I’ve not displayed a picture of the day for while now as I’ve been busy concentrating on contemporary shots and making the most of the slow release of the lockdown rules to visit Merseyside which has been quite an eye-opener after being cooped up for so long. The fact it’s combined with a run of glorious weather has been fortuitous to say the least! This has been great, both for photography and my vitamin D levels! Oh, and people-watching as so many folks are out and about again. Having been (mostly) confined to small towns visiting a city like Liverpool has been a delight for the sheer variety of people and activities. I’m optimistic that this is the start of a return to a normal life – as long as the inoculation programme continues apace and the few covidiots around (such as the demonstrators in London today) don’t screw it up for us.
As well as the railway shots I’ve redeveloped an interest in urban dereliction photography. Well, let’s face it – there’s no shortage of subject matter in Liverpool/Birkenhead but I’ll be blogging about that another time. Tomorrow I head back to West Yorkshire to catch up on lots of other projects for home and work.
Now, what to choose for todays picture? One from the archives or a new shot. I know, let’s have a new image that combines two of my interests – railways and architecture…
This is the new station building at Ainsdale in Southport that opened in 2018, replacing an old and knackered wooden building. Whilst it reflects the seafaring heritage of the area the building is bang up to date, being complete with solar panels, low energy LED lighting with smart controls and rainwater harvesting tanks to serve the toilet facilities.
The design achieved a CEEQUAL (Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment and Award Scheme) rating of ‘Excellent’ in recognition of its green credentials.
This picture’s one of many taken over the last few days which will make it onto my Zenfolio website next week.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Busy, busy busy – with lots of different things. Although the old canard is that men can’t multitask that’s certainly what I spent most of the morning doing! I had a batch of slides all mounted, ready for scanning so whilst I went through that mechanical process I was tuned into the the National Rail Recovery Conference listening to a series of excellent presentations from speakers about the future of the railways – from how to recover passenger numbers post Covid to how the railway can decarbonise and also how the network can cope with climate change. All three are complex subjects but the speakers really helped to nail the issues. You can find a copy of today’s agenda and details of the speakers here. I could dedicate to whole blog to the conference but time’s short and there’s one more day to go. What I will say is that the conference dispelled many of the myths around how working from home (WFH) is supposedly cutting pollution and the need to travel. In some cities pollution’s increased as people have abandoned public transport and taken to the car – even if they’re working from home. As usual, the simple soundbites you hear from people like those opposed to HS2 simply don’t stand up to the facts. The conference also confirmed my opinion about just how out of touch with the realities surrounding transport and climate change much of the UKs ‘green’ movement really is. So much so that they’re actually hindering, not helping, us tackle the real issues.
The third part of my multi-tasking was (finally) producing my new blog on progress with building High Speed 2, which I finally finished and published this afternoon. All in all – a productive day. I even managed to get out for a walk and get my quota of exercise but managed to time it badly so received a soaking on the way home! Maybe I’ll have better luck tomorrow…
Ok, on to the picture of the day. I’ve now amassed a whole heap of scanned slides that are in the queue to be checked in Photoshop. Due to their age (taken in 1993) and the fact the harsh desert conditions of Western India were never easy on film or film cameras – many slides need retouching to remove surface scratches or blemishes. The worst examples will have to be filed away until I have time to put in the hours to make them presentable. Others only need a few marks, blemishes or shallow scratches removed or contrast and colour balances adjusted. Here’s one such example. I took this shot in November 1993 from atop the magnificent Merangarh Fort that dominates the town of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India.
Sitting on the battlements of the fort gazing down on the town some 400ft below is quite an experience due to the fact the sounds of the town can be heard really clearly due to the atmospheric conditions that allow them to carry upwards. The blue of the houses? I’m told that’s to show the homes belong to high-caste Hindus (Brahmins) although I’ve seen other reasons given. Whatever the truth is, they make for a colourful sight.
