#Jubilee Bridge

[insidecroydon]

A proper 'Jeremy Hunt': Mayor Perry breaks graffiti promises

KEN LEE reports from Thornton Heath on a persistent piece of social messaging that just won’t go away Paint job: Mayor Jason Perry is quick to take credit for graffiti ‘blitzes’. But the reality on the streets is far different Offensive graffiti on two council signs on Blakemore Road in Thornton Heath that include the “C” word, and which dozens of primary aged children have to walk past on their…

[hsundholm]

Night in Marina Bay by Henrik Sundholm Via Flickr: Night in the Marina Bay area in Singapore.

[helluvatimes]

Jubilee Bridge

Jubilee Bridge in Covid times. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

This bridge was opened the same day the founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was buried. It was his brainchild, one of his many contributions to this island state that he gave his life … and soul … to build. This image was taken just after Singapore exited the so-called ‘circuit breaker’ lock-down in 2020.

A negative exposure compensation of 1-1/3 stops was used here with local darkening of the sky and foreground in post.

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

The Cambridge Family in 2022 ♛

Well, that sure was a year! First things first, I did in fact kill the Queen (sorry!), meaning we have a new King and a new Prince and Princess of Wales. As part of the events following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we saw numerous public walkabouts (x, x), as well as many events with foreign diplomats and royals (x, x, x). The Queen's death followed her hugely successful Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which included a surprise George and Charlotte appearance in Cardiff, and Prince Louis stealing the show at the pageant. William and Catherine undertook a number of overseas trip this year: William began with a visit to Dubai; Catherine then visited Denmark as part of her work on the Early Years; the couple visited Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas in a controversial tour; and a final overseas visit to Boston, on behalf of the Earthshot Prize. The Cambridge family - now known as the Wales family - also experienced some personal highs. The family moved their main home from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, in Windsor, and George, Charlotte and Louis began their new school year at Lambrook School. William and Catherine also gained a new niece, as Catherine's sister Pippa gave birth to another daughter, called Rose. The couple were able to experience some sporting highs, with the Princess of Wales becoming Patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League in February, and attending a Six Nations match shortly after. She also attended the Sailing Grand Prix. The couple also attended Wimbledon together twice (x, x) (with Catherine also going alone once), as well as the Commonwealth Games. William was also able to see football finally come home, with the Lionesses' winning the 2022 Euros. With Covid-19 finally beginning to retreat and the BRF experiencing a new beginning, I hope the Wales family continue to flourish next year.

[oliveryuchan]

View from Waterloo Bridge, London, 2024, acrylic on canvas paper, 508x405mm, available

[leepaulphotography]

Silver Jubilee Bridge between Runcorn and Widnes, England.

[somuch-4-stardust]

OKAY!!! COLOR CODED BY ALBUM THIS TIME: every wilbur soot song (that i can remember right now) ranked TAKE FOUR!!!! (take two is here, take three is in my drafts lmao, and take one is lost to time forever.)

philza minecraft's song /j

the squid song <3 /j

goodnight

saline solution (bridge version)

taunt

white wine in the wetherspoons

sex sells

saline solution (album version)

la jolla

perfume

since i saw vienna

concrete

screensaver

jubilee line (bridge version)

the fall

cause for concern

jubilee line (album version)

consequences

coronado

oh yeah you gonna cry

you'll understand when you're older

your sister was right

main character syndrome

losing face

maybe i was boring

its all futile! its all pointless (maybe i was boring version)

one day

soft boy

l'manburg anthem (ik this doesnt this count but fuck u)

I'm in love with an e-girl

your new boyfriend

model buses

internet ruined me

its all futile! its all pointless! (lovejoy version)

I'm sorry boris

i am very smart

the nice guy ballad

vitriol

karen please come back i miss the kids

for memories

fuck youtube rewind (still havent listened to this one)

discord???? song??? (also havent heard it so slay)

okay theres a song and its like. about. being bald?????? hes says hes bald. and theres smth abt ??? IDFK. SOOTHOUSE. CHESS. BALDNESS????????????

