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18:57

After a very busy day at the community rail conference (hence no rolling blog this time) myself and many other staff members and delegates were heading North on Northern’s 16:14 to Leeds. All was going to plan until we entered West Yorkshire, where we started to get news of a problems in the Leeds and Halifax area which mean that no trains are running through the Calder valley, which has buggered up several of us.

Rather than get stuck in Leeds four us decided to jump ship at Wakefield Kirkgate in order to catch Grand Central’s 18:36 which was shown as still running through Halifax to Bradford, having avoided the Calder valley route. This would have got two of three of us home, whilst our colleague heading to Accrington would be nearer his.

So much for cunning plans. A further signalling fault at Greetland Junction (just South of Halifax) put the mockers on that idea. Fortunately, our intrepid Grand Central crew and Grand Central’s control team were up to the challenge. We’re now running direct to Bradford Interchange via Wakefield Westgate and Leeds. It will involve a reversal at Whitehall Junction in Leeds, but at least we’ll get to Bradford in comfort! After that? Who knows? It would seem that trains have started running through the Calder Valley (and Halifax) again, so something will turn up sooner or later.

I’ll be happy to get home as I’m on the rails again tomorrow heading down to Swindon for another job with the Permanent Way Institution. Hopefully that trip will be incident free!

19:24.

We made it to Bradford Interchange in good order. Needless to say, there was a melee on the platforms as people milled around, hoping for a train going in their direction. I was one of the lucky ones as a service bound for Wigan was following behind us. It’s busy, but not unbearably so – and at least I’m on the move again.

The welcoming sight of approaching headlights!

21:00.

Phew! I finally made it home. Dawn offered to pick me up from the station which saved me a 30 minute walk and got me home earlier. Now I’ve put my feet up to relax before another busy day tomorrow. I’ll leave you with a few pictures taken in Nottingham today.

A cyclist passes a tram on Middle Hill in central Nottingham. The area contains some very colourful murals which certainly brighten the place up.
It’s leaf-fall season on the railway, so Network rail has deployed its fleet of railhead treatment trains (RHTTs) which blast leaf mulch off the rails with high pressure water jets. Here’s one passing through the station earlier today.

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