*update* – the final pictures were added on the 2nd February. You can now find all 43 units plus internal shots of the SWT refurbishment.
The first part of this trilogy is featuring the 43 Class 455/7s which were built by BREL at York between 1984-85. Whilst they weren’t the first series to be built, they’re one of the fleets that’s already being withdrawn as several sets have already been taken out of service. They’re unique amongst the class in that they were built as 3-car sets but made up to 4-car by the addition of redundant but nearly new trailer cars from Class 508 EMUs which were transferred to Merseyside as 3-cars sets.
This makes the 455/7s easy to recognise as the Class 508 vehicles are a completely different design and construction with a very different roof profile. The front end of these units differs from their earlier siblings as they were built without the redundant headcode boxes which was a feature of the first sets (just as they were on the 1981 built 25kv Class 317s). The 7’s also featured a revised light cluster with the air-horns being moved to a different position.
All 43 trains were allocated to the SW Divison of BR where they’ve remained ever since. Latterly working for South-west trains and finally South-Western Railway who ordered new units to replace them back in 2017. That replacements been delayed for several years but the inevitable has started to happen.
I’m fortunate in that I’ve been photographing these trains for over 30 years and have a record of each member of the class. I’ll add them all to this blog eventually when time permits but for now these are the edited highlights. I’ll put a header on the blog each time I add new pictures. You can find all my Class 455 pictures in three galleries on my Zenfolio website. 1. The BR gallery. 2. South-West Trains. 3. Southwestern Railway.
On the 17th October 2020 the leader of the Class calls at Clapham Junction with a service to Guildford via Surbiton. 5702 arrives at Dorking after working a service via Epsom on the 19th June 2013.Back in BR days now on the 6th June 1990 when NSE liveried 5703 was working services to Shepperton, seen here at Clapham Junction.Here’s 5704 in the company of a classmate passing Wimbledon depot on the 20th May 2015 whilst working a Waterloo to Guildford service. In August 2017 the Waterloo blockade to extend platforms 1-4 to 10 car lengths was happening. On the 8th of that month 5705 is seen leading a service into the terminus.On the same day as the previous picture 5706 is seen leaving the former Eurostar terminus at Waterloo with a service to Kingston upon Thames. It’s the 11th November 2013 and in glorious autumn sunlight 5707 approaches Vauxhall from Waterloo with a service to Woking. On the 8th September 2009 a pair of 455/7s with 5708 bringing up the rear arrive at London Waterloo. On the 27th January this year 5709 approaches Clapham Junction with an inbound service to Waterloo. Inside Wimbledon depot on the 22nd October 2013 where 5710 keeps company with 5918.Several years earlier on the 29th November 2006 5711 sits outside Wimbledon Park depot adjacent to the main line.Here’s Kingston on Thames on the 3rd March 2010 as 5712 arrives on a Waterloo to Shepperton service. Back at Wimbledon Park on the 8th September 2009 as 5713 passes with a service for Guildford via Cobham.It’s the 7th December 2021 and there’s steam in the air as an excursion approaches Clapham Junction whilst 5714 brings up the rear of a service heading for Waterloo.A different view of Wimbledon on the 17th April 2007 as 5715 leads a sister unit on a ‘Kingston rounder’.Back at Clapham Junction on the 21st December 2019 where 5716 is seen bringing up the rear of a Woking to Waterloo service.This time we’re at Epsom on the 29th June 2014 as 5717 calls at the station with a service from Waterloo to Dorking.Vauxhall again on the 13th November 2013 where 5718 is approaching the station from Waterloo with a service for Chessington South. Another, rather different view of Wimbledon as 5719 crosses the flyover next to the depot and passes 444032 heading for Portsmough.Between duties, 5720 sits alongside the shed at Clapham Junction on the 1st May 2019.Having been repainted into Network SouthEast livery in the early 1990s 5721 waits at Windsor and Eton Riverside with a service to Waterloo on the 19th June 1994.Guildford has been associated with the class all their working lives. Here’s 5722 sat at Platform 3 whilst working a Waterloo via Woking service on the 15th November 2015.Also seen at Guildford, this time on the 26th May 2012, is 5723 after arriving from Waterloo via Surbiton. Back at Clapham Junction on the 2nd November 2011 when 5724 was stabled in the yard in the company of a quartet of Siemens-built Class 450sLivery transition time as 5725 in the new SWT suburban red liver passes classmate 5717 which was still in the old Stagecoach white and blue with orange and red stripes. The date is the 9th May 2006. The changing scene at Guildford. 5726 departs on a service to Waterloo via Epsom on the 23rd April 2014, passing the relaying of stabling sidings which are being extended to take 10 car trains. Back in BR days 5727 sporting Network South-East livery callas at Clapham Junction with a Shepperton branch service.The footbridges West of Wimbledon station and the open vista provide a great location for open shots of South-Western suburban services. Here’s 5728 with a sister unit bringing up the rear of a Woking – Waterloo service on the 20th May 2015. Another shot from the Wimbledon footbridges but this time taken several years earlier on the 29th November 2006. 