I’m taking an unplanned trip to London due to a problem with one of my cameras. My trusty Nikon D5 has taken a bit of a battering in recent weeks and has decided that enough is enough – so it’s gone on strike. It refuses to work in any mode other than manual, which is a bit of a bugger. So, it’s off on its holidays to Fixation for a bit of TLC. I’d intended dropping it in soon to have all the rubbers on it replaced. I bought the D5 in August 2016 and to be honest, it’s operated faultlessly for over five years since then, despite the amount of pictures it’s taken and the countries it’s been to. My cameras have a hard life as they’re tools, not toys, which means they don’t retain that much second-hand value – even on a £5,000 bit of kit as they really do look like they’ve been through the wars, even if mechanically and electronically they’re still sound. Fortunately,
I always have a back-up as I keep the camera’s predecessor, in this case, the Nikon D4., which is going to enjoy a brief spot in the limelight again. Of course, there’s never a good time for these things to happen, but tomorrow Dawn and I are taking a week’s holiday, so I’ve no commissions to worry about and can take pictures for pleasure. Hopefully, the D5 will be fighting fit by the time I return and need it again. Now maybe it’s time to think about one last upgrade and plan to acquire the D6 sometime next year…
Right now, I’m working from another mobile office. This time it’s another of LNER’s old Mk4 sets on a Leeds – London diagram. The train’s not as busy as my inbound TPE service from Huddersfield (which was packed) but the loadings are certainly in the profitable margin. I’ve a table bay, so I’m happily set up and working away – as I will be on my return. I won’t be hanging around in London once I’ve dropped off my camera it’ll be a quick turnaround, but that’s life. Catch you later…
17:15.
Having delivered my ‘baby’ to be repaired I’m now heading back North having taken a few shots at Kings Cross with the old D4 just to get used to using it in anger again. I’ve not handled it for years so I’m having to unlearn what I did when I switched to the D5. The ISO control switch was the only major button that moved. On the D4 it’s on the bottom of the backplate. On the D5 it was relocated onto the top plate so that you could press it with your finger and change to ISO with the rear control wheel without having to take your eye away from the viewfinder. It was a far better arrangement. You can still do it with the D4 but you need both hands and it leaves you holding the camera in a cumbersome way. Ah well, it’s only for a while and I’m sure I’ll still get used to it. The D4 sounds different too. The mirror and shutter mechanisms make a much louder ‘clunk’. I could literally tell the two cameras apart just by listening to it! Another thing’s the back screen. I’d forgotten just how much bigger and with better colour rendition the D5 has. I’m going to be doing a lot more histogram-checking again now.
Still, first world problems eh?
18:20.
We’re well on our way up the East Coast Main Line now, the weather’s looking pretty miserable with massive rain-clouds dominating the horizon although I’m warm and dry here. As well as ploughing through emails I’ve managed to download the pictures I took earlier to ensure the D4’s still working perfectly despite having been little more than an office ornament these past few years! Everything’s looking fine, much to my relief.
The start of a new week and the end of another month has been a mixed sort of day here in the Calder Valley. It was heralded by torrential rain and winds that beat against the bedroom window as the kind of dawn chorus you really don’t want to wake up to. Fortunately, I wasn’t booked to go anywhere and Dawn has the next fortnight off so I was happy to leave the weather to it whilst I pottered around at home, finishing another magazine article and getting my copy and pictures out to the Editor.
As the day progressed the weather grew tired, the wind and rain abated and the two of us nipped out into Halifax to meet Dawn’s parents for coffee for an hour at the magnificent Piece Hall, which was quiet due to the conditions. Caffeine levels topped up we went our separate ways in order to pick up some shopping and attempt to buy petrol. Thankfully, Yorkshire folks are less prone to panics, so whilst the Sainsbury’s garage in the centre of town was busy, it had fuel and the queues only stretched into a handful of cars – which is just as well as we’re driving down to Shropshire for a week in a few days time!
Back at home I retreated into the office to tidy up a few projects I’ve got in hand and finally get around to scanning a handful of old slides that have been sat on my desk for the past few weeks. The welcome return of commissions and work around the country has meant I’ve neglected that mission recently. As much as I wanted to, I can’t see me getting all the pictures scanned by the end of the year, but I won’t be far off. 2022 will certainly see the last ones completed – much to my delight!
