Down memory lane No 2: A tale of two pictures.

16 Monday Apr 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in London, Memory Lane, Railways, Travel

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I’ve been scanning more old slides today. There’s an ecletic mix which includes royalty, personal shots going back 20 odd years, travel images and also railway shots. Two of the rail shots caught my eye as they sum up how much has changed since they were taken in 2001. Not just on the railways, but also across London. Neither of these shots are possible now.

Here’s the first example. A Waterloo to Paris Eurostar (set 3211) passes Vauxhall on the 25th January 2001 with the Houses of Parliament providing a historic backdrop.

08736. 3211. Eurostar with Parliament in the background. Vauxhall. 25.1.01

There’s two reasons why this is a historical shot nowadays, although only one is probably immediately obvious (to railway enthusiasts at least). In 2007 Eurostars stopped using Waterloo and the ‘classic’ line through South London because the service was transferred to St Pancras International. The second reason’s because new building has blocked off the view of Parliament. London’s booming housing market has meant that a row of apartments now occupy the land next to the railway.

Here’s another historic view from the same year, taken a month later on the 25th February 2001. One of the (then) brand new Gatwick Express units (460004) leaves London’s Victoria station with the 15:00 service to Gatwick Airport.

08954. 460004. 15.00 to Gatwick Airport. Victoria. 25.2.01

Both railway enthusiasts and London commuters will get this one but probably for different reasons. The Alstom built Class 460s are already history, having been withdrawn by 2012 to be converted into the Class 458/5’s. OK, the old slam door train behind it has gone too – but the biggest change in this scene is the iconic view of the old Battersea Power station. The area’s now part of a massive housing redevelopment which has hemmed in the power station and closed off the view.

I consider myself fortunate that I lived in London for so long and managed to capture shots like this. As the old Joni Mitchell song lyric says, ‘you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’…

Down memory lane. No 1- a day out to Bescot.

14 Saturday Apr 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in History, Memory Lane, Railways

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History, Memory Lane, Railways

I’ve been scanning a new batch of old slides which has taken me on a real trip down memory lane, to the 2nd of June 1994 to be precise, and a day out from London to Bescot marshalling yard in the West Midlands nearly 24 years ago. The pictures I took of what seemed quite ordinary, everyday scenes during the last years before rail privatisation are now rather special as they show just how much has changed on Britain’s railways since then. I’d been visiting Bescot since the late 1970’s. It was always a good place to observe rail operations as it was a busy marshalling yard with a loco depot that had a station right next door! This meant the place was popular with railway enthusiasts and there’d normally be a gaggle of people on the station footbridge. Here’s a look at what was happening that day…

03851. 08765. Shunting the Down Yard. Bescot. 2.6.94

Class 08765 shunting the Down Yard at Bescot. These ubiquitous engines used to be seen up and down the network and still survive in service today – although in vastly reduced numbers.

03852. 47478. Shunting the Up sidings. Bescot. 2.6.94

Class 47 no 47478 shunts a Seacow ballast wagon in the Up yard which is full of Civil Engineers wagons which lie idle until the weekend. This particular locomotive survived in service for a few more years working hauling engineers trains after being relegated from mainline work. A former Intercity loco based at Crewe, it was cut up by EMR at Kingsbury in 2006

Class 20 No 20187 had recently been repainted in British Rail Telecoms livery. It was one of only 4 class 20s that ever carried these colours. The locomotive still survives today as part of the DRS fleet.

56056 arrives from the North with a train of MGR coal hoppers. I always liked the two-tone grey Trainload livery with its sector decals. The only problem was, the locos never stayed in their sector, hence a Trainload Construction logo’d loco on a coal train!

Class 304 EMU No 304032 pulls away from Bescot station on its way to Birmingham. Introduced in 1960 these units only had another couple of years left in service. The last survivors went in 1996. I’ve fond memories of travelling in these trains as they were used on Liverpool-Crewe services which I used regularly back in the 1970s.

A pair of Class 31s (31147 and 31237) in the ‘Dutch’ livery of the Engineers sector pass the station en-route to the stabling sidings. In the background is a long line of their cousins. These locos would be sat in the stabling siding all week until it came to the weekend when they’d be started up to work engineers trains on various possessions around the area. It was a terrible use of resources and the failure rate of these engines was high. They also created a hell of a cloud of clag when they were started up!

03859. 08543. Shunting the Down yard. Bescot. 2.6.94

08543 shunting the Down Sorting sidings. Note the chap walking next to the loco. He was one of the yard shunting staff. PPE was pretty rudimentary in those days! He had the luxury of a long orange coat, most staff wore small tabards.

03860. 37107. Stopping for a chat. Bescot. 2.6.94

The driver of 37107 gets his instructions from one of the yard staff. They’re both wearing the high-vis tabards I mentioned in the last picture. They were tied on by the thin strips you can see hanging down at the back of the chap on the ground. Most staff didn’t bother, which meant thy were pretty useless as they flapped around a lot.

A Class 60 in Trainload Petroleum livery arrives light with a Class 37 before heading off to the depot fuelling point. The last of these locos had only been delivered the year before but they’d already established a reputation for unreliability. The were the last diesel locomotives to be built for BR.

03868. 47333. 47332. 47334. 47353. 47478. Bescot. 2.6.94

A long line of Class 47s stabled in the former Up reception sidings. These sidings had been severed at the North end to create a fan of four to stable Engineers loco in during the week. Here you can see 47333. 47332. 47334. 47353 and 47478 which had been working shunting the yard earlier in the day.

