Podcasts about railways

The forgotten story of the Irishman forced to work on Japan's Railway of Death which inspired the film The Bridge over the River Kwai.In 1942 Britain suffered one of its worst defeats when Singapore fell to the Japanese Army. Tens of thousands were taken prisoner including the Dubliner Don Kennedy. This began a brutal ordeal. Don was forced to help build what became known as Japan's Railway of Death through the jungles of South East Asia.In this episode Don's son Fergus tells the remarkable story of how his father became involved in constructing the notorious River Kwai railway. Fergus shares how his father endured starvation, disease and brutality in the jungles of South East Asia.Fergus has published Don's story in his recent book From Ballybunion to the Kwai. You can get your copy here https://www.gillbooks.ie/history/history/ballybunion-to-the-river-kwaiSound by Kate Dunlea. Support the show at www.patreon.com/irishpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The China-Laos Railway has handled over 62 million passenger trips and more than 72 million metric tons of cargo since its launch four years ago.

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Facing an €8,900 electric bill and constant new costs, Padraig Hennessy pulls back the curtain on the brutal realities of running a family pub in modern Ireland to Paul Byrne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We take a fascinating detour from aviation to explore the early life of Alliot Verdon Roe, a prominent figure in aviation history. Join us as Derek Cartwright from the Horwich Heritage Society shares insights into Rowe's apprenticeship at Horwich Locoworks, where he honed his engineering skills and engaged in spirited social activities. Discover the reasons behind his transition from railways to aviation and the legacy he left behind in Horwich. This episode is a delightful blend of history, engineering, and the vibrant life of a young innovator.

Will Indonesia build a high-speed railway to Bali? Why Is 19 December a vital date in Vietnam? What is the 'Cosmic Turtle'? When will the first passengers touch down at Long Thanh Airport? And will Thailand's "Three Airports High-Speed Train" ever take to the tracks? This week, Gary welcomes back James Clark, Founder of the Future South East Asia newsletter, to discuss the politics, financing, construction and traveller benefits of 2025's biggest and boldest travel and transport mega-projects across the region. Some of these are newly announced, some are nearing completion, and others remain works in progress. All form part of South East Asia's ongoing infrastructure build-up to handle enlarged travel capacity in future. The journey takes us by narrow-body planes and bullet trains from North Bali to Phnom Penh, the Malaysia-Singapore border to Bac Ninh province in Vietnam and Bangkok to Borneo. And there's much more to watch out for in 2026!

On this episode of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort sits down with Nancy Purser, Acting Director of the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR). After 15 years with the agency, Nancy now leads one of Ontario's most historic and ambitious transit systems — one that's preparing for transformative growth.Nancy shares how HSR is executing HSR Next: Moving Hamilton Forward, a seven-year network redesign that will expand service by 50%, add new routes and on-demand zones, and better connect residents — especially those in equity-deserving and suburban communities — to jobs, education, and opportunity.She also discusses HSR's shift to a 100% CNG fleet by the end of 2026, emerging exploration into renewable natural gas, the city's newest indoor fueling and storage facility, and what it means to become the greenest transit fleet in Ontario.Plus, Nancy opens up about her path into transit, the power of customer-focused service, and how dragon boat racing keeps her energized outside of work.In This Conversation, You'll Learn:Why Hamilton chose to preserve the historic HSR name — and why riders love itHow HSR Next will reshape the network, expand frequency, and support suburban growthWhat it takes to deliver 50% more transit service over seven yearsThe environmental and operational impact of going fully CNGHow municipal investment and federal capital programs influence long-term planningRidership trends — and how immigration policy and education markets affect demandThe role of equity, access, and job connectivity in modern network redesignsHow community partnerships and strategic planning positioned HSR for its “golden era”Episode CreditsHost & Producer: Paul ComfortExecutive Producer: Julie GatesProducer: Chris O'KeeffeEditor: Patrick EmileAssociate Producer: Cyndi RaskinConsultants: Dan Meisner & Jonas Woost, BumperBrand design: Tina OlagundoyeSocial Media: Tatyana MechkarovaTransit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo — passionate about moving the world's people.Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Modaxo Inc., its affiliates or subsidiaries, or any entities they represent (“Modaxo”). This production belongs to Modaxo, and may contain information that may be subject to trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights and restrictions. This production provides general information, and should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. Modaxo specifically disclaims all warranties, express or implied, and will not be liable for any losses, claims, or damages arising from the use of this presentation, from any material contained in it, or from any action or decision taken in response to it.

This week's episode is packed with chaos, confidence, and questionable decision-making.We kick off with a catch-up, including Idrissa Gueye perfecting his pokie-slap technique on a teammate and surely Danny Welbeck has booked himself a seat on the World Cup plane. Eze then decides to casually drop a hat-trick on Spurs just to keep things spicy.In the fight world, Khamzat and Ian Garry show their lovers' tiff, while on the track Watch Me Rock storms home to pinch the Railway and King of Lights absolutely launches through the WA Guineas. Nash also delivers a vintage Ballys-style ride on Gringotts because of course he does.Then it's time for Horse Racing Accountability, Football Accountability, best bets, EPL goalscorer plays, and a full breakdown of EPL Match Day 13.We roll into the Bin List, featuring:– People who drive with one foot on the accelerator and the brake. – English journalists promising Australia will lose 5–0– People posting about rain and hail like it's breaking newsRonaldo and Messi also pop up to remind everyone they're still the goats, and we finish by asking the big question: do any of us actually follow betting rules? (Spoiler: we absolutely do not.)Stay up to date on our socials @coastalsportspod (0:00) Catch Up (4:18) Idrissa Gueye Practices His Pokie Slap On His Teammate (9:55) Khamzat & Garry's Lovers Tiff(13:08) Watch Me Rock Storms Home To Win The Railway(15:35) King of Lights Blasts His Way To The WA Guineas Win (19:33) Nash Produces A Classic Ballys-Style Ride On Gringotts (21:16) Horse Racing Accountability(24:24) Football Accountability (29:09) Football Best Bets (36:36) EPL Goal Scorer Bets (39:40) EPL Match Day 13 Preview (58:47) People Who Drive With Their Foot Accelerator & Break(1:01:05) English Journalist's Saying They're Going To Beat Australia 5-0 (1:03:47) People Posting On Social Media When It Rains & Hails (1:05:09) Ronaldo & Messi Remind Us Who The Goats Are(1:08:43) Do We Live By Any Betting Rules

TVI favourite Fiona Ridgewell returns for the first time since having her baby. We discuss childbirth, musicals and more! If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support us while gaining access to full length episodes, videos and the WhatsApp communities then head over to www.patreon.com/wearetvi and sign up for as little as £3 per month. Carl is recording his tour show on the 3rd December at The Railway pub in Streatham. TVI listeners can get £5 tickets by going to https://www.jokepit.com/comedy-in/streatham/collywobblers-comedy-at-the-railway-streatham-carl/48583 and using the discount code 'TVI' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside the Bücherbogen bookshop in Savignyplatz, a fantastic bookshop of art, design and architecture books built under a set of railway arches. A unique soundscape of the quiet of a bookshop, with the flicking of pages, with the deep rumble overhead of periodic passing trains.  Recorded in Berlin, September 2025 by Cities and Memory. 

