Episodes

The Coast Starlight (1) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 21 Emeryville: The Coast Starlight (1) starts with my arrival at Emeryville Station, bright and early, on Monday morning. I spent the weekend at the Hilton Garden Inn on the waterfront by the Bay Bridge. I can see the station from my room in the hotel. We soon learn that our train is delayed. I could have had another hour in bed. The station is busy, there are people waiting to board the Coast Starlight, the Capital Corridor, the Cali...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 12 – The Great Depression In The Great Depression Andrew Cole tells us about the period between 1929 and 1939. Whilst much of his talk is about the US he also tells us about the global context. Please note: this talk is from early March 2020 and is therefore from before the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic fully hit economies. What was The Great Depression? We learn that a great deal has been written about this period. There are over 500 non-fiction books, 100+ tel...

Episode 9 – Bare and Fair Welcome to Bare and Fair, a podcast made as part of the Surrey’s Greener Future initiative. February 2020 I meet Mel, a driving force behind Bare & Fair, on a cold, wet, February day in Woking, because of this we retreat to the Café at Christ Church in the town centre for a coffee and interview. Mel explains how she and her family started trying to be more environmentally friendly. Their first action was to reduce waste and, because of their efforts. they reduced the...

The San Joaquins – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 20 Thruway service from LA to Bakersfield: The San Joaquins starts with my arrival back in LA Union Station on Saturday morning. I go to the Thruway bus terminal at the side of the station for the journey to Bakersfield. There are two Thruway busses waiting for the Bakersfield passengers. We hear the announcement for the northbound Coast Starlight as we wait. Once my luggage is loaded on to the bus we set off. Bakersfield: We arrive in goo...

Exhibition of Paintings (3) Welcome to the Exhibition of Paintings (3) brought to you by the Farnham u3a Painting 1 group. The group at the start of the project. This is the third online Exhibition by the members of the Farnham u3a Painting Groups. The exhibition is of project work by Painting 1 over the past year. Painting 1 is the only group in this exhibition because this project only involves their members. Reviewing progress In the podcast (at the top) Gloria Stock describes the three pha...

The Sunset Limited (8) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 19 Ontario, CA, next stop: The Sunset Limited (8) starts with us running some hours late through southern California. Our next stop is Ontario. We are well into the outskirts of Los Angeles. On our approach we pass large marshalling yards with complicated track arrangements. We pass a lumber yard followed by an industrial gases site. A wide range of different industries. I talk to a music teacher who is on his Spring break. He hates f...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 11 – Pax Britannica Pax Britannica describes the role of the Royal Navy in the century between 1815 and 1914, where Britain acted as ‘global policeman’ The talk is given by Elizabeth Anson. She has a great personal knowledge of the Royal Navy because she is the daughter of a Rear Admiral. Her father was Flag Officer, Malta when she was born. She was also the wife of Rear Admiral Sir Peter Anson. A hundred years without a major conflict: The ‘War of 1812‘ with the Unit...

The Sunset Limited (7) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 18 Nearing the border town of El Paso: The Sunset Limited (7) starts in the far west of Texas as we approach El Paso. El Paso is a ‘border town’ with Mexico. We pass oil refineries, sidings and rail cars waiting to be filled to transport the oil across the US. Our stop in El Paso: We are still running some hours late and our stop at El Paso will be shorter than usual. There is a crew change at El Paso and we can get out for a breath o...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 10 – The Amritsar Massacre and its aftermath John Hambly tells us about the Amritsar Massacre and its aftermath. Often referred to as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre because that was the area of Amritsar where it took place in. John starts by setting the scene and telling us about the key players on both sides. Background: During the First World War the Indian sub-continent had contributed many soldiers to the British war effort. Because of this there were expectations ...

The Sunset Limited (6) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 17 Near the Southern Border of the United States: The Sunset Limited (6) continues our journey across Texas. We are near the southern border of the US and will later start to see the agriculture made possible by the Rio Grande. The land certainly isn’t as bare as it was earlier, we pass an orchard and some ploughed fields with people working in them. This is certainly more hospitable than earlier when all we saw was a few cattle. Some...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 09 – British Art between the Wars Peter Duffy tells us about the key contributors to British Art between the Wars. Peter starts by introducing is to Britain before the First World War. He tells us about art at that time, Artists: We are introduced to the leading artistic talents of the time. Paul Nash a British surrealist painter and war artist. He was also a photographer, writer and designer of applied art. He was among the most important landscape artists of the ti...

The Sunset Limited (5) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 16 A disagreement: The Sunset Limited (5) starts with a disagreement. A lady has been verbally abusing some passengers. They’ve complained and the conductor has arrived to ask the lady to be quiet and return to her seat. She resents this and is extremely, and unpleasantly, rude to the conductor. When she refuses to return to her seat he tells her that she’ll be leaving the train when we reach Alpine. In the end the Police took her off...

