Tag Archives: Railways

Disaster Narrowly Averted

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Roger Pocock

Windows into Japan 5. In an earlier article in this series we looked at how the arrival of Commodore Perry and his fleet of ships in 1853 brought an enforced end to Japanese isolationism.  From that point onwards, modernisation was … Continue reading →

Posted in 19th Century, Books, History, Japan, Travel | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Danger! Lady on Board!

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Roger Pocock

Snippets 158. In John Bull and His Island (1883), Frenchman Max O’Rell describes the experience of travelling in England at the time.  He is largely complimentary about the railway system, commenting on the lack of bureaucracy in comparison with France, … Continue reading →

Posted in 19th Century, Books, Britain, England, History, Humor, Humour, Snippets, Travel | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

A Railway Celebration

Posted on April 29, 2018 by Roger Pocock

In 1864 Midhurst’s first railway station opened, to service the line to Petersfield.  Two years later a second station was opened, to service the line to Pulborough.  It took nearly 20 years for a line to open linking Midhurst to … Continue reading →

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Versailles Train Crash

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Roger Pocock

Snippets 116.  Exactly 175 years ago today a tragic rail accident occurred between Versailles and Paris, on 8th May 1842. A locomotive broke an axle and derailed, causing the carriages behind to crash into it and catch fire. Astonishingly, it … Continue reading →

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Shrieking Engines

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Roger Pocock

Pick of Punch 11. This area of the blog offers a selection of interesting quotes from Punch magazine. The following is from 10th March 1866, and is an excerpt from a report on the week in Parliament, concerning the dangers … Continue reading →

Posted in 19th Century, Britain, Crime, History, Magazines, Pick of Punch, Politics, Punch, Punch Magazine, Travel | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Rollercoaster Train in Spain (Snippets 36)

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Roger Pocock

Charles Marriott (1869-1957) was a writer of fiction who became an art critic for the Times.  In 1908 he wrote A Spanish Holiday, a travel journal detailing his experiences travelling with a friend around Spain.  In the following quote, he … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th Century, Books, History, Snippets, Spain, Travel | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Journals 6.1 – Excursion to Scotland, 1832 (Part 1)

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Roger Pocock

The website archive.org brings together collections of scanned books from universities, etc. It is a fantastic resource, and includes some unpublished manuscripts. One such manuscript, from the University of Toronto, is titled Excursion to Scotland, 1832. The author is unknown. … Continue reading →

Posted in 19th Century, Britain, History, Journals, Travel, Unpublished Manuscripts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Journals 4.3 – Men and Manners by Grant Thorburn (Part 3)

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Roger Pocock

This is the third part of my article on Grant Thorburn’s journal.  For the first and second parts please see the earlier entries from 1st July and 5th July 2015. Next on the agenda for Thorburn was an investigation into … Continue reading →

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