The ferry from Stockholm to Tallinn was a great way to travel and a fascinating experience in people-watching. This wasn’t just a ferry, it’s more a cruise. There were live shows aboard, multiple restaurants, a piano bar and a massive duty-free shop which was doing a roaring trade as Swedes stocked up on cheap booze. Mind you, it wasn’t just Swedes or Estonians aboard. I was surprised to find groups of Chinese, Japanese and even Indian tourists travelling.
I didn’t join in the partying. Instead I retreated to my cabin for a good night’s sleep. The ferry was large enough that there was no pitching and rolling or feeling of being out at sea so a good night’s sleep was easy.
The Baltic Queen in Tallinn.
We arrived at Tallinn at 11:00. Sadly, the sunshine that’s followed me most of the trip decided to abandon me today. Tallinn had seen a downpour and residual but intermittent rain remained. For some that was no bad thing because when I walked into town I encountered the runners of the Tallinn marathon!
Marathon running. Not something you want to be doing in blazing heat.Encouragement. I’m not sure of the relevance of the dinosaur tho’..
As I had a couple of hours to kill before I could check into my hotel I watched the runners, many of whom had clearly come from all across Europe to take part. Next, I popped over to the railway station to check out the place before catching my train tomorrow. Sadly, Estonian railways has modernised their fleet in recent years. All that was around were modern diesel and electric multiple units. Good for passengers, but not so interesting from an enthusiasts perspective.
Passenger operator Elron uses modern Stadler ‘Flirt’ trains in Estonia.
Finally, it was time to get to my hotel in the old town, and it didn’t disappoint. The St Olav hotel’s a refurbished neoclassical building dating from 1437 with a quirky interior but comfortable rooms. It’s a great base from which to explore the old town, which is delightful.
You can’t beat a quirky vintage hotel.My room
I’ve enjoyed exploring Tallin, a medieval town with amazing buildings and streets which are full of nooks and crannies. Unsurprisingly, it can get very busy during the day with tourists – especially when cruise ships are visiting, but in the evening it’s much quieter which makes it a great time to explore. Here’s a few shots from my wanderings.
Not a menu for veggies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen somewhere with Elk on the menu before.A backstreet Italian restaurant. The rain returned this evening. Which always makes for good reflective pictures, especially now the streets are quiet. The remains of the old city walls.
I’ve enjoyed my day in Tallinn, it’s a gorgeous place rich in history. I’d certainly come back, but tomorrow I’m on the move again. This time to Riga in Latvia.
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Excuse the lateness of posting this but it’s been a long day and it’s still before noon here in Sweden. I left Copenhagen early this morning after a day full of memories – even if they were bittersweet. This was my first visit in 22 years and the last time I was there was for the funeral of a friend. Where’s the time gone? The city’s certainly changed a bit. Not Christianshavn where we used to stay, but certainly along the river, where there’s lots of new developments. Even so, it’s still a lovely city with a liberal soul. Being up late meant that I discovered new pictures like this.
In some ways I’d have liked to have lingered longer, but as I don’t have the same connections to the city anymore I was content to move on and explore new territory, which is what I did. One of the early morning trains was heading for a place in Sweden called Kalmar, which was on the end of a branch line to the coast. I thought, ‘that sounds good to me’, plonked myself in the train and promptly fell asleep!
Several hours later I woke up surrounded by Swedish forests and lakes. I now understand why the Swedes make so much wooden furniture – there’s no shortage of trees! Kalmar was a lovely little place that would be worth exploring more, if I’d had the time. Having had a short wander to get pictures of the shoreside castle I was back on another train. This was like stepping back in time too. four old coaches hauled by an equally old loco. That said, there was 1st Class and it was equipped with power sockets and wifi.
Kalmar castle on the shores of the town. These electric locos date from 1985 but the styling makes them look a lot older.
Having retraced my steps to Alvesta I’m now on a sleek modern express heading for Stockholm…
13:30.
Bugger! We’re currently stuck at a place called Linköping. The Train Manager has announced that there’s a ‘problem with a bridge’ further down the line. I’m assuming this means that a railway bridge has been hit by a road vehicle, a not uncommon event back in the UK. Good job I’m in no hurry to get to Stockholm. On the bright side, there’s free tea, coffee and snacks in 1st Class on these trains. Despite the fact we’ve been sat here for around 30 minutes now there’s a distinct lack of complaining form my fellow passengers. If this was the UK the tutting level would have reached ‘severe’ by now.