86255 speeds past the station with an Intercity service for the North. The line through Bescot was a useful diversionary route for Intercity, but I can’t remember if it had regular weekend services or if this was a diversion due to problems elsewhere.

A worker carries a jack into the yard, presumably to fix a track defect somewhere. In the background are a couple of Engineers locos stabled in the shed yard. Bescot shed was responsible for the maintenance of Engineers locos, but the depot had a poor reputation for the quality of the locos it looked after and turned out.

A Class 58 approaches the station with a mixed rake of empty MGR coal hoppers (some with hoods, others not) watched by a gaggle of railway enthusiasts (including a couple, not a sight you’d see that often).

As I scan more old slides I’ll be taking other trips down memory lane so my intention’s to turn this into a series. Watch out for another one soon….

The new trains dilemma (what to do with the old ones).

28 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in New trains, Rail Investment, Railways, ROSCOs

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New trains, Rail Investment, Railways, ROSCOs

The old expression ‘feast or famine’ springs to mind when I look at the situation our railways are currently facing with the amount of new trains on order and old ones coming off-lease.

I remember when the railways were first being privatised. The uncertainty around what was happening led to a 1,064 day hiatus when no new trains were ordered. This led to the closure of the ABB works (formerly BREL) at York, where the majority of the BR built trains that still run in service were constructed.

How things have moved on from those days! Now we have a massive amount of new trains coming into service or on order. Also, a mix of old and new train builders are either planning (or building) new assembly plants in the UK. TALGO are currently deciding on a site location whilst CAF have picked Llanwern in S Wales and begun construction. Alstom have a site in Widnes whilst Siemens have announced a site in Goole.

This month the Rail Delivery Group published the 6th edition of its Long Term Passenger Rolling Stock Strategy. It makes for interesting reading. It points out that

” The number of new vehicles committed for delivery in the five-year period that commenced in April 2014 (CP5) and in the early years of CP6 is now 7,187 – more than 50% of the current in-service fleet of 14,025. These new vehicles have a capital cost of more than £13 billion, and around 50% will be built in Britain. The average age of the national fleet is estimated to fall from 21 years to 15 years by March 2021, while the numbers of vehicles in service will grow by 6% next year and by a further 5% to 13% by 2024″

Those 7,187 vehicles will see a step-change in our existing fleet and the near elimination of loco-hauled, main line services and displacement of many of the old BR built fleets. As the document highlights,

“Major orders for new build vehicles coupled with the reduced electrification programme has so far resulted in over 4,000 vehicles being displaced from service in the next 3 years. Many of these vehicles are near the end of their life, but 150 are brand new. As at March 2018, there are over 1,500 vehicles less than 30 years old that do not currently have a future lessee, so while over 7,000 vehicles will be built, the net impact on the national fleet total will be less than this number. Displaced, serviceable vehicles bring challenges to the supply chain, notably for owners who may have idle assets, but also for overhaulers who would historically have refurbished mid-life vehicles for their next role.”

That’s a hell of a lot of displaced trains with nowhere to go. OK, many will be on a one-way trip to the scrapyard (who would want to lease Pacers or Class 313s and 315s?) but there’s a significant number of trains with life left in them yet. Firstly, here’s a list of what’s coming into service now or in the next few years.

new fleets

Now here’s a list of what’s coming off-lease and when.

off lease

As the list shows, 2019 is going to bring big changes. Class 90s on Anglia and 91s on the East coast will disappear, even some modern DMUs like the 170s and 185s will be surplus (although I’m sure they’ll find homes somewhere). It’s clear that the old Pacers will be going for scrap, although some will be preserved. I do wonder about the future of the single-car 153s. Could they be added to Northern’s 155 fleet to make permanent 3 cars in the way GWRs 158/9s have been? Due to modern engine emissions standards and the fact they have ‘grandfather rights’ I can’t see the 150s and 156s remaining homeless for long either. Curiously, whilst the list mentions the 313 & 315 fleet, it neglects to mention their Merseyside cousins, the 507/508 fleet. From 2019 they’ll be replaced by new trains from Stadler of Switzerland.

The idea that some trains could be converted for freight use has been mooted. HSTs are one example, and there are suggestions that Pacers *could* be (however unlikely). Here’s a couple of examples of when this happened in BR days.

A Class 114 ‘Derby Heavyweight’ DMU converted for express parcels traffic and based at Cambridge stands in one of the bay platforms in York on the 21st January 1990.

A former Class 302 unit converted to carry Royal Mail by stripping out the interior and adding roller doors which was used on services out of Liverpool St seen at Stratford (E London) on the 4th May 1990.

Other fleets which are unlikely to find new homes are the old BR 3rd rail stock such as the SWR 455s – despite them having been re-tractioned recently (link). They date from the early 1980s, so they’re 35 years old, and I can’t realistically see them being converted to bi-mode or 25kv overhead – especially as more modern fleets will also be off-lease. Another fleet with an uncertain future (despite having been expensively rebuilt between 2013-16) is the Class 458/5s.

In 2020, just 2 years after entering service, the Siemens Desiro Class 707s will be homeless – although again, I can’t see them remaining so for long. The same with the Anglia Class 379s and I would think the Class 360s and former LM 350/2s. The Class 323 fleet’s an interesting one. Split between Northern and the former London Midland franchise, both will be surplus from 2019-20. They’re a popular train with both passengers and crew – and pretty nippy, but will their age (they were built in 1992-3) and fact they’re a small non-standard fleet of 43 units count against them? Some of the 319s on the list may have a future as more bi-mode conversions but, for me, the big question mark is over the surplus BR built class 317s and 321/322s. I’m not a fan of any of them, the passenger environment’s not as good as the later Class 365s (also surplus, but I hope they do find a home) plus, what’s the need for 100s of 4 -car EMU’s now that electrification’s being scaled back? I suspect a few ROSCO staff will be asking the same question…

Of course, this glut of surplus trains may yet grow depending what happens when the next SET franchise is let. Will we see the Class 465’s and 466s being added to the list?

