Category Archives: London

The end of the line beckons. The BR built Class 317s.

20 Sunday Feb 2022

Posted by in British Railways (BR), Class 317, History, London, Railways, The end of the line

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

Final update: 24th February 2022.

Here’s a look back at the first of the old BR built multiple unit classes to be built that were based on the steel Mk3 coach bodyshell in a departure from the earlier series of trains which used aluminum bodyshells. They’re easy to identify because of the distinctive ridged roof which they share with the Mk3s. The 317s were also the first units to be built for DOO (Driver Only Operation), dispensing with the need for a guard. This wasn’t without controversy and led to the units being ‘blacked’ by rail unions which delayed them entering into service. They were also the first modern units to have a maximum speed of 100mph since the 1960s built Class 309s . They’ve led a nomadic existence during their lives, which is now coming to an end.

The first order for Class 317s was built in 1981-82 to operate services on the newly electrified line from London St-Pancras to Bedford. 48 four-car units were constructed by BR at York works, although the Trailer cars (and all the units bogies) were built at Derby works.

Due to the DOO issues with the unions the trains didn’t enter service until March 1983. They plied their trade on the ‘Bedpan line’ (as the Bedford-St Pancras route was nicknamed) until 1987 when they were displaced by the Class 319s built for the ‘Thameslink’ programme. By this time they’d come under the aegis of Network Southeast who transferred to units to services out of Euston where they displaced older, slower, slam-door class 310 EMUs. Their tenure on the line was short as they were soon displaced by the new Class 321s so they moved again, this time to operate services out of Liverpool St and Kings Cross stations on the West Anglia and Great Northern routes. This time their stay was much more long-lived. It outlasted BR and survived into privatisation when ownership of the units was transferred to Angel trains.

At this point in their lives they joined their sister units for the first time.

A second batch of 20 Class 317s (numbered 317349-368) were built solely at York between 1985-86. A further four units (numbered 317369-372) followed on in 1987. The 317/s as they were known were ordered to work Great Northern services from Kings Cross to Cambridge and Peterborough. They were easy to tell from their earlier sisters as the front end had been modified to remove the redundant roof headcode boxes. The 317/2s were allocated to Hornsey depot in North London which also looked after the 317/1s after transfer from Euston services.

Changes continued throughout the units lives as franchises came and went. WAGN was split in 2004 and some 317s were absorbed by ‘One’ which took over the West Anglia routes. The Great Northern services were absorbed by new franchise First Capital Connect in April 2006.

However, Anglia and Great Northern services weren’t the only places you found the 317s. In 1996, LTS Rail hired in Class 317/1 units from its sister franchise WAGN for use on the routes out of Fenchurch St. The initial 2 units increased to a total of 18 units by the following year. The sets were maintained at LTS Rail’s depot at East Ham. They were gradually phased out on what by then was c2c by the arrival of the Class 357s although the final 317s didn’t disappear until 2002.

In 2002 the 317s reappeared on the ‘Bedpan’ route. Thameslink hired in 4 sets to work additional services between Moorgate and Bedford. More units followed in 2004 when an engineering blockade spilt Thameslink in two to allow the St Pancras Thameslink station box to be constructed. a total of 12 317/1s returned to their original stomping ground until the blockade was lifted.

By late 2004 the picture had begun to settle. WAGN was no more. Twelve 317/1s worked on Great Northern services for First Capital Connect whilst all the other sets worked out of Liverpool St for National Express under the ‘ONE’ brand.

Renumbering.

Whilst the service pattern had been simplified, the numbering system hadn’t! All but the sets (317337-348) working on Great Northern had been renumbered during various refurbishment programmes.

First to be renumbered were sets 317322-328 by BR back in 1994 when First Class was declassified. They had became 317392-398.

In 1998-99 WAGN refurbished the entire Class 317/2 fleet at Wolverton. 300 was added to the numbers and the units re-emerged ass 317649-672.

In 2000, 9 sets were modified and refurbished to take over ‘Stansted Express’ services from the Class 322s. They were renumbered in the 317/7 series thus:

Another 15 sets were refurbished by ‘ONE’ with new seating and passenger information systems in 2005 for use on West Anglia services. They were renumbered 317501-515 thus:

Finally, in 2006 a further 12 sets received a minor refresh at Wabtec in Doncaster. These were renumbered in the 317/8 series thus:

The final act in the lives of the 317s was on the 3st May 2015 when London Overground took over some London suburban routes from Abellio Greater Anglia. The lines from Liverpool St to  Chingford, Enfield Town and Cheshunt via Seven Sisters were absorbed and eight 317/s and 6 317/8s (rendered surplus from Stansted services by the Class 379s) were taken over to run the services. The units were repainted on London Overground livery but little else. They lasted until April 2020 when the new Class 710 ‘Aventra’ trains displaced them.

Withdrawal of the 317s has continued to the present day. All the original Class 317/2s have gone for scrap at Eastleigh in Hampshire. The 317/7s have been stored bar 317722 which has been scrapped after being used as a demonstrator for a potential refurbishment programme. All that remains is a handful of 317/5s and 317/s which at the time of writing still work a few peak service between Liverpool St and Cambridge. For how much longer depends on the acceptance into traffic of the Class 720s…

Here’s a selection of pictures showing the diverse routes and liveries the 317s have used over their careers.

