A later start today but I’m on my way, having left Halifax on Northern’s 08:50 to Huddersfield. We’ve another hot, sunny day predicted so I’m dressed accordingly whilst carrying a variety of spare clothing for my tour of England, Scotland and Wales. Oh, and midge spray – just in case, although the West Higland weather is predicted to be wet!
Feel free to keep popping in to see where and what I get up to…
The first train of many…
15:15.
I’m back. Sorry for the delay but I’ve been moving between trains and busy with the camera.
I made it to Manchester Piccadilly with 5 mins to spare before my next connection – a packed Pendolino which took me to Stoke where I joined a blissfully quiet Cross-Country Voyager as far as Birmingham New St. The city (and station was hot and muggy but I wasn’t hanging around. Instead I had chance to sample two new train fleets. An Alstom Class 730 took me to Bromsgrove where I cahnged onto a 4-car, CAF built Class 196 to Worcester. A short visit to Shrub Hill station ensued as it has a fascinating history and retains one of the finest collections of GWR semaphore signals left on the UK mainline.
I was lucky to find this temporary exhibition in the cafe annexe which showcased a photographic history of the railways (and staff who worked) around Worcester.
Right now I’m on a GWR Class 800 crossing the Cotswolds en-route to Didcot.
16:50.
And it was all going so well…
I got to Didcot only to find the Cardiff train was cancelled. Not just the Cardiff one either, Cheltenhams too. It seems that when things go majorly pear-shaped on the Great Western Main Line near London these are the services sacrificed. It’s like the East Coast with trains to Leeds.
Now I’m basking in the hottest weather and intense sun while I wait for a train to Swindon and a connection to Cardiff. Yes, I know there’s other ways I could have done it but I’l trying to show what ‘Joe public’ relies on. Anyway, as well as the sunshine i’ve red kites and Chinnooks flying overhead to keep me entertained.
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Time to wipe the sleep from my eyes and prepare for day 2. This time I’m heading deep into the East – via Sheffield, so that I can pick up a very limited and rather special service to the coast. It’s a train I’ve been trying to catch for 20 years, but as it only used to run on Saturdays, that was impossible to plan. Feel free to pop back later and see what it is…
08:15.
Having left Halifax on Grand Central’s 07:12 to London I detrained at Buddleia Central – sorry – Wakefield Kirkgate, where I changed for a train to Sheffield. Now I’ve the mobile office set up on a busy 2-car Class 195 that’s forming the 07:56.
I’ve a while to kill at Sheffield as there’s not many options that would allow me to explore and get back in time for my next train, which is central to my plans.
19:00.
Sorry, that’s been a crap rolling blog. Today’s been difficult as I’ve been on a succession of absolutely rammed train with little time in between. The good thing is I achieved my two main aims. One was to traverse the Brigg line between Gainsborough and Barnetby for the first time in over 30 years – and the other was to include a trip on the Barton-on-Humber branch.
It’s amazing how many people you can fit in a 2-car train when needs must. Families from Sheffield arrive at Cleethorpes.
The day’s been hot and sticky due to the weather, which hasn’t helped. Then I was hit by a series of delays and cancellations on the way back which has meant I’ve not been able to include all the routes I’d intended without getting back late tonight. Instead, I’ve cur the trip short in order to get back at a sensible time as I need to pack for tomorrow and the next several days. I won’t be back home for another week now.
Luxury on the Barton-On-Humber branch! Air-conditioned Class 170s are a far cry from the single-car class 153s that used to operate the route. Here’s 170271 calling at Grimsby Town earlier today.
22:50.
I’ve had a busy evening completely rejigging tomorrow’s timetable and routes to take into account the past two days disappointments. I’ve also given myself a slightly later start. Wednesday will see me making my way to Cardiff via a rather curious route.
See you in the morning…
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Today’s the start of my bi-annual odyssey around the UK’s railways for RAIL magazine. I’ll be blogging (sporadically) throughout the day as I cover 15 trains and two countries on day 1. Right now I’m on my way to Manchester on the first of what will be around 80 trains in 7 days. I’ve picked a good week. The weather’s predicted to be some of the hottest of the year, it’s the holidays and train services are being cut in some areas – so there should be lots to write about!
150003? Not a train I’d expected to see at Halifax on the start of my trip.
0845.
The day’s turning into a fun one already. I was only on my 2nd train when we had a last-minute set swap at Manchester as the train I was due to catch was taken out of service with a faulty gearbox. Quick work by Northen staff saw an inbound 4-car set split and the rear Class 150 used as a replacement, returning the way it came with minimal delay – and from the same platform too!