An interesting fact is that the Railway Magazine calculated we’d need 52 miles of sidings to store the vehicles that are coming off-lease. 52 miles! That’s a hell of a logistical and economic challenge for the ROSCOs. As the old Chinese curse says ‘may you live in interesting times’ – and for the ROSCOs and train maintainers, they certainly are…

To round up, here’s a few examples of the fleets which are coming off lease.

Missed off the RDG off-lease list are the 177 vehicles that make up Mersyrail’s Class 507/508 fleets. The 507s were built for Merseyside in 1978-80 whilst their sisters, the 508s were originally built for SW London services in 1979-80 as 4-car units. They transferred to Merseyside in 1983, leaving one car behind which was incorporated into a late build of the Class 455s which replaced them.

DG14404. 323223. Manchester Piccadilly. 18.2.08

The 43 strong Class 323 fleet is split between Northern Rail and the former London Midland franchise, both will be relinquished.

Abellio Greater Anglia are replacing their entire train fleet with brand new vehicles, which means even this 30 strong fleet of 2010 built Class 379s will go off-lease.

AGA will also be dispensing with the services of their 15 Class 90s and Mk3 coaching stock.

DG249479. 321422. 170202. Norwich. 8.8.16

Other trains going off-lease are these Class 321 EMU’s and the Class 170/2 DMU’s, both seen here at Norwich.

9 of these two-car Class 156s will also be coming up for grabs in 2019…

DG214166. AGA Class 360s. Manningtree. 19.5.15

21 sets of these Siemens Desiros were built at Krefeld, Germany in 2002-3. AGA will make them all surplus to requirements.

DG288310. 5855. 5904. Waterloo. London. 3.1.18

Two variants of the Class 455s that BR built in 1981-85 for SW London suburban services. A total of 364 of these vehicles will be made redundant by 2020.

DG294058. 456016. Clapham Junction. 21.3.18

BREL built 24 of these 2-car Class 456s in 1990-91. All will be surplus in 2020.

DG294029. 458515. Clapham Junction. 21.3.18

Rebuilt from the original Alstom Juniper Class 458 and their sisters, the Gatwick Express Class 460s between 2013-16, the 36 strong 458/5 fleet will be redundant.

DG293981. 707001. Clapham Junction. 21.3.18

The last 2 of the 30 strong Class 707 fleet only entered service this month. SWR will be relinquishing them in 2020.

The Class 313 fleet are currently the oldest trains operating on the national network (exc the IoW). Built in 1976-77, they’re being displaced from GTR services out of Moorgate and Kings Cross by new Siemens Class 717s later this year.

DG268088. 365502. Oakleigh Park. 27.3.17

The 41 strong Class 365 fleet were built by ABB York between 1994-95. They were last trains BR built before privatisation caused a hiatus in orders that led to the closure of York. They’re also my favourite of the BR fleet. 100mph capable, comfortable and with good visibility. Originally intended to go to GWR they’re now coming off-lease with no home to go to.

The Class 91s and Mk4 coaches took over most East Coast workings in the early 1990s. They’ll be rendered redundant by the arrival of the Hitachi ‘Azumas’ in 2019. There’s no firm plans to cascade them elsewhere. Suggestions that they could be used on the Midland Main Line foundered because of the cost of gauge-clearance.

STOP PRESS!

Just to show how quickly things change, whilst I was writing this came the announcement that Heathrow Express services will continue to operate until at least 2028 under a management contract between Heathrow Airport and FirstGroup subsidiary Great Western Railway. This means HEx will bid goodbyes to their 14 strong fleet of Class 332s as GWR will be using 12 specially modified Class 387s to run the service. That add another 61 100mph vehicles only 20-21 years old looking for a home….

A Siemens/CAF Class 332 used by Heathrow Express. Today was announced these units would be replaced by specially modified GWR Class 387s

Eurostar heads to Holland

27 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Amsterdam, Eurostar, Railways, Siemens, Travel

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Amsterdam, Eurostar, Railways, Travel

Last month Eurostar invited the media to join them on the first train to run direct from London to Amsterdam, showcasing their new service which opens to the public on April 4th. Needless to say, there was a lot of interest, most UK newspapers and TV channels sent along journalists and film crews to cover the event which received wide publicity.

Our train was No 9114 departing St Pancras International at 08.31. The service was worked by one of Eurostars new 16 car, Siemens built e320 trains (No 4032 to be precise). If you’ve never been aboard on I can tell you that they’re very different from the older Alstom built trains as they’ve been constructed to take advantage of the fact they don’t have to run over the ‘classic’ British network, meaning they’re wider and more spacious. As they have distributed traction equipment rather than a power car at either end they also contain more seats and luggage space.

My group travelled in Business Premier aboard car 16, the leading coach. Here’s what it looked like inside.

DG289709. Car 16. Train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. St Pancras International. 20.2.18

As you can see, the seating is 2+1 in a mix of bays and airline style. All seats have power sockets whilst the airline seats have large seatback tables, individual lighting, drinks holders and magazine racks. Here’s a look at some of the features (taken on an earlier trip).

