Editing Bradshaw:The Traffic Circular/Volume 2/Number 5

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Welcome to the latest edition of the ''On Our Lines'' periodical newsletter, '''''The Traffic Circular'''''! You can find the entire archive of past Circulars [[B:TTC|here]], and you can also sign up to receive the newsletter direct to your email inbox [http://eepurl.com/h97rlD here]. For those of you on our [[Discord]] server, we’ll also post every edition in {{discord channel|#public-address}} as it’s published.

==A Busy Start==
January has absolutely flown by, and it seems like I only yesterday when I was penning the introduction to the January edition of ''The Traffic Circular''. We’ve been here, there and everywhere this month, with our first few in-person events of the year being well supported.

Sunday 8 January saw us head out to the Overground for [[OverGround and Hills to 2023]], with something on offer for everyone. Rare track, unusual platforms and two [[Stations of the Month]], as well as plenty of time to socialise with friends new and old, was well appreciated, and we had a lovely day – thanks to everyone who joined us.

The London Underground also celebrated its 160th birthday this year and we threw [[Tube160|a small birthday party]] to mark the occasion! With bunting, balloons and – of course – cake, a small group of ''On Our Lines'' friends took a journey from [[Farringdon]] to [[Paddington Bishops Road|Paddington]] and back to [[Baker Street]], along the route of the original [[Metropolitan Railway]], on the historic day.

Our first [[LTR|Transport Race]] of 2023 also took place on [[LTR/6|21 January]], with 10 teams taking part this time round. Blessed with good weather – albeit a little chilly – this edition took on a distinctive ‘Tube 160’ theme, with participants incentivised to spend time on the original Met section. A fortuitous coincidence with an official TfL event also provided the opportunity for participants to win a ‘[[Love The Tube]]’ shopping bag, which was taken up by a number of teams. As always – we’ll keep running Transport Races for as long as people want to keep seeing them, and we still have plenty of ideas to keep them fresh! It’s always nice to see faces new and old.

Our next Transport Race will be a [[LTR/E2|London ‘EXPERT’ mode on 25 March]] – tickets are available now [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/475345650637 via EventBrite]. The next ‘ordinary’ London event will be on [[LTR/7|22 April]], with a third helping for 2023 now able to be announced for [[LTR/8|8 July]] – we hope to see you there! Tickets for both dates are also available [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/386051730117 on EventBrite].

Why do we explicitly mention London? Well – we’re pleased to announce that we are currently working on [[Birmingham’s Transport Race]]. We don’t quite have a date yet for the first public (but trial) run, but we’re hoping it to be towards the end of Spring or early Summer. Watch this space – but do let us know if you have any ideas or thoughts for this event!

And, if you can’t wait to get out and about in Birmingham, we’re going to be holding our next [[social in Birmingham on 26 February]]. We’re still finalising the plan for the day, but it will likely involve a mid-morning meet in the centre of Birmingham and a combination of riding trams, trains and buses and exploring the local area, before retiring to somewhere for food. We’ll be making free tickets for this social available via EventBrite as soon as things are finalised – whilst we do encourage you to book so that we can manage numbers, there won’t be any obligation to do so.

We had hoped to hold our first [[SS:S|SimSig Session]] of 2023 this month too, however unfortunately we’ve run out of time to put together a full plan to make this happen. However, we will still be having an informal [[SimSig]] game on Saturday 4 February from around 7pm – the simulations are to be confirmed, but let us know your preferences in {{discord channel|#games-with-trains}}.

==Stations of the Month==
Our [[Stations of the Month]] challenge is off to a great start this year! We’ve already had plenty of entries for the January pick, and we’re sure this will only continue to grow in 2023.

During January, we have had submissions for [[Bicester Village]] ({{discord|jarley#2168|superintendent}}, {{discord|Thryduulf#8980|controller}}), [[Burton Joyce]] ({{discord|Thryduulf#8980|controller}}), [[Lambeth North]] ({{discord|dlpb#7369|companion}}, {{discord|jarley#2168|superintendent}}, {{discord|laurencec123#3791|controller}}, {{discord|Lcawte#2212|companion}}, {{discord|cso#3672|companion}}, {{discord|CallMeFlick#9351|controller}}, {{discord|Nick Brunning#8155|companion}}, {{discord|Thryduulf#8980|controller}}, {{discord|isbsp#7614}}, {{twitter|elthebasket}}, {{discord|88Kristina#3801}}), [[New Hythe]] ({{discord|dlpb#7369|companion}}, {{discord|Thryduulf#8980|controller}}, {{discord|jarley#2168|superintendent}}), [[Oakworth]] ({{discord|jarley#2168|superintendent}}, {{discord|CallMeFlick#9351|controller}}), [[Pollockshields West]] ({{discord|dlpb#7369|companion}}), [[Southchurch Drive North]] ({{discord|Thryduulf#8980|controller}}), [[St Budeaux Ferry Road]] ({{discord|dlpb#7369|companion}}) and [[Sydenham]] ({{discord|dlpb#7369|companion}}, {{discord|jarley#2168|superintendent}}, {{discord|Lcawte#2212|companion}}, {{discord|Nick Brunning#8155|companion}}, {{discord|cso#3672|companion}}, {{discord|Thryduulf#8980|controller}}, {{discord|Raphidash#9426|companion}}, {{discord|CallMeFlick#9351|controller}}, {{discord|laurencec123#3791|controller}}, {{twitter|elthebasket}}). Full details can be found [[SotM/2023#January|here]].