[callmedondee]

London Nights

London, UK

[canastadisastrous]

You know what? The xmen film franchise isn’t perfect. Xmen will never be perfect. But I’m glad that it exists.

There’s something so specifically heartwarming/gut wrenching about watching the new Deadpool and Wolverine film, and seeing all of these discarded characters given another chance. We never would have gotten any of that without the shit show that was Fox’s Xmen films, and I’m happy that I got to sit through shit films like Apocalypse and Origins: Wolverine just to have glowing moments like the og sabertooth actor taking action one more time. The scrapped Gambit film became a beautiful cameo for Channing Tatum and it couldn’t have been better

I’m glad that every deadpool film lead to this, because no other character could have bridged this into the MCU in this way. I’m happy that the MCU exists, even if I don’t follow it much nowadays, because without it I would not have gotten to see yellow suit wolverine on the big screen. Thank you Hugh Jackman for coming back (even if Disney‘s gonna make you do it until you’re 90) thank you Ryan Reynolds, Channing Tatum, Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, Dafne Keen, thank you to everyone involved in the making of a film which was more of a celebration of the X-Men and the insane, broken, but beautiful history they have. Thank you to every actor who ever played an X-Men character ever. Thank you to both Jubilees from different timelines even though it made absolutely no sense

Thank you for existing, X-Men franchise

[honey-crypt]

could i possibly get a fic about sebastian helping adhd!farmer through their rejection dysphoria? i leave the rest up to you, go wild <3

- 🪩

★ like the stream - sebastian x adhd!farmer ★

word count: 1.5k

warnings: rejection sensitivity dysphoria episode

summary: it's the day of the flower dance! you're prepared to ask your friend sam to be your dance partner when you're met face to face with a kind but otherwise hard rejection from the other party. Unable to cope with the rejection because of your RSD, you find yourself spiraling when another friend of yours, Sebastian, finds you alone and distressed in the depths of Cindersap Forest.

a/n: hi hi request #2 for my write-a-thon! hope this is an okay fic, i made sure to do some research on rsd and adhd (beyond my personal knowledge of it) for this fic :D

Today had to be perfect. 

That was what you repeated to yourself, as you made your way towards Cindersap Forest for the Flower Dance. You double, even triple, checked that you had everything ready for today. It may have taken two or ten sticky note reminders, but you knew that everything was in the right place. Your outfit? Check. Your flowers? Check. Your confidence to ask Sam to be your dance partner? Check!

As you got closer and closer, the sound of upbeat classical music grew louder and louder. They should really install a better alternative to this, I don’t know George crosses this, you thought to yourself while crossing the bridge over to the festival. An open green space greeted you with the residents of Pelican Town scattered about. You exchanged pleasantries with your fellow townies, making a beeline to your friend group by a secluded corner of the festival. 

“Hey (Y/N)!” Abigail gave you a small, half salute, “Didn’t think you were going to make it.”

“I lost track of time,” you confessed, “Nonetheless, I made it!”

Your two other friends, Sam and Sebastian, paused their side conversation at mention of your arrival. Sam offered you a dazzling smile that made your heart flutter, “(Y/N)! Good to see you!” and, much to your disappointment, he gave you a friendly side hug. You forced a smile in return and responded, “Yeah, for sure. I’m just glad I made it before the dance started.”

“Would’ve sucked ass if you missed it,” mused Abigail. Sebastian didn’t respond, staring silently at you. A frown graced your lips, What’s his deal? you questioned. Your chest, however, had a different reaction, tightening up at the sight of Sebastian’s deadpan. He’s probably just having a bad day, you reassured yourself, He’s not mad at you. He’s not mad at you. 

“I’m gonna grab some of Gus’s drinks,” you perked up at Sam’s voice, “You guys got a preference for what?”

“Ooo, get me the Tulip Jubilee,” requested Abigail.

“The Blue Jazz Drop for me,” you eyed Sebastian when he spoke up. Sam looked at you expectantly, “How about you, (Y/N)?”

“Oh, uhhhhh…” you mentally thumbed through your options, “No preference, just grab me something you think I’ll like,” you adjusted your collar with your free hand, “I trust your judgement.”