DG245841. Eurostar e320. at seat USB power sockets. 14.6.16

A mixture of British and European power sockets and two USB ports.

DG270738 Executive seats cup holders.. Brussels Midi. Belgium. 23.5.17

Drinks holders and individual lighting (with power sockets below) in airline seating.

DG247036. Eurostar e320. Interior coach No1 (end car) 14.6.16

Bay seating around a table (which is retracted for ease of access).

DG270736. 4026. Executive seating showing power and USB sockets. Brussels Midi. Belgium. 23.5.17

The arrangement for power sockets and USB ports in bay seating.

Here’s our train ready to depart St Pancras. As they’re 16 cars long (400m) it’s quite a walk from the back to the front!

DG289701. 4032. Train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. St Pancras International. 20.2.18

As you can imagine, Eurostar staff were as much a centre of media attention as the train itself with many of the crew kept busy before departure giving interviews or posing for pictures.

DG289711. Crew of train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. St Pancras International. 20.2.18

We left St Pancras spot on time and settled in for what was hoped to be a record-breaking run to Brussels. En-route the crew were kept extremely busy serving breakfast and chatting to passengers.

DG289723. breakfast in Business Premier. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

The beginning of breakfast, before the hot option arrives…

DG289739. English breakfast in Business Premier. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

The English breakfast from chef Raymond Blanc, who created Eurostar’s food menu.

DG289756. Busy time in the galley. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

A busy time in one of the galleys as the crew serve breakfast

DG289743. Serving breakfast in Business Premier. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

Service with a smile!

Once breakfast was out of the way the crew showcased some of the Dutch delicacies which would be available on the Amsterdam services.

DG289790. Samples of Dutch goodies. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

Dutch Gins, cured meats, cheeses, Double Dutch tonic and Stroopwafels will be available on Eurostar’s Amsterdam services.

DG289806. Samples of Dutch goodies. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. 20.2.18

Maarten pours a sample of Dutch gin for our group to try. I have to say that it went very well with a slice of the mature Gouda that was on offer!

Time flew and before we knew it we were entering Brussels just 1 hour 46 minutes after leaving London – and two minutes ahead of schedule. In celebration, guests were served champagne…

: Melo serving champagne to celebrate the record-breaking run from London to Brussels.

Our brief stop at Brussels Midi felt odd as our Eurostar was using one of the through platforms rather than the bays traditionally used by services to/from the UK. Soon we were whizzing past unfamiliar territory for a Eurostar as we headed for the Dutch border and our first stop at Rotterdam. After departure from the city the media was given the opportunity to visit the cab and see how things looked like from a driver’s perspective.

DG289834. Driver waves. train 9114, the press trip to Amsterdam. Holland. 20.2.18

Our driver acknowledges a passing Dutch service heading for Rotterdam. The clean layout of the drivers desk and reliance on touch-screens is evident in the picture.

Just 40 minutes after leaving Rotterdam and 3hrs 41m after leaving London we pulled into platform 15 at Amsterdam Centraal station. We were greeted by the usual media scrum, well-wishers and the CEO of NS (Dutch railways) Roger van Boxtel, for the traditional handshake with Eurostar’s CEO, Nicholas Petrovic who’d travelled with us on the train.

DG289889. Greeting the press special on arrival in Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

DG289948. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

4032 stands at platform 15 at Amsterdam Centraal. This is where the new Eurostar lounge is situated so it will become the normal platform for the service to use.

After the formalities and media interviews were over we had chance to check-out the new Eurostar lounge which has been built alongside platform 15.

DG289995. New Eurostar lounge under construction. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

DG290001. New Eurostar lounge under construction. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

Albeit not fully fitted out, this is a taste of what the Amsterdam Eurostar lounge will be like

As yet, there’s no return Amsterdam – London service as discussions over passport checks are still ongoing. In the interim, London-bound passengers use a THALYS service from Holland and change at Brussels where they go through passport control before catching an onward Eurostar service to London. This is expected to change in October when passports will be checked in Holland.

We came back this way and I have to say that it was a seamless journey. Our THALYS service (whilst not as luxurious as an e320 as they’re a lot older) was perfectly adequate, as can be seen from these pictures.

DG290089. 4538. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

THALYS set 4538 arrives to work the 15.17 service to take us to Brussels.

DG290093. Interioor. 4538. Amsterdam Central. Holland. 20.2.18

On board the THALYS

We arrived at Brussels Midi at 1708. By the time we’d gone through Eurostar check-in, security and passport control there was just enough time for a (very) quick drink in the Business Premier lounge before we were called to board our onward service, train 9153, the 17.56 to St Pancras, leaving Brussels 48 minutes after we’d arrived…

DG290099. Eurostar Business Premier lounge. Brussels Midi. Belgium. 20.2.18

The Eurostar Business Premier lounge at Brussels Midi

The London train from Brussels was formed of the same e320 set that had taken us to Amsterdam.

DG290102. 4032. Brussels Midi. Belgium. 20.2.18

We had another good run with great service and lovely food all the way back to the UK. The free wifi on board allowed me to post details of the trip on social media and keep me up to date with my onward connection in London.

No, we didn’t starve!

Eurostar’s wifi page which gives you information on the systems performance and advises of potential blackspots.

Bang on time at 19.03, we pulled into St Pancras International, which gave me enough time to get a few shots before hot-footing it over to Kings Cross and catch Grand Central’s 19.52 departure for Halifax!

DG290113. 4032. St Pancras International. 20.2.18

Journey’s end….

