Author Archives: Paul Bigland

The Cinderella line has a fairy Godmother!

19 Tuesday Dec 2023

Posted by in Buckinghamshire, Photography, Rail Investment, Railways

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

This article originally appeared in RAIL magazine back in October 2023.

Built as a single track line by the Wycombe Railway and opened in 1879, the line between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury has always been a bit of a Cinderella line. Its only claim to fame was the fact it was the last place in the UK to run BR built Class 121 ‘bubble cars’ which were finally retired in May 2017, having been introduced to the line by Chiltern railways in 2003. However, thanks to the arrival of Phase 1 of High Speed 2, this sleepy backwater’s currently having a makeover. HS2 will pass under the existing line to the West of Aylesbury. To do so the EKFB Alliance and Network rail have closed the line from August 19th until the 30th October. The closure has allowed a culvert close to Aylesbury to be rebuilt and a new 1.8km long embankment and bridge to be constructed to replace the 1879 formation. To future-proof the line the new bridge can carry two tracks and the linespeed has been raised from 40 to 90mph. Unlike other bridges on or over HS2, this bridge has been built by sinking four 2.4m diameter piled piers to a depth of 57 meters, making them the biggest piers on HS2. Each pier took between 36-48 hours to pour.  Atop the piers sits a 100m long double-track width steel bridge which was built in 30m sections in the North-East before being transported South and assembled on site. To complete the work Network Rail has used 3000 sleepers and 14,000 tonnes of fresh ballast on the new alignment. A high-output track laying machine installed the rails over a single weekend. 

When I visited on September 25th 2023 Colas Rail had begun tamping the new track ready for the lines reopening. Once tamping is complete 200 tonnes of check-rails will be installed on the bridge to mitigate against the chance of any possible derailment on the bridge affecting HS2 services.  Meanwhile EKFB had begun excavating the clay underneath the bridge to form the HS2 cutting which is exposing the top 8 meters of the piers. This bridge is unique amongst HS2 bridges in that it was constructed at ground level and then the ground’s being dug out from underneath it.

The new bridge on the Aylesbury-Princes Risborough line with excavators beginning to dig out the route of HS2. This view’s looking South towards London
Beginning to excavate around the bridge piers.
The first few meters of a pier’s exposed.

The excavation work’s being done in stages from the North to the South due to the proximity of the old railway formation which still carries fibre-optic signalling cables and has the disconnected track still in situ which will be recovered at a later date. On the South of the old formation EKFB are building the piers and deck of a road bridge over HS2 as passive provision for the South-East Aylesbury Link Road (SEALR) whilst another road bridge over HS2’s being built further to the North-West as part of another link road scheme. 

The new bridge with track in situ looking towards Aylesbury.
Check rails waiting to be installed on the bridge after the line’s been tamped and levelled.
In the foreground is the old railway line. Behind it in the light coloured troughing are the signalling cables which have been lifted and protected whilst work goes on.
Looking South from the new railway bridge along the trace of HS2 towards London.
The Colas tamper waits to begin work. In the foreground is one of the new culverts which improve drainage on the Aylesbury-Princes Risborough line.
This photo gives a better impression of the length of the new bridge over HS2.

Future work to the line will see the half-barrier level crossing at Marsh Lane near Little Kimble upgraded and replaced with full-width barriers (which will allow linespeed improvements) and resignalling.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

18th December picture of the day…

18 Monday Dec 2023

Posted by in Hs1, London, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Apologies for the lack of blogging recently but the end of last week was rather convivial, with some unexpected consequences. Dawn and I had planned to stay at her parents over in Huddersfield on Friday night as we were spending Saturday enjoying a festive meal with some of the past and present Honley Male Voice choir members as a guest of Tony, and old friend of John and Norah (my in-laws). A lovely meal was rounded off by the choir members carol-singing outside Tony’s neighbours. All was well until be got back to find Norah had fallen outside the house and badly gashed her right hand as well as scraping her arm. Sadly, 83 year old don’t bounce very well, so there was nothing for it but a trip to Huddersfield A&E department to get the would cleaned and possibly stitched. A&E is hardly the place you want to spend a Saturday evening but thankfully (although they were short-staffed) we were there early enough to miss the pubs chucking out rush. The lack of information was frustrating, but everyone sang the praises of the staff who looked after Norah. By the time we left there was no way Dawn and I were heading home, so a 2nd night at the in-laws was arranged in order for us to be there on Sunday morning if we were needed. Norah had been a real trooper on the Saturday but was obviously suffering more by Sunday as she had a restless night. I’ve told Norah that I’m buying her a ‘onesie’ lined with bubble-wrap for Xmas and it’s to be worn at all times when she’s out with us - from now on!

