Greetings from Lincoln, a cathedral city northeast of London. I’ve just taken the train from Durham and was lucky enough to sit in a four-seater (with table – one of the things I like about UK trains) with chatty northerners, one of whom worked for the railways and told me about how the system is structured today, after Margaret Thatcher’s privatization. More to come on my UK passenger rail experiences, which included a visit to the town where the first passenger service in the world ran, from Darlington to Stockton. You can read more on this guide to Darlington. At right is a photo of the Brick Train, a sculpture standing on a hill above the motorway. Will we want a monument of some kind when we have brought back the trains?

Please mark your calendars for a Members Meeting and Potluck in Great Barrington and for the Berkshire Train Campaign’s second online program on Tuesday, 8 October. The online seminar runs from 6.30-7.30pm. You can join the online program from anywhere, hear details of the proposed passenger rail service, and ask questions directly. The online program will be presented by Colin Pease of the Housatonic Railroad and Brian Domina and Clete Kus of Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and will be moderated by publisher Karen Christensen, founder of the Berkshire Train Campaign. Anyone can attend, from anywhere with an Internet connection, and we urge you to gather your family, friends, and neighbors to listen together. There will be live Q&A, and questions can be sent in advance to berkshiretraincampaign@gmail.com. Put “October 8 seminar” in the subject line and note that we will read your name and town with the question unless you tell us you prefer to be anonymous. Those who can make it to Great Barrington are welcome to attend in person, and we’ll have a potluck meeting starting at 5pm for those interested in becoming ambassadors for the Berkshire Train Campaign.

You’ll need to register in advance for this event. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about logging in from your own computer.