Man honoured for 'dedicated service' to rail travel

An 85-year-old man has been praised for his "dedicated service" to the rail network, even passing on his knowledge to generations of engineers.

Until recently, Horace Prickett from Yarnbrook in Wiltshire held the role of director at the community rail partnership, TransWilts.

Prickett entered the industry aged 15 on an apprenticeship as a locomotive fitter, turner and erector - learning how to build and repair railway engines from scratch.

"I saw the replacement of steam with diesel, as well as the introduction of diesel hydraulics, which at the time were only used in Germany and the UK," he said.

Prickett was stationed in the Westbury depot but also spent a year in Swindon, where he helped to build the last two steam locomotives.

When government cuts to the railways in the early 1960s meant that highly skilled engineers were suddenly faced with unemployment, Prickett set up the heavy engineering department at Trowbridge College.

"We had 12 weeks to get a technical college set up," he continued.

"Teaching was a new field but what we were teaching was what I had trained in, and I was doing what I had enjoyed on the railways.

"Ever since I had my own clockwork railway at the age of 11, I was interested in railways and transport."

Prickett also entered the world of politics, standing as both a parish and town councillor as well as a stint as Mayor of Westbury.

He was appointed as Wiltshire Council's portfolio holder for public transport, working closely alongside TransWilts until being promoted to director in 2017.

Sophie Martin, community partnership manager at TransWilts, described Prickett's legacy as "an amazing achievement across a lifetime".

"His unparalleled knowledge, dedicated service, and unwavering support for community rail and the communities it connects will be sorely missed," she said.

"Horace was instrumental in spearheading a number of community initiatives over the years in previous roles, and many we still continue today, including our days out to the beach where we take members of our community who may otherwise find it difficult to enjoy such a day out.

"Not only do these activities help people explore their own area by train, they're also helping to instil a lasting love of the railways in the next generation."

"18 floors climbed". I hope some of those were to make top deck trips!

I was amused to see a report by one journalist who got excited about seeing a "Routemaster" bus being corrected by another pointing out that it was a far more noteworthy and older RT.  Routemasters seem to get all the glory, a bit like the Spitfire over the Hurricane.

Historic Borders bridge secures £250,000 for restoration project


The bridge near Eckford was designed and built around 1835

A historic bridge over the River Teviot in the Borders has secured £250,000 for a major restoration project.

The Kalemouth Suspension Bridge - built around 200 years ago - was closed to vehicles in August 2020 after "substantial decay" was found in its timber deck.

Scottish Borders Council has won funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It plans to replace the timber work and deck bracing, as well as refurbish the ironwork and masonry to maintain it as a crossing for cyclists and pedestrians. The local authority previously ruled out spending £4m to allow cars to use it again as it decided that expense could not be justified.

Councillor John Greenwell said the new funding was "an exciting step" towards the bridge's restoration. He added: "With this support now in place, we can continue to move the project forward and work through the remaining detailed planning and funding stages needed to safeguard the bridge's future."


The bridge carries an unclassified road that previously allowed vehicles to cross

The bridge near Eckford was designed and built around 1835 by Capt Samuel Brown, who also built the Union Chain Bridge linking Scotland and England. It carries an unclassified road which previously allowed single-file traffic - weighing less than three tonnes - to cross between the A698 and properties in Ormiston Mains. However, tests found the Category A-listed structure was no longer strong enough to cope with the weight of vehicles.

Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund director for Scotland said: "Kalemouth Suspension Bridge is a magnificent piece of engineering and serves both as an important crossing for walkers and cyclists, and as a landmark and monument to local heritage."

"Thanks to National Lottery players, Heritage Fund investment will support the project with essential restoration work and new interpretation panels to share the story and significance of the bridge."

Ah, where's that then?

Mark

Following round trip too ...


I'm coming home via Swindon ... or trying to.   There could be far worse places to wait ...

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05 will be terminated at Chippenham.

It will no longer call at Swindon.

This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident.

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18 will be started from Chippenham.

It will no longer call at Swindon.

This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident.

15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58

15:14 Swindon to Westbury due 15:58 will be started from Chippenham.
It will no longer call at Swindon.

This is due to the emergency services dealing with an incident.

Former village pub saved from house conversion


The Bell Inn - as it stood in 2023 - was sold by Hook Norton Brewery in 2024

An appeal against rejected plans to convert a village pub into a family home has been dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate.

Cherwell District Council rejected plans by the current owner James Day to convert the former Bell Inn, in Great Bourton near Banbury, last May.

Hook Norton Brewery sold the pub to its current owner in May 2024 and said that it was no longer commercially viable to keep it open.

James Day subsequently launched an appeal against the council's verdict on his plans, which was objected to by dozens of locals after more than 230 came out against the initial plans and launched the 'Save The Bell Inn' campaign.