I certainly won’t be getting any done tomorrow as we have have the funeral of our dear friend Tony Allan to attend. With everything that’s happened since he died I’ve not had chance to write the blog about him I’d in mind. Hopefully, tomorrow will provide a few more stories that’ll allow me to add other dimensions. Tony was quite private about sections of his much-travelled life and private family life, so I’m hoping to learn more as Dawn and I only knew him for less than 10 of his nearly 70 years. Sad as it will be, we’ll all be adjourning to our local pub afterwards where we’ll celebrate his memory with his own Phoenix brewery beers.
So, I’ll bring this blog to a close with the picture of the day, which is from the slides I’d scanned today. These were a batch that have never seen the light of day since I shot them back in July 1992. Taken in Java, Indonesia, they’d never even been catalogued as part of the film had been damaged soon after they were taken, so they sat in their sleeves waiting for me to get around to doing something with them. It’s taken a while…!
This shot was taken as I was wandering through Yogyakarta towards the end of the day. I love stree photography and always look out for snapshots of life like this. Stallholders whose shops lined the pavement had packed up for the day to allow their places to be taken by the night food markets, one woman found it all too much and decided to ‘power-nap’ by wrapping her head in a newspaper. The effect novel and all a bit Klu Klux Klan but it certainly caught my eye!
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/
It’s a been a very quiet day here in Bigland Towers, mainly because I’ve been the only one here. Dawn’s been back in the Community Rail Network office in Huddersfield, which would normally leave me and the moggie. Only now there’s no moggie, and the place seems very empty without him. Jet always used to wander into my office to see me when I was working if he needed food, or just attention. He was happy to sit on my lap whilst I scanned pictures or typed, only now he’s no longer around and I have to admit I really miss him.
Empty home aside, I’ve been kept busy writing about my ‘3 peaks by rail’ adventure for magazines, so the day’s passed quickly. I did manage to get out for my daily constitutional and pick up some shopping, but then it was back to the grindstone. Not that I’m complaining, I have work, a roof over my head and lots to look forward to – unlike some…
I’m looking forward to having these few days at home before travels commence once again. Next week I have a press trip lined up, a funeral and then a holiday. Well, two out of three ain’t bad – as the old Meatloaf song goes.
So, on to the picture of the day. As I’ve not been scanning any old slides recently I was in a quandry over what to use, so I decided on this, which is a shot of how the urban realm can be vastly improved when we make the decision that people come before cars. This is the recently revamped station forecourt at Doncaster. Previously it had been dominated by the motor vehicle. Previously, most of the area was a car park. Now it’s been transformed into a place for people – and art (hence the railway themed sculptures to the right). If only more of our towns an cities followed suit…
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/
Sorry for the lack of blogging these past few days but both Dawn and I have been enjoying our break in London. The National Rail Awards was a brilliant event that we took some time to come down from. The next day we’d arranged to meet up with a couple of old friends and spent a lovely afternoon in Clapham catching up with them whilst eating and drinking alfresco in balmy weather. The past few days have been incredibly sociable, which has been wonderful. The chance to see people in three dimensions rather than two is something that’s been sadly missing these past 18 months.
On Saturday I took Dawn for a wander around the streets of Central London using my knowledge of the city gained from having lived there for 25 years. That said, I’m amazed at just how much has changed in the past decade since I left. Some quarters are almost unrecognisable whilst others have the levels of building replacement that hasn’t been seen since the war. London’s growing. Upwards…
How sustainable this growth is in a post Brexit world is very much open to question as the strains on the economy are obvious. If you’re willing to work for them the hospitality industry would tear your arm off – but could you afford somewhere to live? The Brexitshambles and the consequences of leaving the single market and customs union are biting – despite what the Government and Brexiters would like to claim.
After our wanderings and enjoying visiting an old haunt on the Thames we headed home. Today we’ve had a lazy one at home, spending the time ensuring we’re Covid safe by sticking all our travel clothes in the wash before relaxing then getting out for a short walk on the moors before a quick visit to one of our favorite pubs – the Moorcock Inn on Norland Moor.
Now ’tis time to relax at home before the start of another busy week. I’ve several articles to write and a load of pictures to edit. I’m expecting to spend most of the week at home, but…The weather forecast is suggesting we may be in for another period of warm weather and sunshine, so I’d be foolish to waste it. Let’s see what happens.
