As a photographer and journalist I’m used to seeing bloopers of various kinds in print. You’d have thought that nowadays, with people having access to the sum total of human knowledge via the click of a button and access to the internet, it would be easy to find what you wanted. But, that requires having a rudimentary knowledge of the subject, an enquiring mind and the ability to say “really”?
Today, the Manchester Evening News failed on all those front. Whoever was doing their picture research for this puff piece will have outraged the country’s aircraft enthusiasts, historians and general anoraks in one go. Earlier, as I was checking news pages, this flashed up on my screen.
A ‘Spitfire‘? Really? Umm, no. That’s an equally famous but very different four-engined heavy bomber called the ‘Lancaster‘. Still, it’s from the same era (World War 2) so that’s alright then!
Actually, it gets worse, as David Wilding pointed out on Twitter (Bugger you Musk, there’s no way I’m calling it X).
Oh dear! Quite why a ‘court reporter’ is churning out puff-pieces like this is a mystery. But then so many newspapers have such limited staff these days people are expected to produce copy that’s why outside their experience. In many cases they’ve little knowledge of the subject that’s meant to be their specialism. Is it any wonder the public are so let down by the media nowadays? If those tasked with informing us can’t get the basics right, what chance do their readers have?
Oh, for those who know nothing about aircraft, here’s what a Spitfire really looks like. As you can see *cough* – it’s very easy to confuse with a 4-engine heavy bomber!
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Today we have blue skies and sunshine – and little threat of rain. So, having finished the paperwork that I needed to do I’m heading out with the camera to have a look at more progress on the Trans-Pennine Route upgrade. I’ll blog throughout the day (easier as I’m only going local) so feel free to see what I get up to and where. Right now it’s time to pack my kit and head down to Sowerby Bridge station…
11:35.
Having caught the train from Sowerby Bridge my first stop was at Mirfield where I had to change trains anyway. For once TRU work was in full swing during the day. I’m assuming that’s because the work in question was sheet piling – which is an activity that’s best carried out during daylight hours if you want to be a good neighbour!
Mirfield piling work.
Right now I’m taking my ease at Ravensthorpe as there’s a couple of interesting train workings due – and I have time to admire TRU progress before strolling on to Dewsbury. Here’s how the site of the new Ravensthorpe station looks as more of the old embankment’s removed.
14:00.
Whilst it was sunny at Ravensthorpe the wind was less than kind. Whilst I was there an old chap turned up with his video camera and stepladder. Apparently, a steam train was due (I didn’t know as I don’t pay the preserved world much attention). He plonked himself in the worst possible location on the bridge, leaving the TRU staff having kittens as part of the road bridge is closed whilst the one lane open has a steady stream of HGVs coming on and off the TRU construction site. Having sympathy and understanding I stayed out of the way, but even so one member of staff came and tried to persuade me what was a public right of way wasn’t. I gently stood my ground and pointed out that – as I was stood behind a lampost on a pavement if my safety was in danger they need to look at the quality of their HGV drivers rather than me!
(evening update)
On checking various websites I’ve found that Ravensthorpe Road and the bridge are indeed officially closed to traffic until June 10th, although pedestrians are allowed to cross for now. So, I’d advise any photographers to stay away from the area until then as there’s a lot of HGV traffic and there’s other locations that can be used in the meantime.
Still, I can sympathise with their concerns. I wouldn’t have dreamed of glueing myself to where ‘flat cap’ did and assured the chap I’d be out of his way soon. Here’s what I snapped whilst I was there.
The empty Preston – Lindsay oil tanks hauled by 70814 pass Thornhill LNW Junction at Ravensthorpe. Rebuilt ‘West Country’ Pacific 34046 ‘Braunton’ working a Northwich – York charter.
Moving on I caught a train to Huddersfield to see how the ongoing roof removal’s impacted on the station.
Roof in retreat. The first few spans of the main trainshed roof have been removed at the West end of the station.
Having grabbed the shots I wanted I caught a train across the Pennines to the other part of the TRU work, where the overhead wires are now in place in Stalybridge. Here’s the view looking West towards Manchester.
Stalybridge looking East. This is as far as electrification will get for the foreseeable future as little work is taking place between Stalybridge and Huddersfield and there’s no timetable for the wires to be extended.
21:15.
I’m now home and it’s time to bring this blog to a close. By late afternoon the clouds closed in, leaving me playing ‘tig’ with the sunshine (and the rain). There seemed little point in battling out with the weather as it always wins! Instead I nipped into central Manchester to pick up some edible supplies from Chinatown before heading back home via busy rush-hour trains on the Calder valley.
