Amid a field of giant hogweed on the fringes of south-east Edinburgh, history was made last week [August 6] as the concrete pourers moved in to create the first new bridge for the new 30-mile Borders Railway to Tweedbank. The line, sponsored by the Scottish Government and being built by Network Rail at a cost […]
At 200 tons it weighs in at more than some of the biggest locomotives ever. In full operation it can pack a velocity of nearly 2,000 feet a second. It needs 50 people to operate it, and has had an astonishing working life spanning nearly 40 years. Could this be the most unusual railway vehicle
Uncovered! The mighty railway gun that could have won the war Read More »
Like the much-quoted demise of Mark Twain, the death of the dining car on the national rail network turns out to have been somewhat exaggerated. When East Coast ran its last dining car last month, there was an outpouring of sentiment, especially from the national media. I played my own part in this, lamenting it
Top nosh at speed on First Great Western’s new Pullman car Read More »
* The world’s first true dining car was pioneered in the United States by George Mortimer Pullman in 1868. It was named Delmonico after the famous New York restaurant. * The first British restaurant car ran on 1 November 1879 when a Pullman car named Prince of Wales was attached to a service from Leeds
Normally, you might have expected a bit of anxiety among the passengers when smoke started to waft through a packed carriage on the 19.00 East Coast service from King’s Cross to Edinburgh. But when it happened last Friday, it was quite the opposite. The aroma, emanating from the galley in coach No. 11998 was a
Riding the last dining car: an era comes to an end Read More »