Dee and I returned home that afternoon and I started to pick up the threads of work but my heart wasn’t in it and I made a trip to my local pub and ended up having one to many beers with the boys. Not my most sensible decision…

So, today’s been a busy day where the only time I’ve moved out of the office is to go to the loo or the kitchen! Mind you, the weather’s defaulted back to ‘miserable’, so I’ve hardly missed anything. Most of the morning it felt like living in the twilight zone! Still, I’ve managed to get a fair bit done including sorting out a many old photos that were held in queue for editing. Today’s picture is one of them. It was taken 19 years ago, on the 24th November 2004 when we were busy building High Speed 1 and the new domestic stations at St Pancras as in those days we had a Government with a sense of ambition and purpose.

This is what was known then as the Thameslink box. Now it’s the site of St Pancras International’s Thameslink station. The brick tunnel in the middle is the original Thameslink tunnel under St Pancras. This view is looking South towards the Euston Rd with part of the framework for the new St Pancras station West side buildings just visible above the box.

If you want to see many more pictures of High Speed 1 being built, follow this link.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Here we go again…

15 Friday Dec 2023

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

09:00.

For the second say in a row I’m heading to London, only this time for a social event. I’m on Grand Central’s 08:11 again only this time I’ve working wifi as we have a different set to yesterday.

Deja vu!

I feel for the poor GC staff as the empty stock was 48 minutes late into Bradford Interchange due to late running Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) engineering work. The crew had just 20 minutes to set up before the set left again. As a consequence they’ve not had time to put out seat reservation labels, which the Train Manager has been apologising profusely.

We’re currently sat waiting time at Wakefield Kirkgate as we’re running early (this section is very slackly timed). It’s been an interesting trip so far as I’ve been able to observe some of the progress on the TRU around Mirfield and Ravensthorpe where a lot of groundworks are underway. It’s obviously time for me to head out that way with the camera. Passing the derelict old marshalling yard at Healy Mills I noticed that a lot of track that’s lain rusting and disused for decades is being lifted. There’s lots of track panels stacked, awaiting removal whilst another fan of sidings has been denuded of the silver birch forest that’s covered it for years – as you can see in this picture link.

Compared to yesterday’s trip, this train in far less crowded. I’ve a table bay to myself although that may change when we reach Doncaster, so I’m looking forward to a relaxing trip.

09:23.

Would you believe it? Another day, another track-circuit failure. We’d just passed the old colliery wasteland and derelict sidings of Knottingly when our train slowed to a walking pace. The TM came on to the tannoy to explain why we were being delayed Ah well, at least it’s not a TC failure in a tunnel, so there’s something to see out of the window this time!

09:45.

Double bugger! It’s not just the track-curcuits that are flaky. Now the wifi’s playing up too so i’m back to typing on the phone.

10:12.

Having departed Doncaster 110 minutes late we’re now flying down the ECML at 124mph and made up a minute already by the time we passed Newark. There’s plenty of time for me to window-gaze now as the wifi’s still flaky so the work I was planning to do will have to wait.

12:25.

Arrived!. There will now be an intermission…

22:00

Mind the gap! I’ve had a very convivial afternoon/evening but an interesting trip back. I caught an evening LNER service from Kings Cross to Leeds whilst being totally unaware of the chaos at nearby Euston. Apparently, there was a fatality in the Milton Keynes area which closed the line on one of the busiest days of the year. I only found out when the Train Manager of my service apologised for the overcrowding and explained reciprocal ticket acceptance. Many people were on my Leeds in an effort to then get across the Peenines to Manchester/Liverpool or beyond. I have to say, the crew of the LNER service were fantastic with customer service in the face of such a problem.

Now I’m on the 22::00 from Leeds to Liverpool which is rammed with diverted travellers. At least I’m only going as far as Huddersfield…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Carousing and carolling…

14 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

08:45.

I’m on my way to London to attend the annual Railway Christmas carols but as is often the case on the railways at the moment, it’s not a smooth journey.

