#OnThisDay 21st November 1997, the very last train operated by British Rail ran: the 23.15 Dollands Moor to Wembley container freight service. Few saw it rumble through the night and into history, or indeed its neat ceremonial headboard “[British Rail] 1948-1997” that it was posed with before departure. Here’s Chris Wilson’s photo of it in @RailwayMagazine; via @RailUKForums.
But the British Rail double arrows symbol has been extraordinarily persistent since. It represents so much for so many - in very different ways (I’ve no doubt there’ll be endless replies to that tweet re the Politics of privatisation and Nationalisation; there always are)…

#OnThisDay 27 Sept 1825, the first steam-hauled passengers were officially carried on a public railway: the Stockton & Darlington. That single trip changed the world. So exactly 198 yrs later, I’m in Darlington: today, colleagues & I have some CHUFFING BIG news for you… In 1825 that first public steam passenger train ran;
In 1875 a jubilee banquet was held to mark the occasion;
In 1925 the LNER held the Railway Centenary
In 1975 BR did #Rail150 with a cavalcade & tours;
It has been my dream since childhood to imagine what 2025 might hold (2/-)…

Fun fact! In 1977, London became the first capital city to get a direct underground rail link to its airport. The Piccadilly line to @HeathrowAirport has some surprises if you look carefully; here are my faves from researching & filming tonight’s #SecretsOfTheLondonUnderground:



London Transport’s Heathrow Extension opened in two stages; to Hatton Cross in 1975 and Heathrow Central in 1977. Planes were, naturally, part of the ace launch tube roundel, on the 86 new trains’ HEATHROW destination blinds, and “Fly the tube” ads of 1978.

“I MUST tell you,” said a lady with breathless excitement, stopping us suddenly as we walked down Bermondsey Street last night, “I MUST tell you that you are wearing the same clothes as that building.” and skipped off (What she didn’t tell me, and my bf only casually dropped into chat as we reached home, was that I was wearing my jumper back-to-front, so thanks, guys)

Just unveiled: confirmed finalised designs for London's new tube trains. Known as "2024 stock", 94 trains will be built for @TfL's Piccadilly line by @SiemensMobility, many in Yorkshire. Due to enter service in 2025. Walk-thru cars, aircon, info screens, more energy efficient... Bakerloo, Waterloo & City, Central lines will also get these if (and there is a very big if) funding is approved.

GREAT news from @RailwayMuseum in York: the museum's Station Hall exhibition is to be refreshed. Overseen by @celkingston, over 2021/2 the royal trains will be shuffled, 200 new objects displayed, plus more on railway workers, inc stories of women and Windrush generation (1/4) Objects to be displayed in NRM's refresh include the old @LondonWaterloo wooden WH Smith kiosk, the Royal Train class 47 loco "Prince William", and (possibly) a waiting room display inc these beautiful Grantham station tiles, currently in store at @sciencemuseum Wroughton (2/4)

New! *The Mid-Sodor Murders*
A THREAD of revelations which prove Thomas the Tank Engine stories hide evidence of serial killing & psychopathic torture inflicted by engines & humans.
Episode 1. "Murder at the Sidings": Oliver finally loses it with a subordinate wagon’s backchat... Episode 2. “Murder on the Mountain”.
Fed up with being pushed around on the first day of services, one of the rack railway coaches loses her shit and with a neat sideways wobble knocks Godred clean orf. Left for dead in the valley. That’ll learn ‘im.

This week, I had a meeting at @Hornby’s Margate HQ. Afterwards, we were kindly given a site tour inc Visitor Centre (shut til 2021), old modelmaking factory, trade displays PLUS a private full-size train collection inc a Eurostar. With permission, here are some highlights: (1/12) Tim Mulhall (COO) showed us the trade area displays: Hornby Hobbies now owns not just @hornby but @Airfix @Humbrol @corgi @HornbyFrance @Scalextric (and more) so there’s an IKEA-style walkthrough of all brands’ key ranges. I’d no idea Airfix had so many kits on sale..(2/12)

As Twitter’s model village correspondent, today I visited @WimborneModTown in Dorset to check-in on progress, now our dear government have relaxed tourism rules on model villages opening. And I have the following to report: (1/6) Firstly, @WimborneModTown is still a near-perfect replica of Wimborne as it was in the 1950s. In fact, it still looks pretty much like parts of Wimborne today. But with fewer cars, and today it looked ACE (2/6)

Nobody:

Me: Yes it's more #InternationalDogDay #TrainTwitter crossover content! Several railway stations had trained "Canine Collector" charity dogs, inc Laddie at Waterloo & Jim at Slough. Laddie is now stuffed at @RailwayMuseum; Jim is stuffed at Slough
collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co2244… Here are some more reported facts about "Station Jim", the very old dead dog that is now stuffed and mounted on a Slough station platform. #internationaldogday #ohgodthehashtags #thisislikeinstagram #dogs #deaddogs #idontevenlikedogswhyamitweetingthis getreading.co.uk/news/reading-b…