5729 and a 455/9 units head off into the autumn sunset…In this shot taken outside the shed at Clapham Junction 5730 is missing one of its driving trailers (77786) for reasons unknown. The unit’s sporting the earlier Stagecoach livery. The date is the 26th January 2001.Back at Wimbledon on the 5th of September 2011 when the switches and crossings underneath the train were still awaiting renewal (see later pictures for afterwards). Here’s 5731 in multiple with a 455/9 set whilst working a service to Woking. Framed by the lighting towers at Wimbledon Park depot unit 5732 is being shunted into the stabling sidings on the bright autumn day. The 29th November 2006 in fact.On the same day in November 5733 sits inside Wimbledon Park awaiting attention. Back at the Wimbledon footbridges on the 20th May 2015 and the track renewal has taken place. Meanwhile 5734 and a pair of class 456s with 456004 leading work a Waterloo – bound service from Guildford.Journey’s end. 5735 unloads its passengers at Waterloo on the 20th February 2015. With a skyline full of cranes as the Battersea Power station redevelopment is on full swing, 5736 brings up the rear of a Waterloo bound service at Clapham Junction. This vista has changed out of all recognition in the past decade as London’s skyline has become defined by new high-rise and landmark buildings. The date is the 19th May 2018.A brace of 455/7s with 5737 pull out of platform 1 (The Cobham bay) at Guildford on their return to London via Epsom on the 23rd April 2014. Another of those photographs that show how much London’s skyline has changed in a decade. Compare this view from the 2nd November 2011 when 5738 was heading for Waterloo past a brace of SWT Class 159 with this shot (link) taken in 2021. On the 3rd April 2005, 5739 sporting Stagecoach livery approaches Raynes Park with a service for Chessington South.It’s back at my old favourite, the footbridges West of Wimbledon station! Here’s 5740 bringing up the rear of a Shepperton branch service bound for Waterloo on the 5th September 2011. It’s the 5th July 2017 and 5741 calls at Strawberry Hill, the home of the Southern Electric Traction Group and the last remaining 4-VEP. 3417. Wimbledon once more for our penultimate 455/7. 5742 passes the depot with a Guildford via Surbiton service on the 4th October 2006.And finally! Renumbered out of sequence as 5750 this is really 5743. It was given the new number in may 1991 to celebrate Wimbledon depot obtaining BS5750 quality services accreditation. It’s seem here on the 3rd July 2006.
For those who may have never travelled on the 455/7s, here’s a few internal shots showing how they looked after SWT has refurnished the units between 2004-2008. The pictures show the interior of 5735, taken in July 2006.
Vehicle 77795, one of the driving trailers.A great improvement over the BR design (and Southern units which don’t have the modification) was that the sliding doors were altered so they opened wider. The interior of trailer 71563. The roof line and vestibule area immediately give this away as one of the former Class 508 vehicles, in this case 62817.Driving trailer 77796.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look back at the 455/7s. The rest of the series will follow, but I can’t promise I’ll be posting individual pictures of all 74 Class 455/8s!
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Apologies for absence these past few days folks but I’ve been busy dealing with life, the universe and everything. Which includes the weather. Yesterday we were hit by a gale with the innocuous name of ‘Malik’. For a change it didn’t arrive overnight where we were simply kept awake but couldn’t see its effect until morning. This time it blew most of the day, which was ‘interesting’ as the effect the gales had on the local woodland was instructive to say the least. We managed to survive mostly unscathed from what I can ascertain so far although I really need to be able to get onto the roof for a close examination. There’s odd chunks of material that have plonked themselves on the slabs (this being Yorkshire, we have a stone roof, not slate) which makes me wonder about the cement capping on the chimneys. The biggest surprise was to see that an Azealea bush which I have planted in a tub with the whole thing weighing several kilos was blown off its sheltered position on a roof at the back of the house. That’s one thing I didn’t expect to move! The other morning I did have to take down a bird-feeder outside the bedroom window which bares to full force of the wind across the valley as it was doing a passable impression of a propeller!
In-between gales we’ve been having a quiet weekend at home. I’ve been prepping a few new blogs and cooking Dee’s been busy with similar culinary activities and enjoying her well-earned weekend. We’ve even sallied forth together to meet friends at our local pub which feels a lot less risky and far more normal now the Pandemic is receding.
Now it’s Sunday evening and we’re battening down the hatches for the next storm in the cycle. We enjoyed a long walk earlier whilst the weather was good and even nipped up to one of our favorite pubs for a quick drink and chats afterwards although we could already see the next storm-front arriving over the horizon as we approached. Having buggered off home we’re now relaxing in the warm whilst the rain beats down outside. We’ve both got a busy few days ahead so a quiet night in with a home-made seafood risotto isn’t a bad way to end the week.
