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Ant Dawson

@railwayhobbit.bsky.social
935 followers 360 following 1.9K posts

Historian, Archaeologist, and Museum Professional who is also an Organist, Christian Universalist, Rower, Geek. Into Boardgames, Reenactment, Heavy Metal and with a soupcon of Long-Covid.

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Justin on eurostar @eurostarjustin.bsky.social · 6h
This was the arrival from London St Pancras via the Hope Valley line. What a beautiful sight! #HST50
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Justin on eurostar @eurostarjustin.bsky.social · 8h
On this day 50 years ago, the revolutionary British Rail Inter-City 125 entered service. Fantastic to see a set restored into 1980s livery arrive at Manchester Piccadilly this afternoon. #TheJourneyShrinker
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Ben Wood @cosmichope.bsky.social · 6h
'...the conviction remained in my mind that any revolution would fail to establish freedom & fraternity in proportion to its use of violence, that the use of violence inevitably brought in its train domination, repression, cruelty' (Fenner Brockway, "Inside the Left", 1942).
Fenner Brockway
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 12h
Harvest Festival this morning. Music courtesy of the Adamson Band. All rather jolly. Chapel was interestingly decorated with food stuffs, including a string of onions around the pulpit which, obviously, I had to wear. And proceeded to give the opening of my sermon in French. All in all tres bon.
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Rob 🏳️‍🌈 @rotster.net · 02/10/2026
OMG! Dolly Parton sings Jolene in Welsh in recording released after her death www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Dolly Parton sings Jolene in Welsh in recording released after her death
Parton's niece Jada Star and Welsh singer Bronwen Lewis say the country artist was proud to sing in Welsh.
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Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:
Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads: 

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."
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Seán Ferrick @seanferrick.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is horrible. This is disgusting. This is normalized. Seriously, is anyone truly shocked? Upset, of course. Appalled, definitely. But shocked? These men raped a woman for hours, and effectively got a finger wag for it. That's the standard. Rapists need to feel fear again. #Cornell
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Civic/ family service today celebrating the Centenary of the 2nd Gee Cross Guides. Lovely to see chapel so full. Brilliant effort by the girls and a fabulous historical display in the hall.
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
New Paper Alert! My study on the lived experience of railway workers and their clothing has been published by Costume (Vol 60, No. 2). It shows how Victorian railway uniform was cheaply and badly made; it smelled; it didn't fit and the wearers knew it.
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Dr Robert Bohan @robertbohan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
[16] Every one of my drawings tells a story. Every artwork is signed by the artist [me!] & shipped from Ireland. Explore my collection of original drawings here: robertbohan.etsy.com
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Ben Wood @cosmichope.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"We have to leave the Garden of Eden before we can start the journey to the Heavenly Jerusalem. It is ironic that the two are the same place but the journey must be made' (Robert A. Johnson).
Adam and Eve in stained glass
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Blue Oleta @blue-oleta.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Proud to announce my first exhibition, describing the engineer Matthew Murray of Leeds and 2 centuries of railway ingenuity in Leeds is now complete.
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Martin Rosner @hotpaper.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
panel 1
man thinking: Am I still a good person if helping others also benefits me? 