Right now I’m on my way to Wigan aboard yet another old Class 150…
14:49.
Where’s the time gone? Since I was last able to post and update I’ve covered quite a few miles – mostly standing on trains which is why there’s been no updates! After leaving Manchester I sampled battery trains on Merseyrail, then old London Underground stock on the Welsh borders before heading along the North Wales coast on absolutely packed Transport for Wales trains as far as Llandudno Junction where the plan to get to Llandudno fell apart due to late running and the fact the train on the way back was one I *really* wanted to catch as it was a chance to sample one of Avanti West Coast’s new Class 805s. I can’t say that was a great success, for reasons you’ll be able to read about in RAIL magazine.
Hell old District line friend..
Now I’m heading back from Chester to Liverpool via TfW’s direct service via Runcorn. And I have a seat – and a table, and wifi…
18:00.
There’s an old military adage that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. I could say the same thing about my Rover plans! On arrival at Manchester Piccadilly everything went majorly tits up. I’d planned to catch a TPE service to Sheffield in order to make my way back to Halifax via the Penistone line and Huddersfield. The railway had other plans. Well, to be fair – it wasn’t the railways fault. A tree had come down on the Manchester Airport line at Gatley. This was fouling the overhead wires, so only diesel trains could run. No problem you think – except for the fact Manchester Airport is a terminal station and all the platforms were occupied by trapped electric trains! So, everything going to the airport was cancelled, causing a massive backlog on the Oxford Rd corridor as Network rail did its best to get trains out of the way. The station staff were excellent, both in the way they kept passengers informed and dealt with their problems as no-one wants to be delayed on the way to an airport.
Finally, my TPE service was freed from the jam and is now running roughly 30 mins late, which buggers up my connections at Sheffield. I may have to resort to plan B if I want to get home at a sensible time…
22:30.
Plan B it was. I missed my Penistone line connection at Sheffield so opted for the direct route to Leeds on a Cross-Country service, then a local train via Bradford to Halifax. It wasn’t what I’d planned, but I have another busy day tomorrow and will rejig my plans in the light of today’s events. The main this is that I’m now home, having showered and been fed (Dawn very kindly had food ready for when I got in).
Now to reset the alarm and prepare for day 2. This time I’ll be heading East…
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We’re about to depart Bigland Towers for a weekend in Cambridgeshire, driving down to Peterborough which we’ll be using as tonight’s base. But first, we’ve got to get there – and have a barbecue to attend. Let’s see how the trip goes. Updates and pictures to follow…
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The pair of us have had a busy Friday here at Bigland Towers. It’s not that we’ve been anywhere – although we will be over the weekend. It’s more a case of clearing the decks so that we can. I’ve been busy type-swiping – finishing another article for RAIL magazine – only this one’s full of history, facts and figures, which involves a lot of research and fact-checking. That’s not always easy, although it is time-consuming.
Whilst I’ve been doing that upstairs, Dawn’s been equally busy downstairs – until it was time for her to break off from her day job to indulge in a spot of baking, creating some delicious foods to take away with us tomorrow to a friends soiree down in Cambridgeshire. Right now the kitchen’s full of the smell of Bakewell tart and lemon drizzle cake!
As I’ve mentioned, tomorrow we’ll be heading off to Cambridgeshire, with an overnight stay in an old haunt – Peterborough. No doubt I’ll have some time to blog about our adventures, but in the meantime I’ll leave you with today’s picture. Shame it’s not ‘scratch and sniff’!
Dawn’s delicious lemon drizzle cake. Still cooling…
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Stop sniggering at the back! Yes, I know the name Penistone always attracts giggles from those who enjoy innuendo, but the Penistone line between Huddersfield and Barnsley is a very scenic railway. Today I’m off exploring in order to get some lineside shots. The weather’s not exactly wall to wall sunshine, but I should be able to play with the shadows and light if the weather plays ball.
Right now I’m sat at Huddersfield, getting a few pictures after catching the local service from Halifax. Sadly, the timing off the two services couldn’t be worse. We were scheduled to arrive at 10:12 – at exactly the same time the Sheffield train departs! Still, it gives me time to get some other shots. Here’s a few,
Moody skies over Halifax and the sun battles with the clouds whilst 195109 leaves with a service to Manchester Victoria.150211 is one of the units working today’s Bradford Interchange – Huddersfield shuttles.Due to having to label and catalogue every piece in order to aid rebuilding, progress on demolishing the tea rooms at Huddersfield was slow. Now work has stepped up a pace.