And so, without further ado, it’s time to reveal the first look at the 2023 Stations of the Month leaderboard:

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Participant!!Entries!!Bonus points!!Total
|-
|{{discord|Thryduulf#8980|controller}}||6||4||10
|-
|{{discord|jarley#2168|superintendent}}||6||3||9
|-
|{{discord|dlpb#7369|companion}}||5||1||6
|-
|{{discord|CallMeFlick#9351|controller}}||3||2||5
|-
|{{discord|laurencec123#3791|controller}}||2||3||5
|-
|{{discord|Lcawte#2212|companion}}||2||2||4
|-
|{{discord|cso#3672|companion}}||2||2||4
|-
|{{discord|Nick Brunning#8155|companion}}||2||2||4
|-
|{{twitter|elthebasket}}||2||2||4
|-
|{{discord|isbsp#7614}}||1||1||2
|-
|{{discord|Raphidash#9426|companion}}||1||1||2
|-
|{{discord|88Kristina#3801}}||1||||1
|}

For those new to the Stations of the Month challenge, all you have to do is visit one (or more) of our randomly selected stations from around the country, snap a photo and share it with us! There will be one National Rail station from each region of the country, one London Underground / DLR, one light rail/tram and one heritage railway station each month. Plus, the more creative your selfie is, the better – we’ll award a bonus point to the most creative in each category every month.
 
The stations for February have been chosen and are listed below and in the ''February 2023 Stations of the Month'' thread in {{discord channel|#challenges-on-our-lines}}, where you should post your pictures.

[[File:SOTM-2023-02.png|frame|The Stations of the Month for February 2023|center]]

==RailMiles==
Our [[RailMiles]] leaderboard is back for 2023, and we’ve already got some hefty distances being racked up! We’ve wiped things afresh and reset the board to active members of the community – but if we’ve removed you in error, do let us know and we’ll add you back in! Here’s the standing as at 0000 on 1 February…

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Discord username!!RailMiles username!!Points
|-
|{{discord|laurencec123#3791|controller}}
|laurencec123
|4117mi 69ch
|-
|{{discord|jarley#2168|superintendent}}
|jcmg
|2345mi 45ch
|-
|{{discord|CallMeFlick#9351|controller}}
|Slaffter
|2061mi 16ch
|-
|{{discord|NickBrunning#8155|companion}}
|Nick_on_Platforms
|1151mi 23ch
|-
|{{discord|deadly#3721|companion}}
|deadly
|1039mi 08ch
|-
|{{discord|J_Finney#8905}}
|J_Finney
|653mi 55ch
|-
|{{discord|Lcawte#2212}}
|lcawte
|321mi 75ch
|}

If you’ve got RailMiles but you’re not part of the team, just ping {{discord|jarley#2168|superintendent}} on [[Discord]] or get in touch on our social media if you would like to be added.

Our first monthly challenge for those of you who don’t use RailMiles or don’t travel as much will be dropping towards the end of February… watch this space!

==Picture of the Month==
Don’t forget that you can enter up to three photos each month for our ''[[Picture of the Month]]'' competition! The winning photo, as chosen by our Patreons ({{discord|Ticket Holders|patreon}}) and Staff team, will be shared across our social media platforms for the following month, and immortalised here in ''The Traffic Circular'' forever!

Our first winning entry of 2023 comes from {{discord|dlpb#7369|companion}}, of a Lego tube train in front of the ‘Love The Tube’ anniversary roundel at [[Baker Street]].

[[File:Tube 160 - dlpb.jpg|thumb|center|900px|Lego Tren - {{discord|dlpb#7369|companion}}]]

The February competition is open now and you can submit up to three of your best photos in the ''Picture of the Month - January 2023'' thread on [[Discord]].

<small>
==Credits==
Written and edited by Jarley ({{discord|jarley#2168|superintendent}}).
</small>
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[[Category:The Traffic Circular|2.5]]