I’m travelling on Grand Central’s 08:11 from Halifax to Kings Cross. This is a well-loaded train – as are all GC services nowadays. They’ve bounced back from the pandemic and then some! I’m on one of their Class 180s, which is showing its age. The front car saloon’s certainly comfortable and warm, but the wifi is kaput which is a bit of a bugger.

London bound…

What’s also kaput is a track circuit in the Elland tunnel just outside Halifax. This brought us to a stand before we could be signalled through the affected track section so now we’re running late. How late yet I don’t know. Fortunately this train gets me into London well in advance of the carol service. To the credit of GC staff the young lady in 1st Class has been excellent in briefing passengers about what’s happened.

08:38.

We’ve just arrived at Brighouse where dozens of passengers are waiting. This train is going to get cosy!

10:10.

Having bimbled our way through the West Riding of Yorkshire to reach Doncaster where we took on so many passengers we’re bursting at the seams we’re now racing non-stop to London. The Class 180s may be in need of TLC (especially below the solebar) but when they get chance to stretch their legs they’re still good 125mph trains.

En-route we’re passing field after field that’s full of water, a testament to just how much rain we’ve had recently. The leaden skies we’re travelling under look to promise more.

11:55.

Having stretched its legs my 180 made up half the delay to arrive in Kings Cross just 7 minutes down. Noy bad for a hybrid set made up from two different 180s! Kings Cross was open access central when I arrived, with all three OA operators dominating one side of the station.

The station’s feeling very festive at the moment, but then so is St Pancras.

Now it’s time for me to hotfoot it over to Eversholt St. See you soon…

17:00.

What a lovely afternoon. The carol service was well attended by people from different branches and ranks of the railway family with lessons read by several well-known people. Afterwards we adjourned to the adjacent hall for mince-pies, nibbles, sherry or soft drinks. Sadly, St Mary’s church is under threat of closure so many people attending signed the petition to save it.

After the service a select few of us (as is traditional) retreated to a local hostelry to catch up with each other and swap gossip/news about the industry. Of course, names and discussions are covered by Chatham House rules! Much as I’d have loved to have stayed I’ve too much to do so right now I’m on LNER’s 16:03 back to Leeds which is formed of a Class 91 and Mk4 set.

21:45.

Back home! The journey North was uneventful. LNER performed impeccably – albeit a couple of minutes late – and my Northern connection whilst packed was also fine. There was one light-hearted moment. On the way from Leeds I had two conservatively dressed young Asian girls sat opposite who were chatting ninety to the dozen. So much so they were oblivious to the fact the train had reversed at Bradford (their stop) and it was only when the Conductor announced that our final stop was Halifax that they snapped out of their reverie with some very entertaining expletives – much to the amusement of passengers nearby! I asked them ‘didn’t you notice the train change direction at Bradford’? With a laugh they admitted they were so absorbed talking they hadn’t noticed a thing! I directed them to the Bradford bound platform with a smile! I’ve missed a stop in the past so I’m in no position to criticize…

Strolling home I did stop in our local pub for a ‘swifty’ and time to catch up with local friends, which felt a world away from where I’d just come from. Sometimes, as an ex-Londoner I very much feel caught between two worlds. Those two worlds will collide again tomorrow as I’m back in London again in the morning, this time for a different gathering, so expect a rolling(ish) blog on the morrow.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Working overtime…

13 Wednesday Dec 2023

Posted by in Class 319, Northern Rail, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

09:55

That’s not me you understand. That’s the remaining members of Northern’s class 319 fleet! Whilst most have gone for scrap and the last few have had no booked work since the December 10th timetable change the trains are still appearing in traffic. The transfer of newer CAF built electric trains from the Yorkshire (East) side of Northern’s domain has been delayed, so the 319s are being pressed back into service on some of their old routes from Liverpool only now spreading their wings as far as Manchester Airport services.

So, this morning I decided that as the weather’s picking up and I’m fed up of being cooped up in the office I’d venture out on the hunt for some of these trains. Right now I’m on a late-running York – Blackpool North service from Halifax bound for Preston. For once I’m glad the trains a few minutes late, otherwise I’d have missed catching it! The doors had already closed as I dashed onto the platform but the friendly young conductor me-mo’d to be to get on through her door. I’m now settled at a table with the mobile office up and running. This is a quiet train, so I can work undisturbed.

Preston bound aboard 195117.

I’ll blog throughout the day so feel free to come back and see how the hunting goes…

11:00.

