I hadn’t planned to be travelling today. I’ve stuff to do at home but when we opened the bedroom blinds this morning to see clear blue skies and this strange yellow orb I was torn between sticking to my original programme or getting the hell out for the day. After double-checking the forecast to see that this is a one day only opportunity (we’ve sleet and snow forecast for Friday) – and with Dawn’s gentle prodding I decided ‘bugger it’ and packed the camera bag. But where to go?
As this was very much a spur of the moment decision my mind I was still unsure where I was headed for until I’d walked down to Sowerby Bridge station and realised the next departure was for Manchester and Chester. A quick check of the forecast told me Chester would remain sunny almost all day – so Chester it is, although I’m not planning to stay all day…
Right now we’re passing through the West Manchester suburbs en-route to Warrington. I’ll blog through the day as and when, so feel free to pop back and see what I get up to.
Here we go…
15:35.
Ho hum. Another day that’s not exactly gone to plan. Chester was interesting and I certainly got a few steps in but the light at the location I had in mind (where the railway passes under the city walls) was less than optimal. Low winter sunlight and trees create a lot of shadows. Still, I managed a couple of shots before walking back to the station where I grabbed a quick drink in the new Brewery Tap on the station.
The brewery tap serves food, hot and cold drinks and a range of real ales.
I’d hoped that a stone train would be running but it was cancelled at the last minute so I decided to cut my losses, catch a train to Warrington Bank Quay for an onward service to Wigan North Western, where tge station’s perched high on an embankment in full sun.
A few minutes before my train arrived sraff annonced that there was a fatality on the line South of the station so all Northbound trains were cancelled.
The tragedy meant there was only one option – board the first available train towards Manchester, so here I am…
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/
Oh, God. Is that really the time? I’m already up, drinking coffee and munching on toasted fruit teacakes in preparation for my stroll to Sowerby Bridge station to catch the first Manchester bound train of the day, the 06:03. I’ll be heading to Birmingham for an HS2 media visit, the first to this particular site which I’ll describe when I get there. Unlike some, this is no hole in the ground. Exactly the opposite, in fact – it’s rather eye-catching…
I’ll be blogging as and when I can, so feel free to pop back to see how the day goes…
06:10.
Whilst it’s a damp and somewhat icy morning my walk to the station was rather enjoyable. The fact it’s downhill all the way added to that fact! Now I’m relaxing in the warmth of a mostly empty 3-car Class 158, although I’ve no doubt it’ll have folled up with wage-slaves by the time we get to Manchester.
06:43.
As expected my train slowly filled up en-route but was way over half full by the time it left Rochdale which is the busiest station on the route after Halifax. The occupants are a mix of trades people heading into the city to work on various building projects and earlybird white collar office or shop workers.
07:33.
This morning’s walk twixt Vic and Picc stations was a chilly one. The city centre felt colder than back in the Pennines. I felt for the poor sods sleeping rough, hidden in cardboard boxes to keep warm, or just swaddled jn dleeping bags. There but for the grace of God…
Piccadilly station was just beginning to spring into life with long-distance services heading South and East whilst local trains ferried in commuters from the suburbs.
Piccadilly awakes…
Now I’m en-route to Crewe aboard an ex-London Midland Class 323 whilst dawn breaks over the city on what promises to be a decent winter’s day.
09:07.
I’m typing this aboard a London North-Western service from Crewe to Birmingham. I’m on a warm, comfortable Class 350/4 with plug sockets, a/c and wifi, which is a bit of a step-up from the Class 323 that got me here from Manchester. Not that it was a bad journey, watching the sunrise over frosty fields and frozen streams as we traversed the Cheshire countryside was gorgeous. At Crewe I bumped into two other rail journalist colleagues, but they’re booked on a later train so I’ve gone on ahead.
Staffordshire is just as frozen as Cheshire with everywhere covered in a thick layer of frost. If I was lineside it would make for some great pictures, but today I’ve other fish to fry.
09:33.