I’m looking forward to taking this service again in the future. It’s far better and more comfortable than flying and the 3hr 41m city centre to city centre journey time is very competitive. Why not give it a try yourself and see what you think ? Tickets start at a very reasonable £35 one way. You can book through Eurostar’s website here.

Holed up in Huddersfield

20 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Huddersfield, Rail Investment, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Huddersfield, Rail Investment, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

I’m taking a break from working from home to base myself at ACoRP’s water tower office at Huddersfield station today as I’m being interviewed about my ‘Cycle India’ trip for their e-magazine ‘Train Online’, which will be appearing shortly.

DG138747. ACoRP Office. Huddersfield. 17.2.13.

Not bad for an office, is it?

It’s good to be able to stretch my (metaphorical) legs as the bad weather has left me a little ‘stir crazy’. My Indian adventure already feels like a dream, despite it only being a couple of weeks ago. At least the snow’s melting and the thermometer’s reaching a balmy 5 degrees today!

Sadly, there’s little of interest to photograph at the nearby station. The Colne valley route sees hardly any daytime freight traffic nowadays, partly due to the intensity of passenger services but also because most traffic has vanished. The ‘binliner’ services from Manchester which were the backbone of daytime freight traffic have ceased to run and the replacement service from Knowsley (Liverpool) to Wilton traverses the Calder Valley instead. The only regular service, the afternoon Leeds Hunslet to Tunstead cement tanks runs ‘as required’ on a Thursday – which means it’s unpredictable.

On the 18th January this year, Freightliner’s 66620 heads West through Huddersfield with the only regular daytime freight service through the town, the Hunslet (Leeds) to Tunstead empty cement tanks.

Whilst there’s little freight, there’s a regular diet of Transpennine Express Class 185s shuttling across the Pennines, plus Northern 142s, 144s, 150s, 153s, 155s and 158s (and the occasional 156) pootling to and from Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield. A few Manchester services are extended to ‘exotic’ destinations farther afield such as Wigan and Southport, whilst one evening service via the Penistone line to Sheffield pitches up at Retford (of all places).

DG115650. 142050. Huddersfield. 20.6.12.

Soon to be heading for the scrapyard, a Northern Class 142 ‘Pacer’ leaves Huddersfield for Wakefield on the 20th June 2012

The railscene at Huddersfield will be considerably enlivened later this year when TPE start running Class 68’s hauling new Mk5 coaches built by CAF in Spain, adding yet another chapter to Yorkshire’s railways. Electrification of the route is due to begin in 2019 which will have a massive impact on the local network, so there’s lots to look forward to (and document) over the next few years.

Basing myself in a large town like Huddersfield’s a bit of a luxury for me when I’m ‘office based’ as it gives me the opportunity to nip out at lunchtime and shop without travelling far. As this is a busy university town there’s a better selection of shops than in humdrum Halifax. It also alters the demographic because there’s far more younger faces around during the day. I nipped out earlier to visit the indoor Queensgate market. I love the variety of Northern markets. Queensgate is a modern example, opened in 1970 it was built with a bespoke roof system of 21 asymmetric curved shells. The design allows maximum light into the market and it’s considered to be the best example still standing of a retail market from the 1960s-70s. Grade 2 listed, it’s a interesting mix of traditional and modern. Fruit and veg and butchers stalls rub shoulders with nail bars and Thai cafes, whilst shoe shops are cheek by jowl with vaping supplies.

Inside Queensgate market.

Thai food’s a popular option in a few markets in Yorkshire.

Unlike some towns, the number of empty shops hasn’t hit epidemic proportions, gutting. I passed several vacant properties which were being outfitted for new tenants, keeping the vibrancy of the centre alive. Long may that trend continue in these troubled times. Of course, there’s an irony in this. Without immigration, there’d be a damned sight more empty shops. A significant proportion of convenience stores are run by people from Europe or Asia – as are many restaurants and fast food outlets. How they’ll fare in a post-Brexit economy without freedom of movement is a question many would rather not ask…

Whilst I was on my travels I popped into the station and found a cheese shop had set up store in readiness for the flood of homeward bound commuters. I normally visit on a Wednesday to purchase some of the artisan bread for sale, but I was sorely tempted to sample some of today’s wares. I have to be careful as my wife can’t eat cheese, so for me it’s a rare treat.

Now I’m back at work, where (as is often the case) my workload hasn’t gone to plan and I’ve been diverted into trawling my archives for a suitable cover for a magazine! Let’s see if I can come up with something suitable…

The ‘Beast from the East’ has arrived…

27 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Railways, The Railway Children, Travel, Weather

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Railways, The Railway Children, Travel, Weather

This morning we woke up to a covering of snow across the Calder Valley, whilst the media have been going into overdrive about the ‘Beast from the East’ as the weather front’s been christened, the effects are no more serious than anything we’re usually used to seeing in Yorkshire. Here’s the view from our bedroom, looking across the valley.

Not too beastly (yet)…

I’ve had a quick look at real-times for our local train services where (apart form a couple of very early cancellations) everything seems to be running normally and to time. Of course, the forecast reckons that there’s more snow on the way, so we’ll have to see how things pan out.

I’m heading down to London today to attend tonight’s George Bradshaw address at the IMechE where Network Rail Chairman Sir Peter Hendy will be speaking. I’ll be staying down tonight and coming back tomorrow so this blog will get updated as I travel. The contrast between North and South should be interesting. The South tends to go into a panic over a bit of snow, whilst up here you can tell when it’s bad – the posties stop wearing their shorts.

I’ve a lot of travelling to do this week as I’ll be heading back to London on Friday to fly out to India for the Railway Children ‘Ride India’ charity cycle challenge (it’s a wonderful cause, so please help me to help them by sponsoring me via this link). I’ll be blogging from India when I can.