Tomorrow’s another (different) day which will see me in DIY rather than photographic mode as we’re back to rainy days. Still, it’ll keep me out of trouble – and the wet!
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I know April is renowned as the month of showers, but this is getting beyond a joke! It’s been more like four seasons in one day here in the Calder valley. After yesterday’s little jaunt I had a full diary for working from home, which was just as well as low temperatures and a chilly wind really didn’t encourage one to venture far. That said, when the sun did break through the skittish clouds you could feel the warmth there, it’s just that it was fighting a losing battle with the elements. As the pair of us had a productive and profitable morning we’d arranged to go for a walk just after lunch but the weather had other ideas! One minute there was glorious sunshine streaming through the windows, the next they were being assailed by hailstones! Thankfully, our walk was merely postponed rather than rained off. Conditions soon changed, allowing us to venture out to complete a two-hour circuit which also encompassed a bit of shopping. All the while I kept a wary eye on the skies as we could see storm clouds dropping heavy rain all around us. Fortunately, they kept away from our little patch right up to the last moment, allowing us to make it in the front door before the next onslaught. One of the beauties of living where we are is that when we’re out walking locally we’ve panoramic views around all points of the compass, which gives us time to run for cover if needed.
We survived, but I worry that some of my poor plants may have taken a battering from the weather. Ironic really as only the other day my mother-in-law was telling me I’d planted stuff out too early. So, that’s me for another ticking off then!
Tomorrow the weather may stay dry – although temperatures will be anything but balmy. We’ll be lucky to escape a frost tonight. I’ve some more paperwork to do tomorrow, but if we get the sunshine levels predicted I may venture out with the camera whilst I can. If nothing else, the cherry blossom’s putting on a wonderful display right now and worth pointing a camera at. Although it’ll struggle to match this famous display which forms today’s picture. I took this shot in Washington DC, a city famous for its cherry blossom. Here’s how it looked on the 3rd April 2007.
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What a contrast to yesterday when we enjoyed a country walk uninterrupted by rain. Today we’re back to climatic conditions that can best be described as Baltic with torrential rain! If I wasn’t popping over to Preston to meet up with some friends for an hour I’d have quite happily stayed home at Bigland Towers, watching the rainstorms sweep across the valley from indoors. As it was, Dawn gave me a lift to the station under approaching clouds that were black as Hades. No sooner had I arrived at the station and got under cover before we were hit by two amazing cloudbursts where the rain was sweeping across Halifax in sheets. I’ve seen rain like this many time in Asia, but rarely in the UK.
Right now, after being caught by the tail end of such a burst I’m drying off aboard the 11:30 to Preston whilst watching more cloudbursts sweeping across the Calder valley. Hopefully, I might be in the right place at the right time to get some pictures later as the mixture of sunshine, black skies and rain ir really rather dramatic. I can honestly say I’ve never known a year so changeable or so wet. It looks like 2024 will be setting weather records for all the wrong reasons.
22:00.
Sorry, that was a pretty crap rolling blog. Mainly because the rolling that was done was with laughter once the gang was all together in the wonderful Black Horse pub in Preston.
Our merry band ended up talking about everything railways and a few other subjects in between, all leavened with lots of humour and lubricated with some great beers.
When we left I realised there was little point in trying to do much photographically so I made my way home to Halifax, arriving just in time to walk home before the arrival of the next deluge. Here’s the sky that greeted me as I reached the summit of Spring Edge and began the drop into the Calder Valley.
I’ve a busy day at home tomorrow so the weather’s not going to bother me either way, but let’s see what Wednesday brings…
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We’ve had another relaxed Sunday here at Bigland Towers, although it’s not been a day without either exercise or achievement. This morning Dawn was busy with her knitting needles, enjoying a productive hobby she’s rediscovered. Me? I was busy at an old hobby – gardening. All the bedding and other plants I’d purchased over the past week are now in situ in window boxes and flower beds at both front and back of the cottage. This afternoon we decided to continue the ‘feeling virtuous’ theme by going out for a walk in the country. Admittedly, it wasn’t as long as some but we did explore an area where we’d never walked before. Rather than staying local we drove over to Pecket Well to walk to a nearby waterfall at Lumb Hole. Considering how hilly this neck of the woods are there’s surprisingly few waterfalls so we were pleasantly surprised to find this one. It’s off the beaten track and not the easiest place to get to. The approach is down a bridleway that’s seen better days. The path’s badly eroded and overgrown. I doubt a horse has been down it for a very long time as even Shetland ponies would struggle to fit under the trees that have encroached along the route!