It’s the 15th March 2004. Displaced from the LTS but still carrying the modified NSE livery used on that route 317304 is seen speeding through Harringay whilst working a Kings Cross – Peterborough service.
A few years earlier on the 17th May 2001 317304 was pictures calling at Upminster on the London, Tilbury and Southend line.
The end of the line at Chingford on the 14th December 2001 as the low winter sunlight illuminates (from L-R). 317665. 317306. 317313. 31733 and 317315 at rest in the sidings.
A classic LTS location seen on the 7th May 2001 as 317307 speeds past the sea at Westcliff whilst working a service from Southend back to Fenchurch St.
In NSE livery and carrying the West Anglia logo (but with added icicles) 317310 freezes in the sidings at Stratford, East London on the 9th February 1991.
Seen at St Pancras on the 16th March 2005. WAGN liveried 317315 arrives at the Eastern platforms now used by SET Javelins and passes Thameslink liveried 319452, one of the units that displaced it on the ‘Bedpan’ line.
Classic corporate Network Southeast, from the train livery to the new lamp standards and signage! Here’s 317316 at Broxbourne on the 24th May 1991 whilst working a Liverpool St – Cambridge service.
It’s the 27th April 1997 and 317398 keeps sister unit 317317 company at Kings Cross. For a short while seven units were renumbered between 317392 and 317398 due to having their First Class seating declassified.
Still carrying First Capital Connect livery but ‘Great Northern’ branding, 317337 sits at Kings Cross with a service for Royston on the 14th April 2015.
When 317s worked services from Moorgate to Bedford. Here’s 317341 working empty stock on its way to Moorgate passing through Farringdon on the 18th June 2008.
On the 7th August 2000 Fragonset liveried 31459 brings up the rear of 5Z45, the Hornsey – Cricklewood stock move with 317398 and 317320, seen at Harringay Park Junction. The scene’s changed completely. The semaphores and signalbox have gone and the lines been fitted with 25kv overhead electrification.
On the 18th May 2009 a pair of units in ful First Capital Connect livery with 317345 leading speed North through Alexandra Palace in North London with a service from Kings Cross.
The world just before Covid shut it down. Unbranded but wearing Greater Anglia livery, 317340 is seen after its transfer to Transport for London working a service through Hackney Downs on the 11th March 2020.
The last of the original batch of 317/1s No 317348 crosses the Walthamstow marshes with a service bound for Cambridge on the 6th March 2003. The unit was still sporting NSE livery but with the addition of the WAGN triangle logo.
317360 from the second batch of 317s seen at Hornsey on the 25th February 1997, still sporting NSE livery. The unit had run ECS from Kings Cross and was about to cross the flyover in order to gain entry to Hornsey depot.
A sunny day in London on the 13th May 1995 as NSE branded 317370 heads through Hackney Downs with service to Cambridge.
London doesn’t see much snow compared to the rest of the UK, but here’s WAGN liveried 317653 passing through Alexandra Palace on a snowy 31st January 2003.
At Bishops Stortford on the 19th May 2015 as 317668 sits on the rear of a service to Liverpool St. The unit’s carrying Abellio Greater Anglia branding.
Towards the end of days and just before Covid changed the world, a pair of 317/2s pass just outside Hackney Downs station on the 11th March 2020.
On the same say as the picture of 317348 (6th March 2003) WAGN liveried 317661 crosses the embankment above the Walthamstow Marshes with a service inbound to Liverpool St.
Inside Ilford depot on the 13th March 2007 with 317511 in full ‘ONE’ livery plus 317722 and 708 showing off the front end modifications and new windowframes they received as part of their refurbishment for ‘Stansted Express’ duties.
317501 is seen in Abellio ‘Greater Anglia’ livery at Cambridge on the 8th August 2017.
A few years earlier on the 9th April 2015 317502 is seen at Hackney Downs sporting National Express livery but with Abellio branding.
Four years earlier on the 17th May 2011 317508 carrying full National Express branding sits at a virtually unrecognisable Stratford station. Note the original metal hopper windows the unit carried from new that were replaced on refurbished units.
Fresh from its conversion and rebuild at Wolverton works 317708 eases on to Hornsey depot, seen from Harringay station on the 7th August 2000. The difference in windows from the previous picture is noticeable.
Displaced from Stansted services, transferred to London Overground and repainted into their livery. 317710 leaves the sidings at Chingford on the 3rd June 2016.
All three varieties of 317 seen at Liverpool St on the 6th June 2011. 317/2 317666 with a rebuilt 317/1 renumbered 317723 and original condition 317/1 number 317882 wearing Stansted Express branding.
On the 21st September 2009 317884 calls at Bethnal Green. The unit’s base livery is the old ‘ONE’ livery with the addition of a white stripe and Stansted Express branding within it.
Another year, another view of Bethnal Green. This time it’s the 11th March 2020 and 317886 is seen descending the bank to Liverpool St bringing up the rear of a London Overground service.
Here’s a look at the interior of a 317 at Ilford on the 13th March 2007. The unit’s had it’s original metal hopper windows replaced and acquired a Passenger Information System (see the screen on the roof) but it retains the original 3+2 seats.
This is the refurbished interior of Stansted Express unit 317723 seen on the 5th March 2005. It’s a far superior layout to the original set-up and has the luxury of having 2=2 searing – and tables!

Personally, I never really liked the Class 317s. The high windows with their metal hoppers made the units feel claustrophobic and the lack of tables was bizarre considering that they operated medium distance services. But, they provided the railways with 100mph capacity and served it well on a variety of routes over the years. I hope to have one last trip on them over the next few weeks before they enter the history books.

If you’d like to browse (or buy) other pictures of Class 317s you can find them on my Zenfolio website in the following Galleries.

The BR gallery.

TOCs Past: WAGN.

TOCs Past: FCC.

The Greater Anglia franchise.

London Overground.

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 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/

Thank you!

The end of the line beckons. The BR built Class 315s.

11 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by in British Railways (BR), History, London, Photography, Railways, The end of the line

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

At the time of writing, just 8 units of the 61 old BR built Class 315 4-car EMUs constructed at York between 1980-81 remain in service. Operated by Transport for London (TfL), they’re used during the Monday-Friday peaks on one of the routes they were originally built for – Liverpool St to Shenfield. After a career of over 40 years their task of moving people in and out of the capital is finally drawing to a close. The 315s were the last of several fleets (313, 314, 507 and 508 were the others) totalling 755 vehicles based on the 1970s ‘PEP’ test trains. BR then moved on to vehicles based on the Mk3 coach bodyshell, starting with the Class 317 EMUs.

Over their career they’ve worked for several different operators. BR first, then at the advent of privatisation the fleet was taken over by Eversholt Rail and leased to West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) who had 18 units (315844 – 861) based at Hornsey in North London and First Great Eastern who had 43 units (315801-843) based at Ilford in East London. Both franchises used the units exclusively on services from Liverpool St.

Franchises changes in 2004 saw the entire fleet come together again at Ilford depot under the banner of National Express East Anglia which originally named the franchise ‘ONE’. The 315s began to emerge in their distinctive livery which lasted until 2008 when the ‘ONE’ name was dropped. NXEA lasted until February 2012 when operations (and the 315s) were taken over by Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA). Committed to total fleet replacement, this was the writing on the wall for the 315s.

The next change for the fleet was in May 2015 when TfL Rail took over operations of AGA’s metro operations on the Liverpool St – Shenfield line prior to this being incorporated into Crossrail. They also took over the services to Cheshunt, Enfield Town, Chingford and the Romford – Upminster branch. This meant all the 315s moved to TfL control with the first 17 units being allocated to London Overground and the rest to TfL rail. Another repaint into London Overground livery followed.

The last London Overground 315 ran on October 21st 2020 as the fleet was displaced by new Class 710 ‘Aventra’ trains built by Bombardier. Their sisters, the longer 345s continued the job on the Liverpool St-Shenfield services, leaving just the aforementioned 8 Class 315s in service at the present time.