Meanwhile, enjoy the snow!

Whilst walking to the station I spotted this and wondered what story it tells…

A Yorkshire Cinderella?

Heading South on the trains has been fun, whilst there was a lot of snow around home, the more Easterly I got the thinner the snow was! By the time I arrived at Doncaster there was hardly anything on the ground and the station was bathed in bright sunshine. A pair of snowploughs sat, forlornly, in the sidings as they clearly weren’t needed. All changed by the time we reached Newark because then we started hitting the blizzards. The rest of the journey has been a real mix and match: Blue skies and fields with fresh dusting of snow contrasting with leaden skies and almost white-out conditions as the tendrils of snow sweep in. Then just as rapidly as it arrives, it clears and we hit a patch where houses and fields are untouched, they’re little green oasis in an otherwise monotone landscape. It’s lovely to watch from my grandstand seat in a nice, warm train!

Fields North of Peterborough after a fresh coating of snow.

UPDATE: 16:40.

Now I’m in Central London before heading off to the Bradshaw address. The capital’s had a dusting of snow but nothing like many places which is hardly surprising as the capital’s always a degree or two warmer. On thing I did notice was this lovely ‘tiger-stripe’ pattern on the roof of St Pancras station a few minutes ago.

DG290688

I’ll see if I can add a couple of pictures from tonight’s address later…

2018 is the start of the end for Pacer trains, so here’s a pictorial review.

12 Friday Jan 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Pacers, Rail Investment, Rail Moderinsation, Railways

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Pacers, Rail Investment, Rail Modernisation

*NOTE*. This blog was updated with extra photos and notes on January 22nd 2018.

I’m not intending to go into a full history of the BR built Pacer trains as that’s been done many time before. Instead I’m going to go through my archive to illustrate their life and times whilst offering some personal recollections.

Pacers have been a feature of the railway scene since the mid 1980’s but now their time’s drawing to a close. The first sets will go off-lease after the May timetable change, then there’ll be a steady decline in the numbers until – one day – they’ll all be gone (which is due to be by 2020). Whilst disliked by many passengers (especially commuters) they’re not universally unpopular. Many train crews I’ve spoken to actually admit to liking them! I’ve a soft spot for them too – mainly because they allow you such good views of some of the scenic lines they’re used on. In that respect they’re far superior to the Class 150 fleet. Pacers have also earned their place in history. There’s little doubt that they helped save many a branch line from closure back in the 1980s so we should be grateful for them in some ways. Admittedly, they were far less fun when they were doing their maximum speed on jointed track. I’ve travelled on them coming back from Sheffield to Huddersfield several times when they were more like bucking bronco’s than nodding donkeys!

I’ve no recollection of travelling on the original narrow-bodied Class 141 Pacers, but I do remember encountering many of them during my travels around Yorkshire back in the 1980’s-90’s – especially around Leeds (they were based at the city’s Neville Hill depot) and Sheffield. Here’s a few memories.

141113 stabled at Sheffield on the 16th September 1990. The unit’s sporting the West Yorkshire PTE livery that was applied to the 141s after they were rebuilt. This particular unit survives today. It’s preserved by the Llangollen Railcar Group.

13306. 55541 from 141120. Wolverton.15.12.03

Vehicle 55541 from unit 141120 awaits scrapping at Wolverton works on the 15th December 2003. It was cut up the following year.

Over the years the Pacers have carried a variety of liveries. There’s also a wide variation in their interiors and other detail differences. Here’s a look at a few of them.

142015 at Southport on the 17th February 1990. It’s still wearing the mock GWR livery that was applied to members of the fleet which had been operating in Cornwall and Devon. Branded as ‘skippers’ they were unsuited to the sharp branch line curves so were eventually transferred North. Unusually, the unit is seen on the Wall side siding. This has a pit, which suggests the set needed inspecting.

142002 at Southport on the 27th May 1990. Its wearing the orange and brown livery and branding of Greater Manchester PTE.

‘Skipper’ liveried 142516 at Liverpool Lime St on the 17th June 1991. I’m trying to remember why some of these units were briefly renumbered in the 1425xx series. If I remember correctly they were units allocated to Heaton depot in Newcastle.

02125. 142059. 1220 to Mcr. Blackburn. 3.4.91.

This scene is unrecognisable today! 142059 stands at the old Lancashire and Yorkshire railway station at Blackburn on the 3rd April 1991. 059 is one of two Class 142s to have been scrapped due to accidents. Later that year it ran-away and collided with the buffer stops at Liverpool Lime St, which led to it being withdrawn.

142020 along with a ‘Skipper’ liveried set stands at Middlesbrough on the 30th April 1997. It’s wearing Tyne and Wear as well as Regional Railways branding.

11551. FNW Class 142 passes over the Leeds and Liverpool canal. Wigan. 28.11.2002

Operated by First NorthWestern but wearing a revised Greater Manchester PTE livery, an unknown 142 passes over the Leeds and Liverpool canal on the approach to Wigan Wallgate station on the 28th November 2002.

142044 speeds past Hoscar on the Southport-Wigan line on the 9th February 2006. This unit carries Merseyrail livery. These sets had been refurbished with a new interior and better destination blinds. The small bus-type ones were replaced with a much larger dot-matrix type.

Also seen at Hoscar on the same day in 2006 was this First NorthWestern, blue and gold liveried Class 142

DG08772. 142015. Newcastle upon Tyne. 12.12.06.