The mobile office (and Northern’s wifi) allowed me to establish that just two class 319s are in service right now. Both are on Manchester Airport – Blackpool North diagrams, one after the other. The weather over here in Lancashire is bright and sunny, leaving Preston in heavy shadows so I’m now Blackpool bound with the intention of catching the 319s on their way back from the Airport.

14:30.

Ever had one of those days? Arriving at Blackpool I was well ahead of the trains I was after so I decided to take a short stroll on the prom to enjoy the glorious sunshine before catching a train out to Layton, the first stop out of Blackpool. I had two motives. I’d never been here before and wanted to photograph the interesting old station building. My second motive was to get shots of the two inbound 319s and catch the first one back which stopped at Layton. Then it all went ‘Pete Tong’. There’s no PIS or tannoy at Layton, so you can imagine my surprise when my 13:29 thundered through without stopping. It had been cancelled between Blackpool and Preston due to crewing issues. Bugger! Plan B saw me hop on a bus to get back to Blackpool North just in time to catch the 2nd 319 on the 13:58. Only that was cancelled too! Instead it’s running ECS to Manchester Airport!

I’m now on the 14:04 following on behind and working out where to go now as the light is rapidly failing…

17:30.

Plan C turned out to be a stop at another station I’ve not visited in a very (very) long time. Leyland. It’s over 50 years since I was last here. Somewhere in the Bigland family vaults there’s some cine film taken in the late 1960 of me and my two younger sisters playing on railway wagons in the old goods yard!

The place has changed a bit since then. The goods yard was torn up in the 1970s and only one of the original station buildings remains. I’d planned to try and get some pictures here but there’s building work going on and trackside views are overgrown so I ended up having a wander into town and found a little oasis a few minutes walk from the station. The Golden Tap is a lovely little micropub in an old shop. There’s a good range of cask, keg and bottled beers including some names I’d never seen before.

I stayed long enough for a slow pint and chat with the landlord. I was pleasently surprised to find this place so I doubt it’ll be my last visit. Tearing myself away I finally caught up with a Class 319 which was stopping on its way back to Blackpool. My plan was to catch it to Preston where I’d connect with the 16:44 service back to Halifax. Surprise, surprise – when I got to Preston I found the 16:44 was cancelled. Now I’m heading into Manchester instead. Only the connection with the train I’m on has also been cancelled! I give up trying to plan now – I’m simply going to catch the first train heading in the right direction that turns up!

19:00.

I’m on the last leg now. After changing at Salford Cresent only to find the next two trains heading across the Pennines were cancelled I caught a Rochdale bound stopping service then connected with a Leeds train. It lessened my wait in the cold as the night’s turning chilly. I have to admit, I’ve lost patience with Northern’s PIS messages excusing cancellations as “short-notice timetable changes”. It’s akin to a politicans weaselling as it’s the fery defination of a cancellation but without any explanation as to *why*…

22:00.

I’ve been home for a couple of hours now so I’ve had chance to download a few pictures from the camera for your delectation.

The old station building at Layton just outside Blackpool. The main building is in use as what appears to be private accommodation but the rest of the buildings are boarded up and appear disused.
This wooden structure sandwiched between two of the brick buildings fascinated me. I’d llove to know its history.
319368 speeds past Layton en-route to Blackpool. It *should* have formed the 13.29 from Layton but ran fast from Blackpool to Preston, presumably because it was lacking a Conductor.
The only surviving station building at Leyland has been refurbished and is to let. Originally, there was a footbridge projecting from the right-hand side which spanned all four tracks to allow access to the platforms. I’ve no idea when this was removed but I’m assuming it was fairly recently.
Got you! 319368 calls at Leyland whilst working 1N50, the 1517 Manchester Airport to Blackpool North.
1N50 disgorges passengers (including me) at Preston en-route to Blackpool North.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

12th December picture of the day…

12 Tuesday Dec 2023

Posted by in Calder Valley, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, West Yorkshire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

It’s been another day spent cooped up in Bigland Towers for me although Dawn’s gradual recovery from the lurgi has enabled her to fly the coop and head off to meet her colleagues at the Community Rail Network in Huddersfield for the day.