Here’s a look at the 315s over their time in traffic. With a fleet of 61 I’m not going to illustrate every one but give you a snapshot of their lives and times instead.

On the 21st September 2009 the first of the class 315801 in NXEA livery passes the DLR station at Pudding Mill Lane whilst in the background one of the 2012 Olympic stadiums takes shape. This scene’s unrecognisable now and the picture impossible to replicate as the DLR station’s disappeared to make way for Crossrail and the skyline’s much changed due to the Olympics.
Accidents happen! On the 6th January 2008 315805 came to grief on the approaches to Hackney Downs station where a set of points appear to have moved underneath the leading vehicle, leaving it trying to arrive into two platforms at the same time!
It’s the 17th May 2002 and 315806 in First Great Eastern livery is sat at the end of the branch line from Romford at Upminster whilst working the shuttle service between the two locations.
Forward to the 3rd June 2016 when Overground liveried 315808 arrives at Chingford, passing sisters 315814 and 817 stabled in the carriage sidings until the peak.
On the same day as the above, Overground liveried 315811 calls at a busy Walthamstow Central station, which is an interchange with (and terminus of) the Victoria Line tube.
Here’s another scene that’s vanished forever. Stratford station on the 29th July 1990 with NSE liveried 315814 disgorges passengers at the old platform 9 before heading for Liverpool St. Nothing in this picture (apart from the tower block in the background) survives today.
Only four Class 315s ever carried names. Here’s 315817 sporting the nameplate ‘Transport for London’ on the rear vehicle passes the redundant signalbox at Hertford East on the 1st May 2015
It’s the 18th February 2010 and 315818 sits in Platform 2 at Liverpool St with a service to Enfield.
FGE liveried 315821 calls at Romford with the 14.38 to Shenfield on the 18th January 2001.
On the 1st August 2012 NXEA liveried 315828 is seen leaving Liverpool St from an express heading in the opposite direction – not a shot you can take anymore now the MK3s with their droplight windows have vanished from the route.
On the 9th April 2015 a pair of 315s with 834 at the rear pull out of Enfield Town heading for Liverpool St. The transition in liveries is evident, with the leading set in Overground colours whilst 834 has yet yet to be repainted.
Not a view you normally get to see (I was there with permission from Network Rail). Here’s 315836 seen leading a service out of Liverpool St on the 9th September 2008.
At the opposite end of the route to the last picture, here’s FGE liveried 315839 pulling out of Shenfield on its way back to Liverpool St on the 13th January 2005.
It’s the 13th March 2007 and ‘ONE’ liveried 315841 is seen approaching Brentwood with a Shenfield – Liverpool St Service.

On the 28th March 2002 315844 calls at the single platform station at Ware, Hertfordshire on its way to the end of the line at Hertford East.

On the same day at the end of the line, 315854 waits to return to London as the 12.:23 to Liverpool St. The unit’s in pure white livery, even the doors are the same colour which was hardly an aid to the partially sighted! Not that this was in the days before the station was resignalled and rationalised, hence the fact the centre road run-round loop still exits.
On the 11th June 2000 a WAGN service from Enfield is off the beaten track due to engineering work. NSE liveried 315856 is seen at South Tottenham taking the long way round to get to Liverpool St.
Over the years some 315s appeared in a variety of special vinyl liveries/branding. Here’s 315858 at Bethnal Green on the 2nd March 2005 sporting a Network Rail anti trespass message.
Here’s Bethnal Green on the 27th July 2004 as the last of the class (315861) sporting the former WAGN livery calls at the station en-route to Liverpool St.

The interiors of the 315s changed little over the years although the units were refurbished a number of times they retained their low-backed seating.
Here’s the refurbished interior of 315857 on the 19th March 2008.
A decade later on the 14th November 2018 this is how the interior of 315843 looked.

Four of the class carried names. Unit 817 was ‘Transport for London’.  829 was ‘London Borough of Havering Celebrating 40 years’. 845 was named ‘Herbie Woodward’ and 857 became ‘Stratford Connections’.

315845 was named after Ilford fitter Herbie Woodward on the13th March 2007. Here’s the unit – and the man himself!
The nameplate on 315857 seen on the 18th March 2008.

You can brows (or buy) many more photographs of the 315s in these galleries.

The BR gallery

WAGN franchise

FGE franchise

ONE franchise

Greater Anglia franchise

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 appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

The end of the line beckons. The SWR Class 455s (part 1)…

31 Monday Jan 2022

Posted by in British Railways (BR), Class 455, History, London, Photography, Railways, The end of the line

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

*update* – the final pictures were added on the 2nd February. You can now find all 43 units plus internal shots of the SWT refurbishment.

The first part of this trilogy is featuring the 43 Class 455/7s which were built by BREL at York between 1984-85. Whilst they weren’t the first series to be built, they’re one of the fleets that’s already being withdrawn as several sets have already been taken out of service. They’re unique amongst the class in that they were built as 3-car sets but made up to 4-car by the addition of redundant but nearly new trailer cars from Class 508 EMUs which were transferred to Merseyside as 3-cars sets.

This makes the 455/7s easy to recognise as the Class 508 vehicles are a completely different design and construction with a very different roof profile. The front end of these units differs from their earlier siblings as they were built without the redundant headcode boxes which was a feature of the first sets (just as they were on the 1981 built 25kv Class 317s). The 7’s also featured a revised light cluster with the air-horns being moved to a different position.

All 43 trains were allocated to the SW Divison of BR where they’ve remained ever since. Latterly working for South-west trains and finally South-Western Railway who ordered new units to replace them back in 2017. That replacements been delayed for several years but the inevitable has started to happen.

I’m fortunate in that I’ve been photographing these trains for over 30 years and have a record of each member of the class. I’ll add them all to this blog eventually when time permits but for now these are the edited highlights. I’ll put a header on the blog each time I add new pictures. You can find all my Class 455 pictures in three galleries on my Zenfolio website. 1. The BR gallery. 2. South-West Trains. 3. Southwestern Railway.

