07:30.

Apologies for the lack of a blog yesterday but it was my wife’s birthday so we had a lovely day away from screens and keyboards. Today I’m back on the road. I’ll try and make this a proper rolling block after the the other day’s failure to communicate. This should be easier as I’m not venturing out into the wilds where’s there’s no wifi or phone signal!

Right now I’m on Northern’s 07:07 from Halifax to York as far as Leeds which is worked by one of their 3-car Class 195s. It’s early enough in the day that it’s not packed so I’ve found a free table where I’ve been able to set up the ‘mobile office’. We’ve yet another beautifully sunny morning here in West Yorkshire and I’m hoping the good weather will stay with me as I traverse the country. I’ve a fair bit of travelling to do today and this is just the start.

I don’t know about where you live if you’re reading this in the UK but here the countryside is alive with Hawthorn blossom. For some reason the flowers seem really intense this year and really stand out against the lush greens of the countryside. I’ll see if I can get some pictures later as my job will be finished by mid afternoon…

08:25.

Oh, joy! My Cross-Country train to Derby is now running 15 plus minutes late after getting stuck at Garforth for some unknown reason. That means its now lost its path and will accrue even more delays so my connection at Derby to Beeston is looking lost. When a TPE service running in the opposite direction occupied our platform (15a) there was a mad scramble as knowledgeable folk twigged the problem and looked for updates. There were none on the screens and it was only because a member of platform staff had the gumption to ask some of us if we wanted the Plymouth train that we found it had sneaked in on platform 12c. We left a few minutes afterwards and I suspect some less savvy travellers will have been left behind.

08:55.

The 08:11’s a busy 4-car Voyager, so I’ve taken up position in the former shop area in coach D where I’ve set up the ‘mobile office’ on one of the luggage shelves. I may have to stand and there’s no power socket, but it’s better than being jammed in the saloon. We’re currently 17 late which means that unless we make up some time I’ll arrive at Derby after my Beeston connection has left. But, we have Sheffield to get through and train drivers don’t call it ‘the crucible’ for nothing (you have to get a red before you get a green). On the bright side, the trains CSA has just come through with the trolley, so I have coffee. He’s an affable Geordie who told me the issue at Garforth was with a Northern unit having electrical problems. This train was 2nd in the queue behind it, so was stuck until the Northern unit was fixed.

Now, having left Wakefield, I wait to see what happens at Sheffield…

09:20.

We left a bright and sunny Sheffield 18 minutes late, so unless there’s a warp drive that’s been fitted to this Voyager there’s no way we can make up enough time to catch my connection in Derby. However, I had a cunning plan – I’ve time in the bank as the train of last resort doesn’t leave Derby until 09:50, I was simply hoping to get to Beeston earlier.

09:50.

The irony! I made it to Derby only to find the Beeston train’s also running late, albeit only by a couple of minutes. So, I’m now back on track…

10:50.

– and to work! I met some of our East Midlands Railway and station friends groups on the train to Beeston where we all decamped to be welcomed by others. Beeston’s a lovely old station (with a fantastic pub next door, but that’s another story). The local friends group in conjunction with local authorities have done a splendid job in transforming previously overgrown areas like this.

17:30.

Finished! Our trip to Matlock Bath by train proved to be a grand day out. Participants were given leaflets and a running commentary that described the scenic line from Derby to Matlock and included the history of the line as well as famous historical sites along the route. At Matlock Bath we detrained to enjoy an excellent buffet lunch laid on by CMAC, one of Community Rail Network’s corporate sponsors which was served in one of the old station buildings which is now a centre for the local Wildlife Trusts. A few short speeches followed, after which, participants could either return by train or enjoy a few hours exploring Matlock.

My job done I retraced my steps to Derby only to retrace them again to head North to Sheffield. Sadly it’s no longer possible to change trains at the most logical place (Belper) as for most of the day it’s only served by Matlock line trains.

19:00.

My stop at Sheffield was brief. I’d intended to stay longer but cloud cover started to roll in and a combination of the wrong trains and the wrong weather made me adjourn to the Sheffield Tap for a ‘swifty’ on the way home. Besides, today’s ‘poets day’ (Piss-Off Early, Tomorrow’s Saturday). I may have lived by that in my day as a Government employee but it doesn’t really apply in the world of the self-employed. Still, the day’s been long – so a pint was in order…

19:15.

