East Coast

[52A]

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/about-us/pre ... -chairman/

Anyone know why she is going?

[Blink Bonny]

Who cares?

She'll be replaced by someone else who knows zip about railways and that's why there in such a state!

[Bryan]

Fair sized feature on plans for the East Coast route as a whole in current Modern Railways.
Also some aerial shots of KC, Newcastle and a couple of other spots.

[hq1hitchin]

Michael Holden knows a lot about railways, believe me

[60800]

Tis a shame John Betjeman is no longer with us. He'd sort it all out

[StevieG]

Michael Holden knows a lot about railways, believe me

I would agree. He's been in the industry for about thirty years to my personal knowledge.

[cambois]

Agreed Michael Holden has been around a while and done some very good work elsewhere. Elaine Holt has been in the rail industry for about 13 years and is a very shrewd lady. She was in the airline industry before that. East Coast is recovering after the National Express disaster - not an organisation with a particularly good record in railways

I was talking to an off shore worker yesterday from Norwich on his way to Aberdeen from Glasgow and he was well impressed with East Coast having not been a great railway user recently(Well with it taking only 55 mins Norwich - Aberdeen with Eastern Airlines it is not difficult to see why!) It is the passengers who really tells up how good it is

So good luck to Michael, but all credit to Elaine and all of the East Coast team who have really pulled it back up to the standard it should be.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

If they can get a good service running then all the better.

Its just that, as an old fashioned sorta guy, I always think that if you want someone to run a railway, ask a railwayman. You wouldn't get a plumber to rewire your house?!?

[Mickey]

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[52A]

You don't need experience nowadays, least litle fault or failure.....put buses on. Drinking sessions and breweries spring to mind.

[Mickey]

Deleted

[cambois]

Micky

If what you say is true (and I have no reason to doubt it) then Network Rail are at real risk should be be a major incident. It sounds a bit like the dumbing down of drivers training prior to Ladbroke Grove. And if the signalmen do not have the basic grounding, what hope the track staff?

Talking of dumbing down I have just been involved in a line speed upgrade project and every speed board now needs to be put through the signal sighting committee, even the speed increase boards where there is no safety risk from missing it. What happened to route knowledge?

[Mickey]

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[bricam5]

What the Hell do these idiot signalmen do when presented with a wrong line order request?
Or anything to do with rule 55 if it still exists " When a train is brought to a halt owing to a stop signal being at danger etc. etc."

I know I'm getting on in years but when I was on the footplate cleaners, firemen and drivers were subjected to stringent examinations and the same applied to guards and signalmen and a high percentage of the tests were centred around emergency procedures.

I took my firemans exam at York and before the practical work, I was presented with a model layout in the inspectors room where he set up several types of possible emergencies and I had to go through the recognised procedure for them as a fireman.I shudder to think what passes for an exam nowadays.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

I despair, I really do. Manna, is there any chance of a £10 Pom any more?