Richard Griffin
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squarewheels.org.uk
Richard Griffin
@squarewheels.org.uk
180 followers 37 following 120 posts
Husband, train driver/instructor, novice baker, cyclist, musician, geek, parkrunner.

www.squarewheels.org.uk
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squarewheels.org.uk
Or you could be blowing them all off a pavement into a cycle-lane, completely obscuring and blocking it...
A man wearing a hi-viz jacket is using a petrol-driven leaf-blower to blow leaves off a wide pavement onto a marked cycle-lane which is about to become completely obscured by the leaves he's blowing. This is on the Uxbridge ring road.
November 16, 2025 at 12:55 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Yes, an astonishing transformation, and I quite see why it was done; still a pity that it's all gone.
November 12, 2025 at 4:40 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
@stuartackland.bsky.social A bit random, but does this 1998 recording bring back memories?
November 7, 2025 at 3:18 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Jessie's Seat, aka The Chilworth Chicken, has been accidentally destroyed: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A topiary chicken beside the Down line of the Redhill to Guildford Line, approaching Chilworth. A memorial to Guard Henry Wicks who was killed there in 1892.

youtu.be/bxVu99xCP5Q?...
Frame-grab from video footage I filmed from the cab of the Hastings DEMU on 5 April 2025, showing the dark green topiary to the left of a double-track railway. The sky is deep blue.
September 30, 2025 at 3:49 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
In October 2018 the People's Vote march attracted *several times* the number of protesters to the thugs' march which happened yesterday.

Particularly noticeable the total, utter absence of violence or any vestige of unsafety.

The only police we saw all day were these 4 seeking to reopen Park Lane.
A crowd of calm protesters, many with EU flags and anti-Brexit placards, is congregated in Park Lane southbound, filling the carriageway completely and for as far down the road as it is possible to see. The edge of a crowd of calm protesters, many with EU flags or anti-Brexit placards, is being corralled across Park Lane so that it occupies only the southbound side on approach to Hyde Park Corner. 3 police motorcycles and a police car are visible on the northbound side, with a wave of motor traffic awaiting release behind them.
September 14, 2025 at 11:54 AM
squarewheels.org.uk
While my train was at Chesham this morning, I took a little walk along the public footpath that runs beside (and then crosses over) the branch line.

I walked far enough to see signal A1000, which usually displays Yellow to trains — but as my train was occupying the single line there, it shows Red.
Single-track 4th-rail-electrified railway track seen weaving beneath a lattice skew footbridge and disappearing up a hill and round a corner. The foreground illustrates that the photo was taken from the footpath which is carried over the bridge.
August 23, 2025 at 8:35 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Mmm, Glenfield Tunnel! I drove all the way to Leicester in 2017 on purpose to visit it. :) I love the facility of having old maps at our disposal.
A group of members of the public, wearing borrowed hi-viz jackets of various colours, congregates in a narrow disused railway tunnel beneath a ventilation shaft. A concrete 'colliery arch' supports the tunnel in the vicinity of the shaft. A man with a yellow hard hat is in the foreground operating a camera on a tripod. A narrow disused railway tunnel disappears straight off into the darkness, its course made slightly more visible by the relatively frequent concrete colliery arches which show up in the photographer's light-painted time-exposure. The somewhat wonky and verdigris-stained brick portal of a single-bore disused railway tunnel is seen from quite high up the cutting-slope to one side, giving a view across the surprisingly tidy cutting floor and portal. Dappled evening sunshine plays along the cutting floor and the gated brick portal of a disused railway tunnel.
August 18, 2025 at 7:36 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Phew! That was an awful lot of work, but I have finally dug through ALL outstanding email, to become INBOX ZERO for the first time this year.
Mac "Terminal" output, evidently from a script I wrote, which says, * Score is 0.0 message-megaseconds. * Average age of emails is 0 days.
July 24, 2025 at 11:06 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
I see the RAIB is investigating a recent derailment at Denbigh Hall South Junction, between Bletchley and Milton Keynes.