panel 2
disembodied voice from far away: Hey, man

panel 3
picture of the entire universe: It's me, the universe

panel 4
universe: Be kind, I don't care why
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ELDAH ONE @adj4life72.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
So, as always, democracy denied to all but westminster...
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Chris DeRose @scratchyderose.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
“Be Strong enough to be gentle.” Peter Cullen tells the story of how his brother inspired the voice he would use to play Optimus Prime. It’s a simple yet poignant quote that sums up why Optimus and Peter are so beloved. Til All Are One. 💔
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Sixo | Transformers @sixotf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I'm deeply saddened to read of Peter Cullen passing Like many of my generation (& countless since), his Optimus Prime *was* my childhood, showcasing a warmth beyond just being a battle-hardened hero that meant everything to me Thank you for all you gave us, Peter RIP
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"Freedom is the right of every sentient being. Until all are one."
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James Marsh @jamesotron.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Okay. So I've had a migraine all day, just woke up to see that Peter Cullen has died. After Tim Curry. After Dolly Parton... That's too much pain.
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Liz Climo @lizclimo.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
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Ross Johnson @rosserford.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
We’re going to hear about how everyone loved Dolly, and that feels true. But it’s good to remember, and to her credit, that she was attacked for her AIDS activism, her vaccine advocacy, her LGBTQ+ support and even, more recently, for her reading initiatives. She ALWAYS stood firm when it mattered.
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Playing the organ with a sprained left wrist = soprano, alto & some tenor parts in the right hand. Bass and some tenor on the pedals. Hurrah for double-pedalling? Talk about a workout for the brain.
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Senthorun S. Raj @senthorun.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
“Living through a global resurgence of fascism, the greatest difficulty has proved to be not arguing against it, but convincing non-fascists that fascism’s adherents really mean it. That they believe what they are telling us they believe—and they will act accordingly.” We must resist fascist logic.
liberalcurrents.com
Fascists Really Believe It
Millions could die because of ideas intellectually and morally equivalent to the ‘lizard people’ conspiracy theory.
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
the thing is like public health child literacy civil rights social justice rural poverty once you personally have become rich and successful, those things only matter if you still have the capacity to care deeply about people outside your immediate circle and that is harder than becoming rich
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
like the reason Dolly feels like an exceptional human being is because all the things we're talking about today in her lifetime of philanthropy trace back to just .... having empathy and we live in the era of "I Don't Know How to Explain to You That You Should Care About Other People"
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
and not every wealthy person who came from poverty retains the capacity to see the humanity in people who aren't exactly like them that's the core difference between Dolly and, for example, JKR; maybe once she cared a lot about cishet low-income moms like she was, but that's not really empathy
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Iron Spike @ironspike.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Lindsay Ellis has unlocked this video from Nebula exclusivity on the occasion of Dolly's passing. I recommend watching, it will only be available for a limited time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJuK...
youtube.com
Yes, Dolly was Actually That Great
YouTube video by Lindsay Ellis
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cait (and adonis) @cait.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I struggle to describe what Dolly meant to me as a southern blonde who spent her entire life getting disrespected to my face for being trashy and vain, but I will encourage you today to reflect on the ways YOU have treated women in your life whose aesthetics you find insufficiently respectable
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Center for Action and Contemplation @cac-org.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Can you guess which CAC faculty member spoke these words? Share your thoughts here in the comments.
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Dr Tess Machling @tessmachling.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Now it makes sense... great work by Byline, as usual... 👇 bylinetimes.com/2026/08/18/t...
bylinetimes.com
The Peter Thiel-Linked Race Science Network that Penetrated Cambridge University and Targeted Jason Arday
The media's coverage of the academic's life was fuelled by the campaign of an established far-right network
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Neil Mackay @neilmackay.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The persecution of minorities has reached bloodthirsty levels in this country. We have become a monstrous nation My column in @heraldscotland.bsky.social
heraldscotland.com
The persecution of minorities has reached bloodthirsty levels
Even in death, Jason Arday is hounded, writes Neil Mackay: the cruelty isn’t just immoral and disgusting, it is making Britain look like a nation…
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I can't help but feel, if a conference or institution is expecting a document or presentation in a particular format then it should be up to them to supply said software: for a wide variety of reasons not everyone uses microsoft, so to 'demand' powerpoint, word etc isn't terrible inclusive.
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Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Young miner and his pit pony, Durham, 1965, photo by John Bulmer.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
It’s time we sorted out the press. Constant misinformation to protect their donors and fossil fuels is destroying lives and our planet. The Government must step up and stop being cowardly.
Sorry Zack Polanski this long hot summer is not the apocalypse - it's like a gloriously long holiday in France
..with village green cricket thrown in good measure
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The Women In Science Archive @wisarchive.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Today is the 180th anniversary of Elsie Inglis's birth. She obtained the Triple Qualification in medicine in 1892, founded a maternity hospital in Edinburgh, spoke at suffrage events organized by Milicent Fawcett, and during WWI created the Scottish Women's Hospitals. #WomenInSTEM #MedSky ⚕️
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
NEW BOOK!
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Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Keir Hardie was born on this day 1856 in Legbrannock, Lanarkshire.
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Spot the difference....
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The Canary @thecanaryuk.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Green Party leader Zack Polanski blasts BBC's pro-Reform bias after a Newsnight ambush and press conference snub.
thecanary.co
Polanski slams BBC Reform-friendly hypocrisy after Newsnight ambush
Green Party leader Zack Polanski blasts BBC pro-Reform bias after a Newsnight ambush and press conference snub
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morrismummer @morrismummer.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Government seems to be thinking that if they ignore what's happening it will all go away. Burnham is your surname, not an instruction.
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I was glad, glad when they said unto me. We shall go into the house of the Lord!
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Starfleet Design 🖍🖖 @starfleetdesign.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Somebody must have done this before! But now I have too…
A "Pon farr" logo in the style of Pornhub, complete with IDIC dropdown logo and video thumbnails.
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David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Imagine if you took all the profits off gas/oil cos, AI cos, and other massively polluting, but profitable, industries worldwide and put them into: Decarbonising everything Investing in sustainable transport Building reservoirs Planting trees We could solve this. Yet, politicians choose not to
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Mum! The TV's broken. There's some weirdo on it with my name. Make it stop.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Crop yields down, our countryside scorched and over 2800 people are dead due to this summer's heatwaves. Meanwhile fossil fuel giants are raking in record profits. We must end this rampant profiteering, and cut fossil fuels from our energy mix as soon as possible.
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I'll be appearing on TV tonight on 'Rich Lives. Poor Lives' on Channel 5 at 9pm. It was a joy to work with my hero Ruth Goodman was we explored the life of Victorian Stationmasters and Mary Arguile in particular - the first woman stationmaster in the UK, in the 1830s.
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Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead @rachelgilmourld.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
From today, EU citizens have a legal right to know when they're talking to a bot or looking at a deepfake, backed by fines of up to €15m. Thanks to Brexit, we're missing out on this protection.
digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
It's weird when people bristle at the idea of abolishing billionaires. Are you a billionaire? Is your mum one? Why do you care? It would be good to abolish billionaires. More money for public services, less money for them to buy rape islands.
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Ben Wood @cosmichope.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
James Baldwin on the struggle to love. ♥️
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Ant Dawson @railwayhobbit.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Absolute icons of rail travel. Machines which made the modern world - for good or for bad.
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