Tag: infrastructure

  • This fourth instalment is three months on from the previous. Perhaps the biggest news so far is the Bridgewater company has given what seems a possibly optimistic date for re-opening the canal. On the 17th April their Facebook page announced a date of December 2026. Its quite optimistic given the scale of the breach, especially…

  • When one looks at existing Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete (GRC) buildings that have been around far longer than the Elizabeth line stations, one can only stand in awe, for these older buildings, some in very harsh climates, have withstood the test of time miles better. Indeed it looks as if the Elizabeth line’s stations have…

  • This is a post first began in 2021 in anticipation of the completion of the Knightsbridge station upgrade project – and in view of the ongoing delays the original post has now been split up into several in order to cover the different progressions on the station’s upgrade. This past four years the main body…

  • This third instalment looks at the longest canal tunnel in the UK and a long forgotten canal built underneath the centre of Manchester – and how the railways took advantage of this subterranean canal. Despite a dearth of canal tunnels across the pond this instalment also includes two examples of tunnel in the States (which…

  • Cable car systems that cost thruppence each? Yes that is what this post is all about! On a far more serious note, the thruppenny was what many called the old British three penny – and that because it was a twelve sided dodecagon shaped coin. Hence a number of cable car systems featuring dodecagon shaped…

  • The modern day exorcist has arrived! It could be anyone, even you or me, but in this case its TfL. The long standing controversy of those ghostly marks that are a feature of the Elizabeth line has finally seen a solution implemented. Its a simple case of cover the damn things! Evidently its easier to…

  • Back in 2019 a feature on runway tube trains was featured. One of the posts published had a short section about a runaway train on the Island line. Despite the incident being mentioned in at least two rail magazines (one of which the author has a copy) it seemed absolutely nothing was mentioned in the…

  • This is part two of the railways and canal tunnels feature. Whilst it was suggested one of the earliest contractors railways had occurred during the mid 1780s as suggested in part one of this feature, the fullest history is incomplete there in terms of railway chronology – and that is because the next railway/canal combo…

  • When it seemed the Bakerloo’s trains were going quite a considerable time without having a wash at the start of it all anyone could have assumed it was perhaps a temporary hiccup. But after seeing Bakerloo train after Bakerloo train totally covered in grime for the past two months and the trains are getting increasingly…

  • A famed British Rail ship that’s for sale? Erm, which one was this then? Well it was one that stood right by water but it was also one that never floated! The last ‘captain’ of the said ‘ship’ had been one who owned a world-wide business concern that included a privatised yet highly reputable railway…