Mind you, I’ve not missed much. We’ve had thick, low cloud throughout the day here in the Calder Valley. Initially I thought it was fog but this afternoon, after finishing penning my latest article for RAIL magazine I ventured down into Sowerby Bridge. After dropping a hundred meters I realised that actually, it wasn’t fog – I’d been in cloud level all day! I must admit, I’m beginning to tire of the endless dull days and wet weather. It saps the soul after a while. That’s why I’m looking forward to being able to get out and about more from today. I’ve still got stuff to do that requires the mobile office, but that can be done on the move as I don’t need the reference materials that line my office shelves. The only question’s going to be – where to go? Where’s the weather going to play ball? The answer seems to be – go West…

An attraction in that direction is that whilst Northern trains no longer have any diagrammed work for their shrinking fleet of class 319 trains (more of the fleet have gone for scrap already) several sets still get pressed into daily use between Liverpool-Wigan-Manchester and Blackpool. Maybe one last spin and photographs?

As I type this the news has just come in of the latest Tory psychodrama in Parliament. Sunak’s managed to get his Rwanda bill passed with a majority of 44. This is no victory, there’s lots more stages in the process which will drag out for a long time yet. Parliament goes into Christmas recess on the 19th December and doesn’t return until January 8th. The farce will drag on for months, then there’s consideration of the bill by the House of Lords who are almost certain to reject it in its present form (if the Commons don’t beat them to it after the Committee stage). It’s madness – utter madness. How can the Tories govern the country when they can’t even govern themselves? Whilst the rest of the country is bothered about real issues, like the economy, climate change, the NHS and more, the Tories are now stuck in an endless Rwanda loop. Of course, some backbench Tories will be very happy about this as it brings them into the limelight – especially those ‘red wall’ Tories like Miriam Cates (Penistone and Stocksbridge) with wafer-thin majorities who’re going to be binned on current polling projections. They know the Government’s toast. They’re just hoping a spell centre-stage might just save their own skins.

Expect little political or economic cheers this Christmas. The Government’s caught in a death-spiral and Sunak doesn’t have the nous to get himself out of it. Just look at his recent evidence to the Covid enquiry. Sunak was ‘bigged up’ by the Tories as a man with attention to detail. In contast, his evidence to the enquiry showed up a man with none at all. A man with such selective amnesia he couldn’t remember going to meetings, what was said in briefings, or even what direct advice he was given. As for Whatsapp messages – FFS! How is it Sunak and Johnson are the only people on the planet whose Whatsapp messages disappear when they change phones? They’re taking the piss! If Sunak ever writes his memoirs it’s going to be the thinnest book ever as the man can’t remember a bloody thing…

OK, time to go. I’ll leave you with a picture taken a few years ago. This is what the Calder valley is meant to look like – when it’s not got its head in the clouds! This is the view over Sowerby Bridge and the valley looking West from atop the Wainhouse Tower adjacent to our house, taken in August 2019.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

11th December picture of the day…

11 Monday Dec 2023

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Yorkshire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Another week that’s begin very much glued to my office chair – but at least my nurse’s uniform has been consigned to a cupboard for the foreseeable future! Dawn’s feeling a lot better and my brief fear that I was the next in line to go down with the lurgi appears to be unfounded. To add to the joy the latest storm has passed and we’ve even had some sunshine today.

Even so I’ve been confined to barracks as I’ve spent the day sat in front of a keyboard type-swiping. I’ve been kept occupied writing my next article for RAIL magazine which is on the High Speed 2 and East -West rail interface around Calvert in Buckinghamshire. My previous scribblings on the former Woodhead railway around Manchester and Sheffield will be published in the next edition of the mag which will hit the news stands on the 13th December.

I’ve a few more office-based bits to finish off tomorrow, after that I’m looking forward to getting out and about again. It’s been a torrid time on the railways this past week due to power and train failures along with a new timetable that’s seeing reduced services and overcrowding on some routes. Just what you don’t need in the run-up to Christmas. I’ll be blogging from my travels as later in the week I’ll be heading to London on one (if not both) of the affected routes. Oh, and there’s still the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) work to catch up on…

But, for now I’m going to leave you with today’s picture. which was taken on the former Woodhead railway route at Beeley wood near Stcoksbridge on the 25th October. This abandoned freight line has bee included in Rishi Sunak’s ridiculous ‘Network North’ con job masquerading as an ‘alternative’ to HS2. From a transport and economic perspective it a cross between a dead-duck and a turkey. There’s only one reason I can thank of that the line was included. It’s located in the ‘Red wall’ Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency of Miriam Cates MP, a socially conservative evangelical Christian Brexiter Tory (Oh, God… Ed) who won her seat in 2019 but will very much struggle to hold it. Funny, that…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

10th December picture of the day…

10 Sunday Dec 2023

Posted by in Calder Valley, Huddersfield, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

We’ve had a mixed weekend here at Bigland Towers. mainly due to the weather – as in Dawn’s been under it whilst the real stuff has been a real pain in the arse! Thankfully, the bug that Dee contracted has responded to antibiotics so the cough that’s been giving us both sleepless night is receding. I’ve not known Dawn be off work this long or laid so low for a very long time indeed. Now all that’s needed is for her to regain her stamina and strength.