In the meantime, here’s the picture of the day, which was taken yesterday from the South bank of the Thames outside an old haunt, the Founders Arms pub next to The Tate Modern. This pub has a lot of outside seating which offers superb views across the river to a city skyline that’s ever-changing. When I first moved to London only two of those skyscrapers existed and the ‘wobbly bridge’ in the foreground wasn’t even thought of.
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/
After yesterday’s early start today’s assignment has allowed me the luxury of a later start. I’m currently in transit from Halifax to Leeds aboard the 09:52 to York in order to head to the Fens for a job at a station near Ely.
The 09:52’s worked by a 3-car Class 195 and it’s busy with people having a day out to either Leeds or York. Many of the passengers are either holidaymakers, retired (or both).
Admittedly, when we stopped at New Pudsey the throng of younger shoppers who joined us did take the average age down a notch or two!
In contrast to yesterday’s appalling weather we’ve actually got some blue skies and sunshine today which should make my job easier later. I’ve given myself plenty of time to get there so that I can enjoy a stop or two en-route.
11:00.
I didn’t hang around in Leeds as my next train was already in and a short stroll over the footbridge soon deposited me on LNER’s 10:45 Leeds to London Kings Cross which is worked by a 9-car ‘Azuma’. I made a beeline for the rear coach (A) which is normally quieter. It contained a few reservations but I’d no problem finding a free bay of four where I’ve set up the ‘mobile office’ for the trip to Peterborough. Heading down the East coast feels like a novelty as most of my recent journeys South have been down my old stamping ground of the West Coast or even Midland main lines. This journey’s going to be easy, so I’ll be back soon after I’ve cracked on with some work..
12:40.
I’m changing trains again. This time at another old haunt. Back in the late 1980’s when I was living in London I was up here nearly every other weekend, spending time with a friend from my Southport days. The station’s changed dramatically since then, having gained three through platforms, had others extended and lost one South-facing bay which was too short for the new Thameslink fleet.
The island platform to the left is new as is the platform face to the very right which was built up to the Up fast line to London. The footbridges at either end of the platforms have been extended too. Mind you, it’s not just the station that’s changed. The Crescent Rd wagon repair shops are gone, as are many of the sidings as the locomotive fleet’s shrunk. Nene sidings to the South are too small for 12 car trains so new ones have been laid to the North-East. New England yard is deserted but the nearby GBRf depot has grown. I really should do a ‘down memory lane’ blog on the area…
12:50.
I’m now en-route to Ely on a 2-car East Midlands Railway Class 170 cascaded from West Midlands services. Working to Norwich, the trains reasonably loaded and even has the luxury of a trolley service!
I always enjoy a trip across the flatlands of the fens. Maybe it’s because it’s such a contrast to where I live now – high up on the side of the Calder Valley in the Pennines. It’s the ‘big skies’ that catch my attention as well as the acres of vegetable and cereal crops.
13:45.
I’m now taking a break in the Cathedral town of Ely where there’s sunshine occasionally interrupted by cloud. The peace is sometimes interrupted by massive military transport aircraft or pairs of fighter jets lazily circling around the city.
Ely is yet another location that’s changed in recent years due to the introduction of new train fleets. Anglia’s replaced their entire diesel fleet with Stadler built bi-modes. Great Northern have disposed of my old favourites (the BR built Class 365s) in favour of Bombardier built Class 387s, East Midlands now have cascaded Class 170s, leaving Cross-Country with the only original fleet since it took over Stansted Airport services from Central trains back in 2007.
Even so, it’s a bit of a surprise to see ex-Gatwick Express stock in its distinctive red livery working GN services to/from Kings Lynn!
18:30.
I’m heading home again after attending a lovely event at pretty Downham Market station, where various groups celebrated the achievements of the local community in improving and tending the station. The WI have been looking after maintaining the gardens and planters on the platforms whilst pupils from Downham Market Academy and Athena Sith Form College have designed and produced flower themed artwork which has been fixed to platform fencing (pictures later). The station cafe was kept open especially to cater for guests which was also nice touch. The whole event was well patronised with between 30-40 people attending.
Now I’m on a Cross-Country service from Ely heading back to Peterborough then Northwards to home via a couple of changes.
20:32.
Well, that was a bonus! I made a very tight connection at Peterborough that’s slashed my journey home by 30 mins as I no longer had to change twice. Instead I made an LNER service to Skipton that’s delivered me to Leeds. In a double bonus it gave me enough uninterrupted time to get the pictures I’d taken at Downham Market edited and resized all ready to send off tonight when I get home!
Now all I have to do is relax on the final train home, which is yet another Northern Class 195, which is keeping company with this interloper at Leeds …
Tomorrow’s going to be a rather different day. I’m back in London again but this time it’s for pleasure, not business. Dawn and I are attending the National Rail Awards as guests of an old friend, so there’ll be no rolling blog tomorrow – although there might be a few pictures. Right now, it’s time to pack the Tuxedo which hasn’t seen the light of day since the last NRA back in 2019. Thankfully, it still fits!
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/
It’s another silly o’ clock start for me. I was already up before my alarm which was set for 04:45. Now I’m putting the finishing touches to my packing before heading down to London.
06:02.
Despite my best efforts to creep around the house I woke Dawn who (bless her) offered to give me a lift to the station, so here I am, waiting for the first Westbound train of the day, the 06:04 to Wigan North Western. In the week since I last caught this service the days have got noticeably shorter. The day was just beginning to break, now it’s much darker.
I joined the front car which already had half a dozen occupants which isn’t bad for this unconsciable time of day! Almost immediately on departure a rather jolly Conductor came around to check tickets and we chatted for a few minutes about the merits and demerits of shift work and early starts. Having posted this on social media a friend tweeted and trumped my early start by saying he was already leaving his front door on the South coast at 04:45 to head into London!
06:40.
We’ve just left Rochdale where we picked up more than a dozen folk as well as depositing the Royal Mail workers I observed last week. My car now has 15 people aboard for the run to Manchester Victoria, not a bad number for the first train. Sunrise has finally arrived although the day’s looking gloomy.
07:10.
I’m on the move again but not via my normal route across the city centre. It’s said that a change is as good as a rest, so I hung around at Victoria long enough to grab a few pictures, observe passenger numbers (continuing to build) and waited for the train that was following mine across the Pennines in the shape of a Leeds – Chester service which I’m catching as far as Warrington Bank Quay. Reliability of this service can be patchy so I hedged my bets by waiting at Manchester in order to keep my options open. As it is, it’s on time. This route’s normally worked by Class 195s so it’s a comfortable alternative option with cross platform interchange at Warrington. Admittedly, with getting a lift earlier and not schlepping across Manchester on foot my daily step count is less than stellar so far, but I’m hoping to make that up later.
08:50.
The weather in Warrington was just as grey as the rest of my travels so far today – only wetter! Rain had set in which didn’t make a great backdrop for the few pictures I managed to take. The only highlight was observing a Northbound charter train from Chester to Carlisle via the Settle and Carlisle line run by West Coast railways. Whilst ‘standard’ seats were fairly quiet, Premier Dining seemed to be near full. Top and tailed by another pair of Class 47s, the train made a smoky departure North.
Shortly afterwards my service arrived in the shape of the 08:00 from Preston to London Euston. Warrington Bank Quay is its last stop. From here it runs fast to London, a distance of 182 miles, 11 chains. Capacity-busting, long- distance, non-stop services like these will transfer to High Speed 2 when it opens, freeing paths on existing lines for more regional, local and commuter services as well as freight – all the real winners from HS2.
Out of curiosity I walked through Standard just to see how many people were aboard. I counted 72 people, not a huge amount although this is a premium (full price ticket) service, so perhaps understandable. Now, if only we could persuade the Dept of Transport and the Treasury to stop trying to use the farebox as a cash-cow and start charging realistic ticket prices we could soon see this train full again.
09:10.
We’re now going ‘full tilt’ (if you’ll pardon the pun) down the Trent Valley with rain streaming along the windows as the weather hasn’t improved one jot. The sky is a uniform battleship grey with no sign of any breaks. Looks like I’m just going to have to get used to getting wet…
10:00.
We’ve just passed Harrow and Wealdstone in North London where the weather’s still grey and miserable, but the rain’s stopped. My event’s not far away between 11:00 -13:00. Will my luck hold?
17:00.
Well, that was a busy few hours. The job I couldn’t talk about was the official opening of HS2’s new 30-acre logistics hub near Willesden Junction on the site of the former Willesden Euroterminal on the West side of the West Coast Main Line. Some of the event took place in the pouring rain when one of GB Railfreight’s Class 66s (66796) imported from Europe was named ‘The Green Progressor’, by a young HS2 fan. 15 year old Jermaine Allen from Leeds and HS2 CEO Mark Thurston.
Jermaine (@Jermain37354962 on Twitter) has been a supporter of the project since he was 5. This bright and personable young man is also a knowledgeable ambassador for the project. What Jermaine didn’t know was that there was a second locomotive to be named today – and that second one (GBRF Class 08 shunter 08703) was named after him! It was hidden behind the Class 66 and rolled out after the first naming…L-R, Karen (Jermaine’s Mum), Jermaine. HS2 CEO Mark Thurston, Nigel (Jermaine’s Dad) and James Richardson, Managing Director, SCS JV.
Here’s the two locos in full.
After the naming we were treated to a tour of the control tower and given a briefing on of how the site is the hub for processing spoil from the 26 miles of London tunnelling undertaken by several tunnel boring machines and removing it to disposal sites at Barrington (Cambs) and Rugby (Warks) as well as being a future arrival site for tunnel segments that will be manufactured in Kent. The control centre’s a fascinating place because of the sheer amount of data it collects and collates on HS2 activity on the sites the SCS joint venture works on around London. As well as managing train movements in and out it also controls HGV and other road vehicle traffic. The data helps to streamline the activities to make them more efficient. This has a threefold impact. On costs, carbon and impact on the communities around the worksites. The data is displayed on two massive boards in the centre of one of the rooms. This one deals with rail traffic.
In another room were given the run-down on two other monitoring systems, but I won’t go into too much detail about them. One controls security around the site and monitors protester activity (what’s left of it) whilst the other looks at staff training and competencies and a whole range of statistics that help the JV and HS2 Ltd to assess that they’re hitting various targets and commitments. There’s also a system that monitors all HGV and LGV vehicles to ensure that they stick to agreed routes and don’t ‘stray’ plus a new system that’s being developed called ‘mudcam’. This camera system ensures that mud on the entrances/exits to HS2 compounds is monitored and dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Loading spoil from the Old Oak Common station construction site. Currently, this is being moved by road and stored in the background before being loaded onto the train for movement to Barrington. Soon, the spoil will be moved between the Old Oak and Willesden sites by an overhead conveyor. I’ll be making another visit to Willesden hub once this is in operation. I’ll write that up as a separate blog.
17:00
Right now I’m back on yet another Pendolino heading Northwards towards home. The brief dry spell that enabled me to get decent pictures of the loco’s soon vanished and I’m back in the gloom and murk as we speed North. In fact, the rain seems to be getting heavier again as I pass through Staffs. There’s certainly no incentive to hang around with the camera anywhere, that’s for sure…
20:33.
Home again! The weather defeated me and I’ve another busy day tomorrow so apart from getting a few shots of the dereliction and decay at Crewe station I only stayed long enough to change trains and head into Manchester before performing my usual traverse of the city centre from Piccadilly to Victoria to come home in order to have a quiet evening picture editing.
Tomorrow I’m off on a very different job compared to today. I’m heading to Norfolk with more of a Community Rail hat on to look at a project involving young artists and the redevelopment of a local station, so watch out for tomorrow’s rolling blog to see how I get on. Thankfully, the weather prospects are far better than what we had today so I’m hoping to stay dry…
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/
I’m enjoying a slower start to today than the past couple in order to get some sleep in the bank as I’m going to need it over the next few days. I had a lie-in until 07:00 today – luxury! Now I’m enjoying topping up my caffeine levels whilst repacking all the kit need for for Infrarail plus all the stuff I’ve brought with me for the next few days volunteering for the Railway Children and their epic ‘3 Peaks by Rail’ challenge which starts this evening. But first, I’m heading back the NEC and Infrarail for a last session of photography. Feel free to keep popping back during the day to see how things unfold…
11:15.
It’s much quieter here at Infrarail today. The Seminars all finish before lunch so I’m planning to make a break for it by then.
13:30.
Job done! The final speakers have finished and all the pictures are ‘in the can’ as it were. The irony? I’ve spent the best part of two and a half days stuck indoors whilst the sun’s been beating down on us and the place has been red-hot. As soon as I pack up and leave to get the train to Crewe the heavens have opened and it’s raining cats and dogs!
Still, here’s a couple of pictures from Infrarail taken just before I left…
I’ll try and catch up with some blogging on my way up to Crewe and fill out some more details of the final day of Infrarail.
15:00.
I’ve finally left Birmingham to make my way (in fits and starts) to Crewe to join the rest of the Railway Children volunteers, staff and entrants to this years 3 Peaks by rail. Thankfully, the torrential rain we had earlier has passed. Now the skies are a multitude of shades of grey with the odd snatch of blue. It’s also very humid. I must admit it was great to be back at Infrarail even if it was hard work. Covering three seminar theatres spread over two halls plus the traipsing around after politicians and VIPs certainly kept me fit! Even so, seeing so many familiar faces again after such a long gap made it all worthwhile. Then there’s the new contacts and offers of work which you can only get face to face. Zoom and the interweb will never be a substitute for that.
15:35.
After a brief stop at Wolverhampton to change trains and grab a couple of pictures I’m on the move again, this time on another West Midlands Class 350. It’s hard to keep track of this fleet as not only do they have three sub-classes, they’re also a mix of refurbished and refurbished sets. The first train had tables and power sockets, this one (350235) doesn’t. Outside there’s some impressively moody and thunderous looking skies which could make for some great pictures if only I was in the right place!
20:00.
We’re on our way! Everyone came together in Crewe without any major difficulties. The teams assembled, registered and received their briefings, the volunteers stocked up the train (a job and a half) and then – we were off. Here’s everyone ready and raring to go.
For the enthusiasts out there, the train’s made up of LSL Mk3 coaches and triple headed by two Class 37s and a Class 47.
21:20.
We’ve just left Llandudno Junction after a 50 minute layover which gave the on-board team the chance to serve everyone with a hot meal. Now we’re heading for Bangor where the walkers will transfer to coaches for the trip to the base of Snowdon.
22:10.
We’ve deposited the teams, the guides and some RC staff and volunteers at Bangor where they’re being bussed to the base of Snowdon. Before they left they were provided with plenty of fresh fruit and other snacks to makes sure they weren’t short of energy.
Meanwhile, the train and the onboard crew are heading to Holyhead where the train will be serviced overnight and prepared for picking up the walkers when it returns to Bangor at 04:21.
23:15.
Whilst the teams climb Snowdon the train and its crew are at Holyhead where they’ve been busy unpacking and storing all the food and drink that was loaded aboard at Crewe. Meanwhile, chef Nick Hebborn and Alison are rustling up a meal of sausage stew on a bed of rice for them in one of the buffet cars. We don’t have a kitchen car this year, so facilities are limited.
Suitably rested after a good night’s sleep here in Birmingham I’m ready for day 2 of Infrarail. As there’s not so many keynote speakers today the pace should be a little more relaxed, which will give me time to blog through the event and also get to listen to some of the seminars. One I’m particularly interested in is a bit niche (hey, I’m at a rail event, isn’t it all ‘niche’?) as it’s about composite masts for greener electrification projects, given by Noel Dolphin of Furrer+Frey. The railways have picked up the ‘green’ ball and are running with it. Already the greenest form of land travel, rail is determined to stay that way, so is constantly looking at ways of doing so. Of course, electrification’s a big part of that and it’s the area where the UK (thanks to Government policies) lags way behind Europe. We have the lowest electrified route miles, so anything that will help keep costs down and aid decarbonisation is of value.
Right, I’d better finish packing my kit and head off to the NEC. I’ll update this blog en-route…
08:30.
Much as I like Birmingham I have to admit the walk from my hotel to the station was rather depressin due to the sheer amount of rubbish and litter I encountered en-route. The area by the car parks adjacent to the O2 arena is an utter shit-tip. Presumably a lot of it is discarded by people queuing to get into the venue like the ones I passed last night. Civic pride seems to be a thing of the past.
I’m now on Avanti West Coast’s 08:30 to Euston which will take me back to the NEC. New St station was busy, but it’s clear the recovery us still in progress. My train’s busy but there was no problem finding a seat in the rear of the set.
As we pulled out of Birmingham we passed the huge HS2 construction site at Curzon St, the site of the line’s cuty terminus. Work’s really progressed since my last visit so if I have time when I finish today I’ll pop by to get a few shots. Besides, the weather’s far too good to stay cooped up inside for longer than I have to!
13:45.