On the 12th December 2006 Arriva liveried 142015 crosses the Tyne at Newcastle

DG10626. Northern class 142. Burnley. 25.5.07.

A Merseyrail liveried 142 crosses the Burnley viaduct whilst working a Colne to Blackpool South service on the 25th of May 2007

An Arriva liveried 142 passes the Cumbrian coast at Parton on the 22nd September 2007. This beautiful line is a delight to explore on a Pacer because of their big windows and all round views.

The refurbished interior of Merseyrail’s 142056, showing the low-backed replacement for the original bus-style bench seats and the new PIS screen at the back of the cab bulkhead.

DG12880. 142014. 142094. Wigan Wallgate. 2.10.07.

142014 (with white numbers) and 142094 pass at Wigan Wallgate on the 2nd October 2007

DG192563. Northern Class 142. Edale. 7.9.14.

A Northern 42 heads through the beautiful Hope valley at Edale whilst working a service from Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly on the 7th September 2014.

142064 leads a classmate along the beach at Dawlish on the 4th August 2008. A dozen Class 142s were loaned to First Great Western from Northern in 2007. The last ones returned in 2011. All were based at Exeter, which was nicknamed ‘the Donkey Sanctuary’ by some FGW staff.

DG55897. FGW 142 and Lympstone. 22.6.10.

A FGW 142 passes the Swan Inn at Lympstone on the Exmouth branch on the 22nd June 2010.

DG56173. 142001. Exeter Riverside. 23.6.10.

The first built Class 142 was one of those loaned to First Great Western. Here it is climbing the bank between Exeter St David’s and Exeter Central on the 23rd June 2010

DG199592. 142038. Summit tunnel. 31.10.14.

142038 is about to enter the Summit tunnel on the Calder Valley line on the 31st October 2014

DG214110. 142029. 150137. Todmordon. 17.5.15

A Class 150 and 142 in multiple are seen from across the rooftops in Todmordon whilst working through the Calder Valley on the 17th May 2015.

DG14628. Northern conductor at work. 29.2.08.

A Northern conductor prepares to open the doors on a Pacer

As well as the British-Leyland/BREL Class 142s, BR also purchased a different design from Andrew Barclay. These were based on an Alexander bus body and were built at Kilmarnock between 1985-86. They were originally put into service in the North-East before being transferred to South Wales and the South-West. After privatisation the Class was split between Arriva Trains Wales and Wessex trains (later First Great Western)

DG277275. 143601. Cardiff Queen St. 24.7.17

First of the class 143601, sporting the original Arriva Trains Wales livery leaves Cardiff Queen St for Cardiff Central on the 24th July 2017.

DG277341. 142076. 143625. Cardiff Queen St. 24.5.17

Two varieties of Pacer pass at Cardiff Central on the 24th May 2017. Leyland/BREL 142076 in old Arriva livery and Barclay/Alexander 143625 in revised Arriva livery.

On the 2nd May 2007 143603 passes Standish Junction whilst working a Gloucester to Swindon service.

DG19110. 143621. Bristol Temple Meads. 3.10.08.

On the 30th October 2008 a rather tatty 143621 approaches Bristol Temple Meads. Many 143s had been given different advertising liveries. In this case ‘Visit Bristol’ – although I’m not entirely sure the train or the state of it was a great advert for the city!

143619 Calls at Copplestone on the Barnstaple branch whilst en-route to the end of the line on the 15th August 2016. By this time all the units were in the attractive First Great Western ‘Dynamic lines’ livery (with the lines made up of place names on the network).

Two of the Class 143 sets gave themselves Viking funerals back in the early 2000’s, these were sets 143613 and 143615. The effects of the fires were rather spectacular, as these two pictures show.

: The fire had been so severe on this car of set 143613 that the underframe has buckled and drooped. The unit was at Crewe works and could be viewed at the open day on the 10th September 2005.

DG04505. 143615. Crewe works open day. 10.9.05

143615, bearing Valley lines livery was the other member of the class that self-combusted. It’s also seen at Crewe works open day in 2005.

The final batch of Pacers are the Class 144. These were Alexander bodies on BREL underframes. They now operate across Yorkshire, especially around Leeds which is where they’re based. At one time they did used to have diagrams which took them across the border into Lancashire.

Northern liveried 144022 crosses Paddock viaduct in Huddersfield whilst working a Huddersfield to Sheffield (via Penistone) service on the 6th January 2015

DG160605. 142091. 142018. 144012. Huddersfield. 22.9.13.

A trio of Pacers stabled for the weekend in the yard at Huddersfield. Along with their Class 15x brothers, the units work services to Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield

144015 sits inside Leeds Neville Hill depot on the 3rd June 2011. The fleet are based at and maintained by the depot.

DG12743. Northern 144s. Halifax. 25.9.07.

A pair of Class 144 Pacers arrive at Halifax, West Yorkshire on the 25th September 2007.

High backed Richmond seating as fitted to refurbished Pacer 144021, seen on the 15th September 2016

DG255574. Driver and passengers. Sheffield.16.9.16

A driver waits to take 144023 on a service from Sheffield on the 16th September 2016

Of course, no mention of the Pacers would be complete without a look at the sole 144e (E for Evolution) number 144012. This unit was rebuilt by Porterbrook at the RVEL workshop in Derby back in 2015. Here it is in service at Huddersfield in 2016.

