Here we are in a new month with time seeming to fly. August already? Sheesh!
I’ve had a quiet start to the month after expending a lot of energy (and shoe leather) yesterday, traipsing around Sheffield, then attending the opening of the ‘greatest gathering’ in Derby. As a consequence, much of my time’s been spent with my feet up as I edit the hundreds of pictures I’ve taken.
I’ve already started a new gallery on my Zenfolio website which is dedicated to to the greatest gathering. Here’s a link. I’ll be adding more pictures tomorrow, along with shots from Sheffield. Here’s a sample.
Don’t let the number fool you! This is LMS ‘Jubilee’ No 45699 ‘Galatea’ (built at Crewe works in 1936) masquerading as another (long scrapped) member of the class, 45627 ‘Sierra Leone’.
OK, that’s all for tonight folks, I’ll be blogging at greater length tomorrow.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I’m slowly getting my mojo back. Today’s been a good day where I’ve felt I’ve actually achieved a few things and have lots to look forward to. Admittedly, not everything on my list was ticked off, but many of the major things were. That’s the problem with a long list! I’m reminded of an old boss from the days when I worked in Housing in East London. He used to say ‘if it’s an urgent file, leave it on my chair’. Within 6 months he had a second chair, one for him and one for the ‘urgent’ files! I’m not that bad (just don’t ask about my email inbox).
Having been busy at home all day I did manage to get out for a stroll this afternoon. All the shit and hassle recently has meant I’ve been lax at this – which has had an impact on how I feel. This week I’ve been determined to up the ante and hit as many targets as possible. Having picked up some shopping and nipped into my local pub for a ‘swifty’ my walk home took me past a superb crop of Blackberries which I couldn’t resist returning to pick. I’ve never known such a bumper crop this early in the season – especially as we’ve had such a dry year.
Tomorrow I’ll be up early to head down to Derby via Sheffield. Expect a rolling blog with lots of pictures – including previews of the biggest event that’s been organised to celebrate Railway 200.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I’m sorry I’ve been absent for so long but the pair of us have had a rather shitty time this past week. I won’t go into details other than to say the worst is over and we’re gradually bouncing back. On the bright side, we’ll now have more time to devote to the things in life we both want to do and enjoy. In my case that means getting back to travelling and blogging, so expect a renewed stream of rolling blogs from my travels as well as wry and/or splenetic observations on the state of UK politics.
Oh, then there’s the weather. My absence has coincided with a change in the weather. We’ve actually had a few much-needed rainy days here in the Pennines, although it doesn’t seem to have made much difference to the levels in local reservoirs, which remain perilously low. I’ve visited some recently and have a new reservoir blog in the pipeline – if you’ll pardon the pun.
On Thursday I’ll be heading to Derby, so expect a rolling blog and preview pictures of a very important event in the railway calendar to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of Britain (and the world’s) railways.
Anyways, it’s good to be back. I’ll see you at greater length tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which is of a lovely meal Dawn rustled up using steak from the excellent Bolster Moor Farm shop. We both love Thai food – and this fiery Thai beef salad is a favourite.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today’s been a real mixture here at Bigland Towers. We’ve not had any rain today but the landscape remains damp and humid from the torrents we had yesterday, whilst heavy cloud prevents the sun from drying things up much. Whilst Dawn took it easy this morning I was busy pottering around whilst catching up on emails and planning future jobs – and sorting the cottage out ready for the impending arrival of our guest (Dawn’s Niece).
This afternoon we managed to get out, driving over to Huddersfield to drop off supplies at Dee’s parents – which included the latest batch of industrial quantity, home-cooked (gluten-free) Lasagne, which should keep them going for a while. After which we decided to go for a drive and clear our heads whilst exploring. We’d no destination in mind, we simply went where the roads took us – which was over the border from Marsden into Greater Manchester and the area around Uppermill and Greenfield. There was only one problem. It was raining cats and dogs over there – so we beat a hasty retreat back into Kirklees past Dovestones edge to Holmfirth, where the skies were much kinder. I’d have loved to have got some pictures en-route but the A635 is a bugger of a narrow road guarded by double yellow lines for most of its length. There’s nowhere to stop safely, even for a minute or two. Ho hum…
We ended up driving in a big circle before pitching up back in Slaithwaite (or ‘slawit’ depending on your particular pronunciation fetish) where we went for a stroll along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal before adjourning for a quick drink (and a slice of cake) sitting outside the Little Bridge, which is sandwiched between the canal and the river. To their credit, they serve beers from Empire brewing, a local micro-brewery a short stroll down the canal. I’d include a link, but it looks like their website’s been hacked, so here’s one from CAMRA instead.
