Burnley’s Smart New Station
Burnley has a smart new station at Manchester Road, which should be opened later in the year.
As Burnley are now in the Premier League, wouldn’t it be a good idea for a shuttle bus to Turf Moor on match days.
I wonder when and where the last station was built in the UK in quality stone.
This new station will be linked to Manchester Victoria by an hourly service, when a new curve is completed at Todmorden. There is more here on the Network Rail site. This is the key paragraph.
The new rail service between (Manchester) Todmorden and Blackburn will be supported by a partnership that includes Lancashire County Council and Burnley Borough Council. Initial plans are for an hourly service operating 7 days a week.
So hopefully two smart stations will be connected by a good service.
I do wonder whether in time, the Caldervale line from Blackpool and Preston to Leeds and the Manchester to Burnley lines will get electrified.
Leon Now Does Kedgeree
I had to leave early to get to the Burnley match for the 12:15 start. So I had this breakfast of mackerel kedgeree in Leon at Kings Cross station.
Leon Now Does Kedgeree
Very nice it was too!
I always think that kedgeree should be cooked more often!
You might wonder what this has to do with my trip to Gdansk!
I will be flying out of Liverpool Airport to Gdansk after seeing Ipswich at Burnley.
My Short Term Memory
Over the last four years since my stroke and the move to London, I’ve often thought that my short term memory is going.
Sometimes, I’ll go out and leave the windows open for example.
But this morning, I realised this has been happening since C became very ill on her final journey.
In other words, do we for short term purposes rely partly on our partner’s memory.
At least it doesn’t seem to be getting any worse!
Interaction Between Warfarin And Terbinafine
A few weeks ago I was prescribed a course of oral Terbinafine to clear up a fungal infection. It seemed to work well, except that there is still some of the tinea in my toe-nails.
But over the time, I was taking the drug, I have felt that my INR was constantly wanting to slip downwards towards and below two.
Luckily I test my INR daily, and use a simple control algorithm to calculate my Warfarin dose. Normally, it is 4 mg, but if it goes below 2.3, I increase it to 5 mg, and if it goes above 2.8, I reduce it to 3 mg. So the algorithm got me taking a lot of 5 mg doses as opposed to the usual4 mg.
Only since I finished the course of Terbinafine has the INR stabilised around 2.5, which is my target value.
I didn’t at first see any link until everything settled after the course finished. But I decided today to type “Warfarin Terbinafine interaction” into Google. I found this paper from the BMJ entitled Drug points: Serious interaction between warfarin and oral terbinafine.
I think this minor incident shows the value of regular INR testing! Because I was testing daily, as the INR started to drop, my algorithm told me to increase the dose to 5 mg. In fact my average dose has gone up from 4 to 4.5 mg. in the period that I was taking the Terbinafine.
So there was no harm done at all!
Porridge For Those On An Extreme Diet
I bought this pot of Nairn’s porridge in Waitrose at Canary Wharf
Porridge For Those On An Extreme Diet
Is it for those on extreme diets or is it a taste of what the English will get out of Scottish independence?
My Itinerary For Gdansk
I’m putting my itinerary here, so I can get it at any time.
26/27 April – Gdansk
Arriving in Gdansk on Wizzair 1612 at 23:35.
Restaurants
28/29 – Warsaw
Trains to Warsaw from Gdansk
06:52 – 11:24
08:52 – 14:39
10:52 – 16:39
13:43 – 18:45
Restaurants
30 – Berlin
Trains to Berlin from Warsaw
09:55 – 15:16
Restaurants
1 – Cologne, Brussels, Amsterdam or The Hague
Essential Supplies For My Trip To Gdansk
Getting snacks en route in Germany is difficult, as everything is generally bread based. So I’m taking plenty of essential supplies.
Essential Supplies For My Trip To Gdansk
I’ve already booked the hotels and those in Gdansk, Warsaw and Berlin, should be OK for my gluten-free diet.
So the two EatNakd bars a day should suffice, if I can’t find anywhere for lunch.
An Interesting Snippet
In talking about rolling stock in the latest edition of Modern Railways this is said.
Observers have recently seen an increasing focus on diesel-operated branches in otherwise electrified networks where small add-on projects could release much needed capacity for use elsewhere during the period of acute shortages (of diesel multiple units) from 2015.
I recently read in an article on the Rail Engineer website, that extending electrification off a fully-electrified main line, is an easier and more affordable project, as some of the expensive pieces of hardware like electrical connections and transformers, are already installed.
So if this became policy, what lines should be electrified?
Here’s a few that will or could be!
The Marshlink Line between Hastings and Ashford is an oddity in that it is lone diesel-operated line in the south east corner of England. Proposals are being worked on to electrify this line, so that Class 395 trains can run through to Hastings, Bexhill and Eastbourne. Currently, Brighton to Ashford is worked by ten Class 171 trains and some or all of these could be released, if electric trains could run all the way from Brighton to Ashford.
The Marston Vale Line is also scheduled to be electrified as part of the Electric Spine.
The Felixstowe Branch Line needs electrification for freight, but being able to piggy-back to the Great Eastern Main Line may make electrification worthwhile.
The Manchester to Southport Line is one that is being looked for possible electrification according to Wikipedia. They say this!
Additionally Network Rail has identified electrification of Wigan to Southport, together with Ormskirk to Preston Line and the Burscough Curves as a possible source of new services.
In fact the whole of this area of Lancashire northwards from Liverpool, Warrington and Manchester to Wigan, Preston and Blackpool could end up being electrified as extensions to the Northern Hub. Most of the branch lines already have an electric connection at one or both ends.
I wouldn’t bet against the electrification of Preston to Leeds, as a lot of money is being spent on stations on the line, so how about some nice refurbished electric trains for the route.
How Will Crossrail And The Central Line Link At Stratford?
I took this picture as I passed through Stratford station this morning.
Interchange To The Central Line At Stratford
I had intended to take pictures of the work at Pudding Mill Lane station, but the train windows were so dirty, I didn’t see anything worthwhile.
But it got me thinking as to how Crossrail and the Central Line will link at Stratford.
Will for instance, the two lines share an island platform for each direction, as they do now?
I think, that on the record of London’s interchanges of the past few years, the planners will come up with a good plan that works well.
Rats And Sinking Ships Come To Mind
This story on the BBC today, that the Labour party is cutting its links with the Co-op Bank made me think of the headline of this post.
On the other hand, perhaps the owners of the other 70% of the bank, that the Co-operative Group doesn’t own, aren’t those who wear red underwear?
On the other hsand moving to a bank controlled by the Trade Unions, might not bode well for those who want the Labour party to think pragmatically and outside the box.
The Anonymous Widower 