The Sunset Limited (4) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 15 Leaving Houston: The Sunset Limited (4) starts as we leave Houston, where the station is located below motorways. The city has the sixth largest population in the US with over 2.3 million residents. The station opened in October 1959 when it replaced Houston Grand Central Station. Passenger numbers rose to 20,460 in 2019. Through the night: After leaving Houston, and passing through the outskirts of the city, I have dinner and, af...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 08 – Ataturk – the greatest Nation Builder of modern times Alan Freeland tells us the amazing story of the life of Ataturk – the greatest Nation Builder of modern times. To call Ataturk a complex person is a great understatement! Alan takes us through the ups and downs of Ataturk’s life. Everything changed under Ataturk. The name Ataturk means ‘Father of the nation of Turkey’. For many years the major European powers wielded global control. This was the first time a na...

The Sunset Limited (3) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 14 Lake Charles, Louisiana: The Sunset Limited (3) starts as we approach the City of Lake Charles. The city is home to just under 72,000 (2010 census). It is the fifth largest city in Louisiana. The major activities include petroleum refining, gaming, tourism and education. It is one of the three most humid places in the US. We cross the lake beside the bridge carrying road traffic and head off into the lush countryside. Then we pass ...

Episode 8 – The Repair Cafe Conference Welcome to the Repair Cafe Conference podcast which is made as part of the Surrey’s Greener Future initiative. The University for the Creative Arts in Farnham hosted the Repair Cafe Conference on 12th March 2020. You can see the large number of delegates in the photographs. The Repair Cafe concept started in the Netherlands, however there are now over 2,000 across the world. Professor Martin Charter starts by welcoming the delegates and introducing the d...

The Sunset Limited (2) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 13 Morgan City: The Sunset Limited (2) begins as we cross the Atchafalaya River at Morgan City. The river is a tributary of the Mississippi. There are two road bridges and one rail bridge crossing the river here. The population peaked in the 1970s and has declined by about 35% since then. Many of the houses in this area are in need of some TLC. This may be because, in 2018, the median income in Louisiana was just under $48,000. This c...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 06 – Sleepwalking into World War 1 Lorna Thomas tells us the fascinating story about the nations Sleepwalking into World War 1. She starts by telling us about the protagonists. A time of great Empires, Empires with ambitions to expand. At the same time, some Empires were weakening with states seeking independence. Because of these factors it was a time of stress, particularly in Europe. A World War: Soldiers came from across the Empires of the belligerents. The Briti...

The Sunset Limited (1) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 12 At the station: The Sunset Limited (1) begins when I arrive at the station in New Orleans, its quite early in the morning and I need breakfast. I’m able to get something to eat and drink in the Magnolia Room. The Magnolia Room is the Amtrak equivalent of an airport lounge. The Union Station retains the style of the 1950s, it opened in 1954 . Our train: Our boarding call is in good time for a prompt departure. I have the time to ta...

A day in New Orleans – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 11 To the hotel: A day in New Orleans begins with our late arrival at the station, a taxi ride to our hotel and a good night’s sleep at the French Market Inn. Get more details here. Morning: I woke refreshed, dressed and went to reception to meet my friends. We decided to go across the road to Cafe Beignet on Decatur Street. You can find out more about the restaurant here. We then went through Jackson Square and the Colonnade Market to t...

The City of New Orleans (3) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 10 The bus journey continues: The City of New Orleans (3) begins as we reach Arkansas on our bus. The train has no stops in Arkansas so I wonder whether this is an extra state! We soon pass Osceola. The town is on the Mississippi which forms the border between Arkansas and Tennessee. Memphis: The bus is making reasonable progress. We reach Memphis during the rush hour and our progress is slow. Once we get south of the city the r...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 06 – Prohibition Joanne Watson tells us about Prohibition. She starts by covering the journey that the US followed to the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment. We then hear about what happened after. Moral conscience: There was a flowering of moral conscience after the abolition of slavery. American adults drank an average of 1.7 bottles of 80% proof spirits a week in 1830. That equates to 3.5 bottles of spirits at today’s strength. Someone commented ‘Americans drink ...

The City of New Orleans part 2 – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 9 Carbondale: The City of New Orleans part 2 begins as we realise that the train will go no further. It is 6.30 am and we are in Carbondale. We are given the options of returning the way we came or going on by bus. Some of the passengers are not happy! Our train failure is news! A local TV station comes to report on the situation and interview the passengers – it must be a slow news day! We hear that buses are coming, but fro...

Message in a Bottle (4) Welcome to Message in a Bottle (4), the a store for the material in the third Flotsam and Jetsam e-Newsletter from Farnham U3A. It doesn’t matter if you deleted the e-Newsletter – the important bits are here! Listen to a Personal View of Lockdown: Your editors ‘phoned Ann Vickers to find out how she is coping with the lockdown. She’s been keeping busy as you’ll hear – listen using the media player above. From your editors: Our wonderful spring has continued and the ar...