Perusing the BBC website my day was dimmed by the tragic news coming out of Thailand where 28 people have been killed when a construction crane collapsed onto a train. It’s a railway system I know well and I country I love, so it feels anything but abstract, or distant, especially as I’d normally be there this time of year.
11:00.
Having met up with Chris Howe and Rich Wilcock at New St we’re now on site. This is what we’ve come to learn about – and climb to the top of. The HS2 bridge which will span the existing line to Walsall at Duddeston.
14:35.
Visit over, I’m now having a warm and editing a few pictures. Here’s a sample (captions to follow).
Looking down along the bridge from the high girders at the Birmingham end of the structure.The view looking the othe way towards Curzon St with a cross-city line train on the route the bridge will be pushed out over…A zoom lens shot of Curzon St station under construction.
18:00.
I’m now on my way home from Crewe after a fascinating day. I’ll be writing a seperate blog about Curzon St No2 bridge soon. Hs2 Ltd organised an excellent visit with lots of information and access to the engineers building this project.
Having left site I had a couple of hours to get pictures around New St station before catching the 16:34 North. This was another busy train which was rammed all tge way to Wolverhampton. It remained busy all the way to Crewe, where I had a few minutes grace between trains to photograph these beasties.
The Class 37. Still serving the railway after 60 plus years.
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/
Another week begins, but this one sees me out and about more. Right now I’m on a Northern service from Halifax to Manchester in order to head over to Southport where the RAIL 200 ‘inspiration train’ is stabled until Tuesday. I’ve not had chance to visit this exhibition until now but seeing it in my old home town is rather appropriate. The train will continue its tour of the network through the next few months and tickets (which are free) are still available.
The weather’s decidedly mixed so it’s not the best day to be out with the camera. Even so, I’m hopeful of getting a few useful pictures. At least it’s mild (a balmy 7 degrees here in the Pennines) so I won’t be in danger of frostbite in the way I was on my last outing to Ribblehead!
My Manchester service consists of a 3-car Class 195 which is fairly empty due to the time of day, allowing to purloin a table bay and set up the mobile office in peace. I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so feel free to pop pack anythime to see what I get up to…
10:15.
We’ve now traversed the Pennines to an equally grey and gloomy Greater Manchester to call at Rochdale, which is the quietest I’ve seen it for some time. Only a handful of passengers were waiting to join us for the trip into the city.
11:30.
My time in Manchester was short, just long enough to get a few pictures around a very quiet station. You can tell it’s January as so few people are about. Everybody’s too skint to go out after spending loads over Christmas and New Year! It’s not a new phenomenon, but it is noticeable. Plus, the weather’s hardly conducive, but then I normally flee the UK in January, so I don’t normally have to experience all this.
The Wigan Wanderer. 158849 will take me as far as Wallgate
Right now I’m on another Northern service. This time as far as Wigan Wallgate via the old Lancashire and Yorkshire main line that avoids Bolton to go through the wonderfully named ‘Hag Fold’. The line’s a shadow of it’s former self, but there’s been an improvement in frequency since late BR days. I’m sat on a 2-car 158 which is virtually empty. Many passengers seem to join for short hops between stations.
11:40.
Bugger. Everthing was going so well until we reached Daisy Hill, one of those places where the lovely-sounding name bears absolutely no relationship to the surroundings.
My suspicions were aroused when we were still at the platform for minutes rather than the usual 90 seconds. The Conductor’s just walked through the train to inform us all we’ll be stuck here for a while due to a ‘problem’ on the line ahead. God knows what it is as we’ve been passed by a train in the opposite direction. Well, bang goes my connection in Wigan…
11:55.
We’re still enjoying the vistas of Daisy Hill. I’ve had a chat with crew who tell me the problem is due to the driver of a previous train having reported that they hit a swan…
Daisy Hill, with no hills or daisies.
12:35.
Hooray! We’re finally on the move, a mere 65 minutes late…
13:00.