“Will do!” Sam responded with a double thumbs up before leaving for the food and drinks table. You let out a deep sigh and fiddled with the flower in your hand, a small but homegrown tulip. Abigail quirked an eyebrow up at you, “Something on your mind?”

“Oh! Well,” you cleared your throat, “Just thinking about the dance.”

“Fingers crossed that you don’t have to dance with Clint like last year,” snorted the purple-haired goth. You grimaced at the memory and scanned the crowd for the aforementioned blacksmith, seeing him talk poor Emily’s ear off, “Anyone but him,” you grumbled.

“Which reminds me,” your friend directed her attention to Sebastian, “Dance partners this year?” to which the black-haired boy nodded quietly. You stared at him with narrowed eyes, Why are you so quiet today?

“Back with the drinks!” your blonde friend announced to the group, two drinks in hand and two held tight against his chest. Sam passed out the drinks and informed you, “I got you the Sunflower Tonic.”

You pressed your lips against the cup and took a sip, the sweetness of the drink evident, “This is good,” you let your friends know.

“Ew, mine’s too sour,” sighed Abigail, her lips puckered. She held her drink towards the group, “Any takers?”

“I’ll try it,” answered Sam. He grabbed the drink and sipped it, his face grimacing, “Yikes. Too sour,” before handing it in front of you, “Want a taste?”

You felt flushed at the idea of sipping the drink after Sam and seized the opportunity, accidentally taking a big swing of it. Immediately, you gagged at the taste, “Ugh! My tongue!” and spat out what little liquid was left in your mouth. Sebastian finally took the drink and drank it without any sign of sourness on his face, “Yeah, this is bad,” he stated, “I’ll stick with my drink,” the emo resumed his Blue Jazz Drop. 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Mayor Lewis’s voice echoed awkwardly through his microphone, “The Flower Dance will begin shortly! Last chance to find yourself a partner!”

You heard the man, this is your last chance! you grasped your flower and waited until Abigail and Sebastian went ahead to pull Sam aside, “Hey Sam, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” Yoba, his sunshine demeanor was too much. 

“Would you like to be my partner for the dance?” you held up the tulip. Sam’s sunshine self dimmed into a clouded version, “Oh, (Y/N), but Penny asked me to dance while I was getting the drinks. I’m really sorry.”

The sound of your world cracking rang through your ears, as you stood motionless in front of Sam, “Oh! I, uh…” tears pricked at your eyes, “I gotta go.”

Your surroundings began to blur and any outside noise turned into static, as you made your escape from the Flower Dance and deeper into Cindersap Forest. The bum bum of your heart and the swoosh of your blood pounded against your head. 

I hate him.

He hates me.

No, he just made a promise!

No, he thinks you’re the worst!

It was like being trapped on a carousel, your thoughts and emotions spinning around and around. Soon, you found yourself by a small stream, laying on the ground by it with sprawled out limbs. Tears rushed down your face and you heaved dryly, as your brain failed to comprehend Sam’s words and intent.

Oh, (Y/N), but Penny asked me to dance while I was getting the drinks. I’m really sorry.

You sat up, nearly flinging yourself forward towards the stream, and started to bite at your nails, “He hates me. He hates me. I hate myself. I hate myself. I-”

“(Y/N)?” 

You jerked your head to the left, Sebastian standing a few feet away from you. As he approached you, you hastily wiped your face with your sleeve, tears and snot staining the fabric, “Leave me alone,” you sniffled.

“(Y/N), what’s wrong?” he asked you, sitting down beside you with his knees to his chest. The tears resumed and coated your cheeks in the salty liquid, “I hate myself, okay?! I fucking hate myself, Sebastian!”

Sebastian tilted his head in confusion, “Why do you hate yourself?”

“Because I’m obviously such an awful person that Sam doesn’t want anything to do with me!” you cried out. Your friend frowned deeply, “(Y/N), you know that Sam usually dances with Penny at the Flower Dance.”

That made your blood steam, “I wanted it to be DIFFERENT, Sebastian! I wanted him to dance with me!” you heaved at Sebastian. He fell silent and fished out something from his suit pocket, a red tangle fidget. Your friend let it out to you and you snatched it without hesitation, fidgeting with it while you sobbed. You tried to get back to reality, but with each passing moment, the idea of returning to the present grew farther and farther away. Everything was hurting, your mind and your body, everything was hurting so much.

