The 150th Stockton and Darlington Railway anniversary was exactly four months before I was born. If you or your family had an interest in the cavalcade and related events, there's a good chance these and other books produced before and after it would be part of their collection.

As we speed towards Paris at 300 kmh, here's a reminder of how it all began 200 years ago on the Stockton and Darlington railway. I love being part of an industry that really did change the world. #Railway200

1/ The 1975 replica of Locomotion No. 1 and its consist getting ready to leave the coal drops at Shildon late this morning. All📸©️: Graeme Pickering

From a charity bookstall. A change from my usual reading. Growing up in a R2 household in the 80s (on all day in the kitchen), Ray Moore, Terry Wogan, Jimmy Young, Gloria Hunniford, John Dunn were among the radio voices I heard regularly. All different. All masters of the medium.

Another view of the passing Peds at Northampton & Lamport Railway on Sunday morning. 31289 waits in Boughton loop on the engineers hoppers while 31601 plus tipplers was routed through the platform into the head shunt to allow the following passenger service in behind it. #NLR 21/9/25

Winter in #Vienna 🇦🇹, on this picture taken in January 2015: a #ČD 🇨🇿 Class 380 electric is seen departing from Wien Westbahnhof with a consist in tow that seems to include #ÖBB 🇦🇹 and #PKP 🇵🇱 cars.

I wish politicians would realise it's pointless using a phrase like "we've been clear" if you're being interviewed and asked to explain a position on something and that "we are rightly" doesn't justify it, it only tells the reader/listener/viewer that you thought it was right.

Isle of Mull Railway, 1983. The last trains ran in 2011. Pic: Des Blenkinsopp.

100%. I recall a similar 'take' from LBC News when covering what it called Rishi Sunak's "flagship" Rwanda deportation plans. There's no barometer. And a lot of mainstream coverage is pitching it at the same level as things which are in a completely different category.

Cats enjoy making use of the least comfortable surroundings. Ariel looked at me as if she was very unimpressed when I moved this book and some back issues of The RailwayMagazine After I put them back, she went to sleep, using them as a head rest!

Just south west of Hisehope Reservoir, part of Muggleswick Common, County Durham and some of its residents, just before the weather worsened early this afternoon.

Earlier this week, a short hop, with #Flixtrain, over to #Freiburg 🇩🇪 i.B., with its old town, the cathedral and … its tram.

Fife coast railway poster, c.1950

Waverley Bridge, Edinburgh. (1860s) Pic: James Valentine

Loch Lomond. Pic: IG/nomadlad

The Leith Walk Bridge in 1968. Pic: Kenneth G. Williamson.

I'm aware of a Reach article misquoting a piece by me in the current issue of The Railway Magazine about St Blazey depot. If you want to know what I was actually told and what I reported, please read the RM article itself. I won't be commenting or debating it further here.

Driver of the Stranraer to Glasgow train exchanges tokens with the signalman at Girvan. (1984) Pic: Mister C.

Camp Coffee - first produced in 1876 by Paterson & Sons Ltd, in Glasgow.

Inverness railway station, 1996. Behind is the Royal Highland Hotel, on the right is the War Memorial to the Cameron Highlanders.  Pic: Ben Brooksbank

Coincidentally, following my last post.. www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/transpo...

Wow. Six years ago today. Worth doing all the way to and from Chathill, especially on a September evening and taking in the surroundings at Chathill for a few minutes, just to marvel at the contrast between a sparsely-served rural station and the busy East Coast Main Line.

More Great Central Railway scenes. 🧵 2/2. @rangercaps66.bsky.social @jedkendray.bsky.social @tarkaman.bsky.social @pickgs.bsky.social @gerbil1978.bsky.social @suffolkraider.bsky.social

Time travel machines on the Great Central Railway autumn diesel gala. 🧵 1/2. @rangercaps66.bsky.social @jedkendray.bsky.social @tarkaman.bsky.social @pickgs.bsky.social @gerbil1978.bsky.social @thattallbloke.bsky.social @suffolkraider.bsky.social

11040 and 3557 took me to Marylebone but due to a signal failure it was off to Euston with 3233 and 11058

Sadly, we all know it won't be for Farage. Right-wing grifting seems to come with a non-stick coating. also helps if you're a middle class male..