On the 17th October 2020 the leader of the Class calls at Clapham Junction with a service to Guildford via Surbiton.
5702 arrives at Dorking after working a service via Epsom on the 19th June 2013.
Back in BR days now on the 6th June 1990 when NSE liveried 5703 was working services to Shepperton, seen here at Clapham Junction.
Here’s 5704 in the company of a classmate passing Wimbledon depot on the 20th May 2015 whilst working a Waterloo to Guildford service.
In August 2017 the Waterloo blockade to extend platforms 1-4 to 10 car lengths was happening. On the 8th of that month 5705 is seen leading a service into the terminus.
On the same day as the previous picture 5706 is seen leaving the former Eurostar terminus at Waterloo with a service to Kingston upon Thames.
It’s the 11th November 2013 and in glorious autumn sunlight 5707 approaches Vauxhall from Waterloo with a service to Woking.
On the 8th September 2009 a pair of 455/7s with 5708 bringing up the rear arrive at London Waterloo.
On the 27th January this year 5709 approaches Clapham Junction with an inbound service to Waterloo.
Inside Wimbledon depot on the 22nd October 2013 where 5710 keeps company with 5918.
Several years earlier on the 29th November 2006 5711 sits outside Wimbledon Park depot adjacent to the main line.
Here’s Kingston on Thames on the 3rd March 2010 as 5712 arrives on a Waterloo to Shepperton service.
Back at Wimbledon Park on the 8th September 2009 as 5713 passes with a service for Guildford via Cobham.
It’s the 7th December 2021 and there’s steam in the air as an excursion approaches Clapham Junction whilst 5714 brings up the rear of a service heading for Waterloo.
A different view of Wimbledon on the 17th April 2007 as 5715 leads a sister unit on a ‘Kingston rounder’.
Back at Clapham Junction on the 21st December 2019 where 5716 is seen bringing up the rear of a Woking to Waterloo service.
This time we’re at Epsom on the 29th June 2014 as 5717 calls at the station with a service from Waterloo to Dorking.
Vauxhall again on the 13th November 2013 where 5718 is approaching the station from Waterloo with a service for Chessington South.
Another, rather different view of Wimbledon as 5719 crosses the flyover next to the depot and passes 444032 heading for Portsmough.
Between duties, 5720 sits alongside the shed at Clapham Junction on the 1st May 2019.
Having been repainted into Network SouthEast livery in the early 1990s 5721 waits at Windsor and Eton Riverside with a service to Waterloo on the 19th June 1994.
Guildford has been associated with the class all their working lives. Here’s 5722 sat at Platform 3 whilst working a Waterloo via Woking service on the 15th November 2015.
Also seen at Guildford, this time on the 26th May 2012, is 5723 after arriving from Waterloo via Surbiton.
Back at Clapham Junction on the 2nd November 2011 when 5724 was stabled in the yard in the company of a quartet of Siemens-built Class 450s
Livery transition time as 5725 in the new SWT suburban red liver passes classmate 5717 which was still in the old Stagecoach white and blue with orange and red stripes. The date is the 9th May 2006.
The changing scene at Guildford. 5726 departs on a service to Waterloo via Epsom on the 23rd April 2014, passing the relaying of stabling sidings which are being extended to take 10 car trains.
Back in BR days 5727 sporting Network South-East livery callas at Clapham Junction with a Shepperton branch service.
The footbridges West of Wimbledon station and the open vista provide a great location for open shots of South-Western suburban services. Here’s 5728 with a sister unit bringing up the rear of a Woking – Waterloo service on the 20th May 2015.
Another shot from the Wimbledon footbridges but this time taken several years earlier on the 29th November 2006. 5729 and a 455/9 units head off into the autumn sunset…
In this shot taken outside the shed at Clapham Junction 5730 is missing one of its driving trailers (77786) for reasons unknown. The unit’s sporting the earlier Stagecoach livery. The date is the 26th January 2001.
Back at Wimbledon on the 5th of September 2011 when the switches and crossings underneath the train were still awaiting renewal (see later pictures for afterwards). Here’s 5731 in multiple with a 455/9 set whilst working a service to Woking.
Framed by the lighting towers at Wimbledon Park depot unit 5732 is being shunted into the stabling sidings on the bright autumn day. The 29th November 2006 in fact.
On the same day in November 5733 sits inside Wimbledon Park awaiting attention.
Back at the Wimbledon footbridges on the 20th May 2015 and the track renewal has taken place. Meanwhile 5734 and a pair of class 456s with 456004 leading work a Waterloo – bound service from Guildford.
Journey’s end. 5735 unloads its passengers at Waterloo on the 20th February 2015.
With a skyline full of cranes as the Battersea Power station redevelopment is on full swing, 5736 brings up the rear of a Waterloo bound service at Clapham Junction. This vista has changed out of all recognition in the past decade as London’s skyline has become defined by new high-rise and landmark buildings. The date is the 19th May 2018.
A brace of 455/7s with 5737 pull out of platform 1 (The Cobham bay) at Guildford on their return to London via Epsom on the 23rd April 2014.
Another of those photographs that show how much London’s skyline has changed in a decade. Compare this view from the 2nd November 2011 when 5738 was heading for Waterloo past a brace of SWT Class 159 with this shot (link) taken in 2021.
On the 3rd April 2005, 5739 sporting Stagecoach livery approaches Raynes Park with a service for Chessington South.
It’s back at my old favourite, the footbridges West of Wimbledon station! Here’s 5740 bringing up the rear of a Shepperton branch service bound for Waterloo on the 5th September 2011.
It’s the 5th July 2017 and 5741 calls at Strawberry Hill, the home of the Southern Electric Traction Group and the last remaining 4-VEP. 3417.
Wimbledon once more for our penultimate 455/7. 5742 passes the depot with a Guildford via Surbiton service on the 4th October 2006.
And finally! Renumbered out of sequence as 5750 this is really 5743. It was given the new number in may 1991 to celebrate Wimbledon depot obtaining BS5750 quality services accreditation. It’s seem here on the 3rd July 2006.

For those who may have never travelled on the 455/7s, here’s a few internal shots showing how they looked after SWT has refurnished the units between 2004-2008. The pictures show the interior of 5735, taken in July 2006.

Vehicle 77795, one of the driving trailers.
A great improvement over the BR design (and Southern units which don’t have the modification) was that the sliding doors were altered so they opened wider.
The interior of trailer 71563.
The roof line and vestibule area immediately give this away as one of the former Class 508 vehicles, in this case 62817.
Driving trailer 77796.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look back at the 455/7s. The rest of the series will follow, but I can’t promise I’ll be posting individual pictures of all 74 Class 455/8s!

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

Thank you!

30th January picture of the day…

30 Sunday Jan 2022

Posted by in London, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Apologies for absence these past few days folks but I’ve been busy dealing with life, the universe and everything. Which includes the weather. Yesterday we were hit by a gale with the innocuous name of ‘Malik’. For a change it didn’t arrive overnight where we were simply kept awake but couldn’t see its effect until morning. This time it blew most of the day, which was ‘interesting’ as the effect the gales had on the local woodland was instructive to say the least. We managed to survive mostly unscathed from what I can ascertain so far although I really need to be able to get onto the roof for a close examination. There’s odd chunks of material that have plonked themselves on the slabs (this being Yorkshire, we have a stone roof, not slate) which makes me wonder about the cement capping on the chimneys. The biggest surprise was to see that an Azealea bush which I have planted in a tub with the whole thing weighing several kilos was blown off its sheltered position on a roof at the back of the house. That’s one thing I didn’t expect to move! The other morning I did have to take down a bird-feeder outside the bedroom window which bares to full force of the wind across the valley as it was doing a passable impression of a propeller!

