Dear reader, it is customary, in the opening paragraph of one of my articles, to remind you of something you may know, as a springboard to letting you know about something that I think you don’t, but may find mildly interesting. Today differs only in that I have inserted this paragraph before that usual first […]
The engineering that makes the world go – shipping.
Dear reader, It may not have escaped your notice that I focus heavily on railways on this corner of the internet. This is perhaps giving you a false impression, if for some reason you use my blog as your only indicator how the world works; much as I would like it to be the case, […]
Why the U.S. has a terrible but brilliant railway system.
Dear reader, If you are of the internationally minded type, and know much about the United States of America, you will notice that Americans very rarely reference going on a train. You have probably heard of the New York subway, and you might have seen some very lucky American making some journey on a metro […]
Some thoughts on architecture, modern and otherwise.
Dear reader, Today’s topic really is a controversial one. Or is it? Certainly in the discussions online, there is a sizeable minority, either of genuine architects or fans of their ilk, who support modern architecture, and scoff at any attempt to recreate the styles of the past. But they are, I will argue, in the […]
Le Mans 2019 – In Numbers
Believe it or not, dear reader, this is not the first time that I have sat down to write an article on this topic. However, I fell into something of a trap with that article, trying to get across every single nook, cranny and detail I could, along with a plethora of photographs. This may […]
The New East Midlands Franchise & Associated Fallout
Dear reader, as you may be aware, I frequent the East Midlands railway network. This activity brings a variety of experiences, some good, some bad, and some ugly. For example, while I have had some excellent journeys on the Midland Mainline on various fast trains, I have also witnessed the rather tragic state of affairs […]
Some Miscellaneous Myths
Dear reader… gosh it has been a while. I had intended to write more, but alas life has been quite busy recently and the inspiration isn’t quite so easy at the moment. I’m sure you understand. In any case, it is a pleasure to once again have your company, at least for the next few […]
The Hydrogen Train Space Race
Dear reader, you may not be surprised to learn that I mainly talk about the past on this blog. Not that I am uninterested in the future; it’s just that there is quite a lot of past, and many stories I think warrant bringing to your attention. However, in a change to our scheduled programming, […]
Some Reasons Why Trains Are Late
Dear reader, if you have ever travelled on Britain’s railway network, you will probably have noticed that there are sometimes delays. While many complain about these delays, the truth is that most trains arrive within a few minutes of the time promised. Not that it is not annoying when your train arrives late, especially when […]
Trenches Saved Lives
Photo credit: SDASM Archives When one thinks about the First World War, most people tend to think of the trenches of the Western Front, and of a war going basically nowhere for 4 years. That this is a vast oversimplification of the fighting of the war is irrelevant – I am going to argue that […]
Why HS2 Being a Bit Slower Isn’t Much of a Problem
Dear reader, this article (or at least the first two thirds of it) was intended for another publication, so the tone may be slightly different to what you have come to expect, but in any case, I thought it a shame to waste it, and that the point warranted bringing to your attention. Headlines were […]
Peculiarly Pete 