#Railnatter

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Episodes

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#Railnatter

Join railway engineer and writer Gareth Dennis plus a wide range of guests on his semi-topical weekly talk show about all things rail... This podcast is uploaded after the live (or live-ish) show has finished on YouTube at 7pm (UK time) on Wednesdays.

Episodes

#RailNatter Episode 12: Beeching (with Dr David Turner)

Well, it has finally happened. We are talking about Beeching. In Episode 12 of #RailNatter , we are unpicking the mythos of Beeching, helped by the historical handiwork of Dr David Turner, who is back for his second appearance (which I think makes him a "friend of the show"). Was Beeching the harbinger of railway destruction? Should we reverse Beeching? What does that actually mean? Was Beeching good or bad? Was there more going on? What would the railways look like today if Beeching hadn't happ...

Jun 03, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 11: Getting trains from A to B without crashing into stuff or each other

You've all been asking me for it, so here it is: the (first) signalling episode! Melanie Osborne is joining us for Episode 11 of #RailNatter , and she's going to be telling us all how to get trains from A to B without bumping into things. Why are train traffic lights upside down? What is semaphore? Who is Balise? All questions we may or may not answer in varying degrees of detail - in all seriousness, we're all going to be learning a lot in this one! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #...

May 27, 2020•2 hr 36 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 10: Weather versus railways

This week's #RailNatter is like a Harry Hill fight between British small talk topics... In Episode 10 (we've reached double figures!), meteorologist and thinly-veiled bahnnerd Alex Priestley will be talking about how weather is a constant challenge to railways, and how climate change is making it worse. We'll sail through a few of the big hitters (Dawlish as a biggie) and might also mention a few tales you might not have heard of. Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at patreo...

May 20, 2020•2 hr 36 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 9: An official and objective ranking of London rail terminals

I'm pleased to say we've been joined by the brilliant Jonn Elledge (@JonnElledge on twitter) for this week's #RailNatter ! In Episode 9, Jonn is going to guide us through his Official and Objective Ranking of London Terminals™ - who knows what other tidbits we'll stumble upon? Jonn's original piece in CityMetric is here: https://www.citymetric.com/transport/... Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via paypal.me/garethdenn...

May 15, 2020•2 hr 36 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 8: The Forth Bridge

It's time to slow things down a bit for Episode 8... This week's #RailNatter is going to be a leisurely stroll through the story of the Forth Bridge, warts and all (who am I kidding, there are no warts, this thing is the greatest structure humankind has ever created). Without 200 slides to hammer through this one will be much more of a natter, so do check in live to get involved and share your stories! My Medium piece on the Forth Bridge is here: https://medium.com/@garethdennis/the-... Enjoyed ...

May 06, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 7: The Architecture the Railways Built (with Tim Dunn)

We're onto Episode 7 of #RailNatter , and I'm very pleased to say that Britain's most effervescent ferroequinologist Tim Dunn is joining us to talk about his new TV show: The Architecture the Railways Built... #RailwayArchitecture started this week on UKTV Yesterday, and you can see it at 20:00 (UK time) on Tuesday evenings! What is the show about? Where will Tim end up? What's in store for us over the coming weeks? Tune in to find out and ask us your questions... More info about Tim's show here...

Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 28 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 6: What if APT had made it?

It's Episode 6 of #RailNatter , and this time we're doing a bit of alternate history... On the APT! What might Britain's railways have looked like if the Advanced Passenger Train project had succeeded? What small changes might have resulted in that happening? Would there have been any downsides? What would the trains be doing now? We'll dig into all of this, and more! Link to the Hornby/Hitachi NHS competition: https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/nhs-comp Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Ra...

Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 5: Beer! (with Dr David Turner)

Here is this week's #RailNatter ... In Episode 5 we are talking about BEER and everything Dr David Turner and I can think of that connects this fine drink with the railways! We cover the complex relationship between supply chains and railways, hint at why Beeching wasn't the baddie everyone says he is (oooooh), talk about Burton quite a lot, and imbibe a few ales in the process! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via pa...

Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 4: Hydrogen trains (with Mike Muldoon)

Here is this week's #RailNatter ... In Episode 4 we are talking about all things hydrogen with (I'm pleased to say) Alstom's Mike Muldoon! Are hydrogen trains a good idea? What is the hydrogen economy? Are battery trains better? All is answered here! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting me at patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via paypal.me/garethdennis.

Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 3: Rail over the Pennines

Here is this week's #RailNatter ... In Episode 3 we are talking about "Rail over the Pennines" and all that entails (amongst other things)! How many lines crossed the Pennine watershed in the past, and how many do now? How many lines are electrified? How does trans-Pennine railway history compare with the Scottish Central Belt? We cover it all here! Link to the episode of Well There's Your Problem that I guested on: https://youtu.be/38-MKEap0AQ Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNa...

Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 2: Are Class 158s good?

It's time for Episode 2 of #RailNatter , and this time we're talking about the Class 158 Express Sprinters... and the history of Sprinter trains/British Rail Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) more generally! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via paypal.me/garethdennis. Join in the discussion at garethdennis.co.uk/discord....

Mar 25, 2020•59 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 1: Britain‘s Rail Pinch Points

This week we're looking at the list of rail pinch points that I (mostly) came up with and featured in Channel 4's Dispatches on Monday! Head to the map of pinch points here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Emq... Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via paypal.me/garethdennis. Join in the discussion at garethdennis.co.uk/discord....

Mar 18, 2020•59 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast

#RailNatter Episode 0: High Speed 2 Q&A

As a trial run for the proper #RailNatter series, I did a live Periscope Q&A on High Speed 2 and answered as many questions as I could in an hour... Now it's here for you to re-watch! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via paypal.me/garethdennis. Join in the discussion at garethdennis.co.uk/discord....

Mar 11, 2020•58 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast