Tuesday 10th January 2023 For the purposes of this blog please imagine you've woken up and it's July 1960. You're just catching a train on the Hertford North line from Grange Park station and in the booking office propped up against the ticket office window are a pile of little orange books. You know immediately... Continue Reading →
A brief visit to Cornwall
Tuesday 4th October 2022 Truro bus station Despite Saturday's rail strike I managed a quick visit to Cornwall over the weekend which entailed an unwelcome long drive as I had a commitment in Truro on Sunday morning I had to fulfill. As I seldom drive long distances these days the trip reminded me of the... Continue Reading →
Off the rails. The line that never was.
Thursday 24th February 2022 A fascinating exhibition opened at the beginning of this year in Elstree & Borehamwood Museum. I paid a visit a few weeks ago and thought I'd share the highlights with you. Elstree & Borehamwood Museum is a small one room affair on the second floor of Elstree & Borehamwood library located... Continue Reading →
The best rail map ever
Friday 8th December 2021 Regular blog readers will know how much I love a good map. So I was delighted to receive an invitation from a 'long time ago' colleague* in the bus industry, Alex Nelson, to a launch lunch for the latest edition of the splendid National Rail Map he produces every year as... Continue Reading →
Book Review: A Journeys End
Friday 30th July 2021 I first met Ben Colson in 1977. He was working for Eastern Counties in Norwich and I'd been posted there for three weeks to undertake what was called 'comparative training' with the jointly managed West Riding and Yorkshire Woollen bus companies where I'd been working on the National Bus Company's two... Continue Reading →
Book review: Road Passenger Transport Management
Wednesday 16th September 2020 Vested (non financial) interest alert: along with Ray Stenning of Best Impressions I wrote chapter 17 in this newly published book. Last week was a busy one for the likes of Waterstones. A record number of new books were introduced into the market after the Covid publishing pause and in preparation... Continue Reading →
Book review: Your handy guide to Buses in Cornwall
Thursday 16th July 2020 It’s always nice to get a bus timetable book delivered through the post, so many thanks to Transport for Cornwall for sending me a copy of their 196 page book 'Your handy guide to Buses in Cornwall'. I'd seen it advertised on social media and saw you could request one be... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Maidstone & District Motor Services Ltd
Tuesday 21st April 2020 My good friend Ray Stenning has only gone and done it again. Following last year's publication of 'Ribble' by Roger Davies, Ray's teamed up with career busman and retired engineer David Toy to publish another superb book you won't regret buying. This one tells the story of the much loved Maidstone... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Livin’ in the outside lane
Monday 3rd February 2020 I gave my mate Roger Davies' book Ribble a plug when it was published last summer by my mate Ray Stenning and now it's time to extol the virtues of another book about 'the mighty' Ribble, by another colleague from years back, Paul Kirkham. Except this book takes a completely different... Continue Reading →
Book Review: GWR Guide to Services
Tuesday 10th December 2019 It may be a bit pricey - at £8 (and only for six months validity too); it may be hard to find - usually only available from 'under the counter' at certain GWR rail stations; it may have some annoying flaws in its layout and content (see below); but it's a... Continue Reading →
Book Review: Ribble
Sunday 2nd June 2019 A totally biased book review for a Sunday evening. Ribble. Celebrating the centenary of an iconic bus company Roger Davies, the book's author, is a good mate; I've known him for over forty years; our paths first crossed when we both worked in Kent in the 1970s with Maidstone & District/East... Continue Reading →