I’ve finally had chance to stop and sit down for five minutes and blog. So much for thinking today would be quiet, Infrarail’s been far busier today than yesterday. There’s a lot more visitors so I’m glad I arrived early and gad chance to check out some of the stands before they became busy. There’s some interesting stuff to be seen. I could do with one of these for a start. It’s an exoskeleton that’s designed to take the strain off older workers! Sadly, it won’t work with the camera bag…
21:30.
The end of another busy day, far busier than I expected but then not only were the crowds greater but I ended up covering three separate seminar stands. Not that I’m complaining as I got to hear some really interesting discussions as well as amass a huge amount of library shots and network with lots of people that I haven’t seen for ages. I’m not going to blog at length about the day, instead I’ll add a few more pictures and hope that tomorrow I can pause for breath long enough to give an overview of the show. What was great about the end of day 2 was the fact their were two drinks receptions. One on the RailBusinessDaily stand which promoted the activities of the Railway Children charity and another on the Alstom stand. Both allowed us to talk about more than just the day jobs and relax a bit more.
Network Rail allowed a lot of apprentices to attend the event. Here’s on of a cohort competing to see just how much weight (and bottles of water) he can balance on the sandcastle he’s made. A fun game with a serious message…
One of today’s important guests and keynote speaker was Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, the Shadow Transport Minister, who spent a lot of time afterwards touring the event and talking to companies involved in the railway supply chain. Here he is delivering his keynote address.
I’ll try and add a few more pictures tomorrow if I get a break at the event. That said, I have to leave just after lunchtime in order to make my way to Crewe to join the rest of the volunteers working the Railway Children’s ‘3 Peaks by Rail’ marathon fundraiser. No doubt I’ll be blogging from the trip as long as the phone reception holds. If not, you’ll be able to read all about it in some rail publications soon….
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/
I left home this morning with mixed feelings as I’ve had to leave Dawn alone in an empty house without Jet for company and cuddles. But there’s work to do and bills to pay…
So here I am on Northern’s 06:04 from Sowerby Bridge to Wigan. Despite it being such an early train there’s half a dozen of us early birds in the front vehicle of this 3-car class 158. I wasn’t the only one catching it from Sowerby either, five of us did, which is a good indicator of the way rail passenger numbers are recovering post-pandemic.
The weather’s taken a turn for the better, bringing high temperatures and (this morning) heavy mist dominating the valley as we head West.
I’m heading for Birmingham and the NEC as I’m working at the combined Infrarail/Railtex trade fair – the first time it’s been held since 2019 as the pandemic wiped out all these events in 2020. I’m looking forward to the chance to catch up with friends and colleagues over the next few days. I’ve a busy schedule but should still have time for some fun.
06:32.
We’ve crossed over the border to Lancashire but the mist that confined the Calder Valley has followed me over the Pennines although it’s not as thick here. It certainly provides an ethereal backdrop as we chug our way towards Manchester.
06:40.
We’ve just left Rochdale which has provided plenty of passengers heading into Manchester to start a day’s work. We also lost a few as a handful of Royal Mail workers in their distinctive red jackets (and obligatory shorts!) arrived in the town.
07:45.
Well, that’s my stress levels well up! My train arrived at East Jn, just outside Victoria station 3 minutes early, then sat waiting for a platform. And waited, and waited – and waited. I had 32 mins to make my connection with the 07:27 from Piccadilly, which should have been planty of time for a leisurely stroll across the city, suitcase in tow. The minutes kept ticking and we went nowhere. Finally when a pltform cleared we were allowed in – at 07:04. Great, 23 minutes to get out of Victoria dash across town and onto a train at Piccadilly. If not, my first job of the day (photographing the HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson) was up the swannee. As I left Victoria a clock showed 07:08. Despite pulling a suitcase I set a near personal best and arrived at Piccadilly at 07:23. A hot and sweaty mess admittedly, but I made it!
I’m now cooling down in the air-conditioned luxury (“luxury”? Ed) of a Cross-Country Voyager bound for Bournemouth…
08:33
We’re now South of Stafford. I’ve regained my breath and equilibrium, cooled down and am ready for the whatever the rest of the day holds. This 9 car Voyager’s full of reservations and people but I managed to find an available seat in the front car. God knows how busy these services will be when they revert to the normal timetable and become single units again! Today’s going to be a hot one, there’s wall to wall sunshine outside although the mist persists even here in Staffordshire. I suspect it’s going to be rather hot in the NEC today, but we’ll see…
21:45.