Finally, I’m on my way to Southport. Rail services on the line through Wigan Wallgate are in disarray in all directions with many trains cancelled. Fortunately, a Southport train was running right behind mine so I had only minutes to wait in the rain befire boarding a busy 2-car Class 150 for the last leg. Sadly, the weather has dereriorated. The skies have closed in to bring heavy, peristant rain, so even if I hadn’t been delayed I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’d hoped. Maybe things will be better on the coast, but I’m not holding my breath…
17:00.
Well, that was an interesting day. The weather in Southport was drier, with cloud cover that was constantly changing to tease me. As I was late arriving I didn’t have as much time to expore as I’d have liked before I was booked onto the exhibition train so my wanderings were confined to the town centre. Not that Monday’s are a great day to explore because much of Southport seems not to bother opening on a Monday!
That said, there’s not as much to open anyways. The amount of empty shops in the town centre’s rather depressing, but that’s the nature of the modern ‘online’ world. There were some greenshoots with places that were long-closed having reopened, but trade was sparse to say the least. Some of the ‘improvements’ don’t seem to have been thought through either..
Maybe an aquatic plants display would have been sensible here outside the old market hall. At least the old ”Corrie” (Coronation) pub opposite has reopened in a new guise after being empty for very many years.
I had a bit of a trip down memory lane to pass old haunts, many of which have vanished, but after nearly half a century that’s probably only to be expected…
I arrived back at the station in plenty of time for my alloted spot on the exhibition train. Not only was it fully booked but staff did their best to squeeze on some ticketless folk. The levels of interest were really good to see. The audience was of all ages with the displays doing their best with limited space to inform, educate and entertain. What was lovely was to bump into several familiar faces from the community rail sector who’d come along to volunteer whilst the train’s in this part of the world.
With my time over on the train I hung around the station long enough to get some pictures before heading East. One thing I noticed was that Merserail’s new Stadler built trains are still having problems. If you’ll pardon the pun – their information systems are still up the Swanee…
Every train that I saw sat in the station displayed the message ‘not in service’ even though it was. Station staff kept making announcements to say ‘ignore what they train says’. Even worse was the final arrival I saw where the onboard screen insisted that the train was going to Ormskirk. What? Someone’s re-instated the Burscough curve overnight? We should be so lucky!
17:30.
I’m now on my way to Manchester aboard another venerable Class 150. It’s OK, the internals are well-maintained by the whole train’s showing its age. It’s about time these units had their swan-song (that’s enough bloody swan jokes for one blog: Ed)
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! Up at sparrowfart for the first time this year…
Having perused the weather forecast, looked out of the window to see the roads are clear – and checked that all the trains are running, I’m preparing to head out into Halifax and catch a train to Ribblehead as planned. Let’s see how the day unfolds…
06:45.
Phew! After slipping and sliding much of the way I made it to the station upright abd in one piece. Black ice and frozen pavements meant it was the most treacherous walk I’ve done for years. First, I had to get up here…
A wet and icy cobbled hill. Nice…
Crossing Spring Edge I passed a determined (if foolhardy) jogger. Apart from him, a couple of dog walkers abd a gritter hardly anyone else was around. I was congratulating myself on making it to the station when I hit a final challenge. The approaches hadn’t been gritted, leaving me to slip and slide the last 200m across glass-like pavements and cobbles. Thankfully I’d given myself 50% more time than usual to walk in order to avoid rushing and breaking my neck.
07:00.
Now I’m on the 06:44 to Leeds which is running late, but I’m hopeful I’ll still make my connection as I gave myself wriggle room. We’ll see…
12:15.
I made it in plenty of time to catch the trains I wanted to get pictures of. Mainly because they were all running late! That’s given me plenty of time to wander and freeze in the Baltic conditions that prevail here at Ribblehead. Snow sits on the tops, leaving the moss free but freezing. Now I’m having a quick warm and coffee in the local pub before heading out to get a few more pictures like this – incoming clouds permitting…
GBRf’s 66729 and 66721 head 6Z77, the 10:30 Blea Moor Up Goods Loop to Hunslet Tilcon in Leeds.Avanti West Coast 805003 working 1Z85, the 0924 Carlisle to Preston passes over the Ribblehead viaduct.
14:10.