It occurred at a Switch Diamond Crossing. The selfsame set of points may be seen in the attached framegrab from my cab video footage (from April’s HDL East West DEMU).
View of railway track from train cab. Blue sky and overhead line electrification, and vandal-painted lineside equipment hut. 6 visible tracks, converging into 4, with a switch diamond crossing in the foreground.
July 10, 2025 at 12:04 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
This is signal TVC 682 at Latchmere Junction. Route "G" is shown on the indicator, which seems to be a route which takes you to Longhedge via the 'wrong road'.

Is there a list of routes and indications for this and similar signals?
Signal TVC 682 displaying a single yellow aspect, and carrying a 25/40 mph permanent speed restriction. A pair of tracks stretches into the distance, and a modern block of flats sits at the foot of the railway embankment to the left-hand side.
June 27, 2025 at 3:39 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Doozy of a thunderstorm just starting, as seen from Neasden railway depot
Red white and blue tube trains in the railway depot, with Yellow walkways across the tracks in the foreground, and dark blue almost black sky above
May 12, 2025 at 4:03 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
I don't believe it can be. I think it'll be very close to where the photographer in your post was situated, where no.12 facing crossover is, beyond which further points lead into SMD Departure & Holding Roads. The junction even has a Trackernet code, I see, SDJ.
ROUTEING OF TRAINS Signal Operators may vary the routeing and platform working of trains in the best interests of the service. Eastbound trains shown within this timetable as running 'via WB Line' will do so between Stratford Market Junction and Stratford.
May 7, 2025 at 11:30 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
View of track by Egham substation. Bus-bars connecting the traction current return path to the substation (just out of shot to top).

Ordinarily these would be impedance bonds, but here they just seem to be direct connections. How does this not shunt the track circuit too (or maybe it does)?
View of railway tracks between a pair of station platforms. Taken to illustrate the fat cables leading to the substation, connected to metal bus-bars in the 'four-foot' of the track, to which several smaller cables connect each running rail. This is all about providing the return path for traction current.
May 4, 2025 at 1:37 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
A newspaper cutting from the Staines & Ashford News, 13 August 1992.

But what I want to know is, was the rumoured interaction (not mentioned in the article) true, or (sadly) was it apocryphal?

Police: "Who do you think you are, Nigel Mansell?!"
Senna: "No. Ayrton Senna."