When all the pictures are scanned you’ll be able to find them here.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Another busy day scanning and scribbling – although the results of either of these activities won’t see the light of day until tomorrow – apart from this taster. I’ve finally got my teeth into a blog catching up on what’s going on with construction of the High-Speed 2 railway, but whilst I’ve been engrossed in that I’ve also been juggling my time with taking part in RAIL magazine’s online National Rail Recovery conference which is on until the 25th. There’s still time to sign up to the next two days sessions if you follow the link. One of the other juggling balls was keeping an eye on the unfolding eviction of yet another anti HS2 protest camp. This time it’s the one at Poors Piece near Steeple Claydon. Of course there’s only ever going to be one outcome – and I’ll be blogging about the latest failures of HS2Rebellion as a follow-up to my HS2 progress report.
Meanwhile, the slide scanning has taken me back in time to India in December 1993, when I took this shot at the Bada Bagh gardens outside Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Here’s a picture taken from amongst the Chhatris…
There’s several hundred pictures from India to add to my Zenfolio website which I expect to take a couple of weeks. The first ones have started appearing here and I’ll try and add batches on a daily basis.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Remind me never to promise to write a long, complex blog the Sunday after someone’s birthday party – even if the party in question is someone’s 80th!
Norah had a wonderful day yesterday despite the Covid restrictions. Her children (my wife and her brother) had hatched a plan to get as many people as possible to join in on a family Zoom call and it went brilliantly! Norah was rather overwhelmed by it all as she got to see people who would never normally have been able to make the journey to a conventional birthday party, so the event was a great success. Physically there might just have been the four of us, but Dee had prepared a lovely 3 course meal so the event was a great success, so much so that the pair of us didn’t get back home until after midnight so decided to have a lie-in and lazy morning today – hence no long, complex blog!
Oh, I still got some work done – hence the latest tranche of travel pictures that have appeared on my other website here, but apart from that we’ve bother taken our feet of the accelerator and pottered around at home before getting out for a long walk. Rather than ramble on the hills we’ve taken to exploring the backstreets and alleys of Halifax – and discovered some amazing architecture and stunning houses, especially around the Savile park area. It’s sometimes easy to forget what a wealthy town Halifax was in its heyday, but the huge family homes that still exist in many parts give the game away. Yes, there’s still rows of back to backs in some parts, but you can soon find out where the middle-classes and rich lived. Sometimes all that remains of these estates are a couple of gateposts and a substantial wall surrounding an estate full of modern homes. As an incomer to the area these have piqued my interest as they reflect what happened in the town I grew up in – Southport on the Lancashire coast. One day I’ll have to do some digging through local historical records. In the meantime I’ll just enjoy the discoveries we make by accident.
In the meantime, I’ve got a busy week at home as I’ve dug out a few more old slide albums from storage at Dawn’s parents whilst we were there yesterday. I’ve a first sift to do, disposing of ones that are no longer relevant or that have been superseded by events. After that I’ll have a much better idea of how long the scanning queue might be. Suffice it to say, I’m going to be kept occupied well into the summer…
But, I will get that High-Speed 2 blog written as it promises to be an interesting week. Construction of the new railway is coming on in leaps and bounds now as contractors are really gearing up on many of the main civil engineering elements of the project – which I’ll talk about in the blog. Meanwhile, the derisory ‘campaign’ against HS2 goes from farce to worse! The pointless Euston tunnel protest is dragging on, but as it’s no-where near an active HS2 worksite not an hour of construction time has been lost. Meanwhile, more ‘protection’ camps set up by the protesters are about to be evicted. The protesters response? Well, tomorrow Hs2Rebellion are having a nationwide ‘banner drop’. Quite how a bunch of vacuous, blustering slogans written on old bedsheets is going to stop HS2 is a mystery, but then HS2 rebellion seem to be more about raking in the donations from gullible people via Crowdfunders rather than mounting a credible campaign to stop HS2. I’ll relate some of tomorrows farce when I can.