My 1st Class coach.
14:41.
We’re still stuck! Many passengers are out on the platform, making the most of the sun. Unlike Brits who’d be sucking on fags or vapes quite a few passengers are doing calisthenics or taking the time to get some steps in! We’ve still no idea when we’re going to be on the move. Other trains are trapped here too. Only a couple of local services have come and gone, but they’re all heading South.
15:23.
We’re finally on the move!
15:40.
Whilst it’s good not to be stationary anymore our pace is best described as ‘pedestrian’ so I’ve no idea when we’re likely to arrive in Stockholm. I’m not expecting to get much sightseeing done today unfortunately. That’s a shame as I’ve never been here before, but that’s life. This trip was always going to be a taster – I’d just hoped the taste wouldn’t be this tantalising! Even so, I’m enjoying the trip. From what I’ve seen so far, Sweden looks lovely, with pretty little villages and lots of brightly painted wooden houses with red being the favourite colour.
We’ve just departed from Norrköping, a busy station that once has extensive freight yards, although most are now lifted or disused although some goods traffic still remains. There’s also an old steam era locomotive roundhouse tucked away in a corner, but I can’t tell if it’s still used for anything.
A useful feature in these 1st Class coaches is the amount of plug sockets provided. I’m in an airline seat and there’s two sockets between the seats and two in the back of the seats in front, which gives me the opportunity to power up the laptop and recharge my camera battery at the same time. I rather like these X2000 trains. They may only be 5-cars long but they still have a buffet as well as the little refreshment station in 1st class.
Free tea and coffee – and healthy snacks. Well, if you ignore the chocolates!
21:15.
And relax! We finally made it to Stockholm and I wasted no time in getting to my hotel. Or should that be ship – as that’s what I’m staying on. Rygerfjord is a collection of three ships that have been converted into a bar, Thai restaurant and floating accommodation. The cabins are cosy but offer a fantastic views of Stockholm from their moorings. Their Thai food is pretty good too! Here’s a few pictures.
The view from the floating jetty between the two housboats.This is the view from my cabin, looking at the main boat which contains the bar and restaurant. The stir-fry vegetables with chicken and rice was really rather good. There’s 20% discount for guests.
Right, it’s been a very long day – so I’m off to bed. I want to try and see at least a bit of Stockholm tomorrow before I’m on a different boat – the ferry to Tallin, Estonia….
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Another day, another city. As I was late arriving in Hamburg I haven’t had chance to explore more than the area I’m staying in, which is functional, but not very attractive. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to see before I leave, but Hamburg tourism wasn’t high on my agenda for this trip, it was more a useful stopover on my way elsewhere.
Today I travel across unfamiliar territory to a city I once knew very well 20 odd years ago. Back then, Lynn (my first wife) and I had Danish friends who lived there. We’d often go over and stay with Didi, so we got to know the city well. Now, I’m the only one left out of the trio. I’ve not been back since Didi’s funeral, so I’ll be curious to see how much has changed.
Right now I’m leaving Hamburg aboard a rather nice Danish Railways DSB train formed of modern Talgo articulated coaches. I’ve grabbed a seat in the rear coach as there’s a little window at the back that allows you to see where you’ve come from. I’m hoping to use it for photographs later. Plus, there’s power sockets and wifi, so I can blog along the way. As this is a DSB service I’m hoping to avoid another DB farce like yesterday.
I didn’t see much of Hamburg, but then I didn’t expect to. Most of my time was spent taking pictures at the vast main station which is like a mini city in itself. I’d certainly return to Hamburg. Whilst the area around the station can be a bit seedy it looks like an interesting place that’s seeing a lot of investment in infrastructure. The cities international links can be seen through the trains that serve it. Earlier I watched a Czech train arrive on it’s way to Budapest, Hungary! If I hadn’t already got plans I’d have been sorely tempted…
The main hall, which is a rather impressive steel and iron shopping centre
Just as I was settling in for the journey every phone in the coach went off, including mine. It was the Germans testing their national alert system!
11:50.
