Category Archives: Rolling blogs

Rolling blog. Ribblehead bound…

07 Wednesday Jan 2026

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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05:30.

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…

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. 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 of 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.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

Paul

Rolling blog. Christmas carolling…

18 Thursday Dec 2025

Posted by in Grand Central trains, London, Photography, Rolling blogs, Travel, West Yorkshire

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09:40.

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.

Rolling blog. Carpe diem…

03 Wednesday Dec 2025

Posted by in Manchester, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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09:18.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

Rolling blog. London bound…

18 Tuesday Nov 2025

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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08:00.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

Rolling blog: Another Shropshire sojourn. Part 1…

10 Monday Nov 2025

Posted by in Photography, Rolling blogs, Shropshire, Travel

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10:50.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

Rolling blog. Chester circular…

31 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by in Chester, Manchester, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:15.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

Rolling blog. More Manchester mooching…

23 Thursday Oct 2025

Posted by in Greater Manchester, Manchester, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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12:15.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. The PWI, Swindon and the journey home…

09 Thursday Oct 2025

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, The PWI, Travel

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07:45.

It’s the start of a long day here in Swindon. Our group’s about to assemble in the hotel lobby before heading over to the Network Rail training centre to begin today’s activities. I’ll post a few pictures when I’m able.

At day’s close I’ll be heading back to West Yorkshire, hopefully with as easy a journey as I had yesterday. Let’s see…

17:30.

I’m back! Apologies for the gap but it’s been a busy day with the PWI and wifi at the centre wasn’t up to snuff. I’ll post some pictures later. The delegates certainly enjoyed themselves learning more about the dark art of installing and maintaining the railways overhead electrification systems – and got the chance to get their gloves dirty carrying ot a range of tasks. Running contact wires, then tensioning them. Installing droppers and drilling rails to install bonding – and that was just a few of the activities. There were also demonstrations of tools and other kit by Cembre, Gripple and Mosdorfer. At the end of the day, delegates were presented with a course certificate and their very own section of copper OLE contact wire by Gary Keenor of the PWI/Atkins, the man who wrote ‘the’ book on OLE systems.

Now I’m heading back North. On leaving Swindon I caught a GWR train to Didcot Parkway where I changed for the local service to Banbury as far as Oxford, where the station was packed due to it being rush-hour. I was lucky enough to catch a late-running Cross-Country service (1M58, the 14:45 from Bournemouth).

17:50.

We’re now between Leamington Spa and Coventry, an area I know well for various reasons (people and High Speed 2 mainly). This train’s quietened down as we’ve dropped more people off than we’ve picked up, but I suspect that’ll soon change as ‘Cov’ is always a busy place.

19:00.

We’ve passed through the Cov-Brum- Wolves corridor and (as expected) the train was heaving. This area sees an intercity train become little more than a jam-packed local service. It’s popular with locals because of its speed as it omits all the smaller stations. We’re still busy heading for Stafford, although this is the outer limit of the Black Country commuter belt.

20:40.

My plan for getting home earlier was frustrated by a 31 min late arrival at Piccadilly. The closer we got to the city, the  more congestion we encountered. My dash across the city was to no avail as I missed my connection by 2 minutes. It was leaving from the far side of the station, which left me no chance. To add insult to injury, the next train (20:36) was running late and not due until 21:04, leaving me no option but to catch the 20:57 to Halifax. There’s only one thing to do – seek refuge in the Victoria Tap…

Mine’s a pint…

21:00.

The last leg. Having enjoyed a pint and indulged in a spot of people watching (divorced dads in their mid 30s who’re obviously struggling with the reality) and being thankful I’m not in that position, I’m now on a quiet 4-car service heading across the Pennines. It’s been a long day – but a really interesting one that’s presented me with a few challenges from a photographic perspective. But that’s what makes the job interesting. That said, I’m looking forward to a day working from home tomorrow. But I’m not there yet…

22:30.

Home again! Now it’s time to relax, but before I do that I’ll post a few pictures from today for your delectation.

Delegates, trainers and members of the PWI pose at the Cocklebury training centre.
Teamwork. Pulling out a contact wire run off its cable drum before it’s secured to masts and tensioned.
Although it wasn’t strictly park of the course, delegates got to see a MEWP (Mobile Elevated Work Platform) in action.
This ex-London Midland Class 153 has appeared at the training centre, although none of us can work out why, or even how it got there as there’s no physical connection with the national 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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Swindon, cross-country…

08 Wednesday Oct 2025

Posted by in Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, The PWI, Travel

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10:15.

After a welcome night at home, I’ve repacked my bags (which are now full of my PPE) and begun my journey across country to Swindon in Wiltshire to join the rest of the PWI team abd delegates for this year’s electrification challenge at the Network Rail training school at Cocklebury sidings.

My route avoids London, which means I’m taking a truly Cross-Country route to Leeds. From there, I pick up an XC train that goes via Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham and Cheltenham to Bristol Parkway. On arrival, I change for a GWR train for the hop to Swindon. What could possibly go wrong?

I’m about to find out…

Off to Swindon. Me that is, this train’s off to York!

The first leg of my journey was easy.  Dawn was a star and dropped me off at Halifax station, which allowed me to bank some time in Leeds as I was able to catch an earlier train than I’d planned. A busy 3-car heading for York carried me to Leeds via Bradford – without any of the problems we encountered yesterday.

The ‘mobile office’ had to stay in my camera bag, meaning this first part of the blog was typed on my phone.

10:40.

I’m relaxing at Leeds and making use of the free station wifi to post this blog.