I’m still at Ribblehead, having retreated back to the the nearby pub after waiting far too long in the biting wind for trains that never arrive. Phone reception up here is non-existent, so the only way of keeping track of things is logging onto the Station Inn pub wifi. Mind you, it’s a lovely place to take refuge in.
The bar in the Station Inn
I’m not the only one either. There’s been about a dozen other photographers nipping in and out in the hope of capturing pictures like this.
A pair of AWC ‘Evero’ trains are dwarfed by the viaduct and surrounding landscape. As you can see, we’re playing cat and mouse with the clouds this time of the day…
15:40.
A combination of cancelled or delayed Avanti services along with the non-appearance of certain freight trains meant that I gave up on being battered by the weather at Ribblehead. Just before I was planning to leave I bumped into an old friend and fellow railway photographer who was on the same mission as me. Bob Avery is another alumni of the Pheonix photographic circle. He was accompanied by a friend involved in preserving Armathwaite signalbox who’d escaped from her family for the day to chase trains. None of us could resist the pub’s real fire on a day like this!
As the light fades at Ribblehead, 158797 arrives to take me and many others South.
Having left early I opted to stop off in nearby Settle for a while. It’s an attractive little market town that’s very quiet off-season. Only hardened walkers and hikers and the occasional passer-by darken its doors this time of year. Still, it has an attractive old Midland Railway station and museum based around another old signalbox.
During my exploration I found a little micro-pub called Millers @ Bar 13. It’s a lovely little place that’s obviously popular. There’s range of real ales on handpump. I tried the Chinook, which was very well kept.
Millers at Bar 13.
I didn’t tarry longer as the train service isn’t that regular. I was lucky I was heading to Leeds as – whilst my train was delayed, it was still running whilst the Carlisle service in the opposite direction was cancelled entirely.
158851 arrives at Settle to take me back to Leeds.
I didn’t hang around in Leeds and caught the first available train back to Halifax. The walk home was a lot less dangerous than when I left it this morning as all the ice had disappeared. I’d had a lovely day out exploring, even if the weather was bloody freezing. I’d like to return and get some shots around Blea Moor, but that might have to wait until the weather warms up!
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/
Having abandoned Bigland Towers for a couple of days I’m on my way to London to join the annual railway carols service and meet up with friends and colleagues from across the industry.
Having walked to the station on a grey but dry day it became duller once I boarded Grand Central’s 09:10 service to Kings Cross, where I was greeted with an announcement that there’s no buffet service due to staff shortages. Oh, and the wifi’s kaput too! This leaves me unable to do the work I was hoping to – and blogging from my phone – so please excuse the more than normal amount of typos!
Here was hoping…
10:00.
We’re currently crawling our way from Wakefield to ‘Pontycarlo’ (aka Pontefract) having picked up an almost full complement of passengers already after stops at Brighouse, Mirfield and Wakefield.
I’ve not seen any great progress on TRU work en-route but then a lot is due to be delivered over the Christmas blockade. I did notice that the relaid fan of sidings at the sute of the old Healey Mills marshalling yard contains a rake of ballast wagons, which is the first traffic I’ve seen. In contrast, the relaid (at great expense) DB loco stabling sidings at Wakefield are housing nothing but rust. I’ve never seen them used once since they were put in.
10:15.
This GC service has been retimed and now cuts out a lot of the crawl to Doncaster as it joins the main line at Hare Park Junction, allowing our 221 to stetch its legs. Observing the flooded fields and streams the colour of builders tea we’ve passed en-route it’s obvious just how much rain we’ve had, although the weather remains dry, for now.
The amount of passengers waiting to board this service at Doncaster was rather impressive. I doubt there’s a spare seat left now. I’ll check later once the melee has subsided. Right now it’s a chaotic mess of suitcases and bewildered people.
The sidings between the station and old railway works are empty – apart from a massive pair of Ainscough hire cranes. I can only assume they’re here to remove the decaying footbridge that linked the works with the outside world by crossing above the station.
11:10.