Recorded Friday, November 21 , Year-Round Carnival's Vince Accardi and Racetrack Ralphy preview the main races for Ascot to be held on November 22

The Cybercrime Wire, hosted by Scott Schober, provides boardroom and C-suite executives, CIOs, CSOs, CISOs, IT executives and cybersecurity professionals with a breaking news story we're following. If there's a cyberattack, hack, or data breach you should know about, then we're on it. Listen to the podcast daily and hear it every hour on WCYB. The Cybercrime Wire is brought to you Cybercrime Magazine, Page ONE for Cybersecurity at https://cybercrimemagazine.com. • For more breaking news, visit https://cybercrimewire.com

PJ chats to Michael Beecher of the East Cork Railway Alliance who knows Irish Rail want a line to Youghal that would ease traffic and housing problems but it's not in the Transport plan. Sample letter here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Railway Stakes Day has arrived in Perth, and we're fired up for a massive Saturday of racing. We unpack the G1 at Ascot, dive into Cranbourne Cup Day, and cast our eye over The Gong at Kembla Grange. We also get across to Morphettville for Finals Day with plenty of great prize money up for grabs. All that and plenty more in this week's SULTS' SPECS.Other segments included in this week's episode:The Sultan's SupperPack Ya Nags2 UNITSOutro: Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict A Riot2 UNITS are proudly supported by Betfair, Australia's only and the world's biggest betting exchange.Our South Australian set is powered by Dare to Dream. A racehorse ownership initiative giving you a chance of owning your own share of a racehorse with reputable trainers at an affordable price. Head to www.daretodream.com.au for more information.Imagine what you could be buying instead. For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au

Preview Only: Railway Stakes Stakes Day - Episode 182 by BJ Ryan & Terry Leighton

Welcome to Top Of The Morning, I'm Nelson John. Today's Top of the Morning: WhatsApp finally brings multi-account to iPhone (2 years late), Russia offers India unrestricted Su-57 tech transfer, Indian Railways heads for record ₹2.76T budget, and half of young American men are gambling. Four stories about big bets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma Poland has retaliated against Russia by diplomatic means following the recent case of railway sabotage.

A Kent mum has told us how her son has been suffering from anxiety after being lured to a railway station car park and attacked.13-year-old Kian was punched and kicked by an older teenager after travelling by train from Appledore to Rye. Layla Sullivan has described the impact it's had and what she thinks of the punishment.Also in today's podcast, a change.org petition has been set up as part of our campaign calling for reforms to the Blue Badge system.We want cancer patients and those with short-term but serious mobility issues to qualify for one. Kent's MPs are in favour as are Medway Council, but the leader of Kent County Council has said it won't be implemented.As the COP30 climate conference draws to a close in Brazil this week, we've had some worrying news about insect populations in Kent.New data suggests they're continuing to decline. Hear from Paul Hetherington from BugLife.A campaign group in an historic Kent village are trying to raise £5,000 to help fight development plans.Proposals have been put in for 100 homes in Lower Street in Eastry which members of Eastry Says No say it amounts to "over-development".In sport, London City Lionesses forward Freya Godfrey has been called up by England.The 20-year-old from the Aylesford based club is included in the squad for friendly games against China and Ghana. Hear from England manager Sarina Wiegman. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Day 1,362.Today, as Poland reports sabotage on vital rail links connecting it to Ukraine and Romania evacuates civilians after Russian strikes across the Danube, we unpack President Zelensky's latest diplomatic push – including a new energy deal with Greece and a landmark agreement with France for 100 fighter jets. Later, we speak with Vladimir Kara-Murza, the prominent opposition figure arrested in 2022 for denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and given a 25-year sentence in a Siberian penal colony. He discusses life inside prison and how Putin's regime suppresses dissent.ContributorsDominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls on X.Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley on X.James Crisp (Europe Editor). @JamesCrisp6 on X.With thanks to Vladimir Kara-Murza,SIGN UP TO THE ‘UKRAINE: THE LATEST' WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:http://telegraph.co.uk/ukrainenewsletter Each week, Dom Nicholls and Francis Dearnley answer your questions, provide recommended reading, and give exclusive analysis and behind-the-scenes insights – plus maps of the frontlines and diagrams of weapons to complement our daily reporting. It's free for everyone, including non-subscribers.CONTENT REFERENCED:Vladimir Kara-Murza: what stopped me going mad in Putin's gulag (The Telegraph):https://tinyurl.com/2sxzyhmnNorth Korean troops deployed to clear land mines for Russia (The Telegraph):https://tinyurl.com/25fw4kdsRussia seizes land after Kyiv diverts troops (The Telegraph):https://tinyurl.com/ydtnrd7uExclusive: Russia plans to make up to 120,000 glide bombs this year, Ukrainian intelligence says (Reuters):https://tinyurl.com/mtymsp8cHow Britain replaced the US as Russia's villain of choice (The Guardian):https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/nov/16/how-britain-became-russia-villain-us-ukraine Viewings of ‘Facing War' at Bertha DocHouse in London:https://dochouse.org/event/facing-war/LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST IN NEW LANGUAGES:The Telegraph has launched translated versions of Ukraine: The Latest in Ukrainian and Russian, making its reporting accessible to audiences on both sides of the battle lines and across the wider region, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. Just search Україна: Останні Новини (Ukr) and Украина: Последние Новости (Ru) on your on your preferred podcast app to find them. Listen here: https://linktr.ee/ukrainethelatestSubscribe: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Silicon Bites Ep270 | News Update - Day 1,363 - 2025-11-17 | A railway track in eastern Poland, that you've probably never heard of, has been the target of apparent Russia hybrid terror operations. This track would have remained a matter of limited awareness to the world at large, but somebody blew it up. Over the weekend, an explosion ripped through the Warsaw–Lublin line near the village of Mika — a line that doesn't just carry commuters and freight, but weapons and aid headed to Ukraine's front. Poland's prime minister is calling it “an unprecedented act of sabotage”. Investigators say it's almost certainly the work of “foreign state services”. And if you're thinking Russia, you are likely not alone.This isn't a one-off. It follows Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace, arson attacks, cyber-operations, and a steadily escalating hybrid war aimed at the logistics lifeline that keeps Ukraine fighting and Europe secure. Today's episode is about that shadow war – and what it means when the supply routes to Ukraine get blown apart, even though it's not Ukrainian territory and infrastructure, and how Russia is launching an unprecedented informational campaign to muddy the waters and try to turn Poles against supporting Ukraine.----------SOURCES: The Guardian – “Poland railway blast was unprecedented act of sabotage, says Donald Tusk” (17 Nov 2025)Reuters – “Poland faced one confirmed, one highly probable railway sabotage act” (17 Nov 2025)AP News – “Polish prime minister says rail line explosion was ‘sabotage'” (17 Nov 2025)The Washington Post – “Rail explosion in Poland was ‘sabotage,' prime minister says” (17 Nov 2025)Kyiv Independent – “‘Act of sabotage' — Explosion hits Polish railway track used for Ukraine aid shipments, Warsaw says” (17 Nov 2025)The Guardian (live blog) – “Foreign state services behind Polish rail sabotage, says minister – Europe live” (17 Nov 2025)Sky News – “Railway bombing an ‘unprecedented act of sabotage', Poland's PM says” (17 Nov 2025)The Guardian – “Russia accused of trying to hack border security cameras to disrupt Ukraine aid” (21 May 2025)The Washington Post – “Russia recruited operatives online to target weapons crossing Poland” (18 Aug 2023)AP / Reuters / local outlets – coverage of Marywilska 44 arson and attribution to Russian intelligence (May 2025)Al Jazeera, Euronews, Notes from Poland and others on recent arrests and sabotage plots in Poland (Oct 2025)NATO, UN, and media reporting on Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace (Sept 2025)Meduza and Euronews on earlier Russian missile and drone violations of Polish and Baltic airspace.----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------

Barry Andrews, Dublin MEP who was recently in Ukraine

Data shows China's railway network saw a surge in passenger trips in the first ten months of the year, with more than 3.9 billion passenger trips made across the country.