With such thoughts I’ll leave you with the picture of the day, which is very different to Yorkshire. I took this shot at the Columbia Rd flower market in the spring of 1996. I was still living in London’s East End at the time and this was the market where we all went to buy our plants, carrying them back home by tube or on bikes. In those days it was still a fascinating mix of the traditional and bohemian – as this picture shows. The chap in the hat was a classic old stallholder, barking out the prices to people in a way that hadn’t changed in years.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Well, it seemed that way at the time but today’s trip to London has got off to a mixed start! On the bright side – the rain we’d had overnight had abated by the time my alarm went off at 05:45 so the walk to Halifax was rather pleasant this morning. There were few people about apart from a couple of hardy dog-walkers (not that they have much option, really) and a trio of intrepid women joggers pounding their way uphill across Savile Park. The town centre was equally quiet although the area around the Piece Hall was still buzzing with film crews and all their kit.
My intention was to catch the 06:53 to Leeds in time to make an 11 minute connection with LNERs London service. This failed at the first fence as the Northern service was already running 7 minutes late. Ho hum! To fill in time I caught the Huddersfield – Bradford shuttle which was worked by one of the old class 158s pbought by the local PTE back in the 1980s. 158904 was busy, at least half-full, which surprised me. I didn’t realise so many people commuted into Bradford from Huddersfield. One at Interchange I joined the crowds for the late-running York service. Passenger numbers are certainly picking up again judging by the number joining and leaving the train.
We left Bradford Interchange 10 mins late and I’d visions of watching the LNER service pull out as I arrived, but I hadn’t accounted for the slack timing of my Northern service. It arrived at Leeds West Junction (just outside the station) 8 mins down, then magically recovered 6 minutes in the space of 26 chains* to arrive in Leeds just 2 minutes down!
This gave me plenty of time to cross the footbridge to platform 8 and wait for my train to pull in as it was arriving from Skipton. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was worked by one of LNERs loco-hauled Mk 4 trainsets rather than an Azuma. 91106 was doing the honours this morning. The advantage of the Mk4 sets is that they still contain a ‘quiet’ coach which is immediately behind the loco and isn’t reserved. It also lives up to its name as few people use it! So, I’m now bouncing my way South with that familiar stop, start, jerk motion that was a feature of the loco-hauled trains but that’s totally absent from the Azumas.
91106 arrives at Leeds with 1A13, the 06:56 from Skipton to London Kings Cross.
10:05.
In dire need of caffeine after such an early start I had a wander through the train to a sparsely stocked buffet in order to buy coffee. This gave me chance to counts heads. Getting back to my set just before we pulled in to Newark North Gate I counted just 49 people in Standard Class. Clearly, Covid is still having an impact as this is a premium train which would normally be full of business people. The majority of folks I passed fitted into this category with lots of expensive laptops on display and people busy bashing keyboards, but numbers travelling have obviously taken a hit since early December. Even so, now that restrictions are easing once more I doubt it’ll be long before they bounce back. I’ll be interested to watch how that goes through the year. This year I’m off on my biennial trip around Britain for RAIL magazine, which such be a fascinating contrast to my travels in 2020!
Right now we’re traversing the Cambridgeshire flatlands on the approach to Peterborough and running six minutes late. The weather’s gloomy, with layers of cloud some of which threaten rain, conditions that I expect to see stay with me all day. As we approached the station I noticed a fan of old sidings (Spital?) that have lain disused for donkey’s years have been cleared of weeds and fenced off to create a secure compound. It looks like they’re about to be brought back into use – but what for?
09:55.
We’re on the outskirts of London and it’s proving to be grim down South. The clouds have lowered, cutting down the slight so much that vehicles have already got their headlights on! This is a bit of a bugger, but such is life. It limits the range of shots I can get but thanks to the wonders of digital photography I can still get decent pictures. If this was my old film days it would have been a waste of time, the classic old camera joke of set your camera exposure for 3 days at F5.6…
16:00.
Phew! Where do I start? I’ve been having a frenetic time travelling around London in an effort to document the latest transformation that’s going on in 3rd rail land South of the Thames. The biggest change since the end of the old slam-door trains back in 2005. To do this I’ve been hanging around the Clapham Jn area – with an ulterior motive in mind. I’ve lent a spare zoom lens to an old friend who lives next door but needed to drop off the kit associated with it. We managed the transfer at lunchtime. Serendipity would have it that this was an ideal time to be taking pictures at the Junction as there were one or two unusual working such this…
I’m now taking a break in an old railway station building to update this blog and recharge various devices before moving on again…
19:15.
