Stuffed Victorian dog returns to Slough train station home


Station Jim has been a feature of Slough station since the 19th Century

An iconic stuffed dog has been lovingly restored and returned to the train station platform which has been his home for more than a century.

Station Jim was born in 1894 and arrived at Slough as a three-month-old mongrel puppy, where he would collect donations for Great Western Railway (GWR) widows and orphans. Following his death in 1896, the beloved Victorian mascot was preserved, along with his collection box, and he was put on display at platform 5 in Slough Railway Station.

The taxidermy pooch was recently removed for some much-needed TLC but has now returned in all his glory. The restoration was a team effort by GWR, Museums Partnership Reading, Arts Council England and the Aldama Foundation, which helps conservation projects.

Conservator Simon Moore said he gave Station Jim a "considerable makeover" after he spotted damage to areas including his fur, eyes and claws. "It feels really good [to have restored Jim] because not many stations have a feature like this which is really charming and a nice story with it as well," he added.

Anna Jones, programme manager for Museums Partnership Reading, said Jim is "a bit of a railway legend". She said he was placed in a new cabinet after having dust removed, and his fur, nose and claws treated. "He will hopefully be preserved and be on the platform for at least another 100 years," she said.


(Left to right) Joe Graham, from GWR, Anna Jones, from Museums Partnership Reading, and Tim Knox, from the Aldama Foundation, unveiled Station Jim

and we have lots of warning about

But I don't remember seeing this previously (before Monday); is it a new service?

Ryanair plane at Stansted Airport was badly damaged in crash near runway



A commercial aircraft suffered "significant damage" when it smashed into an airport fence with 181 passengers onboard, an investigation has revealed.

The Ryanair plane was being moved by a tug driving instructor who was advising a trainee at London Stansted Airport in Essex on 21 August 2024. The Boeing 737 was being pulled to the airport's apron - where planes await runway departure slots - by the ground vehicle known as a tug.

Changes to ground markings had been made since the incident, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said in a report.

The tug was initially driven by a trainee, who handed control over to her instructor after a mistake. The instructor "continued to reassure and advise the trainee" while performing a manoeuvre, "looking at her while doing so", the report added.

But the plane's nosewheel moved beyond the tug release point (TRP) ground markings - where it was meant to stop - resulting in the aircraft striking a blast barrier. This damaged the rear of the plane, which also had six crew onboard and was bound for Venice in Italy, but caused no injuries.


The rear of the aircraft suffered significant damage in the crash

Following the crash, the instructor successfully passed drug and alcohol tests. The man explained he was "focusing on speaking to the trainee" when he drove past the TRP, the report said. He added the markings were "not very prominent" and were "obscured" underneath the plane.

The trainee said she did not say anything when her instructor failed to stop as she was "assuming he must have known what he was doing", the report stated.

The manoeuvre was carried out by workers for Blue Handling, a ground handling team from facility management provider ABM that serves Ryanair at Stansted. ABM was approached for a comment by PA Media.

Since the accident, the airport doubled the length of TRPs from 50cm (19.6ins) to 1m (3.2ft), and painted them on both sides of centre lines.

While waiting for that at Chippenham (due 17:50) an empty IET passed through heading west at full tilt. I thought it might have been the reason for the delay, but the 17:35 was still parked at Swindon for a while after that.

Network Rail says sorry for £27m station lift woes

Network Rail has apologised for the problems faced at a station which recently underwent a £27m redevelopment.

A new southern entrance to Sunderland station was opened in December 2023 with Network Rail saying at the time that "finishing touches" would be applied in the next few months.

But Labour MP Lewis Atkinson said there had been prolonged periods where escalators, lifts, doors and toilets in the entrance "were not functional" and had called for a public apology from the rail body.

Network Rail has now apologised for the "frustration and inconvenience" caused to locals and said it had conducted an internal review into the issues faced.

Atkinson had previously said that the station was managed by train company Northern but that many of the maintenance problems affecting the entrance had been the responsibility of Network Rail. He said it had taken Network Rail 21 months to make lift repairs and put in a working escalator at the station.

Responding to Atkinson, Network Rail said it recognised its performance with the site's lifts and escalators had been "far below" the level expected. In a letter, Lila Tachtsi, director for engineering and asset management for Northern Rail's Eastern region, said it had taken "too long" to get to a point where the facilities were being regularly maintained. She said there were "clearly lessons for us to learn" about future projects and that an internal review had been conducted.

Some of the changes put in place following the review include ensuring better communication between its projects team and its escalators and lifts team.

The station was branded an "embarrassment" in October by the city council's opposition leader, Liberal Democrat Paul Edgeworth.

Only one business, a coffee shop, has opened at the southern entrance since its redevelopment.

Bit different nowadays..........

Wait, What? What is Trump Doing Now about US citizenship.

The Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 is now before the U.S. Congress. It will fundamentally change how the United States treats dual (or multiple) nationality.

What the Bill Actually Says. Will I Lose My U.S. Citizenship?

The bill makes it unlawful to hold U.S. citizenship at the same time as any foreign citizenship. If you voluntarily acquire a foreign citizenship after the law’s effective date, you will face the relinquisment of your U.S. citizenship. Further, if you are currently a dual citizen, the law requires renouncement of either U.S. Citizenship or your foreign citizenship no later than one year after enactment. The bill is a proposal (not law). Congress is considering the action. If successful, the law will face significant constitutional and practical hurdles.