“I’m sorry that you’re hurting,” whispered Sebastian. You looked at him with watery eyes, “I can’t control this,” you admitted. He nodded quietly and held out a hand, to which you grasped and squeezed. Sebastian continued, “I know that these kinda things are a lot for you. I know that your mind is telling you a lot of awful stuff right now because of what Sam said, huh?”

“Yeah…” you squeezed his hand again. Sebastian added on, “I didn’t mean to watch, but I accidentally saw the whole situation go down. Sam looked upset when you ran away.”

“Well, he can shove,” you grumbled. Sebastian snorted and retorted, “He’s the one who wanted to check on you, but I told him that you seeing him while you’re in a RSD episode wouldn’t be that helpful.”

You moved closer to Sebastian and laid your head against his shoulders, “I hate my brain.”

“I get it, you’re not alone,” hummed the emo, “Isn’t this stream pretty, though?” he redirected your focus on the stream, the gentle rush of water humming against the swaying trees, “Maybe, just for a second, we can be like the stream.”

You closed your eyes and focused on the sound of the stream, envisioning yourself as one with the water. A sense of peace washed over you and you exhaled, still picturing yourself as the stream. It felt like an hour or so went by before you opened your eyes again, “I’m the stream,” you stated to Sebastian. 

“You’re the stream,” he repeated back, holding you close, “You’re the stream," your heartbeat and breathing returned to normal.

"I'm the stream."

[haunted-headset]

Ok so hear me out

Wilbur and Y/n arguing.

Then y/n wanted to k!ll herself but..

Guess what Wilbur did...

He moved the knife away and kisses her...

💔 There’s a Reason London Puts Barriers on the Tube Line 💔

Summary: You & Wilbur have a massive argument & all of your su!c!dal thoughts came back, so you ran to Jubilee Line to do your deed. What you forgot is that Wilbur can track your phone.

A/N: Hello! Tysm for the ask! I changed the story up a bit so that the reader doesn't use a knife since knives kinda trigger me :/

word count: 796

proofread: nope

tags: @vibestillaxxx@joviepog@ax-y10@themonsterunderurmom @wilburstan@smolsleepykitten@funnyreally2009@crows-death@dykepunz@aresriiots@0miamor0 @cathers-world@defonotval@chipch0p@mazzistar16@unmellowyellowfellow@justalittlebitofchaos@thosecolorfulsheets@vopix@taylors-version-from-the-vault@aine-lasagna@merianakross@veeislost@urfav-sapphic-siren@shazbaz58-blog @wifiatthetrainstation@mcr-pr-fob@shd454@universe-friday@rqvii@idioticion@m0thza (let me know if u don't or do wanna be tagged!!)

warnings/cw: the reader has su!c!dal thoughts, two attempted su!c!des, mentions of an overdose, arguing/yelling, swearing

This was the worst argument you'd ever had with him in your three years of dating him, & it made your head hurt & your chest feel tight. You had attempted to kill yourself two days ago by overdosing on your anti-depressants.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Wilbur shouted. "Are you fucking stupid, Y/N?! You could've seriously hurt yourself!"

"That's the point!" You shouted back. "That's why I did it! & I already told you I didn’t want to talk about it, yet you kept insisting!"

“That’s because I fucking care about you!” Wilbur yelled. His fists were balled & his eyes, like yours, were bloodshot.

"Well, did I ask for you to care about me?” you cried.

He let out a loud groan of anger & pinched the bridge of his nose. "God, I fucking hate you."

Your eyes widened in shock. He'd gotten angry at you before, of course, but he'd never said that he hated you before. "You don’t mean that," you murmured as more tears rolled down your damp cheeks.

"Right now, I do," he said icily. "More than anything in the world.”

You glared at him. "More than the I love yous?”

His eyes met yours & his expression softened slightly. “…You’re being unfair."

"How the hell am I being unfair?!" you exclaimed. "You're being the unfair & shitty one here! Instead of asking me if I'm alright, you just--you just get mad at me! & when I say I don't want to talk, you keep pressing & pressing & pressing!"