Still, it’s worth it when you get there…
Another bonus of the day was the fact it didn’t rain once – an event that’s as rare as rocking horse shit nowadays!
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Today’s very much been a mixture here at Bigland Towers. Yesterday evening I was sat outside in the garden, enjoying a beer and soaking up the rays of the sun for the first time this year. This morning? We were back to rain, miserable temperatures and low cloud, so a lie-in seemed like the only sensible course of action. This afternoon was different. The weather was still diva-like, but we decided to ignore its strops and have a day out, heading over to Huddersfield for lunch. Whilst the town doesn’t have the attractions that it once did there’s still an oasis and reflection of how things used to be. We ate at Arcade, in the Byram arcade on Westgate. It’s a lovely little cafe that has a Bohemian feel and clientele in an arcade which has its own vibe due to the arts and craft shops the cafe rubs shoulders with. We both plumped for the same dish, Turkish eggs – with added Chorizo.
It was delicious! Whilst Dawn had a coffee I indulged in a Vocation brewery Hazy Pale beer.
Afterwards, whilst Dee checked out the nearby woolshop I wandered up to observe the Trans-Pennine Route upgrade at the station. There’s another blockade on the line this weekend as major work’s started on the station roof.
This section of the trainshed roof is scheduled for demolition as the whole area is going to be redeveloped due to the addition of two more through platforms. This is why the line’s closed! You can’t get heavy plant in without closing the railway entirely!
Bidding adieu to Huddersfield we headed back from Colne to Calder valley for an expensive side-trip to Garden centres, DIY stores and supermarkets – all in the midst of another downpour. Well, that’s the gardening taking a rain-check then!
Back at home Dawn decided to get stuck into baking whilst I nipped out to get my steps in and have a ‘swifty’ in the Big 6 where this range of beers was on offer.
Now the pair of us are enjoying a quiet night in with the hope of better weather tomorrow…
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Having spent the early part of the week working from home it’s time to get out and about on the railways again, despite the weather. At least it’s not rained today. Well, yet! I’m currently on a train from Sowerby Bridge heading for Manchester in order to head over to Merseyside for another meandering visit. The Merseyrail Class 507 fleet’s hanging on by the skin of its teeth and ‘celebrity’ BR blue/grey liveried 507001 is working Ormskirk line services today. But first, I’ve got to get over there.
I’ll blog throughout the day, so feel free to pop back and see what I get up to….
12:25.
As I drift Westward the weather’s improved and I’m beginning to think I may be a tad overdressed fot the conditions! I’ve changed trains at Salford Crescent where I swapped my pair of diesel 158s for electric 331s heading for Blackpool North. I as going to catch the elderly Class 156 working to Southport via Bolton, but the 331s are running late so it’s been hd to let them past. It’s a sensible bit of regulation as you don’t want the 331s to introduce delays on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) at Preston,whilst a few mins on a Southport services causes no problems anywhere.
12:40.
My ekectric dash to Bolton gave me a few minutes to get some pictures before joining the Southport bound 156 I’d fkagged at Salford Crescent. Having stopped st intermediate stations en-route it ambled in 8 minutes late.
With the through tracks long gone and now occupied by OLE masts a pair of 331s stand at Bolton station with a Blackpool North – Manchester Airport service.What kept you? The Southport bound train calls at Bolton’s platform 5, which was only reinstated during electrification work.
13:45.
Having travelled from Wigan Wallgate to Headbolt Lane I’ve now swapped diesel for battery power. Well, as far as Kirkby anyway!
16:30.
Apologies for the break but I’ve been busy with the camera at Kirkdale. As it’s the Grand National weekend Merrseyrail has put out 3 sets of 2x507s on the Ormskirk services. I only found out as I arrived at the station, so the past couple of hours have been spent getting pictures in the area.
Only a few weeks left in service…
I’ve never seen so many rail enthusiasts on Merseyrail. I even bumped into James, an old friend from Chorley who’d had the same idea as me.
507001 leads 507014 past Kirkdale depot on a return working to Liverpool Central from Ormskirk.
Now, having managed various shots including ‘celebrity’ 507001 I’m heading into central Liverpool for a little while. I’m fascinated by the amount of redevelopment going on around the old dock between Sandhills and Liverpool. It’s such a contrast to the dereliction I remember as a youth – and wonderful to see.
19:15.
My visit to Liverpool was brief for two reasons. The weather deteriorated and the place was packed due to the Grand National. Still, it made for some great people-watching as I made my way between Central and Lime St stations. On the way I traversed Gt Charlotte St which has become ‘murder mile’. Why? Well, it’s now wall to wall bars, many with open fronts. 99% have live music (competing with each other) and most of them are killing cover versions of popular songs!
