The team are preparing for today’s event in London. I can’t say anything about it until afterwards but we had a great planning session with some of the local station friends yesterday evening, so we’re looking forward to what’s going to happen. Why not pop back later to see what it is we’ve been up to?
13:05.
Phew, sorry for the gap but it’s been a busy morning. I can now reveal that we’ve been kept busy at Alexandra Palace station with an event that included a long visit by Shadow Rail Minister Stephen Morgan MP, who spent time with local MP Catherine West, Community Rail Networks Chief Exec Jools Townsend and many of the local station friends and visitors from as far afield as Gipsy Hill. Here’s a few pictures.
The whole group get the message across…
I’ll add more details later. Right now my main task is to get the pictures edited – and begin my journey back North…
13:45.
Having got the pictures out to where they need to go I’m footloose and fancy free again, soI’m beginning my journey back North. I’ve really enjoyed being back in my old stamping ground – even if the weather’s been iffy (at least it didn’t rain in any meaningful way) but now it’s time to hunt for some sun and the chance to get a few more libray shots in the can. Right now, the next stop’s Stevenage…
16:50.
Stevenage proved to be quite literally a washout, thanks to the weather so I boarded the next available train to Peterborough – and old haunt from the 1990s. I did manage a few more library shots but whilst the weather stayed dry the skies were dull in the extreme. Now I’m on my way to Doncaster, although I don’t know if I’ll stop off as despite my moving North sunshine’s proving to be elusive.
17:00.
Doncaster was a bust, although clouds are lifting and every so often there’s a tantalizing glimpse of blue sky. Unfortunately, the works yard is empty and the station’s just as quiet, so I’ll stay on board until York where there just *might* be a couple of worthwhile shots to be had under the station’s magnificent roof. Plus, I can get a direct train to Halifax from there, which makes life easier.
19:30.
Like most plans, mine didn’t survive long. Whilst the weather had picked up many services were running from platforms oufside the trainshed, so less photogenic. Then my direct train to Halifax was cancelled, so I had to get a TPE to Leeds and pick up a late running Halifax service
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/
Community rail week has begun, and I’m off on my travels again as part of it. Right now, I’m on Northern’s 10:23 from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester in order to pop in on an event being held at Piccadilly station before making my way down to London this evening. After yesterday’s wall to wall sunshine the weather’s a bit of a disappointment as the Calder valley’s full of low cloud but I’m hoping things will improve as I drift South stopping off on the way. Feel free to pop back later to see what I get up to…
No 1 on day 1 to carry me to Manchester…
11:05.
Before I get to Manchester I’ve stopped off at Rochdale where the Calder Valley CRP are having an event in the station garden. There’s music – and cupcakes, so if you’re in the area feel free to pop in…
12:30.
My tour continues. On reaching Manchester I hot-foot it over to Piccadilly station where several CRPs (Community Rail Partnerships) and their friends have stalls today. There’s a lot of interest in the line and walking guides, along with the other goodies on offer. Both the Bentham and Glossop lines had sent delegations..
Now I’m on the move again, slowly heading South. Today I have a treat as far as Crewe in the shape of one of Transport for Wales locomotive hauled (or in this case, pushed) Mk 4 sets.
13:55.
I’m currently taking the scenic route as plans went slightly awry on arrival at Crewe. There was plenty of variety of traction on view – from old TfW single-car ‘Scuds’ working the Shrewsbury shuttle to brand new Hitachi built Class 805s on test before taking over from Avanti Voyagers later this year. Oh, and the nostalgia-fest that is LSL’s loco depot, which is a real 1980s throwback. Unfortunately a number of services were late or delayed, so I’m now heading for Stoke on a sideways shuffle aboard one of LNWs Class 350s. This one’s a former Trans-Pennine Express unit that used to work between Manchester Airport – Glasgow/Edinburgh before being displaced by more modern (and longer) trains.
14:50.
And relax! On arrival at Stoke I had 10 minutes to wait for a Pendolino to arrive which would whisk me to Euston via one stop at Nuneaton. There’s no more community rail events within my reach now so the rest of the day is purely a positional move. As I head South the weather’s improving. There’s clear blue skies and fluffy cumulous clouds instead of the grey I’d been used to, so now all I have to do is decide where I’m going to visit to get some library shots after hitting London.