15:00.
Time for an update.
As I suspected, I’ve been playing hide ank seek with the sun. That and the fact I was an hour later than hoped so its position was getting quite acute to the viaduct I wanted to shoot trains on. In the end I managed a decent shot but know there’s others to be had earlier in the day and when clouds are in a minority.Having explored Penistone I moved back up the line to Denby Dale, where the cloud was even thicker! I did manage one decent shot as a train traversed the viaduct but it’s going to need tweaking. The bright side is that I’m putting today down to an exploring day. I’ve not been to Denby Dale for years. This trip’s given me chance to explore local footpaths and work out positions for some great scenic shots when the weather’s right. Oh, and I’ve already got 18,000 steps under my belt!
The first of its type. Class 150 number 150001 crosses the viaduct at Penisone with a service to Sheffield. The same unit cross the Denby Dale viaduct. Oh, for a bit of sunshine. The good news is that I’m now au-fait with the footpaths in the area (including the one in the foreground).
16:45.
I’m now kicking my heels back in Huddersfield. The train from Denby Dale was 20 minutes late, not that it mattered as my onward connection to Halifax was cancelled!
Better late than never! 150005 working 2B58, the 14:35 Sheffield to Huddersfield arrives at Denby Dale 22 minutes late. The service left Sheffield 11 down and lost more time en-route.
Now I’ve over an hour to wait, so I’ve retreated to the ‘Kings Head’ on the station for a beer and a chance to update this blog. In passing I saw that staff from the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) had set up an information stall on platform 1. As well as useful information leaflets they’d a range of freebies, from pens to jelly-babies. I snaffled a pen…
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Another week begins here at Bigland Towers, where it’s been a mixed sort of day. Summer seems in retreat again. It’s been warm, but gloomy skies, threats of rain – and gusting winds have rather taken the edge off things. You just don’t know how to dress for this weather. One minute you need a fleece, then the sun comes out, the wind drops and you’re roasting.
Not that I’ve seen much of the great outdoors until I went for an evening stroll. Most of my day’s been spent glued to a scheme, picture editing and planning. You can find the latest tranche of pictures that I’ve added to my Zenfolio site by following this link. The updated galleries will appear at the top of the page.
Besides editing and getting on with some household chores I’ve also been planning my round Britain trip for RAIL magazine. I should have done the trip already, but I had to move it back a couple of weeks for various reasons. Instead, I’ll be starting off next Monday. There’s still a lot of details to firm up as there’s so many things I want to try and include on the itinerary due to the way the railways are changing. The system looks very different to how it did on my first odyssey back in 2004!
Something else that’s kept me occupied has been meal planning. After the holiday I returned to my two day a week fasting routine (you’re allowed 600 calories per day max). The first couple of weeks I winged it with a very unadventurous diet as I’d no suitable recipes. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to live on meals consisting of beetroot salad or baked beans every week! Thankfully, Dawn’s come to the rescue with a book she had on her Kindle, so tonight I had an excellent Thai-style veggie stir-fry which was well within my calorie budget and also delicious! Tomorrow’s a ‘normal’ day, so I can be a little more free and easy, although I’m trying to cut down my portion sizes as it makes fast days easier. Mind you, I may venture out tomorrow if the weather’s good, we’ll see…
For now, I’ll leave you with today’s picture which is of tonight’s big (and moody) skies over the Calder valley.
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Sorry for the lack of blogs but I’ve both been busy and had the muse desert me. That’s not to imply there’s been nothing to write about – far from it, but I’ve struggled with the time and the inclination as there’s simply not enough hours in the day to do all the things that I want to achieve. Still, I’m back now and a new week begins tomorrow.
Thursday and Friday saw me back on the rails as the weather picked up. After our fortnight in Dorset I was keen to catch up with progress on some of the local rail improvements, so on Thursday afternoon I decided to go West and check on how electrification of the line from Lostock Junction (near Bolton) to Wigan was progressing. The answer is – very well. Much of the route has had masts installed although there are gaps, the biggest being from Crow Nest Junction to Hindley and also East of Westhoughton. Since my last visit in April many of the masts have had the horizontal beams and top ties added along with the registration bracket, as you can see in this picture from Hindley.
A pair of Northern Class 156s head for Wigan just West of Hindley station.