Spot the obligatory ‘plastic Paddy’ pubs – and a Wetherspoons.
19:30.
I retraced my way to the end of the Merseyrail network at Headbolt Lane as there really wasn’t much point in hanging around. I’d have like to have got photos of racegoers in their finery but it was far too late in the day for that – even if the weather had stayed dry. It’s a lesson I learned 20 years ago when I was working for ATOC (the Association of Train Operating Companies) and covered rail travellers heading to Ascot. What goes out can look very posh. After a day on the drink what returns is often anything but.
Right now I’m heading for Manchester aboard Northern’s service from Headbolt Lane to Blackburn via Manchester and Todmorden worked by an elderly but refurbished pair of Class 150s. They’re not my first choice of train but there’s no point in stopping off/changing en-route to Manchester due to the weather. A pity really as I’ve noticed some real progress with electrifying the line around Hindley – which isn’t bad considering I was there last week!
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We’ve had a fairly low-key weekend here at Bigland Towers, partly because of the weather but also because it’s good to take your foot off the pedal sometimes. On Saturday the pair of us headed over to Ossett as Dawn had an appointment. Me? I couldn’t resist the opportunity to visit the ‘Beer Huis’ which has an excellent selection of bottled beers from around Europe and the UK.
Afterwards we went out for lunch at a place we’d passed many times but never called in before. The Rams Head Inn at Denshaw, on Saddleworth Moor. Getting there was fun as the latest storm had kicked in and the winds were epic high up on the moors. But the Rams Head was cosy and the food very good. The menu wasn’t huge but all the better for it as what they had they did very well. For once the two of us plumped for the same thing, the home-made pie – which was excellent, as were the trimmings. It came with chips, a mixture of vegetables and gravy, but this was real gravy – not stuff made out of something from a jar. The pie was equally excellent, with no doubt that the pastry was home-made and the filling was full of meat. The staff were lovely too. If I had one complaint it’d be the fact they only had one real ale on (Tim Taylor’s ‘Landlord’). Even so, we’d certainly be visiting again.
Today (Sunday) we’ve been battered by the weather yet again – which is getting rather tedious. The land around here just can’t hold anymore water. Roads and footpaths are regularly becoming streams and the damage that’s causing is very visible – and not much fun to navigate. So, apart from a quick visit to the supermarket and me getting rained off during a walk we’ve both stayed busy at home. Dee’s been the hostess with the mostest – cooking up some fantastic veggie food whilst I’ve kept busy editing all the pictures I’ve taken over the past few days. Here’s one of them.
After 50 years of neglect and retraction the lineside lineside at Crow Nest Junction had become overgrown. Now, with electrification on the way the land inside the boundary fence has been cut back to prevent accidents in the future.
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/
I’ll get into trouble for this title. Some people still can’t face the fact the town I grew up in (Southport) was moved from Lancashire to Merseyside way back in 1974, but there you go..
I’d been working from home this morning to put the finishing touches and picture captions to my latest article for RAIL magazine after they’d sent me over the proofs. Then I logged onto the internet and noticed that the Merseyrail route into Southport was closed between Southport and the suburb of Hillside to allow the platforms at Chapel St to be extended into the station in order to fit 8-car trains. This caused me a wry smile. I remember the old Chapel St station. The very same platforms were shortened in the 1970s when the original station was demolished by BR so developers could build a God-awful shopping centre facing the main street in its place. How the world turns!
So, I decided to play a flying visit as the work is due to finish tomorrow. Here’s a few pictures of the work inside the station. As you can see, all three Merseyrail platforms are part of the possession, hence trains from Liverpool being turned back at Hillside.
Now I’m heading back with one more stop in mind. Well, if the weather holds…
19:00.
I stopped off but the weather got the better of me! The idea was to have a look at progress in electrifying the railway from Wigan to Bolton. I’d noticed real signs of progress on my way in so decided to make a stop at Hindley, where a diverse range of work’s going on. Despite threatening skies I made it as far as the famous bowstring footbridge a few minutes walk to the West of the station before the heavens opened – hence the lack of sky in this pic.
An interesting mix, a former 25kv electric unit now converted to bi-mode (diesel and overhead electric) pulls away from Hindley past the recently installed 25kv electric masts.Looking in the opposite direction towards Wigan, the masts march onwards…
As you can see, the ‘march of the masts’ is getting closer to Wigan. It’s hard to believe now but until the 1960s there were at least 8 tracks here. The area was awash with colleries and ironworks. All are gone. A huge amount of lineside vegetation’s been cleared along the line which has opened up vistas not seen for 40 or more years. Once we have some better weather I’ll be popping back to visit a few more locations to show how work’s progressing.