15:33
Bugger! Just when I thought I was back on track! We’re currently running 26 minutes late (and being diverted via Northampton) due to – as the onboard screens inform us – a ‘safety inspection of the track’. Ho hum. Now I won’t reach Euston until 16:07 – and counting. We’re not the only service affected either. I’ve just had a quick look at ‘real time trains’ to check out Euston departures/arrivals. It’s not good. I expect it’ll be carnage on the concourse when I arrive.
16:40.
Carnage has been averted at Euston due to many departures leaving on time, which will keep passengers happy and the concourse uncrowded. But it’ll come at a price. Many trains will have been ‘stepped up’ (turned around quickly and reallocated to different services). Train crews bear the brunt when this happens as their dockets aren’t worth the paper they’re written on so hours get extended. Juggling the trains has issues too as some will have been heading to certain depots for maintenence to take place. They’ll end the day somewhere very different unless train controllers can get them back to where they need to be.
Euston. It could be a lot worse…
17:45.
Wandering down the Euston Rd from Euston to Kings Cross I bumped into Ndy Savage, an old friend and fellow Community Rail Awards judge. It’s what I love about London. You’re never far away from someone you know. Now I’m back in old haunts in Harringay, heading to tonight’s hotel…
23:30.
Time to bring this blog to a close. I’m kicking back at my hotel in Wood Green after meeting up with the rest of the CRN team ready for tomorrow’s big event. I’ll leave you with a few more pictures from today, with many more to follow tomorrow.
Manchester Piccadilly earlier, with people interested in details of some of the walking guides on offer. Stoke station dominated by LNW Class 350s, including the former TPE unit I arrived on. It could have been an awful lot worse. Despite the WCML disruption Euston station passenger flow remained in tolerable levels. Buddleia’s not part of the station friends plan, but like many locations it’s encroaching on the lineside here at Alexandra Palace in North London.
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/
As the weather’s picked up and we’re being treated to some blue sky today I’ve journeyed back to Manchester to pick up where I left off yesterday by exploring the rail lines to the East of the city in order to get shots of some of the trains, but also the stations they serve as community rail volunteers are very active in this area. They’re doing some great stuff, both with gardening and artwork. So, here we go – on the train from Piccadilly to Marple…
14:00.
Phew! Back again. I’ve been doing a lot of walking and exploring since my last update. Getting to Marple was the easy part. But, as the line’s closed beyond New Mills services are restricted and I really wanted to get a shot of the return train working ‘bang road’ – a railway term I’ll explain later.
Having an hour to kill gave me time to explore and take pictures around Marple. Did you know that the place is famous because of the writer Agatha Christie? She visited snd decided to name one of her most famous fictional Detectives after the town. The station contains history boards which tell all about it the connection – and more. I’ll add pictures later.
14:45.
Right now I’m back at Piccadilly, basking in the sun (yep, sun, In Manchester!) after heading back from Rose Holl Marple via a stop at Romily – another station with some fascinating and informative history boards. Some are railway related – others not.
Did you know this about sign language? No, neither did I…Here’s something a little more railway related fom Romily…
18:45.
Back again! I’ve been busy. After leaving Romily I headed back to Piccadilly in glorious weather. The sun was shining and temperatures were in their mid teens for the first time this year. It actually felt like spring for a change. I took a break at Picc in order to grab a bite to eat, get a few pictures and spend 30 minutes doing my best basking lizard impression at a platform end. Suitably rejuvenated I headed abck down the Buxton line, changing trains at Hazel Grove before arriving back at New Mills Newtown. Unlike yesterday I disn’t cross between stations. Instead I headed back to Woodsmoor in order to get pictures of the station artwork. Realising I’d 30 mins to wait for a train but the next station was only 25 mins walk I elected to explore and walked between the two through the leafy backstreets that make up these affluent suburbs.
When I got back to the city it was rush-hour and a good time to think about heading home. I wore out some more shoe leather walking from Picc to Vic where I was in time to catch the 18:21 to Leeds. Right now I’ve got my feet up, relaxing before the last leg from Halifax to home.
22:30.
I’m home and editing a few pictures which give more of a flavour of today. Here they are.
One of the history boards at Marple station explains all about Agatha Christies links with Marple, the North and also railways…195125 arrives at Marple, working ‘bang road’ from Mills Hill Central.A lovely bit of whimsy from the friends of Rose Hill Marple station.