“Predictions are hard,” Yogi Berra once quipped, “especially about the future”. Yes they are. But in today's AI boom/bubble, how exactly can we predict the future? According to Silicon Valley venture capitalist Aman Verjee, access to the future lies in the past. In his new book, A Brief History of Financial Bubbles, Verjee looks at history - particularly the 17th century Dutch tulip mania and the railway mania of 19th century England - to make sense of today's tech economics. So what does history teach us about the current AI exuberance: boom or bubble? The Stanford and Harvard-educated Verjee, a member of the PayPal Mafia who wrote the company's first business plan with Peter Thiel, and who now runs his own venture fund, brings both historical perspective and insider experience to this multi-trillion-dollar question. Today's market is overheated, the VC warns, but it's more nuanced than 1999. The MAG-7 companies are genuinely profitable, unlike the dotcom darlings. Nvidia isn't Cisco. Yet “lazy circularity” in AI deal-making and pre-seed valuations hitting $50 million suggests traditional symptoms of irrational exuberance are returning. Even Yogi Berra might predict that. * Every bubble has believers who insist “this time is different” - and sometimes they're right. Verjee argues that the 1999 dotcom bubble actually created lasting value through companies like Amazon, PayPal, and the infrastructure that powered the next two decades of growth. But the concurrent telecom bubble destroyed far more wealth through outright fraud at companies like Enron and WorldCom.* Bubbles always occur in the world's richest country during periods of unchallenged hegemony. Britain dominated globally during its 1840s railway mania. America was the sole superpower during the dotcom boom. Today's AI frenzy coincides with American technological dominance - but also with a genuine rival in China, making this bubble fundamentally different from its predecessors.* The current market shows dangerous signs but isn't 1999. Unlike the dotcom era when 99% of fiber optic cable laid was “dark” (unused), Nvidia could double GPU production and still sell every chip. The MAG-7 trade at 27-29 times earnings versus the S&P 500's 70x multiple in 2000. Real profitability matters - but $50 million pre-seed valuations and circular revenue deals between AI companies echo familiar patterns of excess.* Government intervention in markets rarely ends well. Verjee warns against America adopting an industrial policy of “picking winners” - pointing to Japan's 1980s bubble as a cautionary tale. Thirty-five years after its collapse, Japan's GDP per capita remains unchanged. OpenAI is not too big to fail, and shouldn't be treated as such.* Immigration fuels American innovation - full stop. When anti-H1B voices argue for restricting skilled immigration, Verjee points to the counter-evidence: Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Max Levchin, and himself - all H1B visa holders who created millions of American jobs and trillions in shareholder value. Closing that pipeline would be economically suicidal.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we speak with Tobias Jach (Relationship Manager at Bergos) about the business behind Swiss mountain railways. What makes them so uniquely successful? We explore the key ingredients of a model that continues to thrive.DISCLAIMER This publication is for information- and marketing purposes only. The provided information is not legally binding and neither constitutes a financial analysis, nor an offer for investment-transactions or an investment advice and does not substitute any legal, tax or financial advice. Bergos AG does not accept any liability for the accuracy, correctness or completeness of the information. Bergos AG excludes any liability for the realisation of forecasts or other statements contained in the publication. The reproduction in part or in full without prior written permission of Bergos is not permitted.

We begin with discussing the blast near Delhi's Red Fort that claimed at least 13 lives joined by The Indian Express' Alok Singh who also explains what investigators believe may be its link to a terror module busted in Faridabad.Next, The Indian Express Mohomed Thaver talks about a nationwide ticketing scam that has exposed how illegal software networks are gaming the railway booking system. (10:55)In the end, we also take a look at the Supreme Court's latest verdict in the 2006 Nithari case acquitting Surendra Koli of all charges in the case. (21:10)Hosted by Ichha SharmaWritten and produced by Shashank Bhargava and Ichha SharmaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Caroline Roper, Ella Hubber and Tom Lum from 'Let's Learn Everything!' face questions about new names, convenient coins and purchasable possessions. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answers, hosted by Tom Scott. For business enquiries, contestant appearances or question submissions, visit https://lateralcast.com. HOST: Tom Scott. QUESTION PRODUCER: David Bodycombe. EDITED BY: Julie Hassett at The Podcast Studios, Dublin. MUSIC: Karl-Ola Kjellholm ('Private Detective'/'Agrumes', courtesy of epidemicsound.com). ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: Mistmage, ethan, Peter Genoff, Emily and Elika, Andrew M., Estella. FORMAT: Pad 26 Limited/Labyrinth Games Ltd. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Bodycombe and Tom Scott. © Pad 26 Limited (https://www.pad26.com) / Labyrinth Games Ltd. 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Angelo Saraceno from Railway shares his experience balancing the technical challenges of building a developer-focused product with the realities of enterprise sales. They discuss how understanding customer needs beyond just features is crucial to growing a startup sustainably. Whether you're a founder or developer, this conversation offers valuable insights into turning good products into successful businesses without losing sight of the bigger picture.This episode is brought to you by WorkOS. If you're thinking about selling to enterprise customers, WorkOS can help you add enterprise features like Single Sign On and audit logs. Links:   •  Railway   •  Railway's blog   •  John McMahon's book   •  Angelo's Slack automation article   •  Angelo's website   •  Angelo's Linkedin

After years of Chinese investment in Africa, the West is fighting back. Through the Lobito Corridor project, the US and European countries are investing billions in Angola's Benguela Railway, which runs from southern Africa's interior to Angola's Atlantic coast. The aim is to build a quick and reliable supply chain to export African minerals to the West. These minerals power the chips in all our gadgets, so they are pivotal in the US's tussle with China. Plus, the project promises huge economic gains for Angola. Marcia Veiga takes the train to find out if ordinary Angolans will benefit, or if it is another case of foreign powers extracting African resources for their own gain.

Yesterday, the UK Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander deposited the Railways Bill in the House of Commons. Does this actually mean anything? Not yet, not least as quite a lot of important stuff about the future of Britain's railways isn't in this document at all, but it does help clarify the direction of travel, if not the destination. 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

