Rail adventure time! Starting at #BristolTempleMeads, heading to #Budapest. First stop #LondonPaddington

#BetterByRail #FlyLess #EuropeRailAdventure #FOSDEM #FOSDEM2026 #GWR #IET #Class800 #SlowTravel #EuropeByRail #WinterRailTrip

Very annoying issue on Class 800 trains - when the train is accelerating using the electric motor, my hearing aids produce a rapid pulsing squeal. If I take them out, there's zero sound for everyone else - it is EM induction from the motors producing it directly in the hearing aids.

To put the sound on a scale - when it can be heard, it drowns out all other sound.

So, I'm guessing the trains and the motors don't have great EM shielding.

#UKRail #Class800 #HearingAids #Trains

Why is the microphone used by the train manager so bad on the Class 800 GWR train?

It isn't the speakers. The automated announcements are crystal clear. But as soon as a real person talks, it's like they're underwater and sucking a gobstopper.

#UKRail #Class800 #UKTrains

I'm on my way to Düsseldorf for the distribits conference; the topic is technologies for distributed data management.

My journey today is Bristol → London → Brussels → Cologne → Düsseldorf. Total journey time is nine hours.

I'm on the first train, arriving in London in 10 minutes.

#distribits #ConferenceTravel #BetterByRail #EuropeByRail #TravelAddict #IET #GWR #Class800