"It's not my fault nor my problem that you're a depressed bitch who doesn't do anything to try & improve their mental state!" he yelled.

With burning tears in your eyes, you started to tie your shoes. Wilbur sighed & said, "No, please don't leave, I-"

"Just shut up," you snapped before you walked out, slamming the door behind you. You started to walk through the rain to Jubilee Line, which would take about forty minutes. You stepped in a few puddles on your way, which drenched your shoes & legs, & you forgot to grab a hoodie, so your entire body was soaked in rainwater.

When you finally arrived, tears rolled down your cheeks & mixed with raindrops as you remembered the song that Wilbur had written a year or two ago. He was rambling on & on about how crappy the mental health was in London & how the city was doing nothing to help their citizens, & how he'd see people kill themselves on Jubilee Line & nobody would say anything or try to stop them, & instead of trying to help the people by improving their mental health services, the city just built barriers on the tube, & the barriers didn't really do anything. & you told him that he should write a song about that. Within an hour, he'd written a song about it, & for the majority of that hour, he would tell you how much he loved you & how creative you were.

You walked up to the barriers & saw that the next train was arriving in five minutes. You kicked with all of your might on the glass until the glass broke. You smiled sadly. The barriers, like Wilbur had said, were shit.

You took a deep breath & held back your tears. You took a step forward.

You were about to fall onto the tracks.

This was it.

It would finally work.

You heard a familiar voice scream your name from behind you.

& then somebody pulled you back & hugged you. It was a sobbing Wilbur.

"L-love, I don't ever want you to die, please...don't die..." he said between his sobs. "I-I'm sorry for yelling, I'm sorry for hurting you, I didn't mean it, I didn't mean a fucking word, I don't hate you, I never would, darling..."

You pressed your face into his chest & sobbed with him as you both murmured apologies to each other. He pulled you away from his chest only to pepper kisses all over your wet face.

"Please, don't go...I just need to feel your arms around me, mon amour, that's all I've ever wanted," he cried. "I don't want to lose you."

"I'm sorry," you whimpered. "I'm sorry for-"

He cut you off with a kiss. When he pulled away, he cupped your face & said, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Y/N. You're the one who's struggling & I didn't even think about that, & I was such a dickhead to you."

"So you don't hate me?" you said with a sniffle as he wiped your cheeks.

"I would never hate you," he whispered. "C'mon, let's go home. I think there's a lot that we need to talk about."

[unusuallysubtext]

I'm a writer with too much time on my hands, excited to see who you come up witb

I am looking for a romantic relationship with any gender

I typically spend my time deeply entrenched in a book or reading some obscure forum for the specific niche I am currently interested in (right now that's the half life game series)

I have shoulder length wavy hair that is naturally brunette that I keep down and my fashion style is whatever is comfortable (Normall byy a black cotton shirt, large black jeans and a watch on my left arm)

I'm good at most mental problems like problem solving (Ironically not maths) and try to help with physical tasks but fail fairly often

Ideal future is any future where I am comftable and with whoever this partner ends up being but would love to settle down in a nice house with a large enough library and expansive garden

Mycroft Holmes

Mycroft Holmes first saw you in Oxford Street's Ruby Jubilee Tea Room.

While it was true that he did not frequent cafés, the Ruby Jubilee was, according to Mycroft, the only worthwhile place to take a break from his steadfast workaholic tendencies and drink tea, as it came with a bonus of observing mere goldfish.

He was in his bubble, they were in their tank.

But you...

Dressed in smart, comfortable (oh! how Mycroft unadmittedly longed for a day where he could match your level of cosiness and ease) oversized jeans and matching black cotton shirt, he watched you delicately hold the teacup to your lips and sip.

You returned to the Ruby Jubilee once a week, and by the third visit, you were vaguely aware of a presence, dark against the ivory walls and milky white furniture with tables laid with lace cloth, and pearly crockery for vanilla cream cakes and Victoria sponges.

You looked to your left to catch the eye of a posh man in a black pinstripe suit.