Hey guys before you listen to this one, do realize this is part 3 on a series about General Kanji Ishiwara, so if you have not already done so I would recommend listening to Part 1 & 2.    This episode is General Kanji Ishiwara part 3: The gradual fall into War with China   I tried so hard this time to finish this up neatly in part 3 and utterly failed. I wrote pages and even deleted them to keep squeezing, but theres simply too much to the story. Part 3 will be focusing on the insane politics of the 1930's and how Ishiwara tried to prevent war with China.   Its rather ironic that the man who was the chief instigator that ushering in the conquest of Manchuria was unable to impose his will when it came to molding Manchukuo. Now while Ishiwara Kanji was the operations officer given official responsibility over the planning and conduct of military operations to seize Manchuria, the arrangements for that new state, being political in nature, were not in his sphere of influence. Regardless, Ishiwara was extremely vocal about his opinions on how Manchukuo should develop and he heavily emphasized racial harmony. He continuously hammered his colleagues that the economic development of Manchukuo should reflect the spirit of racial cooperation. Ishiwara assumed the economic interests of Manchukuo would simply coincide with that of the Kwantung army, by definition both's ultimate goals would be unity of Asia against the west. He was very wrong. Ishiwara was consumed by his theory of final war, everything he did was to prepare for it, thus his obsession of racial harmony was another part of the plan.    In 1932 the self government guidance board was abolished in march, leaving its functions and regional organizations to be tossed into brand new bureaus of the new government of Manchukuo. An organization emerged in April called the (Kyowakai / Concordia Association). It was brought together by Yamaguchi Juji and Ozawa Kaisaku, and its purpose was to promote racial harmony and it was backed by members of the Kwantung army, notably Ishiwara, Itagaki and Katakura. The Kwantung army flooded money into the organization and it grew rapidly…well amongst the Japanese anyways. General Honjo was a bit weary about how much the organization might have in the political sphere of Manchukuo, he did not want to see it become an official political party, he preferred it remain in a educative role. By educative role, I of course mean, to be a propaganda arm of the Kwantung army to exert influence over Manchukuo without having real skin in the game.    But to Ishiwara the Concordia Association was the logical means to unify the new nation, guiding its political destiny, to be blunt Ishiwara really saw it should have much more authority than his colleagues believed it should. Ishiwara complained in August of 1932, that Manchuria was a conglomerate of conflicting power centers such as the Kwantung army, the new Manchukuo government, the Kwantung government, the Mantetsu, consular office and so on. Under so many hats he believed Manchukuo would never become a truly unified modern state, and of course he was one of the few people that actually wanted it to be so. He began arguing the Kwantung army should turn over its political authority as soon as possible so “Japanese of high resolve should hasten to the great work of the Manchurian Concordia Association, for I am sure that we Japanese will be its leaders. In this way Manchukuo will not depend on political control from Japan, but will be an independent state, based on Japanese Manchurian cooperation. Guided by Japanese, it will be a mode of Sino-Japanese friendship, an indicator of the present trends of world civilization” Needless to say the Concordia Association made little headway with the Chinese and it began to annoy Japanese leaders. The association gradually was bent into a spiritless propaganda and intelligence arm of the IJA, staffed largely by elite Japanese working in the Manchukuo government.    Ishiwara began using the Concordia Association to promote things such as: returning leased territories like the Railway zone, abolition of extraterritoriality, equalizing payment between the races working in Manchukuo, the kind of stuff that would promote racial harmony. Such advocacy as you can imagine deviated heavily with the Japanese military, and Ishiwara's reputation would be hurt by this. The Kwantung Army staff began shifting dramatically, seeing Ishiwara isolated, aside from Itagaki and a few other followers being around. The upper brass as they say had had enough of the nuisance Concordia Association's and gradually took control of it and made sure to stop the talk of concessions. In August of 1932 Ishiwara received a new assignment and it seems he was only too happy to leave Manchuria.   Ishiwara returned to Japan, disgusted with the turn of direction Manchuria was going, and believing he would be blamed for its future failures he submitted his resignation. But the IJA knew how popular Ishiwara was and how dangerous he could become so they rejected his resignation. Instead they gave him a military decoration. He was in a very strange spot now, for the youthful officers of the Kodoha faction loved Ishiwara, but the senior top brass of the IJA were extremely suspicious of him and lets just say he was kept under close watch.   Now with Ishiwara back in Japan he would get himself involved in a bit of a war between two factions. As many of you probably already know, the Japanese military of the late 1920s and early 1930's saw the emergence of two factions: the Kodoha “imperial way” and Tosei “control” factions. The Kodoha sought what they called a “showa restoration” to give the emperor absolute power like the good olds days as they say. They were willing to even form a coup if necessary to make this happen. Another thing they believed was in the Hokushin-ron “northern strike” war plan. The idea behind this was that the USSR and communism as a whole was Japans largest threat and the IJA needed to invade the USSR. Now the Tosei faction believed in most of what the Kodoha did, but they differed on some issues. Number 1) they were not willing to perform a coup to usher in a showa restoration, no they thought they could work with the existing Zaibatsu elites and politicians to get things done. THe Kodoha hated the politicians and Zaibatsu to the point they wanted to murder them, so differing opinions. The Tosei also believed the next world war would require a total war strategy, to build up Japan to fight the USSR, but probably the US as well. They favored Nanshin-ron “the southern strike” policy, to target the resources of south east asia necessary to give Japan what it needed to be self sufficient. Another thing that separated these two factions, the Kodoha typically were younger officers.   Despite their differences, everyone in the Japanese military understood forceful expansion into Asia was going to happen and this meant collison with the USSR, America and Britain. Ishiwara's first assignment back in Japan was a temporary duty with the foreign ministry, he was a member of the Japanese legation to the league of nations under Matsuoka Yosuke. The league of nations at this time was performing the Lytton Commission which was investigating the Macnhurian problem, ie: Japan invading Manchuria. Upon returning to Japan in summer of 1933, Ishiwara sought a regimental command, but found it difficult to acquire because of his troublemaker like history. Then General Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko who commanded the 2nd sendai division gave him command over the 4th infantry regiment. Ishiwara went to work training the men under him to counter the latest soviet infantry tactics and of course he lectured extensively about his final war theories. During this time rumors emerged that Ishiwara supported the Nanshin-ron strategy. Many of his old colleagues who supported Hokushin-ron demanded he explain himself and Ishiwara did. These rumors were actually false, it was not that Ishiwara favored the Nanshin-ron strategy, it was simply that he did not back all aspects of the Hokushin-ron strategy.   Ishiwara believed to challenge the USSR, first Japan needed an Asian union, which he thought would take probably 30 years to create. But to usher such an Asian union, first Manchukuo needed to be hammered out properly, something Ishiwara thought Japan was failing to do. Also Japan's military strength was insufficient to overwhelm the multiple enemies before her, the war she would enter would be a protracted one. To win such a war she needed resources and allies, notably Manchukuo and China. To confront the USSR, Japan would need to subvert outer mongolia, but to confront the USA and Britain she would have to seize the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Guam. It was going to be a global clash.   Ishiwara was gravely concerned with how powerful the USSR was becoming in the early 1930s. In the 3 years since he had left Manchuria, the Soviet divisions in east asia had jumped from 8 to 14 by the end of 1935, while Japanese divisions in Manchuria were only 3. For aircraft the Soviets had 950 vs 220 for Japan. On top of that the Soviets had TB-5 long range bombers, capable of hitting Japan, but the Japanese had no comparable aircraft. A large reason for such build up's were literally because Kodoha leaders were publicly threatening the Soviets such as Generals Sadao Araki. The Kodoha faction faced a lot of challenges as to how they could hope to face off against the USSR. They figured out three main principles needed to be overcome: 1) Japan had to prevent the USSR from being able to defeat its enemies to the west and east one at a time, Japan should seek diplomatic aims in this like allying with Germany. 2) A devastating blow was necessary to the USSR far east, perhaps against the Trans-siberian railway and air bases in the maritime provinces. 