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Paul Bigland

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Paul Bigland

Category Archives: Modern Railways

Rolling blog: North-Western wandering…

15 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by Paul Bigland in I love my job, Manchester, Modern Railways, Railways, Rolling blogs

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I love my job, Manchester, Railways, Rolling blogs

09:30.

I’m on my way to Manchester from Huddersfield as I’m going to be spending much of the day working at Manchester Piccadilly doing people pictures for a client – although I’m sure a few train shots my find their way onto my memory card whilst I’m at it!

Like almost every day this month the weather’s dull and wet with low cloud at a height of just a few hundred metres, hiding the tops of the Pennine hills and giving the Colne valley quite a claustrophobic feel. Apparently, this October is on track to be the wettest since records began, which is no surprise. I can’t remember another one where the rain’s been so persistant or the showers so heavy. The climate’s changing and all but the most dogmatic and blinkered climate change denier can see that.

Luckily, I’ll be working under a station roof, albeit a rather leaky one! Still, let’s be grateful for small mercies. I always enjoy working at Piccadilly as the staff are a great bunch of people who take a photographer in their midst in their stride. So, let’s see how the day goes…

Whilst I was passing through Manchester Victoria one of TPE’s new Hitachi built Nova sets arrived on a Liverpool Lime St – Newcastle service. Sadly, both sets in service today were unbranded, which is a shame as the new livery suits them far more than the existing fleet of Class 185s

  • 802207 stands at Victoria whilst working 9E09, the 0925 Liverpool Lime St to Newcastle.

14:00.

Today’s office – and it’s been a busy one, photographing Network Rail staff offering all manner of assistance to passengers. From carrying their heavy suitcases, pushing wheelchairs or helping VIP’s (Visually Impaired People).

As usual, the staff have bern brilliant, but so have the passengers. No-one’s said no to having their picture taken and some have been really chatty. Every one of them has praised the staff at Piccadilly and the assist system in general. What I found interesting today was how the Network Rail staff I was working with were overwhelmingly young people compared to when I did the same series of shots (for ATOC as RDG was in those days) back in 2005.

15:04.

I’ve knocked off for the day and begun to wend my way homewards, pausing here and there to get shots of some of the stream of new trains coming into service on a weekly basis. Here’s one of Northern’s new CAF built class 195s at Oxford Rd.

17:11.

I had a ‘pit-stop’ at the Stalybridge station buffet on my way back to Huddersfield in order to have a ‘swifty’ and use their wifi to upload some pictures to my website. The buffet was its usual convivial self but what I hadn’t expected was to bump into one of the young men who works for Network Rail whom I’d been photographing earlier. He’d finished his shift and (like me) had stopped off on his way home. As we were both out of work we had an interesting chat. He was in stark contrast to my experience on the platform whilst waiting for my train, which was like being in a Victoria Wood sketch. The area was dominated by a young, overweight woman dressed in her best ‘Primani’ shouting into her phone at a female friend whom she had on speakerphone. Most of it was verbal diarrhoea, apart from the memorable line “I’ve just spent four and a half years in prison and he didn’t writ me once”…

20:15.

I’ve escaped the delights of ‘Stalyvegas’ and returned home to put my feet up, so there’s no more blogging from tonight, just a couple more pictures from the day.

The CAF built Class 195s are becoming a common sight around Manchester – especially on the Oxford Rd corridor. Here’s two of the units passing outside the station earlier today.
The second of the Hitachi built Class 802s that was in service today was 802218 which is also unbranded. It’s seen here at Manchester Victoria whilst working 9M08, the 10:02 from Newcastle to Liverpool Lime St. I’m hoping to have a trip on one of these sets tomorrow…

The first LNER ‘Racehorse’ heads for retirement.