Right wing media has had it in for Angela Rayner from the start - they couldn’t bear a working class woman being so powerful & dynamic. She made a mistake and has paid heavily for it. Very much hope she’ll return at some point in the future - our politics desperately needs more voices like hers

Tis photo 112 and also my 1000th post on Bluesky! 🥳

The Retro Broadsman tour, returning from Great Yarmouth to Wakefield, approaches Reedham with HST powercars 43200 & 43159. @gerbil1978.bsky.social @jedkendray.bsky.social @rangercaps66.bsky.social @pickgs.bsky.social @unitedbyrail.bsky.social @thattallbloke.bsky.social @suffolkraider.bsky.social

I’ve often wondered why Nigel Farage, who as godfather of the Brexit fiasco engineered the biggest British foreign policy disaster since Suez is continually offered so much space in some newspapers and broadcast media. Serious question. Thoughts welcome.

Reform UK, which has a grand total of four MPs, was just given an uninterrupted platform for an hour and a half on the BBC and Sky News channels, in order to talk about its plans for mass deportations When was the last time the Greens (with four MPs) or the Lib Dems (with 72) were given the same?

69015, the final Class 69 to be painted, fresh out of Arlington at Eastleigh. This from its Facebook page...

Class 67 arrives at Llandudno on a charter service Sept 2013 ACoRP event @semaphoria.co.uk

Morning all, back to it today, let’s see what adventures this week brings! 801207 ‘Darlington’ awaits departure from York with a service for Kings Cross. Specially vinyled up for this years Rail 200 celebrations. #Class801 #Azuma #LNER #Darlington #York

Awful, but would be nice to hear it from another industry source. UK Hospitality seems to get an 'easy in' whenever there's a need for a story to fill a slot. Brexit, Covid, rail strikes - UKH always seems to have an angle that is just run without question. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Next up - it’s the Didcot Railway Centre’s new toy - GWR 1400 Class Auto Tank number 1466! The beautiful auto tank which has been freshly restored - built in early 1936, she is the youngest of the four survivors in her class - of which only one other is operational.

L.S. Lowry and Stockport Viaduct, 1962, photo by Crispin Eurich.

What do you mean, you can’t turn the turnstile as there is a hairy derrière blocking it I’m staying put until I’m paid in copious amounts of leftover roast potatoes, chicken and gravy

From the days when I worked at a radio station where we were allowed to take home promo copies of new releases (assuming they were on the playout system). Richard Ashcroft's Alone With Everybody. Superb. Every track well-crafted and distinctive. Released nearly 25 years ago.

From the Have I Got News For You X account..

If that's the yardstick then I think I'll nominate our local pigeons for their fairly regular and strikingly accurate recreations of Edvard Munch's The Scream on the side of my car. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

If it's true that Labour wants to fight the next election on the basis of "Look, it's us or the far right", as Macron did, then they're going to have to start explicitly denouncing the far right, as Macron does

This is all becoming very dangerous and the Government's failure to show any kind of resistance to it is a disgrace www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

It seems like hardly anyone cares about picture choices for online newspaper content. One of the increasingly common generic UK stories to go on a local site and the pic isn't Hexham or from further afield in Northumberland..or the UK!

Durham from Observatory Hill, 1847, painting by John Wilson Carmichael, 1799-1868 (Durham University). #NorthernArt

Reminds me of when Jack and Vera added some gaudy stone cladding to their house in Coronation Street.

The English Electric class 50, a firm favourite of many, myself included. A locomotive that had presence in every possible way. This view at Old Oak Common turntable also now sadly consigned to history. Great days! #Class50 #Hoover #NSE #OldOakCommon

1/ Not for the 1st time, I'm struck by the differing approach to two similar and routine queries to different DFTO train operating companies. One called me straight back & sent background info. One opted for a few lines of corporate speak which don't answer any part of the query.

⛔️ DANGER: UK Terror Threat Level Raised. 👇🏻 Please tag in anyone you think NEEDS to see this latest #BrokenNews. youtu.be/8vE1tvIwXaM?...