DG242334. 144012. Huddersfield. 8.4.16

I wrote about the launch and published a series of internal views of the unit in this blog

A look at Huddersfield station

05 Friday Jan 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Architecture, Food and drink, History, Huddersfield, Railways, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

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Food and drink. Pubs, History, Huddersfield, Railways, Travel

Don’t ask me about best laid plans, mine seem to change all the time! It’s one of the beauties and frustrations of being freelance! Today I’ve found myself working from the ACoRP (Association of Community Rail Partnerships) water tower cum office in Huddersfield which is part of the superb grade 1 listed station. How’s this for a place to work?

DG138747. ACoRP Office. Huddersfield. 17.2.13.

The water tower stands in what’s now a car park but in the 1960’s it was a locomotive stabling yard, complete with a turntable which was situated right outside the building.

I love Huddersfield’s architecture. Well, most of it anyway. George Square outside the station is surrounded by a selection of stunning Victorian buildings that make a fantastic backdrop for the annual food and drink festival which is held over 4 days in August.

DG160608. Wilson statue outside the station. Huddersfield. 22.9.13..JPG

The grand entrance to Huddersfield station seen from the square, complete with statue of former Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who was born in the town in 1916

DG60541. Crowds. Huddersfield food drink festival. 14.8.10.

The food and drink festival in the square outside the station. The building on the left is the (closed) George Hotel which was the place where Rugby league was born.

The station’s a real community hub. Not only is it the gateway to the town, it’s also a destination in its own right. It’s most well-known for its two pubs (The Head of Steam and the Kings Head) and Felix, the station cat (who even has its own Facebook page). But there’s a lot more too – as well as having a warm and welcoming café on the island platforms which does a mean bacon teacake (as they call them in these parts) the lobby hosts a range of food providers on different days of the week. For example, on Wednesdays you can buy artisan breads from this stall. The area also doubles as an exhibition space for local artists.

DG176254. Handmade bakery selling loaves at Huddersfield station. 16.4.14

Here’s a look inside the Kings Head pub on the Leeds end of the station. It’s undergone a fantastic restoration job in the past few years, which has exposed the wonderful ceiling and reopened side rooms. The work’s led to it winning a Railway Heritage award.

DG283267. Interior of the Kings Head on the station. Huddersfield. 4.10.17

So, what’s not to like? Trains, food, beer and architecture. If you’ve never been to Huddersfield station before – why not pay a visit? But beware, because it’s on the Rail Ale trail it can get extremely busy at weekends – and if Huddersfield Town are playing at home it can be bonkers, so I’d recommend a weekday if you can make it.

Heading South…

03 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Railways, Travel

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I’ve managed to escape Yorkshire today and take a break (away from the gales and dismal, wet weather) in London to catch up with some of the exciting new rail developments in the capital. Network Rail have been busy over the holiday period. London Bridge station now has all its platforms open and the capital’s weather’s meant to be good – so it’s time to take my camera for its first outing of 2018.

Despite the gales, the East Coast Main Line’s running OK, the ‘knitting’ (or overhead electric power lines as they’re known as by non rail folk) has remained in place for a change and my Grand Central service is powering South at a rate of knots.

It feels a little odd to still be in the UK in January, knowing I’m not going to be feeling the warm sun on my skin for a few months yet, but there’s a lot for me to do over the next few weeks. Watch this space tomorrow when I’ll be explaining what I’m up to and asking for your help…

In the meantime, expect some pictures to arrive on my photo website later today.

2018 and the usual rail fares furore…

02 Tuesday Jan 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Rail fares, Rail Investment, Railways, Uncategorized

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Rail fares, Rail Investment, Railways

Normality has resumed after the New Year holiday. Train services are running as per the usual timetable (with the odd exception) and some of the major investment projects carried out over the holiday period have borne fruit. London Bridge station’s seen the last 5 rebuilt platforms open, The GWML has seen electric train services extended from Reading to Didcot and more works been completed on the EGIP project in Scotland. Oh, and we’ve had the annual fare increase kick-in, which has produced the usual gush of uninformed comment and politicking over railway nationalisation from the Labour party.

What’s lost in this mass of misinformation is the facts around the fare increases. They’re calculated on the basis of the Retail Price Index – which has shot up in the part year due to Brexit and the fall in the pound leading to inflation. Also, let’s not forget that this isn’t ‘profiteering’ by the Train operators, but a rise in fares regulated by the Government. It’s a political decision. In fact, I’m told the unregulated fares (those set by the train operators themselves) have risen by less than the 3.6% regulated fares have.

I’ve got to give a hat-tip to @DirectorSERG for supplying this handy little chart which details BR fare increases from 1972 until 1994.

BR fares increases

As you can see, the majority were all well above the rate of inflation and there were some eye-watering ones of 50.7% in 1975 and 42.1% in 1980. It’s a rather useful antidote to the rose-tinted views of some that BR = good, Privatisation = bad. Quite how nationalisation is meant to cut rail fares whilst guaranteeing the levels of investment we’re seeing in the railways is a question Labour don’t seem too keen on answering.

Meanwhile, it’s worth remembering that the TOC’s aren’t exactly ‘fat cats’. Their margins are around 3%, which compares very favourably with other state-owned railways like the Netherlands, which would expect a 7% return.

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Paul Bigland

~ Blogging on transport, travel & whatever takes my fancy.

Category Archives: Railways

Down memory lane No 2: A tale of two pictures.

Down memory lane. No 1- a day out to Bescot.

The new trains dilemma (what to do with the old ones).

Eurostar heads to Holland

Holed up in Huddersfield

The ‘Beast from the East’ has arrived…

2018 is the start of the end for Pacer trains, so here’s a pictorial review.

A look at Huddersfield station

Heading South…

2018 and the usual rail fares furore…