Category Archives: Photography

Rolling blog. Mixed fayre…

20 Saturday Nov 2021

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, West Yorkshire

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12:00.

Today’s a bit of a mixture. After a slow morning I’m currently on the train to Leeds in order to fulfil a magazine commission. It’s only for a couple of hours as this evening the pair of us are out for a meal with my in-laws. Whilst I’m doing this Dawn’s busy with one of her favourite hobbies – baking (at which she’s exceedingly good), so I expect to return home to a house full of wonderful smells!

The weather’s still mild here in West Yorkshire so the walk to Halifax station was a pleasent spot of exercise. I must admit to being surprised how busy the town centre was. The roads and pavements were packed, but then I noticed the fairground in the courtyard of the Piece Hall, which is obviously proving to be a draw.

I arrived just in time to catch the 11:53 to York via Leeds which was very busy.

12:10.

We’ve left Bradford and the train remains packed with a mix of day-trippers, shoppers and a handful of long-distance travellers encumbered with suitcases. Sadly, mask-wearing is minimal. Only a handful of us are taking such precautions. Clearly, the news of how the pandemic is growing in Europe or the number of UK cases means little to many people, who seem think Covid has magically disappeared.

14:45.

That was an interesting couple of hours. Leeds station was absolutely heaving with people, with lots of younger ones dressed up to the nines for a night on the town – although how many of them will survive that long is a good question as several seemed ‘well oiled’ before they arrived!

No-one’s using trains anymore, allegedly…

People-watching aside, trying to get the shot I had in mind proved to be quite a challenge, not least because the sun appeared when I least wanted it to! Hopefully, what I have captured will work.

One unexpected pleasure was seeing a Pathfinder railtour arrive and bump into an old friend travelling with it. ‘Cookie’ used to drive coaches on some of our epic tours across the channel to join railtours in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands organised by Mercia charters. Brexit has put an end to these events as the logistics (and cost) have made them unworkable. Still, it was a pleasure to swap stories of ‘the old days’ back in the mid 2000s when the world was a much freerer place.

Now I’m heading back to Halifax on a rammed 2-car Class 195/0 operating a Leeds-Chester service. Normally you’d expect these services to be 3-car 195/1s, so it’s ‘cosy’ on here to say the least. 3 into 2 really doesn’t go – especially on a Saturday.

16:30.

Bugger! The good weather we’d had early in the day turned to murk and drizzle by the time I arrived back in Halifax meaning the walk home was damp to say the least. Even so, I decided to takea quick detour through the Piece Hall just to see what was going on. This…

It wasn’t just the Piece Hall that was busy, the rest of town was packed too. The Westgate Arcade that is lined with bars and eateries was just as rammed. If I hadn’t already had something else booked I’d have been well tempted to hang around.

By the time I descended the hill to home trying to see the world through my ‘specs was like looking out of the ripple glass in a bathroom window! Still, I made it home in one (soggy) piece and now it’s time to dress up for the next act, so it’s off with the walking boots and on with the brogues as we’re off to this place. Devour in Holmfirth.

22:45.

We’re now home after a lovely evening. The four of us were joined by an old school-friend of Dawns (Viv), her new husband Gary and Viv’s step-mom, Marge. The atmosphere at Devour was really good. The place was extremely busy and the food we had was very enjoyable. Dawn and I shared a starter of King Scallops, braised sticky Pig cheek with budino nero puree and apple crisp.

For my main course I enjoyed the braised lamb shoulder, handmade wild mushroom tortellini, rec hard, confait shallot, sauteed wild mushroom and masala wine.

My only complaint about the place was the ambient noise and music, which made it difficult to hold and hear conversations. Maybe I’m just getting old, but then I wasn’t the only one who noticed…

Tomorrow is another, rather different day. I’ll be taking portraits of a Lawyer friend to be used in his new chambers, after which, our little band will probably adjourn to a pub in Halifax for a couple of drinks…

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!

17th November picture of the day…

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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It’s a short blog from me today as I’ve not had the most exciting of days. Much of it has been taken up with paperwork and general administration, along with household and the rest of the mundanities that keep life ticking over whilst you tread water, waiting for something more exciting to appear over the horizon.

There’s still plenty to blog about of course, it’s just finding the time. I suspect my next opus will when the Government finally release details of the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) and the Eastern leg of HS2. There’s been mountains of speculation in the media about this over the past few days. It’s looking like the Government are announcing policy by leak, but I’ve resisted the temptation to comment until we actually see what’s announced rather than leaked. If the news is as piss-poor as we’re lead to believe, I won’t be holding back. But until then…

Ignoring the hoo-ha, I did manage to tear myself away from my desk and enjoy an amble around the valley with Dawn. The weather was far more changeable than had been forecast but we managed to avoid the rain to enjoy a pleasant (if slightly chilly) stroll down to Sowerby Bridge, along the canal and back up through the woods to home. Feeling virtuous, I then set about scanning some more old slides in an effort to break the logjam caused by having too many other things to do. I only managed to get 20 done, but that only leaves me 3 more pages to go before another albums finished. That leaves me just 6 here in the home office (and the same amount off-site) meaning the project will finally be finished in early 2022. At long last!

The current album’s a real mix of personal shots and a few travel images that were never filed properly for one reason or another. I never quite know what I’m going to find in these albums, but today’s picture was one of them.

I took this shot on the 22nd May 1992 when I was travelling solo for a year. I spotted these young Water Buffalo and their mother wallowing in a mud-bath in a field on Samosir Island, Lake Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia when I was out for a walk and I couldn’t resist grabbing a shot.

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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!

16th November picture of the day…

16 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Musings, Photography, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire

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It’s been a quiet one here at Bigland Towers – albeit a long on as I was up at 06:30 as I needed to get a magazine article finished and various pictures from COP26 sent out to clients. Not that I minded. The weather’s been pretty miserable here in the Calder Valley so I was happy to be spending most of it in the warmth whilst watching the antics of our feathered friends outside the office window.

I’d completed the urgent tasks by lunchtime, which seemed like a good time to take a break and walk down into Sowerby Bridge as part of my daily constitutional and also pick-up some shopping. I was foiled on the last part. I’ve developed a taste for the low-alcohol version of Leffe, the famous Belgian beer. I can normally pick it up in our local Tesco but they’ve run out. Sadly, it was the same situation in Sowerby Bridge. Oh, well, back to the low-alcohol Adnam’s ‘Ghost Ship’ it is then…

Back home I had the house to myself as Dawn was working in Huddersfield all day, so I knocked off early as I had the kitchen to myself and knocked up a pan of pea and ham soup using the gammon joint I’d slow cooked the day before. I’m gradually restocking the freezer for the winter and home-made soups are a good way to do it. They make a lovely lunch after a chilly walk.

As the weather worsened by the evening I’ve not been tempted to do anything more than stay indoors and catch up on some more picture editing whilst being entertained by the local foxes. I’d cut up the fat off the gammon and put it out the back for the birds – only one of the foxes got there first this evening and snaffled most of it whilst being watched by ‘Popi’, the neighbours three-legged cat. Neither creature bothered the other, although Popi did keep a wary eye on the much larger male Fox – just in case…

Tomorrow’s going to be another day working at home. The weather’s expected to be mild but dull, but I’ll have the excitement of preparing a load of invoices, so I’m not complaining too much as it’s the beginning of the reward at the end of all the hard work. Maybe I’ll get to nip out with the camera later whilst there’s still some leaves on the trees, who knows? They’ve certainly provided some stunning colours this year, as today’s picture which was taken in Sowerby Bridge on Sunday shows…

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 November picture of the day…

15 Monday Nov 2021

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

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I had to nip out for a few hours today in order to amass a few pictures for a forthcoming article. Tempting as it was to do a rolling blog I decided not to put myself under any pressure in order to enjoy the trip and exploring. Having travelled via Bradford and Leeds I arrived at my destination – Wakefield. Although I’ve passed through the town many times and had one night out there with a bunch of friends when we were on a canal holiday many moons ago – I can’t say I really know the place. So, having bagged the pictures I needed I had a wander – and was quite surprised at what I found. Normally, I’ve passed through the town in transit between the two stations Westgate and Kirkgate and never really deviated from the route. Today I explored further by taking random turns just to see where I’d end up. Despite suffering from the problem every UK town has nowadays (a surfit of empty shops) I was pleasantly surprised to see how much of the centre has been pedestrianised. It makes a huge difference to the feel of a place. The scale of the new developments around town surprised me too. Not just around Westgate station – although that impressive enough, but also the area now known as the Trinity Walk shopping centre. Now shopping’s really not my bag, but I have to say that for anyone who does indulge, Wakefield seems a good choice. Modernism aside, I love some of the older buildings and the narrow streets and alley’s between them. There was always something to see – from tucked-away pubs to old stables. The local Civic Society have provided plenty of blue plaques that record a buildings provenance, which was both useful and informative. I’d certainly pop back again with the camera.

Having enjoyed my perambulations I headed back home, retracing my steps via Leeds, but this time detouring to take the train to Bradford Forster Square in order to walk across town to Interchange. I love the buildings of Bradford. It’s another place I keep meaning to have a day out in, just looking at the architecture. The area known as ‘Little Germany’ sounds fascinating, but I’ve only ever skirted the edge of it. Maybe it’s a project for the winter…

Now, back home I’m editing today’s pictures ready for a busy day tomorrow. So here’s a snippet from Wakefield. Sadly, this grand-looking pub which is adjacent to Wakefield Westgate station has closed. But the city has a habit of reusing these buildings, so who knows what its next incarnation may be…

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!

13th November picture(s) of the day…

13 Saturday Nov 2021

Posted by in Derbyshire, Photography, Railways, Travel, Walking

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As promised by the weather forecast Saturday turned out to be a bright, crisp and sunny day – so the pair of us tore ourselves away from computer screens and headed over to the Hope Valley in Derbyshire for an afternoon out walking somewhere where we’d been promising to revisit but had never got around to doing so. The 517m high Mam Tor and the ridge Eastwards to Lose Hill along the South side of the valley is a wonderful (if at times challenging) walk. The views South across the Hope Valley and North across Edale are sublime.

With the weather being so good the area was teeming with walkers and it was great to see so many people of all ages and backgrounds enjoying walking. Oh, and not to mention the paragliders who were also out in force! The skies above the ridge were teeming with them as they drifted lazily on the winds.

Here’s a few pictures from the day.

The ridge affords some excellent photograph opportunities to capture shots of trains passing through Edale between Manchester and Sheffield. Here’s a Trans-Pennine Express service made up of units 185103 and 185123 working.1B79, the 1226 Cleethorpes to Manchester Piccadilly.
Northern trains run the only local stopping service. Here’s one of their Class 195s working 2S72, the 1349 Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield passing the base of Lose Hill. The autumn colours and low light in Edale were stunning.
Walkers descending Lose Hill on their way East into the Hope Valley with the railway curving away in the centre of the picture. The edge of the village of Castleton can be seen to the right.
This is the 463m high Win Hill seen Eastwards across Edale from Lose Hill along with some rather moody skies on the horizon.
The same view from Mam Tor and zoomed out to show the landscape and colours in slightly different light.

All the high-res versions of these pictures can be found (and purchased) from my Zenfolio website by following this link.

Sadly, I don’t think I’m going to be getting out to do much exploring like this over the next week. Instead, I’ll be glued to a screen at home writing for a living. Not that I’m complaining as there’s a damn sight worse ways of earning a living, and if I get lots of type-swiping done quickly, who knows what I might be able to get up to later in the week?…

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances 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!

12th November picture of the day…

12 Friday Nov 2021

Posted by in Glasgow, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Scotland, Transport

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Today’s been a ‘come-down’ day after all the running around and excitement of the past couple of weeks working up in Scotland during COP26. Most of my day’s been spent sitting in the office at home wading through and editing hundreds of pictures taken at various events. I’ve managed to get the last batch out to a client who needed them for press releases and publicity, now I can take my foot off the gas as the last ones are less time-sensitive. Now I’ve got to move on to the words, not pictures as I’ve a whole series of articles to write for various magazines.

I must admit, as much as I enjoyed the fun and games in Scotland it’s nice to be home for a while – even if the weather’s been crap! I’ve really not minded being chained to the computer today when then rain’s lashing down and the winds doing its best to whip the remaining leaves off the trees. Being so busy I didn’t get chance to venture out for my normal exercise and had to make do with a late in the day walk to the supermarket to pick up some bits for the weekend. Even that earned me a soaking, leaving the bathroom looking like a Chinese laundry as all my waterproofs were spread out to dry as they’ll be needed again tomorrow.

The pair of us have decided to have a day off tomorrow. Next week is going to be full on and we’ve not had much quality time together recently, so the idea is to have Saturday off and get out for a long walk somewhere with lunch as part of it. The forecasts looking favourable for a foray into Derbyshire, so (for now) that’s the plan – unless the weather changes overnight. There’ll be no rolling blog, but there might be a few pictures…

Talking of pictures, here’s today’s. This shot was taken in Glasgow earlier this week and shows a pair of old BR ordered Class 156 diesel multiple units approaching Glasgow Central station, threading their way out of the station through the complex trackwork on their way to East Kilbride. Built between 1987 and 1989 by Metro-Cammell’s Washwood Heath works in Birmingham, 114 of these 2-car, 75mph units were built. All remain in service

Two of the lines these trains operate an extensive service on (East Kilbride and Barrhead) are being electrified at the moment with the work expected to be completed in 2022, so these trains are living on borrowed time. Scotland has an ambitious transport decarbonisation plan that’s legally binding so these trains are likely to find themselves being cascaded to services in England – probably in the North-West, where many of the rest of the class already operate. I wonder what will replace them in Scotland?

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!

Back to Scotland and COP26. Day 4 (and home)…

11 Thursday Nov 2021

Posted by in COP26, Glasgow, Photography, Politics, Railways, Scotland

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Apologies for the lack of a blog yesterday but Wednesday turned out to be extremely hectic. As usual, plans kept changing due to ‘events’. I had to miss the last day of the railfreight conference as there was just too may things going on at once. I really could’ve done to clone myself. I kept getting phone-calls from agencies who’d spotted that I was in town and wanted to book me for other COP26 events. Us photographers were much in demand, which made a pleasant change after 2020!

Whilst I was at Glasgow Central I got t a tip-off that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson was arriving by train and would be visiting (albeit very briefly) the Battery and Hydrogen trains on his way through the station. Needless to say, this turned into the usual security hoo-ha involving police sniffer dogs and heightened security, but I managed to be in the right place at the right time and get the shots I needed. Including this one…

Apart from the fun and games I also travelled on the Hydroflex and the D-Train, pictures of all these events will appear on my Zenfolio website by the weekend.

Today *should* be less frantic. I’m working on the Hydroflex again covering events taking place on the train, after which I get to go home, although I’ll be just as busy there editing and writing up my experiences. I’ll add more to this blog later in the day, hopefully from the Hydroflex, but if not, certainly from my train back South…

17:00.

17:00.

Phew! Yet another busy day. I’m writing this from my Southbound Pendolino as I head home. Part of me is glad it’s all over as it’s been a frantic time and there’s oh, so many pictures to edit and words to write, another part is going to miss the buzz as (from a railway perspective) it’s been brilliant and very positive couple of weeks. On a personal level, I’ve had a great time catching up with old friends (and making some new ones) as well as getting to know Glasgow far better thanks to Peter who took me to places I’ve never explored before. I’ve also enjoyed the camaraderie, which is something that Covid had put the mockers on for the past year. My only hope now is that COP26 actually delivers on the changes we need…

My Pendolino’s busy but not overly so. I’ve managed to bag a table on which to set up the mobile office in order to edit pictures and get then out to a client in time for a press release. Opposite me is a chap who’s been at COP26 who’s on his way back to London. He’s as knackered as I am and is snoring gently as he catches up on some much needed sleep! Sadly, the great weather we enjoyed in Glasgow didn’t last more than a few dozen miles outside the city. We’re forging our way South through the dark and rain.

18:25.

I’m back to kicking my heels in Preston, waiting from my connection home. The Glasgow train arrived 14 minutes late due to being trapoed behind late running trains but that’s actually worked to my advantage as I’d nearly an hour to wait here anyway.

Having been away in the in the land of Saltire liveried trains for so long it seems odd to see Northern trains bland blue and white again.

19:00.

On the last leg home care of a 3-car Northern Class 195, which is busy but not unbearably so – and not as packed as my Southbound Pendolino! As COP26 is drawing to a close thousands of people are departing the city. Many of them by rail. Well, unless you’re an idiot Green Party Council Leader from Brighton who decided to take an internal flight from Gatwick as the trains were “too unreliable”. The other irony? He opposes us building HS2! Oh, he was at COP26 to lecture others on cutting carbon emissions too. I hope Greta kicked his sorry arse…

22:40.

Right, I’m home, fed and watered and about to spend the rest of the evening away from screens to catch up with my other half as it’s our 4th wedding anniversary today! Goodnight!

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. Back to Scotland and COP26. Day 1…

08 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by in COP26, Glasgow, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Scotland, Travel

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06:15.

After a decent (but short) nights sleep I’m about to wander across the road to Carlisle station to head on up to Scotland for more COP26 rail events. I’ll update this blog throughout the day, so feel free to keep popping back and see what I get up to. My first port of call will be Glasgow before heading across to Mossend for the opening of the three day ‘low carbon logistics’ event…

07:10.

Carlisle station’s a bit ‘brown bread’ (cockney rhyming slang for dead) at 06:30 on a Monday morning. A couple of folk were keeping warm on the early train to Morpeth but it wasn’t until the London and Glasgow trains arrived almost simultaneously at 06:48 that the station started to wake up. I’m now sat on Trans-Pennine Express’ 07:48 to Glasgow which has made its way North from Manchester airport. Bizarrely, those who oppose High Speed 2 (HS2) argue that services like this help airport expansion. Despite their mental gymnastics they can’t cope with the fact that if people are going to fly it’s far better than people take less carbon-intensive forms of transport to airports. It’s why more advanced countries than our are phasing out internal flights and putting people on services like this instead. It’s yet another example of why the UK ‘green’ movement is often anything but.

07:30.

I’ve just had a wander through the train and reckon loading is at about 15%, which isn’t bad (but isn’t great either) for such an early morning service. There’s a real mix of ages. An old lady in a wheelchair is in my car, along with several dozing younger people. In the next coach are a a couple of guys working (one with his table strewn with paper printouts) whilst a besuited gent grabs some shut-eye.

I’ve got a table bay of four to myself and set up the mobile office to do some work en-route. The trolley’s been round meaning I have coffee (and a Kitkat) so all’s well with the world!

10:45.

Getting to Mossend was easy. There’s regular Scotrail trains to nearby Bellshill where the event had arranged for shuttle buses to carry people to the site where marquees had been set op to hold the event which was opened by Scottish Transport Minister Graeme Dey MSP who gave an in-depth speech on the way Scotland is determined to tackle transport Co2 emissions.

12:28.

We’ve had some really interesting presentations (details later) but now we’re off to see one of the freight locomotives being named. So (of course) the heavens have decided this is a good time to open! The organisers were prepared and we’ve been given natty DB red umbrellas.

13:55.

We’re about to kick off the afternoon session after lunch and the the loco naming. GBRf named one of their Class 92s after the founder of PD Stirling. The engine was named by Stirling family members.

From L-R: Andrew Stirling, Julie Stirling, David Stirling and Tim Hartley from GBRf.

23:00.

Time to bring the day to an end. The afternoon session at the conference was really interesting. Alex Hynes came back to speak once more, then we had an excellent panel session chaired by Bill Reeve of Transport Scotland. Called “Scottish Businesses & Industry Delivering Low Carbon Logistics” the panel consisted of Tim Hartley, Business Development Director, GB Railfreight. Kenneth Russell, Commercial and Strategy Director, John G Russell Transport. David Turner, Rail Director, Malcolm Logistics. Chris Swan, Head of Rail, Tarmac and Catherine Hall, Head of Strategic Planning, Network Rail.

The final session of the day came from Stephen Carr, Group Commercial Director of Peel Ports whose presentation on changing the face of how logistics networks work in the UK demonstrated how many road miles and tonnes of carbon could be saved by reappraising how the existing networks worked.

There was far too much ground covered to fit in this blog but I’ll be writing about it in detail at a later date.

As the afternoon unfolded emails I received changed my plans yet again. It seems that I’m much in demand here at COP 26 as two more short-notice jobs were arranged for me. This means I’m going to be doing a very good impression of a blue-arsed fly for the rest of my time here in Scotland.

Tonight I’m back in Glasgow staying with a good friend. Tomorrow is another day. Watch out for a disjointed rolling blog as I bounce around from event to event…

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!

6th November picture of the day…

06 Saturday Nov 2021

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

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I took a day off from blogging yesterday as it was one of those days. Not in a bad way, but one in which plans rapidly had to change due to new work opportunities and commissions coming in that meant I had to rejig my calendar for the weekend and week ahead. Not that I minded. I’d rather be active than idle and the opportunities are too good to miss. Mind you, it was a good day to be stuck at home poring over a computer screen as the weather’s been cold and miserable here in the Pennines. It’s been the same today with gusting winds and rain beating against the windows. The valley below’s spent most of the day hidden in the murk. What a contrast to Thursday when I was out and about in Cumbria which was bathed in glorious sunshine!

As time’s pressing I’ve spent much of today writing up a future article for RAIL magazine which I want to get completed before Monday as I’ve a series of other pieces in the pipeline and deadlines have a nasty habit of sneaking up on you, especially when you’re writing for a fortnightly news magazine! And there’s no shortage of news in the rail industry at the moment – good or bad. So, a quiet night in beckons as tomorrow evening I’m off again and I won’t be home until Thursday at the earliest. No doubt there’ll be plenty to blog about as I’ll be back in Glasgow on Monday for more rail events connected with COP26. It’s a huge event for the rail industry which is displaying its green credentials in many different ways – not least as the least carbon-intensive way of people getting to the events. Watch out for more blogs on Hydrogen and Battery trains and plenty on the freight sector too as many of the railfreight companies will be at a three day event at Mossend Yard near Motherwell.

OK, it’s now time for me to switch off and step back from the computer for a while to enjoy Saturday night. There’s lots of fireworks going off around me but tonight feels like a night for relaxing rather than taking in a display. Besides, or bedroom window look out over the valley so we can see plenty from the comfort of home!

I’ll leave you with the picture of the day. I have to admit I love Scotland (the country and the people) so I’m really looking forward to the next few days North of the border. Here’s a shot I took on Fuji Velvia slide film over 20 years ago, on the 26th March 2001 when I was taking pictures for a forthcoming Lonely Planet guide to the country. This is the view from the extinct volcano in the centre of Edinburgh known as Arthur’s Seat. How many cities can boast of having such a wild place with fantastic views across it?

Almost directly above the man’s head you can see Edinburgh Castle, which gives you an idea of the size and scale of the former volcano. Over to the right is Leith and the Firth of Forth and beyond that Fifeshire and on to the snow-capped Ochil Hills. Sadly, I won’t have time to do this again this trip…

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. Baywatch…

04 Thursday Nov 2021

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

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No, not the TV series that made David Hasselhoff famous. I’m off to somewhere far less conducive to prancing around in a pair of ‘budgie smugglers’ (especially this time of the year). I’m off to Morecambe bay and the towns on the Kent estuary!

The weather’s looking to be perfect, if a little crisp. The walk to the station this morning was lovely as the clouds were melting away to the East, leaving the valley bathed in sun as it ventured above the horizon. I’m currently on the 08:27 from Halifax to Preston which has retraced part of my journey only this time along the valley floor. High above me was our house, lit up in the sunshine, looking lovely.

The train’s quiet. Well, when I say quiet – there’s not that many passengers in the front car of this 3 -car train. Unfortunately, a few rows behind me I have a younger woman gabbing on her phone who’s doing her best to sound like a Victoria Wood character – if slightly better dressed. She’s spent the whole of the trip so far gossiping in the most incredibly rapid but banal fashion about the intricacies of a family’s relationships that I’ve been forced to reach for the headphones and block her out with music before my brain melts. I’m now heading along the scenic route over Copy Pit with cloudless blue skies listening to Meatloaf singing “Objects in the rear view mirror” rather than her bleating about the sizes of someone’s kids beds. Bliss!

Feel free to keep popping in to see what I get up to today…

09:15

We’ve just left Accrington after previously stopping at Burnley. The Victoria Wood tribute act has finally run out of words (or rather, the same few words) but I’m still enjoying my soundtrack to the journey. The railway skirts Burnley to give great views over this Lancashire cotton town. I keep meaning to spend a day here getting pictures across the town from some of the high ground as the Colne branch bisects the town on a viaduct. At Accrington the route from Todmorden to Preston does the same. I took a lot of pictures in the area when I first moved to Yorkshire in 2010 but it’s really time I updated them. Maybe a day out here on a bright winter day would be a good idea…

10:00.

A full 3-car 195 waits to leave Preston for Windermere.

I’m kicking my heels in Preston again. Connections here never seem to go my way. Coming down from Glasgow I had nearly an hour to wait. This time I’ve longer. My Blackpool bound service arrived at 09:39. The Barrow service doesn’t arrive until 10:45. At least it gives me time to get a few shots and slurp a coffee in the Upper Crust. I’ve not used these sandwich bars since Covid. Their offering has gone downhill. In many cases The baguettes that were their staple fayre have been replaced by hamburger style rolls. At the same time the prices have increased. Paying more for less serms to be a common theme in Brexit Britain nowadays. So many ways of ‘winning’. At least the coffee’s good…

New and ‘improved’? Someone’s taking the pee…

10:45.

My Barrow connection arrived bright and early (2 mins early in fact) but as it’s due to sit at Preston for 9 minutes to let the 10:42 Avanti service to Glasgow that’s sat in the adjacent platform to get ahead of it, that’s hardly a problem. On the two track section of the West Coast Main line there’s no way we were going to get let out early! The Pendolino leaves 3 minutes ahead of us here but that becomes 9 minutes at Lancaster.

My train’s made up of another Northern 3-car Class 195. It’s reasonably busy but nowhere near as crowded as the Windermere service I saw earlier. Having rediscovered the joy of listening to music whilst travelling I’ve stuck my ancient iPod (remember them) on ‘shuffle’. I’m currently enjoying a real bout of nostalgia, listening to the ‘Moody Blues’ and an album recorded in 1968 (‘In search of the lost Chord’). It takes me back to my early teens, listening to the strains of the album emanating from my elder brother Dave’s bedroom in the family home oh so many years ago…

14:15.

Here’s a quick update from a cafe’ whilst I wait for the next train at Arnside. I’ll flesh this out more after the next train. Right now I’m using their warm space to edit a few pictures off the camera! Having taken the shots I needed at Grange-Over-Sands I headed back across the River Kent to Arnside to recreate(ish) the shot I used for picture of the day yesterday. Only everything didn’t quite go to plan…

Oi! Northern – I was expecting one of your new 3-car 195’s – not this!

I’m now about to take 2 as the next train running is one of their new 3-cars. Thankfully, the weather’s beaten the forecast and stayed sunny. Just as well when there’s only one train an hour…

18:00.

Another busy day – if waiting for one train an hour can be called ‘busy’. Clapham Junction this ain’t! That said, I’ve kept myself occupied for the time I was in Arnside. In between trains I managed to catch up with emails, sit and have a coffee and edit the pictures I’d taken. On the way back I stopped off to explore some photo locations in Lancaster, only this time of the year I was there too late to catch the light. Even so, I had an interesting time exploring part of the town I’d never ventured into before, which included some of the old railways like the line to Lancaster Green Ayre and Morecambe part of which is now a footpath. This is another place I need to come back to at the right time of the day/year. Having explored I headed back to the station to catch a very busy Avanti service to Preston where I waited for a Northern connection to Manchester which was running 20 minutes late. I’m now aboard an electric version of the CAF fleet built for Northern over the past few years. These 3 car 331s are certainly a step up in comfort compared to the trains they replaced, but the ride over indifferent quality track can be hard, especially if you’re sat over a bogie.

Old and new Northern electrics at a busy Preston station this evening.

I’m slowly getting used to the idea of electric trains via Chorley. They’re such a step-change in acceleration compared to the diesel units they’ve replaced, although the quality of some of the the clientele hasn’t really improved, but that’s ex-Blackpool services for you.

19:50.

I’m on the final leg home after stopping off in Manchester’s Chinatown to pick up some goodies. Whilst we have some excellent local North Indian supermarkets in Halifax I can’t get some of the ingredients I need for some of our favourite SE-Asian dishes. Today I remedied that and bought fresh Pandan leaves and Lemon grass, Kecap Manis and a light Soy sauce.

My train home from Victoria was rather nostalgic as it consists of a class 158/153 lash-up. I haven’t travelled on one of Northern’s dwindling fleet of single-car Class 153s since Covid hit! Unsurprisingly, most passengers made a dash for the air-conditioned comfort of the 158!

Mind you, it wasn’t just a/c this car didn’t have. The tiny toilet (which isn’t DDA disabled passenger compliant) is permanently locked out of use with a sign redirecting people to the Class 158. What Northern will do with these trains in the long-term’s a good question. They’re obviously past their sell-by date, but unless funds are forthcoming for new stock to replace them…

22:00.

It’s been a long day and I’m now back at home in the warm, editing the pictures I’ve taken during the day, so here’s the recreation(ish) of yesterday’s picture of the day with one of Northern’s new Class 195s replacing the Trans-Pennine 185. As you can see, the livery’s far less colourful or interesting, but such is life and progress on the railways sometimes.

195103 works 1U97, the 13:52 Barrow-in-Furness to Manchester Airport across the Arnside viaduct.

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!