In the meantime, here’s today’s picture of the day which is another shot from my Scottish trip – this time from Edinburgh rather than Glasgow. I took this shot on the 26th March 2001 from Arthur’s seat, the amazing extinct volcano which rises 250 metres above the city in Holyrood park. It shows the view across to the iconic Edinburgh Castle.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/Thank you!
Apologies for the lack of blogging these past few days but I’ve simply not found the time to do any! Instead, I’ve been scribbling for a living, writing my latest article for RAIL magazine which will be appearing sometime in the next few weeks. The article’s not on my usual subjects but about a mental health and crisis charity based at Huddersfield station. I’ll say more bout that when it’s published.
Besides scribbling I’ve continued scanning old slides and finished off yet another album. The last one contained a plethora of pictures from around the UK taken in 2000-2001 which has provided me with a rich back-catalogue for picture of the day, as will the next one in the queue. The latest album goes further back in time – to 1993-94. It starts off in India, then back to the UK before moving on the Denmark, then Bali, Indonesia. There’s some wonderful memories locked into these images but also sad feelings because so many pictures feature Lynn, who died 8 years ago now, in 2013. Even so, it’s lovely to look back and remember, especially now that my wings are clipped by Covid and our virtual ‘house-arrest’! At least I have the pictures to remind me what the wider world looks like – as well as give me inspiration for places I want to return to when lockdown is finally released and life starts to return to normal. In the meantime, I’ll keep occupied and wait for my turn to be vaccinated. I’m not one of these people worried about possible side-effects of the vaccines. They’re mild compared to the possible side-effect of catching Covid: Death.
You may be wondering why this blog’s appeared so early in the day. Well, today’s my mother-in-Law’s 80th birthday so Dawn and I are cooking a meal for Norah and John. We’ve been in a bubble with them since lockdown began and – as Norah can’t have a party or celebrate such a landmark birthday in the way we’d like, we’ve arranged something a little more intimate – along with a little surprise…
Norah’s birthday means I won’t be around until late, so – without further ado, here’s the picture of the day.
I took this shot in Glasgow on the 21st March 2001 when I was on tour to get pictures for a forthcoming Lonely Planet guide to Scotland. This is the magnificent University of Glasgow building at Gilmorehill in the city’s West End. Built in 1870 it was designed in the Gothic revival style by George Gilbert Scott (who also designed St Pancras Station in London) with other features such as the spire to the belltower added by his son Oldrid in 1887.
You’ll be able to find this and many more pictures from Scotland (and elsewhere in the UK) in this gallery on my Zenfolio website after tomorrow. You can even buy copies.
I’ll be back to blogging tomorrow as I’ve a host of things to write about. I’m hoping to (finally) produce my much-delayed blog on progress with building the new HS2 high-speed railway…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Life today could best be described as ‘plodding’. That doesn’t mean it’s been a bad day – far from it but excitement and surprise don’t really feature much in these Groundhog Days. Instead there’s slow progress in this, that and the other, but nothing that inspires or really makes the heart sing. Still, I shouldn’t complain as our cage is gilded compared to many and there’s no shortage of (repetitive) things to do. Funny old world though, isn’t it? Who would have thought that one day we’d all be looking forward to the day we can go to a clinic to get a jab and it would be a highlight of your year and news of its reception something you’d proudly share with friends on social media?
So, anyway – here’s the picture of the day to brighten things up. It’s taken from the latest batch of slides scans. This particular image was shot on the 5th March 2001 and shows the wonderful exterior of the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London. I have a passion for architecture and architectural photography, although this was one of a series from a list of pictures wanted for a Lonely Planet guide to London.