Squelching back to Hindley along flooded footpaths and in the pouring rain I took refuge in the pub by the station until my train was due. Now I’m Manchester bound under dank depressing skies and downpours.
22:00.
I’m now home and drying out after a very wet evening. As I walked uphill torrents of water were flowing downhill after another downpour. Thankfully it’d just passed so I managed to avoid a complete soaking. As I was stripping off at home our ‘Alexa’ bleeped with a notification for a flood-warning for Halifax. Tomorrow could be an interesting day. Maybe I’ll stay at home…
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/
Today I had a little job to do in Huddersfield, which I managed to combine with a look at some of the Trans-Pennine Route upgrade (TRU) work as well as a meander from Huddersfield to Dewsbury. To be honest, the weather wasn’t exactly promising. But tide and tide – or in this case a 10 day rail blockade wait for no-man! Huddersfield station was closed to all rail traffic so the first leg of my journey was by the dread rail replacement bus service. Only in this case it was rather easy. The buses left from right outside the station where there were plenty of staff on hand to point you to the right one. I caught a coach as far Deighton, the first stop up the line. This was no battered old vehicle, instead, Star of Batley provided a brand new Volvo. Shame there was only two of us passengers!
I’d come to Deighton as major work was underway to reprofile the railway embankment on the Northern side of the line. Deighton station’s going to be completely rebuilt as this section of line will regain four tracks. Here’s what I saw.
The Flannery machine in the foreground’s working on what will be the new Fast lines. As you can see, there’s some serious earth-moving going on! Meanwhile, the workers behind the platform fence are cutting back the vegetation.Looking East from the footpath down to the Huddersfield bound platform at Deighton. The arch was over the former Kirkburton branch which left the main line at this site. The branch closed to passenger traffic in 1930 and freight in 1965, although traffic ran for a mile along the branch to an ICI works until 1971. As I had time to kill before the bus arrived I ventured down a rubbish strewn path off the main road to check out this – the old seven arch Whitacre Mill viaduct.
Hopping aboard the following RRB an hour later I turned out to be the only passenger for the trip as far as Mirfield, travelling along a route that often followed the existing railway whilst passing the remains of many others.
Was it something I said?
This area was once rich in local lines all of which (apart from the Trans-Pennine route) are history. On the bright side, the journey did show me a few new photographic locations which I’ll do my best to exploit over the course of the year.
Rejoining the railway at Mirfield I had time to check-out progress around the station, which has seen more of the former platform 2 fall to bulldozers as the site’s slowly cleared to allow the new station and track layout to take shape.
Catching the next available train I moved up to Ravensthorpe, an area which is also undergoing major changes. The station here will be moved to the West of the existing junction to the site you see in this picture.
.GBRf’s 66769 hauls TRU engineers train 6G88, the 1353 from Heaton Lodge East Jn to Belmont Down Yard over Thornhill LNW Junction and the site of the new Ravensthorpe station.
Rather than wait for the next train I decided to stretch my legs and walk from Ravensthorpe to Dewsbury. It takes 45 minutes, but it’s hardly the most scenic of trips. This is not a rich area. It’s a mixture of old and new industrial sites, shops and homes. Like much of post-industrial West Yorkshire, it’s seen better days. There’s a distinct lack of civic pride all along the route, with litter-strewn streets, unkempt building and closed and empty shops.
Empty and disused shops on Calder Rd on the way from Ravensthorpe station.
Despite the roughness, you still come across some interesting architecture. This unusual building caught my eye. It’s part of Our Lady & St Paulinus church on the way into Dewsbury.
That was as good as it got! I took a detour off the main road down to the River Calder which I followed into town. Well, I say footpath. It was more of a linear rubbish dump and really quite depressing. Then again, you could say that it’s a good preparation for Dewsbury itself!
There was one ray of sunshine, although today wasn’t my day for sampling it. The excellent West Riding refreshment room on the railway station is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. It’s well worth a visit – even if you swerve the rest of the town and never leave the station. Although, if you did, you might be pleasantly surprised when visiting the old Calder and Hebble Navigation canal wharf in Savile town and the Leggers Inn. There’s also some good cycle routes on the old railway nearby which is part of the Spen Valley greenway.
Sadly, the weather closed in once I’d reached Dewsbury so there was little left for me to do but return home. However, this won’t be my last visit by any means. I’ll do regular (irregular) updates on the TRU work and nearby sites of interest as the work progresses.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 