I think you can do it by moving the thread twice - to another board and back - where one of the options is to change all subject. CfN is the expert at doing such things ... 

Apologies, I'll attempt to modify the thread subject line with some punctuation.

Mark

Update: oops, didn't work, or at least didn't propagate down the thread.

Union warns 'inaction' could sabotage shipyard's survival

The biggest union at the publicly-owned Ferguson shipyard has claimed that government inaction is jeopardising its future.

GMB Scotland said a failure to deliver promised investment or new orders to Ferguson Marine would amount to "sabotage". The union has been calling for a direct award of a new CalMac ferry order to help the Port Glasgow yard restore its reputation after delays and huge cost overruns building two dual-fuel ships.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the shipyard was of "national importance" and the government had previously acted to save jobs but any contract awards must satisfy procurement and state subsidy rules. During a debate at Holyrood on Tuesday she also made clear the release of modernisation funding was dependent on the firm presenting a revised business plan which factored in new orders.

The Holyrood debate discussed a report from the parliament's public audit committee which criticised previous governance failures but also called for more support for the shipyard to help it become more competitive. It warned the shipyard's viability was at risk without urgent action to address years of underinvestment and give the firm "a realistic chance" of securing new work.

GMB Scotland general secretary Louise Gilmour said the report should serve as an "emergency flare".

"The public audit committee could not have sounded the alarm more clearly or loudly over the future of Ferguson Marine," she said. "Its report demanded swift and effective action from the Scottish government but, in the six months since, we have heard only excuses and seen no action at all." She said ministers from John Swinney down had taken turns to "wring their hands and tell us how complicated it is".

"Scotland has a publicly-owned shipyard which successfully built small ferries for generations and a publicly-owned ferry company that urgently needs them. It is not that complicated," she added.

In September, a cross-party coalition of community leaders, trade unions, and local politicians urged First Minister John Swinney to award the contract for a replacement for the CalMac ferry MV Lord of the Isles directly to the shipyard.

The project has been ready to go to procurement since mid-summer, but three months on, no timescale has been given for a decision.

Forbes said any such award must be lawful and Transport Scotland was still considering the business case.


(BBC article continues)

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
-
If you are at Westbury and Trowbridge travelling to Chippenham or Swindon you should travel on the 18:41 Bristol Temple Meads service (18:48 from Trowbridge) and change at Bath Spa for the 19:43 London Paddington service which calls at Chippenham (19:55) and Swindon (20:09). However, if you are at Westbury or Trowbridge earlier, you may take the first available service via Bath Spa, via Melksham tickets will be accepted via Bath Spa at no additional cost.
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If you are at Westbury or Trowbridge and travelling to Melksham, road transport is being arranged, you should contact station staff or use the Customer Help-Point.
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If you are at Melksham we will provide road transport to Chippenham from the station car park.

20:12 Swindon to Westbury due 20:56
20:12 Swindon to Westbury due 20:56 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information
-
If you are at Swindon or Chippenham travelling to Trowbridge or Westbury you should travel on the 20:26 Weston-super-Mare service from Swindon (20:38 from Chippenham) and change at Bath Spa for the 21:08 Portsmouth Harbour service which calls at Trowbridge (21:31) and Westbury (21:38). However, if you are at Swindon or Chippenham earlier, you may take the first available service via Bath Spa, via Melksham tickets will be accepted via Bath Spa at no additional cost.
-
If you are travelling to Melksham you should change at Chippenham and speak to station staff.
-
If you are at Melksham we will provide road transport to Trowbridge and Westbury from the station car park.
-.
Further Information

If you require further information please speak to our staff at the station or on the train, use the Customer Help Point, message us on X @GWRHelp or call National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950.

If you arrive at your destination 15 or more minutes late because your GWR train was delayed or cancelled, you can claim Delay Repay compensation. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:23 will be terminated at Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hanborough, Combe, Finstock, Charlbury, Ascott-Under-Wychwood, Shipton, Kingham, Moreton-In-Marsh and Evesham.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:11/12/2025 16:24

17:34 London Paddington to Hereford due 20:25 will be terminated at Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hanborough, Charlbury, Kingham, Moreton-In-Marsh, Evesham, Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Worcester Shrub Hill, Worcester Foregate Street, Malvern Link, Great Malvern, Colwall, Ledbury and Hereford.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:11/12/2025 17:35

22:00 Hereford to London Paddington due 01:15 will be started from Oxford.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:11/12/2025 14:30

Having just spoken with Samantha,the next destination for those playing at home  randomly selected by the laser display board is Filton Abbey Wood.

Isle of Man ferries resume after overnight disruption



Ferry sailings between the Isle of Man and Lancashire have resumed after overnight after they were cancelled by strong winds over the Irish Sea.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company cancelled the Manxman's Wednesday evening journey Heysham and its Douglas-bound return due to the choppy conditions.

The morning's crossing to the Lancashire port departed shortly before 08:00 GMT as scheduled.

Forecasters have warned of possible further disruption to travel to and from the island at the weekend, with gales expected to return on both Saturday and Sunday.

The lasted disruption followed the scrapping of all sailings on Tuesday as Storm Bram hit the island bringing storm force winds.