The trip’s going well so far (touch wood). We’ve juts passed through Neumunster, a small town with a large railway works of the sort we lost in the UK many years ago. All sort of DB vehicles appear to be repaired or refurbished here. There’s still a lot of freight traffic too. Once thing I’ve noticed is the number of solar and wind farms we’ve passed so far. They’re a real sign of investment in clean energy. The countryside itself isn’t that exciting. It’s pretty flat but is obviously good farming country with a variety of uses. Maize seems to be a popular crop around here.
12:10.
OK. I take it back about the countryside being flat! We’ve just passed over the 1913 Rendsburg high bridge which crosses the Kiel canal at a height of more than 40 meters. It’s a very impressive structure I’d love to come back and photograph!
12:43.
Having made our first stop at Schleswig I decided to have a wander through the train. It’s packed, with lots of people standing. Heading to the rear was a wise move! Sadly, there’s no buffet car, just the standard Danish vending machines offering tea, coffee, fizzy drinks and sugar rushes.
Now the train’s even more packed with the last few available seats in the rear car taken.
15:15.
Having crossed ove into Denmark at Padborg we had a prefunctory passport check. No-one actually looked at passports in our car at least. Danish Immigration officrs just stuck their heads in and looked around!
Niw we’re only a short distance from Copenhagen, having crossed between a number of islands by bridge or tunnel. It’s been an interesting trip. A lot of investment seems to be going into the railways, including building new lines. There’s quite a bit of freight around too, including pocket wagons carrying HGV trailers, which is good to see. The weather’s picked up too with lots of sunshine around. Shame I’m only here overnight…
The further
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Having had an early night I was up with the larks at 06:15 this morning in order to make the most of the day and the opportunity to explore some of Lille sans suitcase. Some of the architecture in the city centre is stunning. I’ll add pictures later.
I left on the 09:08 to Tournai in Belgium. It’s advertised as an SNCF service but it’s actually worked by a Belgian train and crew. The journey was just over 20 minutes but it was rich in interest due to the countryside and the rail scene. At Tournai I transferred to a loco-hauled double-deck train which will be my home for the next two hours until I change again at Brussels Airport. Whilst this train’s comfortable (and I almost have the top deck of a car to myself) it’s a bit retrograde. Belgian railways gaven’t really got the hang of step-free access. Plus, there’s no power points or Wifi in this coach.
Ready to go. Lille Flandres station.Level boarding? Nope…
Hopefully, when I transfer to an Intercity service at Brussels I’ll be able to add far more yo thus blog but right now everything’s being done on my smartphone, so I’m busy taking paper notes instead.
13:00.
I’m back, thanks to DB (German railways) wifi. As I type this my train is pulling out of Aachen en-route to Cologne. This has been a fascinating trip today but I’m running slightly later than planned due to missing a very tight connection at Brussels airport. To be honest, it worked to my advantage as I had to retrace my steps to Brussels Nord station which is a wonderful example of 1930s architecture. that said, I’ve also passed through a modern version at Liege. On the way from Lille I passed through a little town with a name that will delight the English sense of humour. Silly – no, really!
Belgian railways were a bit of a blast from the past. Back in 2004-2005 I was a regular traveller around the country on daft railtogurs with a group of friends. Organised by a group of Brits under the banner of Mercia Railtours they took us to all sorts of strange and wonderful places in strange and wonderful trains.
The ICE I’m on is full so I’ve nowhere to charge stuff up, which is a bit of a problem when you have an e-ticket on your Smartphone – hence my silence. I’ll be arriving in Koln in the next 20mins, after which I’m hoping to find space on an ICE to Hamburg and blog from there. Watch this space….
17:00.
I’m back! Right now I’m on ICE108 from Cologne to Hamburg, only it’s not going to Hamburg. Apparently it’s being terminated at Bremen and we’ve got to get a local cart to go to our final destination. Today’s been a great example of the best the railway can offer (no, not you German railways) – and also the changes that need to be made for the future. Problems and missed connections aside, I’ve had a great day. I’m exploring parts of Germany I’ve never seen before. I just wish I had more time to stop off and get pictures, but then this trip was always going to be a ‘reccie’ for the future.
When I get settled in Hamburg tonight (wifi permitting) I’ll add a few pictures.
Whilst I may be critical of DBs timekeeping I can’t really fault their 1st Class offering. They still have buffet cars on ICE services that offer a range of food and drinks – and table service.
17:10.
A standard DB farce. We’ve been stuck at Diepholz for over over 20 minutes now. The idea that we’re going to connect with said cart to Hamburg is long gone. Whilst the staff are doing their best to placate people, they’re not actually explaining what the problem is. That said, at least they’re doing it in a range of languages…
At least we were let off the train to get some fresh air.
Day 3 update.
Having cancelled our train at Diepholz we were all loaded onto a following ICE service for the journey to Hamburg, only that never made it to the Hauptbahnhof. Instead it terminated in the suburbs at Harburg, where we were told to get the metro into town!
By the time I made it into town all I wanted to do was get to my hotel and crash for the night, which is what I did, hoping for a better day on Thursday. The once mighty Deutsch Bahn had let me down again.
Anyways, here’s a couple of pictures from the day.
Lille shopfrontThe ornate clocktower of Lille’s chamber of commerce. The main hall of Brussels Nord station
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 on my way folks! The trip’s got off to a slightly rocky start. Late last night we had a torrential rainstorm, this led to the frustrating discovery that the cottage roof is leaking – despite us spending £1000 to get it repaired only a few months ago. It’s too late for me to do anything about it, so I’ve had to leave poor Dawn to contact the roofers and sort it out (so sorry, Dawn x). It’s not quite the start I’d hoped for as it wasn’t exactly conducive to a good nights sleep for either of us.
This morning the alarm went off at 05:45, blurgh! Having had a caffeine fix whilst I finished packing Dee drove me down to Halifax station to bid farewell. Now I’m on the first train of the trip – the 07:16 from Halifax to Leeds which is formed from one of the old West Yorkshire PTE Class 158s. Despite the early hour it’s a busy train full of commuters heading into the city.
I’m slowly managing to master the intricacies of my Interrail pass app on the phone, activated it and generated a ticket. I’m sure I’ll be fluent in its use by the end of the trip, I just hope I don’t hit some of the app glitches that I’ve read about. Or, if I do I have a sympathetic ‘gripper’ (ticket inspector) when I do!
I’m looking forward to trying a variety of different types of trains as I travel around Europe. I’m sure I might find some as old as this 1980s class 158, but also some rather more modern and up to date vehicles too. Let’s see what happens.
My first train of the trip. 158904 pauses at Leeds before heading off to Hull.
08:15.
My time in a damp Leeds was brief. I had long enough to get a quick shot of my train before heading over the footbridge to platform 8 to catch my LNER service to London which consisted of a pair of Hitachi built ‘Azuma’ Class 801s. I’m now happily ensconced in 1st Class, sipping coffee and looking forward to the breakfast service! my coach (K) is split 50/50 between 1st and Standard class. 1st is quiet, with only a handful of other passengers other than me – although several other seats are reserved en-route.
There are worse ways to travel…
09:15.
We’ve just sped through Grantham (the best way to see it perhaps). Having scoffed a bacon roll at 125mph I’m now enjoying watching the scenery flash past the window. Summer seems to be over now. The skies are gloomy and the light flat. Hopefully I’ll find better weather in Europe. 1st Class has filled up en-route, I’d say we’re about 60% full now, which isn’t bad for a Tuesday.
11;00.
The closer we got to the capital the worse the weather became. I’m glad I made a last minute decision to pack a brolly as I’m going to need it! fortunately, it’s only the work of a couple of minutes to transfer between Kings Cross and St Pancras. Plus, if it’s really hammering it down you can do the transfer via the subway. Now I’m sat on this 140mph chariot for a a trip along HS1 (High Speed 1) to Ashford, then on the traditional lines via Folkestone to Dover.
The last UK leg to Dover…
11:30.
We’ve arrived at Ebbsfleet International in Kent, having sped underneath London and across Essex. I still have to pinch myself sometimes as I documented HS1 being built when I lived in London. You can find the gallery of pictures here. Now, years later I’m documenting HS2 being built. I don’t travel this route often enough. I’ve not done it for a couple of years. The way residential building is taking over from industry to the East of London is quite a surprise. Gone are massive factory complexes like Ford in Dagenham. Now there’s more blocks of flats than commercial premises. It’s only along the banks of the Thames that industry hangs on.
14:45.