22 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by Paul Bigland in Class 91, ECML, LNER, Modern Railways, Railways, Travel

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Class 91, ECML, LNER, Railways, Travel

LNER’s twitter feed has announced the final trains that locomotive 91108 will work today before being taken off-lease, the locomotive is due for a ‘G’ Exam, the cost of which can’t be justified, so it will be retired at Bounds Green depot in North London tonight. This is the first of the 125 mph Class 91s to be withdrawn. Introduced between 1988-91, the 32 strong fleet have been the backbone of East Coast services ever since. Now they’re being displaced by the new Hitachi built ‘Azuma’ trains which already operate the London – Leeds route before entering services on Anglo-Scottish services from the 1st August. Here’s 91108 in Virgin Livery at Kings Cross in November 2015.

DG234345. 91108. Kings Cross. 15.11.15.crop

This is LNER’s tweet with details of the 3 services 91108 will work today.

LNER tweet

The first train (1E01) is due into Kings Cross at 0938. Here’s timings for the other two services, starting with 1S23, the 11:00 to Edinburgh which stops at York, Darlington, Newcastle and Berwick on Tweed. The final train is 1E23, the 16:30 from Edinburgh, which stops at Berwick, Newcastle, Darlington, York and Stevenage, before arriving at Kings Cross at 20:51. So, if you want to have one final run behind this loco, these are the places to go to. I’m hoping to be out to record the event myself later today.

The gradual withdrawal of the Class 91s is yet another sign of how much UK railways are changing over the next few years. Thousands of new vehicles have been introduced, with thousands more to come. The East Coast will look very different as LNERs fleet is being completely replaced and strengthened, whilst their HSTs and Class 91s will disappear. It’s not just LNER. Trans-Pennine express are introducing two new fleets and Hull Trains is also replacing all their Class 180s with Hitachi Class 802s. Meanwhile, Northern’s new Class 195s and 331s will be gracing sections of the ECML too. Over the years the Class 91s have carried several different liveries as the TOCs running them have changed. Today, 91119 has been repainted in the original BR ‘Intercity swallow’ colours the locos carried when new.

00648. 91011. Pboro. 12.3.90.crop

Here’s brand new 91011 on test at Peterborough on the 11th March 1990.

Some Class 91s may yet re-appear. Whilst the future of the HSTs is uncertain, some Mk4 coaches will transfer to Transport for Wales and open-access operator is still expected to take some Class 91s and short Mk4 sets to operate its new Blackpool-Euston service from 2020.

Update.

Due to an incident in the Huntingdon area, 1S23 is running 23 minutes late and isn’t due into York until 13:17.

13:57.

I’m now racing up the ECML behind 91108 for a last run behind the old girl – unless she appears in another incarnation in the future. At the moment that’s uncertain as her next appointment after today is at Wabtec, Doncaster, where she’ll be used as a “Christmas tree”, being stripped of spares to allow other Class 91s (several are out of use) to be returned to service. We hit the maximum 125 mph between York and Northallerton.

Here’s a couple of pictures of 91108 arriving at York and sitting at Darlington earlier.

DG329205crop.jpg

DG329211crop

As much as nostalgia kicks in at this point, I’m not sad to see these trains go. They’ve done their job but the world’s changing. On the way back I bumped into fellow RAIL magazine contributor Gareth Dennis on a Southbound HST. We swapped stories about the old and new trains when Gareth made a very good point when we were discussing the “sh*t off a shovel” acceleration of the new Azumas.

On a post Hs2 railway the new trains will allow greater connectivity on the ECML through extra stops without a huge sacrifice in end to end journey times. That said, end to end will be less important to most passengers because if you’re going to do Leeds -London you’d do it on HS2, not the ECML but in-between it’s a different matter. The connectivity HS2 will allow on the existing network is a major selling point.

Grand Central release details of their new Blackpool – London service, starting in 2020.

25 Tuesday Jun 2019

Posted by Paul Bigland in Grand Central trains, Modern Railways, Railways

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Grand Central, Railways

Yesterday open-access operator Grand Central Trains (part of the Arriva group) announced details of their new service which is due to begin running in Spring 2020. Five trains a day each way will operate Monday – Saturday, with four on Sundays. Trains will call at the following stations – although the last two Southbound M-F service won’t  call at Milton Keynes.

GC blackpool 1

The company has also released a provisional timetable. The stopping pattern has been changed (with no Warrington call as originally proposed) to address ORR’s concerns about abstracting revenue from existing franchises. The services are expected to be worked by Class 91 locomotives, 6 Mk4 coaches and a Driving Trailer (DVT) which will ne taken off-lease by LNER later this year.

GC blackpool 2

These services were proposed as long ago as 2015. In fact, I remember doing the photography at a stakeholder event with GC in Blackpool back in November 2010, which gives you an idea just how long it can take to get these new routes off the ground.

Originally, the service wasn’t expected to be able to get into Euston station due to constraints caused by the construction of HS2. Instead, Network Rail could only guarantee paths as far as Queens Park station where there’s an interchange with both the Watford DC lines and also London Underground’s Bakerloo Line. However, changes to the HS2 programme around Euston mean that there’s a lot less disruption so GC will be able to ‘go all the way’.

It will be very interesting to see how this service develops. Grand Central have a proud history of developing routes that would normally be neglected by the franchises but it can take time, faith and money. I remember when GC started their West Riding service from Bradford Interchange to London Kings Cross back in 2010. In the very early days passenger loadings could be as little as 24 on a 287 seat train (I know because I’ve been a regular since the service started so used to keep count). Nowadays, you’ll be lucky to find a seat – even in First Class! Hopefully the Blackpool’s will start from a higher base. Whichever way, the service will provide around 90 more jobs and better connectivity between one of the North’s most popular seaside resorts and the capital, allowing this livery to become a regular sight on the West Coast Main Line…

DG268093. 180105. Oakleigh Park. 27.3.17crop.jpg

 

Rolling blog: Friday fun…

10 Friday May 2019

Posted by Paul Bigland in Hs2, I love my job, Modern Railways, Photography, Rail Investment, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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Hs2, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

05:15.Although getting up at 04:45 isn’t much fun at all to be honest! I’m just about to walk to the station to head back to London. At least the rain’s (mostly) holding off as I walk to the station. Here’s the view over the valley this morning.

06:13.I’m on the first train of the day, the 06:03 to Leeds, which started from Hebden Bridge. Today it’s worked by an unrefurbished ex-Scotrail Class 158 which still retains its old First Class section, so some people are travelling in style!

06:24.Whilst on the train I’ve been catching up with posts from friends on social media and found that a friend of a friend has bought and is doing up the closed Wigan pub I mentioned in yesterday’s blog. Talk about a small world! Apparently, it’s going to become a railway themed real ale pub. No doubt I’ll be paying it a visit and blogging about it once it reopens.Right now, coffee, not real ale is foremost in my mind. It’s going to be a long day…07:17.I’m settled in on LNER’s 07:00 off Leeds which started off from Bradford Foster Square. It’s just left Wakefield. Next stop is Kings Cross at 0859…09:13.We arrived on time at Kings Cross. Here’s hundreds of folk from Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield flooding off the train to earn their daily bread in London. Most of them will return later today.

13:04.Paul Stephen and I have just finished our tour of the Hs2 work at Euston which was amazing. The sheer scale of what’s going on, the complexity and the ambition is breathtaking and the archeological work is in another league. We were shown what’s going on in St James Gds and it’s on a vast scope. You’ll be able to read all about it in a future edition of RAIL. All I’ll do now is give you a teaser. This is the site of the old Euston Downside carriage shed. The portal for the Hs2 tunnel to Old Oak Common and on to Birmingham will be at the far end of the site.

15:21. After leaving Euston to head North I was planning to try and get a trip on the Vivarail Class 230s on the Bletchley Bedford line but bad luck struck again. Firstly, I arrived in time for another torrential downpour and secondly, when the service turned up it was worked by an older class 153 DMU. In the end I gave up and headed North on the next train to Milton Keynes, which was basking in glorious sunshine.Now I’m aboard a London Northwestern service to Crewe as far as Tamworth. It’s a four-car and it’s standing room only. For the number of passengers using these lines 4-cars is clearly inadequate. This is a journey that you put up with, not enjoy.

16:28. I changed trains at Tamworth, a station that’s hardly my favourite. Although facilities have improved in recent years it’s still pretty basic and few intercity services stop here nowadays. They were sacrificed to speed up West Coast services after the West Coast Route Modernisation. When Hs2 takes those long-distance, non-stop trains off the WCML there’s the opportunity to improve the situation. I headed up to the even more basic high-level platforms where I taught the late running 16:20 to Glasgow. Despite the fact it’s worked by a 7-car HST set, this Cross-Country service has plenty of folk standing in the vestibules – including me in Coach E!

Down memory lane. No 6. Carlisle, June 1995

13 Sunday May 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Memory Lane, Modern Railways, Railways, Uncategorized

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Memory Lane, Railways

Whilst scanning a bunch of old slides these past few days I came across another one from 23 years ago which really sums up how much the railways have changed since. It shows the first of the new Class 325 EMUs built for Royal Mail traffic (325001) out on test at Carlisle. Alongside it is an HST working the 08:50 service from Glasgow Central to Penzance, the lead power car is 43068 which was one of 9 modified in 1988 when they were fitted with buffers and conventional couplings for use with ECML Class 91s in place of the Mk4 coaches & DVTs which weren’t ready in time for the testing programme. Many years later it became one of 6 power cars used by open access operator Grand Central before moving again in January to become part of the East Midland Trains fleet. Nowadays HSTs only visit Carlisle on special occasions.

04847. 325001. 001 on test. 43068 on 08.50 Edinburgh to Penzance. Carlisle. 15.6.1995

325001 has also had a mixed life. Post privatisation it was operated by EWS until 2003 when Royal Mail abandoned rail altogether. After a period in store the unit returned to use with GBRf from 2004 until 2010 when DB Schenker, the successor to EWS won the mail traffic back.

When I took this picture I’d no idea that what seemed to be a normal everyday scene would soon prove to be anything but…

Thailand’s new sleeper trains. Good, but no cigar…

25 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by Paul Bigland in Modern Railways, Rail Investment, Sleeper trains, Thailand, Travel

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Rail Investment, Railways, Sleeper trains, Thailand, Travel

I’m currently travelling up from the Southern Thai town of Hat Yai to Bangkok on one of SRT’s new Chinese built sleeper trains. Introduced last year, tbese rakes work some services to Hat Yai and also Chiang Mai. I was keen to try them so I was delighted to secure a reservation on Train 32, the 18:45 departure. Sadly, 1st Class was already booked (these are meant to be very good) so I travelled 2nd. And the verdict? They’re good, but they have a couple of design niggles that someone, somewhere, should have picked up on

First, the good news. They’re light, bright, clean and the build quality seems very good. They’re covered by CCTV at each saloon doorway and they’re equipped with a modern passenger information system which has screens in each car telling you useful stuff about your journey such as times, next calling point, and a route map. It also tells you the temperatures inside and out as well as the speed you’re doing. The system is complemented by regular announcements in both Thai and English. There’s plenty of luggage space under the seats plus there are overhead luggage racks for smaller bags by each bay. The seats are comfortable and the cloth moquette is an attractive deep red. Underneath each window is a small flip-up table with holes to stand drinks. Each car has two toilets, a western one and a squat one. The toilets are more cramped than than in the old cars and older people will struggle with the heavy, inward opening doors. That said, they’re kept spotless as there’s a travelling cleaner on board.

So what’s the problem? These only come to light when it come to getting ready for bed. I had a top bunk, which seemed fine at first. It felt a bit narrower than the old ones as well as a little shorter. I’m 6ft and I just fitted. Taller Westerners may struggle a bit. Also, there’s two metal brackets on the wall by your head which are the catches for when the bed’s closed. These would be very easy to damage yourself on – and quite badly too. Here’s an illustration of what I mean…

20170224_204548

There’s a handy light and power socket in the wall, it’s just a shame it doesn’t also have a USB socket. But for me, the other biggest niggle is the positioning of the coach lighting. Because most of the ceiling is taken up by a huge a/c vent, lights have been placed either side – right next to the curtains that shield the upper bunk! This means the curtains are pretty useless as a light shield so the upper bunks are flooded with light all night long. The curtains only use is for privacy. If you’re someone who has trouble sleeping unless it’s dark I think you’ll struggle in a top bunk unless you bring one of those eye-covers that the airlines give away. The upper bunks are also fitted with a reading light and power socket, but believe me – you won’t need the reading light! You’ll also find a string ‘pocket’ to put stuff in. These are pretty useless as the string is so tight (its not elastic either) that you’ll only get stuff like your phone in there.

Now, that bottom bunk…

On the old trains the floor between the seats was raised. The reason was it contained a full-lenghth pull out table that stewards would clip into place at mealtimes. It was fiddly and had to be put away every time the beds were made, so I can understand why they’d want to get rid of it. Now, there’s a far smaller table that folds down from the metal cup holder under the windows. The drawback with this is it reduces the space for the bed mattress. Previously, the bottom bunks were prized, not just for the fact you didn’t have to climb into them. It was also the fact they were so wide they were almost a double bed. A couple could sleep in one together with ease (I know, I’ve done it) – but you won’t be able to do it on the new trains due to the new table arrangement.

This is why the new coaches aren’t a clear winner over the old. Yes, they’ve got some nice, useful features, but it’s very much swings and roundabouts. Some trade-off have been made and there’s a couple of (to my mind) design defects – the most serious of which are the problems with the upper bunk.

This leaves me preferring the old coaches over the new – although I still want to try the 1st Class.

I’d be interested to hear what anyone else’s experiences are. Meanwhile, here’s a look at some of the issues I mentioned.

dg267273

Exterior view of the new Chinese built sleeper coaches. As can be seen, they look pretty smart.

dg267283-seating-bay-srt-chinese-sleeper-train-32-hat-yai-bangkok-thailand-25-2-17

A view of one of the bays of seats with the upper bunk stowed away for daytime use.

dg267278-interior-srt-chinese-sleeper-train-32-hat-yai-bangkok-thailand-25-2-17

Looking down the car towards the vestibule, showing one of the PIS screens.

dg267331

Close-up of the flip=up tables, showing how much room they take.

dg267306-vestibule-srt-chinese-sleeper-train-32-hat-yai-bangkok-thailand-25-2-17

Vestibule showing the CCTV and equipment. As can be seen, they’re clean and well laid out.

dg267346

Close-up of the PIS screen above the compartment entrance with CCTV camera above

Getting into the Xmas spirit

16 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by Paul Bigland in Great Western Railway, Modern Railways, Uncategorized

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Many years ago, when I first turned freelance & ditched my job in housing I had a cartoon over my desk at home. It was of a chap wearing a paper hat, clutching a glass of wine and standing in front of a mirror. He was talking to himself, saying “the only problem with working from home is the office Xmas party is crap”. It really tickled me as it summed up the situation many freelances find themselves in this time of year.

I’m reminded of this because I’m currently on my way to an office party with a difference. Modern Railways magazine Editor Jim Abbott has invited me to join himself and other regular contributors to the magazine on their Xmas bash aboard a Great Western Railways train from London to Bristol. Our little gathering has very kindly been arranged by GWR MD Mark Hopwood & his staff, who are hosting us for the second year running.

I’ll be back in London again tomorrow to join both railway and media colleagues at the annual Railway Carol Service at St Mary’s Somers Town, Eversholt St  (which in aid of the Transport Benevolent Fund). It starts at 12:30, should any of you want to join us.

Maybe the Xmas party season isn’t so bad after all…

 

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