I’m now winging my way back up north after a brilliant afternoon in across South London, exploring old haunts and also discovering just how much the city has changed in the decade since I left. Some of the old London that I remember is till left, but so much has changed due to the mass of new buildings that have appeared. South London railways offer a great vantage point as many arrive into the city on viaducts. You can still pass serried rows of chimney pots and imagine what it must have been like when everyone relied on coal for heating. You won’t see Dick Van Dyke dancing amongst them or Mary Poppins floating past – instead you’ll see a backdrop of modern buildings dwarfing the traditional rooflines as London’s extended up, and up – and up…
Nowadays London’s railways are a corridor into a very built-up city South of the river. A train driver friend once described the route through Wandsworth past Vauxhall and into Waterloo as a bit like trying to bomb the ‘Death Star’ (Star Wars fans will know exactly what he means). At least the new blocks don’t house laser cannons!
During my explorations I stopped of in Denmark Hill again, but this time I visited the pub in the old station building. It was damaged by fire back in the 1980s then became one of the famous Bruces brewery ‘Firkin’ pubs of the 1980s. This one was named the ‘Phoenix and Firkin’ for obvious reasons. The Firkin chain is (sadly) long gone, but this pub survives under a different ownershio and seems to thrive. The road bridge outside is now blocked off and become a huge beer garden which is a fantastic summer space. Whilst I was sat inside I overhead a group of nurses from the nearby Kings College Hospital who’d called in for a drink at the end of their shifts before going home. Clearly knackered, they were talking about dealing with intubing patients with Covid. It was hard to listen to what they had to deal with and the obvious stresses they had o go through, yet tried to talk about in a matter of fact way. Not gallows humour by any means as the stresses showed and there was nothing but compassion for the people they’d been treating – which made it worse in some ways as I’ll bet many of the people they’re having to deal with now are the ones who’ve refused to be vaccinated.
Moving on I retraced my steps to Clapham via a brief stop at Wandsworth Rd station – just to see how much has changed – which is a lot. The Victoria – London Bridge trains are no more. Now the line’s part of the Overground and the trains run to/from Clapham Junction. Bushes and the nightmare that’s Buddleia have destroyed the possibility of recreating the shots I used to get in the 1990s whilst the skyline has changed completely as Battersea Power station has been invaded by new housing development. I’ll go back one day in an afternoon just to get some comparison shots.
21:30.
I’m now on the last leg home – by train anyway. I came back from London aboard another quiet LNER service, this time the 18:33 to Bradford Forster Square which was worked by a pair of 5-car Azumas. There was only about a dozen of us in the front car of the front train. The trip allowed me to spend time editing pictures from today which will start appearing on my website tomorrow but it may take a few days for the full haul to be processed as I’ve other things to do too.
I’m now on a rather busy 2-car class 195 heading to Manchester from Leeds. The difference between the two trains couldn’t be more marked. From ten cars to two! That said, they’re all new trains serving very different markets.
*A chain is an antiquated measurement (1 chain = 22 yards) that’s still used to calculate distances on the railways which is done in miles and chains. Although superseded by metric, it’s still used on many railway maps.
2022 is shaping up to be a funny old year. I can’t quite put my finger on why other than that it seems to be all over the place at the moment – and no – that’s not just the Government! With revelation after revelation about the party antics in No10 I can imagine that some Senior Tories must be thinking “please – just make it stop!” Somehow I think that’s going to be folorn hope. At least the Covid situation’s improving and the early signs that Omicron would be less of a problem appear to be panning out. Ironically, this could be adding to the Tories rows as they’ll no longer be able to use Covis as a smokescreen for what a shit-show Brexit is – especially now the latest customs restrictions kicked in in January, turning Kent into a vast lorry-park. Worse is yet to come as the next tranche of self-imposed restrictions come into force in the summer. I wonder if Johnson will still be PM then?
Despite the pandemic relaxing its grip the economic picture remains confused. Partly due to concerns about a possible war between Russia and the Ukraine, but also mixed news from other parts of the globe. It’s certainly causing disturbances on the world markets which are up and down like a bride’s nightie and returns aren’t always reflected in the performance of the stock markets . The old curse ‘may you live in interesting times’ couldn’t be more apposite.
Still, I’m doing my best to put such cares aside right now. There’s bugger-all I can do about them but watch from the sidelines. Having spent the past couple of days working from home editing pictures, blogging, scanning and slimming down on long-stored personal possessions I’m having a day away tomorrow. I’ll be returning to London so expect a rolling blog of my travels as I make my way to and around the capital.
Tonight I’ll leave you with another old slide as picture of the day. I’ve been working my way through an album of old travel shots in fits and starts. Having completed a selection from Denmark and England I’m about to embark on a series of shots taken in India in 1995-96 but I’m going to end tonight with one from the UK. This shot of the old post-windmill at Chillenden in Kent was taken on the 16th July 1995 during a cycle trip around Kent. For several years Lynn and I would attend the Kent beer festival in Canterbury with friends from London and stay overnight. We’d bring our bikes on the train so whilst everyone else headed back to London we’d spend the day cycling around the byways of the garden of England. This was one of the sights we discovered.
Lynn sitting on the base of the windmill, just to give a sense of scale. The whole windmill could be turned to catch the wind – hence the wheel on a beam at the back!
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 out and about both sides of the Pennines today, starting off with a trip to Leeds. Sadly, it’s hardly a vintage day weather wise but that won’t affect either assignment as neither is about sesxy landscape shots. My walk into Halifax was fun. Passing the Piece Hall where the new Marvel comics ‘Avengers’ film is being shot I noticed the film industry’s answer to this problem towering over the area. Bring your own sun!
Here’s the ‘little’ brother of the other rig…
I’ve not bumped into any of the actors but Samuel L Jackson posed for selfies with locals outside a nearby restaurant the other day. Halifax seems to be much in demand by the media at the moment as another TV series of ‘Happy Valley is being shot here at the same time.
Leaving the bright lights (literally!) of the film industry behind I’m now on a Northern train to Leeds via Bradford. Passenger loadings are pretty good and seem to be recovering from the latest Covid knock. I’ll be interested to see how Leeds looks compared to my last visit.
14:30.
Well, that was an interesting interlude! I was being coy about where I was going as I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that I was going to turn up to the anti HS2 farce (don’t you mean ‘day of action’? Ed) in Manchester’s Piccadilly gardens which was due to kick off at 12:00. It took me a while to find it as it was tiny! Just 10 people, a child and two others dressed as a white elephant where there. They were outnumbered by members of the media who patiently waited for them to assemble their banners and elephant before they set off on a circuit of part of Piccadilly Gardens. Their shouts were led by one Karen Wildin, an XR protester from *checks notes* Lreicester! In fact, I doubt any of the were actually from the city they were trying to prevent gaining green infrastructure, regeneration and thousands of jobs. It’s always been noticeable that there’s never been a single organised stopHS2 ‘action’ group in the whole of Manchester – hence them having to draft in people from elsewhere. I’ll do a separate blog about this whole farce, which lasted less then two hours before they traipsed back to Piccadilly station before catching their trains home to whence they came. The attitude of Manchester? Meh! Meanwhile, this afternoon, the HS2 phase 2b Crewe – Manchester Hybrid bill has been deposited in Parliament. It will get its 2nd reading in February, when it will fly through the vote as the opposition to HS2 has collapsed.
Here’s a picture of their farcical demonstration.
Somehow, I don’t think MPs will be quaking in their boots. I’ve seen more people turning up to protest about parking restrictions!
19:30.
I’m now on the train back across the Pennines after an interesting and certainly varied day. After attending the farcical and futile protest I spent a bit of time editing pictures and getting other images off to a client before their deadline, then had a wander around Manchester. I have to admit, the weather wasn’t exactly what you’d want for such perambulations but hey – this is the North in January after all. I did manage to bag a few more library shots which will appear on my Zenfolio picture website soon. After that, it was time for a trip to Chinatown to pick up some more edible goodies. I love mooching around the Chinese supermarkets as I always discover something new that I have to resist the urge to buy as – more likely than not – It’ll end up sitting in a cupbord as I don’t really know what to do with it.
Right now I’m on Northern’s 18:58 from Manchester to Leeds made up of a pair of 2-car Class 195s. It’s surprisingly quiet, not that Victoria station was. That was buzzing with hundreds of young people off to a gig at the Arena (just don’t ask me who was playing as I’ve no idea!).
It’s been a quiet weekend here in Bigland Towers. Dawn’s been under the weather. The weather’s not been great either – and there’s been enough to do at home to keep us confined to barracks anyway. That said we haven’t been completely housebound as we have nipped out to shops and a couple of our local pubs, but I’d hardly call it an active weekend – and neither would my Fitbit!
On the bright side, I’m cracking on with slide scanning and decluttering (much to the joy of the local charity shops) and preparing for the week ahead which I’m determined will be a good one. I’ve got two varied railway-related events on tomorrow which will see me out and about. One is taking more pictures for a forthcoming article in RAIL that involves a trip to Leeds. The other I’ll keep quiet about for now as I don’t want to spoil the surprise for some people. All will be revealed tomorrow. Expect a rolling blog and pictures from my travels anyway as well as an update on some other railway news.
Right, it’s time for super. Dawn’s made a fabulous Shepherds pie so I’m off to eat. all that remains is to leave you with the picture of the day which is taken from my latest batch of old slide scans. This is another view of London which has changed out of all recognition and if I didn’t tell you where it is in advance most people would have no idea where this was.
This picture is of what is now the Jubilee line underground station at Canary Wharf in London’s Docklands. It was taken in 1996 but my records don’t say what month.
The picture’s taken from the Docklands Light railway as my train passed over Middle Dock. This whole area is now an expanse of some seriously expensive real-estate! Oh, you see the buildings to the right? That’s South Quay. It was devastated by an IRA truck bomb in February 1996 which killed two people and injured 100. The buildings you see are shattered shells. I was living in the East End at the time and even though we were over a mile away our windows shook so much we though they were going to be blown in. This was the reality of terrorism in the days of ‘The Troubles’ and it makes some of the things people fret about now pale into insignificance when you look at what happened to the the capital on a regular basis in those days.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
As threatened I’ve escaped the Calder valley this morning. Having packed my passport I’m heading across the Pennines to Manchester and the North-West to (hopefully) obtain some scenic railway pictures as part of a long-standing commission. The weather’s certainly ideal. We’ve a crisp, frosty morning in the valley with clear blue skies that make the ideal backdrop. Having walked up the hill towards Halifax I paused for a moment to grab this shot which illustrates what I mean. I never tire of this view and will often linger here to watch the world go by.
Right now I’m on the 08:44 Northern service from Halifax to Manchester Victoria which is made up of a 2-car class 195. I’m assuming this is part of the Dept Transport inspired cost-cutting/service reduction as normally this would be a four car service this time of day. Admittedly, it’s not even half full, but we’re only just into the journey.
I’ll be blogging throughout my travels today, so feel free to pop back and see where I get to and what I end up doing…
09:15.
We’ve just left Rochdale where we picked up a handful of people heading into the city, but nothing like the numbers you can expect during rush-hour. This side of the Pennines is just as frozen and icy as the West. Th fields are blanketed in frost which is glistening in the low winter sunlight. The roofs of many houses display the same characteristics – showing who’s got decent loft insulation – and who hasn’t! I’m looking forward to being able to get the camera out but first I’ve got to cross the city to get to Piccadilly…
10:10.
My meander across central Manchester was interesting as everywhere was quieter than i’ve seen it in a long time. Victoria station was sonambulent and the city centre just as sleepy. Few homeless people graced doorways (thankfully) and shoppers were equally thin on the ground. Passing the Wetherspoons I noticed a group of young lads huddled in the window. Eschewing the usual pints of lager they were drinking pitchers of lurid looking cocktails. Their day may get messy…
Piccadilly station was busier than Victoria but only marginally so. For a railway cathedral this was hardly a feast day.
I’m now on a Northern Class 323 heading out along the truncated remains of the old Woodhead route. It’s a route I know well but it’s a shadow of the line I knew as a boy in the early 1970s when it was a major trans-pennine freight artery. All the sidings and yards, loco stabling points and engines are long gone as the line was closed in 1981. Now there’s just a passenger service that shuttles between Manchester, Glossop and Hadfield.
12:45.
I’m retracing my steps from Glossop and Dinting after a productive if frustrating couple of hours. The low winter light didn’t allow me to get the pictures I wanted in Glossop (too many long shadows) but it was ideal for shots around the Dinting viaduct. It felt odd to be back. I last spent time taking pictures around here 10 or so years back but I chiefly remember it from the 1970s when there was an active steam railway centre here based on the single road loco shed. All of this was abandoned at the beginning of the 1990s. Dinting station still retains its old buildings although those on the abandoned platforms aren’t ageing well…
This shot was taken from the footbridge East of Dinting station where the entrance to the old steam centre was. The bridge gives great views across the nearby allotments to the Dinting viaduct where a Northern Class 323 is pictured traversing the structure en-route to Glossop. The view from below, showing a Manchster bound train crossing the viaduct. The extra brick piers were added in 1909 in order to strengthen the structure for even heavier trains.
16:15.
I’m now on my way back to Manchester after taking a trip down the Mid-Cheshire line to Northwich to recce a few photographic locations. Sadly, nothing stood out and what did would only work later in the year with different lighting conditions. Still, it was a chance to reacquaint myself with a line I’ve not had need to traverse for several years. I ended up in Northwich, the source of most of the UKs rock salt – a precious commodity this time of year! Ignoring the fact using such a cortosive naterial in this day and age is rather mad I was curious to see the state of the station. Part of the original building suffered a rather spectacular collapse not that long ago and it was amazing no-one was killed. Repairs are still ongoing. As a kid I remember when this place was a hive of railway activity due to mineral traffic to and from the ICI (remember them) works. Now the sidings are abandoned and overgrown with Silver Birch trees whilst the site of the locomotive depot is a housing estate.
I had an hour to kill between trains so wandered into town which is a 10 minute hike. It looks to have some fine old buildings but town planners haven’t done it any favours by cutting it off with inner ring roads. One of the most impressive buildings is now a Wetherspoons, which says it all really. The actual pub is in a shed-like structure at the rear!
A Wetherspoons where the facade is nothing like what you’ll get inside
19:00.
Wow, so much that I want to write about – so this section will change as I travel.
I was sorely tempted to stop off in Stockport on my way back North as the light looked like it would’ve been ideal for sunset shots through the iconic viaduct but I hesitated as I needed to pick up some shopping in the city. More fool me as by the time I was approaching Piccadilly the conditions were perfect. Oh well..