He smiled softly at you, placing his fork down on a half-eaten slice of cake.

You smiled back, but the connection subsided and you were quickly back to reading.

The next week, sitting alone at your usual table, your focus was broken by a familiar face.

"Good morning. I was hoping this seat wouldn't be taken... Mycroft Holmes is the name."

You introduced yourself, and allowed him to sit down.

That was the first of many more meetings where you would not pick up a novel inside of the Ruby Jubilee, instead absorbed in the beautiful man in front of you and your conversations.

Months later, you were living with Mycroft, in his mansion thirty minutes outside of the London suburbs.

The extensive collections of antique and classic books in the two-story library in the west wing coupled with the expansive gardens planted with roses and archways and a small stream with a little wooden bridge easily filled the hours in your day when Mycroft was working.

When Mycroft happened to be working at home, you would sit in your half of the office with your PC setup and spend time with your video games.

Meanwhile, Mycroft would be coordinating a meeting with the Russian oligarchs about the sanctions on their economy or mediating a borderline war brewing between South Korea and Japan.

However, as soon as Mycroft had a day off, he never failed to whisk you away to the Ruby Jubilee, and gift you with a new novel he had deduced you would like from your previous favourites.

It is an unspoken fact that Mycroft often steals your clothing (hoodies and jumpers) to sleep with or cuddle, or even simply hold and have near him while in the office or sitting room, because it is comfortable.

You ended up buying him baggy jeans and jogging bottoms paired with cotton t-shirts for optimal comfort, but it still took forever to convince him to try them on.

Now he doesn't even blink at his suits when home.

Needless to say, while he may not be one for PDA or excessive touch, he loves you a lot ❤️

-

hope you liked it, @friedtoastandegg! tagging @anonymoussherlockandmarvelgeek @that-ace-idiot @the-girl-who-simps-too-much

Your Sherlock Life asks are still open!

[feigeroman]

The Vicarstown Car Ferry

Above: This is not the Vicarstown car ferry train. I just needed a screenshot of a car on a train, and this was the closest I had to hand.

Every year, the Island of Sodor receives thousands of visitors from the Mainland, and obviously, the vast majority come by rail. A significant number, however, choose to arrive by car. Nowadays, this is no trouble, as they can simply drive across the Jubilee Bridge, which carries the main A950 road over the Walney Channel.

The bridge only opened in 1977, though, and any motorists arriving before then had to rely on the NWR's services to get themselves and their cars on and off of Sodor. And thereby hangs a fascinating tale about a little-known aspect of the NWR's history.

EARLY NWR EFFORTS

Above: The Vicarstown Bridge, in an undated view (obviously post-1975, given the presence of Spencer).

It all started with the construction of the NWR's own bridge over the Channel in 1915. In those days, there was no other link between Sodor and the Mainland, and thus no other way for goods and passengers to arrive. Some of those passengers wanted to bring their own horse-drawn carriages with them, and so was born one of the earliest vehicle-and-owner trains to run on Sodor. To begin with, it was simply a case of strapping the vehicle to a special carriage truck, and coupling it up to whatever passenger train its owner was travelling in. The truck then travelled as far as the nearest station to wherever the owner was going, where it was detached and the vehicle rolled off.

Above: For a time, the NWR also offered the use of a horsebox in conjunction with a carriage truck, so that the carriage’s owner could take his own horse with him, and avoid having to search for one at the other end of his journey. This cost extra, though, so there were few takers.

THE VICARSTOWN CAR FERRY

With the boom of private motoring in the early-1920s, there came a similar explosion in demand for the carriage of road vehicles by rail. This in turn resulted in the NWR running its first dedicated car-carrying trains - albeit only on an as-and-when basis, and with cars and drivers travelling in separate trains. The NWR did not return to vehicle-and-owner trains until 1927, when it launched a regular car ferry service between Vicarstown and Barrow-in-Furness - probably the best-known of all its car-carrying trains.

This new service had been made possible by the 1925 LMS Agreement, which gave the NWR running powers into Barrow, and in turn required Vicarstown to be converted for through running. Among the changes which resulted was the conversion of the adjoining goods depot to handle parcels and mail (goods facilities moving to a new depot elsewhere), and the closure of the existing parcels platform. This platform was thus free for conversion into a loading dock for the new car ferry service.