Checking real time trains it seems my next train is (mercifully) made up of two four-car Voyagers and is (almost) on time on its journey from Scotland.

Leeds platforms 15-16 used to be almost exclusively used by Trans-Pennine Express. I still do a double-take when I see a Northern service using one.

11:11.

All’s well with the world. OK, admittedly I’m really on a cramped 4-car Voyager, but we’re on time, I have a window seat, working plug socket, and WiFi- so I’m counting that as a win – despite the fact I now have a bum-numbing 3 hrs 12 mins on this train.

Ready for the road…

Now it’s time to set up the mobile office to get some work done…

12:15.

I’ve retraced yesterday’s steps as far as Chesterfield. We’re running a couple of minutes late but that’s hardly a problem. My car on this train is blissfully quiet. We’ve had people come and go at Wakefield or Sheffield, but there’s been no major influx. One of the ironies of Cross-Country services is that – despite the length of the diagram (this train’s travelling from Glasgow to Plymouth) most passengers are taking far shorter journeys. I don’t know what the statistics are now, but the average used to be about 50 miles. It’s no wonder the moquette gets so worn, that’s a lot of bums on a single seat in the course of the diagram!

Room to breathe. Unusual on Cross-Country.

12:55.

We’re now past Tamworth and well into the Midlands, heading West. This has been one of the most relaxed cross-country journeys I’ve had in a long time. After leaving Derby we passed the old Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, where the giant cooling towers overshadow the railway. It was the UKs last coal-fired power station and closed last year. Now it’s been slated for demolition. These structures dominated a lot of the skyline around where I now live but are vanishing one by one. Of course, the collieries that once fuelled them have already vanished. The line’s skyline’s changing. A new landmark is the viaducts of HS2’s triangular junction for the lines out of Birmingham, which is really taking shape. In fact, HS2 construction dominates much of this route into (and out of) Birmingham.

13:20.

We’ve left Birmingham to follow a far more relaxed and less contentious form of transport construction – a canal! Well, I say that, but I know Nimbys still existed in the 18th century – but they were landowners and the gentry rather than ordinary people! Despite an influx of passengers in Brum this train’s still got plenty of free seats – thank God for a double set. If this had been a single 4-car Voyager we’d be playing Sardines. I’ve had a walk-through this train. There’s three people in 1st Class, whist Standard class has loadings of around 20%

One of my reasons for a walk-through (other than curiosity) was to grab something to eat. Foolishly, I hadn’t prepared anything before I left so was reliant on on-board catering. Only the trolley service as far as Birmingham was bereft of anything substantive. It was snack-bars or nothing. But, after a crew change – we had butties from Brum!

It may be white bread, but it was still a decent sandwich.

17:00.

I’m in Swindon after a fault-free journey. Sadly, I have to report that the town’s not got any better and is still a sh*thole. That said, I have gone for a walk uphill into the old town in order to get my steps in. The old town’s much nicer. You know a town’s a mess when the only thing that brightens it up is street art. Here’s a few pics from my stroll…

A lovely, relaxed pub with a modern interior.
This brightens up your day…
I passed a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside BBC Wiltshire. I wonder if they’ll report on it?
More street art..
Yet more street art..
Are you sure? I suspect that with some clients, a verbal announcement may be more useful…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Conference call…

06 Monday Oct 2025

Posted by in Community rail, Community Rail Network, Nottingham, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:30.

The start of a new week sees me back on the rails, this time heading for Nottingham and the two-day Community Rail Network conference. Sadly, I’m travelling solo. Dawn was hoping to attend but decided to stay behind at the last moment due to pressures of work.

So, I’ve left home early in order to get a few pictures en-route and at Nottingham before this afternoon’s kick-off. Having walked into sunny Halifax I found a Hull bound service waiting at the platform, so I’m already on my way to Leeds aboard a mostly empty 2-car class 158 which is providing a relaxed mobile office environment!

I’ve worked in busier offices!

11:35.

After a brief stop in Leeds to change trains, I’m on my way again. Oddly, on another Class 158. The Leeds – Nottingham route is normally worked by the more modern CAF built Class 195s. Today, we’re having to slum it without the benefit of power-sockets. Ho hum! At least the weather’s staying good.

Not what I expected…

16:00.

Sorry for the gap, but I’ve had a busy day. I’m now settled into my hotel with time to breathe before stuff kicks off. Despite the train being busy, the trip to Nottingham was rather relaxed. Normally, there would be a gang of us, but today I was flying solo. This meant that I had a couple of hours to explore the city and get some pictures (which are downloading from the camera now). I like this city. It’s a really interesting place, full of life. Like any UK city, it’s not without its problems (homelessness and substance abuse, for example), but it’s thriving university town with a vibrant city centre – and trams – which is always a good start!

Now my camera’s downloaded I’ve a small selection of pictures for you.

DBs diversity branded Class 66 passed through hauling 6E02, the 1230 Toton Up Sidings to Boston Sleaford Sidings
To reinforce the message that the railways celebrate diversity EMRs version of a ‘trainbow’ passed through a few moments later!
London Rd overbridge to the East of the station provides a great vantage point of Eastcroft depot and the running lines out to Grantham and onwards to Skegness. The view’s changed a bit over the past few years now that EMR have dispensed with their older Class 153 and 156 units.
Trams on Cheapside in the centre of town.

17:10.

The stage is set, and the buffet is almost ready…

23:00.

Time to call it a day. The conference has produced lots of talking points for tomorrow, people have been busy networking and a few dozen of us have been enjoying a drink out in Nottingham. Tomorrow’s another (busy) day…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312