Back in the city I headed over to Chinatown to grab some ingredients that are almost impossible to find outside major cities or university towns with a cosmopolitan student base. I stocked up on Red and Green curry pastes plus fiery red chillis and pea aubergines which are such a feature of Thai cooking.
During my wanderings I found myself drawn to the Northern Quarter and a friendly pub of old. I’ll be honest – I miss city life – especially so after the covid separations we’ve all had to endure. Sitting at a bar, overhearing (intelligent) conversations has been much missed…
19:00.
The train back across the Pennines was another experience I’ve missed. The 3-car 195 was busy from Victoria as many people were either returning home from work or an early evening in town. As usual, my camera (which was cradled in my lap) became a talking point. It started a conversation with the the chap sat next to me in the tip-up seats. He’d been out with his grandson playing virtual cricket and was blown away by the experience. Apparently, the one thing that isn’t virtual is the bat you hold and the balls that head your way! I really enjoyed the interaction as it’s one of the things I’ve always loved about train travel and missed because of Covid, People just haven’t been as willing to engage in the way we used to. Whilst I loved to hear his enthusiasm (and trepidation) for trying something that was obviously outside his comfort zone, the issue for me was realising that ‘grandad’ was obviously several years younger than I am! This is becoming a familiar story. I don’t feel old, it’s other people who make me seem that way – honest!
23:00.
I’m now back at home and taking the rest of the night off, but expect lots of more guff and stuff tomorrow.
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 been a busy week here at Bigland Towers. Despite the sunny weather I’ve been stuck indoors trying to catch up on paperwork, deal with picture requests from clients whilst continuing with decluttering – and scanning old slides. But now I’m getting itchy feet. The good weather is forecast to be around for a few more days so tomorrow I intend to get out with the camera in order to document more of the changing face of the railways. That’s getting harder to do as the Government and Dept of Transport cut many rail services from the timetable from Monday. An example is Manchester – Euston which has gone from three to one train an hour. All this just as it seems that Covid cases have peaked and are in decline, although the data is too fresh to draw firm conclusions. Mind you, with the political shambles we’re seeing at the moment I’m not expecting anything better. We have a Transport Minister who’s still trying to pretend his widely-derided (dis)Integrated Rail Plan is the best thing since sliced bread and castigates its critics, whilst everyone else outside of his Westminster bubble knows it’s a lemon. The railways are having an unhappy time of things at the moment due to a complete lack of direction and the feeling that the only people in charge are the bean-counters in the Treasury – the people who are the living embodiment of the old phrase about knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Still, I’m looking forward to escaping the confines of the Calder Valley for a while, just to remind myself what the wider world looks like again. No doubt there’ll be a rolling blog appearing…
In the meantime, here’s the picture of the day selected from my latest batch of old slide scans taken in 1996. A lot’s changed over the past few years, but these standing stones at Avebury in Wiltshire have seen millennia come and go. After all, many of them have been standing since 2900 BC!
Sadly, I can’t see myself making it to Wiltshire tomorrow, but I hope I can keep you entertained with tales from somewhere less ancient…
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/
Apologies for blogging absence but I’ve been busy on other projects these past few days which have left me little time for writing, although I promise to make up for that this next week. One of the activities that’s kept me occupied wasn’t a new year resolution, but the new year has seemed like a fine time to do some decluttering and finally get rid of stuff I’ve had sitting around in boxes and cupboards ever since I moved to West Yorkshire from London in 2010. Loads of old books have been sorted and sifted, with most going to a local charity shop whilst a few have been kept back for sale on eBay. I neglected eBay all last year due to the madness of the customs changes brought about by the Brexit shambles and also all the new postage rates. I kept meaning to restart selling but other activities got in the way as the country rebounded from Covid and I could get out and about again. This year will be different as I’ve a lot of stuff to shift and (hopefully) monetize. As well as disposing of books and magazines I’ve been digging through cupboards to consolidate all the old camera and computer gubbins that’s all been stashed away – including what feels like miles and miles of old cables and chargers with all manner of redundant plugs and USB connections. Standardisation of these damned things can’t come soon enough! Oh, I also found some old Blackberry’s. Remember them? I had several over the years and found their QWERTY keyboard and decent screens a boon. Ironically, I found them just as the company (who no longer make phones) announced it was withdrawing support for them, rendering the devices unusable. So, so long Blackberry…
Another day of decluttering beckons tomorrow, although it’ll be some time before everything’s finally sorted and disposed of one way or another. Even so, we can both notice the difference already – much to Dawn’s delight as she’s been trying to get me to do this for ages!
OK, on to today’s picture which is all part and parcel of the decluttering in many ways as these old slide albums used to take up a hell of a lot of space before I started getting them all scanned and stored out of their folders and plastic mounts. Today’s picture was taken from atop the dome of St Paul’s cathedral in London in February 1996.