We sped through my old stomping ground of Peterborough 6 minutes late. It’s changed a bit since I first got to know it at the end of the 1980s so I’m glad to see the railway expanding there again thanks to freight compaby GBRf, who’ve made it one of their main locomotive depots.
Sadly, that was the only bright spot as the weather’s turned very dull indeed – evidenced by the amount of industrial sites where the yard lights have come on! My hope that we’d make up some tine have been dashed too. We’re currently crawing our way towards Huntingdon, which suggests we’re stuck behind something. The new ECML timetable came into force at the weekend, leaving thus a very congested railway. Something that building HS2 to Leeds and Church Fenton would have solved, until short-sighted and short-term politicians screwed that up.
11:39.
Bugger. We’ve just passed Potters Bar at the time we should’ve been arriving at Kings Cross. Plus, the rain’s arrived.
12:40.
Here we are..
18:45.
Sorry for the gap but it’s been a busy day. Right now I’m on this old train on my way to meet up with other friends.
After being tied to Bigland Towers by a combination of poor weather and home-based jobs to do I’ve escaped for the day! Today we have a crisp autumn day with clear skies and lots of sunshine, so it’s time to venture out with the camera. I’ve a rough idea of where I want to go, but my plan’s not written in stone. First off, I have to get over to Manchester, which is why I’m currently on Northern’s 09:02 from Sowerby Bridge which is heading for Wigan Wallgate. Formed of 2, 2-car Class 158s it’s a quiet train, which has allowed me to grab a table bay and begin blogging, fortified by a fresh coffee from the Jubilee refreshment rooms.
I’ll be posting throughout the day, so feel free to pop back to see where and what I get up to…
09:22.
Ha! My comments about the weather turned out to be premature. We’ve just pulled out of Todmorden and the tops of the surrounding hills are shrouded in cloud. We’ll pass through the Summit tunnel into Greater Manchester shortly, the weather’s often the opposite to Yorkshire on the West side of the Pennines. I’m hoping today’s no different…
09:45.
Bugger. For once, crossing the Pennines hasn’t affected the weather. We have low thin bands of cloud the sun’s struggling to break through, but it’s thinning, so I renain optimistic. If I only get a few decent daytime shots I’ll be happy, otherwise I’ll fall back on plan B for some night shots later.
10:30.
Where the sun never shines! The gloomy through platforns at Manchester Victoria.
The sun god has smiled! Manchester’s belied its rainy reputation to be bathed in sunshine. Not that I’m hanging around. I hot foot across town from Victoria to Piccadilly in order to head out further, this time into Derbyshire, where the weather’s looking just as good. I reckon that If I head to my furthest point away first it doesn’t matter if clouds return later. Rather than kick my heels at Piccadilly I’ve caught a train to New Mills Central. That will involve a walk to another station to catch my next train, but that’s no bad thing on a day like today.
Right now I’m trundling through the delights of South-East Manchester. I covered all these stations at length last year as part of a commission, so there’s no need for me to tarry.
11:20.
I’m now on the right line at New Mills (Newtown). This is a delightful little Derbyshire town on two train lines. Manchester-Sheffield and Manchester-Buxton. There’s also a canal and lots of industrial history. I needn’t have rushed walking between the two stations as my next Buxton bound train is delayed by 6 minutes due to an ‘electrical power failure’. Still, there’s worse places to be stuck. The ticket office is open and it has a lending library!
14:40.
I’m back! My next stop was Chapel-en-le-Frith, where the railway station’s a good 15 mins walk downhill from the centre of town. The running-in boards proclaim it’s the ‘home of Ferodo’. This may be the shire, but it’s not a Hobbit they’re referring to, it’s a company known for making car brakes! The station also has a place in history because in 1957 it was the site of a tragic accident involving a runaway train which led to the deaths of Driver John Axon and Guard. There’s a nemorial on the station which contains the wreckage of one of the wagons involved.
There’s some gorgeous views across the valley towards Kinder Scout and South Head, which is seen in these pictures.
I hung around between trains, then caught the next service to the end of the line at Buxton. Sadly, the station’s lost its overall roof but this wonderful window remains.
Now I’m making my way back towards Manchester. The railway runs on the wring side of the valley for low sun shots. It’s already disappeared behind the hills, so I’m taking a pitstop in Whalley Bridge.
18:20.
Whalley Bridge was both interesting and frustrating. I’d intended to get some shots at the station, then have a quick pint at the nearby Station pub whilst downloading (then uploading) pics but the pub had no wifi and power sockets were in short supply. Instead I ended up engaging in conversation with both staff and locals as my camera is often a talking point.
On leaving, and with the light failing I made my way back into Manchester where I grabbed a few tram pictures before calling it a day and catching the 17:57 back across the Pennines. Needless to say, this 3-car train is standing room only.
Now I’m home, here’s a few camera pictures from the day.
150108 approaches Chapel-en-le-Frith working 2B25, the 1144 Buxton to Manchester Piccadilly. The old station building at Chapel-in-le-Frith is no longer occupied by the railway, but a local brass band use it for practice every week. A trio of Class 150s at Buxton. These machines are the staple of Buxton line services, augmented by some Class 156s.
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/
The adventure begins! Despote being ul at 06:00 I’ve had an easy start to the day thanks to Dawn, who decided to get up at the same time – and even offered to take time out of her day to give me a lift and save me a chilly walk to Halifax station.
Now I’m aboard the late-running 07:45 to Manchester Victoria on the first leg of my trip ‘darn sarf’. This is a busy 3-car train which is already packed with people commuting across the Pennines.
There’s no space to set up my mobile office, this is being typed on my phone, so I’ll flesh details and tags out later.
08:45.
The day is not starting well! My train is currently crawling along near Castleton, having left Rochdale 18 mins late. This will bugger up my connection in Manchester. If we were on time I had 37 mins to get between Victoria and Piccadilly. Being a few minutes late would have been fine (we left Halifax 5 down after all) but this is painful – and there’s no announcements made as to the reason why we’re running so slowly. Oh, and it’s raining! Ho hum…
09:45.
We crawled into Manchester nearly half an hour late. Fortunately, there was a plan B. I’d intended to have a leisurely journey to Crewe aboard one of the old Hunslet built Class 323s operated by Northern. It was long gone by the time I got to Piccadilly. Instead, I’m enjoying a comfortable Transport for Wales CAF built Class 197,which has the advantage of plug sockets and tales, giving me chance to set up the ‘mobile office’ to update this blog.
My connection at Crewe will be very tight, (three minutes) but do-able. However, as this train’s now stuck outside Wilmslow I’m beginning to wonder…
10:40.
It’s going to be one of those days, isn’t it? My TfW service made up some time to Crewe. I was even more optimistic when it pulled into the platform next to where my train was due to depart, with 2 minutes to spare. Hang on, the platform’s empty? Where’s my connection? Oh, bugger…
Still, for someone interested in railways there’s worse places to be stuck for an hour or so. That said, the West Coast Main Line seems to be having a bad day, with many trains cancelled or delayed.
12:00.
Southbound again after a right royal farce at Crewe. My enforced visit had a couple of silver linings. One was the moody skies and low sunshine which (hopefully) made for some great pictures. I’ll add them later. The other was that an old friend was also stuck at Crewe and we managed to meet up with the intention of travelling South together as far as Nuneaton on the delayed 11:13.
Then it all went Pete Tong again. The 8-car train that should have formed the 11:13 turned up as a 12-car, which wouldn’t fit in our platform so it arrived into 11, not 7. The two of us sensed something was afoot and made our way to watch the train being split. I asked LNW crew what was happening, only to be told the 11:13 was cancelled too! However, arrangements had been put in place so that the next Avanti service to Euston would take us forward. I had to bid goodbye to Jon as the Avanti didn’t stop at Nuneaton. I now find myself on a busy 9-car Pendolino heading to Euston which will get me in a few minutes earlier than my scheduled LNW service. Due to accepting LNW passengers this Pendolino is due to make an extra stop at Milton Keynes, otherwise it would have been non-stop from Stafford to Euston.
12:55.