In-between gales we’ve been having a quiet weekend at home. I’ve been prepping a few new blogs and cooking Dee’s been busy with similar culinary activities and enjoying her well-earned weekend. We’ve even sallied forth together to meet friends at our local pub which feels a lot less risky and far more normal now the Pandemic is receding.

Now it’s Sunday evening and we’re battening down the hatches for the next storm in the cycle. We enjoyed a long walk earlier whilst the weather was good and even nipped up to one of our favorite pubs for a quick drink and chats afterwards although we could already see the next storm-front arriving over the horizon as we approached. Having buggered off home we’re now relaxing in the warm whilst the rain beats down outside. We’ve both got a busy few days ahead so a quiet night in with a home-made seafood risotto isn’t a bad way to end the week.

With such thoughts I’ll leave you with the picture of the day, which is very different to Yorkshire. I took this shot at the Columbia Rd flower market in the spring of 1996. I was still living in London’s East End at the time and this was the market where we all went to buy our plants, carrying them back home by tube or on bikes. In those days it was still a fascinating mix of the traditional and bohemian – as this picture shows. The chap in the hat was a classic old stallholder, barking out the prices to people in a way that hadn’t changed in years.

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 appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Rolling blog. A capital idea…

27 Thursday Jan 2022

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

08:30

Well, it seemed that way at the time but today’s trip to London has got off to a mixed start! On the bright side – the rain we’d had overnight had abated by the time my alarm went off at 05:45 so the walk to Halifax was rather pleasant this morning. There were few people about apart from a couple of hardy dog-walkers (not that they have much option, really) and a trio of intrepid women joggers pounding their way uphill across Savile Park. The town centre was equally quiet although the area around the Piece Hall was still buzzing with film crews and all their kit.

My intention was to catch the 06:53 to Leeds in time to make an 11 minute connection with LNERs London service. This failed at the first fence as the Northern service was already running 7 minutes late. Ho hum! To fill in time I caught the Huddersfield – Bradford shuttle which was worked by one of the old class 158s pbought by the local PTE back in the 1980s. 158904 was busy, at least half-full, which surprised me. I didn’t realise so many people commuted into Bradford from Huddersfield. One at Interchange I joined the crowds for the late-running York service. Passenger numbers are certainly picking up again judging by the number joining and leaving the train.

We left Bradford Interchange 10 mins late and I’d visions of watching the LNER service pull out as I arrived, but I hadn’t accounted for the slack timing of my Northern service. It arrived at Leeds West Junction (just outside the station) 8 mins down, then magically recovered 6 minutes in the space of 26 chains* to arrive in Leeds just 2 minutes down!

This gave me plenty of time to cross the footbridge to platform 8 and wait for my train to pull in as it was arriving from Skipton. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was worked by one of LNERs loco-hauled Mk 4 trainsets rather than an Azuma. 91106 was doing the honours this morning. The advantage of the Mk4 sets is that they still contain a ‘quiet’ coach which is immediately behind the loco and isn’t reserved. It also lives up to its name as few people use it! So, I’m now bouncing my way South with that familiar stop, start, jerk motion that was a feature of the loco-hauled trains but that’s totally absent from the Azumas.

91106 arrives at Leeds with 1A13, the 06:56 from Skipton to London Kings Cross.

10:05.

In dire need of caffeine after such an early start I had a wander through the train to a sparsely stocked buffet in order to buy coffee. This gave me chance to counts heads. Getting back to my set just before we pulled in to Newark North Gate I counted just 49 people in Standard Class. Clearly, Covid is still having an impact as this is a premium train which would normally be full of business people. The majority of folks I passed fitted into this category with lots of expensive laptops on display and people busy bashing keyboards, but numbers travelling have obviously taken a hit since early December. Even so, now that restrictions are easing once more I doubt it’ll be long before they bounce back. I’ll be interested to watch how that goes through the year. This year I’m off on my biennial trip around Britain for RAIL magazine, which such be a fascinating contrast to my travels in 2020!

Right now we’re traversing the Cambridgeshire flatlands on the approach to Peterborough and running six minutes late. The weather’s gloomy, with layers of cloud some of which threaten rain, conditions that I expect to see stay with me all day. As we approached the station I noticed a fan of old sidings (Spital?) that have lain disused for donkey’s years have been cleared of weeds and fenced off to create a secure compound. It looks like they’re about to be brought back into use – but what for?

09:55.

We’re on the outskirts of London and it’s proving to be grim down South. The clouds have lowered, cutting down the slight so much that vehicles have already got their headlights on! This is a bit of a bugger, but such is life. It limits the range of shots I can get but thanks to the wonders of digital photography I can still get decent pictures. If this was my old film days it would have been a waste of time, the classic old camera joke of set your camera exposure for 3 days at F5.6…

16:00.

Phew! Where do I start? I’ve been having a frenetic time travelling around London in an effort to document the latest transformation that’s going on in 3rd rail land South of the Thames. The biggest change since the end of the old slam-door trains back in 2005. To do this I’ve been hanging around the Clapham Jn area – with an ulterior motive in mind. I’ve lent a spare zoom lens to an old friend who lives next door but needed to drop off the kit associated with it. We managed the transfer at lunchtime. Serendipity would have it that this was an ideal time to be taking pictures at the Junction as there were one or two unusual working such this…

I’m now taking a break in an old railway station building to update this blog and recharge various devices before moving on again…

19:15.

I’m now winging my way back up north after a brilliant afternoon in across South London, exploring old haunts and also discovering just how much the city has changed in the decade since I left. Some of the old London that I remember is till left, but so much has changed due to the mass of new buildings that have appeared. South London railways offer a great vantage point as many arrive into the city on viaducts. You can still pass serried rows of chimney pots and imagine what it must have been like when everyone relied on coal for heating. You won’t see Dick Van Dyke dancing amongst them or Mary Poppins floating past – instead you’ll see a backdrop of modern buildings dwarfing the traditional rooflines as London’s extended up, and up – and up…

Nowadays London’s railways are a corridor into a very built-up city South of the river. A train driver friend once described the route through Wandsworth past Vauxhall and into Waterloo as a bit like trying to bomb the ‘Death Star’ (Star Wars fans will know exactly what he means). At least the new blocks don’t house laser cannons!