Built in the 1870s in the Romanesque style the exterior makes wide use of architectural terracotta tiles which helped protect the building from the city’s polluted atmosphere. They also make it gorgeous to look at and feature many relief sculptures of flora and fauna to add to the attractions. As usual, you’ll be able to find the full selection of pictures from London in this gallery on my Zenfolio website.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I had a day off (of sorts) yesterday. Well, from blogging anyway. The pair of us were up early as the both of us had work to do in Huddersfield. Dee was at the Community Rail Network office whilst I had a fascinating couple of hours with a charity (Platform 1) who’re also based at the railway station. I won’t go into too much detail now as my article will be appearing in a future edition of RAIL magazine – but it won’t be about trains. Charities like Platform 1 have really stepped up to the plate to provide services to some of the most vulnerable in society during the pandemic. Their work’s invaluable at the best of times, but these are the worst of times.
Back at home in the warm (remember, I’m not used to spending January/February in the UK) I spent the afternoon writing up my notes and continuing to scan old slides – a process I’ve continued today as I’m back in the bosom of the Calder Valley with nowhere else to go! Well, in the real world anyway. Picture-wise I’ve been to Merseyside, Denmark, Essex, Sussex, back in London – then Greece – in my own personal time-machine which has transported me back to the year 2000.
This has given me a huge range of images to choose from for the picture of the day, which has been a difficult choice. In the end, I plumped for this. Of all the places, I’ve gone back to the town I grew up in, but that’s because the picture’s worthwhile. I took this shot on the 15th April 2000 whilst visiting my family. This is the old Southport pier being demolished.
But, fear not. It was being demolished in order to be rebuilt. The original 1860 iron structure was rotten after 140 years of being exposed to the elements – and the sea. Yes, I know the old jokes about the sea never coming in at Southport, but it does – honest! Once upon a time you could catch steamships from the end of the 1000m long structure (the 2nd longest pier in the UK) to resorts on the North Wales coast. Nowadays it’s a lot quieter, but it still provides some wonderful views along the coast. If you want to see some more pictures of the pier during and after rebuilding, you can find them here.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
No politics today, my spleen may still need venting but I’m giving it a day off. Instead I’m happy that I’ve finished the first in the trilogy of articles I’m writing for RAIL magazine about my week long trip around Britain by rail. Part one covers three days, so to me it feels a little rushed. Trying to describe all my experiences in 4000 words is always difficult as there’s so much stuff that I have to leave out – which is the hardest part of writing them. A week travelling around the UK by rail is enough to fill a book, never mind a series of magazine features. Hopefully people will enjoy it anyway.
I’m now going to have the weekend off to concentrate on other things. So – without further ado – here’s the picture of the day, which was taken on the 2nd February 2016 in Galle old town, Sri Lanka.
I’ve always enjoyed Art Deco architecture and this restored house really caught my eye. I’d have loved to have seen if the inside matched…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Ugh! Up at sparrowfart again getting ready to go to Birmingham. This morning I’m getting a lift to the station because I don’t want another soaking! The weather here is still what’s best described as ‘changeable’. I’m heading for the 06:44 from Halifax, so let’s see how today goes…
07:00.
I’m now on my way to Manchester aboard the 06:44 which is worked by a fully-functioning CAF built Class 195. We have heating, PIS and even the wifi which I’m using to type this. They’re lovely trains when they’re like this and a real step-change from what we’re used to.
It’s a beautiful sunny morning in the Calder Valley although it’s a chilly 4 degrees according to the trains info screens. It’s a bit of a contrast to London yesterday when I basked in 14 degree sunshine!
07:14.
Having crossed the Pennines and called at Littleborough we’re trundling towards Rochdale at reduced speed. Looking up from my laptop for a moment I was just in time to catch sight of a trio of deer feeding in a meadow, their white tails attracted my attention, otherwise I’d have missed them as they were standing stock-still whilst the train passed.
07:18.
We’ve arrived at Rochdale where around a dozen early-bird commuters are waiting for our arrival. I was surprised to see so few, but there’s another Manchester bound service in the bay platform which seems to have a good crowd on it. No doubt it’ll be following behind shortly.
07:58.
