Advent Quiz 2015

[whole diary]

[Tim]

No. 1 I agree that it is definitely the foot crossing at Claverton Pumping station in the Avon valley.

No.2 is a Russian ICE-derivative.  It is a high speed train so I think that would place it on the high speed route between Moscow and St Petersberg.  And the weird looking (but actually rather elegant) OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") support posts and the distinctive roof suggests that the train is at the Moscow terminus Passazhirskaya

[JayMac]

I'll change my mind now having studied the platform canopies at both Moskovsky Station, St Petersberg and Moscow Passazhirskaya, Moscow. I think Tim is right. The 'Sapsan' is in Moscow.

[John R]

and yet I'm struck that so many of the pictures show 3 car trains where today they might be 2 cars. Seems almost back to front in terms of the railway matching supply and demand.

Yep, 2 for 3 was the policy under 'sprinterisation". Though don't forget that the mid eighties was somewhat of a nadir in terms of the railway, and that was the only way which BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) could justify eliminating the life expired (and more) 1st generation dmu stock.

[grahame]

3rd December 2015

[JayMac]

3rd December 2015:

PhilWakely 

[grahame]

3rd December 2015:

PhilWakely 

And you're going to be suggesting it was taken at Wake's Colne next

[Tim]

No 3 is not easy.  The concrete sleepers and yellow lines suggest a main line.  The red on the shelter perhaps suggest West Yorkshire PTE^▸ (Passenger Transport Executive) area, but I give up!

[Adelante_CCT]

I have no idea but I'll have a go at No.3:

Tir-Phil
Wakefield Kirkgate
Lydney

[grahame]

No 3 is not easy.

Alas, none of them is easy, Tim ...    (well, I don't think so!) ... but I would agree that I looked at No. 3 when I first saw it and thought it might prove to be one of the harder of a quite hard bunch.

[ellendune]

I was thinking it was an electrified line but the wires in the picture are actually National Grid transmission lines not OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE").

[PhilWakely]

Whilst this one is probably the hardest to identify, a clever search of the good old interwebby thing should help with clues from the picture. Just this once, however, I will post an extra picture from this location.......

[eightf48544]

Completely out of thin air and no idea but could it be Newark Castle

[Bmblbzzz]

If it wasn't for the fact that I can read the word Departures on the noticeboard, I'd have said somewhere in moderately Eastern Europe, about 1994.

[Oxonhutch]

If it wasn't for the fact that I can read the word Departures on the noticeboard, I'd have said somewhere in moderately Eastern Europe, about 1994.

Remember that in the Ruritanian langauge, the word 'Information' is spelt "Departures". The lack of accents normally seen on the word is due to it being used in the passive neuter case. 

[Bmblbzzz]

Ah, you're forgetting that the orthographic reform removing those accents did not take effect until 1998. Therefore, I call bzdura!