Well, that was interesting. The journey across Kent to Dover was painless – if rather wet and misty, which hardly showed off the ‘Garden of England’ at its best. Then you arrive at Dover – which (not to mince words) a bit of a shithole! I had time on my hands so elected to walk to the ferry terminal, accompanied by one of the local vagrants who just wanted someone to talk to (and ask for spare change). Nowadays the port is just one vast car and lorry park with all the glamour you’d expect from acres of concrete and tarmac. Boat trains arriving into Dover Marine station for a fast transfer onto a ferry are long gone. Now, if you’re a P&O foot passenger you’re advised to arrive 90 minutes before your ferry departs. Now I know why. I was one of only six foot passengers who joined the 13:35 bus for the 15:05 ferry. This takes you from the Eastern docks all the way to the Western docks where you go through passport control in a new building in the middle of a desolate lorry park. Then you get back on the bus for a circular tour before being driven back to the Eastern docks. There you get waved through customs befor your bus sits next to the ferry as it disgorges a seemingly endless stream of HGVs and other vehicles. Finally, the bus drives onto the ferry to deposit you by a staircase on the car deck, 35 minutes after you got on!
The bright side is you’re first on the ferry so have chance to explore whilst it’s empty!
A string of ferries ready to depart. Well, not the furthest. That’s an Irish Ferries ship that seems to be lost!
15:20.
It’s bye-bye Septic Isle…
My ferry’s sailed in bloody awful weather. The white cliffs of dover disappered in the rain within a minute of clearing the Dover harbour breakwater. The ferry is still eeriely quiet too which is rather a surprise. I’d have thought it would have been much busier. A tanny announcement earlier mentioned there were only a few hundred passengers aboard – including 105 lorry drivers, which gives an idea of the size of this ferry. Apparently the ‘P&O Liberte’ is over 42,000 gwt and can carry 1,500 passengers. I’m not sure it’s earning its keep on this crossing.
18:30.
Bonjour from Calais! Remember I said we were first on the ferry at Dover? There’s a downside to the system. We were the last one’s off at Calais. Thankfully, a funky little free ekectric bus runs between the ferty terminal and Calais Ville station which git mere there just in time to catch my train to Lille. I was sorely tempted to gang around to get pictures as I’ve not been to Calais for donkey’s years, but a hotel and food beckons…
My first European train of the trip…
The train was packed with young people as far as the first stop at Audricio. I’m assuming it was the school run. The wet and windy weather that dogged my trip across the channel has abated. The skies are clearing with the occaisional hint of blue sky and sunshine. Whilst this train’s a local service it’s very comfortable, with low doors, a variety of seating and plenty of space for cycles and wheelchairs. The automated announcements are multi-lingual. English racists would hate it!
19:00.
Our latest stop is Saint Omer, which has a huge (and very impressive) old station building. I’ve bever been here before but if I had time I’d certainly stop off to have a look. This area of France is criss-crossed by a multitude of canals and waterways, but (unlike the Norfolk Broads) the terrain is more undulating.
23:00 (French time).
From this point on I’ll be using the local time of whatever country I’m in. Right now I’m resting in my hotel in Lille afrer a long day. Having checked in earlier I went for a aander with the camera. I’d forgotten what an attactive town centre Lille has. There’s some gorgeous buildings that put nany UK cities to shame. Flandres station is lovely too. I spent a while there once night had fallen in order to get pictures. I’d planned to add some to this blog but I’ve decided to call it a night and have a longer day tomorrow. I’ll add some in the morning instead.
So, here’s the end of day 1. I’ll be blogging throughout day 2 as I’ll be covering a lot of miles. Tomorrow’s overnight stop will be in Hamburg, Germany.
And it’s goodnight from me. Welcome to Lille…
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On Wednesday I was privileged to be invited to see the construction of HS2s Duddeston Jn viaduct up close. It’s an impressive structure that’s being built on a very constricted site. To add to the fun the engineering challenge is made tougher by the viaduct’s changing horizontal curve and 3% gradient, which sees it climb to around 12m above the existing railway.
Built by consortia BBV, the weathering steel structure is made up of 14 spans of around 55m apiece. It’ll weigh up to 6,835 tonnes when complete. Seven spans are being built and pushed out over the existing railway lines whilst the remaining seven spans will be built and craned into place to create a 700m long structure.
Duddeston Junction Viaduct is supported by one abutment, two steel piers, four portals and eight concrete piers. It’s the longest viaduct on the Curzon Approaches by over 400 metres – eclipsing Curzon 1 which measures around 300 metres.
Here’s a selection of pictures from my visit.
