Excuse my absence this past few days but I’ve had little time for blogging now a semblence of normality is returning as lockdown gradually crumbles. This has co-incided with having articles to research and write, as well as advanced preparation for judging this years Community Rail Network (formerly ACoRP) awards – although I can’t go into any details on that (for now at least). Something had to give, so I decided it would have to be blogging, which is a shame as there’s plenty to write about – but now scribbling for money takes priority!

The weather’s really improved too – which allowed us to get out for ‘Fathers Day’ with Dawn’s parents (both mine passed away many years ago) by going for a walk together somewhere I’d not been to before. Blackmoorfoot reservoir is just to the West of  Huddersfield and it’s an easy but pleasant walk in the country with lovely views across the Colne valley. Due to the recent rains the reservoir water levels weren’t as low as I’d expected, but full it ain’t, as you can see from the picture.

Talking of pictures, I picked up some more old albums from storage at Dawn’s folks and they’ve now joined the queue for scanning when time permits. Here’s a sample, which is from an album of railway images taken in 1994-95, when Intercity expresses on the West Coast Main line looked like this…

Class 86228 named ‘Vulcan Heritage’ stands at Crewe with a Southbound express formed of Mk 2D coaches bound for Euston on the 21st August 1994. This locomotive passed on the Virgin trains when they took over at privatisation in 1997 and it survived in traffic until 2003. In 2013 it was exported to Bulgaria, where it remains in service today. You can find the rest of the pictures from the album (as they’re scanned) in this gallery. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get out and about more in the next couple of weeks and start updating my website with more recent images.

This leads me on to….

Picture of the day.

This is taken from another old travel album that’s in the queue for scanning, which contains a varied selection of shots from Europe and Asia. This one mixes three of my main interests. Railways, food and travel!

On the 21st February 2000 a young man working on a stall at Ahmedabad station in the Gujarat, Western India, fries Poori, the delicious Indian puffy fried bread made from unleavened whole-wheat flour. I love Pooris for breakfast, along with a curry sauce and the sort of coconut chutney you find served in Southern India. I’d been on holiday in the country but had extended my stay to head up to the Gujarat from Goa in search of India’s last mainline steam locomotives, which operated from (no, don’t laugh) Wankaner Junction! Sadly, I arrived just two weeks after the last engine had its fire dropped for good – but that’s another story – and picture…

 

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