OPERATIONS

Throughout the fifty years the car ferry service ran, the basic pattern of its operation remained much the same, with only details like the motive power, rolling stock and timings seeing much change. It is thus worth looking at a typical journey for the service, starting at Vicarstown and ending at Barrow.

Below: A vague representation of how the loading process would have looked. I've employed a bit of artistic license with this photo: while the NWR did have some enclosed double-decker car carriers, these were never used on the car ferry services.

To begin with, the consist for that particular crossing was shunted into the station - the carriage trucks going to the loading dock, and the passenger coaches to one of the through platforms. Drivers and passengers boarded their coaches, leaving their cars to be loaded by the station staff. Once loading was completed, the carriage trucks were marshalled and coupled to the coaches. All shunting was done by the train engine, who then ran round to the front and hauled the train to Barrow. On arrival, the whole train was shunted to the loading dock there, where passengers and cars were unloaded together. The stock was then taken away for servicing. Of course, it goes without saying that in the opposite direction, the whole procedure was repeated, only in reverse.

In all, ten car ferry trains ran daily (five in each direction), with provisions in the working timetable for an extra four (two in each direction) if they were needed - say, during the busier summer months. To avoid overcrowding, a maximum of 20 cars were allowed on each crossing, and motorists had to book in advance. This enabled staff to work out how many carriage trucks were required, and what types, well ahead of time. It also allowed them to work out how many passenger coaches were needed - the rule here was that there should be at least one compartment for every car carried.

In the early 1930s, the NWR began allowing larger commercial vehicles to make use of the car ferry trains, and this required a slight amendment to the 20 cars rule. This amendment counted the size of a vehicle in car lengths - if, for example, a lorry turned up which was as long as three cars, then it took up three slots on that particular crossing. Any number of vehicles could thus travel on a single train, so long as their total length did not exceed 20 car lengths.

STOCK

The car ferry trains never had a specific engine allocated to run them - generally, any engine could do the job if they happened to be at Vicarstown or Barrow at the right time. As the NWR’s locomotive roster expanded, the car ferry became the exclusive preserve of the engines based at either of those sheds - the job generally being allocated to any engine who wasn't busy anywhere else that day.

The car ferry was also a neat way of getting an engine from one station to the other, without having to find an extra path for a light engine movement. For similar reasons, it was not uncommon for visiting LMS (later BR) engines to take charge of a Barrow-bound car ferry on their way home.

Below: An example of a long-wheelbase covered carriage truck. Many were later converted for parcels, newspapers or general goods traffic. This particular example went into departmental service, and in this view is carrying engine parts.

As far as rolling stock was concerned, this mainly consisted of both open and covered carriage trucks (henceforth referred to as OCTs and CCTs respectively). When the service first started, cars were carried on short-wheelbase OCTs, but these proved unpopular with motorists, as the cars often had their paintwork spoiled by smoke and soot spewing from passing engines - and sometimes from the engine pulling the train! The NWR tried to remedy this by offering the use of protective tarpaulins, but eventually they decided it would be more prudent to switch to CCTs instead.

Single cars were carried in short-wheelbase vans, similar in design to the GWR’s Mogo vans.

For pairs of cars, longer wheelbase CCTs could be used.

For trios or quartets, bogie CCTs were employed.

When larger commercial vehicles began to be carried, bogie OCTs were used - converted from the underframes of the fabled Dublin Stock.

Because of the aforementioned one compartment for every vehicle rule, the passenger coaches were at first quite a motley collection, with the numbers being made up by any old stock just lying around. It was only from the 1930s onwards that more consistent rakes of coaches began to be used - starting with Ironclad-pattern stock, moving on to Maunsell-pattern just after the War, and finishing up with Bulleid-pattern in the BR era.

MOTORAIL

Above: A display of Scottish country dancing at...I think it's Kensington Olympia? No, I don't know why either.