3) If Japan was able to demolish Soviet resistance in the far east, Japan would need to take forward positions on the Manchurian border for a protracted war. Ishiwara tried to figure out ways to get by these principles. First he advocated for Japanese troops strength in Manchuria and Korea to be 80% equivalent to that of the Soviets east of Lake Baikal at the offset of hostilities. He also urged cooperation with Germany and to preserve friendly neutral relations with Britain and the US, that is until the soviets were dealt with of course. Ishiwara vigorously felt the Nanshin ron strategy to push into southeast asia and the pacific was far too ambitious for the time being and that all efforts should be made to consolidate Manchuria for resources. Ishiwara tried to win over some Naval support for his plans, but none would be found. When Ishiwara showed his formal plans for Asia to the war ministry, they told him his projections in Manchuria would cost at least 1 billion 300 million yen. They also notified Ishiwara the navy were asking for about the same amount for their programs. Now while Ishiwara spent years trying to produce a 6 year plan to build up Manchuria, other significant things were going on in Japan.   The Kodoha faction as I said had a lot of younger officer support and a lot of these were men who came from rural parts of Japan. A lot of these men came from poor families suffering, and it looked to them that Japan was a nation full of social injustice and spiritual disintegration. These young officers were becoming more and more vocal in the early 1930's about wanting a showa restoration. They thought Japan would be better off as a military state with the emperor on top. Ishiwara empathized with the desire for a showa restoration, and many of the young officers calling for it claimed he was one of their champions. He made some fiery speeches in 1935 linking the evils of capitalism to the destitution of rural japan. He argued farmers were bearing crushing burdens because of economic privation. In his words “if the clash between the exploiters (landlords and capitalists) and the exploited continues much longer the exploited will be ground to bits. The present system of free economic competition has produced a situation where there is a small number of fabulously rich and limitless number of desperately poor. The national has indeed reached a national crisis. Liberal capitalism must inevitably give way to a newer system". What that “newer system was” however differed from what the youthful officers saw as their Showa restoration. Ishiwara wanted the Japanese government to create plans and policy, the Kodoha hardliners wanted to form a violent coup.    Kodoha officers began to push Ishiwara to champion their cause more and more. However by late 1935 Ishiwara's name would actually begin to be connected to the Tosei faction. While Ishiwara supported much of the Kodoha ideology, he simply did not share their beliefs in the same Showa restoration, he was more akin to the Tosei in that regard. Now after the manchurian incident the two factions kind of went to war with another to dominate the military. The Kodoha faction was early on the most powerful, but in 1934 their leader Araki resigned from the army due to failing health and he was replaced by General Senjuro Hayashi who favored the Tosei. In November of 1934, a plot was discovered that involved Kodoha officers seeking to murder some top ranking politicians. The result of this saw the Tosei faction force the resignation of the Kodoha leader General Jinzaburo Masaki, who was serving as the inspector general of military education. In retaliation to this, the Kodoha officer Saburo Aizawa murdered the Toseiha leader General Tetsuzen Nagata. This caused a frenzy, things began to really escalate, and many looked at Ishiwara Kanji to prove which side he favored. While in prison awaiting trial, Aizawa asked Ishiwara to be his defense counsel, to which he promised he would consider it. At the same time other Kodoha officers began pressing Ishiwara to support their cause openly. It is really hard to see where exactly Ishiwara was in all of this as all of his speeches prior were purposely ambiguous. He looked like a fence sitter and after what will be the February coup of 1936, there was testimony that Ishiwara was a middle-echelon member involved in the coup, other testimony literally had him on the list of people to be assassinated. A few weeks before Aizawa's trial, Ishiwara refused his request.   On February 26th, Ishiwara was awakened at his Tokyo home by a telephone call from Colonel Suzuki Teiichi informing him a rebellion was underway. Ishiwara, though ill at the time rushed over to the Military police HQ in Kudan. There he was informed of what was going on and how the officers were now taking the side of the showa restorationists or to quell the rebellion. From there he rushed to meet War Minister Kawashima Yoshiyuki where he demanded a proclamation of martial law to cope with the rebellion. He then urged Vice Chief of staff Sugiyama to order units from garrisons around Tokyo to overwhelm the rebels. Within 24 hours of the event, Ishiwara was then named operations officer of the Martial Law headquarters and he began coordinating plans to deal with the crisis. Thus Ishiwara occupied a crucial position in quelling the coup. On the night of the 27th a bunch of officers who sympathized with the rebels came to the HQ to argue for delaying actions against them. To this Ishiwara rose up and announced “we shall immediately carry forward plans for an assault. All units will assemble for that purpose. The army will wait until noon of the 28th; then it will begin its assault and crush the rebellion”. The next day,  Ishiwara went to the main entrance of the War Ministers office, where a large number of the rebels occupied and he demanded to talk to their leaders face to face. He hoped the youthful officers who looked up to him would see reason. They let him in, after they had shot Captain Katakura Tadashi for trying to do the same thing. Ishiwara then told them he shared many of their goals, but condemned their use of force. With a pistol pointed at him Ishiwara declared this “If you don't listen to reason you will be crushed by the severest measures”. He delivered his ultimatum and just walked out the door.    By the 28th the tides turned on the rebels. Emperor Hirohito put his foot down, demanding an end to the mutiny, many of the top Kodoha leaders walked away because of this. The Navy brought all of its power to Tokyo bay including its SNLF marines, all guns were on the rebels. Some of the rebels held out, still hoping the Emperor would change his mind and order a showa restoration, but by the 29th it fell apart. The rebels surrendered, aided by Colonel Tomoyuki Yamashita (one of my favorite generals of WW2, fascinating character). In the words of Matsumura Shuitsu a member of the Martial law HQ “In the midst of all the confusion and commotion, Ishiwara never lost sight of his objective and dealt with the criss with cool efficiency. If ever there was a case of the right man in the right place it was Ishiwara at that time. No doubt, what brought about the ultimate surrender of the rebel forces, was, of course, the Imperial command. But I believe that in a large part the collapse of the rebellion was due to the decisiveness of Ishwara, who never swerved, never hesitated. In short, Tokyo was saved by Ishiwara's courage”. It is rather ironic, many would point out it was Ishiwara who instigated the insurrection, but when it came time for it, he was the largest one to stamp down upon it. One could argue, by suppressing the rebellion, Ishawara had exploited the crisis in order to earn the political power necessary to bring about his version of a Showa Restoration.   During the mutiny, after meeting the rebels, Ishiwara actually had a secret meeting with two Kodoha officers at the Imperial Hotel. They were Colonel Hashimoto Kingoro and Colonel Mitsui Sakichi. He spoke to them about the possibility of forming a new government. The 3 of them came to these conclusions to actually perform a real Showa restoration. The rebels needed to go back to their barracks; the emperor needed to endorse the showa restoration; and members of the cabinet and top military leaders had to support it. Ishiwara then went to the Martial Law HQ and demanded Army vice chief of staff Sugiyama that he submit to the emperor a petition “to establish a restoration which would make clear the spirit of the nation, realize the national defense, and stabilize the peoples livelihood”. Sugiyama wanted nothing to do with this and told him “its simply impossible to relay such a request from the army” Ishiwara knew Sugiyama's position was too strong to challenge directly so he backed off, this was his last attempt to alter the nation's course through confrontation. Because of his actions during the quelling of the rebellion, this little scene was forgotten, his reputation was not tarnished…well it was amongst the Kodoha hardliners who saw him as a traitor, but other than that. Yet again he seems to be a man of many contradictions.  After the February coup the Kodoha faction ceased to exist and the Toseiha's ideology grabbed most of the military, though they also faded heavily.     Ishiwara went back to planning and lecturing taking a heavy notice of how Germany and Italy's totalitarian models were looking like the most efficient ones that Japan should emulate. He pushed heavily for a national defense state. He kept advocating for a 5 year plan he had to push Japan into a total war economy, but the industrialists and economists kept telling him it was far too much. I could write pages on all the ideas he had, he covered every aspect of Japanese society. He wanted the whole of Japan to devote itself to becoming the hegemonic power in Asia and this required self-sufficiency, more territory, alliances, an overhaul of Japan's politics, economy, etc etc he worked on this for years. One thing I find amusing to note, Ishiwara's plans had the national defense state not run directly by the military. No instead the military would only focus on military affairs to maximize their efficiency, thus civilians would lead the government. In his words “the tactics and strategy of national defense in the narrow sense are unquestionably the responsibility of the military. But national defense in the widest sense, industry, economy, transportation, communications are clearly related to the field of politics. Of course, the military can naturally express their opinion on these matters in order to counsel some minister whose duties are political, but to go before the general public and discuss the detailed industrial and economic is an arrogation of authority”. So ye, Ishiwara actually sought to remove military officers from political positions.    