTIVE IN THE WORLD. HIS STREAMLINED TRAINS, INCLUDING THE CORONATION WHICH SERVED THIS CITY, SET NEW STANDARDS OF COMFORT, SPEED AND SAFETY. THESE WERE THE FIRST TRULY HIGI SPEED TRAINS. HE ALWAYS SOUGHT IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AND BEFICIENCY IN LOCOMOTIVES AND COACHES. HE WAS A FIRM BELIEVER IN RESEARCH, EXPERIMENT AND DEVELOPMENT TO ESTABLIST THE BEST PRACTICE IN ENGINEERING. HE WAS AN INSPIRATION TO GENERATIONS OF ENGINEERS WIIO ADMIRE FINE ENGINEERING AND BEAUTY OF LINE. HE IS REMEMBERED BY THE PRESERVED LOCOMOTIVES AND CARRIAGES OF HIS TIME, ESPECIALLY BY ONE OF TIS INCOMPARABLE CLASS A4 LOCOMOTIVES WHICH BEARS HIS NAME.

I was in Edinburgh today, the city where Sir Nigel Gresley was born 149 years ago today, 19 June 1876. As Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Northern Railway from 1911 and the London & North Eastern Railway until 1941, this plaque at Edinburgh Waverley station commemorates his achievements.

That exact location is one of my favourite places! Especially after a nice pint and meal at the Still & West.

Beautiful. I love The Hard slipway at low tide when you can (carefully) go right down to the end and watch the ferries and the sunset.