A freightliner Class 66 passes where the viaduct will be pushed out over the four tracks of the busy Birmingham to Derby main line. In the background is the Freightliner container terminal whilst the pillars of the HS2 line lead your eye towards the Curzon St No2 viaduct which can be seen peeping out from behind the trees. These two freight lines are new. The originals had to be slewed to provide a space for one of the HS2 viaduct pillars. This involved building a new bridge over Duddeston Mill Rd which can be seen in the picture. The diverted freight lines are to the left of this pillar, which was built on the course of the original formation. The 20m wide gap that was created allowed the bridge pillar to be built. The viaduct is like one giant Meccano set, with the weathered steel being welded (or bolted) together on site. Looking along the viaduct towards Washwood Heath. The constricted nature of the site is evident. HS2 have taken over the warehouse to the right which is used for offices and storage. The weathered steel that makes up the viaduct is shipped in from Portugal, then put together on site. That white line? That’s where two sections have been welded together. Looking along the inside of the viaduct. Unlike other HS2 viaducts at Wendover and elsewhere, this one will be left open at the bottom. The viaduct with Birmingham ROC (Rail Operating Centre) in the background. You can see where sections have been welded together. To the left is the ‘nose’ of the viaduct, which is the guide fitted to it whilst it’s pushed out. The pile cap and wing walls which form the start of the viaduct. This is a massive structure sitting in piles of 1.8 meters in diameter sunk to 20 meters in depth. It’s designed to take the stresses of high speed trains passing over the viaduct.. Looking along the viaduct towards central Birmingham, with the ROC to the right and Curzon St No2 viaduct on the horizon beyond. Building the bridge deck insitu. The size and complexity of the rebar is evident. The bridge deck waiting for the next section to be built so that it can be pushed out further. The curvature is evident. Pillars for the viaduct on the opposite side of the existing railway. One the viaduct is pushed out to bridge the railway the remaining seven spans of the viaduct that will bridge these pillars will be built on site and lifted into place. A telephoto view that gives an impression of the curvature of the viaduct.The back of the viaduct with sections of it being assembled before being joined to the existing structure. The constrained nature of the site is evident. Part of the problem in building the viaduct is the curvature, which means the length of sections that can be built at any one time is limited. In the background is the first of four spans of the new Washwood Heath viaduct, a replacement road bridge. This span will be lifted into place over the railway during a blockade over the August bank holiday. The assembly area for viaduct sections with the gantry crane used for lifting them into position. The steel is brought in by road, which presents its own logistical challenges due to the size and weight of some of the pieces. Sections of the weathered steel in the assembly area. One of the bearings that the viaduct is slid over. This one is capable of being moved to left or right, hence the long pad it’s sat on. Who says no rails have been laid on HS2 yet? OK, admittedly, this is only for the travelling crane!
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After a long day (and early day) yesterday I luxuriated in a lie-in until 06:00 here at Bigland Towers. I’d like to have slept in longer but we had a commitment. We were meant to be having the boiler replaced today, which meant getting up in plenty of to perform our ablutions and prepare for the cottage to be upheaved for the day. But there was a problem. After weeks of wall to wall sunshine, today the weather was chucking it down, and part of the boiler replacement meant that the guys had to get onto the roof to replace the boiler flue too. So, (apologetically) they cancelled and arranged to come back next week. The weather put the kibosh on another plumbing job I’d planned to do too. So, whilst Dawn disappeared to her parents I spent the day sheltering from the rain and editing pictures from yesterday. meaning the day wasn’t entirely wasted.
I managed to get a few other things done too – as well as get out for my daily perambulations, which I’ve not done as much of here compared to being in Southport, but what you lose in distance on the flat you make up with exertions on the hills, as my Fitbit cardio results show!
Whilst inconvenient in some ways the amount of rain we’re having is a blessing. Grassland that was showing several shades of brown is beginning to return to green – at least in some parts. The problem is that the ground’s so hard-baked much of the rain is running off fields which are hardly renowned for being flat in this neck of the woods. Hopefully, more rain will follow now that the ground’s being softened up.
Not that I’ll see the results. I’m heading back to the seaside for a little while.
I’ll try to keep you entertained with various blogs over the next few days. I’ve one in preperation right now from yesterday’s HS2 visit. The pictures are all ready, I just need to do the words so you know what you’re looking at as it’s quite a project with lots of facts and figures.
Right now I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which relates to both Birmingham and HS2.