We’ve left Milton Keynes and (thankfully) there’s been no further problems (touch plastic laminate). Next stop is Euston. Despite the train being very busy I managed to share a table in the quiet coach with a young woman. Whilst I’ve been busy typing/editing she’s been watching films on her iPad via headphones. The whole coach has been very well-behaved and respectful of the space, which has made for a very easy journey.
Now for the hustle and bustle of the metropolis!
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/
After a hectic week and weekend which has seen me up to my neck in judging stations and photographs for the 2026 Community Rail Awards we’ve breezed into a new week which sees the pair of us taking some time off. It’s our wedding anniversary on Tuesday so we thought we’d get away for a few days. We’d planned to visit Rome, but neither of us had time to plan things the way we’d have liked, so we’ve opted for plan B by returning to somewhere we know well – which means we can relax. Instead of the eternal city we’re heading back to Shropshire to spend time in Church Stretton and the Shropshire hills AONB – somewhere far less built up and chaotic! But first, we’ve got to get there…
Church Stretton seen from the Long Mynd during our visit in October 2021. Hopefully we’ll be able to get to walk places like this again, but the weather forecast doesn’t look too promising, so it’s time to pack the waterproofs!
14:00.
We’re on our way! We had a few chores to finish before we departed so we didn’t leave Halifax until 12:30. Right now we’re on a busy M53 heading towards Chester after traversing the M62 and M6 – which were chokka with traffic – and wet, which added to the fun!
Now the skies are clearing…
16:10.
We resisted the temptation to stop en-route, which has meant we’re now settled into our home from home here in Church Stretton. We stayed in the same place in April and loved it so much we promised ourselves we’d return. Here’s Bigland Towers in exile.
The 1st floor living room has a view looking acoss to the Long Mynd.Looking in the opposite direction towards the kitchen and bedroom.Our hosts left us a welcoming treat – and there’s even a couple of real ales in the fridge!
20:10.
And relax! Having established ourselves in our new surrounds it was time to walk into town in order to explore, pick up some shopping – and stop for a drink in our favorite pub, the Kings Arms.
Wooden beams aplenty. The pub is an old gem – but the narrow frontage belies just how big it is inside.The pub is run by Joules, a brewey based in Market Drayton, here’s a selection of the real ales on offer.
The pub also serves food, which seems very popular. We were tempted by the battered onion rings which turned out to be fish-flavoured as they’d been fried in the same oil as previous foods. It certainly made for an ‘interesting’ combination of flavours!
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/
Having had my birthday treat postponed due to ‘events’ we’re making up for it today with a return trip to Chester, only this time by train. We’re also adding Manchester to the mix to split the day between the two. The plan’s to enjoy an amble around Chester and its walls, then a spot of brunch and a pint before heading back East to Manchester for another amble and drinks before adjourning to a lovely Indian eatery this evening.
Right now, we’re aboard Northern’s 09:20 from Sowerby Bridge which runs direct to Chester. Today it’s worked by a pair of 2-car Class 195/0s, so there’s plenty of available seats and we’ve managed to bag a table behind the driver’s cab. Dee’s got her book and I’ve the ‘mobile office’ so all’s well. The weather’s playing ball too, as it’s surprisingly mild – if a little damp.
Time to leave…
We’re already West of Manchester Victoria, which is where most passengers decamped. Only a handful joined to replace them, leaving around half a dozen in this front car.
10:55.
This train didn’t stay empty for long! After stopping at Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown and Warrington Bank Quay we’re around 80% full with a real mix of travellers of all ages heading for or next and final stop – Chester. The weather’s picking up too, with high, thin cloud and glimpses of blue sky. Not a bad day for a wander at all…
17:00.
We’re now on our way to Manchester after exploring old haunts and new in Chester. This time we’re aboard the 16:28 which (as it’s only a 2-car) is rammed. Chester was lovely, on leaving the station we walked down to the Shropshire Union cabal which we followed West under the shadow of the city walls to the csnal basin and junction with the spur to the river Dee. You pass through a cutting hewn from solid rock which still bears the scars of the primitive tools of the time. It must have been a hell of an undertaking when the most sophisticated tool you had at your disposal was gunpowder.
After a walk around the cabal we climbed up onto the walls to head into town in search of sustenance. Ignoring ‘influencers’ and other social media sirens we picked where we fancied to old fashioned way by peering in the window and reading the menus outside. As we both enjoy tapas we we chose Salt House on Bridge St (links later). This proved to be a wise move. We arrived at noon when it was empty. When we left 90 mins later there wasn’t a seat spare!
Salt House is a sympathetic refurbishment of an old building with some nice touches (check out the tiling on the bar).Chicken skewers (recipe later).
To be continued…
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/
Having spent the past few days cooped up at home it’s time to get out and about for a while. Dawn’s got a couple of days away from work and is heading over to a friend’s caravan in Lincolnshire until tomorrow, so I’ve time to myself. The weather’s still not brilliant, but I’ve a mind to get a few night shots in Manchester, so if it rains this evening that’s actually a bonus as wet streets reflect the light and add another dimension to pictures.
To that end, I’m on Northern’s 12:02 from Sowerby Bridge to Wigan Wallgate which is worked by a 3-car Class 158. This trains reasonably busy for a midday service, with a mix of students, families and solo travellers either heading to the city or out to enjoy the countryside. The weather’s picked up too. We’ve chunks of blue sky and sunshine which is showing the Calder valley at its autumnal finest.
Ready, steady, go…
13:25.
Fo once, the weather West of the Pennines closely matched that of the East. That said, if you want rain, it’s one of the things Manchester is famous for, so I may be lucky later. My stay in the city was brief as I found out that an unusual train which I’d yet to photograph was in service today. Northern has a fleet of bi-mode Class 769s (converted from Class 319s) which normally run Southport to Stalybridge/ManchesterI Oxford Rd. Right now, the fleet is being supplemented by two ex- Transport for Wales 769s, which run as required. One is out today, (769452) so it would have been rude not to – especially as it was running to Southport just behind my service! I’m on it now.
Apart from obvious differences like the livery (it’s still in TfW colours), there’s revised seating and different USB sockets. Oh, and there’s a bell, not a buzzer in the cab for Conductor to Driver signalling. I can’t remember if this was a feature original to the Class 319s. There’s other differences too. The Northern sets retain the old 1st class seating area which has been stripped out of the TfW units.
14:15.
I may have to retitle this blog as I’m now on my way to the coast! The weather’s brighter so I thought a flying visit to get a few more shots of this unit was in order. Plus, I’ve not travelled back to the town I grew up in by rail for a while…
14:50.
Here we are in Southport. Briefly, anyway. I’ve time to nip up to an old haunt – the Virginia St footbridge – to get shots of the train leaving at 15:03. I’ll follow on behind.
Having travelled across the West Lancashire plain, I arrived at Burscough. It was an interesting journey. The area’s clearly far more affluent when I used to cycle across the flatlands as a kid. There’s more expensive houses, and some of the rich farmland has been converted into (hardly productive) animal paddocks.Other fields now grow turf for people’s lawns. Lucrative, maybe, but hardly sustainable.
My former 319 at Burscough Bridge.
Sadly, Burscough’s main street has suffered an outbreak of flag-shagging. This is a small town where the overwhelming majority of the population are white, wealthy homeowners. Except for many of the people working in the high street nail bars, fast-food joints and barbers, obviously…
19:15.
Next stop was Wigan, where I paused for a pint in the Swan and fortified myself with chips and mushy peas from the chippy up the road. Well, it’d have been rude not to sample the local cuisine!
Now I’m heading back to Manchester on the same TfW I was chasing….
21:30.
I’m on the last leg home after stopping off in central Manchester to get a few low-light pictures. For once Manchester let me down and the city stayed dry! Even so, I hope I’ve one or two decent pictures. I’ll add them later. Right now I’m heading back East on another Chester – Leeds service. It’s a pair of Class 195/0s o mercifully quiet this time of day. As much as I like the older trains if I was going anywhere long- distance , give me one of these as I can set up the mobile office.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 