In 1937 Ishiwara was promoted to the rank of major general and his duties were of the operations division of the general staff. Because of his popularity and now his rank, some began to see him almost as that of a rising dictator. In January of 1937, the government of Hirota Koki who had come to power largely because of the february coup were having problems. Politicians were unable to deal with the rising military budgets. Ishiwara was eager to press forward his national defense state idea. Alongside this Captain Fukutome Shigeru, his naval counterpart was angry at the cabinet for hindering funding and called for their dissolution. In one meeting Ishiwara blurted out “if there's any disturbance the military should proclaim martial law throughout the country until things were straightened out”. Well within days the cabinet fell on its own and now everyone looked to a successor.    The Army and Navy fought for their candidate. The Nazi favored Ugaki Kazushige, but the Army held grudges against him. Ishiwara also did not like his appointment stating he had a bad political past, by bad that meant he had advocated for military budget cuts. Ugaki refused the job because of the pressure and made a note about Ishiwara's remarks towards him. Seeing Ugaki pushed aside, Ishiwara and his followers pushed for 3 other candidates; Hayashi Senjuro, House President Konoe Fumumaro and President of the privy council Hiranuma Kiichiro. Ishiwara sent to each man his 5 year plan to test their enthusiasm for it. Hiranuma didn't like it, Konoe was neutral and Hayashi liked it. So Ishiwara backed Hayashi go figure. All of his Manchurian oriented followers pushed to get him into office. When Hayashi was given Imperial command to head a new government, Ishiwara met with his Manchurian faction friends to draw a list of people to put in the cabinet. Itagaki Seishiro was chosen as war minister; Admiral Suetsugu Nobumasa known to have radical reformist leanings for navy minister; Matsuoka Yosuke or SHiratori Toshio for foreign minister, industrialist Ikeda Seihin for finance, Tsuda Shingo for commerce and industry, Sogo Shinji as chief cabinet secretary and Miyazaki as chairman. Ishiwara himself stayed carefully in the background to make it seem like he was only attending military duties.    But rivals to Ishiwara began working against him, especially some of those Kodoha hardliners who felt he betrayed them. They pressed Hayashi to not accept many of Ishiwara's cabinet candidates such as Itagaki and Hayashi backed off the majority of them as a result. The effort to form a Macnhurian cabal failed and this further led to a lack of enthusiasm for Ishiwara's national defense plans. Hayashi's government which Ishiwara had placed his hopes upon became antagonistic towards him and his followers.    Now over in Manchuria, the Kwantung army was looking to seize territory in northern China and inner mongolia. This was something Ishiwara was flip floppy about. At first he began speaking about the need to simply develop Manchukuo so that China and Inner mongolia would follow suite, but gradually he began to warm up to schemes to invade. Though when he heard his former Kwantun colleagues were basically going to perform the exact same plan he had done with the Mukden incident he traveled back to Manchuria to dissuade them. Ishiwara landed at Dairen and within days of his arrival he learned that 15,000 troops under Prince Demchugdongrub, known also as Prince Teh of Mongolia, backed by Kwantung arms and aircraft were launching a full scale invasion of Suiyuan province. Ishiwara was furious and he screamed at the General staff “the next time I visit the Kwantung Army I'm going to piss on the floor of the commanders office!”    Within a month, the Warlord Yan Xishan, now fighting for the NRA turned back Prince Teh's forces. This angered the Kwantung army, fueling what Ishiwara always feared, a war between China and Japan. Ishiwara began lecturing left right and center about how Japan needed to curb her imperialist aggression against China. He advocated as always racial harmonization, about the East Asian League idea, cooperation between China and Japan. He thought perhaps China could be induced by joined a federation with Japan and to do all of this Japan should help develop Manchukuo as a positive model. Ishiwara warned any aggressive actions against China would waste valuable resources needed dearly to be directed against the USSR. In his words “China was an endless bog that would swallow men and materiel without prospect of victory and it would cripple the possibility of East Asian Union” Prophetic words to be sure.   Ishiwara was still influential and many in Hayashi's cabinet headed him, trying to push for more diplomacy with China. But by spring of 1937 Tokyo HQ had split over the issue. On one side were Ishiwara and those seeking to obtain a sort of treaty with China to form an alliance against the USSR. On the other hand the Nationalists and Communists were on the verge of forming a united front allied to the USSR, thus the invading China faction was gaining steam. This faction simply sought to get China out of the way, then focus on the USSR. As much as Ishiwara fought it, the China War would come nonetheless.   In June of 1937, a report from a Japanese civilian visiting China reached Colonel Kawabe Torashiro. The report stated that the China Garrison Army in the Peking area were planning an incident similar to what had occurred in Mukden in 1931. Kawabe took the report to Ishiwara who said he would investigate the matter. Ishiwara pressed the war ministry to send Colonel Okamoto Kiyotomi to the military administration section to north china to warn Generals Hashimoto Gun of the China Garrison Army and Kwabe Msakazu commander the brigade station in the Peking area that Tokyo would not tolerate provocation actions. Okamoto came back and stated they reassured him it was just rumors and nothing was occurring.   Two weeks later on July 7th, the infamous Marco Polo Bridge incident began WW2. When it began, Tokyo took it as a minor incident, just some skirmishes between minor forces, but the fighting grew and grew. The two factions in Tokyo who we can call the “expansionists and non expansionists” began arguing on what to do. The expansionists argued this was the time to deliver a quick and decisive blow, which meant mobilizing and dispatching divisions into northern China to overwhelm them. The non expansionists argued they needed to terminate hostilities immediately and seek diplomacy before the conflict got out of hand. From the offset of the conflict, Ishiwara led the doomed non expansionists. Ishiwara tried to localize the conflict to prevent more Japanese from getting involved. To do this he urged Prince Kan'in to send a cable on July 8th to the local Japanese forces to settle the issue locally. But they reported back that the Nanjing government was tossing 4 divisions of reinforcements to the area, prompting the Japanese to mobilize 3 divisions in response. For 3 days Ishiwara tried to halt the reinforcements, but the Nanjing report came true, the Chinese reinforcements arrived to the scene, pushing the Japanese to do the same. General Kawabe Masakazu argued 12,000 Japanese civilians were in the area and now under threat, thus Ishiwara had to stand down.   The conflict at the Marco Polo Bridge quickly got out of hand. Ishiwara was very indecisive, he tried to thwart the spread of the conflict, but he was continuously forced to stand down when reports false or true poured in about Chinese offensives. In fact, Ishiwara's efforts were getting him in a ton of trouble as his colleagues began to point out they were hindering the military operations which at the time were trying to end the conflict quickly. Ishiwara did not go down without a fight tossing one last attempt to stop the conflict. He urged Prime Minister Konoe to fly to Nanjing to speak directly with Chiang Kai Shek, it was a last ditch effort before the Japanese reinforcements arrived. When Konoe received requests to do this from multiple Japanese military leaders on urged on by Ishiwara, he was initially favorable to the idea and had a plane prepared for the trip. But within hours of the idea leaked out raising a storm of protests from the expansionists. Sugiyama then told Konoe it was Ishiwara pushing the idea and that his views represented a small minority in the military. Konoe ultimately back down and chose not to do it. Ishiwara was outraged when he found out screaming “tell the Prime minister that in 2000 years of our history no man will have done more to destroy Japan than he has by his indecisiveness in this crisis”.   Ishiwara began fighting with his colleagues as the situation worsened. He tabled a motion to press Nanjing to support Manchukuo in order for the Japanese to withdraw, but his colleagues blocked it. By August the conflict had spread as far as Shanghai and now even the IJN were getting involved. To this Ishiwara argued they should just evacuate Japanese civilians in Shanghai and pay them several hundred million yen in compensation as it would be cheaper than a war. He was quickly overruled. Thus the North China Incident simply became the China incident. In early september Ishiwara tried one last attempt to negotiate a settlement, trying to get Germany to mediate, but by mid september Ishiwara's influence had dropped considerably. By late september Ishiwara was removed from the General staff by General Tada. The remnants of Ishiwara's followers in the central army were defeated, particularly when Konoe declared in January of 1938 that Japan would not treat with Chiang Kai-shek. Ironically Konoe would quickly come around to believe Japan had made a grave mistake. By 1938 24 IJA divisions were tossed into China, the next year this became 34. 

