This morning I’m travelling to Derby via Sheffield for a preview of a rather special event which will be talking place from tomorrow. I’ll explain more later. Right now I’m getting ready to hotfoot it to Halifax station for my first train of the day…

08:15.

I’ve made onto my first train of the day, Grand Central’s 08:11 departure for London Kings Cross which will take me as far as Wakefield Kirkgate. Whilst this service is fairly empty at the moment, the sea of paper reservations which greet you like a flotilla of yachts when you enter the cars show it will be almost full by the time it leaves Doncaster. The trip takes 40 minutes, which is enough time to set up the mobile office and do some work. I’ll post another update soon.

08:35.

Having called at Brighouse and Mirfield this train’s really starting to fill up – although we’ve also lost a few passengers as the service is popular with folks travelling between West Yorkshire locations. The old island platform at Mirfield has mostly disappeared as TRU work picks up the pace. Footings for the new (extended) platform are now in situ. I can see that I need to pay another visit to the route as work at Ravensthorpe is cracking on too.

09:15.

My stay at Wakefield Kirkgate was brief. Just long enough to admire the restored station building, the lush Buddleia in the 6 foot, and listen to the piped brass band music in the subway belting out ‘Jerusalem’. Yep, Kirkgate is (to my knowledge) the only station in the UK where you can hear brass band music playing daily!

Now I’m aboard a busy Northern Class 150/2 heading for Meadowhall…

10:10.

Swapping types of traction for a while.

14:00.

My tram explorations have taken me from Meadowhall via numerous stops to the city centre and on to the end of the line at Malin Bridge. It’s been fascinating seeing the changes from industrial to residential, but it’s clear Sheffield isn’t in the premier league of UK cities. Calling it ‘careworn’ would be kind. That said, there’s still a vibrancy here, thanks to the universities. There are some lovely old buildings and great architecture, but there’s also a lot of dereliction and empty properties, which drags the place down.

Right now I’m heading back from Hillsborough in order to catch a train onwards to Derby where I’ll be meeting old friends before the main event.

14:45.

Ah, the joys of travelling Cross-Country. Sat on a vestibule floor with half a dozen other folks as this 4-car set (220012) is rammed to the gunwhales.

21:10.

Sorry I’ve not been able to update the blog until now as I’ve had an incredibly busy time. As soon as I detrained I met up with old rail colleagues and members of the industry press for a catch-up before we headed to the event. And what an event. Alstom’s Derby works is huge – and it’s packed with railway vehicles of all types, shapes and sizes, from ‘Locomotion No1 from 1815 to the very latest in railway technology – the Class 99. There’s 140 exhibits. Alstom have done a superb job in drawing all this together in an event I’ll never see again in my lifetime. No other site has the space – or the time. Right now Derby has both as it’s in-between train orders. When the gathering is over, they begin building the next tranche of trains for the Elizabeth line.

The first part of the event was dedicated to a reception for special guests and a few speeches from people involved. For me, it was a great opportunity to catch up with a lot of old friends and colleagues, some of whom I’ve not seen for a while. When you’ve been involved in the railways for so long there’s always someone you bump into, or who bumps into you!

Once the formalities ended we were let loose to wander the site in an ‘access most areas’ sort of way – before the crowd barriers are set up. We were a few hundred strong. For the next three days there’ll ve 12,500 visitors daily, which presents a huge logistical and safety challenge. But – it you have a ticket – I can assure you it’s well worth it.

I may not be bale to add many pictures from today this evening as I’m currently on another Voyager heading back to Leeds, but I will populate the place with a few tomorrow.

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