That was tested yesterday as it was the annual Christmas Concert in Huddersfield town hall which features the Honley Male Voice choir which Dee’s father sings in. She was loathe to miss it so we had an easy morning before sallying forth. That wasn’t easy as our timing co-incided with the arrival of yet another bloody storm! This time it was Storm Elin which brought high winds and torrential rain – just what you need when you’re walking across town to a concert as you can forget using an umbrella unless you fancy doing a Mary Poppins impression.

Thankfully we made it to the town hall soggy but intact and spent the next two hours getting into the Christmas spirit in fabulous surroundings. The town hall boasts a wonderfully decorated 1200 seat concert hall which is dominated by the massive organ behind the stage. The choir were accompanied by one of the best brass bands in the country Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band as well as the young ladies of Rastrick High School Chamber Choir. It was a great afternoon full of festive cheer.

Afterwards we had a couple of drinks with some of the choir members in the old courthouse inside the town hall before heading home to be battered by the wind and rain once more. It really was a filthy night and I didn’t envy the guys and gals who would be working trackside overnight at Huddersfield station and surrounds as part of the Trans-Pennine route upgrade.

Having picked up a very rare takeaway on our way home (we reckon it’s only the fourth we’ve had since Covid kicked in) the pair of us hunkered down for the night to listen to the wind and rain battering the cottage.

Today’s been very much home focussed. The storm beat itself out overnight but the rain remained along with flood warnings and notice of the next storm on its way. We’re expecting ‘Fergus’ tonight, apparently. I’ve spent much of the day swapping between garden and office in between showers as I’ve been desperate to get the gardens tidied for the winter. That’s not easy in these conditions as you need to be a mountain goat at the best of times to access the terraces at the back of the cottage. When stones and steps are wet and covered in slime and leaves you tread carefully. Still, between us we got a lot done. Whilst I was occupied outside Dawn beavered away inside, so we feel like we’ve achieved something this weekend in preparation for a busy week from tomorrow.

Now Dawn’s on the road to recovery I’ll be on the road too – so expect a few blogs from ‘out and about’ later in the week. But first I’ve got to get an ailing laptop repaired (the fan’s are suffering from asthma) as well as sort out some camera kit – and finish my next RAIL article.

In the meantime I’ll leave you with a picture and a video from yesterday so you can see the opulence of the concert hall in Huddersfield and also enjoy the finale of the concert. See you tomorrow….

Huddersfield Town hall concert hall.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Has Rishi Sunak ever read ‘Alice in Wonderland’?

08 Friday Dec 2023

Posted by in Musings, Politics, Rishi Sunak

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

It’s a rhetorical question really as his policies on stuff like Rwanda make it painfully obvious he hasn’t.

Why?

Here’s an extract from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ which could easily be subtitled ‘Rishi in Blunderland’. It’s where Alice is in conversation with the Queen of Hearts.

“Alice laughed. ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said. ‘One can’t believe impossible things.’

I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

There you have it. Sunak and the Tory party’s whole Rwanda policy summed up. They believe in impossible things – only Sunak spends far more than half-an-hour a day in doing so, his whole time as Prime Minister is based on fantasies.

Right now the Tories are trapped in the literary and literal past. A past where you could just make stuff up and pretend it’s real and everyone will believe it. Hence pretending that the Tories getting legislation through Parliament to say Rwanda is ‘safe’ means anything in the real world, or outside the UK.

There’s another author they’ve fallen foul of. Eric Blair – better known as George Orwell. Frankly, there are so many quotes from his novel ‘1984’ that are relevant for today, but the Tories Rwanda policy brings this one to mind.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

So far, their policy has cost nearly £300m – without a single person being moved to Rwanda – unless you count three Home Sectaries. That’s money that could have been spent recruiting people (who will than pay tax) on processing people’s immigration claims in the UK and clearing the backlog that’s occurred because the Tories have weaponised immigration. but that doesn’t suit their political agenda. They’re using immigration as a dead cat to distract from their appalling record on the economy and much more.