Strangely, I didn’t use the camera once today. It wasn’t that sort of day and the two of us having quality time together was more important. So, today’s picture will have to be from another time. Slaithwaite’s a traditional old West Yorkshire mill town which has successfully reinvented itself as good tourist spot to visit for a drink or a meal. It also has a vibrant local community. It possesses a railway station on the Colne valley line from Huddersfield to Manchester, which cuts across the town on this rather impressive viaduct.
OK, time to go. Just as I was typing this Dawn relayed the news that Ozzy Osbourne, the lead singer of Black Sabbath has died at the age of 76. This brought back some memories. I saw Black Sabbath perform at the Floral Hall in Southport back in 1978. On that tour they were supported by a (then) unknown band called….Van Halen. There are two particular things about that gig that stick in my mind. Van Halen were amazing – and that my ears were still ringing two days after the event. The sound engineers must’ve though they were set up for a stadium, not some small provincial theatre!
To make me feel even older, I realise Dawn was 10 at the time!
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Here we are, over the hump of 2025 and into the slide towards the end of the year. Not that I’m being pessimistic, but this has been quite a mixed year. Hopefully, all it can do is improve.
There’s only a short blog from me today as I’m out and about tomorrow, visiting various stations and lines in order to research a future article for RAIL magazine. This means getting up at silly o’ clock in order to be on an 06:00 train from Halifax. Expect a rolling blog from my travels.
Today, I’ve been busy at home, sorting out bits for next weeks travels, paperwork, and yet more picture collating. Remember my recalcitrant hard-drive? The little sod is playing ball today so I’ve been busy stripping pictures from it. Hopefully, I’ll recover all I need.
In between all this the pair of us have been able to get out and enjoy the sunshine – although the wind has taken the edge off temperatures, although some people will see that as a welcome respite from the highs we’ve seen recently. Me? I’m used to tropical climes, so I’m happy as Larry in the heat! Even so, I can’t complain about the recent rains. It saves me watering the garden and depleting our perilously low reservoirs even more.
Now for today’s picture, which is one from the database I’ve just been recovering. They’re all from the year 2018. Looking back, it was a helluva busy one, with press trips to several countries, as well as holidays to the USA and SE-Asia. This image is from the press trip previewing Eurostar’s new service from London to Amsterdam. We were given access to the cab during different parts of the trip, and my picture shows the driver acknowledging a Netherlands railway service shortly after leaving Rotterdam on the 20th February 2018.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
It’s a new week and I’m back blogging after a few days off due to being busy at home. Dawn’s returned from her latest Surrey sojourn which means we’ve had a lot of things to catch up upon. Sadly, Dee’s been knackered after her time down South so I’ve been stepping in to take over various chores.
Added to that has been my ever-changing work calendar which now sees me trying to arrange some short-notice writing jobs in order to free up time later in the month for other travels. Oh, then there’s been the weather. Today’s been one of the hottest June days ever in the Pennines. The results aren’t yet in – but it’s not likely to have been short of the record reached in 2015. The fact so many records have been reached (and broken) over the past 20 years is worrying, but the Climate Change denialists still dismiss the changes and increasing average temperatures as just ‘weather’ (ignoring the graphs and mountains of other data).
As someone who’s not young enough to worry about how the climate will be in 20 years time, I’ve been enjoying the sun (if not the sweating). Having spent the morning working I was happy to get out for a walk into Sowerby Bridge in order to stretch my legs and pick up some shopping, then enjoy a stroll along the Calder and Hebble navigation (a fancy name for the canal heading East from Sowerby Bridge). Mind you. you’re not going to be going anywhere West from Sowerby Bridge on the Rochdale canal – because it’s dry. The pound below the Tuel Lane lock (the deepest in England) is barren and unnavigable due to a shortage of water. Several canals are suffering from the drought, including the Huddersfield narrow canal in the Colne valley next door. The UKs canal network is a fantastic resource, but it’s already being hit by climate change as weather patterns alter and droughts become more common.
I took this picture in mid-May. The scene is even worse today as that narrow stream from Tuel Lane lock behind the camera has become a trickle. It’s especially sad as the UK’s canal network helps tackle climate change, as the Canal and River trust explain on their website.
Anyway, that’s today’s picture – both photographic and pessimistic. In the meantime, I’m determined to make the most of the planet we have – whilst we still have it! What you buggers decide to do with it after I’m gone isn’t my concern. But perhaps think about what your children (or grandchildren) may inherit?
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Apologies for the gap over the last couple of days but I’ve been busy with other projects, including a day out to see progress on the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) that saw me cover so much ground (over 35,000 steps) that there was no time to do a rolling blog worth its name. Today, I’ve been based at home. I’m in the final throes of ‘spring cleaning’ (OK, OK, I know it’s officially summer, but that’s when I started!) and sorting out plans for the rest of the year, but more of those anon.
The weather has begun to pick up again these past few days, but I’ve really enjoyed stopping to watch the changing skies over the Calder valley during my daily walk. We’ve had some really moody ones as the clouds and rain jostle for supremacy with the sun. They’ve been well worth getting caught by showers just to watch the displays – and get a few pictures like these;
Sun breaks through the clouds to illuminate a small patch of woodland and highlight the pylons and cables on the South side of the Calder valley. Norland looking lovely in the evening sunlight.
I mentioned TRU earlier. I’ve lots of pictures in the editing queue, but here’s a taster.
A pair of Trans-Pennine Express Class 185s bound for Scarborough head East through Heaton Lodge Junction, where the line from the Calder Valley sweeps in from the left. There’s a huge amount of work going on here as a new alignment is being built. You can see the new cutting for the fast lines taking shape to the right of the big crane. The bridge I’m standing on to take this picture will soon be replaced by a new structure just in front of the camera. For those unfamiliar with the area, Heaton Lodge junction is between Deighton, Huddersfield (behind the camera) and Mirfield.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Funny old world, innit – eh? As I write this on the second day of summer the rain’s beating on the bedroom window as it’s hammering down outside. Summer was nice whilst it lasted, but that was what we normally call spring. Fortunately, I browsed various weather forecasts to find what they nearly agreed on, so I’m back in the warm and dry despite having ventured out for long enough to get my obligatory 5 mile walk under my belt.
All in all, it’s not been a bad day, despite the weather. I’ve sorted out lots of stuff – including picture databases and hard-drives which are always fraught with unexpected problems because ‘tech’ never really behaves the ways you expect, when you want. It also seems to have a sixth sense, working out exactly when to play up in order to give you maximum stress and inconvenience.
Now it’s time for me to relax and let hard-drive talk to hard-drive whilst I watch a film. In the meantime, here’s a picture from today. On my walk through the local woods I pass this lovely little ‘fairy’ tree. It’s grown quite a bit over the last few months as new items are always being added. I don’t know whose idea it was, or even who maintains it as I never see them, but the idea fascinates and uplifts me during these troubled times.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Well, here we are. Midsummer – the longest day of the year. But thankfully, no murders where I am. Meanwhile, ‘Druids’ are off making up druidish things at Stonehenge whilst the rest of the UK basks in sunshine – unless you’ve had thunderstorms – that we haven’t, which has been most disappointing. I love a good thunderstorm, they’re such amazing natural phenomena. Sadly, all we’ve had is moody skies and a few desultory spatters of rain which are no use to man nor beast.
Most of my day’s been spent working from home, gradually working my way through the hundreds of pictures I’ve taken this week. In between, my computer’s CPU has been kept very busy copying files between old and new hard-drives. Needless to say, these gizmos have generated much more indoor heat, which I’d have happily done without, so I left them talking between themselves and went for a long walk before stopping off for a pint at my local on the way home.
Now the day’s wearing on. I’m still copying files between hard drives but I hope to have my machine back soon so that I can curl up (well, more like stretch out in this heat) with a movie before another busy Sunday…
Oh, today’s picture? I’ve chosen this one from the editing queue. Here’s the restored Crystal Palace station in South London. The station’s a multi-level architectural gem and the concourse contains a lot of history – as well as modern facilities. And yes – that is a free to use piano on the left.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today’s been a hot and sticky one here in West Yorkshire. Temperatures have hit 28 degrees here in the Calder valley, yet much of the day skies have been overcast with little breeze to ameliorate the heat. Still, I’m not complaining. Much of my day’s been spent indoors anyway as I catch up with various chores after a few days away. The washing machine’s been busy and my computer keyboards taken a bashing as I catch up with emails, invoicing and picture editing – along with researching future opportunities. Expect several hundred pictures to appear on my Zenfolio website over the next few days.
By early evening I was ready for a break so nipped out for a long walk, picking up some food shopping before ending up in my local pub (the Big 6) in time to join friends for the Friday quiz – and a slice of free pork pie! The quiz is neither competitive nor serious, digressions and anecdotes are not only allowed, they’re de rigueur! Despite such meandering we were finished by 19:30, at which point is was time for me to wend my way home for a quiet night in (Dawn’s away with her family in Surrey). Now I’m editing the hundreds of pictures I’ve taken this week whilst listen to music. Tonight’s soundtrack is provided by Todd Rundgren.
I’ll leave you with two pictures today.
Waiting at Brixton for the very first Northbound underground train of the day at 05:41 yesterday. No riots, no graffiti just ordinary Londoners on their way to work (and me). Meanwhile, back in West Yorkshire, it’s free pork pie Friday in the Big 6, with an ever-changing range of real ales as a backdrop.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 