Daniel Hill

Also my trip to Cheltenham was conveniently timed to watch D1015 'Western Champion' arriving at Banbury with the @Vintage_Trains Golden Hind railtour to Plymouth.

Great day out at the @GWSR today, even with the heat and timetable delays. A very intensive timetable with a great set of visiting locos! Enjoyed the @RAFBBMF Spitfire flypast as well... possibly my only chance to see one this year with RIAT cancelled.

@ChimeWhistle 0905 from Cheltenham was 40 min late due to a points failure. With delays starting that early, single line sections and an intensive timetable, not much can be done to make it back up. Was still a good day and volunteers were working hard in the sweltering conditions!

Severe delays of over an hour have resulted in an amended timetable at today's Gloucester & Warwickshire Steam Railway gala.

Top marks to the @chilternrailway guard on 1R03. Checking tickets after each stop and giving the 'pay when challenged' freeloaders a lecture about possible consequences rather then just selling a ticket and moving on. An RPI on this train would have made a fortune!

Always a possibility, but a massive kick in the teeth to those who put the event on and the charities it benefits. Was looking like a fantastic lineup as well.

Another few pics from last weekend's superb 75th Anniversary Gala at the @TalyllynRailway

@MrTimDunn @TalyllynRailway Yup was around all weekend. The TR folks can pat themselves on the back for putting on such a fantastic event, seems like everyone was having a great time! Our dog was very confused why we left the house at midnight for a steam train ride though.

@LittleRedTrain @TalyllynRailway I thought i saw you aboard!

Well #Eurovisión2026 may have been a bust for the UK, but at least I can console myself by riding @TalyllynRailway into the wee small hours! 🌙 🚂

Does this mean possible HST powered railtours up the Cambrian?

@railnigel Agreed, but after testing it out today, I can confirm that a Sunday Roast at Kings Cafe on @TalyllynRailway is equally as good!

Aye!

@Off_The_RailsUK @ChimeWhistle At least it's not in the Kidderminster direction... you could end up with rhinos or giraffes on the line there!

"Due to animals on the railway between Bewdley and Arley, some trains have to run at reduced speed" Never thought I'd see a heritage railway pulling up the ol' excuses book 😂

@zelo_street @Captain_Deltic If I recall correctly, at the time the plan to refit the streamlining was first announced, it was definitely intended to have her in steam and run mainline, so it must have been OK in theory. I don't know exactly what happened to cause the return to steam plan to be dropped.

@Captain_Deltic @LittleRedTrain Would the Duchess be out of gauge with the tin case on?

It's a real shame that the proposed project to return her to steam never happened, would have been a fantastic sight storming over Shap!

Top day out up at @festrail today. Started a bit damp but by lunchtime it was blue sky and sunshine. Can't believe nobody else felt like braving the open coach, fantastic views and a great soundtrack right behind the loco... apparently really great for sniffing too!

Unless you live in Banbury!

Remember when voting tomorrow: These elections are about potholes, bins, car parks, business rates and council tax... not about the rights and wrongs of an irreconcilable tribal conflict going on thousands of miles away! Pick the candidate you think is best for *your* local area.

@jruddy99 @railnigel Even in the late 2000s, CrossCountry used to borrow a full-length East Coast HST to run an extra Manchester-Newquay relief train (seen here at Exeter). It's a shame that the railway has now been so cut to the bone that this little bit of extra flexibility is no longer possible.

@railnigel The days of extra relief trains at busy times are long gone. There were still some put on in the 80s, but not many.

What an appalling tantrum from Sarah Vine. Clueless and arrogant - a very unpleasant combination!!

Only taken them 20 years! Those tables were squeaky from almost the day the Electrostars were introduced!

@ChimeWhistle Caught in the period while the historic footbridge was removed, after an unfortunate encounter with an over-height crane. Thankfully it's been restored into place since (unlike some other historic footbridges).

Much has changed at Codsall since this photograph was made 20 years ago. The signal box and signals have gone and Central Trains no longer exists. flic.kr/p/2saL2WE

@CrossCountryUK Indeed, @SEANLWOODCOCK, you should be having a word with your colleague @Heidi_Labour to get this sorted, rather than CrossCountry management. As someone who is a non-driver due to disability, having a frequent, reliable train service is a lifeline for my independence!

This is a bunch of bull from @CrossCountryUK. This isn't a brand new service, it's just reinstating the half-hourly service that got cut during Covid. This *must* include the Banbury stops to give us back a half-hourly link to employment & leisure in Oxford!