Simon 🌈

@trainmad25

35, Kent. Part of the Railway Family. My pronouns are He/Him. My flags are 🇬🇧🇫🇷🏳️‍🌈

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Simon 🌈@trainmad25· 1d

I’ll do a proper upload tomorrow, but here’s a taster…

A steam locomotive, a Deltic in the green library and a North of London Eurostar all grouped together

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· 1d

A rather nerdy day out! (If you know, you know)

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· 3d

As you do!

Severe Alert issued by the UK government.

There is a very high risk of wildfires nationally. Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, fire pits, garden incinerators or fireworks. Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· 22d

If you see this, quote a pic of yourself in sunglasses 🕶️

Gentleman in sunglasses and a blue and white striped Sheffield Wednesday football top

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· 22d

Well, I would, but…

A screenshot showing that quote posts are disabled

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· 22d

If you see this, quote a pic of yourself in sunglasses...

A man in a black & white stripey polo shirt with a white collar, open to reveal chest hair, poses coquettishly with a pair of heart sunglasses

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Jul 17

The north/south divide illustrated at London Kings Cross today. See also: the two genders in bakery stores!

A photo taken on the mezzanine level of London Kings Cross station. The retail outlet closest to the camera is a Gail’s bakery. Next door is a Greggs

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Jun 24

Service updates too! Very nifty…

The interior display of a Javelin showing that the next station is Gravesend. Underneath, a scrolling message indicates disruption for services via Kidbrooke, which is relevant to passengers connecting via Gravesend.

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Jun 24

Niche post alert! The PIS screens on Javelin 395018 have been updated to say ‘London St Pancras Intl’ instead of just plain ‘St Pancras Intl’ The automated announcements still just say “St Pancras International” as always

The exterior display of a Javelin coach reading “London St Pancras”. It is a sunny day and the sky above the train is a tropical blue

The interior display of a Javelin train. It shows the destination as ‘London St Pancras Intl’. Below is a diagram of the train with a heat map to show how busy each carriage is. Green is lightly loaded, increasing through yellow and orange to red which means full and standing.

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Jun 10

I did that trip in 2019, and then onwards to Sitges. Hope your journey goes smoothly

An information display on the side of a French TGV in the older livery with blue and silver sides, and green flashes to denote standard class; one of which is visible around the display.

The display indicates that this photo is of carriage 16 of TGV 9715 going to Barcelona with a stop at Nîmes.

The interior of a TGV. A blue seat with a grey headrest. There is a white paper bag with a red stripe from the French bakers ‘Brioche Dorée’. On the unfolded tray table is a pair of headphones connected to a tablet, a bottle of water, another bottle of Pepsi and a bottle of hand sanitizer.

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· May 28

It is with a heavy heart and a great deal of sadness that I inform you that my mother, Sandra, passed away on Monday 18th May after a battle with cancer. She slipped away peacefully in her sleep with my father by her side, where he had been for almost 43 years.

A lady in a red top sits in a restaurant with a chocolate dessert in front of her. On the bowl, ‘happy birthday’ is written in chocolate around the rim.

A family pose smiling in front of the golden bull on Wall Street

A woman in a blue stop is serenaded by a man in a black polo shirt while a guy in a green hoodie cringes in the corner.

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· May 15

I’m very proud to have had the privilege to have spent the last two days chairing the National Conference for LGBT+ members of the @rmtunion.bsky.social, held at the Museum of London Docklands

A table with a covering reading “RMT LGBT+ Members’ National Conference

A table with lanyards, coloured bracelets and conference delegate badges

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· May 15

They still exist north of the wall, but they’ve lost their distinctive SCREEEAAAAMMMMMMMM 💥

A Scotrail Class 43 at Glasgow Queen Street

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· May 10

An error message that starts with a pensive thinking emoji and then reads “Couldn't find a route for that guess... This could be because this station is served by extremely few services, or something's gone wrong on our end - sorry! Your guess has not been counted - please guess again”

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Apr 9

Not as warm as yesterday was. Hammock staying firmly indoors today

A pair of pasty legs with beige shorts and white socks sway in a hammock. A purple book is posed on the chest of the photographer.

