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The trans woman who gave us model railways | #Railnatter 293 Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

Have you heard of Lillian "Curly" Lawrence? Get comfy for a story of genius, wit, charm and tragedy - and of a transgender woman who shaped the model railway scene perhaps more than any other individual.

We'll also touch on LGBTQIA+ history more broadly, dipping into the Railway Museum's oral archives as well as looking at existing exhibits through a different lens.

Here's a link to the project: https://www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/research-and-archive/people-pride-and-progress

Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

Here's how the Spanish rail crash unfolded | #Railnatter 292 Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

On Sunday, two trains collided near Adamuz in Spain in an appalling, extremely unlikely and hugely tragic crash, which so far has claimed the lives of 40 people. Enough detail has been released that we can plot out how the two trains derailed with reasonable confidence - and that's what we'll do, using photos and video from the scene.

Rob and Jamie from Podcasting Is Praxis drop in to explore the aftermath of the crash, and how knowing what the derailment looked like doesn't really answer any of the questions over its cause. We also cover a bit of news.

Listen to Praxiscast: https://praxiscast.podbean.com/

What is the actual Northern Powerhouse Rail plan? | #Railnatter 291 Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Northern Powerhouse Rail has been announced by government, again, and this time what's being proposed is even more nebulous than last time... If we ignore Network North, that is. We dig into the details to understand what is being promised, what is new (if anything) and what we've been left since the 2020 high point in UK railway aspirations.

Read the full government release here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/northern-growth-strategy-case-for-change/northern-growth-strategy-case-for-change#northern-powerhouse-rail

The Audenshaw rail crash | #Railnatter 290 Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

On 6 September 2024, a freight train derailed over a bridge in Audenshaw in Greater Manchester. At the end of 2025, the RAIB published their report into the crash, looking in detail at the sequence of failures that let to this event. It lays out a series of mistakes and engineering limitations that force us to look more closely at the way we run our railway and train our engineers.

Download the @railaccidentinvestigationb7617 report here: https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/report-10-slash-2025-derailment-of-a-freight-train-at-audenshaw

Structural collapse, and what to do about it | #Railnatter 289 Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

We've reached the end of 2025! It's been an extremely difficult year across the board, with some points of light dotted around for nourishment, but I wanted to end with some hope. Also with a bridge collapsing on my head.

What bits of railway are being built over Christmas? | #Railnatter 288 Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

Merry Christmas! Raise a glass to all the folk out there this holiday season prodding, building and generally messing about with railways in the freezing cold.

It's a brief, last minute news filler episode really - and we'll cover a few things including West Yorkshire mass transit delays, two Slovak trains playing chicken on the same track and negging the IEA.

Why diversity and inclusion policies aren't enough | #Railnatter 287 Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

This week I'm delighted to say that we are joined by Poggy Murray Whitham joining us to talk about moving from the technical to the human side of engineering, abuse, threats, hate - and how to overcome them by thinking about psychological safety as rigorously as we think about physical safety. Last time we spoke was in "my" tent at Rail Live, so I've been looking forward to this!

Pick up Poggy's book here: https://www.poggymurraywhitham.com/

Watch the TEDx talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUKPnUUS9oA

The definitive verdict on Great British Railways’ new look - with JenOnTheMove | #Railnatter 286 Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

They did it! Or rather, they did... something! The "new" identity of Great British Railways was released yesterday to noises resembling moisture purped through polyester. Alas, it wasn't the wondrous fanfare this ailing government were expecting, but it also isn't a total disaster.

Plus it's a whoops all news episode - and who better to join than long time friend of the show, @JenOnTheMove!

The Secret To Fixing York's Traffic Problems | #Railnatter 285 Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

York is broken - traffic is knackered and the city, with its wonderful medieval core and rivers, barely reaches a fraction of its potential as a result.

It turns out there's a fix though - and it involves LEARNING FROM OTHER PLACES! Shock/horror/etc.

Melbourne’s trains - with Chris Brownbill | #Railnatter 284 Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

Chris Brownbill (https://railmaps.com.au/) has taken over! With Melbourne's Metro Tunnel - their Crossrail - opening this weekend, it is as good a time as any to get to know Melbourne's public transport that bit better...

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