With the massive Curzon St HS2 station rising in the background, a West Midlands metro tram calls at Albert St on the latest extension to the city’s tram network.
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/
Ugh! Is that really the time? I’m up early as I’m off to Birmingham for another High Speed 2 (HS2) media visit, details of which will follow after the event. But first I’ve got to get there, which involves a series of early trains from Halifax – hence me being up at this ungodly hour! I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so feel free to keep popping back to see how the day unfolds.
05:25.
We’ve had another wet night here in West Yorkshire – a welcome event as we desperately need the rain. Thankfully, it’s subsiding as I begin my trek to the statìon this cool morning.
06:05.
And we’re off! I saw barely a soul on my walk to the station this morning. Even the dog walkers seemed to be having a lie-in! It was a different picture at the station where a few dozen early morning travellers were waiting for trains to Wigan and Leeds. I’ve joined the 06:00 to the latter. It’s worked by one of Northern’s 3-car Class 195s, prociding plenty of space for the numbers travelling at this hour.
Morning breaks over Halifax.
07:10.
Leeds was still waking up when I arrived. The normally bustling station was almost empty of trains and passengers. Only my platform was busy with people waiting for the same train as me – the 07:11 to Plymouth.
Thankfully, this Cross-Country service was made up of a pair of 4-car Class 220s so it was possible to get a seat for the trip to Birmingham.
07:30.
Having called at Wakefield Kirkgate my coach has started to fill up. No table seats are acailable so I’m in an aisle seat next to a fidgety and rather ‘out of gauge’ young man – ho hum! With the shops on Leeds not being open I was looking forward to getting a coffee on the train, only to find the trolley service on this unit has no hot drinks! Bugger!
There’s no chance of me setting up the ‘mobile office’ on this train so there’s little for me to do other than sit back and enjoy the ride.
08:45.
By Derby I’d had enough of fidgety ‘out of gauge’ man as a companion. He spent most of his time watching crappy youtube videos about American fast food (which could explain a lot) so I swapped trains and found a spare window seat in the reat unit, which was one of the refurbished XC sets. The plug sockets have been moved to a much more sensible position that’s between the airline seats in front. This has given me chance to ensure my phone’s fully charged by the time I get to Brum.
The heavy, moody clouds I saw at home have gradually morphed into less threatening examples here in the Midlands. It’s difficult to tell if there’s been any rain as everywhere looks so dry. I’m nit complaining as I didn’t fancy doing today’s visit during a deluge!
09:22.
No prizes for guessing where I am, now for the last leg…
11:45.
A view few get to see. Atop the Hs2 viaduct which is being pushed out over the Birmingham – Derby line, looking towards central Birmingham.
The HS2 viaduct with Network Rail’s Saltley ROC (Rail Operations Centre) to the right. HS2 will give fantastic views of Birmingham to incoming passengers.
One of life’s ironies was that – whilst we were being given a tour of a railway for the future, an engine from the past turned up.
37800 chunters at signals on the freight line that’s been diverted to allow an HS2 viaduct pillar to be built in the old formation.
13:30.
Wow! That was quite a visit. Our small band of trade press journalists were given fantastic access. Both to to the Duddeston viaduct site and the people in charge of building it. It’s a hell of a project, putting together 1000s of tonnes of steel on a constricred site, then pushing out the viaduct in stages across a major rail line (part of which you’ve had to divert). Not only that – but the viaduct’s curved and you’re pushing it uphill! I’ll write a seperate blog about it another time but add more pictures later. Right now I’m taking time to get a few pictures in Birmingham city centre.
14:55.
My time in Brum’s been blessed by heavy showers – but only after the event! On the bright side, it lead to a really interesting conversation with a chap who was working on the tram network as we both hid from the rain!
Trams. The sign of a modern, forward-thinking UK city.
17:00.
I’m making my way back to West Yorkshire via a rather different route, using the West Coast Main Line to Manchester. It avoids having to use Cross-Country ‘Voyagers’. Instead I’ve hax the pleasure of a Siemebs built Class 350 to Crewe before swapping to an old Northern Class 323 to Manchester.
Admittedly, Crewe’s not the interchange that it was when I was a kid. The station’s well past its ‘sell-by’ date but successive Governments have done naff all to improve it. The biggest failure of recent years was when temporary Tory PM Rishi Sunak made the mad decision tocancel HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester.
Crewe station. Decaying gently.