Hindley station garden’s recovering well considering its had mast bases sunk in prominent parts. The station friends have wasted no time in making temporary use of these surfaces…
Something else that’s getting renewed at Hindley is the life-expired signalling which dates from the early 1970s when the West Coast Main Line was electrified.
Rusty, much?
Friday saw me explore closer to home with a trip from Huddersfield to Leeds and back to Mirfield to have a look at Trans-Pennine Route upgrade (TRU) work. This was made harder by the fact trains were either replaced by buses, or diverted. One place I popped into was Wakefield Kirkgate, which is now on the Trans-Pennine route map. The only problem is that it’s now rendered hopeless for photography by the addition of a fence running along the tracks between the platforms. Well, that’s when you can see it as it’s mostly hidden by Buddleia!
The Wakefield Kirkgate linear garden…
The direct route between Huddersfield and Leeds via Dewsbury was closed with services replaced by buses, but I managed this shot from a diverted train on the line to Healy Mills. The bridge in the background carries the existing line over the River Calder. This whole section is going to be replaced with a new formation (and bridge) which will run in the foreground, roughly where the pile driver is in this image.
Here’s Mirfield, where the new (extended) station platforms are really starting to take shape.
Having got a train to Mirfield the only way to get back to Halifax was on a rail replacement bus. Friday was the last day of the current blockade and not a great one to end on. Traffic through Mirfield was horrendous and my bus was almost an hour late.
Nope, not this one. After waiting 40 mins we’d built hour hopes up. Instead, it was another 20 mins before a less fancy vehicle turned up.
Tomorrow a new week begins which will see me working from home. I’ve another RAIL magazine article to finish writing and lots of other stuff to prepare for later in the week – as well as plan my round Britain trip for RAIL (which I’ve had to postpone for a couple of weeks due to other pressures). Still, never a dull moment, eh?
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S’cuse the lack of blogging these past couple of days but we’ve been getting used to being back in West Yorkshire and re-establishing a routine, only it was one that didn’t permit time for blogging. To be honest, things have been pretty full-on for the both of us after getting back. Dawn’s up to her neck in it with catching up with work, and I’m not far behind. There’s not much time to enjoy being back at home as I’ve a busy schedule to plan for the next couple of weeks (although some things have already had to slip) – and there’s the small matter of hundreds of pictures to edit and a new article for RAIL magazine to write before i set off on my next odyssey.
The picture editing’s almost finished. You can find the most recent rail, travel and social issues pictures on my Zenfolio website by following this link, which will show you which galleries (there’s quite a few) have been updated with new pictures.
Sadly, we seem to have left the summer behind in Dorset. The weather here in West Yorkshire has been bloody awful since we returned. It’s been cold and today we’ve suffered from torrential rain. On the bright side, the wet weather that prevailed whilst we were away means the garden’s looking lovely!
Tomorrow’s going to be another day spent staring at computer screens as I catch up with editing and writing. If all goes well, I’ll try and get out on Friday as temperatures are meant to rise and the sun’s due to pay a visit. However, nowadays, as climate change kicks in, forecasts are less reliable so things could change. We’ll see…
In the meantime, let me leave you with today’s picture, which is from our Dorset delights. Those of an older generation may feel the view’s strangely familiar but is missing something. Add a lad pushing a bike and brass band music and it may come to you…
Yep. This is Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, better known in popular culture as the hill in the 1973 Hovis TV advert.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
All good things come to an end and that’s what’s happened today with our Dorset holiday. It’s been a fabulous couple of weeks despite the mixed weather. So much so that I’ve not blogged as often as I’d planned as I’ve been too busy exploring and spending time with the family. Fromm my perspective it’s been a great opportunity to revisit some places and discover new ones due as I’ve not had to rely on public transport for a change. That said, public transport (well, buses anyway) seem to be very good down here. I wish I could say the same about the trains but their punctuality and reliability has been poor.
Right now I’m on a train heading to Waterloo as I’m making my own way back whilst the family go by car. Much as I’d have liked to have travelled together all my extra kit (and me) would have made Dawn’s Honda Civic rather ‘cosy’ and I preferred to let her folks have more room. There is a bonus for me – I can work on the train and edit pictures en-route.
The whole family have come away with some very positive impressions of Dorset. People have been very friendly and helpful, plus, the towns and villages are noticeably cleaner and better kept than back in West Yorkshire. As I walked to Wareham station this morning I passed several community volunteers litter picking On the downside, it’s much more expensive in Dorset, but money isn’t everything. Oh, they still love fish and chips in Dorset! Whilst many ‘chippies’ in Yorkshire have closed in recent years, they proliferate down here. When I first moved to West Yorkshire in 2010 Sowerby Bridge boasted 5 chip shops, now there’s just one left. Conversely (as I mentioned in a previous blog) it’s harder to find decent fishmongers down here than it is in land-locked West Yorkshire. Go figure!