Stage right is a washing line with T-shirts hanging to dry.

The garden has plants, sandstone patio and gravel

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Apr 1

Probably the best April Fool’s joke I’ll ever do! (It’s from 7 years ago, for those of you wondering why it refers to UKIP as opposed to Reform)

Well now that’s official, I can finally tell you all the good news. I’d appreciate if you all read this to the end.

But first, a little bad news. Today will be my last day with Eurostar before I move onto pastures new.

A few months ago, with all of the Brexit uncertainty swirling around, I realised that I needed to get out before UKIP disguised as Tories pulled the drawbridge up and trapped me on this little island. So, I started applying for jobs on the Mainland and I’m delighted to announce that from next week I’ll be working as a Pilote d’Aiguillage for the SNCF at the Technicentre Bretagne near Rennes.

To say that I’m nervous is an understatement but the thought of being able to hold onto my European identity by celebrating the French holidays as a local, and to completely immerse myself in the culture and the spirit of being European.

So to everyone I’ve worked with over the past 5 and a half years - thank you for the memories, and this isn’t goodbye but merely au revoir.

So, I’d better get learning those French customs and traditions. All that remains for me to say is...

Poisson d’Avril!

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 25

So this is 35… 🎂

A row of birthday cards on a white mantelpiece in front of a red wall

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

And so, SO many stalls selling a wide range of trains

A whole array of various model railway trains for sale

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

A layout based on the underground

A layout based on a London Underground station with a metal grey deep level tube train

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

A narrow-gauge layout with a little 3-car Pacer in Great Western colours

The little 3-car Pacer in GWR green with grey doors

A narrow gauge layout with mountains and rivers

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

A French layout named Venterol-Rousset

A layout depicting the French countryside with a little station and a freight yard. Above the layout is a replica station sign with the name Venterol-Rousset

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

And another named Southgate Park

A 90s era layout named Southgate Park. The platforms have red lamp posts and departure screens. Luggage trolleys are scattered around the station

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

A Network South-East era layout named Folly Lane

A 90s era layout where a train of Network SouthEast blue, white and red coaches pass a slam-door train in the same colours

A 90s era layout where a train of Network SouthEast blue, white and red coaches pass a slam-door train in the Jaffa cake colours

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

They had a layout made more or less entirely out of Lego!

A range of trains made from Lego including a class 802 Hull Trains Pioneer. In the foreground, a whole host of locos sit in rows in a shed

A little engine pulls some flatbeds over a Lego Forth Rail Bridge

Two trains pass on a Lego Forth Rail Bridge

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

On Saturday, I took a trip up to Alexandra Palace for the London Festival of Railway Modelling First time I’ve been here. Looks utterly gorgeous

The fountain in the park on the walk up to the Alexandra Palace

The path up to the Alexandra Palace, with the fountain in the foreground and hedges either side

The Alexandra Palace with cherry blossom trees

The entrance to the Palace with the London Festival of Railway Modelling banner above the door

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

This obsession with Hot Honey is going too far!

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 23

A choice was made here at Strood Morrisons

In the biscuit aisle, on shelves next to all manner of McVitie’s Digestives in different flavours such as milk chocolate and dark chocolate is a pair of avocados.

Clearly someone chose biscuits over avocados

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 15

We just left Leicester and I have a seat!!!!!!!* *a small spot on the floor in the vestibule of the first class carriage, against the wall of the loo - but it feels goooood to sit

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 15

Good news: I made the connection to St Pancras ✅ Bad news: The rear five coaches are locked out due to a shortage of staff, so we’re all crammed into the front five. This is going to be a looooong two hours… 😭

Two East Midlands Railway Meridians at Sheffield station

Simon 🌈@trainmad25· Mar 15

This Turbostar is a loooong way from home!