During my explorations I stopped of in Denmark Hill again, but this time I visited the pub in the old station building. It was damaged by fire back in the 1980s then became one of the famous Bruces brewery ‘Firkin’ pubs of the 1980s. This one was named the ‘Phoenix and Firkin’ for obvious reasons. The Firkin chain is (sadly) long gone, but this pub survives under a different ownershio and seems to thrive. The road bridge outside is now blocked off and become a huge beer garden which is a fantastic summer space. Whilst I was sat inside I overhead a group of nurses from the nearby Kings College Hospital who’d called in for a drink at the end of their shifts before going home. Clearly knackered, they were talking about dealing with intubing patients with Covid. It was hard to listen to what they had to deal with and the obvious stresses they had o go through, yet tried to talk about in a matter of fact way. Not gallows humour by any means as the stresses showed and there was nothing but compassion for the people they’d been treating – which made it worse in some ways as I’ll bet many of the people they’re having to deal with now are the ones who’ve refused to be vaccinated.

Moving on I retraced my steps to Clapham via a brief stop at Wandsworth Rd station – just to see how much has changed – which is a lot. The Victoria – London Bridge trains are no more. Now the line’s part of the Overground and the trains run to/from Clapham Junction. Bushes and the nightmare that’s Buddleia have destroyed the possibility of recreating the shots I used to get in the 1990s whilst the skyline has changed completely as Battersea Power station has been invaded by new housing development. I’ll go back one day in an afternoon just to get some comparison shots.

21:30.

I’m now on the last leg home – by train anyway. I came back from London aboard another quiet LNER service, this time the 18:33 to Bradford Forster Square which was worked by a pair of 5-car Azumas. There was only about a dozen of us in the front car of the front train. The trip allowed me to spend time editing pictures from today which will start appearing on my website tomorrow but it may take a few days for the full haul to be processed as I’ve other things to do too.

I’m now on a rather busy 2-car class 195 heading to Manchester from Leeds. The difference between the two trains couldn’t be more marked. From ten cars to two! That said, they’re all new trains serving very different markets.

*A chain is an antiquated measurement (1 chain = 22 yards) that’s still used to calculate distances on the railways which is done in miles and chains. Although superseded by metric, it’s still used on many railway maps.

23rd January picture of the day…

23 Sunday Jan 2022

Posted by in London, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Terrorism

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

It’s been a quiet weekend here in Bigland Towers. Dawn’s been under the weather. The weather’s not been great either – and there’s been enough to do at home to keep us confined to barracks anyway. That said we haven’t been completely housebound as we have nipped out to shops and a couple of our local pubs, but I’d hardly call it an active weekend – and neither would my Fitbit!

On the bright side, I’m cracking on with slide scanning and decluttering (much to the joy of the local charity shops) and preparing for the week ahead which I’m determined will be a good one. I’ve got two varied railway-related events on tomorrow which will see me out and about. One is taking more pictures for a forthcoming article in RAIL that involves a trip to Leeds. The other I’ll keep quiet about for now as I don’t want to spoil the surprise for some people. All will be revealed tomorrow. Expect a rolling blog and pictures from my travels anyway as well as an update on some other railway news.

Right, it’s time for super. Dawn’s made a fabulous Shepherds pie so I’m off to eat. all that remains is to leave you with the picture of the day which is taken from my latest batch of old slide scans. This is another view of London which has changed out of all recognition and if I didn’t tell you where it is in advance most people would have no idea where this was.

This picture is of what is now the Jubilee line underground station at Canary Wharf in London’s Docklands. It was taken in 1996 but my records don’t say what month.

The picture’s taken from the Docklands Light railway as my train passed over Middle Dock. This whole area is now an expanse of some seriously expensive real-estate! Oh, you see the buildings to the right? That’s South Quay. It was devastated by an IRA truck bomb in February 1996 which killed two people and injured 100. The buildings you see are shattered shells. I was living in the East End at the time and even though we were over a mile away our windows shook so much we though they were going to be blown in. This was the reality of terrorism in the days of ‘The Troubles’ and it makes some of the things people fret about now pale into insignificance when you look at what happened to the the capital on a regular basis in those days.

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 appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

 

15th January picture of the day…

15 Saturday Jan 2022

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

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Apologies for blogging absence but I’ve been busy on other projects these past few days which have left me little time for writing, although I promise to make up for that this next week. One of the activities that’s kept me occupied wasn’t a new year resolution, but the new year has seemed like a fine time to do some decluttering and finally get rid of stuff I’ve had sitting around in boxes and cupboards ever since I moved to West Yorkshire from London in 2010. Loads of old books have been sorted and sifted, with most going to a local charity shop whilst a few have been kept back for sale on eBay. I neglected eBay all last year due to the madness of the customs changes brought about by the Brexit shambles and also all the new postage rates. I kept meaning to restart selling but other activities got in the way as the country rebounded from Covid and I could get out and about again. This year will be different as I’ve a lot of stuff to shift and (hopefully) monetize. As well as disposing of books and magazines I’ve been digging through cupboards to consolidate all the old camera and computer gubbins that’s all been stashed away – including what feels like miles and miles of old cables and chargers with all manner of redundant plugs and USB connections. Standardisation of these damned things can’t come soon enough! Oh, I also found some old Blackberry’s. Remember them? I had several over the years and found their QWERTY keyboard and decent screens a boon. Ironically, I found them just as the company (who no longer make phones) announced it was withdrawing support for them, rendering the devices unusable. So, so long Blackberry…

Another day of decluttering beckons tomorrow, although it’ll be some time before everything’s finally sorted and disposed of one way or another. Even so, we can both notice the difference already – much to Dawn’s delight as she’s been trying to get me to do this for ages!

OK, on to today’s picture which is all part and parcel of the decluttering in many ways as these old slide albums used to take up a hell of a lot of space before I started getting them all scanned and stored out of their folders and plastic mounts. Today’s picture was taken from atop the dome of St Paul’s cathedral in London in February 1996.

The tallest building on the picture is the old Natwest tower in London’s ‘square mile’. I really should go back up to the dome of St Paul’s and recreate this shot in 2022, because this aspect of London’s skyline has changed out of all recognition now!

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 appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

 

The Rover returns…

30 Thursday Dec 2021

Posted by in London, Railways, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

The festive season’s rather put a damper on blogging these past few days, as has family commitments but today such things end as I’m finally heading home after my Surrey sojourn. Whilst Dawn and her parents have driven back I’ve headed North by train as I had to make a detour for both business and pleasure.

