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- Alex Ramsay on Power Station
- markswill on Power Station
- James Attlee on Cherished Memories: Somethin’ Else in Chippenham
- markswill on Cherished Memories: Somethin’ Else in Chippenham
- James Attlee on A Liquid Breakfast, Up Against the Wall
- markswill on A Liquid Breakfast, Up Against the Wall
- A Liquid Breakfast, Up Against the Wall | Writer on the Train on Encounter with a Master
- James Attlee on Train Songs No. 7: ‘This Train’ by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
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Author Archives: James Attlee
Power Station
For those who pass them every day, certain points on the line gain an importance that outweighs their function as signposts of distance or time. I had not been travelling long before I fell under the spell of the power … Continue reading
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Cherished Memories: Somethin’ Else in Chippenham
In 1945 one war ended but another very different one was about to begin. A generation of young men had been consigned to graves far from home; those that survived, along with their partners who had endured air raids and … Continue reading
A Liquid Breakfast, Up Against the Wall
Some of the best train stories are to be found when speaking with commuters who have travelled the line for the longest time. How could it be otherwise? As guitarist Johnny Marr reminded us in a recent interview on 6 … Continue reading
Henry West and the Reading Tornado
Just six days before Reading station was due to open in March 1840 a freak tornado hit the town. Henry West, a 24 year old unmarried carpenter from Wilton in Wiltshire, was working on the station roof at the time, … Continue reading
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Great Western Histories: A Call for the Embalming of the Virtuous Dead
There is, at Slough Station, one of the most moving memorials to a railway worker to be found anywhere. Uniquely his stuffed body is preserved in a glass case, right there on platform 5, for all to see. The worker in question … Continue reading
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A New Platform for Writer on the Train
It’s a new year and Writer on the Train is leaving the station, headed in a different direction. The blog will continue but I have begun working, together with developers Agant and Fabrizio Nevola from the Department of Architecture and … Continue reading
Posted in Apps, Writing
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Train Songs No. 7: ‘This Train’ by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
*I am re-posting this episode of Train Songs as the three clips didn’t open in some recipients’ emails. This time I have included alternative links that will work on a smart-phone. * In previous posts we have seen songwriters use trains to represent … Continue reading
Posted in Music, Train Songs, trains
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Great Western Histories: Between a Towpath and a Tunnel
The ancient city of Bath Spa was a particularly difficult conquest for Brunel, as he attempted to unfurl his railway between Bristol and London. While the merchants and ship-owners of Bristol were desperate to be connected to the metropolis, Bath … Continue reading
Posted in Great Western Histories, Train Drivers, trains
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Train Songs No. 6: Guttersnipe
Guttersnipe kicks off with a simple acoustic guitar figure, before Bhi Bhiman’s extraordinary voice soars in: I jumped the first train I saw, it’ll surely take me home If I had a mama, at least I’d have a place to … Continue reading