@joesaward.bsky.social
Newspaper cutting from August 1992, headline "Race ace Senna given driving ban", with subheading "Brazilian champ clocked at 121mph on M25". Article "By Court Reporter". Text of article reads as follows. World motor racing champion Ayrton Senna was disqualified from driving for 28 days by Staines magistrates last week. The 31-year-old Brazilian was not in court. But he pleaded guilty to speeding on the M25 through his counsel, Russell Davidson. Peter Zinner, prosecuting, told the court that on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 24, an unmarked police car equipped with a video speed-checking device saw a Porsche travelling at high speed on the M25 from the direction of Chertsey towards Staines. "The police officers checked the speed of the Porsche by means of the video until Junction 13 at Staines and speeds of up to 121mph were recorded," said Mr Zinner. "Mr Senna's vehicle was stopped and he was told that he would be reported for speeding. He made no coment [sic] and produced a Monaco driving licence." Mr Davidson told the court that Senna, the Formula one world champion, had only just hired the Porsche and was hurrying to a meeting. "He is an important figure in the motor racing world with a large number of appointments to keep," said Mr Davidson. "On the day in question he was on his way to keep one of these appointments and was unfortunately a little late. "He accepts, however, that this was no excuse for speeding and he wishes through me to apologise to both the police and to the court." Mr Davidson said while he accepted that the policy of courts was to consider disqualification for speeds over 100mph, he appealed to the court not to disqualify Senna. In addition to the 28-day disqualification Senna was fined £250, with £30 costs.
May 1, 2025 at 8:03 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Oops. I will never forget, but I did manage to get almost to 3pm before remembering what happened 31 years ago today. #MayDay #Senna www.squarewheels.org.uk/f1/imola/
Scan of the heading from Ayrton Senna's obituary in The Times newspaper on 2 May 1994: "Ayrton Senna da Silva, Formula One racing driver and three times world champion, died yesterday after a crash in the San Marino Grand Prix aged 34. He was born in Brazil on March 21, 1960.
May 1, 2025 at 2:03 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Ah, superb stuff! I visited this area 21 years ago during Open House weekend:
Curving tunnel near lift-landing of tube station, white with cream tiling with green bands. Not in passenger use, poorly lit, metal trunking strewn on the floor. A tiled sign says "To the staircase" with old-fashioned-looking arrows pointing the way. Tunnel near lift-landing of tube station, white with cream tiling with green bands. Not in passenger use, poorly lit, metal trunking along ceiling and scaffolding parts and storage bins lined up along one wall. Tunnel near lift-landing of tube station, white with cream tiling with green bands. Not in passenger use, poorly lit, metal trunking along ceiling and scaffolding parts and assorted clutter lined up along one wall. Tunnel beside lift-landing of tube station, white with cream tiling with green bands. Not in passenger use, poorly lit, metal trunking along ceiling and scaffolding parts and assorted clutter lined up along one wall.
April 30, 2025 at 12:17 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Somebody did it more obviously still…!
Screenshot from FlightRadar24
March 22, 2025 at 1:37 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Only, their party is currently being slightly spoiled by this BAW A380, making the 17-minute flight from Gatwick to Heathrow. Heck of a way to beat the M23/M25 rush-hour!
Screenshot of FlightRadar24 showing G-XLEJ's flight
March 21, 2025 at 5:59 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
I’m amused at how many private aircraft are taking advantage of the current closure of Heathrow airport to come fly over it in daylight hours — like this person I heard overflying a few mins ago, making a long afternoon’s flight from the Isle of Man just for the novelty value.
Screenshot from FlightRadar.com, showing the track of G-BBZH flying south-south-east to overfly the vicinity of Heathrow airport.
March 21, 2025 at 5:34 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
The #EastWestDEMU will also come (presumably *tearing*!) through here next month — Verney Junction, the furthest outpost of the Metropolitan Railway. Seen by me & my camera 20 summers ago.
Overgrown disused railway tracks, with the edges of an overgrown platform just visible. An electricity pylon is partly visible in this countryside setting. An overgrown disused railway track amid countryside and quietness. A disused railway track disappears straight ahead into the middle-distance, gently rusting amid lush vegetation. A telephoto view at rail level, illustrating a disused single railway-track comprising bullhead rail on wooden sleepers, but set in relatively new-looking and copious ballast. The line of the railhead is visibly wiggly.
March 11, 2025 at 8:29 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Struggling to stay on top of email at present...
Screenshot from a Mac Terminal command output which gives me the status of my email backlog: "...Email 82 is 0 days old * Score is 100 message-megaseconds. * Average age of emails is 14 days."
March 3, 2025 at 7:42 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Still rather snowed under. Somehow got to work diligently to get on top of all of this lot.
Screen-capture of Mac Terminal output: "Email 54 is 0 days old * Score is 45 message-megaseconds. * Average age of emails is 9 days."
February 9, 2025 at 3:16 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Are cyclists in this location supposed…

…to walk more slowly beside their bikes?

Or does something inside a red circle no longer denote a prohibition?
A painted wooden signpost beside a tarmac road in a park. The sign has a logo of a bicycle, in a red circle, and beneath it the words “CYCLISTS SLOW DOWN”.
February 1, 2025 at 4:42 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
A frame-grab from my cab-camera in the @hastingsdiesels.co.uk north-end cab during layover at Eastleigh East Yard yesterday at 13:30.

Freightliner 4O90, 30 container-wagons hauled by 70007 taking power after pausing at the home signal. www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-n...
A dark-green diesel loco with yellow cabs shoots skyward a V of brown exhaust as it sets off towards the camera on an adjacent track; the train of container freight which it is hauling stretches far into the distance.
January 19, 2025 at 5:37 PM
squarewheels.org.uk
Map-lovers, this is awesome!

The first edition (1974) of the OS Landranger maps for all of England & Wales went out of Copyright last night, and are available & georeferenced on the Sabre Maps website.

www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.p...
1974 Landranger mapping showing parts of Heathrow airport, Staines Moor, West Drayton and Slough, with the Datchet Reservoir under construction (became Queen Mother resr) and an uncanny absence of M25.
January 1, 2025 at 12:30 PM