I’ve had a long lens in for repair at Fixation in London since the end of August but a lack of spare parts has meant it wasn’t fixed until just before Christmas. As I had to pop in to Vauxhall to pick it up, and I have an old friend who lives in Clapham – and the Southern main line between London Victoria and Balham was closed for resignalling work it seemed like the ideal opportunity to kill three birds with one stone!

The family dropped me off in Farnham where I caught a train into London. The weather was still as crap as ever but at least it’d stopped raining. That said, temperatures are ridiculously mild for this time of year. Double figures in December? Sheesh!

My train through to the capital was quiet, because of Omicron many people are either choosing to work from home or have extended their holidays to avoid having to travel. Apart from a few souls like me heading home after being with family the majority of my felloe passengers seemed to be folk heading into London for a day out shopping or sightseeing whilst the city’s quiet.

Having picked up my lends I met Hassard in Clapham where the two of us explored photographic avenues that allowed us to capture pictures of the resignalling work. As this sort of stuff (engineering possessions) is Hass’s day job at Network Rail it could be called a busmens holiday for him, but that’s what happens when hobbies and work collide!

Afterwards we spent a convivial hour at a pub enjoying a pint and a light lunch before I traipsed across London to get to Kings Cross and home. The Underground was surprisingly busy but mask wearing was adhered to by the vast majority of people, which was reassuring. Unfortunately, the East Coast Main line was suffering from a common malaise – overhead wire problems – this time around Stevenage. I’d visions of being heavily delayed as the train that was meant to be working my service to Leeds was over 40 minutes late on its inbound trip. Fortunately, LNER control stepped up sets and ran a Class 800 that was already platformed in its place. Even so, we were caught up in the congestion the issue caused, leaving us 20 minutes down by Grantham. My connection in Leeds was now out of the window, but at least I was getting home.

We were still 20 down on arrival at Leeds but having over half an hour to wander round was no problem as a large part of the station was under an engineering possession which made for some interesting photo opportunities, plus one rather surreal one – but only folk with railway experience will understand why it’s not as mad as it first seems.

Now I’m back at home as Dee picked me up at the station in order to save getting a soaking as the weather’s wet and windy back in the bosom of West Yorkshire. Still, it’s good to be home. Today’s excursions are my last train journey’s of 2021 as the pair of us are going to kick back and relax tomorrow with only each other for company. Oh, expect a year end blog even so. After all, it would be rude not to…

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 appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

A look at HS2 construction at Euston.

22 Wednesday Dec 2021

Posted by in Hs2, London, Photography, Rail Investment, Railways

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

This article has appeared in the latest Rail Director magazine. I’m reproducing it here with extra pictures taken during my visit.

HS2 Euston visit.

On the day that HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson announced that Euston station was to have only 10 HS2 platforms but the whole station would be redeveloped in one phase I was on a site visit looking at progress on this massive project. The visit began with a briefing from Tom Venner, Managing Director of the Euston Partnership. The partnership (established in July 2020) brings together all the stakeholders and delivery partners to enable Euston to be developed together as a single scheme, under a board chaired by Network Rail’s Sir Peter Hendy. Tom updated us all on the Partnerships strategic aims whilst outlining the complexities of redeveloping the 5th busiest station on the national network, integrating it with HS2 and meeting the aims and aspirations of the local communities who have many different (and sometimes competing) priorities.

The task is vast in scale and fraught with challenges. 60 acres of the Euston area is under Government ownership and incorporated in the scheme. It’s the largest real-estate development in the capital that will take many years to complete – hence the desire to minimise disruption to local residents and users of the station by completing the scheme in one phase rather than two, even if these competing ambitions mean the Hs2 station’s platform numbers are a sub-optimal solution. It’s a difficult balancing act. Whilst the £2.6bn redevelopment will now be constructed in one long project it’s still being broken up into elements. Phase 1 is the concourse, 2 is the trainshed and 3 is opening up the Eversholt St side of the station with commercial development. The Somers Town side of Euston has always seemed to have had its back turned to this deprived area of London and the Euston masterplan is determined to address this deficiency and give the whole station more permeability

Because of all these changes a revised concept design for the new Euston won’t be available before the end of the year, so none of us yet know what the new Euston may look like in the future. 

Our briefing in the HS2 office in the podium was held against the competing background noise and vibration from heavy machinery breaking up the foundations of the old Grant Thornton tower block outside. This site will become part of the expanded London Underground station that will take the HS2 strain off the existing cramped concourse. Across Melton St’s the HQ of the Royal College of General Practitioners where every GP in the country visits to sit their exams. As a considerate neighbour, HS2 has agreed to halt noisy work like this when these crucial events take place. It’s a good example of the balance that needs to be struck.

The remains of Grant Thornton house seen from our briefing room in the Podium. The cellar levels are gradually being excavated and cleared.

Our inspection tour began on the site of the HS2 platforms on the Western side of the current station that’s been cleared of residential and commercial properties – plus the 50,000 bodies exhumed from the former St James’ burial ground which will be re-buried at Brookwood cemetery near Woking. It’s now one vast open area that exposes the footprint of the new station.

This will be the site of the HS2 platforms, albeit below present ground level. In the background you can see the old London Underground station entrance and the grey clad building that covers the current work to build the new Underground Traction Sub-Station (TSS) which will replace it.
A view looking North showing the piles installed to build the new Western Wall of the HS2 station. Beyond the grey HS2 offices and hoardings are the Hampstead Rd and some of the new homes built to replace those demolished to make way for HS2.

Here the first permanent structures are appearing in the shape of some of the 161 piles for the foundations of the station’s Western boundary wall. There’s much work to do yet. Another 7-10 metres comprising 820,000m3 of earth has to be dug out to reach basement level and negotiations are ongoing on the best way of removing the earth from site in a manner that will have the least impact on the roads and neighbourhoods around Camden. The HS2 platforms will be built 8 metres below ground level In a concrete box 90 metres wide and 500metres long. To prevent blocking nearby roads there will be a basement below which will have road access for service vehicles and staff parking as well as containing equipment rooms.

A completed section of the Western boundary wall of the new HS2 station with the old station in the background.

Meanwhile, the London Underground Traction Sub-Station (TSS) in the former station building on Melton St is being relocated with work expected to be complete in 2024 when it will be replaced by ‘the sugar cube’. Work’s currently taking place under a temporary building to lessen the noise impacts on neighbours such as the GPs college. During site clearance a Victorian cobbled Rd was found near the site of the former Maria Fedelis school. This was identified as Little George St which featured in the very first Sherlock Holmes novel (A Study in Scarlet) written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887.