I’ve lots more pictures to edit, so that’s tomorrow’s working from home sorted out…
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/
There was no blog from me yesterday as we were too busy recovering from Monday’s Community Rail Awards and travelling back home from Swansea. Ourselves, the rest of the CRN team and the 440 people attending the event enjoyed a great night with some richly deserved awards presented, followed by fun in the main hall where a band kept people entertained (and dancing) until late in the evening, followed by a mixture of staff and attendees adjourning to our hotel bar until the small hours.
However, my job wasn’t over as I spent most of the train trip back slaving over a hot laptop, editing the pictures in order to get them ready for circulation and out to the winners themselves. Today’s been spent catching up with other work and clearing the decks as tomorrow Dawn and I are taking a break for a few days. We’re heading off to the Whitby area of North Yorkshire to recharge our batteries and enjoy coastal walks, good food and the odd real ale. There may even be time for the occasional bit of blogging…
In the meantime, here’s today’s picture, which is from Swansea.
The beach and breakwater at Swansea with Port Talbot steelworks in the background. It’s hard to imagine, but at one time, millions of tonnes of Welsh coal in hundreds of ships of all sizes was shipped from this harbour every year. Huge quantities of Tinplate were shipped in the Edwardian era whilst millions of tonnes of oil from refineries at Llandarcy and Baglan Bay left here right up until the 1990s. Now the harbour sees mostly leisure traffic. The steelworks at Port Talbot is also being reduced in size and importance.
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/
The wet and dismal day that greeted us when we woke up this morning has morphed into something far more pleasant as blue skies and sunshine have appeared to brighten the day. We’ve been up early and breakfasted as the CRN team will be off to the venue shortly, preparing for tonight’s event. It promises to be a brilliant evening. The Community Rail Awards don’t have the pomp or stuffiness of some ceremonies, they’re much more relaxed. I’ve been roped in to help with some of the prep so I’ll be heading over to the arena for a couple of hours too. Obviously I’m not going to be blogging and spilling the beans about what people can expect, but later on I’ll have chance to have a wander around Swansea to get a few pictures and check out the Maritime museum and marina. Expect some thoughts and pictures later, and then some of this evening’s highlights…
16:30.
Today’s not exactly gone to plan blogging wise as I’ve been roped into several different things and haven’t had time to blog. However, I did get time off to visit the Maritime museum – which is about much more than just the sea.
From old motorcycles to a solar car that travelled from Athens to Lisbon…The maritime collectionOld steam power…
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/
We’ve been up since 07:00, not a time we’d normally expect to be supping coffee on a Sunday, but today we’re heading to Swansea for tomorrow’s Community Rail Awards. This could be an interesting trip. First we head to Manchester to meet up with other members of the CRA team, then we catch a Transport for Wales service all the way to Cardiff, which takes 5 hours. That could be the first ‘fun’ bit as (having checked) I can see that it’s worked by a two-car class 197, so it could get cosy! It being Sunday, the line from Cardiff to Swansea is closed for engineering work to take place, so it’s the dreaded ‘bustitution’ for the rest of the way. Just what you need when you’re carrying all the kit you need for an awards ceremony and a couple of nights away!
Feel free to pop back later and see how the journey unfolds….
10:00.
We’re on our way on our first train of the day – Northern’s 09:50 from Halifax to Manchester Victoria. As it’s early on a Sunday and it’s a four-car there’s no problem in finding a seat.
10:30.
We’ve left the wet weather behind by crossing the Pennines into Gtr Manchester. Whilst our train filled up after calling at Rochdale the journey’s still relaxed. Next stop is Victoria…
10:45.
Ha! I should’ve known better. We’re in Manchester, so of course it’s raining! Not that it natters as we’ve just joined a packed TPE service bound for the airport which will deliver us to Piccadilly.
11:40.
Half A dozen of the team have met at Piccadilly and joined TfW’s 11:29 to Cardiff. Thankfully, it’s one of the new CAF built Class 197s and we’ve managed to secure a couple of tables behind the cab despite the usual scramble for seats. Now the tables are awash with laptops and mobile phones as folk make final preparations for the awards and a few days away.
13:40.
We’ve had a surprisingly good journey so far. At one point we were losing time to Shrewsbury but now we’ve mad that up on the approach to Hereford. The biggest surprise has been the amount of flooded fields around Moreton-On-Lugg. It’s horrendous. Fields have become vast lakes and some roads look like they’re impassible unless you have a 4X4. I really feel for the farmers as the rivers draining the area clearly can’t cope, so planting anything is impossible.