Apologies for the lack of regular updates throughout the day but I was run off my feet! This year Infrarail/Railtex was held in halls away from the main entrance, adding another 10 minutes to get there from International station. Thankfully, the guys I was working with from Rail Business Daily had everything in hand so even though we had to go through extra layers of checks due to Covid I had plenty of time to spend with the HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson MP to get the shots we needed and then listen to his keynote address and Q&A session. Here he is addressing a busy arena.
Most of the rest of my day was spent ping-ponging between to discussion areas, capturing shots of the speakers. Needless to say, I’ve racked up a few miles today! Disappointingly, and despite the fact it’s the first time any of these events have been held since 2019, the numbers attending were lower than we’ve seen for a few years. It’s clear that it’s going to take a while for events like this to bounce back from Covid. Even so, it was obvious from the conversations I had with various people that everyone’s so happy to be back to being able to meet with friends and colleagues face to face again. I certainly felt that as I toured the show and bumped into people I’ve not seen since the first lockdown and I know I wasn’t the only one. Today was very much about the keynote speakers and the seminars. Tomorrow should be more relaxed, enabling me to get a greater variety of pictures and play around with the camera. It’s not that some of the seminars weren’t really interesting, but there was a feeling expressed at some that the biggest stumbling block to progress with the railways is getting financial decisions to be made in the corridors of power. This very much came across in the discussion about decarbonisation where the sentiment was ‘right, we’re preaching to the converted here. We all know what the problems and pitfalls are, we also know what the benefits are, how do we get the Treasury to be part of the solution, not part of the problem’? Answers on a postcard, please…
As Covid restricted some of the more social activities at the end of the day I drifted away earlier than normal as my job was done. Heading back into Birmingham I caught the same Cross-Country train that I’d come down on. In the time I’d been at the fair the sets had time to complete their trip to Bournemouth and back! Birmingham was sunny, hot and sweaty so after a quick pint in the Shakespeare pub by the station I headed for my hotel which is just behind the O2 arena. I’ve no idea who’s playing but by the time I’d changed and ventured out to get something to eat the queue of young people waiting to get in was easily over a quarter of a mile long! I steered well clear as two words formed in my mind, ‘Covid Hotspot’…
Right now I’m back in the cool of my hotel room editing pictures from today and checking my kit ready for day 2. It’s an early night for me after an 04:45 start this morning but I’m intending to make the most of the day tomorrow and blog more about the event and another evening in Birmingham. Stay tuned, but for now – it’s goodnight from me…
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/
Yesterday it was my pleasure to attend yet another celebration at Mytholmroyd, where the station friends and guests were unveiling a plaque celebrating the restoration of the 1871 station building winning a Railway Heritage Trust conservation award in December 2019. Sadly, the Covid pandemic postponed any chance to celebrate the award or mount the plaque until this year. Ironically, the postponement meant that the plaque was unveiled this year, which is the 150th anniversary of the building’s construction. The present building replaced an original timber structure from when the line opened in 1847. Records show that the contract to construct the building was let by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in May 1870 to a “Mr Wilkinson, contractor of Mytholmroyd”. In June 1870 construction was suspended due to excavations causing part of the embankment under the Down line to subside. Work resumed at the end of September 1870 and the new building opened in December 1871*. You can find a full selection of pictures of the interior of the refurbished building in this blog. Here’s how the building looks from street level. Passengers on passing trains don’t appreciate the sheer size of the building as they only see the top floor.
Here’s a selection of pictures from yesterday’s unveiling.
The plaque revealed!The participants from L-R. Craig Whittaker, MP for the Calder Valley. Geoff Mitchell (Friends of Mytholmroyd). Andy Savage, Railway Heritage Trust and RHA Judge. Sue Mitchell (Friends of Mytholmroyd). Chris Harris, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire. Bob Freeth, Mayor of Hebden Royd Council. Theo Steel, Railway Heritage Trust. The plaque.
Work will soon begin to outfit the interior of the building ready to accept its first tenants. No doubt when that happens I’ll be bringing you more updates!
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 need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Thank you!
*Thanks to Michael Allen of Mytholmroyd for providing me with the historical information on the station construction
Paul Bigland 