My Cross-Country train from Sheffield to Leeds was a double-set so there were seats aplenty. Most of the folk in my car seemed to be young people heading for a night out in Leeds. The Northern service I’m on now is a different matter. OK, it’s only a 4-car but it’s busy but it shares a characteristic with my previous train – it’s full of folks on a night out. What I find interesting is their destinations of choice are Halifax, Hebden Bridge and….Rochdale! I’m sharing a vestibule with a group of young Asian girls heading for Hebden Bridge. Next to me are some middle-aged folk talking about going to Rochdale and Halifax. God knows where everyone else is going but I’ll be fascinated to see who gets on/off in Bradford…

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09:30.

We’re packed, all electronic devices charged and ready and about to head off to the station to begin our journey to Nottingham to prepare for the Community Rail Network conference. I’ll blog about the trip en-route so feel free to pop back later to see what we get up to…

11:00.

We’re on our way on a bright but bitterly cold day. We even had a snow flurry before we left. Right now we’re on Grand Central’s 10:40 train from Halifax to London which we’re using to get to Wakefield where we connect with Northern’s Leeds-Nottingham service. This GC class 180s busy and even more so after calling at Brighouse where a few dozen were waiting to join. The latest ORR statistics show that GC services have really bounced back from Covid. They’re currently at 103% of pre-Covid figures. Great news for an open-access operator.

The section of line between Ellend (where a new station’s due to open in 2025) and Brighouse has recently been opened up by a huge amount of lineside tree clearance which makes it feel less like a green tunnel.

11:45.

We had 10 minutes for a cross-platform interchange at Kirkgate, where a new building has appeared on the island platform 2-3. Built on behalf of Grand Central it’s a substantial 3 room structure that replaces the draughty and basic shelter that used to be there. There’s staff accommodation at one end, a seated waiting area in the middle and what looks like a potential retail outlet or small office at the other. Only it doesn’t appear to have any power sockets, just a fuse board, which is odd!

Our Nottingham train arrived spot on time. Thankfully, it’s formed of a 2-car Class 195 so we can make the most of the power sockets and wifi as there’s other members of the CRN team aboard too.

14:15.

Having reached Nottingham and the venue in plenty of time I’ve a few hours to kill before I’m needed I’ve nipped out to make the most of the good weather and grab some new library shots whilst I’m here. East Midlands Railway have had many Class 170s cascaded to them from other operators to start replacing their old BR built fleets. Some have come from Anglia, via Transport for Wales, such as this example.

16:40.

I’ve enjoyed a couple of hours exploring and getting pictures of railways, trams and the town. One thing that struck me is how many vacant shops there are now. Parts of the town centre are almost deserted. One street I walked along was 90% derelict. Here’s a couple of phone pics to be going on with. I’ll add camera shots later.

Right, now it’s time to go to work…

08:30.

I wasn’t expecting to be staying in Sheffield last night. But, there’s one last photographic opportunity for Community Rail week that seemed daft not to fit in – especially as it’s at such a scenic location Edale in the Hope valley. A group of Network Rail staff are joining the station friends to give the station a heavier spruce-up. Many hands make light work and all that.

So now I find myself sat on a 2-car Northern Class 156 ready to depart Sheffield and trundle up the valley.

Job done, I’ll be heading home to Halifax for the weekend and a time to edit the plethora of pictures that I’ve taken over the past few days.

08:45.

It’s a lovely morning to be heading for Hope, there’s high cloud around and a fair bit of wind too, but plenty of sunshine. The train’s already busy with a mixture of students, walkers and cyclists heading to college or for a day out.

08:45.

Heading West I’ve noted a substantial amount of work being done around Bamford station by Network Rail contractors. They appear to be putting in a haul road on the North side of the line, although I’ve no idea why. I’m assuming its to do with the capacity improvements planned for the route.

12:45.

That was in interesting interlude. Edale station’s a lovely little place that’s seen a lot of inhancement work recently. All the station fencing has been renewed (paid for from car-parking charges) whilst the station friends have added new planters, artwork, running-in boards and old pictures of the station. This has been added to with Ukrainian flags and bunting.

On time, the volunteers from Network Rail, Transport for Gtr Manchester and the local station friends arrived and set about tackling various jobs such as litter-picking and tree-trimming in the old goods yard whilst others had a big clear-up of the tree-lined station footpaths which were in need of a good clear-up.

13:45.

Having photographed what the groups were getting up to I took my leave after a couple of hours and headed back to Sheffield to finally head home. The 2-car Northern service had room but the 8-car Arriva Cross-Country train I caught back to Leeds was full and standing. I shared a vestibule with a group of off-duty S Yorks police officers off to York for a stag do. Leeds station was just as busy as the train. There’s a lot of people dragging around big suitcases right now!…