Whilst the standard of living down in Dorset is good (you should see how many expensive yachts and floating gin-palaces are moored up around the harbours of Poole and Weymouth) there’s still issues. The railways suffere from vandalism (see my journey here) and antisocial behaviour. Unlike Northern, SWR have a recorded announcement about how violence towards staff won’t be tolerated, which is rather depressing.
12:00.
We’ve reached Bournemouth, where the 5-car Class 444 I’m travelling on has coupled to the rear of another classmate in order to form a 10 car service to Waterloo. The opposite happens with trains heading to Weymouth, which split here. Of all the old railway regions, this splitting/joining of trains en-route is still an everyday occurrence on the old ‘Southern’ whereas it’s a rarity on most other regions.
14:15.
I’ve eschewed the delights of crossing the capital to take a slightly more roundabout way home. Having changed at Southampton Central I’m now on a Cross-Country service to Manchester via Reading and Birmingham. I’ll take me longer than the ‘direct’ route via London but it allows me to travel on routes I don’t frequent as much, such as the one I’m traversing now, which is the line from Basingstoke to Reading. This service consists of a pair of four-car Class 220s and there’s been no problem in finding a seat. A lot were reserved from Southampton but never occupied. I had toyed with the idea of stopping off at Eastleigh en-route but as that railway town was being rained on as I approached I decided to keep going. Besides, the others are already way up the country, having recently passed the Brackley HS2 construction site in Northamptonshire!
One thing I’ve noticed on these railway travels are the amounts of cuttings and embankments Network Rail has installed remote monitoring sensors on in order to detect and predict movements. Most of these structures were built 150 or more years ago, in the days when soil engineering was unheard of. Now, with age and the advent of climate change they’re increasingly at risk.
14:50.
We’ve left Oxford, en-route to Banbury after a pootle at less than high-speed along the Great Western Main Line to Didcot. Seeing the half-completed electrification scheme along the line to Oxford made me think. It would be an easy win for the new Government to show its environmental credentials by finishing this project that was cancelled by ‘failing Grayling’, the Tory Transport Minister of the time. Much of piling work was done and the plans still exist, it wouldn’t take much to dust them off. Then we could get rid of the ridiculous situation where electric trains run from Paddington to Didcot, where passengers transfer to a DMU shuttle to get the last few miles to Oxford.
15:45.
Having arrived at (and departed) Coventry we’re on our way to Birmingham, and this is where Intercity trains on this busy local corridor fall down. Due to a lack of capacity services like this become rammed with people moving between to two conurbations. We become a local train between the two, which isn’t ideal for either set of passengers, although you can see why locals prefer the faster train between the two.
16:45.
Interestingly, the majority of people who boarded my coach in Coventry (Afro-Caribbean families on a day out) were travelling to Wolverhampton, not Birmingham. Having left Wolves the train’s pretty empty! This part of the trip raises my hackles because until the disastrous premiership of Rishi Sunak, I was looking forward to this route and these cramped Voyagers being replaced by a new high-speed railway (HS2). Now, a 90 minute journey between tow of our biggest cities is baked in for decades – unless the new Labour Government has the bravery and the common-sense to resurrect the project.
17:25.
I’m on the final approach to Manchester from Stockport and Manchester is living up to its reputation for rain. It’s grim up North! Now for the walk from Picc to Vic..
Meanwhile, the others are already back in West Yorkshire and half way from the M1 to Huddersfield…
22:15.
Home again! I got back to Sowerby Bridge just before 19:00. Dawn was waiting to pick me up from the station after depositing her folks at their home in Huddersfield. Now it’s time to relax after the long journey – we can finish unpacking tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a small selection of pictures from the past couple of days.
Stop! Thief! As bold as brass, this cheeky seagull strolled into the cafe at Weymouth station, grabbed a packet of crisps off a stand and legged it without paying!With the earthworks of Maiden Castle in the foreground, 444039 works 1W23, the 11:35 London Waterloo to Weymouth. What’s the point of ‘Gatwick Express’ anymore? Here’s one of their branded units way off piste at Southampton earlier today, before working a service to – Brighton…Southwestern railway were in the football spirit today, with this massage displayed on many of their station displays…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 