Competition time! (CHUMS mag, 1921): “Spot the 12 things wrong with this illustration”, challenges Mr Bassett-Lowke. Well I’ve guessed a paltry 5 in this C.J.Allen drawing and that’s only after reading up on CR loco number 907. I give up. Go on. Your turn. Answers 1-5

This fascinating c.1820 house - walls covered in half-sawn logs - is Cassio Bridge Lodge, Watford. It was part of Cassiobury Park estate which had a picturesque "Swiss Cottage" in it too; the style was in vogue then. Are there any other buildings similarly-clad left in Britain?.. (Cassio Bridge Lodge is Gd II listed by @HistoricEngland : details: historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-li…)

Vienna's hospital railway: Between 1904 - 2011, the city's large Lainz nursing home had its own narrow gauge railway to deliver meals, clothes and fuel. Trains ran from the kitchens and little wagons were dropped off to wards at mealtimes. #MealsOnWheels ingr.co.uk/rly_vienna.html There were at least three of these little hospital railways in Vienna; and several more in other countries. Saint-Jean-de-Dieu Hospital in Montreal was so large it had a tramway to deliver meals etc around the site - even indoors

A seaside shelter, 25 miles from the sea.
Shaftesbury today, coincidentally satisfying my obsession with similar structures. Park Walk’s iron & woof example overlooks the scarp & Vale beyond; the council has agreed £300 for the artist to replace original lost tiles, too. Pleased. If you’ve joined this boorish twitterfeed today (hullo!) expecting hilarious jokes about face masks then sorrynotsorry but it’s *mostly* about railways and incidental buildings that I enjoy.

RIGHT! As #RailwayArchitecture finished last week and Twitter put up with it for 10 long weeks (yes, I know I'm firmly on many mute lists now…) I thought it apt to tweet personal thanks and credit. And uh-oh, it's become a thread. So... (1/16) Thank you to all 65 (sixty-five!) experts who contributed on-screen to #RailwayArchitecture. For your time, knowledge, expertise and joy. I never thought we'd have such a diverse range of voices and I am so pleased that we did. (2/16)

So TODAY the virtual model train show #BigWORshow is happening online and honestly it's almost impossible to tell that some of these masterpieces aren't real. Each a true work of art and obsession. Do have a look: world-of-railways.co.uk/virtual-exhibi… these little milkfloats are only about 24mm long world-of-railways.co.uk/virtual-exhibi…

Not live-tweeting tonight's final #RailwayArchitecture episode 'cos I am too busy enjoying watching it - BUT - I wanted to thank the CHUFFING ACE contributors: Gerard Evenden (I have suit envy) @anngav (you even out-enthuse me 💙) @KatieKnowles28 (I learned so much that day!)... Thank you Hannah Parry and Martha Parry of @mechanics_trust for your tours, stories and dedication in finding futures for Swindon's historic buildings. And Barbara Brollo and Marcello Galbiati for talking so wisely about Milano Centrale and the what occurred there...

Fun fact! London Underground once had a full-size train turntable. Whilst this sort of thing is usually used to turn steam locos in the optimum direction, this example at Golders Green depot was used for turning tube cars there for maintenance. Pics: Britain From Above archive. EPW028188, of 1929.

A handy comparison showing difference in size between:
(a) London Underground's sub-surface trains
(b) London Underground's deep tube trains (Image by Wiki user Benkda01: for those keen, it's old Met "A" Stock, and 1938 Stock now in @ltmuseum collection. Current operating stock v similar relative dimensions.)

Architecture fans! A taster of #RailwayArchitecture variety on @YesterdayTweets TV tonight at 8pm to enjoy:
🏘️🏡Amersham Sun Houses & Metro-Land homes
🏠🚇Watford station (1925)
🚉🪱Great Malvern & "Worm" (Elmslie 1862)
🏢🏗️Barking Riverside station @LDNOverground (2021)
(1/6).. The Sun Houses are built on the land leading up to the famous "High & Over" at Amersham... I always felt they could have been the inspiration for Osbert Lancaster's "20th Century Functional" house cartoons... (2/6)

For those of you pining for the Birmingham Airport Maglev (and who WOULDN'T?) Dom @domcovkid has tracked one of the old cars down. #MaglevSpottingLive

https://twitter.com/domcovkid/status/1264213303846453248

Incidentally, the last ex-Butlin's Skegness monorail trains were sitting in a field out the back of Mablethorpe until at least a couple of years ago. Are they still there? They'd make somebody a horrible greenhouse, but quite fun.