Recent content by The Chimaera

Just like Kenny Yewer coming off the holding sidings.

Perhaps you are seeing what the staff really think about this company.

There used to be the East dock at the A end of plat 12 and the West Dock at the B end. Both long gone now though.

This was when Virgin sent the unused driving trailers from 221144 to an exhibition weekend at the NRM at York. The unit couldn’t work by itself as a two car as the leading vehicles don’t have compressors. The photo seems to have been taken at Claycross.

The electrification mentioned is more likely to be that theyll be getting electric lamps in the signals vice paraffin. One is rather sceptical about this government’s announcements.

An 08 could be hauled at 25 mph as long as the rods were removed and the traction motors were demeshed. They couldn’t run under their own power without rods on.

The irony is Avanti , courtesy of the restructuring done over the years by Virgin, already have one of worst set of conditions of any (former) TOC, hence the higher rate of pay. The new, seemingly national set of conditions that this government favour appear to have been largely based on what...

The steam Dreams tour from Kidderminster to Canterbury had to be diverted due to a fatality on the line south of Gloucester. The tour turned back from Gloucester and returned to Worcester before heading over the North Cotswold line to Oxford and Didcot to regain its booked route. 40013 top and...

Unfortunately though the Ironbridge branch does not go to Ironbridge town, it goes to the former power station site. You would still have to bus passengers from there or perhaps Coalbrookdale to the town. The former rail route from the power station site to Ironbridge town does still exist but...

You aren’t taking into account that the small 16 loco fleet is now split between at least 3 freight/charter operators who are busy using them for their own purposes.

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Possibly because Avanti are nowhere near being able to run the new Hitachi trains anyway? There aren’t any plans in place for crew training I believe. The staff they have left are all needed to work trains and can’t be spared for training purposes.

I’m afraid their not trying at all, gone are the days of ‘we’re all in it together lads, let’s make the best of it’ now it’s all a ‘us and them’ blame game. The downward spiral continues…

Avanti might have recruited over 100 drivers but the number of drivers leaving or retiring early has been substantial. Around 25% of the driver workforce at my former depot have left in the last 2 years. The attitude of the employer was a great encouragement for most.

Experienced BR freight drivers were asked to volunteer to take part in the construction of the Tunnel, as you say George Seedhouse and Harry Bird were seconded from Bescot. Two Saltley men also went I believe. Somewhat hair raising tales of type 1’s (class 20’s) operating on steep underground...