After my usual 20 minute sprint across central Manchester from Victoria to Piccadilly I’m back in the warmth aboard Cross-Country’s 08:05 to Paignton. We’ve luxury this morning as this is an 8-car formation. Even the Conductor is boasting that there’s “lots of room this morning, so make the most of it”. I assume that this must be an aberration!
There is an irony in me travelling to Birmingham to see HS2 archeological work in this fashion. This journey between two of our premier regional cities will take 1 hour 28 minutes. Voyagers – be they four or five car – are less than an ideal offering. HS2 (when it’s completed) will cut the journey time by more than half to just 40 minutes. Plus, it’ll be on a 400 metre long, modern intercity train that will make a Voyager look primitive in comparison.
08:29.
We’ve just left Macclesfield. I don’t know about the rear Voyager, but this front set is filling up nicely! There’s lots of business travellers aboard. In the airline seats opposite me two young professionals have their papers spread out on the meagre backseat tables and are preparing themselves for the meeting they’re heading for. Others are using their time to catch up on the budget news in copies of the ‘Metro’ but on one table ahead I can spy an unopened bottle of Prosecco with four plastic cups atop it – so there’s business mixed with pleasure on this coach as I assume these people are race-goers!
08:47.
Bugger, we’re just leaving Stoke-on-Trent and the weather’s changed dramatically. We’re now blessed with thunderously grey skies and it’s chucking it down! Please let this clear before Birmingham…
09:20.
We’ve just left Wolverhampton and the penny’s finally dropped as to why this train is a double set! There were queues of well-dressed people waiting for us to arrive and I suddenly realised that we call at Cheltenham – where the races are on! Now the fact the catering crew were heavily advertising what deals they have on Prosecco or gin and tonic at this hour of the day makes sense!
16:13.
Apologies for the delay in updates but it’s been a very hectic few hours. Our little group got to the HS2 site at Curzon St for 10:00, donned our PPE, had a site induction, then went to visit the site of the London & Birmingham’s locomotive roundhouse, which was built in 1837. You’ll be able to read about my full visit in the future edition of RAIL magazine, but here’s a taster of how the site looks, with the remains of the turntable pit in the middle and 15 pit roads radiating from it. Everyone was surprised just how extensive the remains are, not just of the roundhouse, but other structures as well. Thankfully, the rain we’d had earlier held off and we had sunshine interspersed with cloud – which was just as well because there was a bitter wind blowing across the exposed site that made you thankful for the layers of PPE you had to wear!
The visit took several hours as we were given an extensive tour of the site of the roundhouse and the remains of the goods shed with its wagon turntables still in situ. Afterwards we were shown round the last building standing. The grade 1 listed station building and former boardroom of the London and Birmingham railway.
A selfie with Tim Dunn and Gareth Dennis taken by Gareth (which is why I’m in the middle!)
Afterwards I went to have a look at a modern transport innovation. The extension to the Midlands Metro tram network, the first to use dual-powered trams that don’t have to use overhead lines in the heart of the city so as to preserve the architectural heritage of the area.
Look – no wires (or pantographs)! A pair of trams pass outside the new Town Hall stop.
17:18.
Homeward bound! I left Birmingham on the 16:57 Cross-Country Voyager bound for Manchester. Unsurprisingly, it’s packed even though this is a 5-car. This time of day it acts as a fast commuter train between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, after which the vestibules empty out and some seats become free. With the advent of HS2 I’d like to see these trains withdrawn and the twice-hourly paths used for more commuter services for local passengers whilst long-distance passengers can transfer to a faster, more comfortable service from Curzon St so that we have an inter-city service worth its name.
19:05.
I’m now on the final leg home. After abandoning the Voyager at Piccadilly I retraced my steps to Victoria to catch a train back across the Pennines. I’m now on a 2-car Class 195 heading for Halifax. It’s not as busy as I’d have expected but I honestly can’t tell if that’s due to people not travelling through fear of the Coronavirus or the fact some folks may have left work earlier.