In his appeal letter, Day said his proposals were fully justified, and that the reopening of the pub was not financially viable. He also argued that the loss of a community facility would not cause significant economic or social harm to the north Oxfordshire village.

In a letter calling for the planning inspector to reject the appeal, Cherwell District Council previously wrote that Mr Day had "failed to satisfactorily demonstrate that the existing use could not be viable".

"The council considers that the public house has been an asset in the past and has potential to be an asset in the future," it added. Day's appeal was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate on Monday following a hearing in January.

In his decision letter inspector Lewis Condé said: "Although patronage may have declined prior to its closure, this does not in my view, diminish its social importance; it is also likely that falling visitor numbers were significantly influenced by the way the pub was managed at that time. Although the future viability of a public house will inevitably depend on factors such as purchase price, available finance and the extent of any borrowing, the evidence before me does not sufficiently demonstrate that a community-run enterprise would be unviable."

Hook Norton Brewery has been approached for comment.

Councillor Chris Brant, who represents Great Bourton on both the district and county council, said the decision is "fantastic" and "sends a strong message about the value of those spaces in rural life". He added: "This is a huge credit to the Save the Bell Inn Action Group and the many local residents who worked tirelessly to demonstrate just how important this pub is to the community. Their commitment, research, and determination showed that there is real local support and a viable future for the pub. I also want to recognise the excellent work of Cherwell District Council's planning team, who robustly defended the council's decision and the policies that protect vital village services like pubs.

Shame that they could not find a photograph of the actual engine

Jackson, Louisiana, is a historic town in East Feliciana Parish with a population of 3,707 as of the 2020 census, located within the Baton Rouge metropolitan area. Known for the Centenary State Historic Site and proximity to Port Hudson State Historic Site, it offers a quiet, rural atmosphere.

Glasgow Central to stay closed until at least March 18 as demolition work starts

The main part of Glasgow Central station will remain closed until at least Wednesday, authorities have said, as work began to demolish an adjacent building ravaged by a fire.

Glasgow City Council said it is in the interests of public safety to demolish what remains of the “very unstable” Victorian building, which has continued to collapse since the blaze started on Sunday afternoon.

The fire began in a vape shop on Union Street and spread through the building and around the corner, with only the facade of the building at the junction with Gordon Street left standing.

On Friday, demolition vehicles arrived at the site and began the slow process of demolishing the building.

The blaze on Sunday forced neighbouring Glasgow Central, Scotland’s busiest railway station, to close.

Network Rail Scotland said that with demolition work under way its engineers cannot yet gain access to the station to assess the situation, and the main part of the station containing the high-level platforms will therefore remain shut until at least Wednesday March 18.

Services in the lower level of the station began running again on Wednesday.

Ross Moran, route director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “We understand how disruptive this extended closure is for passengers and the wider city centre, and we’re extremely grateful for the continued patience and understanding people have shown.

“The damage to the building beside the station is clearly significant and any phased reopening will depend on demolition work progressing to a stage that allows our engineers to safely return.

“We’ll continue working closely with Glasgow City Council to support the response however we can.”

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) formally handed over control of the site to Glasgow City Council on Thursday.

In a statement that day, the council said: “We are now in control of the Union Street site, and after a full and final assessment of the remaining structure our Building Standards team have decided that demolition must happen in the interests of public safety.”

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said on Friday that the structure currently poses a risk to the public and has been cordoned off to keep people safe.

She said: “The structure where the fire was is now very unstable. It has no structural integrity.

“There’s a kind of a floating chimney stack that’s attached to the top of the wall. So, this is an unstable, dangerous site.

“It is obviously going to cause disruption to people for quite a while, and in particular the shops and the businesses who are within this cordon, and we’re providing as much support for them as we’re able to do.”

She added: “It’s going to take us a wee while to recover, but what I want to assure all Glaswegians, and indeed everybody that uses Central station, is that we will work as fast as we possibly can to get back to normality and then to rebuild and regenerate Union Street and Gordon Street.

“But, in the meantime, it is safety first for everyone and it is the protection of the public that is our number one priority.”

On Friday, workers could be seen in a cage suspended from a crane dismantling the remains of a chimney stack on a neighbouring building.

Network Rail said all available options for safely reopening the station were being explored, including whether a partial or phased reopening of some platforms might be possible.

It said engineers have so far not identified any significant structural issues with the station and that damage, mainly due to water ingress, appears to have been contained to a small office on the Union Street side of the station and a small part of the glazed area directly above it.

At the height of the incident, 18 fire appliances and specialist resources were at the scene.

Assistant chief officer Jon Henderson, SFRS director of prevention, said: “This was an incredibly challenging and complex incident which called upon resources and expertise from across the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“We are extremely proud of our staff and incredibly thankful to our partners for helping to bring this incident to a safe conclusion.

“Despite the scale and intensity of this fire, no firefighters or members of the public were hurt and some of Glasgow’s most iconic buildings were saved from further damage.”