Tejada nails it (again)

It's not all trains trains trains here at the Railblog, as music happens to be my second passion, so if you don't like music you best skip this one (and see a psychiatrist while you're at it)...

Poker Flat have been releasing records crafted in a minimal Detroit-inspired techno kind of way since 1999. The label is named after an obscure rocket testing centre in Alaska, which I assume means each release is destined to either soar to great heights or fizz disappointingly like a cheap firework... Irrespectively, their new "Volume 5 - Bets and Bluffs" compilation is highly enjoyable, but the one track which blew my toupee back comes from the prolific yet slightly mysterious Californian musician John Tejada. "Asanebo" was the b-side to his "Big City Music" 12" which came out earlier in the year. I've long been a fan of Tejada's music, as I find his ability to inject soul into the coldest of mediums completely bewitching. On "Asanebo" (which AFAICT is named after a Japanese restaurant local to Tejada's studio!!) he weaves his magic thread into a thumping, clicking rhythm which builds brilliantly up to the moment he presses the "Release Deadly Bassline" button. And it is.



BleepPlayer courtesy of Bleep.com, note playback stops every 30 seconds to prevent bootlegging.

One mans football is another mans truncated icosahedron

A few weeks ago while discussing the lack of UK-bias railway blogs on the Preserved-Diesels Forum I made this passing remark;

"Mike GTN - well presented blog if a bit, um... well, boring."

Well swipe my Oyster Card if Mike GTN himself does not redress the balance by, er... agreeing with me! No really, see for yourself. What I should have said was that I found some of his content uninteresting, but instead I fell back on the "forum chatter" version which was much quicker to type.

I don't know Mike GTN from the next man but I'm glad his feelings weren't hurt. Three cheers for the railway bloggers I say, and long may we witter inanely about our obsession!

The Great British Night Out

Brooding portent upon Bury

Pictures from today's diesel event at the East Lancs Railway are here.

Griddled Jim with a white rose garnish

I am currently looking for work in the rail industry sector - today I went over the border to York for an interview with a well-known railway company. Obviously the outcome of that will be pending for a couple of weeks so I wont dwell on it, but I feel it went quite well. I fielded the questions as required and only floundered slightly over one point, but recovered. Dare I say, I was pleasantly surprised by my own confidence, but to be fair I was a concentrated ball of nervous energy beforehand, so determined was I to make a good case. Watch this space...

Once that was over with I found myself back on York station with brew in one hand, camera (don't leave home without it!) in the other and a mild case of the post-interview shakes. A loose end was duly grasped and a short while later I was in Doncaster.

Ah, Doncaster! Home of... Lesley Garrett. And, these days, Post-Modernist architecture.


The last time I was at Doncaster, this hideous building was in the early stages of construction. It seems to have taken a long time to build, by modern standards at least. I'm not sure what's inside it altogether, but part of it is a multi-storey car park and there is also a bus station underneath it. Aside from that I thought the featureless expanse of pre-fab cladding contrasted nicely with the colourful Class 185 DMU which was parked between me and it.

The rail traffic was as varied as ever, although the Doncaster - Mexborough line closed briefly due to a "bridge strike" and things started to back up. It's at times like that the local signallers would have really been earning their keep. It also rained, as it does every time I go to Doncaster. "My suit!" I cried. "We love you Jim!" said the clouds. Cheers then!

Speaking of the suit, I don't wear one often because I simply don't like wearing them, but I always forget how people's attitude toward you changes when you're pimping a jacket and tie. I think the general public, in the UK at least, are not used to seeing Joe Trainspotter looking businesslike. Readers in the US and elsewhere may be unaware of the rail enthusiasts' perceived lower social standing in the UK, but to see the stereotypical "anorak" character played out one does not have to look far. Unfortunately there are plenty of enthusiasts out there who do nothing to dispel this view either! So I might start wearing a suit more often, but first I need one with pockets big enough for my dictaphone and foil-wrapped sandwiches. Thermos containing Weak Lemon Drink notwithstanding...

Anyway, after several hours of gricing it was time to head back to York for my Trans-Pennine back home, scratching in 91111 "Terence Cuneo" in the process. Line in the book! Or should it be mouse...?

Bank Quay Nitez

Something hellfire this way comes...

I had a rare trip out to the West Midlands today with my brother (his treat!) with the aim of doing some trainspotting and beer drinking, both of which were achieved. Rugby and Nuneaton were fairly busy, Bescot was disappointingly quiet but Water Orton was a winner. More importantly, this beast was even more of a winner:


56301 is one of three Class 56s which have recently made a return to the mainline after the entire Class was taken out of use at the end of March 2004. They are employed by Fastline Freight, a subsidiary of the Jarvis group, who obviously have their brains engaged when it comes to traction. 56301 (ex-56045) and 56302 (ex-56124) were overhauled (at great length) by Brush Traction and are wholey owned by Fastline, while 56303 (ex-56125) was "prepared" by FM Rail who retain ownership. Unfortunately 56303 seems to be failing rather more often than the other two... allegedly.

But I digress! My point is that it's fantastic to see these purveyors of screaming death back where they belong. Of all the variety of traction types that have battered the rails over the years, Class 56s are my absolute favourite. As you can see in this case it was a train of empty "flats" which is hardly a match for 56301's 3250 horsepower, but hopefully it wont be long before I see one on a heavy train again.

Whilst at Water Orton I also bumped into Richard Norris, who is one of those railway photographers (!) and a top man for location gen and real ale suggestions. A browse of his Fotopic site is highly recommended. Meantime my brother Chris and I rounded the day off with some light beverages at the Great Western in Wolverhampton.

Right that's all, I'm knackered. Xo)