In the 1960s, British Rail officially launched its Motorail service, offering fast travel for passengers and their cars to all parts of the country. To serve Sodor, one of the new services ran twice daily between Kensington Olympia and Vicarstown, and the latter’s existing loading dock was upgraded into a terminal. Two of the car ferry's ten daily crossings clashed with the proposed timings of the new Motorail services, and so were slashed from the timetable. Other than that, the car ferry was able to carry on as normal.

By then, the rolling stock used for the car ferry was beginning to show its age, and a programme of gradual replacement was implemented from about 1966 onwards:

For cars, General Utility Vans replaced the old bogie CCTs, which were retained for parcels traffic.

For commercial vehicles, Carflats replaced the OCTs, which were either scrapped or placed into departmental service.

Finally, for passengers, some of the NWR’s own allocation of BR Mk1s replaced the Bulleid-pattern stock.

The car ferry trains continued unabated into the 1970s, but it was clear they were running on borrowed time - for the first time, demand was beginning to outstrip capacity, and there was no room in the timetable to run extra trains. Then, exactly fifty years after the car ferries had first began, came a blow from which they were never to recover.

THE JUBILEE BRIDGE

That year saw the opening of the Walney Road Bridge, to mark the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Needless to say, this snuffed out the NWR's car ferry monopoly in an instant. Nobody was more incensed at this development than Sir Topham Hatt, and he saw to it that the NWR was substantially compensated for the extinguishment of their ferry rights.

Above: The Jubilee Bridge. Visitors to Barrow (and native Barrovians, too) may think that this is the only bridge here. This is an illusion!

All was not totally lost, however, for 1977 also saw the extension of BR's existing London-Vicarstown Motorail service to a brand new terminal at Killdane - a more convenient base for the visiting motorist to explore Sodor. Such was the success of this new service that further others were introduced, linking Sodor with other provincial centres. Some of these services employed the stock which had previously worked the car ferry trains.

MODERN DAY MOTORAIL

The expansion of Sodor's Motorail services came during a period of gradual decline for the brand across the rest of BR. The expansion of Britain's motorways, the improvement of car technology, and the chaos of privatisation all ultimately conspired to kill off Motorail by the early-1990s.

Above: First Great Western briefly revived the Motorail concept in the early-2000s, using a fleet of converted GUVs.

Despite this, Motorail on Sodor has continued to flourish into the present day. Not only are its existing terminals at Vicarstown and Killdane still in operation, but there is now a third terminal at Tidmouth. These form the basis for the NWR's current Motorail services, which all serve to help solve a very basic problem.

The thing is, many visitors to Sodor now arrive in their own cars, but the island's road transport infrastructure isn't really suited to the needs of the long-distance motorist. Fortunately, the NWR has them covered. Special car-carrying trains now run regularly between the Motorail terminals at Vicarstown, Killdane and Tidmouth. While you still have to book in advance, it's a small price to pay for having the convenience of a car at your disposal, without the insanity that comes from having to drive it all the way across Sodor.

Of course, while the NWR's Motorail trains are available to all motorists (local and foreign) the majority of their customers are Mainlanders - the typical Sudrian would just as soon leave his car at home altogether!

[the-jewel-catalogue]

Seven Jewels Symbolising Seven Decades Of Queen Elizabeth II’s Reign 2/7

To mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, her Platinum Jubilee, Pragnell has created seven one-of-a-kind-jewels, each designed to symbolise a different decade of our Queen’s rule.

Jewels created for British Royal Celebrations 2/?

Royal Worcester China Bridges Snow-Set Diamonds The traditional gift to mark a 20th anniversary is china. It is a material that is hardly associated with luxury jewellery, but the Pragnell workshop rose to the challenge to mark two decades of Her Majesty the Queen’s reign.

A bridge of rich royal blue china connects the two sides of this snow-set diamond ring. The china, which has been channel-set as if it were a gemstone, was once the handle of a fine china teacup made by Royal Worcester, the British porcelain maker that has held a royal warrant since the 1700s. The band of the ring has been handcrafted in 18ct yellow gold.

[guerrerense]

Through the Tree's por Chris Ainscough Por Flickr: Ex-LMS Jubilee, 45690 'Leander' heads a service toward Newby Bridge on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite railway 23/03/2024