17:00
Made it! All in all, that’s been a very good journey. We were into Cardiff on time and the dreaded ‘bustitution’ worked like a dream. We were off the train and after a toilet stop we were straight onto a coach for the rest of the trip to Swansea. The group’s now checked in at our hotel on the Tawe Basin, right by the Swansea seafront. A short walk away is the National Waterfront Museum (which I’m hoping to have time to check out in the morning) and the venue for tomorrow’s awards (Swansea Arenea) is 5 minutes walk away.
19:01.
Time for the team to dine – at…
Zinco Lounge
22:30.
Well, that was a great (if different) night, but one that had to end early as some of us have to be on duty tomorrow. After the meal where we were joined by old friends such as Richard Salkeld – ex LNER and now ‘Lumo’ – when the wit and laughter was flowing, a few of us met up with other community rail colleagues and ‘newbies’ such as train driver Bessie Matthews, who’s written the Arlo adventures books at a Gin bar called Hogarth’s. Now, you wouldn’t normally find me dead in a karaoke joint, but as I was with friends it turned into an interesting exercise in people watching and insight into Swansea on a Sunday. After all, the Welsh have a reputation for singing, don’t they? True enough. The place was mostly men, and some actually knew how to sing – as did one of our own group – Karen Bennett – who bashed out a great rendition of a Bonny Tyler number whilst getting support from the audience!
Now it’s time to call it a day. I’m looking to seeing more of Swansea in the morning…
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/
We’re back at Bigland Towers after a busy day in Nottingham which began early as we were staying in the hotel where the CRN conference was being held. The pair of us rate the Crowne Plaza, having stayed there several times now. The rooms are comfortable, the conference facilities ideal. The food’s also very good and the staff are both friendly and very helpful. Having risen at 07:00 I had time for a hearty breakfast whilst Dawn opted for a light one as she was working the conference reception desk. So I snaffled a selection of jams, toast and pastries for her to eat on the go. The conference started before 09:00 with a couple of informative presentations from Jools Townsend, CRN’s Chief Exec, followed by Cat Chrimes from GM social investment.
I found this really informative as one of the projects Cat’s organisation has been working on is Broadbottom station which I’ve written about recently. What I didn’t previously know was that around £1m has been raised to bring the building back into use with a range of uses, including a microbrewery! Next up was Shuna Baggaley from contractors SKANSKA, one of CRN’s corporate partners. Shuna has been working on HS2 at Euston, but that wasn’t what she’d come to talk to us about, it was corporate responsibility. After the talks and Q and A the rest of the conference programme was devised by the delates themselves, who decided what they wanted to talk about with a little help from CRN staff. Here’s the programme they devised.
There were some fascinating and informative sessions although I didn’t get chance to listen to more than snippets as my job was to visit each session to photograph what was going on. Here’s taste;
It’s not all serious – honest!Note-taking…More laughs…Paying attention…
Unfortunately, due to disruption to rail services around Leeds and the cancellation of the train we’d intended to travel home on a few of us had to leave early, which was a shame as the conference (despite the ‘risky’ format) was a great success.
Our ride home from Nottingham to Leeds being admired by a member of the local canine community.
On the way home we bumped into a friend and colleague from Northern who’d intended attending the conference but he’d been diverted in order to help out with today’s service disruption. Meeting Richard changed my plans for tomorrow. I’d planned on working from home. Instead, I’ve been invited to join some of the Northern management team in Bradford tomorrow morning on their annual Interfaith & Cultural Awareness Event. We’ll be visiting a Hindu temple, a Mosque and a Sikh Gurdwara. It promises to be an interesting session. I’ll blog about it tomorrow…
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/
This morning the pair of us head to Nottingham for the annual Community Rail Network conference. Today and tomorrow station friends, Community Rail officers, rail staff and others will congregate to listen to updates on the world of community rail, share best practice and network.
Thankfully, although we’re in the midst of storm Debi, last night’s winds and todays heavy showers haven’t caused any disruption to our travel plans. We’ll be heading to the station shortly to begin our trip South. Let’s see how things go…
12:00.
We’re on our way to Leeds on Northern’s late running 11:37 from Halifax. Railhead conditions can’t be good as the latest storm’s brought down tons of leaves overnight.
Nottingham here we come…
I’m being kept entertained by following the latest political farce following the sacking of Home Secretary Cruella Braverman.
I mean – who on earth saw former PM and MP David Cameron returning to government as Foreign Secretary! The man whose biggest political failure was in the area of foreign policy. The man who called the Brexit referendum to appease warring Tory factions and ended up dragging us out of the EU, leaving us an international laughing stock to precipitate another 8 years of Tory fueding that’s dragged the country down even further!
What on earth was Sunak thinking? What’s the Tory party thinking? There’s 350 Tory MPs and Sunak’s just admitted not a single one of them is fit for elevation to high office! I bet that’s rankling on the back benches! And there was the Brexiters complaining that we were governed by ‘unelected bureaucrats’! Who’s elected Cameron?
13:20.
Leeds was fun for all the wrong reasons – bar this one. One of TPE’s class 68s working a Manchester – Scarborough service with just weeks left to run.
When I’d checked before leaving home this morning everything was running well with just a few delays due to railhead conditions. Things had changed when we arrived at Leeds to catch our train to Nottingham. A landslip towards York, overhead wire damage near Wakefield and a broken rail in the Aire valley were causing many delays and cancellations. Thankfully, our 13:08 was running and left on time – albeit it’s a 2-car, which is ‘cosy’…
16:10.
And relax! Well, for a few minutes anyway. We’ve made it to Nottingham, with our little 2-car picking up various members of the community railway family on the way. The weather improved as we passed through the storm front which was travelling in the opposite direction to us. It’s actually a balmy 13 degrees here in the city centre – hardly what you’d expect. Our first stop was to admire the work going on outside the stations where East Midland Railway’s community rail team have arranged for a new street-art mural which is being spray painted over the next few days by artists from ‘Image Skool‘. Completion date and unveiling is planned for Friday.
Having elected to walk to the hotel we’re now unpacking at the Crowne Plaza hotel before the staff briefing and preparing to meet and greet the bulk of the delegates who’re still in transit. Later there’s a drinks reception and buffet supper when delegates will discuss and decide on what topics they want to see the conference cover tomorrow.
Here’s a few shots from the reception, after which a couple of groups headed off to explore some of the local hostelries to sample local real ales…
Members of the Penistone line partnership, including Chair Neil Bentley (left) at the reception.Michel Lintermans from Cooperatie Stationspark Deurne in the Netherlands, a regular entrant to the Community Rail awards.
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/
After a wonderful couple of days away thanks to my wonderful wife who arranged a special treat for my birthday we’re both back with our noses to the grindstone. Whilst Dawn’s been busy playing catch-up with her day to day work for Community Rail Network I’ve slipped on my CRN judges hat to spend all day wading through the entries for their 2024 awards. To be honest, it’s a pleasure rather than a chore as I get to learn about so many fabulous groups and the amazing stuff they’ve been up to over the past 12 months and more. There’s some really inspirational groups out there and the work they do is amazing. Judging them is really hard as the standard’s so high. In many cases there’s really not much in it, but we have a points based system spread over four categories, which makes life easier for myself and my fellow judge for the ‘It’s your station’ category – Mark Barker.
Now the first sift is done and all that remains is for me to fill out the awarded points on the spreadsheet and crunch the numbers. Then, in a few days time when both judges individual scores are combined we’ll meet to talk through the results and agree the final marks and winners of the four rankings (Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze). My work isn’t entirely done. I still have the shortlist for the photographic competition to select, this time with fellow judge Alice Mannion from CRN. The winner will be chosen from the shortlist by public vote.
Today’s been a good day to be stuck inside as the weather’s been awful, nothing but grey skies, mist and rain – although (so far) we’ve escaped the latest storm that’s battering the South coast. It’s heading our way but we’re expected to miss the worst of it as it passes through overnight. However, I’ll see how the weather is tomorrow morning before I make any plans. There’s still plenty for me to do at home if it’s not up to much.
Tonight I’ll leave you with a picture that illustrates the work of the community rail. The work the volunteers (and staff) carry out around the network is amazing. It’s not all station gardens or posters either. There’s restored buildings, station cafes, food banks, fetes and much, much more. Here’s on example from the friends of Buxton station who had ‘Joe’ made from scrap railway items donated from the site of the old Buxton locomotive depot. You can read all about the brilliant work this group are involved in here.
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/
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.
The day begins…
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…
Derby’s expanded station
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.
The group listening to Sarah Hampton from the station friends explaining what the group’s been involved in.Beeston station.
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…
And relax…
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…
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/
Paul Bigland 