Current status…

Another example of a misleading headline from a “respected” national paper designed to make the reader feel that the country is struggling Dear reader, the British public spent £3.6bn yesterday I repeat, the British public spent £3,600,000,000 yesterday

Penn Street, Newcastle, 1957, photo by Jimmy Forsyth.

Current status…

London, 1948 Two Bobbies examine the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree through the smog of a grey December day #Christmas 🎄

Merry Christmas all! 🎄🏠🎄 🚂🚃🚃🚃💨

London, 1948 Two Bobbies examine the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree through the smog of a grey December day #Christmas 🎄

Doncaster, 2018 No snow this Christmas, so instead we’ll have this HST in VTEC colours heading south thru Doncaster during the Beast from the East ❄️❄️❄️ #Doncaster #Yorkshire #Christmas

Christmas Eve, 1981 Deltics at Doncaster 55019 ‘Royal Highland Fusilier’ delivers a sad present to BREL Doncaster in the shape of 55010 ‘The King’s Own Scottish Borderer’ #Doncaster #Yorkshire 📷 K Long

Ont district again, inspecting the manor Bit foggy ont toppa ‘hill today… #Brodsworth #Doncaster #Yorkshire

This is what is wrong with modern click-bait media. You have to read to the end before you find out it wasn’t a bomb. Most people, and Trump, and Musk, will only read the headline and come to entirely the wrong conclusion. Good work by the bomb squad btw, not so good from the Standard.

Last one for today. "Roseberry Topping in the snow" courtesy of Chris Coombe CC BY 2.0 DEED

Scotland, 2016 The Caledonian Sleeper, early hours, makes it’s way thru a snowy Scottish landscape… #UKSnow 📷 Unknown

Snow Effect, The Boulevard de Pontoise at Argenteuil - 1875 https://botfrens.com/collections/41/contents/8631

How to plan your trips to the USA for 2026, 2027 & 2028: 1. Don’t bother 2. Sorted 🇺🇸

If Trump wants to search my phone to see if I’ve slagged him off before he lets me into the US he can bollocks, the thin skinned, half witted, orange balloon Sorry America, but until you come to your senses, you’re off the list Land of the Free, my arse

Has Michael Bublé been defrosted yet?

All is in order 🎄🎁🎄 #Nostell #Yorkshire

Out inspecting the manor today, making sure the Christmas tree is up and all that 🎄🎁🎈 #Nostell #Yorkshire

LNER ENGINEERS DEPT 1932 #Darlington

Smokestack, Slaithwaite, west Yorkshire, 1984, photo by Michael Kenna, Widnes-born photographer.

It’s Friday! And Friday means chippy tea! By John Wood

Tis the season ❄️ Love this one by Pascal Campion.

Leeds, 1970 Departure board Every half hour or so, a BR employee would appear with a crank handle and wind it on a bit #Leeds #Yorkshire 📷 Unknown

Well, if you’re going to be delayed you might as well be delayed in Prosser and Peachey’s magnificent 1877 train shed #York

Managed to cadge a ride on 91109 this morning for my road learning. Glad I got one in before they all go to the big yard in the sky…

Excuse me railway, but when I’m doing my road learning I expect you to run in as finely tuned a manner as my road learning plan. I don’t expect my down workings to be so perfectly late that my up workings are just leaving the platform as I’m arriving! It won’t do…

Northallerton…

A lovely old station. Splendid Victorian Gothic stone, wood and marble. Somewhat disheveled in places, but hints at the wealth and confidence that once flowed through this area #Middlesbrough

Roseberry Topping sunset, north Yorkshire, photo by Harrogate-based landscape photographer Paula Beaumont.

Winter sun #Darlington

Waiting for my back workings… #Darlington #RoadLearning

Look, if you can afford to buy a house that cost TWO MILLION QUID, you can afford to pay an extra £40 a week tax. Don’t pretend you can’t.

Every time I see a Microsoft 365 Copilot advert I am SO glad I don’t have the kind of life that would need me to use Microsoft 365 Copilot…

Route briefing today, for a couple of weeks of road learning. I’ll be signing Doncaster to Middlesbrough/ Teesport via Darlington. York is as far north as I’ve ever driven a train before, so should be interesting.

Exhibit A, Your Honour London and Labour should sue 🙄

There is a unique irony in a bloke who makes a living by openly lying and generally pulling the wool over people’s eyes, suing an organising for “lying” about him. Let him sue. He’ll lose. Then counter sue. He’ll lose again.

What a difference a day makes! Old pinky’s gonna need a good scrub after this storm has done, and I could do with a North Sea Trawlerman’s waterproofs, never mind a train drivers uniform… 🌧️🌧️🌧️🌧️ #Tinsley #Yorkshire

Start as we mean to go on ☕️ 🍫

66587 “As One, We Can” in all its pinkiness #Tinsley #Yorkshire

I’ve got a Pink ONE for my trip up Sheffield mountain today in the shape of 66587 I’m not an earlies man, it has to be said. Where’s me coffee… ☕️ ☕️ ☕️ #Tinsley #Yorkshire

Time for tea, with an orange Kit-Kat for the win! ☕️ 🫖 🍫

Night Freight (Condor) Terence Cuneo, 1960 A Class 28 ‘metrovick’ hauls Condor, a London to Glasgow express container train, the forerunner of today’s Freightliner services And that’s what I’ll be doing tonight, driving the night freight…

Do trains feel unsafe? I’ve used trains a lot over the past 30 years, thru work and as a passenger. I’ve never felt “unsafe” Some people I’m wary of, yes. They make me more vigilant, but that’s not train specific. That’s just life Some people suck

Ah, good evening 413. We meet at last My company for the first half of tonight’s shift will be 66413. That’s all of the 66/4s in my log book now 📕

Finishing the week with a couple of night turns. I like working nights. Nobody around, the world to myself, and I’ll be going to bed just as you lot are getting up for work That’ll do for me

Finishing the week with a couple of night turns. I like working nights. Nobody around, the world to myself, and I’ll be going to bed just as you lot are getting up for work That’ll do for me

Pre-flight checks completed, I’m in possession of the relevant paperwork, and I have coffee and a pastie. 66524 ready for take off!

We had a cobblers like this in the village I grew up in. I was once tidying a drawer and found a repair ticket from 1976, uncollected. As a matter of interest, I took it back to him, to see if he still had the shoes. He said they’d be ready on Thursday…