From stabbing attacks to assaults and antisocial behaviour, do you still feel safe taking the train? On Saturday evening, 11 people were injured on board a high-speed train travelling between Doncaster and London. The rampage might well have been worse if it wasn't for the actions of the staff on the train and the swift response from the emergency services. But can we every truly be prepared for such an attack? Niall discusses whether similar incidents are unavoidable with policing commentator Graham Wettone and Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt. Producers: Tom Gillespie & Araminta Parker Editor: Mike Bovill

Euronest, Aliyev Transit Move, Gyumri Mayor Arrest, Pashinyan vs. ChurchGroong Week in Review - October 26, 2025TopicsEuronest session takeawaysAliyev's transit move and TRIPPGyumri mayor arrest falloutPashinyan's push to control the ChurchGuestArthur KhachatryanHostsHovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 481 | Recorded: October 29, 2025https://podcasts.groong.org/481Subscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong

Send us a textIn this episode we'll be visiting two national railway museums, in Utrecht and York, a gala event at the East Lancashire railway, and riding on standard and narrow gauge heritage lines, the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, run entirely by volunteers in Kent, and the STAR museum railway in the Netherlands, and along the way, discovering a replica broad gauge pioneer, running on rails 1945mm apart...Links to all the railways and museums below:Home Page - The East Lancashire RailwayHome of 80097 BR 4MT Restoration and Ivatt 46428 - Bury Standard 4 GroupThe Class 56 Group – Class 56 Locomotive PreservationNational Railway Museum - YorkEurostar.com: Book Europe train tickets and holidaysKom naar het Spoorwegmuseum | Het leukste station van Nederland - Dutch National Railway Museum in Utrecht, NetherlandsHome - Museumspoorlijn STAR - STAR Museum Railway, Stadskanaal, NetherlandsSittingbourne and Kemsley Railway This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory. Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here: Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3 songs.

Today we'll be examining the argument of a prominent Chinese scholar that China has built too much High-Speed Railway that is underutilised, unprofitable, and will cause major economic problems in the future. We ask why the state-government would pursue such a misguided policy, and how it's beginning to affect the rest of the world too.Read Lu's original essay here: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-iBh9BPpi7kl2BGhkGWHaw Chapters (00:00) Introduction - HSR and white elephants(05:00) The history of China's HSR(11:10) Arguments against HSR (25:56) Spillover Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sinobabblepodLatest Substack post: https://open.substack.com/pub/sinobabble/p/famine-and-food-security-in-chinese?r=bgkuv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=trueLinks to everything: https://linktree.com/sinobabble#highspeedrail #HSR #ChinaSupport the showSign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod

Squirrel!Stories UsedAlicehttps://metro.co.uk/2025/09/25/theres-an-angry-squirrel-in-california-whos-put-two-people-in-hospital-24258593/ https://metro.co.uk/2025/09/02/a-band-manchester-drummer-literally-mushrooms-24060259/ → quote from Lauren's Mushroom Correspondent, “i mean they are clearly a fungi… i imagine the main problem was there being not mushroom in the band previously”https://metro.co.uk/2025/09/28/he-boy-man-saved-injured-squirrel-says-pair-now-inseparable-24282002/Janehttps://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/six-baby-cheetahs-born-in-the-richmond-zoos-prolific-breeding-program-167-cats-since-2013-watch/https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/09/25/South-Western-Railway-crab/4561758819404/Laurenhttps://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/09/25/Long-Island-New-York-orange-lobster/6051758813614/https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/09/24/Hampton-Township-crocodile-Michigan-front-yard/2311758741800/ https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/09/24/Round-Rock-Texas-porcupine-shopping-center-mall/5801758734735/

Furloughed IRS lawyer is now living out his dream of being a hot dog vendor...and that is Headline of the Week contender #4, Railway station cheese and butter thief is jailed, Man caught on camera torching Halloween display...neighbors rush to help..."he set Bob Ross on fire..."

In this episode of The Data Chronicles, host Scott Loughlin welcomes Adam Smith, Regulatory Lead – Cybersecurity at Southwest Airlines, to explore the evolving landscape of cybersecurity in the transportation sector. Together, they fly through the real-world stakes of protecting critical infrastructure – from airports and railways to the systems that underpin national security. The conversation unpacks the complexity of regulatory frameworks, the challenges of incident response, and the vital role of collaboration among regulators, operators, and vendors.

From small dive bars and underground venues to the people keeping the alternative flame alive, this video dives into the heart of South Africa's alternative and metal scene.We explore the venues, promoters, content creators, and bands that make this community what it is. Whether you're a fan, a musician, or just curious about the scene, this is your crash course into finding your own way into South Africa's alternative music world.

In November 1856, Dublin was shaken by the murder of George Little, chief cashier at the Broadstone railway terminus. He was found in his office, beaten and with his throat cut, thousands of pounds worth of gold and silver left untouched and the door locked. The investigation gripped the public, filled with twists and unusual developments, including a phrenologist who later inserted himself into the main suspect's life. In this episode, we speak with Thomas Morris, author of "The Dublin Railway Murder: The Sensational True Story of a Victorian Murder Mystery". Thomas walks us through the case and explores what it tells us about crime and policing in Victorian Dublin. More about the author and his book here: https://www.thomas-morris.uk/the-dublin-railway-murder/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“proceed to Waterloo” [HOUN]  For those looking to travel from London west to Dartmoor (particularly those interested in stopping at Coombe Tracey), you might do well to do as Dr. Watson did and meet Sir Henry Baskerville at Paddington Station.   One small thing, though: there's another station that will get you our west. And if you're another character, you might fancy that. Why? It's just a Trifle.  If you have a question for us, please email us at trifles@ihearofsherlock.com. If you use your inquiry on the show, we'll send you a thank you gift.   Don't forget to listen to "Trifling Trifles" — short-form content that doesn't warrant a full episode. This is a benefit exclusively for our paying subscribers. Check it out (Patreon | Substack).   Leave Trifles a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; listen to this episode here or wherever you get podcasts   Links The original question (Facebook) The Strangers Room Facebook Group The Hound of the Baskervilles: Hunting the Dartmoor Legend by Philip Weller (Amazon) Previous episodes mentioned: Episode 441 - About the Moor All of our social links: https://linktr.ee/ihearofsherlock Email us at trifles @ ihearofsherlock.com    Music credits Performers: Uncredited violinist, US Marine Chamber Orchestra Publisher Info.: Washington, DC: United States Marine Band. Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0      

London runs on rails – and we've got a new tour that explores London's railway stations. Distinguished railway historian Christian Wolmar and elite London guide Sam Jacobs take us on an all-day journey through the city's iron arteries: from Shoreditch to Paddington, from Victorian grandeur to modern revival. Part history, part adventure, it's London seen through its railway termini – the people, the power, the ambition, and the steam that made the city move.

If your current day to day life is getting you down and you were hoping that ViewerMail would never make a comeback, we can promise you this day is not going to get any better, but we can assure that listening to this latest version of ViewerMail will surely make even the biggest problems seem small. After dealing with catastrophic climate change,  flooded roadbed, improper routing through the transportation museum, the new crew finally caught up to the ViewerMail train just outside downtown Pagosa Springs. We'd like to bring you some of the finest podcast entertainment the model railroad industry has to offer, but once again the crew at the AML Network reached the lofty goal of chronically disappointing. So grab yourself a big bowl of shredded five cent stamps, a tall cool glass of warm saliva and enjoy!!  

The Japanese used approximately 60,000 POWs, mainly British, Dutch, Australian, and American, to construct the railway alongside an estimated 180,000 to 250,000 Asian civilians. It is estimated that around 12,000 Allied prisoners and up to 90,000 civilians died during ...

From the Keys to the coastlines, Florida's logistics legacy runs on rails, and few know that better than Spencer Jury, Director of Domestic Intermodal at Florida East Coast Railway. In this episode, recorded live at the Florida Supply Chain Summit, Spencer shares how FEC connects Florida's freight economy, the company's 1800s origins with Henry Flagler, and how technology and awareness are shaping the future of intermodal shipping.He and Blythe discuss everything from hurricane-proof infrastructure to the modern rail fan community, keeping the Sunshine Express spirit alive.LINKS:Spencer's LinkedInFlorida Supply Chain Summit WebsiteWATCH THE FULL EPISODE HEREFeedback? Ideas for a future episode? Shoot us a text here to let us know. -----------------------------------------THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Are you experienced in freight sales or already an independent freight agent? Listen to our Freight Agent Trenches interviews powered by SPI Logistics to hear from the company's agents on how they took the entrepreneurial leap. CargoRex is the logistics industry's go-to search platform—connecting you with the right tools, services, events, and creators to explore, discover, and evolve. Digital Dispatch manages and maximizes your #1 sales tool with a website that establishes trust and builds rock-solid relationships with your leads and customers.

Episode 244 and Victorian popular fiction author H Rider Haggard features as one of the main characters of this tale. Rider Haggards' creation called Allan Quartermain appeared in 18 novels - the first in what has become known as is the Lost World genre. George Lucas and Philip Kaufman copied the Allan Quartermain template for Indiana Jones character - as well as the basic storylines for movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark. While King Solomon's Mines is Rider Haggard's most popular work, Allan Quartermain has since reappeared in movies in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which gave his books a bit of a push. His novels, which blended exploration, myth, and early ideas of evolution, also influenced the subconscious of his generation, resonating with spiritual and psychological themes that were explored by figures like Jung and Freud. Furthermore, his work reflects and grapples with late Victorian anxieties, including imperial politics, the changing role of religion, and burgeoning notions of race and empire. Right now, we're saddling up with Theophilus Shepstone in Pietermaritzburg - it's 1877. If you recall last episode, Transvaal President Burgers had gone to war against baPedi chief Sekhukhuni, which ended in a stalemate and reports of atrocities committed by German lead mercenaries. Burgers had already complained in England about their treatment of the Boer claims to the diamond fields - and the Colonial office had coughed up 90 000 pounds as compensation. You could call it a bribe, because that's what it was. The boers accepted the compensation, but did not back down on their claims to land in the vicinity of the Transvaal, including baPedi land. As long as the Transvaal remained receptive to the confederation idea at least in Carnarvon's mind, there was no real conflict to deal with amongst the local officials. But there was growing tension between an historian JJ Froude and Garnet Wolseley for example. Froude had been sent on a fact-finding mission to the colonies by Carnarvon and he became a surprising advocate for the Boers and the Free State and Transvaal Republics. His advice to Carnarvon was to let the states handle their own problems, as they resented interference from Downing Street. Cape Governor Sir Henry Barkly had been sending Carnarvon reports drawn largely from pro-annexationist newspapers in the Transvaal and the Cape Colony. These implied that the Transvaal was nearing a state of anarchy as a result of its war with the Sekukuni's baPedi. Eagerly lapping all this up was Sir Garnet Wolseley who was the very epitome of the Stiff upper lip Brit, a military officer and administrator, represented the opposite, more interventionist imperial view. In late December 1876, Sir Theophilus Shepstone departed from Pietermaritzburg in Natal with a small, almost symbolic, escort of just 25 Natal Mounted Police and a handful of officials including the young H Rider Haggard. Just as an aside, Haggard was not being paid for his duties as Shepstone's secretary. Work experience I guess you'd call it. However, Shepstone's secret instructions were far more decisive: if he deemed it necessary and opportune, he was to annex the territory to the British Crown. The Transvaal had no easy revenue base, and Shepstone introduced new taxes on both black and white Transvalers, while his administrative reforms chafed the Boers. Most resented they now had no elected representation under British rule and resistance started almost immediately.

If we've helped you to plan your trip and you'd like to thank us we'd appreciate you considering a one time donation. Or if you'd like to receive bonus content, check out our Patreon page and our special subscriber only content! You can also support the show by buying tickets (if they're the best deal, of course) using our Undercover Tourist link or signing up for Mouse Dining through our link. If you like what you hear, please share and subscribe! Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, PlayerFM, iHeartRadio, or Google Podcasts (please leave a positive review if you're enjoying the show), like our Facebook page, or follow us on Bluesky and Instagram! Connect with Leslie @TripsWithTykes on social media and Joe @asthejoeflies.  

It's 1864 and the height of industrialisation. The thrill of railway travel is shattered with the first murder that takes place on it.Join Anthony and Maddy as they pick apart the murder of wealthy banker John Briggs, that takes them from a blood-stained first class carriage in London to a police chase to New York.This episode was edited by Tom Delargy, and produced by Stuart Beckwith. Research by Phoebe Joyce. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.You can now watch After Dark on Youtube! www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhitSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For those of you that don't know our very own Marcus Neubacher is the Director of Administration for the North Carolina Transportation Museum and every few years or so he'll get the chance to attend a convention for the Heritage Rail Alliance where the free exchange of information among members and working industry professionals is available. This year the convention was held in Durango Colorado and we hear the ole' AML Network, decided that we'd need to hear as much of the trip as possible. Of course it took us a while to get there, but eventually we managed to cover a wide range of subjects and produce a podcast well worth listening to. Enjoy!!

Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors.

In 1854, London built a railway with first-class tickets for corpses, separate carriages for different religions, and trains that carried thousands of bodies out of the overcrowded city for nearly a century.Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE for the ad-free version: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateTake the WEIRD DARKNESS LISTENER SURVEY and help mold the future of the podcast: https://weirddarkness.com/surveyIN THIS EPISODE: Deep in the bowels of London is a railway built to serve not the living citizens of the city above… but of the dead below. (Railway of the Dead) *** 
Sometimes they are kind towards humans, even assisting them if in distress, or giving gifts. But some consider them lustful and evil, and still others claim they are the risen dead of brutally killed women. And there are reports of them being seen even today. We'll look at the history and lore of mermaids. (Mythical Mermaids) *** For years, Country singer Johnny Horton told friends of a premonition he couldn't shake. A premonition of his own death. Not just THAT he would be killed… but HOW. And he was eerily accurate. And that wasn't the end of his tragic story. (The Last Ride of Johnny Horton) *** Camping can be an amazing experience, especially when with friends or family. But even surrounded by those you love, when it gets dark, the wilderness gets creepy. Was that just an animal in the woods you heard, or something more? Was that blur you just saw a trick of the light or is there really something circling your campsite? I'll share some true stories of campers who experienced much more than what they bargained for. (Camping With Ghosts and Monsters) CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Show Open00:02:22.461 = Railway of the Dead00:13:22.126 = Mythical Mermaids00:23:50.389 = The Last Ride of Johnny Horton00:34:55.101 = Camping With Ghosts and Monsters00:48:40.101 = Show CloseSOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…“Railway of the Dead” posted at the website History ASM: https://tinyurl.com/yyyz2bhu“Mythical Mermaids” by Gemma Hollman from JustHistoryPosts.com: https://tinyurl.com/y2zq4nng“The Last Ride of Johnny Horton” by Robert A Waters for the website Kidnapping, Murder and Mayhem: https://tinyurl.com/y2gkdl35“Camping With Ghosts and Monsters” by Stephen Wagner for LiveAbout.com: (link no longer available)=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: August 19, 2020EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/NecropolisRailwayABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.#LondonNecropolis #VictorianHistory #DarkTourism #RailwayHistory #WeirdHistory