CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
The last picture in the above series is an example of where with a little bit of extra effort they could have achieved a step-free pedestrian (/cyle) crossing, of course a bonus also for the elderly, those with buggies and the disabled. Insted there's ~12 steps on either side where to my eye there's plenty of clearance for ramps (particularly if the bridge was "humped" rather than flat.
Good pictures on the Railbrit site too e.g. http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=48779
Progress pictures.
Shawfair station;
http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=48723
Eskbank Station;
http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=48717 (bridge looks single track width)
Newtongrange Station;
http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=48726 (see National Mining Museum in back of shot)
Gorebridge Station;
http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=48692
Stow Station;
http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=48393
Galashiels Station / Interchange;
http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=48574
Tweedbank Terminus;
http://www.railbrit.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=48552 (apparently a bit of local campaigning going on to try and get it named Tweedbank Abbotsford station)
Beeb article on track laying, which has started in earnest:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-29505220
Looking at the photos, I didn't realise how many of the stations were to be single-tracked, which is a bit of the shame.
Also, reading the BBC article, I wondered at the marvellous machine that could dispense 1km sections of track at a time. Turns out to be a careless piece of sub-editing and the sections are actually 100m in length.
I watched them replace the track at Cairntow a while back. Amazing how they put those huge sections of rail in - looked to be about 100m at a time.
Second only in popularity on the internet to the "King Jong Il pointing at things" Tumblr is "Keith Broon in hard hat and hi-viz lecturing on things". He taught Georgie Porgie Osborne and Cameroon everything they know about strolling around factories and building sites looking every bit like they don't belong there.
I assume from the pristine-nature of his lid and overalls that he bins them after every use and gets a new pair for the next photoshoot.
You wouldn't see Tarmac Keith dead though opening a new bypass where most of the road was single track with only the odd passing place every so often. That sort of thing needs dualling. Safety, hum, economic boost, haw, brmm brmm, hee.
"That sort of thing needs dualling
Just ignore him and follow the track team updates. Modern continuous track is laid with reference to the local ambient temperature. It is apparently very stretchy over long lengths and the amount of stretch to apply is crucial if the track is not to buckle in hot weather. Not that the BBC mentioned any of that.
BORDERS RAIL BIKE LIMIT SHORT-SIGHTED SAY GREENS
Scottish Greens are criticising the Scottish Government after it confirmed that the new Scotrail operator, Abellio, will have a policy of only allowing two bicycles per train on the new Borders Railway, which will run from Edinburgh through Midlothian to Tweedbank
http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/news/borders-rail-bike-limit-short-sighted-say-greens/
The policy is "at least two bikes per train". So we may have to wait and see what that actually means.
Transport Minister Derek Mackay has confirmed the two-bike policy, adding that Abellio’s strategy in the Netherlands has been to invest in storage at stations and encourage passengers to maintain a second bike at destination stations.
Well it's encouraging to see that Meenister Mackay is so ill-informed that he thinks that's how things work in Scotland. I assume if Abellio encourages Dutch-style railway cycling policy, Meenister Mackay will imminently follow through with the groats to provide Dutch-style infrastructure to encourage Dutch-style cycling/multi-mode commuting.
This is not good news for the Borders cake industry, which was expecting a boom from cyclists.
Not to mention that if I'm going to do nice long ride in the borders I'd like to take my own bike not some ratty rental or a mythical spare I keep in Gala station for the once in a blue moon ride...
Abellio’s strategy in the Netherlands…
…probably doesn't include mountain bikes and fire trails.
OK, it's 17 miles from Galashiels to Glentress (and 'only' 24 miles from Edinburgh) but that's mere detail. Ah, but the Borders Railway is for otherwise-driving commuters, not leisure.
Book early, book often.
Oh sorry, don't suppose that route will be bookable.
(Not that I think that the route should need booking!)
Here's the deal:
The route is getting class 158s
They take 2 bikes officially (ask anyone who commutes to Dunblane)
Unless the Borders specific refurb specs a removal of seats they still will only take 2 bikes officially
Thus I'm calling out the "at least two bikes per train" as a PR half truth as the only time there'll be more than two is when there's two units coupled together for rush hour.
I have spotted three and sometimes four bikes on the two bike rail on the train to stirling. Seems to depend on the conductor's tolerance? To guarantee getting on you have to go to waverley. Coming back from stirling it is sometimes the terrible cupboard. Will the new rolling stock be free of the terrible cupboard? Have been on the train coming back from stirling and seen cyclist's refused access at falkirk and more commonly linlithgow. Going the other way I have been refused at edinburgh park though I did get a five pound voucher when I complained about the conductor waiting until the train was leaving before saying he wasn't letting bikes on (could have chained up if told earlier)
Presume some people on here will be going to this tomorrow (public).
Residents have also accused contractor BAM, which is building the railway for Network Rail, of being “dismissive, rude, mendacious and offhand”.
BAM by name, bam by nature?
Just wait until the great unwashed from Edinburgh and beyond start wandering into local cafes and shops, during their day trips by rail to the Borders. The genteel elements in Heriot CC will be apoplectic!
This one makes the title of this thread seem ironic -
Referring to the unreliability of the class 158 units (and in the spirit of discussing nicknames for trains on other threads), when they were quite new they were known to enthusiasts as "Scuds", because much like Saddam's missiles they would set off, but it was likely they would end up somewhere other than intended.
"
ScotRail had also planned to use WCR to run a series of steam specials across Scotland from 20 June but it is now seeking another operator.
"
http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/harry-potter-line-steam-train-service-hits-buffers-1-3764799
As long as the problem is resolved by the time the Borders line opens!
Perhaps slightly o/t but on the bike capacity of the trains...
Coming back from Stirling a couple of weeks ago the friendly conductor managed to coordinate 12 bikes onto the train. Very impressed - though another may have told them to get stuffed which would be problematic on a Sunday evening when the trains are one an hour...
Looking forward to this opening so maybe I can go out to somewhere with the bike at the weekend and cycle back (downhill).
I have heard similar tales about the Forth Replacement Crossing with only one side of the bridge being built and a contraflow being put in operation once the bridge is opened. The bridge will also be closed when steam powered traction engine specials are put on 3 times a month.
Dave C
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts