- Description
- History graduate and chartered accountant working in consultancy and voluntary sectors; has owned a succession of SAABs, inevitably
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Curbside Classics Archives
About Author: Big Paws
Posts by Big Paws
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![(first posted 2/3/2018) Glasgow is a great city, and perhaps one of the most individually distinctive in Britain, with a historic importance that is obvious to any visitor. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/01-no-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Trackside Classic: 1896 Glasgow Subway Car No. 1 – Simply Different")
Trackside Classic: 1896 Glasgow Subway Car No. 1 – Simply Different
Posted on February 3, 2024 | 43 Comments(first posted 2/3/2018) Glasgow is a great city, and perhaps one of the most individually distinctive in Britain, with a historic importance that is obvious to any visitor. […] -
![(first posted 10/25/2017) The Great Western Railway always knew it was better than other British railway companies, and was tremendously proud of its steam locomotives, so expecting […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/00-10059.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1963 British Railways Western Class Diesel Hydraulic D1015 ‘Western Champion’ – Determined to be Different")
1963 British Railways Western Class Diesel Hydraulic D1015 ‘Western Champion’ – Determined to be Different
Posted on October 25, 2023 | 27 Comments(first posted 10/25/2017) The Great Western Railway always knew it was better than other British railway companies, and was tremendously proud of its steam locomotives, so expecting […] -
![(first posted 3/17/2017) When the RAF needed to go supersonic to meet the threat of Soviet long distance bombers, it did it in style. The English Electric Lightning looked like […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/b1f6b5731242efebba24b61730f1bf03.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Rampside Classic: 1960 English Electric Lightning – Two Everests in Three Minutes")
Rampside Classic: 1960 English Electric Lightning – Two Everests in Three Minutes
Posted on August 25, 2023 | 26 Comments(first posted 3/17/2017) When the RAF needed to go supersonic to meet the threat of Soviet long distance bombers, it did it in style. The English Electric Lightning looked like […] -
![(first posted 8/3/2017) After the disappointment of the pioneering Comet, how was the British aircraft industry to compete with the Boeing 707 and McDonnell Douglas DC-8? The […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/00-GARVC_VC10_goldenSB-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Aviation Classic: 1962 Vickers VC-10 – A Great Step Backwards In Aviation")
Aviation Classic: 1962 Vickers VC-10 – A Great Step Backwards In Aviation
Posted on August 3, 2023 | 72 Comments(first posted 8/3/2017) After the disappointment of the pioneering Comet, how was the British aircraft industry to compete with the Boeing 707 and McDonnell Douglas DC-8? The […] -
![(first posted 7/8/2017) Don’t let people tell you British Rail was a slow, stodgy and conservative organisation, unable to adapt and change with the times. Well, not all […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/01-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "1979 British Rail Advanced Passenger Train – So Near, Yet So Far")
1979 British Rail Advanced Passenger Train – So Near, Yet So Far
Posted on July 8, 2023 | 22 Comments(first posted 7/8/2017) Don’t let people tell you British Rail was a slow, stodgy and conservative organisation, unable to adapt and change with the times. Well, not all […] -
![Originally posted 9 June 2023 Over 250 years ago, hauling coal in northeast England was the raison d’être of the first railways, and Britain’s railways have made a decent living […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/00.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Trackside Classic: 1960 British Railways 9F № 92220 Evening Star · Steam Ends On A High Note")
Trackside Classic: 1960 British Railways 9F № 92220 Evening Star · Steam Ends On A High Note
Posted on June 11, 2023 | 19 CommentsOriginally posted 9 June 2023 Over 250 years ago, hauling coal in northeast England was the raison d’être of the first railways, and Britain’s railways have made a decent living […] -
![(first posted 5/8/2017) After WW2, Britain’s railways were forced together, and like all such combinations took their time to find their new style and identity. So it was 1951 before […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/01.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Trackside Classic: 1951 British Railways 7P Pacific No 70000 Britannia – Nationalised Pride")
Trackside Classic: 1951 British Railways 7P Pacific No 70000 Britannia – Nationalised Pride
Posted on May 8, 2023 | 13 Comments(first posted 5/8/2017) After WW2, Britain’s railways were forced together, and like all such combinations took their time to find their new style and identity. So it was 1951 before […] -
![(first posted 4/17/2017) When asked about early railway electrification in Britain, most will think of the Southern Railway’s commuter network fanning out from London. It seems that the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/1150_DE718_26000_1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Trackside Classic: 1951 British Railways EM1 No 26020 – Forgotten Progress")
Trackside Classic: 1951 British Railways EM1 No 26020 – Forgotten Progress
Posted on April 17, 2023 | 34 Comments(first posted 4/17/2017) When asked about early railway electrification in Britain, most will think of the Southern Railway’s commuter network fanning out from London. It seems that the […] -
![(first posted 2/2/2017) The Pennsylvania Railroad was a great railroad, with a high opinion of itself; nowhere was that more evident than in what was (and is) perhaps the most […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/00-4935.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Trackside Classic: 1934 Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 – Power Meets Style")
Trackside Classic: 1934 Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 – Power Meets Style
Posted on February 2, 2023 | 51 Comments(first posted 2/2/2017) The Pennsylvania Railroad was a great railroad, with a high opinion of itself; nowhere was that more evident than in what was (and is) perhaps the most […] -
![(first posted 1/3/2017) Driving a steam locomotive may look glamourous, but the environment isn’t. You’re either too hot or too cold, depending on the season; you get choked by […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/00-feature.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Trackside Classic: Southern Pacific AC12 Class 4-8-8-2 – A Different Way Forward")
Trackside Classic: Southern Pacific AC12 Class 4-8-8-2 – A Different Way Forward
Posted on January 3, 2023 | 21 Comments(first posted 1/3/2017) Driving a steam locomotive may look glamourous, but the environment isn’t. You’re either too hot or too cold, depending on the season; you get choked by […] -
![(first posted 12/4/2016) Few companies cherished tradition like the Great Western Railway (GWR). Look at its premier express engine, the King class. Brass and copper decoration, ornate […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/36-bell-P1059095.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Trackside Classic – 1927 Great Western Railway King Class 4-6-0 No 6000 King George V – Combining Innovation And Tradition")
Trackside Classic – 1927 Great Western Railway King Class 4-6-0 No 6000 King George V – Combining Innovation And Tradition
Posted on December 4, 2022 | 22 Comments(first posted 12/4/2016) Few companies cherished tradition like the Great Western Railway (GWR). Look at its premier express engine, the King class. Brass and copper decoration, ornate […] -
![(first posted 9/25/2016) The first jetliner in the world wasn’t a Boeing or a McDonnell Douglas. It was a government sponsored project, conceived in war to serve a post-war Empire. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DSC06214.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Aviation Classic: De Havilland Comet – Britain Pushes Aviation Boundaries, Maybe A Bit Too Far")
Aviation Classic: De Havilland Comet – Britain Pushes Aviation Boundaries, Maybe A Bit Too Far
Posted on September 25, 2022 | 87 Comments(first posted 9/25/2016) The first jetliner in the world wasn’t a Boeing or a McDonnell Douglas. It was a government sponsored project, conceived in war to serve a post-war Empire. […] -
![(first posted 8/21/2016) Late nineteenth century Switzerland had an opportunity, but also a problem. Some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe in the great Alpine mountain ranges were […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/feature.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Mountainside Classics – The Bergbahnen of the Berner Oberland")
Mountainside Classics – The Bergbahnen of the Berner Oberland
Posted on August 21, 2022 | 16 Comments(first posted 8/21/2016) Late nineteenth century Switzerland had an opportunity, but also a problem. Some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe in the great Alpine mountain ranges were […] -
![(first posted 6/16/2016) CC has already seen Flying Scotsman and Mallard of the London and North Eastern Railway, perhaps the most graceful and stylish steam locomotives in British history. But […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/00-feature.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Trackside Classic – 1938 LMS Princess-Coronation Pacific No 6229 Duchess Of Hamilton – Greatness Out Of Chaos")
Trackside Classic – 1938 LMS Princess-Coronation Pacific No 6229 Duchess Of Hamilton – Greatness Out Of Chaos
Posted on June 16, 2022 | 31 Comments(first posted 6/16/2016) CC has already seen Flying Scotsman and Mallard of the London and North Eastern Railway, perhaps the most graceful and stylish steam locomotives in British history. But […] -
![(first posted 5/8/2016) We all know the significance of the Hurricane, Spitfire and Lancaster. All these great aircraft were powered by the immortal Rolls-Royce Merlin engine; brilliantly engineered and superbly […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/01-feature.jpg?resize=115%2C115&ssl=1 "Rampside Classic – 1943 De Havilland DH-98 Mosquito – The Wooden Wonder That Rewrote The Rulebook")
Rampside Classic – 1943 De Havilland DH-98 Mosquito – The Wooden Wonder That Rewrote The Rulebook
Posted on May 8, 2022 | 63 Comments(first posted 5/8/2016) We all know the significance of the Hurricane, Spitfire and Lancaster. All these great aircraft were powered by the immortal Rolls-Royce Merlin engine; brilliantly engineered and superbly […]