18:45.
The last leg…
After enjoying heritage traction from Crewe to Manchester Piccadolly and weaved my way through city centre crowds I’m now on my last (packed) train of the day. Northern have seen fit to allocate a 2-car Class 195 to the 18:21 to Leeds. Needless to say, it’s doing a very good impression of a sardine can! Why this service is short-formed is a mystery. When we passed Newton Heath depot it was awash with spare units. Are they all broken?
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Yesterday I took advantage of the weather to take a look at TRU work at the locations mentioned above. Here’s a selection of shots from my travels.
A Liverpool – Hull TPE class 802 sweeps through Deighton. The new station is being built on the site of the old behind the bridge (itself being replaced) in the background. The new Fast lines will be laid to the left of the picture.Here’s the new Leeds Rd bridge the previous picture was taken from. When fully open it will contain two lanes for vehicles, cycle lanes and footpaths. The old bridge is behind the barriers to the right of the picture. Bradley Junction, where the single line chord to/from Brighouse joins the Trans-Pennine route. The junction and all other lines have been renewed in recent blockades. Preparations for laying the new Fast lines to the left have reached the stage where the original formation has been dug down ready for membrane to be laid before ballasting up to the required level to allow sleepers to be laid. I’ve zoomed in to show the new single span steel Colliery footbridge which replaced the old double arch stone bridge which can be seen in the next picture which was taken last year. The new bridge isn’t open to the public yet, but it’ll make a fine vantage point when it is. Looking in the opposite direction at Bradley Junction. Yet another new bridge can be seen in the background. The same view as 802211 working 9E09, the 0953 Manchester Piccadilly to Newcastle speeds past some of the new OLE masts which have been installed during previous possessions. Here’s a view from the West side of Deighton where four-tracks have been installed. The tracks to the right (which will be the Fast lines) were the original lines. The 802 is running on the newly laid track. In the background the platforms and footbridge lift tower of the new Deighton station are taking shape. Welcome to the UKs newest four-track main line! Here’s a view looking towards Huddersfield as 185147 working 2U47, the 1101 Manchester Piccadilly to York traverses the new tracks.A view from the new footbridge at Huddersfield looking along the viaduct to the East of the station. The new Fast lines will be laid across the right of the viaduct whilst the new through platforms are taking shape behind the camera to the left. A wider shot to the last showing the new platform canopies and extended platforms at Huddersfield.Work continues to build the new island platform. The walls are partially in place, now they’re being filled in to platform level. Looking across the site of the new island platform. This area was once the stabling sidings. Work continues on refurbishing the main trainshed roof. Worthy of note are the counterweights in the foreground. These were used on one of the stations water columns used for topping up steam engines!
If you want to browse other pictures of upgrade work I have a gallery dedicated to the TRU on my Zenfolio website, just follow this link. You’ll find photographs going back as far as the start of the project in 2021.
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/
A few days ago I took time out to visit the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) work at Batley and Dewsbury stations. Both have seen a serious amount of work carried out during recent blockades. Here’s a look at what’s been going on recently, with a few old shots added to compare.
Looking towards Leeds from platform 1. The extent of the rebuilding is obvious in this shot. The new footbridge is open, although the lifts aren’t working yet. The subway has been filled in and all the platform shelters have been replaced whilst the platforms themselves have been lengthened and resurfaced.
Here’s a comparison shot from 2021 looking across to platform 2.
Looking down onto the platforms from the new footbridgeThe origianal station building remains intact although most of it is disused. Only the right hand side is occupied. Here, the former cafe is used by the station friends group.The building is a memorial to Jo Cox MP, who was murdered by a far-right activist on the 16th June 2016. Jo was a member of the station friends.Looking along platform 2 towards Dewsbury. The first OLE masts have started to appear. New station signage bears the inscription and logo for the ‘Weaver Network’ A TPE Class 185 approaches the station from Leeds, past some of the new OLE masts that have been installed. Looking towards Dewsbury. All the track through the station has been renewed as part of the recent blockade.
Meanwhile, over at Dewsbury…
The old station canopies are being extended with new steelwork which incorporate copies of the spandrels used in the originals. New steelwork on the end of the Leeds bound platform.The Leeds bound platform is being extended to take longer trains.
I’m planning to get out again in the next couple of days in order to have a look at TRU work at Huddersfield and Deighton.
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/