The tallest building on the picture is the old Natwest tower in London’s ‘square mile’. I really should go back up to the dome of St Paul’s and recreate this shot in 2022, because this aspect of London’s skyline has changed out of all recognition now!
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Sorry – I took a day off from blogging yesterday as I was too busy travelling and wanted to savour the time I had exploring railway byways to enjoy the sights and concentrate on the photography rather than trying to type a commentary at the same time. There was also the added complication that I didn’t really have much idea where I was going to go at first!
As is usually the case at weekend various railway lines were closed for engineering work. In this case it was the South-Western main line around Weybridge which meant many services were being diverted via Guildford, including those from this neck of the woods. Despite the appalling weather forecast and heavy rain we’d suffered all morning I decided to venture out anyway. Dee gave me a lift to Farnham and I tootled off to Guildford on a very quiet train, then thought about where to go. A plan formed in my mind and I decided to head East towards London, stopping off on the way to grab shots in locations I’d not visited for quite some time – or not at all. My route was via Effingham Junction where I managed shots of diverted Weymouth services. It’s not a place where you’d normally find the 5-car Siemens Class 444s thundering through, so that was a bonus to add to pictures of the elderly suburban sets that normally ply the route between Waterloo and Guildford, These 1980s built Class 455s are living on borrowed time as they’re being replaced, but the new trains are late. Very late…
444041 and 444031 thunder over the junction at Effingham whilst working 1W69 the 1323 London Waterloo to Weymouth which would normally run via Woking, but that station was the terminus for services from Southampton and Salisbury, so the Weymouth line trains were run this way. The road bridge over the railway by the station provided an excellent vantage point, even if it was a wet one! .Having terminated at Effingham and stabled in the yard to let other services past, Class 455s 5868 and 5707 run back into Effingham Junction station to work 2D40, the 1402 Effingham Junction to London Waterloo.
Having secured the shots I wanted and being fed up of the heavy showers I moved Eastwards, having decided to visit one line I’d always missed off travelling on. En-route I passed through several stations which would be worth exploring at a later date as they still retain many of their old buildings and character, Leatherhead a good example. My next stop was Epsom where I switched from Southwestern Railways to Southern for a trip to Sutton on the edge of London. On the way I passed through Cheam (a name made famous by comedian Tony Hancock) where the station once boasted two fast lines running through the centre which were provided in the the days when freight was an important part of the railway. Nowadays it’s a rarity as the old Southern is overwhelmingly a passenger railway. I left the train at Sutton. It’s a busy junction served by both Southern and Thameslink services (via the Sutton loop). Although substantial, the four platform station’s looking a bit run-down nowadays, despite a series of refurbishments through the 2000s. The problem with it became obvious when I arrived in the middle of a torrential downpour. The roof leaks like a sieve! The platforms were awash with water and the covered footbridge between the four platforms wasn’t much better although to be fair, contractors are on site refurbishing the whole structure at the moment, which means there’s lots of scaffolding poles that need to be negotiated as well as puddles.
I was here to catch a train on the 6km line to Epsom Downs. Despite living in London for 25 years I’d never made it down the branch for one reason or another, so today seemed like a good time to put that right. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the old Class 455s I was expecting to find had been replaced with dual-voltage, 100mph class 377s – not that either of these features would be needed on this route!
The Epsom Downs line is an oddity. For the first Kilometer it’s double track, after that it’s a single-track branch line – essentially it’s a long siding. It has two single platform intermediate stations at Belmont and Banstead before reaching Epsom Downs, another basic station. But it wasn’t always like this. In its heyday it was a double-track railway and Epsom Downs was a station with nine platforms, most of which were only used on race days! Here’s a great article and old pictures taken over the years on the ‘disused stations’ website (link). Having been reduced in size over decades the old station finally closed in 1989 and this is what’s replaced it.
Units 377458 and 377211 sit at Epsom Downs before working 2B79, the 1508 Epsom Downs to Selhurst. Normally Epsom trains run to Victoria but the lines from Balham to Victoria have been closed since Christmas Eve as the route is being resignalled. To ease congestion Epsom services shuttle between the town and Selhurst in South London.This is Belmont, one of the intermediate stations on the line. As you can see, much of the old station land has been taken over by new housing. Here’s 377207 and 377215 calling with 2B72, the 1459 Selhurst to Epsom Downs. The remains of the stations second platform can be seen by the rear of the train.
Time and the light ran out before I could explore more, so I had to retrace my steps home, stopping to get a few more shots on the way. You can find them in these different galleries on my website, one dedicated to the Southern franchise, this one to SWR and this one to Thameslink.
Tomorrow we head home to Yorkshire once more. Weather permitting we’ll be taking a slight detour to have a look at some more of the High-Speed 2 railway construction work in Northamptonshire so keep an eye out for a rolling blog…
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/