We’re told to believe that Rwanda is a hill that Sunak is willing to die on – no matter how stupid that is. But that’s the Tory party at the fag-end of 2023. They’ve been driven mad by a succession of lies and liars going back to the Brexit referendum of 2016. That’s when the rot set in. Unicorn thinking has bedeviled them ever since.

It’s time for a change. The UK deserves better than this political shit-show and asset strippers.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

6th December picture of the day…

06 Wednesday Dec 2023

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

It’s already midweek here at Bigland Towers but the days have been merging somewhat. Poor Dawn’s really been knocked by the virus she picked up so her nights (and mine) have been disrupted by coughing fits. Our local GPs surgery have been excellent, so Dee’s now on a course of antibiotics which will hopefully shift the infection. In the meantime I’ve been around to cook, clean and mop (metaphorical) fevered brows. The weather here in the Calder valley’s been cold and mostly miserable, although we did have a stunning winters day yesterday as the sunshine was wall to wall. I’d love to have got out but there’s too much to do at home right now. As well as being a good husband/nurse I’ve been busy sorting out pictures and preparing for my next series of articles for RAIL magazine – as well as researching pictures for and publishing yesterday’s blog on the Class 319 trains.

In between I’ve been watching the slow implosion of the Government as the Conservative party continues to rip itself apart over an impossible policy (Rwanda) and their obsession with immigration, as if it’s somehow going to save their skins politically.

Yesterday they announced an utterly mad and on the hoof idea to restrict immigration by raising the wages threshold for people wanting to bring their spouses to the UK. It would mean 75% of Britons being banned from doing so as they don’t earn enough money. The policy started to fall apart as soon as it was announced, like all knee-jerk ideas that ignored expert opinion, reality, facts and law.

Today the shitshow has reached new levels, or more accurately – plumbed new depths. Former Home Secretary Cruella (don’t you mean Suella? Ed) Braverman, surrounded by a coterie of Tory ultra-right wing MPs made a speech to the House of Commons denouncing the PM in which she said the quiet bit out loud, admitting that all this is about one thing and one thing only, keeping the Tories in power (and her as new Leader, obviously). As if it couldn’t get any worse, the Home Secretary James Cleverly announces a revised Rwanda policy that is so right-wing (throwing down a ‘I dare you’) challenge to the judiciary and international law even the Rwandans back away from it, saying they can’t be party to an agreement that doesn’t respect international law! Can you imagine? Finally, Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick – the man who insisted cartoons in detention centres to calm incarcerated children should be painted over ‘cos it made them too ”welcoming’ has resigned because all this wasn’t right-wing enough! To add the icing on the cake we’re now told right-wing Tories are submitting letters to the 1922 Committee to precipitate YET ANOTHER tory leadership election, which would lead to the 6th Tory PM since 2010!

Mad, utterly mad! But this is the state of the Tory party (and sadly, our Government) in 2023. We have a dysfunctional Goverment intent on keeping itself in power to continue picking at the carcass of the British economy and damn the consequences for ordinary people. They’ll be alright Jack. They’ll have their Government pensions and the rest od us can go swing as they reckon they’ll have done enough damage that Labour won’t be able to survive more than one term in office before they stage a return to suck more out of us. Jesus, what has the UK become? And yet, there’s still around 20% of voters who think this bunch are doing a good job and are worth re-electing. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry…

Meanwhile, in the background, the Covid enquiry is playing out with that sack of custard Boris Johnson taking the stand and blustering, lying and evading all the way through.

So, what happens next? God knows. It’s like the introduction of the 1970s American spoof TV series ‘Soap’ which had the introduction “confused? You will be – after the next episode of – Soap!” Only ‘Soap’ was funny – and more plausible…

So, what picture am I going to leave you with today? I know. The Grim Reaper has been shopping early for Christmas, having taken several people this past couple of weeks, including politician Henry Kissinger, musician Denny Laine and former UK Transport Minister and Chancellor, Alistair Darling.

Darling was everything this Tory bunch shysters and chancers will never be. A serious politician who, on his death, no-one had a bad word to say about (even if they hadn’t agreed with him politically). Imagine if it had been Boris Johnson and not Alistair Darling as Chancellor during the 2008 world banking crisis? It wouldn’t just have been his wife, mistresses and the UK he’d have screwed….

I photographed Darling several times. This occasion was the National Rail Conference in March 2006.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312