R.P.Marks

Mark & Eleni, The Fall, Clapham Grand 11/11/15. #FallFriday

West Coast Main Line miscellany over the last few days. If I can't drive trains, I will at very least photograph the buggers whilst I'm twiddling my thumbs.

The railway chain of care thing is brilliant for anyone who needs oodles of time off after a "one under", and rightly so. It is simultaneously absolutely shite for people who want to get back to work ASAP. I need to get back in the saddle, but so many daft hoops to jump through!

Cardiff looks rather good in the rain. Just as well, some might say.

All the "we" talk too! You're a fan, not the fecking manager.

I'm equally quick to think of them as dullards.

What really annoys me is when someone asks you if you follow football, and you say no, and they STILL try to strike up a football conversation. I mean, learn to read the room or fuck right off.

Really nice moment from @mrjamesob.bsky.social on today's show re the GWR Greenford battery train trial, and the enthusiasts enjoying it. Could have been snarkily played for punch-down comedy, but it very much wasn't. Classy.

Not my finest photo, but with Gloucester Horton Road recently razed to the ground, this bustling view from the Rail Day on 17th September 1989 seemed apposite.

So. Farewell Then, 85B / GL / Gloucester Horton Road. You are partly to blame for my career choices.

Easter eggs on a supermarket shelf.

Oh bugger off Tesco. It's 4 days into January!

Very much affected by the same phenomenon. Yet, I'm equally determined not to succumb to "backinmydayitus".

A nice roadside display at the former Plymouth Road overbridge (11m 50ch) at Kingsbridge, Devon. 24/12/25.

One for the hive mind. This ventilating window on a Devon cottage is similar to others I have seen on 1960s houses. I assume it is designed to serve a pantry or larder? Does anyone know any more about them (manufacturer, what they're called, etc.)?

I created a monster 🤣

Back in March 2006 I took this picture (lower) of the Rover 75 I owned at the time. The best part of 20 years later, my son found the exact same place in the Cotswolds and photographed his 75 there. Chip off the old block and all that sort of thing.

Dutch tanker "Thun Granite" and Cypriot general cargo vessel "Emma" at anchor off Hope Cove in Devon, 25/12/25. I wonder if they've anchored up especially for Christmas? Lovely if true.

Look at all the right-wing accounts trying to convince you that Christmas is somehow threatened or cancelled, and then ask yourself who the real snowflakes are.

Christmas Eve on the beach. #devon #bigburyonsea #burghisland

Almost always when commuting, yes. You see now why he was so respected?

I believe it is like Shrewsbury. Shrews-bury and Shrows-bury are both correct. I say Marry-le-bone. The late Adrian Shooter complimented me on getting it right on a past cab ride, but I understand Marley-bone is also not wrong.

Public school via a gift of generosity. It's not really my vibe. But yes, I can speak King's English when required, albeit with a lisp.

I have a similar timbre but it's a right mix of Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire and public school.

YouTube video by DavidSid Parker Milton Parva Christmas Special 2025

youtube.com/watch?v=9YIg...

Happy Christmas from my uncle's model railway!

Class 108 preserved multiple unit at Bridgnorth, Severn Valley Railway.

A class 108 DMU at Bridgnorth, with a colourfully dressed Sikh couple taking part in a photoshoot. Severn Valley Railway, 25th October 2025.

A black & white photograph of a class 108 DMU at Bewdly station on the Severn Valley Railway. A slightly timeless view with railway staff interacting with each other on the platform.

Bewdley, Severn Valley Railway. 25/10/25.

A glorious thing. I think it is a cast iron structure with ceramic/faience decoration. Looks a lot better now than it did on my last visit in 2006.

35 years ago today: a temporary MPD in Gloucester Mileage Yard to allow Horton Road depot to host Gloucester Rail Day on 1st July 1990.

An evening Parcel Sector working at Gloucester, with 47490 "Bristol Bath Road" in charge. 29/06/89.

47304, Gloucester New Yard, 4th April 1990.