HELLO - if you have misophonia etc there is a horrible loud click at 45:11 that VideoPad (don't shout at me) rendered without me knowing it... SKIP from 45:10 to 45:12 to avoid it!

(audio setup has been somewhat improved since this episode was recorded so this week and last week's imperfections should have been tidied up next guest ep)

23:43 Never heard a Lukashenko impression done in English before, and Milo's is pretty spot-on! Done his old mentor proud 😀

As a Russian, I can attest to the high level of accuracy of the descriptions of Russian rail and life experiences here.

The main issue of passenger lines in Russia is their extreme slowness. Like, you know why the trains are (almost) always on time? Because the timetables are extremely loose. So that, even if a train had an incident, it'd easily get back to its timetable speeding up plus 10-20 km/h and cutting unnecessarily long stops.

Having previously immersed myself in the street culture of VAZ auto owners (especially that of certain Siberian regions), it’s lovely to see some Brits who are caught up with ‘the vibe’!

Speaking of, there’s a Russian-language channel that just about perfectly encompasses the experience of a working-class Russian bloke looking to get his first ride, then going through hell & high water with numerous used VAZ models before saving up enough for a Chevy. The channel is called ‘Bager Takers’, & he’s been on his journey since 2017 (then 15 years old!).

It's The Rail One

31:45 I'm definitely no railway expert, but the dining car equipment must have been powered by an axle-driven alternator.
Makes a train electrical system so much simpler with individual cars being (almost) isolated and autonomous, allowing cross-compatibility of different generations of cars from various manufacturers. Not without obvious drawbacks which Milo experienced 😆

28:45 'It's Russia, weird shit normally happens here' — funny steretotype, cause this shit is just weird by russian standards (I mean a sleeping guy in a Sapsan)

Somewhere around the 19:25 mark Gareth mentions electrification of American rail and it reminds me of the suburb of Detroit Michigan I grew up in, that still had (and has, last time i was there) the concrete arches from Henry Ford’s (boo) electric railway (yay!), even though electric trains hadn’t run on that track since the 30’s.

Ah, what could have been, the paths not taken, etc… Anyway, Love the episode!

I had a similar experience to Milo's dessert story on Amtrak when I was like 12. We were in the dining car on the Empire Builder going to Chicago. Now in their defense it was like the middle of summer on the last leg of the trip to Chicago, so I get supplies being low and being a bit at wits end since the train gets so packed. So we are sat down and the waiter says "We have Pepsi products to drink". I order first and ask for like a Dr. Pepper and the guy - without missing a beat - says "I'm sorry, but we only have one can of Diet Mt. Dew left." Like I had/have a respect for waiters and staff like that just because those jobs suck and my mom use to do stuff like that, but brother just tell me you have a limited menu. The same guy also accosted a child, maybe no more then 3 or 4, for being slightly annoying at the table across from us. That being said, I love amtrak and haven't really had an experience like that since then from staff on trains.

29:15 Call this weird, but I actually prefer platzcart over corridor type sleeper cars because of the... privacy. In a common unsegregated space you don't have that kind of forced communication that you inevitably have in a sleeper car. You're kinda left alone in the crowd.

This was great fun but weirdly my favourite bit was the Railnatter theme tune origin lore.

Lol never would I have guessed that rocket was what was behind you in the thumbnail

14:34 some places, it’s work’s under the rails.

Love this ep.

I WILL SHOEW STEVEN SEGAL TREAN FULL OF POTAETO

20:50 VAZ-2101, aka Lada 1200 in UK. Lada Riva was actually a restyle of this model

30:00 in traditional carriages you can get potable water for free, there is a single tap situated near the hostess room. In newer ones there's a cooler or purifier for both hot and cool water, unlimited use.
Sapsan has neither, I wonder if they will still bring water if you ask.

37:18 Yeah.... That was a fantastic birthday present from Putin. Exactly what I wanted. /s
Waking up that morning to the news was not fun.

I am convinced the seats on the Caledonian Sleeper were designed specifically to put you in to a stress position if you try to sleep

I got crippling abdominal cramps the first time I used it going from London to Aberdeen. Would have gone to A&E if not for the cramps disappearing within 10 minutes of getting off the train...