Category Archives: Uncategorized

There are a lot of films about trains on TV…And, there always have been. John Betjeman made films of himself sitting on rural station platforms all through the 1960s. The humourist, Miles Kington made films about old steam trains during … Continue reading →

The pop music producer, Peter Waterman, is selling part of his collection of model railway locomotives. Mr Waterman is well known amongst railway conservation and preservation groups. The sale is an attempt to make space and to underwrite the restoration … Continue reading →

Here is a lovely early Victorian drawing of a steam loco from 1846. The drawing is by the engineer, David Joy. This kind of technical drawing is distinguished by its precision. The drawing has to be big enough to carry … Continue reading →

We found this lovely toy steam engine in a local charity shop. It’s an early twentieth century tinplate miniature, or penny-toy. It was made in Germany, by the firm of JLH; That’s for, Johann Leonard Hess. The locomotive came with … Continue reading →

I was in the studio last week and was shown this…it’s a hand drawn and watercolour iteration of the famous London Underground map by Harry Beck…I didn’t see the exact date, but I think it is from the 1930s. Beck … Continue reading →

  Here is an image of Bradshaw’s railway map of the UK. It’s dated 1852. I love the decorative engraving of the title and the clever way some of the more important cities have their own detailed maps, ranged to … Continue reading →

Anyone who knows me will know that; apart from trains, I enjoy restaurant meals…quite often and as I’ve posted before, these two go together…the development of the railway system facilitated the all-day dining and fast-food environments that are familiar today. … Continue reading →

Here is a railway safety poster by Leonard Cusden. I’ve posted before about Leonard Cusden and safety posters…just google, bagdcontext and cusden. This poster is from before 1940; so, it’s quite early for this kind of thing. Also, you can … Continue reading →

I’ve recently been posting, on my other blog, about the cultural impact of speed… I used the term machine-ensemble, in those posts and below, to describe the context of what I was describing. It turns out that the term is … Continue reading →

The BBC are showing a classic Hitchcock film on Christmas day evening…It’s The Lady Vanishes (1938). I’ve posted before about Hitchcock, cinema and trains…here’s an edited text that combines bits of all these old posts. Happy holidays to you all. Alfred Hitchcock … Continue reading →