Forming the boundary at the North end of the station site is the Hampstead Rd bridge which will be reconstructed and extended to allow HS2 to pass under the busy A400. Like the TSS, this work is expected to be completed in 2026, removing the last constraint to completing the new tracks into Euston. This is another complex operation due to the need to provide sufficient clearance for HS2 tracks.

Our next stop was the new multi-storey site offices located on Stanhope St opposite the former Euston Downside carriage shed. There’s an excellent viewing platform atop the site which gives grandstand views South across Euston and central London and North to where the HS2 tunnel portals are to be built. The birds-eye view lets you appreciate the sheer size of the site and the amount of activity taking place as well as the proximity to the existing Euston station throat, which presents its own challenges. Opposite, we could see the truncated Granby St bridge, another crossing which will be extended to allow HS2 to pass beneath.  Alongside Park Village East the original brick retaining wall is being reinforced to prevent movement by the insertion of ground anchors. Fixed in double or single rows, these are between 12-20 metres in depth. This work will continue until March 2022. The site is squeezed in the middle by the Western abutment of Mornington St Bridge, a delicate site as one of the HS2 tunnels will exit at this point. To make exit from the cramped Northern part of the site easier a wagon turntable for road vehicles is to be installed.

A view of the North end of the old Euston Downside carriage shed site.
Looking back towards Euston station from atop the HS2 offices on Stanhope St.
Granby Terrace bridge has been severed (for now) but it will be extended over the HS2 tracks.
A general view of the old Downside site wit North London beyond.

Currently piling’s taking place to build the walls which will support the roof over this part of the site, as plans for the future include building homes above the tracks – some of the 1,700 that the scheme will provide at Euston.

The piling work with temporary sheet-metal piles in place as protection.

The site will also include the three-storey Euston Cavern Headhouse which will provide emergency access to the HS2 tunnels with access from Park Village East. When built the roof will also shield local residents from noise whilst the tunnel entrances are constructed. These piles have been constructed using the innovative “zero trim pile technique” which involves sucking out excess concrete while still wet using a new vacuum excavator. Traditional piling sees concrete overpoured before workers have to break out the excess. The old method can cause many health problems, including hand-arm vibration syndrome, hearing loss and silicosis, not to mention the noise, dust and disturbance caused to those living nearby. One of our guides for the tour was Lee Piper of the Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCS JV) who worked with colleague Deon Louw from Cementation Skanska to develop the pioneering approach. SCS will be installing around 2,000 piles over the next three years in the Euston area with all but 15 using the new technique. The new method  will bring benefits in terms of reduced carbon, noise reduction and safer ways of working. Chatting to Lee it was clear to see his pride in the new technique which he told me had cut 38 weeks from the piling programme, a major saving. He also told me that the zero trim pile technique was to be trialled on the Old Oak Common box where it had the potential to make huge savings in time, money and carbon on the construction of the 1.8 km long diaphragm walls. The piles finished using the method stand out because they look pristine. The rebar remains upright and undamaged whilst the base of the pile is a neat circle. Anyone who’s seen the mangled remains of piles that have been broken in the traditional method out can’t fail to notice the difference! Accompanying the concrete piles are a row of sheet piles driven into the ground to give support. These will be removed once the concrete piling is complete.

Here’s how piles produced by the zero trim pile technique look. Pristine!

Seeing the work at Euston move on from utility diversion and demolition to the start of construction makes one appreciate the length of the task ahead. The station isn’t currently scheduled to open until sometime between 2031-36 which gives an idea why the Partnership is anxious to prove itself to be a good neighbour that leaves a positive legacy. Rebuilding Euston’s going to a long process, but – if it’s done right – the long overdue redevelopment has a real opportunity to be a showcase for city redevelopment and transport integration. Time will tell…

You can view many more pictures of HS2 construction work at several sites along the route on my Zenfolio website. Link 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 appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

15th December picture of the day…

15 Wednesday Dec 2021

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

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

You know it’s going to be one of those days when you start the day with an optimistic frame of mind and technology decides it has other plans for you. Today was one of those days. Having bounced out of bed, made coffee and sat in the office ready to start the day I booted up the laptop.

Only it didn’t. It absolutely refused to be woken from its slumber. The expression ‘Oh, sh*t’ was one of several that passed my lips as I realised my plans for the day were well and truly out of the window. Fortunately, I have an old machine gathering dust on a shelf so dug that out. But because it hadn’t been used since August last year it took me quite a while to get everything set up and (mostly) reconnected. You forget just how interlinked systems are nowadays so when passwords and other gubbins are updated, old machines don’t always ‘get it’. Finally, after a few hours of cursing and shouts of ‘I don’t believe’ it I was operational again. Ish. Apart from all the pictures and files I’d not had chance to copy of my main machine or back-up to the Cloud. I few emails to Dell later and a several missed phone calls and I’d arranged to get tech support in the morning that will hopefully coax my recalcitrant machine back to life (fingers crossed).

Needless to say, this ate up much of my day which was doubly-frustrating as the weather was gorgeous and the trips I had planned were canned, so all I could do was admire the view over the valley as I fought with various systems. Thankfully everything was up and running enough for me to be able to respond to a picture request from RAIL magazine without any more blood sweat and tears although I did rediscover another idiosyncrasy of laptops that I’d forgotten about. The wifi on my old Dell couldn’t blow the skin off a rice pudding! It doesn’t like working from the office as the signal is really weak and frequently drops out – not good when you’re sending hundreds of Mb of data, so most of my working day’s been spent sat on the bed as that room’s directly above the router! On the bright side, I was thankful that I’d worked over the weekend to get all the pictures from last weeks Community Rail Awards edited and sent out, otherwise my computer problems could have been ‘fun’ to say the least.

I’m being optimistic and hoping the the tech wizards at Dell can sort things out for me tomorrow and that the issues are software not hardware related. Frankly, I can do without the expense this close to Christmas and having had to have a camera rebuilt recently.

Sadly, all the new slides I’ve been scanning recently are sat on the other machine, so today’s picture is going to have to come from the archives. But what to choose? Oh, I know…

Here’s a change from the recent exotic travel shots I’ve been feeding you. Clapham Junction may be a lot of things but exotic isn’t a word that springs to mind. This unusual shot was taken on the 7th December this year. It’s a view of the station few people see because it’s taken from the apartment block where an old friend whom I was staying with has a flat.

The trains in the foreground are a pair of Southwestern Railway Class 707s which will soon be displaced and cascaded to Southeastern trains as (despite the fact they’re only a few years old) SWR have planned to replace them with an even newer fleet of 10 car Class 701s built by Bombardier in Derby. Only the 701s are very (very) late and riddled with faults which is causing more than a few headaches all round. So, this is a sight that will eventually pass into history.

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 appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!