Quote: Originally posted by Dr Zhivago on 24/11/2019
The left is never keen on railways as they think they are for the middle classes.
Not my experience at all, and I am a former train driver and ex-ASLEF member. It may be what the media are saying about the left, but does anyone actually believe the media anymore? "Railways for the middle classes?" Hardly!
Small world, I have driven trains too - on engineering test runs. In fact I claim the unofficial speed record for driving a London Underground train.
Generally all the parties are averse to trains. The Conservatives think they are a nest of trade unionism (Mrs T detested railways and Boris wants to scrap HS2); Labour think trains are only for the well-heeled (they may be right), as demonstrated in "Red Dawn" Primarolo's opposition to the Avon Transit scheme some years ago; Liberals dislike them becasue they are necessarily run on authoritarian lines; and the Greens don't think we should travel at all.
Scientists have been predicting a rise in world temperature for decades before the seventies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB3S0fnOr0M&feature=BFa&list=PL029130BFDC78FA33&index=37
saxo1
Quote: Originally posted by Dr Zhivago on 24/11/2019
Small world, I have driven trains too - on engineering test runs. In fact I claim the unofficial speed record for driving a London Underground train.
Generally all the parties are averse to trains. The Conservatives think they are a nest of trade unionism (Mrs T detested railways and Boris wants to scrap HS2); Labour think trains are only for the well-heeled (they may be right), as demonstrated in "Red Dawn" Primarolo's opposition to the Avon Transit scheme some years ago; Liberals dislike them becasue they are necessarily run on authoritarian lines; and the Greens don't think we should travel at all.
Small world indeed! I also hold an unofficial speed record, or did many years back. On the last Stansted Express at night into London.
I always had the impression that the feeling was that the middle classes wouldn't lower themselves to travel with the masses on a train. I agree with your other points though. Mind you, it's getting to the stage where only the well-heeled can afford to travel by train. Glad I've still got my retired staff travel pass!
Quote: Originally posted by saxo1 on 25/11/2019
Scientists have been predicting a rise in world temperature for decades before the seventies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB3S0fnOr0M&feature=BFa&list=PL029130BFDC78FA33&index=37
saxo1
I'm 78 and I don't remember scientists saying anything about globe warming or climate change in the 70s or before, they did say that by 2000, robots would in every house so no housework and cooking,and very few people would go to work
Quote: Originally posted by saxo1 on 25/11/2019
Scientists have been predicting a rise in world temperature for decades before the seventies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB3S0fnOr0M&feature=BFa&list=PL029130BFDC78FA33&index=37
saxo1
We do not have the technology to predict the future weather for more than 3 days with any definitive certainty, Anyone who looks at the weather forecast on Country file will have noticed the terminology used, after 3 days it becomes a possibility. That is the reason that try as hard as they can and with all the modern technology at hand they still often get it wrong. I am not blaming them, I studied basic meteorology in Durban before going to sea, and understand how difficult weather forecasting is. By the same token how can they predict the weather in 20 years time.
I have no idea for the motives but a lot of what the media is saying is totally untrue, in particular what they say about the different gases in the atmosphere. And if challenged there is risk of being called a climate change denier. They can call me what they like, It still will not alter the fact that I know they are telling porky pies.
Short term weather forecasts and long term climate change are totally different subjects,the former gathers data in real time the latter uses data gathered over many decades.
saxo1
World temperatures have been rising since the last Ice Age, if it wasn't we would still be sliding around on glaciers...doesn't need a scientist to tell you that
Quote: Originally posted by Colin21 on 25/11/2019I always had the impression that the feeling was that the middle classes wouldn't lower themselves to travel with the masses on a train.
Eh? Vast numbers of white collar workers are moved in and out of London daily by trains from well-heeled suburbs like Harrow, Richmond, Purley, and from outliers like Guildford, St Albans, and Brighton. Bristol needs to get its commuters from Portishead etc onto electric trains/trams similarly, but has failed abysmally and repeatedly to do so when it has had the chance. So now it is acting with desperate measures.
Railways have moved down market. Working for London Transport in the 80's I had weekly meetings in Manchester. LT held a few all-stations British Rail first-class passes and I was lent one. It was known on BR as the "Leather Pass", used by their senior managers, and you should have seen the ticket inspectors' faces when they saw it, held by a 20's-something! I went out and back on the Manchester Pullman, silver service breakfast and dinner. There was nothing of "the masses" about it - they were stuck in the motorway traffic jams around Birmingham.
All that has gone now. Towards the end of my career we had to travel second class, and the UK railways now only offer "airline" seating and buffet junk anyway.
Yes, as I retired a driver I only get standard class travel. First class was only for managers. Trains tend to be much more uncomfortable than they used to be. I now volunteer on a Heritage Railway, and the comments we most often get from our passengers are about how comfortable our seats are compared to modern trains. I will be driving a 1960 DMU this Friday evening for the Christmas lights switch-on. Then I am guard on the Santa Special on Sunday, keeping my hand in as I am head of guards and chief guards instructor.
I don't think there was anything more uncomfortable than the old steam trains clickerty clacking over the tracks. I had not been on trains for years until about 20 years ago when my first experience was the Eurostar. I couldn't believe how quiet and comfortable it was...there was no clickerty clack at all and it seemed to float along on a cushion of air.
Since then I have had a limited number of train trips but apart from how crowded they can be at times I can't think of a more comfortable and convenient way to travel. One trip I went on some years ago now was from Winchester to Blackpool. I think it took about 6 hours but I arrived there pretty refreshed and happy. Had I gone by car I would have arrived tired and grumpy. I had booked a ticket well in advance and at the time it was an absolute bargain...about £35 return!
Apart from the inconvenience of actually getting to the nearest railway station I would much prefer to travel distances by train than by car...assuming I didn't have to carry tons of camping gear of course
Bob, the old Eurostars were comfortable, not sure about the new ones as I haven't been on one, and I agree welded rail is smoother. However, some of the trains introduced in the recent years are very uncomfortable compared to the older ones. They are often described as like sitting on an ironing board. Seat cushions are about an inch deep! That's if you can actually get a seat. The seats on our Heritage trains you sink into. Positively luxurious by comparison.
I prefer to do long journeys by train these days too as I get older. Much less tiring than by car, and in my case free. I'm also lucky in that I can walk to our local branch line station in less than 10 minutes.
Quote: Originally posted by Colin21 on 27/11/2019
Bob, the old Eurostars were comfortable, not sure about the new ones as I haven't been on one, and I agree welded rail is smoother. However, some of the trains introduced in the recent years are very uncomfortable compared to the older ones. They are often described as like sitting on an ironing board. Seat cushions are about an inch deep! That's if you can actually get a seat. The seats on our Heritage trains you sink into. Positively luxurious by comparison.
I prefer to do long journeys by train these days too as I get older. Much less tiring than by car, and in my case free. I'm also lucky in that I can walk to our local branch line station in less than 10 minutes.
I will have to add another ride on a train to my list of one hundred things I want to do before I die
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Topic: Bristol Clean Air Zone
via mobile 25/11/2019 at 7:59pm