There’s certainly plenty of panic about. I had chance to scan the media earlier and saw the news about the Tango’d Buffoon in the White House banning all travel (except via the UK) to the USA for a month. An already very weak stock market which has suffered many days of losses went into complete meltdown and shed over 10% of it’s remaining value, propelling it into its worst decline since 1987. The spectre of another global financial crash is starting to rear its ugly head…
21:25.
I’m finally home in the warm and dry, having taken the sensible precaution of bringing a brolly with me today, although they’re often of little use up here in the Pennines due to the fact the wind rips ’em to shreds within a few minutes. Right now I’ve begun the task of loading some of the past two days worth of pictures to my Zenfolio website. If you follow this link, you’ll be able to see which galleries they’ve been added to.
Tomorrow I have a day working from home, trying to catch up on picture editing, paperwork and communications, although there might still be time for some blogging, it certainly won’t be rolling…
After the past few days gallivanting around the country today’s been a time for consolidation at home. I even treated myself to a lie-in and didn’t switch on the computer until 07:30! Mind you, it had been a hot and humid night – hardly the best for getting a good night’s sleep. The really hot weather had departed by the morning, leaving us with an assorted bag of cloud cover and the occasional bit of sunshine to help dry out the effects of the overnight showers. Much of the day has been spent editing pictures of railways rather than travelling on them, but that will change again tomorrow. I’ve added over 100 pictures to my Zenfolio website, which you can find if you follow this link to the ‘recent’ section of the website as it’ll show you which galleries they’ve been added to. Here’s a couple of samples just to whet your appetite.
These are the beautifully restored station waiting rooms at Worcester Shrub Hill. They’re unique and are constructed out of cast iron and tiles, having been built around 1864 by local companies.
A plaque nearby lists the details of these extraordinary structures.
Worcester Shrub Hill is an anachronism in several ways. Not only does it have these waiting rooms, it also has some of the finest surviving examples of Great Western Railway lower-quadrant semaphore signals. The fact these control the very latest generation of high-speed trains built by Hitachi is quite something, as you can see from this picture. In the foreground is a two car Class 172 which has recently been transferred from the Gospel Oak-Barking line in London to become part of the West Midlands Train fleet. In the background is 800322, a 9-car Hitachi built Class 800 operated by GWR. The variety of GWR signals is evident.
Having loaded up the pictures the rest of the day’s been spent catching up on less exciting matters – paperwork. My desk seems to be awash with ACoRP marking forms receipts and bits and bobs. So much for the ‘paperless office’! At least it’s not like the old days when it would’ve been piled high in slides, negatives and prints too…
Finally, late in the day I managed to get out for a stroll and get some exercise away from a screen. As the weather has cooled down I didn’t need to head straight for a shower either, which was a relief. This evening will probably consist of much of the same as we’re off to Liverpool for a weekend in the city with some friends. If I’m lucky I might be able to do some scribbling whilst I’m there. One thing I will be doing is taking a break from watching the unfolding political disaster that’s Boris Johnson’s new Government. It’s truly depressing to see the people he’s actively courting. It’s the most right-wing and dangerous bunch of any Tory Government I can remember. There’s a toxic mix of former Leave campaign members, the right wing-press and lobby groups like the Taxpayers Alliance. My one hope is that there’s so many big egos there with dodgy pasts and flexible morals that it can’t be long before the whole thing starts to fall apart when it become painfully obvious they can’t deliver on the lies they’ve told over the years. But what damage will they do in the meantime?
Worcester Shrub Hill is an anachronism in several ways. Not only does it have these waiting rooms, it also has some of the finest surviving examples of Great Western Railway lower-quadrant semaphore signals. The fact these control the very latest generation of high-speed trains built by Hitachi is quite something, as you can see from this picture. In the foreground is a two car Class 172 which has recently been transferred from the Gospel Oak-Barking line in London to become part of the West Midlands Train fleet. In the background is 800322, a 9-car Hitachi built Class 800 operated by GWR. The variety of GWR signals is evident.
Paul Bigland 